Imperial Apocalypse
Part Four: World War III
The Gods Themselves
As the ship neared Taiwan, Chinese MiG jets bombed the fleet, trying to stop the Americans from invading Taiwan. As they got closer, the attacks got desperate. Daniel took shelter from the heavy rains and lightning in a hangar with his battalion. It seemed that the gods were setting the scene for the first of many dark battles. The ship was continually rocked by large waves, as if Neptune himself were trying to stop the Americans from invading. Maybe the gods knew something that Daniel and the Americans didn't. A large lightning bolt struck the ship and Daniel was knocked back, unconscious, and onto the floor.
The Vision
"Daniel? Daniel? Is he okay? What did you do to him!" Daniel slowly opened his eyes and looked around for the source of the voice. He saw four men and a teenage girl. "As far as I know, I don't have any teenagers in my battalion." Daniel said, "Are you sure he's okay?" the girl asked, "Like, does he know where he is and who we are?" "Ah, yes. Daniel? I am Zeus; this is Apollo, Ares, and Neptune. Also, this is Athena." "What the Hell? Wait. Who are you again?" Daniel said, shocked, "If you're Greek Gods, does that mean that I'm in Greece?" "No. That means that we're Greek Gods. But enough with introductions. We need to tell you that the Chinese are planning to hit Taiwan with an atom bomb when you begin the invasion. That, and Athena wants a boyfriend" "Okay, invasion is cancelled, and Athena, you're with me. Can I go back now to warn my friends?" "Here is something for you, Daniel." Zeus gave Daniel a large, titanium sword that had a few different symbols carved into it and a several hundred glowing lines running in strange patterns set into the titanium. The sword itself was colored a chrome color. "What is it?" asked Daniel, "Not your average rifle. It fires a self-accelerating round that will home in on the target and incinerate them on the spot." said Zeus, "That's some dark stuff. I like it." replied Daniel. He was then knocked out and sent back to the US Navy ship.
End of Vision
Daniel stood up and saw that the sword was leaning on a wall near him. He grabbed it and walked over to his soldiers, who were surrounding something. "Daniel! Over here!" "Athena?" "Still here!" Daniel parted his soldiers, took Athena's hand and they walked up to the ship's bridge.
"Captain? Captain? Are you still here?" Daniel said to an empty bridge. "Maybe he's not here anymore." Athena replied, "Or he's dead." Daniel said, referring to the dead bodies with hundreds of small, glowing spiders flowing out of the wounds, "Come on, let's get the Hell out of here. This doesn't feel right." Daniel stated as he pulled Athena toward the door.
The two sprinted into the hangar where the battalion was fighting the spiders. "Like my new weapon?" Daniel turned to see a robed, hooded figure moving toward him. The spiders ran over to him and covered him. He grew in size quickly. "There are plenty more of us. You just have to know where to look." Daniel unsheathed his sword and yelled, "I would like to know the name of my latest kill." "Oh, I will not be the one who is dead, young Daniel. In fact, you will not be dead either. You shall rule beside me as the Prince of Shadows." "I will accept your offer when I know who you are." "Why must you know my name, when I reside inside of you?" "The one who resides in me is God." "How do you know I'm not God?" "How do you know I'm Daniel" "Because I am Hades, The King of Hell!" "Thank you for finally telling me your name." "Hey, are you two done yet? The battle has started and I just want to go fight." said Athena. The two glared at each other for a few minutes before saying in unison, "Now, we are done." Hades threw a solid black hooded robe to Daniel before fading away. Daniel donned the robe and immediately felt the power rush into him.
Daniel sheathed his sword and grabbed his rifle and pistol, plus a round shield that had been given to him by Neptune. "Leave the guns. You only need me, your shield and your sword." Athena told him, already wearing armor and wielding a short sword. "What did I miss?" Daniel turned to see Ares walk up to him. Ares had a long sword and no armor. Daniel told the battalion to go secure the beach with the rest of the army. Another two voices told Daniel that more people were joining his team. Daniel looked over to see Neptune and Apollo run up. "Here, you need this Daniel." Apollo gave him a war horse that looked to be more mechanical than living. "You already know how to ride it." Daniel got on and it knew where Daniel wanted to go, how fast and what he was thinking. "Have you not given him enough already? He needs one more thing, something that is not materialistic. Daniel, I give you the gifts of strength, courage, power and speed. With these, you shall win any battle." Daniel looked over his shoulder to see Zeus appear before him. "Now the rest of you, with the exception of Athena may leave." The others left and only Daniel, Athena and Zeus stayed. "Daniel, if you ever need help, call on us and we will fight for you. World War III will not be the end of one world, but of another." Zeus faded away and Daniel ordered his horse to take him into the fray. Daniel could see several Stormtroopers march off into the distance. He was sure that it was a sign of things to come.