A little Happy New Years gift. Think of it as hope for a better 2021. Shorter chapter but with great promise for the next.

Enjoy

"So... Arachne?"

"Oh, her story is actually true."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Oh yes, she is quite a bitch. She still sings of how she is better than Athena but no one much listens or cares. Her weaving skills are extraordinary but..."

"Her attitude just undermines that."

"Exactly!"

"Shame. Most of her children are actually pretty peaceful, just sitting in their webs."

"I know! They just sit there and hunt, helping rid us of pesky bugs, but have such a mother."

Issei shrugged while lightly chuckling. "I dunno, spiders still make me a bit tense. Even the smaller ones. Might be the eyes."

Medusa smirked. "You sure it's not the fangs? Some spiders have longer fangs than snakes when compared to body ratio."

"Yeah but both do it as a defense when something bigger is pestering them or hurting them. I, at least, understand that much. Spiders just..."

"The eyes and eight legs?"

"Yes! Which is super weird because I'm cool with scorpions!" Issei exclaimed, throwing his hands out in exasperation.

Medusa hissed out a laugh. "Is that so? They have claws and a stinger. Serqet would be happy to hear that, however."

"Serqet? The Egyptian goddess? You know her?" Issei asked with the slight tilt of his head.

"Of course, Pantheon legends such as myself and the gods know and talk to others of the different Pantheons."

"Hm, I couldn't tell. None of you seem to display such relations between one another."

This made the serpent frown. "Well, you would blame that of the higher gods and goddesses. Factions are so worried of joining forces due to the possible backlash from other factions. Your factions just happen to be some of the strongest that no one would dare challenge all three of you."

Issei knitted his brows. Here it was again, the talk of power and control. They were hand in hand everywhere. Power ran the world and was stopping peace from being achieved. People were too scared to make peace because there was the possibility of it creating a war? Why?

"Would you say you have a great relationship with Serqet?" He asked. The shift in his tone made the woman turn back. She could see a looming fire in his eyes, one that reminded her much of a hearth. A comforting flame.

Her cheeks weren't turning red. They weren't!

"S-She is one of my closest friends." She did not just stutter! Nope!

"What of you, Artemis-sama?" Issei didn't miss a step as he turned back to his teacher with the same look.

Artemis blushed and turned away, scratching a lone cheek. "I mean, Rama and I are always having our archery competitions."

"Which usually ends in a coffee date," Apollo chimed in. Artemis shoved him, her blush deepening.

"And you, Apollo?" Issei turned it on the god who, in turn, developed a blush of his own. "Your blush is telling of it being a possible significant other."

"Well..."

"Do tell, brother. This will be the first I am hearing of it..." Artemis said with an eerie calm in her tone.

Apollo hadn't told her of his rendezvous with this person. But he couldn't lie to Issei. Not with that look in his eyes.

"Its..."

"I'm sorry, mind repeating that?" Issei asked.

"It's Sk..."

"One more time. So we can all hear."

Apollo's blush was darker than Artemis' had been. "It's Skadi, okay!?"

"God of music, a blushing and mumbling mess. All over dating the goddess of winter from the Norse Mythology. Kinda fitting, don't you think, Artemis?"

"My brother does represent light and the sun as well. I would believe so," the huntress joined in with a teasing tone and smirk of her own.

Apollo fell to his hands and knees with his head hanging low. "I surrender..."

With a victorious grin, Issei held out a fist to which Artemis met with her own. Even Kuisha could be seen trying to stifle her own laughter behind a closed fist. A sight that made Issei's heart rate increase the longer he watched the bright smile on her face.

When the queen noticed him staring, she averted her gaze and her own cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

"And there is also the relationship of the Dragon of Domination and a devil," Medusa noted with a teasing smirk of her own.

Issei could only blush and turn away from Kuisha. It was still embarrassing. They had admitted their feelings just that morning and he still was reflecting on that. She was in love with him. Her in love with him. It still felt like a dream. But that smile, that laugh, the way she blushed... He couldn't be any happier.

Grip!

"-!?"

Issei hadn't realized how close she had gotten to him. Nor that their hands were intertwined. They even had their fingers laced together. That was some advance relationship play. And, judging by the heavy blush and surprise on her face, somehow the pawn was able to figure out that it was he who had made such advances towards his better half.

"So, what are you getting at, Issei?" Medusa asked, arms folded. She wasn't jealous. Not at all. It was too early for her to desire such from her would-be master. It was only a matter of time before he accepted her offer, he had called her beautiful, after all. Then, she would expect him to dote on her whenever she desired, as a master should.

"Ah, right," Issei replied, snapping back to reality. It was hard to focus when he looked into Kuisha's eyes. They were always so enchanting, and that smile. Phew, he was a lucky man. "Well, my point is, why should you be afraid to talk and be with those just because they're of another Pantheon? Love is love, friendship is friendship, peace is peace. And no one should be afraid to take that step."

"There isn't much we can do, Ise. The head gods wouldn't do such a thing, not with the looming threat of a war."

"That's the thing. Why would anyone start a war with two Pantheons? They would have to make alliances of their own, wouldn't they?"

Artemis paused. "I-I mean..."

"And if they made the alliances, wouldn't that defeat their purpose for starting the war?"

"You do have a point-."

"Peace shouldn't be something to fear. The slim chance of someone calling for war against you shouldn't stop you from trying to bridge the gap between all of you. There will always be people against peace. Always has been, always will be. And it's always that type of scum that tries to talk louder than everyone else. But I can guarantee you this, those people do not make up the majority. You have to take that first step, or else no one will."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Issei opened his eyes and felt his fist slacken back at his side. He had stepped forward several feet, separating himself from the group. His heart was beating faster than before and he even had a light sweat going. Had he worked himself up from his...what could he call it? A speech? A rant?

"Issei..." Artemis spoke up. Oh boy, was he about to get lectured in godly politics? "I think you're in the wrong profession."

Huh?

"Huh?"

The goddess chuckled. "Truly. With such passion for peace, and if you punched less, I'd honestly believe you were a prophet or pacifist."

"E-Eh?" This had caught the boy off guard. For him to have been labelled a pervert earlier this year to now being called something as high as a prophet.

"You do mean what you say, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why not become that?"

Issei casted his eyes to the side. "A prophet? Yeah, I think I've made too many mistakes to carry such a title."

"Nonsense," Apollo spoke up next. This made the dragon meet his gaze next. "Humans have made many, many, many mistakes in their lifetimes. You think the prophets in your history books were saints from birth?"

"I mean..."

"They weren't, Issei," the god answered. "All prophets across all religions were not perfect. If even the very gods they worshipped and preached of are not so perfect, then how can they?" This made Issei tilt his head to the side. "The point is, it's not about the mistakes you have made in the past or will possibly make in the future. Hell, it's not even about being a prophet, per say. The point is, why not be the bridge between Pantheons? Why not be the voice for us and all the religions?"

"M-Me?" He squeaked out, eyes wide. Artemis and Apollo nodded simultaneously. "B-But I'm just..."

"The Red Dragon Emperor. One who has the power to go against the treaty of the Three Great Factions should you desire. I

But it was you that stopped the Hakuryuukou and helped finalize the treaty. Why not do the same for all of us. Too many paranoid gods would fear taking that first step but you, you could be the person we need, who can help all of us."

Issei's eyes were wide. He looked to the three legendary Greek figures. They looked hopeful, as if they could finally open up about their relationships between the other Pantheons. As if there was a chance to find some form of peace.

It was then that Issei realized that the Pantheons had the same form of ceasefire as the Three Factions had. Those same ideas of a war starting if one Pantheon tried to ally itself with another. But why?

"So, you have all arrived, hm~."

Slither!

"-!?"

Pant! Pant!

Issei jumped, his heart hammering against his chest. The sound of heaving breathing over his shoulder. The smell of...wet fur? And that voice, it was of a little girl but with an eerie, sadistic tone.

That was when he felt something long and slimy rake up his arm. Issei went as stiff as a board and the giggling behind him didn't help to alleviate the possibility of him pissing his pants.

"Scylla, I'll ask you not to mess with my master," Medusa stated with folded arms.

Issei was now full on panicking, in his mind of course. Scylla, as in the sea monster, Scylla. The one who, with her sister, controlled a narrow strait that not even Poseidon would pass through? The Scylla who controlled weird dog head tentacles and was said to give the warning sound of a laughing child before attacking ships? That Scylla?

"Oh~? So you've found a man to take as your own~?" She teased with a laugh.

"I have. And you must remember the favor I have asked of you," Medusa said, narrowing her eyes. Even her snakes glared at the monster behind Issei, their eyes starting to glow an eerie gold. And why wouldn't they, the dragon man was nice to them and gave them snuggles. They didn't want to lose him.

The dog head that was over Issei's shoulder retreated. The giggling didn't stop, however, but the boy finally calmed and turned to face the new arrival. It was a small girl, roughly the same size as Koneko. Long sunset orange hair, blood red eyes, pale skin, and a lone, small fang protruding through her lips. And, around her, four long tentacles, each with its own dog head at the end of it. They had a mix between matted black fur and spiky green scales. All with matching glowing red eyes, just like their...master? Center? Something like that I guess. The connection was almost like Medusa and her snakes, if he had to take a guess.

"Hehe, you're staring awfully hard~," Scylla cackled.

"Meeting mythological legends isn't a specialty of mine."

"I see, I see~," she replied. "So, you know of me~?"

"And your sister. Leads me to wonder why you're here."

Scylla's grin stretched wide, revealing the sharp teeth that decorated her mouth. They glistened white and with a dangerous sharpness that reminded Issei of a shark.

"Don't fret, child~."

Child? Him?

"Medusa called on me to assist you on your quest, kehehe~," she cackled. "I've been dying for some entertainment and I owe her a favor. And, I've always wanted to devour a dragon, hehe~."

Issei took an instinctual step back. The glint in her eyes and the way she licked her lips did not seem comforting in any way. Medusa was close behind him, draping her arms over his shoulders. It was then he noticed she was in her snake form, allowing her to stand much taller than himself.

"Scylla," she hissed dangerously.

The redhead laughed in reply. "Not your little dragon, dearie. No need to fear, hehe~."

Issei looked over his shoulder towards Kuisha. Apollo had whispered something in her ear, receiving a slap on the back of his head courtesy of Artemis, and Kuisha pouting at him with folded arms.

How was this his fault? He hadn't been leering or perving. Medusa had her arms around him. Scylla was being a sadistic taunt just like in her lore. What was he supposed to do? Why was she mad at him? And how could he feel the soft mounds of flesh, despite the hard armor, pressing into him!?

"Now, Scylla, you remember our discussion," Medusa urged, trying to change the conversation.

"Ah, the location of this ritual, yes~?"

"Yes."

"No idea."

The group face vaulted. Medusa was the first to recover, slamming her hands on the ground as she lifted herself up.

"What do you mean you don't know!?"

"I searched far and wide. Nothing. No signs, no abnormal lapses of energy, Ajax and Achilles couldn't even find scents. Whatever they're doing, they have kept it quiet."

"It's probably because of Hades," Apollo informed. This made Scylla perk up.

"So that's why I smelled the dead, not of my doing. So there's the chance to challenge a god, kehehe~."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Scylla. Hades is one of the strongest beings in existence."

"So is Poseidon. And I sent him running," Scylla bragged, barring her sharp teeth. Her dogs also did in a snarling grin.

"One, you had your sister. And two, you ambushed him," Medusa added. "Not that I am unappreciative but you know Hades is the strongest of the brothers. His power surpasses that of any Greek god."

"Well, I'm not a god, am I~?"

"No, you are but a monster who feeds on humans dumb enough to pass through your strait."

Scylla pouted. "Poo, you're no fun..."

"So what do we do if we can't find them?" Issei asked, helping Kuisha to her feet.

"We have to," Apollo replied.

No one said it but they all thought the one word on all of their minds.

How?

"What about following the stench?" Issei offered.

"Excuse me?"

"Scylla, you said that the stench of death isn't yours, right?"

"Indeed. It is a putrid stench not of my doing. Powerful enough to be of the only god who specializes in the dead."

"Then why not track it to the source? Follow that stench?" Issei tried explaining. "I mean, if it's something new, he's obviously using it as a cover. What better reason than to mask Khaos Brigade's attempt to revive Ladon?"

The four mythological beings blinked before sharing a glance.

"He continues to amaze me," Artemis spoke first.

"A fine leader in the making," Apollo continued.

"Truly a man to follow," Medusa followed.

"Kehehe~, I might want to devour him now," Scylla chided.

Medusa's pupils sharpened. "Scylla..."

Doooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnn!

Rumble!

The ground shook violently. The group stumbled but Scylla was quick to send the four dogs to catch them before they lost their footing. It wasn't a moment later that a fresh wave of death washed over them. It was putrid and pungent, stinging both their nostrils and eyes.

Tears formed at the corner of Issei's eyes. His stomach could no longer contain its contents and he released them behind the tree he stumbled his way to. Kuisha wasn't far behind as she too had streams down her cheeks and her breakfast in a pile on the side of the path.

"Ughh, seems we are late," Scylla muttered, fanning her hand through the air. Her usual Cheshire grin was gone too, a disgusted frown taking its place. "Zoey already knows of its source. Let us go before this dragon ruins anymore of my day."

"We can't! We have to retreat!" Apollo stated.

"Ladon is awoken! We must go now!" Artemis said, worry and panic now filling her.

"No, sister, we must report back to father!" Apollo argued.

"We can't! It will be too late before we get back! It will be some time before he regains his full power! We must go now or risk people dying!" Artemis urged.

"But you heard what father said!" Apollo replied.

"And if we do nothing, Khaos Brigade will endanger more people," Issei informed, stepping between the twins.

"Issei, you can't be serious. Facing an Evil Dragon and Hades!? It's suicide," Apollo tried.

"It took us too long to get here from our searching. If we wait too long, they'll be gone before Zeus, or anyone can do anything. If we're to stop Ladon, we need to go now. Besides, Hades may have created the cover for the ritual but he isn't here."

"How can you be sure, Issei?" Kuisha asked.

Issei blinked. His pupils sharpened, the hazel now glowed like gold, and his snarl revealed sharpened fangs.

"Because just like God of the Bible, Hades despises dragons."

And we've reached the end. Like I said, short. But we have our players and the stage is set for the next big fight. Hopefully you kiddies enjoyed as we reach the climax to our arc.

Review it as always and I'll try and do my best to post the next one within that 6 month period you folks dread to have to slog through.