Chapter Six: Of Gods and Ravens
They were silent a while. Then Thor muttered, "I have been a fool."
"What? Why?" Darcy asked.
Thor looked at her then turned to stare out the window. "Earlier you said my friends were hot-headed. 'Tis I much more than they who bears that description. Yesterday I was eager for battle. But now, knowing what is to come…I realize my folly." He leaned his forehead against the window. "I have found glory in battles of monsters and foes…but half the universe ceasing to exist…this is a greater war than any of my ancestors have fought…and I find myself…lacking."
An odd feeling of pity bubbled up inside of Darcy. "You always step up and rise to the occasion," she said. "I have faith in you, Thor." And she did.
A soft ethereal glow began to emanate from Thor's body.
"What the heck?" Darcy breathed. Quickly, she pulled over and stopped the van. Thor was looking down at his hands, turning them over with his brows furrowed in confusion. "Thor?" Darcy questioned, nervously.
He turned and looked at her with awe. "You truly have faith in me…"
Darcy gaped at him. "I…" she trailed off, unsure what to say. There was a flash of light outside followed by a large crack of thunder. Darcy jumped. Raindrops suddenly plinked against the windshield and Thor whooped for joy. He bounded out of the van and stood in the middle of the road, his head tilted back, eyes closed, and arms spread wide.
Darcy cautiously exited the vehicle and crept around the front, watching him and glancing up to the flickering sky, which had, until a moment ago, been absolutely clear. Within seconds she was drenched. She pushed her glasses up to her head, finding it easier to see in the rain without them.
"You are a gift, Darcy Lewis!" Thor called out to her. When he made eye contact, Darcy gasped. Though her vision was blurry, she could see that the blue of his eyes was shining. In all her years of seeing Thor wield Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, even seeing his eyes turn completely white as he gathered lightning in his body, she had never seen his irises glow like this. She was confused and unsure. Once again, she felt as if she was in a dream – everything seemed to slow down around her.
"Would that I had Mjolnir," Thor lamented. "The thunder calls to me." He turned his shining eyes back to the sky wistfully as it boomed in response.
Dreamlike, Darcy's mouth moved without her full comprehension, and she heard herself quoting Odin as she had once been told, "Are you the god of hammers?" she asked.
His piercing, glowing gaze snapped onto her face as lightning shattered the sky above them and Darcy fought the urge to flee. She placed a hand on the hood of the van to steady herself then, glancing at the sky, thought better of it and stepped a few feet away from the vehicle. Thor's eyes turned white. There it was. This, she had seen before. Electricity crackled across his body, strings of lights dancing and snaking across his form. Thor looked back to the sky and a huge bolt of lightning shot forth from him and into the clouds overhead. Darcy watched in awe as the lightning bolt fanned out across the clouds in all directions. The answering roar of thunder was so loud she shrieked and covered her ears, huddling into a ball on the pavement to make herself a smaller target from stray lightning.
A moment passed during which the sky continued to roar above her and the air around her crackled, causing the hairs on her body to stand on end. Eventually the roar faded to a grumble, and she became more aware of the rain drumming against her body than on the feeling of electricity. Slowly, Darcy raised her head, wiping away the hair plastered to her face. She was crouched in the headlights of the van.
"Kraa!"
Darcy looked around, curiously at the gurgling croak. There, up on one of the van's overhead lights, a large, black bird was perched, heedless of the rain. It turned its head and stared at her intently with one beady black eye. She found herself unable to break eye contact and felt as if the peculiar bird was assessing her. Carefully, she stood, holding its gaze. "Hello," she said.
"Kraa!"
"Nice to meet you," Darcy said politely. She felt an odd urge to curtsy. With a mental shrug, she did just that. The bird nodded once. Darcy licked her lips nervously. "Are you here for him?" she asked, gesturing with her chin toward Thor. The bird cocked its head, still staring intently at her. It spread its massive wings, danced on top of the light for a second, then hopped into the air and glided down toward her face.
Darcy squealed. She tried to throw her arms up in front of her face but found that some invisible force was manipulating her body, forcing her to hold one arm out.
"Aaaaaahhhh!" she screwed her eyes shut and turned her face away from her extended arm as the bird landed on it, giant claws gripping her firmly and wings brushing against her head. Just as quickly as it had taken over her body, the invisible force left, allowing her control over her arms again. She continued to hold her left arm out under her own willpower as the bird settled, tucking its wings back to its sleek body.
Darcy glared at the bird. "What'd you do that for?!" she scolded.
"Kraa!" The bird gave her a haughty look.
"Darcy…" Thor began, hesitantly.
Darcy ignored him, still intent on scolding the impertinent bird. This time she initiated eye contact with the bird, looking at it sharply as she said firmly, "My body, my choice, Feathers. Next time, you can ask before using me like a perch."
The bird cocked its head again. "Kraa!" It leaned forward and nibbled at her jacket gently.
Darcy raised her chin regally and said, "Yes, you can stay. For now." The bird bobbed its head once then turned its steely gaze onto Thor.
Thor gulped and took a step back. He dropped to one knee and placed a fist over his heart. Darcy looked between Thor and the bird. "What's happening right now?" she asked sharply.
"Kraa-kraa!" was the only answer she got as the bird and Thor stared each other down.
Suddenly the bird's gaze snapped back to her again and she found herself thinking about the original timeline, Loki's invasion, the Avengers, Ultron and Sakovia, the infinity stones, Thanos, the Blip…everything.
"Kraa!" The bird ruffled its feathers and shuffled up her arm to her shoulder. Darcy craned her head to the side and frowned. The bird leaned into her face, and she leaned further away from its sharp beak, muttering, "What the heck?" It kept leaning into her until it could rub its feathered face against her cheek, nuzzling her.
"Oh! Aww. Thanks, Feathers." She relaxed and pulled her head upright, leaning into the bird gently. She reached up and stroked its breast with a knuckle. "What was that for?" The bird nibbled a lock of her hair then clambered back down her arm, which it used as a launchpad to glide to Thor. The bird landed on Thor's shoulder and bit his earlobe.
Thor grimaced but held his tongue. The bird looked pointedly at Thor, then Darcy, then Thor again. Thor looked offended. "Of course!" he exclaimed at the bird, who clacked its beak in his face. Mollified, Thor spoke more calmly, "I spoke the truth earlier, with my brother. I will stay and protect this realm. Protect her." They both looked at Darcy.
"What? Protect me? I'm fine. Psh! I know the drill. Avoid New York, London, Sakovia, Westview…I don't need extra protection!" She rolled her eyes. Whether or not she'd actually avoid those places was up for debate.
"Kraa!"
"What?" she asked defensively, crossing her arms.
"Darcy," Thor said, placatingly, "your knowledge of the future is precious. Through you, we can unmake this evil that is to come." Darcy shifted uncomfortably. "Or," he added seriously, "others can hasten or worsen the outcome."
It wasn't that Darcy was unaware of the possibility of HYDRA or Ultron or, gods forbid, Thanos finding out about her foreknowledge, it's just that she had avoided thinking about it until now. It was too frightening to consider.
"But more than that," Thor continued, "your faith in me is even more precious to me. I realize now my power has been dormant, even before it was stripped from me. You have awakened me, Darcy. And for that, I will be eternally grateful. You alone shall change the tide of all that is to come."
"Why me?" she whispered. "I'm nobody…"
"Kraa!"
"I agree," Thor said to the bird. "There is a reason it was you who was sent back in time. I may not know that reason, but I believe it to be good and just."
Darcy wrung her hands. "It's a lot of pressure," she admitted. "What if I screw it up?"
"I am here to carry this burden with you," Thor said. He stepped forward and, as Darcy looked at her friend warmly, he began to glow brighter. He placed a hand on her shoulder then pulled her into a hug, tucking her sopping wet head under his chin, bumping her glasses further back on her head. The bird, still perched on his shoulder, leaned down and nibbled at a lock of her hair.
"I would protect you, Darcy, if for no other reason than you are dear to me," Darcy melted a little more into his rumbly chest. "But knowing that protecting you is to protect the universe…I would lay down my life to keep you safe." Darcy gasped and smacked his chest with her palm.
"No!" she exclaimed. "You're too – you can't – you shouldn't – there's too much you need to –" Darcy's stammering was interrupted by a familiar metallic whooshing. Thor unwrapped an arm from her body quickly and Darcy felt a small shockwave at the impact of Mjolnir hitting his hand. She stepped out of his embrace to see him holding the hammer with a pleased smile.
"Thank you, Father," he said, nodding to the bird.
"Kraa!"
"Hold on! That's your father?!" Darcy yelped, pointing to the bird on his shoulder. "That's Odin?! King of Asgard? The Allfather? Missing an eyeball? He's a BIRD? That is not how Jane described him!"
Thor roared with laughter. The bird – Odin – ruffled his feathers and clacked his beak in annoyance. "Yes, yes," he said to the bird between laughs. Turning to Darcy he said, mirthfully, "The Allfather has great power. Even while in the Odinsleep, he is aware of all that happens in his realms. He visits us now through the raven."
"So, the bird's just a bird?" Thor nodded. "And he's possessing it?"
He shrugged. "In a manner of speaking."
Darcy eyeballed the Odin raven suspiciously. Then thinking back to their earlier interaction, she began to blush. "Erm, did I…? Oh jeez. I scolded the King of Asgard! Oh my god. I'm going to hell."
Thor laughed, "Nay, Darcy. You shall not be sent to Helheim."
"Good," she said. "I'm pretty sure there's someone there that I don't want to meet." She sent a pointed look toward the bird, projecting thoughts of Hela to the front of her mind.
The Odin raven ruffled his feathers and squawked inelegantly. Thor raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Mm-hmm," she hummed decisively. "I plan to tell Thor everything when we have time," she promised. The raven clacked his beak and shook his feathers down.
"Kraa!" He launched off Thor's shoulder and circled over their heads, crying out once more, before gliding off into the darkness.
Darcy stared off in the direction he had disappeared. "Did he just run away?" she asked, incredulously.
Thor chuckled. "It appears he has made a tactical retreat. Am I to understand you will be shattering my perceptions of myself and the universe once again?"
Darcy grimaced. "Probably, yeah." Thor sighed wearily. "But not tonight. I think we've both had enough shifting of our worldviews for one day, don't you think?"
Thor agreed heartily and they both climbed back into the van, hopefully for the last time this night. Their clothes were sopping wet, and Darcy flicked on the heater, cranking it to full blast while trying to keep her teeth from chattering. Thor seemed unaffected as he inspected his hammer carefully in the dim interior lighting. Eventually, he placed it on his lap with a smile as the lights faded and Darcy pulled back onto the road.
Thor was still glowing. "So, what's with the glowing thing?" Darcy asked. "I've never seen that before."
Thor smiled smugly at her. "You believe in me," he stated, matter-of-factly.
"Of course I believe in you. You're my friend. I've known you forever, even if you can't say the same," Darcy shrugged.
"No, no, no. That's not what I meant. You believe in me. You have faith in me as your god."
"I…what?" Darcy glanced over at him, avoiding his glowing blue eyes in embarrassment while taking in the otherworldly glow emanating from his body. She looked back to the road and tried to will herself to un-believe.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thor cock his head at her curiously. He began to glow brighter.
"Dammit!" she muttered under her breath. Thor chuckled.
"Well over a millennia ago, my family and I, along with a select few other Aesir, used to emanate divine light such as this. Back when your ancestors worshipped us as gods," he explained.
"I'm not worshipping you," Darcy muttered irritably, feeling self-conscious about the very public display of her most private thoughts.
"Ah, but what is worship?"
"Oh no…"
"Oh yes. Worship is not an act you commit. 'Tis a feeling."
"Crap."
"A feeling of reverence…"
"Please stop."
"…and adoration."
"Ugh," Darcy bonked her forehead against the steering wheel in mortification. Thor's knowing grin made her want to crawl in a hole and die.
"It is the greatest gift a mortal can give us," he said. "I am blessed to be the first in over a thousand years to receive it. Thank you, Darcy. You need not feel embarrassment nor shame."
"Too late. Can we change the subject? Let's talk about your father nibbling on my hair. What was that all about?"
Thor was a silent for a beat then he chuckled heartily.
"I mean, seriously. He's Odin. He nibbled on my hair. Twice! Surely that's not normal kingly behavior?"
"No," Thor chuckled. "It is not. However, it is normal behavior for a raven showing affection."
"So, was that Odin or a raven?"
"Both. My father inhabited the body of the raven. He must have felt affection for you and the bird expressed his affection in the only way it knows how."
"Oh." Darcy felt uncomfortable again. Odin felt affection for her? What happened to mortals being likened to goats? Did he just particularly not care for Jane?
"Darcy, do you truly not understand your worth?"
She shivered and placed a hand in front of a vent. "I know the future. Thanos, infinity stones…all that. I know that's important," she said defensively.
"Your knowledge is valuable, yes. But you, the mind and soul that is Darcy Lewis, you are important."
The few small lights of Puente Antiguo came into view. "Hey, look! We're here!" she said, blatantly changing the subject again.
Thor gave her a stern look but let it go. Darcy's stomach was in knots. It had been a long day during which she had experienced every emotion under the sun. She was ready to hide under a blanket and tune the world out. Despite the heater running full blast in the van, she found herself shivering as the wet cold of her clothes became more pronounced against her warmed skin. She drove a little faster than the speed limit, desperate for a hot shower and to remove herself from the uncomfortable revelations found during this trip.
As she pulled into the parking lot of Smith Motors, Jane came barreling out of the lab. Panicking, Darcy turned to Thor and said, "Quick! Give her the notebook!"
They exited the vehicle, but before either of them could say a word, Jane was yelling, "SEVEN HOURS! Darcy Lewis! You said you'd be gone four hours. You were gone for SEVEN hours! I thought you'd been captured! Or killed! Or that he had kidnapped you and raped you!" She gestured to Thor while glaring at Darcy.
"I would never!" Thor exclaimed, affronted.
Jane ignored him. "Going to the crater was reckless and stupid! What even possessed you?!"
Darcy gaped at her, alarmed by Jane's rebuke. She stammered and panicked a little. Thor swooped in and placed a large hand on Jane's bony shoulder. "Lady Jane," he said sternly.
Jane whirled on him. "And you!" She stopped and cocked her head curiously. "You're glowing. Why are you glowing? What happened?"
"This is simply part of my physiology," Thor stated before deflecting. "Here, my lady, this is for you," and he held out her notebook.
Jane gasped. "You got my notebook?" she asked, clutching it protectively to her chest. She immediately opened it and began flipping through the pages, checking to make sure it was all there.
Darcy took the opportunity to slip away, heading for the shower where she stood under a stream of water just this side of boiling for as long as she could stand. Finally, the shivers melted away and she emerged, toweling herself off and putting on dry clothes. She took her time blow-drying her hair, turning the hot air toward her skin just as often as she did her hair. By the time she left the bathroom, she was feeling toasty. She was also feeling ravenous from having missed lunch and dinner.
She padded into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards and fridge for food, finally settling on making a sandwich, which she brought over to the couch to eat. Erik had poked his head out of his room to reassure himself that Darcy was back and unharmed before disappearing behind the closed door again. The lab was quiet. Darcy turned off all the lights and curled up on the couch, pulling a blanket over her head. She closed her eyes and tried hard not to think about all the events of the day. She failed spectacularly but did eventually drift off to sleep.
A/N: Next up, some friends come to town!