It had taken her all morning to find the proper clothes to present herself to Elder Wang Chao. After years of constant meditation and experimentation with their clan's sacred arts, she'd pulled ahead of her peers. At age 14 she had already entered the nascent soul realm and would leave it behind in the next few decades. She was Wang Xiurong and she was glory. With her talent and hard work, she'd overturn the natural order and take the role as clan head instead of her brother.
All it would take was a moment of weakness on her brother's part. An opportunity that came knocking sooner than she believed.
She stood across from a group of demon summoners and two Olympians. One of their Dao protectors had been impaled by the male god's spear and another was mauled by wolves. Both would survive their injuries, but their cultivation had taken a hit. It was all over Wang Li, a lesser clan member who works at one of their stores. The girl wasn't beautiful. She was just average. Her only saving grace was her cultivation. Nascent Soul, at seventeen while not prodigious was talented.
Wang Xiurong debated having her uplifted in the clan or have her suffer a fatal accident. She could be given to one of the clan heads to bribe and ally upon her own rise. That could be useful. The problem was finding a husband for herself and heirs. Once she had a son they would be expected to take over for her immediately. The question was how to groom the boy.
"After Great Grandfather orders the head of the demon, I'll marry you and make you mine. You'll never want for anything again. What do you want to name our sons?" She only caught the last half of that but could already tell her brother was screwing up.
She caught the eyes of the demon. His face was blasted all over her slate and the forums pumped out theory after theory about him. He was one of Memnock's favorites. That alone made him difficult to deal with.
In his hand he clutched a sacred treasure. It was the most beautiful sacred treasure she'd ever seen. A galaxy of gold swirled across the flat of the blade, the white edge glowed with foreboding cosmic power, and she could see that not a hint of gore marred the weapon. The wielder wasn't so lucky. What was once a three-piece suite was torn to ribbons. Gore covered him from head to toe and he reeked to the high heavens. His celestial guardian stood monstrous and imposing ever watching. Even in the Nascent Rebirth realm, she shivered at the guardian's potential. What would it be like when it entered the acupuncture realm?
If he was the instrument that disposed her brother, then she'd at least give him a clean death before taking that treasure for herself. It didn't belong in the hands of a savage.
The only problem was the Olympians. Two showing up to help a mortal who wasn't one of their children was not done. Sure, Devas were considered gods, but why did they interfere. Why were they watching him to begin with? Who was the demon and why did a war and a love deity help him?
Then there was the vampire that clung to his arm. Annette Luis Garcia, a name of a family that changed with the ages. Did she even know how far her bloodline stretched back? Vampires were one of the ancient monsters the spurred-on evolution, they were the fire that forced many wizard clans to become steel. They rarely resembled the old iron ore of their past. New bloods could never come close to the secrets and knowledge held by any of the great families. It was because of the great families that the fire that made them great flickered in the wind.
Still the vampire would kill the demon eventually. The blood is what they're after in the end. After all, what is the fate of a coke can once empty?
The doors opened to the elder's chamber and what she saw shocked her. The once majestic celestial garden is half destroyed. The once fragrant pond of red mountain's dew had been turned into red mountain's salt. The celestial rainbow carp within had withered. A Phoenix lay on the ground frozen solid. Its beautiful white feathers plucked, its stomach gutted, and its body lathered in sauce. Were they going to cook a Phoenix like a Cornish hen?
As she stared at the once majestic bird, she had flashbacks of her childhood playing with it. She remembered its happy trills, she remembered throwing some of her slices of golden blood plums the carp, and the memory of her the elder reading her a story under the now fallen celestial oak filled her with unending grief. This place was her childhood. It was where her happiest memories were held under lock and key.
Wang Xiurong turned to her brother. She couldn't cry it would ruin her make up. Her brother was too powerful to strike out against. Instead, she dug her nails into her palms hard enough to draw blood. She promised her brother then that he'd pay.
Even if she had to marry Li Wei and have her pussy split open by his horse cock, she'd make him pay.
A cough from the elder drew her attention.
"Greetings, Olympians, demon summoners, and my Wang clan descendants. We are gathered here to put an end to disputes that have risen between us. May I ask, is all of Olympus involved or only two of your prestigious council?" Elder Wang Chao said.
She took note of the situation. He addressed the Olympians first. They were the most important matter of this conversation. If all of Olympus was involved, then that increased the value of the demon significantly.
"No, though this does not violate any of our laws. Nero is a friend of Olympus and has completed tasks for many of us. We have awarded him the title Hero of Olympus and we plan to use him in the future. He is also a friend of mine." The Goddess Aphrodite said.
The last part changed things significantly. A friend to a goddess wasn't the same as a lover. In some ways it gave him less protections, but it also gave him a steadier place. He couldn't make demands from her, but she could voluntarily help him. It put him in a limbo. A clever move by the love goddess. He wasn't in conflict with any of the other gods by that statement except maybe Artemis and Persephone.
The demon held the title hero of Olympus instead of hero of one of the Olympians. Did that mean he had partial support of each of the gods? That could be troubling. It makes his position much less predictable. Her brother didn't know he kicked the hornet's nest, when he sicked their Dao protectors on Nero. Then there was the question. How could the Olympians have found out so quickly? Who told them about the situation? The most obvious answer was either another clan or perhaps one of their worshipers was a student here. Aphrodite and Venus were worshipped heavily by some of the students in Jefferson.
When she took a good look at Aphrodite, the goddess looked disheveled. She dropped everything to help a mortal. Wang Xuirong didn't know how she could use that yet, but she would.
"Very well none of my clan has died there will be no further dispute between the Wang clan and Nero. But there is another factor to consider. Nero has done a great service to my clan. Wang Li appears to be a genius. She has survived her tribulation into the Nascent realm thanks to Nero. Thanks to his actions another young Nascent realm artist is added to our ranks. With time and training she will undoubtedly join the ranks of our Devas. Truly, his heroic action worthy of a reward. Do you agree Olympians?"
She turned to see her brother grinding his teeth. Good, at least some good would come out of this meeting.
After the brief flash a joy she debated assisting her brother. They needed to bind Wang Li to the main branch quickly before she sparked any idea of rebellion. A future female deva guard would be valuable.
Her eyes coveted the blade in the demon's hands. Its power revved in the background like a Harley between her legs. She'd have to be careful. Messengers would have to be sent to purchase assassins and then killed. To keep the elder from finding out she'd have to wipe out whatever group she hired. It was a pain, but she couldn't overtly attack the demon now.
"Wang Xuirong step forward." The Elder said. Her eyes widened. Was this it, would the Elder finally depose her brother and pronounce her the heir.
"Do you approve of her Lady Aphrodite?" The elder said. She turned to the goddess to see intense eyes scrutinizing her. Xuirong held herself as the heiress of the Wang clan should. Even before the goddess of love and beauty she wouldn't lose in a battle of looks.
"Yes, she will do." Aphrodite said. Was that grudging respect from the goddess of love herself?
"She certainly has guts. My daughter could learn a thing or two from her." Ares muttered. Wang Xuirong basked in the praise of the gods themselves.
"Very well, Memnock do you agree to this decision?" Xuirong quickly turned her gaze to her brother. She wanted to see the look on his face when she was pronounced heiress. Instead of confusion, despair, or anger. He was worried for her sake. A look of concern for her covered his features like she hadn't experienced since childhood. Wang Chen's face expressed concern.
It reminded her of an older brother that used to pick the plums from trees too high for her to reach. This was the older brother who threw himself in front of a wasp to spare her from getting stung. Why was the face of the older brother she loved on the face of the prideful, brash, and idiotic man he became?
"I approve on the condition they marry quickly. I won't have you bait and switch the brides." Memnock said.
"Do I look like that kind of man old friend?" The Elder said. Her heart chilled in ice. All her plans came crashing down. This wasn't a rise in her position. She was being used to buy peace. Who was she to be given to?"
"Elder with all due respect, I demand that you reconsider." Wang Chen bravely said. He stood at her defense like a mighty tiger before a dragon.
"You don't make demands of me boy." The elder extended his fingers and lances of tribulation lightning blasted from his fingertips.
Her brother collapsed and shrieked in pain. It lasted only a few seconds and her brother continued to glare at the Elder in defiance.
"Look at my garden. This is what you did. I warned you to stay away from Memnock's summoners. I told you stories of my friend's wrath. It seems, I neglected to tell you of mine." More lightning struck purple and charged with more qi than she'd ever felt before.
Suddenly, the lightning was deflected upon the glorious sword of the demon. The Elder halted his assault.
"You dare intrude upon clan discipline." The Elder shouted.
"Your point has been made. You're in control, you're a force to be reckoned with, and your heir will obey. We aren't here to watch your heir suffer for his disrespect." The demon said. He didn't look at her, his eyes were focused only on the elder. The fact that he didn't kowtow immediately showed both great courage and foolishness.
The Elder slowly smiled. "I see why you threw such a fit over his attack." The Elder's eyes narrowed in familiar expression of calculation. She recognized the look as one she'd worn many times today.
"It is official then. Wang Xuirong will be your wife. I adopt you into the clan as my foster brother. From this point on your name shall be Wang Nero." Her breath hitched at the statement. Declaring an outsider an adopted son, grandson, or nephew maybe, but declaring them a foster brother was unheard of. It, denoted level of respect and seniority and it put any sons of theirs far from leadership. It limited the highest station as a mere Dao protector or lesser elder. Maybe if they started a new branch but what would be the point.
Line Break
"We need you to investigate a town swallowed by the mist." Ares said as they walked out.
"By when, where is it, and what can you tell me about it?" Nero asked. The god of War smiled slightly before nodding his head.
"I'm glad dad didn't smite you. We tell you something needs investigating and you get to work on the problem. No wonder dad grumbled that you sounded like a child between Athena and me." Aphrodite coughed and the awkward silence ended. "Well you aren't working alone or rather we already have a team investigating the place. A couple children of Athena and some of my kids." The god of war frowned.
"They haven't been able to figure shit out. Back in March Artemis and some of her hunters went in but didn't come back out. They aren't dead. Artemis lost track of that form the second it went into the barrier. If they died, she would have regained the essence and memories from the form."
Nero thought immediately of a powerful cult or some heavy wards. To keep gods from removing the mist would have taken some serious power. Did they have a pyramid in there? Could they be sacrificing people to power the barrier?
"How long do I have to prepare?" Nero asked.
"The Mist is predicted to weaken the most in September during the new moon." He had three months to prepare. That would hopefully give him enough time to prepare for a phenomenon that could trap the essence of a goddess. He'd need to study up on Babylonian gods.
"Stay safe Nero, don't turn your back on your new wife. She'll learn to love you eventually, but not for some time. Protecting, her brother helped." Aphrodite said.
"Why did you save that idiot?" Ares asked.
"I could relate with the guy. I have a little sister too." Ares nodded and lit up with divine power.
"Don't expect him to be your friend. You're going to marry and fuck his sister." Ares said.
Nero looked away and the gods teleported. He sagged down and felt drained. His hand wouldn't stop shaking.
Trembling hands struggled to wipe the gore from his eyes. Time was against him once again. He needed an ace in the hole against all these new opponents. Devas were a problem and something that could hold onto Artemis without killing her had to be powerful. She wasn't a push over.
The flying chariots had given him an idea. He needed some maneuverability. Nero nodded to himself. He'd make his demonic sheath and then get down to building his own ride.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Don't forget to review, leave a favorite, and/or follow to support the story. It you have any problems and want to make your opinion known I'm open to criticisms flames are welcome.