Thor paced nervously behind the glass, casting glances at the medical bay on each lap. Tony sighed. "Calm down Thor." He urged. "I know that he's your son and everything but relax. You know Helen, she's good, we can trust her. And Bruce is acting as nurse. Everything is going to be okay." Thor shook his head.
"I know that here my friend." He said, tapping the top of his head. "This is another matter however." He finished, tapping his heart. Tony sighed.
"Yeah, I know the feeling. I've had some stressful moments when Rhodey got injured out in the field." He commiserated. "What you need is something to take your mind off of things. Like say, answering my questions." Thor snorted and smirked at Tony.
"So I'm to believe that my sating your boundless curiosity is for my benefit alone?" He asked dryly. Tony smirked back.
"Of course. What else would it be?" Thor shook his head fondly and sat down.
"Very well. What do you wish to know?" Tony rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"You said Zeus had a daughter before he got killed? Where is she? She anybody I'd know? Cause if you told me that Joan Jett is secretly a demigod I would not be surprised." Thor chuckled.
"I don't believe so. But I'm afraid that Set did not give her name, and as he informed me of Harry's existence almost immediately after I did not ask. All I know is that she has been living amongst mortals for close to a century." He paused, frowning. "I'm not entirely clear on how that is possible, given that Zeus died almost two millennia ago, though there are places in which time stands still or moved so slowly it might as well not at all."
"Alright, we'll put a pin in that one." Tony said slowly. "How many sets of gods are out there?" Thor shrugged.
"I'm not aware of all of humanity's religions, but I would imagine all of them, or at least most." He frowned. "Though I concede that I'm not sure if the Abrahamic religions are all worshipping the same god in different ways or if there are three pantheons of very similar gods who have similar moralities." He said carefully. "We don't interact much outside of special occasions. Fights between pantheons can be costly, to us and even more so to the Earth. And as each of us has our own culture and values, gatherings not tightly controlled by ritual and etiquette can become...volatile." Tony nodded in understanding.
"Good point. We've got quite a few countries like that down here too." He said. "So...you told Jane about the kid yet?" Thor's eyes widened and he groaned. "So...that's a no then I take it." Thor nodded and sighed.
"No. No I have not." He said weakly. "I've been trying to handle this all one thing at a time. I don't wish to leave my son's side, but nor do I wish to tell Jane in any manner but in person." Tony nodded in understanding.
"Good instincts." He said, patting Thor on the shoulder. "Leave it to me big guy." He quickly left the waiting room. Before Thor could ask for clarification on what Tony was planning (something that always wise to do with regards to Tony) Helen stepped out of the examination room.
"How is he?" Thor asked the second she shut the door. Helen sighed, her face tight.
"His eyesight has definitely been impacted by malnutrition." She said. "It's not hereditary. He's got some scars too, and a break in his arm that didn't heal perfectly, but well enough to not cause any issues. Physically he's fine, aside from his eyes, and only time and good nutrition will help that." She paused. "Emotionally though...look, he's handling himself fairly well, and I admit it's not my field but...I highly recommend therapy for him. An upbringing like that doesn't *not* leave scars, even if they're not immediately obvious." Thor nodded in understanding. Asgard may have been a warrior culture, but they understand the necessity of mental healing well. After all, between the war with the Dark Elves and the war with the Frost Giants there were plenty of Asgardian veterans, many of whom had PTSD. Even if the culture of Asgard had been a brutal and uncaring one, like some depicted, leaving them in a state where they were likely to be triggered to either rage or catatonia was impractical at the very least.
"Thank you Helen. I shall speak with the others, see if they have any recommendations." She nodded and headed back into the bay to gather her things and let Harry know he was clear to go.
Ten Minutes Later
Thor was sitting in the living area of his floor in Avengers Tower, talking to Harry, when the elevator pinged. Thor glanced over, then stared as Jane walked out. "Jane!" He said, quickly standing up and striding over to her. "I thought you said you were in Australia studying some disturbances at Ayers Rock? How did you return so quickly?" Jane raised an eyebrow, and Thor nodded at the obvious answer. "Of course, Tony." She smiled up at him.
"He said it was either this or pelt you with his questions about a...Wizarding community?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "And that while the second would make him feel better, it wouldn't help you." Jane leaned in "I'm pretty sure we broke the sound barrier he was in such a hurry to get me here to you." She added. Thor blinked.
"It looks like I owe Tony a great deal once more." He said thoughtfully. He shook his head and gently took Jane's hand, leading her over to the couch where Harry was sitting. Jane's eyes widened in tandem with Harry's and they stared at each other. Thor took a deep breath. "Jane, this is my son, Harry Potter. Harry, this is my...girlfriend, Doctor Jane Foster." Jane's eyes snapped from Harry to Thor and back again. A million and one questions raced through her mind, but one look at the tension in Harry's eyes pushed them back. They could wait. This child came first. She held out her hand and gave him a warm smile.
"Hello Harry." She said. There was a brief moment of hesitation, then Harry took her hand.
"Hello." He said shyly, shaking her hand. Thor let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Neither had rejected the other on sight. That was good. He could work with this. Harry's eyes moved from his father to Jane and back. "Could I go explore the Tower?" He asked, realizing that they needed time to talk. Thor's face twisted in concern, but he nodded.
"Of course. But don't go any further down please. My floor is the last of the residential floors. Beneath us are the office and laboratory floors, and I don't know many of those who work there." Harry nodded with the vague absentness of a child being told to be careful and hugged him before heading off to the elevator. Once the doors were firmly shut, Jane whirled to stare at Thor.
"SON?!" Thor sighed and gently guided her to sit next to him on the couch.
At The Same Time
Harry looked at the buttons and tried to decide what floor to visit first. He wished the buttons had descriptions of what was on each floor rather than just numbers. "Do you require assistance Master Harry?" A cultured British voice asked. Harry jumped a good foot in the air.
"Who said that?" He asked, looking around. He didn't see anybody, nor did he see a TV screen or even a portrait. Did the Tower have ghosts too?
"I am JARVIS. I'm an artificial intelligence created by Mr. Stark to serve as assistant, sounding board, security, nanny, and whatever else he, and by extension now the members of the Avengers and their loved ones, require. Do you require assistance?" Harry paused, processing this. Had this occurred before his time at Hogwarts heaven knows how he'd have reacted, but after a year in a literal magic school he felt rather more open minded and ready to accept outlandish things.
"Well, I think Th...Dad and Jane need to talk alone for a bit." He said slowly. He was having trouble remembering that he had a family now. He'd gone too long not having anyone to call Dad to easily flow into calling Thor such, but he was working on it. "So I thought I'd look around the Tower. But I don't want to bother anybody..."
"Ah, I see." JARVIS said. "Let me check the cameras for a moment." There was a pause. "Sir is in the R&D department trying to distract himself from pelting your father with questions. Doctor Banner is studying some papers in the medical bay." There was another pause. "However, Captain Rogers, Agents Barton and Romanoff, and the daughter of Set have just arrived in the hanger bay. If you like, I could ask if now would be a good time to visit with them." Harry did a double take.
"Daughter of Set? Like, the Egyptian god Set?" He asked in disbelief.
"Indeed." JARVIS said lightly. "Captain Rogers says that she would very much like to meet you." Harry took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yeah, lets go." The elevator swiftly began moving upward the minute the words were out of his mouth. Harry blinked when the doors opened. That was the fastest moving elevator he'd ever been on. Not that he'd been on many elevators but still. He walked out of the elevator, looking around in interest at the large and spacious hanger.
"Oh, hey kid!" A man in black and dark purple called cheerfully, waving at Harry. Harry blinked and waved back hesitantly. "The name's Clint, good to meet you."
"Harry." He said back. Clint nodded, then looked over his shoulder.
"So, I hear you're a wizard?" He asked, looking back at Harry. "Got a wand and everything?" Harry nodded, pulling his wand out of his pocket so that Clint could see. "How's your aim?" Clint asked. Harry blinked.
"What?" A redheaded woman walked up, rolling her eyes and elbowing Clint.
"Thirty seconds into meeting the kid, and you're already talking about marksmanship? Really?" She asked dryly.
"It's what I'm good at. He has a wand that shoots out magic sparks, I shoot arrows." Clint said defensively. "What else do I have in common with a 12 year old British born demigod?"
"He has a point." Harry admitted. The woman snorted but shrugged.
"Fair enough." She said with a smirk. "I'm Natasha." Harry quite pointedly focused on her face, which got him some points in her book.
Just then a large blonde man walked into view. He smiled kindly and held out his hand. "Steve Rogers." Harry shook it eagerly. He was shaking Captain America's hand. CAPTAIN AMERICA! That wasn't to say Hawkeye and Black Widow weren't cool, but...CAPTAIN AMERICA! Steve looked over his shoulder, then put a hand on Clint's shoulder. "We're going downstairs, talk to you in a bit." Harry blinked as the three Avengers left, then blinked several more times as a young woman walked into view. He stared at her as she stopped in front of him. She was a good bit taller than him, as pale as a ghost, covered in tattoos of black runes, and wearing a flowing white sheet. Well, it probably wasn't a sheet, but it looked like one. She studied him intently, and Harry was startled to realize that she had two irises in each eye. He paused, then held out his hand.
"I'm Harry Potter. What's your name?" He asked. Harry wasn't exactly the kind of person to attack people for looking different, and he knew what it was like to be treated like a freak for something he couldn't control. Ahmanet's eyes widened slightly, then shook his hand hesitantly, as if she had never shaken hands before.
"I am Princess Ahmanet of Egypt." She said, her voice clear and, strangely, vaguely French. "Daughter of Set and King Menehptre." Harry blinked.
"Uhm, isn't Set male though?" Ahmanet's face twisted.
"My divine father was unclear on that point." She said. "As a god of chaos he is more than capable of changing forms at will. But he did not state which of my mortal parents he...coupled with, and I did not desire to ask for more details about how I was conceived." Harry shuddered.
"Probably for the best." He agreed. There was a pause as demigod looked at demigod. "So, uhm, what do you want to do?" He asked finally. "I mean, my...dad's talking to his girlfriend, so I don't want to interrupt them..." Ahmanet cocked her head to the side.
"My divine father mentioned something called movies?" She suggested tentatively. "He recommended that I watch something called 'Star Wars', though he also said to skip 'Episodes 1 & 2'." Harry nodded.
"You know, I've heard of Star Wars, but my Aunt and Uncle never let me watch it. They didn't let me watch much of anything really." He said thoughtfully. "I heard they were good though. I'm sure Mr. Stark has them."
"Indeed we do." JARVIS cut in, sounding vaguely amused. Ahmanet jumped, eyes darting.
"What are you?" She said, registering that the voice wasn't coming from a human.
"I am JARVIS. An Artificial Intelligence created by Mr. Stark. I run, monitor, and maintain this tower, among other things." Ahmanet blinked.
"An artificial genius loci?" She breathed. "Most impressive."
"Thank you your highness." JARVIS replied. "If you would step into the elevator, I will gladly direct you to the theater." Both demigods stepped inside, Harry readily, Ahmanet a little more cautiously.
"So...why do you call Set your divine father instead of just your father?" Harry asked, looking up at Ahmanet curiously as the doors closed. "Is that a tradition from Egypt?" Ahmanet shook her head.
"Set may have sired me, but he did not raise me." She said flatly. "I did not know of my divine lineage until I attempted to make a deal with him, shortly after my half brother's birth." Her hands clenched into fists for a second before slowly relaxing. "I honor and respect Set as a god and as the reason I am alive, but to call him my father without clarification would do a disservice to the man who cared for me and raised me. I loved my mortal father, and I will not dishonor him so." Harry nodded in understanding, and, realizing from Ahmanet's stance that he'd drudged up some painful memories of hers, they spent the rest of the ride in silence.
Five Minutes Ago
"Why'd we leave Cap?" Clint asked as they got into the elevator.
"I don't know about you, but I didn't feel like awkwardly standing around watching two teenagers introduce themselves when we didn't need to be there." Steve said. "I felt too much like a chaperone at a school dance. I get enough old man jokes from Tony without giving him ammunition." Clint paused, then made an agreeing hum.
"Good point. We weren't exactly going to contribute much to that conversation." He conceded.
"Besides, we've got JARVIS to keep an eye on the chaos kids, right?" Natasha said with a small smile.
"Indeed Agent Romanov." JARVIS agreed. "Though I'm afraid that I don't have a punch bowl to lurk by while I watch over them." There was a pause, then a startled chuckle from all three.
Twenty Minutes Later
Thor quietly followed Jane as she stormed up the walk to the front door of Number Four Privet Drive. Both were furious (so furious in fact that Jane had been unable to appreciate her first trip via the Bifrost, or her admittedly brief view of Asgard itself) though in different ways. Shortly after Thor had finished explaining the circumstances of Harry's birth and his own lack of a presence in his son's life to Jane, Bruce had arrived with Harry's medical report. It appeared that there were certain things that Helen had missed in her initial report to Thor, but had realized as she went back over the scans they'd taken. It was understandable of course. Helen's specialty was immediate trauma care and surgery, not analysis of old wounds, and Bruce had only basic medical knowledge himself. In addition, neither were pediatricians. Their experience had largely been with adults, whom rarely wished to discuss the sources of old scars and about which nothing could be done, and it had taken them a moment to adjust to the fact that they were dealing with a child who shouldn't have had half the injuries he'd suffered. But they had realized, and rather more quickly than others had.
Harry had had a minimum of two broken noses and three cracked ribs, which, like his arm, had not been treated properly but had healed in such a way as to not cause him too much difficulty (likely due to a combination of his magic and Asgardian ancestry). There were crisscrossing scars on his hands and legs that were the kind usually found on adult manual laborers. And, most troubling of all, there was a large set of scars left by punctures. Given what Harry had told Thor about his aunt's dog, Bruce did some quick comparisons to dog but patterns with JARVIS' help. It appeared that said dog had managed to catch Harry at least once.
The end result was that Thor had gone from upset to furious, and Jane was right there with him. It didn't matter to her that she didn't really know Harry. It barely even mattered that he was Thor's son. All that mattered was that he was a *child* and he'd been hurt. And so, after a quick check with JARVIS as to Harry's whereabouts and condition (he and Ahmanet were both quite engrossed with Star Wars Episode 4) Thor and Jane had gone to the pad, summoned the Bifrost, and then on to Privet Drive. Heimdall hadn't even needed to hear Thor state their destination (indeed, Thor had rarely seen the usually sedate man so upset) instead activating the Bifrost almost as soon as it had closed.
Thor summoned a strong gust of wind, forcing the front door open. Petunia Dursley looked up in shock as the two stormed into the sitting room, where Vernon was nursing a large glass of scotch. "What on earth..." she started before Jane punched her in the face.
"What the fuck is wrong with you people?" Jane snapped, eyes spitting fire.
Author's Notes
Okay, so that's Chapter Four! Thanks for reading everybody! Please review, reviews give me strength _
...yeah, I know, I know. Not a lot of chewing out the Dursleys in this chapter either, and a bit disjointed with the medical reports being split in half. I'm sorry. I really am.
With regards to the Dursleys...I'm sorry, partly it's because, as someone raised by narcissistic, emotionally abusive, conservative parents, dealing with that hits a bit too close to home. I can handle it in small bursts, but writing long paragraphs would be too much. And partly it's just that...no matter how righteous and justified Thor's anger is, having him confront the Dursleys is still showing a *god* threatening two regular humans. I don't trust myself to write that type of scene without going to far and making Thor look bad. Maybe I'll work in a running gag where every few chapters one of the Avengers pops by to Privet Drive to wreck the Dursleys in some new way, who knows.
And the medical stuff...well I hope the in universe justification works tolerably well. I confess that I was a bit too eager to work Ahmanet meeting Harry in, and I probably jumped the gun a bit...
Also, some of you may be wondering why I didn't show Thor and Jane's discussion. Well...I've shown Thor and Tony having that discussion. I've shown Thor and Odin having a variation of it. I've shown Thor and The Avengers as a whole have that discussion. And I've shown Thor and Harry have that discussion. Showing it a fifth time just felt like beating a dead horse with another dead horse.
I am continually amazed at Nimbus Llewelyn and his ability to juggle and define so many characters. I'm not going to lie, this story is a bit stressful to write just because I'm always worried if I'm doing an okay job with these characters, particularly Natasha, Harry, and Ahmanet. Please let me know what you think and offer suggestions as to how to improve!
As for when will Diana finally pop up? ...not sure. It really depends on how things shake out. I mean, my original plan was to introduce Ahmanet in the *second* chapter and have her meet Harry in the third, but that didn't work out obviously. I'm thinking that I'm going to hold off on introducing her until after the first big action arc. Since this universe WILL NOT have the events of Batman V Superman taking place, but still uses the Gal Gadot version of Diana and considers the 2017 Wonder Woman movie canon we've got to have something happen to get her to get back in the game. Rest assured that she will show up sooner rather than later, and that she will be a main character. She's a third of the trinity aspect of the title after all!