I was skimming through this section and was surprised to see that there was no fanfic featuring the character prominent in this story. It's strange since the arc is one of the most critically acclaimed in recent times. Tense plot, good twists and great action was what made it great. But anyways, here is the first chapter of what will hopefully be a good saga.
I usually write Dragonball Z/DC crossovers, but decided to go with this story since I am developing a taste for Marvel. Forgive me if I make any first time mistakes.
Please, without further wait, here it is.
In the great black emptiness of space, the mighty Thor reached out his hammer and at last the black leviathan fell. And Thor looked upon his work. And knew it was just the beginning. Thor the father. The lord of Asgard. Thor the king of kings.
Young Thor had a hammer in his hands and a Viking cry of battle upon his lips. Beneath the rage, he was smiling. Thor the son of Odin. The prince of Asgard. Thor the bloody redeemer.
Thor the Avenger fought with the spirit of a multitude. Thor the holy hero. Champion of the cosmos. Thor the hammer of heaven.
The three Thors. The greatest of gods.
Or so the story goes.
The black entity in front of them spread out, revealing its vicious enraged. With black limbs spread out in all directions, it let out century's worth of hatred and disdain. So great was it at that moment that even the glare of the star behind them was blackened out. Had the three gods fighting it been any lesser, they would have ran off in fear. But they were no lesser gods.
King Thor, the last surviving Asgardian, looked and saw his one last chance at redemption. The Thorforce had begun to rekindle inside him, so he channelled the flames through his fist and unleashed it upon the entity. The star beyond was dimmed by the brightness.
"You mean to tell me that someday... I will be able to do that ?" Young Thor, the Viking god, looked in astonishment and saw his one last chance to prove his worthiness.
"After them. Into the sun." Thor, the Avenger, looked and saw his one last chance to undo the mistakes of his past.
And together, they unleashed hell upon their enemy as the four launched into the sun; their cries and roars resonating even in the vacuum of space.
Somewhere in the cosmos, Starwhales beached themselves on an asteroid and died, hundreds of them, for seemingly no reason at all.
A dog was born with the face of a child, screaming in terror. It did not live for long.
A saintly woman died and found no one waiting for her on the other side, no white light to guide her, nothing.
The sacred waters of the well of Mimir turned red and bitter.
The world tree bled at the roots.
In Asgard, the statues of the kings began weeping.
And on a backwoods world, an alien boy looked up at the sky...
And saw the sun turn black...
Diana was feeling good for the first time in months, the cruel First Born was defeated, Themyscira was saved from destruction, Olympus was normal again and her father Zeus had returned in the form of Zeke, Zola's new born child. Sure some of her relatives were gone; Ares, Apollo, Demeter to name a few, but the good thing was that Orion had returned to his home in his own dimension.
That wry bastard had absolutely no respect for any woman, especially her. Diana angrily remembered the instance when he had casually smacked her butt in front of everyone, as if a birthright. Sure she got the better of him the next time, but that wasn't enough. In case, that pest ever tried to cross the line with her again, she would smack him so hard in the balls that...
BAM !
The table couldn't withstand the force of her fist as it splintered in two. Apparently, she was so busy devising of ways to punish the New God that she had absent-mindedly hit the table in anger. The furniture stood no chance against the God of War's might.
The collective heads of everyone in the cafe turned towards the noise as they witnessed the broken table.
"What happened, Di ?" Clark stood up astounded.
The Manager and rest of the staff came running towards the scene as soon as they heard the sound.
"No problem." Clark said, raising a reassuring hand at them "It was our fault that we tried to mess with the table. Sorry, we'll pay for it."
The creased lines on their forehead eased considerably upon hearing that, the frowns became smiles.
"In the meantime, please have another table and do have us serve a complimentary drink. It's on us" The manager led them to another table that was unoccupied "Just be careful to not break this one too."
He added that with a gentle smile.
"Don't worry ! We both are through our share of breaking for the time being." Diana replied, smiling back.
Later, they both roamed the streets with Diana's wound around Clark's arm, a rare break from their routine of being superheroes.
"I can't believe they charged so much for the table !" She wondered, bringing up the topic.
"That's where the complimentary drinks came from, Diana. People are sharks at business, the sooner you understand this, the better." He told her as they walked on.
"It was my fault, Clark. I am sorry. I'll pay you the moment we reach my place."
"What are you talking about Diana ?!" He objected "It doesn't work like that. Surely you must know that."
"What I know is that we are equals in our relationship. So as your equal I will decide when to accept your gratifications." Diana reminded him.
"As it is, I am a princess. I am richer than you." She added a moment later, albeit in a playful manner.
"You don't know how much that kryptonian technology in the Fortress of solitude would fetch if I were to patent it." Clark smiled and adjusted his glasses. To him that pair of lens was his mask, behind which he could hide and silently observe the world, ready to be of help at a moment's notice.
"Good for you then."
"How's it going ?" He asked.
"Going what ?"
"The God of war thing. You just defeated First Born and it is a new beginning for you, so how do you think you will handle being Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, the queen of Amazons and the God of war at the same time ?" He queried.
"The last one is the most difficult job, the rest I can handle. Being a god, especially that of war is getting increasingly difficult day by day. I wish there was an end to it.
Being War means constantly hearing prayers of soldiers, seeing their thoughts, their motives. It also means the dilemma to answer who. Many nights I sleep with my hands over my ears, trying to block out these thoughts. It is getting that bad. Sometimes I wonder if Ares had chosen the right successor. I do not think that I am fully ready to take on the mantle of goddess of war. But here I am, watching as people run into each other, killing on the slightest usurps, waging war on the lightest of excuses.
And the worst thing is that, I cannot do anything to stop it; because I am the God of war."
They both walked silently for a while, digesting that bit of disarray in her life, not knowing what to say.
"Let's go to my place." Diana said as she took Clark's hand once more.
OLYMPUS
"I sense something terrible." Hera said to Strife.
"Oh mother !" The pink goddess rolled her eyes "Not again ! You and your precognitions, they are starting to get on my head."
"You think that I am deliberately bluffing ?" The queen of Olympus scorned at her daughter, the latter's words not quite going down well with the former.
"You remember the last time you had a 'precognition' ?" The pink Olympian air-quoted "Do you remember what happened ?"
"Please shed some light on to it."
"Nothing ! Nothing happened." Strife simply threw her hands in the air in ridicule, mocking her mother.
"You may be right." Hera grumbled, focusing her attention on the glass of wine that she had.
"And as always you are wrong, Hera." A familiar voice was heard causing the two to stop doing whatever they were doing and turn around.
Hera couldn't believe her eyes, Strife had a jovial smile on her face although they were both looking at the same face.
"What happened Hera ? Did you see a ghost ?" Apollo mocked, his pupil-less eyes intensifying with light.
"I see a wretched swine." The queen replied keeping her furious eyes fixed on him "And I am sure no one else is happy to see you."
"Brother !" Strife cried ecstatically as she approached and locked his arms around him. She had truly missed his company and all the things they did together.
"You were supposed to be dead if I recall correctly." Hera interrupted them.
"Sorry to disappoint you, my queen." The sun god bowed in mockery "But the blast was merely a distraction when I fought First Born. I had disappeared, waiting for the right moment to strike, waiting to for him to be at his most vulnerable. But alas, Diana stepped in and defeated him, taking all the credit. Otherwise, it would have been me who you would have worshipped."
"It seems that the beating from my son has knocked the sanity out of you. But that is one thing from him I won't be complaining about." The queen then proceeded to finish her wine.
"Brother, it has been such a long time we partied on Earth." Strife chirped "Parties here are boring; they are much more fun down below. So why don't we hold one, in your honour."
"Honour for Apollo ? My ass." Hera grunted.
"Then let's do it tonight, all of Olympus and its allies are invited." Apollo declared, ignoring Hera's comment "And someone please ask Aphrodite to cover up during the party. I don't want her to appear naked when all our friends will be there."
"I know a place. It's a high end place in London known as Moon Rock. We will have a blast." Strife suggested.
"With me around, yes we will !" The sun god's hands glowed as he produced a small fireball in his hands.
"How long has it been ?" Wonder Woman looked at Superman as they flew in the sky with hands held.
"Feels like forever." He replied, without taking his eyes off her mesmerizing beauty. The love between them was strong, keeping them bonded that way for quite some time now. They preferred that they be like that for some more time.
Earlier, after their brief date at the cafe, they had decided to go to Diana's place where at her insistence, they had taken the aerial route atop the city.
They stopped on the roof of a glass building.
"This is your city. Is there anywhere we should go ? The world seems to be taking a breath. Let's use that... do something fun." He said as he held her by the waist close to him, her head resting on his broad chest.
"Actually, there's a place not far from here I like very much." She said hovering above him "We'll need to change though."
She followed it with a flirtatious wink.
"Change ? Maybe that's the story, from now on. Let's go."
"The place is called Moon Rock, a discotheque with a walk-in entry."
The music was blaring loudly as the two made their way in.
"I am sorry sir. But this place has been reserved. There is a party going on. We cannot do anything." The Manager of Moon Rock said, feigning worry and sympathy for Clark and Diana.
"But this is a walk-in disc as far as I remember. You suddenly can't change that." Diana fumed, pointing a finger at him.
"At least you should have put a reserved tag." Clark insisted.
"I am sorry sir. But it was a last minute reservation, by some influential people I might add. I couldn't deny." The disc manager said.
"By influential you mean powerful, right ?" Diana stared at him.
"Look who just decided to gatecrash !"
Diana looked over his shoulder and saw Artemis standing behind, wearing a pair of shorts and crop cut top, revealing her toned midriff.
"What ?! You ?! How come you are here ?!" The god of war had trouble believing her eyes. It was not often that the gods of Olympus came to Earth, much less in a party.
"We are the ones partying here in Apollo's return. What are you doing ?" The blue-skinned goddess asked her in return.
"Please sister." Apollo placed his hand on his twin sister's shoulder, seemingly calming her down "I know you two have a beef, but we're family after all. There's always room for one more."
The sun god then proceeded to look at Clark.
"In this case, two more." He added.
"I thought you were killed by First Born." Diana wondered.
"I am really tired of disappointing a lot of people tonight." Apollo dropped his head as he exhaled "We are having a party, would have invited you too but you were unavailable, couldn't reach you. Zola refused to come, citing care for Zeke. For obvious reasons we didn't force her. But you are welcome to join Diana, or should I call you War ? And your lover can come in too."
"No he won't ! And neither will I !" Diana roared standing defensively in between her boyfriend and her brother.
"Are you sure, sis ?" Strife appeared with an inviting smile on her lips "The food here is great and they make good drinks as well. And their DJ is the best in the town. Sure you won't tap your feet for old time's sake ?"
"Err... no thanks ! I really appreciate it but Clark and I had decided to keep the night for ourselves. See you !"
With that, Diana grabbed Clark Kent's hand and took off.
FIVE YEARS AGO
Kaiyo was not the one to be caught so easily, she was a bringer of chaos, bringer discord, and part of that required her to be constantly on the run. She easily outran Darkseid for many eons leading him into multiple realities and causing death and destruction indirectly.
So when a black cloaked entity snuck up on her and entangled her in his web of darkness, she was completely taken by surprise; like an unsuspecting fly by a spider.
"I sense divinity in you, godling. Tell me you are god of what ?" The entity demanded, his intense eyes boring right through her and with sharpened teeth exposed in fury. It had no visible nose. Kaiyo was scared, she was helpless, so she spat out,
"Kaiyo, goddess of chaos."
"So tell me, goddess of chaos ? Do people pray to you ? Do you answer their calls ? Or are you too self-indulgent ? Answer me quickly so I may decide upon your manner of demise."
The being's was not at all loud or furious, but rather cold and menacing, something which would send shivers down the spine of even an immortal.
"I-I am not that type of god. No one knows I exist, but I can jump realities. I have seen worlds beyond anything that any pair of eyes has seen. I know of great gods who might be of use to you."
Kaiyo was determined to save her life, even if it meant putting others at risk.
The being covered in black considered her proposal; endless worlds, endless opportunities, so many gods would fall to him. Perhaps he was in the 'right place'. Also the unfinished business back home could be completed.
"Please spare my life and I will tell you everything in return!"
He simply smiled in return.
"Hey Diana, welcome back !" A bouncer with his long white hair tied in a pony greeted them at the doorway "Who's your friend ?"
"Hi, Floyd. Clark." Clark was quick to shake his hand.
"And American too." Enthusiasm showed in his voice as he took his hand. Diana silently walked to the madly dancing crowd in the centre "Ey, boyo, wanna know a secret. Lean in, let Floyd tell you something interesting."
Clark leaned in to listen to what he had to say.
"Lovely Diana. There, she comes here all the time. But I have never seen her bring a fella with her. You know what ?"
"What ?"
"The woman's a goddess."
The words had sealed the fate of all divinity.
"Truer words, Floyd. Truer words."
"I love to dance, do you ? I've never asked you." Diana had to speak louder than usual due to the ear-numbing music being played "In my experience not all men like to..."
"Come on." Clark grabbed her hand before she could finish her sentence and pulled her closer with force. He was the only man who could get away unharmed doing that.
For some time they danced nonstop, letting the music and the atmosphere take over them. It was unlike anything that they had experience in a while. Free from the constraints of fighting, free from the constant burdens of saving the world, they let themselves loose. With the foot tapping music playing, they became a part of the wild crowd. At one point of time, Clark wrapped his arms around Diana's waist and she had her hands around his neck, both of them staring into each other's blues, seeing what the other felt.
"This is wonderful. I wish it could last." She said "You said the world's taking a breath- it's not. It's holding it, and eventually, it will exhale."
The thought somewhat dampened her mood.
"Yeah, you might be right." He replied, without taking eyes off her "But when that happens, we'll both have the memory of that one time we danced all night in London. And if we've got that, well, how bad can it really get ?"
He then leaned in and they both locked their lips in a passionate kiss. The music behind them erupted.
"So tell me, mother." Hephaestus said to a somewhat surprised Hera as he took a seat alongside her at the bar "If you despise Apollo so much then why did you come to party ?"
"Why did you ?" The mother questioned him back.
"Well, I had to. He's part of family and he has recently returned. We have a reputation for being united. How would it look if we didn't show up for the celebration of a family member's return from death ?"
"You were always the wisest of my children, dear Hephaestus, your reason exactly matches mine." Hera said as she gave him a motherly look of sympathy, smiling warmly yet sadly "Even though nature was cruel to shape you from the outside, you never gave up being good from the inside. You always had your morals in place, unlike so many of us gods. That's why you got the prettiest bride in the world."
"What are you trying to say, mother ?"
"I am the queen of Olympus, son. I do not have to 'try' to say anything, I just say it. Anyways, sometimes I feel like we gods are a waste of the cosmos. I suppose we were created for a purpose, to watch over and guide those needed us, and yet we constantly fail not just our maker but the very people who worship us and look up to us in reverence. Idols have been made in our glory, statues in our honour and wars in our name, and yet we never did anything to prove that we were worth it. Maybe people are better off without us."
"Such doom and gloom, mother. That doesn't go well with the mood of the party." Eros interrupted, standing there with a beautiful blonde in his arm as she laughed to anything he said "You're gonna upset poor Julian here."
"Um, not exactly, honey. As long as I have the god of love by my side, nothing's gonna upset me." The blonde said "What is your brother, the one who has returned from dead, exactly the god of ?"
"Apollo, the god of assholes." Hera replied blatantly.
There was a huge crowd in front of the bar. All the gods had a glass in their hands. There was definitely a lot of pushing and cussing going on as the divine beings fought for something as frivolous as alcohol.
"Give me more mead !" One of the gods held out his glass and demanded.
There were a number of bartenders handling the place, but even they seemed unable to handle the plethora of partying gods at the counter; drunk and totally high. The crowd seemed to be getting out of control, the pushing and cussing was beginning to increase, and so did the worries of men tending the bar. The frequency of their hands trembling increases, so did their heartbeats.
"First, you make us leave the comfort of our seats and now you are denying us mead ?" The god thundered.
"I am sorry sir but there is no more mead tonight. All stocks have been depl-"
"You dare defy me, Thanar ?!" The god thundered, bringing down his fist upon the counter; it broke in half "Me ? Who speaks as worlds listen ? Who commands and everyone follows ? I think you have got a death wish, boy. If your blasted planet is worth anything, it is your mead. And I shall have it !"
The bartender looked at the manager, who nodded and quickly disappeared. There was a last stock of mead left, kept for only an emergency purpose. But as the shaken man reached underneath the counter to grab the crate, his hand found only thin air. It couldn't be, it was kept there only a moment ago ! His heart quickly raced over the worry of his life.
Scanning his immediate vicinity, he saw someone carrying the entire crate of the mead carrying on his shoulder. But he seemed more god than man; standing well over six feet tall with long flowing golden hair and veins as thick as an average person's fingers; a physique to put most bodybuilders to shame. A peculiar thing was that he had a hammer in his right hand.
"Excuse me, sir !" One of bartenders stood in his way "If you want your drink then please be in front of the counter, there are other guests in queue."
"Do you know who I am ?" The god menacingly growled, looking down upon him while still holding the crate.
"Why sir, have you forgotten ?" It was indeed a popular joke within their profession, but the blond god understood none of that.
"Try to make fun of me again, and I'll smash your face in with my Mjolnir ! You cannot defy the god of thunder any mead !"
Roughly pushing the poor man away he continued walking with the pile of mead on his shoulders.
"Hey you !" A loud roar stopped him from taking another step, it was Thanar "You do not take what is everyone's. You are not the only guest around. Keep that crate down and do not behave like a spoiled brat !"
"I behave how the brat of Allfather should !" The other god replied.
"And who this 'I' be ? Tell me so that your family can be sent some obituaries !"
"I am Thor Odinson ! Master of storms, commander of thunder. And I say thee... nay !" The 'nay' was grumbled in a low threatening voice. Almost immediately sides were taken; Thanar's family, friends and allies gathered behind him, while Thor was surrounded by his.
"Boy, you don't know who you're talking to ! I have disciplined many godlings like you." Thanar said.
"And many a gods have tried 'discipling' me and failed. You came here to taste mead, you will leave tasting uru." Thor threatened as he raised his Mjolnir. The two sides were quick to brandish their own weapons, and the neutral ones backed out, the staff took cover. The air around grew thick and heavy, and volatile. One only needed a spark to ignite it into bursting flames.
"Now, we don't have to do this, we're all guests of Apollo. Put down the mead and let everyone drink it, and then you can run along into your mother's lap and suck her bosom dry."
Everyone felt those words, even the ones who were on Thanar's sides. Hell would certainly break loose, it was merely a question of 'when' and not 'if'.
However, Thor kept a straight face and surprisingly unaffected, slowly lowered the crate of mead.
"You wanted mead, right ?" He asked, placing it on the ground "THEN HAVE IT !"
Before anyone could react, he quickly pulled out a bottle and smashed it on the head of Thanar, a blow from Mjolnir soon followed and the god was flung far away. A brawl ensued instantly, with everyone going for each other's throat. Chairs and tables and gods were flipped and hurled high into the air, some crashing through the ceiling above. Clothes were ripped and tossed into the air along with a beard or two.
A loud crackle was heard and a few of the gods were downed, it was Thor who had done that. He proudly outstretched his arms as he flashed a smile to all,
"Can't believe I craved for mead when this gives me a better high ! Come on, is there anyone else left to taste my hammer ?"
Soon, many gods swarmed him and Thor fell to the ground. However, the mindless brawl continued until the party's host decided to intervene himself lest the place would fall apart.
"Alright that's enough !" Apollo cried as he made his way to the stage "All the freeloaders can leave, I am not paying for the food and drink so that you destroy it all."
Everyone in the room fell silent and stared blankly at him.
"Yeah go !" The sun god motioned angrily with his hands.
Baffled and disrespected by this kind of treatment, the various pantheons slowly turned around and began leaving with confusion in their eyes. Some already swore revenge.
"Come on guys, can't even handle a little joke ?!"
The leaving crowd halted and roared happily in approval, some clapped for him, others just shook their head and smiled and a few close friends of his threw whatever they had in their hands at him; anything from lamb chops to beer.
Waiting for it to get over, Apollo finally spoke,
"Thank you all to grace my family with your presence. It is much appreciated. So as a token of gratitude..."
He signalled the waitresses and the three smartly-dressed ladies brought forth bottles of champagne. They were wearing tight white shirts with the first two buttons opened showing some cleavage and black mini-skirts below hugging their derriere pretty well. There were a few grunts of approval.
Apollo took one of the bottles in his hands.
"As you all know, I had not died. I was merely waiting for the right moment to strike First Born before the god of war stepped in and took the glory."
Hera grunted and rolled her eyes, so did Hephaestus, and Aphrodite, and Eros, and Hermes and many more.
"But nonetheless, we're all family and at the end of the day all that matters is that we are together, united as one. I sometimes wondered during my self-imposed exile that if we truly are worthy of the title 'Gods'. Then I thought about our fathers, and their fathers before them, our complete heritage and decided that yes, we were born gods and shall die as gods. So tonight, we'll celebrate as gods, we'll party as gods and show the mortals how it is done.
TO DIVINITY !"
The sun god raised the champagne bottle in a toast.
"TO DIVINITY !"
Every god present in the place roared, causing the place to shake.
Then came the celebrations, Apollo handed the bottle back to one of the waitresses and asked her to open it.
"And to that sexy woman with long legs !" Came the voice from the crowd.
She continued to uncork the champagne bottle, paying no heed to the remark.
"And she's got guts. Ignoring the divine words needs courage."
"Relax friends, you'll get your champagne !" Apollo smiled at them, assuring the tensed waitress.
"Oh great god Apollo !" One of the drunk gods said "You are noble as you look, and as wise as you sound. I have yet to meet a better person ! Olympus certainly has a bright future, godhood has a bright future ! I hope you will be as great a leader as your father once was !
TO OUR BRIGHT FUTURE !"
"BRIGHT FUTURE !"
"Use them, use the girls !" Someone shouted "We want to see what they have to show !"
The three serving ladies looked at each other and seemed terrified. They quickly began leaving.
"Wait, didn't you hear them ? You have got to show something !" Apollo stopped them, holding their wrists in his hand.
The three tried hard, but were unable to break free.
"Sir, please let us go ! We have some important work backdoors." One of them begged, a redhead.
"More important than attending to your guests ?" The god said, a brief sliver on his lips.
"Sir, please ! We are not those kind ! If you want we can have..."
"Shhh !" Apollo softly hushed, silencing them.
"Feel lucky, ladies !" The crowd spoke again "A god has laid his hand upon you !"
The sun god then brought his head close to their ears and softly whispered,
"Do not worry, it is not what you fear, rest assured. All I want is you girls to stay, there will be no indecency taking place, I give you my word. Stay if you want to be tipped handsomely."
His words forced them to reluctantly stay there, their eyes keeping on any lurking danger.
"Show us the future !" They chanted.
"Say hello to my pretty oracles."
The three let out a minor prolonged shriek, going hysteric as if possessed by a ghost. Their bodies became stiff on their own accord with their neck arched back, lifting mysteriously off the ground a few inches and their eyes glowed with the brightness of the sun as they stared blank at the ceiling above.
The gods cheered at the three women's state of distort.
"Tell us the future of all gods." Apollo commanded with authority, and then looked smugly at his work of possession "Tell us that the future is bright and clear, that we rule forever."
"Yes, the future is bright and clear." The three women spoke in unison.
The godcrowd erupted, hugging and congratulating each other.
"The future is bright..."
"With crimson..."
"Of godblood and godflesh."
They finished each other's sentences.
The cheers slowly started fading away, having trouble digesting what the three oracles had just spoken. Even Apollo was a bit taken aback.
"The future is clear..."
"Of divinity..."
"Because all the corpses have been disposed."
The gods stared into each other's faces, hoping to find an explanation; they didn't.
"And yes, you rule forever..."
"But only over mud and grubs..."
"And not as gods."
"What are these dumb witches saying ?"An angered god roared.
"Brother, what is all this ?" Artemis, the goddess of moon said stepping forward.
"Let me handle this. I'll ask them." Apollo assured her. Then he turned his attention towards his three floating oracles,
"What are you trying to say, oracles ?"
"Only what we see." The three possessed women replied in unison.
"And what do the oracles see ?"
"We see terrible vengeance being exacted."
"We see a horror like no other."
"We see the end of gods."
"You thought you were immortal ? We see immortals getting slaughtered like cattle, crying and screaming and begging in their final moments. Divinity is under threat from a cancer that devours everything in its path."
"The annihilation of everything divine is coming soon, brace yourselves for a holy massacre like no other."
"The lords who sat on thrones will soon kneel, who laughed will soon cry, and who lived will soon be butchered."
The place fell silent, with the collective gods in the place staring unblinking at the three floating oracles; some had fear in their eyes, and some had shock, but most had arrogant defiance on their faces, godhood filling them with nothing but pride and overconfidence.
"Your complacency and apathy shall be your doom."
"The mortals pray to you in reverence, what you give in return is incompetence. There is only a limit as to what one can tolerate."
"The plague is coming, and no god, terrestrial or celestial, old or new, shall be spared. Even the dark god will succumb."
"That's interesting." Apollo contempated, rubbing his chin "Any idea on how to save ourselves ?"
"Run."
"Hide."
"Beg."
"And do you see anything else apart from this ? How this ends ?" Hera asked, even she was showing signs of tension on her face.
"It ends with death and destruction. And a demi-god."
"It ends in reincarnation. And the arrival of an outlander."
"It ends for the betterment of the cosmos. It ends with a hammer and a sword."
"Hammer and sword ?" Apollo wondered "I wonder how that will come into play. Anyways, so much for the oracles. What great news they brought. The freak-show is over, goodbye !"
The sun god waved his hand, intensifying his aura, and burst into a bright light akin to the sun, and soon what was left were a few charred bones that once were the three women; their fate decided in a single gesture.
"What do we do now ?" One of the gods asked.
"We continue our party."
Oh Lord, holy be thy name.
BAM !
Another shot was heard as Kevin kept his eyes closed. It was the third time that he had heard it, and his fears only grew. They were four of them, his father, his mother and his younger sister when they were forcefully abducted from a lonely road and brought into a barren desert. As a child, Kevin had always been taught to believe in and worship God. His entire family had been devout worshippers, going to the church every Sunday, attending choirs, and most of all they had been a family full of nice people. His father was a doctor and a philanthropist, his mother a social worker.
Three members, and three shots, ten year old Kevin closed his eyes and kept praying that it was not what he had feared, that the shots were all aerial.
Come and save me Lord, from vicious, cruel and brutal enemies.
I depend on you, and I have trusted you since I was young.
He heard a few mumbles, a few laughs, an unknown language, and the next thing he felt was his hair being violently grabbed and being lifted off the air. The pain was enough to bring a scream to his throat and tears in his eyes as he kicked violently to get free. The laughing grew louder.
At last, when thrown to the ground, he opened his eyes to a view of six to seven men. Their faces were covered with a black cloth, they had a belt of grenades around their waist and AK-47 in their hands. They all looked down upon him. Kevin saw to his front a camera mounted on a tri-pod, blipping with red light, focused on to him and perhaps through the corner of his eyes, he saw three motionless bodies lying. His eyes welled up as he closed them and prayed again,
See how many enemies I have, see how much they hate me.
Protect me and save me, I come to you for safety.
He heard one of them speak accented English,
"Your people bomb us, they destroy our cities, our culture, and they pollute us. You are the ones to keep people under the gun and you call us terrorists. Our God does not approve !
Your 'war' kills so many of our people. Our women know nothing but fear, our children can only recognize the sound of bombs and guns. So what does our God say ? He says 'Eye for an eye'. You kill our families; the families of God's true followers, we will kill yours in return."
Kevin felt something round and metallic touch the back of his head; the barrel of a gun. And the man was presumably talking on the camera, it was all being recorded to be broadcasted on the internet later.
May my goodness and honesty preserve me, because I trust in you.
From all your troubles, O God, save your people !
The barrel pressed further to his head.
FWAAAK !
SHHHHK !
"Aah !"
"Shaitan !"
"Demon !"
RATATATATA !
KABOOOOOM !
Blood-curdling screams were heard, along with a few gunshots and one massive explosion, but little Kevin kept his eyes closed, covered his ears with his hands and kept praying. It lasted for only a few moments before it turned as silent as a graveyard.
"You can open your eyes now, little one." A raspy but soothing voice spoke. It had a very sympathetic tone to it.
Finally assured by the voice, Kevin mustered up the courage to do so and saw no one around except a white being cloaked in black, with sun coloured eyes dripping with murder, and a short snout protruding with no nose.
The boy gasped and back-pedalled in fear.
"Do not fear me, child. They are all gone, forever."
"W-Who were they ?" He asked.
"Vile creatures, these 'true followers' of gods, cancer to society." The entity replied "Kill them on sight, if you ask me. They do nothing but lead others down a path of self-destruction. Trust me, I know.
Now tell me child, did you pray ?"
"Yes I did."
"Consider that your prayers were answered. However, I am sorry I arrived a bit late, your parents and sister could not be saved. However, they will be avenged, that I promise."
Kevin burst into fresh tears, grieving over the loss of his family; how something as simple as a family vacation could turn into a living nightmare. They had plans further this weekend, more trips and places to visit. None shall happen now. No more warm kisses of his mother, or the strong but caring touch of his father, or the hearty laugh of his sister. He cried on for several minutes before he heard the being speak again,
"I know how you feel, little one. I've lost my family too to tragedies which could have been avoided." He wrapped one of his arm, the real one, around the boy, who winced at first but gradually eased.
"You lost your family too ?"
"Yes, they could have been saved had the gods decided to help. But it did not happen."
"So you pray too ?"
"Prayed." The cloaked being stressed the past tense through closed teeth, revealing rows of sharp enamel "Here."
He presented the boy an apple,
"You look hungry and thirsty. I couldn't save your family, this is the least I can do."
The boy looked from the fruit to the giver.
"Have it. Crying dries up your throat, trust me. I have cried a lot, I know."
Kevin took it slowly into his hands, but quickly devoured the fruit with hunger.
"Thanks." He weakly said, smiling a bit.
"You can thank me later, when I finish my work. You know you remind me of my son, he had eyes just like you."
The boy looked a bit confusingly at his saviour.
"Do you want to avenge your family ? Do you want to punish those who sit above on their fat asses and do harm, or worse, nothing ?" The being continued.
"What do you mean ?"
"You prayed to your god and nothing happened." The being said, looking into his eyes and catching his attention "Do you know what that means ?"
"That there are no gods ?" Kevin answered, not fully sure what to say.
"No, son. There are gods, it's just that they have chosen to ignore the very people who granted them the title. And I will be the one to restore them to their rightful places. I do not belong to this cosmos, but I certainly belong to the pain you just felt. So tell me, does your world have a god who I can punish ? A god who needs a little reminder ?"
Kevin thought hard before saying,
"I don't know. Haven't seen any god to speak of, but there is one. Most of the world considers him as a god, even his friends. He has all the qualities to be one."
"Tell who he is." The cloaked being demanded.
"Superman."
I know there were a few filler scenes, but I just decided to make it longer.
I was a little disheartened to see the review section of this crossover section, not very encouraging. I will continue this only if I get some reviews. It is actually discouraging for your hard work to not pay off.
There will be more action coming up, so feel free to correct me.
And please do leave a review ! ^_^