(This is not my chapter and the credit of the characters goes to their respective authors)
Thor loved his friends. He really did. They were intelligent, funny and confident mortals... But that was just it.
They were mortals.
Sometimes, as a demigod, he found himself oppressed by the concerns of his friends. He was not yet used to their problems, which seemed so small to him. Little things like due dates or appointments slipped his mind because time held so little worth to a race that lived for eons, and jobs and chores had never been relevant to him because he was prince. He didn't have to worry about working for money or keeping the house clean.
Here on Midgard, with his beloved Jane and her friends Lady Darcy and the man of science Erik Selvig, all these things were important. He wasn't used to it, and sometimes he just needed to escape. So while his Lady Jane was sleeping peacefully in their bed, he slipped out the front door and with a whirl of Mjolnir disappeared into the night sky.
Thor had discovered a haunt that pleased him several months ago, just shortly after finding his way back to Midgard. It was on the eastern side of the country, far by a mortal's standards, but with Mjolnir and its powers of flight he arrived within an hour. It was a small inlet by the coast, where fresh ocean air rushed over the rocks and met with the trees and the dull roar of the waves was a soothing background. He settled on the shore, enjoying the smell that brought back memories of his home of Asgard and the waters about the city, and watched the moon make its journey across the sky.
It, surprisingly, took him ten minutes to realize he had company. He would later admit that he only realized he was not alone when he heard a muffle curse and the thump of something hitting the ground, but he liked to think that he felt the man's presence as he approached his back. Startled at the noise, he whirled about and saw a man sprawled on the ground, several feet behind him and face in the damp sand. He was dressed in the dark trousers often called 'jeans' by the mortals and a sea-green cotton shirt that draped loosely over muscled shoulders. A bag was by his side, its flap misshapen by something inside it.
Of course, Thor's warrior training took over, because this man had been sneaking up behind him (quite successfully) and he could be dangerous. Leaping to his feet, he brandished Mjolnir and darted forward to snatch the man's bag from him. Tossing it behind him, he faced the man down warily.
"Who are you?" he boomed. "For what reason did you attempt to sneak up on me?"
The man groaned and lifted his head. Sand stuck to his black hair, and he brushed the filth from his face before glancing up at Thor. Bright green eyes met Thor's, and they would have reminded him of his brother's if they hadn't held more sea-like qualities and the spark that all mortals had. Something crawled along his skin, the sense of something-not-human unsettling the Asgardian prince even more. The man blinked blearily, looking rather harmless, then let out a put-upon sigh and got to his feet. The fluid grace he did so made Thor shift in his fighting stance, ready for a fight should this skilled man attack him.
The man scrubbed the sand from his hair and smiled abashedly at Thor, green eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Sorry, I didn't quite think; I was just surprised someone was here, that's all. Then I tripped on some log, and well," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
The answer would have reassured Thor and confirmed his suspicions that this man was just another Midgardian who had wandered astray, if he hadn't known better. Lie, his senses told him.
"Do not lie, mortal!" He said sharply. The uneasy skitter along his flesh seemed to deny mortal and he fought back a shiver. Mjolnir glinted and he tightened his grasp and raised it slightly.
The man's smile immediately disappeared and he put his hands up to show that he meant no harm. He said seriously, "I just saw you there, and I thought you might have been dangerous. I was being careful."
Thor growled, his princely attitude rearing his head at the man's blasé response. "What actions of mine earned your caution, mortal?" he said. "Do not insult me as to say such things."
The man frowned, eyes sweeping over the demigod's slightly arrogant posture and stiff scowl. "I meant no offense, though your own presumptuousness tests my patience," he said, adopting the demigod's regal speech patterns.
Thor ground his teeth. Normally he would be in a much better mood and not bothered the man past a few questions, but he was tired of having to slip away from his lady in the middle of the night like a vagabond and biting his tongue at the concerns of mortals. This man... he only agitated Thor's already worn composure. "I tire of your presence," he told the mortal. "Leave this place!"
The man's lips curled back from his teeth in a startling snarl, and Thor startled minutely when he felt the humming running along his flesh throb. "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" He said, eyes narrowing, and he took a step towards Thor.
The throbbing on Thor's skin increased to a painful amount, and without any consideration towards his actions he swung Mjolnir and flicked it at the mortal. To his surprise the man only leapt aside and let the small bolt of lightning the hammer had produced dance past him. His actions only confirmed Thor's thoughts that this man was not a mortal like he seemed.
He sent more bolts at him, but he just ducked and backpedaled with practiced ease. Before Thor could realise it the man was suddenly pressing close, and the demigod had to stumble back to avoid being sliced by a sword that had suddenly appeared in the man's hand. Somewhat abashedly realising that his time on Midgard had dulled his skills, Thor attempted to keep the man at a distance where his deadly sword could not reach him. Normally he would not have fought such a distanced battle, but his body was much more vulnerable in its half-mortal state, and his lack of armor was something he was not used to.
They fought back and forth, both with frustration simmering under their skin. They came ever closer to the sea until they reached the edge of the cliffs that framed the shallow inlet. There the spray licked at their ankles and made the rock slippery under foot, and both of them lost their balance more than once.
As they approached the waters crashing at the rocks below, Thor felt the throbbing on his skin increase until it made him itch and burn, and he bared his teeth. With a mighty swing of his hammer he brought up a wind and a bolt of lightning that struck the ground at the man's feet and set him tumbling. He hit the rocks once, flipped up into the air, and sailed over the cliff edge. He plunged downwards and towards the tumultuous waters below, and Thor watched him tumble head over heels. When he was almost at the surface, the water rose up to meet him. It cushioned his sudden halt, and cradled him as he sunk into the frothy waters. As he disappeared from sight, his green eyes – luminous now that he was shrouded by the dark sea – remained locked with Thor's until the Asgardian could see him no more.
He stood there on the cliff, heart still pounding from the rush of adrenaline, then he slowly loosened his grip on Mjolnir. He became aware of the stinging of several cuts the not-mortal had given him, and the last dregs of his frustration slipped away as he scowled down at the sodden state of his pants. He turned his glare to the waters that remained as barren as they had before, with no sign of the not-mortal.
The not-mortal. Who had been rather friendly and peaceful, until Thor had proved him. The not-mortal, who had displayed very not-mortal powers that were unlike any he'd seen on Midgard, powers that reached into the realm of godhood. The not-mortal that Thor had scared off, and was who knew where.
Thor took the moment of utilise a word he'd recently learned from an exasperated Jane:
"Fuck."
————
Of course, that had been the first time they met, but that wasn't the time when Thor got to know Percy. For the weeks that followed the encounter the mysterious man had been referred to as the not-mortal, as Thor had no allusions as to what the man's name was. Their next encounter was two months later, during a shopping trip in a bustling town near New York. Jane and Thor were there for Jane's research, and they had taken the opportunity to explore the town's shopping district.
The commotion started not long after lunch. The café Thor and Jane had seated themselves had a nice calming air, and it was disrupted by the sound of screams.
At the terrified cries, Thor's head jerked up and he looked around wildly for the source of the panic. Down the street, a horde of people were running their way, looks of horror on their faces. As they drew closer, Thor could hear their distressed words of: "Animals! They've escaped from the zoo!"
Thor blinked. That was not what he'd been expecting.
But as the crowd of civilians pushed past them, Thor pulled Jane close and peered at what was behind the mortals. Once they cleared out, Thor's eyes widened.
"Jane," he asked his lady, "why is it that your people constantly find reason to trap wild beasts in unnatural habitats for spectator amusement? Especially when they can escape as they have now?"
"Thor!" shrieked Jane. "Now's not the time to talk about that – there are lions coming this way!"
"Are there not tigers and bears in these menageries as well?"
"Thor!"
But as they retreated to a safer area, Thor's godly senses began to tingle and he narrowed his eyes at the beasts. The images flickered before his eyes, once, twice – and then the wild animals disappeared from sight and were replaced with something else: monsters. They were creatures unlike any Thor had ever seen upon Midgard and had the throbbing feel of myth, much like the not-mortal all those weeks ago.
Thor turned to Jane, gripping his love's shoulders tightly. His eyes no longer danced with humor, and he stared down at her, grim-faced. "Jane, you must find someplace secure," he told her, voice low. "These... they are not mortal animals."
"Thor?" Before Jane could ask anymore, the Asgardian left her in the café and ventured out onto the street. He was confident that Jane would be able to get herself to a safe place – she was intelligent and had a will of iron. Turning to face the hoard of creatures, he cursed himself for leaving Mjolnir in the bed of Jane's truck. He had thought that for maybe one day he and Jane would be able to have regular day without otherworldly interruptions, but apparently not. Honestly, what was it with Midgard and spectacular happenings?
Now that the creatures were closer, he could see that the crowd seemed to be mostly made up of large hounds, with coats of mottled black and grey fur. They were large, the smallest the size of a shopping cart and the largest nearing a truck. He could see the gleam of their teeth in their open maws and the fleck of spittle even from such a distance, and their eyes were a deep, feral red.
"What in the name of the All Father?" Thor murmured to himself, forehead furrowing. He strode to the nearest building, an old brick apartment complex, and ripped the heavy iron railing from the fire escape staircase along the wall. It was several feet long and made of strong metal, and would serve as a satisfactory weapon against such beasts.
At least, that was what Thor was hoping...
The street was empty of mortals, the humans having thankfully cleared out for once. The hounds seemed to moving without direction, just blinding rushing down the road and looking for anything that they might devour. Thor's hands grew sweaty as he gripped the metal rail tightly. He knew nothing about these creatures, and yet he had to face them down without any aid...
Nevertheless, he was Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, and to protect realms such as Midgard was his duty. He rolled his shoulders, and with a deep breathe, began to run to the charging beasts. Seeing their large fangs barred at him and their red eyes glinting, his heart began to speed up and adrenaline hummed through his veins. The heady feel of battle that he was so familiar with sang in his bones and he opened his mouth to let out Asgard's royal war cray. He felt more alive and like the battle prince he was in this moment than he had any other time on Midgard. He was ready to let the world hear his cry of triumph and bloodlust, and to make these creatures shake and turn in fear.
He was so ready, in fact, that he was entirely unprepared from something to swoop out of the sky and nearly knock him flat on his back as it landed in front of him. Thor felt his heart lurch and his mighty war cry quickly turned into a yelp of shock as he stumbled over his own feet. He felt as if the floor had been yanked out beneath him and he took a moment to quickly recover his senses. Once he was sure his heart wasn't going to rupture from the sudden shock, he glanced up with both annoyance and gratitude in his eyes, intending to thank the person who'd come to his aid but nearly sent him into heart failure.
His 'saviour' was a man whose identity was obscured by a helm he wore, but he could see that he was in his middle years. He was strong and wore a green Midgardian shirt beneath a burnished breast plate and had his back to Thor. He was astride a tall, muscular Pegasus that was the color of midnight, and was equipped with silver armor. There were no reins, only thick, dove-grey ribbons that attacked to the face plate of the armor, but they did not offer any control over the creature. There was a dark leather saddle with blue-grey accents and tiny bells along the saddle blanket to finish the war outfit. The man sat in the saddle with ease, like he was made to be astride a horse, and faced down the crowd of monsters fearlessly. He seemed to be gripping a sword, but it was held low and Thor couldn't see it beyond the horse.
Getting got his feet, Thor nodded gratefully to the man. "Thank you, comrade." He would have liked to inquire about the man's identity, but the battle field was not a place for such trivial questions.
The man turned to look at him and green eyes met him own. The sight of them tugged at a memory lurking in the back of his mind, but he pushed the sensation aside when the man nodded in reply. He gripped the ribbons in one hand and without prompting the pegasus unfolded its wings and made an eerie sound between a whiny and a snarl at the hounds. The man drew a short sword from a sheath hanging on the saddle and tossed it to Thor, who fumbled briefly but caught it. He paused only to say, "Your iron won't do anything," before he was thundering towards the hounds.
Thor frowned after the man, but shrugged it aside and brought both the sword and the rail to meet the onslaught of the hounds. To his shock, instead of piercing through a hound's chest, the jagged end of the rail skittered off and did not damage. The short sword however drew black colored blood from the throat of another hound, and the creature howled before it burst into gold dust. Coughing in disgust as the dust got into his mouth; he tossed aside the rail and gripped the sword with both hands. He managed to flawlessly take down several more beasts before one lunged at him from behind and sliced his shoulder with a razor sharp claw. Crying out, Thor spun and tried to kill it, but it leapt forward before he could find his balance and snarled.
It was beat back just in time by flailing hooves, and the Pegasus pranced in front of him protectively. Thor took the moment to catch his breath and press a hand to his bloody shoulder, watching the man maneuver the horse expertly. He slew the hounds effortlessly and with the ease of experience, fearless in his opposition. Only one beast managed to get close enough to do harm, locking its jaw around the man's free arm and pulling him down from the saddle. The man let out an inarticulate yell and his helmet hit the ground with a crash as he wrestled with the hound to free him arm. Thor was quick to react and rush to his aid, plunging his sword deep into the flesh of the hound's hackles.
The beast howled and disintegrated, and for a moment all Thor could see was a cloud of dust. He heard coughing from his comrade in arms, and he waved his arms to disperse the gold dust. The heavy cloud blew away after a moment and Thor finally found himself face to face with his fellow warrior.
Ah, by the beard of the All Father; no wonder the man's eyes had seemed so familiar. It was the not-mortal that stood before him.
The man stared at him for a moment, seeing the recognition on the Asgardian's face, and turned to run off. Thor jumped at the sudden movement and hurried after him. "Wait!" he called out, "not-mortal, wait! I wish you no harm!"
The man snorted and continued to run, stepping through the piles of gold dust that were gradually disappearing. "Yeah right!" he yelled over his shoulder.
"Not-mortal, I speak the truth! Our first encounter was a mistake on my part! I, the royal prince Thor of Asgard, apologize for my misconduct!" There, that ought to earn him the man's attention, and maybe a moment of conversation to clear up their misunderstanding.
"Fuck! Another god! Why?"
Or perhaps not.
"Not-mortal! If you would just converse with me for a moment, then all stains shall be cleared from our record!" Thor ran as quickly as he could, his partially-Asgardian body quick to bring him closer to the still running man. The not-mortal let out a frustrated cry and a moment later the Pegasus swooped out of the sky to run alongside him. Thor watched with half-concealed admiration as the man managed to mount the steed without stopping.
"We have no record!" shouted the man, readying to urge the Pegasus into the skies. The horse took one leaping stride, then another, and they were just coming off the ground when there was a screech and something nearly rammed into them from the side.
The man let out a startled yell as the Pegasus struggled to reposition itself so that instead of getting hit by the truck that had appeared from a back alley, it scrambled across the hood and tumbled to the ground on the other side.
Thor felt dread coil in his gut. He knew that truck.
"Thor!" cried Jane as she climbed from the driver's seat. She had a mildly frightened look on her face but moved with purpose nonetheless. Her hair was horribly tangled under her beanie, and she stood uncertainly behind the opened car door. "Did I hit it?"
Thor just stood with his mouth open, eyes locked on the dark form on the other side of the truck. "Was it a moose?" Jane continued to babble, tugging at her hair. "It looked big enough; I didn't know they had moose in the zoo here. Is it dead?"
There was a groan, and the form shifted. The not-mortal managed to get to his feet and began to run his hands over his steed, checking for injuries. He levelled a glower their way, his face set in hard lines. "No." he said flatly.
'What?" Jane blinked at the sight of the man, then rubbed at her eyes like she was clearing fog from her vision. "Ah!" she cried a moment later. "That's a Pegasus!"
Jane's exclamation was all it took to free Thor from his state of shock, and he rushed around the truck to the man. "Not-mortal, are you all right? Do you need aid?
What of your steed, does it - " He jerked back as a sword was suddenly levelled to his throat. The man stared him down with cool green eyes, slowly getting to his feet and keeping Thor at sword point. There was a loud snort, and the Pegasus got to its feet with ease. Thor narrowed his eyes at the beast, which seemed to whicker at him mockingly. So, the horse had been faking it to draw him closer in a state of unwariness.
"Who are you?" the man asked. "Why did you attack me last time?"
Thor slowly took a step back and bowed slightly. "I am Thor Odinson, a Prince of Asgard and warrior of the realm. I formally apologize for my earlier behaviour; it was most unbecoming. Will you do me an honor and forgive me?" he said.
The man eyed him for a moment, and seeing the honesty on Thor's face let out an explosive sigh. He withdrew his sword and touched something to the tip. It retracted in on itself and became a small pen that the man tucked into his pocket. Thor regarded it with fascination. There were not many items of such potent magic on Midgard...
"Hey, warrior of the realm, get your girlfriend and her truck. We need to get out of here."
Thor jerked when the man addressed him, and nodded. Hurrying back to Jane, who was standing uncertainly by the truck with a bemused look on her face, he told her, "Quickly, my lovely Jane, into the metal carriage. We must leave before the mortals come across us."
True to his word, they could already hear the sirens approaching. Jane just looked at him for a moment before she rolled her eyes and got into the driver's seat. Thor got in beside her and she started the car she said, "Is this more of your god stuff?"
Thor sighed as he fastened his seat belt and stared at the not-mortal who was waiting patiently at the end of the alley, settled on his horse. The man made for them to follow and trotted down another side road. "I believe so," he said. "The man is not a threat, but he is not mortal."
"Not mortal? What do you mean?" asked Jane, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Thor glanced at his lovely lady. "You do not know of everything that lives on this mortal plane, Jane. There is much more than just my realm in the cosmos." At least, that was what he had gathered from what he'd seen of the man's powers and fighting skills. He did not know of which mortal plane the man came from.
The not-mortal stopped several minutes later, when they were far from the sirens and deep in a twisted maze of deserted alley. He dismounted and watched as Thor and Jane got out of the truck. The Asgardian and his beloved leaned against the hood of the car and eyed the man.
"So who are you?" asked Jane.
The man sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. Now that his senses were not preoccupied by battle, Thor could feel the familiarly flavored thrum of mythical presence on his skin, and took in the man's appearance with greater focus. He had golden skin, the sign of someone who enjoyed the outdoors, and a lithely muscled figure. His hair was black and hung in messy curls, and brilliantly white teeth made an appearance when he sent a smile Thor and Jane's way.
"My name is Percy Jackson," he told them. Beside Jane, Thor stiffened imperceptibly. "Just give me a minute and we can talk more; I need to contact someone."
Thor leapt upon the chance to give the man space and tugged Jane around to the other side of the truck. The woman arched an eyebrow at him as he suddenly began muttering and tugging at his hair. "Thor, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Jane!" Thor whispered urgently. "That is Perseus Jackson! I just encountered Perseus Jackson!" He paced the length of the truck, a frenzied look on his face.
"Thor, Thor, calm down. What's the big deal about him – Perseus Jackson? Why's he so important?"
"But Jane! That is Perseus Jackson – a warrior most noble and powerful! Tales of his deeds are sung loud and lengthy in the golden halls of Asgard; he is legend of the Midgardian mythical plane. Son of Poseidon, the Earthshaker, the Journeyman of the Underworld, the Razer of Tartarus! He is a hero of Midgard many times over – and I sent him over a cliff edge!"
"You did what?"
"It was many weeks ago, a misunderstanding between the both of us. And now he may think badly of me! What shall I do?"
"Thor! Honestly, just calm down; if he's as 'noble' as you say he is then he should understand that it was all just a mistake. Though you should apologize..."
"Uh, excuse me?"
Thor and Jane turned at the faintly amused question, seeing the man in question standing at the hood of the truck. He gave them a small smile, seeming friendly enough, and held out his hand for Thor to shake. "You're Thor, right? God of Thunder and all that?"
Thor's face split with a huge grin and he grasped the man's hand firmly, shaking it enthusiastically. "Indeed! It is an honor to be shield brothers with you, Perseus Jackson! You and your steed fight most magnificently, just as the legends that also speak of your valour and prowess say!"
Percy winced at the use of his full name and the mention of his legends. He expertly extricated his hand from Thor's energetic shaking. "I don't suppose you'd consider calling me Percy, would you?"
"Of course not!"
Jane watched, amused, as the man turned away slightly, muttering under his breath. "Damn it, these gods just keep multiplying.