Author's Note: So this crossover takes place AFTER the events of "Ascension" and "Chains of Olympus", the dialogue between the three Gods at the beginning is actually in the original manual of the PS2 version of the game, and so I decided to work from there. As mentioned in the summary, this story will include other Gods and references to other heroes that weren't in the original series. Here's the first part of the prologue to this story, hope you enjoy it!
Also, I do not own God of War or RWBY: the God of War series belongs to Santa Monica Studios and RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth.
Olympus: the home of the Greek Gods and residence of the Pantheon. On this day, Zeus has called two of his children (Ares the God of War and Athena the Goddess of Wisdom) to discuss the loyalty of their champion: the mortal who had come to be known as the "Ghost of Sparta", Kratos. Ten years have passed since he had slain the Furies: thus breaking his bond with Ares, and dedicating himself to the other gods of Olympus in order to rid his mind of the nightmares that have haunted him since.
"I have gathered you here on this holiest of grounds to discuss the fate of a mortal whose actions I sense could have grave implications to all of us here on Mount Olympus."
"My lord, my father, it is Kratos of whom you speak. I have been his patron goddess these last 10 years as he has fought to stave off madness and earn our forgiveness."
"The man is a fool. He turned his back on a gift so-"
"Enough, Ares! I know what he has done. And, might I add, I know why he did it. You should be ashamed."
"Ares' actions were brutal, as always, My Lord. My oracles warn me that even now Ares is marshalling his forces to attack and destroy my fair city."
"Athens, so called city of art, city of culture. It is nothing more than a festering pit filled with flabby aristocrats. Athens is a blight on mother Gaia herself! I will destroy your city, my dear sister."
"Not if I stop you, my brother!"
"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU! Your childish squabbles are your own, but I do not want this war encroaching on the steps of Mount Olympus. We have other worries. Kratos may very well alter the course of all our destinies."
"He is quite insane, My Lord. But he is strong."
"On that, we can agree."
"Yes…he is strong. But one day he may grow to be too strong for his own good. And for ours."
After what seemed like an eternity talking about the Ghost of Sparta, Zeus went back to his throne room and left Ares and Athena alone in the Pantheon. Both gods glared at each other, daring one to make a move against the other and bring the wrath of Zeus down upon the instigator.
"This declaration of war upon my city will not go unpunished, Ares."
"Oh yes it will, sister. You heard our father; he has forbidden us to fight among ourselves. You are the Goddess of Wisdom…breaking Zeus' official decree would not only tarnish that reputation of yours, but will also be your end."
As Ares walked away from Athena, the goddess immediately started to think of a way around Zeus' decree.
She then came to a solution: "The gods may be forbidden to fight among ourselves," she thought to herself, "but Zeus never said anything about a mortal fighting a god…much less a warrior who was once trained by one." She looked back over to the clouds that showed images of the warrior whom the three gods were discussing earlier: the image showed a triumphant Kratos standing over the body of a now impaled Hydra. Satisfied with her choice, Athena smiled…but the smile vanished from her face as quickly as it arrived. "Kratos is our champion, but I fear this task might prove to be too much even for him. I dare not send him alone. But whom could I possibly send to assist him? No warrior alive today can match his skill on the battlefield." Her head perked up at that last sentence, "No warrior alive today…Khronos…the God of Space and Time". As soon as she found her answer, Athena headed back toward her chambers on Olympus. Once she reached her chamber, she shut the door behind her and walked toward, and through, a glowing blue and purple portal known as the Hyperion Gate.
Athena walked through the Hyperion Gate and ended up on the Elysian Islands, also known as the Fortunate Isles; an island where the grass was always green, the mountains and hills were wrapped with trees, the waterfalls and lakes were crystal clear, and the clouds that passed were always pure white with no signs of foul weather. To mortals, this is what was thought to be the Elysian Fields, but was instead the kingdom of Khronos. She looked to her right and saw that the temple of Khronos was located right next to the entrance of the portal. She walked up to the temple steps and as soon as she reached the doors of the temple…they opened up for her. She walked into the temple and looked to her left and to her right searching for the God of Space and Time. "Khronos," the goddess called out. "Khronos, it is I…Athena." Silence. "Khronos…" The doors shut behind Athena at the third calling of the god, causing her to turn her head towards the doors. After a few seconds of silence, candles started to light on the walls of the temples and lit up the inside for Athena to see a figure standing in front of her.
"Athena," said the figure in red with a deep and ancient voice, "took you long enough".
"You were expecting me?" The goddess asked the figure in red.
"Of course I was expecting you, I AM the God of Space and Time after all. I can see into the future far better than the Sisters of Fate could ever hope to dream." He removed his red hood as he explained this to Athena to reveal the face of an old man who had short, white, curly hair and a beard that went down to his chest, his face was that of a stern man who had witnessed many things on Earth as it progressed since the dawn of its birth, even though he possessed the face of an old man he possessed the physique of a ripped and powerful being, and he held a staff that had an hourglass at the very top in his left hand. This was Khronos, the God of Space and Time, and the most ancient of all the gods. "I also know the reason as to why you're here, as well as what led up to that point."
"You were spying on us?"
"Given my position, it is my business to be up to date with current events not just with the mortals, but with the gods as well."
"Ares must be stopped at all costs. I will not allow him to destroy my fair city out of childish jealousy."
"And so your plan is to send Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, after Pandora's Box in order to slay Ares."
"That is correct."
"However…doubt has crept into your mind, and so you wish to send someone to aide him on this fool's errand."
"I do not doubt his abilities as a warrior; I know that Ares will pull every trick he can in order to prevent Kratos from fulfilling his mission. There's also the fact that…"
"No one has ever retrieved Pandora's Box or returned alive from said quest."
"Which is why I seek the aide of a warrior who can keep up with his prowess on the battlefield. However, no warrior alive today can match him. That's where you come in."
"Need I remind you that Zeus decreed eons ago that it is forbidden for the gods to pull warriors from their time? Pulling living warriors from their era would be detrimental to the universe. I don't know about you, but as Ares mentioned, it wouldn't be wise of you to disobey Zeus' direct order. It could mean the end of you."
"True, Zeus did decree that the gods are forbidden from pulling living warriors from their time…but he never said anything about bringing a warrior who had just died in battle and reviving them here."
A small smirk crept across the face of Khronos as Athena mentioned this loophole; he saw this coming from watching the future play before him and was hoping it would come to fruition. The banter between the two gods was a way for Khronos to test the goddess' mettle, and to his amusement, he was pleased that Athena lived up to the title…she had passed his test. "No…" he replied, "he didn't."
"Then you'll help me find a warrior?"
"Yes…but not for free."
"Of course. What would you have?"
The god hummed in thought before coming to a method of payment from the goddess. "I'll take…your pet owl."
"What?"
"Bubo; at least I believe that's his name…"
"Absolutely not!"
"Did you honestly think it would be that easy? Just because you found a loophole in Zeus' decree doesn't mean that this undertaking wouldn't cost you in some way. Loophole or not, we are still interfering with the timeline; and a task such as this will cost you greatly."
"But why Bubo?"
"You and the rest of the gods who reside on Olympus teach the mortals they must sacrifice in order to please you. It's time someone led by example."
"Bubo is not a trivial thing to be used as a sacrifice; he is my beloved pet. He's been with me through all of my escapades. If you even think about spilling his blood, I'll show you the very reason why I'm also known as the Goddess of War!" As she threatened the old god, she drew her swords from her back and readied herself in case he were to advance any closer.
"Calm yourself Athena, I don't seek the blood of your pet. I just want Bubo as payment, nothing more and nothing less."
She re-sheathed her swords at this response and retorted, "Bubo isn't something to be bartered with either. He doesn't leave my side for anyone."
As Athena turned to walk away, Khronos called out to her tauntingly before she reached the door, "If that's how it is, then I won't help you. But think of this before you leave: without my help Kratos will fail his mission in retrieving Pandora's Box, and your great city will fall. But fear not…at least you'll still have your 'beloved pet'. It's your choice Athena: your pet, or your city."
Athena stopped in her tracks and clenched her fists as Khronos mentioned the consequences of what would happen if she didn't cooperate. She hated to admit it, but Khronos was right. She couldn't afford to call his bluff…if he was bluffing. She may be the goddess of wisdom but as Khronos mentioned, he could see into the future. What he said could very well happen; she couldn't afford to take any risks against the God of Space and Time. She finally relented and turned around to confront the old god, "You swear on your honor as a god that no harm will befall Bubo?"
Khronos nodded, "You have my word, Athena"
She opened the temple doors and whistled for her pet. Moments later, Athena's pet owl flew to its master and perched itself onto her shoulder. Athena whispered into her pet's ears and kissed his forehead before the owl flew to its new master.
Khronos stroked the head of the owl, looked at Athena and said, "Let's get started then." He then tapped the floor of his temple with his staff, causing the temple doors to close and the candles on the walls to light brighter than before. He then took the hourglass that rested on top of his staff, turned it upside down, placed it back on top of his staff, and stuck it into the floor of his temple. The staff stood in place as the sands started flowing again at a faster rate; as the last bit of sand reached the bottom of the glass, a ripple appeared in front of the gods. It opened up and began to act as a window with a wave-like effect. "What you see before you is a mere window to witness events as they happen…for the moment. As soon as the warrior that you seek dies in battle, I will pull them from their era and bring them here."
The goddess that stood beside the ancient god was marveled at what lay before her as she said, "You knew I was coming to see you. You've known for quite a while, haven't you? You also knew why I came to seek your aide. I assume you already have a warrior in mind?"
"You are correct in assuming this, Athena. I do, in fact, have just the warrior to assist Kratos on his final mission." With the wave of his hand, the mirror blurred and revealed an image of a red-headed woman whose hair went down to her waist with bright green eyes who was clad in a bronze armored corset, a bronze guard around her neck, a gold crown barely visible under her bangs but could be seen from the side, black sleeves that covered the majority of her arms up until the middle of her biceps, a bronze guard covering her left forearm, a band with a wave pattern wrapped around her left bicep, bronze armor covering the entirety of her legs, black-heeled boots, and finally a long red sash that wrapped around and hung at her waist. The weapons she wielded were that of a small hoplon-like shield as well as a red-and-bronze spear-like weapon that was able to, to the surprise of Athena, transform into a short sword and something that was able to cause a loud noise to come from the tip and hit her opponents from a distance.
Other than the girl's weaponry, Athena was fascinated with the battle prowess of the warrior that she was witnessing, "Has mankind finally learned to harness magic to its fullest?"
"Not even close", the old god chuckled, "this my dear Athena is the far future. Three thousand years to be exact. Their technology has advanced so much that they have created deadlier ways to combat the forces of darkness that threatens their world. That style of weapon that you see them using is what they call a 'gun', and their ammunition is a crystallized energy propellant that they call 'dust'." Khronos continued his lecture to Athena on what dust was as well as the other powers and abilities that mankind was able to unlock in this far off future.
"You certainly know a lot about this new world of man" the goddess remarked.
"It's my business to know what has and what will happen; it comes with the territory." the old god explained. Athena paid attention to the rest of the details that Khronos gave her about what mankind would become while watching the red-haired woman from before as she fended off multiple male warriors at once without even batting an eye.
"The red-haired Huntress that we're witnessing now…who is she?"
"The Huntress that you are witnessing is named Pyrrha Nikos. She was hailed among her peers as the 'Invincible Girl' because no one was able to best her in combat."
The name struck a chord of familiarity in Athena, "Pyrrha Nikos…is she by any chance…"
"No" the old god interrupted, "she is not in any way related to Achilles. I know…I checked her ancestry thoroughly when I first heard her name. One other thing I forgot to mention about this era is that the majority of mankind is named after a color of some sort. She was given her name due to the color of her hair."
Athena continued to watch the prowess of the red-haired woman that was in the mirror. Athena was definitely impressed, but then she remembered a minute detail that Khronos mentioned, "You said earlier that she WAS hailed as the 'Invincible Girl'. What happened?"
Khronos smiled as he noticed Athena picking up on that detail, "That's correct my dear. It's best if I show you all that happened."
With another wave of his hand, the mirror blurred once more and the events of that era began to play out before them.
2nd Author's Note: If you made it to the end, CONGRATULATIONS! Also, before anyone points out "Cronos already exists in the God of War series"...in this rendition I am using the actual God of Space and Time, not the Titan who fathered Zeus and his siblings. Also, to avoid confusion between the two: Khronos is pronounced "Kraw-nos", like the word "chronological". You're welcome.