A/N: Hey there! :) This is my second Thor series, my first Thor/OC, and is the second story in the Heroic Hymns, War :) The first story (Humility) is listed under the THOR section of this site while this story is under the Avengers as it follows the sequence of movies in the Thor series. As fair warning, this will NOT be a Jane/Thor story or a Thor/Sif story. This series will be my attempt to incorporate an original character into the Avengers movie. This story will be based around the movie but will also include some original scenes :) This story will be about 10 chapters long, updated daily :)

A short description of my OC, Athena: She is a tall woman, pale, with blonde hair that is a bit long, with gray eyes. She tends to wear this half up, half down, but with a bun in the top half. Her bun has a small stick in it that Thor gave her that is really a very delicate dagger. She tends to wear brown leather armor, a breastplate from her brother, with a coin necklace under it. She has a charm bracelet made by her siblings that she doesn't wear often. For a reference, I picture the OC, Athena, to look something like Rosamund Pike :)

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Thor or the Avengers or things from the movie/comic, just my OC and some original aspects...or else I'd have enough money for a replica Mjolnir lol :)

~8~

A Deadly Mission

The room was a blinding white and blue, light blue, and green. It was a courtyard, white pillars and walls surrounded it, with emerald green grass on the ground and an open area above through which the blue sky and white clouds could be seen. That was the only color to be seen in the surrounding area, but that wasn't the only thing there. While the space was empty of any other items, there were two people standing within it.

One dark haired, the other golden haired.

One a man, and the other a woman.

The woman blinked, seeming almost startled to be standing there, her body covered in white cloth with gold accents and sandals, while the man was dressed similarly, smiling at her widely, "It worked," he beamed, before rushing to the woman's side and hugging her tightly.

"I don't understand," the woman shook her head, hugging him just as closely but stepping back a moment later, her hands on the man's elbows as he kept hold of her.

"We have been trying to contact you," the man stated.

"Yes," she smiled, reaching up to touch her temple, "I had guessed that."

Well, SHE hadn't quite guessed it, not really, a woman wiser than she had guessed what her persistent and increasingly terrible headaches had meant and endeavored to help her find a solution to them. It appeared both sides had been aiming for the same goal, communication.

She looked at the man before her and reached up to touch his cheek. He hadn't aged a day, but that was to be expected, they had quite long lives, but she hadn't seen him in so long it almost felt like he should look older. It both broke and warmed her heart to see it though. Because he looked the same and, for one brief moment she could pretend that no time had passed at all, that she hadn't been away from him and the others for centuries, but at the same time…it was just a reminder that centuries had passed, that centuries more could still pass and she wouldn't be any wiser about it. That was the curse with the longevity they held, time nearly stood still for them and, in the blink of an eye, a millennia could pass and they'd show no sign of the time.

She frowned, seeing the seriousness in his face, something she was unaccustomed to on the man before her, he was usually so carefree and easygoing, to see a fierceness in his eyes, a protectiveness, and a fear…it worried her, "What is wrong?" she asked, "Why were you trying to earnestly to contact me?"

"Besides the fact that all our connections to you vanished in an instant?" he scoffed at that and she could hear a bitterness in his voice, "Besides none of us knowing if you were alive or not save for uncle not having seen you in his realm?"

She winced at that and looked down, "I am sorry," she breathed, "I had no time to warn you. It was a decision to be made in mere moments, a decision that had to be made to prevent the destruction of the realms…"

"We know," he sighed, swallowing hard, "All the realms felt the balance shifting."

"It is being rebuilt though," she promised, "I will see you all soon, as soon as all is repaired."

"We are working on rebuilding on our side as well," he agreed, "Perhaps we shall see each other sooner than we believe."

"Besides appearing here," she looked around, not entirely sure where they actually were. She was sure she hadn't been away THAT long that she wouldn't recognize a place but it appeared to be just a generic creation, "In our dreams," she turned back to him.

"Besides here," he nodded, "This world doesn't exist," he added, though he knew she'd already worked that out, "It is a bridge between dreams, one that transcends the realms."

"I worked that out thanks," she laughed, smiling at him, it had to be a dream, and not just because she could remember quite clearly falling into a trance like sleep under potion and supervision after hours and hours and days and weeks and months of preparation and practice and focus and training for such a thing.

Magic was not her forte.

It wasn't that she could remember going to sleep, falling to unconsciousness with the intent to try and reach out with her dreams. No, it wasn't that…

It was because she was wearing a gown!

"You know I hate these things," she tugged at the cloth near her hip, stretching the fabric out and letting it snap back into place before giving the man a mock glare as he laughed at her.

"Think of it as punishment for scaring us," he shrugged easily.

She let out a long breath, "Why am I here though?" she asked, knowing that they would NOT have risked what they were doing to contact her if it was not for the most dire of circumstances, "What is wrong? What's happened?"

"It is not what HAS happened," he frowned, "But what SHALL happen."

Her expression dropped even more as she reached out a hand for his, "What did you see?"

The man bit his lip, a sure sign that what he'd glimpsed in his visions of the future was not something to be taken lightly, was not something enjoyable and…she was sure…was something likely to cause her an enormous amount of heart break or pain if his expression was one to go on. He never liked sharing news that brought pain to those around him. Oh at first, when he'd been younger and just exploring his gift, he had been a brat, he had used it to his advantage, he'd used it to manipulate those around him, he'd even been known to cause a war or two from his foresight. But he'd matured with age, when he saw how fragile the bonds between all of them were, he'd matured and now the thought of any vision that caused them harm was one he was unwilling to share.

"Tell me," she whispered, urging him to do that, she had to know. They would not have risked contacting her in such a manner if it wasn't something that involved her directly.

"A war is coming," he warned, "A battle…in another realm."

"What sort of battle?" she shook her head, needing to know more.

"I cannot say," he let out a frustrated noise and she knew from the sound of it he had pushed himself to see more, to learn all he could about it and the fact that he was so frustrated meant he hadn't been able to see as much as he wanted or that he didn't understand what he had seen, "There is a land, of tall buildings, gray and metal and glass. There are people, mortals, in…" he shook his head, "Clothing I have never seen before with metal boxes on wheels and metal birds in the sky," he let out another breath, "A storm appears in the sky and…creatures…pour out of it. There is battle and war and blood, destruction and fires and death, screaming and trembling and anger."

She tilted her head, watching his expression closely as he looked down, his eyes becoming distant as he tried to recall all that he had seen. She knew that his visions were snippets at time, bits and pieces he tried to string together into some sort of fluid line and that it was best to allow his mind to work out what it was seeing.

"There is a man," he continued, "A dark haired man, dressed in black and green. But…at the same time he is not a man. I see a flicker, a man as ordinary as you or I and the next…blue skinned and red eyed and harsh."

"Go on," she encouraged him lightly, understanding what he was saying, WHO he was talking about even if he didn't know.

"He holds a magic box, a box that glows white and light blue," he spoke haltingly and she knew he was nearing the end of what he'd seen, "And a scepter with an orb of the same. It…it ensnares men like the Sirens of old, controls them, bends their will to his. He will open a portal and the city of York will fall if he is not stopped," he looked up suddenly, right into her eyes, "I saw YOU," he told her, tears in his eyes now, "I saw you before this man in a room with a glass cage in it and he…he was torturing you, he was killing you. He DID kill you," he voice broke and she quickly pulled him into her arms, comforting him as she heard that crack.

"No one shall kill me," she murmured in his ear, rubbing his back soothingly, "I do believe there is a line just within our family of people who should have the pleasure first," she joked, earning a laugh from him at that. Theirs was truly a…complicated family if they could so easily speak of how they would all likely murder each other at one point or another but still know it wouldn't actually happen.

He pulled away and looked into her gray eyes, his own blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears, "Promise me you will be careful," he whispered, "We cannot help you, you will be alone…"

"I won't be," she smiled at him, "I have friends where I am, I have made a new life, I…" she hesitated, "I've…"

"Found love?" he supplied with a knowing grin, laughing when she shot him a horrified look that he knew, for if HE knew then their entire family knew, "You cannot expect you-know-who to keep her mouth shut when she sensed you were in love. She knew it before you did. Could you tell me though when you admitted it, we've drawn bets on it and…"

She reached out and punched him in the shoulder for that, "I've found love," she admitted, "And he won't let anyone harm me. I give you my word on that. We…are a team, we work well together. He would never let me come to harm."

"We shall be the judge of whether or not he be worthy of you," he warned, "But if he succeeds in protecting you as you do him…we may be more lenient in our considerations."

She smiled at that and shook her head, "Please tell me father doesn't know."

His smirk was answer enough.

"Wonderful."

He laughed at that, "You know he will worry," he told her, "You are his first-born, his only-born and this…man-child," she rolled her eyes at that, "He is the first man you have ever shown an interest in. He WILL be protective, we all will."

She nodded, "I know," she looked at him, seeing him starting to fade right in front of her, "Thank you for your warning. I will take it to heart and I will be vigilant."

He nodded, seeming to sense that their time together was drawing to a close as well and reached out to touch her cheek, "We shall see you again, one day."

She only had time to offer him one more smile and a brief nod before she felt the world around her go black...

~8~

...Athena's eyes snapped open before she winced and closed them again, bringing her hands to her eyes to cover them from the light. It was night where she was, there were only a few candles burning around her, but it was still too bright.

"Here," she heard the voice of her mentor speak and felt gentle hands helping her sit up, "Take this."

A goblet of potion was held in front of her and she took it without hesitation, drinking down the foul substance with a grimace, "This is terrible," she croaked out, her voice feeling harsh as she looked up at Frigga moving to sit beside her on the cot that had been put in the small room.

"It is," the Queen of Asgard smiled at her, reaching out to brush a hand down Athena's long golden hair, "But it will help with the after effects of the trance."

Athena nodded, setting the goblet aside, already feeling her eyes adjusting, the pounding in her head abating and the twisting of her stomach settling, "Thank you."

Frigga nodded, "Did it work?" she asked.

Athena paused to think on that, her head still a little foggy from the trance…dream…dream-trance? That she had experienced. The last few months she had been plagued with a persistent headache. First it was just a dull throb but periodically it was getting worse. She hadn't been able to sleep, she kept feeling like there was someone watching her and shouting out to her but she couldn't see, and it felt like her mind was being split in two. She'd hidden it as best she could from Thor and the others, but she'd spoken to Frigga about it. She had been to the healers and there was no sign of anything physically or mentally wrong with her so she'd thought, perhaps, it was magic.

And magic it was.

Frigga had known, within describing her symptoms just what was happening and began the process of helping her. Someone was trying to invade her dreams, to make contact with her in the part of her mind that was unprotected. It could be done with magic, but it shouldn't have been lasting so long or been so affecting to her…unless it was coming across realms, and with the Bifrost destroyed and work only slightly done on it, there would be only one method of contacting her…her dreams.

She knew, the moment Frigga mentioned it was a message being sent in her dreams, whose magic it was that was reaching out to her from somewhere else. But she had no idea how to open the connection from her side. So Frigga had taken it upon herself to teach her how to open her mind. She had taught her enough basics of magic, enough meditation, and mixed the proper potions for the connection to open and to allow her to speak to the person reaching out to her.

"It was my brother," she breathed.

"They must be worried for you," Frigga murmured, she and Odin knowing all about her family that she had left to become a warrior of Asgard.

"They are," she nodded, "But not because of recent events," she added, glancing at her, "Loki…" she began, wincing as Frigga inhaled sharply at that, knowing that it was hard for the woman to hear about her lost son, they had been searching for him, on her request, because if he'd only fallen into the abyss then there was a chance that he was still alive, but there had been no proof yet, no evidence that he was, till now, "He's alive."

"He is?" Frigga breathed, tears filling her eyes as she put a hand to her mouth.

"But…" she hesitated and Frigga took her hand in encouragement to continue, "He's after the Tesseract."

"It survived?" Frigga stared at her, the Tesseract had long since been lost to them.

She nodded, "My brother is a prophet, a…seer," she offered, "It was why he was so insistent to contact me. He had a vision of Loki with the Tesseract. He…he'll use it to open some sort of portal on Earth and release creatures upon the mortals to wage a war. He saw…he saw me there."

Frigga frowned at the tone of her voice at that, "Not Thor?"

"I assume Thor is there," she murmured, "I…would not go without him."

Frigga had to smile at that, she had noticed a closeness in her son and Athena that had, admittedly, always been there, but had grown even stronger since Thor had returned to them after being exiled. The two were rarely away from each other for long. Truly if it hadn't been for Odin insisting on private lessons and discussions with Thor about the proper way to rule Asgard, she doubted she would have had enough time alone with Athena to help her with this small task of taking care of her headaches if not for her husband.

She had noticed a small decline in, what Thor liked to call, his 'verbal sparring' with Athena and more an actual conversation forming between them which was heartwarming to see. She knew her son was rather closed off when it came to expressing his fears or doubts to anyone, especially to her or Odin as he never wanted to appear like he couldn't handle himself. It was the same for him around the Warriors Three and Sif, he wanted to be seen as the leader not someone who doubted his choices. She was sure that, at first, it had been Athena's role as a potential advisor that had made Thor feel more comfortable speaking to her, similarly to how Odin spoke to HER, but it had progressed from there. Thor spoke to Athena less like she was his future advisor and more like his future…well, she had to smile at that, she couldn't say it out loud or think it, she didn't want to jinx her son's happiness. But…Athena reminded her very much of herself.

There had also been another slight change in their dynamic, namely in their physical interactions as well. There was an intimacy between them now. They walked closer to each other than normal, stepping through doors Thor would guide her with a light hand to her back, he pulled chairs out for her to sit first. There were small things really, little things only a mother would notice. A light hand on Thor's arm, a gentle touch to the face, a brush of the arm, so small but actions that spoke more than a thousand words to her keen eyes. And when they sparred, especially when they wrestled, it was amusing to watch. There was a playfulness and an easiness in it. Oh the competitive nature of it was still there, was always there, they were always trying to best each other and win, but they were less forceful of it. It was less a competition and more like an exercise, something to release steam and energy. She HAD noticed though, that sometimes they disappeared after a sparring match, one that involved actual weapons. Those were even more charged than before, the eye contact they held, the way they moved, it was like Thor was studying her and Athena was reacting, quite a change from how they normally fought. But they'd disappear and, at times, she would seek them out and find them wrestling more in private. Nothing unseemly ever happened, nor would it, despite being warriors and despite being a prince, she had raised Thor with more respect for women than to EVER take a woman to his bed before he wed her and she knew that Athena had a very high sense of modesty that she wouldn't ever allow herself to fall into bed with anyone. But she did notice that the wrestling was like an outlet for them after they'd had a spar before others, like a private moment between the two, where they could be physically close without eyes on them.

She was actually very…happy for the both of them, to see her son and Athena growing closer. A relationship such as the one she could see for the two was one that would depend on a connection and understanding of each other's minds and hearts and souls on top of their interests and personalities.

But her smile started to fade when she saw Athena look down and tense, "What is it?"

"He said I died," she told her quietly.

Frigga stiffened at that, knowing that Athena wouldn't ever have told her if she genuinely wasn't shaken by what her brother had foreseen. But even as she sat there, even as she heard Athena tell HER the news…she knew that Athena wouldn't say a word of it to Thor. Her son, bless his heart, was a strong warrior, he could be remarkably focused when the occasion called for it…but she knew, as well as Athena did, that if Thor knew the fate she would be walking into by going to Earth and trying to find Loki, that he would start to focus on her and protecting her and it would start to affect the mission of finding him and returning him to Asgard, bringing him home. And if Thor was focused on her, he wouldn't be focused on protecting himself and he would get hurt and Athena would likely get hurt or die in the process of trying to keep him safe in return and it would be an utter mess.

"Thor can never know," Athena whispered.

Frigga nodded solemnly, hearing her hidden words. This was more than just Thor knowing about her fate…it was also about Thor knowing how she had come by this information. Thor had never been interested in magic and everyone in Asgard knew that it took a talent to be able to safely use magic. Oh someone could be taught it, but it was risky and dangerous and she was quite sure, if it hadn't been for herself mentoring and training Athena just to enter this dream trance, she could have easily fallen into an unawakable sleep, or even death. It was up to those who possessed an innate magic to be able to use it like she and Loki could. If Thor ever found out that she had been encouraging Athena to use Asgardian magic like that…he would be furious at the both of them.

"I will speak to Odin," Frigga determined, getting up and heading for the door, pausing to glance back at Athena as she hunched forward and held her head in her hands.

She knew no words could be given to help reassure her that it would be well, Athena's brother had never been wrong yet.

~8~

Athena and Thor stood before Odin Allfather as the man sat on his throne in the empty hall, empty save for them and Frigga standing beside him. The guards were outside the room, the Warriors Three and Sif were not brought in with them and Thor knew it had to be serious for it to be such a private matter. And there was only one thing that could be so serious as this…Loki.

They had kept quiet about his heritage, about how he was a Frost Giant though the damage of what he'd done in allowing the Jotuns into Asgard and sending the Destroyer to kill him had gone around. They had told the realm that Loki had likely died and did nothing to dissuade them to think that he might be alive. But for them to be there, he knew it had to mean that Loki was alive and that they knew where. It would make sense for the two of them to be there, they would be tasked to go after him. He was Loki's brother, and Athena was as clever as he was so she would be an asset in trying to bring him back to Asgard. He knew it was his mother's deepest wish to see her youngest son returned to them, but he would be lying if he didn't admit to himself that he was concerned about what Loki would be returning to them as…a repentant prince and brother, or a mad traitor.

"Father," he hit a fist to his shoulder as Athena did the same, the two of them moving to a knee in deference before the man.

"My son," Odin nodded, gesturing for them both to rise, "Your mother, Queen Frigga, has come to me with startling news."

"Of Loki?" Thor frowned.

Frigga nodded, "I have found him," she told Thor, a small smile on her face.

"Where is he?" Thor asked, straightening, a serious expression coming to his face as his thoughts were confirmed.

"Midgard."

This time it was Athena who looked confused, "But the Bifrost has been destroyed," she remarked, "I assume you wish us to return him but how shall we manage it? We cannot travel between realms any longer."

Odin sighed and stood, "There is a deep, dark magic that the king of Asgard may summon in times of danger and desperation," he began, holding Gungnir flat before him, "I can create a portal that would allow travel to one realm and back. But it can only be done once and the connection between worlds will only last a short while."

"Send us," Thor declared, "Athena and I shall find Loki and return him to Asgard."

"Thor," Athena cut in lightly, "We ought not rush into this," she warned him, "We must know all there is to know about Loki and where he is."

Thor nodded at that, understanding the logic in that, "Mother?" he turned to her, "Where is he? Where on Earth?"

"I cannot be certain," Frigga frowned, "Midgard has changed in the millennia we have departed. There is a city, large with buildings, called…York."

"New York," Thor nodded, "It was a city Erik Selvig mentioned," he glanced at Athena who nodded, recalling some of his drunken mumblings the last time they had been on Earth.

Odin nodded at that, closing his eyes to focus on summoning the magic and the location with Gungnir as Frigga continued, "Thor…Loki has possession of the Tesseract."

"What?!" Thor's eyes widened at that, the Tesseract…what could Loki possibly want with that!?

Oh he knew what Loki could do with it and all it served to do was make him even more alarmed and fearful that his brother would be returning as a criminal and murderer than his brother. He tried not to think of that, but it was hard. The Tesseract was dangerous, powerful, full of energy, but dangerous. It could power an entire realm for millennia…or destroy an entire world. He wouldn't allow himself to hope that Loki was using it to help humanity, not if he was willing to slaughter the Jotuns. A small voice argue that Loki saw the Jotuns as an enemy of Asgard, which they were, but that could equally be humanity instead, especially if Loki had gone mad which he had seemed to do only moments before he'd fallen into the abyss.

"He means to use it to unleash an army," Frigga added solemnly, crushing the last tiny hope that Thor held that his brother might still be in there.

Athena reached out, seeing the heartbreak in Thor's eyes at the thought of what Loki would do, how he'd use an army to crush Earth or destroy it or rule it or whatever a person needed an army for. She placed her hand on his arm in comfort, "Means to," she repeated to him, before glancing at Frigga, playing her part of not knowing any of this beforehand, "He has not unleashed them yet?"

"No," Frigga breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"Thor," Odin spoke, starting to move down the steps from his throne, Gungnir in his hand, crackling with a dark swirl of energy, "Athena," he glanced between the two, "With the utmost secrecy and delicacy, I command you to Earth. There you shall locate Loki, seize the Tesseract, and return both to Asgard."

"What if he has unleashed his army before we find him?" Thor frowned.

"You have been given your commands," Odin stated.

Athena and Thor looked at each other for that, knowing what he meant…if they found him too late, they would be expected to return the instant they got to Loki and the Tesseract, not stay and help the Earth. After all that the humans had done to help them (not counting Coulson and his agents holding Athena prisoner and gassing them both for a short while) they had been helpful and innocent and they had not done a thing to warrant any sort of attack on them, least of all by Loki.

Frigga smiled though as she saw their look, already knowing that they wouldn't listen to that order, nor would she want them to. Odin had ruled Asgard for so long he saw only his people and their safety, but Thor, with Athena's unknowing help, was seeing that all innocents, no matter who, no matter from what realm, deserved to be protected and it was a king's duty to see to that.

Odin lifted Gungnir above his head, the black energy starting to buzz, and slammed the end of it into the ground before him, stepping back as a swirling vortex of what appeared to be storm clouds and black mist sprang up from where it had struck, moving around like a small windstorm before them.

Thor looked at Athena, holding out his hand to her. They didn't know what this portal would be like, if it would be like the Bifrost where they landed in one place, where they landed together in one set area, or if it would drop them somewhere else. They couldn't even be sure they'd land together if they were not attached to the other. Athena seemed to see that as well as, as she reached out and took his hand, the two of them holding tight to each other with their one hands, and resting a hand on their weapons with the other before they ran and leapt into the portal, feeling like they were falling through a hole of biting winds.

Neither of them had any idea what they would fall into the middle of.

A/N: Bit of an original start :) We'll be getting into the Avengers in the next chapter ^-^

Some notes on reviews...(from the end of Humility)...

We'll have to wait and see if Athena will actually physically be with her family again, but she got a glimpse of her brother here ;)

I've seen parts of Man of Steel, but not all of it so I can't say if I'd write a story for it just yet :)