Ronan nearly died upon seeing Heimdall.

He knew the Norse gods were real - even if technically they weren't gods - courtesy of Thor and Loki, but seeing others was something else. It was more than just hearing about them, knowing of them, it was finding out they were real and tangible and standing right in front of him holy shit.

Ronan knew Heimdall by a different name, but it was similar enough that it didn't throw him off by much. Not as much as Loki being Thor's brother instead of a sort of uncle.

Oh, and the whole...frost giant thing. Obviously, some human knowledge would not actually match up with the actuality of things, but it was pretty damn close. It was slightly impressive, especially when he realised that his mother's versions of the legends seemed to match up closer to the things he'd found out through Thor. It was odd, but almost comforting in a way.

It meant he wasn't on the verge of panicking at the sudden realisation that he was in space and surrounded by aliens and they all had the capacity to kill him. Because he was pretty sure the Norse gods had some form of morals, and didn't have the Greek gods ability to either sleep with every living thing or turn them into spiders for beating them in a weaving contest.

Ronan was firmly ignoring the whole Loki-horse incident.

Jane was saying about having to try that again, not having noticed the man with golden eyes yet. Ronan was firmly in the 'only if absolutely necessary' section, and was truly amazed he could still breathe considering all things. He started badly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning only to see Thor looking at him in concern.

"You look unwell."

"Space travel. After New York...not a big fan of portals into space." He admitted, sticking his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He had the sudden urge to just disappear. Just fall through the floor and not deal with this. That would mean he'd be dead, though, and he'd crushed the little voice that told him it would be easier if he was gone a while back.

A while back, meaning a few months. After New York. "Even if there isn't an army waiting on the other side."

"I didn't think about that." Jane now looked concerned. "Are you -"

"I'm here. Thor, introduce us?" And now Jane took notice of Heimdall and her eyes grew wide.

"Who -?"

"Jane, Ronan, this is Heimdall." Thor introduced them and Jane may have been stuck on whether to bow or curtsy. Ronan noted that Heimdall's lips twitched in amusement.

"The keeper of the bifrost. Seer of all realms. My mother mentioned something about you having, like, nine mothers. I don't know if that's true though. A lot of myths get tangled up with facts." Ronan was well aware he was babbling, and that Jane was giving him a look between worry and 'please shut up'. Fortunately, Heimdall only looked mildly impressed. As well as amused.

"The myth regarding my parentage is just that - a myth."

"Oh." Ronan managed. "I...I did the babbling thing. I need to stop doing the babbling thing. The last time I did the babbling thing I told my therapist he smelt like cabbage and misery."

"You had a therapist?" Jane asked.

"Had being the keyword." Ronan replied. "I think it was the misery that did it. Then I took some meds for my whole messed up brain thing which Tony is paying for because he loves me."

"I was not aware that you and the man of iron were...like that." Thor said, voice awkward as they left the...arrival room? That sounded right. Jane burst into laughter and Ronan decided to clear up that miscommunication immediately.

"Not like that. He calls me kid, I provide human interaction and he offers to buy me a penthouse in New York." Ronan shrugged. Jane frowned.

"I wish someone would offer to buy me a penthouse in New York."

XoooX

Ronan wondered if there was any possible way to send his father to Asgard for treatment. Partially because then he wouldn't have to scrape together the money to keep him on life support, but mostly because the medical equipment was far more advanced than whatever they had on earth.

This thing they had Jane set up on was apparently called a soul forge, powered by magic because it definitely was magic. Even if magic was just something undiscovered or unexplained by science, Ronan would always find it magical.

All the healers working on Jane, Ronan realised, were female. Women with their hair pulled back into buns, created with intricate braids, wearing blue outfits that reminded Ronan of what the medical staff would wear in Star Trek. Maybe he was trying to compare odd things in this strange world to something from home. To ground him a bit.

Even so, it wasn't working. He was all to aware that the machines were nothing like home, or like the ones in Star Trek. He would give anything for the old, almost laughable scenes in the original series right now.

"That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" Jane reached out to try and touch the golden particles above her as Thor and Ronan watched on.

"It's a soul forge." The healer replied and Ronan tuned out the conversation, turning to look at Thor.

"Do you have any idea…?" Thor shook his head at Ronan's question.

"This...whatever it is, is not of Asgard. I have not seen it on any other realm either." Thor frowned slightly, managing a smile when Jane glanced at him, eyes wide and full of curiosity.

The atmosphere was shattered by an old man making an appearance.

Ronan stood stock still, taking in his appearance - Asgardian armour of fine make, the fabric rich and the metal gleaming. Despite the white hair, the beard, the sign of age taking its toll, he walked strongly, with a purpose, as though he were as young as Thor. And he had an eyepatch, made of metal.

Ronan knew who he was immediately, and he couldn't stop staring.

"Do my words sound like mere noises?" Oh, he was angry, and it took all of Ronan's strength to not flinch as one stormy eye looked between Ronan and Jane. "For it appears you do not seem to hear anything but noise."

"They're my friends." Thor said, looking righteous and just as angry. "She's ill."

"She's mortal." The other Asgardian retorted. "Illness is a defining trait of them." He waved a hand, and the soul forge went dark, the flickering golden grains vanished. "They don't belong on Asgard anymore than a goat belongs at a banquet table." Ronan let out a quiet noise of indignation and Jane sat up, staring at the Asgardian. Ronan made to tell her to shut up, but was too late.

"Who do you think you are?" She snapped, obviously angered and indignant and Ronan wanted to die.

"I -"

"He's Odin." Ronan said, despite himself. "King of Asgard, protector of the Nine Realms, Allfather." He didn't include the fact that he was father to Thor. That wasn't needed, judging by Jane's slack mouth. Odin looked at him with a narrow gaze.

"And you are the lucky one, Ronan Spire, whom my son and Loki have spoken of." For once, Ronan ignored the lucky comment, latching onto the mention of his name.

"Loki spoke of me?"

"It is of no import." Odin turned to the guards. "Take them back to the bifrost."

Ronan thought the fact that Loki had deemed him important enough to mention was very important, but that was not the current issue. The current issue was that, as soon as a guard made to grab Jane's arm, he was blown back by whatever the hell she'd contracted. Thor ran to her as she lay down again, too pale, too weak. The god ran a hand through her hair, soft and gentle.

"Jane? Are you alright?" He was soon joined by Odin, who ran a hand just above Jane's arm and immediately looked troubled.

"That's impossible." He murmured, and Ronan made his way forward, closer. He could see it, now, red coursing through Jane's veins. Red that wasn't blood, something much more sinister.

"It's...defending her?" A healer said and Ronan shook his head.

"It's defending itself." He looked up at Thor. "That's it, right? Whatever this is...it isn't just an infection."

"Now do you see why I brought her here?" Thor asked his father, while helping Jane to her feet. The king of Asgard pursed his lips, but made no comment on how Thor was obviously in the right.

Ronan decided that he wasn't too keen on Odin.

"Come with me." Was all he said in response. "I have something to show you."

They made their way after Odin, Ronan on the other side of Jane, mostly concerned about her, and partially listening to what Odin was telling them. He was looking for clues, hints on what was going on. Many times he wanted to ask questions, but managed to restrain himself. He didn't want half truths, whatever tales this man would weave. He had a feeling that he had constructed half truths before.

When Odin spoke of the relics, Ronan couldn't hold back.

"You're talking about the stones, aren't you?" He blurted, and felt himself flush when Thor, Odin and Jane turned to look at him. "My...my mother told me stories. She said...before the birth of the world, as the universe was created, within it came six stones. Each controlled an aspect of power - time, space, power, mind, soul and...reality." He managed. "They were scattered through the cosmos, as they were too powerful for a single person to command, if not for the creation of...of a gauntlet. She said that whoever wielded all six with the gauntlet would have the ability to shape the universe as they see fit, with merely a thought." Odin nodded, looking surprised.

"It appears as though your mother knew more than most mortals." He said, walking over to a book, flicking through pages with a purpose. "What resides within her appears to be one of them."

"A stone?" Jane frowned. "But it's...not a stone?"

"Reality stone." Ronan hazarded. "Able to take whatever form. I mean, it can bend reality."

"Exactly. Tell me, did she ever tell you of dark elves, your mother?" Odin asked and Ronan nodded.

"Yes. She...said they reigned in a land where darkness was eternal, and it granted them power. They had control of some sort of energy...something called aether. Only, their leader wanted to absorb it and use its power to cast eternal night over all nine realms. Bor killed them all. He wiped out an entire race, just like that. Or, at least, that's what the Asgardians were left to believe - my mother said that it was never easy to destroy an entire race. It never is. There are always at least remnants, stragglers, and they remained angry and bitter for the injustice they had been granted." Ronan stuck his chin out slightly at Odin's look of outrage. "Mass genocide is never an answer. Mortals tried it more than once - we are not so dissimilar, us and Asgardians."

"How dare -"

"This is not the time to argue over differences." Thor butted in, probably saving Ronan's life. "That does not explain how the aether got into Jane - or how to remove it." Odin shook his head, and Jane went startlingly pale.

"As far as I know, there is no way to remove it."

XoOoX

Hahaha this took ages and I hit writer's block.

Fingers crossed, once I actually reach plot points with Loki things will be coming out quicker. Unfortunately, it's waiting to reach said plot points that is a difficulty.

I'm currently doing way too much overtime at work due to like no staff, and now winter's approaching quicker than ever, I'm getting tireder much quicker. Hopefully we'll have more staff soon and I'll have Tuesday and Friday completely free again but I have no idea when that will be.

I'm also doing sort of one shots for other fandoms. I may post them in lieu of actual updates, but I highly doubt that. Writing is hard to actually do currently.

For now, I present you guys with this.

See you! - Jazz xx