This is just a personal note before kicking off the new story, thank you to everybody that has read this and a triple thanks to the ones that reviewed it! If you don't like OC's or long chapters I'm really sorry... but I'll do my best to create good characters and a good story! Let me know if I screw up or if you really like it!
Okay, no more babble, let's start...
... Kid Icarus: Revolution!
Pit looked over the realm he now called home, and he was happy with it. The damp cave had been rebuilt into a fine castle, but there was a certain humble feel about the place if you walked through it. Aside from the expansion of the gardens and the added hot springs, everything was just as he remembered it... almost.
Magnus looked at the garden, "Holy crap, how do you even grow vegetables this big?! This tomato is bigger than me!"
Gaol sweated, "Magnus, Pit is a god now, I'm pretty sure he can grow giant vegetables with a little magic..."
Pit sighed, the pair had been the first of his recruits, seeing as how Magnus was a wanted mercenary for hire and Gaol had been forced to be Hades's puppet. But boy did they have a talent for disrupting his happy, sentimental moments, "I grew them myself, without magic. I'm the one who taught Viridi how to grow plants"
Magnus didn't believe it, "Yeah, right, and I'm one hell of a ballerina dancer"
Pit was a little irritated, "Don't believe me? Go ahead, take a bite of it"
Gaol bit into it, "Oh, this is delicious!"
Pit then produced a giant tomato, sprung from his shining hand, "Now take a bite of this one"
Magnus bit into the magically-made one, then spat it out, "Blach! This taste like rust and dirt!"
Pit nodded, "Yeah, that's what battleground magic taste like. Now do you believe I grew them"
Magnus took a small bite of the tomato, then shook his head, "No way, angel face. There's no way a guy as tough as you could make something this good"
Pit hung his head, "Even as a god I don't get any credit... ah, who cares? Hades is still facing his punishment and I can finally go see Viridi!"
Gaol cocked her head to one side, "What about recruiting soldiers?"
Magnus spoke with his mouth full, "Or your other 'godly duties'? Aren't you supposed to be busy trying to impress the older gods with your hard effort?"
Pit finally had a reason to display a smug smile, "I've already recruited all the possible soldiers we can get today, I've repaired all the cities that were damaged in the war with Hades, everything is taken care of, and nothing can ruin today!"
"I see you're very adept at growing vegetables", speculated Athena, who had just teleported in, "Victoria Salvias... what a quaint name for a realm"
Pit hated himself for doing it, but he knew he would have to ask sooner or later, "Hey, Athena... what are you doing here?"
The war goddess smiled innocently, "What? I can't visit?"
"No. You may be a fair and wise goddess, but that doesn't exempt you from having an agenda"
Athena frowned, "I take offense to that"
"So you have no business with me?"
"I didn't say that"
Pit sighed, "How can I help you, Athena?"
"I have brought you a soldier in the form of a soul. Being the god you are, I would like to request that you make her a body and take her under your wing, so to speak"
"You came here to hand me a soldier... who is this soldier?"
"Aria. She was condemned to death, though she was completely innocent of the crime she'd been condemned for. She fits the criteria for your army, does she not?"
"An army you help me mold"
Athena sighed, "I won't lie, I want you to help her, Pit. It was one of the reasons I helped you"
"What was she condemned for?"
"She doesn't know. She can't remember much of anything"
"That's not an oddly familiar coincidence that would sway me emotionally"
"Damn it, Pit, just do this for me, alright?! This girl needs salvation!"
"On one condition"
"Name it"
"You stay out of it"
Athena nodded, "Understood"
"No, not just a word, I want an oath. Swear to me, upon the River Styx, that you will remain out of my sight while she serves under me, unless I specifically request that you come to see me or her"
Athena was a little shocked, "... Touchy, aren't we?"
Pit lowered his brow and squinted just a little bit, "Listen, you may see me as a pawn, but I've got brains and a heart, so eventually, one of those will have a bit of an effect on your plans. Now, I worked my ass off so that today, by the end of the day, I could go and see Viridi. Right now, you are the only thing standing between me and her, so yes, I'm a little touchy, bordering on violent or psychotic"
Athena took a step back, the smartest move to make at the time, "Okay... I swear on the River Styx, I'll let you handle it. Here", Athena placed the orb at his feet, "Good luck"
Pit picked up the orb and looked it over, "It looks normal enough..."
Magnus looked at it, "Huh, I didn't know you could put a soul in a ball like that"
Gaol looked directly at Pit, "Can we see how you make an angel? I'm curious as to how that works"
Magnus was equally curious, "Yeah, angel face, how does that work?"
Pit held the orb out in front of him, "It's simple, a god bestows their blessing upon a soul, and if the soul accepts the blessing, it becomes an angel or something of the like to that god. But that's the thing about angels, they can reject the blessings if they want"
Gaol waved her hands, "Enough explaining! Show us!"
Pit cleared his throat, then the orb floated in front of him for a moment, "I beseech you, Aria, kindred soul, you have been persicuted for a crime that you did not commit, and executed unfairly. I, Pit, god of the battlefield, wish to offer you a chance, to fight on a level stage, and earn back what was so wrongfully taken from you. Will you allow me to assist you?"
The soul shine brightly, then went around him in a circle.
"Very well. I now give you my blessing, rise, Aria, angel of the battleground!"
The soul was encompased in Pit's golden aura, before it transformed into a girl with black hair, dressed in black robes. Looking closely, her clothes were just a little too big for her, and her shy jade eyes darting all over the place revealed her suprise, "... Where... am I?"
Pit smiled, "This land is called Victoria Salvias, it's a place for people who unfairly lost their lives. I am Pit, god of this land, it's my job to help you, you are Aria, are you not?"
Aria blushed a little bit, "I... I could hear your voice... calling out to me..."
"Well, how else could I get you here? Now, as an angel, you'll need wings, oh, looks like you already have some"
Aria looked backwards to see that she did indeed have a small pair of wings that shined with a small golden glow, "Wha-What the heck?!"
"What's wrong? Do you not remember having wings?"
Aria shook her head, "No! I... I don't remember much of anything, really, just that you were calling out to me..."
Pit shrugged it off, "Well, that's not your fault, you were just reborn, you must be a little confused. Since you're just starting over, why don't we start from the beggining? What would you like me to call you?"
Aria thought it over for a second, "I don't think Aria is my name... but it sounds pretty, so it'll do for now!"
Pit nodded, "Sounds good! Is there any weapon that you like to use?"
"Weapons? Hm... I can't think of anything that stands out..."
"That could be troublesome... how about we head out to the shooting range and test a couple weapons?"
"What about Viridi?", Magnus taunted.
Pit waved his hand, "She might not like it, but she'll understand, she is a goddess, too"
Aria smiled, "Let's go shoot stuff!", her excitement was deflated as she tripped on her robe and landed on her face, "Ow..."
Pit helped her up, "Maybe you should go find a change of clothes that fit. Magnus, Gaol, you two go set up the stuff at the firing range, I'll show Aria around"
Magnus crossed his arms, "Who died and made you boss?"
Gaol grabbed Magnus by the arm, "We're on it Pit, you go on ahead"
Aria looked around the grand hall of the huge castle, "This place is so big... it feels kinda empty..."
Pit agreed, "Yeah, but soon enough, there'll be plenty of people living here. I'm a new and all, so I haven't had much time to really build an army, but don't worry, if anything shows up, I'll keep this place safe!"
"Alright. So what kind of clothes do you have here?"
"Any kind you could think of, slightly enhanced for battle, of course, but for the most part, they're pretty normal"
"Okay... did you pick what you're wearing now, or is that just a god thing?"
Pit chuckled, "It's a god thing. But, now that I think about it, I don't really get to pick the clothes I wear all that often"
"What? You're a god, why wouldn't you be able to pick your own clothes?"
"Well, before I was a god, I used to be an angel, and serving under the goddess I did, I wore pretty much the same thing the rest of her angels did. And as a god, whenever I'm working, I have to dress like this"
"Are you working now?"
"Not really, but as a god, I can't ignore my people"
"So... I'm your people?"
"Yeah"
"That's... really sorta weird"
"I know what you mean. But don't think of it as I own you, because I really don't, you can leave whenever you want. It's more like you work for me, but I care about you a lot more than a regular boss. That make sense?"
"... More than it did before... still not a whole lot"
"A lot of things don't make a whole lot of sense. Ah, here we go, the clothes room", Pit opened the door to reveal a room the size of a mall, filled with nothing but clothes, "So, what do you want to try on first?"
"Oh... my... gods...", Aria was dazed by the numerous outfits, "Is this the Labyrinth?"
"No, my father built that. This is just a place where we store the clothes that are encompassed by my domain"
"Why didn't you tell me you had a new angel-", Viridi stormed in, then stopped speaking when she saw the entirety of the room.
Pit attempted to acquaint them, "Aria, this is Viridi, the goddess of nature, Viridi, this is Aria, my newest soldier"
The two girls looked at each other for a brief moment, then rushed around like kids on a sugar rush, "Look at all of these!"
Pit smiled, "Go ahead, I'll just wait here while you two look around"
After a few hours of picking out clothes, Viridi had tried on almost every outfit, enjoying the fact she actually had time with Pit mostly to herself. Every now and then, Pit would pick an outfit for both Viridi and Aria. Viridi had taken a couple outfits for herself, but Aria just couldn't seem to find one she wanted to keep.
Aria hung her head in despair, "Ugh..."
Pit patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll find one for you"
She looked at him quizzically, "What did you wear as an angel? Can I see it?"
Viridi crossed her arms, "Yeah, Pit, where is the old uniform? I don't think you'd have thrown it away"
Pit rubbed the back of his head, "It's really nothing special, just a white toga..."
Viridi leaned closer, "Why don't you just show it to us, then, Pit? Did you hide it with something really embarrassing?"
Pit held his hands up, "N-Nothing like that! Here", he snapped his fingers and the plain toga appeared in front of him, "This is it. It's not much really"
Aria took it in her hands, "Mind if I try it on?"
"Um... could I just make you an exact copy of it?"
"Why can't I try this one?"
"Because... I wore that one, and it holds a bunch of special memories"
"Okay, then hurry up and make a copy of it"
Pit snapped his fingers and the outfit was instantly copied, the original placed in Pit's hands, "Thanks"
"I'm gonna go try it on!"
Viridi watched until Aria was out of sight, then grabbed the original outfit using two fingers, "... I want to try this one on"
Pit raised his eyebrow, "Why?"
Viridi got red in the face, "I just do, okay?!"
Pit gave way to an evil grin as he leaned in to whisper into Viridi's ear, "You just want to wear it, don't you?"
Viridi was blushing furiously, and although she was pouting, she didn't let go of the outfit, "J-Just give me the stupid toga..."
"You'll keep it, I know you will"
Right before Pit could lean in a little closer, Aria shouted as she re-entered the room, "Hey, Pit! Check it out, it fits perfectly!"
A little upset that she'd ruined the moment, Pit was still patient with her and realized that the toga did suit her well, "You look nice in it, are you sure that's what you want to wear, though?"
Aria smiled, "Why not? Maybe I'll even be a strong angel like were you someday!"
Viridi smiled, "I don't know about that, but it does look good on you"
Pit decided it would be best if he quickly broke up the conversation before Aria decided she wanted to find a different outfit, "So, you have any idea what kind of weapon you might want to use?"
Aria put her finger to her chin, "Hm... nope. Sorry, got anything for beginners?"
Magnus was pissed, "What the hell took you so long?!"
Pit looked at Magnus with disappointment, "I took a girl to pick out clothes, what do you think happened?"
He let go of his anger, "Good point. Hey, what's Viridi doing here?"
"She decided to visit, since she had some spare time"
"You two get into it while the new girl was off picking clothes?", Magnus teased playfully.
Pit was in no mood to play shy and innocent, "No. Did you get all of the weapons set up?"
Gaol nodded, "Yes. So where is Aria?"
Aria ran to Pit's side, "I'm right here!"
Magnus and Gaol just stared at her for a moment. Magnus spoke up first, "Isn't that the same outfit you used to wear, angel face?"
"Don't worry, I picked it, he didn't make me wear it", she reassured them, "Besides, it's already made to fit my wings!"
Gaol shook off her disbelief and held out a sword, "Here, this is the best handling sword we have. It's not very powerful, but it'll give you a general idea of how to use it"
Aria took the blade in her hand and attempted to use it. After a little practice, she got the hang of it, not doing terrible, but not blowing Pit's mind, either. Pit nodded, "Not bad for a first time. Any other weapon you want to try?"
Viridi pointed at the bow, "Think she might like that one?"
"Maybe, why don't you try it out?"
Aria tried to shoot with the bow, but her aim couldn't have been worse. She didn't hit a single target, "I don't think I'm good with this one..."
Pit shrugged, "We can't all be archers. What about some orbiters?"
"Orbiters?"
Pit provided two golden orbiters in the shape of a bow and arrow, each of them just big enough to cover the palm of his hand, "These are ones I made myself, they're designed to have better accuracy and they'll shoot at a single point. Since most orbiters don't do this, these'll be perfect for a newbie. The power's good, but the charge shot takes forever"
"Charge shot?"
"Don't worry about it, just give them a try"
Aria did alright with them, about as good as she did with the blade, "It's okay... but is there something... I don't know, faster? Something I can aim with easily?"
Viridi held her index finger up, "How about a palm?"
"A palm?"
Pit held out his own arm, as the golden tattoos coiled around it, "They're like tattoos, they allow the user to fire orbs of energy using their life force"
"Does that mean I'm shooting my life away with those things?!"
"No, of course not. I promise, they're perfectly safe to use. Between staring down a boss with a palm and staring down a room full of regular enemies weaponless, the palm is the safer of the options"
"So... do you have to poke me with a needle... or how do these go on?"
Pit opened his hand as a ball of golden energy formed in it, "Here, catch"
He tossed it to Aria, who caught it in her hands, only to watch it spread over her arm and form a tattoo over her arm, "Whoa! That didn't hurt at all!"
"That's the hot-shot palm. The homing ability on it has been cut down a lot, but it makes up for it in power, not to mention speed and piercing. Give it a try"
Aria pointed her palm at the targets, and hit each one with ease, "Cool!"
"Those were still targets, why don't you try some of the ones that move?", Pit pointed to the floating eye-creatures, "These are replications of some underwold baddies, some of them move normally, but others are very strange. Good luck!"
Aria nodded, then looked at all of them, "... I can see it... Now!", with a single charged shot, she managed to take all ten of them out with a single blast shot, the orbs slightly curved path taking them all out, "That was so awesome! Did you see that, Pit?!"
Pit nodded, "You did great, Aria! How did you know when to shoot?"
"I dunno, I just realized that they were all moving in some kind of pattern, then it just clicked!"
Magnus was nodding his head, "I gotta admit, I set them all up to move in a pattern, but I didn't see that they would all line up like that. Good job, little girl"
Gaol was a little surprised, "I didn't see the shot, either. Well done"
Viridi smiled, "It looks like you have a capable angel on your hands here, Pit"
Pit sighed, "I really need one..."
Aria was excited, "Wow! So, is there anything else we're doing today?"
Pit looked into her innocent puppy eyes and knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, she might cry, "I've got something. Aria, do your wings work?"
Aria cocked her head to the side, "I don't think so... I mean, I can move them a little, but I can't seriously flap them, and they're a little small...", she frowned as her wings sagged a little.
Pit's grin grew from ear to ear, "How would you like to fly?"
"Fly? That would be amazing! But... my wings don't work..."
"What if I told you I knew how to fix that?"
Her wings perked up with her pitch, "Really?!"
"Really. I used to have the same problem, as an angel, but I overcame it, with a little help. C'mon"
Pit led her and everyone else to a ledge, below them was a vast drop to an endless ocean, which made Aria nervous, "Um... you aren't going to push me off, are you?"
Pit laughed, "Ha ha! No, I wouldn't do that to you. In order for this to work, I need you to jump"
"What?!"
"As your god, I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe and well. While there's a lot I can do, sometimes, I need something to help me, something only you can provide"
"Something only I can provide?"
"Faith. If you believe in me, the same way I believe in you, the gateway between your heart and mine will burst open. You need to have faith that I'll do what's best for you, just as I have to have faith that you'll do what I say. Are you ready to trust me?"
"...", Aria was thrown a little bit, while it was true that he had done a good deal of things for her, to place her life into his hands so casually, "... You promise not to let me fall?"
Pit held out the smallest finger on his hand, "Pinky swear"
Aria locked pinkies with him, "Okay... I believe in you... here I go!", with a single moment's hesitation, she dove off the edge and screamed, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
She could hear his voice in her head, "Don't be afraid. The sky is a vast place, and you could easily get lost, but I'll guide you, show you the way. Now open your eyes, and see what awaits you"
Aria slowly removed her hands from her eyes and saw the ocean beneath her, only it wasn't moving towards her, she was gliding over it. Looking at her reflection as it moved over the water, she saw that her wings had grown in size and now sparkled, "Whoa... is that... me?"
"Yeah, it was always you, just waiting to break free and soar with the wind. Nothing can hold you down now. This is my gift to you, Aria, it's called the Power of Flight"
Aria ran her hand over the water, then began doing loopty-loops in the air, "This is the greatest gift of my life! Whoo-hoo! I can fly! I wish I could fly like this forever!"
"Sorry. Although the time's been extended, this power still only lasts about ten minutes. Don't worry, I can grant it to you as many times as you need. Just don't use it twice in the same hour. If we violate either of these rules, your wings will burn up, but I'll be carefully planning your routes so that doesn't happen and so that you can focus on shooting bad guys"
"Bad guys can fly?"
"Yep. Ahead of you should be some practice copies, try taking them out"
Using her palm and her uncanny timing, she made short work of thirty dummies with three shots in a matter of a minute while avoiding their fire, "That... rocked! Please tell me you saw that!"
"I saw it all, Aria. You've got quite the eye for group shots. Why don't you head back and I'll show you one more thing before we call it a day?"
Aria nodded, "Sounds good, and Pit? Thank you, for being my god, I don't know if I'll ever remember the rest of my memories, but if not, I'll be okay! I can still make memories, and so far, this day's been one I'll never forget!"
Pit smiled as she landed before him, "No problem, that's what gods should do"
Magnus tilted his head back, "Hey, angel face, how come you didn't give me the power of flight?"
"Easy. I know that you believe in me, so as of right now, there's no need to test it. If you ever need it, I'll make sure you have it. But as of right now, I think you'll be fine, Magnus"
Gaol smiled, "So what else are we going to do today?"
"Why don't we hit the hot springs? Then we can do a thorough tour of the castle"
Viridi sighed, "You just want to go to the hot springs, don't you, Pit?"
"At least he still has some of the lovable idiot traits I remember", Phosphora scoffed as she landed a few feet away from them, riding a lightning bolt, of course.
Pit motioned to Phosphora as he spoke to Aria, "Aria, this is Phosphora, my sister, also with the goddess of lightning. Phosphora, this is Aria, she's a new angel"
Phosphora looked Aria over, "Not bad... I'd say she pulls off the outfit just as well as you did, Pit"
Aria smiled nervously, "Um... thank you?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, my brother's as cute as a button on a teddy bear's nose, it's just that since the clothes are a little big on you, they make you look cuter than you usually would"
Pit scratched the back of his head and tried to change the subject, "So, shall we go to the hot springs?"
Viridi nodded, "Yes, let's do that!"
Pit sighed with relief as he eased into the hot spring, "Ah... this is great..."
Magnus raised an eyebrow, "You really love hot springs, don't you?"
"Why on earth wouldn't I?"
"I gotta admit, this particular spring seems to be very... soothing"
"A state of calm mind and relaxation is a battle against tension. And since I made this hot spring in the favor of relaxation, it is just right..."
"I don't care what B.S. you made up to partially be the god of hot springs, this is a good one"
"Ah... if only I never had to leave..."
Aria had shied away from the steaming pool at first, but once she got in, she convinced herself she was never going to leave, "Do all gods have hot springs like this?"
Viridi shook her head, "No. Pit's a little spoiled when it comes to hot springs, he somehow finds them in the most bizarre places. Even before he was a god, he found one in the underworld, the chaos vortex, Hades's stomach, the Reaper fortress... am I forgetting anywhere?"
Phosphora shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I'd bet there was at least one at Skyworld"
"Oh yeah, Palutena would've had to have one, even if she didn't let him use it"
Aria tilted her head to one side, "Who's Palutena?"
"I forget that you know nothing. Palutena is the goddess of light, she was the goddess Pit served under before he became a god. Due to a bunch of... weird circumstances, she's rebuilding the parts of her domain that were destroyed, but she'll be fine"
"You think Pit ever misses her?"
"He can visit her whenever he wants"
"Yeah, but he's probably really busy lately, just becoming a god and all"
"Well... yeah, but that'll change. He'll get things set up and it'll run smoothly, then he can do whatever he wants. But if he spends all his time here and doesn't visit me, I'm gonna kill him"
Aria sunk into the water, "If I could I'd spend all day in here... this is heavenly..."
Gaol smiled, "Looks like Pit isn't the only hot spring maniac around here"
"I don't care what you say, this place is the best... I'm never leaving"
Magnus shouted over the wall, "Hey, I managed to drag Pit out of this side! Let's go before he gets back in!"
Gaol patted Aria's back, "C'mon, let's go"
Aria hugged the rock tighter, "Five more minutes..."
Viridi grabbed her shoulder and started tugging, "Let's go! Before he decides to stay longer!"
Now all three of them were trying to pry Aria off the rock, "Nooooo..."
After both Pit and Aria had received a long-winded speech from Phosphora, they continued on to tour the castle. When they finally finished looking around, Pit had gotten everyone to sit down around the dinner table as he finished cooking.
While he was off in the kitchen, everyone else decided to talk to Aria, starting with Gaol, "So, do you like it here?"
Aria nodded, "It's very nice"
Phosphora scoffed, "Especially the hot springs, right?"
"Yes, especially the hot springs... and the wardrobe"
"Wardrobe?"
Viridi shook her hand, "I'll show you later. Aria, how does it feel to be an angel?"
"I dunno. I guess I feel normal"
"You don't feel like Pit's always watching you?"
"That... would be really creepy"
"Well, as your god, he's supposed to watch over you"
Gaol waved her hand through the air, "Viridi, stop teasing her, you know that Pit respects people's privacy and does nothing like what you're implying"
"I know. I was just playing with her"
Magnus looked over his shoulder, "Is angel face ever gonna come out of that kitchen?"
"I'll go get him", Viridi stood up.
Magnus threw a fork into the wall beside her without looking, "Hell no, I asked because I wanted him to hurry up, not so you could have an excuse to sneak off and go be with him alone. He's going slow enough as it is"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Oh, please, like we're that dumb!", Phosphora scoffed, "We all know that you just want an excuse to be alone with him!"
"S-Shut up!"
Pit walked in carrying several trays of food, "Sorry it took so long!"
Once he placed everything around the table, everyone started eating. Aria looked at Pit quizzically, "Hey, Pit?"
Pit looked up and swallowed before he spoke, "Yes, Aria?"
"Do you... like Viridi?"
"No... I love her. Why?"
Aria waved her hands in the air, "I was just curious, is all"
Phosphora misread the situation, "Don't you turn into one of those gods like Zeus, you hear me, Pit?!"
Pit held his hands up defensively, "No, I would never-"
Viridi got up and pointed at Pit, "Is that why you cancelled?! Because this new angel girl is here?!"
"What, no, I-", Viridi stormed off, "Viridi!"
Magnus watched until Viridi was out of sight, "Nice try, angel face, but you won't fool me"
Gaol shook her head, "That was almost embarrassing, as a spy, I should know"
Aria frowned, "Was it really that bad? I thought I pulled it off pretty well..."
Gaol tried to console Aria, "No, no, the acting was fine. Gods always have good acting when they try to make their relationships less public. It's just that neither of us would believe it"
Magnus scoffed, "The two of you just got together, and trust me, nobody would believe that you'd do half the things Zeus has done, angel face"
Pit scratched the back of his head, "Had to try, right?"
Phosphora nodded, "It's good practice. Not that you'll fool anyone who knows you and Viridi. Go get her, tiger"
Pit nodded and then ran off. Aria cocked her head to the side, "Do all the gods keep their personal relationships private?"
"They're supposed to. It doesn't usually matter, but if one god declares war on another, it's best that the other gods don't know who's doing what with who"
"Ah. Okay, that makes sense"
Phosphora took a bite of her food, "Hm... Pit's actually a good cook"
Magnus swallowed another mouthful of food, "He's gotta be doing something with magic. I swear he is, he can't be this good of a cook"
Viridi looked at Pit with a little anticipation, "Did they fall for it?"
Pit shook his head, "Nope. They couldn't believe for a second that you and I would do something like that"
"Well... I guess that's okay"
Pit sat down beside her and started rubbing her shoulders, "You wanted the plan to work, but the reason it didn't doesn't bother you. I couldn't care less if it worked or not"
"Why not?"
Pit smiled as he whispered into her ear, "Because either way, it's just you and me, no distractions... no worries... no cares..."
The two of them locked lips until their lungs demanded air, "You know what? I don't care either..."
She wrapped her arms around him and was about to pull him in for more when the door swung open, Phosphora rushing in, "Pit, you need to see this-...", she turned away with a blush, "Sorry, this is important"
Pit groaned, "It had better be"
Pit looked at the massive amount of underworld soldiers heading towards his island. Pit cracked his knuckles and turned around to look at his troops and guests, "Close your eyes, all of you, this is about to get messy"
Everyone did as instructed, but they could still hear the sound of explosions and the vibrations of the air. Whatever was going on in the distance, it was heavy, and there was plenty of it. Aria whispered to Gaol when she was sure the noise had stopped, "Can we open our eyes now?"
Pit sighed, "Go ahead"
The entire group saw not a single underworld baddie as far as their eyes could see. Viridi spoke first, "You don't think-"
"It was. It had to have been. Who else would have a grudge against a new god?"
Aria raised an eyebrow, "Who are you talking about?"
Pit pointed backwards, "Ten bucks says that he'll start ranting... now"
Sure enough, the god of the underworld stood in the distance, larger than a mountain, "Oh, Pityyyyyyyyy! I'm back!"
Pit crossed his arms and turned around, "You've got some nerve, Hades, sending your troops into the home of a god"
"Oh, Pity, you're barely out of your diapers. Besides, it's not like I could come see you in person"
"Well, now that I can blow you away without a sacred treasure, it would make visiting a little inconvenient. What do you want, Hades?"
"What do you think, Pity? I want your head, preferably on a stick or separated from the rest of your body"
"Really? There's nothing else on the list?"
"Well, your head, Viridi's, Palutena's... the world, the world over the world, I already have the underworld... maybe a pony, one that isn't already dead"
"You behave yourself Hades, or I'll be there to take you down, count on it"
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, Pity, did you not read the fine print when you signed on to be a god? Let me break it down for you. A god alone cannot challenge another god. Should the two start a war, the only ones doing the fighting will be their armies, unless a champion of the respective god challenges his opponent. It's a good thing my army is stocked and ready at all times"
Pit ground his teeth, he knew Hades was right, "Who says I don't have a champion?"
"Oh, please! I know both Gaol and Magnus's every move and weakness! Since both of them were mortals until very recently, they've had no time to learn any new tricks, Pity! You're a fish in a barrel! All I have to do is take aim!"
Aria took a step forward, "I'm his champion!"
"Just what are you?"
"I am Aria! Angel of the god Pit! And I'll take you down, Hades!"
Hades burst into laughter, "Ha ha ha ha ha! You?! You're nothing more than a speck in my eyes. You'll be dead before you even reach the underworld! Minions, go!"
Another horde of underworld baddies were released into the air, Aria stepped forward, equipping her palm, "Bring it on!"
She dove off the side of the cliff as her wings grew larger and Pit spoke into her mind, "Aria, what are you doing?!"
"I've got this, I won't let him destroy my new home! With you to guide me, I can't lose!"
"This is serious Aria, these aren't the test targets, they'll resort to dirty tricks and won't stop until they've won or they've been blasted out of the sky"
"Then let's get to work!", Pit flew her straight through the horde, and watched as she proceeded to take out the enemies in groups of twenty with each shot, "Pit, I've got an idea! Can you increase my speed?"
"Why, what's the plan?"
"Trust me!"
Pit increased her speed to mach 2, "I hope you know what you're doing"
Aria weaved in and out of the baddies, leaving a trail of orbs until she switched directions and began a new one. Once she zoomed out of the cloud, she shot a charged shot into the middle, "This is it!"
Just as she'd called it, every orb she'd placed exploded at the same time, blasting every monster into a black flame that vanished. "Not bad, for a puny speck. I'll have to be a little more forceful in my next attack. Until then, bye-bye, Pity!"
Hades vanished as Aria landed, "That's right, Hades, you better run!"
Pit patted Aria's shoulder, "Great job out there, I'd bet you're tired"
Aria started to fall from exhaustion, "Just a lot..."
Pit smiled as he picked her up, her head rested on his shoulder, "Guess I have a champion. Here", he handed her to Magnus, "Take her to her room. She needs to rest and I need to get busy working on preparations for the war with Hades"
Viridi frowned, "It's not going to be easy, is it?"
Pit shared her concern, "No... but we'll pull through"
"Your new champion reminds me of someone"
"Really, who?"
"Just this kid I used to know... plenty of heart, a decent amount of strength, not too much brains, though"
"You don't say?"
"I used to think he couldn't have done anything to surprise me"
"What about now?"
"Oh, now I'm sure that he could change the world. Maybe she'll do great things, too"
"I'm sure she will, I just hope that I'm the god she'll need to do them"
"You worry too much!"
Pit smiled as he looked across the horizon, then sat down in the grass, "I do. Care to join me?"
Viridi sat down, "Guess our day together got derailed, huh?"
"Just a little bit. Things will get crazier now that Hades is back"
"Sadly"
"But hey, we've got right now, don't we?"
Viridi smiled, "I'll take what I can get"
