God Bod

Thor coughed. "He is as powerful as we are," he said carefully. "If in different areas. Maybe more so as he is our elder. However, all gods are limited in their actions on Earth."

"How so?"

"Simply put, you have noticed how our powers appear to have grown since we came to Earth?" Loki asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Well, they have and they have not. We have merely grown in our ability to exercise our powers. It is much like if you went to a planet with Jupiter like gravity. Your abilities, your strength, would be weakened and less effective. But then you would slowly adjust. You would become stronger and more able to do what you had previously done with ease on Earth. Equally, if you had gone to that planet before, stayed for an extended period, then left, there would be the ghosts of muscle memory. Your body would have adjusted before and it would be faster in adjusting again," Loki said. "So while on Earth and its dimensional plane we are merely coming closer to our former strength, the strength we wielded when we first walked the Earth, in Asgard and the other realms, we are stronger. Not greatly, but to an extent."

"Does worship count for anything?"

"Not direct worship. It is knowledge and belief that a God is real that counts, and that… I suppose it speeds things up a little. For those who are not naturally physical beings, it matters far more, as perception defines them," Loki said. "That, I suspect, is partly why Yahweh does not manifest directly, or even act, usually." He shook his head. "Every human has a different idea of who he is. It would be a nightmare."

"Um… what?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"The more we are on Earth," Thor said. "The more of our power we can exercise, within the limits of what is safe for the inhabitants. If a god has been on Earth before, as we have, it is easier to readjust. The less we are on Earth, the less we can exercise. In essence, being on Earth makes us stronger on Earth."

"Like high altitude training," Clint said. "Your body changes to fit. When you go back to sea level, you're faster and have more stamina."

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Steve chuckled. Harry might be headed for a crash. But for now, he was doing just fine. He paused, and remembered a question that he hadn't asked before. If Thor and company were stronger on Earth the longer stayed there to adjust, what would happen to Harry when his powers came through? As a demigod, what would happen to him?

—- Chapter 26, Power and Preparation