Chapter 69

My trip back to New York took a single second.

One. Freakin. Second.

The world slowed down as I zoomed across the earth like a flash of lightning, covering over 2500 miles in a single leap.

I was a hurricane, free and mighty; the power of a True God coursing through my veins, eclipsing nature's beauty beneath my own. A powerful flap from my six majestic glowing wings left entire states behind my wake in tenth of a second, disappearing away into the horizon beneath.

It was only when I'd reached my destination that a realization hit me…

The entire series of events since sending my companions away had taken barely more than a minute. Which meant the kids might still just be boarding the plane yet...

'Meh, they'll catch up.'

Even with a Tier 1 passenger, they were both powerful demigods with very few beings who could harm them.

Plus the news within my possession was simply too important to delay further.

Especially considering I had a passenger with me, currently knocked out cold and being dragged through the air like a rag doll, his helmet nowhere to be seen.

I came to a gliding halt above the empire state building, before deciding to save time and simply take the direct route.

With a grunt, I tightened my hold on Ares and hoisted him over my shoulders.

Then, with a powerful leap, I blasted upwards, breaking through the clouds and the mystical shield that separated the mortal skies from the kingdom of Gods.

The Olympus was as it ever was; unchanging. Not that I'd want it to change. As I tore through the winds of the beautiful kingdom; feeling the magic and divinity wafting upon my face like soothing silk, I felt my combined accumulated fatigue of the entire day slowly dying away.

The denizens of Mount Olympus celebrated under the dying lights of the Sun with no worries for tomorrow. Looking at them, you wouldn't believe a world-changing war was in motion; a war that might leave their home destroyed and dismantled.

'They trust the gods' I realized mid-flight, having slowed down to ready myself—the anticipation of what was about to come on the forefront of my mind. 'They trust Zeus to never lose.'

…For Divine beings, they were woefully ignorant.

'Then again, perhaps like the gods, they've achieved true immortality as well, unafraid of death even should Zeus lose.'

My attention was dragged back ahead as a group of beautiful sky nymphs—Aurae, I recalled—tried to surround me, even struggling to keep up as they were. With hair whiter than snow, crystalline blue eyes, and draped in silken doric chiton—unclasped, to bare a substantial part of their cleavage—they looked a sight of pure beauty, defining Olympus' greatest attributes.

Their winking eyes—that ignored Ares—and graceful bodies welcomed me in their embrace, and it was only with a brief help from Gamer's Mind did I manage to convince myself to move on; giving them a parting wave and speeding up—their dejected cries ignored.

I soon reached the decapitated peak of mount Olympus—peeking at me through the top of the clouds, multileveled palaces clinging to its side.

The home of the gods.

With Ares dangling in my clutches, I made my way through the horizon, heading straight for the top-most palace, the palace of Zeus.

'It's time to shake things up a little.'

The doors to the Throne room opened on their own, similar to Hades' castle.

Absently I confirmed the suspicion that had been brewing in the back of my mind for quite some time now. 'Hades must've modeled the Underworld after Olympus.'

They were incredibly similar in design; it was simply their nature that differed the most.

My heart was unnaturally calm and unshaken as I stepped forth into the Throne room; even the knowledge that I was facing powerful mythological figures given life, especially known for being a bunch of assholes, could not shake my serenity.

But I knew…if there were any beings upon this planet who could tear my calm heart apart, it would be the Olympians.

The room itself was shrouded beneath tense anticipation, its twelve occupants looking like they'd just finished what could only be termed as a barely civil discussion.

Yet, my presence caught their attention at once, a dozen pairs of eyes turning to me. All of them were in their bigger forms, around a dozen feet or so tall, their powerful divinity sitting upon their shoulders at rest.

"Mikael." Zeus welcomed me with his trademark grimaced smile, eyes flickering to my query absently. "I believe you've brought good news for us?"

I ignored the other gods, focusing ahead. "Father, I come bearing gifts."

I threw Ares down on the floors of Olympus, his face banging on the white marbled tile, bouncing painfully.

Then, extending my hand dramatically, I summoned the glowing cylinder of power—which voluntarily left my hand and into the awaiting grasp of Zeus, who seemed to revel upon the reunion with closed eyes; his eyelids trembling a little as if he was about to cry.

"Thank you." A soft whisper escaped him.

For the longest of seconds I simply received a stunned silence as response from all the other gods present, their eyes flickering at the bleeding mess of Ares—who'd taken just that time to wake up from his power-nap; groaning and mumbling—to the Lightning Bolt that was thundering with power, and finally to me; who stood in their midst, unimpressed by their most 'gracious' personage.

The stunned silence was broken by a sudden and deep laughter. I turned to the god sitting a couple seats left of Zeus—as ugly as I was perfect—clutching his stomach as he bent over his fiery throne, eyes shining with tears as he laughed his heart out.

I smiled. "I take it, you liked my present?"

"You...you bet, lad." Hephaestus tried to control his laughter, huffing. "Come to my forge and I'll show you how much I liked it. Better believe there ain't gonna be a single piece of armor better than yours soon."

The ring of notification came, signaling the quest completion.

Yet, I had more important things to do now.

Reaction to an unexpected situation can reveal a lot about an individual. And as the gods of Olympus finally pushed themselves out of their stupor, I kept a stark track of each and everyone—quickly sorting them into friend, foe, or potential friend/foe.

It wasn't simply about my survival, mind you. Now as a True God, I was much more at ease beneath the combined weight of the judging stares all the divinities currently present in the room were giving me. No, it wasn't them I feared. It was the upcoming war that worried me.

I'd long wondered how—when the long promised war did break out—will the Olympians act. Would they stumble and fall, not knowing what to do in the face of such an unexpected adversary? After all, the last war they'd fought had been thousands of years ago.

Or would they simply squabble and argue the entire war away, undecided on how to act? They'd grown lax and lazy after all, too overconfident in their status as the 'Olympians'. What were the chances that Ares was the only bad apple in the bunch?

If the big G was to be believed; they were simply a bunch of unruly children that took pride in their wrongdoings.

And if not, if I was wrong about them, would they act like competent commanders instead? Quickly routing out spies, hunting down monsters, digging the bases of their enemy to weaken them before the final showdown...

I did not know. The only being I trusted completely was Hestia, yet Hell would freeze over before I forced her to participate in a war for my sake. That left Zeus and Hephaestus as my natural Allies, beings who would listen to my council. Perhaps Dionysus as well, if he got his lazy ass to work.

The rest...I was unaware about.

'This will mark the beginning of war for eons to come. I need to select my allies carefully. No way will I be fighting beside a whiny little glory hound like Ares.'

After all, if I was to be immortalized in the pages and history, I wanted my legend to include me hanging around with some actually competent beings.

Thus I made it my business to fill the gaps of my ignorance, eyes carefully observing each of the gods.

They were all seated in a large semicircle, giant white pillars of support behind each of them.

At the helm sat my dearest father of course, his eyes having warmed upon my presence at first, were now closed in ecstasy. To his right sat all the male gods, while the left arc was filled up by the goddesses of Olympus.

The king of gods finally opened his eyes, turning his gaze to my other gift.

His lips pursed up thinly as he eyed the downed War God with regretting yet contemptuous eyes. Even without my story, the king of Gods looked ready to accept that Ares had fucked up somehow.

To his immediate right sat a powerfully built god, sea green eyes staring at me carefully; abstaining from the calls demanding for explanation now.

His sun-crinkled eyes ignored the downed form of Ares completely, fixing me with a passive stare, the beginnings of a frown etched upon his brows.

'Poseidon, the God of seas.'

And also the god whose lover screamed my name at the top of her voice.

I should've been awarded an award for not snickering.

'Observe'

Poseidon

Race: God

Tier: 9 (Elder God)

Current Tier: 8 (True God)

Level: 890 (Divine Form) [Max]

Current Level: 790 (Mortal Form)

Divine Power: 790,000,000/790,000,000

Stamina: 366,490,000/367,500,000

Health: 397,500,000/397,500,000

Stats

Strength: 796 (896)

Speed: 773 (873)

Dexterity: 788 (888)

Endurance: 800 (900)

Constitution: 795 (895)

Mental: 70

Spirit: 795 (895)

Just slightly above Hades then…though I doubted it would make any difference at their level…or perhaps that slight disparity made all the difference? I was too far away from knowing yet.

'Still banged his woman though...'

Again, my self-control should be globally commended for keeping a straight face.

Beside Poseidon, Hephaestus was just rubbing the tears out of his eyes, a mechanical hand coming from behind his throne to pass him a golden handkerchief to blow his nose with.

To his right sat a blue-eyed muscular figure, his features beautiful in an elfish way, his brows furrowed in a worried grimace. Though he did take some time to shoot me a small smile.

'Luke's father.'

Hermes

Race: God

Tier: 8 (True God)

Current Tier: 7 (Minor God)

Level: 770 (Divine Form) [Max]

Current Level: 670 (Mortal Form)

'A powerful god…and the most powerful True god I've ever observed.'

'How would he react when I blow Luke up into pieces?' I wondered.

All such thoughts escaped my mind when they fell upon the next figure however.

With iPod headphones inside his ears, golden shades propped around his forehead that matched his throne and blonde hairs, the god was giving me a look that made strands of my hair stand up.

I felt a fear like I've never known, feeling my skin shiver as the god licked his lips, which turned into a wide smile that matched his desire-filled eyes when he realized he had my attention.

I didn't need to use my domain to know….this bastard was going to try something.

And I realized it might have something to do with my mist-less face. 'Oh please god, don't let him be attracted to me.'

'Observe'

Apollo

Race: God

Tier: 8 (True God)

Current Tier: 7 (Minor God)

Level: 788 (Divine Form) [Max]

Current Level: 688 (Mortal Form)

….And he was probably the most powerful True God currently present, closest to being an Elder God than any in the room.

'Fucking overpowered shitstains. Definitely don't want him anywhere near me.'

Though I still believed I could take him down, should need arise.

Thankfully, the last one on the male side was Dionysus, who simply gave a bored nod to me, twirling a grape vine between his fingers. He only had a glance of exasperation reserved for Ares.

"Boy, you will explain yourself." Suddenly a commanding tone gonged in the throne room, and my eyes flickered to the left side, at the goddesses section.

Also the only ones who had a problem with my presence it would seem.

And the moment I saw her, dislike—unlike any—grew within my heart. I disliked the cold, judging narrow-eyed stare that her beautiful silver eyes gave me. I disliked the way her full, startlingly red lips twisted in a frown. I disliked the extreme beauty her face sported, rivaling that of Gabriel. I disliked the grace in her perfect figure, the sheer increase of desire my domain picked up…from my own treacherous heart.

I disliked the being named Artemis.

My mouth twisted in a sneer; growing bigger the longer I stared at her judgmental, ever so slightly contemptuous eyes that demanded answers.

Just when I was ready to give her a scathing response, hoping to beat down my second Olympian of the day, another goddess answered in my stead.

"What is there to explain?" The amused voice asked; sweeter than honey, an enchanting melody in her tone, more musical than anything I'd ever heard.

My eyes tracked to the owner of the voice involuntarily.

And she did not disappoint.

If her voice was beautiful, the goddess herself could be considered…well, calling her beautiful would be disgrace indeed, the mere thought putting a distastefully bitter twinge upon my tongue.

Words escaped me as I lost my mind for just a second. Otherworldly beautiful, exceptionally desirable, the prettiest woman I've ever laid my eyes on, the most beautiful being I've ever seen…they all fell short.

Her beauty was simply incalculable.

The one thing that did describe her the best for me was…'More beautiful than Gabriel.'

And that was enough to fill me up with disbelief.

How could any creature be more beautiful and desirable than Gabriel? It did not make sense!

Well…Aphrodite did not make sense either.

All of those thoughts disappeared however when she turned to me; a tender smile curving up on her face, her glittering eyes giving a wink…

For a moment I almost forgot I was alive.

"It is clear what happened." Her lips moved, dragging my focus upon those perfect, succulent lips, the words simply passing over my mind like the wind. "Ares bit off more than he could chew, challenging a god much above his station…would you not agree, Mikael?"

…..Mikael? That…was my name…

[Gamer's Mind: Activated]

As if waking up from a dream, I shook my head, realizing my mouth was slightly ajar. I closed it with a click.

Aphrodite was still looking at me with a wide, slightly triumphant smile, her perfect face tilted curiously.

The smile died a slow death when all it received was a frown.

"No." I dismissed the goddess, turning to address the entire room. "Ares was a traitorous cunt who wished to screw you all over. I dealt with him cause I knew most of you would be too useless to do so."

Then I glanced at Hephaestus. "Plus I had a quest to embarrass him. Doesn't get more embarrassing than taking your Divine Form and still being beaten, does it?"

Ares chose that moment to try getting up, suddenly springing to his feet, his mouth opening to speak…

I waved my hands over him and he was slammed down upon the floor, celestial bronze manacles materializing around his wrists, sticking to the ground to keep him imprisoned.

I turned back to the gods. "Any questions?"

"Careful now, my young friend." Hermes spoke out first. "There is no need for such harshness for family, surely?"

Unfortunately…the rest weren't as polite in their disagreement.

Only then did the squabbling start…and the finger-pointing, and the enraged calls for my arrest, and the speculations of my presence in the hall, raising questions about my worthiness to step foot upon these holy lands….

'This is my family?' I closed my eyes, feeling a sudden urge to summon my lightning storm and rampage around the room. The matter of Ares and Lightning Bolt was completely forgotten under their suspicious, disgruntled, entitled, line of questioning.

The discussion over my fate finally came to an awkward silence when Athena opened her gob.

"I believe his mere existence poses us a security risk." Called out the Goddess of Wisdom. "He is not one of us, not completely. Even now I know we can all feel the power brewing within him...a power we have long forgotten."

A few gods shuffled uncomfortably, and I was surprised to note Zeus being one of them.

My anger grew, a part of my mind almost disbelieving of the filth being spewed in front of me.

"If the existence of a single being poses you such a risk…" My words rang out in the ensuing silence, a sneer clear for anyone willing to hear. "Then you've pretty much failed as the gods of Olympus haven't you? Perhaps you should give your thrones away…I personally think I'll make a much better God of Wisdom. At least I won't turn people into spiders out of sheer jealousy…fucking loser."

Try me bitch. Give me a reason…a single reason to make it my life's goal to raze this fucking mockery of council into the ground…

The cold gray eyes turned to me, her lips thinning into a line. "I do not pass judgment. I only point out the risk. Insulting me will not take away the threat you pose to the peace of Olympus."

I laughed, hollow and drained. After a fucking tiring day of fighting, killing, and grave revelations about a war to come…I was arguing about how my existence was a fucking inconvenience….

The incredulity gave way to rage. The Gamer's Mind came to suppress them but I pushed it aside, letting the anger flame inside me.

Slowly, I whirled around to face all of them in turn. "Look at you ungrateful cowardly worms, daring to question my presence. Did you forget who rescued all your kids when you couldn't have cared less!? Who made the cabin for children not born from your worthless loins!? Who found father's bolt and saw it safely returned!? What have you done in the last decade for your people!? Nothing! Nothing, you useless creatures! Who are you to question my worth!?"

I was screaming by the end and the venom in my voice brought down a tense, heavy silence, none of the gods willing to meet my eyes. Not even Athena.

Or so I thought, until I realized…

My power was spread across the room; drowning everyone present under it. My hand held the True Longinus, and the raw might of my spirit could be starkly felt by everyone present.

It was shocking to realize the gods were quietened by my power.

'I'm above a True God now. My raw power matches an Elder God, and I've just let everyone know.'

Shit…

"I must say…" Poseidon's powerful voice rumbled out, sounding amused of all things. "He does have a point, does he not Athena? What have you done to question him?"

It reeked of mockery, but the Goddess of Wisdom chose not to answer him.

I turned to the front, realizing Zeus and Poseidon were the only two who seemed not to care about my insults and accusations.

'They don't think I aimed it at them.'

And they were right. Foolish I may have been to burst out like an enraged teenage, suicidal I wasn't.

The rant I delivered calmed me a great deal, and with a deep breath, I addressed the original question, cutting through the thick wall of tenseness in the air as I turned to Athena. "And if you were so concerned about the peace of Olympus, you'd be a touch more curious on why I have Ares in shackles and on his knees."

The gods were only too happy to move on from the subject I'd just touched upon.

'Fucking cowards…'

The whispers broke out all at once, rising in intensity quickly, yet the Lord of the house had finally had enough.

"Silence!" Zeus roared out.

And the gods quietened immediately.

"I have heard your complaints." Zeus grumbled. "Now I shall hear him speak. Mikael, if you will?"

And thus I did.

It was a short tale; straight to the point with no fucks given. My respect for the gods was an all-time low now. I gave the bare bones of the series of events my quest had gone through; the meeting with Ares, the death of Hercules, the adventure into the Underworld…and finally, the reveal of Khaos Brigade and Kronos' fated arrival.

"Hades also said to inform you he would like an audience." I finished my tale. "' I'm almost certain that Ophis is pulling the strings, and if so, we must leave our petty rivalries behind' were his exact words."

The name drop of Ophis seemed to finally push the Olympians into the desired solemnity.

'At least they're taking the threat seriously.'

Zeus was quiet for a long time and the gods patiently awaited his decision. Ares, still shackled and kneeling, raised his eyes towards the Goddess sitting to the left of Zeus.

Hera.

With a jolt of surprise, I realized Hera hadn't spilled a single word to me since my arrival. The only time she even talked to me—indirectly, at that—was when I accused her of sending Hercules after me, which she denied with a few choice words and went back to her silence.

Even as drained as I was emotionally, it was still a little disturbing to see. The being who I thought had been torturing me since my arrival in America, the being who I completely expected to go ballistic today, the being who had a ready-made excuse to hate me….had absolutely nothing to say when I finally arrived here.

It was only when I—too curious for my own good—extended my domain's area over her, picking up on her hidden desires, did I realize an eyes-widening theory…

Something I would've surely thought was a dream; too illogical to consider. Yet, it was reality, and I knew I would have to deal with it sooner or later…

Not that I wasn't looking forward to it…

"I have decided." Zeus announced, breaking the quiet. "We are now at war with the Titans again…and this time they have the support of Ophis. I know not why that being would risk the enmity of other Primordials by breaking laws most ancient…but I do know we have some difficult times ahead. Know that I shall not approach Gaia to fight our wars again. But even should I wish to, we cannot face this threat alone. It is time…for some foreign diplomacy."

He snapped his fingers and an intricately crafted golden scroll materialized within his hands. "Hermes, you will leave immediately with my message to all the other pantheons. Tell them of our plight; I know most will not accept us with open hands, but some will surely band together before it casts its gaze upon them."

"Lord Father." Hermes bowed and flickered away.

"Father, this council exists for a reason." Athena objected with a frown.

"And it will get all the chances to show its worth." Zeus answered without looking, turning to the kneeling figure of Ares. "You all will. But first, we have some things to deal with."

For the first time since my arrival, Hera's cold façade cracked. "Zeus, please…let me handle this."

He paid her no mind either.

"Ares, my most worthless son, you have erred for the last time. As the king of Olympus, I strip from you your divinity. Go, live through this war that you've brought upon us as a mortal. Mayhap you may just learn something worthy of a War God."

His Authority flashed supreme, giving me just a glimpse of its enormity, a feeling that would not leave me for years to come.

"No…no, please…No!"

The desperate screams belonged not to Ares—who simply melted through the floors of Olympus to fall upon the mortal world, too stunned to do anything—but from Hera, who went as far as to contest the Authority of her king.

It was of no use, for the King of Gods simply pushed her back to her seat.

I didn't need to look around the throne room to feel my fellow gods' shock.

"Father Zeus…" Athena's voice alone rang in the silence left by Hera's sobs. "Was it wise to do so at such a time? Useless though he may be, we need a God of War to lead the charge."

"He would've been nothing but a hindrance." Zeus waved her away, before his eyes fell on me. "Besides, we already have a god that shall lead our charge."

The implications dropped another bomb of surprise on me, even through my mushy brain. Only the system's rings of notification told me that I wasn't dreaming.

"Tell me Mikael, how would you like to be our envoy to the three factions as a brand new god of Olympus? What did you declare yourself as back then….?

"Ahh, yes…The Mortal God of Olympus."

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AN: Done. An almost 10k chap all for your reading pleasure.

I had a lot of things planned for this; especially for the Ares fight scene, who def wasn't supposed to go out like a chump without even taking his Divine form (he is the first Olympian Mikael's fighting after all), unfortunately, the fight would've taken the entire chapter then. Plus, this does keep up with Ares being a weak bitch in Greek mytho.

Lastly, I wrote the entire godly meeting in one day so I know some things weren't as fleshed out as I could've made them, especially Mikael blowing up like that.

Still, hope you enjoyed the chapter! The Sea of Monsters plot will barely take a couple of chaps, mixed with povs of what's happening around the globe. After that will come the Dxd plot while war ramps up in the background.

Appreciate all the support I've received till now. Seriously.

That's all for now, see ya lot in the next chapter. Take care and peace!

My discord: discord .gg/9wpfysDGsz to discuss fics, chill, and see character images.

My Pat reon: www. Pat reon com/ Robs511 (No spaces and a dot before com) for anyone who wants to read upto the next three chaps of all my fics.