The Goddess of Victory

Then…

A few more hundred years have passed. As the world grew and advanced socially, industrially, scientifically and technologically, so did the immortal deities of this tale.

Once Nike and Kratos reached full maturity, each moved into their own homes on the surrounding peaks of Mt. Zambia.

"Kratos!" Nike flew in fast and stumbled ungracefully as she tried to land in her hurry to reach her brother.

She didn't understand why she decided to visit the West today. Something told her to go. She didn't question how she was prompted but she was grateful she went at the time she did. Her first thoughts were to get to her brother's home before anything else. She could have gone to her parents, but they wouldn't want to deal with anything that had to do with humans or Olympians. She would try the Olympians, but an inner warning told her that wouldn't be a good idea to go and visit them now. Plus, time was crucial, and she didn't have the minutes to spare traveling all that way and explain why she needed their help.

Hearing the urgency in her call, Kratos stopped punching his workout dummy and ran to catch her before she crashed into the ground.

"Nike, what's wrong?"

With a flushed face and her breath coming out in sporadic bursts, she sucked in some much-needed air before trying to explain, "Something's happened to the mortals in the West. Possibly all over the world." She bent and rested her hands on her knees to get her breath back, as her onyx and purple locs fell loosely over her shoulders.

Her brother made sure that she could stand on her own before taking a step back, "What… what's going on? Are you okay?"

Appearing calmer now, she raised a hand and swiped the sweat from her brow. Still slightly winded, she panted, "Something… I don't know what it is, was spreading across the land. I was flying overhead on my way to visit the Gullah people on the East Coast." She took in a few more deep breaths as her brother soothing rubbed her back. Silently encouraging her to continue.

"As I was approaching, I saw this grey fog floating across the ground, covering everything it could reach. I didn't think it was anything dangerous until I went close enough for the smoke to touch my feathers."

She paused staring into some far away memory for a couple of seconds.

Impatient to hear the rest, Kratos laid a light hand on her shoulder to get her attention back on the story. "And?" He began checking her over to see if there was any damage to her person. He raised one of her wings to inspect its violet feathers, "And… what happened?"

"They began to melt. Thank Mother Terran, I had the sense to back up before I lost them completely." A horrified look took over her features as she stared out into the beyond again, "But those people…" Her voice took on a tone of dread, "They started attacking each other. Biting and eating… killing. Then the ones who died got up and attacked anyone or anything that was still alive." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

Kratos conjured up a handkerchief and handed it to her, "So, the fog killed everyone it touched?"

Sniffing and blowing her nose, "That's the thing. When it touched them, only a few fell to its poison. And those were the ones that came back to life. Those that lived through it, were attacked and eaten by the ones who died first. Then they came back. I don't understand how all of this could have happened, but I do know there are some humans that are still alive and need our help."

She walked over to the entrance of his home and he followed, "What are you plannin', sis?"

Nike heads toward his kitchen and started going through his cupboards to fill out a rucksack she found in his pantry, "Whatever that was, it only damaged my wings. Unlike the others, it didn't kill me when it touched me. I think I was protected by my immortality."

Kratos was able to reach and grab her shoulder and stop her from pulling out the dry foods she was trying to stuff in the bag. He eyed her suspiciously, "Nike. Please don't tell me you're going back there?"

"I have to do something. I didn't live all this time and spend so many centuries training not to do nothing. Those people didn't deserve what I saw happen to them. Yes, I'm going back there. I don't care if I lose my powers. It didn't kill me on the spot, and what would be the point of having this power if I don't do anything with it?"

There are too many good people down there to have to fight this on their own. Something… some instinct is telling me I have to go. Something I'm meant to do." She bent down to look for anything else she could take. "I have to go home and pack some clothes and whatever else I can take with me." She started to leave when she turned back and hugged her brother.

"I don't know if I'll make it back. Just know I love you and I'll come home when I can."

Kratos stayed silent the rest of the time she rushed around his home picking up useless items that would do her no good if what she said was true. When she headed outside to leave, he just plucked the bag out of her hands. When she turned to ask why he took it. He guided her to sit down at the bench located in his backyard.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you run off into a dangerous situation where there's no guarantee you won't be affected or hurt by whatever that shit is? Alone? You got me fucked up. You must have forgotten who you're related too." He was heated that she would take on this task without him. "You said they were killing each other. There's no way I'm gonna stay here while-…"

They were interrupted by the deity that had been a part of their lives since they could remember. "I saw you fly in and heard what's going on. Your brother is right. You can't go back there by yourself."

The siblings paused, and both turned to the intruder. He stood there wearing a black 3-piece morning suit with a navy-gray paisley ascot tie. His dark hair was neatly pulled back into a tight ponytail.

Compared to her brother, whose curly hair did what it wanted and his dark loose t-shirt and comfy jeans, the man looked way overdressed. "Lexos, while I appreciate you agreeing with me, I don't appreciate you stalking my sister and walking yo happy ass up into my house. What the fuck do you want?"

Shocked, Nike looked at her brother with surprise. She knew Kratos didn't like the god from the North, but she'd never heard him talk to him like that. Lexos never bothered her that much. He may have been annoying sometimes, though never enough for her to be downright rude to him.

He started coming around a few decades ago and they dated for a few years. The fact he thought very highly of himself and had selfish tendencies ended that part of their relationship. He wasn't a bad guy, just a little bougie for her to take seriously, but she was still friends with him.

"Duty calls, Lexos. I'm heading out now. Bye."

Kratos walked back toward his house, "No, she means we are heading out. See yourself out the door since you found your way in." He didn't wait to see if the intruder acknowledged what he said when he spoke to his sister, "Nike, let me show you what we'll need to take for this trip. If it's as you say it is, we're gonna need better equipment than what you put in that bag."

Nike gave Lexos a little wave then followed Kratos through the door. They didn't expect him to come back inside, "I heard what she said about the fog and I want to help."

Kratos had stopped in front of another cabinet that Nike missed and pulled out two brand new compression backpacks. He tossed them over then bent down to pull out more items, "We'll need lightweight bags that will carry a multitude of items for survival, plus our weapons."

Nike looked over at Lexos, who still stood there waiting for someone to talk to him. "Lex, I appreciate you wanting to help, but you have no idea what your volunteering for and knowing you, it's probably not your cup of tea."

Lexos protested, "You both forget who I am. I am the god of capriciousness. I have existed on this earth for thousands of years and there is nothing that I cannot do."

Kratos ignored him like he usually does, "Nike, can you go to the pantry and pull out that box of MRE's? And, there is a package of water pills. We don't know if we'll have access to fresh water. Those will work just in case. I'll get the medkits and we'll need weapons."

Nike went to do what he asked when he also told her, "After you get that, go home and get some sturdy clothes for protection. You'll need some good shoes or boots… yeah, boots are better. Preferably leather, and some thick socks." He sighed and looked at the eager god of whatever, "Look… god of paprika, you go home too and get geared up. Meet us back here at dawn. If you don't make it, we'll leave without you."

They both departed to get prepared. After visiting her parents informing them about the situation and their refusal to get involved, Nike came back to help her brother with the supplies. Kratos was out in his backyard packing their bags when she landed in front of him. He did a double take at the clothes she wore, "What are you doing back here and what part of that outfit is sturdy?" He took in her tight leather pants, burgundy leather sleeveless vest, and thick, leathered-soled combat boots.

She looked down at what she was wearing, "What? You said sturdy. These are, and you know what's even better? It's flexible. I've witnessed how fast they move, remember? See, check it out." Nike squatted, then jumped up and performed several kicks in the air. She conjured her sword and demonstrated well-coordinated swings.

When she was finished, he stood next to her, "Well, since you're back, we might as well strap up."

"Strap up?"

"Something uncle used to say to me when he took me huntin'. We need to pick out what firearms to use." He went into his den and opened a metal cabinet filled with all sorts of hardware: Shotguns, revolvers, pistols, rifles, a bazooka and several other guns she didn't recognize.

"That's a huge arsenal, brother. Since we don't know how we're gonna be affected once we get there, we won't be able to take much. At least, nothing too heavy." She held up her sword, "We should concentrate on taking melee weapons. My sword should work."

Kratos laughed while rubbing the back of his head. "You're the sword lady, so you stick with that. I'll stick with my guns. Thank you very much. Speaking of your blade, make sure to pick the one that's your favorite and the form you work with the best. You might not be able to switch or change it once we arrive."

He started to pick out which firearm he wanted to take, "You might want to get in a little practice with whatever sword you take. Don't want you being all rusty and shit."

Nike scoffed at her brother, "Who are you calling rusty? I'll have you know, I was trained by the best…" She stopped mid-sentence when an image of azure, blue eyes flashed through her memories. Then, quickly disappeared before she had time to ascertain to whom they belonged. She couldn't recall when and where she encountered someone with that extraordinary eye color.

Kratos noticed his sister quit talking and found her staring off into space, "Hey. What's up? What are you looking at?"

She shook her head as if coming out of a daze, "Uhm… nothing. I was just lost in thought." She ran a hand over her face to try and wipe her confusion away. "I… what was I saying? Oh, yeah, I was trained by the best."

"Who?"

"You silly. Anyway, you're right. I should practice and be ready for the morning. I know exactly where we need to go. See you later."

At dawn, Lexos did make it on time. However, his choice of clothing made Kratos' annoyance overflow. He wore a light, tan Leisure Suit with golden cufflinks and matching soft, lambskin loafers. His hair once again neatly pulled back.

"Do we look like we're going on vacation to you?" Kratos waved a hand over himself and Nike. He wore dark khaki pants with plenty of pockets, a black t-shirt, shoulder harness that held two Glocks, a pistol in his waist and a revolver on his hip. He had two shotguns strapped behind his pack and a hunting knife tied to his thigh.

Nike had chosen the Katana as her sword of choice. It was nestled away in a scabbard made of lacquered wood, slung across her back. Two long knives were tied to her thighs and after arguing with her brother for an hour, she wore a hip holster equipped with a 35mm pistol. She wore the same outfit from the night before and looked ever much the warrior goddess she was.

Nike knew Lexos would show up sans weapons, so she picked up the bowie knife, sheath, and a gun and holster, handing them to him. "Here, you'll need these There's no guarantee when we land if we'll retain our powers, Lexos. I like you and you've been a good friend…" she ignored her brother's low growl, "but where we're going is dangerous and we'll need to have each other's back as well as protect our own selves. I'm telling you right now, I'll do whatever I can that's within my power to make sure you stay safe, but if you endanger my brother, an innocent or me, I will have no problem walking away from you. This is not a game and I need you to understand what you're getting into."

She didn't see the smirk of pride on her brother's face. He was relieved to find that his sister wasn't so blind and enamored by this greaseball that had been plaguing him for centuries. Why couldn't he find a friend that made some goddamn sense?

Nike's instincts landed them in the middle of a forest located in the hot and humid state of Georgia, USA. As soon as they touched down, the items they carried became quite heavy. She now felt the weight of the Katana on her back and her breasts felt heavier. She didn't feel any pain but scattered all around on the ground were black and brown feathers.

She inspected Kratos. His wings had just melted away. The bones disintegrated but everything else looked to be intact. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I am, but…" Kratos, however, stared at his sister as if she had grown two heads.

Nike began feeling all over her body, trying to figure out why he was looking at her all crazy, "What? What's wrong? Is there something on me?" She spun in a circle trying to see for herself. Her ass was still there, boobs okay, and she still had her weapons. When she came to a stop from her spin, a loc of her hair smacked her in the face. She unconsciously caught it to swipe it back… then froze in mid-swipe.

Holding her hair in growing horror, "What the fuck," she screeched. She grabbed several more locs to make sure that what she was seeing was true.

Lexos paid no attention and was seemingly only concerned his clothing and shoes were as dirt free as possible.

Almost in a panic, Nike gawked in disbelief at her hair. For the past few years, she began growing it out in bands of twisted locks. Somehow, whatever was in the air and killing mortals, stripped her hair of all its purple color.

She was horrified.

"My hair!"

Kratos strolled up to her and grabbed his sister's shoulders to halt her frantic motions. "Nike, would you please stop freaking out? Hold still," he demanded. When she paused, he placed his hands on both cheeks to give closer inspection to her pupils. "Don't be upset, but your eyes have lost their color, too."

To calm her down, he pulled her into his arms, "Shh, shh, shh… it's okay, baby sis. You're still beautiful. The color of your hair and eyes don't make up who you are. They're both a beautiful brown, just like those sweets of yours."

Sniffing back her tears, she asked, confused, "What sweets are you talking about, Kratos?"

Before he could try to answer the question he had no idea how to answer, or even question why he even said it, growling and yelling erupted from somewhere north in the forest. Going on their instincts, they forgot about hair color, losing their wings, sweets, and ran straight for the danger.

Nike ran ahead of her brother, while Lexos lagged behind… not feeling too keen in whatever was up ahead that may harm him. As they reached a clearing, the walking dead she described could be seen attacking a small group of people fighting them back. Without focusing too much on the living, Nike and Kratos jumped into the fray as Lexos kept to the edges of the clearing.

In his mind, he was watching out for any stray monsters that might attack the group from the outskirts.

Nike whipped out her sword and started cutting and stabbing while Kratos targeted and shot them full of holes.

One of the survivors with long greying dreadlocks yelled, "You must target the brain. If not, they will continue to advance with dire consequences!"

Grateful for the suggestion, they all worked together to stop the flesh-eaters. Nike had finished cutting one down when the cries of a young person caught her attention. While Lexos looked on and made no move to help, she followed the sound and tracked it to find a young boy of around twelve years of age, clinging to a branch high in a tree. Two of the undead must have heard or smelled him, for they were now trying to claw their way up to reach him.

Fortunately, critical thinking or rational thought was not part of their anatomy anymore, so they couldn't figure out how to climb and get the food they were seeking. The boy wore a checkered long-sleeve button down and blue jeans with hiking boots. He was scared but he wasn't hysterical as another child would be and there was something oddly familiar about him, but Nike was too busy to think on it much. It didn't take her long to dispatch the ones after him while the Kratos and the unknowns took care of the rest.

When she helped him down, the gangly pre-teen with dark hair ran over to hide behind the one with the grey locks. While holding onto his coat, the young one peeked out from behind and that's when Nike recognized that extraordinary eye color. She'd seen it before, just not who. She knew she'd never met the kid before, so it had to have been someone else, right?

She was taken away from her musings when the older gentleman began to speak. "I would thank you both for your assistance in our time of need."

Lexos raised a finger, "Hey! I helped. I made sure that nothing came from behind to attack you."

Kratos just shook his head, "Yeah, by staying on the outside of the clearing, thanks. At least I didn't have to worry about you getting in the way."

Nike didn't have time to get between her brother and their friend's squabble, so she spoke to the, what she assumed, leader of the small band of three, plus the little boy. "We're glad we got here on time. Can you tell us what happened? How did you get here and are there any more survivors?"

The leader looked at the men that were with him. One of Asian descent, the other sporting long, flowing hair, and a full beard and the last… a big dude that looked like he could bench press an elephant, but his jolly smile said he wouldn't do that if it would hurt the animal.

"Before we get distracted, we need to go back to our camp. It's fortified to keep out the dead. We were only out here to find this little one here," he ran a hand over the boy's dark hair, "He has the habit of running off. Come with us to our camp and we'll discuss everything there."

The siblings looked to each other to see if they were both cool going to another location with these strangers. It didn't take them long to decide because it was getting dark and they needed answers. If they tried anything, they could take care of themselves.

Their camp consisted of a cleared-out area of trees with a blockade of barbwire. Several tents had been erected and a campfire had been built in the middle. The leader suggested they all sit around the fire, facing each other. Once everyone settled the leader spoke first. "I may not know your names or where you hail from, but I know you are our kin. I am Poseidon, lord, and ruler of the Oceans. This is Oceanus, former ruler of the sea of which I took over. Hermes, my nephew, the messenger." He reached a hand out and slapped the giant bear of a man with long dark hair and a full beard. "Last by not least, my closest companion. Dionysius, the god of wine and theatre."

Kratos, Nike and Lexos' eye grew wide in surprise.

"What is thou names given at birth?"

They made their introductions, explained how they lived on the other side of the African continent. How their parents stayed out of the war and never met any of the Olympians.

"The war between the Titans an Olympians has been over for a long time. Things are better between us." He pointed to several bodies piled a few feet away from their protective fence, "See those bodies yonder? Those are the immortal enemies of the Titans and the Olympians. The Whisperers. When I found out what happened, I was informed they were here to try and take over the world of man. The devastation here was an easy way for them to take advantage."

Nike tried to get more clarification, "So, out of all the Olympians and Titans, only the three of you came? Where's the rest of you?"

Hermes took over the conversation, "Some of our people were informed. They felt it wasn't their business what happens to mortals. Others were away from Olympus and we didn't have time to track them down. We're hoping they'll be told when they get back."

Still smarting over her parent's uncaring attitude, Nike replied, "Your people are just as selfish as our parents."

The Titan, Oceanus argued, "Well, I wouldn't say all of them are like that. Only about half. Except for my wife, Tethys. I asked her to stay behind. I didn't want her anywhere near this dangerous place."

Hermes, the Olympian added, "Speaking of dangerous. The undead is not the worst thing we'll have to deal with. If we cannot stop them here, then they could become powerful enough to defeat the Olympians and Titans combined."

The trees around them were bathed in darkness and only the crackling of the fire filled the air along with their soft-spoken words. Lexos seemed bored and began to clean out his nails when the siblings turned to the king.

"I am well aware of the siblings of Alkebulan's prowess on the battlefield and encouraging the downtrodden to successful campaigns. Nike, I would ask that you head my army that will include mortals and Kratos, I will need your assistance with recruitment. Who would be better but the goddess of Victory, with the god of power and strength at her side, of course? We will need to rebuild and help society protect themselves from their enemies. Foreign and domestic."

Lexos scoffed, "What about me? I'm no weakling."

The king rested an elbow on his knee, "I'm sorry, I've never heard of you. Who are you again?"

Highly offended, he puffed out his chest and replied, "I am the god of capriciousness."

Oceanus whispered to Hermes, "I have a feeling he doesn't understand what that word means."

Hermes replied back, "I think you're right. He looks dumb. We'll have to keep an eye out for him. Nike and Kratos don't seem to see that his stupidity could put us all in danger."

Nike asked the king, "I accept your request. I have a few questions. Since we don't have our powers, how will we recognize the Whisperers?

"It's simple, they all have the mark of the Omega (ꭥ) on their forearms. We've discussed how we plan to keep our identities from becoming known. Though they may not know us from our faces, they know us from our names. And, we've decided that changing them while we are on this plane to keep us hidden was the best way. I shall be known from now on as King Ezekiel. Oceanus has chosen the name Glenn Rhee and Hermes picked Paul Jesus Rovia. They have their own reasons for why they picked those names. I have chosen because I am the king and will not give up my birthright."

He pulled a blanket over the young boy who was snuggled up on his side, fast asleep, "This young'un here is Karlakos. The Whisperers wouldn't know who he is, but he wanted to change it in honor of his new environment and new life.

"As the leader of my vanguard, I suggest you choose a name for yourselves and choose wisely"

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Key:

Michonne-Nike-Goddess of Victory.

Shane-Kratos-God of Strength and Power.

King Ezekiel-Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.

Glenn-Oceanus-Titan of the Tea.

Jesus-Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.

Jerry-Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.

Dominic-Lexos-God of Capriciousness.