An Act of War

The Underworld

Osiris and Hel arrived at the meeting chamber. They were somewhat surprised to here that Hades had called a meeting, he never called meetings, not even during man's initial insurrection, it was almost as if he had no sense of urgency. They entered the room to find the Greek god of the Underworld pacing back and forth, clearly stressing about something. He then looked up to see the duo.

"Ah, Osiris, Hel, take a seat."

Both Osiris and Hel took a seat at the round table.

"My friends, I regret to inform you both of some rather...unsettling news."

"Oh no, has Cerberus eaten all the cookies again?" Hel asked.

"Cookies? Cookies?! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Hel's dark half blurted out.

"Eh...no, unfortunately it's not quite as trivial." Hades made a motion "come here" and Anubis emerged from the shadows. "I've had Anubis and Zhong Kui observe the activity on the surface as of late, and after the Old Order's latest assault on China, we've made a disturbing recovery."

"It is as we feared..." Anubis said somberly. "Ah Puch aids the Old Order."

"What?!" Osiris stood. "But I thought he was bared from leaving the 9th Hell!"

"This isn't the first time he's defied Lord Hades' orders, Father, this shouldn't come as too much of a shock."

"Even so, I'd like to believe that the likes of Zeus and Ra would know better than to trust him."

"Zeus is desperate." Hades said sternly. "With everything that's happening, Zeus can feel his power draining as man's devotion shifts towards the Elysians. Ah Puch likely played onto that, and because of it, he and Zeus must have made some agreement."

Osiris shook his head. "This just spells trouble..."

"We cannot allow this to continue on..."

Hel and Osiris both turned to Hades. "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest, we drag Ah Puch back down here so he may face judgement."

"The Old Order is not going to simply let us take their ally from them like that."

Hades pause. "I know..." He groaned as he could hardly believe what he was about to say. "For the good of the Underworld, it appears we must go to war..."

"Oooo, should I tell Thor and the others that we'll be joining their side?" Hel said dripping with enthusiasm.

"No, our priority is Ah Puch, not the fate of Mankind. It is not our place to decide what happens on the surface, and as such we will not be taking sides. Once we have retrieved Ah Puch, we will have no further business on the surface."

"Awwww." Hel sank back in her seat.

"Even so, our presence would warrant suspicion from both sides." Osiris pointed out. "We should make our motives clear, at least to the Uprising, so that they do not perceive us as their enemies."

"Hm...I suppose you have a point."

"Ahem!" Everyone turned to see Thanatos in the doorway.

"Oh, what is it now?! We're in the middle of an important discussion."

Thanatos rolled his eyes. "Yeah well we got a little situation that I thought you might want know about down near the River Styx."

Hades stood from his seat. "What kind of situation?"

"The fatman's latest catch got out his bag and now it's down there raising a fuss."

Hades sighed. "Ugh, fine, I'll go see what I can do."

"Perhaps we should all go." Osiris suggested. "Perhaps this demon may have connections to Ah Puch."

"Very well."

Later...

Hades, Osiris, Hel, Anubis, and Thanatos arrived at the River Styx, there they found Zhong Kui, standing not far from the shoreline watching a certain blue skinned demon with a massive maw on its' stomach and blade like appendages on both of its' wrists, swinging madly at the spirits it had freed from his demon bag.

"Just what is this thing?" Hades asked floating up to Zhong Kui.

"A demon unlike I've ever seen." Zhong said rubbing his head. "I captured it in the Hindu lands, found it dead near a village."

Hel watched the demon swing at yet another spirit.

"Aww, the poor thing must be scared to death."

"It is dead you idiot!" Her dark side growled.

"I've seen quite enough demons for one day," Hades said sternly. "I'm going to put a stop to this."

"Wait a second." Zhong grabbed Hades' shoulder. "Take it from me, that one is dangerous. It is my understanding that thing nearly consumed an entire village before it was slain."

"Your concern is unnecessary Zhong, on the surface he may have been mighty, but down here he is but a nat."

With that Hades floated down towards the demon.

"You there!" The demon turned towards Hades. "Just what are you demon?"

"I am Bakasura!" The demon roared. "The great devourer."

"Hmph, melodramatic little pest..." Hades thought.

Bakasura snarled baring his blades. "So hungry...I must feed!"

He then leaped towards Hades. The god of the Underworld rolled his eyes before swinging his staff, effortlessly knocking the ravenous demon to the ground.

"Look demon, I don't care who you think you are but down here, I'm in control."

Bakasura growled, clutching his side in pain as he tried to get back on his feet. "Ugh, if it wasn't for that accursed mortal, Bhima, I'd still be up there feasting like a king..."

"I grow tired of this..." Hades turned. "throw him in the river Zhong."

Bakasura looked up as Zhong approached him, brush in hand.

"W-wait!"

Hades turned back to the demon.

"I-I can help you!"

"Oh?" Hades approached Bakasura, intrigued.

"I-I have heard word of war, a war of the gods that rages in the heavens."

"Go on..."

"I'm no stranger to combat you know, I-I can fight for you."

"Enough of this..." Zhong said beginning to scribble an enchantment.

"Wait Zhong."

The demon queller turned to Hades.

"This demon presents an enticing offer, and yet...there must be some catch..."

Bakasura grinned sheepishly. "Well, I am a demon..."

"What do you hope to get out of this demon?"

"Oh come on, it's win/win for both of us. You get a soldier to fight for you, and I get to feed." Bakasura drooled at the idea of feasting on deities.

"Do you take me for a fool demon? I know better than that." Hades' hand and Bakasura's head radiated with a purple mist. "Tell me, what do you really hope to accomplish from this?"

Bakasura struggled as he felt a sort of powerful force overwhelm his own will, compelling him to obey that of Hades.

"I...hope to gain...f-freedom."

"That's what I thought..." Hades growled freeing the demon from his grip. "No one leaves the Underworld, especially not a demon such as yourself..."

Bakasura growled rubbing his head.

"However, I may have use for you still..." Bakasura looked up at Hades, somewhat hopeful. "At the moment it appears that in the very near future, the 9th Hell will be in need of a new ruler, if you can prove your loyalty, demon, the throne could be yours."

"Is this really a good idea?" Osiris whispered to Hel.

"I think it's a lovely idea, just think of all the baking we'll be able to do in the Ninth Hell."

"Why do I even bother?..." Osiris groaned.

Bakasura thought for a moment, in truth all he wanted was freedom, but as it seemed, it was either that or the River Styx and at least with the former, he'd at least be able to feast plenty during the war.

"Well?" Hades growled impatiently.

"My afterlife is but to serve you," Bakasura began to kneel. "Lord Hades..."

At that point Osiris placed a hand on Hades' shoulder.

"With all due respect, can we really put our trust in a demon?"

"Hardly, but in the case that Ah Puch decides that he doesn't come quietly, we must be prepared." He turned to Bakasura. "Besides, I figure demons should be ruled by one of their own."

"Speaking of preparation, just how do we intend to show the Uprising that we don't mean to challenge them?"

"Hmmm...if I recall correctly, Odin is one of there leaders"

"Him and Nu Wa."

"So perhaps if Hel were to approach them, they'll listen to her." He turned to Hel. "She is part of the Norse Pantheon after all."

Hel clapped her hands like a giddy little child. "Oh, it'd be so wonderful to see everyone after such a long time."

"You should bring back-up." Anubis suggested, inciting a look of confusion from Hel. "Should your presence alert the Old Order or the Elyssian Uprising prove to be...not entirely pleased to see you, you should have someone there to watch your back. The Underworld cannot afford to loose one of its' rulers..."

"Are you volunteering to go with her Anubis?" Osiris asked.

"As much as I'd love to take a trip to the surface, the Norse lands are far too cold for my liking."

"Hmph, very well." Hades groaned.

"I'll go with her." Zhong Kui said stepping forward.

"I'm going to." Thanatos added.

"No!" Hades said sternly. "This is a peaceful mission and we both know peace is not your forte."

"Yeah? Hate to say it Boss, but the two of them ain't gonna cut it if say, Zeus, Kukulkan or Bellona catches them out in the open. And we both know, they'll fear me more than anyone else here." Thanatos then glanced at Bakasura. "Or you could try your luck with the demon."

Hades growled.

"The reaper does pose a point..." Anubis begrudgingly admitted.

"...Fine, but no killing." Hades said sternly. "You have permission to fight back should you encounter the Old Order, but you are not to attack unprovoked, is that clear?"

"Whatever you say boss..." Thanatos said smugly.

"Be sure that he stay's under control..." Hades whispered to Hel.

Mount Olympus

Ares stepped into Zeus' Throne room, kneeling before his father.

"Report." Zeus ordered.

"We almost had them father, honestly, we were just about to crush those Chinese fools when the Norse showed up."

"Did we loose anyone?"

"Ah Puch is being worked on right now, Anhur doesn't think his wound is fatal."

"So the Chinese capital still stands?"

"The city is in ruins, but the Emperor's palace is still stands, if you would permit, Father, I'd be more than happy to mount a second assault."

"No need."

Ares looked up at Zeus, visibly confused.

"Our goal was to cripple their following, not kill them all, Nu Wa's forces will be feeling the backlash of our attack no doubt." Zeus stood from his throne. "You've done well Ares."

Ares could hardly believe his ears, Zeus had actually complemented is work? This war must have been taking a greater toll on his father than he thought.

"Take a rest my son, you deserve it..."

With that Zeus left to the lobby, leaving a dumbfounded Ares still kneeling. He made his way to the guest chamber where Ra happened to be healing Bellona, Sun Wukong, and Ah Puch.

"How is he?" Zeus asked approaching Ra and Ah Puch.

"He'll live." Ra said patching up his head wound. "He'll have quite the headache when he wakes up, but he'll manage."

"Has Athena returned from the Hindu lands?"

"Not to my knowledge, I'd imagine she'd be returning soon however."

"Very well, I expect to be alerted the instant she returns."

"Of course."

Zeus then returned to the lobby. There Kali sat seemingly bored out of her wits. She then noticed zeus approaching her.

"Yes?" She said anticipating a request.

"This demon king you spoke of, are you sure he'd see things our way?"

"No telling really." Kali said standing up. "He's always been a prideful demon, though I'd think he'd be wise enough to know his place."

"I know more than a little about wisdom..." The duo turned to see Athena step through the doorway. "And I also know arrogance when I see it."

"As I said, prideful..." Kali said crossing her arms.

"I spoke to Ravana, he claimed that the war in the heavens did not concern him, when I told him about your orders, Father, he said he did not answer to Olympus."

"Such Insolence..."

"I tried to punish him for his foolish pride, and yet my spear broke once I attempted to strike him."

Athena held up her spear, now in two pieces.

"How is this possible?" Zeus said astonished.

"Oh right, the demon king has a boon..." Kali blurted out.

"What boon?"

"Oh just a boon that gives him invulnerability against gods and demons. Did I forget to mention that?" Kali grinned smugly. "My mistake."

Zeus growled, clearly irritated. "Well this won't do." He turned. "Ares!"

Ares entered the lobby without missing a beat.

"Bring this to Vulcan's forge for repair."

"Consider it done." Ares then marched off to the forge.

Athena then stepped up to Zeus.

"Um father..."

"What is it Athena?"

"Um...perhaps we're going about this the wrong way."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, all this bloodshed, this destruction, it could prove more of a hindrance than helpful in the future." She noticed a twinge of anger in Zeus' eyes. "I'm not saying we should resort to the Uprising's tactics, but the simple fact is we continue to bring such ruin to the mortal realm, then by the time the war is over, there may not be any followers for either side."

"What's so bad about that?" Kali blurted out. "That way we'd get to start a new. And maybe that time around, the mortals will actually know their place."

"Are you mad?!" Athena bellowed. "Our powers are already weak as it is, you honestly believe we coul-"

Before Athena could finish her sentence, the very foundation of Olympus seemed to be shaking as the sound of very heavy footsteps echoed through halls. The trio turned to the doorway of Olympus to see a massive, scaly green giant entering the lobby. In front of him, flew in Kukulkan, looking especially pleased with himself. Zeus, could hardly contain himself, though this creature was clearly not from the lands of Olympia, he knew one of his kind when he saw one.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He bellowed as furious as ever. "How dare you bring a titan into my domain!"

"Now, now, let's not get hasty." Kukulkan said, desperately trying to calm the thunder god. "Cabrakan, here isss not of Olympia."

"Foreign or not, a titan is a titan." Athena said sternly. "And his kind are not welcome here."

"Hello, I'm standing right here you know." Cabrakan blurted out somewhat offended.

"Be silent titan! This is between me and the serpent!"

Cabrakan growled. "Why you..."

"Restraint Cabrakan." Cabrakan crossed his arms like a pouting child.

"When I allowed you to join the Order, you were instructed to know your place. And to allow this creature into my domain?! Insulting!"

"Now hold on, I do have reason for bringing Cabrakan here."

"What possible explanation could you have for this?!"

"Cabrakan wishes to serve us."

"Preposterous!" Zeus scoffed. "Why in the name of Gaea would a titan willingly serve me?"

"Because Cabrakan here hasss reason to seek the Elysian Uprising'sss destruction."

"Excuse me?"

"You sssee, we have a war to finish, he hasss an enemy he ssseeks to crush who fights for the Uprising, ssso it would appear our interestsss align."

"Appearances can be deceiving." Athena pointed out.

"Perhapsss, but I assure you, Cabrakan is far too, eh...sssimple for ssschemes, I've made it clear to him that you Zeus was in charge and ssso long that he followsss hisss ordersss, then revenge would eventually be hissss."

"Oh please, you're not seriously considering allowing this titan to-"

"Actually, we may actually have use for such an ally." Kali interrupted.

"What are you talking about?" Athena asked.

"Ravana's boon protects him from gods and demons, but a titan, well, there was no part of the boon that protected him from those. If we sent Cabrakan to his kingdom, perhaps we could 'persuade' him towards our cause."

Zeus pondered the idea.

"Father you aren't seriously considering..."

"No, Kali does pose a point. Perhaps a creature such as this could prove of use to me." Zeus turned to Kukulkan. "Very well serpent, I will allow the titan to fight for us. However, if he ever steps out of line it will be on your head."

"Rest assured, you won't regret thisss."

"Somehow I doubt that..." Athena grumbled under her breathe as she stormed off in a huff.

As she marched through the halls, she couldn't help but notice Hercules, looking rather somber in his chambers. In fact, it had seemed as though he hadn't left that room since the battle at the arena. Athena couldn't help but take pity on her brother as she entered the room.

"My brother..." Athena placed a hand on his head. "tell me, what troubles you so?"

"...I failed them, I've failed them once again..." Hercules said holding back his tears.

"Failed who?"

"My family...I fought in the arena, I battle Thor for them!" He punched the wall in his distress. "And I failed them..."

"Hercules..."

"How long...how long must I suffer like this...how long will it take for me to be freed of this penance?!"

"Brother...please"

"I joined this war...to fight for them...I was promised peace and yet..."

It pained Athena to see Hercules in such distress.

"My brother. I understand your pain. What Hera did, was just cruel." Athena looked back towards the lobby. "This war, it effects us all, I fear Father's judgement may be faltering." She turned back to Hercules. "I know it must be hard to turn on the mortals after living among them for so long. But please, take pride knowing you at least fight for a noble cause. For the honer of your kin, I know that war brings out the best and worse in us but we cannot let the past drag us down know."

Hercules took a deep breath.

"Your right." He stood up, with a determined look on his face. "The next time Thor and I meet, the outcome will not be in his favor. So long as I live, I will fight. For my wife, my children, I must not give up." He placed his hand on Athena's shoulder. "Thank you Sister." He began to take his leave towards the lobby. "You're not the goddess of wisdom for nothing..."

Meanwhile...

Out in the jungle of Olympia, a bright green portal opened, and from it emerged Hel, Zhong Kui and Thanatos. Hel looked around slightly confused.

"Wow, Asgard looks so much different than what I remember."

"This isn't Asgard you twit." Thanatos growled. "We're in Olympia, the fat man took a wrong turn."

"I didn't see you opening any portals reaper." Zhong Kui snapped.

"I'm here as a bodyguard, not a navigator."

As the duo bickered, Hel couldn't help but notice a strange placement in the bushes. It looked like a cluster of eyes placed on pedestal.

"Hey guys." Zhong Kui and Thanatos turned to Hel. "What's this thing?" She asked pointing at the placement.

Zhong Kui stepped over to Hel, looking down at the object she was pointing at. "Oh dear..."

"What's wrong?"

"We should get out of here."

Hel gave Zhong Kui a look of shear confusion. "I don't get it, what's the problem."

"The problem is, that's a ward the Old Order probably placed. If we don't get out of here soon, they'll soon learn of our presence."

"Well we can't have that." With that, Thanatos brought down his scythe smashing the ward.

"Oh that's not good..." Zhong Kui said somberly.

Back on Mount Olympus...

"How many did we lose?" Bastet asked with a hint of concern.

"Thankfully not many, the Spartans were at the head of the charge, so most casualties were on their end."

Bastet sighed. "Well that's a relief."

"Still, I feel we could have won that battle." Anhur said somewhat disappointed. "Perhaps if the Norse hadn't-" Suddenly the lion god felt a disturbance. "Someone's trespassing in Olympia."

"Excuse me?"

"I must go sis, we may be under attack."

meanwhile...

Sun Wukong stood up from the the bench, his wounds now fully healed.

"Ah that's much better." He said stretching.

While Ra continued to treat the other's wounds, he was interrupted, as Zeus entered the room accompanied by Anhur and Hercules.

"Bad news?" Ra asked.

"Anhur's ward has detected trespassers, he believes it may be the Uprising trying to retaliate."

"Heh, let them come, we'll crush them like flies." Sun Wukong boasted.

"I would rather not have blood be spilled on my mountain..." Zeus growled.

"Perhaps we could intercept them Father." Hercules suggested. "Anhur, Wukong and I could go out there and crush them before they reach Olympus."

"Smash some Elysians? Count me in!" Sun Wukong said eagerly.

"Very well, if they really are Elysians, show no mercy."

Hercules nodded. "Come on, it's time to go to work."

Elsewhere...

"Come on we should get out of here while we still can." There was a hint of urgency in Zhong's voice.

"What's the rush? Didn't Thanatos destroy the ward?" Hel asked.

"Yes, and by doing that he's alerted who ever placed it of our presence, we should leave now while we still-"

"Don't hold your breathe fatman, I already spotted three deities heading our way." Thanatos said as he floating over the trees.

"Blast it, our best bet then is to hide for now, perhaps we can avoid detection."

"Unlikely, Anhur's one of them, and believe me he'll sniff us out in an instant."

"Blast it..." Zhong Kui balled up his fist. "I suppose we have no other choice but to fight them."

"Oh do we really have to?"

"Let's tear them to shreds!" Hel's dark side bellowed.

"Now hold on, taking them head on would be suicide, we should each find a place to conceal ourselves then we could take them by surprise. Then perhaps they'll be forced to retreat."

"Retreat? Are you kidding me?!" Thanatos growled.

"We've already attracted Zeus' ire, the last thing we need is to give him even more reason to seek our destruction by killing his allies."

"Eh...very well." Thanatos said crossing his arms.

Zhong Kui nodded. "Stick to the shadows."

And with that the trio scattered, it wasn't long until Hercules, Anhur and Wukong arrived at their location.

"Well, this is where the ward was," Wukong looked around. "So where's the trespassers?"

"Perhaps they fled." Hercules suggested.

"Perhaps..." Anhur sniffed the air. "Wait a second..." He took another whiff.

"What is it?" Hercules asked, anticipating a sneak attack.

"I smell something. It smells like...death." With that, Hel began to step out of the shadows.

"Hel..." Hercules growled.

"Forgive me..." Hel said sadly before switching her stance. "Now you will know pain!" Without warning, fired a projectile of dark energy, the trio jumped out of the way as it detonated in the air.

"Attack!" Wukong bellowed as the trio rushed towards Hel.

"Go forth, demons!"

Suddenly a swarm of green demons emerged from the jungle, lashing at the trio and stopping them at in their tracks. At that point Hel saw an opening, and conjured a pulse of dark energy, sweeping the trio off of their feet.

"Blast it..." Anhur growled clutching his side. "This isn't going to end well..." He struggled to stand. "Retreat!"

"What?! Why?!" Wukong growled. "There's three of us and only two of them, we have the advantage!"

"Count again..."

Before Anhur had time to react, the shadow of death itself loomed over him. He turned to face the hand of death but in what seemed like an instant, Thanatos swung his scythe, beheading the lion headed god without second thought.

"Anhur!" Hercules yelled as the war god's lifeless body fell to the ground. But before he had time to greave, another magic projectile from Hel struck him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. "Erk, Now we're outnumbered."

Sun Wukong growled as Hel and Zhong Kui, edged towards them, ready to strike at the slightest movement.

"Hang on, I got an idea." He slung Hercules over his shoulder. "Just hang on to me, and I'll get us out of here."

"Now just where do you think you're going?" Thanatos said baring his scythe.

"Transform!" Wukong then morphed into an Ox, barreling through Thanatos and tossing him aside, at that point he morphed into an Eagle with Hercules still clutching his talons.

"Oh no you do-"

"No!" Zhong Kui said grabbing Hel's shoulder.

"What are you doing?! They're getting away!"

"Our goal was to make them retreat, not kill them, there's no need to chase after them." He turned to Thanatos, who seemed somewhat dazed form getting rammed. "Speaking of which..."

As Thanatos shook his head, trying to recover form his dizziness, Zhong swatted him in the back of the head with his brush.

"Ack! What the hell fatman!?"

"I specifically told you not to kill any of them!"

"Last I checked, they were the enemy, and we were at war."

"He didn't need to die! He would have retreated and it would have given us time to escape."

"Oh please, you knew Wukong wouldn't have surrendered, if anything I saved us a whole lot of trouble."

"Excuse me." The duo turned to Hel (now having returned to her light stance). "I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we leave now before Zeus finds out about this?"

Zhong Kui sighed. "Yes, I suppose we should leave while we still can..."

The Arena

Nu Wa watched intently as the her allies spared down in the arena below her. She hardly noticed as Odin approached her.

"Hm, and here I thought you disliked using the arena."

"I do but after what happened to China...well, we can't be caught off guard again."

"Hmph, understandable."

"Besides, some of us haven't quite been in the heat of battle for quite sometime..."

As the two watched their allies spar, Au Kuang arrived finding himself a seat in the stands.

"Well well, not joining in the fun eh?" Au Kuang glanced over to see Loki sitting next to him.

"Well, if it isn't the trickster god himself. I must say I'm quite surprised to see you free."

"I could say the same about you being here. You never really struck me as the whole 'protecting humanity type'."

"I have not interest in the protection of those insects, my interests just so happen to align with the Uprisings' at the moment."

"Hmph, self-serving as ever I see."

Loki looked down at the battle, he watched as Poseidon and Sobek, spared with He Bo and Scylla, each pitting their strongest magic against one another.

"I'm guessing that's your crew right there?"

"How very perceptive of you Trickster."

"Gotta say, I'm a little impressed. Tell me, how did you ever manage them to follow your lead."

"That was simple. Sobek was promised a way to ensure his precious Nile River would remain undisturbed, Poseidon simply hates his younger brother, He Bo was easy to persuade and as for Scylla...well, she just likes to kill things." Au Kuang turned back towards Loki. "Where's your monstrous brood?"

"Well, you know Hel's always a busy bee, and Jormungandr hardly ever speaks to me these days."

"What about the wolf?"

"Oh you know, still bound by ribbon, in a dungeon in Asgard."

"Really? You didn't free him?"

"Well he is destined to bring the end of the world."

"Hm, well I would have thought a father would take pity on his spawn."

"Well..."

Yesterday

"Well, well, I'd say you've seen better days." Loki joked, entering Fenrir's prison.

"F-Father?!" Fenrir could hardly believe his eyes. "You are free?"

"As a bird."

"How is this possible?!"

"Well it's actually quite simple." Loki kneeled down to Fenrir's eye level. "You see, old 'One Eye' up there made an agreement. I help him, he helps me."

"You aid the old fool?!" Fenrir snarled. "The one who keeps me chained like a dog?!"

"Now, now, lets be reasonable here, you are destined to kill him after all."

"Yes because of you!" The wolf god growled. "I live in torment because of a prophecy inflicted on me for being your spawn!"

"Oh come on now, are you saying you'd rather have not been born?"

"I'd rather be dead than live like this..."

"Listen..." Loki said holding a knife near the wolf's throat. "I'm not actually siding with that one eyed ogre, if anything, he was just a means to regain my powers, if I so desired I could end him in an instant."

"And yet you don't?"

"I'll save that pleasure for Ragnarok, and if you so desperately want freedom and revenge than you'll watch your mouth." Loki than put away his knife. "Take it from me, Odin has wronged us both, when the time comes you will be free and we will have our revenge."

"How long must I wait?" Fenrir groaned desperate.

"Fear not my son, as we speak my plans have already been put into motion." He began to take his leave. "And once this war is over, Ragnarok will be upon us..."

Present time

"You know I'd love nothing more but to assist my son, but we both know no good could come out of Ragnarok."

"You'll forgive me for having my suspicions..." Au Kuang said smugly.

"Heh, just this once."

At that moment Nu Wa turned towards the exit.

"Forgive me All-Father, but I must take my leave. There's someone to the east that I must meet with..."

Meanwhile

"Man, does it ever get warmer around here?" Apollo said shivering slightly.

"Maybe it would seem warmer if you bothered to put on a shirt." Artemis said smugly.

"Well excuse me, how was I supposed to know we'd be flung into a war that'd leave us siding with the Norse Pantheon?"

"You saw how mad Father got when he saw his temple being demolished." Artemis sighed. "It was inevitable..."

"Yeah, Dad never did like it when they complained..." Apollo looked back, clearly missing home. "I wonder how everyone's managing."

"Not so good, I'd say." Both Artemis and Apollo turned to see the goddess of beauty approaching them. "You all left Olympia for this? Can't say I understand your logic."

"Aphrodite?" Apollo said surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"And how are you not freezing right now?" Artemis added.

"Ha ha very funny." Aphrodite said sarcastically. "Looks like you two have made yourselves at home here."

"Eh, it's no Olympus, but it'll do for now." Apollo attempted to lie down on a rock despite his visible discomfort. "Yep...a regular home away from home."

"Right..." Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

"Alright blondie whats the deal here?" Artemis said crossing her arms. "Shouldn't you be back on Olympus getting 'conquered' by Ares?"

"Oh please, Ares is no fun any more. Ever since this stupid war started all he cares about is death and fighting..."

"Well, he is the god of war ya know." Apollo blurted out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know it's his job and all, but...its like I don't even exist anymore. Now that he's got her..."

"Her?" Apollo said sitting up. "Who her?"

"Bellona you idiot!" Aphrodite snapped. "Who else?!"

"Oh I see how it is..." Artemis grinned turning to Apollo. "Blondie here is jealous that her little boy toy's spending time with someone else."

Aphrodite snorted. "Yeah, yeah yuck it up all you want. I guess I had it coming."

"You guess?" Artemis chuckled.

"Look, you guys have been here for a while, how willing do you think Odin would be to allow me on his side?"

"You join us?" Apollo resisted the urge to laugh. "Sorry love, but you don't really strike me as the fighting type."

"Look, I know I'm not really one for bloodshed, but this war's gone on long enough. I'm sick of watching Ares and all those other nut jobs take out their self-rightous fury on the mortals." She looked down. "I...I want to help..." Artemis and Apollo's eyes widened as they could see tears welling up in Aphrodite's eyes. "I know I've messed up in the past... the whole thing with Hephaestus, the golden apple, and...the horrors of the Trojan War." She could no longer hide her distress. "I just...want to make things right again...I know I've done some horrible things, and I just...I thought if I could help stop this madness, then maybe...maybe you'd all forgive me. Maybe you'd all see that I'm not a bad girl, I'm just..."

"Look Aphro..." Artemis placed a hand on her shoulder. "I get it, you've messed up before, we've all had our moments. If sticking around here has taught me anything, it's that everyone deserves a second chance, so who are we to say no."

Aphrodite sniffled wiping away some tears.

"Come on, I'm sure Odin will understand."

Meanwhile

Poor Cupid, he never wanted to be part of this. Why couldn't the gods make love not war? Regardless, with everything that had happened, he couldn't bring himself to fight. Instead, the young god found himself enjoying the flower fields of the norse lands. And yet something seemed off. The flowers weren't their usual yellow bloom, in fact, they appeared to be dying. As if some dark presence was tainting them. The little god fluttered nervously as he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He turned and sure enough, looming over him was Zhong Kui and Hel(in her light stance). He raised his bow, shaking vigorously.

"Don't be afraid." Hel cooed holding out her hand.

"We won't hurt you." Zhong added.

Cupid lowered his bow as Hel's voice seemed to sooth him.

"They're right...they won't hurt you." Cupid turned swiftly. "But I will..."

Back at Artemis and the others

As Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite made their way back to Asgard, they were stopped dead in their tracks, as the ear-piercing shriek of Cupid filled the air.

"What the-"

"C-Cupid?!" Aphrodite squealed, somewhat panicked.

"This can't be good, we'd better go help!" Artemis said leading the trio in the direction of the scream.

Meanwhile...

"Why the hell did you do that?!" Hel(now in her dark stance) screeched. "He was on our side!"

"Was he really? He was an Olympian after all."

"You know he wasn't with the Old Order!" Zhong Kui bellowed.

"Perhaps, but war brings out the worst of us, and sacrifices must be made."

"That was no sacrifice, you murdered our ally!"

"Uh boys," Hel said grabbing their attention. "We've got company."

Just at that moment, Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite had arrived.

"By Olympus..." Artemis gasped.

"N-now wait a minute..." Hel switched stances. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Like hell it isn't!" Artemis growled raising her bow.

"Well, then plan B." With that Thanatos tossed his scythe at the trio, they easily leaped out of the way.

"Oh that's it." Suddenly Artemis whistled in the air, there was a rustling in the bushes before the Caledonian boar lunged out, ramming Thanatos and knocking him to the ground.

"So much for allies..." Zhong Kui then spun his brush, bathing the area in a magical mist, blinding the boar and stopping it in its' tracks.

By the time the mist petered out, the Underworlders were gone.

"Well great, now in addition to Olympus, now the Underworlds got it out for us now!" Apollo groaned.

"I just don't get it, I could see maybe Hades just following orders from Father but Hel? This is her own freaking pantheon what would she have against them?!" Artemis added.

"C-cupid..." Both Apollo and Artemis turned to Aphrodite as she knelled before the fallen god of love. "my baby..." She cradled his corpse, tears dripping from her eyes.

Artemis and Apollo turned to one another, clearly saddened. Cupid didn't deserve such a fate, he never even wanted to fight in this war and to have him cut down so soon, tragic.

"Aph...you gonna be okay?" Artemis asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

Aphrodite hardly acknowledged her.

Artemis sighed before turning to Apollo. "I think Aphrodite's gonna need some space. In the meantime we should head back to Valhalla, I feel like this is just the start of an attack..."

Meanwhile at Olympus

"Father..."

Zeus rushed into the main hall of Olympus, along with the rest of the Old Order, as Sun Wukong (with Hercules slung over his shoulder) stumbled through the door.

"Hercules!" Zeus rushed to his side, with Ra and Athena close behind. "What happened?!"

Ra immediately summoned the suns rays beginning to heal Wukong and Hercules.

"We were ambushed...by Underworlders." He looked up at Zeus. "Father, Anhur's dead."

That statement shook the whole Order to the core (aside from maybe Ah Puch). Anhur was one of the best warriors they had and now he was gone like that, even Bellona seemed visibly shaken.

"He...he's dead?!" Bastet squealed, tears swelling up in her eyes.

"Who killed him?!"

"Thanatos..."

Thunder rolled as Zeus seethed with rage.

"This is an act of war...I should go down to the Underworld and drag Hades here myself. He'll pay for defying me!"

"Father please." Athena pleaded. "Let's not get hasty."

"Hasty?! They attacked us in broad daylight Athena this treason cannot go unpunished."

"Heed Athena Zeus." Ra spoke up. "You're letting your anger cloud your judgement. If we mount an attack on the Underworld we'll only end up crippling our forces, we can't afford to lose more of us." He turned to Sun Wukong. "Especially after our recent assault on China."

"Then what would you have me do?! Sit here and do nothing as they kill our forces?! Anhur was your own flesh and blood!"

"No, I'm not. I'm saying we're not yet prepared to challenge the forces of the Underworld. If anything, we should focus on snuffing out the Elysian Uprising even quicker. Once we can secure the power we need, then we can properly punish the Underworlders for their opposition."

Zeus growled. As much as he hated to admit it, Ra was right. Attacking the Underworld now would just be foolish, even their mightiest armies paled in comparison to the forces of the Underworld.

"That being said..." Zeus turned to Ra, his curiosity peeked. "I've received word from a certain messenger of mine, the bulk of the Elysian forces are currently training in the arena. Meaning Asgard is likely undefended, meaning this would be the perfect time to strike."

"An assualt on Asgard?" Kali grinned. "Sounds like fun..."

"I don't like this." Athena said sternly. "If the Underworld attacked us, then they may have allied with the Elysian Uprising, for all we know we could be walking right into a trap."

"No, Ra's right. We cannot pass an opportunity such as this." He turned to Bellona. "Bellona gather the Romans, it's time for battle." Zeus looked around. "Where's Ares?"

"You sent him to the forge." Athena said somewhat smug.

"Typical, the one time I need him here..." Zeus turned heading towards the forge. "Excuse me, one moment."

Speaking of the forge...

"Hephaestus!" Ares bellowed, entering the forge.

No reply.

Ares rolled his eyes "Vulcan" He corrected.

"What's with all the noise?" Ares turned as Vulcan approached him, brushing off some cinders. "Well, well look who it is." Vulcan said somewhat sarcastically. "I hardly recognized you without my wife wrapped around your waist Brother..."

"Oh get off it." Ares growled. "It's not like you've been treating her as such."

Vulcan shrugged. "What can I say I'm a busy man."

"Regardless, I'm not here to chat, Brother, your craftsmanship is required."

"Oh really? What happened did you snap your sword in half or something?"

"Oh please, I'm not the one needing a repair." Ares pulled out Athena's broken spear. "I'm simply fulfilling a favor."

Vulcan examined the spear. "Hmmm, well doesn't seem too damaged. Should have it good as new in no time."

"Be quick about it Brother, we're at war incase you've forgotten."

"Always with the fighting Ares. Tell me, just when did we become so interested in the affairs of mortals?"

"Once those 'mortal affairs' began affecting our powers."

"You could have tried being nice..."

"Preposterous!" Both Ares and Vulcan turned to see Zeus in the doorway. "Our duties are not to be nice to mortals, our duties are to maintain order. These mortals and their insurrection disrupts this order which is why the Elysian Uprising must be crushed." He turned to Ares. "Speaking of, we have another charge that must be lead."

Ares grinned. "Oh? You want me to finish what I started?"

"Not quite, this charge is not against China, but against Asgard..."

Meanwhile to the East

"The snake's here sister."

The Japanese goddess, Amaterasu turned as Nu Wa stood beside her brother with a rather disapproving look on her face.

"Nu Wa."

"Amaterasu."

"I must say, it's quite the honor to have the guardian of the heavens on Japanese soil, yet I doubt you are here to merely visit."

"China's capital is in shambles Amaterasu."

"I am aware, I believe it was an attack organized by the Old Order."

"We needed your help."

"We've been over this Nu Wa, my kingdom...my followers need me, I can't just..."

"Innocent mortals died Amaterasu, do you really think the best way to protect Japan is to ignore this war?"

Amaterasu didn't respond.

"There not going to ignore you, you know. If we can't stop the Old Order, they'll come to you after their done with us."

"...I doubt it will come to that, sure the Jade Emperor-"

"The Jade Emperor refuses to help us. Sure, he provided us with a portion of Heavens armies, he refuses to provide further aid. He claims that he doesn't want this war to get out of hand..."

"Hmph, perhaps he has a point."

"Amaterasu..."

"I'm sorry Nu Wa, I realize that we are allies but...I cannot endanger my kingdom...I cannot endanger my kin..."

Nu Wa sighed. "How many more must suffer Amaterasu? How many more cities must fall before you decide to step in?"

No response.

"Think about it Amaterasu..." With that Nu Wa took her leave. As she left Amaterasu glanced at her, unable to shake the feeling that she may be right...

Author's Note: Welp, things are officially picking up, Anhur and Cupid are dead, the Underworlders have officially joined in, and now the Japanese Pantheon makes their debut. Btw, Ra's secret messenger may or may not be a certain rodent we love to hate.

PS: I apologize for my inactivity lately. College turned out to be a lot harder than I thought, either way I'll try to update a little more frequently from now on.