Giant Size Journey into Mystery 1
A Mighty Tale Told in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
"Wedding of All Centuries!"
Relationships can a funny thing. Romantic, platonic, or various shades in-between from the highest noble to the lowliest animal; most beings had a relationship that they cherished above others. When it came to romantic relationships, the love of Dr. Don Blake and Jane Foster might have been one of the more unusual ones.
They first met when Jane was fresh out of nursing school. She noticed the ad and applied. The frail man behind the desk surprised her, but they were strictly business at first. Over the months and long nights, however, things changed. What started out as professional respect grew into a personal bond and from friendship blossomed into love.
Then Jane became a Nordic goddess and it turned out Don was a false identity created by the god Odin to teach him humility.
Over the months since Jane took the hammer Mjolnir and became Lady Thor, she had grown closer to Don, but their marriage plans were endlessly scuttled by various forces, up to and including Odin, Loki, and various crooks and monsters. During the last battle, Don's heart gave out, but the dying man was rushed back to fabled Asgard. Jane accompanied him, but she ignored the golden spires of the land.
"Is that the only option?" Odin looked down at the still form of Don Blake.
"Aye all father, the mortal shell of Don Blake is beyond even our ken." Eir shook her copper hued locks and removed her bowls from the table. "Even now his death threatens to drag Thor down to Hel's realm. You must act now!"
"I swore to not interfere with the ways of Midgard and allow my son his freedom, but now?" Odin turned away. "Where is the mortal Foster?"
"Outside milord, she's not moved since we brought him in."
"So be it, Thor must live again." With a gesture, Mjolnir tore itself free from Jane's belt and flew to Odin's outstretched hand. "Odin commands it!"
He placed the hammer over Don's chest. Ozone filled the air as electric arcs built up. In one blinding flash Don Blake was no more. In his place lay Thor, god of thunder.
The storm god opened his eyes and blinked slowly. "Father?" He sat up, Mjolnir sliding off his chest.
"My son!" Tears welled up Odin's eye as he embraced his son.
Thor broke away. "Jane!" Thor dashed from the hall and ran outside, his earthly clothes in tatters.
Lady Thor had barely moved. She waited patiently when Don was carried into the great hall. When Mjolnir was yanked from her belt, she panicked. A familiar rumble of thunder and flash of lighting from the hall confused her, until the half-naked man came running out. "Jane!"
"D-Don?" Jane, now as mortal Jane Foster, almost swooned as Thor crushed her in his embrace.
"Aye, and nay. I am Thor, god of thunder, but I also have the memories of the mortal Don Blake."
"What?" Jane pushed herself free. "So, wait, are you Don or not?"
"In truth, I know not. Aye, I recall what he knew. I could name his number of social, the late nights of study, the way I felt when I first saw you, but I am also the god of thunder."
Jane stepped back. "This is too much!"
Thor sighed. "I see thy argument. You've saved the world, but I'll go on a quest! I'll prove myself worthy to you-" he was interrupted when Jane kissed him.
They held each other for what seemed like forever when they both broke the kiss. Jane, her face flushed, wiped her brow. "Ok, you kiss like Don." She eyed him carefully. "I admit, this is different, but if Don and Lady Thor could work…"
Thor chuckled; Jane didn't mind the sound. "Then it is settled! We shall be wedded at once!"
"Hold!" Odin appeared in a flash on light, Mjolnir on his belt.
"Again?" Jane was growing cross.
"Stay thy hand Jane Foster." Odin unhooked the hammer and gave it to Thor. In a flash, Thor was clad in his (or her, Jane thought) costume. "Thou have proven thyself worthy to wield Mjolnir, and thy actions have saved the Nine Realms. You have more than earned my son's hand, but there is but one mark against you."
The thought hit Jane like a thunderbolt. "I'm mortal, isn't it?"
Odin nodded sadly. "Mortals lifespans are but like a blink of the eye to us. While I would be honored to have you fight beside us" Odin was cut off as Thor jumped between them.
"Wait father, why not make her one of us?"
Odin's single eye almost bulged out of his socket. "A mortal, made one of the Aesir? Such things are possible, but only a few have tried. None have succeeded."
"Then I'll be the first!" Jane swore.
The mood in the hall was quiet. Odin sat on his golden throne, peering down at Jane. "Jane Foster of Midgard, you have proven yourself worthy in battle. Do you here by submit a petition to join the realm eternal?"
"I do."
"Very well. Remove all weapons from your person and enter yon chamber." A rumbling behind her made her turn. Three warriors were working a crank, opening a trap door in the floor. "If thou art worthy, then thou shall be reborn."
Jane nodded and walked down. She emptied her pockets as she walked down. The door slammed shut behind her, plunging the stairway into darkness. "Ok Jane, you came this far…"
She walked in total darkness. She lost track of time, but she counted the steps. She got to five hundred and fifty before she stumbled and lost count. "Should have brought some matches." She felt the wall and noticed the curve.
"So this is some kind of spiral? How long does it go?" She heard nothing as she walked, not even her footsteps. "Wait, is this the actual test?" She stopped. "Maybe if I wait here something will happen?"
She heard a grinding noise that came from everywhere. The steps started to shake, then they moved, effectively turning the staircase into a slide. She clawed at the wall, but the stones were too slick. She stumbled briefly before falling and sliding down the tunnel.
She couldn't tell how long she slid, but she was sure the tunnel twisted more and more. She left the ground at one point but hit something solid and dropped. She saw a tiny pinprick of light some distance below her. It was quickly growing as she fell.
She landed none too softly on a large pile of pelts in a well-lit room. She tried to adjust her vision as she looked around. "Hello?"
The room was large. Torches lined the room and a large fireplace was at the other end with a roaring fire. A large table was set before her, laden with silver trays overflowing with cooked meat. A few tankards sat out, filled with mead. The food was tempting, and Jane hadn't eaten in a while, but she remembered her fairy tales.
"Eating things in a strange land tends to end badly. So what, do I ignore the food?" She looked around and saw no door. No way to enter the room, save for the hole she fell through or the fireplace. She picked up a tankard. "The rule probably goes the same for drinking too." She walked over to the fire and noticed a rung set in the stone.
Getting as close as she dared, she noticed a small ladder set in the bricks. "Maybe I'm supposed to escape?" She emptied the tankard on the fire, putting out of the flame. Grabbing a shield from the wall, she scooped out the ash and stepped into the fireplace. The ladder went up a distance.
She climbed until she reached the end. The chimney went on for what seemed miles, but before her was a tunnel. She shimmied into it and started crawling.
She crawled in darkness until the tiles under her wobbled and gave way, plunging her into a dark void. She fell until she hit a thick strand of threads. She swung back and forth as the thread, which was razor thin in some parts, some how supported her weight.
At length she heard three voices above and below her. "Why do you hang on?" A feminine voice spoke out from the darkness below her.
"Because I fall if I don't?" Jane tightened her grip.
"Not necessarily. Perhaps you'll fall up?" another voice, much younger than the first, spoke from somewhere above her.
"That's assuming you fall at all. Maybe you're already safe on the ground?" Yet another voice spoke, this one younger than the first but older than the second.
Jane strained her memory. "Threads, 3 women…you're the Norns, aren't you?"
All three voices laughed. "You've named us, good. What do you know of us?"
Jane felt the thread growing thinner. "Ah, one weaves thread of fate, one measures, and one cuts?"
"Good" all three voices spoke as one, "Now what? What do you think your thread is doing?"
"My fate is changing, right? You can't see what I'm going to do?"
"Perhaps, or maybe we do. Tell us Jane Foster, what do you think the future holds?"
"I thought I'd be with Don…but he's Thor, but he's still Don?" Jane felt the thread growing and thinning at points. "So my fate is changing, isn't it?"
"If you say so." The youngest voice rang out.
"Then I suppose a surprise might change everything." Jane let go. She jerked her eyes open to see that she was standing in a softly lit chamber. Three women stood before her. Their features were off, like she was looking at a blurry photo from a great distance.
"You knew the risks, yet you jumped into the void?" the oldest one spoke. "Impressive, judging from your past, I would have wagered on your hanging on."
"You braved the trial. Based on your present actions, I believed you would have done this." The middle one held a growing piece of thread.
"Yet here you stand. Past and present have weighed in, but your future is unknown even to me. Which is no mean feat, I assure you." The youngest held up a golden pair of sheers. "The question now, what do you want?" She pointed to the thread at various points. "You could return to Midgard, become a healer in your own right. Marry, or don't." She pointed to another point in the thread. "You could stay here, become as us and live a life of adventure forever."
"What if I want both?" Jane looked at the thread and noticed a few smaller threads growing off from the main one.
The three Norns gasped. "Ah, well" they collectively mumbled. "That is to say, most people choose one or the other."
"I'm not most people, am I? No, I want both. If I have to become a god to be with Don, so be it, but Midgard still needs protecting."
"A most unusual answer." The youngest snipped the main thread. "You will have what you want. Simply walk back to Asgard." A door appeared off to the side. Jane nodded and left.
She wasn't surprised when the door vanished behind her. The path was well-lit by torches and she spied an exit some distance away. "So, what's the next test?" She walked up the stairs.
The tunnel was warm and seemed warmer the more she walked. Her shoes pinched her feet and grew worse the more she walked. After a bit she tore the badly stretched leather things off her feet and left them on a step.
"Much better!" She breathed easier as she stretched her toes. "Guess those shoes weren't meant for long distance walking."
She continued on the path towards the light, but she stopped when she noticed how tight her dress had become. Glancing down at her arm, she gawked at the sinewy bicep. Her arms were just as muscular as when she was Lady Thor, if not more so. "What the blue blazes?"
She started to run. She found herself moving faster up the stairs, but as she moved up her body grew as well. She stopped, yards from the exit. Her dress had split right down the back and her belt ruptured and fell away. At the moment her dignity was being held mostly by force of will as she clutched her dress in various places. "Is this the test? What's the point of this?"
She walked calmly out into the light. She tried to shade her eyes from the blinding sun, but her dress fell away in tatters once she let go. That was when she heard the applause.
Blinking, she stared at the crowd, including Odin and Thor. Odin walked towards her. He slammed his spear on the ground and in an instant her tattered dress vanished and was replaced with a dark tunic, furred belt, and leggings that vanished into a pair of high boots. A red cape off set the costume.
"Behold, I present to you Johanna, goddess of the wind and storm!" Odin shouted, stepped off to the side and letting the crowd get a good look.
"'Goddess of the wind and storm'?" Jane looked down at herself. "I don't feel any different." She thrust a hand out and was rewarded by knocking down the first row of onlookers with a terrific gust of wind. "Sorry!"
Odin chuckled. "Your new powers grant you dominion over a few things but take care Johanna. Even Thor took time to master Mjolnir; and speaking of which you must now quest for a hammer."
"Why a hammer?" Jane stepped carefully, not sure what actions would trigger another blast.
Odin winked. "You seemed more familiar with the weapon than anything else. Why not? Now, bid thyself to Nidavellir and see Eitri the dwarven king. If thou can return with a hammer or equally worthy weapon, you will be accepted by all of Asgard."
She traveled in a flash. When her eyes cleared, she stood in a rocky land. She saw a few crude shacks poking out of the craggy peaks that surrounded her. The sky was overcast with thick gray and black clouds.
Spying a door at some distance (she was amazed at how far she could see), she moved towards it and found herself flying through the air. Landing in a heap, she dusted herself off and approached the door.
It opened on its own accord. Stepping inside, she gasped at the splendor and spectacle. "A whole kingdom, built into the mountain! Amazing!"
The sound of armor clanking snapped her out of her amazement. Guards surrounded her, spears at the ready. "Halt!"
Jane drew herself up to her full height; which was rather a bit now that she thought about it and addressed the guards. "I demand to speak to King Eitri."
The closest guard looked up at her. "Oh, you want to see the king, eh?"
She was lead to the king. The dwarves' ruler sat on a solid gold throne, inlayed with thousands of gems. He didn't look at her. "So, the gods deem us worthy of a commission again? How thoughtful. Tell me, how were thou intending to pay? With good speech?"
"Nay, with a quest!" This was met with the court snickering.
Eitri looked straight at her. "A 'quest'? And what, pray tell, would I have need of a neophyte godling that one of my own kinsmen couldn't accomplish?"
Jane blanked until one of the dwarves approached the throne and whispered into his ear. The king looked annoyed but waved the advisor away. "Very well, you wish a quest and I have a pressing need. There have been reports of a dragon near the southern boarders. Slay it and we shall forge whatever you wish."
In short order she was led away from the throne room, tossed a few pieces of armor and a rusted sword, and thrown back outside. Discarding most of the gear, she slipped the sword into her belt and headed south.
As she walked she practiced her new powers. With a thought she could summon winds powerful enough to lift her. Her strength and stamina were easily the same as her Lady Thor powers, as she had been jogging for miles and had yet to break a sweat.
"Slaying a dragon? Can't say as I've done that before." She slowed down as she started to focus on the plan. She stopped as she noticed the ground had turned into powdery black ash. "I guess this is the place."
"Well, you actually made it this far?" A far too familiar voice rang out from the hills. "I must say, for a Midgardian you are full of surprises."
"Loki?" Jane drew her sword.
The trickster walked down the path towards her. He casually tossed his horned helmet off to the side and sat down. "So, my brother is fully amongst us once again and all of Asgard rejoices, correct?"
"Aye, and am I correct to believe that you are the dragon?"
Loki shook his head. "Nay, I simply called the Midgard Serpent away for a few days. My presence at court is no longer wanted, thanks to you."
"You helped." Jane kept her distance.
Loki pulled a flask from his boot and took a swig. "I overplayed, I admit, but now you're here. Tell me, do you hope to slay me with such a weapon? With Mjolnir you might have a chance."
Jane tossed the sword aside. "No, no weapons. Just skill and power alone."
Loki smirked. "Power, you say? You should choose your words carefully. In these realms they tend to have weight." He tossed his flask at her. In seconds it changed into a flaming spear.
Jane sidestepped it, nimbly leaping aside. Loki stood up and slipped his helmet back on. He gestured quickly. The ground shook and giant hands broke out of the ash and grabbed her.
Jane panicked, but only for a second. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. A breeze formed around her and quickly grew to near tornado speed. The hands tried to tighten their grip but were quickly bent back and shattered. Jane directed the vortex at Loki, but he had already vanished.
"Impressive!" his voice seemed to be everywhere. Jane immediately crouched and drove her elbow back, ramming it into Loki's gut. He staggered back, wheezing. "How?"
"You always try to stab people in the back." Jane summoned more wind, blowing him back and burying him up to his neck in the dirt.
"A weakness and character failing, I confess." Loki seemed more annoyed than anything else.
"What was your goal?"
"Mostly to cause chaos among the dwarves, but if I managed to slay you" she couldn't see them, but she was sure he was shrugging his shoulders, "that would have been delightful."
Jane concentrated. A handful of gravel was picked up by the wind and plastered over Loki's mouth. "That should keep you quiet!" Jane paused. It was taking a great deal of concentration to maintain the wind. What if she faltered?
A raven landed in front of her. It cawed once and flew away. She waited, probably not as long as it seemed, when she heard the sound of marching. The dwarves approached, Eitri leading a procession. "Hale warrior. Odin has told us of your victory."
Jane relaxed, dropping Loki to the ground but keeping his mouth covered. A dozen dwarves rushed over and clamped him in cold iron cuffs. "We'll bury him in the deepest mine!" The dwarven king turned to her. "And now a matter of payment. Come with me, and I'll forge you a hammer the likes of which you've not seen!"
The forge of the dwarves was quite impressive. Gold, iron, and stone made up most of the interior, with richly inlayed designs over nearly every square inch. The forge itself was massive, with a roaring fire already in place and lumps of various metals stacked in front of it. "Wait outside."
Jane nodded and left the room, standing outside the door. She waited, but with no watch and no view outside, she had no idea how much time was passing. Was it days? She felt no hunger, but with her new form she wasn't sure if that was going to be an issue. In her boredom her mind drifted. "So, will Don and I live in Asgard or Earth? Will we still work in the same clinic?" She thought of trying to explain her new appearance to her friends. "Maybe I'll just say I was working out?"
Her thoughts drifted in and out on various topics. The realization that she married a god was slowly dawning on her. She was snapped to attention when a smith was tugging on her cape. "Hammer ready." He walked back into the forge. She followed.
The hammer was a beauty. It was equal to Mjolnir, but one end was broad and flat, while the other was sharpened like an axe. "In your tongue it is called Storm Bringer."
"I like it!" She carefully touched the handle and felt a charge. She hefted it with one hand. "It moves, almost like it was part of my arm."
"It's more than that. With that hammer you can summon all four winds, fly, and even traverse space as you would the heavens. We also included the same enchantments for Mjolnir. Indeed, it will be perfect, once you complete the final trial."
"Wait, 'final trial? What final trial?" Jane looked at the king, more annoyed than confused.
"Didn't Odin explain? Now that you have accepted the powers and earned your weapon, you must partake in the last ritual." The dwarven king started to oversee the cleaning of the forge. "Hurry back to Asgard then." Jane fumed but started to spin her hammer. In a flash she was gone.
Jane arrived back in the golden halls of Asgard. She hooked Storm Bringer to her belt and marched inside the hall. "Odin!"
"Ah, Johanna! You survived the trial and earned your hammer." Odin leaned forward on his throne. "Now, there is the matter of the last trial. Complete it and you will have earned a spot among us forever."
"And what does this trial entail?" Jane was growing leery. "Do I have to fight a dragon again?"
Odin chuckled. "Not quite."
She was taken to a massive building. Massive almost seemed an understatement, as she was sure it could hold most of Manhattan. "What's this place?"
"Thrudheim, the second of Thor's halls." Odin pointed to a large dark spot on the horizon. "Over yon lays Bilskirnir, the largest of Thor's homes."
"You mean near that mountain?"
Odin shook his head. "It is the mountain." He smiled at her expression as he took her inside. "Now, on to the test."
They went down several flights of stairs until they stopped before a large wooden door. Odin rapped the wood once. When the knock was answered he turned to her. "Inside lays the final trial. If you were meant to be with my son, you shall find him inside. Pick him and him alone and I will consider you wed."
Jane nodded and entered the room. She was almost blinded by the steam. "What is this?"
Odin stepped back. "The sauna." He closed the door.
"Wonderful" Jane fumed but started moving. The room seemed to laid out in a straight line. Men were laying or sitting on benches that went the entire length of the room. Jane blushed as the implication hit her, but she moved forward.
The steam was thick, but only around the benches. She could only catch glimpses of a foot or hand when she stared. She ignored the men who were singing. She also ignored the outlines that suggested Volstagg.
She walked carefully down the path. Any suggestion of red hair or a brunette made her move. She was starting to despair when she neared the end. On her right near the door she saw an outline that made her heart quiver. "Blonde, broad shoulders…but would Thor have such rough hands?"
Looking over to the opposite bench produced a similar feeling. "His feet are rougher. Thor would fly with the aid of Mjolnir, so his feet would be smoother."
An idea came to her. "Storm Bringer, if it has a similar enchantment…" She unhooked the hammer and tossed it to the second person. He caught it, but the hammer went straight to the floor, cracking the tile.
"Is it you?" She pointed to the first and cringed when a guest of wind dissipated the steam, leaving a damp Thor looking back at her. "Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about," he adjusted the towel around his waist. "You picked me out, and most clever at that."
The rest of the Asgardians filed out as Odin appeared at the door. "Well done! I confess, I should have striped you of yon hammer, but a well met victory all the same. Come, follow me to the banquet hall. A fest has been prepared."
After a brief tour of the hall, Jane was lead to another massive room. Heavy oaken tables were covered in steaming trays. Scores of people sat on benches, tearing away at boar legs and gulping down mead in silver cups. "Hale to the new couple!" Volstagg shouted. The crowd's roar was nearly deafening.
"Don…I mean, Thor, can we have a moment alone?" Jane looked around at the strangers. She knew some of them from battle and some from legends, but most were unknown.
"Of course." Thor lead her to a small alcove where the crowd was silenced. "What troubles thee?"
"I'm not sure. I had hoped our wedding would have been more…intimate?"
Thor nodded then slapped his forehead. "Of course! Curse me for a fool, I should have said something. Mayhaps when we return to Midgard we would partake in the ceremony of your customs?"
"That…would be delightful. Although I'm not sure how I'd explain, well, all of this" Jane pointed to her new bicep. "Maybe I'd tell my cousins I've been working out?"
"Nay, there would be no need for deception. As Father explained, thou would change between forms. Simply tap thy hammer against the ground once to revert back to your mortal form and once more to change back."
"Sorry, its been a lot to take in. I suppose it seems a bit silly to worry about wedding invitations when I'm surrounded by gods."
"Nothing's silly when thou are concerned." Thor's smiled faded. "Although this does present me with a most pressing problem. What of Don Blake's concerns?"
"What about them? I mean, can't you change back too?"
"Nay, the illusion of Donald Blake was destroyed when I assumed my rightful form." Looking at the growing horror in her eyes, he hastily added, "but the memories and feelings remain the same."
"Oh, well, I suppose we'll tell everyone you were on a diet?"
Thor chuckled. "Aye, I sent away for the Atlas work out, and now look at me!"
Jane started laughing. "In just seven days become a god of the beach."
Thor tried to look serious. "Nay, that would be Aegir. That's him over there." He pointed to a massive figure stretched over a table and drinking from a trough. The two started laughing, ignoring the stares of the others.
The party lasted a week, maybe. Jane wasn't sure of the time. She did recall the mead flagon being passed around more than three times, that she was sure of; she stepped slowly into the main hall and found it spotless.
Thor sat at the long table, carefully reading a scroll. "Ah, beloved, thou awake at last!" He rushed to her.
"Thor" She tried the name. She rather liked it, although she was still keen on Don. "So, how is this going to work? We spend our evenings here and commute to Earth?"
"A thought. Thou still have thy friends and kin on Midgard."
A dark thought entered her mind as he mentioned family. "Wait, what about them? You said I was immortal, I'll outlive everyone I know!"
Thor sighed and pointed to the scrolls. "Though we be long lived, we live and die as men do, though we measure lives in centuries and not years." He picked one up and put it in her hand. "If thou grow weary of life here, then thou can regain thy mortal limits."
Jane took the scroll, but changed the subject. "What your father said, would I be able to change back to plain Jane Foster?"
"Aye, and in much the same manner as you did when you bore my name. Simply strike thy hammer once upon the ground, and thou will be as a mortal again, but take heed. If thou come to injury as Jane Foster, you would still possess all the mortal frailties, including death."
Jane nodded. "And speaking of Earth, what of it? Will we live among mortals as man and wife?"
Thor smiled. "Aye, why not? But since the spell that made me Don Blake is no more, I fear thou will have to compromise with the son of thunder as thou betrothed."
Jane's mind went to several places at that, and blush spread across her face. "A challenge I accept, but since we're here I would like to be married on Earth, surrounded by our friends and family."
Thor thought for a second and smiled. "Agreed. We shall travel pon Bifrost to Midgard at once!"
The wedding was a small affair. Only one notice in the local paper. Jane's family was fairly small. Her mother passed away some years ago and her father had recently retired as a plumber. A few extra cars arrived. Jane's neighbors couldn't help but notice the tall, blonde man wearing a simple suit. Behind him was a couple. The husband was also blonde, but shorter. His wife, a brunette with a striking face, held his arm as a younger woman walked behind her. She wore a dress that wouldn't have looked out of place on the French Rivera.
Behind the couple was a woman wearing an Army dress uniform. A man wearing an ill-fitting suit and a red-haired woman who seem resigned to help him with his tie entered the church last. "I swear Happy, don't you know how to tie one of these?"
"I usually just wear a clip-on Pepper, but Mr. Stark said I should be fancy for this!"
"Never mind, they're starting!"
The ceremony went as most do, although most of the guests marveled at the sheer size of the man Jane once called skinny. "Some time in the country will do a man wonders!" was all she said.
When they were declared man and wife, no one saw the old one-eyed man standing in the back of the church. "She is a rare gift my son, treasure her well." He spoke to no one and left silently.
The end
Largely original, with a huge thanks to Darci for the comments and guidance. This series will focus on the more one off, 'big' type of stories.
Next issue, Thurd on a rampage!
And keep an eye out for the following:
Sensational Comics#23-Enter…the Chameleon!
Tales to Astonish#22-On the Trail of the Human Top!
Journey into Mystery#24-Beware the Gray Gargoyle!
The Avengers#10-Introducing: Wonder Man!
Amazing Fantasy#15-Reader's Choice!