Freya

Steve stood by the window, swirling a drink in a glass as he gazed out of the window once again. It was quite hard for him, as he came to find out, to come out of that feeling of power in this lofty position. Power took on different forms, and he'd only ever had respect for the physical kind, the one you could use in combat and to kill. But people also underestimated the power that came in the form of status.

False power...but power nonetheless.

Just standing here atop this tower symbolically put him on top of the world, something that would impact people on a much more subtle yet greater scale than any of his demonstration. It would hit them on the subconscious level as what they could physically see and process. To be up here looking down on them would make people instinctually respect him because he had earnt this position, and not because he had scared them into doing so.

His recent demonstrations were as much about inducing fear as they were about getting himself and his Familia out there for all to see on the playing field. Distinguished powerhouses in their own right gathered in one place, under one banner from which they would overshadow the rest of the world, further augmented by the fact that their patron was none other than one of the strongest, if not the strongest Primordial to ever exist in this reality, not only cementing their influence amongst the mortals but also amongst the gods.

Steve hummed as he took a sip while thinking about that last subject. In his time in this world, he'd done his best to find out the exact history of this world and what parts the gods played in it. Just like in his old world, there was mythology about the gods and they'd had different nations worshipping them in ancient times, offering tributes, sacrifices and homages in their name, and building cities and monuments in their glory. And just like his old world, the gods that were supposed to be the oldest and most powerful, were often the most forgotten and most obscure.

Looking into Ptah and his followers, Steve could find almost no records of him in Genkai's history books. Just some brief mentions here and there and whatnot. But almost always overshadowed by Ra's name as it was commonly accepted that Ra was the king of Ptah's Pantheon. Ptah himself was so much of a background character in most of this world's recorded history, it kind of made sense why some people branded his worshippers as heretics and all that, because the worship of the other gods were so much more popular.

Nowadays, people didn't really worship the gods anymore. Perhaps finally getting to see gods in the flesh took away much of that awe and magnanimity that they once had and now people only chased them for power and status. Whereas before, the gods would only make contact with mortals through the Spirits. The Spirits were the most honoured and revered of the earthly races because they were the intermediaries between the gods and the mortals, much like angels between God and Man in the scriptures of the Abrahamic faiths.

As such, the mortals referred to them most assuredly as the Children of the Gods. A Spirit would more often than not in those early times serve a particular god or goddess. And if a mortal were to make a contract with a Spirit, they would inadvertently be drawing power from the god that particular Spirit served.

Argonaut was contracted with the spirit Jupiter. That more than anything else screamed a connection with Zeus, which would explain why Zeus was being so shifty in the backgrounds on the subject of Bell. Steve wouldn't be surprised actually if Zeus had come down to start a Familia, so that one day the Argonaut would be reborn into his hands. There was something poetic about Zeus finally receiving what he sought at the point when he'd lost all else and could in no way make use of the boy he'd waited for.

But perhaps Steve was wrong. Because from all that Steve knew of Zeus from the franchise, the lecher did seem to genuinely care for Bell as a grandson. It was just that the old crone had gone and faked his death and was now trying to make Bell into the Last Hero of the current age through careful machinations in the background, by virtue of his lapdog Hermes. And the poor innocent boy who thought himself so weak and useless, while trying to be as kind as possible to everyone around him had no idea it was happening.

...

Honestly, now that Steve thought about it, Bell's situation held many parallels with another character from another shonen universe, an MC with a similar name. What was it again?...Ah yes.

Lloyd Belladonna.

The kid from the Dungeon Boonies who had left his village in search of strength to grow up and become like a hero he'd idolised since a young age, thinking himself weak and hopeless compared to others and would do anything to become stronger. The kid also had a penchant for attracting different kinds of women to him with his naivety, his kind and soft nature, pretty much pure-hearted in all that he did. And there were ambiguous forces at play in the background who were trying to turn him into a new hero just because they wanted to see a new hero in that age, the age of the Last Dungeon.

Funny, that world also had a Dungeon.

And just like Bell, Lloyd also had an ancient loli baba hanging all over him, vying for his affections...except Alka was a lot more perverted than Hestia about the situation. Though both of them did wear pigtails, so they had some common ground there.

The only difference was that Lloyd was actually a freak to the world outside his village because even though he was the weakest there, amongst normal people he was a monster of strength that had little effort in toppling foes, and he didn't even realise it.

But yes, Steve believed that if Bell and Lloyd were to ever cross paths with one another, they'd become very good friends due to their similar mindset. He also believed that Hestia and Alka would be good friends too since they'd be able to bellyache about their failed love lives to one another, and how their attempts at being cougars only ended up in futility because younger women were on the scene.

'Hmm...might be worth looking into one day. After all...the Gate should have no limits.' Steve pondered with a smile. 

If anything, it would be funny to see.

...

Back to topic though, he couldn't help but think of the mission he'd given Zuri. The Hikuptah would indeed be a fine addition to their Familia if they could get them to agree but there was more to it than just them being followers of Ptah. They'd also existed on Earth, in the early city of Memphis...it was through the passing down of etymology that the word 'Copt' came about.

The syllables of Ptah's essence had been forever etched on the name of the indigenous people of Egypt. The 'co' came from Ka, which meant soul. And the end 'pt' came from Ptah. Soul of Ptah...the ancient Egyptians were always ultimately the followers of Ptah, from which bloodline Steve was descended on his mother's side.

And Steve was half a Copt. So throughout history, Ptah had always been integral to indigenous Egyptian identity.

And some people believed that fate did not exist.

How could it be mere coincidence that Steve had fallen into Ptah's Familia, of all people? It would explain that feeling he'd got when he saw the recruitment paper, the first day he'd come to Orario and gone to the Guild. It all added up.

He was always meant to be a child of Ptah, because that was what his ancestors, at least on his mother's side, had been. It was only fitting that the Ptah of this world ended up as his patron. This created...feelings within Steve as he came upon this realization, and a new fondness sprung up in heart towards the little bald idiot.

As annoying as he could be, Steve could not deny he'd quite come to like Ptah. Beneath their banter and their squabbling lay deep rooted respect for the Primordial, which Steve now knew the reason behind.

The Hikuptah were the Copts of this world...their people...Steve's people. And if his people needed help, Steve would be there to deliver.

...

"I can see why you spent so much of your time up here." Steve said as his eyes looked off to the side. "This feeling...it's intoxicating."

Out of the shadows of the room stepped out two of his guests from before...one silver-haired woman followed closely behind by a large Boaz man.

"The novelty wears off soon enough." Freya said as she folded her arms under her bosom. "I just used to pass the time up here...free from all the headaches down below."

"More of a cage for the most beautiful, yet dangerous bird in all of Orario." Steve chuckled as he turned around. "Let's face it. You were always up here, because those people that knew you were not comfortable with you down there. Having you up here was the safest they could be."

Freya's smile faded as her eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you." She said. "You project this image of generous and benevolent, but you have the capacity to be so cold...so cruel."

"I'm sorry I'm not your favourite hero flavour." Steve walked over to the table and poured a glass out for her. He held it out, watching her as she contemplated the offering before silently accepting it. "And besides, I don't care much for what other people think of me personally...and neither do you."

"I beg to differ." Freya said. "The way you carry yourself determines how you'll be treated. Give no care to how people see you, and they'll treat you badly."

"Didn't really help you in this situation though did it?" Steve said as he gestured around himself. "Now people definitely know the kind of business you're about. Taking risky gambles, only to lose in the end."

"Do you take pleasure in giving people mixed symbols?" Freya asked as she held the glass in her hand, refusing to take a sip just yet. "You're all too willing to offer generous hospitality...but you'll not hesitate in taunting your guests when you can. Not so experienced in charity are you?"

"No, I am quite possessive and stingy. I have no shame in admitting that." Steve smiled as he sat down in a chair. "But more than that...I am you and you are me. You see Goddess Freya, we are the same, you and I."

"...What would you deign to know about me?" Freya asked, with a sliver of danger to her tone.

"You're an opportunist." Steve said. "In a world where everyone else is just so stupid, so easy to control. Give them a taste of what they really want and they'll dance to your tune even if they think they aren't. In a game where everything is too easy, you'll jump at the chance for something new, something exciting. Something you've never done or seen before." Steve smirked as he gulped down the glass. "In my case, I decided to come to another world, topple the power structure from the top downwards and then sit comfortably in the throne above. Not something I'd ever really considered doing but at the time I had this epiphany, it seemed like a good idea."

"Are you saying you wanted this from the beginning?" Freya nodded her head to the penthouse they were currently in.

"Ever since I first saw it." Steve said as he nodded out of another window, towards the snowy peaks of the Beol mountains. "Ever since the day I landed on that mount and looked towards this tower, I knew that if I wanted to be able to do anything I wanted, I would need to be sitting right here in this very spot. And now I am."

"So you're not doing all this because you want to see where crossing worlds may take our adventurers?" Freya raised a brow. "You just wanted to be known as the strongest...that was it. A mere title was your true objective all along."

"It didn't matter whether people knew it or not. I was the strongest unquestionably." Steve smiled as he leant his head on a fist. "But I do truly want to see what adventurers can become when in a new reality, when they are able to cross worlds with my help. For the same reason I wanted this penthouse."

"To see and do something you'd never seen or done before." Freya nodded. "Something new. Is that it? Experiments? On this scale?"

"I am a full participant in this game as much as you gods are." Steve said. "I don't take the approach to the Dungeon the same as Ottar does." Steve nodded to the man who was standing quietly in the room. "For me, it is just another testing ground. A little box of surprises to sift through. I'm not chasing adventure of glory...just fun."

"Is that your answer then?" Ottar asked suddenly.

"Pardon?" Steve cocked his head.

"During the War Game, you promised me you'd tell me why you adventure if I hurt you." Ottar said. "I did more than that...I made you bleed."

"Oh yeah, you did didn't you?" Steve muttered as his eyes wandered around. "I'd forgotten about that. It was so insignificant and so temporary an injury thanks to my regeneration that I forgot it even happened."

"But you owe me what you promised regardless." Ottar said as he clenched his hands. "Is that what it is to you...a game?"

"It's exactly what it is Ottar. A game." Steve smiled. "Whether it was my world, or yours. It has always been a game. Nothing more and nothing less. You could say, when it all comes to it at the end..." Steve lifted one leg over another, leaning into a palm as he shook his glass in the other. "...I'm an adventurer for fun."

Silence reigned over the atmosphere as Ottar digested these words. His fists clenched tightly for a few seconds as some apparent anger came over the Boaz, and even Freya waited by patiently to see what Ottar would do. As the one who knew the Boaz best of all, she knew that Steve's statement just now had deeply offended Ottar, almost as personally as when somebody insulted her in his presence.

Steve's whole reasoning for being an adventurer went against everything Ottar stood for, everything Ottar bled for...and yet Steve was the victor in the end.

"The difference between you and me Ottar, is that I know what I am and I embrace it fully." Steve said. "I'm an opportunistic hack who takes his chances for gain and entertainment where he does. I've been adventuring since before Orario existed, before even your ancestors were born Ottar. One thousand years behind the belt...when you get to my stage, these noble motives for self perfection and fulfilment become meaningless. Immortality is a long time to be chasing a single ideal. It gets pretty boring soon enough. Just ask your goddess...why do you think she's down here in the first place?"

Ottar looked at Steve before looking over to Freya who still opted to not speak a word, instead trying to see where Steve was going with this.

"This great purpose, this ideal, this vision of yours Ottar is inconsequential in the long run." Steve said as he stood up and walked behind Freya before leaning over her shoulder while still looking at the Boaz. "The gods didn't descend because they wanted to help you mortals...one god is all it takes to destroy the mortal world in its entirety and Freya here is just as capable of that as any other deity. To them also, it is just a great Game...but you already knew that."

Steve leaned back, away from Freya as he faced the window.

"I do not care for noble goals or saving the world from darkness like the heroes of your storybooks." Steve said. "But I have stakes in this world too...people I care about...friends that I cherish. I'll do my part in protecting it, even if the gods aren't willing to lend that extra hand." Steve looked back over his shoulder and smiled at the two of them. "That's why I stepped in for them."

"...You truly are arrogant." Freya said in slight marvel. "I do wonder if your lovers have seen this face of yours, your real face."

"I treat people as much as they deserve." Steve said. "I don't know what once existed between you and Ptah, Freya...but even if we are a part of mutual gain in this alliance, you and I are by no measure 'friends'. I'm sure you agree."

"That I do." Freya said as her face became very interrogative. "Especially considering something that Allen told me recently."

"Oh? And what did he tell you?"

"I believe you already know." Freya said as her eyes gained a strange look to them. Steve swore it was the same look yanderes had whenever they thought about the people they loved. "Is it true?...Do you know the identity of my Odr?"

.

.

.

"I only said that to rile him up, among other things." Steve smiled. "Men say anything to each other in battle to make each other get angry and then slip. What I said was nothing different. As for how I know about your little fated beloved ordeal...Ptah told me."

"...you really are despicable." Freya sighed before to his surprise, there was a ghost of a smile on her lips as she looked at him pointedly. "And yet, I cannot hate you for it. If anything, my intrigue of you has only grown."

"You really aren't a woman who understands 'no'. Aren't you?" Steve asked.

"Like you, I also am fully embracing of what I am." Freya said. "I do believe we finally understand each other...don't we Stephen Hewer?"

"That we do." Steve leaned forwards into her face while smiling. "So stop trying to look at my soul from now on."

"...I guess Ptah told you about that as well." Freya asked as she looked up at him, equally challenging.

"He may have mentioned it."

"Fine. I'll stop." Freya said as she walked backwards. "Though I guess I must be thankful to you Ozymandias. You've given me something to work towards once more, after quite some time since we drove Hera and Zeus out."

"You won't quite get rid of us the same way." Steve winked. "You'll have to think up some new tricks if that's the case."

"I'm a resourceful goddess." Freya said. "I'll find my way."

...

"Now that the semantics are out of the way..." Steve said. "Why are you really here?"

"I merely came to ask to be the first in line for when you open your workshops tomorrow." Freya said. "We have heard and seen much about the Loki Familia's enchanted weapons...and Ottar here especially would like to have a certain sword that a certain someone gifted to him recently, upgraded."

"No problem." Steve smiled as he refilled his glass and held it. "To our good fortune, and continued partnership in the future."

"Cheers." Freya said as they clinked glasses.

...

As they drank their glasses down, they were all made aware of a sudden commotion going on below the city and Steve looked down to see what was happening.

In the East of the city, where the Amphitheatron stood tall, Godzilla began to stir as he woke up and rumbled. People were beginning to yell out in alarm as the titan's guttural noises sounded like thunder, and he began to shake the whole district with his movements as the titan pushed himself up with his hands and then stood to his feet as he towered over the colosseum and roared after stretching.

People began running into their homes or alleyways and cowered behind walls as they stared up at the massive monster as he began to climb out of the arena. There had been some protest about the titan staying there and the general public were alarmed and concerned about the titan being a danger to their safety...but due to both Ganesha and Ptah's insistence and the fact that the titan was the property of one of the Familia in the greatest Familia alliance the world had ever seen...there was too much political pressure for the Guild to cave into the demands.

Not to mention that it was a unanimous opinion by the gods of Orario (again at Ptah's insistence) that Godzilla be a symbol to add to the city's repertoire. So whether the public liked it or not, Godzilla could come and go as he pleased.

And considering Ouranos had also given his green light, Royman would not say a thing. The gods' word were final and in Steve's favour.

Godzilla shook his head after roaring as if to rid himself of the last bit of sleep fatigue before he turned to the opening he'd made in the arena's wall and climbed out, and over the city wall. The titan then began to make his way south east, his footsteps rattling the city as he went by districts and houses, the people running for cover even with the titan out of the city while adventurers just stared up in awe for the most part. One could never get used to seeing Godzilla in any world, for he was so mighty a creature.

Eventually the titan began to disappear into he distance as he moved away from the city and disappeared into the horizon.

"Where is he going?" Freya questioned.

"Who knows?" Steve shrugged. "He comes and goes as he pleases, travelling wherever and whenever. When you're a king, you can pretty much do anything. He lives his life guided by his own pleasures for the most part...but he will answer when his duty calls. He's not called King of the Monsters for nothing."

"In your world perhaps." Freya said. "Did he fight to earn that title?"

"Well put it this way." Steve chuckled. "Apocalyptic, world ending weapons were not enough to defeat the kind of monsters he's defeated...and he's still alive. I don't believe the same could be said of the adventurers in this city."

"You're not at all worried about where he's going?" Freya wondered while Ottar just stared solemnly at the beast who was vanishing into the distance.

"No." Steve said. "He can take care of himself. Don't worry about him."

"...It's not exactly him that I'm worried about right now." Freya said as she recognised where the titan was headed. She'd heard about reptiles being cold blooded.

Perhaps Godzilla could do with some time in the sun.

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