Anyone else surprised by what just happened in this show? I did not expect Gary to do that, though I can understand why he did it. I'm just glad he's standing up for himself, even if I don't like his choice. Either way, onto the story!
Guest: Yes, I am aware of that. Thank you for the review.
LadyAwesome45321: He's gonna have some role to play. I love the little moments between characters, especially these pairs. The stranger's identity will be revealed in this chapter, so don't worry. Thanks for reviewing!
The Legends stared at the stranger in the bridge. He would have fit right in on the time ship: a youthful face with short shaven brown hair; a pair of jeans and a white shirt under a brown jacket. It looked like he had a trick up his sleeve, and the knowing half-smile on his face seemed to suggest he knew more than everyone on the ship combined. On top of that, there was something familiar about his face – it was like they had seen him before.
Each Legend had their own thoughts about the stranger. Constantine, for example, stayed close to one of the exits of the bridge and tried not to draw too much attention to himself. Upon entering, he intuitively had felt the power, the energy this stranger possessed. He had never felt anything like it when facing a normal human like the Legends and so, it was best not to piss off the stranger or to come too close. Most other Legends stopped and stared, surprised and shocked - they had come to the same conclusions Sara had come to. He was not with the Time Bureau, so how did he get on board?
Sara was about to ask Gideon to secretly gather information about their stowaway when Mick walked on to the ship. His facial expression did not change upon seeing the stranger, but he did bluntly ask: "Who the hell are you?"
The man turned his head to Mick. "I guess that is the question, isn't it?" There was a hint of a British accent in his voice. He looked around at the group, all of them warily staring at him. "I don't expect you to recognize me. We haven't met before. My name is Hermes. I am the god of messengers and travelers, of merchants and thieves."
"Hermes?" Nate said, a frown on his face. "As in, the Greek god Hermes?"
"Yes, that Hermes," the stranger confirmed with one nod. Nate's face promptly paled while Ray, who stood next to him, had a hint of recognition on his face. The others did not know enough about Greek mythology to warrant a reaction.
"Unfortunately, I am not here for friendly conversation," Hermes continued. "I came because your actions half a year ago caused an inmate of the Underworld to escape its prison."
"Mallus." Sara sighed and folded her arms. Even after defeating him and having to clean up the Fugitives, they had to deal with him.
"Not Mallus," Hermes said. "You locked him up. He's back where he belongs. No, I came here because the Giantess escaped from Tartarus."
"And that means?" Mick wondered. Like all the other Legends, he had no idea what any of that was supposed to mean. Everyone wondered what Mallus had to do with this Giantess; all except Zari, who was still trying to recover from learning a Greek 'god' was standing in front of her.
"When you released the demon Mallus, the shockwave was so great, you cracked one of Hell's walls. The Giantess Periboea was one of the few who could escape before they fixed it. Since the Underworld exists beyond time, we suspect she arrived in 2015. As such, she has had three years to prepare for war."
"Three years, you say?" Constantine interrupted the god. If she has had three years to prepare, why did they allow this to happen? How did you not find a giantess in the real world?
"While the Underworld exists beyond time, Olympus does not," Hermes explained, "To us, she escaped two days ago. That was when we found signs pointing towards her in 2018. Aren't your Fugitives also scattered across time?"
He paused for a moment so that the Legends could get behind his argumentation.
"No disrespect," Sara said, "but if she's been running around in 2015, we would've found her already."
Hermes shook his head. "I don't believe you know what a proper Giant is or that you could spot one. They can easily hide among humans. Their size can be managed. They do prefer to be big, but if need be, they will stay as small as a human and remain nearly undetectable.
"The Giantess is bitter towards us. When her family was punished for attacking the gods, she was sent to Tartarus with them. Now she is free and she is planning to continue what her family started. She would rather see the world burn before she returns to the Underworld.
"She has regained her strength over the years. While she stands alone, a Giant cannot be killed by a man alone, or a god alone. They can only be killed by the combined effort of man and god. That is why the Olympians have decided to choose you to fight the Giantess." Hermes paused for effect. "You have our full authority to act as necessary, but that doesn't mean you can kill her yet. So some of you will be our champions."
"What do you mean by 'champions'?" Wally asked. Hermes turned his head to him.
"As a champion, some of you will enjoy the endorsement of one specific god. They will give you blessings that may help in the fight against the Giantess. You will be able to kill her. Still, however much we'd like to bring her back to the Underworld, some gods can be… picky."
"What's that mean?" Mick asked. The Legends had the impression Mick wasn't paying full attention and possibly tuned out about halfway through the info dump.
"It means the gods won't easily name a champion," Nate explained. Then Mick understood and the conversation could continue.
"Or they won't choose at all," Hermes added. His eyes briefly rested on Constantine, who turned away his gaze. "Some of my brothers and sisters don't have much confidence in you. It's more than likely those won't name a champion." He did not give any information about these particular gods; the Legends could only guess which ones would be interested in naming a champion and how many Legends would, in the end, become champions and gain the ability to kill this Giantess.
"While we know the Giantess is in Greece, we haven't been able to pinpoint her exact location yet. We will share this information when it becomes available." Hermes took a deep breath. "Do not disappoint us. You cannot afford to lose this battle. So far, you have the advantage that the Giantess doesn't know you're coming after her. Good luck."
The god was about to walk away from the group to leave them in peace, but he made one more decision. He turned to Wally, a serious look on his face and another emotion Wally could not place yet.
"Wally West," Hermes spoke in a ceremonious tone, "I hereby name you my champion. May you run faster than before and may you and your friends defeat the Giantess."
Without further ado, Hermes turned and exited the bridge. None of the Legends chased the god – everyone had their eyes on Wally, who was at a loss of words. The full implications had yet to skin in and for the moment, he was in shock.
"Hermes has left the ship," Gideon helpfully announced.
"I…" Wally stammered. "I'm just gonna—" he pointed at the exit Hermes had taken. "Y-You know." He then sped away, either to his room or someplace else he felt comfortable.
"What just happened?" Ray asked nobody in particular. This could not really be happening, right? They were not just told to clean up another one of their messes. Ray did not know much about Greek mythology, but what he did know was horrifying, especially if those monsters actually existed. The Greek god confirmed the existence of so many terrible creatures: the Medusa, the Minotaur, those two sea monster-beings Odysseus had to avoid… And now a Giantess and possibly some of her monster friends she would definitely send to cause some havoc somehow.
"I guess we have to fight this Giantess," Sara said. For once, she got all of the Legends to agree with her.
Except for John Constantine. He stormed out of the bridge.