three. sanctum
Stephen invited them to sit, and got them tea, which Gaïa was overly thankful for. He tried to gauge the girl, he knew she was not lying, he knew of her; she was Thor's sister. She was a goddess, in Asgard's standards, but she didn't look much older than sixteen.
"I had visions of these creatures coming to retrieve the time stone," she began, setting her tea down beside her. "And then it flips to someplace else where it appears a war is going on."
"Do you have a timeframe on this?"
"No," Gaïa frowned, "I'm hoping that my stay here will put everything into perspective."
Stephen nodded, sitting back. After a little more convincing, he was on board. "Then I suggest you stay in the Sanctum, for it provides protection and I will be here in case you get any new revelations."
"That would be splendid." Gaïa told Stephen with a grin. She turned to Bolin. "See, Bo? I'll be fine."
Bolin stared at her with an eyebrow raised, "I will still be coming to check in on you."
"That's fine." Gaïa agreed. Getting Bolin to give her space was a feat in itself, she was glad he wouldn't hover too much.
Bolin raised an eyebrow, watching the girl carefully. He glanced over at the wizard, silently analyzing him, but he knew the girl was decent at protecting herself. He sighed, trusting that she knew what she was doing and patted her shoulder with a smile and left.
Gaïa turned her attention back to Stephen, who tried to offer a smile, but he was still questioning the being in the Sanctum. Perhaps he would seek advice from Wong, as surely he would help.
"Well, we don't necessarily have a guest room where you can stay," he drew a long breath, "but on the far end of this hall, there's a room I can try to find a bed for."
"That's sufficient, I shall have my father transfer you units for your efforts, and if there is any other need for necessities."
Stephen nodded, "You are the sister to Thor, I assume?"
"Yes,"
"I'm sure I know someone else who would give you some extra cash, just for that fact."
"I'm really not supposed to let on that I am related to him."
"They're...work...friends, it'll be no harm."
It turned out the person Stephen was talking about was Tony Stark, a very popular man on Midgard. Thor once referred to him as the Man of Iron when discussing stories of being an Avenger.
Gaïa thought it necessary to pay Stephen for his efforts, but perhaps at the end of her endeavor, where there would actually be a total price tag on what the man had done for her.
Neighbors grew increasingly confused at the new inhabitant at the mysterious place next door. She was rarely seen, but whenever she was seen over the weeks, she was generally wearing the same white dress, or in old t-shirts and baggy sweatpants.
Stephen decided to take Gaïa out to the grocery, in hopes of triggering any visions and in effort for her to learn more about Midgardians (even if it was just food).
"And this?"
"That's an apple."
"But that one's an apple!" Gaïa said, pointing to the green fruit and gesturing to the shiny red one in her hand.
"They're different types of apples, but they're both apples."
Gaïa nodded, putting down the fruit. "What is on your list that we must retrieve?"
Stephen glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand, a few things in his handwriting and the rest in Wong's (who Gaïa grew more friendly towards).
"Bok choy, rice, chicken, carrots, garlic, milk, and that's all we need for now."
Gaïa nodded, glancing around the store, staring at all the colorful things. It was growing slowly darker outside, but thankfully the grocer was not all that crowded. She heard bickering in the aisle over, and she turned her attention to the voices as they rounded the corner towards her and Stephen.
"—May, I told you it doesn't matter."
"You're finishing your freshman year in high school! That's important! That's a big step. If you don't want a party, that's cool, but at least let me make you a special dinner to celebrate."
Gaïa looked on at the interaction curiously, as Stephen was looking through the shelf for a specific brand. As if knowing she was staring at them, Peter looked over and furrowed his eyebrows. Gaïa cocked her head to the side, before Stephen drew her attention away from the two and back to shopping.
When they reached checkout, it seemed Stephen knew the clerk, as this was his grocery that he always used.
"Nice to see you again, Stephen," said the old woman. "Who's this?"
"This is my niece," said Stephen without missing a beat. He had planned for questions such as these, since he had no idea how long the goddess would be staying.
"I didn't know you had a niece." she said, ringing up the items.
"My sister moved to Norway, I don't see her much." Stephen lied easily with a smile.
The woman nodded, "What's your name, sweetheart?"
She pondered using her real name, and figured there was no real harm. "Gaïa."
"Oh, what a pretty name," said the clerk.
Gaïa smiled, watching as the woman scanned their items. The numbers on the pinpad in front of them kept rising, which Gaïa found to be fascinating. She did not understand Midgard's technology at the start, but she was beginning to get a knack for such things.
Stephen swiped his card, and thanked the cashier, grabbing the bags. Their walk back to the Sanctum was filled with Gaïa's questions. This time, it was mostly about Stephen's favorite meal, and his favorite foods (he really appreciated ratatouille, and he loved New York cheesecake — Wong later revealed Stephen was a sucker for a street chili dog, on occasion).
"Do you miss home?" Stephen asked the girl, opening the door and allowing her in first.
"Not nearly as much as I thought I would. Two of the people I held dearest are dead. Thor is off on a mission he speaks not much of, and Father was far too busy to pay me much attention. I do miss my friends, and the comforts of home, but this is necessary. Sacrifices are necessary."
Stephen pursed his lips, frowning at the girl. She seemed too young to have to deal with such tragedies and the possibility of battle there on Earth. He wanted to send her home, but he discovered that the Goddess of Light and Fertility was as stubborn as she was kind. There was no taking this "mission" from her, even if part of Stephen believed there was no big danger ahead. All this she would have to discover for herself if she was to learn anything.
Wong used the ingredients to prepare a nice meal, allowing Gaïa to help (since she desired to learn the Midgardian way of cooking with a stove). Gaïa explained her kitchens were much different, and although they did have stoves, the did not quite look like the one in the Sanctum's kitchen.
It was that night that the girl had another glimpse into the future, although she could not tell that it was related to the other pieces of information she had gathered. It threw flashes of a building called Midtown High, and the rest was slightly blurred, a man in a flying suit with wings, several glimpses at alien technology (later realizing it was Chitauri in origin), and finally, after pushing forward, there was a flash of a giant circular ship, with no center like a ring.
She gasped, coming out from the vision, and in the late hours of the night, she traveled to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Chamomile, she learned, was the most soothing to her, green tea being a close second. Her heart was racing, and she had to focus hard on the flashes she had seen.
Gaïa decided to investigate, and found Stephen's laptop in the den upstairs, which he had showed her several days ago how to use it. She typed in the guest password and found her way to Google, typing in Midtown High.
Midtown School of Science and Technology was one of the first links to pop up, and Gaïa clicked on it. The image on the home page was pretty much the exact same one she had seen in her vision. Apparently, this was a "advanced" school that favored smarter students, but she couldn't find a connection with anything relating to her other flashes. She worked well into the morning, when Stephen wandered into the kitchen to make coffee.
Stephen glanced over her shoulder, peaking at what she was searching.
"Stephen, what are the chances of me being able to investigate this school?"
Stephen raised an eyebrow, grabbing a mug from the cabinet. "Not very likely, seeing as the school year is just about to be over and won't start again until September."
Gaïa frowned.
"What's your interest?"
She sighed, laying her head in her hand as she continued to scroll, "I saw it last night, I feel like it's connected to my earlier visions somehow."
Stephen pursed his lips, "And you think going will help further your visions?"
"Yes! Having the entire picture will help me, will help Midgard. Maybe if I figure it all out quick enough, I can stop it before it starts." She shut the laptop and ran a hand over her face, rubbing her dry and tired eyes.
"So let's see if we can get you enrolled."
It turned out slightly more difficult than Gaïa originally imagined. She had to have something called a "social security number" and a history regarding schools. Thankfully, Stephen was able to find a notable school in Norway to use in her records that had closed down (which helped out if Midtown decided to call the school).
Stephen's magic came in handy several times, but he couldn't just pull a SSN "out of his ass" (his words, not Gaïa's). He recommended traveling to Avengers Tower and requesting Tony's help. And that's where Gaïa grew nervous, she couldn't quite live up to the mighty Thor, and perhaps that was why she believed Tony wouldn't help. She didn't look much like a hero.
It took several minutes to steady herself enough enter the Avengers Tower, the one Thor had described in his stories. She was not quite sure how she was going to convince Tony to help her, she hoped mention of her brother would be enough (even if she felt weak relying so much on her brother).
Gaïa walked up to the front desk, where a lady sat typing away. She was surprised that it wasn't all automatic, considering who Tony was, but Gaïa remembered hearing people actually worked on the first few floors. The remaining floors were left to Tony and the other Avengers.
"Uh, hello," Gaïa began, gaining the woman's attention, "I'm here to see Tony Stark."
The woman scoffed without looking up, "Do you have an appointment?"
Gaïa frowned, "No, but this is—"
"Right, come back when you have an appointment."
Gaïa sighed, but began her way back towards the front door. She glanced around the lobby, where the elevator caught her attention. Stephen had told her that this was necessary and so being sneaky would also have to be necessary. With a long breath, her form disappeared, and she started passed the front desk towards the elevator.
A man hit the button to call the elevator, dressed in a suit, with a briefcase. He looked nothing like Thor had once described, but he was her ticket onto the elevator without arising suspicion. Once the doors opened, she followed close behind him. There were so many numbers, she could not even begin to guess which floor she would find Tony on. Perhaps she should have asked Stephen for more assistance.
When the doors opened, the man stepped off, she noticed there was a man that fit Tony's description and the one photo she had seen of him.
Gaïa rushed off the elevator, her invisibility fading, "Tony Stark!"
"Woah! Woah!"
She was stopped for going any further from the man she had ridden the elevator with. He was much bigger than her, not necessarily in the realm of Thor, but enough to be intimidating. When he grabbed her from continuing towards Tony, she tossed her now glowing hands up and jumped backwards, before the light went out and she placed her hands back to her sides.
The girl looked uncannily familiar to Tony, and he thought for a second, finally recalling where he remembered her. Back when Loki had invaded Earth, and a strange figure was seen near Loki's cell and Thor had called her "sister".
"Well, I'll be damned."
Happy looked back at Tony, confused now. Gaïa cocked her head to the side.
"Mr. Stark, or do you prefer Man of Iron? Valhalla, that was rude of me—"
"Simmer down, Goldilocks," he said, crossing his arms over his chest after waving Happy off.
Happy went to protest, "Sir—"
Tony only gave him a look and he frowned, stepping away from the girl.
"Goldilocks? Surely, you're mistaken — my name is Gaïa Odinsdottir."
Tony only chuckled at her, "Tell me, what's your big brother up to nowadays?"
Gaïa stepped closer to him, "Valhalla only knows, off in space somewhere, I assume."
Tony nodded, beckoning her further into the room, "Why did you feel the need to break into the tower?"
Gaïa's blue eyes went wide, "I meant no offense, Mr. Stark!"
"Calm down, kid,"
Her eyebrows furrowed at the word kid. She was in no ways a child! In fact, she was older than the man before her! She frowned, keeping a lasso on her tongue, so she did not speak out of term — she was here for his help, after all.
"I came for assistance," she began, "I need a social security number, to start school, and my guardian is unable to conjure up one."
"A social? What school?"
"Midtown School of Science and Technology." Gaïa told him, fiddling with her thumbs, biting the inner part of her lip. She hoped Tony and Thor had parted on good terms, but she was sure she would never have heard the end of it if Thor had parted bitterly.
"Don't you have schools on Asgard?"
"Oh, of course! I had the best tutors, I assure you I am more than capable for this school. That is no issue — and not really my main concern." she sighed before explaining, "You see, I had a vision and it has led me to this school. I am hoping that being closer to the things the see, the more my visions will reveal and in turn, will help Midgard."
Tony raised an eyebrow at the girl.
"I fear a war is closing in on your planet, and I am aiming to stop it before it starts."
"A war, huh?" Happy asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the goddess, "What do you know about a war?"
"It does not look good. Blood is needlessly shed, innocent lives lost. I have seen too much of that to watch it happen again." she told the two men earnestly, the blue in her eyes suddenly looking overcast.
Tony understood that a little too well, and he nodded. "All right, I'll have one for you before dinner."
"Oh, thank you, Mr. Stark! I really do owe you one." she told him with a grin, the goddess of light looking particularly radiant and grateful.
Tony nodded before excusing himself, asking Happy to keep her entertained until he returned. Happy, not in anyway interested in being a babysitter, threw her the television remote.
"Go wild." And then Happy walked off down the hallway to leave the briefcase he had in hand, only returning to stand and watch curiously.
She picked up on Midgardian technology quickly, flicking through the channels until she found something of interest. Gaïa sat in silence until Tony returned a few hours later with a social security card.
"Is that your power, visions?" Tony asked, handing her the card after she stood to greet him.
"One of the newest of them, yes." She took the card gratefully, "I am the Goddess of Light and Fertility."
Tony pursed his lips, before pulling a phone out of his pocket. "Don't lose this or the card. I'll get in touch with you if I need to cash in on that favor."
"Oh! Wonderful. Thank you, again, Mr. Stark."
"Yeah, you're welcome."
Gaïa parted ways quickly after that, returning to the Sanctum, waving the card around like she had won the lottery. Tiny as it may have seemed, it was a step closer to unraveling the mystery of her visions, and that was a must to help out Midgard.
She just wanted to be a hero, so badly did she want to have her own tale to tell.