Jane looked up from the drawings she'd been making as the door opened.
A younger woman in classical Greek clothing stepped in, waiting until the door had closed to give the doors the middle finger.
"I hate Norse gods," the girl groused. "Sorry for barging in, heard there was another mortal here."
Jane smiled and shook her head. "It's fine." She set aside the drawings and stood. "Jane Foster, astrophysicist." She held out her hand.
"Danaë, officially. Greek demigod, child of Zeus." The girl winked. "Officially."
Jane couldn't help the laugh that left her mouth. "So Greek gods are real, too."
"Yeah." The girl offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry."
"No, don't be." Jane shook her head. "Not your fault."
The two mortals drifted to the balcony.
"So, what does an astrophysicist do?" Danaë questioned, looking over at Jane. Jane looked over at her, blinked when she saw the shield on her back, but then ignored it, thinking she'd ask if Medusa was real later.
"It's basically applying the basic principles of physics and chemistry to the stars, to understand what they're made up of." Danaë nodded and looked to the stars at the edge of Asgard.
"So you basically use the periodic table to see what gases they're made up of?" the teen asked curiously, then smiled at Jane in apology as Jane snorted. "I'm sorry, I've been so involved in the Greek world for the past year that non-myth stuff actually doesn't compute."
"I think I understand," Jane smiled. "It's like for me, when I met Thor, I guess. I was just so fascinated about how he had come out of a wormhole – you went by rainbow bridge, too! Didn't you see the stars?" Jane looked to her eagerly.
"Yeah." A soft smile came onto Danaë's face. "I saw them. Along with a big, circle-y thing."
Jane frowned. "Do you see it now?" Could this teen see the Convergence?
"No."
Jane felt slight disappointment. "Oh."
The door opened behind them, causing the two mortals to turn.
"Your majesty," Danaë curtsied.
Jane offered a small bow. Danaë wasn't looking at her in embarrassment, Jane realized, so that meant Danaë was used to curtsying. And being around people who couldn't.
"Please, relax yourselves. I am here only to talk."
"I'm not sure we can relax," Jane said politely, "seeing as you're Thor's mother and all."
"And you're the mortal he fell in love with," Frigga returned. "I came to see how well you were settling in."
"The room, view, and clothes are great," Jane replied, holding her arms close to her body.
"And… You?"
"I feel a bit hot, but that's the sun," Jane said, now uncomfortable talking about the Aether.
"That's probably the red stuff in you that's making you hot," said Danaë, looking at Jane before looking away. Frigga's eyes widened.
"You see what many do not."
"Just a little bit," Danaë replied, a bit too quickly.
"Perhaps a walk with me will make the two of you feel better, no?" Frigga strode to the doors and opened them. "Follow me," she invited them, stopping the guards as Jane walked out of the room behind the Queen of Asgard. "Both of them are with me," Frigga informed the guards clearly.
~:~
Meda ignored whatever the Queen and Jane were talking about, preferring to wander to the edge of the garden and look over, watching the warriors battle.
She didn't know how long she spent dissecting how stupid they were, training like their opponent was going to use moves that they could easily counter. She did jump and nearly punch the Queen, though.
"Drakon spit, I'm sorry!" the demigod exclaimed, pulling her arm back in a second.
In response to her nearly being punched, the Queen smiled.
"I'll forgive you," she said, her face serene, "if you fight."
Meda rose a skeptical brow. "You do know that the whole daughter of Zeus thing is a sham, right?"
"Well," Frigga smiled. "I do know you're skilled. No Greek would come in armed with a weapon they cannot fight with."
Meda nodded. "You have a point."
She hiked up her dress and stepped onto the wall.
"Who wants to fight a Greek?" she called down to the Aesir.
There was no response, save for the sudden tensing of the woman.
"You wish to train with us?" the woman, Sif, asked, her dark eyes narrowing at her.
"No, I want a fight." She took off her shield, causing many to flinch at the hideous image of Medusa.
"You have no armor." Sif walked up to her and went to punch her.
She hit the image of Medusa, and a noise was heard before Meda's armor extended over her dress. Meda tossed her feathered helmet up once before tossing it aside.
"Mistake number one," Meda said with a particularly fierce smile before reaching behind her and withdrawing Maelstrom.
"If you are serious about this bout, then I assume you want ground rules?" the other asked, a shield being tossed at the woman with a sword.
"No mortal injuries. First one to bleed or knocked unconscious?" Questioned the Greek.
"Unconscious. It would be more humiliating for you," tossed back the warrior.
"Depends." Meda cracked her neck. "On if I am the one to be knocked out, or you."
Sif's hand tightened as some of the men around her snorted, only to stop as Meda spoke again.
"Then again, if by the time Queen Frigga has gotten tired of seeing us beat each other up, neither have fallen, what say you we fight the males?"
Sif blinked at her.
"Agreed."
~:~
Meda and Sif panted, Meda dropping her shield at the same time as Sif fell to her knees.
"That… Was awesome." Meda sat down and fell on her back.
"You certainly are…" Sif took a deep breath. "A fearsome warrior."
"Thank you," Meda gasped. She lurched up and held her hand out for Sif.
Sif eyed it, and took it, accepting the hand up.
"Interesting fight indeed." They looked to Odin. "One must wonder if you held anything back, Lady Sif, for this mortal to have such an advantage."
"I was struggling," Meda openly admitted. "Lady Sif is obviously older and far more disciplined than I."
She forced her head to nod to Sif before she glanced at Odin.
"If I am to stay, Loki must stay near me, as dictated by these." She held up the-invisible-to-everyone-else bracers and waited for him to talk.
Obviously Odin could see what others could not.
"Very well. Guards, show Lady Danaë to the room next to Loki's quarters." He looked like he swallowed a lemon as he added, "And allow Loki access to his room."
Meda strode past Odin without deigning to acknowledge his power of King.
~:~
"Hey. Mind if I come in?"
Loki snapped his book shut and looked up to the mortal girl. Freshly bathed, she looked refreshed.
Still annoying, being chained to a mortal of all creatures.
"Enter if you wish. You're the warden and I but the prisoner." Apparently, the whole 'not lying' to her didn't include 'dramatics'.
"Honestly, I'm just glad I have something to do." She entered his room, but ventured no further than his doorway, taking in his room. "I don't want this to end up blowing up in our faces. So let's at least pretend to be civil with each other, okay?"
"As long as you don't take advantage of these, little mortal," Loki responded, staring at her in those wrong electric blue eyes, motioning towards the bracers.
"I will only do so as it keeps my cover," the mortal grinned. "Trust me, I think I can let you use your magic."
Loki stared at her as she glared at the bracers.
"I think you actually have to say it," he said to her. "Magic has its rules." He motioned to their chains. "Especially Greek magic."
"Okay, what do you have against Greeks?" The daughter of Poseidon arched an eyebrow at him.
"I don't have anything against them. I simply know that most of the Aesir see you Greeks as nothing more than primitive beings… Barely children."
"Huh." The girl made an understanding face. "Right. Well. Night."
She took her leave. Loki exhaled, then tried to reach for his magic.
Unlike the last time he'd tried it, when he'd attempted to use it, he didn't encounter a sort of wall hiding it.
~:~
The commotion woke them up, their connection springing to life as Sif shouted for help.
Meda raced out with Loki by her side as a being made of smoky red stuff grabbed a guard and sucked the moisture out of him.
Meda hesitated. "Go find Jane!" she told Loki. "Protect her."
She always trusted her instincts, and Loki made a face before running down the hall.
Meda knew now was best a time as any to reveal her true parentage.
She darted to a balcony, seeing water not that far away. Seeing as she was pretty sure another god would be plenty pissed that she would be using it without permission, she took the chance and jumped off the balcony, rolling as she landed and running straight towards the water.
The creature kept walking in that hallway, hundreds of people screaming in fear and running as she bent down to touch the water.
I realize I'm not an Aesir. But I need to borrow your water to help Asgard.
She felt the water become friendly.
And she used it, stepping into the pool and forcing the water upwards, giving her a step up to the balcony again.
"CREATURE!"
The grotesque being turned to her, glaring.
"Eat this!"
She shoved her hands forward, and the water of the pool doused it.
The creature just stared at her.
She kept attacking it with mostly harmless attacks, just trying to keep it occupied.
It stomped up to her, ignoring the water.
She wanted to be captured by it, if only to see what its plans were. To see if she could see into what it was.
He grasped her throat and she could feel her body burning up. It was only through the water that she was able to remain alive, as her water drenched her and gave her a boost.
The creature then threw her off the balcony.
Her body exploded in pain.
Okay, should have blown my cover absolutely.
When the ominous black haze stopped crouching over her, she inhaled and got up, surprised to see her body had made a dent in the ground.
Well, she knew what its plan was. It was basically a Trojan horse.
She was so thrilled that her hypothesis was right, that she could see what the creature was doing.
Python venom not doing anything to her, her ass.
