son_of_hercules:

Argo returned to the Champion's headquarters not long after his conversation with Pluto.  The consequences of his decision today would probably haunt him for some time, he knew, but he did not see how he could make any other decision.  The woman he loved was in hell, suffering torments that no one as pure and innocent as she should have to endure. 

He would rescue her.  Because he was the hero.  And the hero always rescued their beloved, no matter where they were or what the hero had to go through to get there.  Because that was how the universe worked.

He would worry about paying the price when the time came.

He had his brother, Andy, and his worshiper, Corey.  There were no better he could ask to fight beside him this day, no better he could ask to accompany him into the bowels of the underworld itself.

"I thank you both," he said simply, "for what you do for me today.  I know not how I shall ever repay you."

anyastark:

Anya didn't have many traditions in her family, unless you counted being a bastard as one of them. The Avengers however did have a few time honored traditions that must be kept going. Sure saving the world from alien invasions, beating up the world level threats and other heroic things were some of those traditions, but not everything could be about beating up the bad guys. One such non-heroic thing was Rate the Hunk.

Each year the female Avengers got together and rated their fellow male Avengers. The new generation had eagerly picked up and kept this tradition going. However, they had expanded it a bit.

The day after Thanksgiving was a perfect day to avoid shopping crowds, take over the rec room, banish the males and look at pictures of them. Anya had run it last year and she took it upon herself to do it again this year. Invitations went out to fellow female heroes. Avengers, X-Women, Defenders, Champions and Thunderbolts all got invitations to come to New York to Rate the Hunk.

Food, drink and snacks were laid in. Signs were put up on the doors and electronic surveillance was set up to see if males dared to interrupt.

Anya settled in on one of the couches and queued up the stash of photos she had collected in the past year.

burnwithlight:

After speaking to her parents and brother, Giovanna went as promised to go talk to Andrew.

"I...need to ask you something, and it's kind of a big favor."