Chapter 2: Brought Before the Gods
Olympus, the Chamber of the Pantheon, a few weeks later…
The entire Pantheon was seated upon the gallery that made the Pantheon Chamber. Zeus arose from his seat and raised his hands to address his fellow Gods. "This mortal, Kratos, has proven himself worthy of receiving an audience with us." He started. "He and his family will appear before us in three days' time. In the meantime none of you will interact with him in any way or form, understood?" Zeus demanded, to which everyone muttered their agreement.
The King of the Gods gave subtle glances directed at his son. He knew that Ares wished to kill him and take over Olympus. He was the only son that knew of his true father, one of the others being the Demigod who would soon join them on the Pantheon within three days. 'By the Fates, let Kratos accept my offer and me as well when we meet…' he prayed to the only higher powers that existed.
Sparta, Kratos' home…
The General of Sparta was sitting on his balcony that overlooked the city he had protected for so long. He took in all the sights he could see from there: Leonidas' palace, the palace gardens, his home's garden, the Temple of Ares and the mountain range just beyond the kingdom's border. Kratos knew that Athens' borders lied far beyond that mountain range, with the Aegean Sea to the east of Sparta. Mount Olympus would be northwest of his beloved city.
Kratos sighed and felt the familiar presence of Athena behind him. He turned to face the Goddess of Wisdom. "Athena, may I ask what you seek me for?" "Kratos, the Pantheon of the Gods request that you and your family appear before them within three days. I will come retrieve you on the third day from now."
The Spartan nodded. "Very well, Athena." The goddess then returned to Olympus, leaving Kratos to his thoughts.
The next day…
The General of Sparta awoke to the rise of Helios' sun, ready to spend the day with his family once more. Since Kratos had felt the pain of losing them not once, but twice, he was more than determined to keep them by his side at almost all times. After breakfast, where he feasted upon roast boar, fresh bread and goblets of wine that left much to be desired, he took Calliope to the gardens and handed her a small light-weight sword.
"I only wish for you to be able to protect yourself, my child. So I am going to train you to use a sword. If you can wield a sword, you can start training with more complex weaponry." He explained when she asked him why he wanted to train her.
They spent four hours going over basic movements, blocks and techniques before taking a short break and returning to the training. By the end of the day, Calliope could use two short swords to defend herself and take down an enemy. After Lysandra put her to bed, she met with her husband in their chambers where she wished to satisfy her curiosity his action had brought.
"Why did you train our daughter to use weaponry? She will not be a warrior, she wishes to be a musician." She asked. Kratos shook his head. "I had a vision where she was unable to defend herself, nor was I there to protect her, and she died by a beast's hand. I wish for her to be safe." Lysandra smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Dear, you seem to be lying to me. Tell me the true reason behind your action."
With a sigh, the demigod sat them both down upon the bed and began revealing everything that would have transpired from the battle against the Barbarians: how he would fall, how Ares would make him his servant, even how he would accidentally kill them. He even revealed how he became the God of War, how he discovered who his true father is, and how he brought the fall of Olympus.
Before she could question how it was possible, he explained how he used the power he gained from the Sisters of Fate to travel back through time and replace himself. Nodding at all the new information, Lysandra gave him a smile. "That shows how much you truly care about us, if you were willing to face all that, just to return to us." She said.
Kratos allowed a smile to appear upon his face at her words. "Thank you for trusting me, Lysandra." The woman smiled and kissed him. "What sort of wife would I be to not trust or listen to you, my husband?" With those words, the couple headed to their bed for another night's rest.
The next day…
The General of Sparta awoke to the sound of a melody played upon a flute. Knowing whom the composer of the specific melody was, Kratos rose from his bed and made his way to the bathhouse and prepared for his meeting with the Gods. Dressing in his General Armor after having it polished by a servant, he made his way to Calliope's room.
Moving aside the curtain, he entered the room to see his daughter sitting upon her balcony, playing the very first melody she ever composed. Kratos merely stood there, relishing in the glorious sound that formerly haunted his nightmares.
Calliope paused her song and turned to see her father watching her. "Good morrow, Daddy." The Spartan smiled. "Good morrow, Calliope. Are you prepared for today?" she raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What is happening today?" Kratos realized he never told her about their meeting with the Pantheon. "We will be heading to Olympus, child. The Gods demand our presence."
With that, he left his daughter to prepare and ate breakfast in the dining hall. Once Lysandra and Calliope had also eaten, Athena appeared in the mansion foyer. The two mortals bowed to the Goddess while Kratos merely bowed his head. "Athena, I presume we are to leave for Olympus now?" she nodded and with a bright flash, the family found themselves in a hall only Kratos and Athena recognised.
The Gods were all seated upon the Pantheon, with Athena having taken her place beside Zeus.
The King of the Gods arose from his seat, and raised his hand as Kratos took in all the familiar faces. Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Amphitrite, Persephone, Hermes, Apollo, Dionysus, Boreas, Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hestia and Selene were all present. The only God who was not upon the Pantheon was Ares, which Kratos found odd.
Zeus spoke up, his voice causing Calliope to jump slightly in surprise. "We are all gathered here today, to welcome my son, Kratos, the General of Sparta, into the Pantheon. But," Zeus paused and glanced towards Kratos, who was glaring at him in suspicion. "first he must prove himself worthy," Pausing again, the King of the Gods motioned to a large door, which opened to reveal the God of War, clutching his sword proudly. "by defeating the God of War." The King of the Gods turned to Kratos.
"What say you, Kratos of Sparta, do you accept?" Kratos gazed at Ares, and then to Zeus. "What will become of my family, should I accept, Lord Zeus?" he asked. "They will become immortals just as yourself." Zeus answered. The Demigod gazed back at Ares, walking up to him and unsheathing his Spear of Destiny. "I accept your challenge, Lord Zeus."