Chapter 90: Champion of the Amazons; Champion of the Gods

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TioIroh99 (10 chapters ahead)

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"Talking"

'Thinking'

<ROBOTIC VOICE>

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Themyscira, Trial by fire

"Let's play, daughter" said Zeus, as he launched a powerful lightning bolt towards Diana, which she deftly dodged. And thank goodness she had dodged it, for, the attack had been so powerful, that it had left a small crater on the floor of the fighting platform.

Diana could easily state with certainty that the attack produced by this Zeus was at least twice as powerful as the attack produced by Thor's hammer. She had to reconsider who was the toughest opponent she had fought so far.

And, as Zeus had said, at this moment, he was at his highest level. That level which made him so well known and feared. A level that could scare the titans themselves just with his divine aura of monarch, and that catapulted him to be considered the strongest god in all mythological folklore.

If that wasn't bad enough, Diana didn't have her prized weapons. Nor did she have her lasso. And her armor, which she wore when she had entered the mysterious door of the trial, had been magically changed to a simple traditional Greek dress of white. In short, Diana was practically 'naked' in this match.

Good thing it was equitable, as Zeus also wore no armor or weapons. His lightning bolts were launched by his own power, and his clothing was a traditional Greek toga. At least, she could say the test was fair in that regard.

The only thing that had remained the same were her bracelets, which were still on her arms as always.

Diana had to be smart. Fight smart and use all the resources, combat experience and skill she had, if she wanted to have a chance of beating him. However, Zeus wasn't going to stand by and watch as his daughter paused to think about the fight. On the contrary, before she could even begin to think of anything, he moved to attack her.

Zeus stepped heavily on the marble floor and generated tremendous force in his legs. The force generated was such that the floor began to crack from the weight of Zeus' footfall, and even veins protruded from his legs as he generated this attack.

When he was ready, Zeus released said momentum and in a small but audible "BOOOM", he propelled himself like lightning towards Diana.

!!!!!!!

'How fast' was all Diana could think, as she watched Zeus reach her in less than a second. The speed the lightning god had used at this moment could be compared to Superman's and even Flash's when they got serious in combat.

Diana, even with her enhanced senses, could barely catch Zeus' brief movement because of such speed. All she could pick up was that a fist with electric sparks was directed at her face.

Zeus threw a powerful punch right at Diana's face. His fist, imbued with the power of his lightning, would surely cause strong consequences on the beautiful face of our beloved Amazon.

Diana, who knew she could not dodge or move in time, could only put up her arms as a shield and cushion the power of the attack with her bracelets.

"PANG" the sound of a bell was produced due to the powerful electric shock of Zeus' attack with Diana's bracelets. Then, as if this was a switch, a small shock wave followed that sent the two combatants flying away.

The one who suffered the most powerful shock from this was Diana, who nearly flew off the platform. But with experience she was able to roll several times on the ground, and stabilize herself as she slowed the momentum with the strength of her feet.

She stood up and looked around her with speed. But there she noticed that Zeus was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, she realized where he was when a loud clap of thunder sounded in the city sky.

'Saint Hera'

Diana watched as the sky darkened completely as huge clouds completely covered the entire platform. Sounds of thunder could be heard, while lightning came out of these clouds. Zeus flew over the platform, right in the center of this meteorological phenomenon. His eyes flashed with power.

At this moment, Diana could not help but stare in awe at this god, who, at this moment, could only be described as a pure force of nature.

Zeus stood still, as he let dark clouds gather power. When he thought that was enough, he simply raised one of his hands, and, with great authority, said.

"I will show you the fury of Olympus" this was like a thunderclap, as the echo of his voice was heard throughout the city.

With that said, Zeus lowered his hand and pointed to where Diana was. Like a general, every lightning bolt from every cloud fell like unbridled horses magnetically towards the platform. This could only be described as a shower of lightning and all of it, directed at none other than Diana herself.

!!!!!!!

Diana woke up to this. She had been dumbfounded by her father's display of power which, as much as it pained her to admit it, was impressive. However, this cost her dearly, as quickly the thousands of lightning bolts began to strike right where she was. She had no choice but to run.

However, the lightning rain was not dozens, but hundreds of lightning bolts as powerful as the lightning bolts summoned by Shazam himself. No matter how hard she ran, Diana had nowhere to hide. There was simply no escape.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOM"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOM"

"BOOOOOOOOOOM"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOM"

Several explosions occurred due to these lightning bolts. The ground deformed, while the columns, which adorned the four corners of the platform collapsed with the power of the explosions. When it was over, nothing was left standing. Everything was destroyed.

After this attack, the sky calmed down. The clouds cleared and the sunlight shone again. Zeus, no longer transmitting power, came down to see the serious aftermath that this attack, which was one of his most powerful, had left.

As he had thought, Diana had no way to escape. Flying was not an option and neither was running, since he had covered every space where she could flee. It was simply impossible to dodge it.

In the distance, he saw a large marble stone stained with blood. The stone was huge, the fruit of one of the pillars that had fallen and been destroyed. It was so large that it could easily, with the weight of the stone, crush the body of any average human. A cloth, also stained with blood, protruded from the stone. The cloth was from Diana's dress.

"How disappointing" Zeus muttered under his breath as he approached the stone. Diana's performance had been disappointing. He had thought someone like her, blood of his blood, would be better. But perhaps, he overestimated her. Her death, too, was disappointing. To die crushed to death. 'A pathetic death'

Zeus effortlessly lifted the stone to see Diana's crushed body, and thus, end this test. But just as he lifted it, he got an unexpected surprise.

There was no body. The only thing crushing the stone was the piece of cloth with blood on it.

'But... How...?'

!!!!!!!

However, he couldn't even think about how Diana had survived, when just at that, a large stone, equal or even larger than the one he had lifted, was hurled heading for him, right behind his back.

Zeus turned quickly, and with a powerful bolt of lightning from his hands, destroyed the stone, but just as he destroyed it, a figure shot out of the destroyed hole.

As if in slow motion, Diana, who had her dress torn, and some dried blood was visible from her arm, took advantage of this distraction and attacked her father. At this moment, her eyes glowed completely white as when she fought Thor.

Zeus could not dodge such an attack, and received a strong punch from the Amazon warrior, right across his face. However, the force of the punch was not enough to send him away, it only made him feel dizzy while he took two steps to stabilize himself.

Zeus shook off the dizziness and spat out some blood. With a smile, he said.

"Is that all you have… daughter?"

Diana, however, did not answer him. Instead, she threw another punch at him, which Zeus, this time, intercepted. But this was what Diana wanted, when, on the same impulse, she stepped up to Zeus, and with her other arm, threw an elbow right at the god's nose, which he could not dodge.

Diana then threw a knee to Zeus' stomach. Something that he, due to the attack of the elbow, could not dodge either.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH" a little cough came from Zeus as he felt all the air in his lungs being released from his body.

To top it off, a kick so swift and powerful, it was just delivered to the back of his neck that it brought him to his knees. For the first time in a long time, Zeus had knelt before someone.

Diana did not let go of his momentum. But, again, she threw another strong punch right to the nose of the kneeling Zeus, but this time, Zeus had enough and with a cry of authority, he said "ENOUGH", while stopping the strong punch with the palm of his hand. Then, he closed this same palm, and with great force, sent Diana crashing to the ground.

Zeus then stood up and tried to crush the head of the thrown Diana with his foot, but, to his surprise, Diana intercepted the tread of his foot right with her hands and, with great force, sent Zeus away. Not as far as a shockwave, but far enough for both of them to get back up and take a couple of seconds of rest.

They both stood up and stared at each other. Zeus summoned his power. White lightning bolts and sparks shot from his hands.

Diana, to his surprise, generated more divine power than she was producing, to the point where she too began to generate her own lightning bolts in her hands. But these rays were light blue.

They both looked at each other. Both with white eyes in a sign of power. Both with heroic and divine auras. After a couple of seconds, with no sign of saying or doing anything, they both moved.

"BOOOM!"

The two arrived in less than an instant, both with a speed in which only two blurs were visible. Both, throwing a powerful punch with all their might, intercepted each other.

Winds roared, as a powerful shockwave was produced by the force of this punch. But this was not enough; another punch followed. And then another. And then another and another and another and another.

Hundreds of punches were thrown between them. Each one, with more speed and power than the previous one delivered. By this point, not even a blur was visible. One could simply hear the sounds of the wave generated by each attack.

This... this could simply be described in one word. EPIC.

An epic fight. A fight of two titans who gave no quarter. A fight that, surprisingly, Diana was winning, because, to the surprise and fear of Zeus, he was giving ground.

At first, everything was normal. He was stronger. But then, he realized the mistake. As time went on, Diana was matching him. She was matching the power of his blows, to the point where, by the 123rd blow that was being delivered, she was even stronger than him to the point where he was slowly crawling with the power of the attack.

This could only be explained with one simple word. ADAPTABILITY.

Diana was adapting to Zeus with each passing second, matching and surpassing his strength, speed and attack power. Her bracelets, those bracelets she had at the beginning, were gone.

In short, she had released her hidden power. That power for which she was born. She, at this moment, had left her humanity and had become the famous weapon that Zeus always wanted. Zeus had to change his strategy and finish the fight. Or else... he would lose.

Zeus changed his strategy. He, instead of striking again, rolled on the ground, and with all his power, launched a powerful lightning bolt towards Diana, who could not dodge it because she had followed the sequence of blows.

Diana received the full power of the thunderbolt, but, to Zeus' surprise, it did not hurt or injure her. On the contrary, Diana received the lightning, and, with momentum, activated her power and generated an attack similar or more powerful than the one thrown at her and threw it back. Zeus, now had to dodge to avoid being hurt by the lightning of his daughter.

Diana moved after this. In an instant she reached Zeus. Zeus wanted to fly, but Diana, just before he moved, gave him a hard stomp to keep him on the ground. Then she threw a powerful punch right in her father's face, and then finished him off with a strong blow with her palms right in Zeus' ears.

The attack was such that it made Zeus' ears bleed, while he lost the motion of stability due to the dizziness of the attack. To top it off, Diana jumped up and threw a powerful knee right into Zeus' chin. He simply dropped like a sack after this.

He still wanted to get up. But Diana wouldn't let him. She grabbed him by his hair and made him look her in the eyes. Then with her other hand she summoned a bluish lightning bolt and put it menacingly on his neck. It was a spear made with her power. A spear that would be enough to slit his throat and kill him.

Zeus, seeing that he had lost, smiled. It was not a smile of defeat or a smug smile. It was a smile of satisfaction. He was satisfied with his loss. But, above all, he was satisfied with the displayed power of his daughter. His ultimate weapon.

"You have defeated me, daughter. You exceeded all my expectations with your show of power. Now kill me and fulfill the purpose for which you were born. By killing me, you will embrace your destiny and become the ultimate weapon. THE SLAYER OF GODS"

Diana brought her power close to Zeus' neck. A little blood started to come out due to the sharp spear of her power. Zeus closed his eyes, and smiled accepting his fate. But when he thought it was the end, at that, he felt that he was released and the spear was no longer threatening to cut his neck.

!!!!!!!!!!!

Zeus opened his eyes in surprise. There he saw how Diana, who no longer held the spear in her hand, looked at him impassively. Her eyes had ceased to be completely white, and now looked their normal bluish hue. But it was different. If you looked closely, you could see that the blue glowed electrically, as if it harbored a small storm inside.

"I won't kill you. Not because you don't deserve it, but because you said so yourself. If I kill you, I will become what you always wished for, and that is something that I, I will never become. I am not your puppet, Zeus. I am not a mere weapon that can be discarded when I cease to be 'useful'. I AM ME. I AM DIANA OF THEMYCIRA, PRINCESS OF THE AMAZONS, AND PROTECTOR OF THE EARTH. And I will use this power, this power YOU gave me, to do good and bring justice and goodness to the world"

Zeus was dumbfounded by this. His eyes looked as if they would pop out from the surprise they conveyed. However, at that, that surprise changed to a serious, emotionless face, as he spoke in a different tone of voice than the one he had conveyed. His voice was robotic, devoid of emotion, like that of a robot.

<DIANA, PRINCESS OF THEMYSCIRA, YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE TRIAL BY FIRE. TEST FIRE SUCCESSFUL. ENDING SIMULATION...>

There the whole platform, Olympus, and so on, began to crumble as again everything went white. That was the last thing Diana saw before the white light covered her...

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Diana awoke in a completely white room. There she realized that, indeed, her test had been successful, when she was now wearing nothing less than a completely golden armor as if bathed in the purest gold.

(AN: image)

The armor seemed to glow by its own power. It had wings on its back, and its helmet had an eagle design. Also, next to it, were her weapons. Her sword, her shield, and her lasso. But these weapons looked different. They seemed enhanced. As if the armor itself had made modifications to her weapons and improved them to assimilate her new power.

"Congratulations, Diana. You did it!" Diana was appreciating every detail of the armor and weapons, when at that, a voice interrupted her enthusiasm. It was a woman's voice, velvety and gentle.

Diana stood on guard. However, the woman approached anyway. The woman, at all times raised her hands in surrender, indicating that she was not coming to fight.

She was beautiful. That was the only way to describe her. Brown dark hair, almost white blue eyes and a perfect curvy body.

"Calm down, the test is over. I swear it in in the name of all that is good. You can be calm. I come in peace"

"Who are you?"

"I had many names throughout history. Mother Earth. The progenitor mother. The mother of chaos. But the name that identified me the most was: Gaea"

Diana stopped showing hostility and lowered her weapons. Gea showed no signs of lying. But, even so, she remained on guard and several meters away from her. Gea did not mind this, and continued.

"You are the first and only one who has managed to fulfill my test. The trial of fire. Congratulations, my champion"

"Wait, wait, YOUR trial of fire?"

"Hahaha, yes, my girl. I created this test. Also, I had Hephaestus create the golden armor you wear as a prize. And even, if you look closely, you will be able to feel a greater affinity to the earth and nature while wearing it. For my own power flows into such armor"

Gaea, at that, summoned a projection. In that projection, she showed every trial that every Amazon, throughout history, has had to face. There was also her mother's trial, which was very similar to hers, where she also faced a young and powerful Zeus, but where she lost and 'died' in combat

"Long ago I had a vision that one of you, Amazons, would become a warrior who could overcome the gods. One of you would have the power to become a more powerful, but, above all, freer version of us. But for that very reason, I made this test.

With power, also comes a strong desire for dominance and greed. Something that, unfortunately, we gods have. We are quite greedy and power-hungry beings.

That is why I created this scenario, where you had to fight with your father. The one who, since your birth, has interceded to turn you into the strong warrior you are. But who also, wished to use you to return to his former glory.

In such a test there were two scenarios. Lose to your father and 'die', without embracing your true power. Or embrace your true power and kill your father in the attempt, becoming what he always wanted. The ultimate weapon. Neither option would earn you the armor, for in either, you would deny your true nature"

"And what is my true nature, Mother Gaea?" asked Diana doubtfully.

"That you are a good person, full of love and justice. That is your true nature. In the end, you made it. You embraced your power, without losing your principles. Someone who fights for a goal or an objective becomes strong. But someone who fights for others, only for love and kindness, becomes invincible. With this armor, you will become invincible. With this armor, you have become the champion of the Amazons. My champion"

"I... I don't know what to say. Thank you, Mother Gaea. Your words... I am not worthy to hear them. But I have a question, if I may ask..."

"Ask, my child. I am here to answer your doubts"

"Zeus, this Zeus with whom I fought, was a projection of the test... so, you don't know why he created me? - If indeed, I was born to be a weapon?" asked Diana with uncertainty. That was her real doubt. She wanted to know if indeed her father never loved her and if indeed, for him, she was just a simple weapon. Unfortunately, Gea did not have the answer. With a long sigh, she said

"Sigh. I can't answer that question, Diana, because I don't know. My grandson was always... special. Someone quite moody with very changeable ideas. Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have preferred my other grandson, Hades, would have ruled the Greek gods. But don't worry. You have proven that your past does not define you. That YOU are your present and YOU decide your future. With the golden armor, you have proven that you are worthy before your people and before the gods. Of that, there is no doubt"

"Thank you, mother Gaea. I appreciate everything. But what am I doing here? - Is the test not over?"

"The test is over. And don't worry, as soon as we finish talking, you'll go back to the cave where your mother is waiting for you. But I need to tell you something important, Diana. Something I promised to tell the chosen one from the test"

"What's that?"

"The Earth cannot be destroyed. The planet, this planet where we live, cannot perish. AT ANY COST"

"I don't understand..."

"You don't need to understand. You only need to do as I tell you. Your duty, as the chosen one of my legacy (the armor), is to protect the Earth from any threat and prevent its destruction. That is the only mission I put you on, my champion. Now go, it's too late" Gaea, without letting Diana speak, snapped her fingers, making Diana return to the cave. Diana left with many questions that, unfortunately, none of them could be answered.

As Diana left the blank, at that, a man materialized. He was a handsome man with white hair and red eyes. He had a slight mustache rather neatly trimmed. He was Uranus, the husband of Gaea, and primordial god of the sky.

"You should have explained to her a little bit what you meant"

"No, Uranus. It would have been counterproductive. If I told her anything about 'that person' and the assignment he gave us, it would only put more pressure on Diana and cause her to make mistakes or serious errors. She needs to overcome obstacles on her own and by her own hand. Only then will the future be bright"

"But 'that person' will be angry if we fail. Remember. 'That person' was the one who allowed us to live on this Earth when we fled Yuga Khan from our planet Genesis. He protected us and hid us. And, he also allowed us to do whatever we wanted on this earth, but with only one charge. That the Earth would not be destroyed"

"I know. But that's exactly why I didn't say anything to Diana. She will protect the Earth even if I don't ask her to. The heroes will fulfill our purpose. They are the guardians of Earth now. Let us trust in their abilities, Uranus"

"For the sake of the future, I hope you are right..."

"I hope so too …"

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Diana returned to the cave totally confused. To protect the Earth did not even have to be asked for her. She already did. But the question was, of what. What was this threat Gaea surely knew. That was her doubt.

However, she could no longer go back for Gaea to reveal it to her because the door, was simply gone.

'Well, I hope all the answers will be revealed later' she thought, as she turned to see and hug her mother. After that trial, it was certainly what she wanted. Then to go see her beloved and eat a nice dinner with her family.

"Mother, I'm back-"

Diana couldn't say anything else, because just at that, she realized that her mother, and the old oracle woman, were kneeling before her. This took Diana by surprise, but then she realized why.

On her body, she was wearing the golden eagle armor. In short, she was revealing to them that she had succeeded in passing the trial. 

"Mother-" Diana was about to ask them to stand up, but could say no more, when at that, Hippolyta proclaimed.

"LONG LIVE DIANA, PRINCESS OF THEMYSCIRA. CHAMPION OF THE AMAZONS"

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Valhalla, June 25, 20:37, 2017

In Valhalla prison, a near-dead-eyed Victor Stone was in his cell. His appearance was a mess due to the numerous tortures. He was even gradually losing his large body mass due to the lack of food he was subjected to.

His breathing was so low that it seemed as if he was dead. Only his chest movement, plus the flashing light of the Motherbox, which seemed to be in power saving mode, gave indications that he was still alive.

At that, an audible footstep was heard approaching the cell.

"Tap, tap, tap" 

The light revealed a mostly healed Ares. But with deep scars on his neck and part of his face that would surely linger for the rest of his life. It didn't matter. They were wounds of war.

"Clap, clap, clap" Ares, clapping his hands, approached the cell and spoke. "I must say I'm impressed, Mr. Stone. Your... strength of will and poise are something I have to respect. Any god, including me, would have already surrendered to the very severe torture you have been subjected to day in and day out. We have left you without food, without water, we have spanked you, tortured you with divine energy. And, surprisingly, you still don't speak. That's AWESOME!"

"He won't talk, Ares. He will never help you fulfill your wicked plans" Ares' speech was interrupted by a voice, coming from beside Victor's cell. It was Lugh, the traitor god.

"Shut up, traitor. If it were up to me you would already be dead, but I still see you as somewhat useful and for that very reason I have not executed you"

"The only traitor is you, Ares, who has set a trap for me. A trap to cajole the group of gods into continuing to trust your leadership. A decision they will surely regret"

"Shut up, I don't want to talk to you anymore" Ares, with a simple wave of his hands, activated a protocol in Lugh's cell and deactivated the internal volume of the cell. Lugh continued to speak, but quickly realized he was not being heard so he shut up. Ares even playfully waved at him mockingly.

"What.... What do you say... speak louder, I can't hear you. Now, good. Since the annoying flies have stopped buzzing, it's time to talk, Victor" Ares turned his attention away from Lugh and focused on Victor, who showed no signs of showing emotion. He looked like a living dead, as his dull eyes, stared down the hallway where Ares stood. Ares, not caring about this, continued.

"Look, Victor. I mean it when I say that you earned my respect. The torture has been brutal and you have handled it to a level that even we gods could not consider. Already at this point, I want to give up and just kill you. But the Motherbox is the key to everything. So I thought, and I want to try one last thing. One last test" Ares snapped his fingers, and at that, a shadow materialized. From the shadow, a female figure revealed herself to Victor.

There, Victor's dead eyes showed life as they saw that the female figure was none other than Marie (Vixen), his girlfriend. She looked quite beaten, as if she had been tortured before coming here.

"I can't kill you. And you won't talk no matter how much we torture you either. So I thought it best for you to watch me murder the most precious thing you had left. Your pretty girlfriend, the heroine Vixen. It was hard, but we captured her. I can't kill you, but to her I can" Ares at that, summoned his sword, and inserted it into Marie's chest.

"AGHHHHHHHHHHH" an inhuman scream came out of Marie's voice. There, Victor lost it.

"DAMN YOU, ARES. I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO HER. I SWEAR I WILL" Cyborg moved, but every movement caused electric bolts of lightning to shoot out torturing his body. However, this didn't matter to Cyborg. He continued to struggle, trying to break free.

Surprisingly, just then, the chains opened and released him. Victor wanted to get up, but his body was not strong enough. He was in so much pain that his body did not respond. But he persisted. With sheer willpower he made his feet struggle and was able to get up.

Then, with momentum, he got right up to the glass barrier that protected from leaving, and began to pound on said glass to free himself from there.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, ARES. THIS IS WITH ME. MOTHERBOX, ACTIVATE"

<PIP, PIP, ACTIVATE. ATTACK SEQUENCE, ACTIVATE>

Cyborg activated his plasma cannon at full power and began firing at the crystal. Surprisingly, the crystal did not crack or break. Instead, every attack it produced was absorbed. This crystal was created to withstand attacks from beings that surpassed the titans. It was no small thing.

Ares did not care about the threats. He simply dragged the injured Marie and pulled her close to the crystal. Then, he put his sword right at her neck, and said.

"She will die, Victor. She will be the victim of your lack of cooperation. She will be the consequence of your actions"

"NO, ARES, LEAVE HER ALONE... Leave her, just, leave her. I will help you. I'll do whatever you ask me to do, but please, leave her alone"

Ares, however, did not let her go. Instead he opened, with a command, a small opening in the glass, small enough for him not to escape and from there Ares threw the book that Morrigan got for him from Themyscira.

"Translate it. Every word it says, you have to tell me. NOW"

So Cyborg did. He didn't grumble, or complain. He did it without hesitation. His girlfriend's life depended on him doing it.

"Translate it, Motherbox"

<PIP, PIP, GOT IT. TRANSLATING: ANCIENT GENESIS, IDENTIFIED....>

Every word of the book in the ancient language of the gods began to be revealed before Ares. Every secret of Valhalla, and of the gods in general, was being conveyed to this god, who grew more and more joyful with every word he heard.

'Yes, yes, yes, yes, this is what I wanted. With this, I will be invincible'

When he finished saying the last of the text, Victor said to Ares.

"That's it, leave my girlfriend alone"

Ares just nodded and released Marie.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Victor"

Marie, simply collapsed on the floor, while Victor, impatiently tried to get out and take her in his arms, though to no avail, as the crystal prevented them from reuniting. Ares, satisfied, simply walked and left the place.

Before leaving, he took one last look at Lugh, who was glaring hatefully at the god of war. The Greek god simply snapped and deactivated the silent mode of the Celtic god's cell.

"See you around, traitor"

..

..

..

"What have you done, boy…"

"Lugh, please help me out of here. Marie needs urgent medical attention"

"You don't understand, it was all a trick, child. A hoax by Ares to get you to talk"

"What-"

Just at that, 'Marie', who was 'passed out' on the ground, began to crumble into small particles of black sand. Then that same sand was blowing away with the wind as if it had never been there.

"You were tricked by Ares. I would have warned you, but the asshole silenced me. The 'person' who came was a mere trick of Ares. The sand he used is an old trick the Egyptians used to create 'living' clay figures. Sand servants that could serve the gods. He completely fooled you"

Victor couldn't believe it. He had been a fool. Out of desperation, he never checked to see if it was really Marie. Now that he thought about it, even the scream felt unnatural. He had been completely fooled, and now, Ares had in his possession what he wanted. The hidden information of the ancient gods.

"What have I done..."

------------

"Ready, my friends. Finally, we have the secrets of the gods. With these apples, which I was able to collect from the ancient writing, we will regain our power and more. We will become great again" said Ares, as he offered a golden apple to each of the gods in the group. With Lugh and Seth gone, there were now 13 gods left.

The gods felt the power of the apple. It was a primal power they had never felt before. Without hesitation, they took a bite. When they did, a golden energy covered them, healing their wounds and returning their divine power. Their divine essence began to grow by leaps and bounds making them grow to the point like in their better days.

"Ares, I branded you a fool for what you were telling us, but I must admit I was wrong. You have kept your promises. Thank you" Nüwa told him, as she began to explore the renewed strength she felt. "I feel like I can now summon hurricanes and tornadoes effortlessly with a simple wave of my hand. It's great!"

Ares just laughed at the sight of the gods' enthusiasm and sat down in a chair. The chair that once belonged to Zeus.

"So, what's next?" Tezcatlipoca asked.

"Now... you serve me. Kneel before me" Ares cut the happy atmosphere with his words. The joyful atmosphere ended and became a heavy and serious one. Before anyone could say anything else, Ares said again, "I said: KNEEL!"

The golden energy, which previously covered everyone, changed drastically to a dark and evil energy. This energy began to manifest in everyone's body, as it made them kneel at the command of the god of war. Like loyal soldiers, each began to kneel at the command of their general. Though they tried to object, in the end, they eventually gave in.

"What... what... what... did you do to us..."

"The apple I gave you was not an apple of power that the ancient gods ate. That was a myth. What I fed you was an apple of obedience. Something our fathers withheld because of its dangerousness. Obedience that YOU, now have towards ME"

Everyone's eyes began to turn dark, as their minds clouded and began to configure themselves to serve a single purpose:

TO SERVE ARES.

Already kneeling, they began to chant in devotion.

"Long live Ares. Champion of the gods"

"Long live Ares. Champion of the gods"

"Long live Ares. Champion of the gods"

"Long live Ares. Champion of the gods"

"Long live Ares. Champion of the gods"

Ares looked on with a smile of victory. Finally, he had achieved his true purpose. His true goal. To be served as the absolute king.

'First the gods, and then the Earth. Nothing can stop me from achieving my goal. To rule EVERYTHING'