38 Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Stage

  Holly, Tanya, Robin and Blake moved through Russia silently as they investigated the first Endo-Stream that was opened. Hoping they could gain some clue as to how to close the streams, they studied and kept watch for any soldier whom might attack. After a while of studying the ground around the stream, Holly suggests that they move on to the next stream. "Find anything, Holly?" Tanya asks.

  "Nothing solid, yet" Holly says. "However, it seems less like the stream was opened as much as it was just... released".

  "What do you mean?" Blake asks.

  "I mean" Holly replies, "I've noticed this being a recurring thing with all the streams we've seen. Before the streams started to become visible by blocking out the light, the area a stream was occurring at seemed perfectly normal. That's why it was easy for people to get sick with Endo-Poisoning. It's discreet. Too discreet. Something of this scale should have some visible affects on the ground around it".

  "What does that mean?" Blake asks.

  "It means" Holly says, "that it's like these areas for the streams have either been prepared for this for a very long time, there's a factor I'm missing completely, or these streams weren't opened at all".

  "But if they weren't opened..." Tanya asks, "then what the hell is going on?"

  "Well, that's what I mean by released" Holly replies. "Unless there's a factor I'm missing completely, due to the methods of them opening the streams being completely unknown, then the streams had to have been released. Either it was prepped long before any of us were even born, or it was always like this and it was just... simply released".

  "You don't think our methods of harvesting endo for energy would be a cause?" Robin asks.

  "Hardly" Holly says. "Those simply just work by using charms to collect residual energy from the environment. It leaves no waste".

  "Then standing around here won't get us anywhere" Blake says. "As well as, if you couldn't get the answer from this stream, I'm sure you wouldn't get one from the next either. We may need a new angle".

  Holly brings her right hand up to her chin as she thinks. "You may be right" she agrees. "But where could we get a new angle in a case as bizarre as this?"

  "If there's any one place in this world that comes to mind" Robin says, "especially for anything to do with endo overflows in the environment, it'd have to be America".

  Holly looks over at Robin in surprise. "Robin, that's brilliant! That's just it!"

  "What am I missing?" Blake asks.

  "America!" Holly says excitedly. "I tried studying the area there before. That was the day I first met Siran. The area there had tons of residual energy due to the Naris Catastrophe! But not all of the energy still pouring out was from Naris!"

  "Doesn't that mean it was from Siran?" Tanya asks.

  "Close, but no!" Holly replies enthusiastically. "I studied Siran and compared it to the endo around him when I first met him. He could practically drink the endo around him, but it wasn't from him!"

  "If you visited it before, and couldn't figure it all out though" Blake asks, "what makes you think you'll find it out this time?"

  "Because the residual energy was clearly more focused on one large area" Holly says.

  "Dead Crater..." Robin adds as he thinks.

  "Bingo!" Holly says. "Dead Crater!"

  "How the hell do you plan on going there?" Tanya asks.

  "Carefully" Holly replies. "We're going to need to secure some climbing equipment"

  "I just had to open my fat mouth" Tanya says.

  "Afraid of heights?" Blake asks with a smile.

  "Well, yes" Tanya replies. "But only when those heights are an abyss in the ground that's packed with enough endo to give even The Six Guns Endo-Poisoning!"

  "No time like the present" Holly says as she starts to walk off with excitement.

  "Wait, no!" Tanya says.

  "Don't worry" Holly adds. "If we get sick, we'll just go to Benjie and get cured".

  "That's not the point" Tanya complains. "Oh man, this is gonna suck".

  Meanwhile, in Pilloa, three familiar faces returned to the castle. It was Loki, Thor and Athena. Yngvi and Meili stayed behind in Valhalla this time. When they reached the castle, they saw the doors being reconstructed. "This doesn't bode well" Loki says.

  "What the hell happened here?" Athena asks.

  "Let's ask around" Thor suggests.

  "Right" Loki agrees. "Maybe Siran has the answers"

  When they get inside, they can't seem to find any of the crew. Eventually, they run into Benjie, who directs them to go see Demetri. Benjie gives them directions to find Demetri, but he doesn't tell them what they should expect when they get there. Eventually, they come to the room Benjie told them to go to. When they get there, they're met with Silas, Demetri and the unconscious body of Siran. "What happened here?" Athena asks.

  Silas refused to answer, and instead leaves the room silently. Demetri takes a deep breath, then looks up at the three of them. "It hasn't been good" he says. "Siran has been in coma since fight with Zeus. He has not woken up"

  "A coma!?" Loki panics. "Then who's been leading your crew?"

  "It was Zia" Demetri says.

  "Was?" Athena asks.

  Demetri takes another deep breath and says "She went missing"

  "You're kidding..." Thor says.

  "If it were joke" Demetri retorts, "it would not be funny joke"

  "Then, Silas must be..." Athena says with sadness in her eyes.

  "Heartbroken" Demetri says. "And now burning with passion to fight. He wants to look for mother. He is in much pain"

  "That's poor kid..." Athena says.

  "Then we're late..." Loki adds.

  "Late would be one word" Demetri says. "Unwelcome would be another"

  "Unwelcome!?" Athena protests.

  "Not by me" Demetri says calmly. "By rest of crew. Especially by son".

  "Yeah... I think I get it" Athena says. There was a short pause before Athena suddenly turns and begins to leave the room.

  "Athena, where are you going?" Loki asks.

  "To do something to make up for all this" she replies.

  Loki and Thor follow behind her as she stomps down the hallway and towards a flight of stairs to go down to the main floor. "What do you mean make up for this?" Loki asks. "We came as fast as we could! It's not our fault that time moves wildly different in Valhalla!"

  "The kid" Athena says. "I'm going to help him look for his mom" she says. "I'm going to teach him how to fight and use his magic so he can look and fight"

  "But we already barked up that tree" Loki says.

  "Things have changed" Athena says as she violently swings open back doors that led right to the firing range and training grounds. There, she saw Ali, Silas, Carl and Dana. "Hey, brats" Athena calls out to the kids. "Consider it your lucky day" she says as the four of them get in a fighting stance. "I'm going to show you how to use your magic more effectively than your parents can"

  "You're going to do... what?" Carl asks.

  "I'm going to train you" Athena says. "Come with me. We're going to need a lot more space"

  "Where are you taking us?" Silas asks.

  "Just outside to the forest" Athena says. "Not far at all"

  "And if we don't want to?" Dana asks.

  "Too bad then" Athena says. "Because you can sit around and never reunite with your parents again, or you can grow a pair." After a long silence, the kids finally loosened their fighting stance and nodded their heads in agreement. "Good, then come with me".

  Back in ancient Japan, Ishmael and Inari had now been married for many years. Inari's messenger foxes watched the two get married, and even though it was a sunny day in winter, snow began to fall as the wedding concluded. Now, the two of them had three children, all of them able to shapeshift like Ishmael. The first two were boys. Kein and Heinnen. The two boys were twins. Kein had white fur in his fox form, with purple eyes. However, he had no purple pattern in his fur. Heinnen had black fur in his fox form, with purple eyes. He also had no purple pattern in his fur. But then there was the youngest of the three, Laibah. She was the only daughter of Inari and Ishmael. She had white fur, with purple eyes and purple fur on the tips of her ears, tails, paws and a small black diamond shaped patch of fur on the left side of her abdomen. When she was in her human form, the black patch remained as a birthmark, shaped like a diamond. With Ishmael's help, and as they grew up, the kid's help as well, Inari's name started to become well known throughout the land. However, most people mistook Ishmael for being Inari. Which worked in their favor due to his strength working as a deterrent for anyone wanting to attack Inari.

  As time passed, many things happened between the gods of Olympus and those who surround them. Zeus began to compete with the Norse gods, as wars began to spread northbound. Most of the Norse gods tried to refuse joining the fight as it was seen as pointless. But Zeus wanted to inspire people to fight as he sought to determine which among them would be worthy worthy join Zeus for his plans to launch an attack on Chronos. Chronos has been keeping quiet, but Zeus has had bad blood with him ever since killing Chronos's son, Cronus. Cronus once ate several of the gods that are now a god upon Mount Olympus. Zeus managed to save them by feeding Cronus poison. Eventually they fought to the death and Zeus had won. However, Zeus still held a grudge against Chronos. He saw Chronos as a threat and plotted to take him down. Convincing the gods of Mount Olympus to join him in his attack on Chronos, Zeus began to wage wars against other gods to find any who might be worthy. Gaia heard Zeus talking of his plans and tried to stop him. She was fighting to hold them back, but she wasn't at the best of her abilities. With Ishmael gone, Gaia's body and power was incomplete. She could only fight back so much. However, as weakened as she was, she wanted to protect her brother.

  During Zeus's battle with Gaia, many people came to Gaia's aide this time. Some of them being Greek gods, some being Norse gods. Some even being beasts, such as Fenrir, the son of Loki. The most surprising though, was Poseidon. Poseidon felt bad for Gaia, and knew what she is doing was out of love. Zeus was being too headstrong, as far as Poseidon could see it. Though Poseidon agreed to attack Chronos, he gave up on this quest when he came face to face with Gaia. The fighting got broken up as the Norse gods saw their opportunity to escape, relocating Gaia as they left. Meanwhile, Poseidon challenged Zeus to a one on one fight, as many others were nearly killed during battle. One, who was barely able to get away was Fenrir. As Poseidon held back Zeus, Hermes approached the battlefield in a panic. "What are you two doing!?" Hermes panics.

  "Stay out of this!" Zeus demands.

  "Hermes!" Poseidon calls out. "I'm not strong enough to stop Zeus forever!"

  "B-but, what's going on?" Hermes asks.

  "We don't have time for questions, friend!" Poseidon argues. "Listen very carefully." Hermes stands up straight with a nervous sweat. "Go, and summon Ishmael" Poseidon says.

  "B-b-b-but!" Hermes argues.

  "No questions! Go!" Poseidon yells as he's struck in the face by Zeus and simultaneously hit with lightning. Poseidon collapses to the ground but gets back up. "Hurry! Save Gaia!"

  "Oh, no you don't!" Zeus growls as he turns towards Hermes.

  Poseidon grabs Zeus and brings his knee into his stomach with a loud thud as Zeus is stunned from the impact. "I'm your opponent now" he says.

  "Of all the ungrateful" Zeus begins to say. "Did you forget I saved you from Cronus!? Did you forget you were eaten? Who was it that came to your aide?"

  "And what makes you think we should kill indiscriminately as you have been doing?" Poseidon asks. "This is madness! Now it is I who must save you!"

  "Save your distorted logic for the grave!" Zeus replies. "I have no need for excuses!"

  Eventually, Hermes shows up at Japan where he heard Ishmael was at from Gaia. When there, Ishmael greeted him with a threat and a cold look in his eyes. "Leave now if you don't want to die" he says.

  "This is important!" Hermes argues.

  "How important?" Inari asks.

  "It's Gaia!" He says. "She's in trouble. Zeus is targeting Chronos, but since she's standing in his way, Zeus is trying to take down Gaia again!"

  "What!?" Ishmael panics.

  "I-I promise it's the truth!" Hermes adds. "I swear upon my life!"

  "Are you going?" Inari asks Ishmael.

  "Of course I am" Ishmael replies.

  "We're going too!" Kein says as the three of their children, all grown up now, stand up.

  "I'm also not letting you leave alone" Inari adds as she also stands up. "I'm not waiting for you again."

  "But it's dangerous" Ishmael says as he gently holds Inari by the shoulders.

  "But you're my husband" Inari replies.

  "We'll keep mom safe" Heinnen says after a little bit of thinking.

  "Heinnen..." Ishmael says gently.

  "We won't let her be attacked" Laibah adds. "We promise."

  "They are your kids after all" Inari says with a smile.

  "Alright..." Ishmael says, then lifts his head in confidence. "Alright! Let's do it!"