Loki and Thor moved forward as Zully staggered behind in awe at her surroundings. From the distance Zully could quite literally hear the bridge humming with life and full of power. She could even feel the vibration of it under her feet. Everything about the bridge was magical and Zully couldn't even put into words how surreal her surroundings where to her.
The sky was pastel in soft hues of pink and blue while the city had a striking contrast of gold.
Historians around the world have theorized so much about Asgard from old lore found in ancient books, but not one has actually had the privilege of being there in person. Even when Asgard became a thing of reality and no longer remained a myth, people couldn't exactly book a vacation in this city.
"Heimdall." Thor addressed the tall man standing in a dome like room from which the rainbow bridge began, as he walked forward.
From the nod of recognition, the man gave him, it was clear he knew who Thor was and respected him.
"Thor." The man stated stoically. "There are orders to have you arrested for treason against the Allfather."
Heimdall was dressed in head to toe gold. His beautiful chocolate skin pocked out of his helmet only ever so slightly so that his golden eyes were visible.
"As you can see I had very good reasons." Thor motioned to the near lifeless Jane in his arms.
"I do. For there is not a single thing I fail to see. But it is my duty to the Allfather to alert him of your arrival." Heimdall paused and gave Thor a glance over, "Time is all I can offer you, your highness." The man turned away from Thor as if to give him a running start.
The god of thunder wasted no time, he gave a glance over to Loki who still looked exhausted from their last teleportation but with a nod of understanding the urgency Loki placed a hand on Thor's arm and then before transporting Thor and Jane, Loki turned to glance at Zully over his shoulder and called to her, "I will return for you. – I have not the strength nor energy to transport you as well." With a deep breath they were gone and a soft ripple in the air was all that was left.
She couldn't help but note how the latter portion of Loki's sentence seemed to be a self inflicted wound to his ego.
Zully suddenly noted she was left alone with Heimdell and she could feel her chest tighten with awkwardness unsure of how to address this majestic all-seeing Asgardian guard in front of her.
"Hi." She awkwardly spewed out despising the silence. "I'm-." Zully began
""I know who you are child. Zully Watson. Midgardian. Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D"
"Do you like know…everything?" Zully asked nervously.
"I watch over 10 trillion beings a day in all of our 9 realms. Yes I know everything about everyone. It is my job." His voice was almost mechanic but in the same manner it was stoic and regal.
Zully could feel the thousands of questions she wanted to blurt out at him forming in her chest. The historian in her was clearly begging to escape. How many other people in her profession had been to an alien civilization and SPOKEN to an actual guard of these people.
However, just as quick as the excitement hit her it died down when she remembered why they were even there in the first place. Jane.
"Did you see what happened?" Zully prodded.
"I did but in the same sense I did not. For precisely 3 minutes Jane and yourself were no longer of ANY realm. Somehow you two were out of my field of vision." She nodded still not understanding how any of what was happening was possible. Not even an all-seeing guard could help her and that very much frightened her.
In exhaustion Loki fabricated through his teleportation. Heimdale starred him down as he rested his hand on Zully and took a few deep breaths before balancing himself steady and making eye contact with the Asgardian guard.
"While it is not odd to see you on the opposite side of the law, but it is odd that for once that it is for a moral reason God of Mischief."
"Oh shut up." Loki turned his back to the guard and placed his hand on Zully's bicep. As she knew they were about to teleport out of instinct she still shut her eyes although she knew she no longer felt uneasy anymore.
When she opened her eyes they had arrived at the futuristic looking medical center where Thor held Jane desperately in his hands shouting for a doctor to arrive.
"She needs help." Thor bellowed clearly ignoring Loki as he passed through him. The females stationed there wore strange robes that appeared to be their uniform since they all dawned exactly the same one.
The women were quick to listen to Thor and at once had him put her down on a pod that instantly displayed all of her body readings in a projection for the them. From the distance it was obvious she was very frail and her heart rate was dropping at an alarming rate.
Zully inched closer to the pod were the Asgardian healers worked on Jane. She could hear Loki and Thor softly arguing in the background but she drowned them out as she stared at the practically lifeless scientist.
"You." One of the Asgardian female healers called out to her.
"Yes?"
"You were affected too, weren't you?" Her palm reached out to grab Zully's wrist before she could even respond and with her other palm she hovered over almost touching her wrist. By doing this the woman made her skin look transparent and to her surprise her veins glowed red under the woman's palm.
Zully instantly recoiled from the woman as they both stared at one another in shock.
"Look." The woman motioned for her to get closer to Jane.
"Her veins look the exact same as yours." The woman was right. As she made Jane's wrist appear transparent too her veins glowed the exact same hue of red as Zully's.
"Can I help her?" Zully mumbled still in shock.
"Possibly." The healers watched as Zully stared at her own veins confused.
Of course she wanted to help Jane, but she couldn't help but think about what this all meant for her. What was she? Who was she? What could she do?
Her chest felt heavy and without another second of hesitation she reached over and pressed her palms against Jane's shoulders and shut her eyes hoping for the best. To her surprise she did not get blasted half way across the Asgardian medical center like the doctors did in Stark Towers. She could feel a tickle against her palm and all she could think about was what if it didn't work.
She could feel someone nearing her but she did not hesitate. She knew it was Loki just by the way he tried to creep up behind her.
"Picture her waking up. Healthy. Make it into a reality." Loki's whisper penetrated her concentration as soft as a lullaby, but she did exactly as he suggested. She heard a few gasps around the room but she didn't dare open her eyes for fear of getting distracted. "Open your eyes Zully." His voice spoke again almost as a command.
As she opened her eyes she noticed her hands were glowing red just like the energy that flowed through their veins. She could feel herself getting lightheaded and before she knew it she as falling back against the marble floor.
•
•
•
Zully awoke in a medical pod of her own. Her infrared body outline was displayed in a projection much like Jane's was a few…seconds…ago? How long had she even been out? She still felt lightheaded when all of her memories of attempting to heal Jane flooded her brain.
"She's awake." The healer watching over her shouted and soon Thor and Loki rushed over to her.
"Thor, I'm sorry I really tried." His smile looked out of place and her confusion was quickly answered as a familiar face that belonged to a scientist followed behind him.
"Jane!" Zully shouted happier than ever to see her looking full of life. "You're ok!" Zully perked up seeing the skin on Jane's face back to its normal tone.
Jane embraced her tightly and whispered a soft thank you into her ear.
"For now I am, we still have a lot to figure out about what's inside of us." Jane stated in her usual upbeat tone.
"Your highness, the Allfather has been alerted of your presence here on Asgard." One of the healers rushed into the room appearing out of breath.
Zully's eyes instantly trailed onto Loki and she could see the frightened expression in his face that he was trying to suppress.
Guards adorned in a similar regal shiny gold armor that Heimdall had worn entered the room in a marching formation. Each of them had their spears pointed towards them in an attack defense and they parted to make way for a man dressed in similar attire but it was clear he was different than the average solider. He had an eyepatch covering his right eye. The man bore a striking similarity to the god of thunder that stood in front of them, although his long hair was white along with his beard and mustache.
"My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely." The man spoke loud and laced with poison.
Thor was quick to march up to his father to make sure no harm was to come to them. It was clear that everyone in the room was frightened by this man.
"Father. She is ill." Thor said pleading.
"No matter. My first born you disobey me." The heelers made way for the man as he strided with great confidence towards Jane. "There are healers on Midgard called doctorswhom can help her there." The earthly vocabulary sounded foreign to him.
"I did what I had to father, her illness needs help that only Asgard can provide."
"Nonsense. She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table." The only thing that stood between the man and Jane was Thor.
Jane's jaw dropped and Zully could easily see the anger raging through her.
"Did he just?" She turned to Zully and then shouted louder. "Who do you think you are." Her hands were balled up into fists at her side.
"I am Odin. King of Asgard." The old man answered bitterly.
"Oh." Jane said awkwardly crossing her arms.
Thor looked behind him to check Jane and Loki looked more invisible than ever. He removed himself from them and stood camouflaged in the distance towards the healers.
"Think not that you go unnoticed my son." Odin's eyes turned towards the god of mischief who let out a sigh of annoyance.
"Hello Father." He stepped forward with a smile. "Happy to see me again?" Loki mocked.
"Loki is innocent in this father." Thor began, "I begged for his assistance and it was I that freed him from his cell. I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary, but for now I beg of you to aid us in getting Jane the treatment she needs."
"This is ridiculous." Odin scoffed. "Guards, take them back to Midgard."
The guards that walked in before Odin moved towards Jane and Zully as the two looked helpless unsure of how to react.
"I wouldn't do that." Thor shouted to no avail as a guard reached forward to grab Jane's arm only to be met with the same red blast that the doctors on Earth where met with. Jane fell to the ground and once again reverted back to her frail state. Clearly whatever was causing those blasts was not good for her health or body.
"Something is within her father, something neither I or Loki understand."
The Allfather quickly ran to Jane and waved his palm above her wrist much like the healers had earlier. The red energy flowing through her veins was exposed to the elderly man and suddenly he was beginning to understand Thor's worry for his Midgardian lover.
"I cannot believe it." Odin said almost out of breath. Fear rose in his eyes. "Clear the room." He ordered in a demanding tone and instantly the healers and guards walked out in unison.
With his staff Odin formed a projection against the hospital plain wall that formed stars and constellations which he could easily maneuver through them with his hand.
"I remember this. You used to tell Loki and I these tales as children from the family storybook." Thor softly put his hand through the projection of the stars and stopped on one planet in particular. Svartalfheim was the name under the planet.
"There are relics that pre-date the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them as well. The Dark Elves referred to it as the Aether. It is fluid and everchanging created by their leader Malekeith. However ,after centuries of endless bloodshed my father Bor finally triumphed against Malekeith. He killed every single last one of them, the Aether was said to be destroyed with them." Odin stared into the thin air with a blank expression clearly still stuck in a memory of a time long ago.
"Well clearly you're wrong. The Aether is here and present within them." Loki said in a seething tone making his presence in the room known.
"Them?" The Allfather raised a brow looking directly at Jane.
"Zully here came into contact with the stone as well, but her condition is entirely the antithesis of Jane's." Thor responded unsure of how much to elaborate to the Allfather.
"Interesting." He neared Zully and she was positive he could tell she was clearly nervous in his presence.
"Would you consider that there is a possibility that the aether has taken her as its hosts as Malekeith once did." Loki looked perplexed and in a state of genuine thought. It was odd that even he was at a loss.
"Yes. I suppose so." Odin said to no one in particular.
Jane and Zully glanced over at one another with a sudden alarming expression.
"Tomorrow the both of you will receive your punishments in front of the court and people of Asgard. They surely will not be as kind as I have just now been." Odin retreated from his sons and began to walk forward towards the entrance of the room.
"Guards take them to the guest chambers. For it is their last night of freedom." Odin passed the threshold of the doors and the guards immediately turned on them.
"Father. You dare risk imprisoning your heir and future king of Asgard?" Thor asked with rage as two guards firmly grabbed at his arms holding his biceps down to begin moving.
"No. I risk not as a future king of Asgard as one would never disobey his current king as you have done so." Odin scoffed cruelly as he glared at his first born son. Thor nodded in disgust and it was then that the room fell silent and no one filled the room with anymore commentary.
Neither Loki or Thor gave much of a struggle and simply obliged with their father's orders and allowed themselves to be ushered into their guest bedrooms by the guards.
•
•
•
Zully was no expert in what a strong father figure should look like, but all she knew was that Odin was definitely not father of the year. For Thor and Loki's sake, she had hoped he was all bark and no bite and he wouldn't really subject his sons to be trialed for treason against the king…their own father. She saw the hurt in both of the brothers and she couldn't help but feel sorry for them, if this was just a glimmer of what Odin as a father was like she could only imagine how it was like having him for a father every day.
She laid in her guest chamber staring at the high ceilings wondering what her purpose in all of the mess was. Somehow she had awoken Jane from her vegetable like state and now she was living breathing talking and walking, but how? Did it mean she had magic like Loki? She had so many questions it was driving her insane. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. So she shut her eyes and lay still and silent until it took her.
Her mind needed the rest even though she felt perfectly fine without sleep.
In her dreams she awoke on a soft bed in a garden in the middle of a meadow. The sun felt as real as it did back on Earth. The flowers even smelled like real flowers.
She smiled feeling at peace wrapping the covers around her body.
As she opened her eyes and stared at the blue sky and white clouds, Zully couldn't help but wonder how odd it was that she was dreaming of herself being asleep. But she gave herself the benefit of the doubt, it had been a long time since she had a dream. Sleep never consumed her for more than 3 hours at a time, which never allowed her body to fully enter a dream like trance.
She could feel a tickling sensation on her legs making way to her stomach.
"What?" She mumbled still in her happy as can be sleep.
As Zully lifted the sheets she panicked and fully opened her eyes. Her heart stopped and her fists balled into a defensive state.
"My pet. What in the nine realms has gotten into you?" Lorelei's sleepy voice perplexed her.
"Why are you here." Zully asked swatting away Lorelei's hands from her exposed legs.
"Because you want me to be. And well maybe if we are being honest, I want to be here too." Lorelei's blonde hair was naturally wavy and fell into her face and in all honesty…she was beautiful. Her eyes glowed and Zully had to stop and truly analyze her statement….did she really want her in her dreams?
"Why would I want you here. You put a knife through me." Zully retorted still keeping her distance from the hungry eyed blonde.
"Tsk tsk. You really think that was personal? Let us just say that someone I work for wanted me to test the god of mischief and see exactly how low he had really fallen. I knew Loki would heal you my pet." Lorelei inched closer to Zully letting the covers fall of her body. As Zully looked down she realized they were wearing the same thing. A white tank top with white underwear.
"How did you know?"
"Because I knowLoki."
"So you just used me to get to him" Zully said with a hurt tone.
Lorelei's big blue eyes peered into hers. "Are you jealous?"
"Of you and Loki?" Zully scoffed curious to why she was even taking their conversation serious. They were in a dream after all. Weren't they?
"I was his pet a long time ago much like you are mine now." Lorelei cooed brushing up against Zully's legs once again, but this time much slower.
"I don't believe you." Zully teased. "He would've mentioned that to me after you-" Zully could've finish her sentence with certainty. Her voice showed clear signs of confusion and a war within herself.
"After I, what?" Lorelei prodded her.
"You know what." Zully said shyly not wanting to elaborate.
"You mean after I gave you the best night of your life."
"That's not true." Zully was quick to fight back.
"Really? Then name one man who has even half the skills that I do."
Zully stared at her blankly and was unable to even come up with any kind of defense. She looked like a fool for Lorelei. Memories of their night together flooded her mind and suddenly she felt a strange wave of arousal that she hated.
"That's what I thought" Lorelei giggled making Zully blush crimson.
"Who do you work for?" Zully asked boldly ignoring the hand that creeping up her thigh.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Lorelei said in a breathy tone.
"Yes. I would." Zully said with a blank face.
"How far would you go to know the truth."
"As far as I need to go."
Zully kept herself calm and collected as she realized what she doing. She was toying with Lorelei and it could work in her favor or it could easily work against her. Lorelei's hand reached out to Zully as she pushed back a few strands of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear.
Her hand reached out to meet Lorelei's and suddenly she realized she would do whatever it took to get what she needed and her mind was made up. Lorelei gleamed as she realized Zully had given into her and with just one look, Lorelei wrapped Zully up in an affection embrace.
"Oh how I've missed you." Lorelei mumbled as her lips were only inches away from Zully's.
Zully pressed her lips into Lorelei's while Lorelei's nails softly dug into Zully's back leaving soft red marks. Zully's tongue outlined Lorelei's lips and Lorelei couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness in her defeat.
Breaking away from their passionate kiss, Zully put her hands against Lorelei's shoulders and thrust her against the bed. Zully gave Lorelei the once over look as she stared down onto her. Lorelei's legs opened for Zully as she forced her way between her legs.
Lorelei being aroused was an understatement.
"I won't ask again." Zully glared at Lorelei's hungry face.
"Who." Her hands roughly spread Lorelei's legs open.
"Do." Zully reached for the hem's of Lorelei's white underwear much to her pleasure.
"You." She teased her hands close to her entrance clearly noticing that Lorelei did not want to drag the investigation any further.
"I'll tell you." She reached for Zully's wrist with a soft whisper.
"Go on." Zully's hot breath teased her womanhood.
"Malekeith. He knows who you are. He knows everything." Lorelei fidgeted appeared uncomfortable by her revelation. "He knows you're on Asgard." She said the latter with great hesitation in her tone.
WHAT
Zully awoke in a cold sweat. She touched her skin quickly and discovered she was not in the white attire but in the grey silk guest pajamas provided by the guards. Was it all real?Her hand shot to her lips and she could feel the soft bite marks left behind.
Her heart was racing as she gripped the sheets close to her.
She needed to talk to someone.
•
•
•
After splashing some water in her face Zully felt as calm as she possibly could be under the circumstances when she felt determined to escape from her room. With a soft exhale she pressed her hands against the golden door and closed her eyes. Loki's words from earlier echoed in her mind and she tried her best to visualize her door unlocking. It felt eternal until she finally heard a loud unlocking noise alerting her that she was successful.
There were no guards standing in front of their rooms but she did not know for how much longer. As she walked, she studied the long and eerie hallway. The stone structure of the walls looked more like a coliseum than a home.
"What do you want?" Loki opened his door just as she arrived in front of it. His sinister green eyes darted at her with irritation.
"You?" Her eyes widened when the realization that it was him who unlocked her door hit her. Her cheeks felt hot as she internally scolded herself for allowing her mind to think it was her doing.
"If it makes you feel better, you almost opened the door yourself."
"Really?" A bit of joy still lingered in her chest.
"No." He said suddenly. "But I could feel your energy being forced on opening your door. I saw no harm in unlocking it for you."
Her stomached curled and the reminder that she had news to tell him settled. She couldn't help but feel drunk with information, she wanted noshe needed to talk to someone about everything.
"Let me in." Zully demanded. "We should talk."
He rolled his eyes at her but he obliged and soon Zully was in his guest chambers that looked identical to hers.
Knowing she had a lot to say to him, Zully decided to make herself comfortable by sitting at the edge of Loki's guest bedroom while Loki stood directly in front of her waiting for her to continue.
"I saw Lorelei." Zully blurted unsure of how to start the conversation.
"Here?" Loki's brows furrowed.
"Yes? No?" He looked at her in confusion but eagerly awaited her explanation. "I don't know. I saw her in my dream. She said she was only there because I wanted her there but then she added that she wanted to be there herself. But then…she told me something. She isn't working alone, she is working with Malekeith, the leader of the Dark Elves your father mentioned in the medical center earlier." Her words turned into a ramble as she felt herself unable to stop spewing out words.
"He isn't my father." Loki said through gritted teeth disregarding the original purpose of her speaking.
"Whatever point is, Malekeith isn't so dead like he was in Odin's story. If we can find the book maybe it states where he quote on quote died. Wherever he is, so is Lorelei."
"Lorelei just gaveyou all this information." His attention was clearly peaked. "How can you be so sure it is not just more of her lies."
"No." Zully admitted only a tad bit ashamed. "I might have persuaded her."
"What did you give her?" Loki asked clearly not catching on to what Zully said.
"Uh- I kind of went down on her in my dream." Loki blinked a few times not expecting Zully to say what she had just said.
"I see." He pondered silently.
An awkward silence lingered the air that felt almost painful.
"She told me the two of you have been…intimate in the past." Her tone could easily have been confused for a jealous ex girlfriends but it was simply Zully trying to divert the conversation.
"I never said we weren't." He quickly countered with a devilish grin.
"Ok well you never said you did. That information would've been greatly appreciated." Zully huffed stirring a soft laugh out of Loki. "Then you easily could've been the one who forced this information out of her."
"By gods Zully." Loki sighed. "I was not aware we were going to such extremes." He crossed his arm
"Jane is dying, we both saw how weak she gets when that energy inside of her-inside of us- activates. I don't know what else to do." For the first time all day Zully said her problems out loud and it felt strange hearing how out of the norm her life was quickly becoming.
"So, you believe Lorelei to be connected to all of this?" Loki asked pulling her out of spiral.
"Yes." She answered surely.
"Come to think of it, it would actually make sense. Loreli has always been drawn to evil leaders, she was never one to start something herself. She can't help be a mere pawn even after all these decades."
"Evil leaders huh? Like you?" Zully raised a brow suddenly feeling bold.
"Are you really never going to let this go?" Loki buried his face into his hands clearly annoyed.
"Ugh- I'm only human cut me some slack, we are curious by nature. I can't help but wonder so many questions." Zully muttered laced with sarcasm. "I just can't imagine you two, she's-"
"A succubus." Loki interrupted.
"Not what I was going to say, she just seems like maybe she could be a nice person."
"You do remember she stabbed you and almost killed you."
"Yes." Zully answered with a tight lip.
Before either Zully or Loki could continue the conversation any further, Loki's bedroom door went flying off the hinges resulting in a thudding vibration felt all throughout the room. A very much exhausted Thor stood at the opposite end, he did not appear as his usual mountain of perfect health. For once since the first time since Zully had seen him, he looked sweaty and out of breath.
Jane clung to his back like a child looking absolutely frail and drained of energy. While he briefly caught his breath he peered behind him to check on the scientist, the frail image of her seemed to suddenly give him the strength to continue moving.
"You two?" Thor pointed his finger between the two of them with a confused stricken face. "Lady Zully it would have been nice to know you left your chamber, I would be much less exhausted right now if I had not just also barged down your chamber door." Thor said half serious and half with a laugh.
Zully still sat cross legged on Loki's bed as she let out a soft laugh with an embarrassed and equally apologetic expression plastered on her face.
"Brother, when will you regain your magical strength to teleport us to Midgard?" A soft plead was heard in Thor's question.
It was clear to all of them that they were no longer safe in Asgard.
"Around tomorrow morning at the earliest, I just need to rest and recharge." Loki said with no pleasure. It was strange not seeing the Norse brothers at each other's throats. Loki might not have said it out loud or would ever but he did care whether Jane lived or died. He understood how much she meant to his brother.
"Very well." Thor nodded double checking that Jane was secure on his back. "We must retreat to the Dark Forest, for that should camouflage us from Father."
The expression on the Norse gods faces did not present this "Dark Forest" they spoke up in a favorable light. There was a hallow lack of emotion in both of their eyes when the name was brought up.
"Brother, are you aware of the risks?" Loki asked surprised at his brothers choice of lodging.
Thor sighed in defeat, which was an odd sight to bestow. "Have we a choice? Magic does not work in that forest, it is our only chance. Not even Heimdale can see us."
"Very well, then so be it." Loki answered as he began to walk and manifested his green coat back on from before.
"Wait," Zully half shouted catching both the brothers immediate attention, "before we leave. We need your family's story book which he recanted that history lesson from today. I think whatever answers I have about what is in us could be found there."
Thor looked to understand her reasoning but yet began to nod, "It is in the Allmother's Great Library. It's under heavy surveillance and there is no way we could steal-"
"No need." Loki sourly interrupted as if irritated Thor even began to speak. "I stole the original long ago, it has for many years been in my personal library."
At that point Thor couldn't be bothered to even remotely care, he simply served a blank expression.
"Very well. Brother. Zully-" Thor patted Loki's shoulder rougher than Loki would've liked judging by his facial expression, then gave Zully a soft look over as if he was worried about leaving her alone. "I will meet you two there I must set up camp. Jane is very ill and exhausted."
Loki and Zully nodded as the god of thunder began down the hallway. As Thor left so did the somber energy in the room from when he arrived.
Zully and Loki decided to waste no time in wondering how long it would take the guards to come storming down the visitor hall. Before leaving in her pajamas, Loki sighed and materialized Zully a green loose sweatshirt and black athletic pants. With a soft exhale Loki used his magic to make the two of them appear invisible as he guided them towards his bedroom.
Sorry I've redone this chapter about a thousand times now but I swear this is the last time! Please review and let me know what you think :-)