The morning rays of sun flickered into the room, irritating a young man into awakening. Atreus grumbled a bit as he struggled to wake up, the feeling of the other person in his bed pulling him back into a warm embrace didn't help. He smirked a little, a coy smirk only a being with a second name like he had could give. But then he opened his eyes and saw what time it was on a nearby clock, those same eyes snapped open and he bolted out of bed waking the woman that was happily enjoying his presence with her.
"Shit! Slept in and I cannot be caught this time!" Atreus panicked as he quickly began picking up his clothes off the ground of the motel room that he had spent the night in. He was no longer the small boy that had traveled from his home to the land of the Giants to send his mother's ashes to the wind. Now he was sixteen and a strong capable young man. His copper red hair now tired up in a Nordic braid reached down between his shoulders. His face having lost all of its semblance of childhood and now was sharp and had a rugged handsomeness that could only come from godhood. Across his body, more runic tattoos lined his body though he made sure not to reach the level of Baldur in this case. His toned athletic body spoke to his Spartan heritage although his skin remained very fair from his northern roots. Icy blue eyes held a warmth to them that showed his caring if mischievous soul. But right now those eye only had a wild abandon to not screw up.
"Too early for this… come back to bed." The woman that he had been enjoying the weekend with grumbled, finishing with a yawn as she slowly picked herself off the mattress. She was like all the various woman that the grandson of Zeus spent his nights with, beautiful. "Don't tell me you have school or something… right?" She asked jokingly at first but then it turned a bit more serious as she saw him give a sorta look.
"Hey, we agreed… no names and just for the weekend." He said as he hopped into his pants.
"That was a month ago, and you're only now telling me that you're still in high school?" She asked having all sense of the need for more sleep gone from her system.
"I didn't tell you, you inferred that." He smiled a clever smile, his mastery of words and language had only grown in the last few years. Not that it worked on her, which was odd. She was oddly immune to his charms and he tended to attribute to the fact she had a greater willpower than most. While they agreed to keep things causal, that didn't stop him from learning things about her. One of those things was that she was in a long term relationship with a abusive partner, such a situation tended to either break someone or make them stronger. "Does it change anything?" He asked as he finished buttoning up his shirt.
"No… it doesn't." She mused leaning back with a scene look on her face. Atreus would like to know just what she was thinking, to know what emotions were playing about in her heart. That's where is powers normally lie, but to her… nothing. Which always made her by far the most interesting woman among those that he had similar relationships with.
"Same time next week then?" He asked as he finished up his dressing but at the frown on her face he got his answer.
"A change in schedule needs to happen." She said as she shifted uncomfortably. While he couldn't get a read on her supernaturally he was still a master of language and the body spoke as much as the mouth. But he bit his lip, he had offered to handle her boyfriend but she said that wasn't his job. His job was to make her forget about him for a few nights. That he could do and did so as best he could. "If things change back, I'll be in touch." She said with a far away look in her eyes and Atreus could tell she wasn't planning on that happening.
"The offer still stands." Atreus said as he opened the door. A sad smile crossed the woman's lips, as if saying I wish I could take but I'm scared to. With a small bit of rage crossing into the young man's heart, replacing the lust that had been there before he closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to clam himself. He had a lot of running to do.
Thankfully Atreus was not a normal human. He was a God. The son of Kratos the God of War and Laufey, a Jötnar. Though not from the world that he lived in. he had traveled from his home reality escaping the cruelty of Odin and Ragnarok. For many years he had lived in Kuoh Japan, living as normal a life as he possible could. Though he knew that his life was something that normal boys could only dream of.
What had started out as a way to sharpen his linguistic skills ended up getting him perpetually laid. He didn't like slacking off, he kept his skills with archery in top shape by becoming the captain of the archery club at his school. He trained in illusions and Vanir magics with his stepmother, a Vanir Goddess and a master at this power. But his true godly powers were centered in words. He learned all the words he could, he spoke so many languages that some were only spoken by him at this point, and he could debate a fanatic into arguing against their own faith. But in then two years ago he started training in the next stage of being a master word smith, the art of seduction. A year later he realized that he inherited his grandfather's sin of lust. Thankfully he had long since come to grips with the curses of Godhood and found a healthy medium. He had a network of lovers in town and even a few women that visited Kuoh once and came back just for him.
"Boy!" Atreus groaned as he heard his father yell up to his room as he climbed through the window. He quickly redressed himself in his school uniform and ran down to where everyone in his family was waiting for him. His stepmother Freya was sitting next to his father who was at the head of the table as always when he was home. Mimir was at the other end. And lastly his half sister Svedra was sitting in her highchair not reading the fact he was in trouble at all and was playing with her baby food.
"You really should apply for the track team too. You'd be a star." Freya asked as she rested her head in her interlaced hands. A small smile on her lips as she enjoyed this little family drama, it was all part of having a teenage son. She hadn't changed much in the years since coming to earth, other than altering her wardrobe to fit the modern times. But she was by no means a simple housewife, quickly she raced to the top and was the director of Kuoh's hospital. The fact she may have used her Vanir magic to heal a few impossible cases to boost her renown was besides the point. And did she have Mimir use his powers to research her rivals and possible unknown medical treatments to give herself even more clout? He was living rent free he had to pay his way somehow.
"Ah youth, enjoy it while it lasts little brother." Mimir added quickly as he leaned back in his seat, drinking a bit of Irish coffee. He had become the live in everything, nanny, cook, cleaning lady, anything that needed to be done at home Mimir did it. Mostly because he rarely left the house to go out into the world. He appeared perfectly content at being a shut-in so long as he had his connection to the internet. Freya and Atreus often joked that he could still be a head and nothing would have changed his habits.
"It's not like I did anything wrong." Atreus said as he took his seat at the table across from his sister. Not taking the seat next to his father as that was a death wish right now. He got home in time, he didn't miss anything important. So he didn't appreciate the jokes.
"Letting yourself go to these vices would lead you down a dark path." Kratos said knowing that he would be ignored but his son needed to understand that wrath wasn't the only sin that ran in the family. Kratos was proud of his son for many things, his excelled in keeping himself in school and maintaining a good standing academically. He kept up with his training and could now fight with Kratos both bare-fisted, when both used their weapons however Kratos still dominated the fight. And Atreus had even mastered his Spartan Rage. And even his habits with the fairer sex was… not as bad as it could be.
"Just because grandfather had no control over the lightning bolt in his pants doesn't mean that I'm going to go batshit crazy." Atreus grumbled only just barely loud enough for everyone to hear. Mimir slightly choked on his coffee and Freya laughed at the comment while Kratos did not looked amused at all. Freya found the whole thing to be entertainment of the highest quality, she loved both her men dearly but Kratos wasn't cut out to be a parent in this environment. But he tried and both she and Atreus knew this, Kratos tried to be the father that set down the law and would the solid pillar of the family everyone could come to for safety. But considering he was only around for a few weeks at a time, he crammed all of the missed time into those few weeks.
"Kratos, I think we can forgive Atreus. Unlike your father your son has the sense to ask for permission first." Freya said and Kratos still didn't look happy but he knew that he had little to say here. The Ghost of Sparta knew that he was out voted here as his wife didn't believe that the boy had devolved to his curse yet. And further more he trusted his son, he said his peace and that would be the end of it.
"Hmm." Atreus could see it in his father's eyes, he wasn't happy but knew that this was one those situations were he was just being stubborn. The rest of the family breakfast was filled with lighter banter that was normal for the family of gods. As unlikely as it sounded given their history, they all treasured moments like this. But eventually it came to a end when Atreus had to leave for school. He said his good byes before leaving knowing that his father would be gone before he got home.
Freya hummed happily as she rocked back and forth with her daughter in her arms. Kratos had left moments ago after performing his husbandly duties. Hence the pleased humming. Freya could not begin to describe the surprise that she had on their first night together that Kratos was such a generous and skilled lover. One time she had just come out and asked just how that came to be and the second that he had begun to say that whore Aphrodite's name she stopped him. Some things were better left unsaid.
"That was a close call this morning." Mimir said as he walked into the living room of their decently large home. She both liked and detested Nex but the man had his good spots, like going all out to put them in comfort. The home that her family lived in was spacious and had pliantly of room for a few more members. Along with being well furnished and as a bonus had a large underground training room where Atreus and her husband could keep their skills sharp. She also ventured down there now and then but Odin's curse still plagued her and her wings were her best shot at breaking the curse but alas they were long from healing fully.
"Yes, it's easy when Atreus does have the same tastes as his father. The fear that Kratos has of Atreus resembling anything like Zeus is a bit irrational given how Atreus is nothing like the Zeus of our world in a real meaningful way. Even his lust is well within what a normal teenage boy would have… it's just that Atreus as a god is much more likely to attract and keep many more lovers." Freya spoke as Mimir took a spot on the nearby couch and listened to the goddess. She was of course right on all accounts. Unlike Zeus, Atreus was kind and trusting. He also had no desire to murder his father, it was looking like the cycle of patricide would end with Kratos.
"I've been worried though, his enthralling effect is mediated given he spaces out these times he has with those women but..." They were gods, they caused mortals to follow them. It was only nature and Atreus wasn't aware of the effect he could have on people. Especially since his domain is so tied with the mind. "None of them have sought him out yet, not that they don't want to." Mimir chuckled as every time he checked up on Atreus' lovers he could tell that some of them had deeper feelings for him than he noticed. The line between enthralled and in love was over blurry.
"He is both his father and grandfather in love. Unable to see what is right in front of him while at the same time chasing after skirts and succeeding very well for himself in that regard." Freya found it all so amusing and comforting to know that Atreus was not a cruel lover. That he cared for those that he took to his bed. "Woe be to the woman that make it her mission to marry him."
"Woe to the boy that wants to marry your girl there." Mimir said knowing that the baby girl in her arms was destined to grow as beautiful as her mother. And with a father like Kratos… she was in for a lonely love life. The two shared a laugh over that before the air turned only slightly serious.
"So… how long do you think until Atreus has until someone makes a move on him?" Freya asked as she knew it was inevitable that someone would take an interest in her step-son. The Devils that owned this town had been kept in the dark for a good deal of time, but Atreus was going to school with them they were blind nor stupid. She actually found it odd nothing came of his going to Kuoh Academy as of yet. The fact that it had been several months with not a single peep from the Devils spoke to their ability to detect the power Atreus had in him, along with the good judgement not to bite off more than they could chew. But still… the close proximity and familiarity could always be the undoing of that judgement.
The school recently went coed and it was one of the best schools in the country, Atreus already had the grades to get in and having it on his record would do him a lot of good. And the fact he was captain of the Archery Club and was at the top of national ranked students would also be very good. Her husband grumbled a bit, finding the school might coddle the student body given so many rich families sent their kids here. But he defaulted to Mimir and Freya's judgement when it came to Atreus' schooling so long as Kratos felt Atreus wasn't slipping into bad habits.
Freya knew Atreus was a good boy, with all that he had been through with his father it would take something big in Atreus' life to turn him to the God side as it were. Atreus was just as Jötnar as he was God, along with some mortal flowing around in there as well. It thankfully turned out to be a balanced mix and Atreus showed no sign of following in their world's god's footsteps of becoming cruel.
"Oh… depends really on the situation. I think it all comes down to what they would want out of him." Mimir said as he thought on it. He had been expecting the Gremory Heiress to offer Atreus a place in her household, thinking that he was just a powerful human. But that had not happened, neither had the Sitri Heiress but that one didn't have a desperation for powerful servants like the Gremory girl. The fact Atreus had been left completely to his own devices suggested that they either knew what he was and knew better than approach a God with the offer to become a Devil, or… they didn't know and were overly cautious. Mimir suspected it was the latter as if they knew he was a God than they would likely investigate why there was an unknown God in their midst. "We can't be too sure that Nex hasn't done something to make Atreus more or less unappealing to them in some way."
"The way that man is able to hide things from me is quite irritating." Freya growled as she found the man that had her husband on a leash infuriating. Nex at times acted like he owned them because of the work he had done getting them settled. "But how he talks like we owe him everything we have is even more so." And she did mean everything. She knew that there were gaps in her memory caused by Nex and she was sure that during those times he had unsuccessfully attempted to get her into bed. While she still couldn't harm anyone thanks to Odin's curse, she wasn't completely helpless. But there was never any proof so she couldn't call him on it.
"Aye… but trying to figure out how to get out from under his thumb is a task too big for us now." Mimir mumbled and Freya nodded, it wasn't like they were actively trying to do just that. Previous grievances aside, Nex was mostly a annoying figure that only came around at the start and end of Kratos' time with the family. "But Atreus is what we were speaking of my lady. You ask how long until someone makes a move on your boy, well… I'd say soon." Freya's eyes widened at that with surprise. "It may not be the Devils but I've seen the patterns of stars shift as they do now. Something is coming, and that boy is his father's son… they are drawn to trouble."
"I guess they are." She softly chuckled as she recalled the day when she first found the two. The two had made her day rather interesting and worrying, they had hurt Hildisvíni and she was able to guilt Kratos into helping heal the boar. Atreus had a hand in that as well. From the moment that she saw the man that would become her second husband she knew that they shared many things. Pain, betrayal, a distrust of the gods, and a need for family. It had been family that set Kratos on his warpath and it had been family that had Freya marry Odin in the hopes of saving the Vanir. But even through all the pain and suffering that family had brought them, they still wanted it. Because to them it was the most important thing that mattered.
Atreus walked through the gates to Kuoh Academy, it was a modern and sprawling campus that was made for the nation's elite. It did give a special entrance test to locals so that they might have a chance and waved a large portion of the tuition fee as way of giving back to the community that hosted the school. Not that Kuoh wasn't already pretty well off, the average income of the town was slightly higher than the national average. Atreus only knew this because he wondered why it was that two certain local boys were able to get into such an elite school. But he'd rather not think of them. He instead enjoyed the sunshine and great weather that they were having today as he walked toward the main school building. However taking this route so openly had its downside.
"Look, Atreus is here!"
"He's so handsome!"
"Is he still not dating anyone?"
"We still have a chance."
"I still ship him with Kiba."
"Wow… I really need to work on squashing that rumor." Atreus cringed as he heard that last one. He had nothing against his fellow prince of Kuoh but that he certainly didn't swing that way. Atreus was glad however that the female students of Kuoh Academy had at least some sense of boundaries. He waved back at a few of the onlooking girls, making them blush and whisper to themselves. He didn't know when it first started but the girls at this school started worshiping him as shining prince among men… then again… maybe he did have an idea when it started. "I should check before going to class." Atreus grumbled as he made a small detour away from the school to one of the other buildings on campus. This one used as the gym for the kendo team.
"Move over man, ohhh… total money shot right there." Matsuda said as he shoved aside his friend and fellow pervert Motohama as they fought over their secret peephole. It wasn't actually a secret, and in fact it was a trap set by Atreus who just drew a runic circle on the wall that would make them think there was a peephole. They weren't seeing the kendo team changing, they were gluing faces to a blank wall.
"Hey, I was the one that found this excellent spot. I should get first viewing." Motohama said as he moved his friend's face aside so he could press his face to the wall. Completely unaware of what he was really seeing or the looming form of Atreus that was in what he liked to call Legacy Mode. Here he was projecting the stern terror of his father without actually going into Spartan Rage.
"Ah… catch of the day." Atreus cracked his knuckles and the perverts' bodies went frozen stiff. Before they could even turn around Atreus picked them both up by the backs of their collars and slammed them into the wall hard enough for the changing Kendo team to hear it. "I CATCH YOU TWO PERVERTS PEEPING AGAIN!" Atreus roared in a fury that would make the God of War proud. He honestly hated these two little fucks. He hated perverts every since he had to deal with the garbage that spewed out of Modi's mouth, even if was during a shameful part of his life… killing that disgusting freak was a proud moment for Atreus.
"H-hey man… it's not fair that you get all the bitches for yourself." Matsuda grumbled in pain as he and his fellow pervert slowly slumped to the ground after Atreus let them go. The copper haired boy ignored ever word, having heard rumors that this one was a proud lolicon made him disinclined to ever see anything he had to say as worthwhile.
"Agreed, we have it on good authority that you sir have taken home both-UPH!" Atreus smashed Motohama's head into the ground before he could finish that sentence. Atreus had heard the sounds of footsteps coming toward them. And he was right in who it was.
"Ugh… them again." One of the kendo team members groaned while others had stars and hearts in their eyes at seeing Atreus take care of this problem yet again.
"Tell anyone what you saw and I will castrate you with a rusty knife and feed your bits to the wolves." Atreus whispered down to the grounded pervert who knew that Atreus wasn't just being threatening. He meant every word. Atreus then stood up with a friendly smile that melted the hearts of the assembled kendo team. "And I deliver onto you, vengeance." He said takin a sweeping bow away from the perverts letting the girls have their turn at them. Then the god was promptly stolen away. The next thing he knew was that he being passionately French kissed by one girl while the other soon pushed the first girl aside so that she could do just as she did.
"You ducked out on us Friday. What gives?" Murayama asked as she lowered down and began unbuckling Atreus' pants. Both she and Katase were quite grateful for Atreus' constant vigilance, as they knew he made sure to keep a close eye on the Perverted Duo when it came to the kendo team. But that didn't mean they were going to let him go for vanishing on them again for an another whole weekend.
"Leaving girls high dry like that, pretty soon they won't-" Katase was interrupted as Atreus returned to their kiss, her tongue slipping past his lips and exploring his mouth in full. This didn't last long though as once Atreus regain some of his wits a small battle began between the two lovers that quickly ended in Atreus' dominance. Katase melted in his grasp as he pulled her closer, his tongue completely overtaking her own as continued to kiss. However the nagging side of him came through, warning him that there was no way that they could finish this before class started. So just as Murayama was about to pull down his pants he stopped her.
"You're really doing this again?" Murayama whined with pleading eyes that was echoed by Katase as Atreus pulled away from the two of them. Both were already hot and bothered by the sight of Atreus beating up those two perverts. And they had been waiting all weekend, making them noticeably irritable to their teammates who questioned them on their miffed mood. It was hard to make up a reason for them to be both angry when they couldn't just outright and say it was because they were denied sex with the stud that was their childhood friend and much wanted-to-be boyfriend.
"Yes I am because do you really want to run the risk of getting caught?" Atreus asked sobering them up quite a bit. Neither one wanted this relationship to be found out, not because they were ashamed of Atreus or each other but because they were worried about what their parents might do if they found out. Both had parents that were very strict and would never allow something like what was going on to continue. Seeing them pout however, lead Atreus to give each one a kiss. Both felt more love than lust from it and could only feel genuine happiness from it.
"Promise that you'll make it up to us?" Katase pleaded with big eyes filled with love and need, her best friend sharing the same look. Those feelings however flew over the head of the Son of Kratos, God of Density and patron god of boneheads everywhere. Atreus, following in his father's footsteps, just smiled not seeing the true feelings these girls had for him. He could see every emotion a person had but every power had a blind spot.
"I promise. But for right now I think you should get back with your team. Those perverts will only distract them for so long." Atreus pointed out and the kendo co-captains both felt that if they didn't hurry they would miss out on punishing those two themselves. With each giving Atreus a quick kiss to a cheek they went back to their team. Atreus just softly chuckled to himself before groaning at having blue-balled himself. But he would honor their request to keep this all secret, and the risk of doing something even while veiled by his magic was too great. Atreus snapped his fingers and the illusion that had been surrounding them faded away. "Maybe I could have… no." Atreus sighed before putting his arms behind his head and began his walk back to the main building of the school. On his way however he passed by the old school building, it looked still well maintained to Atreus which he always found strange. Why it wasn't torn down was even stranger to him.
As he passed by, he looked up and saw one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen in his life. Long red flowing hair the shade of blood, he had seen enough of it to memorize the color. The figure women would murder dozens to get for themselves with a gorgeous face that could turn lesser men into drooling messes. And eyes that fused between green and blue into a tranquil sea that one could lose themselves in. Rias Gremory.
He had seen her around the school before and he knew that she was no mortal human but this was the first time that he actually saw her. Before it had been in passing or just a curious glance to see what kind of being also went to this school. The two's eyes stayed on each other for an instant before she opened her mouth to say something. But then she blinked, and he was gone. Atreus meanwhile stood behind a hastily created illusion, watching as Rias glanced around searching for where he had gone.
"Why did I do that?" Atreus asked himself even though he had no answer. It wasn't like he was nervous around girls or that he didn't know how to talk to them. Far from it, the proof of that happened not five minutes ago when he had been kissing two girls that he had regular sex with. But this time… he just panicked. Was it because she wasn't mortal? That was the first idea that came to his mind. He hadn't really spoken to any supernatural being since coming to this world other than Nex… and refused to allow that bastard to color his opinion of people here. But even still his mindset concerning non-mortals was still on the cautious side. After having most of his childhood being filled with the vast majority of supernatural beings being on the hungry, evil, or downright rude side, he had a small aversion to interacting them. "I should have at least let her speak before snapping to conclusions." He said sticking to that explanation of why he did what he did. Not even thinking that maybe some other feeling might have caused it.
"You saw him too right?" Rias asked her best friend and Queen Akeno Himejima, a beauty in her own right. both her and Rias were considered to be the Great Ladies of Kuoh and had both the envy and admiration of much of the female student body. While the majority male part of the students all wanted nothing more than to get both girls with world class looks and bodies in bed as fast as possible.
"Yes, But now I can't… very impressive to perform such high-level stuff so quickly." Akeno said while internally being very impressed with the boy. For one on the amount of skill and the restraint he had in using it. There had been no sign that he had used it for nefarious purposes.
"Atreus Deimos… Sona says to stay away from him but I can't help but think that he could be a great addition to our little family." Rias said as she turned away from the window and back to the candle lit room. In the middle was two Victorian couches with a chess set on a table between them. Rias took a seat on one of the couches as Akeno served her tea. The chess set was in the middle of a game she had her friend Sona had been playing. Set midway in the game just as Sona almost turned things around. However, Rias used a rather atypical tactic and threw Sona off. Rias was studying that game and trying to figure out just what happened. Even the best could surprise themselves and Rias needed to memorize that game for future matches.
"I recall you telling us to keep our distance from him." Akeno said with a small hum of amusement to her voice. There was something about Atreus that had her interested, she guessed it had something to do with figuring out what he was. None of the Devils had any idea as to what that was. All they knew was that his aura was powerful, powerful enough to naturally attract humans to him. Atreus had both guys and girls following him in a very devoted way. But this mystery had Akeno intrigued, and he was very handsome… that had something to do with too.
"That order still stands. I'm the only one that is to approach him if I decide to." Rias said firmly, there was always the chance that Atreus was hostile to Devils and she would not risk one of her family. All of them were precious to her and she would not needlessly put them in harm's way.
"Yes president, is there anything else?" Akeno asked as Rias stood up and began undressing herself.
"No, that will be all." Rias said as she stood naked and entered the private shower that she had installed in the Old School Building. She often times stayed overnight doing her work as ruler of the town and Heiress of the House of Gremory and so had everything she could need on site. As the warm water rolled down her milky white skin she couldn't help but think back to the second that she was able to see Atreus. She could feel in that moment the power that he had in him. Far more than any human. Even a human with a Sacred Gear didn't have this much raw primal power. And it felt mixed, that was what was hiding its origin, the fact it wasn't purely one type of aura that came off Atreus. "Just what are you?" Rias said as she held a hand to her beating heart. When their eyes connected she was able to look past the power and found a warmth that she now felt lost without. It made her feel back to the days when she never had to worry about her future, safe.
Atreus sighed as he leaned forward on the bridge rail. It had been a interesting day, this morning seeing his father off and then later that incident before school. All day with Murayama and Katase giving him not so subtle bedroom eyes, though he guess since so many other girls did the same they were well hidden. Two sets of eyes lost in the crowd of so many others. Then there was that moment between him and Rias… that confused him. He still didn't know what she or any of the other beings at Kuoh Academy were. Whenever he would ask Mimir about it the Satyr would wave him off and tell him not to worry about it.
"Dumbass thinks I can't figure it out on my own." Atreus grumbled to himself as he enjoyed the wind pass by him. He was in the center of Kuoh's urban center, the town was far from being called a city but it wasn't small by any means. Both the high tier school and the very successful hospital in town had brought in a great deal of money. The latter of which was fairly recent… it was a complete mystery why after a small change in management the place suddenly boomed as a center for the medical community.
Atreus loved the wilderness, it was where he grew up but the modern world had its charms to him as well. He felt just at home surrounded by nothing but trees and wilds as he was when the sounds of traffic and crowds enveloped him. Freya liked the change of pace even if she made her home in Midgard the best she could. Mimir however didn't like it and shut himself in their home while taking small trips out to the forested area that surrounded Kuoh.
Atreus was currently taking the long way home after a small session with his club. Being the captain of the Archery team for Kuoh Academy wasn't all too difficult at times. Just a bit of extra paperwork and making sure everyone was keeping up with their training. He supposed that a mortal would need to spend more time with the sport but… he wasn't mortal. It was a way to use his gifts and spend time doing something more than playing video games and watching tv, which he did as any normal teenage boy but his father would smash all his stuff if that's all he did. He had other gifts like with language and singing, anything really when it came to speaking. But if he made use of those gifts, like by becoming a signer… the hell that would rain down would be unthinkable.
"Hehe… wait… he won't try to crush my vocal cords, will he?" Atreus quietly asked himself serious considering the idea that his father would do such a thing if he thought it would turn Atreus back to a so-called better path. Atreus however was taken out of his slightly frightened musings as he heard a nervous cough to his right. He looked to his side and saw a girl had approached him, looking to the ground and fidgeting nervously. She was cute… very cute.
"H-hello." The girl squeaked out and Atreus felt that mad her even more adorable. "Are you Atreus Deimos?" His last name was something that his father had fought Nex over, originally their last name was going to be some bland Greek surname but Kratos demanded that be changed to his brother's name. Freya agreed that such a thing was fitting and Atreus stood behind them as well. Mimir also threw his lot in with them only if because he was always on their side. Nex had complained a great deal but made the change.
"Yes." Atreus said letting this continue as it was clear this wasn't one of his many fangirls from Kuoh.
"My name is Yuuma Amano and… I…I want to go on a date with you!" She shouted trying to keep up the confidence that she had to just talk to him. There was only the sound of the wind blowing after she had spoken, Atreus just stared dumbly at her. Believe it or not this had never happened before and he was at a loss for what to do. When Murayama and Katase made their move on him it was like a business deal, which they later regretted as it gave him the idea that was all it was. Just a friends with benefits deal. And no other girl ever just came up to him like this, innocently asking for a date with him. What he did with the rest of his lovers was simple, go to a bar or arcade and pick out a female that spoke to his senses as one that wanted to get laid.
"Uh… sure." Atreus said as his brain still tried come to grips with this happening. All of this was just so new and unexpected that he had a hard time thinking it through rationally. Even if he was a God he was still a teenage boy and as such was prone to being flustered by a pretty girl as much as a mortal.
"Really?" The girl looked positively elated. Atreus was soon enveloped in a frantic hug by the girl he just agreed to go out with. "Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" She said before pulling away, her face flushed red from the closeness of before. "You have no idea how much this means to me." Atreus was still to distracted to catch the small flash of malice in the girl's words.
"So you just agreed to a date not knowing anything about the girl?" Mimir asked as he watched Atreus prepare for his date with Yuuma. It had been a few days since the their first meeting during which they exchanged texts on the time and location for their date. But Mimir was right, Atreus didn't know much beyond the fact that Yuuma was a girl and wanted a date with him.
"It was a little hard to get any information out of her in the moment." Atreus weakly defended himself knowing that it was a poor argument. But he was sure if this turned out to be some sort of trap or something that he could handle it. He did not notice this was the argument of someone overconfident but it was plain as day to everyone else.
"And what about Katase and Murayama? How do you think they would feel if they found out you were going on this date?" Mimir asked trying a different tactic, he knew that all of this just stunk of a set up but didn't have evidence. He may know a great deal, but he did not know everything. He had to actively use his powers of sight to see things beyond their house and he hadn't been watching Atreus as he should have been. Rather he was indulging in the fact he once again had a free body in the form of reckless use of mushrooms. One of his races' most favored pastimes.
"Why would they care? It's not like we're in a real relationship, it's just sex." Mimir wanted to face palm once Atreus said this. Once again Atreus' blind spot showing its itself. He simply saw the arrangement with those girls like with the dozen or so other women he constantly slept with. "They can go out with anyone they like and I can do the same." Atreus said as he checked his hair for the third time, a small sign showing how nervous he actually was. He hadn't gone out on many dates… none in fact. So to Atreus this was his first real date… as surprising as it was.
"Except that they won't because they are bloody in love you." Mimir thought to himself as he watched Atreus exit the bathroom only to frown and head back in. Still not happy with how his hair looked. It looked perfectly fine but that wasn't the problem. "Very well… go on this date but I warn ya, it won't end well." Mimir said deciding that the boy outta learn for himself why things like this simply didn't happen… even for a god.
"Oh… it will end well! I probably won't even come home tonight!" Atreus shouted before immediately regretting saying that. This wasn't supposed to be like that. It was supposed to be a actual date, two people trying to have a good time and seeing if the other was a good match.
An hour early for his date, Atreus waited on a bench in the central plaza of Kuoh's shopping district. People went about their day and barely took note of the god, minus a few women raging from his own age to older. All of them giving various flirtatious signals. Atreus smiled and tried to play them off as he was waiting for date, but he still couldn't help himself sometimes. He didn't actually leave his spot but maybe once or twice he gave a flirty wink back. To him there was a difference between making an older lady's day and actually being a jackass and doing something just before a date. However toward the end of his wait he did leave his spot, he had been watching a pretty woman hand out flyers since he arrived and now curiosity got to him and wanted to know what they were. The lady handing them out was friendly enough, if a bit mute, but once he got one of the flyers he understood why she felt so… lesser than a normal human.
The flyer was for a Devil Summon, not that hard to understand given he knew that Devils ran this town. He assumed the flyer lady was a familiar to one of the Devils in charge of Kuoh. He had never met a Devil before, knowingly, but he assumed that they were much like the Gods of his world. Cruel and had no respect for mortals. Nex had said that all Devils do was prey on the desires of mortals and trick them into doing their biding by shanghaiing them into becoming their servants. Although Atreus could hear the bitterness in Nex's voice, he still assumed that his opinions had to come form some seed of truth. But Atreus wanted to find out for himself and so he took the flyer intent on summoning a Devil for himself at some later date. He wanted to form his own opinion about them rather than hear a possibly bias one. After stuffing his flyer into his jacket's pocket he returned back to his seat on the bench and waited for Yuuma to show up.
"I'm so sorry." And she did roughly fifteen minutes later. The Fallen Angel in disguise had not seen her target take the flyer, had she seen him do so she might have called the whole thing off. Would be stupid to kill someone with a get out of jail free card like a Devil Flyer on hand. Too easy for blood to get on in it and hear his wish to keep living. "Wow… he cleans up nice." She thought to herself as she took in the handsome young man in front of her. Out of his school uniform and in dressed up for their date, not too formal and not too causal. She had no idea that as a God of Trickery, he had all the instincts to dress for any occasion to pull off any scheme.
"It's no problem, after all the wait was worth it. You look beautiful." He said looking her over, causing the girl to give a surprisingly real blush. She really didn't put much effort into this, just a white and blue sundress that she thought looked cute in the store. But hearing him compliment her so sincerely caught her off guard. She was used to men leering at her and thinking of her body only as means of pleasuring themselves.
"T-thank you." She said slightly cursing herself that the stutter was real. Quickly bringing back her innocent girl persona, she took Atreus' offered arm. "Whoa… he's a lot more muscular that he looks." She thought to herself as she could feel the strength that was hidden beneath his clothes. She had always been attracted to power, it was why she was drawn to Azazel and Shemhazai. As the two began their date, she didn't notice how she wasn't hiding behind a mask as much as she thought would. During their date the disguised Fallen Angel actually enjoyed herself to unexpected degree. However her enjoyment was shattered by one question.
"Why did you really ask me out?" Atreus asked with a knowing smirk on his face as he sat across from her. They both were at a small dinner perfect for first dates, it had been some time into their outing and both had gotten hungry from the fun time they had together. But Atreus asking this question out of the blue caused Yuuma to freeze up. "And please drop the act, I'm a bit smarter than the average boy fooled by a cute smile and a large chest."
"I guess your right." She sighed as she prepared to take him out here and now. She wanted to do it away from people. But that was just to make the cleanup easier. "This date was fun you know? I didn't think I would have fun but I did."
"But you wish that it was someone else giving you such a good time." Atreus asked, even as a child he could hear what people really thought. He couldn't read their minds perfectly to what they were thinking at that exact moment, but he could pick up on inner feelings and surface thoughts. Atreus had no idea just what he was talking too but he was able to read her true desires. "Am just a stand in, is that it?" Atreus asked and the girl across form him was thrown completely off guard. This wasn't heading where she thought it was.
"N-no… that's not it at all." It was both true and a lie. While her real reason was to get him to drop his guard so she could kill him, she couldn't say that before this evening she had planned on pretending it was Azazel that was taking her out. That changed when Atreus proved to be enjoyable to be with on his own but that didn't change the fact she still wanted her superior to take notice of her.
"I'm not mad, if this helps you then I'm happy. It could be practice for when you go out with the person you want to be with." It did in fact hurt him a little, both to his ego and his heart but both would heal in time. This had been one date, nothing to be depressed or angry over. Part of the benefit of his childhood and the great journey that he and his father went on was that he had matured and got a grip on his emotions at an early age. He was a confident young man who had already been humbled by life and learned to control his anger.
"Like that would ever happen." She grunted bitterly as she remembered the last time Azazel dismissed her attempts at seduction as the foolishness of the young. Just because she was one of the newer generations of Fallen Angels didn't mean she was some kid.
"Oh? Something you need to talk about, I've been told I'm a great listener." Listening was the other half of language. While his power set was more attuned to the speaking half, he still had great skill in both. He could pick out details missed by anyone else, and he had a lot of practice when figuring out his father. Meanwhile the girl across from Atreus looked at him, judging the worth of unloading her woos to him. Eventually she shrugged and decided what was the harm in telling a dead man.
"He just doesn't see me as woman, he thinks I'm some kid that doesn't understand what I want." Azazel always said that she kept coming back to him for the wrong reasons. That if she wanted a cheap fling he would be there for her in heartbeat. But she didn't want that and because of that he denied her. She knew he fell from Heaven because of his lust for women, but that didn't matter to her. She was fine with his lust and would even be fine joining him in it. But none of that mattered to him. "He's so strong and powerful, he's everything I could ever want in a man but just writes me off. It's so frustrating!" She said slamming her hand onto the table, nearly denting it. Atreus glanced toward the spot for just a moment before looking back to her.
"So you want him because he strong and powerful and he says that you want him for the wrong reasons." Atreus picked out effortlessly, he could hear her lust for power and her anger toward being dismissed. She wanted to be recognized by someone she saw as strong, to be told that she existed. "Could it be that he doesn't see the reasons that you like him as his best qualities."
"But how could he not? He's the greatest, no one could ever beat him." She had to be careful not to reveal to much here. But the words left her before she could really think on them. Azazel was the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, he dwarfed all of them. Even the Seraphim and Satans couldn't beat him.
"Sometimes people don't like their own strengths, I'm not saying that's what's going on with him but maybe his power isn't the most important thing to him. Maybe it's something else that he knows doesn't appeal to you as much as the power." Atreus said trying to do his best play this ignorance game as well as she did. He didn't know who they were talking about but he was getting clues. "My advice is to find someone that likes you and you like them, stop chasing after someone that clearly has other interests in mind."
"What, someone like you? Are you just trying to lead me away just to swoop in and take me for yourself?" Honestly she would respect that kind of underhanded tactic and wouldn't hold it against him.
"Maybe." Atreus said with a shrug. "Maybe we finish this date and you go home. You think about the time we had and what we talked about. You have my number and if you want to keep doing this I'm all for it." He said before reaching across and taking ahold of her hand. The warmth of his hand made her blush as she couldn't help but let it happen, it felt to right. "Yuuma, or whatever your real name is, I did have a great time with you. I'd like to do it again but if not then I hope that you're able to be happy with whatever you chose."
"Aw shit… it's getting harder and harder to want to kill him." She groaned as she felt her will sap away at the warm smile that melted her heart he had.
The sun began to set as the two left the dinner and walked into a nearby park. The Fallen Angel knew what she needed to do, she had orders from Kokabiel and knew what would happen if she failed him. The two walked until they reached a fountain. There Atreus stopped suddenly and looked forward, intent on a single spot in space. Raynare knew that this was the best chance to kill him. This was it, this was her chance… but as she moved her hand to form a spear of light she found the will to actually do it lacking. Meanwhile Atreus never let up his gaze toward the same spot he had been staring at.
"Watch out!" He yelled as he in a split second saw a rift in space open, a winged warrior charging out. Intent on skewering both him and Yuuma on their razor sharp wingtips. Atreus grabbed ahold of Yuuma and pulled her out of the way of the incoming foe. The winged warrior flew past and shot back up into the sky.
"Damned crows… can't rely on them to get anything done." A deep feminine voice came from above. Atreus looked up and his eyes went wide as he recognized her.
"Geirdriful?" She was just as he remembered her from back in his world. There was the chance that this was just simply this world's version of her, but everything from her armor to her voice matched his memories. What was more shocking was that she was in her corrupted physical body.
"What is a Valkyrie doing here?!" Raynare was freaking out, what was a Norse doing all the way on this side of the world. It made no sense!
"Pretender, you shall no longer taint the glorious name of my master further." Geirdriful announced as she began throwing down the familiar rings of light down onto the pair. Atreus now knew why his father hated this attack so much. It was damned annoying. Especially when he had to contend with protecting someone. Ripping through his jacket was his own Guardian Shield that his father had made for him. The rings of light smashed against the Spartan Shield, Atreus rolling with the force quite easily. "Hide all you want coward, I will not stay idle." The Valkyrie then swooped down toward the two, Atreus quickly grabbed ahold of Yuuma intent on dodging the attack. The Valkyrie missed on grabbing ahold of her prey however she did manage to get a slash across his chest.
"Shit! That hurt way more than it looked." Atreus hissed as he felt a unexpected pain in that hit. There was some kind of corrosive element to those wings as Atreus found out the hard way. The surface of his skin burned and felt like someone had thrown a bucket of acid where the wings had slashed. "We are way to far for the Axe to reach us in time… plus I don't want to think of the damage it would do trying to get here." He then looked back to Yuuma who still was in shock that a real life Valkyrie was here trying to kill them. "And I have to protect her."
"Enough of this, I will not disappoint my master." Geirdriful grunted as she held in her hand a raging mass of grinding rings of light. "With this you will be-" She however screamed as the power in her hand detonated once it was hit by a spear of light. The blast destroyed a good chunk of her armor leaving the right half her face uncovered as well as the right half of her chest and shoulder bare of anything.
"Hey! You're interrupting our date bitch!" Raynare yelled at the Valkyrie, a proud look of victory on her face at getting a hit on the winged woman. Personally she thought that her own wings were way better than this piece of Norse trash. Those thoughts however were quickly humbled as in an instant, Geirdriful was looming over Raynare with her spear aimed directly at her heart. Raynare's life flashed before her eyes, now barley having the time to form a single tear. But death never came… but there sure was a lot of blood. Raynare blinked as saw that Atreus had moved in and taken the fatal hit for her. "No!" She yelled and moved to catch him only to be backhanded by Geirdriful.
"Know your place disgusting crow." Her honor rectified and her mission complete, the corrupted Valkyrie opened the rift in space to return to her master. She left without even a second glance toward the dying Atreus, though as the rift closed she couldn't help but feel a sense of self loathing for what she had done. It was deep inside her, in a place that had been locked away from the rest of herself. But then the portal closed, and the Valkyrie was gone.
"No!" Raynare yelled as she clamored back over to Atreus. "No-no-no… you can't die!" She had been planning to kill him and now she was begging for him to stay with her. The irony would have infuriated her had she the ability to think on it. He had saved her, that attack would have killed her without a doubt. And he didn't even have to do it, he could have used that as a chance to kill that bitch. "Please… please don't die." She cried as she could only feel lose and sorrow in this moment.
"Yuuma… you think…" Atreus coughed up a bit of blood, he could feel his body growing colder. Whatever that weapon was that had done him in wasn't an ordinary spear. It pierced through him like it was nothing, and he certainly didn't feel like he could limp away from this and make it back for Freya to fix him up. No, that spear had taken something from him, it had to be a weapon made for killing gods. "Y-you think I can still (cough) g-go to Valhalla? Even if I was… killed by a Valkyrie?" He was babbling at this point, and all Raynare could do was cry as the first boy she actually felt something for was dying in front of her. Then she noticed something sticking out of his pocket.
"Why… why did it have to come to this?" Raynare sneered as she took the now bloody Devil Flyer out of Atreus' jacket. She knew that this was far beyond her ability to heal and that Atreus was on the verge of death. "Fuck." She said before lowering herself over him and cupped Atreus' paling face. "Promise me that this isn't going to be the last one we have." With that she leaned down and kissed him, it wasn't anything special as he wasn't able to give the kiss it's due. But Raynare found it perfect just the same.
"Yuuma?" Atreus breathed out confused by her actions. But his lips were shushed by one of her fingers, a light blush across her cheeks and a girlish smile on her lips.
"My name is Raynare, and you're not going to die today." With that everything in Atreus' vision went to black and Raynare's smile vanished. She then frowned at the offending piece of paper in her hand and she quickly finished the summoning ritual. A red glow appeared with a summoning circle and soon Rias Gremory appeared before them. Upon seeing Raynare, whose aura the Devil immediately recognized, Rias quickly summoned her Power of Destruction. "Yeah I get it, me evil Fallen bitch but that's not why you're here. He is." Raynare quickly dismissed throwing Rias off a bit. But then Rias looked down and her eyes went wide at the sight of Atreus and the pool of blood beneath him.
"Atreus… did you do this?!" Rias demanded as she flared her power and Raynare had to admit that if they were to fight… she'd lose hard. Good thing that Raynare had no intention of fighting her.
"Yes I did and now I summoned you here because I'm that stupid." Raynare sassed but quickly scolded herself. Now wasn't the time to be a bitch, Atreus was nearing death and this Devil could bring him back. "No, I didn't. I'm the one that called you here so he can live." Raynare said as she stood up. "I don't care if you have him now, I just don't want him to die." She said as she turned and began walking away, unwilling to allow the Devil seeing her cry. Rias had entertained the thought of going after the Fallen Angel but she dismissed it as she had more important matters.
"Atreus… I promise you won't die." Rias said knowing that this certainly wasn't the way she wanted to gain a new powerful servant. "Why is it my servants always come to me in tragedy?"