Chapter 76: Hela Breaks Into The Avengers Alliance! Make Friends With Wanda! [2]

Natasha poured everyone a glass of ice water. As they sat down on the sofas, the group began to chat, subtly probing Hela's tone and demeanor. Of course, everyone knew what topics to avoid and what was safe to discuss. They mainly reminisced about past events, like various crises they had faced.

Wanda, who had been through quite a bit lately, shared her experiences, especially those involving the challenges she and Lorien had encountered, such as dealing with rats, lizardmen, and other strange threats. As everyone continued the conversation, Hela listened silently, absorbing all the information.

Suddenly, a 3D projection appeared in the middle of the living room—it was Tony Stark! The lifelike projection startled Hela, who briefly thought she had been teleported again. The realism of Tony's projection was uncanny, almost indistinguishable from the real person. But Hela quickly realized it was merely a projection, as she could sense no life force from it.

"What's wrong, Tony?" Natasha asked, immediately sensing that something was amiss.

Tony seemed about to speak, but then he noticed Hela. He looked around at the others and asked, "Who is she? Earth has no data on her."

Natasha Romanoff glanced at Hela before explaining, "Her name is Hela Odinson, from Asgard. She's Thor's sister."

"Thor has a sister?" Tony paused, surprised, but after hearing she was Thor's sister, he felt he could proceed, though he needed to be sure. Tony asked Hela, "Will you kill people randomly, like that reindeer-horned guy, Loki?"

Hela shook her head. "I can assure you there will be no random killings in Midgard."

"Midgard?" Everyone paused for a moment, recognizing the term from Thor's speech. Midgard, or Earth, was simply a different name used by Asgardians. But that didn't matter much—as long as she wasn't a threat to Earth, they could deal with her presence.

Tony continued, "Okay, this is urgent. According to Friday's intel, Captain America has secretly taken Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Falcon, and Ant-Man to a German airport."

War Machine, confused, asked, "What are they going to the German airport for?"

Tony's expression darkened. "They're planning to protest the implementation of the Sokovia Accords. If this happens, the Avengers could suffer a serious loss of purpose, and we might even disband."

Tony's words left the group in silence. It wasn't that they didn't want to go; it was the realization that doing so would signify the Avengers were splitting into two factions: Captain America's liberal faction and Tony's conservative faction. In simpler terms, it meant the Avengers were on the brink of a civil war.

Tony looked at everyone. "I know you're hesitant, but this needs to be done. You can choose to stay neutral, but I won't let my father's legacy—the Avengers—fall apart because of Captain America."

Tony's words swayed everyone. Plus, the fact that Captain America had acted without discussing it with them made them feel a sense of betrayal. Why didn't he explain his actions? Why didn't he make things clear?

After a moment of contemplation, everyone looked at each other and nodded. "No problem, we'll gather tomorrow morning."

As the group wrapped up their discussion, Natasha suddenly remembered something and turned to Hela. "You..."

It was then that everyone realized there was an outsider in their midst. What should they do about her?

Hela, noticing their attention on her, knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity to be involved. From what she had overheard, it seemed they were about to fight. If she could assist them, wouldn't that be equivalent to helping Lorien's friends? This might increase her chances of winning Lorien over.

With this in mind, Hela grabbed Wanda's arm and said, "I can help too, Call me if you need to fight. You're all Lorien's friends, and I want to help you."

The group exchanged glances. Although they weren't entirely sure of Hela's power, she was from Asgard, just like Thor, and as his sister, she surely wasn't weak. Given their current need for additional strength, they nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's all rest up together."

The next morning at eight, Lorien woke up, holding Gwen close. Feeling her warmth again, he couldn't help but hold her tighter and playfully twist, causing Gwen to let out a sleepy hum before covering his hand with hers to stop him from moving. It was clear she wasn't in the mood for any games, so Lorien retreated for the moment.

"Snap…" He snapped his fingers, and the entire house was instantly clean again. Lorien got up and took a hot shower—not because he needed to, but for comfort. Even Gwen, still sleeping, was now clean thanks to his magic.

After his shower, Lorien wrapped himself in a scarf and returned to bed, grabbing his phone to check the news. The headlines were what he expected:

*Scarlet Witch Saves the Day Again! Giant Monster Slain!*

*Citizens Urge Scarlet Witch to Leave Avengers and Join Ms. Spider in Forming a Superheroine Team!*

*Superheroine Team Gathers Massive Support! The Male Hero Group Tries and Fails to Compete, Eventually Disbands!*

Lorien couldn't help but chuckle at the last headline. The fans of the male hero group had apparently torn each other apart, while the goddess group's fans were all supportive, causing no conflict—at most, they might argue over who looked better, but nothing serious.

But what caught Lorien's attention was the fact that the goddess group now had two members: Wanda and Gwen. One was lying beside him, and the other was off on a mission. He wondered how people would react if this were ever revealed. Would he still be able to walk down the street without getting noticed? It seemed unlikely.

He decided he would need to be more discreet in the future.

As he continued reading, Lorien noticed a message Wanda had sent him in the middle of the night:

"Lorien, a woman came to the base. She said her name is Hela, from Asgard, and that she's Thor's sister—and apparently, your friend. Captain America secretly took a team to oppose the Sokovia Accords, and Tony's taking us to stop them. I want to go too, and Hela insisted on coming along. She said she wants to help your friends. I don't know her, but I feel like there's something strange about her."

Lorien blinked at the message, sitting on the bed in disbelief. What had happened last night? How did Hela end up becoming friends with the Avengers? And now she's helping them fight Captain America? This plot twist wasn't something he had seen coming.

Lorien tried to piece together the events. Hela, a warrior known for her temper and power, was now friends with the Avengers, and not just that—she was getting along with Wanda?

"What's going on, Hela?" Lorien thought to himself. His gut told him that Hela had ulterior motives, and they probably involved him.

As Lorien pondered this, Gwen, still half-asleep, wrapped herself around his leg. Lorien patted her gently.

"Aren't you going to school?" he asked.

"Holiday..." Gwen muttered. "Today is Saturday..."

Lorien smiled, realizing he had forgotten it was the weekend. For students, weekends were the best.