With Jean and Felicia:
"Get to the ships! Hurry!" Jean called out.
"But what if they target us while we're in the air?" an elderly woman asked.
"We have you covered, ma'am. Trust us," Felicia said, keeping her voice as steady as she could.
"And why should we?!" an older man cried out.
At that moment, two Dark Elves rounded the corner into the retreating group and raised their weapons. Felicia was on them before they finished taking aim — driving her claws through their necks in a single, fluid motion, putting both down without a second thought.
"I'd suggest listening to my friend," Jean said as she lifted the Elves telekinetically and flung them aside. "She has a very short temper."
No one said another word.
"Where are Peter and Wanda?" Felicia asked, wiping her claws clean as they moved. "We need to regroup. Whatever this new army is, I don't like our odds."
"I'm sure we'll find them — we just have to—"
"SKREEEOOO!"
The roar cut through everything. Jean and Felicia looked at each other, then Jean rose into the air and carried Felicia with her, clearing the Asgardian rooftops.
They both went still.
Felicia's jaw dropped. "Oh. My—"
"—Did they—"
"—Yes."
"But... how?"
"I have absolutely no idea."
---
At the Palace:
The soldiers were being pushed back. The Outriders were weak individually, but in mass they were overwhelming — and there were far too many of them.
The soldiers would never admit they were going to die here. But they all felt it. This would be their last stand. They would die protecting their people, and all they could ask for was a clean end.
And then came the sound that would be spoken of in mead halls for the next thousand years.
"SKREEEOOO!"
The Outriders faltered. Every head turned.
There, at the far end of the main road leading to the palace, stood a gigantic red structure that had appeared from nowhere. It stood on two massive legs and reached half the height of the palace itself. It resembled a dragon of sorts, but with no wings — instead, coral-like fins ran down its back, it had two compact forelimbs, and a massive tail swept behind it.
For a moment, the soldiers believed this was the end. If that thing was an enemy, they were all already dead.
But then it spoke.
"I'M GODZILLA, BITCHES!"
It charged. Each footfall shook the ground. It leaped — a feat that should have been physically impossible for something of that size — and came down directly in the center of the Outrider army.
BOOM!
It swept its tail through the horde like a scythe, cleaving through hundreds with each pass. Its feet crushed whatever remained beneath them. It advanced on the palace step by massive step, and the soldiers felt something they had nearly surrendered — hope — flood back into their chests.
"For Asgard!" they cried, and pushed forward.
The Outriders gave ground.
Then the creature delivered its most devastating blow.
Its chest began to glow. The more observant soldiers noticed two figures inside — one red, one black — the red one's eyes blazing, both hands alight. Slowly, the beast opened its jaws, and from its throat came a beam of pure red energy that carved straight through the Outrider army and split it in two.
"By the All-Father," the captain of the guard whispered. "What is that?"
"SKREEEOOO!"
And then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. It simply vanished, leaving two figures streaking through the smoke over the decimated army, flying over the palace walls and disappearing inside.
A soldier stepped forward. "Sir... what just happened?"
"I don't know," the captain said. "But one thing's for certain — they're on our side."
---
With Peter and Wanda:
"Th-that was exhausting," Wanda panted.
"But worth every second," I replied, my own energy tapping out as my suit took over and carried both of us onto the nearest palace balcony.
"Tiger! Wanda!" We landed just as Jean and Felicia touched down before us.
"Did you seriously just build a Godzilla out of psionic energy?" Jean asked, eyes still wide.
"You can do that?!" Felicia cried.
"Not normally," I admitted, pulling myself together alongside Wanda. "It only worked because of Wanda's power. And even then, it lasted maybe five minutes before we had to stop."
"In those five minutes you wiped out more than half of those things!" Felicia cried. "Damn. Now I'm upset I don't have psychic powers."
"Maybe next time we—" I stopped.
My spider-sense hit me. Hard.
"Tiger?" Jean asked, searching my face. "What's wrong?"
I turned around.
The enormous warship was hovering above, visible even now — and descending from it was a smaller vessel, carrying what appeared to be two passengers. The warship itself began pulling away, retreating further from Asgard, while the smaller craft continued its descent and touched down on the balcony before us.
Two figures stepped out. I recognized both of them instantly.
"I will admit," the first one said — standing at nearly thirty feet tall, cloaked in living flames, a crown shaped like a 'V' on his head, a broadsword strapped to his back and a tail curling behind him — "your display was impressive. I had planned to take my time and watch Asgard burn before finishing the job myself. But it seems I'll have to get my hands dirty sooner than expected."
"There's no need," his companion growled. He was massive too, nearly half the fire giant's height — but built like something that could make the Hulk feel inadequate. Enormous arms, horns on his chin, a black sleeveless vest over a black uniform with a red and blue banner trimmed in gold tied at his hip, and a massive pickaxe-like weapon strapped to his back. "My father sent you to complete a task. It will be done."
"Surtur," I whispered, looking at the flame-wreathed demon. Then I looked at his companion. "Obsidian."
"Oh look — he knows us," the ancient demon chuckled before coughing hard.
Obsidian threw him a look. "Enough talk. Head to the treasury. I'll clear you a path." He drew his weapon and turned to us. "Remember our arrangement, Surtur — Asgard falls."
"Yes, yes," the demon growled.
"The hell it does," I said, stepping forward.
"Oh? And you and these women plan to stop us?" Obsidian chuckled.
"Yes," Wanda said. Her eyes began to glow. "Now shut up and fight."
"Very well," Surtur smiled. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"ARGHH!" Obsidian swung his weapon. The head detached and shot forward on a chain. I jumped over it and kicked it off-course before webbing it to the balcony floor.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to throw things at strangers?"
"ARGH!" Obsidian wrenched the weapon free and swung it back at me.
"Let's dance, asshole," Felicia said, pitching a handful of smoke bombs at Surtur, swallowing the demon in black smoke.
"Pitiful," Surtur said, and swept his sword through the cloud. As the smoke cleared, a marble pillar — flung by Jean and Wanda together — caught him in the face. Without visible effort, he raised his blade and cleaved through it.
"Stop stalling, Surtur! Get to the vault!" Obsidian ordered. I webbed his eyes and summoned a magical whip, lashing his weapon and wrenching it out of his grip.
"Very well," Surtur snorted. He brought his blade down onto the marble floor. The shockwave blasted all three girls off their feet.
"No!" The distraction cost me a second. Obsidian tore the webbing from his eyes, lunged for his weapon, snatched it out of the air, and yanked back hard. My magical whip snapped.
"Die, insects," Surtur leveled his blade and let loose a torrent of flame directly at the girls.
"No!" I fired a repulsor blast point-blank into Obsidian's face, sending him skidding across the balcony, then spun to summon a shield — but Jean was already there. She dragged herself forward and threw both hands up.
KRAKOOM!
Fire met fire. Jean gritted her teeth, hair streaming behind her, somehow holding Surtur's flames at bay through sheer will alone. The fire scorched the ground around her on all sides, but she herself was unharmed.
"Impressive," Surtur said, withdrawing the flames. He leaned in, studying her. "To stop my fire with raw power alone... what are you? How is this—"
"HEY!" He turned. I had both arm-cannons deployed, leveled at his face. "Fuck off!"
BOOM!
Surtur roared in pain as the blast sent him crashing backward through wall after wall until he hit the throne room and came to rest in a heap of rubble. Inside I saw Odin and Thor already locked in combat with Malekith and his remaining forces.
"What the — Surtur?!" Odin cried in horror.
"Odin," Surtur snarled as he pulled himself upright, apparently unfazed. The two circled one another.
"Thor — handle Malekith. Protect your mother," Odin said without looking away. "I have a fire bug to deal with."
"ARGH!" I spun just in time to see Obsidian charging at me. I leaped over him and blasted him in the back, driving him to his knees. He got straight back up.
He was relentless. He came at me with his weapon over and over — aggressive, vicious, snarling with every swing. "ARGH! Stop moving!"
I landed on the balcony and crouched. "Hey — it's not like I'm trying to die. What kind of idiot do you take me for?"
"A dead one!" He roared and charged. I waited until the last possible second and stepped aside. He crashed through the balcony railing and went tumbling over the edge. I thought I was in the clear — then the chain on his weapon shot up and wrapped around my leg, and I was dragged down with him.
I flicked my wrist. My stingers deployed with a soft click. I swiped down clean — the blade passed through Obsidian's weapon like it wasn't there, severing the chain and freeing me. I levitated in the air and watched his massive frame slam into the castle grounds far below.
I descended slowly, watching for any movement. He was still — too still. I could hear his heartbeat, though. He was faking.
I took one more step toward him. He exploded upright with a roar — "GRAH—" — and then went silent. He looked down at my arm, buried wrist-deep in his chest. Blood poured out in a torrent.
This was the first time I had ever killed someone with my bare hands. I had given myself plenty of lectures on why it was morally grey. Right now, standing over the son of Thanos, I felt nothing.
He fell back. His eyes rolled. No more heartbeat. Judging by the damage, barely a heart left at all.
I stepped back.
A small device on his hip began to glow. I reached down and picked it up — a circular disk. I pressed the button on the side, and a hologram shimmered to life above it.
"Obsidian. Is it done?" The figure was exactly as purple as I'd expected. He wore a helmet, but that chin — that unmistakable, boulder-like chin — could only belong to one person.
"I'm sorry, but your large friend can't come to the phone right now. Can I take a message?" Humor. My best defense mechanism.
"You... are not Obsidian."
"No kidding."
"Who are you? Where is my son?"
"Dead."
A fraction of a second. His eyes widened — just barely. "My Black Order does not fall to ordinary people. Who are you?"
"Nobody special. But if you ever think about coming for this world — or any world — again, then I'm your worst nightmare."
"You know who I am?"
"Yeah. Thanos."
"Then you know what I do. You have seen what I sent today. What you faced is a fraction of a fraction of my forces. You cannot hope to stand against my armies. You cannot hope to win."
I leaned in close. "Kiss my ass, purple man." And I crushed the disk in my fist.
I dropped the shards and exhaled. Even as a hologram, that guy was one intense son of a bitch.
I blasted back up to the balcony just as the girls were pulling themselves to their feet.
"Are you all right?" I asked, steadying Jean with both hands.
"A little drained, but I think I'll manage," she said.
"How did you do that?" I asked quietly. "I've never seen you that strong."
"I-I don't know." She pressed a hand to her temple. "But Peter... I can feel it now. It's not sitting quietly in the back of my mind anymore. It's right here — at my fingertips. And it's getting stronger."
"Why now?" Felicia asked. "What's changed?"
I looked up at the sky. The rifts were widening, the worlds drawing closer. "It must be the Convergence. Something about it is drawing it out." I turned back to Jean. "Whatever you do — don't use that power again. The Phoenix will sense you and come faster. Please, Jean. Be careful."
"I understand, Tiger," she nodded.
"Right. Let's see if Thor needs help." We moved quickly, jumping through the holes Surtur had blown in the walls when I'd blasted him, and emerged into the throne room.
We arrived just in time to watch Odin get blasted off his feet by Surtur's open hand.
"You've grown old, Odin," the fire giant said, almost warmly. "I'll admit — if my generous benefactor hadn't given me the embers of Ragnarok to restore my strength, I too might be as feeble as you. But I am strong! And you will die with the rest of your people. Today, Ragnarok has co—"
THUNK!
Mjolnir hit him across the jaw and returned to Thor's hand. "Sorry. Not today."
"Thor!" Malekith's voice cracked across the room. Most of his forces were down — only the Dark Elf King himself remained standing, blade drawn and eyes burning. "You and your father will pay for this!"
"Enough!" Surtur roared, driving his sword into the floor. The entire throne room convulsed.
"Hold on!" I grabbed Jean and Wanda as the floor fractured. Felicia had already gotten to a pillar and was scaling it by her claws.
The ground split open around Surtur, a massive pit forming at his feet. The ceiling buckled. A section fell away — and through the break, I caught a glimpse of a mural depicting Thor and Loki, and beyond it, something hidden: the truth of Asgard's history. Hela and Odin. A sea of blood.
"Look, Asgardians," Surtur pointed upward. "That is your true legacy. War. Conquest. Slaughter. And now — it is time to end the reign of the cruelest rulers in the known galaxy." He stepped backward off the edge and dropped into the darkness below.
"NO! Vengeance will be mine!" Malekith screamed, charging Thor with a blade raised — only for Sif to step in front of him, blocking the strike with the Ebony Blade before sweeping it across and taking his sword hand clean off.
"Go!" Sif shouted at Thor. He gave her a single nod and leaped into the pit after the demon.
Odin got slowly to his feet. "I have failed," he said quietly. "I am old, and I have failed."
"My love!" Frigga rushed from behind a pillar and went to her husband's side, guiding him back toward the throne.
Odin looked up at the mural on the ceiling, tears streaking down from his one eye. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry. My age... my strength..."
"He will stop him. Our son will stop him," Frigga promised, pulling his hand to her heart.
"Yes... he will." Odin turned to look at us. "Go, boy. Help my son. Save Asgard, and you will have our alliance until the end of time."
"Okay," I said. "But more because Thor is my friend." I turned to the girls. "One more round in you?"
"Bring it," Felicia said, dropping down beside us.
"I'm with you," Sif said, stepping forward with a nod in my direction.
"What about Malekith?" I asked.
Odin turned his spear toward the maimed, weeping Dark Elf King crumpled against the wall — and let fly. Malekith was flung back hard. "I may be old," Odin growled, "but I can still protect my wife. For the crime of threatening her, you will wish for death and never receive it. This I promise you."
I had nothing to add to that. I kept my mouth shut, which was unusual for me. We approached the pit Surtur had made and dropped through. Sif went down in a free fall. The rest of us lowered ourselves on our powers.
We landed at the entrance to a great stone hallway, lined on both sides with age-worn walls. "Where are we?" Wanda asked.
"The passage to Odin's treasury," Sif said. "Quickly — we don't have a moment to lose."
We ran. As we passed, I caught glimpses of objects that radiated obvious power on either side of us. For just a second, I thought I saw the Infinity Gauntlet — then I remembered what Hela had said in Ragnarok. A fake. A replica. Though it did make me wonder: what had Odin been doing with that in his collection in the first place?
We moved past several more treasures. One I recognized immediately — the Space Stone. I wanted it. I won't pretend otherwise. But if Odin discovered I'd taken it, it could mean open war with Earth. So I looked away and kept running.
We reached the final chamber just in time to find Thor flat on his back, Mjolnir out of reach. Surtur stood over him with his blade raised. "Let the legacy of death end with you, Odinson."
"Sorry — but if anyone's going to deal with that oaf, it's me," came a cheerfully British voice. Loki stepped out from beneath a shimmer of illusion, holding what looked like a crude replica of the Tesseract.
"Loki?!" Thor's head snapped up.
"What?!" Surtur spun — and caught a point-blank blast of arctic air straight to the face. It sent him skidding sideways into a stone brazier of burning flame.
"Yes, yes — it is I, arriving to save the day once again," Loki smirked. "I was planning a quiet exit with several of Odin's finer possessions, but really — who does this overgrown candle think he is?"
"Loki — what have you done?!" Thor roared, calling Mjolnir and getting to his feet.
"I believe I just saved your life. A thank you would be appropriate."
"A thank you?! You threw him into the Eternal Flame!"
"Yes, which burns everything that enters it. Including him."
"No! It doesn't!"
"Thor, don't be absurd — of course it—"
KRAKOOM!
Surtur rose from the Eternal Flame and grinned. Loki turned to Thor. "We should probably run."
"RUN!"
We turned and sprinted back the way we came. The air in the passages became scorching, nearly unbreathable, as we flew back up through the pit to the throne room above.
"What happened? Is he — Loki?!" Odin cried out in sheer astonishment.
"Run!" was Thor's only answer.
"I knew it! It's always you, isn't it, Loki?!" Odin roared as he and Frigga fell in behind us toward the balcony.
"We can discuss bad parenting later — right now we run!" I yelled. We leaped off the balcony. I grabbed Felicia and Sif. Thor scooped up Loki and Odin. Frigga flew with us. We soared across the burning sky and came down on the roof of a large structure a safe distance away.
We turned back just in time to watch the entire palace explode outward in a column of stone, gold, and fire.
"I AM ALIVE!" Surtur's voice tore across the sky as he grew to heights I couldn't even comprehend anything living reaching. "AND NOW — ASGARD WILL FALL!"
Then, from above, a fleet of Asgardian ships swept in and opened fire on his face from every direction.
"ARGH!" He tried to swat them away and failed. I looked around and realized the ships were everywhere — not Asgardian warships, but transport vessels. Merchant ships. Personal crafts. Filled to capacity with civilians.
The people we had saved. They'd come back.
"They're keeping him occupied," I said, "but they can't do it forever. We need to stop him." I turned to Odin. "Do you have anything — anything at all that could help?"
"I — yes," Odin said, turning to Thor. "If you charge the energy powering the castle's barrier, it could buy us a few minutes."
"What good are a few minutes?!" Loki cried.
"Better than nothing, boy!"
"YA!" Jean grabbed her head and dropped to her knees.
"Jean!" Felicia, Wanda, and I were at her side instantly. "Jean — talk to me. What's happening?"
"The girl's just frightened," Odin dismissed, turning back to the giant. "Thor — take his blade. Without it, Surtur cannot break Asgard apart!"
"Yes, Father!" Thor spun his hammer and launched himself at Surtur with a battle cry that rang out across all of Asgard. It looked somewhat like a fly hitting a wall.
"Loki," Odin turned to his foster son. The weight of the word — his son — was visible in the All-Father's face. "Asgard needs you. Will you help us?"
"And why should I? You locked me in a cell!" Loki snapped.
"You tried to enslave an entire world!" Felicia shot back.
"And?" Loki sniffed.
"Loki..." Frigga stepped forward, and her voice was gentle. "Please. For me?"
He looked like he wanted to argue. The words didn't come. He exhaled, and nodded.
Odin nodded back. "Thank you. The casket you carry, Loki — it was forged for a Frost Giant. Only you can unlock its true potential. Do you understand?"
"Yes... Father. I do." Loki stepped forward. I watched as his skin shifted to blue, his eyes burning red. He raised the casket in both hands — and for a moment, it felt as though winter itself had descended on all of us.
That winter turned on Surtur like a freight train, striking him square in the gut.
"OF!" He doubled over, clutching his stomach. The momentary distraction allowed Thor to knock Surtur's sword spinning out of his grip and send it tumbling across the city.
"We can do this," I whispered. "We can actually—"
"Peter." Jean's voice was barely a whisper.
I turned and froze. Tears were running down her face. She looked at me — pleading, desperate. "I can hear it, Peter. I can hear it speaking to me."
The world went quiet around us.
"What is it saying?" I asked.
"That it can help," she breathed. "That it can end this. Peter — I can save everyone."
"No, Jean — no!" I grabbed her hands. "Fight it. We're winning — can't you see that? We don't need it."
"What is the girl on about?!" Odin demanded.
I opened my mouth — but Jean got there first.
"The Phoenix," she said. "It's coming."
"SONS OF ODIN!" Surtur roared, driving his fist down at Loki. Thor knocked it aside with Mjolnir. "INSOLENT PESTS — NO — WORSE THAN PESTS!" He got a clear swing and sent Thor spinning down into the ground.
"THOR!" Frigga cried out.
"AND NOW — THE ICE!" Surtur reached for his blade and let loose a wave of fire so vast it reduced Loki's winter to a warm breeze.
KRACK!
The Casket of Winters split down the middle and shattered in Loki's hands. The blast threw him back. Frigga caught him and held him — unconscious, breathing, but barely.
"Girl!" Odin wheeled on Jean, his one eye blazing. "Do it now! If you don't, everyone here dies! Hundreds of thousands of lives are in your hands — say yes!"
"No — Jean, don't—"
"Silence, boy!" Odin thundered. "There are hundreds of thousands of lives at stake!"
Jean had stopped shaking. She went perfectly still. She looked at Felicia. Then at me.
And she smiled.
"I love you," she whispered. "Both of you. I'm... I'm sorry."
I opened my mouth to object —
Two points of fire replaced Jean's green eyes.
A cry tore through the heavens.
"KRYA!"
It came through one of the Convergence rifts, a second sun blazing into existence against the fractured sky — taking the form of a bird. A raptor. Its wings spread, their edges stretching across the whole of Asgard, their shadow falling even over Surtur. It looked down at all of us — less than insects in its presence. And then it chose.
I watched, helpless, as Jean was taken by a column of fire and carried upward — limp, half-unconscious, her hair fanning out in the updraft. The planet-sized bird began to shrink, drawing itself down into a spiraling stream of flame that poured directly into her.
And then — silence.
Even Surtur was silent.
Jean hung in the air, golden light pouring from her, her red hair flowing loose. And then she opened her eyes.
They were not her eyes. Not the ones I knew. Not the ones I loved. Orbs of fire had taken their place.
"Begone," she said.
She flicked her hand at Surtur.
The explosion that followed blinded everything. So bright and powerful it swept everyone off their feet — including Odin himself. I pulled Wanda and Felicia close and threw a psionic barrier around us, taking the worst of it. Wanda fed me what little power she had left, but she was almost spent.
We were thrown across the sky together. The world itself seemed to be on fire. The wind screamed. The ground cracked and split.
We landed hard on one of Asgard's main roads, on the rubble of a collapsed structure. I released the girls, and as one we looked up.
Surtur was gone. Not diminished — gone. Not a trace.
Only Jean remained.
"Jean?" I whispered.
For a moment I thought she heard me. She turned. She looked in my direction.
But those burning orbs didn't know me. They didn't love me.
Without a word, Jean rose higher into the sky — into the rifts and tears the Convergence had left in space — and was gone.
"No..." I dropped to one knee.
"W-where did she go?" Felicia asked.
"I don't know," I said.
"Peter..." Her voice was barely a sound. "What do we do?"
I was quiet for a long moment.
Then, from the sky, a single ray of light came down and settled before us. Inside it was a feather — one solitary feather. A sign. A message.
"...We get her back." I reached out and took the feather in my hand. With the other I found Felicia's, and I pulled myself back to my feet. "Jean gave up her freedom to save us. We are going to get her back."
Felicia squeezed my hand and nodded.
We looked out together at the sky as the Convergence's rifts began to close, one by one, never to open again for five thousand years. We would have to start there — at the edges of where those rifts had been.
Somewhere out there, Jean was waiting for us.