A hearing takes place and Jake Olson’s boss Mr. Ryan brings
him the result: he is suspended indefinitely for his handling of the Jarrod
Dellahanty case. Jake appeals to Ryan who tells him he would have done what
Jake did but the decision isn’t practical, it’s political….
In Asgard, Thor assigns Volstagg to be protector of Tarene
while she is in Midgard. Thor himself must appear before the Council Elite as
they seek to fill Odin’s seat.
Elsewhere, Balder, Fandral, and Hogun escort prisoners to
their exercise sessions. Artur Zarrko tries to warn Balder of the disaster Thor
is bringing upon the world but he is rebuffed….
Thor arrives at the gathering place of the Council Elite to
be welcomed by Osiris, Zeus, Yu-Huang, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Zeus
considers Thor the natural successor of Odin’s seat but Shiva insists Thor must
pass the Koronkakkta, a series of tests of a god’s character for joining the
Council. Thor insists on the tests…
…so he is transported to an icy waste where a huge hairy
monster growls at him. But Thor stops to wonder why this creature should attack
him and he realizes she is a mother protecting her pups nearby and he thus
passes the Test of Awareness and so…
…he finds himself on a beach beneath a starry sky, where he
hears distant voices calling for help. He ponders the matter….
In New York, Volstagg caves in the front of a bus to stop it
from hitting Tarene as she tries to explain the concept of traffic lights.
Tarene also stops him from giving away her divine nature as the Designate as
she just wants to hang out with her friend Amanda. Which turns out to be easy
when Volstagg is distracted by a hot dog stand. Tarene and Amanda talk about the
Norse gods, Tarene insisting they are divinities with Amanda leaning toward
superheroes or mutants. Amanda goes home, Tarene encounters Jake Olson who is
startled to see Volstagg. An argument ensues over whether Thor is correct in
his dealing, with Jake insisting he is as much the Son of Odin as Thor. He asks
to meet with Thor to lay out the case that Thor’s mission is wrong (despite
everyone pointing out how it appears to be working). Jake claims to be the
human part of Thor’s soul cast aside when Odin separated them. So Tarene
changes into Thor Girl and takes him to Asgard….
On the beach, Thor notices a connection between the stars
and the sand and discovers that the “sand” is actually a multitude of tiny
lifeforms. He apologizes to those he may have damaged in his ignorance and
departs. And so he has passed the Test of Insight. The next test has Thor in a
dismal land, surrounded by the inhabitants who are starving in a time of
drought, offering human sacrifice for Thor to save them. Thor conjures up a table
of plenty for him so they offer more blood sacrifices which Thor refuses…
…and he is returned to the Council, having failed the last
test by feeding the hungry rather than teaching them to grow their own food
lest they become dependent on the gods. Thor gets mad and leaves. They explain
to Zeus that they had all taken an oath to leave mortal men in charge of their
own destiny. And Shiva insists Thor is bringing them to the brink of war….
In Asgard, Jake confronts Thor, warning him of impending
disaster while Thor lists all the lives he has bettered. Jake insists he is the
son of Odin, too, with the insight into human nature Thor now lacks; Thor
insists that Jake is not even a real person but a contrivance created by Odin.
He brings forth Jarrod Dellahanty and his mother, showing how the boy’s leg was
restored by Neffethesk the healer. Thor demonstrates
that he is bringing order to a world in desperate need of it and tells Thor
Girl to take him home and not come back. On his way out, Jake and Zarrko spot
one another and the latter has an idea….
Give that special marvelite a timely gift