Sign

"Hm, so this paper is worth a lot?" Zagreus asked, looking over the bills in his hands.

"Yes," Michael confirmed, "some people have to work for months to get this much."

They had ended up exchanging only five coins, but each one was worth 2 000€, a bit more than what Michael had initially believed.

"Isn't it inconvenient to carry so much paper around?" Zagreus asked. He had his sack to put stuff in, but that one was made out of Nyx's magic, and as far as he knew, mortals didn't seem to use magic. They used something they called science, whatever that was.

"Yes, that's why we store our money in banks," Michael informed him.

"So, why are we going clothes shopping and not to a bank to store our money?" Zagreus asked.

"We are, but not in Greece. You see, Greek banks are unreliable. The country's financial state has been dropping as of late. And we are going shopping since you need some... mortal clothes. People keep staring at you."

When you have someone like Zagreus with the body of a god, walking around without a shirt, well, that's one way to attract the attention of everyone in the streets.

They reached the store where a lady who worked there was more than happy to assist Zagreus with finding clothes that would suit him. She went above and beyond, making sure she was the one to put on his clothes.

Zagreus picked up a few everyday clothes and a few suits with the help of the lady. In the end, she even gave him a piece of paper with a number on it and told him with a wink, "Call me."

Unfortunately, Zagreus had no idea what she was even talking about. How was he supposed to call her when he didn't even know her name? Michael should be able to explain that to him, and he did.

Apparently, mortals had some kind of device that fits in one hand and allows them to communicate with others throughout the whole world. It's definitely useful, and he planned on making a list of such helpful devices to bring back to the Underworld when he returns.

After getting some new clothes, Zagreus now sported a black suit with a white buttoned shirt. The lady at the store had picked him clothes that were both formal and showed off his body at the same time. Michael, on the other hand, only picked up a pair of sunglasses to hide his blood-colored eyes.

Their next stop was a book store. Michael was a genius, but he was a biochemist and not a historian or mythologist. The only thing he knew about gods was what he remembered from his school days, and it was mostly about the Greek ones.

Zagreus already knew quite a bit about them, he just didn't know where they were, and he was also interested in the other pantheons. That was something Michael couldn't help him with. So, the obvious thing to do was to go to a bookstore and purchase books about all the pantheons.

While grabbing any that caught his attention, Zagreus stumbled upon large pieces of paper and picked one up.

"What kind of books are those?" Zagreus asked.

"Those are newspapers. It serves to provide news about ongoing things in the country and the world," Michael explained, already used to answering anything his Master asked about.

Zagreus nodded, thinking this might be another good thing to add to his list. Not that were many events worth reporting happening in the Underworld, but he would like to see his fight with Theseus being published, so everyone would know about his achievements of beating the arrogant prick.

"The 13th of March, 2007," Zagreus read out the small number at the top.

"That's the current date. It's how we measure time here," Michael promptly explained.

"The Fantastic Four, Defenders of Mankind! Or are they?" Zagreus read the title before checking out the article.

It talked about a recent event in New York, where a colossal alien had arrived, aiming to destroy the world. The Fantastic Four, a group of four superheroes, had fought against it, trying to stop it, but they weren't even able to damage the alien. However, for some unknown reason, the colossal alien had suddenly become scared of them and ran away in fright. The article theorized that this was all a setup by the Fantastic Four just so they can get more funds from the American Government.

"Those Fantastic Four guys sound pretty evil," Zagreus commented.

"That's fake," Michale said without hesitation.

"The Fantastic Four don't need to get more funds from the government. Reed Richards is... a super-genius." It took a bit from Michael to admit that since he considered himself a genius, but everyone knew that Reed was just on another level compared to others.

"The man can literally sit down and create an amazing new invention overnight, which would sell like crazy. He doesn't need the government to fund him at all," Michale explained.

"So, what's the point of newspapers if they give fake news?" Zagreus asked, already scratching that off his list. No fake news of him losing to Theseus will ever be published in the Underworld on his watch.

"They used to provide accurate information, but authors nowadays write anything they could think off, even if it isn't true," Michael explained while they moved over to the counter to pay for the books Zagreus had picked.

Last but not least, they went to purchase two phones, so they have a way to communicate with each other. Afterward, they had to find someone to make Zagreus a fake ID, but that was something Michael decided to do on his own. So when they passed by a coffee shop called Kate's Cafe, he pointed at it.

"This is a cafe, they sell all kinds of drinks here. You can enjoy what they have to offer while reading your books. In the meantime, I will look for someone to fix your ID problem. I will give you a call if anything happens," Michael said and waited for his Master to respond.

"That's fine with me," Zagreus nodded while thinking how useful it was to have a butler. He also wanted to check out what the mortals eat and drink, so he didn't have a problem with spending some time in this cafe while reading the mythological books, even though he wasn't the biggest fan of reading.

"I will be back as soon as possible," Michael said before leaving.

Zagreus entered the cafe and looked around.

It was a simple building with about a dozen tables. A few people were sitting on them, drinking from small porcelain cups, and talking with each other while a woman dressed in a black skirt and white buttoned shirt was walking around and asking them if they would like anything else.

Zagreus found an empty spot and sat down. While patiently waiting to be served, he grabbed one of the books and started reading. The first one he chose was about the Olympian Gods. He felt he knew quite a bit about them, so he wanted to see how accurate was the information about them in the books. If it was close to what he knew, then he would feel more confident in the ones about the other pantheons.

"Hello," a woman said next to him, and he looked up.

There stood a tall woman dressed in a tight black dress with long black hair flowing behind her. She had fair skin and a beautiful face with mesmerizing lavender eyes. She was also very well endowed, with her dress hiding none of her features.

Zagreus already knew that there were some incredibly beautiful mortal women. He had already seen a few such women, but this one was something else.

"Hello," Zagreus replied with a smile as he put down the book.

"I'm Kate, nice to meet you," she introduced herself and presented her hand with a charming smile.

"Zagreus," he replied back as he gently took her hand and kissed the back of it. His mother had taught him manners after all.

"You won't mind if I sit with you, will you?" Kate asked, her charming smile never leaving her face.

"Not at all," Zagreus replied.

In the meantime, Michael was on the move. His Master needed a fake ID, so he had to find some shady guy that has connections, and through him, get to someone that can make one for Zagreus.

Michael also wanted to test some of his powers. After he turned into a pseudo-vampire, he barely had control over himself, but he did remember almost all of his actions. There was a particular skill he wanted to see if it still worked.

Since he didn't have any connections with the criminals of Greece, Michael decided to start from the bottom of the food chain. He went to one of the more impoverished neighborhoods and started looking around.

It took him some time, but he spotted two men meeting up, and with his enhanced sight, he saw a plastic ziploc bag being exchanged between them in their handshake. The two men talked for a bit before taking their leave.

Michael followed after the drug dealer, and when he was sure the man was alone with no one around, he walked up to him. The drug dealer tensed up upon seeing him and put a hand in his pocket, probably to take out a weapon he had there.

A simple weapon would hardly work against Michael, but he didn't even plan on letting the man take it out. He removed his sunglasses, revealing his blood-colored eyes. His red orbs lit up as he stared in the drug dealer's eyes, which took on a red shine.

"I need you to answer some questions for me," Michael said and smiled, revealing a pair of sharp fangs.

"As you wish," the drug dealer replied, entirely under his control.

Mesmerism. Michael was able to entrance people that stared directly into his eyes. That was one of the ways he used to lure people and drain them of their blood in secluded locations. He wasn't sure if he was still able to do it due to his second transformation caused by his Master, but this confirmed that he was still able to mesmerize others.

The drug dealer didn't have any helpful information, but that was okay. He just needed to go up the food chain until he found what he needed.

Michael told the dealer to go about his business and watched him walk away. About a minute later, the man stopped in place and looked around in confusion.

'One minute after the eye contact ends, the ability wears off. That's good to know.' Michael thought before walking away towards his next target, the drug supplier, who happened to have a house in a nearby neighborhood.

Reaching the place took him no time, and he soon found himself standing in front of the building. It was a two-story house surrounded by a small yard that looked to be owned by someone who was somewhat wealthy.

Michael checked the door of the yard, which turned out to be locked. That wasn't much of a problem for him.

*Crack!*

With his enhanced strength, he was able to break the lock with ease. The front door of the house was also locked, but it followed the same fate as the previous one.

The moment Michael stepped in, he was hit by the strong smell of weed. Some trending music was being played, and he heard the voices of three men. He walked over and opened a door, revealing the three of them playing cards in the living room.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of them said after seeing him and picked up a gun that was on the table. The other two looked over and quickly grabbed knives that were nearby.

Michael didn't have any fighting skills, but he wasn't scared of the ones that had knives. He was more powerful and faster than normal humans, and on top of that, he had a healing factor.

The gun was a bit of a different story, however. Michael stared at the man, mesmerizing him with his gaze while the other two rushed at him. He looked away, knowing that he had one minute to deal with the two, but that didn't worry him. His only issue was that he didn't know how to fully control his strength, so he might end up accidentally killing them before they have answered his questions.

The fight with the two went as expected with the lying on the ground and clutching the places Michael hit them. He returned his gaze back to the one with the gun.

"I need you to answer some questions for me."

"As you wish."

Ten minutes later, Michael walked out of the house while cleaning his mouth with a napkin. He got what he was after while also getting a nice meal at the same time.

Michael returned to the cafe and entered inside. The intoxicating scent of his Master had already filled the inside of the building.

However, there was another one which he barely picked up on. It was similar to his Master's but different at the same time. The scent was very faint, but he sensed it due to it being different compared to Zagreus' one.

Michael found his Master with ease and saw him talking with an incredibly beautiful woman. Besides her beauty, she looked perfectly normal, yet he felt something off about it.

"I found the store we are looking for," Michael said as he walked up to Zagreus.

"Great!" Zagreus said and put his hand in the inner pocket of his suit, where he had placed his magical sack. He pulled out some notes and paid his bill.

"It was great talking with you, Kate," Zagreus told her and smiled.

"The pleasure was all mine," Kate replied as she watched the two walk off. The moment they left her sight, her charming smile disappeared, turning into a small frown.

"Hades," Kate whispered to herself. She recognized Zagreus' right eye. Kate had seen it before, but she was surprised the God of Death had a son. There was a curse placed upon Hades, so he shouldn't have been able to have children, yet Zagreus was as healthy as one could be and walking around the Mortal World without care.

'How intriguing. How very intriguing,' Kate thought while walking towards the back of the cafe.

"Did you have a hard time finding the guy?" Zagreus asked Michael on the way.

"No, it was super easy, barely an inconvenience," Michael answered.

"Good to hear," Zagreus said, thinking how great it was to have a butler.

They arrived at a hotel, and Michael walked up to a man sitting outside on a bench.

"We are here to see Adrian."

The moment the man looked up at Michael, he was mesmerized by him. Without question, he led them inside towards a room on the third floor. On the way, Michael made sure to make eye contact with the man to keep him entranced.

He knocked on a door three times in a pattern before saying, "Adrian, you have customers."

A moment later, the door was opened by a skinny man with glasses. Adrian looked at Zagreus and Michael for a moment before saying, "Come inside. You can leave us, Koustas."

After entering, Adrian led them in and sat behind a table. Inside, there were two buffed up men that looked menacing, but neither Zagreus nor Michael felt threatened by them.

"So, what can I help you with?" Adrian asked, but he made eye contact with Michale, which was his mistake.

"We need two new IDs, done as soon as possible," Michael said.

"250€ is for a standard fake ID, but it can be easily caught, 1 000��� can get you into the system. The first will take about three days, the second about a week," Adrian explained his fees.

"We need two that get us into the system by lunch tomorrow," Michael said and slammed 5 000€ on the table. The money and the fact that Adrian looked at Michael in the eyes was more than enough for the man to accept.

Adrian took down the details provided by Michael before they left and booked a room in the same hotel.

Zagreus was watching TV, a device he put on his list. He was juggling through the various programs when he stumbled upon a news channel, showing forty men that were covered up. Zagreus recognized the location where he had fought yesterday.

"Oh, they are going to talk about my achievement," Zagreus said to Michael.

"There was a mass murder the night before. Police are investigating the case currently, but they are unsure if this was done by a new gang or by a powered human. Whoever did it is a criminal and a mass murderer," the reporter said.

Zagreus turned to Michael and said with a serious face, "They are talking about you."

"Yes, they are," Michael said, not willing to argue with his Master. Plus, technically, that was the truth since he was the one that actually killed them by draining them of their blood. Zagreus was the one that ended their misery.

The next day, they enjoyed two hearty meals before they walked up to Adrian's room and knocked on it. The man already had their new IDs prepared.

Michael kept his first name, but changed his surname to Dougenis, meaning servant reborn.

Zagreus didn't have a surname, to begin with, so he picked Nephus by Michael suggestion. It meant the son of god, a name that was very fitting for him.

Since they took care of their identities, it was time to leave Greece. Their destination was Sweden, one of the countries that the Norse mythology originated from, and the country with the best banking system.

Michael was the one that booked them their flight, and Zagreus was looking around at the airport, absorbing everything in sight. The massive airplanes were a sight to see to the Prince of the Underworld, and he was excited to fly in one.

The skies were supposed to be Zeus' domain, and Zagreus would get to witness them. Maybe his uncle might even sense him and reach out to him. He certainly hoped for that.

Zagreus had a seat next to the window, and he enjoyed looking out of it for the first hour of the flight, but the novelty of it soon wore off. So, for the next four hours, he just kept reading about the various mythologies.

From what he found out, most of the information in the books about the Olympians was somewhat accurate. Some of it was surprisingly accurate, going as far as saying that Persephone was Hades' wife, which was something most of the gods hadn't known until they revealed it to them. However, there was absolutely no mention of him, which hurt his pride.

There was also information that made his uncles look... not that good. They really didn't do those monstrous things, did they?

Since the information about the Olympians was somewhat accurate, he felt confident in the ones about the other gods. From the books about the Norse gods, he found out that Hela was a Goddess of Death, which might be the reason why his father complained about her.

They soon arrived in Stockholm, and the first thing they did was to buy three suitcases. Two of them were filled with 500 gold coins each while they placed a diamond in the last one. They then went to Nordea Bank to open their bank accounts and to sell the gold.

"We would like to open an account," Michael said to a lady sitting behind a counter.

"No problem, sirs. We..." the lady was about to explain what they have to offer before Michael interrupted her by lifting one of the suitcases.

"And we would like to sell some gold," he said, opening the suitcase and showing the gold coins inside.

"I..." the lady was left speechless. The suitcase was filled to the brim with gold coins.

"I'm in no position to make such a transaction. If you could wait for a moment, I can call my manager," the lady said after calming down and picked up a phone to call her manager.

"She will be with you shortly, sirs," the lady said after finishing her call.

A moment later, a blonde-haired woman in a business suit walked up to them.

"Gentlemen, I'm Hanna Lindgren. If you would please follow me, so we can have a more private discussion," the lady beckoned and led them to her office.

Hanna sat behind her desk and looked at the two.

"Now, I understand you wish to open bank accounts with us and also to make an exchange, correct?" She asked.

"Precisely," Michael replied with Zagreus nodding along. He didn't really understand this banking business, so he allowed his butler to speak for him.

Michael lifted one of the suitcases and opened it up.

"Before..." Hanna paused, the sight of all the gold coins leaving her speechless for a moment, "I make you an offer for those, they will need to be verified by one of ours."

"That's not an issue," Michael replied, and Hanna called someone to come and take the gold coins.

The men walked in and walked over to the suitcases. They reached out to grab one each and tried to raise them. However, they found out exactly how heavy they are when they barely lifted them.

The two men looked at Zagreus and Michael, the two that had brought the suitcases without any issue. They were clearly surprised, and they tried once more, but the end result was the same. In the end, both of them had to carry a single suitcase by helping each other.

After the men left with the second suitcase, Hanna began setting up their bank accounts with Michael doing his magic, making sure she offered them the best deal.

A bit after they finished with that, Hanna received a call.

"I... understand," Hanna said before ending the call. She took a moment to absorb the information. 1 000 gold coins, and each was 5 ounce of pure gold.

The higher-ups had already given her the green light. The coins were not only made of pure gold, but it was the first time their experts had seen ones like that, adding even more to the value. She was supposed to offer them 9 000€ per coin, totaling to 9 000 000€.

The two obviously accepted. The offer was even more than what Michael had believed it would be. 8 000 000€ were placed in Zagreus' account while the other 1 000 000€ was placed in Michael's. The Prince of the Underworld always treated kindly the ones who worked for him.

Hanna thought they were finished and was about to show them their way out when Zagreus lifted his suitcase.

"We have something else," Zagreus said and opened it up, revealing a flawless, vivid blue diamond. The gem was so large, Hanna would have to pick it up with both hands if she wanted to lift it up.

"Would your bank perhaps be interested in auctioning possibly the largest diamond in the world?" Michael asked with a smile that revealed his two fangs. Hanna, however, didn't see them as her gaze didn't move away from the massive diamond.

It's safe to say Nordea Bank was more than happy to be the one to auction the largest diamond in the world, but the auction had to happen at least a month later. That was of no problem for Zagreus and Michael, since the Prince of the Underworld wanted to take a look around the country to see if he can find any signs of the Norse gods.

Since the Olympians had some connection with Mount Olympus, he thought checking one of the mountains in the country might be a good idea, so their next destination was Kebnekaise. They arrived there two days after they created their bank accounts.

Zagreus enjoyed wearing a suit, but it wasn't the best outfit to move around, so he had sweatpants and a hoodie on.

The mountain was going to be cold, but he was already somewhat resistant to coldness due to all the blessings from Demeter. Michael, on the other hand, had to wear warm clothes.

When they reached Kebnekaise, the first thing that Zagreus noticed was that it was a bit chilly even for him, which was unusual. The other thing he sensed was something he was familiar with, the smell of the dead.

"Do you smell that?" Zagreus asked Michael since he knew his butler had an enhanced sense of smell.

"I... don't," Michael replied after trying to discern what his Master had sensed. The only thing he smelled was the cold crisp air of the mountain.

"That's fine," Zagreus said before taking the lead, moving towards where he sensed the scent of the dead.

For a few hours, they climbed the mountain when Zagreus took a right turn. The scent of the dead was coming from there, but then he noticed that his butler stopped following him.

"Michael?" Zagreus turned around to look at him.

"I... don't want to go in that direction," Michael said, feeling although he should turn around and return to where he came from.

"Well... that's fine. You can climb down the mountain, but I want to check out what's there. I will see you later," Zagreus said and was about to turn around.

Michael wanted to accept and just return back. That's what he felt was the right choice, but he didn't want to leave his Master. He wanted to accompany him, so he mustered up his willpower and fought back against the feeling that was telling him to go back.

"No need, I can do this," Michale said and walked behind Zagreus. If worse comes to worst, his Master will be able to handle it. After all, he was a god.

They walked for about half an hour until they reached a large cave opening that was easily 15m in height.

The feeling of wanting to go back attacked Michael with even more vigor, but he fought back as best as he could. Zagreus, on the other hand, didn't seem to be affected at all, continuing his trek without any issues.

After entering the cave, they heard three deep voices from deeper inside. Zagreus smiled, feeling he was getting closer in his search for the gods, and stepped towards the voices with confidence.

Shortly, they saw three large humanoids sitting on the ground and talking with each other with a massive club beside each of them.

Zagreus' first thought would've been "Titans" if he hadn't read any of the other mythological books. However, he recognized those guys most likely were Giants from the Norse mythology.

"Hel..." Zagreus was about to introduce himself and ask if they had any information about the Norse gods, but then the Giants turned towards him. Their eyes were pure black, and the moment they saw him, they viciously snarled. Without hesitation, they grabbed the large clubs, ready to fight.

Zagreus would've preferred to talk, but if the Giants wanted to fight, a fight he will give them. So much time has passed since he last had a good battle, and his Infernal Arms were also itching to be used.

Blood sipped from the pores on his left forearm, forming into Aegis, the Shield of Chaos. It was his most versatile weapon, being both good at attack and defense.

Blood also came out of his right palm, transforming into a two-pronged spear made of blue metal, Varatha, the Eternal Spear. A weapon with a longer reach was perfect for enemies bigger than you.

Both weapons quivered, happy that they will finally be used in battle again.

The Giants rushed towards Zagreus, and he stepped forward, ready to meet them head-on. One of the was closer than the others to begin with and was the first to reach him, raising his club high and slamming it at him.

Zagreus raised his Aegis and stopped the attack. His knees buckled from the mighty strike, but he managed to stop it.

The Giant was physically strong, but he had fought someone even more powerful. Every time he had to block one of Asterius' axe strikes, his knees felt like they were about to snap. The Giant couldn't compare to that.

Zagreus pushed up with his shield and forced the club away. The Giant held his grip and didn't let go of his weapon, but he opened himself for just a second. That was all the time Zagreus needed. He quickly changed the grip of Varatha before throwing his spear straight towards the head.

The Giant, despite his large size, managed to react. He was about to duck, but Varatha adjusted its trajectory mid-air and pierced him right through the eye. Aim for the weak points. That was a lesson Achilles had taught him a long time ago.

"One down, two to go."

The other two Giants reached him at that point, and Zagreus rolled under a swipe from one of them. He then had to immediately leap over the strike of the other. His jump carried him straight towards the Giant's head, and he quickly swiped twice with Aegis.

"GRAHR!"

The three blades on the shield weren't just for show. However, they weren't big enough to pierce the brain of the Giant like Varatha did. Still, they were enough to at least blind him.

Zagreus then used the Giant as a stepping stone and jumped over him. Mid-air, he reached out with his right hand, and Varatha flew into it before he stabbed down, straight through the Giant's head.

"One remains," Zagreus said to the last remaining Giant after he dropped on the ground.

Varatha had tasted enough blood already, so he threw Aegis. The shield quickly flew towards the Giant while rotating, and each moment it was in the air, it's rotation speed increased.

When it reached the Giant, Aegis was like a saw of death, ready to slice him apart. The shield flew around his massive body, slicing him up and opening numerous wounds. Its rotation speed increased even further before it went straight for the neck, cutting his head with ease.

"That was fun," Zagreus said before he raised his hands, and both weapons returned to him. They then turned into blood and entered his body.

Zagreus wasn't proficient in Magic like his Father and Mother, not that he ever put much time and practice into it, but he had a deep bond with his weapons. Both Aegis and Varatha were two that he could control mentally in the air and direct their trajectories.

Michael, who had just observed from behind, stared at his Master in awe. Those three large Giants were defeated by Zagreus in no time. Well, he was a god, so maybe he should've expected that much. Michael's thoughts about his Master were interrupted when he saw him walk over to the corpses of the Giants.

Giants were like Titans, but not really, so he wondered if absorbing their blood would have any effect on him. He wasn't sure if it would work since his Infernal Arms weren't really interested in, but it was worth the try.

Zagreus created three bloodstones and sent them over to the three corpses. They entered the Giants and started absorbing the blood. It took a bit of time, but the dead bodies were soon left completely dry.

The bloodstones returned back to him, and Michael watched them with drool coming from his mouth. They looked like one tasty meal.

Zagreus looked over one of the bloodstones before popping into his mouth. He gulped it down and instantly felt the effect. His physical strength grew higher, and his bone durability also increased.

Compared to the time he ingested Titan Blood, the effect of it felt a bit weaker, even though it was so much more. Another thing that happened was that he slightly grew in height. He was a bit on the short side compared to his other family members, standing at 1.77m, but it increased by about 10cm.

Zagreus felt excited and popped another one in his mouth. However, the effect of the second one was far more inferior. All in all, he thought that taking in both was the same as a single drop of Titan Blood.

It was pointless to take the last one, so Zagreus turned to Michael and said, "this is for you."

Michael felt moved. When he saw his Master take the first two, Michael didn't think he will get one, but now he had the chance. Graciously, he accepted the bloodstone that flew over him before he threw it in his mouth. Like with Zagreus, the effect was instant, and Michael felt his body physical strength and bone durability increase. Oh, and the taste, the taste was the best part of it all.

Zagreus didn't even need to ask if the Giant blood had an effect. Michael's expression was all he needed to see. He patiently waited for his butler to finish ingesting the blood until his blood-red eyes snapped open.

"Thank you, Master," Michael said with a slight bow.

"I thought we agreed not to call me that," Zagreus replied.

"I apologize for misspeaking," Michael said. He just wasn't able to control himself after eating the oh so delicious meal.

"It's fine. Are you ready to go?" Zagreus asked. The Giants weren't the ones that gave the scent of the dead. It was something deeper inside the cave.

"I am," Michael nodded. After his power-up, he felt a lot more confident.

The two continued on. The passage became smaller and narrower the deeper they got into the cave until it was no more than 2m high with no more than two people walking side by side. The scent of the dead became even stronger with each step they took, and Zagreus finally saw signs of it.

"Bloodless?" He asked himself, seeing the swarm og grey human corpses ahead of them. They looked just like the enemies he faced in Asphodel. The only difference being that the ones in front of him had rusty metallic armor on.

Zagreus summoned Varatha once more. The two-pronged spear was the best option for this narrow passage. Sending a fury of attacks, he started decimating the swarm of Bloodless. Their rusty armor gave them no protection against the Eternal Spear, and one by one, they all turned to dust.

For an hour straight, Zagreus kept walking step by step while striking any Bloodless in his way. Michael was in awe how his Master kept going without breaking a sweat. Even though he had been non-stop attacking for an hour straight, he didn't even look tired.

In the end, they reached a small cavern, which was mostly empty, except for a small pedestal in the middle. And on top of it stood a beautiful double-edged sword with a white blade and a green handle.

Zagreus walked over it in interest. The stench of the dead was coming right from the weapon. He looked it over up and down before reaching out and grabbing it. He swung it a few times, and he felt the sword was an incredible weapon. However, it didn't feel right in his hand. Plus, he already had his own.

"Do you want it?" Zagreus then turned around and asked Michael, offering him the weapon. His butler looked it over and thought he might as well take, considering his Master didn't want it.

"It will be my honor," Michael said and reached out. However, the moment he placed his hand on the grip, he felt a stinge of a pain in his palm. Quickly, he released the sword, and it was a good thing that he did it.

In the brief moment that Michael took the sword, it managed to mummify his right hand. If he had held it for any longer, he himself might have turned into a mummy.

"That's weird," Zagreus commented. That didn't happen when he picked it up. Cautiously he took the sword from the ground, but nothing happened to him.

"Well, I will carry it for now until we find out more about it," Zagreus said, looking over the sword and wondering what's its story. However, he was sure of one thing. This was probably a weapon that was once used by a god.

They explored the cave and Kebnekaise for another couple of days, but they didn't find anything more of interest there. The sword was the only sign of the gods, but it was still something.