Tony and Bucky didn't return to the common floor until well into the next day. The genius would not leave the ex-assassin's side, preferring to stay near him and Percy. He wanted to stay on his floor forever, to pretend that the outside world did not exist, because he knew it would hurt less if that was the case. Still, Bucky was doing such a good time healing. If they locked themselves away, all the progress the soldier made would be stalled. Tony would not be the one to do that to him.

"You sure you want to be here, doll?" Bucky asked quietly when he saw how tense the billionaire was. "We can just stay upstairs and order some food, have one of the kids bring it up to us."

"No," Tony shook his head, idly playing with the metal fingers on the soldier's prosthetic. "I needed to walk around. Needed to... I just couldn't stay there."

He nodded, turning his left hand over to lace his fingers with the man's, "Understandable." He looked around the room, at how Natasha chose to stay at the far end of the living area, curled under a blanket like it would be enough to hide her. Her face betrayed nothing but her posture told everything.

Steve had not come down to his floor, the soldier too nervous to confront Tony, to apologize. He was going to listen to Percy, to give the billionaire and Bucky time to process and grieve and heal. He didn't want his pushiness to be the reason that they were not able to do so. He knew he was the cause but he would not continue to be the problem.

Peter and Nico had decided to take Loki's children out shopping at the mall, Thor and Loki deciding to tag along. They all bonded very well, choosing to play games with each other rather than shying away. Nico and Hela got along frighteningly well, the two usually seen sitting together on the couch talking in low tones while glancing at people. 

Dead people and their gossiping.

Percy was making grilled cheese sandwiches, piling them high on a some plates for the others when they were done. He glanced at the two men when they came near, a soft smile on his lips as he nodded towards the food, "Grab some. We're going out in a bit."

"Where are we going?" Bucky asked, grabbing a plate for himself and Tony to share. 

"Dunno," The demigod shrugged, turning off the stove. "Figured we could go for a drive. What do you say? You boys up for going no where?"

Tony smiled, relaxing for what seemed like the first time in a while, "That sounds amazing." He didn't feel like eating, his stomach still knotted up when he thought about how long Steve had known about his parents. How many times had they watched movies together, shared meals, told stories, with this secret being kept from him? It made him nauseous just thinking about it.

"Hey," Percy said quietly, standing near him. "Do you want to go on that drive now?"

"Please," The genius nodded, his voice full of relief and thankfulness. He looked over at Bucky to let him know but the soldier was already putting some sandwiches into baggies to take with them. "If you want to stay we can..."

The son of Poseidon shook his head, "I'm going wherever you go. There's no where else I'd rather be." 

Bucky nodded, a small smile on his face, "He's right. We're with you, doll."

Tony ignored the stinging in his eyes, preferring to focus on the two hands gripping his, one belonging to a man with a shredded mind and the other to a demigod with a broken heart. "Thank you..."

--

Hela remembered the first time she stepped foot into her realm- into Helheim. She was around what Midgardians would deem twelve and she was scared. When she thought back to that time, it was the clearest memory she had besides when her father would braid her hair. 

It was dark and cold, her steps echoing around the empty cavern that seemed to go on for ages. She couldn't see anything but her own breath and her entire framed trembled as she tried to find another person in the scary place. No one answered her calls, no one heard her, and she knew she was truly alone. She didn't have her father with her to sing her sweet songs when she had a nightmare, to hold her when she cried. All she wanted was her papa to just... She wanted her papa to be there.

It was days before she heard any noise in the realm but herself. She was sitting on some stone steps, her knees pulled up to her chest, when she heard the faint sounds of whimpering. At first, she was terrified. Who could be in this realm when she already knew no one resided in the far corners? She stood up, legs shaking, and made her way to the source of the noise, her shoulders rising higher and higher to her ears as the echoes continued. 

"Hello?" She whispered, flinching slightly when her voice sounded louder than she meant. What if there was a person here to hurt her? Many of her worries were dashed, however, when she saw the puppy cowering behind a pillar. It was a small brown-red dog, barely tall enough to reach her shins, and the puppy had two heads, both tucked under his paws. "H-Hello," She said quietly, squatting down and reaching out a hand to the animal.

The puppy looked up quickly, black eyes wide, before they stood up, slowly walking towards her. He sniffed her hand with one head, then the other, before his tail began wagging rapidly. He licked her face, barking happily.

Hela laughed with delight, petting the two-headed dog's sides, "Aw, you're a sweetheart! I'm going to call you Fluffy 'cause you're really soft!"

Fluffy barked two more times before snuggling into her side, huffing a breath through his nose in content. The two stayed together side-by-side for a few more hours, the young girl content to cuddle the animal.

Years passed and it was only Hela and Fluffy in the realm. The young girl was now around sixteen in Midgardian terms and the first being had arrived. It was a young boy, maybe around seven, and he looked to be from Midgard. He was blonde with blue eyes and he looked around with scared wonder.

"Who are you?" Hela demanded, pushing some of her tangled hair behind her shoulders. She hadn't bothered brushing it, not when she was the only one in the realm besides Fluffy.

"M-My name's Wade," The boy said hesitantly, taking a few steps towards her. "Who are you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "I am called Hela."

"Ms. Hela, what happened to your face?" He was, of course, talking about her half-skeleton features. For some odd reason, the child didn't seem put off by her looks.

"Nothing happened," Hela responded. "This is simply how I was born. How did you get here?"

Wade gave a small shrug, "I don't know... I remember everything hurting and doctors talking. My daddy put me there. My mommy was yelling at him." There was something sad about the matter-of-fact way he said it that made Hela's heart ache. It was at that moment that everything became clear to her.

"Come sit with me, Wade," Hela motioned over to some chairs she had managed to create with the limited magic her father was able to teach her. She still remembered his lessons, it was just a matter of practicing the spells and refining them. "Do you know why you're here?"

Wade sat in one of the chairs, taking a moment to look around the empty area with only a few torches on the walls, "Am I dead?"

Hela smiled sadly but shook her head. "No," She whispered, watching one of the flames flicker at the wall. "No, you are not dead."

The seven year-old looked at her, tilting his head, "Am I going to die?"

"I do not think so," She hummed, running a hand through Fluffy's fur. "We will simply have to wait and see."

"Okay, Ms. Hela."

Over the course of what seemed to be a few days, Hela and Wade became comfortable around each other. The two would spend their time building tables and chairs, the young girl teaching the mortal small spells to assist in his tasks. In turn, Wade would comb the tangles out of Hela's hair, all while singing the theme songs to shows he remembered watching while in the hospital. They became close, the young boy even going as far as sharing secrets to her, secrets he wasn't able to say out loud about his family and his father that hurt him.

Goodbyes were the hardest things Hela ever had to learn.

"I feel funny," Wade said suddenly on what had to have been a week since he arrived. "Ms. Hela, I think something's wrong."

Hela observed him for a moment, a lump in her throat as she could see what others couldn't. This was why she was sent to the realm, why no one wanted her. It was a curse, to see when others could die, and she was a monster to want the young boy to stay with her. "Nothing's wrong," She assured him, pushing past her own feelings to smile at him. "You're going to see your mother again."

Wade lit up, eyes shining, "Mommy? I get to see mommy!" He jumped up and down on the small cot both he and Hela managed to conjure up. He grinned widely, "When? Now?"

"Yes," Hela nodded, blinking rapidly to try and keep the tears at bay. "Now."

"Yay! I can't wait!" Wade cheered before suddenly stopping, looking at her with wide eyes, "Ms. Hela, why are you crying? You're coming with me, right?" He stood up when she didn't say a word, eyes wide, "No, no, you have to come with me! We- We're going to make pillows and-and I'm going to show you my favorite show and- Ms. Hela, you have to come with me!"

Hela let her tears fall in the face of the crying child, holding him close when he launched himself in her arms, "I can't come with you, Wade. I don't know how to leave."

"Please, Ms. Hela, I love you! You have to come with me!" He looked up at her with a tear-stained face, "I don't want to leave!"

"You have to live long, okay?" She held him close, as if she could stop the shaking of his shoulders. "When your time comes, we will see each other again."

Wade held up his hand, pinky up, "Promise?"

She laced her finger with his. "I promise," She swore and watched as he disappeared in front of her very eyes. "I promise..."

After that, Hela didn't allow herself to get close to anyone else that arrived in her realm. Instead, she focused on creating objects to distract herself from the people around her. She had found out after the third person had arrived that time moved differently. It made sense when she thought about it. Why would death be tied down by something silly like years and minutes and hours?

There were times she let herself indulge in the laughter around her when the bitterness gnawed deep in her bones. That was how she came across Baldur the Beautiful, the man sent down by her very own father. He was not put off by her looks and seemed to enjoy being unlike a trophy in her main room as he draped himself over his very own throne. He dealt with anyone that came to speak with her and, so, she tolerated his presence.

Over the course of her time ruling as queen of Helheim, Hela had also met Lady Death. The woman was stunning in a way she knew others couldn't completely comprehend and Hela found herself enamored by her. With Lady Death came one Wade Wilson and Hela found him equally as charming. He was just as silly as she remembered and twice as daring. 

"A promise is a promise," Wade grinned widely, his blue eyes shining. "Pinkie promises can't be broken."

Hela had openly gaped at him, her bottom lip wobbly as she tried not to cry, and rushed into his arms, "I wasn't sure when you'd come back. It's been so long."

"Sorry, Ms. Hela," Wade Wilson said, running his fingers through her hair like he used to do. "Kinda hard to die now. I'm here now, though. It's not a forever thing but it's all I got."

"It's more than enough."

Family, Hela found out, was something someone created for themselves. It was found in weird places, like in Midgard with a mortal who seemed to stop at nothing to adopt everything in sight or a man with a star for a heart. As she observed the people around her, the band of Midgardians who fought together and the siblings she long-though gone, she knew that her family would last forever.

"Hela!" Tony grinned from the kitchen, Perseus Jackson and Bucky Barnes next to him. "We're going out. Keep an eye on the others, alright?"

"I will," She smiled, holding up a hand with her pinky up. She nodded when the man mimicked her action, "It's a promise."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

this chapter went somewhere and i'm actually really happy with it! :D

Words: 2,214

Song: Intro III - NF