What Happens In Asgard

Chapter One

"This was a really nice idea. Thanks, Tony" Steve said.

"Don't mention it. I never did get around to having a proper housewarming party before the place got trashed, so I guess it makes sense to have one now it's fixed."

"Well, you're brave to invite the people who basically trashed it" Bruce said casually, and Tony laughed.

"Well, you're the one who did the primary trashing, if I remember correctly" Tony told him.

"It was worth it" Bruce said with a nod and a tiny smile.

"Can we re-watch the surveillance footage of Hulk putting the smackdown on Loki?" Clint asked. "Because that's never getting less funny."

"Actually, I like the part where Loki defenestrated Tony" Natasha said.

Clint laughed. "Defenestrated. That's gotta be the word of the day."

Tony shuddered and Natasha smirked at him.

"In my defence, Thor also tore the place up. A little" Bruce volunteered, and his fellow Avengers groaned.

"Deluded! You're deluding yourself, Banner" Tony told the other scientist.

Tony turned to make a smart comment to Steve, but stopped when he noticed the way the blonde man was staring curiously out the window. Tony broke off and followed his eye line.

On the terrace was a huge, glossy black bird. It appeared to be staring at them through the window. In its beak it held what looked like a thick piece of paper. When Tony looked at it, it hopped over to the window and tapped its beak gently on the glass.

"Is anyone else seeing that?" Tony asked, "Or do I need to lay off the Ketel One?"

Everyone turned to look at the bird, and it peered beadily at them in return.

"That has got to be the biggest crow I've ever seen" Bruce commented.

"It's not a crow, it's a raven" Natasha told them.

Clint looked sceptically at her "How can you even tell?"

Natasha shrugged.

"What has it got in its beak?" Steve wondered.

"Looks like it's been raiding the trash somewhere" Bruce noted.

Under their scrutiny, the raven began to tap its beak more enthusiastically again the window.

"I think it wants to come in" Steve said.

"Uh, no" Tony said, annoyed. "I just got this place cleaned up; I don't need bird crap all over everywhere!"

Natasha stood and sauntered over to the window. The raven looked up at her, and hopped up and down on the spot. She pressed a button on a panel text to the door, and the terrace door slid open. The raven trotted into the room, and continued to stare at the men. Then it launched itself into the air and swooped around the room.

"Why did you do that?" Tony cried. "I don't trust birds- they're pointy at both ends!"

He watched the bird warily. "Nevermore!" he told it harshly.

Suddenly it swooped down, and dropped the paper in its beak squarely onto Clint's lap. Then it landed on the table in front of him, cawed loudly once, and took wing again, sweeping from the building.

"Eat my shorts!" Tony called after it.

Everyone turned to stare at Clint. He was sitting stock-still, staring at the paper in his lap.

"Well, congratulations, Barton. Looks like you finally got your letter from Hogwarts" Tony said cheerfully. He stepped closer to Clint to look at the paper.

"It's an envelope" Bruce commented.

"An envelope with Clint's name written on it" Natasha said warily.

"Delivered by a raven?" Steve said with a touch on incredulity.

"I'm guessing Asgard? Anyone else thinking that?" Tony suggested.

Clint continued to stare down at the letter, not moving.

"Are you going to open it?" Bruce asked.

"We should probably get it tested first for... I don't even know..." Natasha trailed off.

"I don't think it's going to be explosive or anything" Steve commented.

"Depends who in Asgard it's from" Clint said quietly.

"Does it look like Thor's handwriting?" Tony asked. "We don't hear from the guy at all for weeks, then he goes and writes Barton a love-letter. I'm a little jealous!"

Clint gave him a disgruntled look.

"Well, at least the bird didn't crap on your head" Tony told him.

"Do you want me to?-" Steve asked, gesturing to the letter.

Clint sighed "I don't want to touch it."

Steve nodded and reached for the envelope.

"Careful, Cap, we don't know what is" Natasha warned.

"JARVIS, please analyse the envelope and its contents" Tony called.

A moment later the A.I. beeped. "The composition of the envelope, and the material within, is animal parchment, plant-derived glue and ink. Its provenance, however, is not of Earth."

"So. Asgard it is" Natasha said.

Clint finally picked up the letter, studied the fine penmanship that had written his name on the front, then turned it over and gingerly thumbed it open. It contained a single thick sheet of yellowed parchment.

He pulled it out and unfolded it to read.
His fellow Avengers watched him with baited breath, none of them saying a word.
He read through the letter twice, paused to contemplate its contents, and then threw the letter onto the table for the others to read.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean...

Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, decided to go another lap of the upper hangar deck.

He dragged in a slow breath of chilly air, his eye on the horizon as he jogged. A dark blur at the edge of his vision intruded upon his concentration, and he glanced up without slowing.

A large black bird was flapping its wings lazily, seeming to keep pace with him. He stared up at it as he ran, pondering where the creature had come from; the Helicarrier was far out to sea, and not even gulls were dumb enough to stray this far from land.

He glanced across the deck. Several techs had stopped their duties and were staring at the bird. Fury sighed and slowed his pace. As he did, the glossy bird glided towards the ground and landed gently before him.

Fury's brow furrowed as he noted the paper in the bird's beak. His frown only deepened as the bird stepped forward and laid the paper- an envelope? - at his feet.

It stared up at him imperiously, cawed, and took wing again. Fury silently watched it disappear into the horizon. He reached up and tapped his comm unit.

Forty-five minutes later, the SHEILD threat assessment team had cleared the envelope.

Fury picked it up and tore it open.

… … … … … … ...

You are summoned forthwith

to the realm of

Asgard

by

Odin

High King,

to bear witness at the trial of

Loki Laufeyson

for his crimes against the peoples of Midgard.

You must present yourself to the

gatekeeper Heimdall

at the Bifrost site

the first day of the new month.

Go in peace.