Moon Goddess of War Ascended: A Side Story – By Ocramed
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, the God of War franchise and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a limited, crossover fusion story. C&C are welcomed.
Special Note: This is a sort of prequel to "Moon Goddess of War".
Part 1
While the troubles concerning the so-called "Death Busters" was being dealt with by the Sailor Scouts in general, one member, Ami Mizuno, aka "Sailor Mercury", was taking some time to learn more about her friend Usagi Tsukino, who, since returning to modern-day Japan, has become an Olympian goddess. And in order to learn more about Usagi's exploit in the ancient world, Ami decided to take advantage of a traveling antiquities show at the local museum…
"Um, hello?" said Ami, as she knocked on the door to the guest office's door. "I am looking for Dr. Karl Ratos? The man in charge of the Greek Antiquities exhibit?"
A bald man with a scar across one eye, that went down his face vertically, looked up from his work, which he did at his desk.
"I'm him," Dr. Ratos asked, as he examines his guest with an examining eye.
"Um, I had an appointment to see you concerning documentation on the Moon Princess and the Ghost of Sparta," Ami said.
"Ah, then you must be Ami Mizuno," Dr. Ratos said, as he takes off his glasses, puts them down onto his desk, and then stands up to offer his hand. "It is nice to meet you. Please, be seated."
"Thank you for having me, sir," Ami said, as she is seated in the guest office.
"It's my pleasure, Ami," said the curator of the exhibit. "To be honest, I was intrigued when you mentioned that you had a friend who is an Olympian, and that you had proof of this."
"I didn't want to say that, because she is my friend," Ami said. "But I know that she doesn't want to talk about her past too much."
"Well, that is understandable, given this age of ours," the curator said. "So, what do you have to prove to me that you do know a goddess?"
Reluctantly, Ami brought forth one of the gold coins that Usagi had given her, and then gave it to Dr. Ratos.
"Ah," Dr. Ratos said, as he examines the coin. "Yes. If I recall correctly, the Spartans considered the Moon Princess as one of their patron gods, especially for young women."
"You mean, there were sailor senshi back then?" Ami said.
"Not sailor senshi per se, since Sparta was not a sea-faring nation-state, but they were inspired by her willingness to fight against the very gods themselves for love and justice…"
Pause.
"Here, I have some photos of some of the art that was done of her, taken directly from the walls of a few temples dedicated to the Moon Princess," Dr. Ratos said, as he pulls out a binder. "I haven't had a chance to put the pictures onto discs yet…"
"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem, sir," Ami said, as she looked at the pictures, some of which were of her friend in classic Greek poises…and then some.
"Oh, dear," Ami said, as she blushed slightly.
"Do not be alarmed," Dr. Kratos said. "Many of these works of art are what the Moon Princess' worshippers thought of her. Some thought of her as a guardian, one who protected the weak and helpless, while others thought of her in rather, well, frank terms. After all, concepts like love and justice, for that matter, is in the eye of the beholder."
"I see. It's just that well, I don't want to think of my friend as being a hedonist."
"Well, most evidence point to the contrary, Miss Mizuno. The fact of the matter is that the Moon Princess 'knew' no man…or woman, for that matter. She was faithful to her virtue, even as she used her role as the warrior maiden for the sake of others."
"And what do you know of this…Kratos, professor?" Ami asked. "From what I know, he is the god of power."
"Ultimately, you are correct, but he started his life as a demi-god, a son of Lord Zeus, who fought only to protect his wife and child. Unfortunately, the curse of the legendary 'Blades of Chaos' made him mad. At least, until the Moon Princess entered his life and rescued him from himself."
"They must have been very close," Ami said.
"On many levels, I wager. Had circumstances been different, perhaps they would have been lovers?"
"I…I see…"
Pause.
"I did some reading, and I learned that the Moon Princess had used her magic to break the curse that had ensnared Kratos' mind," Ami said. "But there is a gap of information between then and when the Moon Princess took on the gods herself, in order to avenge what happened to Kratos…after the journey to the Isle of Creation, when she and Kratos confronted the Sisters of Fate."
"What do you know of the Furies?" Kratos said.
"Well, they are suppose to be older and more powerful than the Olympians and the Titans, having been born out of Chaos," Ami said with a frown. She knew that Chaos was an enemy of the Sailor Scouts, and would one day give birth to their greatest enemy: Sailor Chaos. In fact, she knew that Usagi, as the future Sailor Cosmos, is suppose to fight Sailor Chaos, possibly to the death, in order to save the Universe from falling into a state of Oblivion…
"Miss Mizuno?" Dr. Ratos asked his guest out of concern.
"My apologies, sir," Miss Mizuno said. "One of their duties was to deal with oath breakers."
"That is correct," Dr. Ratos said. "In the case of the Moon Princess, her actions in breaking the curse placed on Kratos had warranted the attention of the Furies. As a result, both she and Kratos were hunted down…and captured by them…"
Pause.
"And they were placed in a horrific situation, where they would be tortured for weeks, before they made their escape," Dr. Ratos said grimly.
"Oh, my," Ami said in shock and horror, thinking of the possible horrors that could have been done to her friend while imprisoned. "Can you tell me what happened to the Moon Princess?"
"Better yet, I give you a copy of a manuscript that I am working on," Dr. Ratos said, as he gives Ami a disc that was within a case.
"Oh?" Ami said, as she accepts the disc with hesitance.
"I could use some feedback on the book I would like to publish on the Moon Princess," Dr. Ratos said. "And take your time on it. This exhibit I am setting up is supposed to last a year."
"Oh, well, I appreciate this honor, sir," Ami said with a nod. "Well, I better get going."
"Very well, but do stop by again," Dr. Ratos said with a gentle smile. "I could use volunteers to help with the exhibit, after all…"
Later that night…
"Okay, homework is DONE," Ami said, as she decides to finally read Dr. Ratos' manuscript with a cup of warm cocoa in her hand. She reads the introduction, which briefly sets up the narrative. She notes the parts concerning how the strife within the ranks of the Primordials would create the events that would lead to Usagi and Kratos being captured by the Furies, and later placed where even the gods feared to be: the Prison of the Damned…
FLASHBACK!
For a single month, the Moon Princess and the Ghost of Sparta were guests of the Furies, housed within the bowels of the Titan Aegaeron the Hecatonchires. Years before, Aegaeron, the first oath breaker, was made an example for all others by the Furies. Rather than be executed, the Furies reshaped his flesh to become a living prison, where other oath breakers could be housed. And while the Moon Princess was not bound by an oath to the gods, she nevertheless facilitated in Kratos' oath breaking, and thus was punished in the most appropriate manner…
In the middle of the floor, on a raised dial, Usagi was chained to a bed, but given enough slack to move about the room, and draped only in the finest of linens. The Moon Princess thought that it was unfair of her to be treated to such nice "accommodations", while others at the Prison of the Damned were tortured...or worse.
"And here I am, stuck in some disgusting place inside the bowels of a giant," Usagi said with a sigh. "What a way to spend my 18th birthday…"
"We could set you free, dear princess, if you pledge your loyalty to us," said a voice from the shadows.
Usagi turned towards the shadows, where the voice came from.
"And do what, exactly?" Usagi said, as she steeled herself. "I neither want to be a toy for your amusement nor an instrument of your cruelty."
Tisiphone floats out of the shadows, wearing her usual head gear and and blue gown.
"Considering the fact that you have the blood of the gods running through your veins, we Furies would not merely treat you as a common servant," Tisiphane said, as she sits on Usagi's bed by her side. "At the very least, we could always use an emissary in the...new order."
"Yes, about THAT," Usagi said. "I know what Alecto plans to do in this 'new order' of yours, and I rather take my chances with the Olympians, thank you very much."
"But we can offer you everything you ever wanted..."
The environment in Usagi's room changes...
"This...is my room, back in Azabuu Juuban," Usagi said.
"Aye, it is, as your mind describes it," Tisiphone said. "With my power, I can create an entire world from your mind, complete with friends..."
All of Usagi's friends back home appear before her.
"We can have it like it was, before we became Sailor Scouts, Usagi!" said Makoto, as she and the other "specters" nodded their heads in collective agreement.
"Nice try, but there is only so much you can do with friends," Usagi said, as she turned away.
"Ah, it's about your precious 'Mamo-chan', yes?" Tisiphone said, as she puts on the visage of Usagi's true love. "We can even have a child together, if you desire..."
Usagi looked at Tisiphone, then turns away in disgust.
"Even if I wanted to, I KNOW that you could never be the MAN I respect and admire," Usagi said, as she faced the Fury. "Unlike YOU and your sisters, Mamoru Chiba is a noble and just man, and if I were to be with anyone, it certainly would not be with the likes of YOU."
"Really?" Tisiphone said angrily. "I can make sure that you age here in this place, and never die. How do you think that your beloved 'Mamo-chan' would react to see that his beloved is a withering crone-?"
Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door to where Usagi was being housed.
"What is this?" Tisiphone said, as she rises to her feet. She takes a step forward when the door bursts in, smashing Tisiphone in the face, and knocking her unconscious.
BLAM!
"Oh!" Tisiphone said, before she collapsed in a heap.
Usagi steeled herself for what was about to come, when-
"Bunny!" Kratos yelled, with his Blades of Chaos drawn. "Are you here?"
"Kratos!" Usagi said. "You're alive!"
"I have something to live for," Kratos said, as he looks around the place, seeing for what it was. "Um, are you decent enough to get out of here?"
"Doesn't matter," Usagi said, as she made sure that Tisiphone was indeed unconscious. "Now…can you get me out of here?"
"Right," said the Ghost of Sparta, as he cut the chains that held his friend.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG-!
"Thanks," Usagi said, as she gets off the bed. She still had iron bands, with a few inches of iron chains, on her wrists and ankles.
"Where to?"
"Well, you see-"
"HA!" yelled the insect-like Maegera, as she charged forward. "I got you, Kratos!"
"Bunny!" Kratos yelled, as he wraps his arms around Usagi, just as Maegera tackles them both…through a wall.
BOOOM!
"Ah!" Usagi screamed, as she, Kratos and Maegera tumbles across a great bit of distance, and lands on a platform in front of the face of Aegaeon.
BAM!
"You two should have been killed a long time ago!" Maegera said. "I will endeavor to correct that oversight!"
With that, Maegera summons her minions, before disappearing from view.
"Have fun!" Maegera's disembodied voice said. "HAHAHAHAHA-!"
'Some birthday this is turning out to be,' Usagi thought, as she and Kratos steeled their resolve…
Tbc.