Back with Chapter two! I thought this story was a lot of fun, and I finally found what I did with this chapter. Finally got around to updating! I'll update this one some more soon.

Chapter Two: Emerald Prince

It had been many years since then. Shun was about 35 now, though he looked and felt no older than 17. That was because of his parents. Hades was a god, and Pandora was dead. Though he should have aged and died like other demigods, he couldn't, because he was born into death. Even in death he would remain the same and exist as his father and mother did. But none of his subjects had wanted him to die. So here he remained. Alive, waiting for his father and mother to return and call back the army. Until then, he lived his life like he was in constant danger. Which he probably was.

Shun was a taller young man, much more beautiful though he should have been handsome. He had a kingly grace to him too. He seemed to float rather than walk. The powers he had inherited from his father had grown as well. He was nearly as strong as his father now. He was still a little small and thin, even for his perceived age. But he couldn't change that. There was a little sadness in his eyes, but he was gentle and compassionate. He loved people. Living and dead. It didn't matter to him. He wore all black. It just felt natural. The colors of his father's house were black and gold, so he wore this.

Shun was watching the sky carefully. He paused a moment as he felt Kagaho step up behind him, pulling the boy up against him and laying his hands on his waist. Kagaho laid his chin on Shun's shoulder. He wasn't wearing his Surplice now, though Shun knew it was nearby in case he needed it. Shun sighed a little.

"It's been a long time," Kagaho said, reading his mind. "I'm sure they've all reincarnated by now. And your father wouldn't have died so easily. Soon we'll have to fight again."

"I'm ready," Shun replied. "You know I am. And I've got you to watch my back. So I'll be okay. But I still can't get the sight of that massacre out of my head. Do you think the dead are okay?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Kagaho said.

Shun didn't reply, and so Kagaho kissed his cheek gently. Shun didn't try to pull away from him. They were in love with each other after all. They had been on the move for a long time, running from anyone they saw as a possible foe. Shun honed his powers and grew stronger. But now he didn't dare use even one, he didn't want the gods to find out about him. He wasn't sure how they'd react to that. Kagaho paused a moment, looking down at the boy's face.

"You're sure you want to go?" the Specter asked.

"We have to," Shun replied. "You know what happens when the Saints fight as well as I do."

Kagaho nodded. He did indeed. The gods had apparently all gathered together, having their armies all nearby. Even the Norse God Warriors had come. It was obvious that they suspected that something had happened, and they were taking precautions. They wondered what they thought of the underworld now, and what they were going to do about the army of Titans. Did they even know what they were up against?

However a tournament had been arranged. The Saints of the Sanctuary were fighting in a massive tournament, showing off their strengths for the enjoyment of the public. The resulting crashes of cosmos sent shudders through the world of the gods and their armies. Kagaho had begun bristling with the battle energy whenever he felt it. The clashing of the Saints drew forth armies from all over the world. That also meant that the army of the Titans would sense it and possibly come to face it. If that was the case the armies needed strong warriors and Kagaho was one of them.

The Specter still worried over it however. What would they do when they saw him appear? How would they react to even a single Specter? They had all hated him with a burning passion because he had been one of the most violent Specters that existed. The Rage had taken over, and it had become very terrible in him. What would they do when they saw him?

Kagaho understood why they needed to go into that tournament. He was nervous, but Shun had faith in the good and understanding in others. Kagaho loved the boy dearly and knew he would be going anyway, so he had to follow him. Kagaho would die for Shun as many times as he needed to as long as it meant the boy would be safe. He of course would rather stay by the demigod's side. Shun had often expressed that he loved him as well and didn't want him to die. Shun was his love, but he was his Lord first. He was a prince of the underworld, and he would guard Shun as long as he had to, to the end of the age. At this thought Kagaho nuzzled his nose into the boy's neck, breathing in his gentle scent.

"We have to leave soon," Shun said. "If we don't get there soon the gates will close. It took forever to get tickets to come. We might as well not waste them."

"I know," Kagaho said. "Let me place the spell on my Surplice, then we can leave. That way I can summon it when if I need it."

Shun nodded as Kagaho turned and left him, going back to where he had carefully hidden his surplice to keep it out of sight. Then he began murmuring the words of a spell. Shun looked ahead and down the alleyway into the street. They were already close to the coliseum, a recreated version of the roman one where the battles were being held. The streets were jammed with people already, and cars as far as he could see. They were out of sight here, but still close enough to walk.

The Specter quickly finished his spell and returned to Shun, taking his hand in his. Kagaho looked just older than Shun and he was taller. Both were wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans, blending in with other people their "age". They looked completely inconspicuous. The Specter flashed Shun a reassuring smile. Shun knew the Specter knew many rather simple spells. The Underworld ran on such spells. In fact most of Shun's powers involved casting spells. Some were powers he could summon hardly without thinking of them, but most were spells. Two involved casting the power of the twin gods of the underworld, a spell of sleep which could be harmless as just putting someone to sleep or sealing them into a torturous nightmare. The other was summoning the power of the god of death and using death words to end someone's life. Shun didn't really like to fight and preferred the spell of sleep, though he had used the spell of death before. There were other spells, like the spell of the Styx and Cerberus, of the Specters and Ellisium, and all had uses. Kagaho also knew spells, but much simpler spells. His cosmos took care of most everything else.

"Let's go," Kagaho said gently.

Shun nodded and paused, snuggling closer to Kagaho and wrapping both his arms around Kagaho's. Kagaho nearly instantly seemed to relax a little. He was on edge with so many powerful cosmos so close, and having Shun near was calming him down. Besides, they really would rather keep themselves hidden. With so many armies in one place it was unlikely anyone would recognize or sense Kagaho being close, however they needed to pretend to be just like all the other spectators as much as possible, and that meant pretending to be, well human.

Shun tugged Kagaho forward to walk, and Kagaho gave him a small and gentle smile before walking to the front of the coliseum where the battles would soon be taking place. The line was long, but luckily for them the gates had already been opened and security was already tight. There were dozens of members of different armies standing out front, so there wasn't anything to worry about. As they approached, Kagaho couldn't help but bristle a little at a Gold Saint that was standing near the entrance. However he was distracted by someone trying to sneak in, so they quietly slipped inside after handing over their tickets without being noticed.

Inside and out of the hearing range of the Saints Shun couldn't help but let out a sigh. He smiled up at Kagaho, who looked more bristled than ever. He couldn't really help it though. There were so many powerful cosmos here, all jostling and fighting for dominance. Even though they were gathered here under the banner of peace they were all naturally warriors, and that meant that they were naturally contesting against one another. It was hard to fight that instinct. Kagaho saw Shun's smile though and forced himself to relax a little.

"You'll have to forgive me for that my prince," Kagaho said quietly. "It seems that even I cannot forget my warrior instincts."

"Just stay close to me," Shun said, electing to ignore the use of his title this once though he hated to be called that. Kagaho was far too wound up. "And try to relax. We really don't need to give ourselves away. We can't be sure how they'll react."

"Of course," Kagaho said.

The two noticed the Gold Saint from before pause. He was a tall man, with pale skin and long purple hair. Two red eyebrows sat on his forehead, and his eyes were a bright green. Shun tugged Kagaho after him quickly and disappeared into the crowd to head for their seats. It was obvious that he had sensed something out of the ordinary, and he had been unnerved by it. Shun couldn't be sure if it was Kagaho he had sensed, but he certainly didn't want to find out the hard way.

They found that the seats were very comfortable for the duration of the battle, but they were set into stone benches like those found at the coliseum. It also had a dome over the top that was showing the day time sky for now. Both Kagaho and Shun found themselves a little surprised at the sheer enormity of the whole project. It must have cost a whole lot of money! As they found their seats and sat down Kagaho shook his head a little.

"They sure are being sure to put on a show," he said. "Last time I was up here during the last Holy War, the gods weren't really willing to let anyone know that they existed. Yet here they all are, showing off their power."

"I'm not sure if they can sense what's going on," Shun said thoughtfully. "But they can certainly sense something. And they know that it is terribly wrong. Maybe that's what drove them to such extremes."

"I guess that must be the case," Kagaho said with a shrug. "I can't really think of anything else. I doubt they've bothered to look into the Underworld. Why would they? They hated us after all. I suppose they don't have any idea what's really going on here."

"Either way," Shun said, sadly thinking of the war he'd only ever heard of before. "we must help them. Even if they hate us and seal us away into the Underworld again after it's all over, we have to help them. This was our responsibility in the first place."

Kagaho nodded. They had all long given up on the idea of forgiveness. Perhaps it was foolish of the other gods, however the Underworld had felt terrible about the whole thing. Hades had once been a kind god, to the living and the dead, however the Rage had forced him to become something else. The other gods had thought him evil and sealed him away, and once the Rage had ended they had found out the hard way why the Rage had been activated. The other gods had been convinced he had become evil, since Hades had always been a rather rogue like god. If they knew the truth they might not think that way anymore, but they still didn't expect forgiveness. The Specters and gods of the Underworld themselves couldn't explain what had driven them to that extreme, not for a long time. Besides the dead themselves had never forgiven them and always feared them, at least since they had last seen them. Why would the living forgive them?

Even so the two Underworlders were determined to do their part to help out, even if for now, that just meant watching and waiting. There wasn't much else that they seemed to be able to do right now. They settled back into their seats and refrained from talking anymore as people sat in the seats around them. They really didn't need to gather attention on themselves. The clamber of voices soon grew louder and louder, and Shun found his eyes wandering around.

He could see Saints, all wearing their Cloths as if they expected a battle to start then and there. It also looked like every single member of the Sanctuary of Athena was here. He didn't feel like counting all eighty eight of them, but he had a good feeling that all of the Saints were here. There were also all the Mariners of Poseidon here, a much smaller number, also in full armor. The seven God Warriors of Asgard were here as well, and he even spotted an Angel from Zeus' Angel Army. Then there was Kagaho, meaning that technically, though the others weren't aware of his presence, that every army on Earth had been represented here.

His eyes traveled towards a stadium box at the top. It was glassed in, and though he had never seen them before, he was sure that he spotted Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, and Odin's representative on Earth -Priestess Hilda- up there. As he watched a young woman stepped forward. She had long purple hair from what he could see, and she wore a long white dress and carried a golden scepter with an owl on the top in her hand. He knew that this was Athena. He had been taught that part of his history from a young age. She seemed to pause and look in his direction suddenly.

Shun knew that there was no way she could see him, but he was sure that she could sense him. He was a demigod after all, and not a weak one. He had the power to rival many gods just because of who his father was, and his mother had a powerful cosmos too. There was a very good chance that she had sensed his presence which was no doubt similar to his father's. The others in the box turned to look at her, but she just shook her head to them as she explained something. They seemed suddenly much more alert, but they were unable to pinpoint his location or recognize how his cosmos was similar to his father's because of the amount of powerful cosmos here. Besides, Kagaho probably disguised that fact for him well.

The dome suddenly darkened and he was gratefully distracted from the gods and priestess by the fact that the night sky in all its dazzling glory appeared to be shining above them. Spectators gasped and oohed at the beautiful expanse of the cosmos and nebulae beyond their reach, and even Shun couldn't help but smile as he looked up. He could spot individual stars that were the Evil Stars of the Specters. Saints and others would see the Constellations of the Saints, but Shun and Kagaho saw the power of the Specters shining brilliantly along with the rest.

Athena's face was projected onto the dome as well as she smiled out at the audience and began to speak. Shun had to admit that she was very beautiful, and those blue eyes of hers certainly made her kind face stand out even more. He could understand why the people were oohing and aahing at her as well. She smiled patiently out at the people and then began to speak.

"Welcome one and all," she said. "to the Galaxian Wars. This tournament was organized by my late Grandfather when he found the existence of Saints, however as you know, this tournament features other armies as well."

Lights shone down brightly onto the middle of the coliseum where a right was set up. In the middle stood a Silver, Bronze, and Gold Saint, a God Warrior of Asgard, and a Mariner. These warriors seemed to be watching the crowd carefully. Probably they had been alerted to the odd change in the way things were happening today.

"These armies are the Saints of Athena," Athena continued. "who are said to appear in times when justice fails to protect the world. There are Eighty Eight members of this army. There are also the Mariners of Poseidon. There are hundreds of members in their armies, but only seven generals who make up this army. There are also similarly the God Warriors of Asgard and Odin, seven of these as well. These three armies have been in existence for many years to protect the people of earth, though other such armies exist."

Kagaho leaned forward slightly in his seat, noting that the Gold Saint in the middle seemed to be looking in the opposite direction of the two of them, and he did so a lot. If it wasn't the two of them that they were concerned about, then what was the problem with this whole situation? Shun noticed as well, and they both found themselves looking in the same direction. They didn't dare burn their cosmos to try and sense the disturbance for fear of how the Saints especially would react. However, they were aware that something was going on now, and they didn't like it.

Athena finished her long speech and smiled again before explaining how the tournament worked and who would be battling. It was two Bronze Saints, mostly probably because they didn't want to cause too much damage, and even that low level of fighting would be able to summon forth the evil that was no doubt stalking this land. Shun and Kagaho found themselves suddenly not interested in the tournament at all. There was something far more sinister going on here.

The day passed uneventfully and agonizingly slowly. Four hours and six battles (between Bronze and Silver Saints) happened during the time they were waiting, but though they watched carefully, nothing happened. Someone was also waiting and watching from a distance, another party who was silently surveying the scene. Shun and Kagaho both knew something was wrong, but even if they had dared to attempt to find out what, they doubted they would have found anything. There were far too many cosmoses burning here. This masked them, but it also hid their enemy from sight as well.

The tournament had finally concluded for the day, and the final speech had been given. The audience was starting to stand and leave the area. However, both Shun and Kagaho were nervous to leave. What if something happened? To avoid suspicion they followed the rest of the spectators down as if to leave, but they remained behind as the people drained out of the area. They left in some semblance of fear, after all there were many powerful warriors here. However the two of them were used to such power and weren't worried about it. Shun sighed as he walked aimlessly towards the center of the arena, glancing up at the large stadium seats. Kagaho followed nervously but silently.

"Hey," a voice called. "What are you doing here?"

They glanced over to notice a young Bronze Saint. He looked kind of nervous, and probably didn't think they were anything more than lingering spectators. He was the Bronze Saint who had been in the center of the stadium earlier. He wore silver armor that had some accents of gold in them, and red clothing underneath it. He had brown hair and bright brown eyes that suddenly reminded Shun of a slightly ill mannered stallion. He blinked up at the boy when the thought came to his mind. Where had that come from.

"You really shouldn't be hanging out around here," he said. "You need to leave."

However before anything else could be said there was a loud boom. They all three jumped and turned to look in the direction of the noise, noticing that there was a lot of smoke settling suddenly in the center of the arena. The Bronze Saint suddenly ran forward a bit and took a nervous but determined stance in front of the two of them as if to protect them. Kagaho began to bristle as well, and Shun got a bad feeling that they had just found out what their mysterious problem was.

A single figure walked out of the mess that had just been created. Upon seeing the armor Shun gasped with recognition, and Kagaho snarled. They'd seen it before. It was obvious though that the other armies had no idea what this was, but they did bristle warily at the unknown armor. It was obvious that the gods and the priestess had stepped down to see what the commotion was because the stranger looked towards them with contempt in his eyes.

He was a young man, around eighteen or so. He was also wearing the same armor as the army of the titans that had attacked and decimated the Underworld all those years ago. It was all black, but it didn't shine. Instead dark markings covered it the whole way, a language whose meaning was all but lost in the flow of time. Shun had no idea what to make of the strange words. Even the language spoken in the Underworld, the language of the dead, was not as ancient as this strange tongue. He felt himself shiver a little, and knowing exactly what this creature was certainly didn't make him feel any better about the situation. The armor was full plate armor, and the young man had a set of large wings on the back of his armor. In his hands was a large bow, though no arrows could be seen to accompany it. He had long white hair, not sliver like Minos or Cheshire, but a dead white color. His eyes were almost black they were such a dark gray, and Shun couldn't help but shudder.

"Who are you?" Shun heard a woman demand, and the power in the voice made him think that it was most likely Athena. "What are you doing here? I have never seen armor like yours." The stranger chuckled a little, a very unnerving sound.

"That is not really your concern," he replied. This made the Saints angry.

"Answer the lady Athena's question," a male Saint Shun couldn't see from here cried angrily.

"It is generally polite among warriors to introduce oneself," a Gold Saint said (at least he thought. He sounded rather calm).

Again the young man chuckled, and he ran his hand along his bow. It was quite obvious to everyone that he wasn't here to talk. He meant business. The others couldn't imagine why on earth this single young man would be willing to face all of the armies of the gods (or at least all that were gathered). It seemed suicidal. However both Shun and Kagaho knew that these guys were dangerous. They had utterly destroyed the Underworld in just a few minutes, and the Specters of Hades were said to be the unbreakable army.

"Fine," he said. "Since you're all so interested I'll tell you. But I'll also tell you that it doesn't matter. Whether you know my name or not, there's little chance of survival for any of you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" a Mariner growled angrily. The young man ignored him.

"I am an Othrysian," he said. "You can call me Gareth, Son of Violent Anger and Rash Action."

"Othrysian?" Athena gasped. The air in the room ran cold. The very sound of the name was one that carried dread in it for any who belonged to the armies of the gods.

"You can't possibly mean that you're-" Poseidon gasped.

"A member of the Army of the Titans," Gareth chuckled darkly. "Othrys was once the home to the Titans, who ruled the earth long before you, their impudent children, did. We were called to serve them, a new generation of children -Demititans if you will. And we have come to take this world back for those you have stolen it from."

"Impossible," Zeus growled. "The Underworld is the barrier between our world and Tartarus. Hades should have stopped this, and Thanatos would have kept the lock on those gates intact!"

"Still oblivious to the last," Gareth chuckled darkly. "But I suppose ignoring and neglecting the Underworld is something you've always done best." The silence grew deeper as realization began to sink in.

"What have you done?" Athena demanded.

"You seriously didn't sense it?" Gareth asked in a mocking manner. "Hades sent out a warning, over twenty years ago. That was when we attacked and destroyed the Underworld."

"WHAT?!"

Several people had suddenly gasped the question in utter disbelief and horror. Kagaho bristled even more, even Shun's eyes narrowed in the memory of what had happened. They didn't like that he was flaunting this around in front of their faces, like it was something to be proud of. Besides, if he thought the Underworld had been defeated he was sorely mistaken. They were far too powerful for that. They were simply gathering their strength.

The armies of the gods however were all visibly trembling. They didn't want to believe it was true, and they had after all thought the Underworld had been evil for a long time. They weren't just going to forget that suddenly. But they all knew what that meant. If the Underworld was no longer in place to hold back the Titans, and for twenty years, then how many of those vile creatures had already escaped? They could only shudder and imagine the horrors that would soon escape that pit. Seeing their faces, Gareth only laughed more.

"You are all truly blind," he continued to mock. "Had you all truly forgotten of the Rage? It is an ancient and powerful final defense of the Underworld, meant to repel attacking forces. Against our power Hades instinctively followed the will of the Rage to fight us, and that made him start the Holy Wars. He did this, though he didn't know it himself, to strengthen the two largest and most powerful armies in the world in order to fight us, the Specters and the Saints. However in your blindness and self righteousness you did not heed the obvious warning, and you left them alone in the Underworld. Not even the army of Hades was prepared for us. By the time they realized what was going on they could do nothing more than slow our advance. However the power of Hades is now failing, and our army moves again."

The horrified armies continued to stare silently at the stranger. They were trying to convince themselves that this was untrue, that this was just another trick from Hades. However as they sat there thinking about it, they found that they couldn't ignore it. They hadn't been able to feel the cosmos of the Underworld in a long time. It had either been hidden from their sight, or completely destroyed. Perhaps the army of Hades and the gods of the Underworld would recover, reincarnate, and return. But the fact remained that the Underworld had been unable to protect them from the rising Titans.

They first felt utter guilt. It was partly their fault that they hadn't foreseen the signs. Yes, the Rage was a largely forgotten power of the Underworld, one far older than the land that Hades ruled. But they still should have never forgotten. Hades had always been a stern but kind god to both the living and the dead. The instant that this had changed they should have realized that there was something far more drastic than blood lust going on. How could they ever have thought Hades was evil? But worse was that the news and realization that he wasn't came from a terrible enemy who had managed to sweep his army aside as if it was nothing.

Then they felt anger. These people were their enemies, and though they had accepted the fact that they had been in error, they seemed even more angry at the Titans for having defeated Hades. They all began to bristle angrily and snarl, even the young Bronze Saint who was standing in front of them as if to shield them. Both Kagaho and Shun were surprised to see them so willing to (for lack of a better word) take revenge for the Underworld. They were absolutely furious. However even though Gareth was surrounded by so many snarling warriors, he only seemed to laugh more.

"You can't defeat me," he laughed. "You don't have the means. The only army that could stand toe to toe with us would be the Specters. And do you know why? Because like the Specters we stand again once we are killed. Even though Hades rules the Underworld, he is not the only creature with the power to return the dead to life. Such is the power of the Titans! Though Hades was a fool he at least knew how to use his army."

At the insult towards Hades Shun winced, knowing that Kagaho would not let that pass. Kagaho had always been far too loyal to his father to let it go. Instantly the Specter began to bristle and snarl. Everyone could suddenly feel his cosmos as he did, and they all froze at the anger it held. Gareth snarled and looked right towards the three of them, and as confused as Seiya was, he prepared to attack if he had to.

"It seems I was wrong," Gareth snarled. "I wasn't the only one who came here. You have a Specter hiding somewhere among you. Come out and fight me if you're not a coward!"

There was suddenly silence, and no one seemed to move. What were they supposed to say after all? Kagaho continued to bristle, wanting to step forward but reluctant to do so. For one, he wanted to make this Titanling pay for insulting his god, however he didn't want to endanger Shun by leaving his side. He knew he could fight, but the boy was far too gentle to do so. However he also knew that they needed to get Gareth out of here or everyone would be in danger, and he was right in saying the Othrysians could stand again after defeat like the Specters could. They'd found that little fact out the hard way. If anyone could drive him away, it would have to be Kagaho.

The Specter glanced back at the Demigod he'd fallen in love with. Shun knew those eyes, and he wanted to beg him to not go, or at least to be careful. But he knew that Kagaho wouldn't take no for an answer. The Specter was silently begging Shun to stay safe. Then he quickly mumbled the words to the spell that would summon his Surplice. The Bronze Saint looked back at him with some confusion in time to see him put on his armor, a dark black armor that shone like the moon. The wings on his back bristled as he watched the Othrysian. The Saint gasped with some confusion and stepped away.

"You're-"

"A Specter," Kagaho finished with a growl in his voice. "And he's dead. Keep an eye on the boy for me." He motioned over his shoulder with his thumb at Shun. The Bronze Saint, unsure what else to do, just agreed.

"I-I will,"

With a nod Kagaho stepped forward. The silence that had fallen was suddenly breathlessly broken by the sound of clanking metal and the rustling of wings. The Othrysian had yet to see them, but now he knew he had been right and he was coming face to face with the Specter he had sensed before. As he stepped forward, the silence only seemed to deepen. The gods knew Kagaho by sight alone, that Surplice was one of a kind. Besides, he was one of the most powerful Specters of Hades. It would be hard to miss him.

The Bronze Saint seemed to grow more nervous, but true to his word he stepped back closer to Shun and stood ready to defend him. It was obvious that he was nervous and wasn't too sure why he was defending Shun, but he knew that he couldn't just leave an apparently defenseless boy alone by himself. He didn't say anything, but Shun was far too nervous to respond to anything he could have said anyway. The silence continued as Kagaho looked up, meeting the Othrysian's glare with one of his own. It was a chilling scene.

"What a pleasant surprise," the Othrysian hissed. "I didn't expect to see the lap dog of Hades again so soon. It seems that your pet Hades is far more powerful than I had thought Zeus."

Kagaho's rage was growing, Shun could sense it on him. However he remained silent and didn't move a muscle. He really couldn't afford to lose his cool here. There were far too many potential allies and far too much at stake to simply attack with all his fury as he had before in the Holy Wars. This was instantly noted by the Saints he knew him well, especially the Gold Saints. They seemed surprised to see his self control. He truly was a trained warrior of Hades. Without the Rage influencing him he was carefully plotting and silent. His eyes narrowed just slightly, dangerously. It was a clear warning. The unnerving silence only seemed to deepen.

"Not talking?" Gareth continued mock. "How unlike you. But I doubt you came alone. Even if there are no other Specters with you, I heard something rather interesting. Where's that Demigod that you've been hiding, Bennu of the Celestial Violence Star?"

If he had been wanting to get Kagaho angry, that certainly did the trick. Kagaho didn't know how this boy knew of Shun, but he knew that both gods and Titans had an almost instinctive way of recognizing each other and their children. Demigods and Demititans had the same ability as well. One look at Shun (even if it had been from a distance or had the information passed on by another Demititan) would be enough to give him away.

Maybe they couldn't tell whose son he was, but it was dangerous that they knew what Shun was. However the threat in his voice towards Shun was clear. The Specter's eyes flashed and instantly Kagaho snarled and bristled. He doubted any of the other gods knew who Shun was (other than just having found out he was a Demigod) but they all gasped anyway.

"D-Demigod?" Athena gasped.

The gods and their armies had always been protective of their Demigods, and many could reincarnate alongside their parents and fought to keep the world the gods watched over safe from harm. Also Kagaho's immediate reaction to the threat confirmed their fears that there was indeed a Demigod that could possibly be in very real danger. The Bronze Saint standing next to Shun gasped and looked at the boy, who only looked more nervous now and watched, unsure what to do at this point or really even how to help. He'd never been one for fighting.

"Y-You're a Demigod?" the Saint gasped.

"I am," Shun admitted. They might as well know. But it was dangerous to let them know whose son he was. Even if the Titans knew he was a Demigod they probably didn't know of his father. "That Specter has been looking after me since I was very young, when my parents asked him to watch over me."

"But what are you doing here?" the Saint asked. "You could get seriously hurt!"

"I had to see what was going on with my own eyes," Shun replied. "I suppose it's a...well a stubborn streak I inherited from both of my parents. Sometimes I'm too much like them for my own good. But I've known about this for a long time and well..."

"You couldn't let it stand like this," the Bronze Saint with an understanding nod. "I understand. But it's still dangerous. A single Specter, even if he was really powerful, can't hope to keep you safe. Why aren't you with your parents?"

"They had something they had to finish," Shun said sadly. The way he said it made the Saint pause as the boy's innocent face seemed downcast and grew sad.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," the Bronze Saint tried to comfort him. Shun managed a small smile.

"Thank you," he said. "You're right. They'll be fine."

"I'm Seiya," the Saint introduced himself. "Bronze Saint Pegasus Seiya."

"My name is Shun," came the reply. "Forgive me, but I don't feel safe telling you who my immortal parent is." Seiya nodded knowingly.

"You're right," he said. "It probably isn't safe."

Both of them jumped when they heard the sound of an explosion. The tension between the Othrysian and the Specter had finally snapped, and they were now fighting. Arrows were flying left and right from that terrible bow, and soon afterward a large ball of fire hit the ground with devastating effect. Kagaho had used his technique, the Corona Blast. He had other more powerful and more devastating moves, however he didn't dare use them with so many Saints around. Shun was grateful for that. He hadn't lost his cool at least. The two soon took to the sky, making the other armies scatter to avoid their fury.

"Retreat," Athena called. "It's too dangerous to remain here! These two are going to tear this place apart until one of them comes on top the winner! Retreat!"

The armies wisely followed her advice, quickly running to avoid the battle. Shun quietly sent a prayer to Hades that Kagaho would return to him safely and the victor. There was no doubt about it though as the two massive Cosmoses collided. Other Specters would sense Kagaho fighting, and so there was no doubt other Othrysians would sense Gareth fighting. These two immortal armies were soon going to cross paths, and he knew that their battle would be devastating.

Many members of both armies filed past to quickly leave, running to leave the war zone behind. However through the door their were directly in front of came the young woman who was Athena. There was no doubt as she looked up at him. Shun found himself thinking that this goddess, his cousin, was certainly very beautiful. Her long purple hair framed her face nicely, and her blue eyes were even brighter than what he had seen on the larger screen. She froze abruptly when she saw him. There was no doubt to her that this was the Demigod that had been mentioned. Shun lowered his head just slightly to her.

The young goddess ran to him instantly and pulled him into a hug. Seiya stepped out of her way a little in surprise but Shun smiled gently and returned the hug. He still wasn't sure how she would react if she found out that he was the son of Hades, the god she'd fought for so long, but he could tell that she felt guilty about the whole situation of the Underworld. Perhaps she wouldn't mind, but he still needed to keep that secret for a while at least. She quickly released him and took his hands in hers.

"My name is Saori," she said. "and I am the goddess Athena. I don't know why you or that Specter came here, but there's no time to waste. We'll ask questions later. Quickly! We must leave!"

With that, she took one of Shun's hands in her own and turned to tug him after her outside into the sunlight. The other armies only glanced once at Shun when they saw the stranger in their midst, but they didn't really question it. There really wasn't time to. Seiya quickly followed after his goddess and the mysterious Demigod. Shun gave the coliseum one final glance before turning to follow Saori as she ran.

Again Shun prayed once more for Kagaho's safe return. However overhead he could feel the Evil Stars of the Specters stirring at the explosion of the Bennu's cosmos. The other Specters, wherever they were and whatever point in their reincarnation stage they were in, could sense that fight. They knew that something was going on. And that meant that so too did the gods of the Underworld and his mother. This tournament had been organized to find the evil that was stalking this land and bring it to light. But it had also just summoned the wrath of the immortal army of the Underworld. Athena had probably just gotten more than she bargained for.

Finally! There's chapter two. I've finally got some more inspiration to write this story so I'll be updating this one. I hope you enjoyed, and tell me what you think below!