lternate Avengers Issue #25 Struggle for the Throne
Hercules,
Beast,
Deathcry
An Avengers Quinjet soared through the skies over Antarctica. A famous blue-furred Avenger was at the controls.
"I'm going to take this Quinjet and fly back to Muir Island," Beast declared.
"Navigate however, my friend," Hercules replied. "My new godly might shall take us whither I wish."
Indeed, at that moment the Quinjet flew into a bank of clouds that suddenly sprang up. Similarly, all of the instruments went haywire and Beast knew he was no longer in control of the craft. Then the clouds parted and Hank McCoy was treated to a most fantastical display of Greek architecture, beyond any he could ever imagine.
"There do be our goal, Henry McCoy, the fabled Mount Olympus!" Hercules cried. "Now land this craft most swiftly."
With that comment Hercules pushed the steering controls forward, plunging the Quinjet into a nose dive. Beast barely had time to apply the braking thrusters when the Quinjet crashed through the columns of a building. Air bags for Deathcry and Beast deployed automatically as they were in the two forward seats. Hercules, however, was standing between them and, upon impact, flew into the control panel. Even under his old powers this would not have slowed him. He ripped the front of the Quinjet open from the inside and ran off.
"Whether he's a man or deity, he never thinks of anyone but himself," Hank complained.
"Perhaps, the things he thinks of are beyond mortal comprehension," Deathcry replied.
"I imagine the hundreds of deaths that could result from this, including mine, are just what is on his mind?"
"You had a safe landing. How could you die just by being here?"
"It's not so much my being here that is the issue. It's my not being back in my lab. The end of my sabbatical is long over due. I have a duty to the victims of a plague."
"Ah, the legacy virus that you were working on. But how does that…? You are infected?"
"Yes, my fine feathered friend," Hank admitted. "Thinking that it would give me an added impetus to find a cure, I have injected myself with the virus. Unfortunately, it may mean I die before I could find a cure."
Having no more to say to each other, Beast and Deathcry extracted themselves from the Quinjet, but Hercules was already gone. A crowd had begun to gather. Even Avengers as experienced as Beast and Deathcry marveled at the creatures that were assembling. A tall human looking figure with long blond hair stepped forward from the crowd.
"Greetings, mortals," he announced. "I do be Apollo, son of Zeus. By the symbols on your ship, I see that you are Avengers. All Avengers do be welcome in Olympus. Come, introduce yourselves to us."
"I am the Beast and this is my…," he thought for the right words. "…fellow Avenger, Deathcry. Hercules has brought us here against my will. I do not think he is currently of sound mind and I question his motives."
"I do see," the god responded. "Thus the wreckage of thy ship. Come with me and we shall present the matter before Zeus."
Apollo escorted them towards Olympus' Audience Chamber. However along the way, all three could hear a commotion coming from the hall and ultimately were running there. When they arrived Zeus was on his throne and Hercules was addressing him.
"Father!" Hercules yelled. "For too long thou hast abused thy position as king of the gods!"
"Be ye carefully about how thou dost address thy king!"
"Thou shouldst take care! For thou may not be king of the gods for much longer!"
The ground and the building started shaking as the powers of the two gods began to build. Dust fell and the two began to glow.
Then another god, looking older than the others but still looking as powerful as the rest, bravely stood between the two.
"Stop this madness," he cried. "Do either of you wish to destroy Mount Olympus, itself?"
The two most powerful gods stood staring at each other until they both looked around to see the building still quaking.
"I suggest the two of you meet in the great amphitheater of Olympus in the morning, a place made to withstand the might of such a battle."
"We shall meet on the morn," Hercules pointed at Zeus as he spoke. "And as you defeated your father, and he his father before him, fate shall prevail."
With those words Hercules turned and flew away, blasting a hole in the audience chamber wall as he did so.
"So be it!" Zeus commanded. "Everyone shall attend the amphitheater at dawn to witness my victory!"
As Zeus spoke a column of smoke rose about him until it completely obscured him. Then, just as quickly the smoke cleared away revealing his disappearance.
Apollo ushered the two Avengers to his own chambers and they were joined by Athena and Hephaestus.
"Do you really think Hercules in his evolved state, could take on Zeus?" Beast asked.
"History is on his side," Apollo answered.
"It may not be on the morning," Athena added. "But eventually 'twill be. Zeus didst overthrow his father, Cronus, as he didst overthrow his father, Uranus, afore him. While each time the succession hath been violent, it hath also been an improvement. I be not so sure 'twill be the case this time."
"It doth seem to be what is known as diminishing returns." Hephaestus pointed out.
"It doth seem as though Prometheus hath enacted a plan," Apollo noted.
"Prometheus?" Hank asked. "How does he play into this?"
"You saw him yourself," Apollo said. "He was the one who suggested a battle in the morning. He hath e'er been behind the scenes during portentous moments."
The group continued discussing on into the night but no conclusions were reached. Apollo offered his hospitality to the Avengers and they retired for the night.
Far below Olympus, far below Hades, in a deep and gloomy pit, a winged youth started. Sensing a vast power, he attempted to hide within the shadows.
"Son of Night, come forth!" a booming voice ordered. "The king of the gods commands thee."
He crawled out of his hiding place.
"What do you wish of me, my lord?" he asked.
"Thanatos, child of Darkness, thy lord doth require thy services. I do need something that can kill even a god."
The next morning the great amphitheater of Olympus was packed. Apollo, by virtue of his status, procured a front row seat for himself and his guests.
Hercules entered the arena from one side and walked out to the middle.
"Where is he?" he called. "I issue a challenge to my father for the throne of Olympus. Doth he be brave enough to face me?"
With a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning Zeus appeared before him.
"I do be here," he answered the challenge. "Ready to quash the whelp who doth forget his place."
Hercules roared in anger and the two joined into battle. Hercules threw bolts of power and Zeus, his lightning bolts. They wrestled and grappled on the floor of the arena.
"I do not understand this," Hank said. "Yesterday these two nearly tore Olympus apart just with their anger. Now they're in full battle and we don't feel a thing."
"`Tis the amphitheater," Apollo replied. "The power they expend is dampened before it doth reach us."
"A force field?" Deathcry ventured.
"Nay," Hephaestus answered. "Simple engineering. I do know well how to design things."
Hank returned his attention to the battle before him. As the gods struggled back and forth they kicked up much sand from the arena floor. But there seemed to be something more going on. There was something in the sand that he noticed. He wasn't quite sure what though. Even in Olympus, he thought, the rules of physics should prevail. Unless there's some outside force operating, which probably happens very frequently in this place, he mused.
Then suddenly he knew what it was. He leapt to the edge of the arena. Then with a somersault, launched himself towards the fighters. He didn't quite hit his target dead on. His left foot landed squarely but his right was off. So he tumbled off to his right and a winged youth was knocked the other direction. The young god was holding a knife in his hands and Hank had a helmet in the grasp of his left foot.
"That doth be Hades' helm of invisibility," someone cried out.
"Thanatos!" someone else yelled. Hank recognized the name as the personification of death.
The two combatants stopped suddenly at the scene unfolding next to them and many gods joined them on the floor of the arena. There was a loud murmur of voices as everyone was trying to understand what had happened. Gods crowded around. Ares grabbed Thanatos and held him up by the neck, having disarmed him. But then a silence rippled through the stadium as everyone was staring at Zeus. Zeus himself was staring at a long gash in his side from a knife wielded by Thanatos.
"I do think…," Zeus looked at Hercules as he spoke. "I do think… I… hath made… a mistake."
Zeus tumbled over backwards and fell to the ground. Prometheus bent down to examine him.
"Zeus is dead," he stated solemnly.
"It was an accident," Thanatos cried. "I was supposed to stab Hercules."
The roar of the crowd arose again. Hercules stepped forward and ripped Thanatos from Ares' grasp.
"Wait!" Prometheus interrupted, his hands moving in odd patterns over the body of Zeus. "I have the power of Zeus but I cannot hold it. We must decide quickly who is to be the next ruler of Olympus!"
"I have survived the combat!" Hercules yelled. "I claim my birthright!"
"I have been a loyal son!" Ares retorted. "I should be the one to take his place."
Several other gods and goddesses put forward their claim. Hercules dropped Thanatos and shoved Apollo aside. Thanatos darted aways. Ares grabbed Hercules' arm. Many other fights began to break out.
"Hold!" Prometheus yelled. "All of the gods have some claim and every denizen of Olympus is biased. I ask the wisdom of the mortal who is among us. Who should rule the gods, Henry McCoy?"
Beast still sat on the floor of the arena where he had originally landed. As all eyes turned to him, he first thought of the helm of invisibility, still grasped by his left foot.
"Well if it's wisdom you want," he answered as he stood. "Why don't you look to your own goddess of wisdom." And he gestured towards Athena.
"Done!" Prometheus cried as he waved her direction.
Athena felt the power of Zeus infuse her.
"No!" Hercules boomed. "That power is mine!"
Athena held her hand up before Hercules and he disappeared.
"What did you do to him?" Deathcry asked her.
"This crisis was brought upon us by his arrogance," she answered. "Due to his power I had to take him by surprise but I have banished him to a place where his power may do some good."
"Mortals," she continued. "Thou dost have our gratitude. But Olympus is no place for thee. Apollo, wouldst thou escort our friends back to their homes."
The chariot of Apollo landed at the Muir Island Research Station and dropped off two passengers.
"I'm not leaving until you tell me where Hercules is," Deathcry protested.
"My dear lady," Apollo said. "Thou doth know as much as I. Athena hath banished him, `Tis all I know."
"Well, I guarantee you I will not rest until I find him." With that statement she walked away.
"I do not know how but I will not be at all astonished when she does find him." Hank said.
"And what of thee, Henry McCoy? What is next for thee?"
"I have a virus to defeat. So research awaits."
"If I may suggest…" Apollo began as he placed his hand on Beast's head. "…look to your own bloodstream for the cure."
Hank looked at him questioningly.
"I do be a god of healing," he said.
Hank bounded away with joy as Apollo's chariot raced into the sky.
Next Issue: Dr Doom!
Footnotes: Even though Ares is an Avenger in the Marvel universe, he is not one in my alternate universe. It diverged away before he joined the team.
Hank McCoy was duped into evolving Hercules in issue #16 of this series.