Eternals weren't that weak, to be honest. Even with a see-through hole the diameter of a hot dog, Ikaris wasn't entirely knocked out. He looked up at us, saw me, and acted as if he was seething in rage, then flew towards me with all the speed he could muster.
Sadly, he was stupid...
Charging at your enemies foolishly isn't the best decision... He received another arrow straight to his face. It exploded with such potency that... well... I don't think Ikaris has a face anymore...
Anyway, we could spot someone falling to the ground lifelessly, and that was definitely Ikaris... Now, the commendable thing is that he wasn't dead... literally a cockroach... I mean, he is always alive even after all the beating he gets, and I think he would be up and kicking again once Ajak comes and treats him...
Well... no problem... If he lives, he lives. I can just come and beat him up every few centuries. More fun that way. Anyway, he makes a fabulous punching bag...
Now... which Eternals are left?
[Master, currently, excluding Ikaris and Thena, five Eternals should still be alive—Ajak, Sersi, Gilgamesh, Sprite, and Phastos. Ajak is a healer, Sersi isn't war-oriented, Gilgamesh only has superhuman strength and can't fight aerial battles, Sprite is weak, and Phastos is an inventor, not a warrior. So pretty much everyone who could fight well among them is gone. And you were correct about Ikaris surviving. Unless you kill Ajak, he will live.]
'So basically they can't fight anymore? Should I let Ikaris live then? They still have to hunt the Deviants... Ikaris is their greatest slayer, so just letting him live is enough to ensure that he would eventually eradicate the Deviants.'
[Yes, master. With just Ikaris and the remaining Eternals, although it would take much longer, they would still manage to wipe out the Deviants.]
'What if we take Sersi out of the equation too?'
[A bit longer, but the result remains unchanged.]
'I see... well look, they're out. I should go and talk to them.'
"Dear, the rest of them are out too. Should I shoot at them as well?" Freyja asked, aiming at the rest of the Eternals.
"No... let them be. I want to talk and find out why they attacked me in the first place. You stay here, I'll be back in a while," I said, and floated down toward the Eternals.
Seeing me, they were half-scared, and half-ready for action, but before they could start another mindless squabble, I began by asking,
"So, who are you people? Although I already know that, let's start talking formally," I said, with the warmest smile I could muster.
Hearing my question, they seemed a bit surprised that I was willing to talk instead. They looked at each other, and finally, Ajak was the one to answer,
"Greetings, royal Aesir... I am Ajak, the leader of the Eternals... We were created by the Celestial Arishem, to guide and protect humans. They are Gilgamesh, Sersi, Phastos, and Sprite." Ajak introduced... well, at least no lies there. They said what they knew... though Ajak did lie a bit, since she knew the exact details, but since even the other Eternals only know that much, let's forgive her for that...
"I see... there were some lies... But nothing significant. So let's move to the next question: Why did you lot decide to attack me?" I asked again.
"Attacking you... it was a mistake on our part... It was clearly not our mission... but since you Aesir have enmity with the Celestials, and you are definitely a royal, we figured we should attack and eliminate you while you were here without any guards..." Ajak continued explaining...
"I see... so it was stupidity that caused you to attack me... hahahaha... Did you really think you could win against me? Wait, did you even bother to try and find out who I even was?" I asked, holding back my laughter.
"You were a royal of the Aesir... and she, a royal of the Vanir," Ajak said, pointing at Freyja in the sky. "We were certain about that, but we did not know your exact identity..."
"I see... I am the heir to the throne of Asgard, crown prince, and the only son of Odin—Magnar Odinson. So, how did you come to think that you might stand a chance against me?" I asked again.
Hearing my identity, Ajak was shocked, even took a step back in fear, but soon, she composed herself, and continued, "We did not know that, but since we did not know you, we figured you weren't that famous, and according to Aesir customs, everyone strong is famous. So you should have been weak, considering you weren't famous,".
Ouch... that hurts... I would rather be dragged through the ground by Makkari again than hear this...
[Don't bother. You are just 16. Do you still wish to be famous at such a young age? Just wait for a few centuries, and your name is sure to resound in the universe. Even your current strength is more than enough for that. Sadly, you have almost zero feats, except for defeating Tyr. The Kamitarr people had no reputation, which you could carry for destroying them, so yeah, you are basically featless but strong enough.]
'Well... that's good to hear...'
"I see... so, although we are enemies, you can help the humans here, which aligns with my plans, so there is no need to kill you all... but there must be a price..." I smirked.
"A price? We Eternals have nothing of value worthy of being provided to the Crown Prince of Asgard..." Ajak said gloomily...
"Alright, alright, drop the sentimental stuff. Look, here's the deal," I started, catching the attention of every Eternal. "I will spare your lives," I said, causing them to sigh in relief.
"But,"—and they were gloomy again. "See that flying guy over there?" I asked, pointing at Ikaris.
"You can save him—if you're willing to hand her over to me" I said, pointing at Sersi, who looked utterly baffled at how things were turning out.
"Or, I kill him and be done with it. The rest of you can then live," I smiled, giving off an evil face.
Now, Ajak may be stupid, but not entirely. She understood the assignment and declared, "We will save Ikaris. He is the strongest of us all. You can have Sersi." Well done. Now it's much easier to brainwash Sersi.
"What are you waiting for? Go on, save him. Except you, Sersi—you wait here," I ordered.