Loki watched Thor leave, careful not to give anything away. He, under the guise of Odin, had encouraged Thor to spend more time on Midgard and the other realms, anywhere but Asgard, where he could potentially figure out Loki's ruse. But really, it was the best situation for all of them. Thor didn't want the throne, he wanted to galivant and carouse with his Avengers friends and his little human girlfriend. Loki was the one who wanted the throne, who had the appetite for ruling.
Still, Thor had not been as detached from Asgard as he had hoped. The issue with his old staff had been of interest, and he had hoped to be able to retrieve it for himself- but no such luck. This, however, was far more troubling. While Thor only had an inkling of the legend, Loki, far more learned than his brother, knew exactly what he was describing and what it meant. It was a demon from their past, an ancient fear in the hearts of all gods everywhere. Thor would return to Earth with promises of aid. Sif would journey to Zeus' court to beg for aid, but Loki had no doubt that she would fail. Zeus would make the exact same calculation that Loki had and would come to the same conclusion.
He had a few subjects who knew the truth of his identity. Keeping up the ruse at all times was exhausting, and it was convenient to have some in the know. He'd already had someone picked for this eventuality. "Skurge." Loki said.
"Yes, my lord?" He was a feckless man, and keenly interested in exploiting the perks of whatever position he occupied, making him an ideal candidate.
Loki smiled "I think it's time that we give you a promotion."
Heimdal, so long as he was alive, would be a threat. He more than anyone was at risk of seeing through him. It was time for him to go, and for… new management to take over. Loki had extracted a oath from Thor that he wouldn't spread word of the God Eater's return. The populace of Asgard would be none the wiser when Loki shut the Bifrost down. There was only a flicker of regret. He didn't enjoy leaving Thor to such a fate, despite the animosity between them. Then there was the matter of Odin. Loki had banished him to Earth, and now the man who had adopted him was firmly in the crosshairs. But what else was there to be done? Risk his own life? Certainly not.
-----
"What do we know?" Steve asked the assembled group. The Avengers (and allies) had been in constant rolling discussion for most of the day. They had taken a break earlier that day to regroup and collect information, and it was time to see if that time had been well spent.
The official Avengers were all either present in person or by videoconference. But the meeting also included Shuri and T'Challa to represent Wakanda, Maria and Pepper, the newly minted Ant-Man and the Wasp, and of course, Doctor Strange. Thor, oddly enough, was absent. When Jane had told him of the situation, he'd left with barely a word, returning to Asgard. No one had seen him since.
Peter Parker was the only one kept out of the loop because he was literally 15 and Harry wasn't in the mood to follow in Dumbledore's footsteps on that particular front if he had any choice in the matter.
"Based on the current trajectory, we have about 3 days until… it gets here." Jane Foster offered "There seems to be a… core developing to the mass, but we can't pick out any other features."
"As you all know, the public has caught on." Pepper said tiredly, she'd hadn't slept in over 24 hours, handling the figurative firestorm "Our official position is that we have a plan, but can't reveal it for security reasons."
"It's been less than successful at stopping panic." Maria added with equal levels of exhaustion. "Widespread rioting and looting worldwide, terrorist acts, cults coming out in force. Every government is looking to us, for a plan of action."
"Do we have one?" Steve asked. The room was silent. "Well, I guess that answers that. Any theories, anything at all?"
"Well." Strange drawled "I've taken a look at Sinclair's library. She had quite an interest in the old gods."
"Do I even want to know?" Clint sighed.
"Its exactly what it sounds like." Strange waved his hand dismissively "Old deities. Mostly inactive, dead, or imprisoned."
"You think she summoned whatever this is on purpose?" Harry queried. After all, she had brought a fucking Dementor into this world, what was a vengeful sun-demon… thing after that?
"Possibly." Strange said "The idea that the mind stone summoned this entity has its merits, but it wouldn't explain why this is the only thing coming for earth. If the blast was that powerful, it would have attracted… other visitors as well, and we haven't seen that."
"So far." Said Natasha, ever the optimist.
"Sure." Strange didn't appreciate the correction "Even if she didn't consciously intend on summoning something, she may have done so inadvertently, by latching onto something that had been on her mind."
"And do any of those old gods happen to live in the sun?" Harry asked him.
"I don't know."
"… how do you not know?" Tony interjected.
"Unfortunately, I don't know all the details of events that happened millenia ago." Strange sniped "All we have are legends, and its impossible to tell what is real and what isn't. Maybe Apolla or Ra, or whatever was behind them is coming, but it wouldn't offer us anything of use."
"You do have the time stone, right? You could just…"
"Nope, not happening." Harry overruled "Infinity Stone use is only for the end of the world."
"Dunno, it seems like it to me." Rhodes said lowly.
"We're not there yet. If it comes to it, by all means." He gestured to Strange "Take us back. But I'm not risking attracting anything else if we have other options."
"I take it that's a 'no' on the Mind Stone as well." Banner said.
"It's a last resort." Wanda allowed. She and Harry had discussed how to use the Mind Stone at length. Wanda had been more aggressive than Harry in mindset, but she has trusted Harry's judgement on this. After all, they had both had faced the power of the Mind Stone together and had not come out unscathed. There was something to be said for treating the power of the infinity stones warily.
It was at that point Thor crashed through the ceiling and directly onto the table, completely derailing all conversation as everyone reeled back. He looked around at the startled expressions of his friends "Sorry." He cringed, hopping onto the floor and dusting himself off.
Harry sighed, and with a wave of his hand repaired the damage, understanding that it would be Jane's responsibility to accost Thor for his disappearance.
"What the hell, Thor! You can't just disappear on me like that!"
"There was something I needed to know, and only Asgard had the answer."
"Then tell me… tell me anything! You just ran away, like you always do!"
"I don't always run away. I've been in plenty of fights, I never run."
Jane rolled her eyes aggressively "You know that's not what I meant. What could be so important that you just-"
"I know what's coming to Earth." Thor said abruptly, cutting her off.
"Wait, you do?" Jane sputtered.
"Tell me, have any of you heard of Demogorge, the Eater of Gods?"
As one, the occupants of the room looked to Stephen Strange. He gave a long sigh "The name appeared in Sinclair's notes. A being that consumed Gods to gain power and was locked in a prison…" He carefully considered his next words "Is that prison the Sun?"
"No." Thor shook his head "Well not exactly. The prison isn't just the Sun, it's the god."
Strange narrowed his eyes "Explain, now."
"Well, Asgardians aren't the only gods out there." Thor said, swinging his hammer idly "Zeus really knows how to throw a party, I'll tell you." He gave a flicker of a smile.
"So Demogorge is another god?" Steve asked.
Thor scoffed "Another god, I suppose you could call it that. In the grand scheme of the Universe, the Asgardians, Olympians, and so on are…" He held his hand out in a so-so motion "New-ish?"
"And the older gods?" Harry prompted.
"Oh, there's Gaea, and Cthon, and Demiurge, and others, but none of them are really… involved anymore. Most of them were eaten, you see." He saw the alarmed looks on his companions faces and clarified "According to legend, they had all gone mad with power. So, I wouldn't consider it the greatest loss. Gaea and Demiurge sired a child that would be destined to destroy the evil that had befallen their brethren."
"Kinda feel for the kid." Harry muttered.
"Demogorge was sired from the death and destruction. It isn't something to be reasoned with. It is blind, all-consuming hunger. It will devour any power in its path. It cleansed the Earth, and after it burned itself out, and in its ashes was Atum. You would know him as Amon Ra, the first and foremost of the gods of the Sun. A god of life, instead of death."
"The Egyptian Pantheon is a thing too?" Tony mused "Oh son of a bitch, Strange was actually, right? It's Ra?"
"In a word, yes. Atum retreated to the sun, fearing what could be unleashed upon the world should Demagorge be awoken again…"
"And thanks to fucking Hydra, it has been, and now it's our problem." Natasha muttered.
"If it's any consolation, it should be most focused on beings of power, and not as interested in civilians."
"Wonderful." Harry said through gritted teeth. "And what happens after it devours us? I don't suppose it can be persuaded to fly back home without wrecking the planet?"
Thor sighed "I… don't know."
-----
"It really is just one thing after another." Wanda joked weakly.
The Avengers had once again disbanded, once again the regroup, rest, and plan, and think. They were undeniably in a better position than they were a few hours ago, but none of them felt particularly positive about it.
"Yeah. God forbid life get boring." Harry shook his head "And here I was looking for a break."
"You can admit you just wanted more time for sex." Skye joked.
"… and other things!" Harry protested "Like actually taking you out on a proper date. I've perfected the notice-me-not charm, but we're just so damn busy saving the world every other week."
"The sacrifices we make." Skye said with a long-suffering sigh "We're true heroes."
Harry chuckled softly, looking to the side as his expression wavered. Natasha immediately noticed "Making plans?" She asked.
"Each one worse than the last." Harry grinned ruefully. "I've got some… firepower in my arsenal now, but I don't have a clue what would work on this thing." There was one option that could end the fight right then and there. He could try to use the killing curse. It wasn't something he wanted to do, partially because he wasn't sure if he could do it, and partially because he knew the toll that particular curse had on its caster. It was magic that was powered by the caster's soul, and that sort of thing tended to exact a cost, even if it wasn't immediately apparent. Still, if it meant ending the battle without innocents dying, it would be worth it.
"Lot of collateral damage possible?" She guessed.
"Yeah." Fiendfyre was another option, but even more dangerous than the killing curse. Harry just didn't know if he could keep it under control, especially in the middle of a fight. Even without recklessness on his part, he didn't see how they could avoid casualties, and it ate him up inside "I don't think there's a way to avoid it."
"I've been thinking about that." Nat said speculatively "…and what if there is?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "It's coming to us, it wants to consume, specifically, the most powerful beings on the planet. Do you know that that means?" She didn't pause to let anyone answer "We have the initiative. We can chose where the battle will be and Demogorge will come to us."
"So, we have Harry, Thor, Wanda, and Doctor Strange hang out in Antarctica for a few days?" Skye suggested.
"Or some island in the middle of the ocean." Natasha shrugged "There are some uninhabited atolls that would work just fine."
Harry shook his head, a reluctant smile forming "You're brilliant, you know that?"
She smiled playfully. "Yes, but I could use the reminder every so often."
-----
"Heimdal!" Thor bellowed, an edge of desperation creeping into his voice "Heimdal!"
The Avengers present watched the scene with growing tension. It was starting to look an awful lot like they'd been hung out to dry. Their plan had been coming along, too. The Kerguelen islands had been selected as the site of their preparations. The small archipelago in the south Atlantic was also known as 'the Desolation Islands', and for good reason. The only occupants were a small group of soldiers and researchers, who had long since been evacuated. Stark's drones were on the scene, turning the central island into a fortress, carving a network of tunnels into the island for protection, setting up missile systems and bombs rigged to blow. Wakandan technology had been brought to bear, and select portions of the island were heavily shielded, where Avengers could hopefully take cover if it came to it.
Something like optimism had been taking hold, and the promise of aid from Asgard and elsewhere had been a part of it. But the days had dragged on and there had been no aid, no reinforcements, not even so much as an update. Even as Thor called out to Heimdal, now, there was no response. "It doesn't make sense. Odin would never abandon Thor like this… again." One of his Asgardian companions said uneasily.
Thor glared at the ground "No, he would not. Something's not right."
"Well, we don't have any alternatives." Steve said "With or without Asgard, we fight."
"Aaand there goes the satellite network." Tony announced "Terrifying god of death or not, that flare is going to wreck any electronics that isn't shielded."
"Your stuff is, right?" Steve checked.
"Of course, it has to be to deal with this guy." He pointed his thumb at Harry "But it's going to be a little inconvenient being one of the only operational computer networks." Tony had bemoaned the mess this would cause, and Harry didn't doubt it. At the same time, he- like Steve- relied far less on computers than their compatriots. "The military networks are all EMP shielded of course, and the Googles and Microsofts of the world have all rushed lead shielding for their servers. But most normal people and operations are going to have all their computers and phones die overnight. But that's a problem for tomorrow."
"I take it we're out of time." Steve surmised.
"Just about."
"I think its time that we get in position."
-----
"You know, I don't like being bait." Strange said.
"What, you aren't honored that a god of death and destruction thinks you'd be a good meal?" Harry snarked.
"Surprisingly no, I don't hold the opinions of so-called deities in particularly high esteem. No offense."
"None taken." Thor said flippantly "I don't either."
The island truly lived up to its name- the desolation of the landscape, marred by cliffs, glaciers, and rocky outcroppings had been supplemented by trenches and weapons emplacements. It was also bitterly cold, but Harry had at least been able to fix that with a warming charm. At the moment, he, Thor, Strange, and Wanda were the only living inhabitants of the island. The rest of the team would join them with the help of the sorcerers if the situation called for it.
"Right, the flare is breaking up." Tony's voice came in over comms. "Brace for interference." All their equipment was heavily shielded, so instead of melting in his ear, the earpiece merely cut in and out as Tony's voice continued on.
"System- -re op---al." Harry could barely make out what was being said "We're –ing vis—"
"You're breaking up Stark." Thor barked "Repeat yourself."
"Jesus Christ."
"I certainly hope not." Strange smirked.
"I rep- we -- visual." Tony said, and his voice carried just enough for them to understand "It's… big."
"The legends said as much." Thor nodded. "When can we expect it?"
"Hold on, calculating course." The interference was clearing "Its… uh, shit."
The four tensed, bracing for impact. "What is it, Stark?"
"Alright, change of plans?" He said shakily "Wherever its going, its not to you guys."
Harry's stomach dropped. This was the worst-case scenario. Wherever Demogorge landed, it would be mass destruction and death. "Where." He demanded. Wherever it was, he could get there -they all could get there- in seconds.
"And why…" Strange mused. Also important, but a less urgent of a question in Harry's mind.
"Okay." Tony's voice returned "Does anyone know who or what is in Scandinavia?"