The Asgardian Son of Hades in The Avengers - BOOK 2

Chapter 5

".... Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables." Stark stated as Nico walked past. Nico had warned Thor previously of the same thing, and Thor had agreed.

"You think Fury's hiding something?" Come on, Captain America, Nico thought, of course he is!

"Of course he is." Nico spoke from the doorway, they jumped as he entered, "I advised against this particular project, destroyed their work, but not enough, because they picked it back up after sending me and most of the people I wanted out, out. I guess Fury knows whatever this project's really about, is going to anger me, so he won't tell me either."

"See?" Tony - because Nico liked him now, he reminded him of Percy - asked Rogers, "Even his own spy thinks he's lying!"

"I belong to no one." Nico stated, slightly hostile, "But yes, I do."

"Ooooooh!" Tony mock gasped, "Someone abused you once, and 'owned' you?"

"I never said they abused me." Nico stated, before cursing at himself. The others in the room looked at him in shock.

"Who?" Tony sounded deadly calm, "Was it someone still alive?"

"It wasn't that bad." Nico stated, "I was..."

"Wasn't that bad?" Steve - because he clearly cared - asked, horrified, "WASN'T THAT BAD?!" He turned to Tony, "Isn't slavery still abolished?"

"Yes, Capsicle." Tony rolled his eyes.

"He never hurt me, okay?" Nico stated, "In fact the only reason he wound up not setting me free, is that, in Asgard, if I was caught that would've been a fate worse than death."

"So it was Thor?" Bruce asked, sounding scared of the answer.

"No." Nico stated hurriedly, looking down, "When I was 14, I was half mortal, and so my dad, who was a god, made me immortal to make me more valuable to sell." Nico saw their eyes widen in horror, "I had already ran away, so the slave traders witnessed my fighting skills when they came to collect me, and, when Odin asked, they brought me with the others as the best fighters and most valuable slaves." Nico spat out the last word like it was poison, "Going back a bit here, Because slaves travel from place to place on foot, I had mostly walked from Earth to Asgard." Nico paused, "So I went back in time a few thousand years due to the direction I was going in space, and the residual Bifrost energy, "He then sent both his sons to pick and choose who they wanted." Nico smiled sadly to their surprise, "I had locked eyes with Loki during Odin's speech, and Loki was intrigued by the fact that I did not look scared or bitter; I had already gotten over that. I accepted my fate when the slave traders captured me. That, and I was interacting with him non verbally, and he liked me." The others were stunned as he continued, "I was then challenged by Odin, and won, so Odin sent me back with Loki. I watched Loki grow up as not only his best friend, but his slave who helped him with everything willingly. I will not serve anyone, but Loki, and since the Loki I care about is not here to serve, I serve no one, and am owned by no one. Thor understood, and let me stay, and even if Loki were to return, after some stuff where he almost executed me, I doubt he could look at me without feeling sorry, and feeling horrible. I could never do that to him, so I won't return to Asgard, even as a warrior, perhaps as a visitor, or something along the lines, but not as a resident or a slave." The others paused, taking this in, and I said one last thing, "I do not wish to talk about this, can we return to the original subject?"

"You sound like Thor." Tony realized, "You do realize that you picked up Asgardian speech while you were on Asgard right?"

"Original subject?" I blushed.

Tony sighed and they got back to business. Steve stormed off in an angry tantrum - type way.

"So, you read Selvig's notes?" Nico asked, Tony nodded, "You're still a kelp head, but, if you want more knowledge about Parthenon's than what Nick Fury has, I might be able to help."

"Sure, but I'm a genius, not a 'kelp head'." Tony smiled.

"I never said you weren't academically smart." Nico smiled, "You just have the mindset of a person I used to know."

"Uh... who's this 'person'?" Tony asked.

"I don't want to talk much about him." Nico smiled sadly, "He died in 2014, the same year I was taken along with the rest of my friends, and my second sister to die."

Tony looked at Nico in surprise, but bowed his head in respect for the fallen before he made his new witty remark, "Well," Tony mused, "You've got an interesting life."

I pointed to Stark, "Genius who made a tech never before seen or used by humanity reliable enough to escape terrorists while in a cave being monitored by said terrorist." Nico pointed to Bruce, "A scientist who experimented on himself to make super soldier serum - which was probably correct by the way - and then got split personality disorder with appearances to match." He pointed out the door, "A weak war world 2 boy who was injected with chemicals that made gave him the positive effects of super steroids for eternity, and got frozen in ice for 80 years." Nico pointed to the monitor where Black Widow was approaching Loki, though the others seemed to think he was pointing at the other door, "A Russian girl raised by an evil brainwashing organization to be an assassin, then found as a teen by a teen boy who as a kid ran away to the circus to learn to shoot bows and arrows so well he was able to join a top secret government organization. He hired the girl for the organization instead of killing her. Now she's an assassin for the good side? I'm still not quite sure, but she's content with it." Nico looked at Tony with a humorous expression, "Even when the past is described simply, no one on this team doesn't have an interesting life."

"Good point."  Tony sighed.

"Now, I pick up things really quickly, but I didn't get a chance to go to school..." Nico looked at them hopefully, "Can you teach me so I can help?"

"Sure kid." Tony smiled, and ruffled Nico's hair... and for once Nico didn't mind.