Chapter 286: Who Can Lift Mjolnir?
"Calling me 'Sorcerer' sounds a lot better than Stark's 'Masked Boy,'" Silas said, sounding quite exasperated.
"Haha! I didn't expect you to actually get the Sorcerer to come, Stark," Thor laughed, raising his glass toward Silas and taking a deep drink.
"Is 'Masked Boy' not good? I think it makes you sound very youthful," Tony replied with a grin.
Meanwhile, Peter had wandered off to the other side of the room.
"Hi, Spider-Man," Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, greeted him.
"Hi... it's been a while. I actually thought you were Mr. Stark's secretary at first," Peter said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He was especially shocked when Silas told him that Natasha was already in her thirties; she looked like a mature woman in her early twenties.
"Don't feel bad, Underoos. I thought she was my secretary at first, too," Tony self-deprecatingly added as he walked over to Peter.
"Agent Romanoff's acting skills are top-notch; she could win an Oscar," Clint Barton, Hawkeye, chimed in from the side.
"By the way, why do you always wear a mask? Just like that other one," Natasha asked, glancing toward Silas, who was currently chatting with Thor.
"We have to maintain a sense of mystery," Peter explained.
"Hmm... very nice," Natasha replied, giving Peter a knowing, inscrutable look. Stark hadn't told the team Spider-Man's identity yet; it seemed only their Director currently knew the truth.
On the other side of the room, Silas was talking to Thor when Captain America, Steve Rogers, and Colonel James Rhodes walked up from downstairs.
"I didn't think Tony would invite two minors," Rhodey whispered to Steve.
"They are heroes," Steve smiled. Anyone with a heart for justice is a hero, regardless of age.
"Oh, fair enough," Rhodey rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of which, where are the other ladies? Pepper? Jane?" Natasha asked, noticing the absence of Stark and Thor's partners.
"Uh... Pepper has a company to run, so she's very busy," Stark explained.
"Jane has been working hard on her astronomical research, trying to become the world's top astrophysicist. I don't even know which country she's in right now," Thor added.
"And the company Pepper manages is the largest economic entity on Earth," Stark countered immediately, refusing to let Thor win the "busy girlfriend" competition.
"Haha, impressive. But I heard Jane was nominated for a Nobel Prize," Thor boasted.
Natasha looked between the two, sensing the conversation was going south. "Right, no wonder they couldn't make it. They must be swamped."
"Mhm," Stark grunted, taking a sip of his drink.
"I think I'll head back to the bar," Natasha decided, sensing it was time to leave.
"I still think Jane is more impressive," Thor whispered into Stark's ear. Tony just nodded, too tired to keep arguing.
"Forget that. I still think Black Widow is the most impressive," an old man nearby said, giving a thumbs-up.
"She is good, but Jane is better," Thor insisted, refusing to budge.
Silas's eyes narrowed as he looked at the old man—Stan Lee.
"It looks like this young man has something to say to me," Stan Lee said, turning to Silas with a smile.
"Do you two know each other?" Stark raised an eyebrow.
"No... well, sort of," Silas said, sitting down next to the old man.
Stark and Thor shared a confused glance.
"I happen to have a bottle of ale here, brewed in barrels made from the wreckage of the Grunhel fleet," Thor said, pulling out a small flask barely the size of his palm.
"Give me a sip," Rhodey said, his interest piqued.
"No, no, no. This is not for mortals," Thor warned. He poured a tiny bit for Steve and for Spider-Man.
Steve took the glass curiously, swirling the liquid. Peter waved his hands in refusal. "Uh... I don't drink."
"Give it a try," Thor said with a smirk.
Peter hesitated. Seeing Silas didn't react, he took the glass, sniffed it, and lifted the bottom of his mask to his nose to take a sip.
"Pah! Please. Omaha Beach wasn't for us either. We don't believe in that deceptive talk," the old man, Stan Lee, said dismissively.
Thor simply nodded and handed him the flask.
One minute later...
Stan Lee was being carried out of the party by two large security guards, still muttering, "I'm not drunk!" Around him, several others who had tried the ale were slumped over tables, completely unconscious.
"I told you," Thor said.
Tony hadn't touched the stuff, but Peter and Steve had taken a few sips and seemed to be handling it okay.
"Hey, look," Steve nudged Stark. Tony followed Steve's gaze to see Bruce Banner chatting with Natasha at the bar.
"I'm worried he'll turn into the big green guy if he gets too excited," Tony joked.
After Steve went over to chat with Banner for a bit, the group gathered around a circular table, reminiscing about the Battle of New York.
"Whosoever be worthy shall possess the power!" Barton said in a mock-serious, low voice, pointing at Mjolnir sitting on the table.
"Hahaha!" The room erupted in laughter.
"It sounds like a total scam," Barton laughed.
Thor shook his head with a grin and gestured to the hammer. "Why don't you all give it a try?"
"Really?" Everyone immediately looked eager.
Peter wasn't very interested since he had already tried to lift it before with no success.
"I'll go first," Barton said, stepping up. He grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled with all his might. The hammer didn't budge an inch.
"It looks like silent acting to me," Tony said, skeptical of Barton's strained expression.
"Haha," Barton laughed breathlessly. "In that case, let's have Mr. Stark give it a go."
"Whoo!" the group cheered.
Tony, seeing the expectation, stood up confidently. "I never back down from a challenge. It's just physics." He gripped the handle. "If I lift this, does that mean I get to rule Asgard?"
"Of course," Thor smiled confidently.
"Then I'm reinstating the 'right of first night' law," Tony joked before pulling upward. The hammer didn't move. "Hold on, I'll be right back."
A moment later, Tony returned with an Iron Man gauntlet and tried again. Soon, Rhodey joined in, and the two of them used their gauntlets to pull together.
"Are you sure you're pulling?" Rhodey grunted.
"Don't start with me," Tony snapped.
Eventually, the two gave up in failure. Bruce Banner stepped up next. "RAAA!" he yelled, but the hammer remained still. He sat back down with an awkward laugh.
"Cap, you should try," someone suggested.
Steve nodded and stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves. He gripped the handle and pulled.
Clink.
The hammer shifted slightly. Thor's expression immediately changed from smug to panicked. Fortunately for him, Steve stopped pulling, having only managed to budge it a fraction.
"Whew..." Thor exhaled, his heart rate returning to normal.
"Masked Boy, Underoos, you guys should try it too," Tony said. He was determined to see someone lift it just to wipe that smug look off Thor's face.
"I'll pass, but Peter, you should try again," Silas said. He knew he couldn't lift it, but Peter was a different story.
"Me?!" Peter was surprised Silas wanted him to try again, considering he had failed before. But since Silas asked, he stepped forward.
"Hrngh!" Peter gave it a sharp tug. The hammer shifted again—this time even more noticeably than when Steve had tried. Everyone's eyes locked onto Peter's hand.
Pfft! Thor spat out his drink as a wave of nervous tension hit him once more.
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