Chapter Text

One

Peter was going to be late. He couldn’t be – wasn’t allowed to be – but it was going to happen. It always happened. Peter was a lot of things but being good at time management was not one of them. 

It wasn’t his fault. He just got so caught up in patrolling as Spider-Man. It was the only good thing left in his life. After everything – Ben, then May, changing foster homes, moving away from Ned. All he really had was Spider-Man. The few hours he got to spend in costume helping people in Manhattan were the only times he ever got to feel whole again.

He was doing something May and Ben would be proud of. His parents would be proud of him too, he hoped.

Of course, his foster parents would not be so happy when he came home late again.

Peter dodged around an old lady, running faster than he probably should have on the busy New York sidewalk. He bumped into a tall, broad man, sending his umbrella clattering to the floor.

“Oops!” Peter exclaimed.

He quickly grabbed the umbrella and stood to face the man. His eyes widened. 

“Oh my god, you’re Thor,” he whispered.

It was. He was dressed in casual clothes. A dark jean jacket and sweater of all things, but it was unmistakably Thor. The god was staring at Peter with obvious confusion on his face. 

Peter swallowed audibly.

A thin, dark-haired man leaned towards Thor and whispered out of the side of his mouth, “Is he…?”

Thor tilted his head. “Apparently.” The blond god nodded to Peter. “What is your name, young warrior?”

Peter blushed. Warrior ? Thor called him a warrior . This was officially the best day of his life.

“Peter!” he introduced, voice cracking. “Peter Parker.”

“Peter, Son of Parker.” Thor held out his hand and Peter rushed to shake it. “It is an honor to meet you.”

Peter’s breath stilled. “It’s- it’s an honor to meet you , sir.”

Thor grinned charmingly. 

“He’s a child ,” the dark-haired man hissed in annoyance.

Thor shrugged and whispered back, low enough that Peter wouldn’t have been able to hear if it weren’t for his powers. “ An heir, perhaps? ”

Air? Maybe hair? Peter’s nose scrunched up in confusion. He raised a hand to his messy curls. It was probably pretty crazy looking after being in his Spidey Suit all afternoon.

“Uhm, here’s your umbrella, sir. I have to- uhm, I’m going to be late.”

Thor reached out to take the umbrella just as Peter’s spidey sense went off. Golden sparks appeared in a bright circle around the feet of the dark-haired man. He was startled while both Peter and Thor stepped back.

“Whoa! That’s so cool! Are you a wizard?”

“What’re you doing?” Thor demanded.

The man looked up with wide eyes. “This isn’t me,” was all he managed to say before the ground opened up within the circle and he dropped through the portal. The golden sparks disappeared.

“Loki?” Thor hissed. “Loki!”

“Uhm…” Peter bent down and picked up a business card from the ground. “I think he went here?”

Thor took the card with a frown. “Where is this?”

Peter leaned close as he looked at the address again. “Not far – oh! It’s the weird building.”

“Weird building? You know this place?” Thor questioned.

Peter nodded. He’d only been Spider-Man for a little, but he had an almost perfect memory and he’d been using it to memorize every aspect of New York City.

“You can take me there?”

His eyes widened. “Oh! Uhm, no, I- I’ve got to get back to the foster home before I get in trouble.”

“I can speak with your guardians, Son of Parker. I’m sure they’ll understand. This is important.”

Peter held his breath. Thor – a god – an Avenger – was asking him for his help. How could he say no to that? He puffed out his cheeks before releasing his held-in breath. He nodded reluctantly. Mr. Franklin was not going to like this, but it was the right thing to do. He couldn’t just tell an Avenger no when they needed help. 

He handed the umbrella over but Thor waved him off with a grin. “You hold onto it.”

Peter shrugged and turned. Thor walked with him down the street. 

“What is this ‘foster’ you speak of, Son of Parker?”

“Uh, Peter, sir,” he told the god with wide eyes.

Thor’s smile widened. “Peter, then. Call me Thor.”

Peter nodded, unable to form a response to that. The crosswalk changed and he hurried across the street while he gathered his thoughts.

“A foster home is a place they send kids who don’t have any guardians or family. I’m uhm… I’m an orphan.”

Thor’s smile faded and Peter was surprised to see how genuinely upset the older man was by that explanation. 

“I am sorry, friend. To lose a parent is never easy. To have lost both and so young would have been unimaginably difficult.”

Peter swallowed thickly. He shrugged. They turned down a different street and kept walking. 

“So, the other guy. Loki? He’s your brother, right?”

“He is,” Thor confirmed.

“Isn’t he, like, a bad guy?”

Thor sighed heavily. “My brother is… complex. The stories of him on earth are not far from the truth.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “So he really did have a baby with a horse that turned out to be an eight-legged horse that Odin rode?”

Thor visibly jolted. “What? No! But…” A grin touched his lips. “Ask me again in front of him.” He winked.

Peter quickly shook his head. “I’d rather live, thank you.”

Thor’s laughter boomed down the street like thunder. “A wise decision, young warrior.”

Peter came to a stop. He nodded across the street to a tall stone building with ornate doors and stained glass windows. 

“That’s it.”

It was a tall, beautiful building. Something about it had always given Peter a weird feeling. After getting bit and developing his spidey sense, that feeling had only gotten stronger. Knowing that there was someone in there strong enough to capture Loki – a literal god – was a little terrifying.

Thor hummed. “Come.”

“Wait- but-”

-Thor was already heading across the street. Peter sighed and hurried after him. He clutched the umbrella to his chest as he stepped up the stone steps to the front door. The door was massive and towered over Peter’s much smaller frame. Thor knocked and suddenly they were inside.

Peter gasped audibly and blinked into the sudden darkness of the room. Antiques and elaborate paintings were decorating the space. All the lights were off, the natural lighting from outside the only thing keeping them from being in total darkness.

“Thor Odinson,” a deep voice greeted.

Peter and Thor turned to see a dark, floating figure before an elaborate window. Peter knew the window well. He’d swung by it multiple times already as Spider-Man. He also knew it was on the uppermost level of the building. They’d not just traveled indoors but also up several floors. 

How was that even possible?

The figure floated across the space towards them. Thor stepped partially in front of Peter, hand out as if to shield him. Peter felt the umbrella in his hands vibrate. The teenager looked down at the plain black umbrella with confusion.

What the hell?

“God of Thunder,” the floating man finished greeting as he landed before them. 

He wore a red cape and blue robes like a wizard straight out of Harry Potter.

“Whoa, wizards are real,” Peter breathed.

The wizard raised a dark eyebrow at him before his gaze shifted back to Thor. “I didn’t realize you had a son?”

Thor was still tense standing between Peter and the unknown figure. The god’s head tilted. “His name is Peter,” was all he said in response.

Peter wriggled his fingers in greeting.

“Interesting,” the man responded. He nodded to Peter. “You can put down the umbrella.”

Peter felt his spidey-sense ring and turned to find an elaborate umbrella wrack waiting for him.

“Cool,” he breathed. He set the umbrella down and stumbled when the room shifted.

They were standing several meters to the left of where they were originally. Lights had come on, displaying the glass cases, pedestals, and bookcases, filled with artifacts and ancient scrolls.

Peter felt a strong hand settle on his shoulder and shot Thor a weak smile. 

“So,” Thor began with a small grin, “Earth has wizards now?”

“Like Harry Potter?” Peter eagerly chimed in.

The man shot Peter a flat look. “No.”

“Gandalf?”

A huff.

“Charmed?”

“We prefer Masters of the Mystic Arts,” the man drawled.

Thor turned to Peter who shrugged. “I like Charmed Ones better.”

“Agreed,” Thor said with a nod. “It has a better flair.”

“Great,” the wizard snapped, “I’ll let the council know. Can we move this along?”

Thor crossed his arms as he stood tall. Peter tried not to look like an absolute child standing next to the hulking figure and assumed he failed miserably.

“Alright, wizard. Who are you and why should I care?”

“My name is Dr. Stephen Strange and I have some questions for you.”

Peter’s head tilted to the side. “Dr. Stephen Strange the surgeon?”

Dr. Strange’s eyes flickered to Peter and narrowed. “Have we met?”

He quickly shook his head. “No, but I- uh- read your study on the Variability in the Arterial Supply of Intracranial Meningiomas.”

Silence greeted that statement. Thor raised an eyebrow at Peter.

“He’s, like, a really incredible doctor," Peter informed the god. "Super smart.”

A small grin touched Dr. Strange’s face. “I’m no longer practicing, but I thank you for the review… Peter. Have a seat.”

Peter’s spidey senses flared and the next thing he knew, he was sitting in an elaborate armchair next to Thor.

“Tea?” Dr. Strange asked and suddenly there was an Asian-style mug in his hand.

“I don’t really drink tea,” Thor responded.

“What do you drink?”

“Not tea.”

The tea magically changed to a massive pitcher of ale. 

Peter’s eyes widened. “Can I have a juice box, please?”

A smile touched Dr. Strange’s face and he raised a hand to cover it. Peter’s tea transformed into a juice box.

“Thanks!”

He stuck the straw into the box and drank his juice while the two adults began to talk. He finished the juice box in a few seconds and almost gasped aloud when it magically refilled.

“We’re looking for my father,” Thor said when Peter tuned back into the conversation.

“So, if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?” Dr. Strange clarified.

“Promptly.”

“Perfect!” Dr. Strange paused. His head tilted towards Peter. “And the boy?”

Thor and Dr. Strange turned to stare at Peter. Peter stared back with wide eyes and his straw in his mouth. 

“Peter, will you go get my umbrella?”

“Sure thing!” He handed the juice box to an amused-looking Dr. Strange. “Thank you for the juice, Dr. Strange.” 

Peter headed over to the umbrella wrack to pick up the discarded item.

“ I will take him to meet my father, ” Thor explained when he believed Peter was out of earshot.

Peter’s heart leaped into his throat. Wait, he thought, what? Thor wanted to take Peter to meet Odin ? Why?

“He can’t go to Asgard with you. He’s human, also, he’s a child .”

“ Yes, but he’s also worthy. No other being has ever proven to be so. The closest someone has ever gotten was Steve Rogers. ”

Dr. Strange made a low humming noise.

Peter stared down at the umbrella in his hands with dawning comprehension. At the very top of the handle on the circular end was a symbol that he knew. It was the symbol on Thor’s hammer. It was in all the history books. The umbrella was Mjolnir.

Peter was worthy . He sucked in a sharp breath as he stumbled back towards the other two. 

“Thor, sir, your- uh… umbrella.” 

He stuck his hand out and when Thor didn’t immediately take the umbrella, shook it in the air.

“Please, sir, I need to get home.”

“Yes,” Dr. Strange agreed, eyes on Thor, “he does. His parents will be worried if he’s kidnapped .”

“He’s an orphan,” Thor responded as he stood, still not taking the umbrella back. “There is one more thing I need of you, Peter. Then you can return to your foster home.”

Peter wilted. “I’m gonna be in so much trouble.”

Thor laughed heartily and clapped a hand to Peter’s back. The boy stumbled under the god’s power. 

“Fear not, Peter! I promised I would speak to your guardians and I shall. First, we must collect my brother and then see my father.”

“You want me to meet your father?”

Thor’s eyes twinkled as he smiled at Peter. “Aye, I believe he will have a thing or two to say about you.”

Dr. Strange sighed heavily. “ Please return the boy to where he belongs once you’re done. I really don’t want to have to explain to his foster parents that he was abducted by aliens.”

Peter shrugged. “They’ll just think I ran away.”

Dr. Strange raised an eyebrow and tipped his head to the side. “Prone to that, are you?”

Peter stared back challengingly. “Have you been in the system?”

Dr. Strange didn’t have a response to that. Instead, he said, “I need a strand of your hair, Thor, in order to do the spell.”

“This hair is not to be meddled with- Ow!” Thor rubbed a hand to the back of his head where Dr. Strange had magically appeared and managed to yank out a strand of hair. 

The room shifted and Peter’s head spun when they appeared at the base of a grand staircase. Dr. Strange did a spell in the air and glowing triquetra moved through the air.

“Charmed!” Peter shouted as he pointed at the rune, the symbol of the iconic TV show. His aunt had been obsessed with it for as long as Peter could remember.

Dr. Strange shot him a flat look over his shoulder. “I’m becoming less and less concerned if Thor brings you back.”

“He has to,” Peter stated with firm confidence. “I have a physics test on Tuesday.”

Dr. Strange blinked before turning his back on the teenager and god. He waved his hands in a circular motion and a golden portal appeared in the air.

“So cool ,” Peter breathed as he clutched Mjolnir closer to his chest. 

“This is it?” Thor questioned after polishing off his beer. He set the tankard down on the staircase railing. 

“Norway,” Dr. Strange confirmed. 

“I’ll also need my brother back.”

“Oh, right.”

Dr. Strange created another portal. Peter jumped out of the way as Loki fell through the air with a scream and slammed into the hard marble floor.

“I have been falling,” Loki shouted, “for thirty minutes!”

Peter rushed forward and helped the angry god to his feet. “Don’t be mad, Mr. Loki. Dr. Strange was just showing us magic.”

“Magic?” Loki hissed. He shook Peter’s hand off his arm and glared at Dr. Strange. “Who do you think you are, you two-bit sorcerer?” His hands shot out and two long daggers appeared. 

Peter jumped back.

“Alright, buh-bye,” Dr. Strange said and with a wave of his hand sent the portal careening forward.

Peter grasped the back of Loki’s suit jacket to stop him from face-planting into the grass as they appeared in Norway. A glance over his shoulder showed the portal disappearing.

“Please tell me we’re not actually in Norway?” Peter whined.

He let go of Loki’s jacket to take a look around. The fields of grass and endless expanse of water didn’t look like anything he’d seen in New York before. The air felt cleaner. There wasn’t a city skyline in sight. 

“So much trouble,” he mumbled under his breath.

He turned at the sound of footsteps and spotted Thor heading towards a man standing by the cliffside. Odin? Was that Odin? Peter hung back with Loki while Thor joined his father.

“Father?” Thor greeted. 

“Look at this place, it’s beautiful.”

Loki headed past Peter and joined the two gods on Odin’s other side.

“Father,” Thor said again, “it’s us.”

“My sons,” Odin confirmed.

Thor looked over his shoulder and gestured for Peter to join them. He shook his head quickly and Thor made a face before gesturing again. Peter sighed and trudged across the grass to join them.

“And Peter,” Thor introduced with a heavy hand on Peter’s shoulder.

Odin turned away from the sea to take Peter in. The teenager shrank back, brown eyes wide as he stared up at the god.

“A grandson.”

Peter shook his head. “No, sir. I’m an orphan.”

Loki tensed at Peter’s declaration. 

Odin was otherwise unaffected. He turned back to the sea. “I’ve been waiting for you three,” he told them.

Peter shrank back into Thor, searching for comfort from the ominous words. Three? Odin had been waiting for Peter too?

“We’ve come to take you home,” Thor explained with a smile. “Perhaps we can show Peter around Asgard before we return him to his place on Midgard.”

“Home. Your mother calls to me,” Odin said. He smiled kindly at Peter. “Can you hear your grandmother?”

Peter wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He looked up at Thor.

“Loki cancel your magic," Thor hissed at his brother.

Odin chuckled weakly. “Aye, yes. It took me a while to break your spell. Friga would be proud.” He turned back to Peter. “Can you see it, young prince?”

Odin’s hand grasped Peter’s over the handle of Mjolnir. Peter gasped and his eyes shot wide. The seaside view disappeared and in his mind, he saw darkness. White thread shot outward from beneath his and Odin’s feet. The line broke off and intersected again, reaching out far across the dark expanse of nothingness.

A spiderweb.

A red thread ran through the spiderweb, out from beneath Odin’s feet, and straight into nothing. No other branches broke off from it. It appeared as if the red thread stretched out into nothing.

Odin’s hand disappeared and with it, the vision.

“You’re going to die,” Peter blurted out.

Thor and Loki tensed.

“What?” Thor demanded. “Father?”

“Come,” Odin interrupted, “sit with me. I don’t have much time.”

“Father,” Thor pressed but was ignored. 

The once King of Asgard turned and hobbled towards a low rock. His sons sat with him and Peter stood, the mighty Mjolnir still clutched in his hands.

“Father, please,” Thor implored. “I know we failed you but we can make this right. You mustn’t go yet.”

Odin sighed as he stared out across the sea. “I have failed you . It is upon us – Ragnarok.”

“I put a stop to it.”

“No, it’s already begun. She’s coming.” He turned to Peter. “Did you see her?”

Peter felt his cheeks burn as all three gods turned their attention to him. Peter quickly shook his head. He had no idea who or what Odin was talking about.

“Good. Hopefully, she will not have seen you either. As long as there is an heir to Asgard, there will be an Asgard.”

Peter swallowed thickly. He’d really like to go home now. He was not ready to be an heir to anything, let alone an entire planet . 

“Father?” Thor questioned gently. “Who are you talking about?”

“The Goddess of Death, Hela. My firstborn. Your sister.”

“What?”

“A violent appetite that ruled beyond my control. I couldn’t stop her, so I imprisoned her. Locked her away. She draws her strength from Asgard. Once she gets there, she will be limitless.”

“Whatever she is, we can stop her together. We can face her together.”

“I’m on a different path now.” He turned to Peter. “Isn’t that right? You saw, yes? You can see the Web of Life and Destiny.”

“That- that vision?” Peter shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“You are young, princeling. Your powers will grow with time, for which there will be plenty.” 

Odin sighed as he shifted. His wrinkled hand reached into his pocket and he pulled from it a round object in a red cloth. He offered it to Peter.

Hesitantly, Peter took the offering in one hand. Thor – finally – took Mjolnir back to allow Peter to open the cloth. It was an apple. A golden apple. Peter’s eyes widened. He looked up and couldn’t help but notice that Loki and Thor looked equally shocked.

“What is this?”

“I saw this,” Odin told them. “The moment I locked Hela away, I saw this . I saw you ,” he said, one blue eye firmly fixed on Peter.

The teenager swallowed thickly. 

“Take a bite, young prince.”

Peter’s eyes darted to Thor. The god looked conflicted.

“Father, are you sure?”

“I’ve been carrying this since that day, awaiting your arrival. I didn’t know when or how. I thought you would be my own.” His kind smile returned. “A grandson. I should have known.”

Peter didn’t have it in him to correct the god again. He wasn’t Odin’s grandson, but he wasn’t cruel enough to point this out to a dying man.

Odin nodded once more, encouragingly. Peter glanced down at the apple. He sighed and decided things really couldn’t get crazier than they already were, right? He took a bite of the apple. 

It tasted incredible. Fresh like a fruit, but with the rich taste of honey. Peter swallowed the bite without thinking, lost in the flavors that were so intense it was almost overwhelming to his hypersensitivity. 

Peter felt a jolt run through his body. He gasped and the apple fell from his fingers. The apple disintegrated before it touched the earth. 

A foreign energy coursed through Peter’s veins. He felt his wrists burn with a fire under his skin. His senses turned sharp like when he was focused on something far away. A high-pitched ringing rose up and Peter clapped his hands to his ears as he cringed. His eyes squeezed shut.

A heavy hand touched his shoulder.

“Peter? Peter ?” Thor’s voice cut through the ringing, pushing it aside.

Peter lowered his hands. He stared at Odin and was unnerved to see a red line stretching out of the god and towards the sea. It looked like the red line from the spider web vision. 

“What was that? What did I just eat?”

“Ambrosia,” Odin said.

Peter’s head tilted. “The food of the gods?” 

But wasn’t that only in the Greek god tradition? Were they connected? Was there also a Zeus? Peter’s head was spinning.

“You are ready for this path now.”

“Father-” Thor began.

“-I love you, my sons.” He eyed Peter and then Loki. “Even if you’ve come to me in ways I’d not expected.”

“Father,” Loki whispered, heartbroken.

Peter gasped as he saw the red string leading out of Odin break off. He stepped back as the great king began to turn to golden flakes, quickly whisked away by the wind. Thor and Loki rose to their feet. They stood on either side of Peter as all three watched the golden wisps of Odin be carried away.

Peter felt his spidey sense flare stronger than he’d ever felt before. He sucked in a shuddering breath as his entire body tensed.

“Something’s coming,” he whispered.

All three turned. Dark, ominous clouds had rolled in. Peter could feel the power rolling off of Thor as the god readied himself.

“Brother,” Loki began.

Thor shot him a glare. “This was your doing.”

“No,” Peter said with a shake of his head. “This was always going to happen.”

Neither Thor nor Loki had a response to that.

Peter stepped forward as his spidey senses screamed louder. A darkness, almost like an absence, appeared several meters away. Peter could feel a dark power emanating from within it. 

“That’s her,” he whispered.

“Stay back, Peter,” Thor ordered.

“Yeah, sure. No problem.” 

The teenager quickly stumbled back behind the two towering gods.

Thor and Loki stepped forward. Loki's outfit changed to the black and green robes that Peter recognized from pictures of him at the original Avengers Battle. Thor waved his umbrella and lightning struck, changing him and Mjolnir to their god-like forms. 

Peter stood between and slightly behind them both in his jeans and old hoodie. His fingers curled around the straps of his backpack. He could see as webs formed out from beneath Loki and Thor, bright white and with strong red lines that connected to each other, back to Peter, and far beyond in several directions. Peter didn’t know what they were or what they meant, but the sight of strong red lines filled him with confidence.

A figure appeared from the bubbling black nothingness. A woman with dark hair and pale skin emerged and the portal disappeared behind her. Peter swallowed at the sight of her. Thick, black lines spread out from beneath her. Her spider web looked dark and sickly – destructive. He saw it branching out towards Loki and Thor, destroying parts of their web and infecting other parts with its inky blackness.

“So, he’s gone,” she said in a husky voice. “A shame, I would have liked to have seen that.”

Peter frowned at her words. This woman was bad news . He felt a shiver run down his spine.

Thor gestured with his hand not holding Mjolnir. “You must be Hela, I’m Thor, Son of Odin.”

She raised a black eyebrow. “Really? You don’t look like him,” she quipped.

“Perhaps we can come to an arrangement,” Loki put in.

“You sound like him.” Her eyes focused on Peter and she tilted her head. “And you?”

Thor raised his hand like he had back in Dr. Strange’s home. A move to keep Peter back and safe.

“Peter. My heir.”

“Heir?” Hela’s smile was vicious. “To what? I am the firstborn. Asgard belongs to me .”

Peter could feel the tension rolling off of Thor.

“Father banished you,” the God of Thunder reminded her cooly.

“And now the old goat’s dead .” She tilted her head. “Kneel.”

“I beg your pardon?” Loki demanded.

Hela extended her hand and a wicked-looking sword formed. Peter’s eyes widened. He felt like he was trapped in a game of DnD with Ned and the other robotics club kids. And they were definitely outmatched.

“Kneel,” she said again with a coy smile, “before your queen.”

“I don’t think so,” Thor responded in a low voice. 

The god of thunder threw his arm out and cast Mjolnir forward with all its power. Peter felt the wind whip past him. He heard the hiss of the weapon fly through the air like a missile. There was a deep boom that echoed across the open fields of Norway.

She caught it. Hela caught Mjolnir. Peter’s stomach dropped. Oh god, she was worthy?

“That’s not possible,” Thor hissed. He pulled back, calling on his hammer. 

Hela smirked. “Oh darling, you have no idea what’s possible.”

Peter saw the red webs attached to Mjolnir slowly begin to turn gray. Cracks formed in the hammer, releasing the bright glow of power from within. Dread filled Peter. Time moved slowly, the way it always did when his heightened senses took over.

Peter wasn’t sure what these spider webs he was seeing were, but something inside of him instinctively told him that gray was not good. Gray lines were the opposite of good. In response, Peter did what he normally did in a Spider-Man fight – he let his instincts take over.

Peter grabbed Thor’s arm and through the God of Thunder, felt a powerful thrum of electricity that raced up Thor’s arm and into Peter. Their combined power swirled in his chest. 

Peter held out his left hand and focused on the magical hammer. He pulled with all his and Thor’s combined might. The hammer shuddered in Hela’s hand but did not move.

The goddess’ eyes narrowed on Peter.

He had milliseconds .

His eyes dropped to the slowly graying spider webs. He saw the bright red lines branching off in all directions. He still didn’t know what they were, but they were connected to Mjolnir. Instinct once again taking charge, Peter closed his fingers. He grabbed as many of the red strings as he could and yanked back with all his power.

Mjolnir went flying out of Hela’s grasp and straight into Peter’s chest.

“Oof!”

Peter was knocked clear off his feet and hit the ground with a dull thud . Mjolnir, cracked and only just being held together by magic, was clenched tightly to his chest.

“Whoa,” he breathed, eyes wide.

“Take us back!” Loki shouted to the sky.

“No!” Peter and Thor hollered at once.

It was too late. The gate opened and suddenly all three were being shot through the bifrost. Peter curled into a ball around Mjolnir as he squeezed his eyes shut. The sight and sound of the Bifrost was loud and overwhelming. Colors burned his eyes. The noise pierced his eardrums. Magic and wind burned his skin as they rushed through the portal. 

He looked down when he heard Thor’s warning shout. Hela was not far beneath them. 

Asgard, Peter remembered. If she got to Asgard, she’d be limitless.

“Stop her!” Peter shouted.

Loki threw a knife at the goddess but it was deflected back and Loki was quickly thrown from the bifrost.

“Loki!” Thor shouted as Peter gasped. 

What happened if someone was cast from the Bifrost? Did they die? Was Loki dead? His mind instinctively searched for the webs that had extended from the god, but he couldn’t see anything. Either the rushing colors of the Bifrost blinded him or there was nothing left to find.

“Peter!” Thor shouted as Hela made her way towards the god. “Get to Asgard! Protect the people!”

How the hell was he supposed to do that?

Thor threw a punch at Hela. She grabbed at his throat and pushed him back into the edge of the Bifrost. Next thing Peter knew, Thor was being shot across the Bifrost and disappeared the same way Loki had.

“Oh, God,” Peter whispered to himself.

Hela’s head shot up and she smiled viciously at him. She had a sword in her hand as she moved up through the Bifrost towards him. Peter tensed, ready for battle. This was a goddess , he reminded himself. No pulling punches, no holding back his strength.

He slowly uncurled from a ball, one hand tightly gripping the magic hammer. Man, he wished he had his web-shooters too.

Her sword swung up with alarming speed. For anyone else, it would be too quick to see. But Peter was Spider-Man . He easily caught Hela’s wrist, something that shocked the woman if the widening of her eyes was anything to go by. Peter swallowed down his empathy and snapped the woman’s wrist in two.

Hela screamed. Her other hand shot out to wrap around Peter’s throat. Peter choked as her nails pressed into the delicate skin of his throat. Peter wrapped his legs around her arm. One hand wrapped around her wrist to pry her grip away and the other held Mjolnir. He swung his arm and slammed the hammer into the side of her face. 

The goddess’ head whipped to the side. Part of her helmet cracked. Her gleaming black eyes filled with fury. Peter paused briefly at the sight of her anger and then did it again.

Peter’s spidey sense went off too late.

A sharp pain erupted in his side. He gasped and his eyes flickered down. Hela’s sword had cut clean through his stomach. Her wrist was no longer broken. A goddess meant quick healing. He really should have seen that coming.

Hela drew him closer by her grip on his throat which was still cutting off the oxygen to his brain. Peter wasn’t sure how long he could hold his breath for but it wasn’t causing him any discomfort yet .

“Nice try, godling. Better luck next time.”

Hela’s fingers tightened and in that moment, Peter knew he was about to be cast out of the bifrost as well. Peter pulled his knees in and with all his power, kicked the goddess back. Her sword went with her. Peter shouted as the blade was pulled from his stomach.

Hela hollered in rage as she was thrown further down the Bifrost. 

Peter looked up towards the end of the Bifrost. He tucked his hands into his sides and straightened his legs the way he did when he wanted to move through the air like a bullet. His speed increased, leaving Hela behind. 

The end of the pathway came and Peter hit the metal floor hard. He rolled, blood leaving a trail behind him. Mjolnir fell from his grip and skidded across the floor.

“What?” a voice boomed. “Who are you?”

“Close it!” Peter shouted as he waved his hand. He stumbled to his feet and turned to see the bright semi-circle doorway. “Close it!”

It was too late. Hela came strolling into Asgard just behind him. Her helmet was partially bent and she had blood on her cheek from where Peter had broken skin with the hammer.

Peter clutched a hand to his stomach as he stumbled back. Hela took a moment to collect herself and Peter used it to scramble towards Mjolnir only a few feet away. He picked it up and turned back to the goddess, hammer held and ready for an attack.

A tall blond man hurried to Peter’s side with a sword in hand. “Thor?” the man asked him quietly, eyes on Hela.

Peter shook his head.

The man cursed under his breath.

Another man, round and with bright red hair, picked up his ax and stepped towards the edge of the platform he was on. “Who are you? What have you done with-”

“-No!” Peter shouted as a knife went careening across the room and straight into the warrior’s gut.

Another shot towards the blond at Peter’s side. Peter swung the hammer and intercepted it before it could hit. He shoved the blond warrior.

“Run! Go! Get out of here!”

“What? No! I will not run!”

Peter deflected another knife. He grabbed the back of the man’s robes to keep him from charging the warrior goddess.

“You can’t defeat me, godling,” Hela taunted with a smirk.

Peter glared at her. His stomach was aching and his breath was coming faster. This was all kinds of not good. He couldn’t stop Hela, he knew. But Thor had told him to protect Asgard and its people. He couldn’t die in vain and he certainly couldn’t run back to earth.

A small, vague idea came to mind that probably wouldn’t work at all. It was the only shot Peter had though.

He looked down and widened his eyes innocently. “Please, Hela,” he pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt you I just-”

Hela narrowed her eyes. She seemed amused by his innocent display. “Just what?”

Peter swallowed visibly. “Thor asked me to keep it secret,” he replied quietly.

“What? Keep what secret?” She stepped closer. “Show me, boy. We needn’t fight. You’re strong. Capable. I see why Thor made you his heir.”

A little gasp to his right made Peter tense. The blond warrior was staring at him with wide eyes. 

“But you could be better than that. I could give you a greater destiny than Thor could even imagine.” The smile that slithered across her face was cold and heartless. “Show me Thor’s secrets, princeling.”

Peter slowly shrugged off his backpack.

“No,” the warrior at his right quietly hissed.

Peter shot him a look before opening the zipper and fishing around inside. His hand closed around the metal canister containing his web fluid. Okay, he thought to himself. He only got one shot at this, so make it work the first time.

“It’s this,” Peter said. He dropped the bag and held his hand closed around the cylinder.

Hela extended her hand. “Show me.”

In one fluid movement, Peter tossed the canister and swung Thor’s hammer. The canister exploded on Hela and web fluid went everywhere.

“Run!” Peter shouted. 

He jumped to the top of the platform, grabbed the fallen soldier over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and leaped out of the large circular room. He and the other warrior raced down a long rainbow bridge towards Asgard.

Hela’s furious screams echoed behind them.