Kalopsia ⊰ The Avengers

Meeting Him

Steve felt like he had been hunting Hydra his entire life. As soon as he thought he had finally vanquished the last of them, they popped up again. As annoying and destruction seeking as always. 

But he was ready to get rid of them once and for all. For Layla and Bucky. 

Bucky was still missing. There had been some leads but they all led to dead ends at the end of the day. 

Steve didn't know if Hydra had gotten to him again or if he was out there, all alone. He was tempted to ask Layla if she knew but she had been struggling so much and when she finally started improving it didn't feel like the right time. 

He didn't want to put his burdens on her. She had too much going on already. 

So he was essentially in the same spot as he was after he was rescued from the Potomac. 

Hydra and all of their branches had messed with the people in his life for the last time. 

What remained of the Avengers, after Thor and Layla departed for Asgard, spent two weeks hunting down Hydra bases and taking them down. But there was no sign of the Second Head. They were nowhere to be found. 

Tony joked that they had annihilated them when they rescued Layla but everyone else was not convinced. 

Despite taking down numerous Hydra bases there was still criminal activity with the same caliber of a secret organization but when surviving Hydra agents were interrogated they had no idea about certain actions. It was obvious there were other players out there. 

If it was The Second Head or a third party, they didn't know.

Even with help from Phil Coulson, the new director of the underground S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers had hit a roadblock. 

What remained of Hydra had slithered back into whatever ring of hell they originated from and the Second Head was nowhere to be found. 

It was all very frustrating. 

While the Avengers were hitting a roadblock Layla and Thor were making very big leaps. The idea to bring Layla to Asgard was very beneficial. 

Layla was very committed to the physical therapy and speech therapy routines she received back on Earth and with the advanced healing and medicine practices that Asgard possessed, she was recovering at an exponential rate. 

She could now go for runs without having to worry about passing out or being out of commission for weeks. She could recite speeches and poems without her voice cracking. She even grew a close relationship with Heimdall and spent hours upon hours discussing the things they saw every day. 

Thor was her biggest supporter through it all. He was there every step of the way. Running alongside the small girl, keeping pace despite his genetic superiority. He would run lines to the girl when she would forget the next word when she recited a speech or poetry. And when she wanted to spend time with Heimdall he would escort her to him and be there when she was ready to leave. 

Odin kept a close eye on the girl through it all, watching the golden energy as it fluctuated and touched and interacted with everyone she was around. He was fascinated with the physical changes he saw when someone was touched by the unseen golden energy. 

Their speed and stamina would increase, even if they were just walking by. He could see signs of fatigue vanish from battle-worn soldiers at just the simplest of touch. And how the scraped knee of a child mended together as Layla helped them up. 

He had yet to determine if the girl knew all she was capable of or if she was simply clueless to the wonders she could do. 

Odin knew that right now she was focusing on her mental health but he couldn't wait until she started to work on her powers.