"Young warrior, how about we head out for a bit?"
Thor had said the words earlier while giving Billy a firm pat on the shoulder, the kind that felt less like a suggestion and more like a decision that had already been made. Judging by the look on the Asgardian's face, Thor fully expected him to come along.
"Where to?" Billy asked, already forming a hopeful theory in his mind.
"To a place one could consider a place of bliss in all the Nine Realms," Thor replied.
That was it. No explanation nor additional details.
'Oh, shit. Could it be?' Billy thought excitedly.
With Thor being deliberately vague and refusing to elaborate, Billy was left clinging to his original assumption. Fingers metaphorically crossed, he couldn't help but hope that this was finally it. Maybe Thor was taking him to the legendary city he spoke so highly of whenever conversations drifted toward his homeland. The mythical city of gods. The shining realm of Asgard itself.
Thor had talked about it often enough as every description made it sound more incredible than the last. Golden halls, legendary warriors, feasts that lasted for days, and a people powerful enough to make most superheroes look ordinary by comparison. More than once, Thor had promised to bring him there when the time was right. He had even claimed Billy would fit right in among the warriors of Asgard, saying few understood what it was like to grow up carrying immense power.
With excitement steadily building inside him, Billy was already imagining his first glimpse of the city when Thor suddenly grabbed him before he could transform.
"Wait—"
Billy barely got the word out before Thor yanked him close and pinned him securely against his side. The next moment, Mjolnir spun into motion. A familiar blur of metal and impossible physics formed above them before Thor launched them both into the air.
They shot forward like a missile.
The pair burst through one of Avengers Tower's massive windows—one that Tony had specifically designed for Thor's dramatic entrances and exits. Several hidden sensors recognized the distinctive motion of Mjolnir being spun and immediately triggered the mechanism. The reinforced glass panels slid apart smoothly, granting Thor what he proudly referred to as his personal exit.
Honestly, Billy had to admit it was ridiculously extra.
It was also kind of awesome.
Now soaring high above the city, Billy felt the cold night wind rush past his face. The glowing lights of New York stretched endlessly beneath them, creating a breathtaking sea of color. As they flew, a thought occurred to him.
'Maybe I should transform.'
His gaze drifted toward Thor.
'He'd be alright getting hit by my lightning suddenly, right?' Billy wondered uncertainly. 'Right...?'
After all, Thor was literally the God of Thunder.
Surely lightning wasn't going to be a problem.
Convinced enough by his own logic, Billy inhaled deeply and prepared to say the magic word.
"SHA—"
"There'll be no need to transform, young warrior."
Thor's voice cut through the rushing wind before Billy could finish.
Billy blinked in surprise. "...Alright then."
Abandoning the idea, he settled for enjoying the view instead. The city shrank beneath them as they continued their journey at impressive speed, skyscrapers and highways becoming little more than glowing patterns against the darkness below.
Several minutes later—or at least what felt like several minutes—Thor finally spoke again.
"Brace yourself."
Before Billy could ask why, they dropped.
The descent was sudden enough to make his stomach lurch. A moment later, they landed before what appeared to be a long-abandoned gas station sitting in the middle of nowhere.
Billy stared blankly as he didn't know what exactly to think of the place.
The building looked old. The paint was peeling. Several windows were cracked. The gas pumps appeared to have stopped functioning years ago.
Needless to say, it wasn't exactly the golden city of Asgard.
Still unwilling to completely abandon his earlier hopes, Billy searched for a reasonable explanation as they approached the building.
"This place is probably some secret path that connects to Asgard, right?" he asked hopefully. "Like a hidden gateway or something?"
"Asgard?" Thor asked, sounding genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"
Billy's confidence immediately took a critical hit.
Without slowing his pace, Thor pushed open a door inside the abandoned station. Beyond it was not a portal, a rainbow bridge, or a magical gateway.
Instead, it revealed a wide underground passage illuminated by rows of lamps mounted along stone walls. At the far end, a long staircase descended deeper into the earth.
Billy stared down the passageway.
Then he looked at Thor.
Then back at the passageway.
Whatever this place was, it definitely wasn't what he had been expecting.
"Where are you taking me?" Billy finally asked.
Ahead of him, Thor continued descending the stairs without slowing his pace. The god's response came with an almost dismissive confidence, as though the answer should have been obvious.
"We are almost there."
That was it.
There was no explanation.
No reassurance.
Not even a glance in Billy's direction.
Thor simply kept his eyes fixed on the path ahead and continued walking.
The more Billy thought about it, the harder it became to ignore just how suspicious this entire situation looked. He had known Thor long enough to trust him in battle, but not long enough to blindly follow him into what appeared to be a secret underground passage hidden beneath an abandoned gas station in the middle of nowhere.
'No matter how I look at it, this whole thing has been shady from the start,' Billy thought.
As he descended the seemingly endless staircase, he mentally retraced the events that had led him here. First, Thor had effectively ignored his objections and decided they were hanging out. Then he'd refused to tell him where they were going. After that came the insistence that Billy didn't need to transform before flying them across the city. And now, instead of offering any explanation whatsoever, Thor was leading him deeper underground through a hidden passage that absolutely did not belong beneath a gas station.
Every step only made it seem more suspicious.
Billy had his fair share of experience around gods to know they weren't always the most reliable judges of what constituted a reasonable idea. Sometimes they made questionable decisions purely because they found them amusing. Thor was usually one of the better ones, but that wasn't exactly a high bar.
As a result, Billy's imagination began supplying possibilities of its own.
Maybe Thor had volunteered him for some ancient divine tournament without asking.
Maybe he was being traded to another pantheon for diplomatic reasons.
Maybe there was some gladiatorial arena down below where gods gathered to make bets and watch their champions beat each other senseless for entertainment. The thought of Thor setting him up for some gladiatorial fight night seemed to be the most likely possibility.
Honestly, none of those possibilities felt entirely impossible.
By the time they reached the final stretch of stairs, Billy had quietly decided to give Thor the benefit of the doubt—but only barely. The magic word remained ready at the forefront of his mind. If things turned out to be even half as sketchy as they appeared, he was prepared to transform the instant something went wrong.
A few moments later, they finally arrived at the bottom.
The staircase opened into a small cavern-like chamber carved into the surrounding rock. Embedded into the wall to their right was a massive red door.
Billy immediately slowed.
The thing was enormous.
Not merely tall, but absurdly tall.
Its proportions looked less like something built for humans and more like a doorway intended for giants. The crimson paint was faded in places, yet the door itself appeared sturdy enough to withstand a battering ram.
Doing his best not to reveal how unsettled he actually felt, Billy followed behind Thor as the Asgardian approached the entrance.
Without raising his arm, Thor leaned slightly forward and knocked against the lower portion of the door using a peculiar rhythm. It wasn't random either. The sequence was deliberate, almost like a password.
Several seconds passed.
Then a small panel near the upper half of the door slid open.
Billy's eyes widened at the sight of a single eye staring back at them.
The peep hole had been positioned at a height that would have required an exceptionally tall person to use comfortably. Through the opening, a large vertical eye swept between the two visitors, studying them in silence.
Beside him, Thor immediately puffed out his chest and assumed an unmistakably proud stance. His fists settled against his waist as though he were posing for a heroic painting.
Billy resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
A few tense moments passed before the panel slid shut once more.
Then came the sound of a heavy metallic clank which echoed from the other side, followed by another. The unmistakable noise of enormous bolts being withdrawn reverberated through the stone chamber.
Slowly, with a deep creak of old hinges, the giant red door began to swing inward.
Whatever waited beyond it, they had just been invited inside.
As they stepped through the massive red door and passed the towering doorkeeper—a blue-skinned being with a single vertical eye set in the center of its forehead—Billy immediately began surveying the interior of the establishment Thor had quite literally dragged him to.
The place was dimly lit, with warm lantern light casting long shadows across the room. What initially looked like an ordinary bar quickly revealed itself to be anything but. The patrons scattered throughout the establishment came in all shapes and sizes. Some looked vaguely humanoid, while others possessed features that made it difficult to place them in any category Billy was familiar with. Horns, scales, glowing eyes, unusual skin tones, and physiques that ignored basic human anatomy were common enough that after a few seconds, Billy stopped trying to make sense of them.
The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed despite how intimidating some of the customers appeared. Conversations filled the room, accompanied by occasional laughter and the clinking of glasses.
"What is this place?" Billy finally asked.
Thor, meanwhile, had already reached the counter and was placing an order with the bartender, a laid-back looking man whose relaxed demeanor suggested very little in existence could surprise him anymore.
"I see. The usual then." The bartender spoke before Thor could even finish his order, and of which Thor responded with a satisfied nod.
"What do you mean, what is this place?" Thor asked, turning toward Billy with a confused expression. "Don't tell me your world doesn't have bars. That would make it quite a depressing place."
Billy held a blank stare at him for a second.
That wasn't remotely what he meant.
His concern had considerably less to do with the existence of bars and considerably more to do with the fact that they were currently surrounded by what appeared to be an assortment of aliens, monsters, and beings that probably belonged in mythology books.
Then realization struck.
Thor hadn't brought him to some secret gathering, neither had he brought him to a mystical tournament.
He hadn't dragged him into an interdimensional meet he couldn't talk about back at the tower, or unable to give an explanation unless Billy saw for himself.
The God of Thunder had simply kidnapped him for a drink.
As Billy stood there processing this revelation, he casually swept his gaze around the room. He made sure not to linger on anyone for too long. Staring was generally considered rude, and judging by the size of some of these patrons, potentially hazardous to his health.
Behind the counter, the bartender's attention shifted toward Billy.
Before the man could ask anything, Thor flashed him a confident grin.
"He'll have the same."
Billy immediately looked at him. Of which Thor ignored him.
"Do not let his appearance fool you," the Asgardian continued proudly. "This lad is a warrior worthy of the prestigious title of Champion of the Gods."
The declaration earned a few curious glances from nearby patrons.
Billy, meanwhile, found himself wondering why Thor was giving his résumé to a bartender.
To his surprise, the bartender merely smiled.
"Well then," he said. "Pardon my hesitation."
Reaching beneath the counter, he retrieved a bottle and poured a crystal-clear liquid into a sturdy glass. The drink looked harmless enough.
Thor immediately picked it up and handed it over.
Billy accepted the glass cautiously.
"What is this?" Bringing it closer, he took a tentative sniff.
Instantly, his face twisted into a grimace for the smell alone felt aggressive.
Seeing the look on his face, Thor's grin widened.
"This," he declared proudly, "is a drink potent enough to make even Norse gods—beings renowned for their ability to hold their liquor—quite tipsy before they finish a single glass."
'Hard pass.' Billy lowered the drink and stared at it.
The drink stared back.
For a brief moment, he genuinely couldn't decide whether he was holding alcohol or a chemical weapon disguised as a beverage. The smell alone made him suspect that one sip might be enough to catapult him into a reality-warping trip filled with distorted senses, nonsensical thoughts, and the sort of mind-melting experience conspiracy forums dramatically warned people about. That was assuming his body didn't simply give up halfway through the first sip and leave him questioning reality, physics, and possibly his own existence.
Holding a perfectly deadpan expression, Billy slowly lowered the glass back onto the counter before turning to stare at the god seated beside him.
"You do know I'm a minor, right?"
Thor paused, blinking.
The God of Thunder looked genuinely confused by both the statement and the fact that Billy hadn't immediately started drinking.
"What is a min—"
The bartender moved before Thor could finish.
"Oh my!"
In one smooth motion, he snatched the glass away from Billy and slid it across the counter until it stopped in front of Thor instead.
"That was a close one," he said, looking mildly perturbed. "Why didn't you tell me he wasn't of legal drinking age?" He asked Thor who simply shrugged in response.
Then he picked up both glasses and proceeded to solve the problem by drinking from one of them.
Billy watched the display for a moment before turning back to the bartender.
"To be fair, it's an easy mistake to make," he said calmly. "I'll be of legal age in a couple of months anyway."
A small amount of satisfaction crept into his voice despite himself. Being mistaken for an adult felt surprisingly nice.
"But what kind of bartender doesn't ask a teenager for identification?"
Internally, however, his thoughts were considerably less critical. 'A cool one, I'd say.'
The bartender chuckled. "Normally, I'd agree with you. But surely you heard how your friend described you."
He gestured toward Thor.
"Not many words are needed after receiving a recommendation like that."
Billy followed the gesture and looked at Thor, who was currently occupied with enjoying both drinks.
"Having an open mind," the bartender continued, "I ignored the absurdity of the title he gave you. I assumed he meant you were genuinely this so-called Champion of the Gods and simply happened to be much older than you appeared. Some gods live for centuries without showing signs of age."
Billy rubbed the back of his neck.
"The thing is, he actually did mean that literally—"
"Wait." The bartender paused midway through cleaning a glass.
"Are you actually a g—"
"No," Billy answered before the question could be completed. "Technically, I'm not a god."
The bartender nodded immediately.
"I see. One of those situations."
"What situations?"
"The complicated ones."
Billy opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
Honestly, that explanation somehow made sense.
For a few moments, he simply sat there, observing the strange establishment around him. The alien patrons. The giant doorkeeper. The underground location hidden beneath an abandoned gas station. The bartender casually discussing gods as though they were regular customers.
Eventually, he turned back toward the man behind the counter.
"I haven't been to many bars," Billy admitted. "Actually, I haven't been to many at all."
The bartender listened patiently.
"And maybe my experience is limited," Billy continued, "but is it normal to have conversations like this with bartenders?" The question was sincere.
Because while he very much wanted answers regarding what the hell was going on with this place, part of him was becoming increasingly distracted by the possibility that he had stumbled into the weirdest bar in existence.
The bartender rested his elbows on the counter and smiled.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you're in a normal bar."
Billy looked around the room once more.
The one-eyed giant guarding the entrance.
The horned patrons drinking glowing beverages.
The God of Thunder beside him working through enough alcohol to hospitalize a normal person.
"...Fair point."
The bartender's smile widened.
Thor, meanwhile, was already raising a hand.
"Another round!"
Billy groaned.
This was going to be a long night.
"Oh, my bad."
The bartender gave an apologetic smile as he continued wiping down a glass with a cloth.
"I'm Rowan," he said. "Rowan Vale."
Setting the freshly cleaned glass aside, he extended a fist across the counter. Billy returned the gesture, bumping knuckles with him before offering his own introduction.
"I'm Billy."
"Nice to meet you, Billy." Rowan leaned against the counter casually.
"To answer the questions that have very obviously been rattling around in your head since you walked through that door, this is a bar open to all races. Humans, gods, aliens, spirits, and a few things that don't fit neatly into any category. It's neutral ground. Everyone who enters agrees to abide by a handful of rules, the biggest being no violence and no malicious actions."
As Rowan spoke, Billy found his gaze drifting across the establishment once more.
The scene somehow managed to look even stranger now that he wasn't just keeping an open mind, and was consciously paying attention. Various humanoids and oddities occupied tables throughout the room. Some possessed features that were merely unusual, while others looked like they had stepped straight out of mythology, science fiction, or someone's fever dream. Despite their differences, they all seemed focused on the same activities—drinking, laughing, telling stories, and enjoying themselves.
"So this is basically some kind of cosmic bar?" Billy asked. "A place where absurdities stop by for a drink whenever they're vacationing on Earth?"
Rowan laughed.
"That's actually not the worst description I've heard."
He began arranging several colorful drinks onto a serving tray as he spoke.
"Thor drinks here. Silver Surfer drinks here. Galactus tried to drink here once."
Billy blinked, wondering why the failed attempt.
"Tried?"
"Long story."
Before Billy could ask for details, Rowan handed the tray to one of his waiters.
Billy couldn't help but stare at the waiter who turned out to be a walking tree.
Not a person who looked tree-like.
Not someone wearing a tree costume.
An actual walking tree with bark-like skin, branches for arms, and an impressively groomed bark-like beard.
The tree accepted the tray with a polite nod before carrying the drinks toward another table.
Billy watched it go.
'I swear I haven't had a single drop of alcohol,' he thought. 'So I'm definitely not hallucinating the walking tree that's serving drinks.'
His brain was still attempting to process that visual when Thor's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Rowan here is someone who has lived quite a number of lives," Thor declared proudly as Billy turned toward the Asgardian.
Thor was looking noticeably more relaxed now. A faint tint of red colored his nose and upper cheeks, suggesting the alcohol was beginning to do its work.
"He tells fascinating tales," Thor continued. "Stories of absurd encounters and adventures gathered throughout his many lifetimes."
The statement immediately drew Billy's attention back toward Rowan as his curiosity spiked.
"Many lifetimes?" he asked.
Rowan shrugged as if the concept were completely ordinary.
"I'm what you'd call a reincarnator."
Billy stared, clearly he was the only one who could possibly use that word in such a context.
The bartender said it with such casual confidence that it somehow sounded less absurd than it should have.
Then again, Billy was currently sitting in a hidden interdimensional bar beneath an abandoned gas station while a walking tree delivered drinks and the God of Thunder got tipsy beside him.
At this point, "reincarnator" barely cracked the top ten strangest things he'd heard tonight.
Rowan studied Billy for a moment before tilting his head.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "you don't look much like a champion to me."
Billy opened his mouth.
Then paused.
Honestly, that was fair.
At the moment, he was just a teenager sitting at a bar stool wearing ordinary clothes.
Rowan's gaze briefly shifted toward Thor, who immediately leaned closer to Billy.
The Asgardian lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Show him your transformation."
Billy slowly turned toward him.
"Thor."
"Yes?"
"We're in a bar."
Thor nodded.
"Yes."
Billy waited.
Thor continued nodding.
The silence stretched long enough for Billy to realize the god genuinely saw nothing wrong with transforming into a magical champion in the middle of an interdimensional bar.
Which, given everything he had seen tonight, was unfortunately becoming less surprising by the minute.
"Why?"
Billy's skepticism was impossible to miss.
'Does my dear God of Thunder over here seriously want to use my powers as some kind of party trick?' he wondered.
Before he could voice the thought aloud, Thor spoke again. This time, however, the usual boisterousness was absent. His voice was low, carrying a seriousness that immediately caught Billy's attention.
"Trust me and just do it."
The shift in tone made Billy pause.
Thor could be reckless, impulsive, and occasionally downright ridiculous, but moments like these reminded Billy that beneath all of that was a warrior and king who rarely spoke so seriously without reason.
Sensing his hesitation, Rowan casually snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the area around the counter began to change.
The bustling bar beyond seemed to blur and fade, as though a veil of mist had descended between them and the rest of the establishment. Conversations became muted. Figures turned indistinct. The surrounding environment remained visible enough to recognize, yet somehow felt distant and disconnected.
"Don't worry, kid," Rowan said. "If you're worried about your identity—or simply feeling shy—this field interferes with both visual and auditory perception. Anyone outside won't be able to properly see or hear what's happening in here."
Billy blinked in bewilderment.
It appeared Rowan had already anticipated every possible reason he might have for refusing.
Whether it was concern about revealing his powers or proving Thor's increasingly absurd claims, the bartender had quietly removed every obstacle.
Taking a slow breath, Billy considered the situation for a moment longer.
Then he exhaled.
Choosing to trust Thor, he got off the stool and took a couple of steps backward.
"Alright."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Shazam."
The response that followed was immediate.
A bolt of divine lightning erupted from above, crashing down with explosive force.
The flash illuminated the entire enclosed space.
For the briefest moment, even Rowan looked surprised.
The bartender instinctively flinched before quickly recovering, his eyes lifting toward the figure now standing where the teenager had been only seconds earlier.
Lightning crackled and danced across the newcomer's frame.
The hooded figure radiated power.
Gone was the ordinary-looking teenager.
In his place stood a champion forged by magic.
Captain Marvel reached up, lowered his hood, and casually floated back toward the counter before settling onto his stool once more.
"So," he said with a grin, "how about that drink?"
Rowan stared at him for a few moments.
Then he smiled.
"Champion of the Gods, eh?"
He reached for a bottle and began preparing another glass.
"Well, I must admit, you look considerably more divine than the last fellow who claimed that title in one of my previous lives."
Captain Marvel raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"He sought the hand of a queen renowned throughout her world for her beauty," Rowan continued while pouring the crystal-clear liquid. "A woman with hair as white as snow. They called her the Mother of Dragons."
The bartender slid the glass across the counter.
"Instead of a bride, however, he ended up becoming lunch for one of her dragons."
Captain Marvel accepted the drink.
He wasn't entirely sure what lesson he was supposed to take away from that story.
In fact, he wasn't entirely sure there was a lesson.
Nevertheless, he wrapped his hand around the glass and cautiously lifted it toward his lips.
Before he could take more than a sip, Thor suddenly spoke.
"So tell me, Rowan."
The shift in atmosphere was immediate, causing Captain Marvel to glance sideways.
The drunken flush remained on Thor's face, but his expression had sharpened considerably. His gaze narrowed with focus, and the casual mood he'd carried moments ago seemed to disappear.
"What do you know about the recent activity of monster waves?" Thor asked. "And the possibility of an invasion?"
Captain Marvel froze.
"...Ehh?"
He blinked once.
Then twice.
Slowly, he lowered the glass from his mouth.
It was only then that a realization dawned on him.
Thor hadn't dragged him across the city, through a secret underground passage, and into an interdimensional bar simply for a late-night drink.
The drink had merely been the excuse.
Whatever information Thor was after, Rowan had apparently been the real destination all along.
- - -
[Elsewhere]
"When you put it that way, it's actually quite alarming," Phil said, his gaze remaining fixed on the data displayed across the monitor. "Ignoring something like this would be foolish."
The room fell quiet for a moment as both men continued examining the information before them. The deeper they dug into Fury's disappearance, the more troubling the emerging pattern became. What had initially appeared to be a collection of unrelated incidents was rapidly transforming into something far more deliberate.
"No way it's a coincidence," Barton replied, his expression hardening as he reviewed the details once more. Across from him stood Phil Coulson, a former colleague and one of the few high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents whom Fury had entrusted with sensitive information and assignments over the years. If Coulson looked concerned, then the situation was likely every bit as serious as Clint suspected.
"This could very well be connected to Fury's disappearance," Clint continued. "The timing is too convenient, and there are too many similarities for me to buy into the idea that these are separate incidents."
Phil slowly nodded in agreement.
The evidence wasn't conclusive yet, but it was enough to point them in a direction neither of them could afford to dismiss.
For several moments, neither man spoke. They simply stared at the monitor, their eyes moving across the collected files and reports. Piece by piece, the fragments were beginning to form a larger picture.
"At last," Clint said, breaking the silence, "we've got ourselves somewhat of an actual lead."
A faint sense of satisfaction crept into his voice despite the gravity of the situation.
"Not just theories. Not just guesses. A real direction to investigate."
The discovery didn't answer the questions surrounding Fury's disappearance, but for the first time since the investigation began, it felt like they had finally found a thread worth pulling. Judging by the stunned expressions reflected in the monitor's glow, both men had come to the same conclusion.
- - -
If you'd like to read several chapters ahead or support the story....
Patrn— Da_suprememaverick