June 1st, 2010 – Puente Antiguo, New Mexico
Arthur sat in a booth at the back of the local diner, nursing a cup of coffee that had gone cold twenty minutes ago. He was dressed casually in jeans and a dark shirt, blending in with the locals effortlessly.
Across the room, the main event was unfolding.
A large blonde man with the physique of a competitive bodybuilder and the beard of a Viking sat hunched over a plate of pancakes. He ate with a ferocity that suggested he hadn't seen food in a week, or perhaps simply didn't understand the concept of table manners.
Dr. Jane Foster sat opposite him, looking exhausted and frantic, trying to keep her voice down. Dr. Erik Selvig looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. And Darcy Lewis, the sarcastic intern, watched the spectacle with wide eyes and barely concealed delight.
Meanwhile, the blonde giant drained his mug of coffee in one long gulp and slammed the ceramic down on the table with enough force to shatter it into a dozen pieces.
"ANOTHER!" Thor bellowed, grinning at the startled waitress like he'd just paid her the highest compliment.
The diner went dead silent. Forks froze mid-bite. Conversations died mid-sentence. Every eye in the establishment turned toward the massive stranger who had just destroyed their dinnerware with the enthusiasm of a Viking at a feast.
Jane's face cycled through several shades of red.
"Sorry, Izzy," she said quickly, her voice pitched high with mortification. "It was an accident."
Thor looked genuinely confused. "That was no accident. The drink was most satisfying. I merely wished for another."
"Well, you could have just said so!"
"I did say so."
"No, I mean—" Jane rubbed her temples, clearly fighting a migraine. You don't smash things here. We ask nicely. With words. No more smashing. Deal?"
Thor considered this strange Midgardian custom, then nodded with solemn grace. "You have my word. I shall endeavor to respect your realm's... delicate traditions."
From his booth, Arthur chuckled softly.
It was undeniably funny to watch. Thor, crown prince of Asgard, wielder of storms, conqueror of realms - completely baffled by basic diner etiquette. And Jane Foster, astrophysicist and accidental babysitter, handling him like a well-meaning but troublesome golden retriever.
Arthur had arrived in town early that morning, wanting to observe Thor in his mortal state before making contact. Even from across the room, he could sense the Asgardian's physical signature. Stripped of divine power or not, Thor's body was extraordinarily dense, possibly stronger than a super soldier, even now.
But his mind? His judgment?
Arthur sighed and stood up. He straightened his jacket and walked over to their table.
"I couldn't help but overhear," Arthur said, stopping beside their booth. "Did they call you Thor?"
The table looked up. Jane and Selvig eyed him with immediate suspicion, strangers approaching in small-town diners usually meant trouble. Darcy just looked intrigued.
But Thor straightened in his seat, his chest puffing out instinctively.
"I am Thor," he declared, meeting Arthur's gaze with intense blue eyes. "Son of Odin. Prince of Asgard."
For a split second, the air in the diner seemed to thicken. Thor's eyes narrowed. Even powerless, his warrior instincts remained sharp. He looked at Arthur and sensed... something. Not a threat, exactly. But a presence. A predator recognizing another predator.
Arthur made no effort to hide it. He hadn't come here to manipulate or deceive. He wanted friendship and for that, honesty was the only foundation worth building on.
"Thor Odinson," Arthur said calmly. "You are far from home. What brings you to Midgard?"
Thor's gaze sharpened further.
"Who are you?" Thor demanded, ignoring the question. He stood up, towering over the table. "You dress as a Midgardian, yet you do not feel like one."
"Arthur Hayes. You can consider me a guardian of this realm." Arthur smiled slightly. "Now, can you answer my question?"
Thor studied him for a long moment, then seemed to reach some internal decision. "I seek Mjolnir. My father, in his... misguided judgment... cast it down to this realm. It is a test. One I intend to pass."
"You'll find your hammer fifty miles west of here." Arthur kept his tone neutral. "I trust this 'test' of yours doesn't involve leveling any towns or starting wars."
"No," Thor said dismissively. "Once I reclaim Mjolnir, I shall return to Asgard."
"Excuse me," Jane interrupted, standing up. She looked between the two men with a mix of confusion and annoyance. "What is going on here? Is this some kind of skit? A prank show?"
Arthur turned to her. "It would be easier for you if you believed that, Dr. Foster. Because if you accept the truth, the rest of your life is going to become very complicated, very quickly."
Selvig stood up now, moving protectively in front of Jane. "What do you mean? Is that a threat?"
"Nothing like that, Dr. Selvig," Arthur assured him, his tone polite but distant. "I'm merely suggesting that the things involved here are not for common people. They bring attention. The kind of attention that isn't always good."
"Attention from whom?" Selvig asked.
"For starters? S.H.I.E.L.D." Arthur checked his watch. "They're raiding your research facility as we speak."
Jane's eyes widened. "What?"
"They do that when extraordinary events occur. Anomalies like the one that brought our friend here tend to make them nervous."
"No!" Jane was already grabbing her jacket. "My research!"
She didn't wait for confirmation. She bolted for the door.
"Jane!" Darcy yelled, scrambling to follow. "Wait up!"
Selvig gave Arthur a hard look before rushing after them.
Thor remained behind, looking at the door, then back at Arthur. His brow furrowed. "Are they in danger?"
"No," Arthur said, sliding into the seat opposite Thor. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is this realm's protection organization. They are paranoid and bureaucratic, but they aren't evil. They'll confiscate her equipment, not harm her."
"Then it is well," Thor said, sitting back down. "I shall assist them in recovering their possessions once Mjolnir is restored to me. Such a task will be trivial."
Arthur studied the Asgardian prince across the table. Up close, the immaturity was even more striking. Thor radiated charisma, yes, but it was the charisma of a high school boy who had never been told 'no'.
"Tell me, Thor," Arthur asked quietly. "What led to you being sent here? With your powers sealed, no less."
He knew the answer, of course. He knew about the Frost Giants, the reckless raid on Jotunheim, Odin's judgment. But he wanted to hear Thor's perspective. To understand how the prince of Asgard justified his actions to himself.
Thor was more than happy to oblige.
He launched into his tale with the enthusiasm of a man who believed himself entirely in the right. The frost giants had invaded Asgard during his coronation—an insult that demanded response. He had led his friends to Jotunheim to teach them a lesson.
Yes, perhaps things had gotten slightly out of hand, but what was he supposed to do? Let such disrespect go unanswered?
His father had overreacted. Banishment was excessive. Stripping away his powers was cruel and unnecessary. Thor had only been defending Asgard's honor. How was that worthy of punishment?
Arthur listened to the entire monologue with an unchanging expression.
This was a being over fifteen hundred years old. He'd lived through more history than most Earth civilizations had existed. He'd fought in wars, ruled over subjects, wielded power that mortals could barely comprehend.
And he sounded like a teenager who crashed his dad's car and blamed the road.
"Thor," Arthur said when the prince finally paused for breath, "do you understand that you nearly started a war? A war that would have cost thousands of lives—Asgardian and Jotun both?"
"The Frost Giants needed to learn—"
"Perhaps. But not like that." Arthur leaned forward slightly. "Not without proper investigation into how they breached your defenses. Not without understanding their motives. What if it was a ploy by a third party to shatter the peace? What if it was simply an isolated incident, a handful of rogue actors? You gather information. You consult with those wiser and more experienced. You weigh the costs. Then, and only then, do you decide whether war is justified. You don't charge headlong into enemy territory because your pride was wounded."
Thor scoffed. "You speak as my father speaks. But you are Midgardian. You do not understand the burden of ruling the Nine Realms."
"And you do?" Arthur countered. "I understand the desire to prove yourself worthy. I understand your pride was injured. But wisdom means knowing when your pride serves your people and when it endangers them. Your father didn't banish you because he overreacted. He banished you because you weren't ready to be king."
For a moment, something flickered in Thor's eyes. Doubt, perhaps. Or the beginning of self-reflection.
Then it was gone, replaced by stubborn certainty.
"My father will see the truth of it," Thor said firmly. "The Frost Giants are monsters. They deserve no mercy, no consideration."
Arthur sighed internally. Some lessons couldn't be taught through conversation. They had to be lived.
Maybe Thor would have to go through the full experience - the failure, the humility, the sacrifice - before he understood. Arthur couldn't force enlightenment on someone who wasn't ready to receive it.
At least he'd tried.
Thor finished the last of his breakfast and stood, his earlier good humor returning.
"That was a fine meal," he announced. "The food of Midgard is heartier than I expected. Now, let us retrieve Mjolnir so that I may return home and settle matters."
Arthur just shook his head.
He paid for the meal Thor's group had consumed, including the shattered coffee mug and stepped outside with the Asgardian prince into the New Mexico sun.
The obvious move was to take Thor directly to the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound. Arthur could bypass their security easily enough, deliver the prince to his hammer, and observe what happened next.
But that might prevent Thor from learning whatever lesson Odin intended. The journey mattered as much as the destination.
Just as Arthur was weighing his options, Jane's van screeched to a halt in front of them. The driver's door flew open, and Jane stormed out, her face flushed with fury.
"They took everything!" she shouted. "Everything! My backups, my journals... even the backup of my backups!"
"They took my iPod," Darcy added mournfully from the passenger seat. "It had all my playlists."
"They can't do this," Jane seethed. "Years of research. Years! And they just—they just took it. No warrant, no explanation, nothing."
"They can, actually," Arthur said. "National security provisions give them broad authority. But I understand the frustration."
Thor took in Jane's distress and his expression hardened with righteous indignation.
"I shall recover your belongings," he declared. "Once Mjolnir is restored to me, I will return and retrieve what these... 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' warriors have stolen from you."
Jane looked at him skeptically. "How? The government took it. You can't just walk into a federal facility and demand they give my stuff back."
Thor smiled—a brilliant, confident, slightly maddening smile.
"Can I not?"
The absolute confidence in his voice made Jane pause. For all his strangeness, there was something compelling about Thor. Something that made you want to believe him, even when logic said otherwise.
"If you take me to Mjolnir," Thor said, his voice softening, "I give you my word. I will recover your possessions. And I will tell you everything you wish to know. The Bifrost. The realms beyond your own. The science your people have only begun to glimpse. All of it."
Jane's eyes widened. "Everything?"
"You have my word."
Arthur watched the exchange with quiet amusement. He had become furniture—present but largely irrelevant to the drama unfolding before him.
That was fine. This was Thor's story to write.
Jane was clearly tempted. The promise of answers to questions she had chased her entire career dangled before her like forbidden fruit. But before she could respond, Selvig pulled her aside for a hurried, whispered conversation.
Arthur didn't eavesdrop, but he could guess the contents. Selvig was a practical man. He had grown up with tales of Thor and the Bifrost, yes - but childhood stories were one thing, and reality was another. This massive stranger was either delusional or running an elaborate con. Either way, getting further involved was dangerous.
Jane hesitated. Logic and Selvig were screaming at her to drive away. But the scientist in her, the part that had seen the wormhole in the sky, was screaming louder.
"I'm sorry," Jane said finally, her shoulders slumping with reluctant practicality. "I can't take you there."
Thor's face fell, but he recovered with surprising grace. He straightened, inclining his head in a gesture that seemed almost courtly.
"Then this is where we must part ways."
He reached out and took Jane's hand. Before she could react, he lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. The gesture was so unexpected, so charmingly old-fashioned, that Jane's face went bright red.
"It has been an honor, Jane Foster," Thor said warmly. "May fortune smile upon you in all your endeavors."
He released her hand and turned to leave.
Jane stood frozen for approximately three seconds.
"Wait," she blurted. "I'll take you."
"Jane!" Selvig protested. "Have you lost your mind?"
"He knows where the anomaly is, Erik! And—look, I have to know. I'll never forgive myself if I walk away from this." She was already moving toward the driver's seat. "I'm going."
She turned to Arthur. "You said fifty miles west?"
"West," Arthur confirmed. "But S.H.I.E.L.D. has established a perimeter. Armed guards, fencing, surveillance. It won't be a casual visit."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is there?" Jane's jaw set with new determination. "Good. Then I have two reasons to go. I want my research back."
She climbed into the driver's seat. "Get in."
Thor grinned broadly, opening the passenger door. He paused and looked back at Arthur.
"You do not join us, Arthur Hayes?"
"You said this was a test. My presence would make things too easy." Arthur shrugged. "Besides, there's nothing there you can't handle."
Thor seemed to accept this. He clasped Arthur's forearm in a warrior's grip—a gesture that transcended cultural barriers.
"Farewell then, Guardian of Midgard," Thor declared. "When my power is restored, I shall seek you out. We shall feast together as brothers in arms!"
"I look forward to it."
Selvig and Darcy declined to join the expedition. Darcy looked ready to follow anyway, but one stern look from Selvig stopped her in her tracks.
A moment later, the van carrying Thor and Jane disappeared down the dusty road heading west.
Arthur watched until the vehicle was nothing but a speck on the horizon.
Darcy broke the silence first. "Hey. Mystery Guy. This isn't some kind of scam, right? Jane's going to be okay?"
"Your friend will be fine," Arthur assured her. "Thor has many flaws, but he would never harm an innocent. It's not in his nature."
Darcy didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded slowly.
Selvig, meanwhile, was studying Arthur with narrowed eyes. The wheels were turning behind that academic gaze.
"Arthur Hayes," he said slowly. "Why does that name sound familiar?"
Arthur kept his expression neutral. He wasn't a public figure—he had made certain of that over the years. Every significant action in the business world was attributed to Phoenix Group, and Eve kept his personal information meticulously scrubbed from the internet. But Selvig might have heard whispers in academic circles. Rumors about the mysterious benefactor behind certain research grants.
"I have a common name, Doctor."
Selvig shook his head. "No. It's something else. You knew about S.H.I.E.L.D. before they arrived. You speak to Thor like you actually believe his story. Who are you really?"
Arthur only smiled.
"I should take my leave," he said, stepping back.
Selvig moved to block his path. "Wait. Please. Just—tell us what's really happening here. I need to know Jane will be safe."
"Are you certain you want to know?" Arthur asked quietly. "There's still a chance to walk away from this. To convince yourself it was all heatstroke and mass hallucination."
Selvig and Darcy exchanged glances. Whatever silent communication passed between them, they reached an agreement quickly.
"We're sure," Darcy said firmly.
Arthur studied them for a moment. Their determination was genuine. They cared about Jane, and they weren't the type to abandon a friend simply because things had gotten strange.
"Very well," Arthur said. "Let's just say... the stories you grew up with, Dr. Selvig. The myths of the Aesir. They weren't just stories."
Selvig's face went pale. "The Aesir? That's... that's not possible."
"Isn't it?"
Selvig blinked, his mind struggling to process the implications.
"What do you—"
But when he looked up, Arthur was gone.
No footsteps. No car driving away. Just empty space where a man had stood a moment before.
Darcy let out a noise somewhere between a squeak and a curse. "Did he just—was that—he just disappeared!"
Selvig stared at the empty spot for a long moment.
The stories from his grandmother's knee. Thor. The Bifrost. The gods of Asgard walking among mortals.
Impossible.
And yet.
"Let's go," he said abruptly.
Darcy blinked. "Go where?"
Selvig was already moving. "The library."