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Rhea was out in the favelas of Rio tending to the sick who had recently been shot up. It was a normal thing for shootings to occur in the favelas, but it still broke Rhea's heart every time she had to patch up and old man or child for their bullet wounds.
As Rhea was patching up yet another child, loud thunder cracked and bright lightning flashed suddenly in the sky. Rhea wasn't expecting it to storm on that particular day, but she brushed it off. Weather on Earth could be so unpredictable, probably because the four protectors of Earth's elements were constantly manipulating Earth to their liking.
But, Rhea realized something strange was occurring when she saw all of the people around her stare right behind her with wide and frightened eyes. They were all slowly, and fearfully, backing away from whatever or whoever was behind her. Rhea stood up and turned around to be greeted with the face of Thor Odinson. She gasped. She didn't know anyone knew she was on Earth.
"You know, you've been very hard to find, Rhea." Thor chuckled.
"You know, you scare people when you make an entrance like that." Rhea scoffed at the man, who seemed still just as cocky as he was many decades ago.
"Who would have thought. I thought you said Earth was a place where worthless men and women were sent." Thor recalled.
"Some of us have grown our minds and learned that all people of all planets are important." Rhea narrowed her eyes at him.
Thor flashed her a smile. "What do you want?" Rhea shook her head at him as she turned around to continue bandaging up the old man.
Thor stood by her side and watched her meticulously care for the elder. "I... just wanted to check on you. I have not seen you in ages."
"You know as well as anyone else I don't need to be checked on. And I know you. You wouldn't travel so far just to see an old friend. What do you want, son of Odin?" Rhea sneered at the man.
"You know this Avenger?" The old man that Rhea was tending to croaked out in Portuguese.
"We're acquaintances." Rhea whispered to him.
"Well, my father passed. And it seems that Loki has taken the throne for himself and is posing as our father." Thor fumbled with his thumbs like a child asking their mother to go outside and play.
"And you want me to help?" "Yes!" "To take Loki out of the throne?" "Yes! I'm glad we're agreeing." "I'm not going to do it."
"What?" Thor exclaimed.
"That task is beneath me." Rhea spoke nonchalantly to Thor.
"Then why are you posing as a mere human healer?" Thor asked why such a powerful god would work in such conditions, for free at that.
Rhea was silent, and she nonverbally waved the old man away once she was done bandaging him up. "Are you going to answer?" Thor pressured her.
"There are forces even you must bow to, son of Odin. And I am one of them. I am not a help desk. Take care of your brother yourself." Rhea groaned at Thor.
"I've tried! Please, Rhea. You're my only hope. Asgard will crumble to pieces if I can't return it to its former glory." Thor grabbed Rhea's hands and squeezed her.
Rhea and Thor never were in a relationship, but they did feel emotionally attached to one another. With Thor looking deeply into her brown eyes, Rhea couldn't help the butterflies flooding her stomach. It was incredible what infatuation will do to a person. "I'll see what I can do. I must discuss it with my sisters, though." Rhea seemed to release a breath she was holding in.
"They're here, too?" Thor inquired.
Rhea nodded. "You three are awfully good at hiding. What ever pushed you three to leave Asgard?" Thor asked.
"A reason I hope never crosses anyone else's path." Rhea sighed.
* * *
"Are you insane?! No way we are going back to Asgard. We came to hide here for a reason. If we return we could be found. You love to play with our sister's emotions, don't you? You love to use her when it best suits you." Cassiopeia sneered at Thor. She never liked him. He was the only man that ever weakened Rhea. Cassiopeia didn't know what Rhea saw in him.
"It would only be for a little while. We'd be gone before anyone noticed we were there." Rhea tried to sell the idea to her sisters.
"I'm fine with it, I left some shoes back in Asgard that I want back." Phoebe shrugged.
The four were sitting at a round table in the sisters' small apartment. "It's two against one, I win Cassy." Rhea told, firmly.
Cassiopeia groaned in annoyance. "Fine." She agreed to go, but not for any motive of her own. Only to protect her sisters and to make sure they'd get back to Earth without being noticed by any of their enemies.
