"Minato-san?" Drew pulled on the yokai's neck, the one that separated the human head from the snake torso, to signal it to stop. That was definitely her classmate alright. He was still wearing his school uniform; the same aloof and nonchalant look on his face. He rode on what was probably a bird-yokai but something tells her it wasn't a yokai. Behind them, they were being chased by... yokai? Are those yokai?
Her classmate's eyes met hers, and they widened in surprise. "Tanaka-san? What're you-" The bird-thing he rode on did a u-turn and flapped it's wings. A gust of wind, no, it's too strong to be consider a gust, formed and reduced those yokai(?) into... those aren't dust.
When a monster is defeated, no matter what pantheon, when it's supernatural, if it dies it explodes into piles of dust. Or sand. Or dirt. Or something that was definitely solid.
Those bird-like monsters didn't turn to dust. They turned to black gas that simply dissipated into the air.
Minato and his mount flew to Drew. "You need to get away from here." He paused. "Is that Kenta? What happened?"
Drew checked up on her friend again, before turning to Minato. "I was supposed to drop Kenta off to a hospital but strong winds started to pick up."
Minato looked like he was caught red-handed. "That might have been me. Or rather, this guy." He pointed at his mount.
The mount, with a beak for a mouth, looked at Drew before giving a snort and making an unimpressed look.
Drew wanted to bite back but something about what he said caught her attention, "What do you mean you have something to do with the strong winds? Your powers are ice-based."
Minato looked sheepish. "Not exactly."
Drew found herself exasperated by his aloofness and said, "You know what, I don't have time for this. I need to bring Kenta to a doctor. He's been unconscious for far too long."
That got Minato's attention. "Really?" He signaled the mount to fly a little lower to meet their unconscious schoolmate. "That is...abnormal."
He looked at Drew, "Would you mind if I wake him up?"
She shrugged. "Go ahead." Like you could.
Minato didn't see her face because he closed his eyes and concentrated. "Amrita."
The unconscious body in front of Drew shone a bright light before... nothing. And something. The boy stirred.
"Urgh..." Kenta's groan was pained. He was lying stomach first into the snake-like body of the itsumade, his limbs dangling in the air.
With wide eyes, Drew immediately check-up on her classmate. "Kenta-kun, can you hear me?"
He grunted yes.
"Do me a favor and don't open your eyes." Her voice was tender. He was her friend. And as her friend, she didn't want him to suffer. Because a mortal being shown supernatural things left the mind scarred. "Can you do that?"
A moment of pause before a groan. Also a yes. Drew knew Kenta that well.
"Thank you, I promise I'll explain it to you as soon as it's safe." Her gaze on the boy was caring and gingerly, before her eyes hardened and met Minato's.
"What did you do?"
The boy raised both hands, "I don't know, I'm surprise it even worked."
"Liar! You will tell me what you did to Kenta."
For a moment, Minato's body froze, and his mouth trembled, as if wanting to follow her orders. Then Minato's body relaxed and... broke free from the compulsion?!
"Wha-"
A monstrous wail was heard from the distance.
"Drew, you need to get out of here." Minato acted like breaking her compulsion was nothing. That it didn't happen.
From the distance, more of those bird-like monsters appeared. Now that Drew had time to process what she was looking at, she was finding those monsters more and more repulsive to look at.
They weren't disgusting-looking, mind you, but the feeling they gave off made the small hairs on her body stand. Her godly-heritage acted up too. It made her want to take them head on. Be heroic! The instinct told her.
Demi-gods trained for moments like this...
"Drew, get away. Now!"
Well, if Minato was shouldering the responsibility, then...
"Not so fast."
A beauty. Dark-haired with elfin features and dressed in Greek garbs and carrying a distaff, this woman had a familiar vibe. Especially since she spoke in English in an American accent. Her beauty was perverted by her sneer and a nasty-looking tattoo on her forehead.
"For as long as I don't get to hurt Medea, I'm more than okay with anything."
"What are you doing here?" Information about her was strictly between Head Counselors, and being one (albeit for a short period) made Drew recognized the woman: "Circe."
It's unmistakable, despite that tattoo, this was definitely that mythological figure.
Said woman turned to Drew, looked at her for a moment before saying, "A daughter of Aphrodite. Shoo!" She made a shooing action. "Go back to fighting over who's prettiest." Circe giggled at her own joke.
"What's going on?" this came from Kenta's voice.
Without Drew realizing, Kenta had turned around and sat upright. His back was facing her so Drew couldn't have seen his face.
But Circe must have met Kenta's eyes because it widened.
The woman screamed, "Eww! A boy!" And with a flick of her distaff, Kenta's body started to morph. The limbs shrunk first, turning into a ball. The clump-like flesh that was Kenta fell on the floor, clothes and all.
A bundle was moving in the clothes of Kenta. Followed by an oink.
Her fake was still the same, hideous as always. But this time, the fake was protected by Circe and (according to Minato) [Shadows]. Those not-bird monsters.
It was still an aerial battle, still a battle with them outnumbered, but strangely, Medea felt like she could handle them.
Medea called out to Minato. "Leave the fake, and focus on Circe. Breaking Circe from her mind control should be our priority. We do that, she'll help us. Actually, that's dangerous, leave them to me." And even if Circe didn't want to, all I have to do is cash in a favor. Circe liked her after all. "While I'm doing that, try too keep the mobs away from me."
Medea pressed on, using her sun dragons to literally blaze a path to the monster. Behind her, Minato covered her blind spots by sniping the unfortunate shadow that got too close with exploding balls of fire. Garuda took to controlling the mob, with his speed and strong winds.
Despite this, the onslaught was intense. Circe, daughter of Magic, was in battle. Circe and the fake proved to be a duo that was near-unbeatable. Magic was something Circe excelled in - more so than Medea. Against Circe, Medea was defensive. Medea and Minato tried to create an advantageous situation, but that's where the shadows came in: they acted as a linchpin that kept the momentum in the fake's favor.
Despite being motivated, Medea had to concede that they were fighting a losing battle. Attrition always favored those who had more, and these shadows while weak were too many that it posed a threat.
The fake summoned another array of magical sigils and fired lasers of doom that destroyed the landscape into a barren wasteland. A nearby forest caught fire and plains that were once flat became cratered and barren.
Somehow during the fake's onslaught, Medea and Minato got separated. Circe was gone too, no doubt fighting Minato somewhere, leaving Medea to handle the fake. The fake and her mob, I mean.
I hope Minato's safe. He shouldn't be fighting Circe alone.
Kenta turned into a piglet. A twirly-tailed, black-spotted pink piglet, small enough that he looked like a plush toy. The piglet wobbled, and slipped on the scales of the itsumade they rode on. "Kenta!" The female demigod's reflexes kicked in and caught the boy-turned-piglet.
The demigod suspected that Kenta was self-aware of his predicament (to some extent) because his piglet form immediately nuzzled his nose into Drew's arms rather affectionately.
Minato reacted too late in that Circe had finished the deed and had flown away to a safe distance when he was in front of his schoolmates.
"Turn him back." Minato told Circe.
The goddess, childishly blew raspberries. "Make me." She swished her distaff again, and this time, it was Minato who was affected. His limbs shrunk in size, followed by-
Drew hugged Kenta's bewitched form. "Turn them back."
Circe turned, the compulsion shrugged off easily, to Drew, "Oh? Want me to turn your boyfriends back? Is the little Aphrodite demigod throwing a tantrum? Do you want mommy to-ack!"
A fireball was hurled to her face. It was weak that it only left her with soot on her face, but potent enough that it distracted Circe.
To the side, Minato was okay. Reforming back into a human.
"I said, turn him back."
The goddess tilted her head, looked at Minato's un-bewitched form, tsk-ed for a second, and waved her hand.
"No! Kenta!" The piglet was yanked telekinetically from Drew's arms and into Circe's.
Circe winked. "Better catch me first!"
Drew failed to keep up: the mount of Minato was so fast, their flight broke the sound barrier. The air collapsed under the sheer speed of it's flight that by a few seconds after Kenta was gone, and Minato had started to chase after Circe, they were already a speck in the horizon.
That didn't stop Drew from chasing after them though.
"You! Become fast!" Another cheat-power she was able to do. Charmspeak has it's limits, yes, but it's power lies on the fact that it can break the limitations of others. Drew has mastered it in a way that not only can she break limitations, she can also exceed it.
So when she ordered the yokai, an itsumade of simple yet considerable speed, to become fast, the yokai's speed became comparable, if not, weaker than that of a fighter jet. Might be faster too.
Her godly-heritage wasn't strong enough to withstand such speeds, so she too used Charmspeak on herself. "Harden. Withstand. Strengthen."
With her body empowered, her mount buffed, she followed suit. She did find it hard to breathe through these speeds but she'll withstand it for her friend.
"Medea! Medea! Look!"
Circe was so happy to be near Medea again. She's been such a sourpuss as of late. Maybe this cute little piggy would bring her out of her funk.
Her pet birdies are all pretty too! Maybe she should pet them?
Medea look on as Circe handed a small pig to the fake.
The goddess emerged from a portal, looking smug and happy, carrying the animal, and showed it to the fake.
Circe... was she this childish?
Oh. Mind control.
From behind, an explosion was heard, followed by strong winds. Minato appeared, still atop Garuda. "Return my friend."
Another explosion, this one weaker than before.
A girl appeared. Straight black hair, beautiful, slim and waif-y. Child of Aphrodite. Medea wrestled the annoyance that emerged from seeing the child. Or more specifically, her hate towards the mother of the child. "Give Kenta back!" In the child's hysteria, she was speaking in Ancient Greek.
The fake looked at the pig, then to Circe, then settled her eyes on the teenaged girl.
Wait, if I don't like Aphrodite, and my fake sees her-oh no!
"ChIlD oF aPhRoDiTe! HaTe! hAtE! HaTe YoU! DiE! dIe! DiE!"
Circe tried to placate the rampaging fake. "Medea, Medea calm down! Look at this piggy, it's cute no?"
"ApHrOdItE! CuRsE yOu! DeAtH iS tOo taMe FoR tHe LiKeS oF yOu!"
The monster let out a wail that surprised the goddess. Due to her surprise, the goddess dropped the piglet, hundreds of feet in the air.
"No! Kenta!" Drew acted in an instant. She ordered the yokai to dive down and fetch the falling piglet.
"YoU wIlL nOt GeT aWaY fRoM mE, cHiLd Of ApHrOdITe!"
The fake summoned more magical sigils and rained down lasers of doom.
It connected, the itsumade burst into dust, and the girl started falling as well.
The last thing Medea heard from the girl was her yelling "MOM!" at the top of her lungs.
Aphrodite could only watched as her daughter fell to her doom. Her power manifested in her palms. It was a simple-huh?
Her powers failed. Something was jamming with her magic.
She looked up. Circe.
That didn't stop her. She summoned flocks of doves to act as a buffer for Drew's fall, only to be met with... what are those birds?
The sight of her falling child gave her tunnel vision, but once those not-birds appeared, she saw the bigger picture.
Aggression pact be damned but... Medea? An Indian god? And... what is that?
Drew only had eyes on her friend. Kenta was descending too fast and meeting the surface simply spelled his doom.
Please...
Please...
Please save my friend.
Then she heard the sound of the air breaking, a pair of arms grabbing hold of her. She didn't see who it was because her eyes were shut when she heard the explosion.
That was the last thing she recalled before everything turned black.
This has gone far enough. Garuda was more than adequate in handling the mobs and threat but all of these random things popping up made the situation spiral out of control.
In a way, Minato cursed at himself for his folly.
It was becoming more and more apparent that a single Persona, while more than capable, while powerful, was not enough.
"Garuda, is it okay?" he asked. He knew that Garuda knew what he meant.
The Persona sighed before nodding. "I am your wings. It is of no consequence to me."
A lie, more to himself than to Minato, because while these Persona were him, they were also very distinct from Minato as well. Minato knew that Garuda's pride got hurt. In a way, they were him but also not him at the same time. Just as no single mask could be what we truly are, every bit of Persona, while different from each other, was also a part of him. He was, or used to be, the Universe after all.
"Let's stop this." Minato called out. "Let's just have Medea apologize to her kids. That's all she ever wanted."
The shadow was far too gone to listen to anyone.
"YoU dOn'T uNdErStAnD! yOu DoN't UnDeRsTaNd Me! I hAtE yOu! i HaTe YoU AlL!"
More shadows appeared. Still a literal sea, but oddly weaker. Medea blasted them with her magic and Garuda tore them into shreds.
Before, the shadow was a threat, now, as the shadow devolved into a disorganized, frenzied mess, it was now a pitiful sight.
"CiRcE! HeLp Me! sAvE mE! ThEy ArE TrYiNg To KiLl mE!"
"Okay Medea, don't worry, I'll protect you!" She raised a hand and sigils, more elaborate than Medea's, formed. From it, something that can only be described as starlight burst forth, superheating the air and creating an explosion in it's wake.
Medea blocked it with some success, because evading was impossible. Even if she did, everything behind them will get caught. The mountains or the city.
"No more." Minato said. "Let's put a stop to this." Slipping his hand to his pocket, he brought out a relic from his old life.
It was a gun. It was unmistakable. Minato had a gun.
Per-So-Na
He raised a call in the Sea of Souls.
Gods could create a paradox, which made them apprehensive.
Demons could kill the shadow, but Minato wanted to help Circe too, so they shook their heads.
Angels... didn't want to give Minato the headache of the Abrahamic pantheon noticing him. Same went for Devils.
Spirits and Creatures could, but it was a delicate situation.
So Heroes then.
Among the forefront, others pointed at masters of Magic: Scathach and her protege Cú Chulainn, Merlin, Sanzang Fashi, the Persona Circe and others were pointed. But a lone voice reverberated around.
So Minato let him.
The Age of the Gods
How Nostalgic.
Power. Subdued. Muted. But definitely there, manifested. The presence supercharged the air, making it smell like it might rain.
The mind-controlled Circe tilted her head. "Do I know you?"
No, But You Will
With My Magic, I'll Make You Know My Name
That did not sit well with her."I am Circe! Daughter of Magic. Pinnacle of Magic from the Age of the Gods! Who are you to make that claim?"
Minato wondered why he volunteered himself, because this man rarely ever felt the need to intervene. He could be described as a coward, but with his sense of responsibility, he's never truly experienced cowardice.
The voice sighed.
I Am He Who Received A [Revelation]
A Friend, Maybe, I'm Not Good At Projecting
In his presence, the air felt more alive, more vibrant. But to someone like Circe, she'd say that magic was alive. Like they were happy. But that was impossible because Magic favored her, and no one else. Who was this-
The World Was My Oyster
And When Offered A Wish, I Wished For Wisdom
Circe summoned another starlight, directed it at the form, but the form wasn't damaged.
You Who Stood At The Dawn Of Magic
And Me Who Stands At Magic's Dusk
Circe, You Will Acknowledge Me
For I Am Solomon, King of Magic!
Out came a man, with sun-kissed skin, and shocking white hair. Dressed in archaic yet expensive cloths, one would get the idea that this man was an important man.
In his fingers glimmered ten rings. It was proof of his claim of 'receiving a revelation'.
Circe and Solomon. Witch born from the Age of the Gods, and a King born during it's decline. In Minato's old world, that is. This world's version could be different.
Their magic was fierce. Their battle more so.
Circe fully utilized all the abilities she's accumulated over the thousands of years she's been alive. She controlled the elements, sang magical hymns that devastated her foe, summoned words and runes and glyphs, and called forth familiars of every shape and size. Incantations so potent that not even gods dared to use them were employed, with effects so unspeakable that the destroyed plains became that of a rotting wasteland. The [World] followed the Daughter of Magic, for she was part [Magic], and thus blessed.
It was plain overkill.
It would have... if her foe wasn't so simple.
Solomon withstood it all. He knew not how to attack as competently as his adversary, but he stood his ground. As a man who received a [Revelation], thus being favored by [YH-impossibletofinish-], his power lay on defense. He wasn't weak, because his power came from his insane compatibility with the [World] during his life and even after his death. His battle tactics came from the notion that 'peerless defense was a passable offense'. He was [Blessed], that is what the Abrahamic pantheon believed, that even though his reign ended tragically, he was forever immortalized in stories oral and written.
The elements, he shrugged off. Her hymns dispelled with a wave of his hand using divine Grace. High-speed casting and powerful words imposed by Circe were nullified by the [World] saying that he was [Favored]. More than her. With her familiars, well...
"Minato, may I?" the King of Magic was a false title because Solomon was an existence that was well documented. The Mundane rejected Magic after all, but for the Supernatural, his existence from birth was so 'beloved' that he was believed to be Magic. When he received his wish, when he took the mantle of being a ruler, his kingdom prospered so fast that it was mistaken to be the work of magic, which is why he was mistakenly known as [King of Magic].
But there's some truth in it.
Minato nodded, giving the Persona permission.
The ten rings in the Persona's hand glimmered. And darkness started too pool. Different from the shadows that came from the fake, this was darkness. Natural opposition to light. Part of the world's [Order]. That if good could exist, so must evil.
"Eyes, ears, nose. Jinn, come forth."
A demon appeared, sending out a roar that scared Circe's familiars. It was winged, and scaled, and no bigger than a small car, but it's presence made itself known. Those who withstood his roar, jumped at it.
"What are you?" Medea looked at the boy in disbelief. It was certain now: looking at Minato was like looking at only the tip of an iceberg.
The boy shrugged. "Does it matter?"
With Circe preoccupied, Minato and Medea renewed their assault on the Shadows. Medea took the role of main attacker again, with Minato as support. Garuda used mighty winds to push back nearing shadows.
Damage was done systematically to the shadow. Until the shadow recalled her puppet.
"CiRcE, I cOmAnD yOu To UsE iT!"
Mist started to gather around Circe. Her movements became jerky, her eyes glossy. Silently, Circe nodded and summoned another magical circle. This time, more ornate, more extravagant, as if summoning something grand...
An even greater amount of Mist gathered, much more than when Circe was summoned.
With the thinning of the Mist, the fine line between the Mundane and the Supernatural grew fainter. Mortals with very faint potential managed to catch a glimpse of the supernatural. From wandering spirits, equally distraught yokai, and even supernatural phenomenon - these mortals saw it all. But luckily, since the city was in a calamity, most chalked it up as being distressed.
Minoru Tanaka could see the yokai just a little clearer, a seed of doubt forming into his heart. It was enough to break free from Drew's compulsion, making the distraught father, turn back to where he last saw his daughter.
The assembled Mist was at it's peak. Like Circe's, the head first appeared, then it's limbs.
The mind-controlled Sorceress muttered one word: Mother.
Medea found herself at a disadvantage again. Minato's reappearance was what she needed. And that Garuda god(?) and Solomon (as in that Solomon who had demons as familiars) were something she was thankful for.
Medea was a Witch that was above all. She had both talent and potential. Couple that with being developed by being the pupil of the Daughter of Magic, then she was an existence that had no equal.
But she was up against said Daughter of Magic and now, the Deification of Magic.
Hecate too suffered from a strong geas that controlled her. The [Goddess of Magic] didn't even have time to react because she was already controlled when she was summoned. A puppet already when she manifested.
Plus, something tells her that a good portion of Hecate's essence was summoned here. Gods rarely manifest completely as their form was harmful to bystanders.
Her only respite was that Olympus must've been notified by now and were sending help.
"My, that's indeed a sight."
She turned to the side and found Minato and Garuda beside her. Solomon appeared too and floated beside Minato.
"Three aspects of Magic: the Mother, the Daughter, the Disciple. Albeit the disciple's a shadow, but still. Three's a powerful number."
Minato's lips were in a line.
Medea saw Minato's face. Her heart sunk. "I'm sorry."
The boy looked at her.
"If I only stopped you, we shouldn't be in this situation." She explained.
Minato looked at her, stared at her, for a good second, before sighing. "What makes you say that I am upset at you?
"Aren't you?"
He shook his head, "I'm thinking that I guess I wouldn't be able to finish my homework tonight."
The bird-god(?) mount stopped a laugh with a snort. "Only you, my King." Solomon laughed politely too, but less overt than Garuda.
The boy knelt down and swatted the bird-god's head before turning to her. "Medea." His look was serious, making him appear older than usual, "I am here to support you all the way."
He pointed at her fake, "That? That's an obstacle that stands in your way. Don't second guess because of me. I'm here now, and I want to see your journey of redemption through it's end."
Medea processed what he said before smiling genuinely, for the first time in ages. A smile that reflected a princess full of hope. "Okay."
The Witch took a deep breath, exhaled, and for good measure gave a smack on both of her cheeks. "I'm good. I'm good now. I've decided to be good now."
Minato looked at her, looking for any traces of doubt before nodding.
Medea grinned, this teenage boy was definitely something. "Then, c'mon. I'll lead you through the end of my journey."
With new found purpose, Medea snapped the reigns of her chariot. Don and Phil let out a happy roar before flying forward.
Hecate was the ultimate boss here. If Circe was bad, Hecate was worse. While Solomon had near-impenetrable defense, Hecate knew tricks that bypassed his abilities. Garuda could fight against a true goddess since he was a god too, but it's such a bad match-up considering he had Minato and his schoolmates to worry about.
Despite a three-on-three match, the match was still stacked against them. Solomon could handle Circe fine; the fake, Medea handled with some degree of success; it was Hecate and Minato that was a bad match-up.
When they regrouped, a fourth entered the fray. Solomon had pushed the battle into a pause by creating a barrier made of... something. Something holy. Like Samsara but a different breed of 'Grace'.
Minato turned to the figure and saw... a woman with no facial features.
That's Aphrodite. Or, rather, me. The Persona in his head explained. Her innate ability is to become the idealized beauty of the beholder. You know, 'eye of the beholder' and all that. I made sure you aren't affected by it because it's still a mental compulsion.
"What in Styx's name is going on? What is that?" The goddess of beauty asked. Apparently, she spoke fluent Japanese too. She floated like Hecate, but without facial features, it was hard to see what the goddess was feeling. At seeing Drew's unconscious form, she scooped Drew into her arms, while Kenta's piglet form squirmed in Drew's arms.
"A [Shadow]." Minato said.
"That isn't saying much."
Minato tried to keep it simple so he tried with, "The Crystallization of Humanity's Desire for Ruin."
"You're not making any sense. Does that explain why I want it gone from the [World]?"
"Well to be more precise, that's a [Shadow Self]. You notice how it keeps attacking Medea? It's because that's what Medea's other self looks like."
"I do not look like that." Medea said, vexed.
The boy shrugged, "Of course you don't but I suspect that the fake looks like that because humanity's perception of you has affected the [Shadow]."
"Kind of like gods?" Medea asked.
"Maybe, I don't know. This is a new experience to me." That if human thought powered the logic of this [World] then Medea from myth is a monster. That would explain why her shadow looked like that: it's humanity's perception of her. That was his hypothesis.
"How do we beat it?" The goddess asked.
"What about your non-aggression pact?" Minato asked.
"You're riding a god from the Indian pantheon. You're one to talk. And I'm pretty sure a Greek goddess fighting another Greek goddess, albeit in foreign soil, would dampen the backlash, don't you think?"
Minato tilted his head while Garuda actually looked a bit embarrassed. "I hadn't thought about it like that."
The goddesses and the shadow broke through the barrier, sending another flock of shadows towards them. Solomon took Circe's attention while Medea focused on her fake.
Again, Minato faced against Hecate. Though Aphrodite took the reins of that battle. "Here, watch over her for me." was what the goddess told Minato as Drew and Kenta were left under his care.
But what could a goddess of beauty do against a goddess of magic? What can beauty do in the face of adversity? Especially since that adversity is the personification of all magic. Because both represented abstract concepts, as goddesses, they had immense power. But the degree of power differed.
Aphrodite, while part of the dodekatheon (the twelve gods), was at a disadvantage because of certain factors, namely: [Domain], [Specialization] and [Nature]. Despite being a goddess of formidable stature, she was not in the [West] (where most of her powers and [Authority] was derived from). She also was not really good of a fighter - technically, Venus could fare better, but Drew called for Aphrodite. Her mother. Lastly, Aphrodite is perceived by most of humanity as a vain and vapid non-combatant goddess.
It also doesn't help that since Hecate was one of the powers that utilized and represented the Mist, her [Domain] existed for as long as there was Mist. As Magic, she could be so much more than a simple goddess.
Try as Aphrodite could, she was definitely at a disadvantage against Hecate.
Despite warnings from the [Sea of Souls], Minato chose to end things as quickly as possible.
"My King, you shouldn't summon a third." Garuda told as he drew some distance from the on-going battle.
And true enough, the youth could already feel that keeping Garuda and Solomon summoned while having Orpheus Telos equipped was spreading himself thin. Then again, Minato had more potential than that but he was using his powers after so long that he was still a bit rusty with it.
Still...
"We need to finish this."
Gods... or something that could fight the gods. Minato wanted that. But with the fear of a paradox appearing, that left him with a very limited pool of Persona to choose from.
But...
Per-So-Na
Aphrodite did not know what was happening. She was partly everywhere.
One echo was in Olympus, reporting the appearance of a blight, with Persephone (of all gods) corroborating her claim. That Hecate's mysterious disappearance was because she was rampaging on the [East].
Another was with some of her sons and daughters, giving guidance.
But most of her essence was focused on this match, fighting the goddess of magic herself.
It was a disadvantage because Hecate was an existence whose [Domain] was near all-encompassing. She was one of the foundations that cloaked the mundane from the supernatural.
Aphrodite was definitely going to lose. Until something tugged at her.
Like a memory resurfacing on one's mind, wanting to be recalled.
Flashes of color. And the sea. Foam?
The... boy!...?!
"Let Me."
In Olympus, Aphrodite collapsed. Earning worried shouts from the others. When she came to, she found herself more... centered. Like her many different assets were finally settling down... but... but...
The goddess, Aphrodite, shifted.
Mist enveloped her. Beauty... she was still beauty. And love. She was still love. But so much more than that.
This echo of Aphrodite recalled herself, her iterations, her facets. All that she was and more.
As the Mist tried to control her form, tried to negotiate with the [World] that this was not a paradox, Aphrodite - or rather, someone else was starting to emerge.
That boy, Minato, could have called her stronger versions, but didn't. He could've summoned her as the ancient goddess that dominated antiquity. He just could've. But then again, he had listened to the Sea's advice of having restrain. Sea of Souls, the literally vast Sea, it was all the same for her.
My, My Hecate
To Think That You'd Be Summoned Like This
From the pool of Mist... a beam of light? No, it was water. Pressurized water so strong and fast that it struck like a beam of light.
Hecate was sent hurling back, so far that the goddess was sent flying beyond the city and into the sea.
Mother, Daughter and Disciple.
Three. How Quaint.
From the Mist, emerged a figure. Regal, serpentine, but only waist down.
The first thing that appeared was the color blue. Blue, almost aquamarine, scales. It littered her body.
Her chest, still definitely ample, were covered by strategically placed scales that not only kept her modesty but heightened her sensuality. A tasteful underboob. The males would describe it. Her navel was showing, flawless and ivory-like, with strange but supernatural markings.
From the ruined forests below flew birds. White, pure, and in number, they surrounded the being by flying around it in a circle. They flew like a cocoon of protective aviation that cloaked the being in pure white.
To Think That My Reign Would Be Forgotten
Time Can Be So Cruel
Solomon looked at the being before resuming his battle with Circe. Circe too appeared distraught at what happened to her mother but she had to focus on the man before her. The battle was that fierce.
Garuda let out an exasperated exhale, muttering he could've taken care of it.
The being's arms appeared, from shoulder to elbow, it was definitely human, with firm but supple muscles that appeared both endearingly thin yet scarily strong. Flawless skin too. Past that, it was not human. Same scales but her forearms were almost twice as big. Her fingers were still ten but the ends were pointed, like claws.
You Think You'd Beat Us With Three?
Two Could Play That Game.
Aquamarine was the color of her legs. Except they weren't legs. It was a single limb littered with scales. It flapped and Magic answered. The sea where Hecate was sent hurling to both became calm yet active.
The goddess' face was last to appear. Deep sea-green hair, flawless face. Eyes blue yet red with fury. An ornate golden crown atop her head emitting such an aura the birds, while the being's animal, scooted away.
One look at the on-going battle, her gaze settled on Minato. She nodded at the boy, before summoning her powers. In her hand appeared an scepter.
Forgotten I Might Be
I Am A Protector Of Men
Under the night sky, certain stars started to glow. Twelve, no, thirteen stars shone and twinkled so brightly certain powers wondered what the hell was going on.
Born From The Sea
I Am The Ancient Goddess Born From Nothing
In the sea, nearby major powers awakened to the rumblings of this being's power. Pisces. It reminded them of Pisces.
Her scepter was pointed into the sea and the water answered her call. They danced, spun, and circled as the sea and it's denizens reveled in her appearance.
Yokai on land looked on and wondered if the great Susano-o was finally intervening because from the sea emerged a pillar of spinning water.
At the top of it, a figure appeared. Hecate, still bewitched but restrained by water.
You Who Have Forgotten
You Who Have Been Controlled
I Am Atargatis, The Mermaid Goddess
And I Come To Realize The [Exalted]'s Vision
Aphrodite was a goddess that still had relevance. Her aspect, Atargatis, or Derceto as Greeks called her, was an aspect of Aphrodite that fell out of favor over time.
Truthfully, Aphrodite is one of the Olympians with the most potential for something. She is also a goddess who has homogenized a lot of other long-forgotten goddess. In a way, despite being a goddess of love, she can be more.
Minato could have summoned any of her stronger facets but feared the repercussions. This [World] rejects his otherworldly powers, and thus, to summon anyone stronger than the current dominant powers might be his undoing. Derceto might be a Mother Goddess but the sands of time made her obscure, forgotten.
Besides, this was Medea's story. He should not take the spotlight that was supposed to be hers.
So he did the next best thing: Persona-fusion, between a goddess who was losing and a Persona who wanted to be summoned. That if human thought were the lifeblood of gods, they were similar to that of a Persona.
Minato and the original Persona brought forth a forgotten goddess. A goddess older than even Medea. To think that this boy had the power to call upon gods that even ancient Greece would consider old was just astounding.
Minato truly was a wild card.
Atargatis, the Mermaid Goddess. Despite being a goddess that had no fighting prowess, as compared to Athena, was still a force not to be reckoned with.
Medea had trouble remembering the powers of said goddess, but as she watched as Derceto summoned pillars upon pillars of water that didn't heed Hecate's powers, it made Medea realize one thing: this was what a goddess truly is. Pure, untainted, divine. Pure in that she was ethereal, Untainted in that she was not depowered by social constructs and human thought, and Divine because her powers were peerless. It was breathtaking.
Doves started to surround them in formation, fishes arrived in schools and groups. They came in support of a reborn goddess who was smiting evil - to deliver righteous justice. Above, certain stars shone brightly at her appearance, as if cheering her on as she brought the battle into a stalemate. A stalemate because while Derceto was a goddess, a mother goddess, Hecate was Magic.
However, Atargatis' grand powers had a nasty side effect: the sea was angry. It's anger threatened the safety of the nearby city. Minato's city.
That's where he came in. Or rather Garuda. With his winds, would-be tsunamis were sent to the opposite direction. A wave of towering water was trampled by gusts so strong it literally forced the sea apart.
No nO No! ThIs WaSn'T sUpPoSeD tO bE!
Medea took pity at the fake. They've been fighting for quite a long time now, and while Medea was exhausted, it looked like her fake was heaps more tired than her.
"Hey," she called out. "Let's just stop this."
ApHrOdITe! KiLl HeR! kIlL hEr ChIlD!
"So you'd kill the children whose only misfortune was being born by the wrong people?"
The fake's eyes turned to her. "YoU'rE oNe To TaLk."
Medea took a sharp breath. "You're right." For the first time, she felt all her guilt come forward and settled on her shoulders. "You're absolutely right."
She laughed. Medea. A laugh filled with pain. "I hated that man so much I wanted him dead... and in my rampage, I had killed my own children."
The original tried to compose herself. "And when all was said and done, I looked at my work. Innocents slaughtered over my grief. I blamed Aphrodite for that, I really did. But I know that it was moreso my fault that hers, because if I was strong enough... If I was resilient enough, I would've endured and moved on from my pain."
She turned to her fake. "But I didn't. Instead I gave in to my emotions and did what I thought at the time was the right thing to do. But now... now I regret it."
"I just want to move on from this.
Is that too much to ask for?"
The fake looked at the original. Before the Miasma started to leak out from the shadow.
Psyche stirred.
"Psyche, dear? Are you okay?" It was her friend Persephone's voice.
"Yeah. What happened?" She opened her eyes and looked at the surroundings. They were no longer in the underworld. In fact, they were up in the mountains, overlooking the city and the sea.
Thanatos stood guard as Persephone helped her friend sit up.
The Greek underworld queen pointed at the scene.
It was madness. The sea was angry, pillars of water and flocks of white birds flying all around littered the area. A goddess? Who is that? That's just on one part.
Circe was there too, and a silver-haired man. They fought a magical battle that even gods would find impressive.
"Grace." Psyche said. "That man is using powers of divinity. Is he a saint?"
Persephone shook her head. "I don't know. But Minato summoned him."
Minato.
"Minato! Is he-?"
Persephone pointed at the direction of where the sea battle was going.
Using her heightened senses, Psyche could see that there he was, by the shore riding atop... "Indian. That's from the Indian pantheon." The infallible Indian pantheon.
"Just who is he?" Persephone asked.
"I thought I had him figured out. But I guess..."
Garuda took to using his powers to control the waters from reaching the shores.
Atargatis was one of the older gods in his repertoire, so summoning her was of no consequence in a world where a paradox was created when summoning relevant gods. This was based on the deductions of the great magical thinkers in the Sea of Souls.
Solomon was at a stalemate with Circe, only because Circe was only here with a percent of her powers (as evidenced by her childish behavior and appearance) while Solomon refused to summon any more of his potent demons.
A few daring and careless yokai flew by to ask if he needed help or if he was in danger, but Minato simply told them to get back because it was dangerous here. Fortunately the yokai believed him and did what he told them.
But the shadow...
Minato felt the shadow settle down.
He looked back, and asked Garuda to fly to Medea's aid.
White sparkly light.
Minato found Medea crying over white sparkly light.
"Medea?"
"I'm okay. I'm okay now." She wiped away her tears and smiled. "Tears of joy."
"But you're children?"
"They're okay. They're fine." She said in a happy tone.
By the time she has composed herself the white sparkly light spun around Medea's form one last time before flashing brightly before vanishing.
"Good." Minato was happy for Medea. He may not have seen the reunion between mother and children but if Medea was happy, that's all that mattered.
"Thank you. Minato-is something wrong?"
The exhaustion kicked in. His powers have been depleted. Having summoned two gods and a hero was nothing compared to what Minato could do before but it's been quite a while and Minato's ability was not the same here.
When all was done and over, Minato fell unconscious.
VOLUME 1: ORIGIN ARC
END