(General P.O.V)

He turned his eyes from the happenings of the wounded planet.

After all, Uatu's purview included much more. His gaze was powerful enough to see a microscopic worm galaxies away.

There were few that could match this achievement. Let alone process all the information his eyes captured.

One of those few, turned out to be a friend of sorts to him. Heimdall the shining god, watchman of Asgard.

His sight was truly remarkable. Not at Uatu's level but even fewer were. But even with his sight,

"Little can stand in the way of the Destroyer of worlds."

Uatu spoke to himself. This being the first time in centuries.

And that was because he was moved. Moved by the direness. For if hope had once lied with the Earth's mightiest heroes, that hope was dead now.

Galactus was on his way to Asgard. And nothing would be left in his wake.

(Asgard)

Inside the grand throne room of the realm of Asgard, tension hung heavy in the air.

Odin, the All-father was strapping on his resplendent golden armor, being assisted by his wife, Frigga.

The impending crisis demanded nothin less than his full attention.

"Announcing the arrival of Thor Odinson."

An attendant said as the double doors to the throne room swung open.

Thor, the God of Thunder walked into the chamber, followed behind by the Avengers. The Crown prince' expression was a mix of concern and anticipation.

"Father, mother, what is going on?"

He questioned, his voice carrying the weight of the coming doom.

Frigga exchanged a knowing look with her husband before she spoke, her voice grim and serious.

"Galactus is coming for Asgard, and your father is preparing to confront this cosmic threat."

Thor's brow furrowed, worry etching deep lines into his face.

"Galactus? This is dire news indeed."

He looked down.

"First Midgard and now this..."

Tony patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry Goldilocks. This isn't the first time we've found ourselves on the backfoot."

Thor shrugged off his hold.

"Your confidence is admirable my friend but Galactus is a cosmic Threat. Perhaps only my father can face him. Whether he would survive or not..."

He left the words hung. Odin who would normally have been quick to reprimand anyone for doubting his strength, stayed silent.

Tony looked from Thor to the All father.

"Then we'll help you. With the Avengers and Asgard's full might we can-"

However, before Tony could continue, Odin's voice thundered through the chamber, his anger palpable.

"You dare offer your aid, Stark!? It is because of your actions that Galactus has set his sights on Asgard!"

The outburst surprised everyone present.

Tony was stunned, opening and closing his mouth, without uttering a word.

Odin continued,

"Your abominable creation tracked the Bifrost' energy signature then released our coordinates into space. You led us to this perilous moment. You and your stupidity boy!"

"What's he talking about Tony?"

Captain America asked from beside him, turning him around to face the team.

There hadn't been time to explain before. Heimdall had insisted they answer the summons of the All- father immediately. No one kept Odin waiting.

But now, Cap found himself feeling impatient. He knew better than anyone what Tony's mind was capable of. He was one of the greatest heroes, but he could very well be the worst of villains.

His prodigious mind blurred the line at times.

"I might have left out a few details about what happened."

Tony sighed, looking away.

"Banner and I were working on a project. A global defense effort, controlled by an AI that would respond to threats before lives are lost and properties destroyed."

"And?"

Widow chimed in.

Tony ran a palm down his face.

"We thought if we used the scepter to upgrade the AI, it would gain true sentience, hence avoid the inherent limitations of a virtual intelligence."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Oh...so you created Skynet and it destroyed the world. Way to go Tony." Falcon spoke up bemused..

Tony looked away in shame.

"Before Heimdall pulled us to Asgard, I detected worrying readings. Radiation levels were spiking across the planet, Earth-quakes, tremors. It was a red alert but on a global scale. Ultron somehow found a way to launch nuclear missiles. The world is...gone."

"What...?"

Cap took an unsteady step backwards.

"All those people...Banner."

He muttered, the Hulk hadn't been teleported with them.

Him and the Hulk could very well be dead. Or worse.

Hawkeye jumped towards Tony, grabbing him by his T-shirt.

"You bastard! How irresponsible can you get!? You just couldn't let it go! Huh?! You're the one who said we couldn't trust Shield with anything we found at the Hydra base and you go off and do this?!"

He demanded.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

"Cliff that's enough."

Widow came in between the two, pushing Barton back.

"I messed up. Big time."

Tony admitted.

"But think about it! Had it worked, we would have saved hundreds of thousands to millions."

He looked around.

"How many lives are lost around the world before we arrive to rescue people? This wasn't an act of selfishness."

"No, it was an act of Foolishness."

Odin cut in, his words biting like the coldest of winds.

"Just because you can do something. Does not mean you should. You failed. And now you have to live with that failure. No amount of justification can clear that stain."

Tony sucked in a breath.

The All-father regarded him with apathy.

"Your hubris and ego condemn you to a lifetime seeking redemption that you will never have. Not all things can be forgiven boy."

Frustration welled up within Tony. He had heard enough!

He snapped and retorted, his words sharp and full of guilt.

"Don't talk to me about redemption! Where have you been all these years! Your son, Loki started all this! I wouldn't need to go to such extremes, take such risks if you had taken responsibility and stopped him before he ushered in something Earth was not ready for!"

Stark looked at his teammates.

"I fight the only way I know how. Not to Avenge, but to create something that can make lives better and safer. Ultron was supposed to be that Ideal."

"But you failed."

Odin sneered at Tony's arrogance, his voice dripping with centuries of wisdom.

"I have witnessed the folly of many geniuses whose arrogance led to their downfall, Stark. You are no different."

The All-father descended the steps leading to the throne, his one eye glaring at Tony.

"Your planet met its end at your own hands because you believe yourself it's Saviour. You are not Asgard's Savior. You will stay out of this battle, lest my home meets the same fate yours did."

He concluded, hovering over Tony with his impressive weight. To his benefit, the Genius did not back down.

"I know I can't keep you from validating your self importance and joining the fight. So I'll give you a task. You will be the reserves. If I fall, then Asgard might after all need the services of Earth's mightiest heroes."

Odin mocked a little before turning around.

"Now leave, I have a strategy to discuss with my Generals."

At that instant, the doors to the throne room opened and in walked the Warriors three.

It was clearly a dismissal.

"Thank you for the audience, your majesty."

Captain America bowed his head at Odin.

"It was necessary Captain. Carry on."

Odin waved them away.

"Come on. Let's regroup."

Cap told his team.

As the Avengers left the throne room, Tony lingered staring at Odin's back.

"You remind me of my father."

"Ah Howard Stark. A great man."

Odin muttered in reminisce.

"Yeah. To many. But not to me."

Tony responded. Then he turned around and walked to the exit.

Once outside, Falcon sucked in a breath.

"As far as first impressions go, it could be worse.

"Really, Sam. Worse than that?"

Tony asked, catching up to them.

"You owe me an explanation."

Hawkeye walked forward, jabbing a finger at Stark.

"I owe all of you."

Tony said in remorse.

"But right now Asgard needs us. It needs the Avengers."

"I agree."

Cap pitched in.

All eyes turned to Thor.

The god of Thunder raised his hands.

"My friends, my father's wisdom and strength has tided us through worse storms. We must respect his wishes."

"But you also think that this threat is very bad."

Widow guessed with a smile.

Thor sighed, smiling while touching his hammer.

"What can I say, I am my Father's son."

"Good."

Tony said, his conscience weighing heavy, he knew they couldn't stand idly by. "Thor, I'll need a lab and plenty of metal. If Asgard falls, there may be no Earth left for us to return to."

Thor's eyes gleamed with determination as he replied, "I have just the thing, Stark. Let us forge weapons worthy of legends."

(Billy's P.O.V)

How would I sum up my interaction with Hercules so far?

Lethal.

Suicidal.

Injurious.

Harmful. Very very harmful.

It's official.

I'm going to die here.

Yeah, yeah...I know I'm already dead. Kinda.

But Hercules was determined to kill me again. Case in point,

I yelled in panic as I ran out of the cave holding a massive egg over my head. Hercules ran next to me, carrying two under his arms.

And the bastard was laughing in glee.

Behind us was a pissed off Mama Wyvern hot on our heels with the force of a 12 wheeler and the rage of the hulk.

She was NOT laughing.

"This is crazy! Why did we have to steal these eggs when she was around?! We could have gone in when she was asleep or out of her den!"

I yelled accusingly. Why did we even need to steal them at all!??!

"Those are the words of a coward! Are you a coward little man?!"

Hercules shot back from my side. Then before I could answer, he cheekily added,

"If so, you deserve to be eaten. Bye."

And with that, he increased his speed, shooting out of the mouth of the cave faster than a speeding bullet. His form got smaller and smaller, before he disappeared off into the horizon.

Did he...just leave me?

I chanced a look behind me, meeting the stormy gray eyes of the Wyvern. The only reason I wasn't dead yet was the narrow passage way through the cave.

Then she opened her mouth.

Oh no.

I pumped my feet faster, still trying to call on to my Psionic energy and failing at every turn.

I stepped on broken bones and shattered skulls, praying that the terrain would trip me. Luckily, my soul body in here wasn't as weak as my real body. So I was making a descent effort to not get turned into Wyvern poop.

Whoosh!! That's when the damn thing activated a special skill.

There was an impact from my back. A huge funnel of air that smacked onto my body, throwing me out of the cave and setting me in a free fall.

"I'm so lucky that wasn't dragon breath!!"

I yelled in relief, only for my face to change as I remembered my situation hadn't gotten better. Infact, it was the opposite.

I looked below me, entranced by the view before gravity could take hold of me.

The entire mountain range spread out wide, the rocky terrain giving way to a deep jungle with all kinds of dangerous animals and creatures.

Trust me, from the few days I'd already been here, I'd seen all manners of mythological beasts. From nasty kobolds, and giant marsh worms, to Stymphalian birds and a family of Cyclops.

Not to mention, the Manticore that explored the outer regions of the jungle. I didn't even know what laid at the center.

It went on for millions of miles before reaching the calm fields where I'd woken up at.

Finally, Gravity caught up to me with a vengeance. I dropped.

The Wyvern egg in my arms added to my weight, causing my descent to pick up even more speed.

I held onto the egg for dear life as I begun to fall towards the ground.

Fuck...

Fuck fuck fuck.

"Hercules!! Hercules!!?? Herc- cough!!"

I swallowed a bunch of insects while calling out for help.

The one I was calling for failed to answer. And the ground was growing ever closer, my trajectory aiming me for a landing at the foot of a massive waterfall.

Oh shit, I was going to splatter on those rocks and DIE! AGAIN!

'If only I had my Trident with me-'

No sooner had the thought formulated in my mind, when a familiar weight appeared in my right hand.

Neptune's Trident! How! You know what? It doesn't matter!

"Fuck yeah!"

I wasted no time, twirling the weapon and summoning forth a massive Tsunami of water from the waterfall to arrest my momentum and break my fall.