Helping Each Other

"That's right. Exactly."

Hercules nodded heavily, a spark of hope kindling in his eyes. "I know this is incredibly difficult, almost an impossible task—

"After all, under Odin's policy of 'protective isolation,' Midgard has become a desert of faith over the years, a godforsaken land no deity wishes to watch over.

"Getting those ignorant mortals, who have gone so long without faith, to believe in the ancient gods again in such a short time will be next to impossible!"

His tone suddenly shifted, turning deeply earnest. "But this time, I must ask the Avengers to help me. This isn't just for Omnipotence City. It's for you, too!"

"The four Chaos Gods and their minions haven't attacked Midgard directly yet, but I believe that day will come. Once they've dealt with the other worlds, or simply decide to harvest this 'last unspoiled land,' Midgard will be defenseless without the gods' protection!"

"So by helping me now, you'll be helping yourselves. You'll gain powerful gods as allies and give yourselves a fighting chance in the future!"

Silence fell over the hall once more.

Everyone instinctively looked toward Tony Stark, waiting for his decision.

With Captain America assassinated and Thor absent for so long, Tony was the only one of the original "true big three" present. He had quietly become the person everyone looked to.

Besides, this sounded far too big for a typical terrorist attack or supervillain crisis. It was clearly beyond what the Avengers could handle.

Yet just when everyone expected Tony Stark to turn Hercules down politely, as he had before, Tony took less than ten seconds to think it over before giving a crisp nod.

"All right."

His answer was so direct that Hercules froze for a moment, apparently not expecting him to agree so readily.

Surprise and confusion