Chapter Summaries

Nick Fury brought Tony Stark a case of Howard Stark’s unfinished work that could help him find a replacement for palladium. When Tony learned S.H.I.E.L.D. had held onto his father’s inheritance for twenty years, Aaron prompted him to demand an explanation, and Nick Fury blamed the delay on former director Alexander Piers and Howard’s friends.

• Aaron introduced Tony and Pepper to Abei and Fawkes, whose intelligence surprised them.
• Nick Fury and Coulson arrived with a case bearing Howard Stark’s name, and Nick Fury revealed S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring Tony’s palladium poisoning.
• Natasha Romanoff admitted she had been undercover and had helped S.H.I.E.L.D. observe Tony and protect him during the Monaco incident.
• Nick Fury explained that Howard’s unfinished Arc Reactor research could guide Tony toward a new element, and Coulson reported that Ivan Vanko had been killed in a Monaco Prison explosion.
• Aaron questioned why Nick Fury had waited to deliver the case, and Nick Fury said he had wanted to assess Aaron’s abilities and had expected his medicine to buy Tony more time.
• Aaron pointed out that Howard’s legacy should have gone to Tony twenty years earlier, prompting Tony to demand an explanation as Nick Fury blamed Alexander Piers and Howard’s friends.

Aaron used Captain Jack's Compass to trace the New Element clue to Howard Stark's 1974 Stark Expo model, helping Tony realize it encoded an atomic design. Tony began preparing to synthesize the element, while Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were assigned to build the laboratory setup.

• Nick Fury questioned Aaron about his potions, and Aaron promised to notify S.H.I.E.L.D. first if he brewed any new ones.
• Aaron showed Tony that Captain Jack's Compass pointed toward Tony and Howard's box when asked for the New Element, then directed him to the Stark Expo model.
• Tony recognized the model as a design blueprint for an atomic structure and used J.A.R.V.I.S. to turn it into a holographic model.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. warned that the new element could replace palladium but could not be synthesized, and Tony decided to try anyway.
• Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. prepare a renovation blueprint and ordered Coulson and several agents to build the equipment while he and Aaron examined Howard's notes and videotapes.

Rhodey accepted Justin Hammer’s weapons and learned he would pilot Mark II to promote Hammer’s Iron Soldiers at the Stark Expo, while Tony and Aaron suspected Hammer had joined forces with Ivan Vanko. Tony created the New Element, but just as Aaron planned to leave, Coulson told him he had been assigned to accompany S.H.I.E.L.D. to New Mexico, where a hammer had fallen from the sky.

• Rhodey bought all of Hammer’s displayed weapons and later told Tony that the military had ordered him to endorse Hammer’s Iron Soldiers at the Stark Expo.
• Aaron pointed out the suspicious coincidences surrounding Hammer and Ivan Vanko, and Coulson left to alert S.H.I.E.L.D. while Tony focused on making the New Element.
• Tony successfully created and installed the New Element, resolving his Palladium Poisoning problem, and Aaron claimed his mission reward of one thousand Magic Points.
• Coulson told Tony he had been reassigned to New Mexico and informed Aaron that the director had ordered him to go along.
• Coulson reminded Aaron that his divination had predicted a hammer falling from the sky, and that the hammer was in New Mexico.

Coulson brought Aaron to New Mexico to investigate a hammer that had fallen from the sky, where Aaron recognized it as a powerful Divine Artifact and realized the mission could be dangerous. After leaving the crater to get coffee, Aaron met Jane Foster, Daisy Louise, and the hammer’s blond companion, Thrór.

• Coulson told Aaron that S.H.I.E.L.D. had ordered him to join the investigation, and Aaron warned Tony that Ivan Vanko might target him.
• Aaron packed weapons and warned Coulson that his prophecy showed the hammer mission shrouded in fog, urging him to bring more people and weapons.
• In New Mexico, Aaron recognized the hammer as a Divine Artifact bearing at least eleven enchantments, and it shifted slightly when he touched it.
• Aaron told Coulson he needed several days to study the hammer, borrowed his car, and drove to a nearby town with Abei.
• At a restaurant, Aaron noticed Thrór’s unusual strength and apparent stupidity, while Daisy Louise became infatuated with Aaron and Jane Foster pulled her away.

Aaron Gaius concluded that Odin had sent Mjolnir to Earth as a test for Thor, then warned Coulson not to stop Thor when he came for the hammer. Thor had reached S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secured site, leaving Aaron to try to prevent the agents from provoking a catastrophe.

• Aaron met Thor at a restaurant, introduced himself as Gaius, and left after Coulson called him to help move Jane Foster's research equipment.
• At the astrophysics research institute, S.H.I.E.L.D. seized Jane's data and equipment, while Aaron persuaded Coulson to return Daisy's iPod.
• Aaron helped S.H.I.E.L.D. set up Jane's equipment at Mjolnir's landing site and searched online, identifying Thor, Odin, and the Norse mythology surrounding the hammer.
• When thunder and a security alarm signaled an intruder, Coulson told Aaron that a muscular blond man was advancing toward Mjolnir and that Agent Barton was preparing to stop him.
• Aaron recognized the intruder as Thor and told Coulson to let him through, warning that Earth would be finished if anything happened to him.

Aaron warned Coulson that the intruder posed a threat, then watched Thrór fail to lift Mjolnir and learned from Loki that Odin was supposedly dead and Thrór banished. After Thrór left with Erik Selvig, Aaron revealed to Coulson that the hammer was Mjolnir and that the Norse gods might be real.

• Aaron persuaded Coulson to let Thrór approach Mjolnir, but Thrór could not lift it and was taken into custody.
• Loki secretly visited Thrór and told him that Odin was dead, he could not return to Asgard, and Loki had inherited the throne.
• Erik Selvig arrived to take Thrór away, and Aaron advised Coulson to let them go because S.H.I.E.L.D. could not handle Thrór.
• Aaron showed Coulson an image resembling the hammer and identified it as Mjolnir, Thor's weapon.
• Aaron suggested that Asgardians had once visited Earth and been mistaken for gods by humans.

Aaron warned Coulson that Thor’s identity made his safety on Earth essential, then tried to withdraw from the mission because Asgard’s arrival could bring greater danger. Nick Fury ordered Coulson to keep Aaron involved and protect Thor, while worrying that other mythologies might also be real and deciding the Avengers needed to be formed soon.

• Aaron told Coulson that Donald Blake was Thor, Odin’s son, and the heir to Asgard, and explained why S.H.I.E.L.D. could not risk harming him.
• Aaron urged Coulson to protect Thor discreetly and asked to leave the mission, fearing that Loki and Thor’s friends might come to Earth.
• Aaron accepted the system’s mission to help Thor regain his power, despite his concerns about the danger.
• Coulson reported the situation and Aaron’s request to Nick Fury, who ordered him to protect Thor and prevent Aaron from leaving.
• Nick Fury told Coulson to cut off Aaron’s communications and transportation if necessary, then reflected on the possibility that other mythologies were real and the need to form the Avengers.

Aaron realized S.H.I.E.L.D. could not get him out of Bridges Town and warned Coulson that Thor might face danger from Asgardians, so he demanded a much higher fee and went to speak with Thor. At Jane Foster’s laboratory, Aaron convinced Selvig and Daisy that Thor was real, but Thor still believed he should accept his father’s punishment and remain on Earth.

• Aaron discovered that a military exercise had blocked the road out of Bridges Town and accused S.H.I.E.L.D. of keeping him there.
• Aaron warned Coulson that Asgardians might come for Thor and demanded a ten-million base salary plus reimbursement for his losses.
• Coulson reported Aaron’s concerns and demands to Nick Fury, who accepted the cost and ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect Thor from Earthlings while studying Mjolnir.
• Aaron told Coulson to preserve Jane Foster’s equipment and research records, then went to her laboratory to see Thor.
• Aaron showed Selvig a photograph of Mjolnir, and Selvig and Daisy recognized the Hammer from Norse mythology and accepted that Thor was real.
• Thor thanked Aaron for offering to help him regain his powers but said he would follow his father’s arrangements and stay on Earth.

Aaron explained that Odin had likely sent Thor to Earth as a test, then challenged Thor’s assumptions about his exile and his fitness to rule. After learning why Thor had been banished, Aaron identified a possible traitor in Asgard and condemned Thor’s reckless attack on Jotunheim, leaving Thor unable to guarantee that his companions would have survived.

• Aaron argued that Mjolnir’s arrival and Thor’s still-active seal suggested Odin was alive and testing him, despite what Loki had told him.
• Aaron offered a dangerous method of restoring Thor’s power by shooting him and a slower method based on developing the qualities needed to rule; Thor chose the latter.
• Aaron questioned Thor about his exile, and Thor explained that Frost Giants had interrupted his coronation before Thor led a small group to Jotunheim against Odin’s wishes.
• Aaron concluded that a traitor in Asgard had helped the Frost Giants disrupt the coronation and criticized Thor for recklessly provoking a war.
• Thor said he had relied on the Bifrost to escape Jotunheim, but Aaron asked whether he could guarantee that every companion would have returned alive.

Aaron warned Thrór that Loki had engineered his exile and that returning to Asgard could put his life in danger, while urging him to live humbly on Earth. In Asgard, Thrór’s friends decided to find him, but Heimdall summoned them before they could act.

• Aaron confronted Thrór over his reckless attack on Jotunheim and urged him to experience ordinary life on Earth.
• Aaron deduced that Loki had arranged Thrór’s exile to secure the throne, and Thrór recalled Loki saying he must remain exiled for peace with Jotunheim.
• Thrór challenged Aaron to a duel, but Aaron warned him that his alchemical revolver could kill an ordinary Asgardian.
• Aaron explained that Thrór would be in danger if he tried to return to Asgard, and Thrór promised to stay away from Mjolnir for now.
• In Asgard, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and Sif agreed to find Thrór, but a soldier arrived to summon them to Heimdall.

Sif and the Warriors Three traveled to Midgard to retrieve Thor, prompting Loki to send the Destroyer after them. As Aaron warned Thor and his companions that danger was closing in, Loki froze Heimdall and dispatched the Destroyer to Earth.

• Heimdall left the Bifrost Key and coordinates for Sif and the Warriors Three, who opened the Bifrost and arrived in New Mexico.
• Loki went to the vault, took control of the Destroyer, and decided to eliminate anyone who threatened his rule.
• Aaron discussed his preparations and future with Daisy, then told Coulson that more Asgardians might arrive and instructed him to watch for hostile forces.
• Aaron warned Thor, Jane, Selvig, and the others that the newcomers could provoke Loki into sending assassins, and Thor realized he might have to face death.
• Loki confronted Heimdall, froze him with the Casket of Ancient Winters, and sent the Destroyer to Midgard.

Thrór reunited with Sif and the Warriors Three, but they discovered Loki had seized control of the Bifrost and sent the Destroyer to kill him. As the town evacuated and the defenders prepared to fight, Aaron revealed a box containing the life-saving trump card his teacher had left him.

• Thrór asked Sif and the Warriors Three whether Odin was alive, and they explained that Odin had entered the Odinsleep and that Loki had lied to him.
• Aaron warned that Loki might have trapped the group on Earth and sent an enemy after them, and the group found that the Bifrost would not answer their call.
• A vortex appeared above Bridges Town, and Coulson's agents reported that the Destroyer was approaching as the group prepared to defend Thrór.
• Thrór explained that the Destroyer was powerful enough to level the town, while Jane, Daisy, and Erik joined the evacuation effort and then stayed behind.
• Aaron placed the box containing Star Abyss before Coulson and told Abei to guard it, calling it the life-saving trump card his teacher had left him.

Aaron accepted a mission to defeat the Destroyer, while Thor and the Asgardians struggled to hold off Odin’s weapon in Bridges Town. Thor chose to face the Destroyer alone so his friends could escape, as Aaron promised to intervene when the moment came.

• Aaron accepted missions to help Thor regain his power and defeat the Destroyer, then watched S.H.I.E.L.D.’s gunfire fail against the armor.
• Aaron revealed an Azban Iron knuckle duster, but told Thor that he had to regain his power or risk dying; the Warriors Three and Sif attacked the Destroyer and were quickly overpowered.
• Aaron led Coulson, Jane, and the others away from the battle, gave Erik a potion for his injury, and explained that Thor was likely trying to prove his willingness to sacrifice himself.
• Aaron told Jane he would step in at the critical moment, revealed Lycoris, and disclosed to Coulson that he was an alchemist; Nick Fury then ordered Aaron’s clearance raised to Level Ten.
• Thor urged Sif to live and return to Asgard to stop Loki, then headed toward the Warriors Three as the Destroyer attacked.

Aaron fought the Destroyer to protect Thrór and the others, using his alchemical artifacts to withstand its attacks and damage it. The Destroyer recovered and turned its amplified beam on the fleeing group, leaving Bridges Town devastated.

• Thrór tried to persuade Loki to spare him, but the Destroyer struck at him; Aaron intervened and blocked its blow with the Knuckle Duster.
• Aaron survived the Destroyer's energy blast with his Moonstone Bracelet and fought back with his fists, but the Destroyer rapidly repaired its damage.
• Aaron fired all eight enchanted bullets from Lycoris into the Destroyer, causing internal explosions before it recovered and resumed its attack.
• Loki targeted Thrór and the others to force Aaron's attention away from the Destroyer, and the group scattered as Coulson shouted for them to run.
• The Destroyer unleashed a much thicker scarlet beam, and the resulting explosion and fire devastated Bridges Town.

Aaron defeated the Destroyer, but it struck Thrór with a final beam and left him near death. Thor regained his power through Mjolnir and healed Thrór, then prepared to return to Asgard to confront Loki.

• Aaron destroyed the Destroyer with an alchemical bullet, and Coulson agreed to pay him seven hundred million.
• Loki revived the Destroyer, which wounded Thrór before shutting down again.
• Jane gave Thrór Aaron's Vitality Potion while Mjolnir responded to Thor and flew from the temporary base.
• Thor caught Mjolnir, regained his power, and healed his chest wound as Aaron completed both missions.
• Thor declared Coulson an ally, then flew with Jane toward the Bifrost landing point while Sif and the others followed.
• Aaron warned the group that Loki still ruled Asgard, and Coulson grabbed him when Nick Fury contacted him.

Loki let Laufey and the Frost Giants into Asgard, intending to use the invasion to secure the throne, while Thrór returned through the Bifrost with his companions. Aaron was accidentally pulled into the passage and arrived in Asgard as Loki killed Laufey and claimed to have saved Odin.

• Loki activated the Bifrost for Laufey and led the Frost Giants toward Odin’s bedchamber while Heimdall remained trapped in ice.
• In New Mexico, Aaron gave Thrór Felix Felicis, and Heimdall broke free, killed the Frost Giant guards, and opened the Bifrost.
• Thrór and his companions returned to Asgard, but Heimdall’s passage also pulled Aaron in; Aaron tried to escape through the spatial barrier before a mysterious voice mentioned his ancestor’s legacy.
• Aaron emerged in Asgard with Thrór’s group, while Thrór hurried to the palace and Aaron followed the others away from the Bifrost.
• Laufey entered Odin’s temple and struck down Frigga, but Loki blasted him to ashes and told Frigga that he had saved Odin.
• Loki privately planned to use Laufey’s death to gain prestige and justify taking the throne.

Loki tried to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifrost, but Thor shattered the bridge to stop him, and Loki fell into a wormhole after Odin failed to save him. Aaron learned that the Bifrost’s destruction left him stranded in Asgard.

• Thor confronted Loki in Odin’s chamber, then rushed to the Bifrost as Loki began channeling its energy into Jotunheim.
• Loki fought Thor and revealed he wanted Odin’s approval, while Aaron learned Heimdall had brought him to Asgard at Odin’s request and the Warriors Three suspected he descended from Gaius.
• Thor defeated Loki’s illusions and tried to stop the Bifrost, but the bridge’s energy barrier forced him to smash it with Mjolnir.
• The Bifrost shattered, and Odin caught Thor and Loki as they fell, but Loki released Gungnir and vanished into a wormhole before Odin could reach him.
• Aaron asked when he could return home, and Hogun explained that Asgard’s route between realms had been destroyed with the Bifrost.

Aaron was brought to Asgard, where Odin recognized him as Gaius and revealed a prophecy that Surtur would destroy Asgard after Odin’s death. The chapter left Aaron facing the kingdom’s looming danger and Odin’s approaching end.

• Aaron worried that the broken Bifrost had left him stranded in Asgard and secretly planned how to protect himself when meeting Odin.
• Aaron created a Thoughtform clone with half his Magic Power and sent it to hide while he went to the palace.
• Odin and Frigga received Aaron, and Odin revealed that Mjolnir had helped him identify Aaron as Gaius.
• Odin explained that Horn Gaius had left him a prophecy that Surtur would obtain the Eternal Fire and destroy Asgard.
• Odin told Aaron that his divine power was becoming unstable and that he expected to die within five to ten years, leaving Asgard vulnerable to Ragnarok.

Odin explained Asgard’s Ragnarok preparations and asked Aaron to help protect its people, citing a prophecy about a descendant of Gaius. Aaron refused to promise anything, then learned that his ancestors had sealed powerful beings on Midgard and made Gaius souls attractive to Heaven and Hell.

• Odin told Aaron that Ragnarok could not be stopped, described how Asgard had dispersed its people, and asked him to help preserve them.
• Odin recounted Ancestor Horn’s prophecy that a Gaius descendant could help Asgard survive, but Aaron declined to accept responsibility without a contract.
• Odin revealed that Aaron was nearing the Demi-Heavenly Father level at nineteen and asked him to consider helping Asgard.
• Aaron asked about earlier Gaius ancestors, and Odin said the first had dealings with the Creator God and ancient demon gods that could descend through Gaius blood.
• Odin explained that Horn had fought Evil Gods, bound friendly gods to noninterference, and sealed enemies in Midgard, including Vampiric Nobles, the Progenitor of Werewolves, angels, and demons.
• Odin warned Aaron that Gaius souls held a special attraction for both Heaven and Hell.

Aaron learned that his Gaius heritage had left him with enemies and accepted Odin’s offer to choose a treasure before returning to Earth. Odin and Frigga discussed a plan to arrange a marriage between Aaron and Hela, hoping to bind the Gaius Family to Asgard and help it survive Ragnarok.

• Aaron asked Odin who knew his identity, then accepted a treasure and arranged to return to Earth.
• Aaron and the Thoughtform discussed the dangers of leaving Earth, while the Thoughtform used Captain Jack’s Compass to locate several passages out of Asgard.
• Odin told Frigga he believed Aaron was far stronger and more capable than he appeared, and revealed Horn Gaius’s suggestion of a marriage alliance.
• Odin showed Frigga Hela’s marriage contract and asked her to visit Hela in Helheim, hoping the plan would bring Hela into contact with Aaron.
• Odin summoned Thrór, believing Aaron could give him the good news he needed.