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𝑹 𝑼 𝑵 𝑵 𝑰 𝑵 𝑮  𝑰 𝑵  𝑭 𝑬 𝑨 𝑹
❝ 𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚗 ❞

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ㅤ𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄, but Phobos eventually warmed up to the idea that Bucky 'needed' some fixing from Shuri, the Princess of Wakanda, and quite honestly one of the smartest individuals the god has ever encountered. Of course, it was a slow process, and there were moments that he wanted to just put the stubborn soldier to sleep, but Bucky was adamant in his recovery. And it all paid off.

Phobos, wearing a white himation, was chuckling at the sight of Bucky trying to fix everything into his wagon with one hand. "You're looking a little tired, want me to help?"

Bucky tried to hold back a grin, pushing away his hair as he sweated. "Laugh all you want, at least I'm doing something productive rather than just standing there."

A snort went past the god's lips, before he suddenly frowned as he felt T'Challa approach. After moving into Wakanda with Bucky, he tried to acquaint himself with the country's royal family, successfully wooing Ramonda and Shuri. T'Challa took a while, but the prince's curiosity got the best of him, and had to approach Phobos himself to make sure he was actually a Greek god like he said.

"What's going on?" Phobos' question went unanswered as a Wakandan opened up a case. He and Bucky shared a look before approaching the case, seeing the soldier's brand-new arm. He clenched his jaw before meeting Bucky's eyes.

The soldier sighed a little before asking, "Where's the fight?"

"On its way."

"I'm not happy about this," Phobos admitted, sitting on the bed and watching as Bucky stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. "None of this seems right. It's...I feel like I'm forgetting something important."

Bucky sighed as he wringed his hair with another towel, trying to dry it. "I'm not happy about it either. But I have to fight, whatever it is, it must be a big enough threat for T'Challa to call on me, and call on the other tribes. This is something big. And if you feel like you're forgetting something, you should go to Olympus. The gods must know something."

Phobos sucked in a breath before standing up. "You're right." He walked closer to Bucky, wrapping an arm around his waist before giving him a tender kiss. He looked straight into his eyes, whispering, "I'll be right back," before he turned and disappeared.

It didn't take long for him to appear in the entrance of the main temple of Olympus, where the Olympian council regularly meet. He stood there for a second, taking a deep breath, before walking inside. There, he looked straight at an awaiting Zeus.

"Lord Zeus—"

"We know," the King of the Gods cut him off, his voice solemn. "Apollo, if you please."

Sitting up straight in his throne, the said god spoke up.

"A war between friends will bring forth a storm,
with these events a weapon will form.
Soul, mind, space, time, reality, and power
will make the universe cower.
At first will fail in the hands of a madman,
dust shall cover all the land.
A man shall stand alone in a land burned,
before those that perished safely returned."

"The prophecy..." Hera muttered, but everyone heard.

"We've decoded most of the lines," Athena spoke up, her eyes showing her wisdom. "A war between friends obviously pertains to the civil war between the Avengers. The weapon, we're still unsure. The six Infinity Stones referenced in the third line, which eventually leads to the fourth that basically explains how these stones, if used unwisely, can become a universal threat."

"I assume the weapon must be something that can hold the stones," Hephaestus mused, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Might be," Athena nodded. "As for the madman, there is no doubt that it's Thanos."

"Do we know of his whereabouts?" Poseidon inquired.

"From what I've heard, he's already collected three stones. He'll be after the final three, two of which are on Earth," Hermes answered.

"Which of the stones does he have?" Ares.

"Space, Power, Reality."

"The two that are on Earth are Mind and Time," Zeus spoke. "Those two will be easy to find, no doubt."

"Then he's after the Soul Stone next," Athena finalized. "But the location of the Soul Stone is unknown."

Aphrodite sighed. "It's not. It's on Vormir."

"How did you come to this information, Aphrodite?" Artemis squinted her eyes in suspicion.

"Look, how I know is irrelevant," Aphrodite scoffed. "But I'm not the only one who knows. He's probably found someone else to take him to it."

"If you're sure," Athena started. "then the fight will inevitably lead here. At first will fail in the hands of the madman, dust shall cover the land now seems obvious. We will lose."

Phobos stood still, watching as the Olympians conversed before intervening. "Then we will lose, but that doesn't mean we'll go down without fighting."

"You're right," Ares agreed with his son. "Even if we know we're going to lose, we must understand that by losing this battle, we will win the war, just like the prophecy says. We must prepare."

"The rest of the prophecy will reveal itself to us," Demeter concluded. "For now, we must play its cards."

"Hephaestus," Zeus called. "Prepare us for battle." At this, Hephaestus nodded and stood up from his throne, teleporting to his forges. "Athena, Ares, and Phobos, you three will make our plan of action. Phobos," he turned to the God of Fear, "you're the most acquainted with the mortals, you are the only one that will understand them. You will be the one to lead us into battle."

Phobos couldn't help but gape a little. "Me? But Lord Zeus—"

"You must," Zeus smiled. "You may ask help from Deimos, as well as Adrestia. I've already called them." Then he turned to his brother. "Poseidon, call on Hades. We will need his army. Hera, please stay here and guard Olympus," the Queen nodded in agreement. "The rest, will fight alongside the humans. We haven't meddled with the mortal world in decades, but this is not just about us, this is about the rest of the universe. We must fight."

With that, the Olympians stood, and went off to prepare themselves. Phobos went straight to his awaiting twin outside the temple with their younger sister. He quickly went to hug them both.

"I don't usually give out hugs, but I think this is the perfect occasion," Phobos admitted as he let go.

"So, you'll only hug us when we're about to die. Nice to know, brother," Adrestia teased.

Deimos smirked at his sister. "You know he loves us, Adi. He just has a funny way of showing it. On a serious note, what's the plan?"

Thor dramatically entered the battlefield, shouting, "Bring me Thanos!" The Avengers watched as he started to run towards the outriders. Before they could continue fighting, a sudden rumble came from the sky, and the sound of water angrily hitting the shore came rushing into their ears.

"Thor, are you doing that?" Rocket asked as he came to a sudden stop, looking up at the sky. Then black smoke started enveloping the field. He watched as the creatures started convulsing when they made contact with the smoke. "What the hell?"

That's when Bucky let out a chuckle. "Phobos."

A large lightning bolt suddenly hit a group of outriders, vaporizing them. Then, the sound of hooves was heard before a ray of sunlight came down so powerfully that it disintegrated a whole ship.

"Buck, do you know what's going on?" Steve asked through their earpieces.

"I think the Olympians just joined the party," the soldier answered with a smirk, before turning into a full-on grin as Phobos materialized, alongside a carbon copy of him, and a younger girl.

"Holy shit, he has a twin?!" Sam exclaimed as he flew over the three gods.

Before any of the other Avengers could greet them, a silver chariot came bursting from the sky, and a golden one from the sun. The silver chariot was carrying a brunette woman, and the golden one carrying a blond man.

"Is-is that Santa Claus' sleigh?" Rhodey stuttered before catching sight of a giant waterspout forming above Lake Nyanza. "Uh, guys, are you seeing this?"

Natasha replied. "The moving trees?"

"Moving trees?"

The former Russian spy couldn't answer as she watched in awe, eyes set on the surrounding trees bursting from the ground. Their leaves rustling, and roots suddenly keeping them upright and moving from one place to another. It wasn't long before a war cry was heard, and there they saw a tall woman wearing armor, holding a round shield and sword.

One by one, the Olympian gods materialized. Zeus, appearing after a lightning bolt crashed down to the ground, Poseidon rising from the waters, and Hades from a crack in the ground. The eldest of the three shouted another war cry, causing an army of the dead to rise from the depths of the Underworld.

"Are those...zombies?" Okoye asked herself with uncertainty.

The next to appear was Ares, looking so intimidating that even Proxima Midnight turned away for a split second. Next to him was Hephaestus, imposing and somewhat covered in soot, fingers coated in fire. Once the moving trees came into formation, Demeter finally came to view, her chocolate skin glowing wonderfully under the sun. Hermes came flying into the field seconds after, wearing his talaria.

Aphrodite appeared in the room where Vision was being held, almost getting blasted by Wanda before calmly explaining. "I'm here to help."

Now with all the Olympians, with the addition of Phobos, Deimos, and Adrestia, in the battlefield dressed in traditional Greek battle armor, the Avengers felt more confident, and began to fight more ferociously. Phobos and Deimos, now together, were powerful than ever, using their power of fear and terror course through their enemy's hearts; strong enough for them to collapse.

Adrestia watched as her family entered the battle, with Athena in the lead. The Goddess was a killing machine, along with Ares, easily tearing through the enemies. The twins Apollo and Artemis were up in the sky, shooting arrows with accuracy unlike any other. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the most powerful of them all, were fighting with icy calm, using their greatest weapons; it was hilarious seeing the outriders try to kill already-dead soldiers.

A sudden shout came from a random area. There appeared Dionysus, who exclaimed, "Better late than ever!" Before quickly joining the fight. His appearance caused Phobos, who turned to him with a frown, to doubt his sobriety.

"Is he drunk?" He asked his twin who scoffed.

"When is he not?"

The battle raged on as smoothly as the Olympians expected. But back where Vision was stationed, Aphrodite was trying to soothe Wanda.

"You cannot leave, darling," the goddess tried to persuade. "The minute you step out, the enemies will gain the upper hand. Who knows, maybe someone is just waiting for you to join the fight before they take Vision."

"I have to help them," Wanda whispered. "I have to."

"You need to be here for Vision. Look, my people are there to help, so the only thing your friends need you to do is to destroy the stone the second it leaves Vision to prevent Thanos from taking it."

The witch turned to look at Aphrodite, before her attention was stolen at the sight of Natasha and Okoye about to be crushed, and none of the Avengers or the Olympians were close enough to help.

"I'm sorry," was all she said before jumping to her friends' aid.

Aphrodite sucked in a breath as she turned to the sound of a metal scepter being drawn, watching Corvus Glaive strike down the guard. "You can do this," she reassured Shuri before unsheathing her own sword. Contrary to popular belief, the Goddess of Love can hold her own in battle; she just lets other people do the fighting for her.

She smirked at the awestruck Corvus as she used her ability of seduction to keep his attention off of Shuri who was trying her best to separate the Mind Stone from Vision. But the illusion wore off quicker than the goddess expected, and she quickly raised her sword to block off the alien's attack.

"You whore!" Corvus growled pushing her to the ground before attacking the single Dora Milaje. The princess tried to protect herself, and after recollecting herself, Aphrodite joined again. But Corvus was relentless, and pushed the three women off the platform.

Vision swooped in, and pushed him and Corvus out of the building. All Aphrodite could do was stare in shock at what just happened. "Why...stupid mortals!"

A sudden silence swept over the field, and the feeling of uneasiness came upon Phobos. He turned to his siblings, withdrawing his smoke, and asked quietly, "Do you feel it?"

Deimos solemnly nodded, copying his twin's actions. Turning to his sister who struck down another outrider before she turned to them as well.

"It's him, isn't it?" The young girl asked, eyes filled with worry. "Only we know what will happen, and what needs to happen. Phobos," she turned to meet said god's eyes. "Go to your mortal. We don't know exactly how this madman plans to use the stones. You'll need to be with him."

"Are you sure?" Phobos asked with uncertain. "I can't leave either of you."

"We'll be fine, brother," Deimos tried to reassure, but his lip twitched; he himself was beginning to uncharacteristically feel fear. Not for himself, but for his family. "Go to him."

Phobos nodded, "I'll be right back." He teleported straight to where Vision was, watching as Wanda approached the wielder of one of the most powerful objects in the universe.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, before Vision suddenly groaned in pain. "What, what is it?"

"He's here."

At this, Phobos clenched his jaw, watching as the captain called his team to join him. He saw the Avengers unnaturally look around with fear and uncertainty, awaiting the arrival of the Mad Titan. Finally, a portal appeared, slowly revealing Thanos.

The God of Fear moved towards Steve, giving him a look. The captain couldn't decipher what the look meant, but Phobos knew better; they will have to lose. But, of course, he can't tell them that, and instead stood still and prepared himself for the incoming onslaught.

"Eyes up, stay sharp," was all Steve said before he came barreling towards Thanos. Bruce went down first, Thanos manipulating his density, throwing him into the rocks and getting him stuck there. The captain went next, getting thrown to the side like a ragdoll. T'Challa came running, before Thanos got a hold of his neck and struck him. Sam tried to sway the Titan with his guns, but Thanos merely destroyed his wings.

As Wanda was finally persuaded to destroy the stone still stuck on her lover's forehead, Phobos took his chance, he opened up his clenched fists and watched with satisfaction as a little green-skinned girl materialized. The girl walked towards Thanos, who took a step back in shock.

"Why did you take me away from my family? Why did you throw me off? Why—" The little girl was cut off when Thanos suddenly roared in anger, pushing little Gamora away with his gauntlet-clad hand. He stared at Phobos with such hatred, before using the Reality Stone to make Phobos' armor choke him.

"How. Dare. You." Thanos' nostrils flared clenching his fist tightly, making Phobos lose oxygen much quicker. But his concentration broke when Rhodey flew in, causing him to let go of Phobos. Like what he did to the god, he used Rhodey's own suit to stangle him, throwing him to the side.

Bucky, shouting in anger at seeing him hurt Phobos, ran like mad into Thanos' view, shooting endless bullets at him. But it didn't faze the Mad Titan even a little, and merely using the Power Stone to throw him, Okoye, and Natasha away, the latter getting trapped under a pile of rocks.

Still recovering, Phobos tried to enter Thanos' mind, plaguing him with all the memories he tried to lock away; him throwing Gamora off the cliff going on and on. Thanos held his head in his hands and roared. Groot took his chance to trap him inside his roots. It seemed as though Phobos finally had the upper hand, before he was struck again; this time with a sharp rock that Thanos made, piercing his side.

"NO!" Bucky exclaimed, rushing to catch Phobos before he fell to the ground.

Phobos loosened his hold on Thanos; his body in terrible pain. This caused the Titan to regain control and snap away Groot's hold on him. The God of Fear was choking on his breath, ichor seeping out of his gaping wound.

"Stay with me, Phobos, stay with me," Bucky was almost pleading, watching as Phobos struggled. "Don't move, okay? You'll hurt yourself. Please." A tear slid out of the soldier's eye. "Please."

Steve was quick to distract Thanos again after recovering to give Wanda more time. But he was still inevitably thrown to the side again, forcing Wanda to hold back the Titan with one hand, while destroying an Infinity Stone with the other.

To Wanda's relief and despair, she was able to destroy the Mind Stone. But what they didn't expect was for Thanos to use the Time Stone to turn back time. He grabbed the now-alive Vision, and forcefully separated the stone from his forehead. All Vision could do was groan before he dropped dead.

With the power of all six stones­—quite literally—in his hand, Thanos felt accomplished. Then Thor suddenly appeared from above, throwing Stormbreaker straight into Thanos' chest, pushing through the power of the Infinity Gauntlet.

"I told you," Thor was out of breath, but continued, "you die for that." He pushed Stormbreaker deeper into Thanos' chest, causing the Titan to scream in pain. But the victory was short-lived.

"You shou...you...you should've gone for the head." Was all Thanos said before he snapped his fingers.

"NO!" But it was too late.

Heaving on the ground, Phobos struggled to put a hand on Bucky's face.

"Don't strain yourself, please," Bucky soothed. "Come on."

But Phobos was relentless, and smiled in contentment as he rubbed his thumb on Bucky's cheek. "I...I love you."

"I love you, too." Bucky grinned, before a feeling suddenly brushed over him. He carefully set Phobos down next to a log to have him sit up, before rising to his feet. He turned to look at his best friend who seemed so out of it. "Steve?"

Was all he could say, before his entire body turned to dust.

And that was all Phobos remembered before he lost consciousness.

GLOSSARY:

- himation: an outer garment worn by the ancient Greeks over the left shoulder and under the right.
- talaria: winged shoes/sandals
- ichor: the fluid that flows like blood in the veins of the gods.