catch all for Zelos~!

[rosenbridges]

Jane was the kind of woman that 90% of the time? She was a little oblivious to the world moving outside of her personal little space bubble. She gets so involved in her work that sometimes she forgets to maintain interpersonal relationships with anyone other than Selvig and Darcy and a few other SHIELD reps.

It’s not purposeful, but it does happen.

She tries, though – and she tried tonight, going out at Darcy and Selvig’s insistence to have a beer with a few other colleagues from the research division she was part of. Talk of work was classified and therefore couldn’t be discussed in such a public surrounding – her friends thought it was a good way to get her mind off of strange gods and Norse (and, to the mystification of Darcy and Selvig both, Greek) mythology.

It had worked to an extent, though Jane isn’t much of a drinker and turned down most alcolholic beverages that were pushed in her direction. Nevertheless, it had gotten her out of her small, quiet little apartment.

Said apartment is where she’s coming back to now, opening and shutting the front door then leaning against it with a sigh, fingers pinching at the bridge of her nose.

“Well. That was fun."

Comments

[zealed]

"Sounds like you had the time of your life."

Surely an appearance by one of the world's most unpleasant and annoying deities is bound to make her evening better?

No?

Well, it's happening anyway.

Zelos is currently leaning with one shoulder against the wall and his arms folded across his chest, watching her with that infuriating smirk on his face. Why is he there? Because she doesn't want him to be. Because she would rather it was someone else.

[rosenbridges]

“Shit--!”

Jane jumps about five feet in the air and spins, dropping her purse in the process. For one heart stopping moment, she’d wondered if just maybe--

But no. It wasn’t the blond, ruggedly handsome warrior. It was yet another god who had stolen two kisses and vanished without a trace, leaving her shouting at empty space in her anger.

“Oh. It’s you.”

She bends to snatch up her purse and clutch it to her, eyes zeroing in on a very different – but equally attractive – face.

“What do you want?”

[zealed]

He laughs a little as he straightens up, amused by her fright much as it is both logical and entirely justified.

If her resentment stings him (and it does) he hides it very well, none of his anger and frustration showing through the mask of amusement as he shrugs.

"You."

It really is quite simple. Though nothing ever truly is with Zelos, is it?

2nd Verse, same as the first XD

[rosenbridges]

Twice Jane had encountered Zelos and twice he'd left her feeling strange and frustrated and -- not just a little bit angry because he kept violating her personal space.

There wasn't a lot she could do about it either, but this time she hopes that she'd angered him enough so that he wouldn't be coming back. He kept complicating things, and he was no good for her, or her strange...not!relationship with Thor.

Of course, it wasn't as if they'd had a chance to discuss anything either, but -- still.

Days turned to weeks and there was no sign -- maybe she'd gotten off.

Putting him out of her mind, Jane continues to work. She's in her lab, bent over a smattering of blueprints and notes, palms pressed against the papers as she studied them.

[zealed]

He did have many other things to do apart from bothering an unwilling mortal, and for a while his duties had kept him busy, as well as other more temporary distractions.

But when some time had passed, he found himself thinking of her again. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Being what he was, he saw no real reason to deny herself. She'd been allowed enough time without him, he was entitled to a visit.

He wasn't, of course, but there went that fundamentally flawed logic of his.

So here he is, suddenly bending over her work next to her with no regard for the fact that it's an extremely creepy and frightening thing to do.

"You got that calculation wrong. Something distracting you?"

[rosenbridges]

The sudden appearance of a person - god - next ot her makes Jane jump and jerk away, but she's quick to scowl and snatch at her papers.

"It's not wrong."

It's just -- not finished.

[rosenbridges]

This time, it's not just weeks that pass -- it's months. She's relocated last minute to Tromsø, Norway -- and soon she finds out why. Loki's at it again, wrecking havoc on earth and Jane's out of the crossfire because of her association with Thor.

She sits atop the observatory, alone in the cold.

She doesn't watch the TV. She can't. Instead she stares towards where she thinks New York might be, and she prays.

[zealed]

"I suppose it pleases you that he's back."

It had not pleased Zelos, a fact that had finally made him snap out of his divine sulking to return to her side. He was aware that the gesture probably came off as less romantic and more plain dickish, but he had wanted to see her, and denying himself was not in his nature.

[rosenbridges]

There's a faint jerk of her shoulders; he surprised her. She doesn't look back at him, though. Instead she just stares straight ahead.

"I didn't think you'd return." Not after last time. She ignores the jab about Thor. She worries.

[rosenbridges]

More time passes and this time, Thor finally visits Jane. He explains why he had not returned that day in Puente Antiguo and he tells her what he had to do. Jane understands, of course – she expected no less from a man like Thor. The needs of Asgard, the safety of an entire race outweighed what they might have wanted for themselves. There was more at stake than just a relationship. Thor was a god-prince and heavy responsibility came with that.

She had known that if he could have returned immediately, he would have.

The visit is…nice. The spark for Thor is still there despite repeated attempts by Zelos who…Jane feels slightly obligated to tell Thor about. She leaves out the kisses (for which she feels horribly guilty) but she does tell the blond prince about the repeated visits (but…not about the holding and flirting and the feelings she may or may not have developed).

It…is not Jane’s most pleasant conversation ever. Thor is angry – rightfully so – and swears he will have vengeance to which Jane gives a resounding no. ”Zelos is who he is and what he is,” she tells him, hands on metal gauntlets, ”just as you are what and who you are. Don’t be mad at him.”

She’s not sure she can stave off a clash, though. In fact, she’s pretty sure Thor’s planning on ‘speaking’ to the jealous god anyway. Thor is not without his faults – he can still be arrogant, cocky, and vengeful no matter what he has learned. He does promise, at least, not to harm the dark haired god.

Jane can’t be sorry about the possessive kisses she gets from Thor as a result, though.

But again Thor must leave – there’s a bigger threat to earth this time than just Loki and his army, though Jane has a difficult time believing that. She's relocated again, this time to somewhere in the tropics -- some government owned island that sat uncharted.

She doesn't think Zelos will return after their last 'encounter'. It had not...ended well.

Might be why she's taking a moment to sunbathe amidst the chaos. It's her day 'off', according to the others.

More like 'take a vacation day we're on an island before you pass out from exhaustion'. So she did, and she's asleep on a chair, book over her face.

[zealed]

He doesn't announce his presence, since she made it very clear on their last encounter that she wanted to have none of him in the future.

While it is very much in his nature to try and force things, that actually isn't why he's here.

He just... wanted to see her face.

So he merely stands a few steps away from her chair and watches her, knowing that as soon as her eyes open the moment will shatter and he will likely have to leave.

[rosenbridges]

It's one of those really perfect days that aren't too hot and there's a beautiful breeze and everything is quiet and secluded. She's alone out here, at least -- until she can feel someone there with her.

She's beginning to wonder if she's got some kind of 'God Sense', because she can practically feel him looking at her without opening her eyes.

Slowly, she draws the book away and closes it. She doesn't open her eyes behind her sunglasses, not yet.

"What are you doing here, Zelos?"

It's been months.

[rosenbridges]

Thor returns and it is even less pleasant than the previous visit. Discussions are had and confessions made; Jane is not the only one with wandering eyes. The Lady Sif is something to behold – Jane knows, she’s met her. She’s more like Thor than Jane could ever be, though Thor confesses that is what drew him to Jane in the first place – her brilliance, her own brand of courage, her passion.

He leaves once more to fight and things are rockier than ever, and not just with god and human.

The earth crawls with enemies and Jane’s research division in Norway falls, though Jane gets out unscathed. She moves with SHIELD to a different observatory, and works with the crew to find some way to stop the enemy.

It’ll probably be one of the last things she does.

[zealed]

Zelos rages, coming dangerously close to outright insubordination and getting punished for it, which is why he doesn't come to her aid when the research division falls. The Greek gods are staying out of this war unless the situation reaches a point where they will have to intervene. Zeus has decreed that that time has not yet come.

The frustrated enforcer emerges from captivity and punishment, and his first act is to seek Jane out as soon as he can. He looks a bit of a mess, not blending in among humans as well as he usually does. He moves stiffly, as if in pain, and his wings are very much present and visible, looking quite ruffled.

His clothes, however, do seem relatively fitting apart from the fact that his feet are bare.

"Jane?"

[rosenbridges]

He’s not the only one looking a little ratty and banged up. Jane’s clothes are in worse shape than his; a rip here and there, and very clearly dirty. She’s covered in grease and soot and God knows what else, and it doesn’t look like she’s slept in a few days. There’s dried blood here and there on her clothes and her skin, and it’s hard to tell if its hers or if it belongs to someone else.

She’s bent over, working on something, when she hears her name.

“…Zelos?” She blinks in surprise, then instantly goes into his arms, sliding hers around him and holding tight, fingers brushing over something feathery. “Oh, God. It’s been so awful. I've been worried--are these wings…?”

[rosenbridges]

After Zelos left, everything went to utter hell in a handbasket. The very next day her research facility is bombed and Jane and the others barely make it out with their lives. Thor himself makes an appearance and while he cannot allow himself to play favorites, he manages to save Jane and several of her associates from falling debris and the explosive aftershocks that the initial battery caused.

Jane notices that Thor is not at his peak performance either, though -- and she knows that unless something is done soon, earth will fall.

Between Thor and other SHIELD associates (Jane swears she saw the Black Widow, but couldn't be positive) they are moved now to somewhere underground, far out of the way (or so they hope) of the war itself.

The Asgardians and Avengers fight while all the Greeks save one sit idle...it does not rest well with Jane.

[zealed]

Humanity's lack of respect and proper reverence has angered the king of the gods, and he sees no reason to fight for them when they have reduced the loud-thunderer to a mere legend. Let them fend for themselves, then, with their science.

Zelos is quietly going insane with lust for battle, and he isn't the only one getting twitchy from seeing other gods hog all the glory.

It takes a while for him to get back to Jane, again because he got himself in trouble. He managed to make Hephaistos take a look at her research, but it was of course discovered what he was trying to do. What was not discovered, however, was where he'd hidden Jane's journal.

He'd come dangerously close to being exiled, but when he returns to her side, it is still as an Olympian.

[rosenbridges]

Jane is utterly clueless about what she asked Zelos to do for her, for humanity. Jane only knows that it takes him far too long to reappear and her frustration levels are running high -- why aren't they doing anything.

When he appears -- and it's sudden and shocking as it always is, she doesn't run to him like she did last time. Instead, she keeps working, putting things away and dragging other instruments down.

"I can't work like this," she's muttering to herself and not really paying attention to the god that has suddenly showed up in her workspace. Her hands are flexing and gripping pieces of delicate equipment so tightly they may break. "You can't see the stars down here. It's dark, it's damp, it's too tight--" She slams an instrument down and it shatters and all Jane can do is stare at it as pieces hit the floor.

[rosenbridges]

It ends. It ends, and the death toll is high, but it ends. Life is slowly, carefully put back together -- one brick at a time. Offices are rebuilt, homes are reconstructed and Jane finds work with SHIELD, thankful for the opportunity.

The home base is established and Jane has a place not too far from it, so that she can come and go with ease. She makes a few acquaintances and does her best to simply get along -- and push her dominating thoughts of Zelos out of her mind.

Thor returns to Asgard; their goodbye is kind and polite, but not romantic.

She goes to and from work, settling into a routine -- a routine that becomes a little broken when some months down the line a young coworker decides to take it upon himself to try and woo Doctor Foster.

"Coffee? We could do coffee." He's hopeful and persistent. She's got to give him that.

"It's raining." That's something she feels the need to point out.

"...I have an umbrella?"

Very persistent.

[zealed]

He had left her, but that didn't mean that she had left his mind for even so much as an hour. He had returned to Olympos with even less regard than earlier for his own personal well-being, because what was there for him now anyway, and he had been relentless in his attempt to sway the opinions of the other gods towards wanting to become more active in the fight.

In the end it hadn't been too hard, most of them wanted to fight they just needed someone to tickle their pride enough that it outweighed the reluctance towards potentially getting on Zeus' bad side. Zelos was very good at that particular brand of persuasion.

Sometimes he went to see her. He kept out of sight, making sure that she wouldn't notice him except perhaps for that tickle at the back of your neck that you at times get when someone is watching you. He couldn't help himself, he had to know that she was still alive.

He fought as well, now that he was finally free to do so, and he did it with fury and competitive zeal. He was going to best them all, and Thor in particular of course.

All the while he stayed away from Jane, doing what she had asked him to for once to the greatest extent that he was able.

When the young man makes his clumsy attempt to court her, Zelos is nearby, making one of his little invisible visits. Only this time it is very, very hard not to make his presence known because that little twerp is seriously getting on his nerves.

"... I have an umbrella?" He says, and that's when something inside Zelos shifts, and he makes a decision.

"She's busy."

The youngster is probably wondering right about now how he could possibly have missed the tall, dark stranger leaning against a nearby wall, but it's still plausible enough to think that he'd just been that focused on getting Jane's attention.

[rosenbridges]

Jane wouldn't be surprised if the kid hadn't noticed Zelos in his persistence of her -- but Jane knew better. That wall had been 'empty', no one had been visibly leaning on it until Zelos had shifted into view and even now the poor kid is whirling around and staring, jaw working.

"But--but--"

Jane gently pats him on the shoulder and smiles but inside she...is not pleased.

"It's really very sweet of you, but I have work to do. I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that, she's marching towards the door.

Zelos either will or wont follow, but either way she's not hashing anything out with him here.

[rosenbridges]

[ Continued from here...]

"With--" Oh, of course.

"Zelos, this isn't funny." Jane is trying very, very hard not to panic and Zelos is not helping. Especially when the bunched up jacket she's holding is completely soaked through with blood and oh God it's getting on her hands.

"Call him. Please? I don't know--how to help you, please."

[zealed]

It is a little funny to him, actually. In a sort of detached 'Well damn, finally managed to get myself killed after all' sort of way. But the panic in Jane's tone manages to break through the the warm, fuzzy ideas of how nice it would be to just lie down and sleep and not feel this pain anymore, so he turns his face up to look at the ceiling, voice a little weak and breathy now as he speaks in ancient Greek. Any language would do, but he thinks it fitting.

"Hey. Asklepios. I know you know what it's like to have the loud-thunderer kill you. He brought you back to your wife and your daughters, but I think you know he won't do the same for me. He won't bring me back to my Jane. I need..."

He pauses, eyes closing for a few moments before he manages to jerk himself back into consciousness.

"I need you to help me stay with her."

He is met only with silence, and he reaches out with a bloodied hand to take one of Jane's. He tries for another smile, though this one is a rather more failed attempt.

"It was worth a shot."

[rosenbridges]

Okay. Kissing booth - Darcy's fault. Zelos is going to kill her, but it's for a good cause. Scientists club for kids.

And, you know -- her booth isn't exactly busy. It's Darcy's that's busy, but there's That Woman that comes up and leaves Jane flustered, red cheeked, and sitting there with a lipstick print on the corner of her mouth that she's forgotten about.

[zealed]

Zelos had overheard Jane agreeing to doing this kissing booth thing, and rather than pick a fight over it he had decided to just... watch, to see how she would be reaction. If she'd be enjoying herself.

It's one of the perks of godhood, the ability to observe without being seen. Zelos uses it frequently and a lot more liberally than he should, since respecting people's privacy is not one of his strong points.

He has no interest in killing Jane, just leaving her was like tearing out his own heart. Ending her life would be ending his own.

He is however considering shortening That Woman's lifespan considerably.

Feeling that he's definitely seen enough, Zelos allows himself to be seen by mortal eyes. He's leaning against a tree, arms folded across his chest and his gaze almost seeming to carry actual weight as it's focus is entirely on Jane and ignoring everything else.

People jump a little in surprise at the sudden appearance of the tall, dark stranger entirely dressed in black, wondering how they could have missed him.

Zelos is ignoring them. They are insignificant. Only Jane matters now.