Chapter 8 — The House That Calls
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The battlefield still smoked when the helicopters descended.
Floodlights flared. Cameras clicked. The world's media swarmed like vultures with microphones.
We were still catching our breath, frost steaming off broken pavement, when the first reporter shouted:
"Mr. Stark! Mr. Tony Stark! Is this a new team you're leading?"
Another voice rose above the chaos. "Who were those giants?!"
"Are you a new super hero squad? What are your origins? Who funds you?"
Dozens of questions fired off like bullets — and every single one of them aimed straight at Tony.
The rest of us? Completely ignored.
Tony, being Tony, straightened up, dusted his armor, and grinned like the devil. "Well, you know me. I can't resist a good PR opportunity."
He tapped his chest plate. "So, yes, technically speaking — we did just save New York from an ice age. And before you ask: no, we don't have a name yet. But I'm leaning toward 'Earth's Mightiest Freelancers.'"
Reporters laughed nervously. Cameras flashed brighter.
"Mr. Stark! Who are the others?" one called out.
"Oh, the supporting cast?" Tony said smoothly. "Great people. Very talented. Especially the guy who smells like cigarettes and bad decisions."
I waved halfheartedly, cigarette hanging from my lips. "Love you too, Stark."
"Mr. Stark, is this group under government authority?"
Tony smirked. "We're… let's call it. A rockband with a flair for improvisation."
"Do you have clearance to use alien or magical technology?"
He leaned in conspiratorially. "Do you have clearance to ask that question?"
The crowd erupted with laughter. Stark winked, soaking in the attention like sunlight.
Beside me, Clint groaned. "Geez. We're really just background extras in the Tony Stark Show."
"Don't tell me you wanted to be the leader," I said, elbowing him.
He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "No, but a little recognition would be nice."
Thor clapped him on the back hard enough to make his knees buckle. "Do not fret, Archer! You are the finest marksman I have seen in all the Nine Realms!"
Hawkeye wheezed. "Yeah. Great. Thanks, big guy."
"It is done!" Red Wolf declared, voice strong. "The giants have been stopped, and the world is safe again."
Black Widow turned toward me, a sly smirk tugging at her lips. "Nice work, Constantine." As she whispered in my ear.
"Anytime, love," I said. "Still a hard pass on dinner?"
She didn't answer — just smirked and walked off. That was answer enough.
"Eli, got a cigarette?" Keller asked, brushing dust off his jacket.
I tossed him a silk cut, snapped my fingers to light it. "Here. On the house."
He took a long drag, sighed. "You really do make this insanity look easy."
"Years of bad decisions and zero retirement plan," I said.
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Brothers and Crowns
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Loki dusted frost from his tunic. "Seeing as this little parade is over," he said, voice calm and dripping smugness, "I have realms to rule."
"You're truly the king now, brother?" Thor asked, his tone a mix of disbelief and melancholy.
Loki turned slightly. "Do you disapprove?"
For once, there was no venom behind the question — just… weariness.
Thor's gaze softened. "No. I see now that my choices put both Asgard and Midgard at risk. You fought to prevent the Jötun's full invasion. You even led troops to protect mortals. You have shown what I lacked."
Thor extended a hand, smiling wide. "I recognize you as my king, brother. And I am proud of you."
The words hit like thunder — soft, honest thunder.
Loki froze. For a brief, fragile moment, the mask cracked.
In his eyes, I saw genuine shock. Then something else — a flicker of… peace?
And I'll be honest — it made me feel like an asshole for meddling with the timeline. But I'd made my bed. Might as well sleep in it, cigarette and all.
Still, it gave me leverage. The kind I could use later if I needed Loki to, say, steal an artifact or rewrite a few fates in my favor. And if not… well, there were always poker nights in the Black Room.
"Brother," Loki said, voice trembling with emotion he couldn't hide, "do you speak truth?"
"Every word," Thor said proudly, clasping his shoulder. "You have my respect."
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Loki's Point of View
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For all his lies, his endless need for approval, there was a strange honesty in Loki's silence.
Father… I chased your approval for so long. But hearing these words from Thor, I… no longer care for your neglect. For once, I feel seen.
Then Thor laughed, loud and pure. "My brother! My king!" He scooped Loki into a crushing hug.
"Put me down, you oaf! I'm a king now!" Loki shouted, half-laughing.
"Hahaha! But my brother first!"
Their laughter carried through the ruined street.
For a second, they weren't gods or rulers — just brothers.
And me? I couldn't help but smile. Because for all the manipulation, the double-crosses, and the cosmic chess games… sometimes, the universe lets a little honesty slip through.
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The Circus of Reporters
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The reporters turned from Tony to the rest of us like a sudden feeding frenzy.
"Mr. Constantine! Are you also a superhero?"
"Can you really use magic?"
"Are you affiliated with shield or stark industry?"
"Do you have a license for—"
I flicked ash toward the mic. "Do I look like a man who applies for licenses?"
That shut them up for a second.
Tony leaned over, amused. "You should work on your media charm, mate."
"Oh, sure," I said. "Maybe I'll start smiling more after the next demonic invasion."
"Who funds your operations?" another asked.
I pointed at Stark. "That guy. He loves footing the bill."
Tony blinked. "Wait—what?"
Before they could keep pressing, I muttered a quick Latin word. The world blinked — and I vanished in a ripple of black smoke.
"…Did he just—" one reporter started.
"Yeah," Tony said. "He does that. Don't ask."
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W.A.N.D. Headquarters
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One teleport later, and I was back in the comfort of my chaos — the W.A.N.D. HQ lounge. The TV was already tuned to the news.
"We are currently interviewing the heroes who saved New York from the so-called 'Giant Invasion.' Tony Stark confirmed the existence of a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. evacuation system he designed that can move entire cities in seconds…"
I smirked. "Secret system, huh? Good PR spin, Tony."
The screen showed shaky helicopter footage — Thor laughing, Loki smirking, Natasha looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.
And there, in the corner of the frame — me. Cigarette glowing. Smiling like a devil.
They were calling us The Avengers.
Cute name.
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The Black Room
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I made my way to the Black Room — my favorite pub between dimensions. The door shimmered, carved in runes older than most religions, opening into a haze of cigarette smoke, whiskey, and bad jazz.
The usual crowd cheered when they saw me.
"Eli bloody Constantine! The man who punched a god in the face!"
"Oi, get him a drink!"
"Two if he's staying long!"
I slid onto my usual stool as a glass of whiskey appeared like magic. "Appreciate the enthusiasm, lads. Let's just say I didn't punch all the gods. Yet."
the bartender — mystic of the arcane-turned-barkeep — leaned in. "Saw the footage. You're on every channel. Whole world's talkin' about you, mate."
"Yeah, well, fame's overrated. Can't buy you a new soul, can it?"
She chuckled. "Still, hell of a thing. Never thought I'd see you team up with heroes."
"Neither did I," I said, downing the drink. "But here we are. I'm practically a bloody Avenger."
The table next to me erupted with laughter.
A demon in human disguise — regular of the bar — raised his glass. "To Constantine, the Hellblazer himself! Savior of New York!"
I raised my own. "To saving the world — may it never get any easier."
We drank. We gambled. I cleaned them out in three rounds of poker. Standard Tuesday night.
But then… something tugged.
Not at my sleeve. Not at my drink. At me.
A pull deep in my chest, twisting through the threads of my magic. The air around me shimmered. For a split second, I saw it — the silhouette of an old, impossible house, doors shifting, windows breathing.
The House of Mystery.
I blinked hard, the image gone.
Henry(a demon) frowned. "You good, mate? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Something like that," I said, forcing a grin. "Either that or I drank too much of rotgut whiskey."
But deep down, I knew.
It was calling me.
And when the House of Mystery calls…
You answer.
The House of Mystery
The W.A.N.D. main debriefing room was buzzing when I walked in — that low hum of magic, tech, and bureaucratic tension that could make even a demon nervous. Keller was there, Red Wolf too, both standing by the big holographic display showing energy spikes across the globe.
Two new faces waited near the table. Kids.
A girl whose aura felt like a tidal wave of chaos magic — raw, untrained, and terrifyingly familiar.
And a boy vibrating with speed so sharp I nearly thought he'd blinked out of existence.
The girl looked up first, eyes wide but guarded.
The boy grinned. "Hey, mister — you smell like cigarettes."
I blinked. "The fuck… we babysitting mutants now?"
Keller gave me that tired, government-agent look — the one that says 'Please don't start a scene.'
"Not exactly," Keller said, folding his arms. "We found the girl in a rural village in Sokovia after detecting magical anomalies."
"Let me guess," I said, gesturing toward the walking chaos battery. "The bringer of said anomalies is the kid with eyes that scream 'unlicensed witchcraft.'"
Keller nodded. "Her name's Wanda Maximoff. The boy is her twin brother, Pietro. At first, we thought both of them were triggering the readings — but turns out it's just her. Apparently, Pietro ran off with his sister after she lost control and… destroyed a house."
"Destroyed a house," I repeated, dry. "That's cute. Most beginners just break lamps."
Wanda frowned. "I didn't mean to—"
I raised a hand. "Didn't say you did, love. Just means your power's got a bigger temper than you do."
Keller sighed. "We had containment teams in place, but the readings kept fluctuating. It's not just sorcery, Eli — it's chaos itself. The kind spoke about from our orcals—"
"Scarlet Witch stories," I finished for him. "Bloody hell. You people really know how to pick your projects." After we got our bargain and Kellers got his old facilities back we went on a hiring spree finding any willing perticapent we meet doctors who knew voodoo we meet old warlocks, shamans and seers one seer in specific said we one day meet a scarlet witch who will either become a beacon of good or a vessel to chthone the elder god of chaos.
Red Wolf tilted his head. "You said 'stories.' You mean legends?"
I exhaled smoke, watching it coil like a serpent in the air. "Not legends, mate — warnings. Chaos magic isn't taught. It teaches itself. Eats its wielder alive while making them believe they're in control then becoming vessels for the god of chaos."
Wanda shifted uneasily. "You talk like you've seen it before."
"Because I have," I said remembering some comic stories from my past, meeting her eyes. "Different world, same mistake. A woman who thought she could rewrite the rules of reality because she wanted things to make sense again. And it broke everything."
Pietro stepped in front of her, protective. "Hey, back off. She's not your experiment."
I smirked. "Relax, kid. If she was, you'd both be dead already."
He frowned. "You think you're funny?"
"I know I am."
Keller cleared his throat. "Eli—"
"No, no, let the boy vent," I said. "Speed like that, he probably doesn't stop to think often."
Pietro glared. Wanda looked between us, half amused, half terrified.
"So," I said finally, rubbing my temples. "Let me make this simple. You've got a girl whose magic could tear a hole in the universe, a kid who runs faster than common sense, and an organization that thinks it can file that under 'training exercise.' Brilliant."
Keller crossed his arms. "You got a better idea?"
"Yeah," I said. "You let me handle it. I'll train her. One week. Maybe two. Enough to make sure she can aim her spells without accidentally turning half the staff into potted plants."
Red Wolf frowned. "What of the House?"
I froze mid-sentence. "How do you know of the house?" I spoke in worry
"Owayodata explains all" smiled red wolf
"The what now?" Keller asked.
I looked up, the air suddenly feeling colder. "The House of Mystery. It's what she triggered. I originally planned to deal with it alone that is until you contacted me for this shit."
Youre shit!! Spoke pietro I just ignored the little ass hole
Wanda blinked. "House of… what?"
I took a drag off my cigarette, exhaled, and leaned against the holographic projector. "Alright, kiddies. Storytime. You ever hear of Mephisto?"
"No who's that?" said pietro
Wanda just looked scared and clinged to pietro
"Old demon," Keller muttered. "Deals, souls, damnation."
I explained to the children of what Mephisto did to me
"Yeah," I said. "But remember how he exposed to everyone I was his son due to experiments he ran experiments with the multiverse. Trying to blend realities, and steal power outside his multiverse. And when he failed, something leaked through."
"Yeah it was you, so were are you going with this?" said Keller
"Youre the devils son??? Well now I'm kinda glad me and wonda don't have a dad." said pietro
"Don't worry kid I know you're dad well I thinks he's youre dad?" I said curious of the cannon of this universe
"You know are father?" Wanda asked, curiosity peeking through fear of the news that Constantine was pretty much the anti christ.
"He might be you're father his names Erik also known as magneto the leader of the brotherhood of mutants"
"Who's that?" said Keller
"He is mutant right leader who believes in mutant supremacy" said red wolf
"It's surprising you don't know Kellers seeing as how you now about the existence of mutants" I said
"It's because I'm director of wand not shield if I cared about non mystical problems too I think I'd have to shoot myself." said Keller
"Fair enough" I said "and how do you know about mutants" I retorted to red wolf
He took off his ceremonial wolf garb as he looked into my eyes
"In my childhood before becoming the red wolf. I was a boy who could speak to animals and after meeting a man in a wheel chair who was being escorted by another. I was informed about what I was. He informed me of the dangers of my existence, but made sure to reassure me. That what I had was a gift.he is a kind soul and have nothing but respect for Charles Xavier and the man next to him was Erik magneto Lehnsherr."
(in 616 red wolf is just a native black panther that has more strength then you're average supersoilder with a wierd durability he can tank punches from heavy hitters and get up with out much trouble but gets folded by bullets, blades it's wierd. And in 51920 dude is basically a sheriff that has zooology don't know if it's mutant related or not I kinda skimmed through what I could and decided to murge the two here and make him a mutant incase anyone wants to know more info on this red wolf)
"Ohh shit pretty cool don't think that's cannon but nice to see you fleshing yourself out as a character" I replied as I returned to the topic
"The House," I said simply. "A sentient structure existing both here and in its own pocket dimension. Built from leftover threads of Mephisto's multiversal experiments. The place holds stories — not books, not scrolls, but living narratives. Old magic, relics, entities trapped in their own loops. It's part museum, part tomb, part cosmic middle finger to causality."
Pietro frowned. "You're saying a house… is alive?"
"Oh, it's worse than alive," I said. "It remembers. Every mistake. Every spell cast inside it. Every life it ever swallowed. And now, thanks to our chaos princess here—" I nodded at Wanda "—it's awake again."
Wanda's face paled. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know," I said softly. "Chaos magic doesn't ask permission. It answers questions you didn't even know you asked."
Keller looked concerned. "How bad are we talking?"
"If it's calling to me," I said, "it's very bad."
Wanda hesitated, voice small. "You said it's calling you?"
"Yeah," I said, tapping my temple. "Because it knows me. My soul came from a world where that house already existed. When Mephisto's little experiment yanked me here, it probably dragged a copy of the bloody place with it. Which means somewhere in this universe, there's now a door that shouldn't exist."
Pietro whistled low. "That's… not good."
"Congratulations, kid," I said. "You're catching on."
Keller spoke up. "So what do we do?"
"I'll handle the House," I said. "For now, you clear the training wing. I'll teach Wanda how not to explode, and you tell Fury we've got a speedster problem. But I'm only dealing with one chaotic child at a time."
Wanda's eyes flared red, the ground trembling beneath us. "No! I will not leave my brother!"
The lights flickered. Energy surged through the walls. Papers flew like a hurricane.
My cigarette went out. Bloody typical.
I slammed my palm to the floor, whispered a word older than Latin, and the tremors stopped. The room fell silent except for Wanda's ragged breathing.
"Easy there, love," I said gently. "No one's taking him away. But if you keep shaking the walls, I'll have to start charging rent."
Her breathing slowed. The glow faded.
Pietro stepped forward. "She doesn't trust you."
"Smart girl," I said. "Neither do I."
Keller sighed. "Fine. The kid stays. I'll notify Fury about the speedster."
Red Wolf nodded. "And the House?"
I stared at the holographic map — one blip pulsing faintly off the coast of nowhere.
"It's awake," I said quietly. "And it's remembering me."
Wanda tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
I smiled grimly. "It means the universe just set the table… and I'm on the menu."
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