17 Gods

A gathering was happening in a small pocket dimension adjacent to Earth. All of the members there were using their Astral Forms to attend the meeting, but one could see how mighty they all were with just one good look. Power was literally oozing out of the beings as it was natural. After all, they were all gods and not just any kind of gods; they were the Godheads of their pantheons.

They were the elite of the elite, rulers of their own kind, but even among the powerful beings, four of them stood out. They were Kings even when compared to the other God-Kings and were the clear leaders of the group.

Three of them stood next to each other. The one on the right, Vishnu, had blue skin, and clothes made of gold covered his body. He had a horseshoe mustache over the frown on his face, making him look as if he was always angry.

The one on the left, Zeus, had long curly red hair and a bushy beard of the same colour. Simple yellow robes covered his muscular body, and he held a thunderbolt in solid form in his left hand.

And the one in the middle, Odin, stood tall and proud, despite looking like the oldest one. His white hair was hidden under a golden helmet while his beard of the same colour flowed freely under his chin. A golden patch covered his right eye, and his body was covered with an intricate black armor, and a cape flowed behind him. In his hand, he held the golden spear known as Gungnir.

However, the most dangerous one, although currently not the strongest one, stood quietly with the rest of the gods. Amon Ra, or also know as Atum, observed the rest with his hawk eyes. His golden skin shined ever so slightly while his bird face was expressionless, not giving away what the Sun God was thinking.

"I believe you are all aware of why this meeting was called. All of you should've sensed the godling that's currently on Earth," Odin said coldly, and his gaze swept past all of them, intently observing each god with his left eye.

The Asgardian King wasn't angry that one of them had a child. No, that was even a joyous occasion as their races had trouble siring offspring. They might be gods, but their true nature was that of alien beings, powerful ones, but still aliens. All of them had ascended to godhood due to humanity's belief in them, which made it even harder for them to sire offsprings.

However, again, that wasn't why Odin was angry. He was irritated due to how dangerous a godling walking among the mortals was. None of the gods cared if the young one went and killed a bunch of humans or even if he decimated a country or two. The lives of the mortals didn't matter that much to them.

What really worried Odin and the rest was if the godling decided to seize control and lead the people on Earth. That could spell the doom of all of the pantheons right there.

The gods were strong, considered as one of the more powerful beings in the Universe. However, there were beings out there that made them look like weaklings.

Thousands of years ago, all of the pantheons roamed the Earth, helping and teaching the humans that prayed to them. That lasted until the Space Gods that were known as the Celestials arrived. The gods hadn't even tried resisting when the mighty beings banished them from Earth and forbade them from interfering with the mortals' lives.

The Celestials left afterward and promised to return thousands of years later. If the humans hadn't developed up to their satisfaction, well, they would simply be eliminated and erased from existence. Thousands of other races had met the same fate when the Celestials hadn't been satisfied by them.

The gods hadn't taken their banishment lightly, but they had still obeyed. The Celestials were clearly enemies, and they had started planning how to stop them if they ever attacked. Some of them began searching for ways to increase their power or created powerful magical artifacts to aid them; others, like Bast, bended the rules and granted blessings to their chosen champions. However, they all kept their words and didn't interfere with the development of humanity.

A few times during the years, a god would get sent to Earth to learn and experience what it was to live among mortals. Each god, however, always had someone to look after them in secret. They might be preparing for an attack by the Celestials, but they preferred to avoid that scenario if possible.

Now, there was a godling walking among the mortals without a guardian. That was unacceptable, and whoever was responsible will be punished.

"Whose child is it?" Zeus' voice boomed.

"Not one of ours."

"Or ours."

One by one, all the pantheon leaders declared that the godling was not one of theirs. The three leading the Council of Godheads narrowed their eyes. As Kings, they knew how to sense deceit, and none of the gods had lied to them.

"So, where did this child come from?" Vishnu asked, much more gently than Odin or Zeus.

No one had an answer to that question, but a black-skinned and bald-headed god, who wore a purple robe, asked suggestively, "Could it be another human who is on the verge of becoming a god due to the belief of the people? Like that woman who almost ascended a couple of years ago?"

Everyone knew about the woman Anansi, the African god, asked about. Ororo Munroe had almost ascended a couple years ago, but she left her tribe before that happened. She still carried faint traces of divinity with her, but it wasn't enough for her to be considered a god.

"No! This one isn't mortal. The godling's parents are of divine nature," Odin stated confidently.

A short debate broke out between the gods, with them discussing if anyone from their pantheons has sired a child recently. None had an answer for that, so they came to a decision.

"Since we don't know the godling's parents, I will send one of mine to observe him. If he is a threat, we will try talking him out of making a stupid decision, but if he refuses to listen, he would be dealt with accordingly," Zeus declared, and with that, the meeting ended.

Odin opened his eye, and he was back in his palace in Asgard, sitting on his throne. He deflated back, hoping that this wasn't one of Loki's schemes since it sure smelt like one. He didn't get to think about it too much since he felt his mind get clouded in darkness.

Although he was considered to be wise, Odin had made some very questionable decisions in his long life. For one of them, he and his entire pantheon were still paying the price to this day and age. In his search for power, he had ended up dooming his people to a life of servitude for all eternity.

Zeus, on the other hand, found himself under the piercing gaze of his beautiful wife. Hera's long red hair flowed behind her as she stepped closer to him.

"So, 'dear,' are you sure it's not one of your spawn?" Hera's hand shot to his crotch and was prepared to remove it from its owner.

"I..." Zeus the almighty gulped in fear, "I'm most certain that's it's not one of mine. I haven't left Mount Olympus in hundreds of years."

"Then why were you so eager to sent one of the Olympians to observe him?" Hera questioned, still keeping her grip on his crotch.

"I figured one of them could use this chance to stretch their legs. Not many get the opportunity to travel to Earth," Zeus quickly replied, trying to sound as honest as he could possibly be. There is no way he would ever tell her he had sneaked about 20 years ago for a few nights of debauchery.

"If I find out that the godling has ANY relation with you," Hera said and squeezed his member tight.

"I will cut off your dick, so you won't be able to put it any woman for the rest of your life. Then, I will carve your heart out, so you also won't be able to love any other in your life. Am I clear, 'dear?'" Hera asked him sweetly with a gentle voice.

"Crystal clear!" Zeus quickly nodded. There was no chance the godling had any relation with him, right? At least he hoped so. His heart didn't matter to him that much, but his member was his most important body part.

"So, who are you planning to sent to Earth because you won't be leaving my sight anytime soon?" Hera asked, finally releasing his crotch.

Zeus cursed in his mind since he was planning on going himself, but now that wasn't an option.

"Definitely not Aphrodite; she is too troublesome," he said.

"I agree. Aphrodite will go looking for lovers rather than observing the godling."

"I was thinking maybe Apollo or Hermes, they could enjoy some time off Olympus."

"No," Hera shot him down, "Those two are as bad as you."

Before Zeus could offer another one, Hera continued, "Don't bother offering any of the men; I know they look up to you, with Ares being the exception. He will just seek to cause conflict and wars, so he is also out of the question."

"Umm, Artemis then?" Zeus suggested. His daughter had been complaining that there weren't any hunting areas in Olympus, so she will probably appreciate the opportunity.

"That's... a good suggestion," Hera wasn't that fond of Artemis, but only because she wasn't her own daughter. Other than that, she found nothing wrong with the Goddess of the Hunt.

"If the godling turns out to be a male, Artemis might end up killing him, but other than that, she is a fine candidate," Hera nodded and turned around, "I will inform her of this. When I return, you better still be in the same spot."

Zeus silently cursed in his mind. He really wanted to visit Earth and have some fun. His wife and sister, Hera, was one of a kind beauty, but after spending thousands of years with her, he, well, he frankly got bored of her. Add in his unsatisfiable libido, and Zeus' decisions to cheat on Hera was the obvious thing to do in his eyes. Maybe he could find some time to sneak into Aphrodite's bedroom in the near future. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea to him; he just needed to avoid his wife's gaze for a bit.

Hera didn't bother walking since that would only give Zeus time to do something stupid in her absence. She straight-up teleported to the only forest in their pocket dimension. As she expected, Hera found Artemis there.

The Goddess of the Hunt was sitting with closed eyes and her back against a tree. She was wearing green fur clothes, and her long reddish-brown hair flowed behind her. In her lap, Artemis gently held her bow and quiver with arrows. She loved those two so much, Hera wouldn't be surprised if the Goddess of the Hunt married them one day.

"Artemis," Hera greeted her.

"Hera," she opened her eyes to look at her step-mother. Artemis knew Hera didn't love her and never sought her out to speak with her, so she wondered what the Queen of Olympus wanted from her.

"I will be short with you. There is a godling on Earth, and you have been chosen to observe him. Figure out what his intentions and plans are and deal with him accordingly."

Artemis didn't reply as she believed actions spoke louder than words. She nodded to Hera before transforming into a hawk and teleporting to Earth. Artemis appeared in Greece and faintly sensed where her target was, but she didn't directly go there. It's been a long time since she visited Earth, so she decided to take the scenic route.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Really? I didn't know that," Atreus said to the platinum-blonde who was clutching his arm as they strolled through Hogwart's hallways.

"Papa told us a bit more about that, but your mother was really born into the Delacour family. She... had a bit of falling off with her parents. During her school years, Perenelle had fallen in love with a boy who was born to non-magicals. Back then, those kinds of people were discriminated even more in our society."

"Her parents had prepared an arranged marriage for her, but Perenelle had adamantly refused, and in the end, they ended up disowning her from the family. When she married Nicolas, who wasn't very well known back then, they hadn't even bothered attending her wedding. In their eyes, she had been a disgrace to the family for marrying someone like him."

"Years later, however, Nicolas created the first and only Philosopher's Stone. Oh, how much they regretted their decision then, but no matter what they tried to do, Perenelle refused to even talk to them. She didn't want to have any relation with the Delacours. The only thing the family has of her is a portrait that still stands to this very age."

Atreus found it funny how the Slytherins believed the Flamels were a pureblood family when Nicolas was what they consider a Muggleborn. However, that was also the reason he managed to create the Philosopher's Stone. Chemistry was a non-magical study, and wizardkind looked down on it. Without one having an in-depth knowledge of chemistry, they would never be able to create a Philosopher's Stone.

"It's also the reason why Papa mistook the woman that was accompanying you in Place Cachée for someone he knew," Fleur shot him a pointed look, "Everyone seems to believe the Flamels look like old people, but it seems that's not the case."

"Hmmm," Atreus hummed without confirming her words, "Is this why you are trying to get close to me? So mum returns back to the family?"

"No," Fleur quickly shook her head, "I find you very intriguing. For hundreds of years, the Flamels haven't had a single child, and then you come out of nowhere. Then there's also the event that happened after the Quidditch World Cup. You saved Gabby! And you have no idea how much that means to me."

Another thing Fleur didn't mention was that Perenelle was responsible for the change in the Delacours. If it wasn't for his mother, the family would've continued being stuck-up purebloods, and her father would've never married a Veela.

"And your magic," Fleur said with her cheeks slightly flushed, "I still remember as your magic pulsed out of you. It was... intoxicating. I can feel it even now, bubbling inside it. I've never felt anything like it."

"How can I trust you won't go telling people about my family and me?" Atreus asked. He didn't care that much if others found out that he was the one that dealt with the Death Eaters. However, it could cause him some trouble and also cause inconvenience to his family. He preferred to avoid that.

"I would never! You saved Gabby, and she means the world to me!" Fleur loved her family, but she cared the most for her little sister.

"Will you let me use Legilimency on you to confirm that?" Atreus asked with a blank look, fully knowing he was pushing the limits of what's acceptable.

Fleur was also aware of that, but she stared in his eyes and said, "Do it, I won't even try to defend my mind."

Atreus nodded and looked into her dark blue eyes, "Okay, I trust you," he said after just a second.

Fleur blinked a few times in confusion, "You checked my mind that fast?" She knew how powerful Atreus was as she had felt his power up close, but this was something else. She hadn't even sensed his magic this time.

"No, I don't know how to use Legilimency," Atreus replied with a cheeky grin.

"You sneaky little devil!" Fleur said playfully and giggled.

"Ahem, I would like to correct you. I'm not little; as you can see, I'm slightly taller than you," Atreus pointed out.

They continued their walk, talking about this and that. Fleur told him a lot about the Beauxbatons Academy, and he seriously considered visiting the place.

"And this is Hogwart's library," Atreus said as they stepped inside. Fleur looked around, appreciating what she saw. It wasn't as fancy as the one in Beauxbaton, but it had a lot more books.

Atreus tugged her gently and led her towards a secluded corner, "Come, I will introduce you to my friends."

As he had expected, he found Daphne, Hermione, and Harry in their usual spot. The two Gryffindors were sitting very close to each other with the girl explaining something to Harry.

Daphne was sitting to their side with a book in her hands, giving the two some space. However, she suddenly looked up and dangerously narrowed her eyes at him. Atreus couldn't help but feel that he had done something terribly wrong.