Chapter 31

When I finally reached my cabin, I wasn't surprised to see someone waiting for me.

He stood in the middle of the cabin, with a dark blue pinstriped suit worn upon a very muscled built. His eyes were stormy electrical blue, similar to mine when they come under light. A smartly shaved beard covered his chin, with flecks of grey and silver marring them. Just like an aura of warmth and comfort surrounded Hestia, an air of extreme authority, command, and power revolved around him.

"Hello, Son." The god said, a grimaced little twitch of a smile forming on his face. "I've been waiting for you."

I simply stared at him, expecting to feel...some sort of emotion. Anger for my sister's death, bitterness at his absense and passivity, perhaps even rage at his stupid little smile. But no, i felt none of these.

All I felt as I stared at this stranger was just a muted sense of... disappointment.

"Lord Zeus." I finally greeted him, my disappointment colouring my tone with bitterness.

Zeus winced visibly.

"Definitely your mother's son. She too had an... interesting way of showing her anger. I don't suppose we could be a little more... casual?"

His voice was rich, a deep baritone present in it; sounding authoritative and commanding even at questioning words.

I snorted. 'Casual. Right.'

What do I even call him? Dad? He was my father after all... Yeah, no. We weren't at that level, and I doubt we ever would be...

"Father." I finally settled reluctantly.

"That's... marginally better." Zeus said, his eyebrows twitching. "Come, take a seat."

I hadn't noticed the table that was placed besides his statue. It was made of white granite, with two chairs with electricity flashing around them.

As we both took our seats, i called out his status.

Zeus

Race: God

Tier: 10 (Supreme God)

Current Tier: 9 (Elder God)

Level: 920 (Divine Form) [Max]

Current Level: 820 (Mortal Form)

Divine Power: 800,000,000/800,000,000

Stamina: 815,000,000/815,000,000

Health: 810,000,000/810,000,000

Stats

Strength: 815 (920)

Speed: 825 (925)

Dexterity: 830 (930)

Endurance: 815 (915)

Constitution: 810 (910)

Mental: 70

Spirit: 800 (900)

Powerful. Very powerful. For all my disappointment in the king of gods, he was definitely worthy of his title.

"You have questions." Zeus stated as food magically seemed to appear in front of us. "You may ask them."

My eyes stayed pinned at him for a long while, feeling absolutely no surrealism like I'd once expected.

The fact that I was indeed sitting with Zeus, the father of gods, one of the most famous gods in mythology, just didn't seem as mind blowing as it once would no doubt have.

A part of me knew I was being stupid. This was still Zeus. A being who could easily crush me should he wish to...it would be sensible to show atleast some semblance of respect.

But I just couldn't care less anymore.

"Why." I finally asked, feeling tired beyond belief and completely drained of emotions, and yet, this simple question brought with it a frustration deeply buried. "Why the hell did you not help? Why are you here now, after everything is over?"

There was a moment of silence as my questions hung between us, before he finally replied.

"Always with the big ones." The King of Gods sighed, absently popping a cube of Ambrosia into his mouth before he answered. "There are... laws. Laws, old and new, that prevent us from interfering with the lives of demigods."

He then removed a small golden book and placed it towards me. "Read it later. Everything you need to know is here. To summarise, there was little that I could do to help you, unless the matter involves a divine being."

I ignored him, my eyes scanning through the book. The title of which was written in Greek, but I was good enough in it to translate the book as 'Basic Laws For Mentally Challenged Gods'.

"Seriously." I asked, shooting my father an unimpressed look.

The God waved it off with a frown. "Athena wrote it for Ares when the fool started initiating fights with mortals, incurring Styx's wrath. The book was recently updated just a mere decades prior."

"Right." I muttered, unsatisfied.

I didn't know what I was expecting from the god. Perhaps some arrogant dismissal on how low my life was worth to him, and thus pushing me upon the glorious path of revenge. Or perhaps an apology for forcing me away from my mother, only to throw me to a bunch of monsters.

What I wasn't expecting was for him to actually explain his side of things calmly.

Still, I wasn't satisfied.

I placed the book in the inventory, having absolutely no care for the raised eyebrow from Zeus, before facing him again, tired and frustrated. "So, was that it? Was that the reason for your absence till now? A bunch of laws?"

The god's lips thinned as he eyed me critically. "I understand your frustrations, Mikael. Make no mistake, I would've done my best to help, had it been possible. I did the little that I could by preserving your sister. But the Laws are absolute, and I can no longer afford to bend them."

I don't know why but the fact that he was the one to save Thalia surprised me. In hindsight, it was pretty obvious now.

The god took a deep breath, and strength visibly seemed to leave him as he deflated with a sigh. "Ever since our children instigated those mortal wars, the other pantheons have been keeping a keen eye on us. None of them friendly, and all waiting for a chance. We Olympians have always prided ourselves to be better than other gods, what with us being the only ones to achieve true immortality. That hubris is now working against us."

Electricity danced around the god's head, reflecting his own grimness. "Difficult times lay ahead of us, my son. War brews closely, and ancient enemies are rising from Tartarus. You already laid witness to Gaea's involvement, something even I missed. Had I known this, I would never have made that pact with your mother. But you are here now, and there is nothing to be done but face the trials."

He leaned closer, his right hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

"I acknowledge your anger. You have every right to it. But do not hold my previous ignorance against me now. I have never been a good father to any of my other children, too lost in my own pride and Hubris as I was. But now that I have this chance, I shall do my absolute best to correct that."

I stayed silent for a while, a little stunned at the expectant posture of the god who was widely regarded for his pride and arrogance.

'How the fuck was I supposed to hold a grudge now?' I raged inside my mind. 'Not only did the guy save Thalia, his plea seems just so geniune.'

I might actually feel like an asshole if I rejected the god's promise. Really, I hadn't expected for my talk to go this way. Whenever I'd imagined my first contact with Zeus, I'd always thought of two massive egos clashing against each other.

Maybe I would've said something that hurts his pride...maybe he'll say something that hurts mine. And we'll eventually end up as bitter enemies, with him being the final boss of my epic quest to hunt down the gods

But this? Never in a thousand years would I have expected this. Zeus, the king of gods, acknowledging his own shortcoming and mistakes...

It seems the King of Olympus has indeed changed.

"I suppose I could give you a chance." I replied at last, feeling quite hesitant in this unfamiliar water.

"A chance is all I need." The god nodded, leaning back again, a small but geniune smile lighting up his features.

Ultimately It would be stupid to hold a grudge against this god. Not only was he one of the strongest beings in existence, he actually wanted to make things right. Having his support would undoubtedly make my life a whole lot easier in this world.

Even with all the restrictions placed on him, I atleast won't have to worry about some random deity smiting me cause he/she was bored.

"Now, Mikael." The god beckoned once again, and the renewed seriousness in his voice made me solemnly look up at him. "I know you wish to save your sister."

"How?" I asked, surprised.

"You declared it to the sky mere hours prior. I can feel your authority in the air even now. This is surprising, for I had not thought you capable of exercising your divine authority. Only a god could do that. And I do not know what to think of you now. But know this, you have my blessings on your quest."

"Thanks." I nodded, but my mind was on the first piece of info.

Authority, a term that was becoming more and more important in this godly business. It was easy enough to connect my new skill to this.

"Now, i believe your mother already told you why you are here?" My father asked.

He then continued on at my nod. "For the next eight years, or seven now, you will stay at my side. Originally, I'd wanted to shelter you in Mount Olympus, so we may...get to know each other, while I taught you the things a new god should know. And I had indeed believed you would be a god."

He frowned then, and the lightning around his chair started spinning as if disturbed.

"But that it not the case. I do not know how, but your soul contains a sliver of a mortal. This is highly irregular. Your mother was an archangel, while not a god nor a true immortal, she is certainly more powerful than any minor god. You are my son, but I know not where your mortality comes from. This makes you an anomaly."

He sighed tiredly then, showing a type of weakness I would never expect the king of Olympus to show. Atleast, before this day.

"Hera, my wife and Queen, has been wroth at you since the day of your birth. Only my presence has kept her from storming the heavens to show her anger. Had you been a god, I would have no need to worry. Had you been a demigod, I would've worried only till you reached the camp. A god cannot harm a mortal unless the mortal instigates the fight, third law in the book by the way. The laws would've protected you, but I fear that is not the case now."

It was a lot to take in, but my brain was already analysing the info given.

So basically what Zeus meant was that a god can directly try to fight me. That could prove to be a huge nuisance. I needed to reach lvl 600 and enter tier 7 at the very least before I went around picking fights with gods.

Damn it.

"Worry not, son. I will not coddle you into weakness. But I will make sure that you are ready to face anything this world throws at you. Until you reach thirteen, no god or goddess of Olympus will ever try to harm you directly. And as an...apology–"

Zeus grimaced a little, uttering the word as if it was something alien.

"–for not delivering upon the promise of safety, I will accept any one request of yours. So ask."

My mind went through multiple plans and ideas, to make use of this chance as best as I could. In the end however, I had a single weakness i can no longer ignore.

My weapon.

Demigods, and even gods, put a lot of faith in their weapons. They personalized it, caring for it like a companion rather than a tool. But from the start, most of my battles were fought with my powerful abilities, and more often than not, I found my weapon...not quite up to the par. It hurt me to think like this, considering that piercer was the only thing I had of my mother. But I could no longer ignore this.

So with a jerk of my hand, I summoned my dented spear from the inventory.

"I'd be happy if you can give me a better weapon than this." I said, waving the bent over spear before placing it back in my inventory.

I didn't need to use the weapon to remember my mother. It can occupy a permanent spot in my inventory, safe and sound in my own dimension.

The king of gods smiled a proud little grin. "I was hoping you'd say that. I've kept a close watch upon you over the year, and while you continue to impress me, the same cannot be said about your weapon. You not possessing a weapon of your stature is a shame upon my name."

I frowned. "It was a gift from mother."

"And she would've agreed with me, I have no doubts about this." He answered easily, before standing up. "Now come, let me introduce you to your half-brother, Hephaestus."