Understandings

"Oh Thor be careful!" Athena laughed as she followed him down the streets of whatever odd village they were in. Thor appeared to know the way to get back to some sort of shelter, but he was stumbling just ever so slightly. It wouldn't be noticeable to anyone who hadn't seen Thor completely drunk before, but she could tell there was a just a little stumble in his walk.

But then again, that could be because he currently had Erik draped over his shoulder. The poor man had truly been a nervous wreck before and had drunk himself under the table, or at least that was what the bartender had said when he'd asked if Erik had a way home or if he could call a cab…whatever a cab was. Thor had waved the man off and said that they would see him home safely.

They'd spent about a quarter of an hour standing before the man's SUV (a car, Thor had told her it was called) trying to work out how to make it go before they realized that even if they could make it go, neither of them was properly trained to utilize such a mechanism. And then they had spent another quarter of an hour with her head buried under the metal flap that opened in the front to try and work out what made it go. But without proper tools and items to pry it open, there was little she could actually do. Which was disappointing.

"I am fine Athena," Thor grinned at her, "We are nearly there," he pointed ahead and she followed his finger to see that there was what looked like a long metal box on wheels with windows sitting in the distance.

He led her up to the door of the box and knocked on it, waiting for it to open and reveal Jane was there, "Erik!" she cried, spotting the man slung up over his shoulder, Thor's large frame blocking view of Athena for the moment, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Thor chuckled, "Not injured at all," he stepped into the room as Jane backed away…only to bang Erik's head on the doorway, making him groan, "Sorry, my friend."

"Yes," Athena scoffed lightly, "You're being careful," she moved into the trailer and held Erik's head as Thor moved around, keeping the man from being knocked into other things along the way.

"What happened?" Jane asked, before seeming to realize that there was another person there, "Who are you?"

"Athena," Athena smiled, "And you are…Darcy?" she guessed, recalling what Erik had told her about the two women he worked with in the bar, the woman seemed quite frantic before her and Erik had mentioned that Darcy was very frantic when they had first come upon Thor.

"Jane," she corrected, "Sorry, Athena?" she blinked, recognizing that name too, "There's an Athena too?" she turned to Thor.

"Yes," he nodded, "One of the finest Warriors in Asgard."

"I thought Athena was from Olympus?" Jane frowned.

"I trained in Asgard," Athena put her mind to rest, "Lady Sif and I are two of the two of the top female warriors."

"Right…" Jane nodded slowly, "Did um, did you three get in a fight or something?" she gestured at Erik.

"We drank," Thor shook his head, "We fought. He made his ancestors proud."

"Where would be the best place to put him?" Athena asked, "Hanging upside down will not be good for him come morning."

"Put him on the bed," Jane rushed over to pull the covers up on her bed and take some books off of them so that Thor had a place to put him. He flopped Erik onto the bed as though he were a sack of meat, jostling him awake for a moment even as Athena moved a pillow behind his head just as Thor dropped him.

"I still don't believe you're the God of Thunder," he told the man, "But you ought to be," he started to laugh before pointing at Athena, "And you…you could be the Goddess of Wisdom and War, but your hair's all wrong?"

Athena blinked at that in amusement and pulled a lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder to examine, "Is it?"

Erik seemed to try and nod but winced and pressed a hand to his head, "Should be brown…" he slurred, before he drifted off again.

Thor shook his head at that and pulled a blanket up over him, Jane watching him intently, seemingly stunned and impressed with the tenderness he was showing Erik. Athena though just crossed her arms and smiled, used to it. There were times when they'd be on a quest, him, the Warriors Three, Sif and her, and they'd fall asleep by the fire. He'd always tug up the blankets of anyone who shifted in their sleep to make sure they were covered and warm. It was a small gesture, but she knew it meant he genuinely cared about the ones he considered comrades and friends.

She turned away to glance at the room, curious to who this Jane woman was and eyed the different objects lying around rather haphazardly, "Are these your sleeping quarters?"

"Well…" Jane jumped forward to try and clean up the horrendous mess, the pizza boxes lying everywhere and the books and notes and pictures, "It's more of a temporary living space, really. I don't usually have visitors in here. Actually, never..." she started to spin around, trying to find the sock that matched the one in her hand.

Athena held out a similar sock to her, Jane snatching it away from her with a grateful smile.

"Can we go outside?" Thor asked.

Jane cast him a curious glance.

"He's not comfortable in women's quarters," Athena offered.

"It isn't proper," Thor defended, "For any man to occupy the bedchambers of a woman he is not wed to."

Athena smiled sadly at that, someone should have told her father that. He tried, she knew he did, to keep his affections directed at his wife. She liked to think that, had her mother lived, he would have never had the wandering eye that he developed later in life. But she had and he did, and it was one reason she always tried to be kind to his second wife, and especially to her children, but she knew that her father had a special place in his heart for her because she was the only child his first wife had given him.

~8~

Jane led the two onto the roof of her trailer as she called it, a telescope set up on top of it with a few chairs and some blankets as well. It seemed obvious to the two that Jane spent enough time up there to know what she would need for the duration of the night.

"I come up here sometimes when I can't sleep," Jane offered, seeing their expressions, "Or when I'm trying to reconcile particle data. Or when Darcy's driving me crazy," she paused to consider her words, "I come up here a lot, now that I think about it," she looked up at the stars, leading the others to look up as well, "I'm glad you're safe," she told Thor, a small smile on her face.

"You've been very kind," Thor gave her a nod in return, "I've been far less grateful than you deserve."

Athena raised her eyebrow at that.

"I also hit you with my car a couple times, so it kind of evens out," Jane joked.

"How hard did you hit him?" Athena laughed, "I can't recall him saying something like that in…a very long time."

"Thanks," Thor nudged her, rolling his eyes at her words. But he knew it was the truth, he took…quite a lot for granted, he realized that now, he expressed his gratitude in ways he honestly wasn't sure others even realized were meant to be grateful.

He had broken Isabela's coffee mug because he thought it was delicious, smashing cups was how he showed his favor for a beverage. But the look on Isabela's face had been insulted and angry that he'd done so. He understood now how some of his actions could seem to others.

"That does remind me," Athena turned to Jane, "I must thank you Jane."

"For what?" Jane shook her head.

"For helping Thor," she smiled, "I was…sent to watch over him, but I was detained near instantly."

"It was no problem," Jane shrugged, before frowning as she eyed them, "Are you two…" she left the question hanging but both appeared to not know what she meant, "Are you together?"

"Yes," Thor nodded, looking at Athena, "We are often together."

"No," Jane stuttered, "I mean, are you a couple?" she blinked, seeing they were still a little lost, "Are you in a relationship?"

"According to Erik I am his sister, if that counts as a relationship," Athena offered.

"We are not siblings," Thor added quickly, for some reason the notion of claiming Athena as his sister upset him and turned his stomach, "I have but one, a brother, Loki."

"So you're not in a relationship?" Jane just wanted to clarify.

"Athena and I," Thor began as Athena opened her mouth, "Share a bond," he nodded, glancing at the blonde, "A strong bond, formed of battle and hardship, of strength and endurance, and of understanding."

Jane seemed to take that as an affirmative yes that had her turning away from Thor and trying to distract herself with wrapping a blanket around herself, while Athena just looked at Thor curiously as to why he'd say that.

Thor glanced at Jane, seeing her sit down on one of the chairs and held out her small book to her, recalling that he'd taken it, "I don't believe it!" Jane gasped, snatching it from him.

"It was all I could get back," Thor told her, "Not as much as I promised. I'm sorry."

Athena looked at him, that was another phrase she hadn't heard often, not even when Odin had been shouting at him had he apologized to his father.

"No, this is good," Jane beamed, whatever small depression had been hitting her before when she'd sat seemed to vanish at the return of her book, "Thank you. This means I don't have to start from scratch..."

Athena tilted her head as she watched Jane's expression drop, "Is there something wrong?"

Jane sighed, "SHIELD, whatever they are. They're never going to let this research see the light of day."

"You must do this," Thor shook his head, "You must finish what you've started."

"Why?"

"Because you're right," he said simply, "It's taken so many generations for your people to get to this point. You're nearly there. You just need someone to show you how close you really are," he looked over at Athena, "And one of the more brilliant women I know happens to be here with us."

Athena rolled her eyes and shook her head at that but moved over to Jane, glancing at her small book, "May I?" she held out a hand.

Jane quickly handed it over it if meant answers, and got up to move to stand beside her, watching her flip through her notes. Athena stopped on a page that seemed to be Jane's renditioning of the Bifrost, "Very good start," she praised, "If you add something like this though…" she began to draw the branches of the world to the top of the drawing, making the webbing path of the rainbow bridge.

"What is it?" Jane breathed.

"It is the path that connects the worlds," Athena began, moving to sit on one of the chairs, Jane next to her instantly as Thor moved to sit on another, watching with interest as Athena began a lesson for Jane, just content to watch them, "This world, Midgard…Earth," she amended, "Is but one of Nine Realms. All of them are linked by the paths of the rainbow bridge."

"You see it every day, without realizing," Thor called, "Images glimpsed through, what did you call it? The Hub Scope?"

"Hubble Telescope," Jane corrected.

"The this should be simple to explain," Athena smiled, "The Nine Realms…" she began, starting a lesson that would lead long into the night…

~8~

Thor climbed down the ladder to the ground a short while after Jane had fallen sleep on one of the chairs, he'd just wanted to make sure she wouldn't fall off the trailer and had been pushing the other chairs on either side of her small cot to ensure she wouldn't topple over in her sleep. Athena had climbed down moments after Jane had drifted off and he could see, even in the darkness, that she was thinking deeply. Normally he'd give her space but he could tell that this was a moment of thought where she craved someone to talk to, where she was trying to decide how to phrase something.

He stepped up beside her and blinked, seeing that her arms weren't just crossed but that she was hugging herself slightly. He slipped his jacket off and draped it over her arm, startling her out of her thoughts.

"You went after me," she stated, turning to him. He was silent, waiting for her to continue, "You went after me and not Mjolnir. Why?" she shook her head, seeming genuinely confused about that, "I have been trying to think of a logical reason why you wouldn't go after the hammer instead of me this entire night and I cannot fathom it. It could not be because you knew the hammer wouldn't release for you, you were too startled when it happened. It couldn't have been that you thought I was so weak that I would be defenseless, you've seen me nearly break a man's neck with my thighs," she continued on, missing the faint pink of his blush at her reminder of that little trick that Sif had taught her, "I truly can't rationalize what you did Thor," she turned to him, "Why me? Why me and not Mjolnir?"

"I cannot give you a rational or logical answer Athena," he began, "I don't have one."

"Then give me AN answer."

Thor paused, considering what she'd brought up. Why HAD he gone aft r her and not Mjolnir? He had been so dead set on it, from the moment the drunk man began to speak of it, he'd had nothing else in mind for the rest of the day and night other than getting his hammer back. He'd launched an attack just to get to his hammer…but the moment he'd heard that SHE had been held there, that SHE was there, it was like his thoughts had diverted, had just completely changed without his realizing. He had tried to focus on the hammer, but…when he realized that the two guards could lead him to Athena, he hadn't even looked back at Mjolnir, he'd just…gone.

He was always trying to get Athena to do that too. She was all strategies and out thinking her opponent. When Loki had introduced her to an odd board game that was based heavily on strategy the two of them would go for hours trying to best the other. She could focus so much on how to fix a problem, on how to try and stop something with minimal destruction or loss that sometimes she missed what an opponent was doing. She based everything on her mind more than her skill with a blade. He was always trying to get her to trust her instincts, to just react, to get lost in the battle and be one with the sword. She struggled to do it too. She would rather stand before an opponent and duck blows for hours trying to work out a way to attack quickly and win than to truly fight back and go for blows that might not work. It had been her downfall on more than one occasion when they would duel at times. When he'd realized (when Loki pointed out) that she was testing his training so she could find the weak points in it, he had started to adapt, he had begun to use false moves to lure her into thinking he'd keep attacking and blocking like that and, when she'd go to truly attack there, he would use a different method to take her down. He'd started to change his reactions so she never knew what was coming and he'd often best her in doing so.

But if he was going to tell her to use instinct and trust it, he should be able to explain it to her as well. He would have to be able to tell her what drove his instinct, he would have to understand it. It was his opinion that reactions were as telling as anything and how someone reacted to something showed a lot of what they were made of, of what sort of person they were inside. WHAT had made him go after her and not Mjolnir? She was right in all counts, he hadn't known the hammer wouldn't work, he had known she'd likely be able to take care of herself, so why had he just gone after her instead?

"I couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt and I not being there to help you," he answered, going with the first thing that came to his head, another form of reaction, to be as honest with her as he could and to trust what his mind was telling him.

Athena blinked and stared at him for a long moment.

"You…were worried about me?"

"Yes," he sighed, "I know it is irrational, I know you can handle yourself and I knew, in my mind, I knew that you would work out a means to escape on your own. But when I heard they had you captive, I just...reacted. It was instinct Athena, to go to you, to try and find you."

"Why?" she frowned, seeming equally as confused about that.

"I care about you Athena," he shook his head, not entirely sure why she was so surprised to know that.

Athena looked down at that, letting out a breath at that declaration. She knew he cared, he always cared, about his friends, his warriors. One time Sif had broken her leg in a spar with Fandral, the man getting distracted by a lovely girl walking past. Thor had carried her the entire way to the healing rooms, had tended to her himself, had not spoken to Fandral for weeks after till the man prostrated himself before Sif and begged forgiveness. Another time Volstagg had gotten a little too drunk during a festivity and Thor had stopped drinking so that he could be sober enough to help Volstagg when he inevitably collapsed in a drunken stupor and had remained with the man through the night to ensure that he wouldn't react badly to so much mead. She hadn't heard much about Hogun save for that the native tongue of Asgard was not his own native tongue, Thor had been one of the first to accept him and to try and help him learn their language, to be able to communicate. She'd heard about that one more than witnessed it herself, it was before she knew them. And Loki, Thor was an extremely protective older brother, anyone who dared tease the boy about his magic had been met with Thor's fist. True, it wasn't the best way to defend his brother, physical violence, but it proved how much he genuinely cared about his family.

There were stories of his caring and protective nature, but it was so masked by the way he acted at times that it was all too easy to forget that he was a good man at heart.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Sorry?" he stared at her this time, not sure if she was apologizing for him caring about her or…

"I am…too hard on you," she turned back to him, "At times," she added, both of them knowing full well that other times he did deserve a swift kick in the backside for how he acted or what he did.

"I don't fault you for it Athena," he shook his head, "You…have a way of pointing out my faults and making me aware of them. I…don't always accept them, or try to change them but…perhaps I should. Arrogance is not a trait a wise king should have. Humility is."

Athena smiled at him, reaching out to touch his arm, "I am hard on you Thor because…my father was…an arrogant, arrogant man," she admitted, "He did things out of it that…hurt many people and caused for many, many more to be hurt. It took him ages to realize what he'd become and to change but it was too late. The damage had already been done, to his friends, his family, to everyone that he cared for. And I…" she let out a breath, "You are the future king of Asgard and I didn't want the same fate to befall you," she told him, "There were so many times I felt you saw yourself as the entitled prince instead of the next king, like with Jotunheim."

He nodded, understanding that, "I broke father's truce," he mumbled, "I attacked them. I brought war to Asgard for it," he shook his head, "A king's first concern is his people, not his pride."

Athena stepped closer to him and hugged him tightly, "You will make a magnificent and strong king one day Thor," she whispered to him, pulling back to look at him but he kept his arms around her, holding her close.

"Father always says the only reason he's the ruler he is, is because of the wisdom of the queen ruling beside him," he murmured, lifting a hand to touch her cheek.

But Athena stepped back out of his hold.

"Forgive me," he cleared his throat, "I overstepped my bounds."

"No," Athena shook her head, "It's not that," she clutched the jacket closer to her, "I…it's me."

"You?" he frowned, "You've done nothing wrong."

"No, I…" she sighed, "I don't…" this was hard to say, "I don't know how to…do this," she gestured between them, "All my life I have never been interested in men and…"

"Sif…" he realized.

"Or women," she rolled her eyes at him, seeing him give her at least a sheepish wince for his assumption, "I've just…never felt anything for them," she continued, "They were…beneath me?" she tried to find a word that didn't make her seem like a vain demon but there was really no other word to describe how she was, "I thought them pointless and unappealing and like an anchor meant to weigh me down and hold me back and…"

"I think I have gathered enough, Athena," Thor cut in.

"But that's the problem," she shook her head, hating to see the hurt look on his face for her words, "I always thought that and…it was fine," she looked at him, "I could be around men and not care. I could fight them and hurt them and behead them if I had to and I wouldn't bat an eyelash at it. And then…" she struggled, "And then I…"

Thor stepped closer, "You?"

She let out a long breath, "Then I met you," she looked at him, "And…I cared," she shrugged, "And at first you were this arrogant prince but…I saw more of you. And suddenly you weren't unimportant or unappealing or something holding me back but someone pushing me forward and pushing me to be better. You looked at me like I was an equal instead of a challenge."

"You ARE a challenge," he cut in, though there was a smile on his face as he said it, "But one that grows more so every day. One I…should like to spend more time trying to meet."

She blinked at that, meet, not beat, "And you…" she nodded to herself, "Are a man worthy to be king, so long as you keep the power of it from enlarging your head."

He let out a barking laugh at that, knowing that this time there was no bite in her remark, but also knowing that it was a start of something...new between them, a new understanding. All that time he thought she was just criticizing him about every flaw she saw in him while he remained silent of the ones he saw in her...but really she was genuinely trying to prevent him making the mistakes she had seen her father make and create the harms her father had.

"Well you shall just have to stay close and keep that from happening," he challenged.

"I think I know the perfect way to start," she smirked.

"Oh?" he stepped closer, looking down into her eyes.

Athena jus grinned and, before he could blink, had hopped up and grabbed his head in a choke hold.

"So that's how you want to play!?" he growled playfully and grabbed her leg, twisting and throwing her onto her back with a huff, only for her to knock his leg out from under him so that he landed flat on her. They looked at each other, their faces close, and Thor just started to lean down to brush his lips to hers when she used her weight to twist, rolling them over and starting the wrestling match again, neither of them caring as they rolled around in the dust of the desert.

~8~

It was quite the sight that greeted Jane when she woke the next morning to the sounds of grunting and thumps. For one single moment she sat up in alarm on her small cot-chair, thinking that some other activities that should NOT be going on in her trailer were going on in her trailer, only to realize that the sounds were coming from outside. She scrambled out of the cot and looked over the side of the trailer to see Erik and Darcy standing below, Darcy with her camera phone out and watching what appeared to be a very interesting wrestling match going on.

She hurried down the ladder and over to Erik's side, "What's going on?"

"I have no idea," the man nearly groaned, rubbing his head from his hangover as he gestured ahead, the noises and the actions going on before him were not helping his headache any, "I woke up and they were like that."

"Ouch!" Darcy winced with a laugh as Athena managed to get Thor on his back, with his arm gripped in her own, through her crossed legs, him half turned on the ground in her vice grip, "Smackdown blondie!"

"Which one is blondie?" Jane frowned, watching as Thor twisted out of the hold and he and Athena literally went at it in wrestling, in a far more brutal and physical manner than she knew most humans would be able to handle, she was starting to feel pains and bruises just watching them but they were smiling. They were just getting in headlocks and arm locks and sitting on each other and twisting and she was almost wishing that they'd been doing the other activities instead of this the ways their bodies were twisting and pressed together…

"Both," Darcy grinned, cheering even when Thor managed to lock Athena to the ground, till she gave up, "Dudes they've been doing this since you got back from the bar," she told them, "I only started recording it when it was light enough."

Erik just shook his head, it was too early for this, "I need some coffee," he muttered, before turning to head for town.

"Um…breakfast?" Jane called to the duo, wincing at how Thor was sitting on Athena's back, the woman looking none too amused as she crossed her arms under her chin and seemed to be trying to kick Thor with the back of her foot.

"Ah sustenance!" Thor cheered, leaping up and moving to help Athena up as well, "Our thanks Jane."

Jane just nodded, noting how Thor didn't let go of Athena's hand even as they stood. She let out a small breath of disappointment at that, but still, she'd only known Thor a short while, and he was taken. She was a rational woman by nature, she understood that Thor was a handsome man and yes, she was attracted to him. She was attracted to his physical appearance and to the adventure he had offered her. The thought that he was from the stars and could expand her research was extra. But logically, she knew that if he chose another person, which he clearly had, then that was his right. She was a woman who rescued him and, she liked to hope, an ally or friend to them both.

"Plenty of Pisces in the Cosmos Janie," Darcy slung her arm around Jane's shoulder and walked off towards town as Jane shook her head.

~8~

Darcy, Erik, and Jane watched as Thor and Athena cooked them breakfast, a small show of gratitude according to Athena. She pretty much was only able to manage toast with olive oil on it but they were grateful. Thor seemed to have an aptitude for making eggs and scooped them over to them as well, the two of them later joining the trio at the small table for breakfast.

"Thanks," Darcy grinned, digging in.

"You're very welcome," Thor smiled, pulling out a seat for Athena to sit before he sat beside her, in between her and Darcy, Jane on the other side of Athena. They all began to eat in quiet, just enjoying each other company and the tasty meal. It had to have been well prepared if it was gone so quickly. Thor and Athena smiled at that and stood, taking the plates with them to clean up, Athena washing while he dried…only to hear a tapping on the glass doors behind them.

"Found you!" a familiar voice called and they spun around to see it was Volstagg, he and the other Warriors, with Sif, standing there, waving at them.

Athena winced as Darcy, Jane, and Erik dropped their cups, shattering them on the ground in shock at the four people in clear warrior attire.

A/N: Little bit of Thor/Athena (Thorena? Athor? Athenor? Thona? I have no idea lol) starting here :) I know there was no real kiss here, but it'll be building up ;)

I was trying to get this chapter up earlier, to make it a Father's Day surprise, but it's after midnight now (for me) and I missed it :( My father decided, instead of family day at home, we would all be helping him work on a truck (he's a mechanic) that he needed to get finished today. We literally just got home about 1 hour ago and I really just wanted to get this chapter up. I gave it the quickest edit of my life lol, so I'll be going through it tomorrow to try and see if I missed anything. Unfortunately, that means that tomorrow's chapters might be delayed as well since these were so late :(

But still, Happy (belated) Father's Day! :)

Some notes on reviews...

This story is written from an OC's POV who hasn't grown up with Thor or trained with him as long as the Warriors 3/Sif have so her first impression of him is of an arrogant prince and I know from real life first impressions are hard to break. I like to think Athena wouldn't care about him or agree to go look out for him if she didn't see his good qualities either, but she does :) One thing that I try to do is plan my stories out over a series, so the things that I know about an OC and their history with a character won't just appear in the first chapter but spread out, though that usually leaves me in a tricky spot as things tie up nicely by the end of the whole series and may not be clear or make sense in the first story :( Such as the Athena not always winning against Thor and other flaws, patience is a virtue in that case :) I apologize if you felt the original moments I added were 'douchey' I try to add more to a movie because the OC tends to need more to get in their head. I don't actually think Thor's only qualities before banishment were arrogance and pride, THIS was the chapter where Athena remarked on some of his past deeds that were noble, it had to come about in a heartfelt talk instead of just out of nowhere and I felt this was a good point for them to truly talk :) As for Loki's remark...I'm an older sibling, my younger siblings get away with everything, I DO actually tell them not to get too worried when they fight with my parents because they always end up forgiven while our parents hang every mistake over my head for years after. (Literally, I made a small dent in the spoiler of my car accidently backing into a snowbank...never let me forget it, my brother totals his car slamming into a telephone pole, never ever mentioned and he got a new car.) So I interpreted Loki's remark as a jealous younger brother that sees his brother as the 'golden child' that his parents adore despite his obvious flaws. So no, I didn't quite take Loki's remark at face value but more from a personal understanding. I tried to describe in the actual chapter (from Loki's thoughts) how Athena was able to best Thor as Loki saw her studying and testing Thor's moves in a defensive way to gauge his reactions before actually attacking, but I didn't exactly say she always beat Sif in physical combat, the only thing she's always beaten her in at that point was hiding more weapons on her person lol. I actually do have a reason for Athena to be a dominant warrior and as perceptive as she is (that has nothing to do with what I know of the movie), but we won't find out till The Dark World (as mentioned, I like to plan things out and tie things in and foreshadow). Your suggestions to improve her by having her not be a Mary Sue don't really offer suggestions on HOW to improve her though :/ She doesn't have a low opinion of Thor, one of her faults is that when she's frustrated she lets out the lesser thoughts about people (something which would be addressed in the Avengers story to follow), as this chapter proved, she has a very high opinion of him, she just thought he needed a lesson in humility to truly be able to express it to others :) I genuinely do think that some of the mannerisms and quirks Thor displayed to Jane/Erik/Darcy could be interpreted as arrogance and disrespect (from their POV), as I can tell Isabela was likely very offended by him smashing her cup, and that if he'd been more humble, his true respect for them would have come through more :) But I do have to say thank you! I'm so glad you think she's a know it all, that's intentional and part of the foreshadowing ;) That's also one of her flaws, much like with Hermione in HP, so the fact that you find that irritating makes my day ;) As for feeling my last reply was flippant, I'm sorry if you feel that way. I've written so much fanfiction and had the full spectrum of thoughts on OCs that I really don't blame anyone for not liking an OC or how I interpret a character in a movie, every one has their own opinion. I do fully believe, if you dislike the story, that others would be a better use of your reading time, and for that I'll never fault anyone who stops reading. I genuinely would rather have people read a story they enjoy than suffer through ones they don't :)

There probably won't be references to the animated series for Star Wars, nope, just the 2 movies :)

Lol, you bring up very good points about the events prior to banishment :) I'm looking forward to Athena's reaction to Erik in The Dark World too :)

We probably won't see Clint here, just because he was in the background for SHIELD, but we'll see some more of him in the Avengers ;)

Thanks, I agree, I believe Thor's views, especially with the Jotuns (ending them and saving them), shows a lot of change in him :) You make some good points :)