Frost

Wealth. In a single night, Zagreus gained 2.4 Billion dollars. If Emma sold all her current assets, she might be able to get more, but only due to her powers since she will be able to get the best deals.

Power. Zagreus was a physical powerhouse compared to humans, but his ability to grant someone his blood and practically revive that person while making them devoted to him? That right there made Zagreus look even more attractive in Emma's eyes. He was handsome, she was aware of that, but this just made him very desirable.

Royalty, and just any kind, but royalty amongst the gods! Zagreus was the Prince of the Underworld, the realm of the dead! Did that mean that he had power over the dead? If so, that opened up options for her that she hadn't ever considered.

Emma thought there was a spark between them, a connection. She would've continued teasing him, keeping physical contact as much as possible, giving him a kiss here and there.

Emma wanted to spend some more time making sure he was the right choice, but the more she thought about it, Emma became certain Zagreus was the perfect one to become her White King. Without hesitation, she stepped towards him with confidence.

Zagreus watched Emma come closer with a hungry look in her eyes. He knew that one well as he had seen it on Megaera when they were together. It was the look of a woman that knew what she wanted.

Knowing what's to come, Zagreus hesitated for a second. Not because he thought she wasn't good-looking or because he didn't like her. After all, Emma was beautiful, and she didn't have that dreamy look when speaking with him.

No, the problem Zagreus had was that she was mortal. Every time his mother talked about her father, she spoke with sadness. Demeter, his grandmother, also expressed grievance when her mentioning her human lover. Mortals just had such a short life compared to the gods, who lived eternally as long as they weren't killed.

However, Zagreus chose not to stop her. He wanted to see where this would go, and he thought that maybe there will be something he could do in the future regarding her lifespan.

Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as he hugged her by the waist. Their lips connected, and both of them didn't waste any time, making the kiss even more passionate by starting a fight with their tongues.

One of Emma's arms went over to his hair as she pressed her body even more against his. She enjoyed it a lot, thinking how good of a kisser Zagreus was, but she didn't know that he had a lot of practice, even if it had been with just a single woman.

Zagreus enjoyed it just as much, especially the two mounts pressing against him. Emma had a slim and sexy body, but she was well endowed in the chest area. Her bottom looked just as good, but his hands never dropped past her waist. He just didn't know if other women had the same preferences as Megaera or not.

Emma broke the kiss. Her cheeks were rosy, and she was panting for breath. She just needed a second for some air and to say, "Grab my ass, you fool."

Well, Zagreus was more than happy to oblige, and with a roguish smile, his hands grabbed her buttocks just as their lips connected once more.

However, that was interrupted a second later, "Ahem."

Michael, Jane, and the two girls that followed Emma were still in the room, plus there was a corpse just beside them. As his servant, he didn't wish to interrupt his Master, but he didn't think Zagreus would like for them to watch.

"Spoilsport," Emma mumbled and pecked Zagreus on the lips once more before taking his hand. She then led him over to a sofa and sat on his lap, nestling her head in his neck as he hugged her waist with one hand and placed the other on her upper thigh while lightly caressing it.

Emma started gently kissing his neck, trying to distract him for a bit while thinking of what to do. She could be open about it and tell him that she pretty much already knew about his status. Or she could keep it a secret, hoping that Zagreus doesn't find out or doesn't already know and was waiting to see if she would be upfront about it.

In the past, Emma has had a few relationships, but none of them went anywhere, and mainly, it was because she wasn't truthful with them. If she wanted to make this work, she really had only one option.

"I know you are a god," Emma suddenly said, just as Zagreus was thinking how to break the ice. Like her, he also believed that he should be truthful with her, but it was due to the fact that he hated lying.

"You know?" Zagreus asked in surprise. Not only did she know, but she also seemed to believe it? That was what truly surprised him.

"Yes..." Emma confirmed and paused for a second before saying, "I'm a mutant."

Her eyes then bore into his face, studying it for any changes. Emma wanted to see how he would react to her being a mutant since one of her relationships failed solely because of that.

However, there was no change in Zagreus' expression. He just waited for her to continue as he didn't think there was a difference between a human and a mutant. They were one and the same.

"A telepath to be exact," Emma continued.

"You read my mind," Michael instantly said. He didn't even question her if that was the truth or not. He was that sure of it.

"Yes," Emma admitted, "You see, I consider myself one of the best telepaths in the world."

'A beautiful and strong woman? I can get behind her... I mean that.' Zagreus was thinking to himself.

"I've seen all kinds of mental defenses, be it one naturally formed from life experience, created artificially, or made by another telepath. I have the confidence of breaking them all, given that I have enough time. Obviously, those with a stronger mental defense will more than likely realize what I'm doing and try to stop me, but the fact is, I believe I can get past them."

"Then, I met you," Emma looked at Zagreus in the eyes and once again probed his mind with her powers just to get a better look.

"Everyone's defense was structured in some unique way, but if I looked close enough, I would find a crack or two. Yours, on the other hand, is just a veil of pitch darkness. I don't know where to even begin looking for weaknesses. However, like everyone else, the mental defense of your subordinates is far weaker than yours."

Michael frowned. He did understand where Emma came from. If Michael found something unnatural, he would also want to know more about it.

What Emma did was the obvious choice, but still, just because he understood it didn't mean he liked it. At that moment, Michael made up his mind. He would definitely have to work on his mental defense in the near future.

"Oh, Nyx taught me how to do that when I was very young. I didn't understand why back then, and she didn't explain it to me, but later on, I found out it was so I can protect my mind from other gods," Zagreus said.

Emma nodded. A god's mental defense was bound to be different compared to a human's one.

Before the conversation continued, Michael stood up.

"I will deal with that one," he said and pointed over at the dried-up corpse.

Michael then grabbed a black bag, just large enough to stuff a human inside. He had bought quite a few of them for situations just like this one. The incident in Greece was not something he wanted a repeat of, in case someone was able to link it to them.

As the butler, Michael took it upon himself to handle such situations for his Master. At least he now had a subordinate in Jane, who was patiently sitting and waiting for Zagreus to address her. She might have to wait for some time since their Master was currently too invested in talking with Emma. He couldn't really blame Zagreus for that. If he had a woman like Emma sitting in his lap, he would also have a hard time focusing on something else.

Michael took a few samples from the dead man before he stuffed him inside the bag. After zipping it up, he lifted it over his shoulder and walked over to the window. Walking out of the room and through the hotel with the bag was obviously not a smart idea, but he had other ways of exiting.

After looking around and making sure that there was no one in sight, Michael jumped out of the window. He didn't dive down towards the ground as one would expect, but he softly glided in the air.

Michael discovered he was capable of that a few weeks ago. This ability of his required a lot of concentration, but he was able to move quite fast like this, roughly at about 55 kilometers per hour. He was quicker on foot, but this was a bit stealthier since it was also night time. Even if people looked up, they wouldn't necessarily see him.

Unfortunately, Michael wasn't on the lookout for animals that neatly blended in the dark nights. A bat hawk observed him from a distance as he glided away before it flew into a nearby hotel room. The bird then transformed into a naked busty red-haired woman with blue skin.

Raven Darkholme, also known as Mystique, was a mutant with the ability to shapeshift. She traveled over to Sweden due to something her partner shared with her a month ago. She walked over and sat down next to an aged woman with silver hair, who was sipping on a cup of tea.

Irene Adler was also known as Destiny due to her mutant ability to foresee future events. Her precognition wasn't perfect, and she had seen hundreds of different futures, mostly concerning mutant kind.

In all possible timelines, there were no more than 10 key players. Even less than that were the ones that really dictated the outcome of the future. However, about a month ago, a new player inadvertently entered the game.

"So, what did you find, love?" Irene asked.

"Black hair, one eye red, the other green, and quite handsome. Seems to be getting along with Emma Frost," Raven answered as she wrapped her arms around Irene and hugged her closer.

"Are you sure about him, love?" Raven then asked.

"I am," Irene replied confidently. "He is honestly our best bet for the future of mutant-kind."

Raven snuggled closer to Irene as she continued her explanation. "Charles and Max would lead us to our doom, just as likely they are to lead us to salvation. Apocalypse would sacrifice the strongest and rule us with an iron fist, or he would kill us all. Essex would use us as guinea pigs for his own twisted entertainment. And Wanda would just make us all disappear."

"So, what do we do now?" Raven asked.

"For now, nothing. It is not our time to meet with him. We just came to see if he is the one I saw," Irene replied.

"Hmm, but what will he do? What's the difference between him and the others?" Raven questioned.

"He will..."

After safely dispatching the body, Michael returned back to the hotel room. Emma was still sitting in his Master's lap as they were talking, and Jane seemed to have joined the conversation as well.

"That's pretty much all you need to know about the Hellfire Club," Emma said.

"It's definitely not what I imagined it," Zagreus said.

"Yeah, it's just a social club for the elite and wealthy with its purpose being for the members to obtain and exert power through politics and economic influence," Jane said. She was a member of the Hellfire Club's London branch and knew quite a bit about it.

"So, what do you think, Zag?" Emma leaned in with a seductive smile and pecked him on the lips. "Interested in becoming my White King?"

"White isn't really my color, but..." Zagreus thought about it.

He wasn't really that interested in the club besides its name, but if he also wanted to make this relationship work with Emma, he would probably need to join, so the two could get to spent more time together. He also didn't really need to do much. Just his presence alone was enough for her.

"Well, we could probably arrange for you to become the Black King," Emma said, really taking that avenue into consideration.

Sebastian Shaw, the current Black King of the New York branch, was the reason she even became the White Queen. He had also acted more like a father to her than her real one. And recently, he has been pushing her to find a partner, a White King, quite actively, going as far as to say that he will select one for her if he has to.

Shaw has been kind to her, but... Emma thought there was something off about him. She didn't know what it was, but she felt like he was... fattening the lamb, so she didn't trust him entirely despite everything he had done for her.

Taking out Shaw and replacing him with Zagreus? Well, that was something Emma could see happening. Depending on how smoothly that goes, the two might even be able to take over the entire Hellfire Club and all its branches. She definitely liked the sound of that.

Emma pulled Zagreus over for a passionate kiss. He might be the best thing that has happened to her in a long time. Zagreus had wealth and power, he was a god, he was handsome, and he didn't look at her like a freak for being a mutant. For the first time in a long while, she really wished this relationship works out.

Their conversation topic then changed into what they were planning for the near future.

Emma had to return to New York as she had a business to take care of and was planning on taking her private jet tomorrow. She would also prepare for his arrival and for him to join the Hellfire Club.

Zagreus initially didn't plan on going to the USA for a very long time, but that changed due to Emma. He decided to explore two more countries just in case he gets lucky and finds something that's connected to the gods before he flies over to New York.

Jane had her own business in the UK, and even though she wanted to spend her time by her Master's side, he insisted she at least makes sure everything is going smoothly there.

Michael would obviously follow after Zagreus. His Master might've gotten somewhat accustomed to the mortal customs, but he still needed his butler.

It was already getting kinda late, so Emma decided to return to her room. Zagreus, of course, went to accompany her. He wanted to spend a bit more time with, so the two could get to know each other... more intimately.

Emma let out a small moan as Zagreus grabbed her plump ass and placed her against the wall. Oh, she enjoyed this so much. Her hands were roaming around his body, and Emma was getting hornier by the second. She wanted him to take her right there and then... but it wasn't the time yet.

"You know..." Emma broke the kiss and whispered in his ear before playfully biting his earlobe. One of her hands dropped down over to his pants, where she was more than satisfied with what she found.

"I promise to make you the happiest god when you come over to New York," Emma playfully bit him once last time.

"Make sure to keep in touch, okay?" She then said. The two had exchanged phone numbers. They might be a distance away from each other for some time, but Emma believed communicating should make it better. At least that's what she has heard.

"I will," Zagreus said, stealing one last kiss from her as she turned around to enter her room. Emma made sure to swing her hips left and right, fully knowing how enticing that was.

Returning to his room, Zagreus was thinking that he might forget searching for the gods for a time and just enjoy life. If he finds anything in the next two countries, that's great. If not, well, there was a very sexy blonde that will be waiting for him in the USA.

Michael and Jane were waiting for him there. His butler didn't seem the slightest bit tired, but the Nectar he drank with him was still running in his system and filling him with energy. Jane, on the other hand, looked visibly tired.

"Jane, you are obviously in need of some sleep. You should go and rest," Zagreus told her.

"Yes, Master," Jane replied.

"None of that Master stuff. Just call me Zagreus. Or Zag if it's easier for you," he said.

"Thank you, Zag," Jane said, and her eyes lit up with happiness.

"Now go rest. We will see each other in the UK, and we will call you before arriving there," Zagreus told her.

"I will be waiting for you. Goodnight, Zag," Jane said before leaving, enjoying having the benefit of calling her Master that way.

Now Zagreus was left with only Michael, and his butler was dying to know what he had gained from the would-be thieves. He was able to tell that much from his expression as he has gotten to know him quite well over the past month. Zagreus took out one of the bloodstones and showed it to Michael.

"I believe one of them had some kind of superpowers, but I have no desire to attempt your theory with this one," Zagreus said, hading him Owl's bloodstone.

"Why?" Michael asked and looked the thing over. Those bloodstones were simply fascinating for him to look at, and they always seemed like the best meal ever.

"Well, he was able to glide in the air, kinda like you."

Michael nodded at that. It wasn't the most useful ability out there, especially to Zagreus. He was super quick on the ground, so gliding would only slow him down. At most, it might be useful if he was falling from a high place, but even then, his Master would probably be able to land without suffering injuries.

"He also resembled a bird in the head, and I kinda like how I look. Sooo, you can have it if you are into that. "

'Ah, yeah, that's not good,' Michael thought, but he was already able to make some conclusions. The man presumably had some kind of Avian Physiology. He probably had hollow bones and other bird-like features.

"I will keep it to study it later," Michael said as Zagreus threw him another bloodstone.

"This guy didn't seem to have any special powers. He may have been stronger than normal humans, but I'm not sure. Either way, I won't gain anything from it," Zagreus said, and Michael ate it without hesitation.

"I... don't feel any different. It was tasty, though," Michael said in a moment.

"But he had this thing," Zagreus said and pulled the bones covered with metal, showing them to Michael. "Look, those bones are covered with a very tough metal. I couldn't cut it with Stygius."

That caught Michael's attention. That must be one hell of a metal for Zagreus to not be able to cut it apart. There was only one that really came to his mind.

"If I'm not wrong, this might be Adamantium, the toughest metal known to man! I don't know much about it, except that it's artificially created and really hard to make," Michael explained, "I don't know if we can use it for now, but it's useful to have."

"So, there's only this one left," Zagreus said, staring at the last bloodstone. He wasn't sure if he wanted to eat this one, and Michael sensed that.

"I advise you to consume it. The man didn't have any... animalistic features, and you don't lose anything from gaining another ability," Michael said.

"That's true," Zagreus said with a sigh and popped it inside his mouth.

"I don't feel much different. Don't think I got stronger, that much I'm sure of," Zagreus said, trying to feel but not finding any changes inside him.

"Well, then let's test it out," Michael said, ready to be his Master's guinea pig.

"That's so gross, though," Zagreus really didn't want to jump inside his butler. It just didn't feel right.

"It's better to test out your power in a safe environment like this," Michael explained.

"Fine, fine." Zagreus walked over and placed his hand on Michael's shoulder. He tried focusing and replicating what the man had done.

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, but then Zagreus remembered his school days when he was made fun of by the other kids for being a nerd... Wait! He never went to school! He quickly removed his hand from Michael.

"I feel... like I'm forgetting something," Michael said in confusion, not really sure what happened.

"That was so weird, but I think what this ability is now," Zagreus said and explained it to Michael, who was fascinated by it. The ability to steal someone's memories was so simple, yet it had so much potential at the same time. This would be very useful for his Master's future.

Their next topic was about Zagreus' bloodstones. One time was a coincidence, but two times was a pattern. The bloodstones obviously healed, but they also turned others into his servants.

Zagreus didn't mind healing others, but he didn't want to turn everyone into his servant. Knowing that his bloodstones were created from his blood, both came to the conclusion that it has some kind of healing power.

In the Underworld, Zagreus never really got the chance to heal someone since everyone was pretty much dead, so he wasn't aware of this property of his blood. Now with Michael's help, he planned on figuring how it worked during their next trip over at Norway.

The next morning, Zagreus got to see Emma once last time, and the two spent some time together before she left. After that, they bid their goodbye to Jane and went to buy some stuff for their trip.

About a week later, the Zagreus and Michael were climbing down Gaustatoppe. They didn't have much luck in their search there, finding no object or place with a connection to the gods.

On the way down, Zagreus was going through a book in his hands, which he abruptly snapped shut.

"This is so boring! The mythology books at least had cool stories and adventures, but this... this is just non stop facts about the human body and how it works," Zagreus complained.

The book just didn't intrigue him, and he has always been the type that learns from actions rather than reading. Zagreus had the option of trying to use his new ability on Michael, but that was not something he was willing to do. It just didn't fit his character.

"Knowledge is power. The more you understand the human body, the more likely you are to be able to heal others," Michael said. Earlier, he had offered to purposely injure himself so Zagreus could try to heal him, but his Master refused, plus his healing factor was pretty good.

Zagreus let out a sigh and opened up the book again. He could always just keep using his bloodstones, but he didn't want to turn absolutely everyone he tried to help into his servants. He preferred to use bloodstones only as a last resort.

The two continued their exploration, and soon enough, they reached the last location they planned to visit in Norway, the Jotunheimen mountain range. This will take them at least a few days to explore, but the two were already used to it.

About two days later, Zagreus was marching through the snowy mountain, looking for anything that might be out of place. He wasn't having much luck, but Michael, who was right behind him, suddenly stopped. He felt something tugging on his mind, forcing him away from a specific location.

"I... don't think I want to go in that direction," Michael said and pointed to the right of them.

"Oh?" Zagreus remembered Michael felt the same way at Kebnekaise.

"Then we are going there," he then said, turning around and marching with confidence. The butler had no choice but to follow his Master. stronger

Shortly, they reached a cliff, and the feeling of wanting to leave was even more potent for Michael.

"So..." Zagreus started, looking down the cliff, where there was a large clearing with a dozen blue-skinned giants. The giants were sitting down in a circle around a stone platform with a sword on top of it. He was also able to spot a bunch of stones surrounding the weapon.

"You think they are friendly?"

"I don't believe so," Michael replied, remembering their last encounter with giants.

Zagreus just grinned as he summoned Coronacht. He honestly didn't want them to be friendly and was quite happy with fighting them.

Michael sighed. He had never been a fighter, and even with his increased physical strength, he preferred to avoid conflicts if possible. His Master, on the other hand, absolutely craved fights. Michael did understand him, though.

In the Underworld, Zagreus had few ways to pass the time. He could talk with the few people at the house there, have sex with Megaera when the two were together, or fight the endless undead of the realm. The last was the one he spent the most time doing, and it had become a habit to him.

"We do have the high ground, so we might as well use it for a bit," Zagreus said with an arrow already drawn back. He had a better weapon for taking the giants down from his position, but he was worried he might damage the objects on the platform.

The moment Zagreus released his first arrow, he immediately created another as he began to fire a volley of them at the giants. Their blue skin looked pretty tough, so he aimed them all at weak points.

Two of the giants were taken down in an instant, with arrows sticking from each of their eyes. However, the others quickly sprang on their feet and formed walls of ice in front of them.

"That's new," Zagreus said. The last ones he fought didn't have any fancy moves like that.

The black eyes of the giants then bore onto the two people on the cliff, and they formed spears of ice before throwing it at them.

Figuring that it would be pointless to keep shooting them with arrows when they had shields, Zagreus dispelled Coronacht and jumped down the cliff. The giants, not missing this chance, threw their spears at him while he was airborne.

In the air, Zagreus formed Aegis as he tilted himself slightly and used the shield to parry the attacks by sliding of the ice spears. He continued his fall like that without getting hit by the giants.

Michael decided to follow suit. After absorbing the giant's blood, his strength had increased to about 2 tons. Michael didn't think he would be of much help, but he figured he could at least be a distraction if anything else. He jumped down, planning to glide to the bottom, but unlike Zagreus, he didn't have a way to avoid the attacks.

The first spear missed him, but the second one pierced him in the stomach and nailed him by the cliffside. It hurt like hell, but he wouldn't die from this. His healing factor might as well be his best ability.

'I'm... just gonna hang around here and leave the fighting to him,' Michael thought as his Master just landed, taking the attention of the giants.

Zagreus dashed towards them while he summoned Varatha. He threw both weapons at the giants, one turning into a saw of death, the other into a homing missile. Controlling both at the same time took some effort from him, but it was manageable.

Just before he reached the first giant, blood poured from his hands, forming into two metal gauntlets. The Twin Fists of Malphon weren't suited to use with a weapon due to the spherical main part of the gauntlets, but Zagreus didn't need to use one while wearing them. Each of his Infernal Weapons was special in some way, but the gauntlets directly boosted his physical strength.

Zagreus jumped over an ice sword and landed on the shoulder of the giant.

"Night." He punched out, and the giant's head turned into a gore of blood with a single hit.

The Twin Fists of Malphon were used in the war against the Titans, pulverizing their monstrously resistant bodies. Compared to them, the giants were made of glass.

Michael just observed from above with his legs hanging in the air. Watching Aegis and Varatha fly around as if they had a mind of their own was something else.

The shield was mowing down the giants, leaving grievous wounds and severing limbs as it spun around them. The spear flew agilely, aiming for weak points and piercing through their bodies.

Michael knew they were magical in nature, but it was still unbelievable to see what one would consider mundane weapons flying around. It was just as incredible as Zagreus turning the giants into a shower of gore with a single punch.

The giants had incredible physical strength with the versatile ability to be able to create ice weapons. However, Zagreus was too agile for them, and he was able to evade all of their attacks.

"This was fun," Zagreus said after the last giant fell. He clapped the Twin Fists, and the blood on them fell off. They were clearly not interested in the giants like the rest of his Infernal Arms.

Looking up, he saw Michael hanging off the cliff, and Zagreus sent Aegis over there. The shield cut apart the ice spear in seconds. Michael fell off, but before he could glide down, Aegis caught him and brought him down.

"At least you could get to practice your healing," Michael joked, looking over the hole in his stomach. His healing would be able to fix it in about half an hour to an hour. Maybe a bit longer, but he wasn't in mortal danger.

"You're not wrong, but I might have to give you a few lessons to avoid this in the future," Zagreus said, and a tendril of blood came out of his hand. He planned on trying to use everything he learned from the boring books and his personal experience.

Zagreus has had similar wounds in the past. Many of them were caused by his father, but some were also by Theseus. Zagreus might not like the arrogant king, but he had to admit his skill of using the spear was one of the best. Obviously, he and Achilles are better, but Theseus is up there as well.

The blood tendril flew over to the hole in Michael's stomach, and like a needle with a thread, slowly started patching up the hole. Wherever it passed, new skin formed, and within a couple minutes, the wound was sealed up.

This was just the first part, however. The blood tendril entered through Michael's skin and started fixing his insides. This was the more difficult part, but Zagreus used everything he managed to learn about the human body, and soon enough, he patched him up. Michael's own healing factor was a great assistance since it helped him along the way, and he learned quite a bit from it.

"I believe I am as good as new," Michael said after moving around for a bit.

"That's great," Zagreus nodded, thinking that he had just a little bit of talent in healing.

"Well, now for our spoils of war," Zagreus turned towards the giants, and one by one, he collected their blood into bloodstones. Twelve of them floated in front of him, and he started popping them in his mouth.

One, two, three... eight.

Zagreus stopped after that. He felt himself grow physically stronger from the first six, but that didn't happen with the seventh one. All in all, if he had to guess, he had gained about 5 tons worth of strength and also grew a few centimeters. He had always been on the weaker side when it came to physical strength, but he was starting to feel a lot more confident now.

However, there was one more benefit, one which he enjoyed a lot more.

"Hey! I haven't been able to do this in a long time!" Zagreus exclaimed, holding an ice cone in his hand. He had to rely on his grandmother's blessing to do this before, but now, now he could do it with his own power!

Michael was observing with great interest when the other four bloodstones floated over to him.

"You try," Zagreus told him, and he graciously accepted them.

Michael ate them one by one, savoring and enjoying the taste. He felt himself grow stronger, but as he had already found out, the effect was lesser than his Master's.

"So?" Zagreus asked.

"I feel a bit stronger, and... less cold?" Michael said and removed his jacket to test it out. He now felt a lot more comfortable in the cold weather than before.

"But can you do this?" Zagreus asked and formed another ice cone in his hand.

Michael, try as his might, wasn't able to replicate that. "It seems that I can't, or maybe I just don't know how."

"It's fine," Zagreus patted him on the shoulder, "I can try to help you later, but let's go and see that."

The two walked over to the stone platform, where a double-edged sword with a red handle laid. The weapon was surrounded by small stones, which all had runes written on them.

"Why does it have to be another sword?" Zagreus complained as he picked it up. The weapon was beautiful, but he didn't need another sword.

Zagreus was just in the middle of inspecting the blade, in case he finds something of interest, when the weapon started glowing with multicolored light. The next moment, the sword disappeared from his hands.

"What?!" Zagreus exclaimed and looked around, "You didn't have to disappear just because I complained."

For a few minutes, they stood there in patience, waiting to see if anything else would occur, but nothing happened.

"Do you think the same will happen if I pick up the stones?" Zagreus asked.

"I... don't know," Michael might be a genius, but he had no magical knowledge whatsoever.

"Might as well try," Zagreus carefully picked one and waited. After nothing happened, he picked up the rest. Again, nothing occurred, so he ended up placing them in his bag since he didn't know how to use them.

"I wonder what happened with the sword?" Zagreus asked, but Michael was as clueless as he was.

Meanwhile, a tall and handsome man with brown hair and blue eyes was sitting in a beautiful garden. He suddenly felt a tug in his mind and raised his arm. A moment later, a multicolored light surrounded his hand, and the sword Zagreus found appeared in it.

"What is this?" He asked in wonder. He was quite surprised, considering an exact replica of that sword was tied to his waist.

"Why do I feel a connection with you?" He asked again, inspecting every inch of the sword, wondering what's so special about it.

However, his investigation was cut short when he suddenly gasped for breath and clutched his chest. A moment later, his eyes turned pitch black, the same color all the giants had.

"Midgard is not safe anymore," he said in a scrappy voice as multicolored light covered the sword before it disappeared once again.