Avengers, The (1963 series) #384

Two strangers, a big man and his tiny assistant come calling on Taylor Madison but they are told she is out with her new roommate Augustine Jones. They move on, the big man assured of what is coming next….

Augustine Jones takes Taylor, against her better judgment, to Avengers Mansion. Ms. Jones asks if Hercules is in, Jarvis tells her he is out so she pushes her way in to wait, dragging Taylor behind her….

Meanwhile, Hercules and Quicksilver have taken a sky-car to the daycare, looking for Taylor. Acting like a god in love, Herc leaps out and inquires after her. He is told she stopped coming to work many weeks earlier and a dejected Hercules departs. He realizes there is much about her he does not know but he is captivated by her, filling him with joy….

At the Mansion, Black Widow sets up an appointment by telephone (see next issue) while Giant-Man gives her an update on the Chronal Chamber in the basement. They enter the living room to find Jarvis and Deathcry serving tea to Crystal, Ms. Jones, and Taylor. Deathcry and Jarvis express uneasiness about Ms. Jones. And once Ms. Jones learns everyone in the mansion is in the room, she captures them in an energy bubble….

Later, Herc and Pietro return to find the Mansion in darkness. They enter cautiously and are suddenly confronted by Hera, Queen of the Gods. Hercules is offended by her disrespect to his father Zeus and mockery of his semi-human birthright and intends to attack her. But she angrily halts him by revealing his friends trapped in an energy bubble. Suspecting Hera has harmed Crystal and Luna, Pietro attacks her but with a hand wave she causes the floor to rise into a wall that Pietro crashes into. Hera announces she seeks redress for centuries of humiliation by the faithless Zeus and she strikes at his fondness for humans by burning Jarvis alive. Herc swings on her and she blasts him, saying that she will slowly destroy each of the humans to punish him, leaving his beloved Taylor Madison for last. He threatens to kill her and advances toward her, withstanding her eldritch flame being shot into his chest. Then they are both blasted by an even greater party—Zeus, doffing his earlier disguise. Hera tries to explain it all away but Zeus silences her, revealing that his informant was Ares, her partner in the competition to destroy Hercules and who was secretly working against her all along; Ares is also relieved to be transformed back to his original form after impersonating a tiny demon-like sidekick. So Zeus set a trap for Hera and the bait was Taylor Madison. She is a construct, created to be Hercules’ soulmate, designed to lure Hera into using her against Herc; Zeus reveals that Taylor knows this deep in her heart. Herc pleads for her but Zeus notes she is not real, she never was, and her day is done. Herc embraces her, they kiss, and she fades away in his arms. Enraged, Herc attacks his father who blasts him away and, as punishment, deprives him of his immortality. Freeing the Avengers from Hera’s trap, Zeus departs, leaving Hercules in tears….