Repost of The Game Of Divinity By ChildeOfWar

by Boundless Scholar

This is not a story by me, but strictly a story that I want to listen to while at work to avoid dealing with all the people crying or asking for sentenceing appeals. - "Our unfortunate MC get offed by truck-kun and is offered the gamer system as compensation. Unfortunately for him the system is kind of a dick. Now changed to M for gore and foul language. GenBend - femMC"

The Game Of Divinity

By: ChildeOfWar

Our unfortunate MC get offed by truck-kun and is offered the gamer system

as compensation. Unfortunately for him the system is kind of a dick. Now

changed to M for gore and foul language. GenBend - femMC

Status: abandoned

Published: 2021-07-24

Updated: 2021-11-02

Words: 199796

Chapters: 25

Rated: Fiction M - Language: English - Genre: Adventure/Humor -

Characters: OC - Reviews: 591 - Favs: 1,258 - Follows: 1,461

Original source: s/13926113/1/The-Game-Of-

Divinity

Exported with the assistance of

The Game Of Divinity

Introduction

Successful Character Creation (kind of)

Game Start (1st step)

Feathery Problems

The Horned One

Headhunting for Fun and Profit

I become Odysseus, kinda

Is Divine Life insurance a thing ?

Interlude Ares

What the Fuck am I watching?

And Life continues

My Grandfather is a Dick

I get a new Coat

I create a Dream Team!

Hades is a dick as well!

Magic is fucking Hard!

From the pan and into the fire

Surtr goes Targaryen

I put Cabin 5 in order

The Dungeon of Kinslaying

I get a new name or two

I give Sauron the finger

Dungeondiving is painful !

Well! That escalated quickly!

The years away and the return!

I 'christen' my new dimension

Successful Character Creation (kind of)

Well helo fellas, this is my first story and i am going to use the

tried and true gamer si/oc demigod troupe . I hope you like it

and i am hoping for some favs and review . Please take it easy

on my sempais . Percy jackson and the Olympians belongs to

Rick Riordan this is absolutely non-profit and i dont own a lick

of it except from my character . All other franchises mentioned

belong to their rightful owners !

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 1 : Successful character selection (kind of)

Whelp I died and I didn't even die in a way that I could be proud of,

(you know saving a child from a car, taking a bullet from a friend

etc.). Instead I got the "honor "of getting snoged by truck-kun while

returning home from a grocery run, talk about embarrassing.

So here I am now in a great black void griping with myself about how

many regrets I have now that I kicked the bucket. I didn't even get to

get laid, I am officially a ( very dead) 18 year old virgin dam it all it's

not fair, I just finished the hell that is high school, I was ready to go to

college, have some fun, find a hot honey, get drunk and now

everything is over because of flipping "TRUCK-KUN" . I want a

refund you hear me God, I want a bloody refund.

Congratulations, because of your annoying whining you got

selected to host the System.

Wait what!

Now let's go to character selection!

You are completely ignoring me aren't you?!

Pick your gender: (MALE) or (FEMALE)

You can't expect me to go along with this just like that I want an

explanation. What the fuck it's going on is this some kind of gamer

fanfiction ..Oy Answer me asshole !

Because of your incessant whining your gender was chosen by

the system: FEMALE

Son of a Bitch! You .. You… You !

If you are quite done then let's continue with the first world you

are going to occupy and if you stop being a brat maybe in your

second world you will get the privilege of getting your dick back

! Now chose:

RWBY

High School DxD

Rick Riordan verse

Naruto

Bleach

One Piece

Star Wars (Movies)

MCU

MARVEL

DC UNIVERSE

Harry Potter

Nasuverse

I guess I have no choice, let's go along with it, I don't fancy screwing

myself further. DC, MCU and MARVEL are right out from the get go,

I am not suicidal enough to pick them as a first world, not until I am

sufficiently badass at least. RWBY is out I know almost nothing

about, same with Star Wars. One Piece is no man's land unless you

are in the straw hats crew and I want no front row seat in Luffy's

stupidity, in Bleach Ichigo survived only because of plot armor,

copious amounts of GAR and the luck of being a shinigami/quincy /

hollow tribrid insanity, so nope thanks but no thanks Aizen is scary

!In Naruto the ultimate villain is a dimension sprouting bone ashing

capital I Immortal godess of hacks so nope! High School Dxd maybe

as a second or third world but not now, I want to be strong enough to

survive on my own I don't fancy myself a slave to some idiotic

lazyass devil princess or some other fuckers bedwarmer considering

I am grrr Fe.. Fe .. Female . Damnit . Nasuverse is fucking nope

nopity nope, the sheer amount of insanity going there is

unbelievable, even Marvel isn't so stupidly dangerous . At least there

you can hide behind Thor or spend your time being a small time hero

or B-Grade villain or something, whatever floats your boat . In

nasuverse Every-fucking-thing can kill you so nope ! That leave me

with Harry Potter and RR. Now which one to pick? Harry Potter is not

particularly dangerous and with the gamer ability I can power up fast,

if I play it smart I can be a power house and send Voldy packing but I

detest their dickwaving magic system (wands) and I don't know if I

am going to reincarnate in some pureblood house or something and

considering all the marriage contract cliché tropes over there I am

not risking it . If I had Medea;s Rule Breaker then yes it would be the

better option but as it is… Maybe later. So that leaves Rick Riordan

verse

You have selected the Rick Riordan verse now please select

your nationality :

Greek or Roman

2. Norse

3. Egyptian

Well Greek obviously, it's the only ones I know the plot of, and the

myths as well . The Egyptians suck I don't want to be possessed by

some god and if I wanted to become a wizard I would have selected

the Harry Potter world. The Norse, Hindu and Shinto I know virtually

nothing about so there is no Romans are too uptight for me, not my

cup of tea. Greek.

Please select your race:

Human ( +50% EXP to all skills, Clear Sighted Perk, Manalv1= 50

)

Nature Spirit ( + 20 % EXP to all nature related skills, Increased

reputation with nature gods, Nature's Beauty Perk, Swift

feet(For running away from lovesick Gods), +5 VIT,+2 WIS

Manalv1=400 )

Monster ( +15% to all physical stats, Increased reputation with

all monsters and monster affiliated divines, Decreased

reputation with demigods, nature spirits, mortals, Mist Control

skill lv5, Racial stats and perks depending on the type of

monster you are,Manalv1=500.)

Demigod (Mist Control (Locked), Mist resistance, Increased

reputation with parent God, Perks depending on parentage,

Godly scent Perk, Battle reflexes Perk, Ancient Greek Mastery

skill, Manalv1=250, +3 to all stats except luck every birthday)

Demigod, there is no reason to even think about it, the choices

speak for themselves. Monster is out, I don't fancy myself as an

arrow repository cough Hunters Of Artemis cough, picking Human

is lame, unless I manage to become a champion of a god and

considering I am Fe..Fe..Female, my prospects are either becoming

a Hunter (which is not my thing I like nature but I like indoor

plumbing more and I am not denying myself booty, for this bo.. girl

*shudders* has gone one lifetime without boobies I aint going for

another ) or as Apollo's Oracle which sucks major ass for obvious

reasons ( as I said before chastity is really not my thing ).As for the

Nature Spirit choice, you only have to look at the Swift Feet Perk and

you get all kinds of nope . Demigod.

You have selected Demigod as your race, now please select

your parent:

Zeus (+5 WIS, +5 STR, +100 Mana per level, Electrokinesis Perk,

Atmokinesis Perk, Flying Perk,Sky Booster Perk, Avian Speak,

Lust Perk, Godly scent+ )

Poseidon ( +5 STR, +5 VIT, +100 Mana per level, Hydrokinesis

Perk, Terrakinesis Perk, Atmokinesis Perk, Water Booster, Water

Breathing, Sealife Speak, Equesterian Speak, Wrath Perk, Godly

Scent +)

Hades ( +5 STR, +5 DEX, +100 Mana per level, Umbarkinesis

Perk, Animakinesis Perk, Army Of The Dead Perk, Terrakinesis

Perk, Deathly Aura Perk, Death Speak ( Can communicate with

the dead and all animals that have a connection to death like

crows and thestrals), Vindictive Perk )

Hera (Locked)

Demeter ( +5 VIT, +50 Mana per level, Cholorkinesis, Minor

Atmokinesis, One with Nature Perk )

Hestia ( Locked)

Athena ( +5 INT, +3 WIS,+ 15 Mana Per level, Eye Of The Mind

Perk, Weapon Mastery Minor, +15% EXP to all crafting and

intellectual skills)

Ares ( +6 STR, +35 Mana Per Level, Weapon Of War, Rage

Booster, +10% to all physical stats while in battle to the death )

Aphtodite( +6 CHA +75 Mana per level, Amokinesis Perk, Cloth

Control, Charmspeak, French Language Perk,Attractive

Perk,Battle Reflexes- )

Hephaestus ( +5 STR, + 50 Mana Per level, Pyrokinesis Perk,

One with the Forge Perk, +50% EXP to all crafting skills )

Artemis ( Locked )

Apollo ( + 3 DEX +2 CHA, +25 Mana Per Level, Photokinesis

Perk, Archery Savant Perk, + 25% to all art related skills )

Hermes( +5 DEX +25 Mana per level, Speedster Perk, Expert

Outlaw Perk, +15% EXP to all skills for their first 15 levels )

Dionisus ( +3 LUC +2 CHA, +25 Mana Per Level, Chlorokinesis,

Mind Protect, +10 to all physical stats as long alchohol is in

your system )

Divine Roulette ( Randomly selects one of the Gods + 1 to stats

of parent god,+20 to mana per level, extra hidden skills or perks

)

Now there is some serious reading here. The Big Three is an

obvious choice if you exclude the negative perks so I will put a rain

check there. From the rest the ones that look the most interesting

are Demeter for the Sage Mode possibility, Ares for overall martial

badassery and ol' Hephy cause Pyro enough said. The rest are not

all that powerful. Now the question here is what to do? I could easily

select a Big Three and be done with it, but some of the other Gods

have some very useful skills if you exclude the late game unfairness

that is the Big Three. Divine Roulette on the other hand gives some

sweet boost on stats and the extra skills never hurt anyone. What

the hell Divine Roulette it is, my day has gone to shit anyway might

as well leave it to fate!

You have selected Divine Roulette, please wait for results:

1…..2….3… 4….5 :

Your Divine Parent is: ARES

Ares hmm, not bad, all non combat skills are going to be a bitch and

a half to level but at least combat wise I am safe .

Now select your name:

Alexandra Bellum no middle name bullshit and I can shorten it to

Alex to not sound overly pretentious, I like it.

Now view your status screen and distribute your status points :

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: N/A

Level: 1 (0/100)

HP: 100 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 305 MPReg= 2mp/min

STR: 7 ( Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 0 ( Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 0 ( your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 0 ( your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level )

WIS: 0 ( Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS

CHA: 2 ( overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 0 ( Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 40

Hmm let see. I will make all my stats minus strength 5 and I am left

with 13 points. Now I will put 4 to str to make it a round 10 then I will

use 6 more points to make the rest of my stats a solid 6 and the last

2 I will put 1 to vit and 1 to int and 1 to luck because you can never

not have enough luck . Now I am good.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: N/A

Level: 1 (0/100)

HP: 107 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 311 MPReg= 3mp/min

STR: 10 ( Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 7 ( Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 6 ( your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 ( your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level )

WIS: 6 ( Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS

CHA: 6 ( overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC:7 ( Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 0

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Mist Resistance(lv1): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist .

*Flames of war(lv1): 20dmg /sec cost: 30mp/sec

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

Perks:

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

*Attractive Perk(Minor): Your godly blood makes more naturally

attractive than a average mortal (In case of becoming a child of

Aphrodite the perk is upgraded to Major.)

Damn that's some seriously sweet stuff right there. With all those

combat boosters the natural OPness that is the game system and if I

am lucky enough the blessing of Ares that Clarrise gained in the

battle of Manhatan I am gonna be so fucking broken . I am getting

fired up right now. Get it… Fired up… Because of the flames of

war… Oh okay whatever, forget it !

Now that character selection is complete all that is left is for the

game to start . Is the gamer ready ? YES/NO?

YES let's do this I am ready to win, my dick is on the line!

VERY WELL,

GAME START

So this is the first chapter . More of a tease really makes you

look forward to the future . Updates are going to be irregular

cause my muse is kinda of a bitch but dont falter people i am

not abandoning the story . Cheers and see ya next time !

~ChildeOfWar

Game Start (1st step)

Hello guys, This is chapter 2 i hope you enjoy. Percy Jackson

belongs to Rick Riordan and all other franchises mentioned to

their rightfull owners. The only thing i own is my character and

this story is absolutely non-profit.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 2 : GAME START (Introduction and into the unknown)

It all started with a bang and I meant that literally. I was 6 years old

when I gained my meta- knowledge plus the system for the first time

and it happened with the bang of a gun.

I was born to a single mother, an ex-military badass of a mother

(because Ares duh!), who retired from Irak after an injury to her right

leg from a stray bullet after an altercation with some terrorists. Of

course in everyday life the injury was not debilitating but for active

service the doctors gave her a big fat no so goodbye active duty and

here comes a paper pushing job in an office in Fort Leonard Wood

.For those who don't know Fort Leonard Wood is a military base in

Missouri, (the same Missouri that Star Lord from MCU was

kidnapped from) yeah, that was my reaction too *squeee* ahem,

moving on. There she met my father who was an inspection officer

from DC coughbullshitcough and long story short, one steamy bed

tumbling and nine months later here I am black haired and bright

eyed, I came to the world . Obviously my father being a god

(asshole) made a runner so mother had to raise me on her own.

Thank the gods for dead uncles and their generous wills or we would

have some really big problems.

Anyway life had been normal for the first six years of my life or as

normal life can be for an a ADHD - dyslexic hellion of a brat that I

was (and still am), mother has been really supportive of me, always

encouraging me to do better in her own gruff ex-military way,

teaching me useful skills (always go for the balls) and generally

being an all around badass, she is my hero.

So here we are now 6 years after my birth in our apartment at 2:30 in

the night when I hear my mother shouting from the living room. I run

from my room and before I reach the living room I hear the

aforementioned bang - bang of guns going off. What I saw was

horrifying. My mother, my beautiful awesome mother lying on the

floor with a bullet to the chest and some scumbag robber with one in

his head lying beside the window and at this moment…

GAME START

All my memories from before came forth without mercy. Sonnova

bitch!

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: N/A

Level: 1 (0/100)

HP: 107 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 311 MPReg= 3mp/min

STR: 10 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 7 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 6 (Your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 (Your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level )

WIS: 6 ( Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS

CHA: 6 (Overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 7 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 0

Skills:

Gamers Mind MAX: Allows user to keep a calm state of mind.

Immune to psychological status effects and mind control

Gamers Body MAX: Grants the user a body that allows her to

live her life like a video game

Ancient Greek Mastery MAX: Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Mist Control (Locked): Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Mist Resistance (lv1): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist.

*Flames of war (lv1): 20dmg /sec cost: 30mp/sec

*Riding skill (lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

PING*

Quest: Make a Runner

Main Objective: Your only guardian is dead. Make a runner

before the authorities find you and put you in the foster system

or the orphanage.

Bonus objective 1: Hidden

Bonus Objective 2: Hidden

Rewards:

Main: 400 Xp, Title

Bonus1: 150 xp, 200$, 1 bronze short-sword

Bonus 2: 100Xp, 2 drachmas, 1 peacock feather pendant

Failure:

Next year in foster care without escape/ Possible death

YES/NO

I am pretty sure if it wasn't for gamer mind I would have broken down

right then and there.

Fortunately for me it dulled my emotions and my 18 years of

memories and sense of self lessened the shock for me to take action

as fast as possible. I pressed YES and after I closed my mother's

eyes I run to her bedroom to her hidden stuck of money for a rainy

day and her pistol with two spare full clips, 1 big white blanket and

some clothes from my own. After that I raided our fridge and

cupboards and put everything edible in my inventory. Following that I

went beside my mother and I put her and her pistol in my inventory

as well. As if I will leave her here for the government to throw her in

some shallow hole somewhere and forget about her. Mom deserves

better. Taking a few deep breaths to center myself I kicked the piece

of shit that took my mother from me and I run from the suburban

area we lived and into the night.

As I was running I got a notification.

PING*

QUEST COMPLETE:

Main Objective: Your only guardian is dead. Make a runner

before the authorities find you and put you in the foster system

or the orphanage. (CLEAR)

Bonus objective 1: Gather essential resources for a life on the

road in your inventory.(CLEAR)

Bonus Objective 2: Take your mothers corpse with you in order

to give it a proper burial. (CLEAR)

Rewards: 650 Xp, Title, 1 bronze short-sword,1 peacock feather

pendant,200$, 2 drachmas.

Level up *2

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: N/A

Level: 3 (350/400)

HP: 121 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 423 MPReg= 3mp/min

STR: 24 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 7 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 6 (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 6 ( Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS

CHA: 6 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 7 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 10

But I wasn't in a state of mind to look or care about my gamer ability.

All I could think of was that my mother is dead and she WAS my

mother, even though my previous life memories resurfaced, the

memories I have of this life are so strong and painful and it hurts like

hell. I am a 6 years old brat alone carrying her mother's corpse in her

pocket dimension all the while monsters will start hunting me and the

only safe place for me is half a country away. Gods what have I

gotten myself into. I should have chosen the Harry Potter world. In

the immortal words of EMIYA-sempai "Fuck my E-Rank luck".

So this is it for chapter 2 . I know it was painfully short and i

know what i want to write for chapter 3 (kinda) but I just couldnt

fit it in this chapter. I promise though chapter 3 is not too far

away and hopefully it will be more interesting ! Anyway

goodnight for me and see you next time . Make sure to fav and

follow if you want it really pumps me up when i see people

actually favoring my story and i more than welcome

suggestions for future events .

~ ChildeOfWar

Feathery Problems

Hello guys this is chapter 3 fresh out of the oven, I hope you

like it cause i tried my best. As always Percy Jackson belongs

to Rick Riordan and all other franchises mentioned to their

rightfull owners. I i dont own anything except from my character

and this is entirely non-profit.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 3: LIFE ON THE ROAD (PART 1)

I have been running for hours. I don't have a watch with me but from

the position of the sun I would say it is past 9 o'clock. I have to take

the more rural roads in fear of the police finding me. Right now I am

in the middle of fucking nowhere USA, with trees everywhere around

me and I am fucking tired . The only good thing about this is the

extra points in stats.

Because of rigorous exercise you have gained +3 VIT

The only thing I can do right now is to head straight east until I find

New York and then Long Island. Hopefully I might find a satyr or a

fellow demigod on the way because badass or not, gamer or not I

am still only 6 and this surprisingly does not inspire confidence.

But before I go further its better if I organize my inventory and see

what I have to work with.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: N/A

Level: 3 (350/400)

HP: 142 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 423 MPReg= 3mp/min

STR: 24 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 10 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 6 (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 6 ( Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS

CHA: 6 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 7 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 10

So Lv3. My strength is awesome and considering I am only level 3

and it is already half-way to 50 and hence the extra perk I will never

have to use status points for it, I can focus on raising the rest of my

stats with extra focus on vitality because my health points suck and

dexterity because I am a small target and speed and evasion is the

only path to survival right now. The spare status points I will not use

right now, I will wait until I really need them, I have read too many

gamer fanfictions to know about the hell that is late game stats

upgrade.

For making an intelligent decision +1WIS .

Oh wow whatever

Let's check the title I acquired from my quest. I click Title.

Street Rat: You are homeless and on the streets. Survival is

paramount no matter what you have to do. +10% exp to all

unlawful skills (pickpocketing, lockpicking, etc), increased

chances for mortals to ignore you.

Damn that is not ominous at all. Well whatever the title is useful skill

wise and don't you judge me it's important to have these kind of

skills, just ask Hermes and the weak notice-me-not is gonna be

really useful for getting away from "concerned" mortals so there is

that.

Now. Inventory

INVENTORY

X10 sandwich

X2 packets of biscuit

X1 cheese brick

X2 loaf of bread

X3 chocolate bar

X5 bottles of water

X1 white blanket

X1 bag with clothes

X1 lighter

X2 pistol

X2 full bullet clips

Mother's corpse

X1 bronze short sword

X1 peacock feather pendant

CURRENCY: $= 2200, D=2

Food wise I am good for a few days, maybe a week if I pace it well

enough and I have more than enough money to hold me over for a

while. Let's see what I got from the quest.

Bronze short sword

DMG +20

+5 DMG against monsters

Info: A generic short sword made of bronze from the Hellenic

era. It's professionally crafted but nothing to write home about.

Capable of hurting monsters.

Okay at least I have a weapon to defend myself. It is not a good one

but beggars can't be choosers and hopefully I can find something

better later. Next

Peacock Feather Pendant

Info: Silver pendant in the shape of a peacock feather. It's

manufacturing process is nothing special. What makes it

unique is that it has been touched by the Goddess Hera and as

a result has gained a minor blessing.( All females that wear this

pendant can hide better from the supernatural, -20% to Godly

scent)

+4 DEX

+4 WIS

Now this, this is fucking broken, the stat increase *snort* is a

godsend and the scent suppressor even if partial will help keep me

away from monsters to an extent. I can already feel a part of tension

I didn't know I had leaving me. And without further adieu, Equip .

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 3 (350/400)

HP: 142 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 423 MPReg= 4mp/min

STR: 24 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 10 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 6(10) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 7(11) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 6 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 7 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 10

Now lets see about money, *crack*. I hear a twig snapping from my

left and I instantly pulled out my sword in defense. What I saw was a

beautiful girl looking no older than 13 with green skin and brown hair

hiding halfway behind a tree.

"Who are you what do you want?" I knew she was a nymph and

usually they are harmless but the key word here is "usually".

"My n-ame is Penny a-nd I am a nymph" she stuttered slightly, "You

have been standing beside my tree for a while now and I got curious,

what is your name?"

"I am Alex, and I didn't mean to bother you, I can leave if you want "

"N-no its okay there is no problem, I was just surprised you don't

usually see a child so deep inside the woods alone, are you lost, do

you want me to search for your parents?"

I flinched at the mention of my parents "No it's fine I never knew my

father" the bastard, " and my mother is dead" I wanted to cry at that

but I couldn't show weakness right now.

"O-oh, m-my condolences, do you want some help?" she asked,

"There is grove a little bit further that -"

*Screeeee*

A loud scream was heard and you could see the birds flying away in

alarm all around the forest

"What was that?' I exclaimed trying to pinpoint the location of the

scream.

"Oh no that is Amy she must be hunting again?" said the nymph

fearfully

"Who is Amy?" I shouted in alarm

"She is a harpy, she has declared these parts of the forest as her

territory and has been terrorizing everyone. When some older

nymphs tried to chase her away, she scratched their barks so much

that they couldn't leave their trees for weeks in order to heal them"

she said fearfully,

"you have to run if she finds you she will eat you" and instntly hid

inside her tree.

"Damnit", I exclaimed and I made a run for it. Hopefully with the

pendant and my small age my scent is not strong enough to get a

whiff of and I can get away.

As I was running I saw a shadow around me getting bigger. If it

wasn't for my ADHD that made roll left at the last second I would

have been a demigod fillet right now, because in front of me was the

fucking harpy I was trying to escape from. So much for not getting

noticed.

By measuring up an enemy you have gained the skill Observe

'Thanks game I am sure I will destroy the monster that wants to sis

kebab me by observing it to death' I knew it was no time for snark

but I was stressed sue me.

"Observe"

Amy "Queen"

Race: Harpy

Gender: Female

Level: 12

Info: Amy is a Harpy that was abandoned by her flock, enraged

by their betrayal she takes out her anger on anyone that pisses

her off or undermines her authority as "Queen" of the grove.

She smelled the scent of a half-ling and is looking forward to a

tasty meal.

QUEST

Objective: Defeat the Harpy "Queen"

Rewards: 1000 xp, harpy feathers x2, 100$, 1 drachma

Failure: Possible dismemberment / Death

You can't refuse this quest

Now is not the fucking time, stupid game !

"FOOD" she screeched

" Fuck you, you overgrown pigeon I aint your bloody food!" I shouted

and promptly dodged to the right as she attacked me.

I had to run between the trees to not give her the opportunity to

charge me from above. I have no ranged ability, I have to bring her

to the ground to lessen her mobility, but how?

As I run between two trees I got an idea, it wasn't the best idea and

its stupid to experiment mid-battle but in the immortal word of Percysempai,

it is better than no idea at all. So I pulled out one of my

mother's guns and tried to imbue the bullet with the flames of war. I

know it was a pretty out there leap of faith but I was desperate.

I saw the harpy 50 meters away from me and closing fast, so I

focused on the flame, "cmon cmon you can do this" and suddenly I

saw the pistol getting covered in a red flamy aura, so I pointed the

pistol to the harpy and fired *BANG* . I felt my hands getting rattled

from the pistols kickback but I held firm.

*Screeee*

I saw her fall to the ground, the bullet luckily enough hit the top of

one of her wings and made a whole the size of a girl scouts cookie,

the burn scars from the warfyre (I am calling it warfyre for the sake of

speed, flames of war is a mouthful) made some extra damage as

well. Her screeches of pain are so loud I can feel my eardrums

vibrating.

HP: 500/800

Critical hit

Nice, time for something to go right for me today. Now that she is

down I can fill her full of lead and be done with it.

Ping*

MP: 0/423

*Warfyre (lv1): 20dmg /sec cost: 30mp/sec

I talked too soon, I have been keeping the warfyre active all this time

that it ate all my fucking Mana. There goes the safe option, but I had

no time for second guessing so I put my pistol back into the

inventory, pulled out my sword and charged.

I bow once again to my battle reflexes perk because the moment I

went into striking distance the shity bird swiped at me with her good

wing. If I hadn't jumped back she would have ripped me in half, now I

only got a scratch in my abdomen ruining one of my few shirts and

staining it with blood, and it pissed me off.

HP: 110/142

"You fucking freak show I am gonna kill you "and with that

declaration I felt power filling my whole body and I charged.

PING*

Rage Booster +2 strength

Mortal Combat +10 to all physical stats

STR: 24 (36)

VIT :7 (17)

DEX: 6(20)

I dodged to the left from a stumbling swipe and I cut het twice to the

side.

HP: 400/800

She tried to lunge at me to take a bite out but I jumped above her

and I stabbed her from behind in her spine.

HP: 250/800

Critical hit, Crippled

She screeched in agony and fell to the ground but I didn't give a shit,

she should have left me well enough alone, she tried to bite more

than she could chew *ha get it* and now she is going to pay for it.

She tried to crawl away to escape but I wasn't feeling merciful so I

stepped on top of her and I stabbed twice, one in the neck the

second in the skull and just like that she turned to golden dust.

For using strategy in battle even though you pulled it out of

your ass +2WIS, +2 LUC

+50xp

PING*

QUEST

Objective: Defeat the Harpy "Queen" (CLEAR)

Rewards: 1000 xp, harpy feathers x2, 100$, 1 drachma

Failure: Possible dismemberment / Death

You can't refuse this quest.

Level up *2

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 5 (200/1600)

HP: 160 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 555 MPReg= 4mp/min

STR: 41 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 10 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 7(11) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 9(11) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 6 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 9 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 20

*Warfyre(Lv2): 40 dmg/sec cost: 29mp/sec

Skill acquired: Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from

behind there is a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12%

chance of cripple hit.

Skill acquired: Warfyre Imbuement (Lv1): Coat your weapons

with the Flames of War and enhance their destructive

capabilities. +15 dmg cost 10mp/sec.

Well that's that I guess. I sit down resting my back against a tree as I

feel the adrenaline leaving my body. I think I will rest here for a little

while, I earned it. It didn't even take me 3 minutes to fall asleep.

Considering I watched my mother get murdered, run to escape the

cops for 6 hours straight and then fought to the death against a

Harpy Diva it was no wonder really.

Fuck my E-Rank Luck

Full Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 5 (200/1600)

HP: 160 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 555 MPReg= 4mp/min

STR: 41 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 10 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 7(11) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 7 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana 6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 9(11) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 6 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 9 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status Points: 20

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Mist Resistance(lv1): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist .

*Flames of War(Lv2): 40 dmg/sec cost: 29mp/sec

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from behind there is

a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12% chance of cripple

hit.

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv1): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +15 dmg cost

10mp/sec.

Observe(Lv1): Gain basic information about the target . The

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 30 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill

Perks:

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

Thats that guys i think i am gonna get a rest as well. 3 chapters

in 2 days i am spent. I hope you liked it fav and follow ans see

ya next time !

~ChildeOfWar

The Horned One

Hey fellas this is chapter 4 and i am in the process of writing

chapter 5, my muse is on a roll lately i am bursting with ideas.

Of course i wouldnt mind if you guys gave me some fresh idead

in your Reviews *hinthint*. Obviously Percy Jackson belongs to

Rick Riordan and any other franchises mentioned to their

rightful owners.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 4 Training Montage and Discoveries

I woke up with a start to sound of hushed voices near me, so I

opened my eyes trying to figure out into how much trouble I have

gotten this time.

You have slept in a bed-like surface your HP and MP have been

restored to 100%

From what I could see I was in a amphitheater type of structure,

kinda like the Greek theaters of old, but smaller compared to them,

made of slightly uneven stones that were covered mostly in moss

and grass giving a very a-natural look. In every step of the theater

there were plenty of trees that looked healthy and beautiful in shades

of green, red and orange but the one that drew my attention the most

was an absolutely massive Wisteria tree that sat in the middle. It had

lavender flowers in full bloom and it almost looked like it came out of

a fantasy movie.

I was startled out of my observations by a group of beautiful women

(nymphs most likely considering their green skin color) headed by a

lavender haired woman that looked in her late twenties. Probably the

nymph of the massive tree and the head honcho most likely, I used

observe immediately and what I saw surprised me.

Wisteria "Head-Elder of Artemis Grove"

Race: Nymph (Partial-Immortal)

Level:?

Info: Wisteria is the Head-Elder and Matriarch of the Missouri

sacred grove of Artemis. Made partial immortal by the Goddess

herself, she is responsible for the protection of the entire wild in

her purview with the condition to never raise her hand against

anything but those who try to destroy her grove. She is grateful

for taking care of the idiotic harpy that had been giving so many

problems to her little ones.

Immediately after reading this I understood why a powerful nymph

like this (and the ? in her level proved that she is powerful enough to

deal with that cannon fodder harpy) had not acted against her. The

harpy didn't want to destroy the grove, she just declared it it's

territory putting the admittedly scary nymph in a bind, well until I

came along at least. But before I could ponder on this issue more the

nymph started speaking to me.

"Hello little one, my name is Wisteria and I am the Matriarch of this

Sacred Grove. Little Penny who I believe you met earlier found you

passed out on the ground after your defeat of the harpy and brought

you here." Said the head nymph pointing to the girl I met before that

stupid pigeon tried to eat me.

"Thank you for your hospitality" I said to the matriarch "I hope it

wasn't too much trouble?"

"Oh no trouble at all" exclaimed the woman" Quite the opposite in

fact, you have dealt with a thorn that was at my side for quite some

time now and we are all very grateful. Helping you was the least we

could do."

With the pleasantries out of the way she explained to me that the

Goddess Artemis and Demeter have been collaborating in protecting

pockets of nature and assigning nymphs or her Hunters that for one

reason or another don't want to gallivate around the country hunting

monsters, through blessings to take care of them, covering them in

big layers of mist to keep away the mortals. That's how the haunted

forests rumors came about apparently. Fun fact, all nature Gods in

all pantheons do similar things to protect the wild, it's a global thing

apparently. She also thanked me profusely for dealing with the

harpy, she has been harassing the young nymphs and she was one

indiscretion away from calling Artemis to deal with her.

After that they escorted me to a cave. It had natural sunlight from a

hole above and a (surprisingly) comfortable moss covered rock bed

(I suspect magic shenanigans there). They told me that I was

welcome to stay as long as I wanted as long as I respected the

nature of the grove. I took them up on their offer of course, my fight

with the harpy showed me how weak I truly I am. If a pathetic

monster like that (harpies are dangerous because they hunt in

flocks, individually they are pretty weak) could give me so much

trouble then how can I expect to survive a Cyclops or a hellhound for

that matter. I need to train and fast.

I will train my skills as much as I can, gain a weapon mastery skill

and level the Warfyre, that thing is a power multiplier and also train

my stats, vitality and dexterity mostly, strength there is no need and

intelligence and wisdom is difficult to raise in the middle of the forest,

I don't have books so there is no way to do it.

For making a excellent decision and recognizing your

shortcomings +1 INT +1 WIS.

So that's what I did. I spent the next three months training rigorously

and helping the nymphs with whatever menial labor they needed

(gotta earn my keep). Running around the forest, climbing trees (to

the annoyance of some nymphs), training with Warfyre (to the further

annoyance of the nymphs), juggling rocks and other assorted

calisthenics. Well not to toot my own horn but the results speak for

themselves.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 5 (200/1600)

HP: 240 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 555 MPReg= 5mp/min

STR: 45 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 20 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 23(27) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 8 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 10(14) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 7 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 9 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 20

Skills:

*Flames of War(Lv7): 140 dmg/sec cost: 24 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv5): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +22 dmg cost

4mp/sec.

Observe(Lv10): Gain basic information about the target . the

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 30 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

One surprising skill that I leveled up is

Mist Resistance(lv3): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist . Monsters of your level and

bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Which is more than welcome really. It also prompted me to ask

Wisteria if she could unlock my Mist control skill but apparently it is

not safe for demigods to do that under the age of 10 so that was a

bust.

I also gained a spear mastery skill, I used a primitive stick with a

sharpened rock on top until I achieved it and after that i trained to

gain the sword one.

Spear Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding spears.

Sword Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +30% dmg and 15% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

I know what you will say, but Alex you awesome gal you have a

perfectly good sword meant for killing monsters, what need do you

have for a weapon you dont possess. And the answer is height. I am

6 and as a result fucking short. I need the range a spear gives in

order to fight properly.

I also managed to give my mother a proper farewell. With the help of

Wisteria who was horrified when I told her that I had my mother's

body with me (I explained the pocket dimension as a divine gift) she

immediately started preparation for a pyre.

And so, one day after her death I set my mother on the pyre covered

in my white blanket in a pale imitation of a funeral peplos and even

put the 2 drachmas on top of her eyes, hopefully easing her way to

her final destination without procrastination from that dick Charon.

Golden drachmas must count for something.

So here I am now three months after my introduction to the grove

exploring the forest when I came upon a big ornate gate looking like

it came right out of Rivendell, I was half expecting Elrond to come

out a tell me that my excursion to Erebor is a futile endeavor ( I really

liked the Hobbit sue me). But it was something else.

Astral Gate detected. Scanning. Please wait.

Green Natural dungeon discovered. WARNING: This dungeon

will upgrade to Orange if you posses an aura of Nature or the

Moon.

Natural Dungeons exist scattered everywhere on the world.

They are created either by Divine will, magical mishap or other

supernatural shenanigans. When cleared they always give

some type of reward depending on their grade.

Dungeon grade is discerned through colors:

Green (Lv 15 and bellow) Common

Blue(15 - 30) Uncommon

Yellow(30-45) Rare

Orange (45-60) Heroic (ha see what I did there?)

Red (60 - 80) Legendary

Gold (80-100) Mythical

Black (Run motherfucker, RUN!) Divine

I was surprised. I tried for a whole day to unlock the instant dungeon

skill until the game told me that it was too overpowered and was

removed in the latest patch. I poute- I mean, I severely scowled for a

moment but I got over it. I didn't expect for natural dungeons to exist

but color me surprised. Thankfully it is only a Green one (and if I

never find a black one it will be too soon) and I salivated at what type

of goodies I could find there, the exp won't hurt either, and with this

thought I heard the magical sound.

PING*

Rare Quest: Brave The Horned One's Challenge

Clear the 1 st floor

Clear the 2 nd floor

Clear the 3 rd floor

Clear the 4 th floor

Clear the 5 th floor

Optional: Solve the riddles

Rewards:

1500 xp, 100$, 2 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

2000 xp, 200$, 4 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

2500 xp, 300$, 6 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

3000 xp, 400$, 8 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

4000 xp, 800$, 10 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

?, ?, ?,? .

Failure :

Death / Possible dismemberment

YES/NO

I accepted the quest and went to find Wisteria to ask her about this

Dungeon. Maybe she has more information about this so I won't be

caught with my pants down. Knowledge is power after all.

For using your head and not leaping to the unknown

unprepared +1 INT +1 WIS.

Apparently this dungeon was created by the Celtic God of Beasts

and the Wild Cernnunos also known as The Horned One . The

story goes that in the last Inter - Pantheon powwow the Gods had (or

whatever they call it) Cernnunos insulted the Moon Goddess Hunters

calling them and I quote: 'A bunch of jumped up little chits that

wouldn't know hunting if it bit them on the ass'. As you can imagine

Artemis didn't really appreciate his opinion and they were one wrong

breath away from a bloodbath, "you know, the usual" said the scarily

powerful nymph with a shrug and Zeus and Dagda (one of the celtic

leaders) decided to solve the problem with a challenge. Cernnunos

will create a challenge and Artemis will choose three of her Hunters

to brave it. The challenge apparently was a bitch and a half to defeat

and at the end Artemis lost. Her hunters injured and pride wounded,

Zeus sent his stewing daughter back home to prevent further

problems. Cernunos said that the challenge will remain until

someone defeats it and if they succeed they will rewarded with three

gifts and the grove will gain his personal blessing as well. Zeus didn't

find anything wrong with this so he accepted and that was that. So it

remains to this day 200 years later and no matter how many times

they try the hunters can't defeat the dungeon.

I deadpanned at that, trust the God to cheat while not cheating (I

mean seriously 3 difficulty upgrades to nature and moon followers!?

WTF man). The surprising thing is the enemy that I have to defeat.

Wait for it…. GOBLINS, fucking goblins, apparently they are lower

Fae of the Autumnal Court that Cernunnos has good relations with

and so he put them as enemies. I can only imagine what kind of hell

it must have been in the Orange difficulty, probably scores of Harry

Potter goblins (you know super-forged armors and halberds viciously

attacking from everywhere), thankfully mine is only common grade

so I will have to look forward to the loincloth, wooden pike wielding

variety (I hope).

After many reassurances that I would be okay and if I couldn't do it

I'll leave immediately I went to the Astral Gate.

You stand before an Astral Gate, do you wish to enter? YES/NO

Yes, I do.

WARNING: if you enter the gate you can't leave without divine

intervention unless you complete the challenge, are you sure?

YES/NO

I have already come here there is no going back now. Let's go,YES.

And into the gate I went.

Full Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 5 (200/1600)

HP: 240 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 555 MPReg= 6mp/min

STR: 45 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 20 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 23(27) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 9 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 11(15) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 7 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 9 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 20

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

*Flames of War(Lv7): 140 dmg/sec cost: 24 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv5): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +22 dmg cost

4mp/sec.

Observe(Lv10): Gain basic information about the target . the

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 30 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Mist Resistance(lv3): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist . Monsters of your level and

bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Spear Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding spears.

Sword Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +30% dmg and 15% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from behind there is

a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12% chance of cripple

hit.

Perks

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

Hahaha cliffhunger, I always wanted to do that. Next chapter is

the dungeon dive, what kind of surprises will our Hero have to

face? Follow and find out ! See ya next time.

~ ChildeOfWar

Headhunting for Fun and Profit

Hey fellas this is chapter 5 and I have to say it was absolutely

exhausting but so damn worth it, the ideas couldn't stop

coming. Of course i wouldn't mind if you guys gave me some

fresh ideas in your Reviews as well *hinthint*. Obviously Percy

Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and any other franchises

mentioned to their rightful owners.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 5: DUNGEON DIVE (1 st Floor)

The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the astral gate was a

bigass cave. Right on the front of it there was a half rotten plank of

wood with 'FOOD DETH KIL' written on it, and on top of it there was

a human skull with its jaws open fully in a caricature of agony.

Heh, the cliché of all clichés, you can call the goblins many things,

creative is not one of them. At least they spelled food correctly. The

problem with this is that I didn't have night vision and the cave was

so dark I wouldn't be able to see my own nose, so I had to get

inventive.

I broke the plank of wood and took the pike it was standing on. After

that, I stripped some fabric from the t-shirt that the harpy teared up

with her claws all these months ago (the bitch) and tied it up on top

of it. Last, I took my lighter from the inventory and set the cloth on

fire. Nice, one handmade torch for me by yours truly, McGayver eat

your heart out.

For brilliant inventiveness and making good use of your

recourses +2 INT.

With that done, I took out my sword in one hand, torch in the other

and I entered the cave.

I had been walking for a couple minutes when I first heard footsteps

coming my way.

When they came near me I sighted for the first time goblins. There

were three of them around 1 meter tall (39 inches for Americans) to

my 1, 20 m (45 inches) and they were a mud brown color, hairless

with yellow pointed teeth inside a big mouth and pointy ears. They

were wearing a dirty loincloth that sometime in the long past could

have been white and they wielded sharpened wooden pikes.

Immediately I used observe.

Goblin Grunt

Race: Fae - Goblin

Level: 8

MP: 50

STR: 8

VIT: 10

DEX: 15

INT: 1

WIS: 2

LUC: 2

Info: This is a generic goblin grunt made to patrol the outer

parts of the cave. It is as stupid as it is vicious and won't

hesitate to use dirty tricks. Loves raw meat and killing and

hates fire and iron. It is looking forward to feasting on your halfling

flesh.

Hm, it seems they are pretty weak, of course goblins always fight in

hoards, at least if my previous experience as an ota- ahem fantasy

genre enthusiast hasn't failed me.

I didn't give them a chance to move further, I lighted my sword in

Warfyre and I attacked instantly. My increased stats proved

themselves and with my enhanced speed and strength as well as the

mastery skill I killed the first goblin with a fast double strike,

beheading it. The other two froze at the death of one of their own

which gave me time to do the same to the second. The third shouted

at me and with a battle cry of 'kakaka' tried to jump me. Obviously a

futile effort, I sidestepped it and as it passed me by and stabbed it

with my sword on the back, killing it instantly, Backstab is so useful.

Sword Mastery(Lv20- Lv21): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +31% dmg and 15,5% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Nice, now let's see what kind of exp do I gain from goblins.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 5 (275/1600)

HP: 240 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 561 MPReg= 6mp/min

STR: 45 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 20 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 23(27) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT: 11 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 11(15) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 7 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 9 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 20

Only 25 exp per goblin, disappointing but nothing I didn't expect,

they are weak after all. Drops left much to be desired as well.

X3 Goblin Head

Info: The head of a goblin. It's a head what do you want it to do,

sing?

X3 Dirty Loincloth

Info: A loincloth worn by a goblin, the yellow patches are not

lemon juice.

X3 Crude Wooden Pike

6 DMG

Info: A wooden pike with a sharpened end. Good for poking an

eye out but not much else.

If I can't have quality I am gonna have to gorge myself in quantity

then. And with that happy thought I walked deeper in the cave killing

goblins left and right. I expected them to be attacking me in more

numbers by now but it seems that their mental stats are not for

decoration. I had killed about 20 of them until I reached a fork on the

road.

Level 5: (775/1600)

+1 VIT

Sword Mastery(Lv21 Lv22): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +32% dmg and 16% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

*Flames of War(Lv7- Lv8): 160 dmg/sec cost: 23 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv5- Lv6): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +24

dmg cost 4mp/sec.

There were two caves ahead but which to choose? Hmm, " Inny

meany minny moo I love killing goblins and I'll kill more soon". My

hand pointed left after my brief attempt in poetry so left I went. It was

a corridor twice as wide as me so at least I was safe from getting

flanked by the sides.

As I was walking I noticed my torch starting to flicker, it seems I was

in here for quite some time, but what to do? If I try to use more of my

ruined shirt I won't last for more than one or two repeats. That was

when I had a bright idea.

+1 INT +1 WIS for your brilliant idea you smart, vicious bitch

I took one of the wooden pikes I dropped and tied the loincloth on

top of them, then I took a goblin head, piked it and lit it on warfyre,

enhancing the gruesome sight by having the fire bursting slightly

from the top of the head and the eyes melting in bloody tears down

its cheeks so only a crimson hell could be seen from its orbs. The

result ?

Warhead of Glory (Duration 45 minutes)

Illuminates the dark with the crimson light of purgatory

All goblin-kind that gazes upon this 'torch' will gain status Fear

(-20% to reaction time, causes loss of cohesion)

Info: A creation of Alexandra Bellum, made by the heads and

weapons of her fallen enemies. The use of Warfyre enhances

the horrific item and sows fear at the hearts of goblins

everywhere.

I used all 23 of them to have plenty enough for the fights ahead so

for now I have 17 and a half hours of light before I have to make

more. Plenty of time to clear the 1st floor at least.

Whistling a cheerful tune, I carried on walking down the corridor until

I reached a round area that was also a dead end. Inside were

around 20 goblins, on a raised boulder stood a goblin wearing

leather jerkin top and loincloth combo and in his hand was a very

crude bronze sword. Absentmindedly using Observe I saw:

Goblin Officer

Race: Fae - Goblin

Level: 12

HP: 250

MP: 80

STR: 12

VIT: 15

DEX: 25

INT: 3

WIS: 2

LUC: 5

Info: This is a goblin officer in charge of a small horde of

goblins occupying the left side of the floor. It is slightly less

stupid than it's grunt counterpart and twice as vicious. Loves

raw meat and killing and hates fire and iron. Right now it's

using all it's willpower to not shit it's loincloth in front of it's

brethern.

When they saw me, my eyes glowing a slight red and with Ricky

('Torch') on my hand wearing a smile that looked like I came out of a

slasher movie, they froze. The goblins looked at me, I looked back

(and Ricky too I guess) but after a while it got boring so I exchanged

my sword with my pistol, used Imbuement and fired once on the

Officer hitting it to the head, my smile never leaving my face. And it

fucking exploded, the gore painting the goblins around it.

HP: 0/250

Critical Hit, triple damage because of steel bullet (cold iron),

double damage because of fire.

One of them dropped its pike, two others fainted. The rest finally got

their senses back and attacked with a war cry, rage clear on their

faces. Perfect, all part of the plan.

Mortal Combat +10 to all physical Stats

Rage Booster +18 STR

HP: 310/310

MP: 530/561

STR: 73

VIT : 31

DEX: 33(37)

I re-equipped my sword and charged them as well, my blade shining

a crimson red.

It was a bloodbath. My extra stats made evading them a joke and

with every slash I killed at least one. In 18 seconds all were dead

and the two that fainted will never wake again.

Level: 5 (1375/1600)

X21 Goblin Head

Info: The head of a goblin. It's a head what do you want it to do,

sing?

X21 Dirty Loincloth

Info: A loincloth worn by a goblin, the yellow patches are not

lemon juice.

X20 Crude Wooden Pike

Info: A wooden pike with a sharpened end. Good for poking an

eye out but not much else.

Crude Bronze sword

DMG +7

+1 DMG against monsters

Info: A generic short sword made of bronze from Nevernever.

It's crudely crafted and won't be of use for long. Capable of

hurting monsters.

Sword Mastery(Lv22- Lv23): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +33% dmg and 16,5% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

*Flames of War(Lv8- Lv9): 180 dmg/sec cost: 22 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv6- Lv7): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +26

dmg cost 4mp/sec.

Not much again but the exp no matter how little is nice I guess, at

least i am close to leveling up. The officers are worth twice as the

grunts as well, good to know. There was nothing else to see here, so

I turned, heading for the right path on the fork. My torch lasting long

enough to lead all the way back.

Pulling a new one from the inventory I entered the right corridor this

time, and I walked, and walked, and walked some more until I

reached a 'throne' type of room lit by torches on the walls. On a

crudely carved throne was sitting a goblin that was twice the size of

all the other goblins wearing a crude bronze chestplate and holding a

bronze sword with runes carved on the flat of the blade. Around him

were 2 Officers and 2 dozen grunts, though these guys showed less

terror when they gazed upon Ricky The 2 nd . Immediately I used

observe and I gazed on my first Boss Monster.

Goblin General Gorchoke "1 st BOSS"

Race: Fae - Goblin

Level: 18

MP: 250

STR: 25

VIT: 35

DEX: 50

INT: 10

WIS: 4

LUC: 7

Info: This is a goblin general and Boss of the first floor. He is a

head above the average goblin and his position proves that. He

reached such a high position in goblin hierarchy by being more

skilled, cunning and vicious than any other goblin around him.

Underestimate him at your own peril. Your 'torch' unnerved him

but he has seen scarier and you are alone.

"So" it said in a high pitched voice startling me, I didn't expect it to

talk, " you are the latest upstart that thinks that can conquer Lord

Cernunnos challenge"

"I guess I am" I shrugged, " If you step aside I promise I won't kill you

like I killed the rest of your kind"

Of course, the walking cliché that it is started laughing in it's

annoying high pitched voice, prompting the well trained sycophants

around him to do the same.

"You, a slip of a girl, kill ME?" he said pointing to himself like he was

Jesus or something," Do you know who I am?"

And with this question it gave me an opening to use the first tenant

of the Anything Goes Martial Arts School: ~ Make them mad,

make them stupid.

"Some nobody piece of shit cannon fodder I gather, after all if you lot

were important you would be in the higher floors and you wouldn't be

wasting away here, so you are not that strong, isn't that right?" I said,

a shiteating grin never leaving my face for a moment, It even

widened a little when I saw the fucker gaping at me. It seems my

sheer impertinence made him bluescreen for a bit. Then his face

started changing from a light mud brown color all the way to dark

purple. Honestly it was a little impressive and his sycophants weren't

far behind.

" ATTAACK, K I L L L IT T L E S H I T, KILL " the head-honcho

shouted in such rage that any semblance of syntax left him, his

shout more of a beast's roar than actual voice stroking the fury of his

followers, all the while he didn't even stand from his throne, can't

expect him to fight together with the fodder, 'excellent'. How I love it

when a plan comes together, Aizen-taicho taught me well.

Mortal Combat +10 to all physical stats

Rage Booster +27 STR

HP: 310/310

MP: 561/561

STR: 82

VIT : 31

DEX: 33(37)

I held Ricky the 2nd tightly and used 100 Mp to imbue it with my

flames turning it from a gruesome torch to a flesh Molotov and I

threw it to the horde.

BOOOM the sound was deafening. The 5 first goblins, amongst

them one officer died in an eruption of crimson flames teeth and

brain matter. 2 others caught on fire at the edge of the blast radius

and were futilely rolling to the ground to take out the flames. *sniff*

Goodbye Ricky, your sacrifice won't be in vain.

Skill acquired: Warfyre Napalm(Lv1): Overcharge an item with

the Flames Of War causing it to become unstable and turning it

to a bomb. Blast radius: 2 meters, Damage: 150, 25% chance of

setting enemies on fire, Cost:100 MP

*Flames of War(Lv9- Lv10): 200 dmg/sec cost: 21 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv7-Lv 8): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +28

dmg cost 4mp/sec.

The rest paused for a moment giving me a chance to take out my

second bronze sword from the inventory charging them through the

flames. I became a whirlwind of death, killing left right and center

never stopping for a second. The goblins that were wary of me

before now were downright horrified, unable to comprehend the

monster that came into their cave and I was loving every second of

it, I guess the ichor of Ares in my veins was doing it's job. In 30

seconds flat me and the General were the only ones alive in the

room. Me with a grin glued on my face and him with a shrewd frown

that bellied his hidden intelligence. It seems the boss is gonna come

to the stage at last, but I have to be careful. With the grunts dead all

bonus from Rage Booster is gone now, not lasting more than a

minute after their death. I have to fight the boss with as close to

normal stats as possible and I didn't like it. You don't become a Boss

by being a pushover, no matter what bullshit i was spouting earlier.

HP: 300/310

MP: 341/561

STR: 55

VIT : 31

DEX: 33(37)

And I was right, the moment he stood up he vanished, no words no

nothing, (it seems this guy wasn't one for banter) and if my dexterity

wasn't boosted by my Mortal Combat Perk I would have been

ripped in half. Thankfully I was and I blocked him at the last moment.

He tried to overpower me and push me back but even though he

was faster, I was miles stronger and you could see the frustration on

his face as my smile never left my face, remembering my mother's

advise to never show weakness, unnerving him. I didn't use

imbuement, there is no point to waste mana when I am on the

defensive. He didn't sit idle though, he disengaged and tried to

outmaneuver me with relentless hits, thankfully I had come a long

way on the way of the sword (thank you Lv23 Sword Mastery ) and

I was able to block his hits using both my swords.

After disengaging for the second time and attacking once more I

used the same strategy as before hoping to tire him out, after all

these high speed movements must be very exhausting.

Unfortunately I didn't see until the last second his sword glowing a

dirty brown and as I blocked with both my swords, he shattered my

crude blade managing to cut deeply the top of my left shoulder with

his blade, making me lose all feeling to my left arm and scream in

pain, giving him the chance to kick me in the chest, throwing me two

meters away.

HP: 150/310

WARNING: Left Arm handicapped,-90% use

Fuck, the bastard got me good, I guess I have to try long range

instead.

"See bitch, you may have been good enough for the rabble but I am

in a different league, there is no hope, at least you fought fiercely so

you can have that, I guess"

The fucker gloated as he was nearing me, using a slow pace to draw

out my suffering. Good, hubris comes before the fall.

My mothers glock can have 15 bullets at full capacity plus 1 in the

cylinder. She used the one on the fucker that broke into our house, I

used 1 on the Harpy and 1 more on the Officer('Always pay attention

to the ammo in your gun, many die because they forget' another of

my mother's handy advice). That leaves us with 13 bullets until I

have to change clips. More than enough to put this sonovabitch to

the ground.

He was almost upon me when I exchanged the sword for the pistol

and fired at him at point blank twice. The first went deep inside his

left shoulder, the other took his right eye but he was fast enough to

turn his head and jump back saving his head from a instant

lobotomy, gaining a scar from his right side of his face and removing

half of his pointy ear. His screams of agony was a balm to my soul.

HP: 650/1000

Critical Hit, triple damage because of steel bullets (cold iron)

(Left shoulder 25*3)

Critical Hit, triple damage because of steel bullet (cold iron),

(Eye 100*3)

But I couldn't celebrate yet, I shot him twice on the kneecaps to end

his mobility then took out my sword not wanting to waste more

bullets on him. After all I have 4 floors ahead of me and 1 extra after

that.

HP: 500/1000, Crippled (-90 % mobility)

I held my sword in my right hand as I stood on top of him getting

ready to stab him in the heart when he jerked to the side making me

lose my balance and then he head butted me, making me drop my

blade in surprise.

HP: 135/310

Thankfully he was crippled and I wasn't going to make the same

mistake twice, I backpedaled, pulled out my gun once more and shot

him right between the eyes. Let me see you gloating now you

arrogant trash ha.

Critical Hit - Headshot/Insta-kill, triple damage because of steel

bullets (cold iron)

Because you used every ounce of strength against a powerful

foe and emerged victorious you get +1 to all stats.

Damn that was terrible. This gives a new meaning to betting your life

on the edge of a blade.

Goblin Grunts 25x25=625 XP

Goblin Officer 50x2= 100 XP

Goblin General Gorchoke "1 st Boss" 800 XP

Total XP earned 1525

Level Up

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 6 (1300/3200)

HP: 268 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 664 MPReg= 6mp/min

STR: 53 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 22 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 24(28) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:13 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 14(18) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 8 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 10 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 25

New Perk Acquired: Muscle Density Refinement: The holder of

this perk has every muscle in his body altered to be thrice as

dense and as result more efficient. Your muscles will not easily

expand but they will lose none of their strength. Sorry no S

chwarzenegger body for you. -20% to all physical damage

received, +1 strength to Ares heritage modifier (+8 strength per

level), +2 CHA.

Not bad at all, I needed that level up because I don't think I could

continue this with a fucked up shoulder, even if it was on my off

hand. When I saw the new perk i admit it, I felt a little saliva trickling

out of my mouth. The damage reduction is gonna be a life saver and

the extra charisma is nice, a pretty face is an advantage, after all no

matter how unfair people listen more to pretty people than ugly ones,

but the highlight of the perk is the fucking +1 strength on every level.

It's so fucking broken, I am only level 6 and already i have over 50

strength. By the time I reach level 100 I will need to duke it out with

freaking superman to find a challenge. And I fucking loved it(cackling

like a madma-woman).

Ahem, moving on now, let's see what I can find here. Well first of all,

let's collect the heads, loincloths and spikes to get them out of the

way

X27 Goblin Head

Info: The head of a goblin. It's a head what do you want it to do,

sing?

X27 Dirty Loincloth

Info: A loincloth worn by a goblin, the yellow patches are not

lemon juice.

X27 Crude Wooden Pike

Info: A wooden pike with a sharpened end. Good for poking an

eye out but not much else.

Apparently the sword the other officer had was a fluke. What a

disappointment, I could use the spare swords.

And now that we are talking about swords let's see the esteemed

generals toy. Score!

Enchanted Bronze Sword

+40 DMG

+15 DMG against monsters

Info: An enchanted blade made of bronze in Nevernever.

Created by an apprentice blacksmith as a prototype for his

journeyman license and discarded because the enchantments

were too weak. It was later sold to some ignorant goblin for

some quick profit, thrice it's actual price.

Oh wow, if I didn't loathe the fucker for almost killing me I would pity

him for getting duped like that. Nevertheless the sword is good and I

can only imagine what kind of swords a Master blacksmith can make

with powerful enchantments as well. I make a metal note to myself to

try and get one of these babies one day if I can.

Now that I have cleared the rubble a little it's time to search the rest

of the area, and what do you know, surprisingly *Note the sarcasm*

behind the throne there was a chest, a wooden, immaculate,

UNLOCKED chest. Apparently Cernunnos really likes Fantasy

RPGs because normally you would expect the goblins to have raided

the chest and used what's inside against me. Now let's take a look at

the goodies.

x2 Lower Health Potions

Restores your Health by 200

x2 Lower Mana Potions

Restores your Mana by 150

Huntresses Fingerless Gloves

+10% accuracy with ranged weapons

?

Info: Uncommon grade fingerless gloves made by Cernunnos

himself. Alone gives the wearer a slight increase in accuracy

when using long to mid range weapons, but if you complete the

Huntresses Outfit Set, hidden enchantments will awaken. 1/5

I felt my right eyebrow twitching. Apparently Cernunnos is reeeally

into Fantasy RPGs. I mean seriously health and mana pots and a set

outfit. Seriously, considering how out of time the Hunters of Artemis

are the last few tries in the dungeon must have been hell.

I can already imagine it, Zoe Nightshade reading a hint right outside

the final boss being something like 'Kiting is the only way to victory'

and when she goes inside the Boss room to get utterly defeated all

the while cursing Cernunnos for being a cheating filthy male for

misleading her and making her waste time searching for kites. I

couldn't help it, I cracked up.

Ahem, after that little piece of schanderfreude I decided to rest for a

while. A couple of pieces of toast and some water later and I was

ready to roll. The problem is I don't know where to go.

It was at this moment that I knew that Cernunnos is deriving

amusement from my misfortune. There is no way he wasn't watching

this. I can already feel my right eyebrow twitching again. You ask

why? Well that is because the moment I thought about not knowing

where to go, a gate appears out of nothing in the middle of the

fucking Arena.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Please Wait. Scanning.

Gate to Second Floor. Do you want to enter? YES/NO

After a bout of pouti- I mean irritably scowling, I press YES and enter

the Gate.

Full Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 6 (1300/3200)

HP: 268 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 664 MPReg= 6mp/min

STR: 53 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT : 22 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 24(28) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:13 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 14(18) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 8 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 10 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 25

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

*Flames of War(Lv10): 200 dmg/sec cost: 21 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv8): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +28 dmg cost

4mp/sec.

Skill acquired: Warfyre Napalm(Lv1): Overcharge an item with

the Flame Of War causing it to become unstable and turning it

to a bomb. Blast radius: 2 meters Damage: 150, 25% chance of

setting enemies on fire

Observe(Lv10): Gain basic information about the target . the

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 30 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Mist Resistance(lv3): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist . Monsters of your level and

bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Sword Mastery(Lv23): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +33% dmg and 16,5% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Spear Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding spears.

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle )

Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from behind there is

a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12% chance of cripple

hit.

Perks

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging, cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

Muscle Density Refinement: The holder of this perk has every

muscle in his body altered to be thrice as dense and as result

more efficient. Your muscles will not easily expand but they will

lose none of their strength. Sorry no S chwarzenegger body for

you. -20% to all physical damage received, +1 strength to Ares

heritage modifier (+8 strength per level), +2 CHA.

Hey guys sorry for reuploading this chapter but there were

some mistakes inside it and i know i said in the reviews that i

will fix them when i upload chapter 6 but my OCD wouldn't let

me rest until i had fixed it, so here you go. There are some more

stuff inside so i hope you liked the changes. From now on will

double check the chapters before uploading them to prevent

this kind of stuff. Anyway see you next time.

~ChildeOfWar

I become Odysseus, kinda

Hey guys chapter 6 is up and i gotta say it was freaking

exhausting but so damn worth it. It took me a whole day to write

this (research is hard). I hope you enjoy reading this as much

as i did writting it, if you have an ideas for further chapters dont

hesitate to tell me and i will be sure to take them into

consideration *hinthint*. As always Percy Jackson belongs to

Rick Riordan and all other franchises mentioned to their rightful

owners

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 6: The 'Cyclops', the Horse and the puny Deer

This time, when I passed through the gate I was already inside a

cavern. There was sunlight coming from a hole on top of the cave

and in front of me in the middle of the opposite wall was a big gate

with 3 smaller corridors on either side of it. On top of the gate there

was a symbol of a 12-pointer stag mid gallop and right beneath 6

holes which I can guess were meant for keys in order to unlock the

gate to the boss room. If I was a betting woman then each key

needed is inside these side corridors. And so i begun. Sword in one

hand Ricky the 3rd in the other I went through the side passages

collecting keys. They were not too hard, by the time I was done I had

killed 120 grunts and 18 officers. It was time consuming but not

difficult. The corridors were fucking long. I needed a full Ricky just to

reach the end of the caves and another to come back, plus 3 more

Rickies in order to rest because so much walking and fighting was

bloody exhausting. I increased my skills and stats as well so that is

always welcome. I even leveled up again.

Grunts 120x25= 2500

Officers 50x18=900

Total xp = 3400

X138 Goblin Head

Info: The head of a goblin. It's a head what do you want it to do,

sing?

X138 Dirty Loincloth

Info: A loincloth worn by a goblin, the yellow patches are not

lemon juice.

X138 Crude Wooden Pike

Info: A wooden pike with a sharpened end. Good for poking an

eye out but not much else.

+2 VIT

+2 DEX

Sword Mastery(Lv23-Lv25): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +35% dmg and 17,5% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Flames of War(Lv10-Lv11): 220 dmg/sec cost: 20 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv8-Lv9): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +29

dmg cost 4mp/sec.

Warfyre Napalm(Lv1- Lv3): Overcharge an item with the Flame

Of War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 2,2 meters Damage: 170, 25% chance of setting

enemies on fire

Observe(Lv10- Lv11): Gain basic information about the target .

the higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 31 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Leveled up

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 7 (1500/6400)

HP: 296 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 774 MPReg= 6mp/min

STR: 61 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 24 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 26(30) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:13 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 14(18) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 10 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 10 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 30

So here I am now in front of the gate to the boss room with 6 keys in

my possession and Ricky the 18th of his name ready to enter, but I

hesitated. In the previous floor I went in as I was and if it wasn't for

the mortal combat perk I would be dead before I even knew it. I

cant't afford to halfass it. I must use my status points for this.

I used 6 on VIT to make it a round 30, more health never hurt

anyone, 7 and 6 on INT and WIS respectively furthering them to 20, I

can't afford to wait until I find a library. From the 11 left I used 9 on

DEX and of the last 3 I used 2 in LUC and 1 in CHA. Hopefully it will

be enough.

Instantly I could feel myself getting stronger, better, smarter. It was a

fucking rush. Imagine being half asleep and then drinking a double

espresso no sugar, no milk. And my stats look like this.

Leveled up

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 7 (1500/6400)

HP: 443 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 870 MPReg= 7mp/min

STR: 61 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 30 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 35(39) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:20 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 20(24) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 11 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

With that done, I used the six skeleton keys (with skulls on the back

because Cernunnos can't have enough clichés apparently) and the

doors opened. On the other side there was an area as big as a

European football stadium separated in two parts by a wide and

deep trench in the shape of a circle. It's bottom was filled with pointy

metal spikes that would be able to kill a small dragon and the two

areas where connected with 6 rope and wood bridges wide enough

for two African elephants to walk side by side. The ropes were 4

times the width of my forearms and were tied in trunks the size of

olive trees.

What drew my attention immediately though, was the definitely-notgoblin

that was sleeping on the ground inside the inner-circle.

Observe

Gront - Famorian Grunt "2 nd Boss"

Race: Famorian

Gender: Male

Level: 25

MP:300

STR: 120

VIT:100

DEX: 20

INT:11

WIS:5

LUC: 1

Info: Gront is a Famorian grunt that was caged after the defeat

of his kind on their war against the Tuatha De Danann. He was

promised to be let free if he can defeat a Halfling that

Cernunnos has taken an interest to. He was bored while waiting

and fell asleep dreaming of freedom and all the humans he can

eat once free.

The only thing I can say is that this escalated quickly. The Famorians

were the equivalent of the Titans in Celtic mythology, just even more

hated and twice as ugly. What the fuck is that deer god thinking,

pulling out something like this?

The beast was around 4 meters tall wearing a loincloth( again with

the loincloths, haven't anyone heard about this brilliant invention

called pants), he had one big eye in the middle of his lower forehead

and two tusk like teeth were coming out of his mouth. His skin was

the color of a very sickly yellow and right beside him he had a club

half his size made of some type of tree trunk.

Okay, okay I got this. There is no way I can defeat this one on one.

His Hp is through the roof and his way stronger than me. All these

wouldn't be a problem usually, I am way faster and I can do some hit

and run until whoever I am fighting against is on the ground and then

I would strike. The key word is 'usually'. Because this fucking thing is

stupidly tall and he has a club twice my height. I wouldn't be able to

go halfway near him before he stomps me like a bug. I will need to

pull an Odysseus here and trick him into killing himself.

First, I removed my shoes because I didn't want the sound of my

soles to wake him up. After that I put a goblin head and loincloth in

the middle of one of the bridges and dripped some of my blood on

top of it and around the bridge on both sides. With that done I used

my sword to chip away the ropes holding the bridge and the 5 others

around it (there is not such kill as overkill, there is only being

prepared). I am light enough that I can cross those bridges for quite

some time before I am in danger, him not so much. Now for the last

part of the plan. I silently stepped near him, he was sleeping at his

side, one hand beneath his head, the other scratching his butt ( I

couldn't resist the eyeroll), so I pulled my mother's pistol ( 8 bullets

left) and I focused my Warfyre . BANG*

Critical Hit - The Odysseus Special +100 - HP 9573/10000

His scream of pain was terrible and he started thrashing about

almost crushing me with one of his hands, I didn't need an to think

about it, I run as fast as my feet could carry me heading for the

bridge. When I crossed it his screams had lessened into moans and

he was kneeling to the ground holding his face.

Time for part two of 'The Plan'. " Hey sucker, did you like the

makeover I gave you?"

"YOU, WHO IS YOU, DID YOU TAKE GRONT'S EYE"

"Of course I did, it was so ugly I couldn't look at it without puking so I

decided that it needed to go, pretty neat ha!" I said in my most

uncaring voice pissing him of and making him focus only on me.

"YOUUUU, I REMEMBER NOW, YOU ARE HALFLING I MUST KILL

TO BE FREE, YOU TOOK GRONT'S EYE BUT GRONT'S NOSE IS

JUST AS GOOD, YOU NO ESCAPE ME BUG" he shouted in rage

charging at me with frightening accuracy as if he didn't lose his eye

at all. And it was glorious.

" I SMELL YOUR BLOOD LITTLE HALFLING, I SMELL GOBLIN

YOU KILLED ON YOU TOO, YOU WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF

GRONT, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE", he crowed in glee, an ugly smile on

his face and he stepped onto the bridge. His step sure and steady

and so very deliciously hard, his heavy club on his back giving him

more weight.

He was in the middle of the bridge and I saw the ropes straining, 'So'

I thought ' Let's give him some help' and I cut the rope at one side.

The result was instantaneous, the bridge with only one rope holding

it turned on it's axis and the Famorian fell ass over teakettle with a

scream, right on top of the gigantic spikes.

*Squelch*

The sound of the spikes stabbing him was disgusting. He took 2 to

the torso and one right inside his mouth coming all the way to the

back, I don't think he even registered the pain before he died.

For a brilliantly executed plan take +1 WIS

For defeating a Boss without taking any damage at all + 2 to

CHA

+1500 xp

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 7 (3000/6400)

HP: 443 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 870 MPReg= 8mp/min

STR: 61 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 30 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 35(39) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:20 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 21(25) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 13 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

Three stat points and 1500 exp not bad, not bad at all.

And with that thought I watched the giant turn into yellow dust,

scattering to the ground, and when the last speck disappeared I saw

a chest materialize in the middle of the arena along with the next

Astral Gate. With a shrug I used one of the other bridges to cross

and opened the chest. Predictably, there were some more pots and

the next part of the Set.

x2 Lower Health Potions

Restores your Health by 200

x2 Lower Mana Potions

Restores your Mana by 150

Huntresses Greaves

-100% to all sounds

?

Info: Uncommon grade greaves made by Cernunnos himself.

Alone gives the wearer silent feet even when they are running,

but if you complete the Huntresses Outfit Set, hidden

enchantments will awaken. 2/5

It is a little ironic, I removed my shoes previously to prevent the

sound from waking the giant and now I find boots that give me silent

steps. It seems this was a bit on the nose, not that I care, useful shit

are useful shit.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Please Wait. Scanning.

Gate to Third Floor. Do you want to enter? YES/NO

I press YES and I walk to the next Floor.

And shits are starting to get weirder by the second. I think

Cernunnos is having a little too much fun with this. Why do I say

that? Well right in front of me is an entrance to a fucking graveyard

and its giving me the creeps.

There is a light mist slightly obscuring my vision, I can feel a slight

chill from the wind and the graves looked like they came out of some

B-Rated horror movie (or Scooby-Doo it can be either really). 'Yep', I

nodded 'Cernunnos is enjoying this'.

I walked for a minute or two when I found myself in the middle of the

graveyard gazing at a big mausoleum. It was big and blocky similar

to the shape of the Parthenon but with a more gothic style of

architecture and on it's closed doors there was a depiction of the

Grimm Reaper. I snorted, I had already seen the void, the horror of

non-existence, the little underworlds of these Gods don't hold a

candle to that. There are no words great enough to describe that

terrifying place.

On the right side of the door I saw an inscription, it said :

" The only way ahead is through the Doors of Death, heed these

words and keep a clear head for they shall open only when the

dead can fully rest their heads"

Fingers crossed the "Doors of Death" is a figure of speech to give

more oomph to the plot, because if they are the actual ones then I

am going all kinds of nope, there is a point where bravery become

stupidity and I think I am skirting the line as it is. Also the "advice" is

scripted in a very peculiar way. Are the mobs zombies perhaps and

he wants me to behead them. I have no idea what this means.

I didn't get any more time to ponder this because the monsters are

here and what I observed surprised me.

They were floating above the ground. They looked like bodies

wrapped in funeral robes with veils covering their heads all the way

to the chest, they were around a dozen of them and with the way

they were surrounding me I don't think they were here for hugs.

Sluaghs

Race: Spirit/Undead

Gender: None

Level 15

HP: 250

MP 10

STR: 7

VIT:0 (Spirit duh, its dead)

DEX: 15

INT:1

WIS:1

LUC:0 (Again they are dead)

Info: Sluaghs are restless spirits from irish mythology that are

welcome neither in hell or heaven, so they are left to roam the

lands. They are angry about their fate and so they snatch the

soul of anyone with who they cross paths .

Apparently I have to fight discount dementors this time,

great(Sarcasm).Drawing my blade from my inventory I coated it in

Warfyre and I attacked, using a diagonal slash to kill the first one

before the others could react, but what happened next left me

gaping.

HP: 150/250

HP:250/250

The fucking thing regenerated instantly and now I have to play

dodge with a bunch of angry spirits, what the fuck is going on here, I

know the sword alone wouldn't hurt them even if it is enchanted, they

are spirits after all but the warfyre was sure to do the job, it is a

conceptual flame filled with the essence of War itself, not some paltry

fire magic you can buy in the street corner. So how is this possible?

I have been hacking and slashing for close to 2 minutes now and still

I can't kill the fuckers, they regenerate instantly. I can't keep going

like this forever, I am starting to get hit more and more.

HP: 300/443

MP: 390/870

I was so fucking frustrated, I left all pretense of discipline and I

started hacking like a madwoman" . ST . DIIIEE .

And that's when it happened, the flames that were only just coating

my sword looking like a small ember around my blade became a

freaking bonfire that flew in a horizontal line killing 4 of them

instantly.

Everything stopped. I gaped like an idiot looking from my blade to

the empty space the discount dementors used to occupy a moment

ago and back to my blade again.

PING *

Warfyre(Lv11-Lv12): 240 dmg/sec cost: 19 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv9-Lv10): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +30

dmg cost 3mp/sec.

Warlord's Fang(Lv1): A long raged slash used by focusing your

mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and swing.

Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut armies in

twain with a single slash of their blades. + 30 dmg/per slash,

cost: 20 mp. WARNING: When combining it with Warfyre this

skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the flame. Cost:

39mp

I think I need a hat. A pirate one with a feather to the side, I am also

going to buy a small dagger and hang it from my neck and everytime

I find some weakling monster trying to eat me I will be like "Sorry, I

don't have a smaller blade' and then they would die

hahahahahaha… . Ahem, focus now daydream later.

After that it was easy. I run in one direction letting them all chase me

and then used the new skill to hit them at the same time. A few times

of this and all them were dead, thankfully they were stupid and they

just chased me around without changing strategy, the no xp annoyed

me a tad but I let it go, I was too tired to care.

Warfyre(Lv12-Lv13): 260 dmg/sec cost: 18 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv10-Lv11): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +31

dmg cost 3mp/sec.

Warlord's Fang(Lv1-Lv3): A long raged slash used by focusing

your mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and

swing. Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut

armies in twain with a single slash of their blades. + 90 dmg/per

slash, cost: 26 mp. WARNING: When combining it with Warfyre

this skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the flame.

Cost: 38mp

HP:250/443

MP:2/870

And just on time too because I didn't want to use a potion for these

scrubs. Now let's see what kind of drops I got this time.

Spirit stone(small)

Info: A stone holding a very small part of a beings soul energy,

not to be confused with the actual soul stone that holds the

soul itself. Spirit stones can be used in countless rituals and

others schools of magic to amplify their strength. This stone is

small so it's uses are limited. Combine 10 of them and upgrade

them to soul stone medium. You have 12 spirit stones.

Finally something useful. If it was a loincloth again, I would have

blown my stack.

You have a sufficient number of spirit stones, do you want to

upgrade to the next grade? YES/NO

YES please

Spirit stone(medium)

Info: A stone holding a very small part of a beings soul energy,

not to be confused with the actual soul stone that holds the

soul itself. Spirit stones can be used in countless rituals and

others schools of magic to amplify their strength. This stone is

medium so it's uses are limited to spell amplification and

medium healing rituals. Combine 10 of them or 100 small ones

and upgrade them to soul stone large. You have 2 spirit stones.

Niice, if I make a top notch spirit stone maybe I can put it on a

weapon or something to make my magic stronger, but this is

something for future me to do. I have to rest to restore my MP before

going inside, my HP was taken care of with a potion.

One hour later I was walking down the stairs inside the mausoleum

until I reached an astral gate again.

Astral Gate detected. Please Wait. Scanning.

Gate to Third Floor Boss Area. Do you want to enter? YES/NO

I pressed YES and stepped in or as it seems out, because I found

myself in a forest, a very dead forest. The earth was cracked and

hard, almost stonelike and the trees were blackened husks without a

single leaf or flower on them. It kinda looked like the place where

Naruto killed Kakuzu with the Rasenshuriken move, my inner otakfantasy

genre enthusiast helpfully supplied.

.Clop

Here comes the boss I thought and I turned around to see what I will

have to deal with, this time.

I deadpanned. Now the inscription on the mausoleum's gate made

some sense. How stupid, how utterly moronic. The Deer God

apparently except of fantasy RPG's also likes puns, tasteless

horrible puns.

" The only way ahead is through the Doors of Death, heed these

words and keep a clear head for they shall open only when the dead

can fully rest their heads"

Dullahan "3 rd Boss"

Race: Fae

Gender: Male

Level 30

HP: 5000

MP: 800

STR: 150

VIT: 50

DEX: 40

INT: 20

WIS: 40

LUC: 10

Info: The Dullahan is a fairy that takes the form of a headless

horseman. He uses the spine of a human as a whip and it is

rumored that his presence can also foreshadow deaths. Legend

says that as long as he rides his horse he is invincible, also if

he calls out your name, you will immediately drop dead.

He didn't speak, he immediately kicked his horse and charged me. I

rolled to the side to dodge his whip hurting my ribs a little and I run

for where the trees where more closely assembled to prevent him

from sidelining me. Now he can only charge from 2 directions and

his whip is gonna be a bitch and a half to swing around so many tree

trunks.

HP:433/443

I smirked at him and I could see his hands holding the rains of his

horse tighter.

He threw away the whip and drew a sword from his back. For a

moment I thought of using my gun to pelt him with bullets, he is a

fairy after all, but I immediately discarded it, he was wearing full plate

armor and from the sight of it I could see that it was professionally

made, not those scraps that you see in LARPing conventions. This

was the real deal ( Cough not that I would know anything about

these conventions, I've never been there nope, no sir never cough).

He charged me and I dodged behind the trees, again and again I

could see he was herding me to an open area without trees around

and I couldn't allow that. If I let him lead me there I am as good as

dead, my sword is small, it doesn't have the length or the weight

necessary to take out his horses legs so I can ground him and

warlords fang is a new skill and needs too much concentration to

use, i won't manage it before he reaches me.

I was a few meters from the open field when an idea came to my

head. I run at the very edge of the forest, pulled one of the goblin

heads from my inventory and hid it behind my back. I could see the

Fae coming closer, he was only half a dozen meters away when I

used Warfyre Napalm and chucked the lit head to the front of the

horse. The sound of the explosion along with the fire and sudden

light sent the horse into a panic throwing the horseman on top of a

tree with bone breaking velocity. I didn't waste time admiring my plan

succeeding, I threw a second bomb to the horse making it fall to the

ground and then used my sword to slice it's neck, killing it.

Perfect, now he won't have the chance to remount.

Dullahan "3 rd Boss"

Race: Fae

Gender: Male

Level 30

HP: 1200/1500

MP: 400/400

STR: 75

VIT: 20

DEX: 20

INT: 20

WIS: 40

LUC: 10

Info: The Dullahan is a fairy that takes the form of a headless

horseman. He uses the spine of a human as a whip and it is

rumored that his presence can also foreshadow deaths. Legend

says that as long as he rides his horse he is invincible, also if

he calls out your name, you will immediately drop dead. He no

longer rides his horse, he can now feel his nonexistent neck

starting to sweat.

After that, it was quite easy. For all his skill as a rider, when on the

ground the guy was a pushover. An asskicking later and the guy was

on the ground, his armor teared to shreds, the inside looking more

like writhing shadows than a body.

HP: 80/1500

I was ready to put him out of his misery when he spoke for the first

time.

"Wait", I paused, yes I know it was stupid of me but I couldn't help it,

he surprised me, "before you kill me can I have a last request?"

My left eyebrow rose a bit conveying 'get on with it I don't have all

day' (it is a very expressive eyebrow I have been practicing this

move in the mirror since I was three).

"Can I know the name of the foe that defeated me before I die?" he

croaked out playing it up with the supreme acting skills of a third

grade porn star.

My deadpanned expression was so dry it could have turned the

Amazonian rainforest into Sahara 2.0.

He shrugged his shoulders " It was worth a try" and then I stabbed

him, twice.

Warfyre Napalm(Lv3-Lv4): Overcharge an item with the Flames

Of War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 2,3 meters Damage: 180, 25% chance of setting

enemies on fire, cost :100

Level: 7 (5500/6400)

After he vanished in a shadow portal, I saw a flash of light from

behind me the reward chest appearing once again.

Inside were the usual rewards .

x2 Lower Health Potions

Restores your Health by 200

x2 Lower Mana Potions

Restores your Mana by 150

Huntresses Neck Protector

-75% resistance to cutting damage

?

Info: Uncommon grade protector made by Cernunnos himself.

Alone gives the wearer a very strong protection against people

who want to slit your throat, but if you complete the Huntresses

Outfit Set, hidden enchantments will awaken. 3/5

This set outfit thing is getting better and better, I can only wonder

what kind of bonuses will I unlock when I collect all of them.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Please Wait. Scanning.

Gate to Fourth Floor. Do you want to enter? YES/NO

I smirked. I can't wait to find out. YES let's go. And I jumped through

the gate.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 7 (5500/6400)

HP: 443 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 870 MPReg= 8mp/min

STR: 61 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 30 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 35(39) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:20 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 21(25) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 13 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Warfyre(Lv13): 260 dmg/sec cost: 18 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv11): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +31 dmg cost

3mp/sec.

Warlord's Fang(Lv3): A long raged slash used by focusing your

mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and swing.

Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut armies in

twain with a single slash of their blades. + 90 dmg/per slash,

cost: 26 mp. WARNING: When combining it with Warfyre this

skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the flame. Cost:

38mp

Warfyre Napalm(Lv4): Overcharge an item with the Flames Of

War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 2,3 meters Damage: 180, 25% chance of setting

enemies on fire cost :100

Observe(Lv11): Gain basic information about the target . the

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 31 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Mist Resistance(lv3): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist . Monsters of your level and

bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Sword Mastery(Lv25): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +35% dmg and 17,5% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Spear Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding spears.

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from behind there is

a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12% chance of cripple

hit.

Perks

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

Muscle Density Refinement: The holder of this perk has every

muscle in his body altered to be thrice as dense and as result

more efficient. Your muscles will not easily expand but they will

lose none of their strength. Sorry no S chwarzenegger body for

you. -20% to all physical damage received, +1 strength to Ares

heritage modifier (+8 strength per level), +2 CHA.

INVENTORY

X8 sandwich

X2 packets of biscuit

X1 cheese brick

X2 loaf of bread

X3 chocolate bar

X4 bottles of water

X1 bag with clothes

X1 lighter

X2 pistol

X2 full bullet clips

X1 bronze short sword

X1 bronze enchanted sword

X1 peacock feather pendant

X205 Goblin Head

X207 Dirty Loincloth

X206 Crude Wooden Pike

X3 Warhead of Glory

X5 Lower Health Potions

X6 Lower Mana Potions

X1 Huntresses Fingerless Gloves

X1 Huntresses Greaves

X1 Huntresses Neck Protector

X1 Spirit Stone Medium

X2 Spirit Stone Small

CURRENCY: $= 2300, D=1

Thats's all for chapter 6 guys. I was initialy planning to put all 5

bosses in this chapter but the length got away from me and i

decided to finish the whole dungeon on the next chapter. I hope

you enjyed it. See ya around next time.

~ ChildeOfWar

Is Divine Life insurance a thing ?

Chapter 7 guys and it is a treat. Took me a lot of work to write it

and i mean A LOT. As always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick

Riordan and all other franchises mentioned to their rightful

owners. This is strictly non-profit. Enjoy !

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 7: Of Serpents, Fangs and Snakes

In hindsight I should have been more careful when jumping inside

the astral gates. I let my guard down thinking that it will leave me

somewhere safe. After all, all previous gates did that. Right? What's

the worst that could happen?

Famous last words *SPLAAAASH*

The fucking gate left me in a flowing underwater corridor. It was

really difficult to reorient myself, I was fighting against the current of

the river trying to find which is up and which is down all the while

panicking about my lack of oxygen. Thankfully I noticed some lights

from above me and swiftly swam to them. It didn't help much.

What I found was a ceiling half a head away from the water (I could

barely keep my mouth out of the water), both sides and top were

completely smooth with arrow shaped lights leading to one direction

with only one handlebar to hold myself every a dozen meters or so. It

seems I will have to swim my way through this, and I didn't like it.

Flashback to my previous life, I was around 9 and my grandfather

wanted to go fishing on his boat with me for some man-to-man

bonding time (read: me taking care of the equipment and minding

the fishing poles and him drinking beers while talking my ears off

about the good old days), when we were caught by a sudden storm,

rocking our boat uncontrollably and almost capsizing us twice.

Thankfully we managed to escape unscathed, but not before doing

our best blender impersonations for 6 hours straight. Since then I

had a crippling fear of water and it took me 2 months after this

incident to be able to bath without having near panic attacks.

Of course it is not so bad now. Fifteen years and a little bit of death

made a surprising good work in curing me of my aquaphobia and

gamers mind helped as well. But that didn't mean I enjoyed being

inside water for more than I had to. I didn't have another option

though, so I put on my big girl pants and started swimming towards

where the arrows were pointing, resting whenever I felt tired holding

the handlebars on the ceiling.

After 30 minutes of this, the corridor connected to a small lake with a

very small island, more of a riff really in the middle, no bigger than a

big van.

+3 VIT. For doing a new rigorous exercise.

At the edge of the lake stood stalagmites and from the ceiling hang

countless stalactites, the whole place was surprisingly illuminated,

though I couldn't see where the light was coming from.

After catching my breath, I noticed a small very old school rowing

boat and an oar decorated with Celtic knots. That was when I

noticed that there was a second river leading away from here. I didn't

need to be a genius to figure out what I had to do.

I put the boat halfway in the water, got on and then pushed with the

oar heading for the next challenge. It was thankfully a very easy ride

and the water was calm, but there was a suspicious absence of

monsters and that set my hackles on edge. I could only wonder what

kind of beast I would have to face as a boss fight if there are no

other beings inside this floor.

I finally reached a tiny pier that led to a staircase that looked like it

could never end. It reminded me of the 999 steps monument in

Nauplio Greece or the Mayan Temples in Mexico.

After an exhausting climb of too many steps (I understand now why

Po declared them his mortal enemy), I reached an open Gate that

led to a balcony circling a lake big enough to fill two (American)

football stadiums. The water reached the very top of the balcony and

there were no railings. It was cut in half by a big bridge that

connected a small island at the very middle of it were the reward

chest and astral gate stood .The very moment I stepped on the

bridge the left side of the water started to rise and considering the

volume of water that was rising. I don't think it is Our Friend Nemo.

When I saw the Boss Monster I can wholeheartedly and without

shame say that if it wasn't for gamers mind I would have shat myself

right then and there. Why?

Because the Boss monster wasn't a monster at all. It was something

far, far worse.

Status

Name: Mairenn " The Star Of The Sea", 4 th Boss

Race: Dragon

Gender: Female

Level: ?

HP: ?

MP: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

CHA: ?

LUC: ?

Info: Mairenn is a Celtic Sea-Dragon, one of the last two left in

the world. Manannan mac Lir, the Celt Lord of the Seas didn't

want her kind to go extinct and so he saved her and her mate in

hopes of preserving her race. She is in charge of protecting this

bridge from all intruders. She doesn't appreciate the little

hatchling interrupting her beauty sleep.

A Dragon. A mother-fucking Dragon. What the hell was Cernunnos

smoking when he came up with this. Green dungeon my tiny butt.

Dragons are the top predators of the world. They are the beings that

used to inspire fear and awe in the hearts of mankind in every

fucking civilization, their very name a synonym of power. The

strongest amongst them made even Gods tremble in terror. Hera

doesn't have Ladon guard the Apples of Immortality to prevent a few

foolhardy mortals from stealing them after all. Ladon is guarding the

Apples from the immortals, Gods and Titans both (It says a lot when

the only one known in the myths who was capable of stealing Apples

is Atlas, the strongest Titan after Kronos), and the less said about

Jormungandr or Apophis the better. After all the mortal enemies of

both are the 2 strongest Gods of their respective pantheons.

And now that stupid Deer God wants me to go up against this?

I felt the palms of my hands sweating, my breathing was becoming

ragged, my legs were trembling so bad I was sure that if I tried to run

I would fall. What to do, what to do? What could I possibly do against

this juggernaut? My Flames of War could possibly hurt it a bit, but

with only around 900 mana total it will dislodge a scale if I am lucky

and then I will become dinner.

The dragon snorted and I took a step back in fear . It was at this

moment that it did something I didn't expect. She lied her head on

top of the bridge and just sat there staring at me but not making a

hostile move and I understood.

She is the guardian of the bridge. Like Ladon that guards the Tree of

Immortality she doesn't care what anyone does as long as you don't

try to infringe on the territory under her protection. I had just stepped

on the bridge when she rose from the water, and when I stepped

back she just sat there not making a move towards me ( Aside from

their power and fierce territorial tendencies, dragons are infamous

for their laziness as well).

Ok, ok get yourself together girl. It seems this challenge is more

Harry Potter than Siegfried. I only ( Sarcasm) have to get past the

Dragon and into the gate not kill it. The question is how?

I don't have any way to distract her and I don't think a few paltry

explosions are gonna fool her. She is not some wyrm after all, she is

probably smarter than most humans and some immortals as well (I

am looking at you, you stupid Deer Botherer).

I was racking my brain trying to find a solution to my latest problem,

absentmindedly hoping I didn't become bald from all that hair pulling

(not noticing the amused look the dragon was sending me) hoping to

remember some myth that would be useful in the current shit fest.

Siegfried, no thanks. Perseus, no winged shoes for me. Beowulf well

I don't have a sidekick and it didn't end all that well for the guy

anyway. Bard the Bowman, my ideas are getting more stupid by the

second (at this point the she-dragon was slightly shaking in

suppressed laughter).

I was searching my inventory hoping to maybe find something to

help me when I saw the description of the goblin heads.

Goblin Head

Info: The head of a goblin. It's a head what do you want it to do,

sing?

And it came to me. Music, I have to use music like Orpheus did on

the dragon of Colchis during the Argonaut expedition.

The most obvious fault of this idea is that I don't have an instrument

to play with, not that I know how in the first place. That unfortunately

leaves me with one solution and I was really uncomfortable with it. In

my previous life I was painfully average. Average looks, average

smarts, almost non- existent social life (hence dying a virgin). The

only redeeming qualities I had, according to my parents at least,

were my aptitude for foreign languages ( I know like 5 plus Greek

being my mother tongue funnily enough) and my very good singing

voice that have followed me in this life as well according to mother (I

like to sing when I shower). If it wasn't for the extreme stage fright I

may have been able to lose my V-card by the time I started high

school according to my best mate (chicks dig musicians apparently).

Of course when the only audience is a big honking Dragon (and an

antlered God but fuck him) then needs must. The question here is

what to sing. I am pretty sure that the Dragon won't fall to sleep with

Iron Man. I contemplated Into The Fire by Ed Sheeran but that's a

sure way to be set on fire. That left me with the last song I know by

heart.

( Wolven Storm By Karliene, you should check it out. It was an

awesome song )

The moment I started singing I could see the Dragon widening her

eyes in surprise.

These scars long have yearned for your tender caress To bind

our fortunes, damn what the stars own. Rend my heart open,

then your love profess. A winding, weaving fate to which we

both atone.

You flee my dream come the morning. Your scent - berries tart,

lilac sweet To dream of raven locks entwisted, stormy Of violet

eyes, glistening as you weep.

At this point she started swaying slightly with the tune. Apparently I

still got it.

The wolf I will follow into the storm To find your heart, its

passion displaced By ire ever growing hardening into stone

Amidst the cold to hold you in a heated embrace

You flee my dream come the morning Your scent - berries tart,

lilac sweet To dream of raven locks entwisted, stormy Of violet

eyes, glistening as you weep

I could see her eyes drooping hard. Just a little more I thought to

myself. Almost there.

I know not if fate would have us live as one Or if by love's blind

chance we've been bound The wish I whispered, when it all

began Did it forge a love you might never have found?

You flee my dream come the morning Your scent - berries tart,

lilac sweet To dream of raven locks entwisted, stormy Of violet

eyes, glistening as you weep

Finally as I finished, I saw her to start snoring and I had to use all my

willpower to not start cheering in glee. I am safe. I am clear.

The way she was sleeping, her head half covering the bridge, mouth

wide open, I thought of chucking a bucket load of Warfyre Napalm

goblin heads inside it. The internal damage will finish her. Dragon or

not try to survive having your insides burned to the crisp by

conceptual divine flames. It was so tempting too. I could only

imagine the sheer amount of experience and drops killing such a

being could give me.

But then I remembered the info on her status page. She is the last of

her kind aside of her mate. If I kill her then her kind will go extinct.

Could I do this? Could I commit what is practically genocide for some

exp and drops?

The answer was no, I couldn't. So without a need for prompting I

walked around the Dragons head and reached the chest and the

astral Gate.

PING*

For managing to find victory against impossible odds and

'defeating' the Boss without killing her you are granted 1/40 th

of the total exp meant for killing her and two gifts from the

system for exceeding expectations .

+50.000 xp

Level Up x3

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 10 (10700 / 51200)

HP: 520 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1040 MPReg= 8mp/min

STR: 85 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 33 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 35(39) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:20 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 21(25) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 13 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 15

Gained Perk: Tongue Of the Past : This perk gives the user the

ability to freely use the language skills she possessed in her

past life in their level equivalent they were before her death.

Modern Greek Lv50 : You can speak Greek like a native

English Lv 50 : You can speak English like a native

Gaelic Lv40 : You can speak Gaelic almost flawlessly but you

don't have the ease a native has.

Italian Lv34 : You can hold a conversation in Italian but you can

do better

French Lv20: You can understand most of what you hear in

French but some parts might still escape you.

German Lv13: You are not skilled enough to speak in German,

you may understand some words in a conversation if you are

lucky.

Gained Perk: Voice Of The Eldar: With this perk your voice will

have an elven otherworldly quality, all beasts will be pacified by

it and you will make those who hear it be awed by your singing.

+5 CHA

I didn't know if I should be elated for leveling up thrice or horrified

that only one fortieth of the full exp that Dragon was worth gave me

50.000 exp. I gulped. How fucking strong is that thing to be worth 2

million exp? Sweet Freya, one wrong move and this could have gone

so terribly wrong.

I wanted to hyperventilate a little to that thought but I wasn't sure

how long the Dragon wa going to sleep so I went to chest making

sure to open it as slowly as possible. I wouldn't push it past the Deer

God to make the hinges brittle and noisy just to fuck with me. Inside

were only 2 potions and the next part of the set. Apparently putting a

70 foot long dragon to sleep wasn't impressive enough for the whole

reward. I mentally gave him the middle finger and inspected the

goods.

X1 Lower Health Potion

Restores your Health by 200

X1 Lower Mana Potion

Restores your Mana by 150

Huntresses Trousers

+15% movement speed

?

Info: Uncommon grade trousers made by Cernunnos himself.

Alone they give the wearer a great boost in their movement

speed, but if you complete the Huntresses Outfit Set, hidden

enchantments will awaken. 4/5

With the trousers on and the potions in the inventory I was ready for

the hopefully last life and death challenge. But first I have to

distribute my stat points. I am so close to finishing this nightmare, I

am not halfassing it now.

I was in a dilemma. Should I put them evenly in vit, dex and int to

raise my overall stats or chuck them all in dex and gain a

potentionally game changer perk like Str?

I didn't think about it too much, dexterity it is. The other stats will rise

so little that in the grand scheme of things it would be negligible.

With 15 more points in dexterity, even if the perk is moderately useful

the increase in speed alone will be great.

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 10 (10700 / 51200)

HP: 520 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1040 MPReg= 8mp/min

STR: 85 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 33 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 50(54) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:20 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 21(25) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 18 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

PING*

Congratulations your Dexterity reached 50 you gain a new Perk!

Clairvoyance (D): Clairvoyance is the ability to flawlessly

perceive and observe the world around you, objects, people,

locations, with one's mind, with no mistakes and 100%

accuracy. Your gift is only Grade-D though so you can only do it

in only half a mile radius (800 meters).

The moment I finished reading about my new perk, I felt a moment of

vertigo. When I opened my eyes it was like I saw the world for the

first time. Everything was clearer, crisper. The best analogy I could

give was that I was seeing all my life the world through an analog

90s Tv and suddenly I changed to digital 2040 HD. It was a fucking

trip. Yes, how terrible. I can only be omnipresent in a half a mile

radius (I couldn't keep the snark at bay when I saw the 'only' word in

the description). I am pretty sure if I was in the Naruto world the

Hyuuga Clan would be frothing from their mouths because of my

new ability.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Please Wait. Scanning.

Gate to Fifth Floor. Do you want to enter? YES/NO

And with that happy thought I stepped through the Gate and to the

fifth floor making sure I didn't let my guard down for a moment. After

all, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

The moment I stepped through I was attacked by a humanoid

creature with it's claws ready to carve my face open. I ducked it's

swipe and I swung my sword at it's legs cutting them off above the

knees. It fell to the ground but it only hissed at me, not registering

the pain nor caring about getting crippled.

It looked almost like a man, had yellow eyes with a red sclera and it's

skin was pale as chalk with blue veins everywhere. It had two big

fangs and was completely bald. When I looked at it's eyes, there was

no sentience there, only the hunger and intelligence of a beast who

had gone hungry for too long. Even without legs it used it's hands to

try and reach me again, the intent clear so I kicked it to gain some

breathing room and used Observe to learn what I had to deal with.

Ghoul

Race: Undead

Gender: Male

Level 10

MP: 0

STR: 90

VIT: 30

DEX: 10

INT: 1

WIS: 0

LUC: 0

Info: Ghouls are humans that failed to transition into vampires,

becoming husks of their former selves. Unlike actual vampires

they feed in flesh instead of blood. They are vulnerable to fire,

silver and decapitation but not sunlight, making excellent

cannon fodder for their sires to protect them in day time.

'Ok, note to self' I thought ' Invest in some silver weaponry, bullets

too', absentmindedly chopping the ghouls head killing it.

+300 XP

Now that the poor bastard was put to rest I am free to assess my

surroundings. And boy if you thought we were done with clichés then

you were so painfully wrong. I was in a corridor taken out from the

middle ages. Big long halls made completely from grey stone, iron

braziers holding torches to light the place, tapestries here and there

in red and gold and ceiling high enough to fit a Jotun twice over.

Taking all that in and considering the information from the now fully

dead ghoul it is easy to conclude that the fifth boss is some type of

vampire boss and this is their swanky castle. Inwardly sighing in

relief for upping my dexterity (because vampire speed duh!) I began

trekking through the castle searching for the throne room. Why a

throne room? Because I am dealing with a Vampire Lord here (you

can feel the capitals in the title) and any self respecting Castelvania

fan will tell you that the Vampire Lord (the capitals again, hehe) is

always waiting for you in his throne room, sitting in his chair in a lazy

stance, you know the one, Head leaning on one hand, legs crossed

and a golden goblet (always gold) filled with (you guessed it) blood. I

was half nervous for what kind of strength this boss will have and

half vibrating in fangirling excitement trying to find the right quote to

shout at the Vampire Lord ™ when I reach the throne room.

Five hours, 99 ghouls and three throne rooms later and no Vampire

in sight.

+29700 xp

Level10 (40700/51200)

Sword Mastery(Lv25-Lv26): +36% dmg and 18% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

I raged internally. Where the fuck is he? Doesn't he know it is rude to

leave guests unattended in your own home?

I was walking down another corridor passing a door not thick enough

to muffle the moans from within, fuming to myself about stupidly big

castles and moronic absent Vampire bosses aban-. Wait a second.

Moans?

And it was at this moment that realization hit me. I have been

running around this fucking castle for 5 hours straight raising hell

everywhere and the asshole has been ignoring me for a fucking

BOOTY CALL.

My eyes literally caught fire and I kicked the door from it's hinges

ready to give the bastard a piece of my mind but then I froze. The

sight before me shattered any hopes and dreams about an epic

showdown that will go down in history between me and a Dracula

look alike.

Dearg Due "5 th Boss"

Race: Fae - Vampire

Gender: Female

Level 35

Health: 3500

MP: 1200

STR: 70

VIT: 150

DEX: 80

INT: 50

WIS: 25

CHA: 200

LUC: 25 ( She is currently getting very lucky)

Info: The Dearg Due stands in the shadows of the better-known

Abhartach. She is one of several Irish monsters whose

characteristics resemble that of a vampire. Her name translates

to "red bloodsucker" and, she's a (usually) cunning vampire

who seduces men and drains them of their blood. Her old

'friend' had brought her here for a job because she owed him a

favor. Something about a Halfling and a challenge but she is

currently in too much bliss to care about that.

Because right in front of me was what could only be described as a

gothic porn star. Blonde haired and fair skinned with perfect

hourglass figure clad in a Victorian era dress and two heaving

breasts that could probably suffocate me if I was caught between

them. Two alluring red eyes that were currently half lidded with a

faraway look in them as another female was kneeling between her

spread legs, the wet sounds showing clearly what exactly she was

doing there.

Stinking Goblins, Famorians, Ghosts, Headless pushover horsemen,

a motherfucking Dragon of all things and after all that, the best thing

that Cernunnos could do is THIS? I felt cheated, I felt angry and I felt

a little frustrated as well for not being old enough to truly appreciate

the sight before me. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. Should I

leave them to their thing?

I didn't know what to do, my face was so red from both anger and

embarrassment that I might as well have been a lobster, so I went

with the standard Ares approved reaction when confusion blinds

your way forward. I pulled my mother's until this moment unused

spare pistol, coated it in Warfyre and I emptied it on the two sluts in

front of me (because there is no such thing as overkill).I reduced

both them and the whole room into cinders.

Critical Hits! Because of the use of steel bullets ( cold iron) you

did triple damage (Fae)

Critical Hits! Because of the use of fire magic (Warfyre) you did

triple damage ( Vampire)

+3000xp

+1500 xp

Level10 (45200 / 51200)

I huffed, turned around and left. I went to the first throne room I

found hoping to find some kind of clue there on how to leave this

place and surprise surprise the reward chest was there.

X2 Lower Health Potion

X2 Lower Mana Potion

Huntresses Armored Vest

+ 5% Health Points

?

Info: Uncommon grade armored vest made by Cernunnos

himself. Alone gives the wearer a great boost in their total

health, but if you complete the Huntresses Outfit Set, hidden

enchantments will awaken. 5/5

Congratulations you have completed the Huntresses Outfit.

New features are now unlocked.

Huntresses Battle Armor

+ 5% Health Points

+15% movement speed

-75% resistance to cutting damage (neck)

-100% to all sounds

+10% accuracy with ranged weapons

Special Bonus: - 10% physical damage taken (2% per piece)

+5 to all stats when inside a forest

The outfit also grows with the wearer

Info: Uncommon grade Battle Armor made by Cernunnos.

Created as a gift for a prospective Huntress of Artemis, it's full

capabilities giving the user an incredible advantage when

hunting.

So awesome. Togehter with the perk from strength I now have a

whole -30% to all physical damage and the best thing is that I can

keep wearing it until I find a truly better armor. I won't have to throw it

away at my first growth spurt.

The Outfit is all black with silver accents. It's formfitting but not tight

enough to be constricting or obscene (not that I have anything to

show off anyway) and casual enough to not look strange around

mortals. I practically look like a female EMIYA with this outfit. And I

freaking love it *squeee*

I would have continued to fingirl for some more time, but the

trembling of the room put a stop to that. I saw the throne move to the

side and where it stood was now a staircase leading down.

Time to finish this. I was so done with this shit. So I put my best

mean face on and walked down the stairs to hopefully the last

shenanigan.

When I reached the bottom I found myself in a large cave like room

that was illuminated everywhere by colorful crystals randomly

sprouting on every surface.

At the opposite side of the entrance was a huge Gate nearly as big

as the Rashomon Orochimaru summoned, though with no

decorations aside from an obscenely huge emerald the size of a dog

in a perfectly round shape on the top right side of it. On each side of

the gate stood one basin filled with very fine sand and in front of

those were inscriptions written. Obviously the riddles that were

written in the quest, and if I was a betting woman then I need to

answer them for the gate to unlock. No use in dallying here so let's

start.

I walked up to the first basin a read the inscription.

At night they come without being fetched, and by day they are

lost without being stolen. What are they?

I thought for a bit. 'They' are obviously not an item, the second verse

attests to that so the answer is something that comes naturally in the

night. It is not the moon because then the riddle would have said (IT)

or (SHE) instead of (THEY). Shadows could be the answer, but

shadows exist both in day and night so it is not that either. I was still

pondering the riddle when my eye caught the ceiling with its many

twinkling crystals and then it came to me. Twinkling. STARS.

I grinned in excitement and quickly wrote stars in the basin, but

nothing happened. I was disappointed. I was sure it was stars, it fit

perfectly. So why doesn't it work?

I was ready to tear my hair out in frustration but then. I had an idea.

The challenge was made by an Irish God. I quickly erased the

previous answer and wrote another. REALTAI . Which means stars in

Gaelic.

It seems my hunch was right, because the moment I finished the

emerald on the gate started shining and the top half of the Gate

turned into a mural of the evening sky. It was admittedly quite

beautiful.

After admiring it for a second I went to the second basin and the last

riddle.

It can run but never walk, has a mouth but never talks, has a

head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps? What is it?

Now this one I knew. I don't remember from where but I knew the

answer so I wrote it down immediately in Gaelic, not even bothering

with English. ABHAINN. Which means river.

One light show later and the mural was complete. The evening sky

with the emerald representing the full moon on top and in the bottom

a great valley with a river crossing in the middle, fauna and flora

abound around it. An exquisite depiction of nature most likely made

by a God. I didn't have too much time to admire because an intricate

Celtic knot appeared on the moon making it shine and then move to

the center of the gate. There was a humming sound before the jewel

started rotating fast, light bursting from both the Gate and every

crystal in the room creating a truly wondrous site. A few seconds

later and where before was a beautiful painting, now was a great

vortex in the hues of the rainbow, the closest thing one could call it

would be kaleidoscopic. For a second I thought Zeltrech would jump

through the vortex a grin on his face and shout "You've been punk'd"

but thankfully a certain magical sound reassured me.

PING*

Greater Astral Gate detected. Please Wait. Scanning.

Gate to Finish Line. Do you want to enter? YES/NO

"Oh Sweet Freya YES, I am so done with this". I said stepping

through.

I appeared in a forest that eerily resembled the mural from the Gate.

I didn't have time to look around though because a voice from

behind me startled me.

"So" he said drawing out the word, "You actually managed to survive

after all, I am impressed".

I turned around and saw a God for the first time.

Cernunnos "Lord of The Wild"

Affiliation: Tuatha De Danann

Level: ?

Info: Cernunnos is the God of Beasts, Wild Places and Death of

the Celtic Pantheon. You are not strong enough to know more.

He was sitting on a big stone cross legged. He was barefooted and

bare-chested wearing only very old style pants decorated with celtic

knots made from some kind of animal leather. He had a bow and

quiver strapped on his back and his face from the nose up was

covered by a stag's skull, his long blond hair in a braid falling down

his back.

I went to reply but immediately I paused. Something wasn't right. I

could see a slight haze like static around him, It wasn't great enough

to be noticed by the naked eye but my Clairvoyance skill came

through. Also, this is the first time that a status page was shown with

slanted letters. It could have been because of the uniqueness of

observing a God but I was pretty sure at this point that someone was

trying to screw me over, so I quickly pulled out my mother's pistol

and shot the fucker on the balls.

The change was almost instant. The bastard fell on his knees in a

fetal position moaning in pain. The blonde braided hair became black

and free flowing, the animal leather pants changed into a royal

emerald garb with gold accents and very fine boots appeared on his

feet. The most telling change was on his head, because the 12

pointer stag skull changed to a gold helmet with two horns rising

from the front and curving slightly to the back.

Sonovabitch, I knew this guy. And all the bullshit I had to go through

made so much more sense now. Because this guy was certainly not

Cernunnos, or even Celt for that matter.

Loki Laufeyson "Silvertongue"

Affiliation: Himself, Aesir

Level: ?

Info: Loki is the God of Fire, Magic, Chaos and Mischief of the

Norse Pantheon. You are not strong enough to know more.

*Groan* " I deserved that one, I admit" HE started " I have to say

your quickdraw is quite impressive for a mortal and your little scrying

spell is absolutely spiffing" he followed with a grin that wouldn't look

strange on a poisonous viper and with smugness so potent that it

was distorting reality. The stone changing to a golden throne as he

sat cross-legged on it.

"What are YOU doing here, this is a Celtic dungeon" I shouted, my

surprise suppressing my common sense for a second before I

gathered myself and pretended of having ignored the mention of

observe.

He carried on as if I hadn't spoken at all, grin firmly fixed in place.

"You see this is a funny story really" he began " I was hanging

around with some friends from Ireland, you know sitting around,

getting a drink, having a good time when suddenly ol' Cer groaned

and said that he had to go oversee Artemis latest stubborn attempt

in winning the dungeon" absentmindedly summoning a horned

goblet with some ale and continued, "so like the helpful and

considerate guy I am" I snorted internally at that " I offered to

oversee the thing in his place. As you can imagine he was quite

miffed with the goddess for bothering him with her little attempts

every other month or so, so he was more than happy to give me this

opportunity" and his grin widened just a tad at that making me

shudder just a bit. "Imagine then my utter surprise that instead of

three Hunters I was expecting, a little demigoddess not even past

her first decade stepped through the first gate" he said with a tone

that showed how amused he was at of this" Unfortunately I couldn't

change the challenges I had already prepared, doing something like

that in an active challenge is an incredible faux pas in inter-divine

etiquette, considered impossibly rude and there are laws accepted

from all pantheons that the moment a challenger steps in there will

be no further interference as well. We wouldn't want to make people

call me a cheater after all, would we?" his face filled with regret so

genuine looking, a hand on his heart that if I didn't know how much

of an asshole he really was I would have fallen for it hook-line and

sinker, " So I watched, and you can't imagine my astonishment when

you passed challenge after challenge showing ingenuity and

creativity every step of the way, passing each test with flying colors

considering your age" he finished .

"Tests?" I asked in confusion. "Why yes, you didn't think the

challenges were random, do you?" he said with a condescending

look that sent my hackles on edge but he ignored me, "Every floor

tested a different aspect of yourself". " The first was skill in battle and

you get a B- there" and then I interrupted him ignoring his grading "

But weren't supposed to be three hunters in the challenge? How

would the first boss even be able to measure their skill if they fought

him together?"his grin became wide enough to cover his whole face

at my question, " there was an enchantment on the gate of the boss

that when you stepped through and the moment the sidekick goblins

were dead there is an 1-on-1 field created on the arena that prevents

interference from third parties and" he continued before I could

interrupt "If you tried to attack the general before all other goblins

were dead, well" he said, drawing out the last word " let's just say

you really wouldn't enjoy the result" he finished and started

snickering. I paled a little at that, knowing that if I had pulled the

same shit as I did on the officer on the left side of the floor I would

probably be enjoying my time now as a small pink critter or

something."Anyway moving on with the explanation" he clapped his

hands once, goblet magically disappearing" The second test was

resourcefulness, it was meant to test the challenger in defeating an

opponent that was too strong and robust to fell just by chucking

arrows at him or bullets in your case and I got to say you got an A

there" sending me the same impressed look that a mother shows

their child the first time they shit in the toilet instead of themselves,

"Third was prevailing against the unexpected, both the ghosts and

the horseman were types of opponents that you don't see in the

Greek world and you did adequate I suppose an B- there" and he

carried on . " Fourth, ah fourth now that was my personal favorite A+,

meant to test your perseverance against impossible odds" he said

with the first genuine smile I saw him give me in all the time I was

standing here "I was sure you would fail you know" I stopped him at

that " Well it was a Dragon I thought I would die too you know, I just

got lucky" he chuckled " Oh you wouldn't have died, Mairenn is too

much of a sweetheart to do that to a child, she is quite fond of them

really, it's why I choose her against the hunters after all, wouldn't do

to make enemies with dear Arty-poo without reason" he said turning

my world upside down and completely disregarding the fact that if

Artemis ever heard him calling her that, she would probably charge

Asgard by herself to disembowel him " She would have smacked

you around a bit if you attacked her or tried to enter her territory and

then she would have sent you through the gate and back to the

grove, pride wounded and with a few bruises but not much else.

Imagine then my utter astonishment and surprise when you did

something so spectacular that even I God of Mischief would tip my

hat to" and he laughed at my gobsmacked face taking enjoyment in

my gaping ."I mean, singing her to sleep! How ballsy. Using such an

obscure solution that was done only once in the past by a mortal and

that by one blessed by a god of music. Truly marvelous". That was

when I spoke again interrupting his speech once more.

"OK, I got all that, everything you say makes sense" he nodded with

the assurance of someone used to everyone telling him that he is

always right " What about the fifth floor, what in the nine worlds could

that bimbo vampire slut be a test for?" I said in exasperation. It was

also the first time that I saw the smugness leave his face and replace

it with sheepishness" It wasn't my fault you know" I rose an eyebrow

at that " I had asked an Abhartach originaly to do it, but the cur stood

me up the last moment, something about excavating mortals and

hidden catacombs, he didn't explain properly and I was left without a

boss monster literally 20 minutes before you passed the 4th floor"

He said a little bit of rage sipping in his voice that made me know

that particular vampire is gonna die very horrifically or even worse,

he is gonna be pleading to die very soon. " So I had to improvise.

The area was already configured so I was limited to that particular

theme and you can't exactly find vampires ready to fight for you on

the drop of a hat, it was either her or that other guy that likes to dress

into a pink magical girl. We both shuddered at that. "Anyway, I give

you an A+ on that for exterminating all the ghouls and killing her right

when she was about to climax too, it was so deliciously evil of you, I

haven't laughed so hard since the Woodstock Incident with the

Greeks back in 69'.

I didn't know what to say to that so I choose to remain silent. "Now

that we are done with your little challenge, I have to give you your

first reward made by Cernnunos himself, it's quite potent too"

What he handed me was an orb made of the same crystal that I saw

in the gate room as big as my fist and shining with an inner light.

Blessing Orb Of The Horned One

Info: A blessing orb made by Cernnunos himself. It's power

enriches the earth making all flora more vibrant and healthy and

prevents all monsters and non-clear sighted mortals from

finding the area under its perview .

That is meant for the grove, it is going to be a big help to Wisteria if

she doesn't have to fear about incidents like the Harpy Diva

happening again.

"And now for your personal rewards, your three wishes, ask and ye

shall receive!

"Is it even legal for a Pagan God to be quoting the Bible?" I asked

genuinely curious.

"Meh" he said waving his hand as if to smack away a fly "The guy is

not that perfect you know, he just has a very efficient PR department,

usually by burning on the stake everything and everyone that

disagrees with him, so I don't really care what he thinks" I nodded at

that, it was true after all and I never really bought into the whole God

of love and compassion thing even in my previous life. It is really

hard to follow the 'turn the other cheek thing' he was preaching when

in his previous book he drowned the whole humanity minus one

family for being "of corrupt and evil hearts".

"But enough about him, its wish time, so wish away" Smugness once

again in full force.

I didn't want to ask about a blessing because I don't know what

influence a god will have over me through it and he can also take it

away so nope. I thought about asking for three different weapons of

great quality but then I had an idea. When I was finished he

regarded me with a raised eyebrow and then shrugged.

"Ok brat, you wishes are reasonable and you will receive your

rewards the moment you are returned to the grove" and with that

little tibit he waved his hand and an astral gate appeared from

nowhere.

"Oh, and before I forget, I have to tell you that time in Divine Realms

flow differently than in the mortal world, though you don't have to

worry, I have configured the gate to age you to your proper age

instantly when you reach the mortal realm, Happy Summer Solstice

brat" He said with a shiteating grin dumbfounding me because it was

August when I started this challenge. Before I could react he

snapped his fingers and the gate swallowed me whole. And as I was

falling through the gate there was only I thing I could say to myself.

Fuck my E- Rank Luck

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 10 (45200 / 51200)

HP: 620 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1040 MPReg= 8mp/min

STR: 85 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 35 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 50(54) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:20 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 21(25) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 18 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12 (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Modern Greek Lv50 : You can speak Greek like a native

English Lv50: You can speak English like a native

Gaelic Lv40 : You can speak Gaelic almost flawlessly but you

can do better

Italian Lv34 : You can hold a conversation in Italian but you can

not use complicated words still

French Lv20: You can understand most of what you hear in

French but some parts might still escape you.

German Lv13: You are not skilled enough to speak in German,

you may understand some words in a conversation if you are

lucky.

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Warfyre(Lv13): 260 dmg/sec cost: 18 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv11): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +31 dmg cost

3mp/sec.

Warlord's Fang(Lv3): A long raged slash used by focusing your

mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and swing.

Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut armies in

twain with a single slash of their blades. + 90 dmg/per slash,

cost: 26 mp. WARNING: When combining it with Warfyre this

skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the flame. Cost:

38mp

Warfyre Napalm(Lv4): Overcharge an item with the Flame Of

War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 2,3 meters Damage: 180, 25% chance of setting

enemies on fire cost :100

Observe(Lv11): Gain basic information about the target . the

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 31 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Mist Resistance(lv3): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist . Monsters of your level and

bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Sword Mastery(Lv26): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +36% dmg and 18% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Spear Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding spears.

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from behind there is

a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12% chance of cripple

hit.

Perks

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

*Attractive Perk(Minor): Your godly blood makes you more

naturally attractive than a average mortal (In case of becoming

a child of Aphrodite the perk is upgraded to Major.)+2 CHA

Muscle Density Refinement: The holder of this perk has every

muscle in his body altered to be thrice as dense and as result

more efficient. Your muscles will not easily bulk up but they will

lose none of their strength. Sorry no S chwarzenegger body for

you. -20% to all physical damage received, +1 strength to Ares

heritage modifier (+8 strength per level), +2 CHA.

Tongue Of the Past : This perk gives the user the ability to

freely use the language skills she possessed in her past life in

their level equivalent they were before her death.

Voice Of The Eldar: With this perk your voice will have an elven

otherworldly quality, all beasts will be pacified by it and you will

make those who hear it be awed by your singing. +5 CHA

Clairvoyance (D): Clairvoyance is the ability to flawlessly

perceive and observe the world around you, objects, people,

locations, events, with one's mind, with no mistakes and 100%

accuracy. Your gift is only Grade-D though so you can only do it

in only half a mile radius (800 meters).

Hahaha you didn't expect these curveballs did you ? I declare

this chapter my personal Magnus Opus. Loki 4 ever 3 . See ya

next time fellas.

~ Childe Of War

Interlude Ares

First of all I have to say that I begun this chapters planing to

make Ares a bit more resonable representation of the book one

with some humorus element hear and there. I lost my way 4

lines in. This is not what i was originaly going for but once I

started it literaly wrote itself. I was practically flying through the

paragraps. As always Percy Jackson belogs to Rick Riordan

and any other franchises mentioned to their rightful owners.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTION OF

OFFENSIVE OR TABOO CONCEPTS, DONT READ IF YOU ARE

EASILY OFFENDED !

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 8 : PART 1

(Interlude ARES - God of WAR, BLOODLUST, HONOR and

MANLINESS)

Summer Solstice again and I am bored out of my mind. Dear old dad

is giving one of his speeches again and it seems his on a roll. We

will be here for a while it seems.

Looking around I can see that everyone is doing one thing or another

to distract themselves from the torture that our esteemed King is

throwing upon us.

Mother dearest, is sipping from her cup in an alarmingly fast rate.

Considering she has to once again give her innocence to the old

lecher sitting beside her, I can't really fault her. So many millennia

and the horror that is her marriage still doesn't abate even a little. All

the spark of fury and most of the hate and vindictiveness she

showed as a cry of helplessness has left her. These days she is

mostly quiet and some of us fear that she won't last for much longer,

that she will give up. Eons of having every single of her domains

stepped on so thoroughly has taken its toll. Hestia's Hearth has

literally shrunk a foot in the last decade alone.

Heh anyone hearing this would call me a hypocrite and I will freely

admit that in the past I had done some really fucked up things but I

am not that bad anymore, most of us aren't. You can see it in the

way the Gods interact with the mortals. Back in Greece and later in

Rome as well we only went near mortals for only two reasons. To kill

them or to fuck them, there was no other contact between us. If we

needed something done we usually sent a servant or a sacred

animal to deliver orders.

Now everyone practically lives beside the mortals. We have to in

order to take care of our domains properly, technological

advancement and secrecy has complicated things.

When you work in a hospital as a doctor and see the misery and

despair disease spreads on the mortals, the cries of the families left

behind, the sheer relief and gratitude when healing their loved ones

then even a God that once spread plagues just to have a laugh will

stop and consider.

When you see the seas get poisoned with every ship that sinks,

whole miles of sea life snuffed out just because of an oil spill you

caused because you got annoyed then even a God known for their

legendary temper will learn how to mellow out.

When you fight as a mortal in a modern battlefield watching men and

women that you ate with, laughed with, who shared their stories with

you, their hopes, their dreams of home, die because of a bullet to the

head by an enemy so far away that you can't even see them, you

pause. And when a woman who until this point you thought

unbefitting of war picks up her gun and start fighting with a fervour

and bravery that you don't see in most men even with a bullet in her

leg, shouting that she will take as many as she can with her to hell,

then even a God of Manliness can find respect for women.

And those are a few of the many examples of the change this

century has brought to most immortals.

Zeus is not one of them. He kills indiscriminately, the number of

airplane crashes around America this last decade alone reached

heights never seen before. If Thor fucking Odinson, the honorary

God of Butchers puts his foot down because you cause too much

death, then something is fucking wrong.

He fucks without pause, old or young, single or married, mortal or

immortal as long as they are beautiful enough he doesn't even

hesitate, with precious few exceptions. It was quite telling really after

the Pact the Big Three made (and wasn't that a joke for the ages).

When every single nymph settlement begged every goddess and

god from every fucking pantheon they could convince to put

protection for immortals in their communities to 'protect them from

rising monster attacks' and the rate of chastity oaths in young

nymphs this century in USA is 75%, (three fucking fourths of all

young nymphs abandon all notion of love out of sheer terror of what

it will happen to them if they remain unprotected, Dite almost had an

aneurysm to this little bit of information) then something is fucking

wrong.

But the thing that has broken the camel's back is his practically cruel

decisions against our half-blood children and I am talking about the

stupid law about no interaction at all between parent and child and

also targeting of our children for the flimsiest of excuses either

directly or most usually through monsters when they grow too strong

according to him (he deludes himself that by masking it as a monster

attack we wouldn't figure it out) because of his accursed paranoia. It

has made practically every God major or minor to start vying for

blood (even I, at my worst detested the killing of children). And I

would know, I am the God of Bloodlust after all.

Disregarding all notions of love for our children for a moment, even a

complete imbecile will be able to figure out that killing and viciously

oppressing the only people who worship and give you strength

though sacrifice and prayer, who spread your kingdoms ideals

through the ages with every feat and interaction on the mortal world,

keeping your connection to the Flame of the West you bound your

very power to bright and active is the most idiotic, imbecilic blunder

you can make and it will come a point that it will bite you in the ass.

Every one of us can see it. You feel it in the prayers that are fewer

and fewer every year and lacking the unshakable faith of the past.

You taste it in the sacrifices that get more and more insignificant,

becoming something to do only before meal times. Spoils of war

from monsters that used to be sacrificed after every battle are now

sitting as decorations above beds or in the Big House, used only in

the direst of circumstances as they should be. Major celebrations

that honored the Gods and gave us the ability to invoke mass

blessings in our domain are practically a thing of the past (there have

been only 3 of those the whole century).

But we cannot act (because this time there will be no golden net,

blades will talk). Not yet at least. We have too many threats

approaching, you can feel it in the air, in the voices of the spirits of

the Earth, The Sea, the Sky. Danger is approaching and fast. Death

is just around the corner. War is imminent. It is not only in our own

pantheon either. Friends from every corner of the world and every

religion had said the same thing. Monsters are stirring, old foes long

thought neutralized started to make moves again. And we can't

prevail if we become divided now. We can't afford a World War, not

now, not ever. Even I the God of War can admit that the World Wars

and especially the second one was a mistake. Irrespective of the

power boost it gave me, there comes a time were something is too

much. Too much blood, too much dead, too many dead children. The

sheer cruelties and atrocities committed alone made every fiber of

my Honor domain cry in agony. It is one thing to die in battle against

an armed opponent, it is another entirely to gather scores of

unarmed civilians and gas them for personal amusement or for

fucking experimentation in the name of science and the least said

about the horror of the Atomic Bomb the better.

Oh none thinks I care all that much (aside from Aphrodite that is, but

I could never hide anything from her) about my brats but that is not

true. I can't be a loving father, my immortality and domains make

sure of that. It is not in my nature to be kind, War by definition is

harsh. So I decided that if I can't be a parent that my children need,

then at least I will make sure they are taken care of properly and

when it is time for them to make their own way then at least they will

have the necessary skills and temperament to survive, to prevail

against the harshness of our world.

"….and with that, I Zeus, King of the Gods hereby declare the

beginning of the Summer Solstice of the year 1996" the royal

pompous windbag declared with a dramatic sound of thunder.

Talking about my children, my youngest seems to have been forced

to leave the nest too early (the fucker that killed his lover will never

find peace or relief, he made sure of that). Fortunately it seems she

found herself in one of the twins groves. I felt her first when she was

fighting that idiotic harpy. Pride filled me that my brat, even at 6

years of age (too soon to even learn how to fight even by Sparta's

standards) has managed to kill a harpy in single combat. Not a

strong monster, quite weak really but for what is practically a child

barely out of her toddler years it is more than impressive. He

watched her from time to time training in the grove, honing herself

like a proper warrior, preparing for the fights to come with a single

mindedness that most demigods thrice her age lack. If she manages

to reach adulthood she is gonna be a force to be reckoned with, he

can fill it in his veins. She has the potential to become his strongest

child yet, her gift of Armory attested to that, it is not a power that his

brats were born with easily, it's almost as rare as the old cripples fire

users [ he thinks the inventory is an ability that some of his

children inherit but Alex doesn't need for obvious reasons] and

if this is not a sign that shit is about to hit the fan, I don't know what

is.

"… that is the last of the issues needed to be addressed today, if

there is nothing else, I think it is time to start the celebrations." the

vicious fucker declared, eager it seems for the revelries that always

follow these kinds of events amongst the Gods. But it seems that he

will have to wait a while longer.

"Actually father we have one message for the Celts, Cernunnos

most specifically" said the winged Shorty, giving the letter to Owl

Head the official ambassador of the council.

" Cernunnos? What could such a reclusive God possibly want? Said

the drama king, annoyed that his booty call is being delayed most

likely.

"It seems Father that Artemis Hunters have braved his challenge too

many times recently forcing him to oversee it, wasting his time

watching little girls fail miserably apparently got old very fast" said

Athena with eye roll at the gods snarking attitude and I was smirking

at Artemis golden blush of rage.

"He is also said that the current challengers are going to really regret

interrupting his drinking time and that he assigned another god to

oversee" She continues wincing a little at most likely the identity of

the new overseer which is a surprise, Athena is well known for her

perfect emotional control (she is a menace in poker nights) . Who

could possibly be the overseer? Morrigan perhaps? That lady is way

too scary even by godly standards.

"And who is the overseer" asked ol' Barnacle Beard a small grin on

his face, amused that by continuing the conversation he was

delaying Zeus even more from his summer solstice debauchery

(apparently passive- aggressive is the way to go these days).

"Loki" exhales the wisdom goddess with a deadpanned stare.

Immediately everyone in the room winced (yes even Hestia, don't

ask) . Apparently Deer Head was veeery annoyed to inflict

something like this to anyone, even if it is the uppity hunters of his

sister.

"But father my Hunters are currently all in Maine, the challenge gate

of that idiot is in Missouri" said the Moon Goddess in confusion.

"Well apparently someone did and if he has to watch it then so do

we, he has sent the channel to Hephaestus to broadcast" said

Athena in exasperation with the Gods childishness.

"Excellent, put it on, it will be fun to break the monotony with

something different for once" said Poseidon again, his small grin

turning into a shiteating one. Ha his father looks like he is gonna

burst a vessel but before he could shout his denial every one of us

along with all the guest minor gods started agreeing. Just the chance

to get back to the fucker even if it is such a small way is sufficient to

watch some poor bastard get curb stomped in nasty and creative

ways (never let it be said that Gods can't be vindictive).

"Hephaestus do your thing" declared Uncle P, completely ignoring

Zeus sputtering at being ignored.

Hephy rolled his eyes but complied, summoning a screen big

enough for anyone to see clearly, speakers appearing all around and

the lights deeming just a tad for the full effect.

Thats it for right now guys, I hope I didn't drop the mood to

much with this chapter compared to the previous ones. There

are many juicy information here both for the future and past

events as well as the attitude of our cast. The really observant

have propably figured out a few things. See you next time,

Cheerio

~ChildeOfWar

What the Fuck am I watching?

Chapter 9 is on guys and this is the second a last part of the

interlude. Next shapter we are going back to Alex. I hope you

like it. As always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and all

other franchises mentioned to their rightful owners. This is

strictly non-profit.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 9: PART 2

(Interlude Ares - God of WAR, BLOODLUST, HONOR and

MANLINESS)

The moment the 'challenger' stepped through the astral gate I

thought I was hallucinating. It wasn't possible, it surely wasn't. I

wasn't seeing my youngest step in a fucking deathtrap without a care

in the world (she doesn't even have a fucking proper weapon yet,

just some bronze crap short sword and a pistol that fires mortal

bullets). What the fucking Tartarus is the little shit thinks she is

doing?

For a whole minute the fires of my eyes had dimmed so completely

that my violet eyes that marks me as a son of Hera (and were also

inherited by the troublesome brat) were shown into the world for the

first time since I gained my domains. Dite, felt my surprise (surprise

not fear, never fear) through her empathetic ability and had to

actually squeeze my knee to snap me out of my stupor. The only

reason that no one noticed my little loss of control was that everyone

was too busy gaping at the barely-not-toddler stepping into one of

Loki's Houses of Horror (there is a reason why everyone winces

every time they hear his name).

But I couldn't show my anger (definitely not concern) for endangering

her life like that. Showing weakness in front of Gods like that is just

asking to get shafted, not recommended.

When I saw her make the torch I was surprised. It seems there is

actually something between the brat's ears after all, even if her self

preservation skills seem to be missing. Seeing her dispatching the

trio of goblins she encountered first without even flinching actually

gave me some hope that she may actually survive this. After all

goblins are painfully weak and her steel bullets are no longer a

disadvantage.

All around the room there were raised eyebrows at the efficiency of

my brat and I think Artemis may have created a new constellation

with her eyes alone.

The slaughter that followed made some of the more motherly

goddesses actually gasp in horror and normally I would just scoff at

them. I mean seriously, she is in a dungeon. What did they think she

went there to do, sing? But this time I was too busy trying to collect

my jaw from the floor when I saw the slip of a girl use the

MOTHERFUCKING FLAMES OF WAR like it was nothing.

The Flames Of War are the most coveted ability of all War deities

everywhere, but only a few can actually use them at their full

potential. It is one of the most destructive and volatile fire magicks in

the cosmos with only the cursed god slaying fires of Tartarus being a

definite superior. Yes all War deities can spark their eyes with it or

create a fireball in order to annihilate armies or something, but they

are the nuclear option because most of them can't control them, the

flames are bucking and fighting with every breath you take to be let

go, to ruin, to destroy, to annihilate.

In all the Pantheons there are only 4 Gods that managed to achieve

complete control of the near sentient flames. Tyr of the Aesir, after

finding some enlightenment bullshit after he lost his hand like an

idiot. Verethragna that genocidal monster by actually becoming so

connected to the flames and enjoying the carnage so much that he

became one of the strongest Gods of his time. Well until he enjoyed

the carnage a little too much and Vishnu erased him from creation

for interrupting his nap and also disrupting the balance of the world,

but it was mostly for the nap. The third is Skanda who was born with

the flames already in his control, but those Hindus are freaks of

nature when it comes to power so it was no real shock to anyone.

Last and certainly not least is me of course, achieving my control in

only three centuries after obtaining my domains through excruciating

training.

So to see a little demigoddess coating these bucking broncos of

flames on her sword as if it was the most natural thing in the world

was going way past mindboggling and reaching WTF-Am I seeing?

levels of absurd.

And I am not the only one to see it that way either considering the

widened eyes all around and the hushed whispering. Athena actually

broke her goblet in her hand out of the shock (one upped by a mortal

child hurts. Eh bitch?).

The little 'poem' had both Sunspot and Shorty in stitches and the

creation of her little torch (I mean Ricky the 1st really?) had Eris

cackling is glee and me in pride, after all lowering the morale of your

enemies is an excellent strategy. The subsequent slaughter was

good I suppose and watching Arty souring her face at the use of a

gun was amusing (apparently bows are the only true ranged weapon

that every maiden must know how to use *eyeroll*).

Hearing her talk smack with that pathetic goblin Boss was the

funniest thing I had heard in a while and from the laughs and

knowing looks in my direction it seems if before they had any doubts

of her parentage, her little speech fixed that. The Master

Antagonizer™ is strong in this one it seems, I thought with a wry grin

on my face. Though my eyebrow started twitching a little when she

used the torch as a bomb, it took me 25 years to figure out this trick

without burning away my eyebrows and the brat did it on a LARK

(stop giggling Dite I am NOT pouting).

When she was wounded and almost killed by that shit stain all my

good mood evaporated and I gritted my teeth. Watching her tearing

her way through the whole dungeon with an easy smile made me

forget for a moment how painfully young she is and as a result

inexperienced. Thankfully she got the fucker in the end and the Boss

fight parameters kicked in and healed her or she would have some

serious problems.

The first part of the second dungeon was fast forwarded for the sake

of time. There wasn't anything interesting after all, just some goblins

biting more than they could chew. Though from what I could discern

her skills are increasing rapidly which is good, she is going to need

them if she is to get out alive from this deathtrap.

The second floor's boss looked like a clown Cyclops and there was

laughter around the hall at the queer sight. For a moment I thought

that the snake actually grew a heart and was going easy on her

because of her age. Athena's gasp and explanation gave a very

gruesome death to those hopes.

But I need not have worried because it seems my competent brat

(she got a promotion from simple brat) knew her history it seems and

together with some 'environmental alteration' managed to breeze

through this obstacle to the cheering of everyone. Poseidon's

disgruntled expression brought no small amount of ribbing and

snickering amongst the Gods (seems he is still a little sore about

"The Incident"). Though Athena's smug comment about wisdom

always trumping brute force soured my mood slightly and I made a

mental note to snap an owl's neck in the earliest opportunity.

The third challenge wasn't as impressive to watch. After she figured

at how to make mana blades with her sword it was a piece of cake.

The Boss was nothing to write home about either. Yes he was

'strong' I suppose when on horse but even the greenest of soldiers

know that unseating your enemy when you are on the ground is the

easiest way to win against a rider and the competent brat proved

that. The asskicking that followed was a little painful to watch and

there were even looks of pity for the poor bastard (surprisingly

spending your time terrorizing helpless mortals instead of training on

your skills doesn't do you any favors against actual threats, who

knew? I thought with an eyeroll) . Well, aside from Artemis that is,

the look in her eyes at the 'foolish male getting what he deserves'

was not something I am going to look further into to preserve what

remains of my sanity.

The start of the fourth challenge was a complete let down. There

was no actual action and the little test of composure at the very

beginning was stupid as well. She is a demigod. Even if she is young

a little sudden change in environment wasn't going to make her

panic. Demigods are born hardwired to suppress their fear in hard

situations to an extent and an unplanned swim wasn't going to

change that.

When the Boss made her appearance I felt all the ichor drain from

my face and the Drunkard's little comment about another one biting

the dust didn't help either. I should have known things couldn't have

been so simple. This is Loki we are talking about. The bastard

always has to have the last laugh and at the expense of others most

often than not.

It was at this moment that I made a promise to myself that if my

competent brat dies in this shit fest I was going to make new

snakeskin boots out of the fuckers hide and from the looks of some

of the Goddesses eyes I wouldn't be alone either (motherly instincts

are a scary thing).

I would have continued with my murderous thought a while longer if

it wasn't for the most surprising sound freezing both me and

practically everyone else on the spot. That fucker, Poseidon was

laughing uproariously at her look of terror. My dau-competent brat

was about to die against a motherfucking dragon of all things at the

tender age of fucking seven and that seaweed smoking bastard was

laughing about it. I was three seconds away from jumping him and

shoving his trident somewhere really uncomfortable and by the look

Hestia (blue flames in her eyes instead of the usual orange) was

sending him he would be thanking me for punishing him instead of

her (peaceful Goddess she might be, but THAT look can make even

Hades run for his momma and rumor has it the only and last time her

eyes turned into white flames the Titans surrendered on the spot,

there is a reason after all that Zeus has never even attempted to hit

on her even once), when he raised his hands in a peace gesture and

explained who exactly this Dragon was and her general

temperament, pacifying the no longer furious she-dragon in an 8

years old body that was ready to bite his head off and making me

sigh in relief inwardly, though I made a second mental note to take

Dite in an high-class seafood restaurant for some romantic relaxation

at the first chance I get and shoot a dolphin dead as well just

because I can.

So we waited for her to lose and the challenge to end (to Zeus

gleeful face, the pervert couldn't wait to get laid), when the superbrat

(today is promotion day apparently) started to sing the dragon to

sleep of all things making the Goddesses coo at her voice and the

apparently moving and romantic (read: cheesy as fuck) lyrics of the

song and Apollo to start writing furiously in a note book and start

mattering furiously about brilliant ideas,witches and a wolf or

something stupid like that.

Finally we came to the last floor and if the previous challenge (minus

the Dragon) was a letdown then this was a fucking snooze fest.

Where the fuck was the Boss, I am practically feeling myself growing

older here. At one point Athena ordered the cripple to fast forward it

to the boss fight, unwilling to waste any more time.

And what a "BOSS" it was! The Goddesses and some more uptight

Gods where practically frothing at the mouth at the unbecoming and

inappropriate behavior that the vampire was showing in front of a

child (and Aphrodite was laughing for reasons I decided I didn't want

to know) but I couldn't help but scoff. Having the aforementioned

child fight for her life in a deathtrap of a game and painting her hands

red in the blood of her enemies is apparently good enough to watch

no problem there but have them see a naked woman having her cunt

licked and then moral police comes knocking, fucking hypocrites.

After the extremely funny situation with the "BOO-", I mean the

"BOSS" (and i made an image of her face for future blackmail

material 'just in case') she found the riddle room and after some fast

thinking which really impressed Athena (you could tell from the

impressed raised eyebrow #4 position she took) she walked through

the EXIT gate and finally I could get some peace, no matter how

ironic it is for me the God Of War to use this particular expression.

And that's that guys. I hope you liked it. I tried to not make Ares

too mushy but I don't know if I was successful with it. Please

tell me your opinions in the reviews. See ya next time !

~ ChildeOfWar

And Life continues

Chapter 10 is up guys. Not as interesting as the previous ones

but you can't always have dungeon fights I suppose. It is not

zero action though so don't be too disappointed. Anyway as

always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and any other

franchises mentioned to their rightful owners. Enjoy

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 10: Life on the Road (Part2)

I was spat out of the dungeon gate in high speed and I found myself

face first onto the ground. "Ouch" I groaned as I rolled on my back

and spat some grass that had been shoved in my mouth. Staring at

the barely morning sky I thought of how good it would be if that

stupid chaos god stumbled on top of the Bifrost and fell right into

Nidhogg's mouth, but I guess dreams will be dreams.

I had but a moment to reorient myself before I saw Wisteria running

to my position with a worried look on her face. I stood up ready to

reassure her that everything was alright, when I felt great pain

coming from my whole body and I couldn't help but fall to the ground

screaming. It was at this moment that I remembered Loki's last little

helpful comment and I cursed the bastard to Tartarus right before I

passed out, Wisteria's panicking face the last thing I saw before

everything went dark.

You have slept in your own bed. Health and mana are back to

100%. All ailments and negative status effects have been cured.

I woke up in my bed back in the grove no longer feeling like a

thousand molten needles were piercing my body and I promised to

myself that if I never see Loki again it would be too soon.

I would have continued with my internal rant but I noticed 3 different

shaped wooden boxes sitting beside my bed. I had a moment to

wonder what they could possibly be before realization struck in my

head and I remembered that my wishes were supposed to be

delivered to the grove." The bastard at least works fast" I muttered to

the empty room.

Eager to see the extent of my payday I opened the smallest box first

no bigger than the palm of my hand and I Observed.

Ljóskerhringur (Lantern Ring)

+10 INT

+5 LUC

+20% casting speed

Special: Frodo, ORCS! : Whenever there are monsters in 1 mile

radius from it the ring will shine a soft light as a warrning.

Info: A ring made of Uru Steel and decorated with a ruby from

Alfheim. It was used by Loki in his childhood as a training tool

for his seidr. Recently carved with runes of power by the God of

Magic himself giving it special is a fenomenal condactor of

magic and can't be removed without the wearer's perimission.

Damn, say whatever you want about the bastard but none can deny

that he is very talented indeed. My first wish after all was for an item

that I can always have on me and for it to warn me about monsters.

It seems he delivered more than I even asked. Probably on a LARK

or maybe I impressed him with my feats in the dungeon. Naah it was

a LARK.

Equiping it immidiately and admiring how it looked on my left hand

for a moment, I then opened the biggest box and if I thought that the

ring was impressive then this took the cake.

Forverði (Vanguard)

Damage 600

+100 against monsters

+30 when coated with fire magic

Special: Forverði to Me: This weapon has been enchanted with

the same spell that was used on Mjolnir, Thor's ultimate

weapon. If called by its rightful owner it always flies back to

their hand (Alexandra Bellum).

Info: A double headed battle axe forged by a master forger

dwarf of Nidavelir. The special enchantment woven on the

handle makes it a formidable weapon of war. F orged with the

use of Uru Steel the weapon is near indestructible and a

fenomenal focus of magic. It cannot kill mortals.

A two bladed great battle axe with a long handle decorated by norse

runes and tradiitional knots, it was really a work of art. I know what

many will ask, why ask for an axe when you could have asked for a

sword. After all you dont even have an axe mastery and your sword

one is your most powerfull skill yet. The reason is that swords are

not really my style and wont truly complement my stats. As a child of

Ares strength will always be my best stat and I needed a weapon to

truly make that shine and a sword just isn't it. Swords are more of a

dexterity weapon meant to cut fast and with percison. Axes on the

other hand are all strength which I have in abundance and they will

help with opponents that are very durable, making me capable of

crushing their armor or tough skins with an ease that a sword is just

not capable of granting me and don't let me start on its special

enchantment. At the end of the day if there comes a time that I really

need a badass sword then I will find one. The world is full of

opportunities after all and the gamer system is designed for shit like

that.

Ending my internal monologue I opened my last gift and when I read

the description the waterworks couldn't stop.

Stríðsstjarna (Warbound Star)

Damage 150

+30 damage against monsters

+10 damage when coated with fire magic

Range of fire: 800 meters

Special: A Mother's Transcending Love: The weapon never runs

out of bullets when wielded by Alexandra Bellum or be used to

harm her. It will always appear back to her if lost.

Info: A pistol originally belonging to Capella Bellum and

reforged by a master forger dwarf of Nidavelir. By protecting her

daughter with her life, a small part of her dying will lingered

around the weapon and was imbued through the masterful

forging into it, adding extra enchantments. Reforged with the

use of Uru Steel the weapon is near indestructible and a

fenomenal focus of magic. It cannot kill mortals.

The pistol encased in a leather sheath and it was silver and black,

decorated by runes and artistic lines. The most prominent being in

the frame of the pistol but I couldn't really focus on that, I was too

busy crying.

'My mother loved me so much that even in death she is protecting

me' I thought with a tearful sob.

In my previous life me and my parents had an ok relationship I guess

but there was always a distance between us. They focused so much

on their careers that I barely saw them most days. Yes they brought

me gifts and they encouraged me to do better at the things I liked

(hence the lessons in 5 languages) but my grandfather was more a

parent to me than them. They were more of a favorite distant Aunt

and Uncle than my Mom and Dad.

In this life though, my mom was always there for me. She took time

from her day to spend together with me telling me stories, giving me

advice and just plain caring so much, that when I gained my previous

life's memories that accursed night all those months ago I couldn't

stop considering her my mother even for a moment. So reading the

description of that weapon it really hit home what that bastard robber

took from me and if I hated him before now I loathed him with every

fiber of my being.

My internal monologue was interrupted this time by the system.

PING*

Rare Quest: Brave The Horned One's Challenge

Clear the 1st floor (CLEAR)

Clear the 2nd floor (CLEAR)

Clear the 3rd floor (CLEAR)

Clear the 4th floor (CLEAR)

Clear the 5th floor (CLEAR)

Optional: Solve the riddles (CLEAR)

Rewards:

1500 xp, 100$, 2 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

2000 xp, 200$, 4 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

2500 xp, 300$, 6 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

3000 xp, 400$, 8 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

4000 xp, 800$, 10 drachmas, piece of uncommon equipment

Blessing Orb, Ring, Axe, Pistol .

(QUEST COMPLETE)

+ 13.000 XP

+1800 $

+30 Drachmas

For surviving another year your demigod status gives you +3 to

all stats except luck.

And I leveled up once again bringing me to 11 and I immediately

distributed the stat points acquiring a new perk.

PING*

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 11 (7000/ 76800) HP: 620 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1251 MPReg= 9mp/min

STR: 100 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 38 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 53(57) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:23(33) (your ability to absorb and retain information as well

as your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 25(29) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 21 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12(17) (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

[From now on the next level required exp will be previous level

+ previous level/2. Example 51200+25600=76800]

Perk Acquired: Expanded Force: Everytime you wish it your hits

either hand-to-hand or with a weapon you can expand the force

of your hits to a 1 meter radius around your striking point

without your hits losing power. (meele weapons only)

For conquering your first dungeon the system rewards you with

an additional Title.

Bane of Mab: You have bathed in the blood of the Faerie race

gaining a fearsome reputation in the lands of Nevernever.

Whenever you equip this title you inflict +20% damage to all

Faerie type enemies.

Damn, I have become so badass compared to the me that was

struggling against a stupid harpy. If I fought her right now, It wouldn't

even take me 3 seconds to dust her. And I loved it. The additional

perks and titles were also an excellent touch. The strength perk

practically gave me a poor man's Tsunade punch, not that I am going

to complain. After all useful is useful and with my axe and current

strength it's going to be very sweet indeed. The title is gonna come

in handy if I encounter a Fae again I suppose though but if I don't

then I wouldn't be too broken up about it.

Done with cataloging all I needed to do it is time to get out of this

cave and see what I missed in my almost 11 month absence and

damn I didn't notice it before but I am seven now.

Shrugging I stood up, strapped my pistol on my lower back (The

sheath is meant for the thigh but I am seven) and by axe in the

inventory and headed outside to possibly be read the riot act by

Wisteria. And I was right.

The words irresponsible, bull headed, and reckless were used in

abundance and by the time she was done I felt like my left ear will

would never be the same again and my small scowl (not pout)

brought a lot of giggling to the rest of the nymph who were very

entertained that for once it wasn't them that Wisteria was scolding.

She would have continued to berate me some more but I distracted

her with the Blessing Orb that I won in the dungeon. When they saw

it they became completely entranced.

"You actually won it" said Wisteria in awe, her eyes not living the Orb

for a second.

"Was there any doubt? I am awesome after all. "I said with a smirk

making the nymphs around to start cheering.

"Sure you are, sure you are" replied Wisteria in an indulging manner

that annoyed me just a little.

"What was that supposed to mean, of course I am" I shot back with a

scowl but she didn't say anything else, she just grabbed the orb,

smiled at me again and then went to use her nymphy magic to

connect it to the grove.

A few hours later everyone was celebrating my successful quest and

the new life and health the blessing I brought back started to grant

the grove ( you could feel the plants get greener and more colorful

by the minute) and I was even gifted a crown of flowers in my honor

(to my mortification and Wisteria's amusement).

The celebrations lasted until the night and finally everyone started to

retire to their trees. The only one left outside was me and Wisteria. I

was about to start talking but I was interrupted.

"You want to leave" said Wisteria in a matter of fact tone that

surprised me a little, I thought I would have to convince her to let me

go.

"You are not mad?" I asked a little hesitantly

"Oh sweetheart, I knew for the moment you came here that you were

not going to stay forever. Your kind has always been too

adventurous irrespective of your own fragility and I had no illusion

that you would be any different. I just hoped that you would wait a

few years before making your own way in the world but it seems it

wasn't meant to be." she said with a bittersweet smile and honestly I

didn't know what to say so I didn't I just hugged her.

A little while later she let me go and told me to get some rest in order

to be ready for tomorrow. So I bid her goodnight and retired to my

bed.

The next day I woke up bright and early ready and after saying

goodbye to anyone and reassuring a slightly tearful head nymph that

I will IM her whenever I can and that I would visit at the first

opportunity I was led to the edge of the road and from there I headed

east. First stop Saint Louis.

Life on the road isn't as exciting as the books made it out to be. Yes

monsters at some point will find you that's unavoidable but you won't

have to defend yourselves against hordes of monsters every 15

minutes or so. Percy Jackson was just really unlucky I suppose and

her Godly Scent+ perk that all Big Three get from the get go

probably didn't help matters either.

When I started walking I was somewhere near St. James and St.

Louis was around 154 km (96 miles) east of that. Halfway there the

sun had almost disappeared and I decided to sleep for the night,

there was no use to try to continue without daylight. I found a tree

with big enough branches climbed it and then tied myself to it with a

vine rope that I was given by some nymph back on the grove. It was

fucking uncomfortable and I already missed my moss bed but safety

was more important than comfort so I dealt with it.

The second day was a little more eventful. A quarter of the way to

my destination a flock of harpies tried to make a meal out of me and

I used my upgraded pistol for the first time. The feeling was sublime,

the demented pigeons didn't stand a chance in hell. It felt like I was

shooting cannon balls instead of bullets and the kickback almost

non-existent not that it would be a problem for me anymore, with my

strength at this point I could be firing an actual cannon and I

probably wouldn't have many problems with it.

When I reached St. Louis it was already starting to go dark and here

is where the problems started. I was seven. I couldn't rent a room

until the morning. Hell I couldn't even buy a ticket for the train. My

plan was to hitch a ride, hide somewhere and if anyone found me

just say that I was going to the bathroom and generally play it up as

an ordinary child that I wasn't.

I had to find a place to sleep, I couldn't afford to weaken myself by

pulling an all-nighter. If I start skipping sleep time then when an

actual threat comes knocking I won't be at my peak and this could

cause problems so I had to find a solution. Where could I go that

would give me a place for the night to crash but won't ask any

questions?

That was when I had an idea. I found an desolate area and made a

small fire. After that I took out one of the harpy feathers that I gained

from my first kill and sacrificed them to Hermes. I prayed to him and

asked him to guide me to the closest empousa lair. Now everyone

will ask. Alex you awesome demigoddess you are trying to avoid the

monsters. Isn't it a bit counterproductive to head right to them?

Normally you would be right but hold on there is reason to my

madness. Unlike other monsters who find lairs in caves, sewers and

other filthy places empousa actually try to live amongst mortals as

normally as they can. The reason. Hunting targets. Most other

monsters actively hunt demigods and nature spirits they don't care

for mortals, these discount vampires though seduce and feed from

all of the above and in order to do that they must integrate

themselves some way into society, the Mist can do so much after all

and even if they are Hecate's creations, it doesn't mean they can all

use it perfectly. As a result they must have homes instead of caves,

houses or even dormitories that I can crash of the night after I send

them to Tartarus spa and resort of course for a full body make-over.

Let it never be said that Alexandra Bellum is a free loader.

And it seems that my sacrifice paid results because after a slight

breeze a small tortoise appeared on my shoulder and start to point

me in a certain direction with its head.

Thanking Hermes for the help I followed my guide until he led me to

a two story house a few blocks away from where I started. The lights

were on the first floor and from what I could discern by looking from

the window there were three of them inside.

I can't use my gun, the sound is too distinctive and there will be cops

here before you can even say handcuffs. How to do this? I could wait

until they go to sleep and then try to break in as silently as possible

kill them in their sleep and be done with it. Nah I said with a grin that

would make a hyena proud.

*Knock**Knock* "Pizza is here" I shouted from outside.

"Coming, coming" I heard and I was surprised, they have actually

ordered some pizza. It seems I will eat well tonight.

"You are not the delivery" the slut said with a raised eyebrow and all I

did was smile and instantly chucked my axe at her. She only had

time to widen her eyes a bit before she became a dust cloud. I

quickly summoned it back to my hand and stepped into the house

(This summoning spell is so badass by the way). The other two were

watching a show on TV and they gaped at me for my audacity to

barge into a monster lair alone like that. Of course that didn't stop

them for long, they transformed in their red eyed donkey and metal

legged form and with a screech attacked me. Unfortunately for them

I had fought against tougher opponents and with worse odds and

their little untrained attacks didn't faze me. The first died with an axe

bisecting her from head to crotch a surprised expression to the face

and the other one actually tried to run, an expression of fear in her

eyes. She didn't even reach the next room before a blade pierced

her back and poked out of her belly turning her to dust.

I didn't even get a throwing weapon skill but then again a sword even

a short one isn't a throwing knife so maybe the game didn't count it?

Whatever I shrugged and made my self home. After I gorged myself

on some pizza I had a relaxing shower (Oh and how I missed this) I

went to bed in the guest room (Gods only knows what could be in

their beds sheets) and put an alarm for early in the morning. Next

step Train station and from there, New York.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 11 (11200/ 51200)

HP: 620 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1251 MPReg= 9mp/min

STR: 100 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 38 (Your health points, gives you 7 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 53(57) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:23(33) (your ability to absorb and retain information as well

as your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 25(29) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 21 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12(17) (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 0

Skills:

Ancient Greek Mastery (lvMAX): Your ability to comprehend

Ancient Greek, It needs a certain amount of practice to come

into your skill, unfortunately any other language will be hard to

learn even the one you grow up in, say welcome to dyslexia

Modern Greek Lv50 : You can speak Greek like a native

Gaelic Lv40 : You can speak Gaelic almost flawlessly but you

can do better

Italian Lv34 : You can hold a conversation in Italian but you

cannot use complicated words still

French Lv20: You can understand most of what you hear in

French but some parts might still escape you.

German Lv13: You are not skilled enough to speak in German,

you may understand some words in a conversation if you are

lucky.

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Warfyre(Lv13): 260 dmg/sec cost: 18 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv11): Coat your weapons with the Flames

of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +31 dmg cost

3mp/sec.

Warlord's Fang(Lv3): A long raged slash used by focusing your

mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and swing.

Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut armies in

twain with a single slash of their blades. + 90 dmg/per slash,

cost: 26 mp. WARNING: When combining it with Warfyre this

skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the flame. Cost:

38mp

Warfyre Napalm(Lv4): Overcharge an item with the Flame Of

War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 2,3 meters Damage: 180, 25% chance of setting

enemies on fire cost :100

Observe(Lv11): Gain basic information about the target . the

higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 31 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Mist Resistance(lv3): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist . Monsters of your level and

bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Sword Mastery(Lv26): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +36% dmg and 18% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Spear Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding spears.

*Riding skill(lv1): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle or

living creature (bycycle)

Backstab MAX : When you stab an enemy from behind there is

a 40% chance of doing triple damage and 12% chance of cripple

hit.

Perks

Battle Reflexes: When in battle and life threatening situations

you will not freeze, your mind and body will work faster .Makes

you a natural combatant.

Godly Scent: Your godly blood makes you emit a natural aura

that can be identified by all of the supernatural. It grows with

age and power levels. Say hello to monsters everywhere that

want to make you a chew toy.

Weapon Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv10) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

20 . All weapons can be used by you .

Rage Booster: Rage gives you strength, either your own or of

others. In a 10 meters radius everyone that feels rage gives +1

STR including yourself.

Mortal Combat: +10 to all physical stats when in battle to the

death

*Flames of War: You have the ability to use the Flames of War.

This type of fire magic is incapable of anything but destruction

.These flames are impossible to be used in forging cooking or

even to give warmth in a cold night. The only thing they bring is

death.

*Supreme Commander: When you lead in battle all allies gain

+10 to all physical stats in a 400 meter radius

*Attractive Perk(Minor): Your godly blood makes you more

naturally attractive than a average mortal (In case of becoming

a child of Aphrodite the perk is upgraded to Major.)+2 CHA

Muscle Density Refinement: The holder of this perk has every

muscle in his body altered to be thrice as dense and as result

more efficient. Your muscles will not easily bulk up but they will

lose none of their strength. Sorry no S chwarzenegger body for

you. -20% to all physical damage received, +1 strength to Ares

heritage modifier (+8 strength per level), +2 CHA.

Tongue Of the Past : This perk gives the user the ability to

freely use the language skills she possessed in her past life in

their level equivalent they were before her death.

Voice Of The Eldar: With this perk your voice will have an elven

otherworldly quality, all beasts will be pacified by it and you will

make those who hear it be awed by your singing. +5 CHA

Clairvoyance (D): Clairvoyance is the ability to flawlessly

perceive and observe the world around you, objects, people,

locations, events, with one's mind, with no mistakes and 100%

accuracy. Your gift is only Grade-D though so you can only do it

in only half a mile radius (800 meters).

Expanded Force: Everytime you wish it your hits either hand-tohand

or with a weapon you can expand the force of your hits to

a 1 meter radius around your striking point without your hits

losing power. (meele weapons only)

TITLES

Street Rat: You are homeless and on the streets. Survival is

paramount no matter what you have to do. +10% exp to all

unlawful skills (pickpocketing, lockpicking, etc), increased

chances for mortals to ignore you.

Bane of Mab: You have bathed in the blood of the Faerie race

gaining a fearsome reputation in the lands of Nevernever.

Whenever you equip this title you inflict +20% damage to all

Faerie type enemies

INVENTORY

X8 sandwich

X2 packets of biscuit

X1 cheese brick

X2 loaf of bread

X3 chocolate bar

X4 bottles of water

X1 bag with clothes

X1 lighter

X2 pistol

X2 full bullet clips

X1 bronze short sword

X1 bronze enchanted sword

X1 peacock feather pendant

X205 Goblin Head

X207 Dirty Loincloth

X206 Crude Wooden Pike

X3 Warhead of Glory

X8 Lower Health Potions

X9 Lower Mana Potions

X1 Huntresses Battle Armor

x1 Forverði

x1 Stríðsstjarna

x1 Ljóskerhringur

CURRENCY: $= 4100, D=31

Chapter 10 is over and I am officially on my double digits so

Hurray and all that. See ya around next time. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

My Grandfather is a Dick

Here it is guys Chapter 11 just out of the oven. It is in my

humble opinion (hohoho) a pretty good one too. I hope you like

it. As always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and any

other franchises mentioned to their rightful owners. Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 11: I play Angry Birds

29/06/1996

After I woke up in the no longer lair of the empusa the next morning I

quickly got ready and headed for the train station. Once there after

figuring out which train was heading east I got in by squeezing

myself with a family of four that were ready to embark, my Street Rat

title's weak notice me not spell being more than good enough to let

me get ignored by both the family and the ticket man. For a whole

day the ride had been easy. I found myself an empty compartment at

the back of the train and I believed for a moment that everything

would go smoothly. I would reach New York State and from there it

wouldn't take more than a weak to find Long Island and the Camp. In

hindsight, I should have known better.

We stopped for 3 hours in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and I had the

stupid idea to go stretch my legs a little before the boring ride

continued. I was a few blocks away for the station, looking for a good

burger shop when it started raining something fierce. They only good

thing about the situation that followed was that I knew about the

existence of Gods and so I had a pretty good idea who to blame and

curse for my misfortune.

I heard them before I saw them. The metallic screeches of their

beaks and the sheer number of them bloating out the sky in the

distance was more of enough a clue that I needed to start running

and fast. Even with my pistol and exploding heads they were simply

too many of them to kill or to chase away with loud sounds. So I run.

The mortals around me were running away and screaming about

freak storms and cyclones, the Mist doing an excellent job of fooling

them of the truth. I was being chased out of the city and I and I had a

suspicion that they were herding me away from the train station

because every time I was trying to head that way they started to

make circular maneuvers that blocked my way through. 'I have to

find some type of shelter and fast before it's too late, I can't keep

running forever' I thought and that was when I saw a public library

made out of some red stone. It was a very solid building and I run in

hoping to find protection from the stupidly massive flock of

Stymphalian birds after my hide. It was then that I heard a sound

coming from the system.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Scanning. Please wait.

Blue Urban dungeon discovered. Do you wish to enter YES/NO

On the back of the ground floor of the building and near where I

stood, between two shelves full of books stood a double French

wooden door made out of some type of wood that if I was a betting

woman I would say it was made of olive trees and in the middle there

was an owl depicted, staring imperiously at everyone.

'I don't have time for this bullshit' I thought 'Grandpa for some reason

wants to off me and I know that I have a special talent for pissing

people off but I hadn't even talked to the guy, why is he sending

monsters after me, it's not like I am a child of his brothers.' I didn't

have time to start gallivanting in a dungeon. I was hoping that the

birds would give up some time soon and hopefully the sudden "freak

storm" would have delayed the train departure long enough for me to

catch it. But it seems I didn't have a choice because the fucking birds

(why is it always birds?) choose this moment to break through the

door spreading panic against the mortals and making me want to

commit kinslaying with a fervor I had rarely felt in my life before.

'Fine' I thought in annoyance 'It seems my way is clear' and I

pressed YES jumping through the astral gate before I became

demigod fillet by angry metal pigeons.

When I stepped through I looked around trying to assess the

situation and when I did I couldn't help the deadpanned look that had

overtaken my face. Why ?

Because right in front of me under a gray midday sky stood tall

hedges creating a road ahead and if I had to guess taking the shape

of a labyrinth. 'Really Athena shamelessly plagiarizing the 3rd Task

from the Harry Potter books like that, have you no shame?' I thought

with a groan and dreading the sheer amount of bullshit that a

Goddess known from her creativity (usually, because stolen idea

duh!) could have created inside the Labyrinth.

As I walked closer, I took notice of an inscription on a marble cube

that was placed right beside the gates of the labyrinth. It said.

" In the center of the maze exists the only way out. The road there is

treacherous and full of challenges. Beware, for this is no place for

the faint of heart and those of unclear mind. Pass and you will be

rewarded. Fail and only Death awaits. The moment you step foot into

the maze only 8 hours you have before the Exit Gate seals until the

morrow for if night falls the horrors of the dark will emerge."

'Fucking great there is a time limit as well because this situation

wasn't shitty enough already and if I fail I have to stay in the dark

inside the maze with whatever horrors will come out to play until

morning comes again ' I griped to myself about the sheer bullshit of a

situation I stumbled upon. Thankfully I was distracted with a certain

magical sound.

PING

Quest "Pass your OWLS Test"

Objective: Find the Exit Gate

Bonus Objective: Escape the test before night falls

Bonus Objective: ?

Rewards:

30.000 XP, 2.000$, 10D

Rare Item

?

Failure:

Stay here until the morning / Possible Death

This quest cannot be refused.

'Great, let's go become a Goddesses Sunday night entertainment.' I

groused trying to ignore the systems horrible timing in trying to be

funny.

The moment I entered the maze, the first thing I did was try to burn it

with my flames hoping that I could carve my way through instead of

having to "enjoy" the whole experience. Predictably, it failed

miserably. It would seem that the moment I burned a little of the

enormous hedges they would almost immediately grow back, not

giving me time to pass through and I gave up this idea quickly not

wanting to burn through my mana for nothing. So I chose a road and

I started walking throwing some goblin loincloths along the way

every few dozen meters or so in case I reach a dead end or start

making cycles I won't waste time until I figure it out. And so I walked

and walked and walked some more not encountering anything and

also not finding any dead ends either. After wasting about 20

minutes walking without results I stopped and started to think 'This is

Athena we are talking about, she wouldn't be known as the Goddess

of wisdom and a known hardass if she were one dimensional, I have

to be cunning and sly like a ninja to survive this, I have to look

underneath the underneath' .

Looking around for a moment trying to notice anything strange, I only

saw the maze hedges and the roads, there was nothing to give me

any idea on how to escape this mind fuck of a maze. As I had this

thought an idea formed in my mind and I remembered the

inscription. ' Beware, for this is no place for the faint of heart and

those of unclear mind'. ' Unclear mind ' I thought 'I have to clear my

mind' and with that realization I focused on my senses and activated

my clairvoyance in full. Instantly I could start to see a slight haze

looking almost mist like obscuring my path forward and making walk

circles around the entrance of the maze. Sighing in exasperation

about the stupid mist (and thanking Kakashi-sensei for his superb life

advice mentally) I collected all but one loincloth that I had thrown in a

circle on the ground and headed for the actual way forward this time.

Immediately an alert from the system sounded in my ear.

+1 WIS For thinking your way out of a difficult problem

Mist Resistance(lv3-Lv6): Because of your divine blood you

have a natural resistance to the mist. Monsters of 5 levels

higher than you and bellow can't fool you with the mist .

Delighted from improving such an important skill and so quickly too I

continued my way into the labyrinth finding a few dead ends here

and there but the loincloths proved useful in navigating the maze.

With some luck I found my way in front of a stone arch 1 hour into

the challenge. The game has been magnanimous enough to give me

a timer. Inside there was an open yard that was full of elevated areas

that you could climb through marble stairs. On top of these there

were mirrors sitting on stone canvases. Some looked like they could

be moved, others could be rotated and the rest were glued to the

ground. In the center of the yard there was an altar -would be the

best description I could give- with a glowing orb that was shooting a

beam of light at a random direction. On the right and left most sides

of the yard were iron gates and lastly right on the opposite site of the

entrance stood a huge stone gate and on top of it there was a grey

jewel that had a black symbol of a sun inside it. The whole place was

guarded by dracaenas. They had the head and torso of women and

the lower bodies were that of a snake, they were equipped with

spears and bows and they numbered to around ten of them. The

three bow users were positioned in three elevated areas while the

rest were on the ground guarding the gates and the altar.

Before I could even think about opening the gate I had to get rid of

the monsters first, that was a given. The bow users had to go first, it

would be stupid to go for the melees and die by an arrow to the

back. Thankfully the challenge wasn't designed for someone with

such a potent ranged weapon as mine. If I had a bow no matter how

good I would be with it (except maybe if I was a hunter) I simply

wouldn't be able to hit them and reload from my quiver at the same

time without the ones on the ground reaching me first, and event

then some could possibly survive an arrow if I didn't hit them in a

vital point making everything more troublesome. Thankfully I had no

such problem, but before I do anything I should see what I had to

deal with.

Dracaena

Gender: Female

Level 21

HP 1500

MP: 500

STR: 60

VIT: 40

DEX : 100

INT:15

WIS: 20

LUC: 5

Info: Dracaenas are monsters with the lower body of a snake

and the top body of a woman. They are descendants of Echidna

and their prowess in battle makes them capable infantry. Their

snake lower bodies give them great speed and maneuverability

and also an extra way to attack and bind their foes. Engage with

caution.

Not so easy after all, I have to watch out for unorthodox attack

patterns and their speed is gonna be a pain but that's for later right

now the bow women are the most important. I took my pistol and

charged it with flames for extra power, then I used clairvoyance for

that sweet accuracy boost and after making sure to mark the

positions of the bow women I took aim for their heads and fired.

Critical hit! Headshot x3

The unfamiliar sounds startled them and it took them a few second

to understand what happened. Though when three bows fell to the

ground and the smell of sulfur filled the air they didn't need any more

prompting and immediately focused on my position. With an enraged

cry they started charging me and I managed to take two more out

before I was in their range, good 5 down and 5 more to go. They had

me surrounded in a half circle. Quickly exchanging the pistol for my

axe I met them in melee, dodging blows and snake tails and making

glancing blows at their bodies scratching them but not really making

any headway, their speedy and flexible bodies dodging my slower

axe strikes with ease. Me on the other hand had taken one deep

wound on my off arm and my right leg though thankfully not deep

enough to lower my mobility.

HP: 500/620

I engaged once more and this time when one of them hit me with a

powerful sideways strike I blocked and let the force carry me back

giving me some breathing room. I then focused my flames on the

axes blades and charged fast. A few paces away from the middle

one I jumped high and came down on her with a powerful strike. She

didn't expect someone of my stature to be so strong so I cut through

her blocking spear and later her body with ease sending her to

Tartarus. Immediately, before the others could make their move I hit

the left one with the side of my axe using expanded force and

throwing her on top her fellow monster freeing my left side for a

moment. After that I made a half spin on the opposite direction with

my body and threw my flame enhanced axe at the two others cutting

them up like a hellish buzz saw. It took me 4 seconds to complete

that whole combo attack. 'Not bad ' I thought and summoning my

axe to my hand I stood ready for the last 2. At this point with their

fear and dwindling numbers it was more than easy to dispatch them,

effectively ending the fight.

Now free of monsters I had the chance to solve the 'puzzle'. I had to

connect the light of the altar to the jewel above the gate, figuring

what it needed wasn't the problem, solving it on the other hand was

harder. Thankfully it wasn't too complicated and I was able to solve it

in 20 minutes and with the 10 minutes that it took me to kill the

monsters I had wasted 1 and a half hours until now. Six and a half

hours left.

+1 INT

+1 WIS

+5000 xp

There were 3 more such yards inside the maze, each time bigger

more complicated and with a few more monsters. Thankfully with

every challenge my experience in not only solving these 'puzzles' but

killing these snake monsters as well grew so I bought time through

efficiency, and the increase in my stats didn't hurt either, axe mastery

too.

+3 INT

+3 WIS

+2 VIT

Axe Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use an axe in battle without

chopping yourself in pieces. +30% dmg with and +15% attack

speed when wielding axes.

+24000 xp

So here I am now climbing some stairs to what is hopefully the last

challenge because with the maze and the yards getting more

complicated as I went further, I wasted 5 hours and 40 more minutes

and I am left with only 50 more minutes before shit hits the fun and

the exit gate closes for the night.

When I reached the top I found myself in an arena resembling the

Coliseum of Rome with the seats positioned in an almost complete

circle and the VIP balconies that completed it. At exactly the other

side of the entrance I came from there where another staircase

leading to what was obviously an astral gate. The scene surprised

me a little considering the hatred Athena had for everything Rome

and for good reason as well in her case. The arena floor was just dry

ground and right in the middle reclining on her tail was a Dracaena

the size of a school bus.

Greater Dracaena "Boss"

Race: Monster

Gender: Female

Level 30

HP: 7000

MP: 800

STR: 250

VIT: 250

DEX: 130

INT: 30

WIS 25

LUC: 15

Info: Dracaenas are monsters with the lower body of a snake

and the top body of a woman. Their snake lower bodies give

them great speed and maneuverability and also an extra way to

attack and bind their foes. This particular one is a

granddaughter of Echidna and as such superior to the ones that

claim more distant relations to the Mother of Monsters. Engage

with extreme caution.

The monster didn't talk, it immediately picked us her giant spear and

attacked me with a downward strike that I dodged. When it hit the

ground a small tremor was created and I couldn't help but gape a bit.

It seems that the strength stat wasn't for decoration. I have to fight

from a distance. I jumped back and I pulled my pistol in my off hand

firing twice at her shoulders and then running again trying to kite her

.

HP: 6300/7000

Damn I was hoping to cripple her but it seems it wasn't meant to be.

I continued like this for a while whittling away at her health while

trying to stay away from melee combat.

HP: 4000/7000

HP: 650/716

Of course, it couldn't last forever. At some point I stayed a bit too

much in one position and she managed to trap me to the wall of the

arena using her superior size to close my escape options. I sent my

gun back to the inventory and I held my axe with both hands. The

moment she used a powerful thrust with her spear trying to skewer

me onto the wall, I used my weapon to redirect the hit to the side,

then used the momentum to make a full body rotation and using

Warfyre, Expanded Force and finally Warlord's Fang a skill that I

admittedly had neglected to use until this point created a humongous

flaming slash that cut one of her hands to the elbow and created an

diagonal slash to her torso not unlike the one Mihawk gave Zoro.

Critical Hit! Crippling strike!

HP: 1500/7000

Her scream of pain was deafening and I used the opportunity to run

to the side and back in the open arena. Unfortunately I

underestimated her and as I was running to the side she got me with

a glancing hit of her tail. I practically flew from the edge of the arena

right in the middle and painfully skidded to the floor.

HP: 5/716

I felt my whole thorax crack and for a few seconds I couldn't draw

breath. I knew though that I didn't have time to lie around, the bitch

wasn't dead after all so I used two health potions and immediately

felt the pain becoming less.

HP: 405/716

I stood up with a groan and I could see the snake whore had done

the same. The look she was giving me was so filled with hatred that

if she was Kryptonian I would actually start to worry. Unfortunately

for her she wasn't so I gave her the middle finger, just because I

could.

She screeched in rage and charged me, spear left to the ground,

apparently too heavy to use with one hand. There was no form or

discipline in her stance any longer. When she came near me she

tried to grab me with her hand in order to squeeze me to death

probably. I dodged to her handless side and hit her in the belly

making her bent over in pain. I used that chance to jump on the

shoulder and grabbed her hair. She stood up again both in pain and

rage and I used the new position of her head to plunge my axe in her

cheek. After that I ignited the blade and started dragging downwards

letting gravity do its thing and slicing her from cheek to butt a la

Kratos. There was no standing up following that.

+2 VIT

+2 DEX

+1 STR

Warfyre(Lv13-Lv15): 300 dmg/sec cost: 16 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv11-Lv13): +33 dmg cost 3mp/sec.

Warlord's Fang(Lv3-Lv4): + 120 dmg/per slash, cost: 29 mp.

Axe Mastery(Lv20-Lv22): Your ability to use an axe in battle

without chopping yourself in pieces. +32% dmg with and +16%

attack speed when wielding axes.

Level: 11 (49000/ 76800)

I didn't have time to admire my new improvements because I had

only 6 minutes before the 8 hours were up and I didn't fancy staying

here a moment longer, so I put my weapon in the inventory to not

weight me down and I run for the gate.

Thankfully the stairs weren't too many and I reached it with 2

minutes to spare.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Scanning. Please wait.

EXIT Gate discovered. Do you wish to enter YES/NO

I pressed Yes, jumped through and found myself in a library. Before I

could react a light shined in front of me and a chest rose from the

ground. When I opened it I found inside a letter and a pair of stylish

bronze reading glasses.

Glasses of the Scholar

+10 WIS

+300% in reading speed

Special: It's all Greek to Me: When you wear these glasses

everything you read will be perfectly translated in Ancient

Greek

Info: A pair of reading glasses made of celestial bronze and

blessed by the Goddess Athena. Their powers give the user a

great edge in all their intellectual pursues. Demigods especially

will benefit from these because they completely bypass their

dyslexia, giving them relief from never ending headaches when

reading, well, pretty much anything. They are nearly

indestructible and can't be removed without the user's

permission.

Nice, with these babies I no longer have to care about dyslexia. Yes

the game gave me my knowledge of the languages I knew in my

past life but just because I can speak them doesn't mean I can read

them without having a splitting headache.

After equipping my new powerful artifact I opened the letter and what

I saw made me furious. Apparently the fucking birds had damaged

the Entry Gate so much that it is now completely unusable.

Thankfully for me, unlike other Gods who may usually have only one

challenge gate out and about, Athena has two, (well only one now

that the current one was destroyed) that she can use to open an exit

for me and saving me from getting trapped here for however long it

would take her to create a new one from scratch. Usually she wrote,

she has many more all around USA and she is using them primarily

for training her young demigods on the road or other demigods that

may stumble upon them or show enough potential to draw her

notice, giving them gifts and generally assisting them to survive. She

also warned me that I shouldn't under any circumstances try to

challenge the other Dungeon when I reach the other side because it

is a Red one and way above my current level (I felt a little faint at

that little bit of information).Apparently I just caught her in a slow

period and she only has that one right now.

Damn, massive respect just for that. That's a Goddess who really

takes her job seriously. First chance I get I will make a damn big

sacrifice to her to thank her and I prayed to her my decision to let her

know how grateful I am. Three minutes later a Red (shudders) gate

opened and the magic sound sounded once again.

PING*

Astral Gate detected. Scanning. Please wait.

Translocation Gate discovered. Do you wish to enter YES/NO

I pressed YES and walked through, finding myself to (surprise,

surprise) another library but I was distracted from the quest results

and my level up.

PING

Quest "Pass your OWLS Test"

Objective: Find the Exit Gate (CLEAR)

Bonus Objective: Escape the test before night falls (CLEAR)

Bonus Objective: Finish the challenge with an hour to spare

(FAIL)

Rewards:

30.000 XP, 2.000$, 10D

Rare Item

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Level Up

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 12 (200/ 115200)

HP: 772 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1414 MPReg= 13mp/min

STR: 109

VIT: 42

DEX: 55(59)

INT:27(37)

WIS: 30(44)

CHA: 21

LUC: 12(17)

Status: 5

Admiring my status for a moment I left my spare points alone to use

them if I really need them and I stepped out to figure out where I

was. Considering this Gate was a Red one I am probably in New

York or somewhere around the area, Athena would need such a

powerful Gate to train really strong combatants after all and

demigods increase their strength only after they go to camp, ergo it

is near camp and I probably saved myself from quite a few hours

traveling on a boring train.

The first thing I saw was a big restaurant and due to my awesome

new glasses I didn't even need to try to understand what it said. It

read Portland's Best Burger. I grinned in glee, I was fucking right, I

am in New Jersey just a hop skip jump away from New York. This is

awesome. I was ready to start dancing in the middle of the street

when I heard something that would haunt my dreams for a few

months.

"Oregon's best beer here, come and have a taste from Oregon's

finest brew"

For a moment I thought I was hallucinating, but after a while I

accepted the truth. I wasn't in Portland, New Jersey but Portland,

Oregon.

In the West Coast.

Practically the symmetrically opposite side of the country compared

to New York

In Oregon.

Fuck my E-Rank Luck

And Fuck Zeus as well!

Poor Alex that was quite a shock indeed, don't you think guys?

Anyway, that's that for this chapter guys I hope you liked it.

Also I haven't posted the full status page at the end because

apparently, some guys really don't like it and they find it

bothersome even though it is at the end of the chapter and they

can just ignore it (eyerolls).

Now that, this is out of the way it is time to say goodbye and

see ya around next time. Cheers

~ ChildeOfWar

I get a new Coat

Chapter 12 is up guys. As always Percy Jackson belongs to

Rick Riordan and all other franchises mentioned to their rightful

owners! Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 12: The Sky gives me the middle finger

05/July/1996 (Because dungeon time difference)

I fumed to myself for hours about my very unlucky situation. I

stopped in a burger house and I started stress eating and by the time

I was done, I was 200 dollars poorer and the rest of the people

looked at me like I was a freak of nature. In their defense, watching a

1,20m little girl devour four Extreme Deluxe Burger's, two large fries

and three Large Colas in the duration of an hour was more than a

little shocking. I only thanked gamer's body for preventing me from

getting fat or I would be the first demigod whale in existence.

After getting a grip of myself, I contemplated on what to do next and

how to proceed. I checked the train schedules and I saw that a train

to Chicago from here wouldn't depart for another week. I couldn't

afford to stay in one place for so long and I didn't even have a place

to stay, I don't think Hermes would be very accommodating if I

started to bother him every other day about finding me empousa

lairs, so I had only one option. I had to take the train again and head

for LA. From there I will take a train east and I will try to reach as

close to New York as possible before shit hits the fan and from there

I will figure something out. Yes I know not the best plan but I didn't

have many options here.

I caught the train to LA without a hitch, my title proving its weight in

gold, so I found an empty compartment and prepared for the 28 hour

long ride, trying to calm the jitters in my body. I was starting relax

when we were nearing San Francisco when an announcement was

blared in the train. Apparently there was a bomb threat and even

though we were reassured that it was a prank, we had to make stop

at San Fran for the police to check the train in order to follow

protocol.

Immediately this announcement sent me on edge. What were the

chances that the train I was riding to LA, a city under Hades purview

and hence a place Zeus couldn't interfere in fear of angering his

brother, being forced to stop before reaching its destination for a

bomb threat of all things without a God having interfered. Quite

literally, no chance in hell. I couldn't even stay in the train, we had to

evacuate for the police to do the search for the non-existent bomb.

As I was disembarking, I was looking right and left trying to find the

monsters that most likely were sent to kill me when I noticed a

peculiar sight. Near the train stood two guys and one girl all around

their mid-teens and they were looking around the passengers for

someone and being completely transparent about what they were

doing, no subtlety at all. Curious I used observe and what I saw

made my blood freeze in my veins. It seems dear ol' Gramps knew

more than one way to skin a Demigod.

Marcus Rivera

Race: Demigod

Gender: Male

Level 15

MP : 900

STR: 35

VIT: 45

DEX: 40

INT: 30

WIS: 15

CHA : 50

LUC : 45

Info: Marcus Rivera is a demigod son of Bacchus and a member

of the 1 st Cohort of the Roman Legion. Together with a son of

Aeolus and a legacy of Juventas, they were sent by the augur to

find a young demigoddess with a lot of potential that the Gods

have taken notice and lead her to the safety of New Rome. He is

anxious to not fail his first mission and hopes he can find the

child before she is devoured by monsters.

That conniving piece of shit had sent the Romans to kill her. Oh they

don't have such plans yet, they only want to protect a young

demigoddess for now but when she steps into New Rome, Terminus

is going to recognize a Greek demigod with a single look and then

the shit are going to hit the fan. The Romans are a prejudiced lot and

very set in their ways, if they find an existing child of Greece, they

won't even blink before they put her head on the chopping block, and

even if they don't Zeus can punish her for revealing the existence of

the separate types of Demigods to the Romans and even if it wasn't

her fault the vicious cunt only needs an excuse. She is pretty sure

that a lightning bolt will fry her before the other Gods even get to

know what happened and by the time they do, she would already be

in Hades.

She has to hide and buy time until the inspection is over, she can't

afford to be found, she will have to defend herself from them and

there is no way she is killing them. First because she refuses to kill

innocent children just because Zeus is an asshole and tricked them

or ever for that matter, and second because she has no plans to piss

off even more Gods by killing their children in cold blood without

provocation. So hide it is.

The plan was going well, she found herself in some toilets and she

had been hiding there for about 3 hours. They were the male side

too, after all who would think to look for a female child in the men's

bathroom. Unfortunately when petty Gods are involved anything is

possible. The son of Bacchus actually went into the toilets to do his

own business because the he had drank too much cool laid

apparently and he saw her.

"Hey little one, my name is Marcus and I am here to help you, I am a

-" I didn't let him continue, I put a panicked look on my face and I

punched him in the gut with almost all my strength. He bended over

and I hit him at the back of his neck with a much lighter strike

rendering him unconscious. I hid his passed out form inside one of

the private areas of the bathroom that in hindsight I should have hid

into and run for it. Thankfully the inspection was over and I

immediately boarded again hiding myself inside a private family

compartment. Twenty minutes later the train departed and I let out a

sigh of relief for the first time this day, making a promise to myself

that when I become strong enough I will make sure to pay Zeus back

for all the problems he caused me and he was most like to cause me

in the future as well. After all I am a gamer and I have many worlds

to collect power from. As long as I survive the challenges ahead, it

will only be a matter of time. And with that happy thought I let myself

fall to sleep the distant sound of thunder music to my ears.

A few hours later, I reached LA and the night was starting to fall. I

disembarked and quickly let the station trying think of a place to

crash for the night reassured at least that inside this city Zeus could

not touch me. A little while later I sat in a café and tried to buy time in

order to think up a solution in my accommodation problem when I

had a very surprising guest take the seat on the other side of my

table. He was tall and very handsome. Dressed in a very expensive

tailored black suit and with a skull ring on his finger, he had the look

of someone important and powerful, like a CEO or a politician.

Hades Aidoneus

Race: God

Gender: Male

Affiliation: Greek Underworld

Level: ?

HP: ?

MP: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

CHA: ?

LUC: ?

Info: Hades is the King of the Underworld and the God of Dead

and Riches . You are not strong enough to know more.

I froze for a moment, I couldn't find a reason as to why the Lord of

the Dead would take notice of me much less come to meet me

himself. Usually if the Gods wanted something or wanted to punish

someone they send intermediaries in their stead, so this situation

was very strange indeed. Thankfully my self-preservation instincts

kicked in and I bowed to him as much as our current area allowed

me to at least.

"Lord Hades" I said with a slight bow, my gamer's mind hiding the

nervousness from my face.

"Alexandra Bellum, I was surprised to see you in my city, I would

have thought the latest star of Olympus would already be wasting

away in Camp Half-Blood by now." he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Star ?" I asked, I didn't understand what he meant. When did this

happen? And most importantly. Why did no one tell Zeus?

My question surprised him it seems and he answered with an

amused smile.

"On the summer Solstice, Cernunnos sent the recordings of your

dive in his dungeon and they had it played in front of the whole

council and the minor Gods that were there as guests for the

celebrations, you have become quite famous indeed since then and

at such a young age too". The look of my face must have been

particularly funny because he started laughing.

Me on the other hand, I wasn't laughing. It would seem that Zeus

didn't come after me because I did something to offend him after all.

The bastard has been trying to off me because of his inferiority

complex. All that fear, all that running because the bastard is

paranoid enough to think I would ever want his stupid throne. I was

pissed, I was furious and I was trembling in rage, the fires in my soul

were coming out in little sparks around my hands and I was doing

everything in my power to keep them at bay.

Hades seeing my reaction actually froze for a second and then he

gripped my shoulder squeezing it a bit.

"Calm yourself child, I don't know why you reacted like this but

burning the whole place to the ground is not a way to solve your

problem" he unleashed a bit of his aura as well snapping me out of

my thoughts and then I explained to him why I had that reaction to

his words.

"Typical idiot, seeing enemies and threats everywhere he looks, all

the while alienating everyone around him. It seems killing children is

his favorite past time these days." he said with a bitterness in his

voice that if I didn't have my meta-knowledge I would be completely

confused about, but as it was I understood. He was talking about

Bianca and Nico.

"Anyway, now that you had your little moment it is time I explain to

you my reason of approaching you" he said with a serious look on

his face making me straiten myself up and give him my undivided

attention. After all it wouldn't do to offend another of the big three,

but what he said next surprised me.

"To understand the reason of my visit here you have to know a few

things first. So I have a question for you. Do you know why World

War 2 started?" his question was completely off the left field and I

paused. This is Hades, he wouldn't come all the way here to talk to

an insignificant demigoddess about history without having a good

reason for it, so I answered the best way I could. I said to him what is

publicly known. The world started when the half-blooded children of

Big Three started to fight against each other. On one side Hades and

on the other Zeus and Poseidon, with Hitler being his son and the

war ending with his loss, prompting the Big Three to make some kind

of Pact to have no more half-blood children anymore because they

cause too much damage to the world with their powers.

As I talked, the look on his face become more and more amused and

when I was done, what he said to me caused my eyes to pop out of

my skull.

Hades then explained that the history was written by the victor and in

this case Zeus. By vilifying his name and the little contact he usually

has with the outside world as well as the reputation Death gods have

in the Greek pantheon because of the aforementioned bastard none

actually asked his side of the story and he couldn't exactly start

shouting it either for reasons that were explained next.

Apparently Zeus had one of his children follow Persephone when

she was coming back to her husband in secret through her special

gate and into the Underworld. He was gifted a special item from his

father that made him unnoticeable to the Gods for a few hours

before becoming inert and had him carry with him a trio of spikes

with him that were actually parts of the chains of Enkidu, a powerful

artifact that can bind completely even Kronos in his full strength,

though how he found such an obscure item from a faded pantheon

he didn't know. Through the use of rituals and by dipping them in the

blood of three true innocents (and I didn't even want to contemplate

who constitutes as true innocent) he created a binding curse that

when all three pikes are plunged in a Gods realm, they bind a huge

part of the Gods power and influence rendering them as husks of

their former selves and give the bound power to the one who created

the curse, effectively empowering him and making him even stronger

against his weakened foe. That's what Zeus did and also killed a

child of his that was accusing Zeus of hurting his father which

prompted Hades to become apoplectic in rage and that led to the

War that followed and all the problems that happened until today. By

the time all was said and done he was even weaker from extending

even more power in order to assist his children in the War and he

couldn't say anything because if the vultures of other pantheons and

his personal enemies and rivals knew what has been done to him,

they wouldn't hesitate to try to usurp him and take his place and so

he remained to this day silent and unable to find a solution to his

problem because the chains were virtually indestructible. They need

special powers he didn't have and didn't dare to ask the people that

did. Until I came into the picture at least. My Flames of War are

apparently destructive enough to undo the spell, not because of my

personal power but because they work as key against that particular

artifact. Like how the dwarves created an indestructible chain to bind

Fenrir the Wolf by using a few impossible things like the roots of a

mountain or the saliva of a bird, the chains of Enkidu were created

by using the Flames of War that were impossible to create anything

other than ruin and destruction, making them one of the strongest

anti-divine items in existence, magnitudes more powerful than even

the chains of Hephaestus that were used to bind Hera.

With every word he uttered I became more and more horrified with

what I heard. I couldn't believe that someone would be so depraved

to bind his brother like that for power and then cause a war that killed

millions of people only to preserve his own self interests. It was

made abundantly clear that at some point Zeus needed to go. That

type of monster never learns and he will continue to cause problems

until he is put down and also explained why Hades couldn't hide his

children in the Underworld. It was both to prevent them from fulfilling

the prophecy but also because he was not strong enough anymore

to shield them from his brother.

I said I wanted to help him but before I could continue he had to

explain to me a few things first. The chains cannot be broken all at

the same time because the power they absorb has to come

gradually back to the Underworld or there would be untold

destruction because of the power overload and it will be needed 1

and a half month intervals between each broken chain, making me

have to stay inside the Underworld for three months in order to

complete the quest. Apparently there are too many monsters inside

this city, being the closest to an entrance of Tartarus and as such I

wouldn't survive outside alone. The problem with this is that time

Godly realms as I have experienced before work differently than in

the mortal world. One month in the underworld is the equivalent of a

year in the mortal world. It was also why Hades was enraged when it

was decided that he would have to share his wife with her mother for

half a year each. For him it would be only half a month that he could

effectively spend with her but for her mother it would be six whole

months, cheating him once again for something that shouldn't even

be. After all when a woman gets married, she lives with her husband

not her mother.

PING*

Legendary Quest: Release the Power of Hades

Objective: Break the chains that steal the powers of Hades from

him.

Rewards:

?, ?, ?

Failure:

DEATH

YES/NO

I hesitated for a moment. If I accepted this quest I would effectively

be stunting myself and my growth for three whole years denying me

a whole lot of time of preparation for the wars to come but also and

most importantly, it reeked of higher power intervention. If I stop

growing for three years I would be 7 and a half by the time of the

summer solstice of 1999 and my age would be around the same with

the main cast of the book. Could I allow myself to be manipulated

like this? This situation had the hands of the Fates all over it, but at

the same time could I allow Hades to suffer like that and more

importantly allow Zeus such an edge in the future? The answer is no.

Zeus has already made himself clear of his opinion of me and

weakening him by taking back the power he has stolen would be an

excellent payback for all the trouble he caused me. For Now So I

accepted.

Following my acceptance Hades said that he will grant me a guest

room in his palace but before that there were two things we would

have to take care of.

First was the food. I couldn't eat food from the Underworld so he

would buy me plenty of food for me to have in my inventory, plenty

enough to last me more than 3 months.

Second, we had to decide my rewards. He said he will grant me

three boons, one for each chained pike destroyed and we would

both swear on the River Styx so none can trick the other. He had

been bitten too many times to trust anyone on their word anymore.

And so it was done.

For my first boon I asked him to send my mother to Elysium. I knew

that even though my mother was a very good person and I loved her

she simply hasn't done something heroic enough to achieve that and

there is no way I will let her waste away in Asphodel even a minute

more than I had to. He was happily surprised that I didn't ask him to

bring her back and for understanding that there are some things that

even Gods are not allowed to do.

Second, I asked for an item that I can wear that will hide me from the

sight of the sky. He gave me a very big smile at that and also told me

that everything that screws over Zeus is something that he can get

behind.

Third and last, I asked for a big flask filled with the water of the Styx.

He was very reluctant to agree to that and I had to further promise to

never use that water against him or his wife specifically. The water of

the Styx when touching a mortal unless they had dived in the river in

order to take the test for the Curse of Achilles dissolves their soul

instantly, erasing them from existence. Immortals on the other hand

if they willingly cross through river they sacrifice their immortality and

domains becoming simple mortals forever. Getting touched by the

water won't take away their immortality but it will weaken them so

thoroughly that for the next lunar cycle they would be as powerful as

a weak demigod. I possessing that flask can give a lot of trouble to

an immortal and that's why I wanted it. It was an extra insurance

against the pettiness of the Gods.

Deal done and supplies bought I headed for the underworld and after

I settled in my room I was led to the fields of Punishment by Hades

himself together with the Furies. The pikes were placed in all three of

the different areas of the place and he thought it better to be done

quickly with the most gruesome place first.

The sight was terrifying. Everywhere I looked I saw people getting

punished in many different ways. From simple physical punishments

like torture to very esoteric ones like the one of Tantalus. I even saw

a guy tied to a chair and made to listen Opera 24/7 in full blast, it

was a little funny that one.

A ten minute walk later and I had before me a pike with chains

coming on top having been shoved inside the ground and pulsing

with a blue and purple light. Immediately I got to work. I gripped the

pike and I started focusing my flames on it trying to destroy it. I sat

there for about 3 hours focusing my flames, but by the time my mana

was completely gone there were only very few cracks on the pike. I

immediately tried to apologize to him from failing but he waved me

off and told me that he didn't expect me to achieve it in a day and

that I had to do this to more times to manage to break it. Relieved

that I wouldn't be becoming the newest resident of the Fields we

returned to the palace for me to rest for tomorrow and him to

continue to oversee his domain.

For the next three months minus the time I spent breaking the chains

I used my time to train my stats (physical through exercise and

mental through the library in the palace),Warlords Fang that I

promised to myself that I wouldn't neglect again and naturally doing

such a demanding exercise with my flames they gained many levels

too.

+1 STR

+8 VIT

+6 DEX

+8 INT

+3 WIS

Warfyre(Lv15-Lv17): 340 dmg/sec cost: 14 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv13-Lv15): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +35

dmg cost 3mp/sec

Warlord's Fang(Lv4-Lv10): A long raged slash used by focusing

your mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and

swing. Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut

armies in twain with a single slash of their blades. + 300

dmg/per slash, cost: 47 mp. WARNING: When combining it with

Warfyre this skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the

flame. Cost: 63mp

I even gained a new perk for reaching 50 on Vitality. An awesome

one at that.

Uzumaki Clan (I): Through this perk you gain a small part of the

Uzumaki's great vitality. Doubles the amount of vitality gained

for every 5 points of VIT. ( 7- 14).

Now my stats look so much more badass than before.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 12 (2000/ 115200)

HP: 1780 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1414 MPReg= 14mp/min [ I know that Mp stayed the same but

I had made a mistake on previous chapter, now it is correct ]

STR: 110 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 50 (Your health points, gives you 14 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 61(65) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:35 (your ability to absorb and retain information as well as

your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 33(47) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 21 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12(17) (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 5

So here I am now on my last day in the Underworld focusing my

flame for the final time on the last pike. With a shout and explosion of

my flames the last pike shattered. The difference became apparent

immediately. Grey energy started coalescing everywhere filling the

whole dimension with power, the feeling it radiated was quite

peaceful, like a good rest after a long day of work and Hades

practically exploded with power. Previously he looked like a very

handsome mortal that was used to power. Now he became power

incarnate, shadows were creating a black aura around him and the

whole placed trembled in his presence. I felt to my hand and knees

unable to stand in front of such behemoth and I gritted my teeth

doing everything I could so I did not pass out. Thankfully it only

lasted a minute and I could stand again.

New skill acquired: Aura of Dominance(Lv1-Lv10): Unlocking

this skill you can sense the auras of everyone around you in a 5

meter radius. Actively using this skill you can project your own

aura of dominance and make those weak of will falter and fall to

their knees. Active use cost 100 MP

"Excellent work Alexandra, I finally feel like myself again, thank you"

he said with a small smile that I couldn't help but return.

"Don't mention it Lord Hades, it was the right thing to do" I said and

his grin turned a little playful at that.

"The rewards where quite an incentive as well I believe" I smirked at

him and I answered honestly

"Yes they were an incentive, but after I learned the truth I would have

done it even without a reward you just offered me the boons before I

could accept and I didn't mention that little fact" impish grin taking

over my face and after he stared at me for a second, probably to

judge if I told the truth, he turned his head to the ceiling and started

laughing uproariously.

"Well played child, well played and as promised your rewards, your

mother is already moving in Elysium" he said as he handed over a

flask as big as my torso and a black and silver hooded coat that went

to the middle of my thighs.

Styx Water Flask

Info: A flask containing water from the River of Mortality. The

water is capable of destroying both mortals and immortals alike

in different ways. For the truly knowledgeable it can be an

ingredient of many and great possibilities.

Coat of Shadows

+ 10 DEX

Special: Shadows Embrace: When wearing this coat and its

hood, if you stand unmoving in a shadow you become invisible

Special: Bane of the Sky : Those who wear this coat can

become undetectable by all sky deities or sky entities. Cannot

hide from primordials.

Info: An enchanted coat made by Hades and gifted as a boon to

Alexandra Bellum. It has the power to hide the wearer in the

shadows and more importantly completely obscures them from

any and all beings of the sky, even deities. The cloak is

extremely durable and in case of taking damage it will mend

completely in 8 hours. Primordials can bypass these

enchantments.

PING*

Legendary Quest: Release the Power of Hades

Objective: Break the chains that steal the powers of Hades from

him. (CLEAR)

Rewards:

700.000 XP, Flask, Coat

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Level Up x3

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 15 (163000/382000)

HP: 2200 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 1705 MPReg= 14mp/min

STR: 134

VIT: 50

DEX: 61(75)

INT:35

WIS: 33(47)

CHA: 21

LUC: 12(17)

Status: 20

With my quest done and boons acquired it was time for me to leave.

Hades didn't want me to stay in the Underworld more than

necessary, he said that I had lost a lot of growing time as it is so with

a cordial goodbye he gave me a black pearl and told me to crush it

and it would lead me outside of DOA Studios. As I crushed the pearl

excited about my new levels and stats I was completely ignorant to

the shit storm I unleashed on Olympus.

Meanwhile Olympus - Summer Solstice

21/June/1999

"….. and if there are no other pressing matters I believe it's time to

begin the celebrations of this year's Summer Solstice" said Zeus with

a superior smile on his face.

Hera, Queen of the Gods had an empty look in her eyes trying to

keep herself together and with dignified.

The rest of the Gods major and minor where relieved that the boring

part was over and were ready to start either retiring to their temples

or having fun in the party that was soon to follow.

Everything was going fine until something strange happened. On

Zeus left middle finger that was adorned with a blue sapphire with a

black band, the ring started glowing and getting hot. Zeus tried to

remove it but it was impossible and the glowing turned from the

previous blue to a very intense red. At this point the King of the Gods

was screaming in agony, the red glow had engulfed his whole hand

and it felt like his very soul was on fire.

The rest of the Gods didn't know what to do, some of them were

trying to help the King and relieve him of his pain but most them

were putting a fake concerned look but on the inside were laughing

in glee in seeing the 'Almighty King' on his knees screaming in

agony.

This scene continued for a few more minutes when a litteral aura of

red flames engulfed the God completely and then a huge amount of

Grey energy left him for parts unknown.

When it was done, the King was unconscious on the floor looking

like he was 80 years old instead of the usual 35 and the hand that

contained his ring was burned to ashes a black stump taking its

place.

Amongst those gathered Ares, God of War felt exactly what these

flames were and whom they belonged to and was wondering what

he should do. Should he punish the little missing brat for causing so

much trouble or showering her in gifts for giving him such excellent

entertainment? After a moment of deliberation he decided on a

mixture of both. After all, the bastard deserved whatever he got and

he had to punish her for disappearing for three years without giving a

sign of life.

So how did you like it guys? Tell me your opinion in the

comments. See ya next time. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

I create a Dream Team!

Welcome to my latest chapter guys. I hope you like it, I put a lot

of work in it. As always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan

and all other franchises and references to their rightful owners.

I await your thoughts in the reviews. Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 13: My Dad is a Hardass !

With my latest quest done and over with, it is time to hit the road

once more. This time I didn't even attempt to take the train. Now that

I was invincible to the eyes of Zeus, the only way to track me would

be through the trains that until that moment I used exclusively. It

wouldn't do to become predictable.

So I hit the road and started heading north again. To further muddle

my tracks and also since now I didn't have a faster transportation, it

would be suicide to head east through the deserts of the South. I

wouldn't be able to find shelter anywhere and the heat would be

unbearable. So I started heading to Seattle and from there to North

Dakota and further east.

I was on the road for a few days and I had stopped to a town outside

San Francisco for the night in a park, using a sleeping bag I bought

from LA for comfort when I heard an owl's hot from above me.

I looked up and I saw a grey owl looking at me and in it's talons was

a letter. I raised my hand for the bird to land on and opened it,

amused by the apparent fascination Athena had for the Harry Potter

books.

It seems from what she wrote to me, a child of hers had run away

from home at a very early age and she wanted me to find her and

protect her while we head to camp, promising me a gift when I

complete this quest.

I was stumped, a child on the road would be a big handicap. I would

have to take care of them and protect them from whatever monsters

attack and any other bullshit the Gods throw my way. But I couldn't

really live with myself if a child died because I bulked on some extra

responsibility, and furthermore it was Athena that I asked me of this

favor. She saved my life from the Stymphalian birds and it would be

really ungrateful of me if I denied her now. Looking at the bird I said.

"I accept. You saved my life before so it is only right that I help one of

your children now. I don't want a reward for this either, but if you can,

try to keep others from interfering with this quest. It seems I have

some enemies among the immortals and I can't guarantee that I

would be able to protect your child from all of them."

Heroic Quest

Main Objective: Find the child of Athena and lead her to the

safety of Camp-Halfblood

Bonus: ?

Rewards:

3000$, 100D, 500.000 XP, ?

?, ?, ?

Failure:

Death of your charge and yourself

YES/NO

The moment I finished the owl's eyes turned from a yellow color to a

stormy gray for an instant and with an affirmative hoot started

leading me to the city.

It took me until the middle of the afternoon to reach San Francisco

and by then I was kind of exhausted from the fast pace I took. At

least I had some good gains from this.

+3 VIT

Mist Resistance(Lv6-Lv8): Because of your divine blood you

have a natural resistance to the mist. Monsters of 7 levels

higher than you and bellow can't fool you with the mist .

It seems Athena has covered me in Mist to hide me better, and once

again proving me how awesome she was compared to the other

Gods, my absentee father included.

After resting to a nearby park for a bit and getting a bite to eat, I

started to follow the owl once again.

I have been searching for about an hour when my ring started

glowing. I cursed, monsters are nearby and my urgency to find the

child has increased tenfold. I noticed the owl flying faster and I

followed at my top speed, grateful to Hades for the extra DEX his

coat gave me.

About 10 minutes later I was led between two tall buildings deep

inside the commercial area of the city. That is where I found my

charge, behind a dumpster and when I used observe I wanted to

curse once more. It seems the shit has hit the fan once again.

Annabeth Chase "Future Architect"

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Level: 4

MP: 430

STR: 3

VIT: 5

DEX: 4

INT: 25

WIS: 17

CHA: 7

LUC: 9

Info: Annabeth Chase is a demigod daughter of Athena. After

running away from home because of her hateful stepmother,

she was contacted in a dream by her real mother and was told

that someone will come to help her. She feels hungry and

scared and hoping that help will come soon.

Of all the demigods that I had to meet, the main heroine of the series

and probably the only reason Percy managed to survive until the end

was not what I had in mind when I started this quest, though I should

have known better. Now the responsibility is even larger because if

something happens to Annabeth, then you can kiss cannon goodbye

and even more Percy will never manage to finish even his first quest

without her, and the less said about Kronos the better.

"Hey kid, are you Annabeth?" I said, my tone was kind of gruff I

know but I didn't know how to talk to children, I am a warrior not a

kindergarten teacher.

"Who are you, what do you want?"She instantly turned to my

position, a small hammer raised in defense, her look full of fear and

suspicion. I raised an eyebrow at the glaring kitten look she had

going, not wanting to show my amusement at the super cute

expression of her face.

"Your mother sent me to help you. She guided me here through one

of her familiars." I continued showing her the owl that had sat on top

of the dumpster.

"Can you see the monsters too? Can you fight them?" she asked,

giving me a measuring look that conveyed that I didn't inspire much

confidence.

Smirking at the cheeky brat for her attitude, I pulled out my axe to

show her that I meant business and the look of her face at my magic

trick as well as my badass weapon was so hilarious that I couldn't

help but start laughing, causing her to start pouting and glaring at

me.

Not wanting to have a moody brat following me around for the

forseable future I decided to appease her.

"Here, take this sword, it will serve you way better that that little

hammer you got there." I said, tossing her my enchanted short

sword I won from the goblin Boss.

She took the blade and started examining it, looking impressed by

the weapon, and I decided to give her some more boost in her

morale.

"This is not some simple blade. It was made by a fairy blacksmith in

the fairy land. Do you see those runes? They are runes of power

keeping the blade strong and ever cutting" I boasted up the blade

completely withholding the fact that it wasn't some impressive

enchanting, but for a little girl it was like I gave her the sword of Ares

and as a result lowered her fear and made her trust me more, which

was my goal in the first place, aside from arming her in order to

defend herself that is.

Done with admiring her new blade, she came out from behind the

dumpster started following me. Halfway out of the alley we heard

furious barks coming from the road, as well as cursing and running

feet.

"Turn right. here in the alley, we have to hide." We heard the voices

closing in and instantly I acted.

I grabbed Annabeth and after pushing her and myself on a

shadowed area of the alley I covered us with my cloat making us

invinsible. Hopefully if monsters come looking they will find no one

and will leave, give me breathing room to make a run for it. If it was

any other case I would just jump into the fray and slay them. I was

on a level that a few hellhounds are not a threat to me, but Annabeth

complicated things. I couldn't afford to put her to danger with me

recklessness.

A moment after covering us in my invisibility, I saw a couple of

teenagers coming inside the alley looking exhausted and out of

breath. They had their backs turned to us and they only thing I could

deduce was that they were one boy and one girl. Thankfully the

hellhounds continued to run ahead losing them for a moment and

giving me the chance to figure out if they were a threat or not.

Yes I know what most would say. They are demigods, why would

they be threats to you? And I would reply that monsters are not only

those with fangs and claws. You can't just trust someone just

because they are a fellow demigod, especially on the road. Who

knows what kind of nutjobs are walking around. Surprisingly I

thought with a roll of my eyes, the demigod profession doesn't help

in the saneness department all that much.

Done with my inner monologue, I silently approached them from

behind and I put my gun on the side of the boys head circling my

forearm around his neck to prevent him from moving or biting me.

"Hello there" I said in the chirpiest voice I could manage.

Instantly the boy froze and the girl jumped away and pulled a

celestial bronze spear from her side holding it in a defensive stance

and glared at me with blue eyes.

"Who the fuck are you, why are you attacking us?" said the girl to me

while noticing Annabeth hiding behind me and we both ignored the

boy that continuously chanted 'please don't shoot' in a very wimpy

voice.

It was at this moment that I felt that the Fates where fucking with me

and I cursed them in the deepest void.

Thalia Grace "Runaway"

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Level: 10

HP: 310

MP: 1370

STR: 52

VIT: 15

DEX: 12

INT: 10

WIS: 55

CHA: 15

LUC: 2

Info: Thalia Grace is the first daughter of Zeus since World War

2. After having a fight with her mother Beryl because of the

disappearance of her brother Jason she run away from home

and has been on the road for 2 years now. She feels terrified for

her friend's life and doesn't know what to do.

Ignoring the sheer unfairness of her status, and especially her mana

I continued.

"My name is Alex and this is my friend Annie and we are demigods" I

said surprising them both and I continued "Now that I introduced

myself tell me who you are and what are you doing here" giving me

a glare she complied

"I am Thalia Grace and this is Luke Castellan and we are also

demigods, we run away from some hellhounds chasing us and tried

to hide here, what I don't understand is why you are threatening us."

she said through gritted teeth, almost shouting the last part.

"What, do you think just because you are demigods I will just trust

you on sight? You have no idea what kind of nutjobs I have met on

the streets, and most of them weren't the type that just wanted to eat

me." I said with a sneer.

At my words she stopped glaring for the first time and spoke to me in

a clam voice, which surprised me because she was known for being

quite prideful and easy to anger "And how can we reassure you that

we mean you and your friend no harm?"

"Both of you swear on the Styx that you mean no harm to us and I

will let you go" I replied. And yes I know they would not harm us, but

it would be suspicious if I just let them go without some kind of

ultimatum and this oath would not harm them because it is true.

After both swearing the oath and the thunder in the distance

confirming it, I set Luke free and he instantly jumped away, his face

having taken a green hue due to his fear. The wimp.

Luke Castellan "Expert Thief"

Race: Demigod

Gender: Male

Level: 9

HP: 289

MP: 529

STR: 20

VIT: 18

DEX: 48

INT: 9

WIS: 7

CHA: 22

LUC: 5

Info: Luke Castellan is a son of Hermes. He run away from

home at a young age to escape his mother's insanity. He hates

his father for abandoning both him and his mother and has a

secret crush on his best friend Thalia. He is feeling relieved for

not getting shot and thinks you are a very intense little girl.

"What now?" said the wimp as we were standing opposite to each

other. On one side them and on the other me and Annie. We were

seizing up eachother when we were interrupted by the hungry roar of

a lion.

*GUURGLE*

Pausing for a moment we looked as one to Annabeth's direction

watching her have a very red face while holding her stomach and

refusing to look up.

Sharing a glance with the others, we started laughing, whatever

tension there was disappearing before Annie's adorableness.

"Well, it seems that now it is time for some food and considering the

scare I gave you I guess it is my treat. Come, some burgers should

be perfect right now" I said with a grin making the rest nod in

happiness at the free food. Truly food can fix everything.

After a good meal that my three fellow demigods devoured like a

pack of starving beasts, we settled down and started exchanging

stories about each other.

They told me about running away from home and their time on the

road which I already knew but it is good to gain some perspective

from the source and were very sympathizing of Annabeth's plight.

Finally it was time for me to share.

"So Alex, what's your story?" asked Luke and I answered.

"Well, my full name is Alexandra Bellum and I am a daughter of

Ares, God of War and…" I told them my story from my mother's

death, all the way to now. I of course didn't mention anything about

Hades predicament. I told them that I found myself into another Gate

and at the end 3 years had passed. I wasn't stupid enough to

implicate myself in that shits storm of divine proportions.

"… and after that, you came into the alley and here we are." I

finished and the three demigods beside me looked at me like I was

an alien from outer space.

"Damn, and I thought our lives were exciting" said Thalia, a look of

respect in her eyes.

"So, what are you going to do after this?" asked Luke.

"Well, I have to finish my Quest, don't I? I have to safely lead Annie

to Camp."

"Camp?" they all asked, unable to understand how a camp could

possibly protect a demigod from monsters.

"It is a camp blessed by the Gods to protect all Greek demigods from

monsters. It is practically the only safe place in the world for people

like us." I replied making the older demigods widen their eyes in

surprise.

"And where is that Camp? Why in our years on the road no one sent

even a message to tell us about it?" asked Luke, a bitter tone in his

voice that also caused Thalia to scowl a little.

"That, I don't know. I learned about Camp from Wisteria, the nymph

that took care of me when I started my journey." and I continued

"You can come with us if you wish, the more the merrier and the

safest we would be in numbers."

After thinking about it for a moment, they both accepted and we

headed for Seattle. I also bought them some sleeping bags for all

three of them and some clothes and other essentials because they

were completely broke. All in all, together with all other expenses

since LA I had spent about 1500 dollars. Not that I cared all that

much for money. The game will give me more when I finish this

quest.

It took us three months to reach there. The road was harsh in the

summer heat and the monsters didn't help matters either. Because

of our combined demigod scent and Thalia's powerful one besides,

monsters were coming one after the other. If it wasn't for my ring that

served as an early warning system, we would have been running like

headless chickens around to escape them. Now though, we knew

how close they were and we were making ambushes and traps

killing them in droves.

The increase in stats and skills by the time we reached Seattle was

significant, and by the way monsters were chasing us, it doesn't look

like it would be stopping anytime soon.

+3 VIT

+1 STR

+2 DEX

Warfyre(Lv19): 380 dmg/sec cost: 12 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv15-Lv17): 37 DMG cost 3mp/sec

Warlord's Fang(Lv10-Lv11): 330 DMG cost 50mp

Axe Mastery(Lv22-Lv26): Your ability to use an axe in battle

without chopping yourself in pieces. +36% dmg with and +18%

attack speed when wielding axes

And last but definitely not least, because I had the two older

demigods to be my frontline fighters I finally managed to aquire a

skill that I wanted for the moment I finished my first dungeon.

Gun Mastery(Lv20): Your ability to use modern firearms. +40%

dmg when using guns.

So here we are now, just a couple of miles outside of Seattle, when

we started hearing a loud sound in the distance. It was something

akin to a tanks going for a joyride and I didn't like it one bit. The

others looked at me but my ring wasn't shining, meaning this wasn't

a monster. It didn't take a long time to see who it was.

It was a man riding a Harley Davidson that looked to be the size of a

small elephant. He was handsome I suppose, in a ragged sort of

way, with short cropped black hair. He was wearing jeans, black

boots and a Black Sabbath "War Pigs" T- shirt. The scars on his face

was giving him a dangerous look and the two red suns that were his

eyes were more than enough clue on who this guys was. I didn't

need my observe to figure it out.

Ares "Master Antagonizer"

Race: God

Gender: Male

Affiliation: Olympus

Level: ?

HP: ?

MP: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

CHA: ?

LUC: ?

Info: Ares is the Greek God of WAR, BLOODLUST, HONOR and

MANLINESS. You are not strong enough to know more.

"Well well, look what we got here. Three brats and a super brat all in

one place, it seems it is my lucky day." he said, his tone all menace

and his grin full on bloodthirsty mode.

The others immediately tensed and pulled their weapons out, ready

to fight, but my next words made them freeze.

"Hello, daddy dear, you don't call, you don't write, I thought for a

moment you forgot about me." I said with a dry voice at my asshole

father I hadn't seen in my life until this moment.

"Hello to you too super- brat. You have been raising hell these past

few years, I am very proud of your progress, I have been watching

you through all your adventures." He said making a certain

emphases on 'all' causing my blood to run cold. I didn't know what he

wanted but I was sure it wasn't to snitch me on Zeus, because if that

was the case then I would already be dead.

Before I could respond he waved his hands and caused a small

burrito stand of all things to appear manned by skeletons.

"Take a hike brats, I want to talk privately with my daughter." causing

me to widen my eyes in surprise as a red symbol with a boar and a

spear appeared above my head. This was the first time he called me

his daughter since we met, the first time he recognized me officially

as his own child.

New Title: Daughter of Ares : +20% exp to all combat skills.

+1000 HP and MP. You don't need to have this title equipped for

it to work.

After I nodded at the others to go to eat and rest I turned back to the

asshole in front of me.

"What do you want?" I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep

myself from carving his head open with my axe.

"Relax super-brat I mean you no harm" a pause "well too much

harm" he added with a grin.

"I want you do a little challenge for me, I will open a gate for you and

when you complete it I will reward you. What do you say?" he asked

with a grin as if abandoning my current quest and started gallivanting

around dungeons was the best think I should at the moment. As if.

He must have seen something on my face because before I could

speak he continued.

"Before you start worrying about the time inside the challenge, you

have to know that by the moment you get inside to the moment you

get out only 5 minutes will have passed. Also you can't refuse. Think

of it as punishment for going of the chart for three years." he said

with a serious face and I couldn't keep some attitude from coming

out.

"And what its to you what I do and where I go. You never cared for

me before, why now?"

"You may never have seen me Alexandra Bellum." he caused me to

flinch at my full name.

"but that doesn't mean that I wasn't watching over you every step of

the way since you reached that grove all those years ago. Do you

think I don't know where every child of mine is every single day? I

always know and I always watch, but usually I can't act, the Ancient

Laws prevent me from doing so.

"A divine parent may not interact with his child except from the most

special of circumstances. An overseer to a challenge though has no

such problems. So get inside the fucking dungeon daughter." he

finished with a cold tone while he waived his hand and summoned a

gate on the side of the road.

I didn't have a choice and I knew it. Who would have thought that

Ares, God of War could actually become a worried father. Will

wonders never cease?

Astral Gate detected. Scanning. Please wait.

Red Natural dungeon discovered.

Do you wish to enter? YES/NO

Side Quest: Challenge of Ares

Objective: Survive

Rewards: 500.000xp, 5000$, 500D, ?

Failure:

Ares disappointment / No rewards

YES/NO

I completely ignored the message. I looked back at the rest of the

team watching as we talked and I sent them a thumbs up and a

reassuring look. Then I pressed YES and I entered the gate.

I appeared to what it could only be an abandoned battlefield. The sky

was red and the ground had not even a single hint of green on it.

There were medieval weapons scattered everywhere and there were

blotches of blood everywhere you looked. (Think of a more

disheveled Unlimited Blade Works without any gear wheels rotating

on the sky)

I pulled out my axe and a zombie warrior appeared 10 meters from

my position.

Zombie Hoplite

Race: Undead

Gender: Male

Level 20

MP: N/A

STR: 80

VIT:100

DEX: 40

INT: 10

WIS: 5

LUC:0

Info: This is an undead warrior from ancient Greece. He was a

member of an army that lost and fell in battle. As a result his

soul has been serving Ares until he can pay his dues and finally

find release.

I didn't give him time to attack. I focused my flames to my axe and

threw it at him, bisecting him and killing him instantly.

After he turned to ashes I summoned my weapon and waited once

more. one minute later two Zombies emerged. I didn't need a prompt

and I killed them too.

And so it went. Every time I killed the zombies that appeared double

their previous number would replace their place and so I fought.

I fought and I fought and there was no end. There came a point that I

was surrounded by enemies. I had my axe in one hand and my pistol

on the other and I lost myself on the kills. I slaughtered and

slaughtered without end, my body a buzz saw of crimson

destruction. I lost my sense of time, only the enemies existed in my

world, the enemies I had to kill. By the time I was done the whole

battlefield have turned from a brown and red color it was before, to

ash grey. The dead zombies ashes had completely covered it.

HP: 200/3410

MP: 50/2885

I was breathing heavily and sweat was drenching my whole body. I

waited for a few minutes but no more enemies appeared. I thought

that it was done, that I won, but it wasn't meant to be.

The ashes around me started to move, like a tornado had caught

them all and the ground started trembling causing me to fall down in

my weakness.

When the tornado ended what appeared before me was something I

couldn't comprehend.

Supreme Zombie General "Boss"

Race: Undead

Gender: N/A

Level: 85

MP: N/A

STR: 3000

VIT: 10.000

DEX: 1000

INT: 30

WIS: 10

LUC: 0

Info: The Supreme Zombie General is a fusion of all the fallen

zombies that had died in a single battlefield. He is ruthless and

unfeeling only obeying his master Ares.

I couldn't believe it. The fucker actually summoned something like

this for me to die to. Was his words from before a lie? Was his plan

to just kill me in an amusing for him way. Was all this fucking

entertainment to him?

With every word I thought and with every question my anger only

grew. By the time I ended my little monologue I was apoplectic in

rage. My fury knew no bounds and the flames exploded from within.

I screamed in absolute fury and a crimson aura surrounded my

whole body. I have never felt such rage before, such WRATH.

STR: 135

VIT: 56

DEX: 63(77)

.

STR: 10.135

VIT: 5056

DEX: 8063(8077)

At this point I was beyond reason. My only goal was to kill what has

hurt me so. So I attacked.

Every swing of my axe brought great cuts of crimson flames the size

of small hills, cutting the very earth asunder. Every punch or kick

caused small gales to appear throwing the zombie a few meters

back. I was relentless, at some point I blocked the Boss's great

sword with my axe causing my form to create a small crater beneath

my feet, but I barely noticed. I gave a shout with my full Aura

Dominance on and used Warlord Fang with all my rage behind. The

sea of flames that appeared only brought a small grin at my lips.

When it was extinguished, I saw my attack had created a canyon in

the middle of the battlefield and the Boss had disappeared. Seeing

this I gave a roar of triumph but the moment I was done the crimson

aura left me and I knew no more.

You have slept in a divine bed. your HP and MP have been

restored to 100%. All ailments and negative status effects have

been cured.

I woke up with a startle, trying to reorient myself. The last things I

remembered was fighting the army of monsters and being extremely

angry then nothing.

"So you finally woke up eh super-brat" I heard an annoying voice

from my side and there he was Ares lounging on armchair looking at

me with a shit eating grin on his face that for some reason really

pissed me off.

"What happened, why did I pass out and why don't I remember it?" I

asked with some gritted teeth.

"What happened is that you awakened your Blessing of Ares and the

power overload shut you down brat." he said with a face that could

possibly be counted as proud if you squinted a bit.

"What do you mean awakened? I thought blessings were granted by

Gods on their whim." I asked confused.

"Normally you would be right, but this particular one of mine is

special. You have to earn it on your own. I can't grant it to whoever I

want, you have to have a certain kill count in battle and then be

completely consumed in rage for you to become eligible for it." he

said, grin never leaving his face.

"And what did I gain from it?" I asked, confused because I didn't feel

any difference aside from being a little bit stronger perhaps.

"Well, when active you can become as strong as a minor God of War

but you are lost in rage when you use it. It is why you don't

remember anything now. Right now you got some minor increase in

your body's potential but other than that nothing. If you manage to

awaken it's full potential you can activate its full power on your own

without needing me to do it and also not lose yourself to it. But its

never been done before so good luck with that brat.

Ignoring the idiot for the moment, I contemplated the new information

and I was very happy with it. From what I could deduce, I got a minor

boost to my stats for now and later WHEN I fully level up the

Blessing I can become a powerhouse in one swift move. Not bad.

"Now if you are done playing dead, I think it is time for your reward

don't you think?"

I looked at him in surprise.

"Wasn't the Blessing my reward?"

"Nope, as I said earlier, you must earn the Blessing. The reward is

something else. Something I have never given any of my mortal

children before. But considering that none of my children mortal or

not have ever awakened the Flames of War then I think it is time for

some more firsts isn't it?" he said with a grin and opened another

gate to somewhere else.

I quickly followed him through the Gate and I found myself to a ranch

full of horses. But these ones were different. They were black as

night, there was not a single hint of color on them. They were huge

as well, easily as big and maybe a little bigger than a Shire horse,

the largest horse breed in existence. I couldn't help myself I gaped at

the beautiful creatures.

"You like brat? This is my personal ranch from time immemorial. I

have been using this particular breed to draw my carriage since I first

learned to ride one, and now you are going to be gifted with one as

your familiar"

"But how am I going to have one with me? Horses are not

particularly subtle you know and I don't think I would be allowed to

bring one of those inside the cities.

"Don't worry brat, as I said, one of them will become your familiar

and you are going to be able to summon it wherever you are from

here and when you don't need it anymore you can send it back

again, also the mist will make them look like a bike or something,

and even then the mortals will ignore you when you ride this guy."

"Then what are we waiting for I am game, let's go"

"That's the spirit brat"

A few minutes of walking late and I find myself in front of a great

stallion that was looking at me with a calm and curious expression

on it's face.

"Go on brat, touch his head and inject some of your magic in him to

mark him as your own."

The moment I did, the horse changed before my eyes. His mane, tail

hair, hooves and eyes caught fire in the crimson Flames of War and I

felt a burning pain in my left inner forearm causing me to fall to my

knees and cry out in pain.

When the dark spots left my eyes and the pain subsided, I looked at

my left arm and I saw an omega symbol in red tattooed on it.

Admittedly it was really cool but I didn't know what it did.

"It is your summoning and ownership mark brat. With this your horse

will obey you and only you. Not even I will be able to ride him without

your consent." Ares answered my question before I could even

vocalize it.

"Now it is time to name it and then I can send you back to your little

friends." he said, this time a little impatiently while looking at the sky.

"What to name you?" I wondered looking at the flaming horse

"Oh I know, I will call you Rapidash" I said with a excited smile .

" HELL NO" Ares shouted in annoyance

"You are not naming one of my fearsome battle horses out of some

fucking Pokemon" He said with a scowl

"Like you didn't make your bike look almost exactly like the Ghost

Rider's bike, you bloody hypocrite" I couldn't help but snark back the

exactly same scowl unknowingly taking over my face as well.

"How dare you, my ride is a completely original idea and anyway my

horses, my rules, you are not naming the fucking horse out of a

Pokemon and that is final" said my shitty father with a stubborn look

thinking I didn't notice how quickly he changed the subject.

"Fine" I shouted back "Your name is Ruin then. A badass name for a

badass horse. Are you happy now?"

"Very happy brat. Now it is time for you to go back, I can't continue

keeping you here for much longer even as an overseer." he said and

instantly summoned a gate back to my friends that I started to walk

at.

"Don't falter brat and become strong, it would be a shame if you

wasted your potential. I will be watching" I heard before my sight was

consumed by the astral gate and I appeared to my friends side once

more. His words probably the closest to be safe, I will watch over

you, Ares could ever utter. Instantly all the alerts that I was excepting

pinged at once.

+550.000 xp (for zombies and the boss)

+4 VIT

+7 DEX

BLESSING OF ARES(1/2): PERMANENT +10 TO ALL STATS

EXCEPT LUCK. ACTIVE +10.000 STR, +5000 VIT, +8000 STR. It

can only be granted by Ares to his children. When active the

user is lost in rage and it can only be activated by Ares himself.

Title: Undead Slayer: When fighting against undead you can

inflict +50% dmg. All undead can be harmed by your hands.

Side Quest: Challenge of Ares

Objective: Survive

Rewards: 500.000xp, 5000$, 500D, Warhorse

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Level up x2

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Street Rat

Level: 17 (342.500/859.500)

HP: 4432 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 3307 MPReg= 16mp/min

STR: 153 (Physical strength, how much weight you can carry)

VIT: 70 (Your health points, gives you 14 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 80(94) (your speed of movement, accuracy)

INT:45(55) (your ability to absorb and retain information as well

as your Mana

6 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 43(57) (Mana regeneration +1 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 31 (overall attractiveness and persuasion)

LUC: 12(17) (Drop rate for items, money and games of chance)

Status: 30

I was extremely happy with my latest progress. I practically doubled

my power in one swift move and I got a sweet ride out of it as well.

With a happy grin I started walking towards my friends, eager to tell

them about my new familiar.

This is it guys. I hope you enjoyed it it and prepare yourselves

for the next one because it is going to be really special. Cheers!

~ ChildeOfWar

Hades is a dick as well!

Welcome to my latest chapter guys. I hope you like it. As always

Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and all other

franchises, references and artworks to their rightful owners. I

await your thoughts in the reviews. Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 14: I make a fireworks exhibition!

I wasn't even halfway to their position before they started running

towards me. Annabeth reached me first and hugged me telling me

how worried she was, a thing that was reciprocated by the other two

and also asking me details about what happened after I entered the

Gate.

So as we started heading to our destination I regaled them about my

latest adventure and the gift from my Father. Predictably they whined

about how lucky I was to be given such a badass gift and they

started pestering me about summoning my horse for them to see. I

had no problem with that. Truthfully I wanted to observe my new

steed, with the whole excitement I forgot to do it and I want to see

what special abilities he has.

After I told everyone to stand behind me, I focused some of my

mana to my summoning sigil and after glowing a deep red for a

moment, my horse emerged from a fire portal right in front of me in

all his glory.

New Skill: Summon Familiar Lv MAX: Your ability to summon

your contracted familiars to your position. WARNING: Warded

areas exist that can block your ability to summon. Cost 200 MP.

Observe!

Ruin

Race: Areistion Horse

Gender: Male

Level 17

HP: 8864

MP: 6614

STR: 306

DEX: 1000 (Base: 250 + 250 every 5 Levels)

INT: 23

WIS: 22

Info: A warhorse from Ares exclusive breed gifted to his

daughter Alexandra Bellum. He is bound to his summoner for

life and his lifespan is as long as hers. The stronger his rider

becomes, the more abilities and power he awakens.

Steed Abilities

Familiar Bond (MAX): Through your bond with ruin you gain a

mental connection that allows you to communicate through

feelings and images. Also, your Strength and Vitality enhances

him adding to his power ( Ruin HP= Alex*2, MP= Alex*2, STR=

Alex*2)

Omni-Runner(MAX): Ruin has the ability to run through all

domains of the planet. He can run on the sky and on top of the

seas as easily as he can on solid ground. (Max speed = 550

km/h)

Wind-Chaser (Lv1): Ruin through the use of his magic can

increase his speed tremendously (Max speed= 1650 km/h). Cost

50 Mp/min

Power Wave (Lv1): Ruin can, through the use of his magic and

your flames to summon a circle of flames around him that can

be sent like a wave at all direction, burning everything they

touch. Cost 300 MP

Portal Jumping (Lv1): Ruin is capable of traveling through

space a limited amount of times per day (Current number: 3).

Cost: 1500 MP for Ruin. WARNING: It is recommended to travel

only to places that the rider has been through, random travels

without a clear target or unknown destinations can bring

disastrous results (Tartarus, Niflheim etc.)

Yep, it is clear. My horse is a badass. The sheer versatility these

skills are going to give me is phenomenal. No more trains for this

gal. With this bad boy I can easily cross the whole country in a few

days and that is without taking the portal creation into consideration.

Though that warning at the end I am going to try to heed religiously. I

don't fancy in paying a visit to Tartarus spa and resort (shudders).

"Well guys" I said, clapping my hands and gaining their attention

from my badass horse."We no longer need to head to Seattle".

"What, but why? I know your horse in awesome and could probably

carry us all considering his size, but the fastest way from here is

through Seattle. We are literally 2 miles away from there." said

Thalia in confusion, the other two nodding along.

After I explained the portal ability though, she sung a very different

tune. She was about to speak again, probably to tell me to get going

but Luke interrupted her.

"The teleportation thingy is going to cut us some serious time, but I

still think that we should go to Seattle first. We are too close to not at

least pay a visit and you gaining another place you can teleport to,

and we need to get some rest. We are on the road for too much time

as it is, and this city is as good as any other at this point." he said

making a good point, three months on the road has taken a toll on us

all and a good bed for the night wouldn't hurt anyone.

After we agreed on that course of action, they all got on Ruin. Annie

was in the front with me behind her and after me were Thalia and

Luke. When we were all sufficiently comfortable I gave a mental

command and Ruin started and medium gallop towards the city.

It took us only 2 minutes to reach the city. I send away Ruin when we

reached the borders and we started walking the rest of the way. I

even upgraded a skill that I had truthfully forgotten about.

*Riding skill(Lv1-Lv2): Your ability to ride a mount either a

vehicle or living creature. +5% possibility of staying astride

while in battle.

It didn't give much, but it was only level 2. Maybe in the future it will

grant me more.

We reached the commercial part of the city only 10 minutes, we

were quite eager for some R&R so we used a fast pace. Once there

we went for some steak in a restaurant and after that Luke used his

bad boy charm (his words not mine) to persuade the receptionist in a

decent but not expensive hotel to give us two rooms for the night. He

gave her some bull about taking his younger cousins on vacation

around the state and forgetting to take his ID with him. Thank God to

ditzy teenage receptionists or I would have to pull an Empoussa lair

raid again.

So here we are now in our room with Thalia and Annie (Luke was on

the other one because boy duh!). I let Annie take a shower first and

now its my time to have one since LA, and Gods did it feel heavenly

right now.

Of course nothing could go right because halfway through I heard an

explosion from outside that caused all lights to go out and the

screams of people everywhere. Quickly getting dressed I run in our

rooms and I found only Annabeth there. She told me that Thalia went

to speak to Luke for a moment but she hasn't come back yet. I

immediately told her to get dressed and after she was done I took all

of our possessions in my inventory and run with her outside to see

what kind of trouble the others had gotten into.

Outside of the hotel it looked like a battlefield. There was no artificial

light and all glass from windows, shops and cars had been

shattered. People were running away screaming about gank fights

and I quickly focused on the cause of the commotion.

Thalia was on the ground, a big Golden shield with a Medusa head

on it keeping a couple of Laistrygonias at bay, while Luke was trying

to fight another one on the other side. The most telling though was

the golden dust that was covering a darkened spot on the ground.

It seems Thalia had used her lightning powers, something she had

never been able to do until now. Normally I would be happy with this,

but at our current situation she might as well have sent a letter to

every supernatural entity in USA proclaiming her parentage in big

neon letters. There is no way we can cover this up.

'Hades is going to have a conniption with this' I thought. I

immediately summoned my axe and threw it to one of them while I

shot the other in the head killing them both. With Thalia now safe, I

sent Annie to guard her in her exhausted state and was about to go

help Luke but it seems he didn't need me. He was walking my way

golden dust covering the ground behind him.

"We need to leave now!" I said preventing anyone from speaking.

"What why? It was some monsters Alex, they appear all the time,

there is no need to worry." said Luke completely missing the problem

here.

"Thalia summoned lightning Luke!" I almost shouted at him "Now

every monster in 300 miles radius are going to come for her blood,

we need to run from here and fast"

"Because my scent has gotten stronger?" asked Thalia with a

serious face and I hesitated for a moment before I told her the whole

sordid truth about the oath. I left out everything about the prophecy

though, there was no need to open that can of worms at this point.

After Thalia ended her brief cursing spree, I summoned Ruin and I

teleported us to Missouri, just outside of the grove. I hoped that the

potent energies of the place will hide us from the sight of the Lord of

the Dead.

After I sent my horse away we started walking to the path towards

Wisteria's tree, the others were gawking at the beauty of the grove

but I was immersed in my thoughts. I hoped that Wisteria will not be

angry with me for not contacting her in my time with Hades, I was

forbidden to talk to anyone and with good reason but she didn't know

that and I am afraid that she will be angry with me.

When we reached the 'tree amphitheater' we saw all the nymphs of

the forest congregated there and I was surprised. What reason

would they have to hold a council at this time of the year? After all it

was October now and the Winter Solstice isn't for another 2 months.

I didn't have time to think about it further because a lavender missile

run toward me and squeezed me in her bosom.

"Alex it's you oh my Gods, I was so worried" She started bubbling

and continued without even letting me get a word in

"Why do you look so young still? You haven't contacted me in three

years and now you appear here almost at the same age as you left. I

thought you died you foolish girl!" she shouted and then with a stern

face she finished

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Em, hello I am back?" I replied hesitantly, causing the idiot trio

behind me to start snickering and Wisteria's lips to twitch upwards a

bit.

"Welcome home!" she said with a pretty smile, this time hugging me

gently.

I was about to start speaking again when someone interrupted us.

"It seems your grove is full of guests today Wisteria, would you

introduce me?" a regal voice said from behind her.

I disengaged from my friends hug and I observed the newcomer.

Phoebus Artemis "Agrotaira"

Race: Goddess

Gender: Female

Affiliation: Olympus

Level: ?

HP: ?

MP: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

CHA: ?

LUC: ?

Info: Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the HUNT, MOON,

WILDERNESS, CHASTITY and CHILDBIRTH. You are not strong

enough to know more.

Whelp, it seems today is meet your immortal family day. Who would

have thought?

"Lady Artemis, it is a honor to meet you" I said bowing, prompting

the others to do the same.

"I am very glad to meet you as well Alexandra Bellum" I barely

stopped my flinch when she called me by my full name, "I was very

eager to meet you since I saw your accomplishments in that Deer

headed morons challenge." she said with a very happy grin that

made me think that she really enjoyed proving to the Celt that a little

girl could win his challenge, even if it wasn't one of her hunters doing

it.

"Now, I would like for the three of you girls to come with me, I have a

few things to talk about with you. Wisteria make sure the boy is

accommodated." she continued before she started walking away,

prompting us to start following her while we silently traded glances

trying to figure out what a Goddess could possibly want with us.

Though, I had a very good idea.

She led us to a clearing a few dozen meters from Wisteria's tree that

was filled with tents. The whole area was patrolled by wolves and

there were girls in silver parkas talking and laughing around a

campfire in the middle.

The moment we reached the campfire, one of the girls stood up and

run towards the Goddess.

She looked around 15 years old and had an olive complexion. Both

her hair and eyes were black as coals and on her head was a silver

tiara that symbolized her position of lieutenant in the Hunt. She was

also very beautiful and Percy's comment about her looking like a

Persian princess was very accurate indeed. I am talking of course

about Zoe Nightshade.

Zoe Nightshade "Ex-Hesperide"

Race: Nymph

Gender: Female

Level: 35

MP: 1660

STR: 60

VIT: 200

DEX: 220

INT: 30

WIS: 82 (-20)

LUC: 5

Info: Zoe Nightshade is an ex-Hesperide daughter of Atlas and

Pleione. After Herakles abandoned her and her father exiled her

from the Garden, Artemis found her and welcomed her in her

Hunt. She is absolutely loyal to her Mistress and strives to be

the best lieutenant she could be. Though, her short temper and

prejudices can cause her to make mistakes in judgement at

times and act rushly.

Looking at her stats, if I had doubts before, then now I am

completely sure that the Hunt just isn't for me. A 4000 plus years old

daughter of Atlas and she is barely a challenge to me. I am sure her

experience is vast but her stagnation is apparent power wise.

"Milady, are these new recruits?" she said with a curious but slightly

cold tone.

"Recruits?" asked Annabeth, always eager to know everything as

soon as possible.

"Zoe, we should talk further inside my tent. Please follow me girls."

she ordered us and headed for the bigger tent in the camp.

The inside of the tent was way bigger than the outside. It was as big

as an apartment and there were furs and other trophies from hunted

animals. Artemis sat behind a great wooden desk and Zoe took

position behind her at her right side.

She beckoned us to sit in a trio of chairs that she conjured with a

wave of her hand, amazing Annie and Thalia with that little trick. I on

the other hand had lived with Hades for three months so these little

tricks no longer fazed me.

"Are you surprised by my age?" asked the twelve year old looking

Goddess.

"Just a little" said Annie, Thalia nodding along.

"Not really" I said, surprising her.

"Oh, and why is that?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wisteria has taught me a lot about the Divine world and the Gods

as a whole, so I know the reason why you look like that. But even if I

didn't, the myths are full of Gods shape shifting for one reason or the

other so it isn't really a big leap of logic." I replied, surprising her by

my little monologue.

"You truly are an exceptional maiden it seems Alexandra. Not only

are you very capable in battle but your wit is very sharp indeed."

praised the Goddess which admittedly was a nice ego booster and

then she continued.

"But to relieve your friends of their puzzlement, I can appear in any

shape I wish but this is the form I prefer. This is the average age of

my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am a patron, before

they go astray.

"Go astray?" asked Thalia

"Grow up. Become infatuated with boys. Become insecure and

forget themselves." answered the Artemis with Zoe nodding along

behind her.

"So, the reason you wanted to talk to us in private?" I interrupted

their conversation. I was in no mood to hear the whole girls rule,

boys are fools spiel they had going there.

"Straight to the point then. I can respect that." she nodded, "I want

you to join the Hunt."

"The hunt?" asked Annie with an adorable tilt of her head. Even Zoe

smiled at her cuteness.

"My Hunters are my sisters-in-arms, my priestesses. They follow me

in my adventures, hunting monsters and travelling the world." she

said with a small smile.

"And what is so great about the Hunt?" asked the ever blunt Thalia.

"Immortality for one." answered the Goddess making Thalia widen

her eyes in disbelief and Annie to gasp in surprise.

"Agelessness." I interrupted once again, making the goddess raise

an eyebrow at my direction and my friends to look at me in

confusion.

"It is not true immortality. They become frozen in time and as long as

they don't fall in battle or break their oath of chastity they get to keep

it, as well as a boost in their strength and speed, archery aptitude as

well."

"You are very well informed about my Hunt. Were you thinking of

joining?" asked Artemis.

"Well I was thinking about it when I stayed here the last time. But the

no love thing and the stasis was a deal-breaker for me, so no" I

answered, surprising everyone with my denial of 'immortality'.

"Thou would give up so many good things for men? They will only

disappoint you in the end girl, they are not worth it." piped in Zoe

with some vigor, Artemis continued to look at me silently but not

disagreeing with her.

"You jump to conclusions miss. I never said anything about men. I

only talked about love and also the agelessness as well is something

I can't really abide no matter what." I said making her eyes widen,

finally getting it.

"Preferences aside. Why would agelessness as you say is

something that you don't like. I would have thought that all would

dream to able to live forever, being forever young and able." she

inquired the Goddess, curious about my answer.

"It's the stasis in the blessing my lady, it prevents from furthering

your body or your magical potential aside from finesse or accuracy.

The power up it gives you is nice I guess, but the stagnation that

follows is something that me that prides in my personal ability is

something I would never accept."

Before she could reply Zoe jumped in once again, this time furious.

"How dare you. We are the strongest warriors in the Greek

pantheon. Do you think you can be stronger by training with the little

upstarts that get continuously humiliated by us every time we battle

in their silly camp?" Almost shouted Zoe, her face going a little red

and I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"The demigods at camp are inexperienced miss Nightshade, it is

obvious that a well trained and experienced team like the hunters

would manage to easily beat down their roughshod attempts at

defeating you. In camp they are taught how to survive and that's

that, but I am not like them. I plan to thrive." I said confusing her.

"We passed by the rest of the hunt before we entered the tent and I

can say with absolute confidence, that aside from you none of them

will be able to scratch me before I obliterate them should we fight

seriously." I answered her, my tone containing no boasting or

mockery in it. I was stating a fact after all.

"Thou are arrogant and impulsive. Do you think a little girl not even

passed her first decade will be able to defeat us in battle? The

centuries of experience warriors of the hunt?" she asked with a slight

sneer.

"Yes" was the answer she got but it was not for me. It was

surprisingly enough from Artemis herself.

"Milady, what are you saying?" asked Zoe completely shocked at her

Mistress.

"Alexandra Bellum is probably the strongest demigod currently in the

whole Olympian pantheon. Her fighting prowess far surpasses any

other mortal currently in allegiance of Olympus." continued Artemis

shocking both Zoe and my friends as well. Annie looked at me with

no small amount of hero worship at this point and Thalia had a

impressed raised eyebrow, though there was a hint of jealousy in her

eyes.

Zoe looked shell shocked at this little bit of information and to be

truthful I was surprised as well. I knew that I was stronger than the

average demigod, but to be considered this strong and by a

Goddess no less, it was a fucking trip I won't deny it.

After that, the rest of the discussion ended with neither of the others

accepting her offer, something that I could see that it disappointed

her but accepted it easily enough. She bid us goodbye then and led

us out of her hunt and back to the grove, but not before giving me a

flask of nectar and a small box of ambrosia to help us in our journey.

Something I was really grateful about.

Box of Ambrosia

+100% health per piece (every piece eaten in the next 24 hours

from the first one gives -25% effectiveness. If after the fourth

piece you eat more, then you instantly combust.)

Info: A box containing Ambrosia the food of the Gods. It has 20

pieces of it inside the box than can help a lot in case of injury.

Beware though, too much and the consequences can be dire.

Flask of Nectar

+100% mana per piece (every sip drunk in the next 24 hours

from the first one gives -25% effectiveness. If after the fourth

sip you drink more, then you instantly combust.)

Info: A flask containing Nectar the drink of the Gods. It has 1

litre of it inside the flask than can help a lot in case of

exhaustion. Beware though, too much and the consequences

can be dire.

Upon our return in the grove Luke quickly approached us and started

asking questions. After satisfying his curiosity we all went to sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be our final run for camp. I planned to give it

my all and reach there as fast as possible. I could no longer afford to

dally. Hades by now would have been informed about his hated

brothers little indiscretion and I would bet 10 Drachmas that an army

of monsters currently awaits us somewhere around New York.

The next day came far too soon in my opinion and me and my 3

friends were currently having breakfast with Wisteria.

"So what's the plan boss?" Luke asked me with a playful grin,

making Annie giggle and Thalia to gain an amused smile.

"Well, my wimpy minion" I said imperiously, causing the girls to laugh

and him to shout "Hey" in fake indignation.

"We have to contact Chiron and inform him that we will be heading to

camp so he can send us a guide.

"And how are you going to do that, do you have his number?" asked

Thalia

"Nope, through IM" I replied

"Instant- messaging?" Annie piped in.

"Iris - messaging. The goddess of the rainbows Iris enables the

Gods to send messages to each other through her rainbows and if

she has time and you ask the right way she helps demigods as well."

I said, educating them in another little thing about the divine.

Before they started throwing questions I started walking towards a

small waterfall that was in the grove and I handed Luke my flashlight

instructing him to make a rainbow. After it was done I pulled out a

Drachma and chanted the magic words.

"Oh Iris Goddess of the rainbow please connect me with Chiron,

trainer of Heroes"

After a few moments the rainbow changed in a screen that showed

an older man with salt and pepper hair sitting on a wheelchair while

doing some paperwork. The moment, the message appeared he

raised his head and looked at me with way too old eyes.

"Yes child, who might you be?" he asked in a gentle voice, probably

trained to put young excitable teenagers at ease.

"Hello Chiron, my name is Alex and these are my friends Thalia,

Annabeth and Luke. We wanted to ask for your assistance in

reaching the camp."

"I see, then can you tell me where you are right now? I will send one

of the satyrs to come and get you to camp as soon as possible."

"Oh there is no need for that. I can reach New York in 8 hours tops.

What I don't know is the location of the camp. I know it is in Long

Island but not the exact position."

"Is that so? Well in this case I will send a satyr to await you outside

the City Hall. I gather you know where it is? He asked.

"Yes don't worry I will find it, though I have a request." I prodded

"And what would this request be?" he prodded

"Please send an experienced satyr to meet us and not a young one.

We are four demigods here, our scent is quite potent and my friend

Thalia here is quite thunderstruck with the whole situation, so an

experienced hand would be appreciated." I said making sure to put

emphasis on thunderstruck, which by the widening of his eyes and

the sudden tension in his body language it seems he got it.

"You are quite right child, yes quite right indeed. Have no fear I will

make sure the satyr I send will be equipped to deal with your

situation." he reassured us.

"Thank you Chiron, see you in a while" I said and I closed the

message.

After that I said my goodbye to Wisteria and summoned Ruin once

more. This time though we didn't hit the road but I ordered him to

start running in the sky. Thalia didn't particularly like that, if the vice

grip she had on my torso was anything to go by, though Annie's

excited squeals were amusing.

It took us 6 and a half hours for us to reach the City Hall in New York

City. I admittedly had abused the Wind Chaser skill trying to buy as

much time as possible and by the time we touched ground, it was

already starting to get dark, which was not good.

Wind-Chaser (Lv1- Lv4): Ruin through the use of his magic to

increase his speed tremendously (Max speed= 1725 km/h). Cost

50 Mp/min

Thankfully the guy they send us wasn't Grover. Yes in the books he

was a good comic relief and you sympathized with him at a point, but

I had a responsibility here and I couldn't trust a baby satyr to guide

us away from Hades monster army that was probably waiting for us

around the corner. His replacement at least was competent.

Gleeson Hedge "Slave driver"

Race: Satyr

Gender: Male

Level: 21

HP: 3434

MP: 1030

STR: 40

VIT: 110

DEX: 182

INT: 25

WIS: 50 (-10)

LUC: 15

Info: Gleeson Hedge is an experienced satyr that has helped

many demigods reach the safety of Camp in the past. He is

generally a very mature guy but his battle maniac tendencies

get him in trouble sometimes. He is anxious to get going

because he noticed a lot of monsters on his way here.

"So you are the cupcakes that I was assigned to guide to camp huh?

Well whatever, let's get going people, there is danger all around and

I don't fancy fighting my way to camp." he said in a loud voice and

after sharing a look between us, we shrugged and we started

following him.

For the first 2 hours everything was going alright. We managed to

avoid any monsters chasing us and my ring that really impressed

Hedge by the way, helped a lot with that.

After we reached Westbury monsters started to appear. We were

cornered by a pack of hellhounds and while not really difficult to

defeat with so many of us together, they would delay us enough for

others to reach us and if they do I am not sure if I can get us all out,

which was unacceptable. It seems some collateral damage is

unavoidable.

And with that thought I pulled out my axe, surprising Hedge and

swung a horizontal Warlord's Fang at the pack. They didn't even

have time to blink before they were cut apart. Unfortunately my slash

also cut a mechanic shop in twain as well. I was only thankful that it

was closed because I didn't know how I would have reacted if I killed

an innocent man.

The others started gawking at my skill. In all of our time together I

had never used anything serious in front of them aside from the

occasional imbuement, I never really needed to. Now though the

situation forced me to and it seems the others understood Artemis

words back in the grove.

Warlord's Fang(Lv11-Lv12): A long raged slash used by

focusing your mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim

and swing. Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut

armies in twain with a single slash of their blades. + 360

dmg/per slash, cost: 52 mp. WARNING: When combining it with

Warfyre this skills pulls out the whole destructive powers of the

flame. Cost: 69mp

The great crash of a building falling apart rid them of their shocked

expressions and immediately we started running again, increasing

our pace as much as we could.

The rest of the trip continued like this. Monsters would appear in our

way every few minutes trying to delay us and I would make sure they

regretted it as fast as possible. By the time we were near camp I

must have killed more than 500 of them,' Hades must be really

pissed off' I thought. Another amusing thought as we were running

was how the mortals will explain the fine great cuts that appeared all

around the city.

Another 3 hours after our first monster encounter we were

completely exhausted. Thankfully Camp was only half a mile away

according to our guide and we would hopefully reach it before the

monster army finds us.

That happy thought died a vicious death when we saw a literal army

of hellhounds and Cyclopes led by the three Furies blocking our way

though. 'It seems Poseidon is not as chill as he was portrayed in the

books after all' I thought while me and the others were hiding behind

a small corpse of trees.

Alecto "Head- Fury"

Race: Monster

Gender: Female

Level: ?

Stats: ?

Info: Alecto is the leader of the Furies, the triplet daughters of

Nyx. She and her sisters are the most loyal minions of their

Lord Hades and they are itching for the daughter of Zeus to

reach their position so she can enjoy her look of despair before

she drags her soul to the Underworld.

Hedge cursed and Thalia and Luke became white in fear. The one

that broke my heart though was Annabeth. She started crying and

hugged me for comfort. Before I could react Thalia stepped forward

a determined look on her face.

"Run guys, it is me they want. I will make my stand here, if I distract

them, then they will ignore you and you will reach safety with no

problems, it is my responsibility. I caused all these problems after all,

it is my job to fix it." she said her posture a mixture of steadfastness

and anger with only her eyes betraying her grief.

Immediately the others started protesting that we could never

abandon her but I had a responsibility and I decided at my course of

action.

"You are right Thalia, we will do as you desire." I said above the

horrified looks of the others.

Ignoring the shouting of Luke I started walking towards Thalia who

had a grateful look at her eyes for me not making a fuss about her

decision and she opened her hands expecting a hug.

What she didn't expect, was the punch in her gut, making her bend

over and start to lose consciousness. The others were looking at me

with fear for the first time, though Hedge had a shrewd look in his

eyes.

I didn't let them speak though, I quickly explained my actions.

"I am the stronger of us here, and I have the biggest chances to

survive this. I don't have the time to deal with Thalia's stubbornness

so you will have to carry her to safety while I deal with the army." I

said causing the men to widen their eyes in surprise and Annie to

start crying more refusing to let me go.

I held my charge in my arms as she desperately pleaded me to

come with them but I couldn't do it. There was not enough space for

more than 4 people to ride Ruin and I couldn't bring myself to

sacrifice someone else. Especially the children. So there was only

one course of action I could take.

I pulled my necklace from my neck and put it around her neck.

"Here take this necklace. It is blessed by the Goddess Hera to

protect the wearer and I want you to keep hold of it until I return ok

Annie-love?" I said to the crying child and handing her to Luke.

I quickly summoned Ruin and bid them to get on. Before they left I

gave Hedge my pistol, making him almost drop it in surprise.

"The gun has 16 bullets, make them count and when you reach

safety throw it away and it will return to me." I warned him and he

nodded at me, a look of respect in his eyes. Luke was looking at me

in sorrow all the while trying to keep ahold of the hysterical seven

year old in his arms and without further adieu they galloped away

and after a few meters took to the skies.

Meanwhile I pulled out my axe and used 5 points on my INT and 20

on DEX in order to gain two new perks and my last 5 on VIT.

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Daughter of Ares

Level: 17 (393.000/859.500)

HP: 4670 HPReg= 10 % /h

MP: 4633 MPReg= 15mp/min

STR: 153

VIT: 75

DEX: 100(110)

INT:50(60) (your ability to absorb and retain information as well

as your Mana

12 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 43(53)

CHA: 31

LUC: 12(17)

For reaching 50 points in INT you gain a new perk:

Reserves of the Archmage (I): You unlocked a part of the hidden

power of the Archmage inside you. With this perk you gain +6 in

your mana gains for every 5 INT.

For reaching 100 points in DEX you gain a new perk:

Bullet Time: When using this perk your perception of the world

become 20% faster, making everything around you look like it is

moving in a slight slow motion, giving you more time to react

and plan your moves in battle.

PING*

Mythical Quest: Hades Divine Wrath

Main Objective: Survive

Bonus Objective: Shatter the army of Hades and show the Gods

that you are not to be trifled with.

Rewards:

300.000 xp, 400 Drachmas.

1.000.000 xp, 600 Drachmas, Necklace of Despair

Failure:

Death / Eternal torment

YES/NO

Happy at the useful perks I gained and chuckling a little at the

Eternal torment of the quest, I took a deep breath and I started

walking slowly towards the army of monsters weapon in hand doing

my best Uchiha Madara impersonation . If I am going to die fighting

an army of monsters then I at least I am going to look cool while

doing it, because I had no illusion that Zeus would ever create a pine

to save me, he is too much of a dick for it.

A couple of dozen meters from their position the Furies noticed me

and stopped the monsters that were ready to attack. Bantering time.

"Alexandra Bellum, we were expecting you to have more company

with you. You have no need to hide the child of Zeus. Give her to us

and you have my promise that we will spare you, Lord Hades has

decreed so." said the evil grandmother from hell, believing that I

would hand over a child for them to kill just like that.

"You know, for all his accusations on his brother about the killing of

innocent children I would think Hades would be better than that, but

it seems he is a raging hypocrite after all and no better than the ones

he accuses." I replied back, a cold expression to my face causing

her to gain an enraged expression that was shared by her sisters

and the ground to tremble a little.

"ATTAACK" she shouted, any chance of reason living her after I

insulted her Lord. I was more than happy to reciprocate. There was a

lot of pent up anger in my gut because of the whole situation that

was itching to get out and I let it.

Rage Booster + 4

I took ahold the flames of my magic and I engulfed my weapon in

them making it gain a great red aura, though I didn't stop there. I

used my rage to make my whole body get consumed by them,

making me a bonfire of destruction and with a hate filled cry and my

Aura Dominance skill I charged at them.

A small part of my mind prayed to Odin to accept me in Valhalla after

my death if I was worth it and declaring this fight in his name. I didn't

want to go to Hades after this. Both because I didn't know if the

hypocrite would throw me in the Fields of Punishment for defying him

and even if I reached Elysium I was loathe to spend my afterlife

wasting away in the Hero Junkyard of the Greek pantheon. At least

in Valhalla I would be waiting for Ragnarok to come, giving my life

meaning.

And with that happy thought I met the army in the middle of the field,

my axe a flurry of strikes killing monster after monster without stop.

There must have been thousands of them here. It seems Hades

newfound strength has left him able to go all out without worrying

and I made a mental note, that if I survive to never help a Greek God

unless I had no other option.

'Bullet time is really useful' I thought as I dodged another strike from

a Cyclops and beheaded him soon after. The furies thankfully were

staying back for now, content to watch me fight the army of monsters

that were everywhere around me.

'I had to get some space. I couldn't let them attack me from all

directions like this'

I gripped my axe with both hands and I made a rotating pirouette

with all my strength sending a flame encased Fang in an Omnidirectional

slash slaughtering scores of them and making the rest of

the monsters look at me in fear.

I enjoyed their looks. That expression of terror on their face when

they understood that the pray they were expecting to devour is

instead a predator capable and very willing to tear them to shreds

made me cackle in glee increasing their trepidation and making me

laugh even harder.

"COME OON THEN COWARDS! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU ARE AFRAID OF A LONE LITTLE

GIRL!" I shouted in glee enraging them and causing them to attack

once again, roars in their lips. Perfect

Rage Booster +3157

HP: 3150/4670

MP: 3500/4633

STR: 3110

The first monster that came near me exploded in a shower of gold

dust only with a punch. Around a dozen of them disappeared in a

wave of flames after I hit the earth with both my hands and the

fissure that was created caused even more to die, leaving behind a

crimson glowing scar on the earth, looking like a gate to hell had

opened on the ground.

At this point I had completely lost myself in my bloodlust. Finally I

had a chance to go all out. A fight that I had to use every single drop

of my power in order to just survive. My father's blood was purring in

my veins prodding me to fight harder, to kill more, to slaughter and

bath in the blood of my enemies.

With these thoughts the flames of my soul obliged and a literal sea of

flames started coming out of my blade with every swing burning the

army away in seconds, setting the whole landscape around me in

crimson flames all the while I cackled in glee at my power, uncaring

about the damage I caused to the forest or the camp that was only

half a mile away from my position.

I would have continued more with my wanton destruction but three

orange whips of flames bound my hands and neck holding me in

place.

The furies it seems decided to step in after their army was

obliterated.

The skill Binding of the Warden has been used against you. All

outward mana usage has been negated.

The sealing technique snapped me out of my funk, causing me to

start struggling inside my bindings.

HP: 467/4670

MP: 180/4633

"This is quite enough" said Alecto, a serious look on her face

replacing whatever glee or anger there was before that was shared

by both her sisters as well. "You fought well child, better than any

other Demigod before you but now it's time to end this. My Lord will

have words with you about your actions. Let's go" she said and she

summoned shadows from all around her that started to consume us

all the while I desperately tried to break my bindings ineffectually.

I had resigned myself to my fate when a four legged miracle

happened.

Ruin portaled in my position and tackled one of the Furies causing

her to skid away on the ground for a dozen meters, stopping their

shadow teleportation and freeing me from my bindings.

I quickly got on my horse and used Power Wave and enhanced it

with my own flames, causing a circle of flames to push the other two

away in different directions, giving me breathing room. I quickly

popped an Ambrosia cube in my mouth and drank from the Nectar

Flask restoring my energy to the full.

Immediately after I used a portal once more and appeared in front of

the Fury Ruin tackled before and beheaded her causing her to turn

to dust and as a result turning the whole fight in my favor.

From what Hades had told me when I was in the Underworld the

Furies are high class monsters on their own, but in one on one battle

a sufficiently strong demigod with some luck could possibly win

against them. Their true power comes forth when they are all three

together, multiplying their power many fold and together with their

perfect teamwork making them three of the most feared monsters to

exist.

Considering what I see now he was absolutely correct.

Alecto "Head- Fury"

Race: Monster

Gender: Female

Level: 55

HP: 14.350/19.000

MP: 6897/19.800

STR: 200

VIT: 120

DEX: 350

INT: 150

WIS:100

LUC: 50

Info: Alecto is the leader of the Furies, the triplet daughters of

Nyx. She and her sisters are the most loyal minions of their

Lord Hades. Right now all she can think about is getting her

revenge on the daughter of Ares for causing her to fail he

mission and humiliating her.

They are no longer the insurmountable monsters that I had no hope

against. Now the tables have turned and I plan to make them regret

ever leaving the Underworld. I didn't want to just kill them, I wanted

them to tremble in terror every time they hear my name, so I used

two of my least used skills to make a fucking point.

The one was Aura Dominance. The other? Voice of the Eldar. I know

what you will say, what does singing to them is gonna do? You are

not gonna put them to sleep like the Dragon, it doesn't work on them

like that. And you would be right if my goal was to make them sleep.

The funny think about that particular perk is that except of pacifying

beasts it can also transfer and amplify whatever emotion I want to

my voice when I sing. And now with the rage I feel and by focusing

all my killing intent through the Aura of Dominance. It's gonna be a

fucking trip.

(This song belongs to Jen Titus)

O Death, O Death, O Death!

Won't you spare me over another year?

I started singing while I looked at them coldly, making a near freezing

chill to surround the whole clearing.

But what is this, that I can't see?

With ice cold hands taking hold of me…

They didn't pause for long, they attacked me quickly using their bat

like wings to flank me from both sides

When God is gone and the Devil takes hold,

Who will have mercy on your soul?

When they were about of two meters away from me I took out a

goblin head and lit it in flames throwing it directly above me and after

that I used portal once more to move 10 meters away.

O Death, O Death, O Death!

(O Death)

The explosion threw them both away and Megaera was lit on fire,

her screams music to my ears.

No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold.

Nothing satisfies me but your soul.

Alecto was looking at me in fear now and was cringing at her sisters

screams of agony

O Death!

*BANG* I shot Megaera turning her to dust and causing the last Fury

to flinch back in terror.

Well I am Death, none can excel,

I'll open the door to heaven or hell.

I ordered Ruin to slowly trot towards my enemy, my eyes glowing a

haunting red and my mouth was frozen in a mad full toothed grin.

O Death, O Death!

At this point my Aura was so potent that she was frozen on her

knees and unable to take her eyes from me. I ordered Ruin to step

on her with one of his legs and used our combined flames to burn

her to death. Ending her.

My name is Death and the end is here…

After she scattered into dust I let out a breath of relief. I was ready to

head to camp when powerful shadows were trying to swallow me

and probably send me to Hades but I wasn't having it. I ordered Ruin

to use his last teleport to send me away to the Missouri grove hoping

the wards there would prevent him from getting me.

We were halfway through the portal when shadows griped the back

legs of my horse stoping him in place. I didn't have any time to act

before the space gate destabilized and an explosion deafened me.

Everything was black and I felt my whole body stretching on a million

different directions.

When I could see again I found myself in what could only be space.

Everywhere I looked there was stars and as I was flying away into

nothingness. At my side I could see an enormously gigantic tree

glowing white with it's branches spreading far and wide. I couldn't

pay more attention to that though because I felt my whole body burn,

the heat was intense and for a moment I thought that my body would

turn to ashes and I started screaming.

I felt myself pass though a rainbow colored portal before I crashed to

a hard surface creating a crater. When the black spots left my vision

I could see a blurry silhouette kneeling beside me. The only thing I

could make out about her was her long blonde hair, but I couldn't

think about it anymore because I lost myself in the pain and

everything went dark.

This is it guys. This is my longest chapter yet. I hope you

enjoyed yourselves and see you around next time. Please tell

me your opinions in the reviews. Cheers.

~ChildeOfWar

Magic is fucking Hard!

This chapter 15 guys. It is not as exciting as the previous one

but what can you do, not everything can be about battles after

all. Also I know that too much information can be very tiring but

please bare with me it is important and its going to make the

future chapters better and more exciting.

Also something more. Some people have made comments

about the Magnus Chase series. I admit that I haven't read these

books and everything I know about them is from the stories in

FF so most of what I write and these events are from my head

and other franchises that I don't own a lick of btw, so if you are

disappointed then tough.

As always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and all other

franchises and references to their rightful owners.

Please read the author note at the end of the chapter for some

useful information.

Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 15: I wake up naked in a hot blonde's bed!

You woke up in a divine bed your health and mana has been

restored to 100%. All ailments and negative status effects have

been negated

I woke up with a groan. Every inch of my body felt like it was beat

upon by a very angry giant. I opened my eyes and I found myself in

a cottage or chalet would be a most appropriate definition.

The whole place was made out of wood, with a stone fireplace in one

side of the room. There were animal pelts everywhere and a small

bookcase filled to the brim with big leather bound books. Also on the

other side of the fireplace there was a window showing a very green

landscape and hanging from small strings on top of it there were a

lot of herbs left to dry. Possibly for medical remedies or cooking.

I would have continued inspecting my surroundings some more but I

was interrupted by the front door opening. The vision of beauty that

came in stole my breath away for a moment. She was tall for a

woman, around 5' 9" and she had long golden hair made into a

French braid with two other smaller ones at the side of her head

flowed all the way down her back until it reached the very top bottom

of her waist. She was very voluptuous but you could see from her

sleeveless top and her pants that she was full of corded muscles.

Lastly her face with her sea green eyes and her pink lips, was one

that could inspire men to go to war for and throw kingdoms at her

feet only for her acknowledgment.

Clearly I was dealing with a Goddess here, and not a third rate one

either considering the sheer presence that filled the whole room the

moment she stepped inside.

"You are finally awake, you have been sleeping for five days child

and I was starting to worry." said the Goddess, the musical tilt of her

voice.

Before I spoke I used observe. Whatever information I could gain

would be useful in figuring out how to deal with this.

Freyja Njorddottir "Lady of the Slain"

Race: Goddess

Gender: Female

Affiliation: Vanir

Level: ?

Status: ?

Info: Freyja is the Vanir Goddess of LOVE, BEAUTY, FERTILITY,

SEX, WAR, GOLD, and MAGIC. You are not strong enough to

know more.

"Well that was a very interesting spell, but if you wanted to know my

name you only had to ask you know, I don't bite." Said Freyja with a

smirk, surprising me. Just like Loki she is the second God that

managed to detect observe.

"Forgive me my lady, but I was in an unknown place with a Goddess

I hadn't seen before and I became somewhat defensive" I said trying

not to offend the very powerful immortal in front of me.

"Eh no worries, I can understand your point of view and I don't hold it

against you." She said waving her hands in a 'whatever' gesture and

continues.

"Now though you know my name but I don't know yours. You

appeared on a crater inside my garden in a very spectacular show of

spatial magic I might add bearing Runes of power and being half

dead, I didn't know if I should be fascinated or horrified about your

condition." she said in a very peppy voice, creeping me out about

her happy smile when she mentioned my injuries and confusing me

as well.

"My name is Alexandra Bellum and my appearance here was

completely accidental I assure you. Also what was that about Runes

of Power?" I asked, not understanding what she meant.

"Nice to meet you Alexandra, you have been marked with 5 Elder

Runes on your body, probably when you passed through Yggdrasil

to reach Vanaheim here, which is kind of spectacular really.

None aside from ol' One-Eye has managed to connect to even a

single Elder Rune and for a little demigod child to connect to five is

nothing short of extraordinary." she said happily in one breath that if I

didn't know she was immortal I would be afraid she would pass out

from lack of oxygen.

I immediately looked down and two things became apparent. First I

was butt naked. The only thing I could feel on me was my ring and

my glasses. Thankfully I was found by a female, I don't think I would

have reacted well to a male seeing me in the buff and most

importantly touching me in any way *shudders*.

And second I had 2 Runes tattooed on my torso. One was above my

left breast and had the shape of an hourglass lying on its side. The

other had an almost exact resemblance to the letter B and was

positioned right underneath my navel. I searched for the other three

but I couldn't find them anywhere so they must be on my back.

"Yep they are fascinating I know but I think you should lay down."

she said pushing me down on the bed while I tried ineffectively to

protest.

"You had been very battered when I found you and your magical

reserves were almost nonexistent. I had to pump some of my own in

you to keep you magical core from shriveling up and killing you, you

know" see continued in a stern motherly tone that made me quickly

shut up and deal with it causing her to nod in satisfaction.

"I am going to hunt for a while to get you some more filling food.

Don't you dare get out of bed until I come back or I will tie you up for

the next month if I have to." threatened the Goddess making me gulp

a little.

The moment she left I got a series of alerts from the system.

Probably the completion of my quests. What I saw made my eyes

widen to comical proportions.

PING*

Heroic Quest

Main Objective: Find the child of Athena and lead her to the

safety of Camp.

Bonus: Prevent Thalia from becoming a tree

Rewards:

3000$, 100D, 500.000 XP, Olive laurel

800.000, 300 D, Luke will no longer join Kronos.

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Quest: Hades Divine Wrath

Main Objective: Survive

Bonus Objective: Shatter the army of Hades and show the Gods

that you are not to be trifled with.

Rewards:

300.000 xp, 400 Drachmas.

1.000.000 xp, 600 Drachmas, Necklace of Despair

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Total Quest xp: +2.600.000 xp, 3000$, 1400D, Olive Laurel,

Necklace of Despair

Monster Army xp: 500.000xp

Furies: Bonus for soloing all three together: 1.500.000 xp

Grand Total: 5.600.000 xp, 3000$, 1400D, Olive Laurel, Necklace

of Despair

NEW FEATURE: RUNES OF POWER: You have been blessed

from your trip through Yggdrasil with 5 Elder Runes. Every one

of them represents a facet of yourself and by permanently

bonding to you they awaken and grant you specific boons.

Eihawz(Nape of neck): Clairvoyance(D-B), +10 DEX, Light

affinity

Haglaz (Middle of spine): Nature affinity, +10 INT, +10 WIS

Uruz (Above tailbone): +20 STR, Unbound Perk

Berkana (Bellow navel): +20 CHA, + 25 VIT, +2% HP Regen

Dagaz (Above Heart): Locked until special conditions are met ?

Level Up x3

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Daughter of Ares

Level: 20 (1.910.375/2.900.813)

HP: 12.300 HPReg= 12 % /h

MP: 5260 MPReg= 34 mp/min

STR: 197

VIT: 100 (Your health points, gives you 28 hp per 5vit * level)

DEX: 110

INT:60(70) (your ability to absorb and retain information as well

as your Mana

12 mp per 5 in * level)

WIS: 53(63) (Mana regeneration +2 per 5 WIS)

CHA: 66

LUC: 12(17)

Status: 15

For reaching 50 WIS and meeting special conditions you gain.

New Perk(Special): The Average One: You have opened your

soul to the energies of the cosmos doubling your rate of

replenishing your magic (+1 MPReg for every 5 WIS) and

gaining an aptitude of all core elements of magic. (fire, water,

earth, wind, death, life, space, time, light, darkness) WARNING:

This perk gives you an aptitude for these magics, NOT an actual

affinity.

For reaching 50 CHA and meeting special conditions you gain.

Perk UPGRADE (Special): Attractive Perk(Minor- Major Alter):

Your godly blood makes you attractive enough to compete with

the most beautiful of nature spirits (nymphs, naiads, etc.).

Through special conditions the perk has been altered and your

body through puberty will take the shape and type of beauty of

a fertility Goddess (So beware of love sick Gods, you poor

shod).

For reaching 100 VIT and meeting special conditions you gain.

New Perk (Special): Divine Constitution (I): Your whole body

has been upgraded to hold a small part of the unlimited

potential of a God without turning you immortal. You gain +14

HP for every 5 VIT, also your whole body is way more durable

than before increasing all physical and magical defenses by

300%. WARNING: Due to this perk after you reach your prime

(21 years) your aging rate will be reduced by 99,99% and Godly

Scent perk upgrades to Godly Scent+

New Perk (Special): Unbound: Through this perk you gain +50%

negation to all binding and sealing magics.

Perk UPGRADE: Clairvoyance (D-B): Clairvoyance is the ability

to flawlessly perceive and observe the world around you,

objects, people, locations, events, with one's mind, with no

mistakes and 100% accuracy. Your gift is Grade-B so you can

only do it in a 13 miles radius (21.000 km)

NEW FEATURE: GRIMOIRE: This new information page will

contain all your spells and magic skills separating them from

the physical in order to better catalogue and categorize your

new abilities.

GRIMOIRE:

MISC. SPELLS:

Warlord's Fang(Lv13-Lv17): A long raged slash used by

focusing your mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim

and swing. Legend says that true Master's of this skill could cut

armies in twain with a single slash of their blades. + 480

dmg/per slash, cost: 60 mp.

Observe(Lv11-MAX): Gain basic information about the target .

the higher the level of the skill, the more information you gain,

targets 50 levels higher than yours can hide from the skill. You

can now see stats.

Through inventive use and special condition your skill has

leveled up x20

Aura of Dominance (Lv10-MAX): Unlocking this skill you can

sense the auras of everyone around you in a 15 meter radius.

Actively using this skill you can project your own aura of

dominance and make those weak of will falter and fall to their

knees in absolute terror. Active use cost 300 MP WARNING:

This skill can now be UPGRADED.

MIST:

Mist Control (Locked) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked

Through special conditions you skill have leveled up x10.

Mist Resistance(Lv8-Lv18): Because of your divine blood you

have a natural resistance to the mist. Monsters of 17 levels

higher than you and bellow can't fool you with the mist .

ELEMENTAL:

Through special condition you gained an affinity for secondary

element Nature(water + earth). As a result you have unlocked

Water and Earth Affinities.

Water Affinity: +20% xp when using water natured spells and

rituals.

Hydromancy(Lv1): Your ability to control water (-1MP to all

water spells). Cost: 30 MP/sec

Earth Affinity: +20% xp when using earth natured spells and

rituals

Geomancy (Lv1): Your ability to control earth (-1MP to all earth

spells). Cost: 30MP/sec

Fissure(Lv1): By focusing earth energies in your hands and

hitting the ground you create great fissures on the earth

destroying landscapes and obliterating enemies. +500 DMG +

200 per 100 STR. Cost: 500(499) MP. Can be combine with other

elements for extra effects.

Nature Affinity: +20% xp when using nature related spells and

rituals

Chloromancy(Lv1): Your ability to raise and control plants

(-1MP to all plant spells). Cost 60 MP/ sec

Light Affinity: +20% xp when using light based spells and

rituals

Special: Lumiomancy (Lv1): Your ability to control light(-1MP to

all light based spells). Cost 40MP

Fire Affinity: +20% xp when using fire natured spells and rituals.

Through your mastery of higher ranked fire magic you gain and

meeting special conditions, your pyromancy levels up x24.

Pyromancy (Lv1-Lv25): Your ability to conjure and control fire

(-25MP to all fire spells- Doesn't affect FOW). Cost: 18 MP/sec

Special: Flames of War (Lv19-Lv25) : You have the ability to use

the Flames of War. This type of fire magic is incapable of

anything but destruction .These flames are impossible to be

used in forging cooking or even to give warmth in a cold night.

The only thing they bring is death. 500 dmg/sec cost: 10 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv17-Lv25): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +45

dmg cost 1 mp/sec.

Warfyre Napalm(Lv4-Lv5): Overcharge an item with the Flame

Of War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 2,4 meters Damage: 200, 26% chance of setting

enemies on fire cost :110 MP

Axe Mastery(Lv25-MAX): Your ability to use an axe in battle

without chopping yourself in pieces. +41% dmg with and +21%

attack speed when wielding axes. This skill can now be

UPGRADED.

Necklace of Despair

+15 DEX

+10 WIS

Special: Night's Chosen: +50% effectiveness to Aura of

Dominance skill and all upgraded forms.

Info: A necklace blessed by Nyx herself and gifted to her

daughter in order to help her in her duties. All fear inducement

spells are enhanced greatly by this powerful artifact.

Olive Laurel

Info: A laurel made by Athena's first created olive tree capable

of granting great wisdom. Upon being sacrificed to said

Goddess you gain +20 to your INT and WIS stats.

I can with no shred of shame say that by the time I was done reading

the update, I was gawking like an idiot. I didn't just move one step

higher on the power ladder, I fucking flew to the next floor, and

considering all the new skills and perks that are just waiting to level

up this is just a prelude. So many things to level up, so little time.

I was admiring all my new features when I noticed one of the

rewards from the quests. 'Luke will no longer join Kronos'. Damn I

knew my existence will bring changes in the story but I didn't expect

such a drastic change. Luke was the lynchpin of both Kronos rise, as

well as his fall. I can sufficiently say that with this, cannon was

viciously kicked out of the window. I only hope I didn't ruin all of the

plans THE Fates had for the survival of humanity and the defeat of

the Titans.

(Flashback: The Fates after Thalia reached Camp safely)

The Fates resided in their personal dimension locked away and

inaccessible to almost all Gods bar the Primordials themselves. They

are the lynchpins of life itself, making sure the world continues to

carry on and using prophecies guiding the world from time to time to

prevent world ending calamities from succeeding in the destruction

of all creation. They are the epitome of grace and elegance fulfilling

their duties with calm dispassionate postures never showing on their

faces even a hint of emotion or doubt. Or they used to do so until

now.

"CUT THE CORDS! CUT THE CORDS! THEY ARE GOING TO

SHALLOW US WHOLE! "shouted Clotho in a panicked voice trying

to get away from huge blue glowing threads that were trying to tie

her from head to toe.

"I AM TRYING, THE BLASTED THINGS SEEM INVICIBLE, IT HAS

RUINED 3 PAIRS OF SCISSORS AND-" was interrupted Atropos

after a literal wave of multicolored thread consumed her and started

carrying her away to who knows where.

As for Lachesis?

"WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIIIIIEEEEEE! "she kept shouting as a

thick cord of strings had tied her from her ankles and was rotating

her like a demented helicopter, occasionally smacking her on Clotho

who was by now tied into a very kinky bondage position and was

glowing gold from all the humiliation she was suffering.

(End of Flashback: Back to Alexandra)

'Nah I am sure we are alright. The Fates probably have at least 10

back up plans ready for every occasion' I thought with a nod if my

head.

The question is where do I go from here. I am in Vanaheim of all

places, a whole other world governed by a foreign pantheon with no

way to go back. I already tried to summon Ruin but he doesn't

answer so he is probably blocked from coming here.

My contemplations were put to a stop by the door opening once

again and Freyja coming in with a trio of dead hares tied at her waist.

Rabbit stew is on the menu for today it seems.

After that the day passed quickly. Freyja's stew was divine (pun not

intended) and we started sharing stories.

I told her about my mother's death and all my adventures since then,

including Hades quest because at this point I don't care to spare him

from the embarrassment. He made his bed now he can lie on it. I

also told her about my friends,my relief that they managed to reach

safety and also my slaughter of Hades army and my theory on how I

ended up in her backyard.

She, in return told me about her life in her father's Njord Vanir God of

the Seas court, as well as her disastrous marriage to Odr God of

Innovation, Desire, War and other minor domains and his habit of

running away from their home chasing adventures and women

through the nine worlds that caused her in the older days to search

for him all the time while weeping.

At some point though, she couldn't stand it anymore and beat him

almost to death after he caught him fucking a Giantess before

divorcing the moron that didn't appreciate having the most beautiful

Norse Goddess as his wife.

After her long time coming divorce a few centuries back, she started

focusing more in her domains and has been leading a quiet life until

now, not really interested in having a relationship and generally has

been living in solitude in her cottage in the wilds of Vanaheim. 'Well

quiet' she said with a teasing grin 'until a little naked demigoddess

fell from the sky in my backyard' causing me to groan a little in

embarrassment.

It has been a month since I ended up in Vanaheim and I have been

having the time of my life. Freyja gave me a new outfit because all

my old clothes have been disintegrated while moving through the

Yggdrasil. I admit I teared up a little at that. My whole Huntress outfit

and my coat that protected me from Zeus's sight, completely gone.

All this effort to gain them completely wasted and I brooded for a few

days because of it but after a while I got over it and moved on.

My new outfit didn't have any special properties but it made me feel

so cool wearing it. It was a small blouse that went around my breasts

leaving my whole belly and navel bare and I had a wolf fur cape on

my back. Bellow my waste I was wearing animal leather pants and

boots with a cool red shash tied at the front of my leather belt. Lastly

my hair were made in braids and then tied altogether in a tight

ponytail that flowed down my back giving me an overall very hot

Viking chick look.

Every day we wake up at dawn and we go hunting, running around

the lush forests trying to find game for dinner and exploring the

wilderness.

I haven't seen such untamed nature before in either of my lives. The

very air was teaming with energy wild and free, something that is

extremely reduced in the forests of Earth or Midgard as they call it

here due to the interference of man. Ha, who would have thought

that in a single month spent with a Goddess I would make me start

to feel so separated from humanity. It was both exhilarating and quite

scary, no wonder the huntresses of Artemis felt so detached.

On another matter I had been trying to experiment with my new

magics with minimal results. It seems the game will not make it easy

for me to learn new skills that are outside my parentage.

Geomancy (Lv1-Lv2): Your ability to control earth (-2MP to all

earth spells). Cost: 29MP/sec

Hydromancy(Lv1-Lv2): Your ability to control water (-2MP to all

water spells). Cost: 29 MP/sec

Lumiomancy (Lv1-Lv2): Your ability to control light(-2MP to all

light based spells). Cost 39MP

No matter how hard I tried, I could barely make a few pebbles or

drops of water move. As for light control? Forget it, my attempt at a

lumos spell was so pathetic that I could feel the whole firefly colony

that lives near the house look at me in pity. I have never felt so

humiliated in my life, being so noob that even bugs were pitying me.

Freyja when she heard of this started laughing so hard that she fell

from her chair.

All these gamer fanfictions that I had read in my past life had lied to

me. You read about the main character taking control of his mana

and start making spells left and right and you think that magic is easy

or something, just make some mana move and think what you want

and voila, skill made.

Freyja made sure to dissuade me from this misconception. Magic is

fucking hard. Yes demigods usually can instinctively use their Godly

parent's gifts to some degree and with some training they become

better, like I did with my Warfyre, but if they want to learn magic

outside their parent's sphere of influence then they must try very

hard through trial and error and spend years honing their skills.

Thankfully, the beautiful Vanir promised me to teach me, saving me

from unending hours of miniscule results. I gained and an awesome

title out of this too.

Freyja;s Apprentice: You have become the disciple of the

Goddess Freyja. When this title is equipped you gain +50% exp

to all skills taught to you by your Mistress. Also all divines will

recognize you as your teachers student, gaining positive

reputation with her allies and negative with her enemies.

Though the catch with this is that I have to stay for at least 5 years

with her in order reach a level that I would be able to use my magic

effectively enough. According to her I need to reach a certain level of

skill to not be a danger to others and myself when using my magic.

I know what you will say. What about Camp half-blood? Don't you

need to return to the Greeks?

Frankly, I can't be bothered right now. I am quite miffed with their

stupidity and I am not going to throw away this spectacular

opportunity to go cook smores in a campfire, singing silly songs and

waste away to a place that every little bit of progress or achievement

is scrutinized and punished if you reach too high.

For the first time in this life I feel completely carefree and safe and I

am not willing to give it up so soon and its not like I would miss

everything. The norse realm's time flows twice as fast as Earths but

all mortals age by Midgard's standards. That means that 5 years

here are only 2,5 years on Earth, meaning that Annabeth will be 9,5

by the end of my apprenticeship and I have another 5 Norse years

until Lightning Thief begins and I have to go back to help with that

whole cluster fuck so I am not really worried. And so, without further

adieu, my apprenticeship began.

The first year was spent doing countless hours of meditation in order

to familiarize myself with the mana inside me and learn to

differentiate between my affinities. Apparently he reason that I

couldn't perform almost anything from my new affinities was because

I was mixing them together and as a result handicapping myself. The

mediation is helping me fix that and now I can manage to recognize

the different feel of the flavors for luck of a better word of the

different elements. Though spell casting was still not possible for me

aside from Warfyre and Pyromancy that I could use as easy as

breathing, making a few new spells that gave me some really badass

versatility.

Pyromancy (Lv25-Lv27): Your ability to raise and control fire

(-27MP to all fire spells- Doesn't affect FOW). Cost: 16 MP/sec

Fireball(Lv20): You can conjure great balls of fire that can

incinerate your enemies with. +600 DMG, Cost: 81(54) MP

Fire Imbuement(Lv20): Imbue your weapons with magical fire

for extra damage. +60 DMG, Cost: 30(3) MP

I was surprised at the beginning about the really high damage of the

new skills. How could simple fire magic have higher damage rates

than the Flames of War, a type of magic that even the game

declared as higher ranked?

The answer is simple. Basic Pyromancy inflicts magical damage and

all supernatural beings have a certain amount of magical resistance

that reduces the total damage you inflict upon them .The stronger

the being, the higher the resistance it has to magic to an extent,

though esoteric spells and rituals are capable of bypassing those.

The Flames of War on the other hand can't be stopped like that.

They inflict true soul deep damage that the only way you can avoid is

to dodge. Once hit even Gods are unable to truly recover from

serious wounds.

Magic of course wasn't the only think that I trained during the year.

Countless hours of hunting had made my tracking skills exemplary

inside a forest, though there is no official skill for that because there

are too many factors involved to it to be able to be counted in

numerical value (season, wind, terrain, senses of the prey etc,).

What I gained was a mastery in the bow and the dagger.

Bow Mastery(MAX): Your ability to use bows. +60% dmg when

using bows. This skill can be UPGRADED.

Dagger Mastery(Lv21): Your ability to use daggers. +31% dmg

and +15,5% attack speed when using daggers.

Freyja told me that while my gun was powerful, it wouldn't serve me

well if I wanted to kill someone silently and its range while greater

than simple mortal ones doesn't stand a chance compared to

magical bows that if well made enough can reach distances that can

be counted in miles.

It was better according to her to use it as a mid-range weapon and

learn archery as a long range option. She also proved that point by

using her bow to strike a tree that was positioned 15 km away from

where we were standing. My improved Clairvoyance being the only

reason that I could even see it.

So after this badass show of skill I made sure I just couldn't not try to

master the weapon and with my aforementioned perk I could pick

apart monsters from miles away leaving me safe and capable of

defending great territories without having to run everywhere nonstop.

My second year my magical training took a completely different road.

According to Freyja the next step in mastering my mana is to be able

to perform rituals which are the most ancient and powerful magic in

existence aside from Elder Runes but that is something she couldn't

really help me with so we focused in rituals.

Through different mediums, like the elements, the celestial bodies,

parts of living creatures and even your own or others blood you can

create greater spells that can be charged through the ambient magic

of the world itself. They can be augmented by the phase of the

seasons like the summer solstice for light rituals or the winter one for

dark ones or even fertility in the spring equinox and numerous other

things that will take centuries to explain all. This type of magic is also

sacrificial by nature so you must always respect the equivalent

exchange rule or the results could be cataclysmic if the ritual is

powerful enough.

Most of the year was spend in theory and recognizing the different

effects and possibilities countless mediums and ingredients gave a

ritual as well as the times and events that ritualistic magic become

stronger and the pitfalls that an inexperienced practitioner could fall

into.

By the end of the year I was capable of performing 3 rituals. One for

scrying, one for fertility and the last one was for breathing

underwater which I performed first, giving me a new perk and giving

me a pair of new runic tattoos, this time in the widely used language

of runes in vertical lines on the sides of my neck just bellow my ears.

They were basically gills made by runes and empowered by

sacrificing some of my blood, pain, and a magical fish corpse. All in

all, extremely worth it.

Rituals:

The Searcher: A ritual that can be performed with the use of a

map and some kind of solid medium, usually a pebble of

obsidian to locate a person the caster wants to find inside the

maps borders. Skilled practitioners of magic can hide from this

ritual, unless the caster has in his possession some of their

blood.

Earth Rejuvenation: Through this ritual the caster can bless the

Earth, either of a wild forest or of farmland in order to

rejuvenate the plants making them grow rapidly and yielding

more numerous and healthier corps. Performed in spring

equinox or by people with nature affinity can increase the

results of the rituals exponentially.

Water Breather: Through this ritual the caster can give

themselves the ability to breath underwater. Beware that while

you will not be capable of drowning anymore, water pressure is

still a factor that the ritual cannot protect you from. (Permanent)

I also managed to increase some of my stats. The extreme study

sessions as well as the foraging and the hunting of the last 2 years

had helped me raise them but not too much on the physical side. It

seems I will have to really try to increase those stats after they reach

their one hundred thresholds.

+15 INT

+10 WIS

+3 STR

+5 VIT

+10 DEX

I also managed to max out all my weapon masteries as well but the

way to upgrade them still eluded me.

Lastly I managed to accomplish a new feat of magic that admittedly

was the coolest thing ever and I couldn't wait to explore more

possibilities with it in the years to come.

New Skill: Shape shifting(Lv5): Your ability to transform

yourself into various animals. It needs an exceptional amount of

knowledge about the physiology of the animal in order to

transform. Current number of forms: 1 Form(s): Red-Tailed

Hawk

The feeling of flying under your own power, the wind touching your

wings and watching the whole landscape from above was

indescripable. I started spending so much time at some point as a

bird that though that Freyja had to temporalily curse my skill in order

to stop wasting time and start taking my studies seriously.

The third year was spent working on my core element affinities and

by that I mean Fire, Water and Earth. Light even though it is one of

the core elements needs special training and focus so it was left for

later.

Fire was simple. I had such a great ability for it that maxing it was

achieved in only six months and the other six I mastered the few

spells I learned. Warfyre was unfortunately completely ignored

though because my teacher didn't want me to mesh with higher

ranked magics when I was filling my mana with lower leveled ones. It

seems it reducing the progress made by replacing the elemental

flavor in my magic or something like that.

Water and Earth were harder to deal with. It took me a huge amount

of time to learn to transform my mana in the respective natures and

my casting speed is still somewhat shaky, though Loki's ring helps

some with that when I am allowed to wear it. Apparently Freyja

doesn't believe in shortcuts or stupid artifacts from snake faced

assholes. Her words not mine.

Both elements I managed to raise to level 15 control wise and I was

able to make some pretty free element manipulation with them,

though only parlor tricks according to Freyja. Spell wise I only

learned one for each elemnt plus I managed to train my other earth

spell a bit. They were pretty weak though and they maxed out only in

5 Levels.

Geomancy (Lv2-Lv15): Your ability to control earth (-15MP to all

earth spells). Cost: 16MP/sec

Fissure(Lv1-Lv5): By focusing earth energies in your hands and

hitting the ground you create great fissures on the earth

destroying landscapes and obliterating enemies. +600DMG +

240per 100 STR. Cost: 495(480) MP. Can be combined with other

elements for extra effects.

Earth Wall(MAX): An earth type spell that is used to raise a rock

solid wall in order to defend the caster from attacks or to be

used as a stepping stone depending on the shape conjured.

Cost 20(5) MP

Hydromancy(Lv2-Lv15): Your ability to control water (-15MP to

all water spells). Cost: 29 MP/sec.

Purification(MAX): A water type spell that is used to purify small

bodies of water. Amount of purification: 100 Liters, Cost:100

(85) MP.

They were quite situational but in the right moment and with creative

use they can be a quite potent and I was happy with them all the

same. After all who wouldn't want to use magic?

The last two years were each used for Light and Nature magic, with

the second left for last because of how complicated it was.

Light after some clarifications I took like a fish to water and I was

really happy with it. Aside for making flashlights obsolete and

enabling me to walk through forests at night without being afraid of

creating forest fires for some light, it is very effective against

creatures that have a darkness alignment as well as cursed beasts

like Lycaons brood, Ghosts and many others. I only learned 3 light

spells even though I was really talented with it. The first was two

were basically the same spell but for different uses and very minor.

Lumiomancy (Lv2-Lv20): Your ability to control light(-20MP to

all light based spells). Cost 20MP

Flashlight(MAX): A light type spell that depending on the

amount of mana used it can illuminate a set amount of area.

Cost: 1 MP for every 10dm of area

Light Ball(MAX): A light type spell that creates a palm sized ball

of light that can remain alight alone for 5 minutes and illuminate

in a 10 meters radius. If an illumination rune is carved bellow

the spell then it can remain as long as the rune is intact. Cost

100 MP.

The last one though was awesome.

Laeshi (Lv20): A light type spell that imbues weapons and

projectiles like arrows or bullets or even your body with light

causing them to deal extra light damage. + 60 dmg, Cost: 40(20)

MP/ min. Special: When used against dark aligned creatures or

beings then there is a +100% damage dealt.

Freyja didn't let me learn any other light spells because they were

too advanced for me at this point.

Nature magic was the most difficult of all. Unlike all other elements

that you had to transform your raw mana into them and use them,

with nature you had to transform both water and earth at the same

time and combine it flawlessly in order to use it. It took me 6 months

to manage that and another 2 to be able to keep it stable enough to

cast spells and by the time I did it I cursed Hashirama Senju to the

deepest pits of hell for making it look so fucking easy to create

fucking forests from nothing when it took me 8 months of nonstop

training to even make a fucking flower bloom.

I only learned 1 nature spell, though unlike the other elements this

one was very cool.

Chloromancy(Lv1-Lv10): Your ability to raise and control plants

(-10MP to all plant spells). Cost 50 MP/ sec

Thorn Binding Death(Lv10): A nature type spell that sprouts

thick steel hard thorny vines that bind and shred your enemies

at the same time. 300 DMG, Cost:100(90)MP per enemy bound.

Yep it was utterly badass. Seeing this spell it makes me really

reconsider Demeter's danger level.

So here we are now. After five years of rigorous training my magical

studies under Freyja are over and I am kneeling before my Mistress

ready to receive the mark of sorcery and with that her blessing in

using my magics without supervision. With this mark I was

recognized as a fully fledged magical practitioner though a young

and inexperienced one. The prestige of graduating from an

apprenticeship from the most well known and powerful sorceress of

the Norse pantheon is a huge accomplishment and a feat I can boast

with pride. I even got a title out of it.

Sorceress: You have been educated in the ways of the Arcane

and have been recognized by a master of the arts with the mark

of graduation. You gain +20% effectiveness to all mana based

skills.

As a graduation gift Freyja made me a whole outfit created by Vanir

armor smiths and a bow made and enchanted from her, capable of

reaching great distances fully supplementing my improved

Clairvoyance perk.

Vanir Battle Armor

+1000 MP

+50% to physical defenses

+30% to magical defenses

Special: Transfiguration: When pushing some mana in the

center of the belt with the intent to transform the armor changes

to a jeans and hoodie ensemble making it capable of fooling

even clear sighted mortals. WARNING: When transformed the

armor gains a +80% reduction to all enchantments.

Info: A battle armor commissioned by Freyja and made by Vanir

master armor smiths. This armor made from enchanted leather

is a work of art that can serve the wearer in battle splendidly,

giving him the defense of a full plate heavy armor without the

extra weight, protecting him without sacrificing their mobility .

The armor will grow with the wearer.

Yew Raptor Bow

+1200 Damage

Range: 65 miles (105km)

+100% damage to monsters

+30% damage to divines

+50 dmg when imbued with light

Special: Freyja's Love: The bow is capable of turning into a ring

when not in use and it can summon an unlimited amount of

arrows capable of harming the supernatural. It can only be used

by Alexandra Bellum.

Info: Made from Freyja herself for her beloved apprentice. The

enchantments of the weapon grants it tremendous power and

range and makes it capable of harming even the most durable

targets. It is neatly indestructible.

I was amazed by the gifts. They were both as powerful as they were

beautiful and I was itching to wear them and start a hunting

expedition to test them.

The armor was all leather aside from the pauldrons, gauntlets and

belt buckle that were made from Uru steel, the Norse pantheons

signature ore. The top was a crimson red (my signature color) and

the leather pants were grey while the boots were brown with the Uru

made parts being a rippled silver, like Damascus steel but way

better. Of course every part of it was decorated with runes giving it

an even better appearance.

The bow on the other hand was white and inscribed with crimson

runes. At both ends were the string was tied to the wood there were

decorative hawk heads that were probably the reason for its name.

Their beaks were gold while their heads were black and for eyes

they had clean cut emeralds.

I was ready to run into the forest for a test drive when I was held

back by the scruff of my neck by Freyja.

"Wait a minute young lady, we don't have time for you to hunt today .

We have other obligations" she said the word 'obligations' like it was

a poisonous viper biting her on the neck.

"What kind of obligations?" I asked surprised. In the 5 years I have

spent here we have never left the forest so this change came out of

the left field.

"We have to go to Asgard for the annual celebratory feast" she

continued with an expression of a prisoner walking towards the

guillotine.

"Annual Feast? First if its annual then why didn't you go the last 5

times it was done? Second, what changed that made it necessary for

you to attend this year? And third and most important, why do I have

to come too? I asked freaking out a little bit on the inside about going

to Asgard and meeting all these Gods.

"Well, my cute little apprentice." said the Goddess with a serene

smile "The last five years I ruthlessly took advantage of your

apprenticeship to make an excuse of important and sensitive

circumstances that gave me an out. Unfortunately for me your

apprenticeship is now over and worse of all my father knows it so I

can't really use you as an excuse anymore to stay away from that

rowdy and headache inducing celebration." explained Freyja and

then continued.

"Also unfortunately for you, you are my latest apprentice and as a

result you must make an appearance with me in order to be

introduced to the Divine world as a whole. Just so you know there is

a possibility of more than Norse Gods being there." she ended with a

smirk that promised the pain of a thousand tortures if I embarrased

her.

The horror at the explanation must have caused me to take a very

funny expression because the sadistic Goddess with an angelic face

started cackling and muttering about now not being alone in her

suffering and that I would have to suffer with her this year, creeping

me out and making me even more nervous for this event.

After she finished taking enjoyment out of my trepidation, she

summoned her chariot drawn by giant cats of all things (and I don't

mean lions or tigers, they are literally cats that are the size of small

horses) and we headed for Njord palace in the capital of Vanaheim

in order for us to get ready for the feast.

Thankfully I didn't have to wear a dress, the Aesir are apparently

really into the whole warrior culture thing and as long as you were a

recognized warrior wearing your armor in official events was more

than acceptable which suited me just fine. The only prettying up I

had to do was to bathe and then sit down while some servant fixed

my hair from their ponytail into a more free flowing shape with some

knots at each side of my head above my ears that kept them flowing

behind my back and not in the front of my face. I also checked my

status in order to check my parameters while wearing my new armor.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Sorceress

Level: 20 (1.910.375/2.900.813)

HP: 14860 (+3000) HPReg= 12 % /h

MP: 7430(+2000) MPReg= 38 mp/min

STR: 200

VIT: 105

DEX: 120(135)

INT:75(85)

WIS: 63(83)

CHA: 66

LUC: 12(17)

Status: 15

So here we are now, a company of dozens Vanir Gods and officials

plus a ten year old looking demigoddess way out of her depth,

standing in a huge circle of Runes and waiting for our time to get

beamed to Asgard through Bifrost.

I even met Freyja's father and brother, as well as her two daughters

that were admittedly almost as beautiful as their mother.

Njord was a very handsome man looking around his mid-forties with

light brown hair and sea green eyes and a long beard that was

decorated with norse knots. He had an easy going smile and when

he saw me wearing the Vanir armor he gained a very amused tinkle

in his eyes.

Hnoss and Gersemi, Freyja's daughters were both blonde and

beautiful. They had their hair done beautifully and wore tailor made

dresses that probably cost a small island each in Midgard. Though

they were acting pretty aloof when I tried to talk to them and for a

moment I thought they didn't like me or something but Freyja

informed me that they really didn't like these official events and were

using a cold façade to steer away idiotic suitors, which was

understandable really.

As for Frey. Well Frey was quite of annoying.

"Gods Freyja, its been a while" he said hugging his sister and then

continues "Is this your mysterious apprentice that we have heard so

much about?he said pointing at me with his finger "Isn't she a little

young to be trying to learn magic though? Does she even have

enough seidr to cast a spell yet?

My eyebrow started twitching at his words. His tone didn't have any

arrogance or contempt so he was really just curious and not

malicious in his question, but it pissed me off all the same. I didn't

train my butt off for 5 years to have some blonde pretty boy fop try to

diss me and Freyja's teaching skills, so I did what every self

respecting apprentice should do to defend the honor of her Mistress

and prove her skills as well. I set his girly hair on fire.

It took him 5 seconds to comprehend what I had done. After that he

started running in circles screaming his head off about his luscious

locks getting ruined and trying to put the fire out all the while

everyone else were laughing their asses off with Njord being the

loudest.

Freyja proud expression when she looked at me really made my day.

After all brother or not the first thing she taught me was to not take

shit from anyone and my actions proved that I had learned my

lesson.

Following the amusing incident, one of the soldier escorts informed

us that we had only 5 more minutes before the Bifrost started so

everyone took their positions and put the serious faces on. Though

funnily enough Frey kept sending me nervous looks from time to

time, probably fearing that I will try to burn his magically restored hair

again, which was absurd because I won't burn his hair on a whim.

Probably.

Five minutes later a great rainbow beam descended from the

heavens and hit our position and with a slight disorienting feeling we

were teleported to a fully golden observatory that was looking

towards the starry space and I couldn't help but gawk a little.

After Njord traded pleasantries with Heimdallr and Freyja promised

him that if he ever peeps on her while she baths she is gonna use

his intestines to hang him from the edge of the observatory by his

balls (there was an incident a while back said Hnoss to me that had

the watcher almost beaten to death because he peeped on her

mother and she sensed him, though she said to never ask because it

was a sore spot) which made every single male in the vicinity wince

and clench their butt cheeks a bit, we started walking towards the

golden city of Asgard.

Author Notes:

I have made, due to the very useful advice of my fans (Clapping

all around) a discord account. My name is ChildeOfWar and the

chat room is called #the-game-of-divinity! so if anyone wants to

join they are free to do so as long as they don't start trolling

because then I would have to block them (smiles pleasantly).

The link is /qBhK6sYvwk

Here I am going to answer some questions to some interesting

reviews.

Eragon135790 - In the fight with the Furies Ruin had used a total

of three times his portal ability. Once to save Alex from the

bindings, once to teleport to the third Fury in order to kill her

and the last one when she tried to escape Hades shadows after

the battle ended. The others reached Camp through sky

running, they didn't use portals. The cause of the

destabilization and out heroine's accidental trip was because 2

different space time spells interacted at the same time. One

being the portal and the other the teleporting shadows, so as

you can understand she didn't ignore the warning, the Gods

fucked her over.

SilverDrak01 - Dude I have to say that when I read your

comment you really made my day. I have been planning to make

that scene with the Fates since I started writing chapter 2 and

when you wrote about Alex being the Fates tool really cracked

me up. I can assure you though that the ones responsible for

the Gamer system are not and will never be the Fates. They are

others who have that honor but I am not going to say more.

I hope you liked it guys and see ya around next time. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

From the pan and into the fire

Chapter 16 is up guys. This is the longest chapter yet so I hope

you appreciate my efforts, you little scoundrels you. As always

Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and any other

franchises mentioned to their rightful owners.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Before we begin with the chapter I want to clarify something

that a lot of people seemed to get confused about in the story. I

am talking of course about Alex's age. So lets create a timetable

to clear things up a bit.

She started her journey when she was six almost seven at late

April of 1996 with her birthday being 15 of May.

A day later she finds the grove and stays there for three

months. So by August that she enters the first dungeon she is 7

yo and change.

She comes out at the summer Solstice of 1997 and she is aged

another year so now she is 8.

About a couple weeks late the whole Hades thing happened and

three years passed on the outside world while she only aged 3

months making her 8 in 2000 and Annabeth 6,5.

After about 3 months together with the Dream team they

manage to reach Camp and then she goes on a trip to

Vanaheim.

There she stays for 5 years BUT. As I said in chapter 15, five

years in norse dimensions is 2,5 in the real world and mortals

that reside there age with Midgards standards not Vanaheims.

As a result , when she finally goes to Asgard she is 10,5. and

another 5 years in Norse realms will make her 13 years old and

it would only have passed only 5 years as a whole on Earth. So

when she reaches Camp (hopefully) she will be a few months

before Lightnning Thief starts. I hope I cleared things up.

Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 16: The Halls of Asgard

The first thing I noticed when we walked out from Heimdallr's

Observatory was that it was positioned at the very edge of the

dimension.

Beyond that there was a chasm that leads directly to space and from

this it was easy to deduce that in actuality Asgard was a humongous

island flowing in the space of its own dimension.

How could that work, when one considers the cycles of day and

night need the rotation of the planets to work and also the fact that

the seas at some point should fall over the chasm I don't know but I

am not going to try to understand these Godly miracle bullshit. That

way lie madness and I don't have enough sanity as it is to go around

wasting it in things that are not my concern.

Disregarding my previous thoughts, I followed the procession of the

Vanir through the very well made cobbled path (positioned behind

and to the right of Freyja as it was proper, her being my Mistress)

that led to the walls of Asgard.

Looking at them from a great distance you would think it was just

another wall. Yes it looked impressive but nothing to write home

about, just big grey stones encircling the city.

It was when you got near them that their size and splendor become

truly apparent. They were so big that any other walls someone could

see in the whole Midgard would look tiny in comparison.

I don't doubt that if you built the Empire State Building just outside

these walls, the very top of it wouldn't reach even three fourths of

these walls height. In addition the moment you got within 20 meters

of it, a great pressure could be felt on your shoulders.

Seeing my bewildered expression at this phenomenon Njord

explained that it is the countless wards and barriers that further

empower the walls giving a warning to everyone approaching.

If we had actual plans to attack the pressure would have felt like

holding the very skies on your shoulders, crushing the weak into non

existence in a seconds and viciously handicapping everyone that

survives. It is designed that way both as a great defense but as a

reminder as well to everyone that Asgard is not to be trifled with.

After that explanation I was awed by the Giant that built these walls

all on his own and only in 1 year too with only a horse for help. You

can only theorize on what kind of wanders he could have built if he

wasn't such a horny bastard for trying to marry Freyja as a reward,

causing Loki to trick him out of the bet and after that Thor splitting his

head open like a watermelon.

If the walls were impressive then the city itself was majestic. While

the golden city of Asgard wasn't actually gold in color like its name

suggested or the MCU series depicted it, it was still a marvel of truly

divine proportions.

It was built on a mountain, with the bottom being the barracks and

training fields as well as the farmlands and as you went higher the

most opulent it became. The whole architecture had the Viking feel

obviously but you could see styles from different cultures as well,

which were made to honor allies and friends of the Aesir according

to Freyja.

Surprisingly enough there were even some Greek and Roman

themed buildings. Who would have thought that Zeus of all people

would actually bring himself to make friends with someone that is not

himself? Will wonders never cease?

At the very top was a second walled structure that served as the

residence of the royal family as well as the barracks of the Valkyries

and the Halls of Valhalla, the army of the honorably dead that were

waiting for Ragnarok to come.

After we passed through the walls we were led in a huge throne

room that was already filled with thousands upon thousands of

people, and considering the sheer presence many of them had they

were probably Gods and the rest were partial immortals, demigods,

nature spirits and most importantly the residents of Valhalla mingling

with each other and waiting for the festivities to begin.

We were waiting for about 10 more minutes before the sound of

great horns was heard, silencing everyone and bringing their

attention to a raised dais were Hlidskjalf, the throne of the king was

placed.

On top of it sat Odin All-father, King of the Aesir and official leader of

the Norse pantheon, God of Wisdom, Knowledge, Sorcery, War,

Death, Ecstasy, Poetry and Runes. On his left side sat Frigg the All-

Mother and Queen of the Aesir, Goddess of the Sky, fertility,

household, motherhood, love and marriage and on his left was Thor

God of Thunder, War and Storms, Heir of Asgard.

When Freyja first told me about the domains of Odin I was really

surprised about their number and importance. It was no wonder that

he was such a feared and respected God and could afford to indulge

in the arcane arts without the rest of the Aesir who consider magic

as a whole a womanly art to give him any flack about it. He was

simply too strong for any of them to dare to even voice any kind of

disapproval.

The sound of Gugnir's shaft striking the ground pushed me out of my

thoughts and brought everyone undivided attention to the King.

"People of Asgard and honorable guests that have come from

distant realms, I welcome you to my halls in the annual harvest

celebration, meant to honor another year of successful bounty and

preservation of the peace between the realms of Yggdrasil." said

Odin, his voice carrying to the whole room, filled with the authority of

a supreme leader and warrior, causing the whole audience to roar in

jubilation motioning for the valkyrie guards to open the side gates

that led to a banquet hall capable of probably accommodating

double the people that were here.

In the middle of the hall there was a great hearth meant for people to

dance around and circling it were countless intricately carved

wooden tables meant to sit the many guests, filled with an exorbitant

amount of food. Golden horns of ale were placed aside of every

plate and if my senses were correct, they were enchanted to be

never ending.

We sat together with the royal family as honored guests, which

wasn't a surprise really considering Njord was the King of Vanaheim

and Odin's greatest ally.

I was placed on the left side of Freyja, right after her daughters.

When everyone found their seats, Odin stood up, gaining the

attention of everyone and raised his golden horn filled with ale in the

air.

"Let the feast begin and may the tales of valor be aplenty" he

declared prompting everyone to raise their drinks as well and music

to start sounding in the background.

After everyone gorged themselves in meat and fruits, men started

standing up and approached the women in order to dance around

the fire.

Fortunately for me, I didn't have tits yet so none of the horny men

bothered to invite me to dance, something that Freyja couldn't say

for herself causing her to have a semi-permanent scowl on her face

and me a very amused grin. When I explained to a curious Njord the

reason of the grin, it caused him to roar in laughter and start teasing

his daughter every time she found time to sit down.

Much later, when everyone had been tired out and the night was

starting to fall, the time for the stories of valor and battle had come.

It was a tradition for warriors to stand before the fire and regale

everyone with stories of battles past they have participated in and

after they are done the would invite someone else to do it and so on

with the occasional spar in between to spice things up until the sun

appeared and brought the end of the celebrations.

Most stories were nothing to write home about. It was the usual, the

random Viking went to raid a distant land, he pillaged some poor

unfortunate soul, raped his wife or daughters ( though they called it

conquered because it sound better than rape) and then took his ship

and returned home to fuck his wife. It was fucking repetitive and not

to mention horrifying. I wanted to stand up and burn the balls of

those bastards with Warfyre. Maybe this would teach them about

fucking acceptable behavior and decency. Fortunately for them

Freyja put a stop to my pyromaniac thoughts.

Things were going well. Some Gods had stood up in order to tell

their tales and Susano's battle against Yamata no Orochi was pretty

cool by the way, when Loki of all beings stood up, causing everyone

to freeze for a moment and the King to raise an amused eyebrow.

Apparently the God of Mischief and sworn brother of Odin wasn't

one for such events.

After regaling us about his fight with some poor Giant that should

really have been more careful when fighting near a steep cliff, Loki

made it quite clear that he really wanted to have his balls burned by

Warfyre.

"And now that my tale is over I think its time for the next warrior to

come forth." said the snake with an amused grin.

Taking his time to look around and pretend that he has not already

decided on who to choose he turns to our table and gives me a very

amused smirk that instantly made me want to rearrange his face.

"Alexandra Bellum daughter of Ares, dragon charmer and Freyja's

very own apprentice please come forth and tell us a tale of your

valor" said the son of a bitch, bringing everyone's attention to me

causing some of them to raise their eyebrows at my small stature

and age.

Glowing red from embarrassment, I stood up and headed before the

fire, my gamer's mind working double time to suppress my stage

fright and my anger at the dickhead that put me in this situation from

being shown on my face.

Steeling myself, I looked back at the thousand eyes that were

focused on me and started to describe my whole adventure from the

moment that I left Wisteria's grove together with the others until my

victory over the furies and my subsequent arrival in Freyja's

backyard.

The mention of Ruin and his capabilities caused some raised

eyebrows, considering that Ares had never given such horse to any

of his mortal children before, it said much about me acquiring one.

The desperate running through New York in order to reach camp had

everyone at the edge of their seats and my actions towards my

comrades and my decision to fight alone against an army had the

residents of Valhalla and most battle nuts amongst the audience

raise their cups and roar in glee.

My actual fight and the defeat of the Furies caused a second round

of gleeful shouts that turned in laughter when I described my naked

landing in the Vanir Princesses backyard.

When I was done, I was ready to release a relieved sigh and finally

go back to my seat when an arrogant voice silenced everyone.

"I don't believe a lick of the lies that you spouted little girl. As if a little

brat like you could ever accomplish such a thing. How dishonorable

are you to stand up before all these noble warriors and tell such tall

tales. It seems that Freyja has focused mostly in magic and hasn't

taught you much in respect. Though she wouldn't know much about

it herself, considering her actions against the honorable Odr."

Ralf Odrson "Professional Asshole"

Race: Demigod

Gender: Male

Level: 15

MP: 1600

STR: 80

VIT: 100

DEX: 50

INT: 15

WIS: 10

CHA: 20

LUC: 2

Info: Ralf is the son of Odr ex-husband of Freyja. He is an

arrogant idiot with a very big impression about himself. He was

a talented swordsman and a good raider before he died on the

shores of England by a squire when he was too distracted

being balls deep inside an unfortunate woman and has

achieved Valhalla by the skin of his teeth, making him a low

ranked warrior that only his father's status protects him for

getting his ass kicked daily. He hates Freyja for shaming his

father and hates you more for being associated with her.

I froze for a moment at the little cunts audacity but I got my wits

quickly.

"And who are you exactly? I asked curiously an expressionless look

on my face. The whole audience was silent unwilling to stop such

prime entertainment.

"My name is Ralf Odrson, I am a warrior of Valhalla." said the self

important piece of shit, thumb pointed to his chest like he was the gift

of the Gods upon Yggdrasil.

"Oh my Gods, you are the legendary Ralf Odrson that I have heard

so much about?" my whole face gained a very simpering look,

causing most of the audience to become flabbergasted at my

strange reaction towards the nobody dissing me and Freyja to smack

her head on the table with a groan, most assuredly knowing that shit

were about to hit the fun and the rest of the members in the royal

table to look at her in askance.

"Oh you have heard of my great feats of valor?" asked the moron in

a surprising display of lack of survival instincts.

"Oh yes, I was always amazed by the tale of how you were killed by

a child squire greener than a ripe cucumber because you were balls

deep in some poor girls cunt and were too much of a moron to check

your surrounding earning yourself a legendary blue balled death" I

replied, my simpering tone in full blast as I batted my eyelids at him.

Everyone froze. One bit. Two bits. Then a roar of laughter and

jeering was heard from the entire hall causing me to smile wide in

vicious satisfaction and he to gawk at me with widened eyes and

gaping mouth at the mention of his very embarrassing death.

At the royal table Frey and Thor had fallen out of their seats and

Njord was holding his stomach and shouting "I broke my rib" over

and over again while laughing. Freyja was looking at me with an

embarrassed expression conveying with her stare how much she

didn't want to know me this moment. Not that I cared, the fucker was

asking for it.

I was ready to go back to my sit when the idiot proved once again

that when he was created they forgot to put any survival instincts in

him.

"You little chit, I challenge you to a duel. You made me look like a

fool and now you will pay for it" the idiot said, spittle coming out of

his mouth and his face completely red in rage and humiliation.

"I didn't make you look like a fool you do it all on your own, but I

guess I can humor you a little bit." I replied causing another bout of

laughter and the shouts "FIGHT, FIGHT" making me smile.

"How do you want it loser? Classic or modern? I mocked with my

best douchebag (read: Ares) smirk.

"Pick whatever you want little girl, it won't change anything" shot

back the poor fool.

He stood 3 meters away from me a sword in hand and an arrogant

smirk in his face very assured of his victory.

I on the other hand was contemplating on how exactly to defeat him.

I could always pull out Forvendi and kick the fuckers ass in 3

seconds tops but it just wasn't satisfying enough. I had to make sure

the lesson I gave him stuck deep so I decided to take a more badass

approach. I was going to pull a Gildarts.

The moment a horn blare sounded the fight begun. I stood with my

hands crossed in front of my chest a bored look at my eyes and

waited. He, watching me not even taking out a weapon became

enraged at the insult and started charging with his sword above his

head, a wimpy battle cry to his lips.

A few feet away from me I used Aura Domination and engulfed

myself in Warfyre. The pressure of the maxed out skill together with

the unsettling aura the flames produced caused him to instantly

freeze and fall to his knees, his sword skipping from his hand and

falling to the ground. He wasn't the only one either. Many of the other

guests who weren't strong enough started shaking on their seats,

sweat pouring down their faces. The Gods and stronger warriors of

course didn't even pause, but I wasn't expecting them to. I know I am

amongst the strongest demigods power wise but I have no delusions

that if even a very minor God wished to I would be able to stop him

from crushing me like bug. For now at least.

The pathetic worm at this point was fully on the ground and

whimpering for mercy, completely dishonoring himself if the

disgusted looks he was getting was any indication.

I had no intention to draw out his suffering anymore though,

unnecessary cruelty and all that. So I pulled out my gun and shot

him twice. Once on the balls and two on the head.

Now I know what you will say. Alex wasn't that a little harsh? Killing

him is too much isn't it? And I will answer that he didn't die too much.

I know it doesn't make sense but you lack the necessary context.

You see, he was a resident of Valhalla, meaning he had already

died. As a result if he is inside Odin's Halls even if he is fatally

wounded he will just fade and reappear the next night good as new.

The guys here practically kill each other every day in the name of

training and joke about it too, that's why instead of attacking me for

killing one of their own they started cheering instead. Of course

things couldn't continue as it was before. My little bloodspilling cause

everyone to get excited and a brawl started immediately after I left

the pyre. The reason for the brawl? Because its fun.

After that the party continued and I got some pats on my head from

the happy Vanir Gods and a nod of approval from Freyja for teaching

the moron some manners until daylight came and everyone started

going to sleep exhausted from all the revelry.

I wasn't feeling all that sleepy though. The godly constitution has

improved my well, everything really by a big margin and now I only

needed 4 hours of sleep and I could stay perfectly awake for 3 days

straight, so I started to explore the city of Asgard.

The market was spectacular. There were wares from all of the

realms and even other pantheons. Fabrics from Vanaheim and

China, herbs and flowers from Alfheim, Africa and even Greece,

special alchemic ashes and never melting ice from Muspelheim and

Jotunheim respectively Necromancy assisting obsidian and bones

from Niflheim and jewelry from Nidavelir.

I purchased a few clothes for myself because I had gotten a growth

spurt in recent years and got my ears pierced as well. Earrings are

very good pieces of jewelry symbolically for sound based anti-mind

control enchantments (Sirens, charmspeakers etc). That's why I

bought a pair of them in the shape of crimson pentagrams with tiny

runes engraved on them (because sorceress duh!). After all if I ever

go to the sea of monsters they could come in handy and generally

anything that can prevent me from getting mind fucked is a good

investment.

Clear Sound Earrings

+5 WIS

+ 10% effectiveness to illusion based spells

Special: Clear Sound: This enchantment prevents the wearer

from falling victim to sound based illusions and mind

manipulation. Mind shields enhance the effectiveness of the

item.

Info: Earrings made from Uru steel from a jewel crafter from

Nidavelir and enchanted by a Light Elf enchanter. The give the

wearer clarity of mind and they are also very stylish, though

entering Christian territories wearing them could subject you to

a little bit of burning at the stake, so beware.

A couple hours of exploring later, I find myself in some pretty

impressive gardens on the upper parts of the city. They were

incredibly massive and were full of wooden statues of Gods and

legendary heroes and beasts. I was particularly amazed by the

depiction of Siegfried and Fafnir doing battle. They were extremely

realistic and the dragons body was glittering a gold color that from

what I could see was created from runes engraved on his scales.

"Runes can do some really spectacular things" I said to myself

amazed by the sight. What I didn't expect was from someone to

agree with me.

"Yes little one, runes are only limited by the user and his creativity." a

deep voice said behind me causing me to turn around startled.

The person who spoke was old, with a long white beard and a

walking stick. He was wearing grey robes that were not too

expensive or poorly made and he was looking at me with an amused

smile. Even if I didn't have observe, it wouldn't have taken me long to

recognize the old man.

Odin Borson "All-Father"

Race: God

Gender: Male

Affiliation: Aesir

Level: ?

Status: ?

Info: Odin Borson is the King of the Aesir and official leader of

the Norse pantheon, God of WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, SORCERY,

WAR, DEATH, ECSTASY, POETRY, ROYALTY, THE GALLOWS

and RUNES. You are not strong enough to know more.

You see Odin is also called the Wanderer in certain circles. He has

the habit to disguise himself as an old man that talks in riddles and

wander around the realms searching for secret knowledge with a

certain focus in prophecies and magic. It is also my favorite facet of

Odin aside from his warrior form. I always thought the way he pissed

on every tradition and stereotype of his people and did what he

wanted, walked everywhere, studied anything, having many

adventures to be very awesome. He was the epitome of freedom

and that appealed to me in terms of Gods to respect and worship.

I could have played along but I really wasn't one to beat around the

bush.

"Lord Odin, it is an honor to meet you" I said with a curtsy that Freyja

made me practice under many protests from me.

"Hooh, your scrying spell Loki told me about must be really unique if

it could detect my disguise. I know Gods who fell for it hook line and

sinker, impressive." he said with an impressed raised eyebrow and

transforming in his armored one eyed form.

"It is quite instinctual actually, I don't even know how I do it, I just do,

sir" I stuttered a bit and said the sir part a little bit as an afterthought.

'Great' I thought sarcastically ' I am turning into Percy'.

"These type of gifts are known to appear from time to time, its

usually a special manifestation of Mist use. You must have some

talent with it" he said surprising me and I immediately told him that

my Mist was still locked. Freyja wanted me to focus on my affinities

first and said that the Mist could be taught later, though I don't know

the exact reason why and I told him as such.

"Well it is not surprising really. Freyja was always more focused in

the more orthodox type of spell use. Sorcery on the other hand is

something that she doesn't like to use aside from enchanting."

His explanation confused me. After all I gained the title sorceress

from Freyja's apprenticeship. If what she taught me isn't considered

sorcery then why would I gain such a title? And I asked him such.

"In other cultures the title sorcery is one for all types of magic

someone could use. Here though you would be considered a mage

for having a level of mastery of the elements and a sorceress or the

most local seið-kona for your shape shifting ability. Sorcery or seidr

as it is called has more to do with the bending of the more esoteric

core aspects of creation and prophecy and also the manipulation of

the Mist. Space, Time, Mind, Reality are true sorceries and the basic

five elements together with Light and Dark are considered primal

magics or better known Magecraft. Life and Death belong to both

and neither at the same time depending on what you do and how."

as he was talking I became more and more amazed. He really had a

talent for teaching and what I learned was so interesting and

fascinating.

I could have easily kept listening for days to such an interesting

lesson but he changed the subject to something else.

"You know, you really surprised me with your impertinence. Your

sheer need to break the rules was truly enjoyable. It was like I was

looking in a mirror really." he said with a very amused tilt of his

mouth making me pause for a moment.

"I may have gone a bit too far in the hall but that moron insulted my

Mistress and-" he interrupted me with a raised hand, smirk locked in

place.

"I am not talking about the idiot in hall, he deserved worse if I am to

be honest. You don't insult a Goddess of Freyja's status or any

Goddess really unless you want to have a really bad day."

"I am talking about your prayer to me when you fought those bats

outside of the Greek Camp and your travel through Yggdrasil after

that. Even if we have relatively good relations, different pantheons

are not supposed to interact with each other without the respective

leader's permission when it comes to mortal followers like demigods

for example. Also, direct travel through Yggdrasil is forbidden for

mortals full stop." he said making me shallow hard, wondering what

kind of punishment I was going to get for my trespass.

"Then again your little trip through the world tree while forbidden

doesn't constitute a punishment because normally the cosmic

energies would have turned you to dust so we didn't really decide on

one and considering the 5 Elder Runes I detect on you, the Cosmic

Tree must have seen something in you so who am I to say

otherwise."

"Furthermore the Greeks and Zeus in particular is kind of a cunt, the

little upstart is always causing trouble for everyone so I didn't feel the

need to inform him about your little indiscretion so you are safe from

becoming a grease spot on the ground." he followed with a chortle

that making me chuckle a little as well and inwardly sigh in relief

'Safe'.

"But" he said and I was viciously reminded that we are dealing with a

God here and a particularly cunning one at that (he wasn't Loki's

sworn brother just because of his exceptional humor after all) so

freebies exist only in dreams when dealing with them.

"as compensation for my little skirting of the rules I would like

something in return" he continued with a smirk that reminded me

eerily of snakeface himself.

"And that would be?" I asked with a resigned tone waiting for the

other shoe to drop.

"I want you to become my champion for the next 5 years" he said

making me look at him openmouthed.

On paper it looked like a really nice offer, I become his champion,

gaining some sweet boosts and privileges and also going to

adventures because champions are usually send to do these kind of

things for their Patron God and only for five years too, just in time for

me to return to Midgard for the beginning of the Lightning Thief.

On reality though, it was too convenient. Gods were generally very

selfish and possessive creatures. You don't mark someone with your

very immortal essence, giving him permanently or until death a small

part of some of your domains and then deciding to make use of him

for only five years, not to mention the very convenient timescale of

the whole thing.

"Why 5 years?" I asked bluntly making him raise an eyebrow in

askance but I wasn't in the mood for games.

"Usually a champion designation is for life. Even the most selfless

and honorable Gods demand at least that much from any champions

they choose and you are many things my Lord but selfless is

definitely not one of them." I continued making him raise his head to

the sky and laugh uproariously.

When he was done laughing he answered.

"You are really sharp child and also very right."

"In any other case I would have demanded you to become my

champion the usual way, but I was asked by an old and very

powerful friend this favor and was promised a few things as well that

I was seeking for a long time so you can say that these are some

special circumstances indeed." he said making me pause.

"And who is that old and very powerful friend that is so interested in

me and also why?" I asked trying to figure out who it could be.

There are many old and powerful beings amongst the Gods but I

have never interacted with any of them except for some Olympians

but none of those I met are strong enough to give Odin of all people

a true challenge power wise so it wasn't them.

"I am afraid that I can't answer that, I promised that I wouldn't. I don't

fancy dying slowly in agony after all, but I can at least tell you that

there aren't any nefarious plans for you." he said causing me to look

at him in surprise at his words and instantly after that both of us were

sent to our knees a powerful presence became felt for a split second

before disappearing.

"Good grief okay I am shutting up, give it a rest." said Odin to the sky

and lifting my collapsed form off the ground and seating me on a tree

bark.

I haven't felt such fear since the void. That all encompassing feeling

of sheer hopelessness when you are standing before something so

much above you that your very existence is becoming undone just

being near it. I hated that feeling. I hated being so helpless.

"I am very impressed. I know Gods that would have passed out just

from feeling that presence and you took it like a champ. Even if it

hadn't been asked of me, just for that I am more than happy to make

you my champion. Someone as interesting as you deserves to be

cultivated. After all I am very curious to see what heights you would

reach."

I wanted to tell him where he could put his cultivation, but I was too

preoccupied with trying to not paint his shoes with my breakfast.

The problem with this situation is that I can't really say no. Refusing

such a prestigious offer and one that some type of Supreme Entity

has a stake behind as well is a sure way to become a smear to the

ground and I am many things, unnecessarily suicidal is not one of

them. I would do what I must for now and hopefully when I manage

to jump worlds, I will be able to get away with whatever

consequences this champion situation would have.

"Okay, I graciously accept your offer of patronage." I said with a bow

of my head.

"Excellent! For a moment I thought you would refuse" he said with a

wide smile.

The look that I gave him was dryer than the Gobi Dessert.

"Hahah I guess you are right. After my old friends little display it

would be quite suicidal to refuse wouldn't it?" he exclaimed with a

laugh, causing me to sweat drop a little at his boisterousness. Thor it

seems had to have gotten it from somewhere after all.

"Now this whole champion thing is going to be a bit different from the

usual procedures" he continued this time with a serious face, gaining

my undivided attention.

"A patron normally gives his champion a small part of his domains.

Something like a pseudo adoption really, enabling him to tap into

them though not at a level of a true demigod child initially. The

connection can of course grow when you bring honor to the name of

your patron as a reward, but it is extremely difficult and it becomes

more so after every growth.

"It reaches a point that you need to do something truly spectacular

like say kill Ladon solo in order to broaden the connection." he

explained with a happy smile and I frankly told him that if he thinks

that I will ever step anywhere near Ladon much less try to fight him

solo, then he must have lost his marbles, causing him to laugh and

tell me that he doesn't expect something like that and it was only an

example, reassuring me a bit.

Unfortunately for me, I completely missed the mischievous gleam in

his eyes, but that's a problem for older Alex.

"You on the other hand are not a permanent one so you will have to

choose 5 of my domains for me to give you instead of all of them. So

choose."

I had no problem with that. A partial blessing with freedom is way

better than a full one with eternal servitude attached to it.

The 5 domains I chose were Wisdom, Knowledge, Runes, Sorcery

and Royalty.

Wisdom and Knowledge were both meant to help me with my 2

partially neglected but very important stats of WIS and INT. Runes

were chosen because I was hoping to maybe understand the hidden

rune above my heart and also because rune magic is extremely

powerful and any ability with it is more than welcome. Sorcery is

obvious, I don't think I have to explain.

The last one, Royalty was more of a gamble. Royals are rulers and

as a result have great leadership and interpersonal skills, something

that I really luck. Also they are usually experts in military affairs and

considering the Titan army that will come knocking in a few years, I

thought it was prudent to gain some commanding skills.

After I told him my choices he placed a hand on top of my head and

started chanting in a strange language. Runes appeared everywhere

around us and I could feel a white mist blanketing the whole area in

a miasma of power. The moment the light show ended I heard the

alerts from the System but I wasn't in position to check them

because I felt a great agony coming from my back making me fall to

the ground and start screaming.

The pain was so great that I could see black spots filling my vision

and with a tearing sound and a bloodcurdling scream I passed out,

everything going black.

You have slept in a divine bed. Your HP and MP has been

restored to 100%. All ailments and negative status effects have

been cured.

When I woke up after that terrible pain, I noticed that I was moved to

an opulent room and considering the view from the window I was

probably inside a guest room of the Royal palace. I didn't have any

more time to take stock of my surroundings because a blond missile

took me in her arms and started shaking me back and forth making

me dizzy.

"Alexandra Bellum you stupid little girl, haven't I told you to not agree

to suspicious offers from shady old men, what were you thinking?"

she asked frantically, never stopping shaking me for a moment and

ignoring the snickering from Njord and Frey and the indignant "Hey"

from my new patron.

She would have continued her nagging for quite a while but I was

distracted by a weight on my back. The moment I focused on it, 2

black feather appendages moved from my back and almost engulfed

me whole causing me to scream a little.

"What the fuck are those?" I shouted in panic.

"Those are your Valkyrie wings girl, why are you acting so

surprised?" asked Njord in confusion, something that was shared by

both his children .

"What do you mean Valkyrie? I thought I was your champion." I

asked Odin

"The Valkyries are my champions. The wings are a standard part of

my blessing and you get them too even if you didn't gain the full one"

explained Odin making me frown.

"What I don't understand is why you are so against them. Usually the

wings are the part that all the champions like the most." he asked a

little confused

"It's not that I don't like them. Quite the contrary really, they are pretty

awesome." I said making both Odin and Freyja preen at the

compliment of the wings

"It's just that when I go back to Midgard it going to be a little difficult

to hide them you know, and Zeus already hates my guts, if he sees

me with wings he is probably going to smite me on the spot, no

questions asked." I told them, making understanding to take over

their face.

"You don't have to worry about that. The wings can be phased in

their own dimension or all my Valkyries would have a lot of problems

wearing shirts or even passing through doors really. Though the no

shirt clause wouldn't be so bad." said the old pervert with a small

giggle, something that caused the two other Gods to imitate him and

Freyja and me to stare at them with a deadpan look.

After the little perverts had their little giggle fest, the Immortals left

me to rest, with Odin informing me that a Valkyrie will collect me in

the morning for training and to inform me of my new duties. The

moment they left I opened the alerts of the System in order to take

stock of the situation.

Due to the Blessing of a Divine Being you have gained:

Chosen Of Odin(Partial): Due to this blessing you gain a small

part of the fearsome power of Odin All-father and a connection

to some of his domains.

+5000 HP

+3000 MP

+1% HPReg

WISDOM: +20 WIS, + 2 MPReg per 5 WIS.

KNOWLEDGE: +20 INT, Language Skill (UPGRADE to Perk)

SORCERY: +10 INT, Unlocked Mist Manipulation(Lv1-Lv15)

RUNES: +10 WIS, Rune Specialist Perk

ROYALTY: +20 CHA, Kingly Aura Perk

New Perk: Language: You are capable of speaking, reading,

writing and comprehending all languages.

New Perk: Valkyrie Wings: You have been blessed with the

wings of the noble warrior women, the Valkyries. These raven

looking wings give you the ability to fly on the sky reaching the

speeds of 800miles/h. Don't let their fragile appearance fool you

though, because these wings are more maneuverable than they

look and they are as hard as diamonds and as sharp as a

dwarven blade, capable of slicing through anyone foolish

enough to stand against you. They are capable of being

retracted to the in-between.

Mist Control (Lv1-Lv15) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked. You are capable of making Illusions that

can fool all beings 15 levels higher and bellow. Cost: 35 Mp/min

Sub-Skill: Gradation Mist(Lv1): You are capable to create actual

items by solidifying the mist. Currently you can make items as

big as a spoon. Cost: 300 MP

Mist Resistance(Lv18-Lv20): Because of your divine blood you

have a natural resistance to the mist. Beings of 19 levels higher

than you and bellow can't fool you with the mist.

New Perk: Rune Specialist: You have gained through a divine

blessing the knowledge of a rune specialist. You know the

theory behind Rune magic (Younger Futhark). I f you want to

actually use this magic you must practice with it though. +50%

xp to Rune Magic.

New Perk: Kingly Aura: You have the aura of a King, a leader of

men. Everyone you interact with will be in awe of your noble

and dignified stature+ 20% reputation with all allies. When

leading in battle all allies gain a+20% boost in morale and all

physical stats.

For raising your INT to 100 you gain:

Reserves of the Archmage (II): You unlocked a part of the

hidden power of the Archmage inside you. With this perk you

gain +12 in your mana gains for every 5 INT.

I also upgraded my WIS to 100 because why not? It was only 7

points.

New Perk: Force Field Generation: You have unlocked hidden

powers of your mind giving you the ability to surround yourself

in a formfitting force field that can defend from both physical

and magical attacks. Beware of Energy absorbers or a

sufficiently powerful attack can bypass or dispel this field.

+5000 Force Field Bar, Recharge Time: +1000/min when outside

battle, Duration of dematerialization after destruction: 10

minutes.

After I finished checking everything I sat here for a moment and tried

to get my head around my latest power up. It is really spectacular

how much stronger I have gotten since I came here and if the last

five years were an indication then I am going to become even

stronger by the time I return to America.

The funny thing is that even after so many years of training I am

about the shame with the lieutenant of Artemis in terms of stats. Of

course if I fought her at this point I would probably win without too

much trouble but it is a little humbling to understand that even after

so much progress I am still an ant compared to the immortals of this

world. I will not let this opportunity go to waste though. The next five

years I am going to give it my all to improve as much as possible. By

the time I am done here I plan to be stronger than Percy Jackson

ever was by the end of the Giant War.

The next day I woke up with the rise of the sun. I didn't know when

my escort would come so I got ready fast by putting my Vanir armor

and started meditating in my elemental affinities in order to not

become rusty.

About half an hour later I heard a knock on my door and quickly

opened it.

The Valkyrie that greeted me looked around 25 bur for all I know she

could have been centuries old. I used observe in order to figure out

where I stood compared to others with the blessing of Odin.

Elaine Ullrdottir "Newbie"

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Level: 33

HP: 38860

MP: 21408

STR: 160

VIT: 150

DEX: 300

INT: 140

WIS: 135

CHA: 80

LUC: 25

Info: Elaine is the demigod daughter of Ullr God of the hunt,

mountains, archery and skiing. She has been trying for years to

get inducted in the honorable order of the Valkyries after joining

Valhalla. She is miffed with you for managing to do what she

had been training for so long to achieve in practically a single

day, her professionalism doesn't allow her to show it though.

Damn, she is the newbie of the order and her stats are through the

roof. Her dexterity especially is higher than even Zoe, which is all

kinds of terrifying but also kind of obvious considering she is the

daughter of the god of the hunt.

"Greetings" she said to me measuring me up.

She was tall around 5' 9" and she was blonde and blue eyed, not

really surprising considering her norse heritage. She was beautiful

and lean like a gymnast. Not a spec of fat on her body. She was

wearing white full body armor without a helmet and she had a bow

and quiver on her back.

"Good morning, nice to meet you" I said trying to make as good an

impression as possible, considering her dislike for me I didn't want

her to think I was some arrogant bint that gets special treatment.

'Though' I thought self deprecatingly 'I kind of am, aren't I?".

After that awkwardness was over and done with, she laid me in an

open courtyard that many other women were training in. Blonde was

the leading hair color, with red and brown hair fighting for second

place, so it was very clear to say that with my coal black hair I was

sticking out like a sore thumb. The moment that I was noticed every

single eye was trained on me and my gamer's mind proved very

useful in not letting my nervousness from showing. It was hard

though.

Everyone here were at least 16 years old, so my young age probably

didn't inspire any feelings of camaraderie or respect really. And

considering the looks they were giving me they were probably

drawing lots on who would end up on babysitting duty and

predictably enough the newbie got the short end of the stick.

I wouldn't let myself falter though. I would prove to them that I

deserved that blessing.

"Okay ladies enough gawking on the newbie, back to training." a

shout pulled me out of my thoughts and caused every single woman

to immediately go back to whatever exercise they were doing before.

She was an older looking woman, looking around 35 with blonde hair

and green eyes. She had a spear at her back and unlike everyone

else, the top part of her wings were armored. I didn't need to be a

genius to figure out that she was the commander here.

Sigrun "Head-Valkyrie"

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Level: ?

Status: ?

Info: Sigrun is the oldest Valkyrie at present times and the one

in charge of the whole order, right below Freyja and Odin. She

is devoted to her duty and fiercely loyal to her soldiers. She is a

harsh taskmistress but also known for her fairness and

honorable disposition. She thinks you are too young for the

training required but unwilling to go against the order of her

King.

I was truly surprised. Amidst so many demigods, elves and other

supernatural species, it was a vanilla human that was the strongest

Valkyrie. It was kind of amazing. You only had to wonder what kind of

training and force of will she must had to reach so high in hierarchy

with her racial disadvantages.

"Newbie stop gawking around and come hither" she shouted at me

and I immediately obeyed. This is not a place for my impertinence. I

respected them too much to start acting like a brat.

"Since your inclusion was so abrupt I know nothing about your skills.

Testing must be done in order to find your capabilities and then we

can go from there." she said in a no nonsense voice.

"Know that if you can't reach the bare minimum of my standards you

are going to be kicked out and not even the King would be able to

reverse it. Am I clear?" she said this time a bit more loudly.

"Yes mam"

And so the testing begun.

First they made me do a footrace against Elaine which was all kinds

of unfair considering her heritage but I sucked it up. If I had time to

complain I had time to run faster.

I was right behind her for the first 2 minutes but after that she left me

in the dust. After ten humiliating minutes I was finally finished the

race and looked back at Sigrun.

After that I had to do an archery challenge against Elaine and two

others. My Clairvoyance helped a lot for the long distance targets,

but in the end I was the first one to miss a target and as a result get

disqualified.

The magic test was even worse. I could barely use the mist and

aside from my fire affinity that got a few raised eyebrows, I was so

painfully behind that I felt my cheeks turn red in embarrassment.

At this point I was seething in rage. Not at them but on myself. How

could I have been so arrogant as to think I would even stand a

chance here?

These are not the little girls Artemis recruits to play girl scouts with.

These are battle hardened warriors that have been scouring the

battlefields for centuries and the most elite of all armies of the

pantheon.

Next was horse riding and thankfully this time I had summoned Ruin,

drawing some gasps from a few of the women, but even here I was

disappointing. I finished second out of the 8 that were riding, which

normally it would be acceptable but you have to consider that I was

riding a horse above anything else in the world. The fact that I still

couldn't win made my heart fall to my stomach and I had to hold

myself from not tearing up in frustration.

Showing weakness here would be the same as forfeiting and if I was

going to be kicked out anyway, I was at least going to do it with my

head held high and not running away crying.

The sword and spear fights I won't even bother mentioning. I had to

borrow some proper weapon for the armory and after that I got my

little butt thoroughly kicked around until I was a bruised smear on the

ground.

So here we are now the last test. Axe fighting. At this point I stopped

caring anymore and I decided to enjoy the challenge. After all how

many chances would I get to battle against a skilled user of my

weapon. The Greeks weren't exactly known for its use. They

preferred the sword and spear more.

My opponent was a tall and very buff woman around 6' 2" that was

wielding an axe that was about a head bigger than me and thrice as

wide. It was quite frankly intimidating as fuck.

The moment the fight begun I charged immediately with Expanded

Force and Bullet Time in full blast to gain even the tiniest bit of

advantage I could. I made a horizontal strike that was blocked with

ease and I had to dodge a frontal kick that would have probably

broken some of my ribs and chucked me at the edge of the field.

Thankfully for me she may have been stronger but she was slower

and probably holding back a lot because she didn't take me

seriously. I used my advantage of speed to make a cut at her

outstretched leg, cutting her on the calf with an ascending strike that

made her cry out in pain and jump back in order to reorient herself.

I of course didn't let her. I wasn't going to give up my only advantage.

I raised my axe above my head and jumped bringing down my

weapon with as much strength as I could muster.

Even with a wounded leg she managed to dodge to the side and

would have retaliated but my goal wasn't to hit her. It was to strike

the ground exactly beside her wounded leg. My expanded Force

perk did its magic and the whole ground caved in, in a meter radius.

Normally that wouldn't be a problem for her but as I said before her

leg was weakened. The result?

She fell to the ground on her back and I instantly kicked her axe

away from her, which by the way is going to hurt like a bitch later,

considering its sheer weight and I put my blade at her neck. Finally I

won one challenge. Now even though I am going to get kicked out, I

can at least say that I did one thing right.

"Enough" said Sigrun and I quickly put away my weapon and gave

my hand to the fallen Valkyrie in order to help her to her feet, getting

gifted with a smile in return.

Five minutes later I was standing before the whole order with Sigrun

at the very front.

"How do you think you did girl?" asked the leader

"Horribly." I answered honestly, earning some snickers from the

crowd and a raised eyebrow from her.

"I didn't manage to complete a single challenge except from the Axe

one, and even then I had to resort to trickery and taking advantage

of my opponents wound." I finished and hoped that they wouldn't be

harsh in their dismissal. My pride could take so much at this point

after the thrashing it received.

"And when did I say that you had to win?" she asked with an amused

smirk "I only said that we had to test your capabilities and if they

were good enough to qualify you for the title of a Valkyrie, which they

were by the way." she ended her speech and some of the others

started cheering.

I was dumbfounded. How could I be worthy of this position after that

thorough thrashing I took? She must have seen the question on my

face because she answered before I could vocalize it.

"You were never meant to win child. The soldiers chosen to every

single one of the challenges you took were the best of each

discipline. The fact that you even defeated one of them in battle

shows how much potential you have." she explained giving me a

more kind smile for once.

"Though don't even for a moment think that I will go easy on you or

that you will get special treatment. As long you are one of us you will

train as hard and as long as any other one here. If you start

complaining, you are out. Have I been clear?" demanded the leader

in a commanding voice making everyone stand straight on reflex.

"Yes mam" I shouted in return and from this moment the training

from hell begun.

I would wake up every day before even the rise of the sun and we

would run up and down the whole mountain from the gates to the

very top for 4 hours straight. After that we got a ten minute rest and

we begun our weapon training. It was there that I managed to

upgrade my skills for the first time.

Sword Paragon(Lv1): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +45% dmg and 22% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Spear Paragon(Lv1): Your ability to use a spear in battle without

poking your eye out. +45% dmg with and +22% attack speed

when wielding spears.

Axe Paragon (Lv1): Your ability to use an axe in battle without

chopping yourself in pieces. +45% dmg with and +22% attack

speed when wielding axes.

Gun Paragon(Lv1): Your ability to use modern firearms. +70%

dmg when using guns.

Bow Paragon(Lv1): Your ability to use bows. +70% dmg when

using bows.

Dagger Paragon(Lv1): Your ability to use daggers. +45% dmg

and +22% attack speed when using daggers.

Apparently in order to upgrade these skills I had to fight against

skilled opponents of the discipline at least ten times and manage to

win three times. Which kind of makes sense. If you want to truly

master any discipline you must fight stronger opponents that will truly

challenge you and push you forward. No matter how many monster I

killed it wouldn't change anything because they are just wild beast

and not true warriors.

After that it was flight training using our wings and horse riding.

Riding was good and with time and proper training in a calm

environment instead of running around a country while an army of

monsters were chasing you was surprisingly really productive in

improving the skill.

* Riding skill(Lv2-Lv20): Your ability to ride a mount either a

vehicle or living creature. +95% possibility of staying astride

while in battle. +25% damage dealt while on horseback.

Flight on the other hand was a mixed bag. Ascending I got the hang

of quickly and the actual flight was majestic. If you thought Asgard

was beautiful before while on the ground, from high in the sky was

something else.

The problem was on the landing. I just couldn't get it. The amount of

poor trees I had hit while trying to learn to safely reach the ground

was in the high double digits and the teasing I got from the others

was terrible indeed. I left the yard every day completely red in

embarrassment instead of exhaustion.

When dusk came we left the training yard but our day didn't end

there. We had to study and practice our magic both seidr and the

magecraft. This was my favorite part actually. Not only could I further

train my affinities but I finally was able to truly learn how to use the

Mist. And let me tell you. The Greeks had truly handicapped their

demigods.

The Mist is more than just a veil to hide the mortal from the immortal

word. This faction was introduced much later after the fall of Rome.

The Mist is actually the ambient mana of the world that mix with all

the supernatural entities magical emissions absorbing the special

reality bending energies the Gods release just by existing. The sheer

capabilities one can achieve by learning how to use it is truly aweinspiring.

Illusions, Astral, Holographic and even material Projection,

territory creation, dream manipulation and many others countless

uses that it would take me a whole day to tell them all. It is basically

all the esoteric branches of magic in one badass package.

One whole year of never ending torture-training and my skills and

stats sky rocketed.

+ 15 STR

+ 30 VIT

+ 45 DEX

+ 25 INT

+ 20 WIS

Mist Control (Lv30) : Your ability to use the Mist, you need a

practitioner to unlock your skill or being a child of Hecate which

is naturally unlocked. You are capable of making Illusions that

can fool all beings 30 levels higher and bellow. Cost: 20 Mp/min

Sub-Skill: Gradation Mist(Lv20): You are capable to create

actual items by solidifying the mist. Currently you can make

items as big as an two-handed Axe. Cost: 190MP

Sub-Skill: Holographic Projection(Lv10): You can Project a true

image of your consciousness in the material world. It is capable

of communicating with others even if they don't posses any gift

in magic. Distance 10 km Cost: 1000 Mp/ h

Mist Resistance(Lv30): Because of your divine blood you have a

natural resistance to the mist. Beings of 29 levels higher than

you and bellow can't fool you with the mist.

Chloromancy(Lv20): Your ability to raise and control plants

(-20MP to all plant spells). Cost 30 MP/ sec

Thorn Binding Death(Lv20): A nature type spell that sprouts

thick steel hard thorny vines that bind and shred your enemies

at the same time. 500 DMG, Cost:90(70)MP per enemy bound.

Lumiomancy (Lv25): Your ability to control light(-25MP to all

light based spells). Cost 15MP

Laeshi (Lv25): A light type spell that imbues weapons and

projectiles like arrows or bullets or even your body with light

causing them to deal extra light damage. + 70 dmg, Cost: 35(10)

MP/ min. Special: When used against dark aligned creatures or

beings then there is a +150% damage dealt.

I focused mostly on Mist manipulation so on magecraft I focused

only in two of my elements. I wanted to train my Warfyre as well but

the moment I first summoned it on the field everyone lost their shit.

Apparently Tyr really wanted to master his flames and thought that

the best people to help him were the Valkyries themselves. After all

they are the best Asgard had to offer, what could go wrong. Famous

last words.

The idiot lost control so completely on his first hour in, that the whole

royal palace went down to ashes. They were only lucky that most

Aesir Gods for some reason have a war domain and they were able

to contain and subdue the flames before they could spread further.

After this day Tyr tends to stay very far away from winged ladies.

The asskicking he received for making them partially responsible for

destroying the very place they were sworn to guard with their lives is

still being regaled in fearful whispers amongst the male population.

Right now my stats look something like this.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Sorceress

Level: 20 (1.910.375/2.900.813)

HP: 23220 (+8000) HPReg= 13 % /h

MP: 18830(+5000) MPReg= 147

FF: 5000 FFReg= +1000/min (when outside battle)

STR: 215

VIT: 135

DEX: 165(180)

INT:130(140)

WIS: 120(145)

CHA: 86

LUC: 12(17)

Status: 8

Badass right?

Anyway, we are now standing outside of the palace because Odin

has an announcement to make before all Asgard. I asked Sigrun

about it but she admitted that even she doesn't know what is it

about. And considering that she practically his second in command

this is highly unusual.

The moment the All-Father showed himself on top of his balcony

with Thor on his side everyone started cheering. Say what you want

about him but he is truly beloved by his people.

"People of Asgard. I have called you all here today with great and

terrible news." declared the King causing everyone to quickly stop

making a sound, readying themselves for such ominous words.

"A Great prophecy became known to me that would bring Fate

changing events for our people and our whole pantheon as a whole.

The great fire giant Surtr has decided to act and kick start Ragnarok

even though no sign has appeared that would declare the beginning

of the End. No great winter has appeared, the World Tree is as

healthy as ever and the great beasts are both fully contained.

As a result a great prophesy was made. If we fight now against

Muspelheim and emerge victorious the Prophecy of Ragnarok will

become obsolete. If we lose, we die.

So what say you people of Asgard? Should we fight for the survival

of the World or cower in fear waiting like cravens for the inevitable?"

asked the King in a voice that could inspire millions. His Royalty

domain working double time.

The Asgardians everywhere you looked were shouting in glee and

screaming as one "FIGHT, FIGHT". The fighting spirit of the warrior

race had been ignited in full force and now there was no going back.

"Then we will fight and in this glorious battle we will emerge the

victors, for we are the greatest warriors the world has ever known.

ASGARD, IT IS TIME FOR WAR." was the final declaration of Odin

All-Father before the sounds of jubilation completely encompassed

everything. You could practically feel the bloodthirst on the air

choking you like a miasma.

As for me? Well, there was only one thing to say to those turns of

events.

Fuck my E-Rank Luck!

And Fuck Odin too!

Hahahaha cliffhanger bitches. Suffer in the agony of doubt and

anticipation.

*Ahem* I hope you like the chapter guys. I know there wasn't

much action but plot making is important after all and the power

up was quite sweet if I say so myself, totally unbiased . I

promise.

See you around next time. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

Surtr goes Targaryen

Chapter 17 is on guys. As always Percy Jackson belongs to

Rick Riordan and any other franchises mentioned to their

rightful owners.

For those who get confused by the end of chapter 17 Alex is 11

years and 9 months old.

Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 17: Muspelheim

One month.

That was how long it took for the Aesir to get ready for their war

against Surtr. Allies were called from all corners of the Nine Worlds.

Light Elves, Vanir, Dwarves and even a battalion of Frost Giants

joined in, which was surprising because they were known to kind of

hate the Aesir but apparently they hated the Fire Giants even more,

so they came.

The army that was assembled was an awe inspiring sight. It was

almost two million strong and every time they practiced marching

outside of the walls, the very Earth trembled at their feet. I personally

didn't want to join the War but this sight made the Ares blood in me

boil with excitement.

The training this last month escalated as well. When before we were

trained as small units and single combatants, now we were put in

huge rows and we were training as a phalanx, locking shields and

creating walls of spears to skewer colliding armies.

The very thought of trying to hold back the armies of fire monsters

and demons head on and locked in place was enough to make bile

rise to my throat. Of course I couldn't show weakness. These people

lived for this kind of thing and I would have been shamed if I showed

that I didn't like war.

In a way, the whole experience was a lesson. No matter how good

something looks, nobody is perfect. The Greeks maybe be paranoid

and lazy but aside from a few individuals they usually try to prevent

wars from happening. They work more in intrigue and backroom

deals.

The norse for all their honorable disposition are extremely war like

and detest anything and anyone who would talk against the glory of

war. As a result I kept my opinions to myself and hoped I will get to

survive the coming storm.

At the end of the month the Allied Armies as they were named

assembled outside of the observatory of Heimdallr in order for us to

invade Muspelheim.

Surtr was planning to attack a few days from now in Yule which is an

important celebration and catch the Gods off guard. Odin through the

prophecy (or in reality the information from his "old friend") knew

about the whole thing and decided to try to catch them by surprise

with their pants down.

Everyone was wearing the same colors. A dull red with twin crossed

axes as a symbol in the middle of the chest plate. These armors

were made from the dwarves and were enchanted to withstand and

resist heat and flames. Mine had a Greek Omega around the axes to

symbolize my heritage, which was kind of cool of Odin to be truthful.

Flaming Spirit Armor

+1000 MP

+50% to physical defenses

+30% to magical defenses

+70% to heat resistance

Special: Wings: This enchantment allows the Valkyrie wings to

be summoned and extracted without destroying the armor or

hurting the wings.

Info: A red armor made from Asgardian steel by Nidavelir

Dwarven blacksmiths. It is capable of withstanding the most

potent of fires to a point and regulates the temperature of the

wearer's body, preventing him from overheating.

They were the same for everyone with some slight changes between

male and female in order to inspire unity in the army.

A war horn sounded, making everyone stand straight and focus. A

big blue Space Gate opened and every so slowly but with complete

organization the army started stepping forward into the Bifrost and

from there into the flaming realm of Surtr.

I was assigned on the back. I would be serving as a messenger

between the command center and the Valkyrie battalion led by

Freyja herself with Sigrun as her second in command, passing

orders from the strategist and vital information into the front line.

I know not the most glorious of assignments but I was only 11 age

wise and even the warrior race wouldn't let me fight in the vanguard

or anywhere really. Not yet at least. Only the fact I was a chosen

champion even qualified me to join the war at all.

Divine Quest: The War of Blood and Fire

Main Objective: Survive and emerge victorious in the war!

Bonus 1: ?

Bonus 2: ?

Bonus 3: ?

Bonus 4: ?

Rewards:

20m xp, 5k D, 5k Asgardian Gold, Title, Fire Magic Upgrade

?

?

?

?

Failure:

End of the Cosmos/ Death

YES/NO

The moment we stepped through the gate a great heat hit us all like

a punch to the face. The whole ground was black and every step we

took made the sound of boots stepping on broken glass. There were

rivers of lava in the distance and the sky was a complete red with

black clouds here and there raining volcanic ash. All in all, it was a

sight that wouldn't be very different from the depictions of the

Christian hell.

When everyone assembled, we were divided in 8 contingents

numbering around 500.000 each. These were led by Odin, Thor, Tyr,

Frey, Freyja, Njord, Loki and Baldur. I was in Freyja's part of the

army together with half the Valkyrie order (The other half being with

Odin) and a mix of Asgardian and Vanir soldiers.

The plan for what I was told was to circle around the main territory of

Surtr and his army that he has assembled in order to do his ambush.

This strategy would force him to split his army and as a result

weaken his organization or not do so and risk some part of our army

invading his seat of power and destroying it, weakening him in

return. He apparently has a seat of power in his main stronghold like

the Olympians that is the focal point of his energy.

Most of his armies consisted of beasts and fire demons with the

most elite being actually intelligent. They were fierce and strong

when attacking as a horde on an open battlefield, but they didn't

have all that many true officers and strategists or any real

organization really, so the splitting is going to be a slow and arduous

task, giving us time to catch them flat footed and hopefully kill them

during transition.

We marched for hours until we reached an area that was open in

one side and was fortified by huge mountains from the other three,

giving us protection from getting flanked or ambushed in the night.

I was ordered by Freyja to help with the construction of tents and the

digging of latrine holes. Yep I was a full blown squire and I didn't like

it for a moment, though I think it beat becoming paste by some fire

giants foot so it had it's pros too.

Another fun thing about Muspelheim (I thought sarcastically) is that

there was no night and day cycles. The red of the sky never changed

and as a result it was hard to orient yourself and decide when it is

time to go to sleep and when to wake up. Frankly it played some

mean pranks on your internal clock.

I was on guard duty. I and the other younger Valkyries were

assigned to patrol the mountain side of our camp by air in order to

make sure that there won't be enemies trying to climb the mountains

and try to waste us from above with rocks and arrows.

It was a boring duty but no less important, though the heat became

even worse the higher you went. It was quite hard to breath after a

while but thankfully one my fellow comrades knew a nifty rune

scheme that filtered the air you breathed. I shared with them some

pieces of fabric from my inventory and she taught us how to use

runes to enchant the fabric. You had to use the mist to shape the

rune into the correct shape and then stamp them into your item of

your choice. Of course that was a very amateur method but we

couldn't sew the runes into the fabric so we had to make do with

what we had.

Thankfully there was no disturbance so the hours passed silently

and with no excitement.

Next day wasn't as peaceful though. It didn't take Surtr much time to

sense the trespassers in his realm. The moment he did and figured

out that his ambush had been found out you could practically feel the

whole of Muspelheim tremble with his rage and it brought the weaker

soldiers, me amongst them to our knees.

The scariest part? He was 300 miles away from our position and we

still sensed his power like he was right beside us.

Thor's and Odin's contingents were the one who initiated the first

fight as planned, from the northern side. The moment the battle

started we and all other contingents started moving as well.

We met with Loki and we tried to gain as much territory of the

eastern part of the realm and reach as close to Surtr's stronghold as

possible, but it wasn't meant to be.

Twenty minutes into our march we encountered an army led by an

armored giant about 700.000 strong and it was only thanks to our

scouts that we managed to see them in time to prepare ourselves.

Immediately Loki started giving orders to raise the command and

healing tents on an elevated area and together with Freyja they

ordered the soldiers to get into formation.

My orders were to stand at the back of the army with the bowmen

and rain arrows at the enemies until first contact. When the melee

begins it would be too dangerous to fire arrows because of the

distinct possibility of friendly fire so I was ordered to collect the

wounded and carry them to the healing tents.

I got into position and pulled out my bow with Clairvoyance on full

power. An officer then started giving commands.

"STAND!" we armed our bows with arrows.

"AIM!" we pulled back the strings and aimed at the charging horde of

demons.

"FIRE!" and we let go.

There were so many arrows flying that for a moment the red of the

sky was bloated. After a few moments though the arrows struck true

and you could hear the many cries of pain from the monsters.

We managed to fire one more time before the enemy army collided

with our shield walls, creating a chaotic image of fire, steel and

blood.

The most awe inspiring of all though were Freyja and Loki. They

fought with sword and spear respectively combining their magics in

order to create terrifying attacks.

My personal favorite was when they combined my Mistress water

spell with his wind one creating a beam of icy death that froze

hundreds of the fiery demons on the spot, turning them into ice

statues. So fucking badass.

After that I didn't have time to watch, I had wounded soldiers to find

and carry to safety.

The fight lasted for hours upon hours. Every time we thought that we

started to thin down the opposition, more would come to reinforce

them and trying to make it a battle of attrition.

I was running around everywhere trying to find survivors amongst

the fallen but sadly there were very few of them compared to the

dead. There are no words to describe the feeling of being inside an

active battlefield, especially a magical one.

The screams and roars of pain and fury were deafening. The black

ashes because of the stomping of thousand feet were creating small

clouds on the ground, reducing the visibility, making my job harder.

The worst thing of all though was the smell.

Muspelheim on it's own had a near constant sulfuric smell that made

you want to puke but combine it with the odor of charred flesh and

boiling blood and it became unbearable and horrifying at the same

time.

The only good relatively speaking about the whole thing was that the

causalities on the other side were way greater than ours. Proper

training and well made equipment does wonders for the survivability

of your soldiers.

By the time the fight ended I was exhausted and I was sweating like

a pig. The only thing I wanted to do was to lie somewhere and sleep

but there were still many things to do.

First of all we had to collect our dead and give them proper funerals.

It was vitally important because Surtr had the ability to raise Draugr

from the dead and demons and fire giants were quite enough as

enemies right now. None was in a mood to fight a zombie

apocalypse against their fallen comrades. The pyres were burned

using light magic instead of fire. The reason was that inside his

dimension the King of Fire would be able to draw power from the

souls if they were burned in actual flames, so we had to use the

purifying light of the elves in order to be on the safe side.

After the funerals we had to create a new base in order to rest and

this time there was no mountains to protect us, so the guard duties

became longer and more active. The Gods and generals had an

assembly all night trying to recalibrate their battle plans now that our

element of surprise was dead and buried.

Heh, day one and shit had already hit the fan. The plan was for the

contingents to circle the stronghold of Surtr after quickly slaughtering

his armies outside to create a siege situation, preventing the flaming

menace from increasing the numbers of his army and defeating him

in a battle of attrition. The demons would have gone into frenzy

because of hunger and whatever organization they had would have

gone up to smoke. They would have tried to eat each other and we

would have an easy time breaching the walls through the chaos.

Unfortunately for us, the fucker detected us somehow and now he

has his guard up. He spread his forces too quickly for us to get close

enough and as a result delayed us enough for him to raise more

monsters.

Oh yes I forgot to mention it, Surt through his sword and as the de

facto Lord of Muspelheim can by plunging his blade on the grounds

of his home conjure more demons and fire wyrms to increase the

numbers of his armies. The siege was a good strategy because he is

incapable of doing that in his home because the spell destroys

around 5 miles of the landscape around him and he wouldn't dare to

destroy the seat of his power.

Now though. He has no such problems and you can already feel the

trembling of the ground and the increase in the temperature. Yep.

We are fucked.

For the next year we fought a war of attrition. After the failed attempt

to cage the enemy in his own castle our only option was to fight our

way through, which was easier said than done.

The monsters that were in the low millions before, now numbered in

the tens of millions. There are few things scarier than watching a 5

million strong horde of claws and teeth charging at your barely a

million one like a tidal wave of hunger.

Thankfully the Gods and the superior training helped but the

casualties started mounting and the reinforcements from the realms

couldn't be done in a few hours like the opposition.

Three months in, I was removed from my wounded carrying duties

and was positioned in a legion in the middle of our contingents. Not

in the Vanguard which was the most dangerous place to be but

neither at the back.

Fighting in an actual battlefield is way different than when alone. It

was difficult to use my most potent techniques in fear of harming

allies and I had to focus exclusively in my axe and some light

imbuement because normal fire was ineffectual with these scrubs.

The Flames Of War were as effective as ever of course but the one

time I used it I almost died. They apparently are like a beacon for the

fire demons and I would have been overrun by them if Sigrun hadn't

caught me and carried me away on the air. From this day I was

forbidden from using them except of the direst of circumstances.

The entirety of the second year was better than the first if you

consider our progress but for the Valkyries as a whole it was the

worst period of our lives. The Allied Armies managed to push deeply

into enemy territory. For a while you could see the hope of everyone

that finally we were making progress and we showed it in the ferocity

we fought with.

Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. We were marching for the

heart of Muspelheim. We were about 70 miles from our goal and I

know that this was no small distance but you had to consider that

when we first landed in the realm we were at the very edge of it,

literally hundreds upon hundreds of miles away. To reach so close

was a great boost to the morale of us all.

This was the point where Surtr decide to go NOPE, NO YOU DON'T

SUCKERS.

He had been creating an array circling the whole territory around 40

miles radius around his castle and when he activated it a literal

fucking wall started emerging from the ground, and if that wasn't

enough there was literal lava pouring from the top of it all around.

For the cherry on top because there is no such thing as overkill

apparently, a literal army of wyrms started perching all around the

top breathing fireballs on whatever poor bastard was stupid enough

to get close.

It was in one of our tries to climb at the top that Sigrun was

overwhelmed by a big number of Wyrms trying to safe some of her

soldiers that have been cornered and was killed. Her death caused

grief to every single of the Valkyrie order. She was our commander

and our role model, someone who was fair to all and always pushed

us to be better. To see her fall like that pulled the earth underneath

our feet and after this day many more Valkyries died because of

furiously diving into the monsters with recklessness.

As you can understand the morale after that little display of cheat

code minecraft and the loss of a very respected general reached a

new record of low. We were forced to get positioned on a safe

distance away from the fireballs and try to fight from long range.

There was a brief moment that Thor decided to try to breach the wall

by destroying a section of it with Mjolnir and a few Gods channeled

their powers to him to give him an extra oomph.

The aura of power he exuded was frankly terrifying and we thought

that he would manage to do it, but we were too optimistic.

The hammer flew with tremendous strength and created a huge

crater on the wall but it wasn't deep enough to compromise any

structural integrity. It was decided to wait for him to recharge his

energy and next day to hit against in order to deepen the damage.

We were hoping that with a few more tries he would do it.

Well the joke was on us because by the next day the fucking wall

had regenerated. I kid you not, it fucking regenerated like fucking

Wolverine. At this point we were ready to start shouting at the

heavens "Too OP please nerf" and I think Odin was about to eat his

own beard.

Six months into the third year after months of an ineffectual siege we

finally had some powerful reinforcements come in.

It seems rumors spread throughout the other pantheons about the

War and many decided to help. Surprisingly enough, they weren't

very excited with Surtr about the whole burning Yggdrasil and ending

existence thing and decided to pitch in after we found ourselves in a

pickle.

Dozens of Gods came together with their personal armies.

Susano'o together with his vassals Ryoujinn and Suijinn from the

Shinto in their samurai armors wielding katanas wreathed in their

elements, Skanda in all his many handed glory with the Flames Of

War engulfing him like a virtual aura and choking the area around

him in his presence from the Hindu, Morrigan and Cernunnos from

the Celts together with Scáthach which was one very scary lady by

the way, wielding spears that were glowing in my magical sense from

the many enchantments on them. Hell even Horus and Anubis of all

people decided to join wielding their kopesh swords and the

Egyptians have left the material world and locked themselves in their

personal dimension, the duat for close to 2 millennia.

The ones I focused most though were the Olympians. The ones that

came were Artemis without her Hunt with Apollo by her side, Athena,

Enyo, Phobos and Deimos my immortal brothers and last and most

important to me Ares my father, each on top of their chariots.

I was a little surprised to tell you the truth. I didn't expect Zeus to let

them help but it seems his self preservation won over his paranoia

and arrogance for once.

I didn't expect to have time to talk to my father. The Gods were busy

in the command tent devising the next course of action and it looked

that it would take some time before they were done but very

unexpectedly I was summoned before the Gods for some reason.

To be honest, I was fucking terrified. There were near 50 Gods inside

that tent, each capable of vaporizing me just by breathing in my

general direction. What could they possibly want from me?

The moment I stepped in I had to use every grain of willpower I had

not to fall on my knees. The full presence of so many Gods in one

room was suffocating and that Skanda guys was the worst of all.

What kind of freak of nature is he to be constantly wreathed in the

Flames Of War? What kind of reserves of power does he have to

accomplish something like this and so far away from his seat of

power too? At this moment I made a mental note to never step foot

anywhere near India. Not unless I manage to become the supreme

lord of the multi-verse at least. Any other way was just not worth it.

Everyone inside the tent focused on me and I felt about 3 inches tall

under their gaze. I immediately kneeled on one knee and addressed

my patron.

"My Lord I have answered your summons." I said to Odin hoping to

reach the reason of my presence here and run as soon as possible.

Before the All-Father could speak though, someone else addressed

the room.

"A child Odin? You think a mortal child at that to be capable of

helping us with the plan? She looks to be barely able to stand in our

presence." an irritating accented voice said from the left side of the

table causing murmuring amongst the Gods

It was quite suicidal really but I couldn't help but react a little. I have

been fighting for 2 and a half years in this god forsaken realm and

now comes some fucker and try to diss me like that. No way.

I raised my head from looking at the ground and looked at the

position where the voice sounded from while igniting my eyes with

the Flames Of War.

My helmet covered my whole face except for my eyes and the red

fires sprouting from within the holes made for a pretty intimidating

sight.

My showing off instantly silenced the room. Hah they didn't expect

the little mortal child to be capable of wielding such rare ability after

all. The one who spoke was apparently Cernunnos and I was ready

to give him a piece of my mind for both his little comment as well that

whole dungeon stupidity all those years back but someone else

spoke first.

"Hooh, are those the Flames Of War that I am seeing? And wielded

so expertly by a mortal as well. It seems that you got yourself a once

in a lifetime prodigy All-Father. Come on child remove your helmet.

Let us see the face of such a talented mortal" said Skanda leaning

forward a bit in interest.

After looking at Odin for a moment and getting a a miniscule nod I

did as I was asked.

The moment I removed my helmet the furore started anew. This time

from the Olympian side of the table.

"Alexandra?" exclaimed Athena and Artemis.

"Super-brat, what the flying fuck are you doing here?" shouted Ares

his eyes fully ignited, at the same time with his sisters making

everyone else raise their eyebrows in interest at the drama occurring

in the tent.

"Ehm, Hi my ladies, shitty old man." I said back drawing two small

smiles from the two Goddesses and snickers from the rest. Well

except of the aforementioned shitty old man that is.

"You stupid brat, you disappear for years AGAIN, and this is all you

have to say?" he shouted back even louder and Phobos and Deimos

actually winced at his tone.

"As for you All-Father. Why is my daughter your champion and why I

wasn't informed of this?" he said in a seething voice, this time

towards my patron who looked back at him with a lazy glare, his

gauged eye glowing a very scary blue light.

"I send a message 2 weeks before making her my champion

informing both you and your King of my intentions but I didn't get any

reply back. I thought that you didn't care what I did. You Greeks are

known for throwing your children away like garbage so I thought that

you didn't give a damn. So what games are you playing now Greek,

accusing me of such lies and insulting my honor?" shot back Odin

and unleashing a bit of his power and filling the whole room with it.

"Peace people. We didn't come here to fight amongst each other. We

have bigger problems to deal with than a case of miscommunication.

Leave your petty squabbles after the World is not in danger of

disappearing." said Horus this time pacifying them a bit and Freyja

continuing.

"Quite right Lord Horus. We have bigger fish to fry right now. We will

discuss about MY little Valkyrie and apprentice after Surtr is not a

problem anymore with the relevant parties. The rest of our esteemed

allies came here to fight not to watch us squabble." which prompted

the rest of the Gods to start nodding and father to grit his teeth for a

moment and letting it go.

For now at least. I didn't have any illusion that this was the last of

this discussion and if Athena's look when Freyja put emphasis on My

was any indication then it would be even more troublesome.

"Very well. Let's continue with our planning." said Odin and then

Athena started talking.

"Alexandra Bellum, the reason you are here is because we want you

to lend us your flames of war in order to destroy the wall preventing

us from ending this war. Lord Skanda will act as the focal point for

everyone capable of controlling these flames and when he is fully

charged he will use his sword to completely obliterate our problem.

You obviously don't have anywhere near the power of a God but

frankly every little bit helps. Do you have any questions?"

"No my lady" I replied relieved to be finally getting to the point of my

summons.

"Very well. I think that we are quite done here. Tomorrow morning we

will initiate the plan. Has anyone anything else to say?"

"Actually I do. After the walls fall I want the brat to become my

second on my chariot. I should think no one here will have a problem

for me to keep my daughter close?" said Ares making my eye widen

in surprise. I didn't expect him to do something like that.

After everyone agreed I was dismissed and frankly I couldn't run

away from the tent fast enough. The whole drama was not good for

my heart. Releasing a sigh of exhaustion I headed for the tent that I

was sharing with 19 other Valkyries (expansion spells are very nifty)

for some long awaited sleep.

The next day came way too fast in my opinion. We gathered in full

force outside of the accursed walls and all the War Gods who had

even a little bit of control over their flames as well as me circled

around Skanda.

Morrigan, Tyr, Ares, Odin, Horus and me channeled our flames and

focused on Skanda's drawn sword.

The moment it was done his whole form had become an avatar of

crimson fire. The pressure of his power made the very ground

tremble and Ares had to protect me with his aura in order for me to

not pass out from the pressure, which was appreciated.

The Hindu God of War then flew to the air and with a mighty swing

unleashed the flames onto the walls and for a moment the whole

world went crimson.

The fires started burning their way through the stones and in a

matter of minutes the entire wall was set on fire.

Imagine it a bit. A wall that could withstand the swing of an

empowered Thor of all people, that circled miles upon miles of

landscape was completely engulfed in the flames. The sheer

absurdity of the feat was mindboggling.

After the flames weakened it sufficiently Thor once more swung

mighty Mjolnir and this time there was no resistance. The stones

exploded killing many demons that stood behind its protection and

caused our whole army to start cheering in glee at finally being able

to breach the most difficult hurdle we faced in this war yet.

We burst through the opening, slaughtering our way through and

hoping that we were finally close to achieving victory.

I was placed inside the chariot of my father with him beside me

holding the rains and we galloped through the air together with the

rest of the Olympians that preferred to fly into battle.

I saw Morrigan and Anubis crack the ground open and a veritable

army almost as numerous as our own came through. Dead skeletons

and zombies equipped with weapons of every era imaginable and a

deathly aura around them cut their way through the sea of demons

like a hot knife through butter.

Talking of the seas, the Shinto Gods together with Njord summoned

great tidal waves and created hurricanes that drowned the fire

demons with abandon.

As for me? I was using my bow to rain hell from above. Throughout

the war I had managed to figure out a new creative way to use both

my archery as well as my gradation mist. At the beginning it was

hard and I almost killed myself twice but the results speak for

themselves. I had gained two levels as well, making me Level: 22

(0/6.526830) because of all the killing I did but that is something to

get into later.

Gradation Mist(Lv29): You are capable to create actual items by

solidifying the mist. Currently you can make items as big as a

small car. Cost: 100MP

Special: Flames of War (Lv45) : You have the ability to use the

Flames of War. This type of fire magic is incapable of anything

but destruction .These flames are impossible to be used in

forging cooking or even to give warmth in a cold night. The only

thing they bring is death. 1050 dmg/sec cost: 5 mp/sec

Warfyre Imbuement (Lv30= MAX): Coat your weapons with the

Flames of War and enhance their destructive capabilities. +50

dmg cost 1 mp/sec. Can be UPGRADED.

Warfyre Napalm(Lv30=MAX): Overcharge an item with the Flame

Of War causing it to become unstable and turning it to a bomb.

Blast radius: 4 meters Damage: 950, 50% chance of setting

enemies on fire Cost :200 MP. Can be UPGRADED.

I charged my arrows as well as swords and spears I created through

the mist with the Napalm skill and send them onto my enemies in a

shower of crimson explosives. At the beginning it was hard to judge

the exploding time and as I said before almost killed myself but right

now I can control it more.

The new inventive use of the flames brought some really impressed

compliments from father that admittedly made feel like a million

bucks. It is nice to be appreciated.

Of course we couldn't catch a break because 1 hour into the fight

Surtr himself made an appearance for the first time sending a tidal

wave of flames at our direction.

The word tall is a big understatement when describing him. He was

fucking titanic. The top of his head was probably touching the

atmosphere of the realm and he was completely wreathed in orange

flames, his flaming sword Haevatein also known as the Bane of

Asgard was as tall as a skyscraper and black as night.

Behind him a hundred Fire Giants were following him wielding

spears and maces made of the same black material. They were not

as tall as him, not even close. They were varying in size with five of

them being about 150 feet tall( 46meters) and the rest being shorter

in varying sizes with the smallest being 30 feet tall (10 meters).

Surtr "the bane of CREATION"

RACE: FIRE GIANT/GOD

GENDER: MALE

Level: #! $%^&

STATUS:# !$%^#

INFO:# !$%#

Okay. Now I am terrified. What kind of power level does he have to

confuse observe so thoroughly? Even Odin didn't give me such

results.

I didn't take much time for him to show the measure of his power.

Thor and Skanda had attacked him first, taking the initiative. The

moment they got close he swung his sword and hit them both like

they were baseballs flinging them miles away and they crushed on

top of the wall. 'Homerun' I thought in shock.

After that, the rest of the Gods with Odin at the lead attacked as one

and chaos of battle ensued.

We had been fighting for days at this point. Our armies had been

reduced in half their numbers, Surtr swings and the rampage of his

Giants were causing havoc amongst the mortal soldiers. Most of the

Gods were fighting fiercely all together against the fucking flaming

menace and the Olympian delegation together with Sunna, Ullr, and

Skadi were assigned to kill the rest of the Giants.

We were having some progress with our task and we have felled

many of them. My personal highlight being a full napalm barrage on

one of the tallest Giants, hitting him in the eyes and exploding his

brains. Ares was so impressed he said that he will make me a

weapon just for this. Which was awesome by the way.

The rest of the Gods on the other hand were proving to be

ineffectual against Surt. He was just too strong and they were using

every grain of skill and strength to just stay alive.

Seeing that we were in danger of losing, Athena made a plan.

Scáthach and I we would take Ruin and we will sneak into Gatropnir,

Surtr's fortress. Once there we will have to find the King's throne in

order to destroy it and as a result weaken the fucker enough for the

Gods to kill him once and for all.

The reason for choosing the two of us was because we weren't fully

divine, with Scáthach being an immortalized human and me being

just a demigod, we were the best to get in unnoticed by whatever

detection spells and guards were patrolling the castle.

The moment we mounted Ruin, I used wind chaser to travel as fast

as possible. I also used portal twice to teleport as far as my

Clairvoyance allowed me, buying a long of time as well.

In 20 minutes we reached the fortress and what surprised me was

that it wasn't as big as Surtr himself. How did he leave in such a

place if he was taller than the damn thing? I must have said it out

loud because my companion answered me.

"Like the Gods, Surtr can reduce his size to that of a mortal if he

wishes it. But it is not time to contemplate the architecture girl. We

have a job to do."

"Yes mam"

I used portal one last time and we found ourselves on top of an

unguarded part of the walls. It seems the Fire King has left only a

skeleton crew to man his castle and took the rest with him into the

battle.

I dismissed Ruin and we sneaked into the city and from there into

the palace itself.

It was bigger than the palace of Odin and very grim. There were

statues of monsters and demons everywhere and it was completely

black with veins that glowed red like it was flowing blood. The walls

were adorned with depictions of slaughter and mayhem and also of

Sutr plunging his sword into Asgard.

After we passed through the many corridors of the castle we finally

found the throne room.

The throne of Surtr was giant sized and completely made out of gold

and obsidian. It was decorated with fiery runes and rubies and had a

very disproportioned backrest that admittedly looked like the Iron

Throne a bit (the one from the books not the television show.)

Deciding to be cautious, Scáthach told me to shoot it with Napalm

from a distance. The result was a big fat nothing. The damn thing

was very tough, which was kind of obvious in hindsight. Who would

make a throne and imbue it with a big part of his power and make it

fragile.

My companion was ready to try to use Gáe Bulg, when a deep voice

interrupted us.

"So you little ants thought that you could destroy my beloved's

throne huh? This will be your last mistake. I Sinmara, consort of

Surtr will put a stop to your cowardly acts." said a Giantess from

behind us.

She was humongous, around 60 feet, she was armored from the

waist up and held a black spear in her hands. Her hair was like

strings of fire falling all the way down her back and her eyes were

completely made of orange flames that were currently glaring at us

with hate. The weirdest part about her though was her legs. They

didn't look humanoid at all, but draconic. They were black and thick

and with her every step created dents on the ground. 'Surt must

have floor construction specialists on speed dial with a wife like that'

I thought with a bit of humor.

Sinmara "Nightmare-Fury"

Race: Giantess

Gender: Female

Level: ?

Status: ?

Info: Sinmara was the wife of Mimir the wise and after he was

beheaded she became the consort of Surtr. She is known for

possessing Lævateinn. A spear made by Loki and the only

weapon in existence capable of slaying Víðófnir, the cockerel

responsible for guarding the gates of Helheim in Nifelheim and

prevents the dead from escaping

"Great, as if we didn't have enough problems already" said the

Queen of Dun Scaith before we jumped to the side to dodge her

telephone pole sized spear.

"Cover me with your bow. You are not strong enough to take her

head on." she ordered before charging her.

I pulled out my bow and started firing at the chinks of her armor and

the uncovered parts of her face, distracting her enough for my ally to

get close enough to strike with her spear.

The sound of metal hitting metal created goosebumps at my whole

body and when Scáthach jumped back there was the tiniest of

scratches in her armor. 'This is going to be a pain in the ass' I

thought and if the look she sent me was anything to go by, we were

of the same mind.

They exchanged blows for a few minutes and I tried to help with my

bow but she was too damn tall. No matter how many times Scáthach

tired to wound her legs in order to bring her down it was ineffectual.

The durability of her legs was too much for even the divine Celtic

spear to make any headway.

I couldn't stand the stalemate any longer and decided to try to bring

her down another way.

I pulled out my axe and focused my flames on it. After that I run as

fast as my legs could carry me and when I was close enough I used

fissure and hit the ground near her legs.

A great opening was created that managed to shallow one of her

legs and burn it to crisp making her fall on her back with a scream of

pain, giving my companion the opening she needed to jump on her

chest and ready the spell of her spear.

Unfortunately Sinmara was made from sterner stuff and tried to use

her weapon to smack away the tiny mortal on her chest.

I immediately acted. I threw Forverði at her spear moving it off it's

intended course and giving enough time to my ally to use the barbed

strike effect.

The barbed strike effect was one of Gae Bolg's special abilities.

When it entered an enemy's body with a single wound, like a javelin,

then opened into thirty barbs. Only by cutting away the flesh could it

be taken from the body.

Effective, but admittedly very sadistic and also messy. If you want to

kill someone just stab his heart and be done with it. There was no

reason to freaking fill him with metallic thorny roots and make him

suffer unnecessarily.

After getting congratulated by Scáthach on my strategy she told me

to try to break the throne while she tried to pull her spear from the

Giantess body. I grumbled a little at that. That's what you get when

you put such idiotic enchantments in your weapons.

I summoned my axe at my hands but what I saw shocked me. The

whole blade part of the weapon was completely shattered. The

fucking spear managed to break my axe. I repeat, it broke my URU

STEEL AXE. What the fuck? I wanted to rage and cry at the

destruction of my baby, but the Shadow Witch told me get on with

the throne breaking or she would break her foot in my ass.

I really wanted to punch her in the face at this moment but I

complied. The bitch was too strong and temperamental to get uppity

with.

I headed for the fallen spear of my enemy and picked it up. It

instantly started to shrink and became perfect for my size.

Lævateinn

+1.000.000 Damage

+100% damage to monsters

+120% damage to divines

+20% damage when imbued with fire magic

Special: Cocks Bane: When this spear strikes the guardian

cockerel of Helheim Víðófnir, it can pretty sure death to the

beast. It is the only weapon capable of doing so.

Info: A spear made by Loki and the only weapon in existence

capable of slaying Víðófnir, the cockerel responsible for

guarding the gates of Helheim in Nifelheim and prevents the

dead from escaping.

I wanted to laugh so hard at the special skill of the spear. Cocks

Bane is a very apt name, but without context, you would think it

would be a weapon tailor made for Artemis.

Anyway, ignoring the funny name for later I used Warfyre imbuement

and threw the spear at the throne and with an ear deafening boom

they shattered in dozens of pieces.

The force of the destruction of two divine objects threw both me and

Scáthach on the other side of the room and on a wall, giving us what

is possibly the mother of all concussions.

After we got ahold of our selves I collected the shards of my axe and

the spears as well as some parts of Surtr's throne and we high tailed

it out of there.

Hey don't judge me, I risked my life for this mission, I am not leaving

without some souvenirs.

The moment we got out of the castle I summoned Ruin and we rode

to the sky. The whole ground was trembling and the earthquakes

were swallowing the whole fortress in a combination of earth and

lava. Not a fun place to be at the moment, I assure you.

When we returned on the battlefield about 1 hour later we expected

to see the Gods victorious over the corpse of Surtr. What we didn't

expect was for them to still be fighting.

The King of Muspelheim was about 200 feet tall, an ant compared to

his previous cataclysmic size but no less intimidating. The fire that

engulfed him before was but a small aura instead of the previous

blinding intensity it had. The mind boggling part was that even in

such a diminished state he was still managing to hold back so many

Gods even if by the look of it he was losing ground little by little.

A few minutes after we found ourselves back on the battlefield I saw

Odin make a signal towards Loki that was positioned with the Frost

Giant part of the army a little bit away from the Godly beat down.

They brought chained fire demons and a couple of wyrms in front of

them and slit their throats. After that they started chanting and

channeling their energies as one.

A hailstorm was created around the Frost Giants and with a

crescendo of chanting they sent a concentrated beam of ice directly

on Surtr.

His scream of pain made the whole realm shake and every volcano

started exploding in lava and ash.

When the icy mist receded we could see the Fire Giant on his knees.

He was as big as a very tall man and part of his body looked

frostbitten. The ice was super effective it seems.

This event brought to my mind the words of Freyja when she was

teaching me about magic.

" Rituals are the most powerful form of magic in existence aside from

the Elder Runes and their power can only be matched by their

volatility and disastrous consequences at the hands of the

inexperienced and the irresponsible"

It seems she was spot on but using this kind of living sacrifice like

that gives me the chills. It is not something that I would ever do

unless the circumstances are very dire (which in this case they were)

and even then I will do it with a very heavy heart. Death magic is not

something you mess with just for shit and giggles.

After that Odin stabbed Gugnir directly into the heart of Surtr, ending

his life once and for all and making him turn into white dust. A sure

sign of an immortal fading.

By this point everyone was so fucking tired that there was no

cheering aside from grim smiles and there was an order for a

general assembly in order to finally leave this hell hole.

One Bifrost beam later and we were once again outside of the Gates

of Asgard.

By the Gods, how heavenly it felt to finally breathe pure clean air and

smell the trees and the flowers around you instead of sulfur and

burnt flesh. The night sky was twinkling with stars and the light from

the moon felt cleansing when it touched me. I couldn't help it. After 2

years, 6 months and 3 weeks in Muspelheim the war was finally over

and that realization made me cry a little bit in pure all encompassing

relief.

Elaine who by this point had become a very good friend put a hand

around my shoulders to comfort me.

After our allied armies were send back to their own realms to finally

get some proper rest but not before being announced of the after

war celebration that is going to be held in three days time, Odin led

the Gods and the Asgardian army through his realms walls, ordered

his people to return to their homes and his guests to follow him to his

palace.

The first thing I did when I reached my room was to remove every bit

of clothing and armor from myself and jump into the shower. The

relaxing feeling of actual water on your skin was heavenly. All

throughout the war water was too precious to waste in such

comforts. We could only wipe ourselves with wet towels every other

week or so. It was only the all encompassing stink of Muspelheim

that prevented us from caring then.

When I thoroughly rinsed myself and felt that I was clean enough, I

flled my bathtub with water and dived in. What you thought a little

shower would be enough? No bitches, I am going to squeeze this

free glorious water for everything that is worth.

It was as I was relaxing that the sound of the system sounded and

gained my attention.

PING*

Divine Quest: The War of Blood and Fire

Main Objective: Survive and emerge victorious in the war!

(CLEAR)

Bonus 1: Kill Surtr (FAIL)

Bonus 2: Kill on the Fire Giant Generals (CLEAR)

Bonus 3: Destroy the throne of Muspelheim (CLEAR)

Bonus 4: Kill Sinmara (Partial Clear)

Rewards:

20m xp, 5k D, 5k Asgardian Gold, Title, Fire Magic Upgrade (Y)

200m xp, 2m D, 2m AG, Hævateinn (N)

1m xp

5m xp , Fragments of Throne

20m xp (halved), Circlet, Spear(Broken)

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Veteran: You have participated in a war and had bathed in the

blood of your enemies. Everyone with a military background

will show you increased respect. When in battle you will be

more likely to be granted a leading position.

Circlet of the Fire Queen

+20 CHA

+ 20 LUC

-50% to fire damage received

+50% to fire damage dealt

Special: Authority of the Queen: Through the use of this circlet

the wearer is capable of commanding fire natured beings.

Though the more powerful and intelligent they are, the harder

they will resist. It doesn't work on Gods.

Info: A circlet commissioned by Surtr for his beloved Sinmara

made by a mixture of Uru steel and Muspelheim Obsidian and

smelted from the fire of the Fire King himself. All interactions

with fire natured beings will give you increased reputation.

WARNING: Try to stay away from winter and ice beings, they

will not appreciate your presence.

Level Up x3

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Sorceress

Level: 25 (5.496.962/22.028.435)

HP: 29.100 (+8000) HPReg= 13 % /h

MP: 23.425(+5000) MPReg= 152 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)

STR: 249

VIT: 150 +28 HP PER 5 VIT x lv

DEX: 180(195)

INT:130(140) +24 MP PER 5 INT x lv

WIS: 125(150) +5 MPREG PER 5 WIS

CHA: 86(106)

LUC: 20(45)

Status Points: 32

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=6941, AG= 5000

Spear Paragon(Lv2): Your ability to use a spear in battle without

poking your eye out. +50% dmg with and +23% attack speed

when wielding spears.

Bow Paragon(Lv2): Your ability to use bows. +85% dmg when

using bows.

Greater Pyromancy(Lv1): Your ability to raise and control fire

(-31MP to all fire spells- Doesn't affect FOW). Cost: 12 MP/sec

Great Fireball(Lv1): You can conjure great balls of fire that can

incinerate your enemies with. +630 DMG, Cost: 70(39) MP. This

skill can be UPGRADED.

Great Fire Imbuement(Lv1): Imbue your weapons with magical

fire for extra damage. +85 DMG, Cost: 19(1= MIN) MP/sec

Level 25 just like that, though I didn't know if I should laugh or cry at

the failed objective. The very idea that I would be capable of going

anywhere near Surtr without turning to ashes in a second is absurd.

On the other hand 200 hundred million exp and the sword capable of

destroying even Asgard was something that made my barely

pubescent body tingle in very weird places that I am going to ignore

for now for the sake of my sanity.

I put 1 point into STR and 14 on CHA to round them up and the rest

to LUC because why not. I got two new perks out of this.

For reaching 100 CHA you gain a new Perk.

Perfect Body Language: You are instinctively able to change

your body language depending on the message you want to

convey. Threatening, authoritative, sedactive or many others,

you can do them all. It also makes you a very good actor.

For reaching 250 STR you gain a new Perk.

Expanded Force - Concussive Force: Everytime you wish it,

your hits either hand-to-hand or with a weapon you can expand

the force of your hits up to a 5 meter radius around your

striking point without your hits losing power. The user can

deliver impacts of concussive force which can knock the target

back and cause internal and external damage. (meele weapons

and hand to hand only)

Yep, it is decided I am going to change my name to Tsunade. Ha let

the fuckers try to defend against me with armours now. I am going to

be super effective baby. My cackles probably scared the maids that

were passing outside my room but I didn't care.

Three days later I find myself in the Halls of Odin for the celebration

of the victory over Muspelheim.

Everyone from every corner of the Nine Realms came to celebrate

the joyous event even guests from other pantheons that didn't

participate in the fight.

Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi together with their Yoki attendants were

the first who arrived. After them came Indra the King of the Devas

with his wife Shachi and if what I heard from Feyja when she saw

him is true, a terrible womanizer and a raging cunt as well. Osiris

came next with Isis by his side and were followed by Lugh of the

Celts. Last, came Zeus and Hera together with Aphrodite(she came

for Ares and also because she really love parties).

When I saw the fucker for the first time I was surprised. He looked

around 40 with a neatly trimmed beard and salt and pepper hair that

gave him a dignified look and electric blue eyes that exuded

arrogance. The surprising part though was his left hand. It was

metalic. He had a Jaime Lanister look alike fake hand, though when I

lokked closer I noticed it must have been a Hephaestus Original(tm)

because it moved like it was an actual hand and I made a mental

note to call him Luke Skywalker from now on when he can't hear me

and also to ask someone who knows for the story behind the injury

as well. I really wanted to congratulate whoever managed to maim

the bastard.

When everyone assembled after a speech from Odin about the

power of unity and his gratefulness of the assistance of everyone the

feast begun.

It was as boring and troublesome as the previous one but it had it's

highlights. Snubbing Zeus when I sat with the Vanir at the Royal

table was amusing and the goldening (because ichor duh!) of his

face was very satisfying indeed, something that Freyja seemed to

enjoy as well considering the amused look she send him.

In this feast as well I was asked to stand up and speak about one of

my stories from the War. It seems that they really enjoyed my

previous one and they were hoping for an even more exciting one.

I of course obliged. I spoke about mine and Scáthach's mission of

destroying the throne of Surtr and gave special compliments to

Athena for her plan, which from the small smile she send me she

seemed to appreciate my compliments and our fight with Sinmara

and her defeat.

The information that the Giantess was dead, something that

apparently wasn't made known outside of Odin was enough to cause

the Norse members of the audience to cheer in happiness for getting

rid of the final lose end of Muspelheim and my scowl at the

shattering of my Axe brought some laughs and light teasing and

surprisingly enough sympathizing looks as well. Apparently I wasn't

the only one who was attached to their weapons.

The cheers became even greater when I regaled them of the way I

destroyed the throne (though Loki looked kind of bummed at the

breaking of his spear) and at the complete annihilation of Gastropnir.

Thor was so delighted with our feat that when I mentioned that I had

the pieces of Lævatein he shouted that he would commission two

new weapons from their pieces as a reward for our accomplishment.

Of course Ares wouldn't take this lying down. He stood up as well

and demanded that he will be the one who would reward his

daughter (me) with a new weapon and Thor was forced in this case

to relent because the gifting of a weapon by a parent was apparently

very important, though he would still make a gift for Scáthach he

added which no one had any problem with.

With these declarations I removed the pieces from the inventory and

gave half to each God to the awe of the audience at the appearance

of such a legendary weapon, even if it was broken.

Of course Loki wouldn't be Loki if he didn't make things difficult for

me because at some point he spoke about my little dragon charming

incident and had everyone start hitting their tables with their feast

and start shouting "SONG,SONG".

The snake faced bastard was lucky that I wasn't Kryptonian because

my glare would have turned him into ashes. I also made a mental

note to send him a stallion as a gift at the first chance I get (after the

whole Sleipnir incident Loki never went near any male horses for

some reason.*giggle*).

I went to the stage with a red face and the giggling of Freyja behind

me and started singing.

Valhalla Calling - Gavin Dunne 2020

Ships on vigor of the waves are skimming

Barren summits to the verdant plains

Each horizon is a new beginning

Rise and reign

Far from the fjords and the ice cold currents

Ravens soar over new frontiers

Songs and sagas of a fate determined

Shields and spears

Vows of favor or the thrill of plunder

Pull together for the clan and kin

Clank of hammers and the crash of thunder Pound within

Oh-ho-oh The echoes of eternity

Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me

Oh-ho-oh To pluck the strings of destiny

Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me

Valhalla calling me

Sails a' swaying on the crimson rivers

Blood and glory in the fighting fields

Shields a' shatter into splintered timbers

Iron and steel

Fires are rising and the bells are ringing

Glory take us into Odin's halls

Golden glimmer and the sound of singing Asgard's call

Oh-ho-oh The echoes of eternity

Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me

Oh-ho-oh To pluck the strings of destiny

Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me Valhalla calling me

Wind and the waves will carry me

Wind and the waves will set me free

Oh-ho-oh The echoes of eternity O

h-ho-oh Valhalla calling me

Oh-ho-oh To pluck the strings of destiny

Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me Valhalla calling me

When I was done everyone was looking at me with open mouths. It

seems they didn't expect me to be that good at singing considering I

am a daughter of Ares. Of course my nifty perk made my voice

perfect but they didn't know that nor will they ever do if I have

anything to say about it.

When they got over their shock the residents of Valhalla and the

more war like of the rest of the guests with Thor(no surprise there) in

the lead started cheering about the awesomeness of my song and

demanded that I write the lyrics down so they can sing in future

celebrations. Though the suggestion about making it the official song

of Valhalla was a bit too much in my opinion.

After that the hours passed slowly and around 3 in the night I begged

off and retired from the party with a nod from Odin.

I was heading towards my room eager to get some blessed sleep

and silence when I heard some moans from one of the side

corridors. Of course usually I am not a cockblocker and in any other

case I would have carried on and left the people to their business but

I had drunk a bit more Asgardian ale than it would be advised for my

age and I was feeling playful.

So I turned left and found myself outside a darkened corner of the

side corridor which I used the flashlight spell on.

The joke apparently was as much on them as it was on me because

I caught Loki and Freyja in a very heavy make out session.

I was horrified. Who would have thought that perfect Freyja would

hook up with an asshole like Loki. At this moment I remembered an

old saying of my past life about the biggest assholes getting the best

girls and I made a mental note to stay away from assholes but then

discarded it because I am a bitch anyway so it didn't apply to me.

I looked at them with widened shocked eyes and they looked back

just as shocked and then both Freyja and I screamed. One furious

spell dodging later and some more screaming I was back in my room

and hoping to find some brain bleach to remove that memory from

my mind forever.

Releasing an exhausted sigh I lied down on my bed and went to

sleep.

Next day I woke up around ten in the morning. We didn't have

training because Odin gave us a day off and I had a chance to sleep

in a little.

I went to the bathroom like a zombie to do my business and after

washing my hand and face I looked myself in the mirror. And I froze.

The reason? My hair had changed. Before they were a coal black

reminiscent of my father and many others of my paternal family and I

was very happy with it. Now though, they were blond. To be more

precise, it was a platinum fucking blond that made me look like a

freaking Veela or even worse, a Malfoy. I even got a notification.

PING*

You have been inflicted with a minor curse by a Divine Being:

Color Changing Curse: This particular curse changes the color

of the victim's hair throughout their whole body into one

particular color of the casters choice. Normally it would fade

after a few hours but this particular one has been cast and

altered by the God Of Magic Loki causing it to become

permanent. WARNING: No mortal or divine methods exist to

hide or alter your hair color.

The more I read the more enraged I became. By the time I read the

whole description I was seething mad and had a sudden desire for a

new snakeskin purse. My eyes were completely red and were

spitting actual sparks.

(The same time with Odin All-Father)

Odin All-Father, the King of the Aesir Gods was having an excellent

morning. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, there were

no immediate threats to Asgard increasing his paperwork

(*shudder*) and he had the best sleep in his life dreaming of the

moment he drove his trusty spear in that assholes Surtr's heart. All in

all a very amazing morning.

He was ready to go spend some quality time with Frigga when a

shrill scream sounded all throughout Asgard.

LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKKKKIII

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I AM GOING TO KILLLLLL YOUUUUU !

He sighed, there goes the peaceful morning and by the sound of it,

Loki did something annoying again. He was a sworn brother to him

and he loved him but sometimes he really wanted to strangle him for

the headaches he caused him.

This is an omake written by SilverDrak01 that he send me and

with his permission I decided to post.

OMAKE

Counter Guardian Emiya and Alex just sitting there just talking

about E-Rank Luck.

"You think you have it bad!" Alec exclaims, "First I get sucked into a

dungeon with Loki as the

overseer. Then I piss off Zeus for being too strong, only to get into a

conspiracy involving

Hades, that set Zeus on fire. I then run into the main characters of

the setting who seem to be TRYING

to get themself killed in the most horrible ways.

"So of course that's the time one of them decides it time to show the

world that they are Zeus kid because

why not!" Alex exclaims as she stands up and starts pacing around

while Archer looks on. "So here I

am with a stubborn girl, a love sick moron, and a cute little 6 year old

and I have to get them

across the US with Hades on my ass with a army of monsters!" Alex

screamed out before crashing down on

the ground in frustration.

Archer looks over to her "At the very least your father did come to

help you."

"Help?!" Alex looks over to Archer with a deadpanned face "He threw

me in a zombie apocalypse, made me

go into a berserker rage that I barely survived, then pats me on the

head a gave me a horse. The worst

part about the whole thing is that he wouldn't let me name my horse

Rapidash!" Alex said nearly in tears.

Archer smiles "you still made it New York in one piece so your luck

can't be E-Rank"

"Pifff" Alex exclaims "Sure just after a fail recruitment from the

Goddess of feminist and tree hippies. I

then ran into the worst commanded army ever seen." Alex threw her

arms into the air. "Seriously who

lets their army get decimated and then and only then breaks out the

seal of FU you can't use your

powers anymore! I mean i get the Furys have literally bird brains but

come on!"

"I think you made your point about that when you showed them that

they were in fact very flammable" chucked Archer

"The worst part was Hades shadow tentacles." Alex shivered

"Shadow tentacles Archer, on a 8 year old little girl."

Alex then hugged herself. "You know Hades must be on a watch list

or something because that's just not right.

No +18, no hentai" Alex nods to herself.

Archer just sweat drops at that. "In any case you still got picked up

by a goddess of magic and trained you,

so in the end it worked out well for you."

"Yes Archer, it worked out so well that I lost all me awesome gear

that i gained, lost my protection against the

sky that i had for all of two MONTHS and somehow got the full

attention of Loki and Odin the All Father."

Alex stares at Archer "I then found out that something more

POWERFUL THAN ODIN has a interest in me, became

a pseudo Valkyrie, only to get my ass handed to be by said

Valkyries." Alex stands up looking into the sky and raises

her hands "Then I find out that Asgard is going to war with the Fire

Giants! Guess who's going to get screwed in that.

So yes Archer I have officially gained E-Ranked luck"

Archer get up from the ground and dusts himself off. "Well perhaps

your right, however I think your about to leave so

try not to die or worse" Archer looks at Alex and smirks

Alex looks down at herself and sees shes fading away "What the

hell?"

Archer looks over to her "It seems you are being summoned for a

Holy Grail War. Have fun in Fuyuki City. Try to remember

that Rin's a bit of a screamer" Archer chuckles.

"What! No! Gods damn my E-Rank Luck!" Alex screamed as she

fully fades away.

Archer looks at were Alex disappeared "hmmm I wonder if this will

result in my luck being raised to D-Rank"

END OF OMAKE

NOTICES:

-Some people have been asking about gacha's and I have to say

that there won't be any gachas ingame. I am thinking of

granting her some gift of choice after she finishes with a world

or something but no more.

-Second many have been sending me about the pairing and

about making it harem. The only thing I have to say is that I

won't write a harem story under any circumstances. I hate that

so many fanfictions with great ideas are made harems because

the reviewers asked it and ruin the story. No self respecting

man or woman will ever want to become a fuck groupie to

anyone and when I see Percy Jackson fictions with a harem I

really want to laugh especially when you have Goddesses in it. I

mean Athena turned Arachne into a monster just because he

wounded her pride. Do you think she would ever accept to be a

one of many in an assholes harem? She would chop him to

pieces and feed him to her owls at the mere suggestion of

something like that. So no harems here. You don't like it?

Tough.

-Last, my account on Discord is ChildeOfWar #3363 for anyone

interested in joining.

This is the end of the notices guys and I hope you liked it. See

ya next time and if you want you can join my Discord for more

hints and information about the story. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

I put Cabin 5 in order

This is chapter 18 and as always Percy Jackson belongs to Rick

Riordan and all other franchises to their rightful owners. This fic

is strictly fanmade.

ENJOY!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 18: Camp Half-Blood

After the day of celebration of the victory over Surtr, I spent the

remaining 1 year and 6 months of my 5 year agreement training with

the Valkyries in relative peace. I say relative because Freyja and

Elaine had to stop me from committing suicide via snakefaced

bastard after my impromptu and very unwilling hair color change.

The dummies in the training courtyard kept meeting a terrible fate

until I calmed down though.

Aside from the "incident" and a few routine hunting expeditions

nothing exciting occurred. I spent my free time training and hanging

out with Freyja when she could visit and Elaine and my fellow

Valkyries. I can freely admit that after 2 and a half years of constant

warfare I just couldn't bring myself to train as much as I could and

just tried to relax and mostly focus on more esoteric branches of

magic and copied many other spells and rituals in order to learn in

the future. After all how many chances will I get to use a library with

such rare tomes on magic. Call it a hunch but I don't think Zeus has

allowed much in terms of knowledge aside from stories of the glories

of the Gods(read propaganda) to be available to anyone not

immortal.

Sub-Skill: Mind Palace(Lv5): A rare form of mind magic capable

of granting the user increased control over their mind and their

memories. It grants the user defense against all mind

manipulation. Though superior practitioners of the art would

still be able to used mind magic against even if reduced in

potency and effect. (Gamer's Mind prevents such beings from

succeeding).

Rune Magic (Nordic):

Bounded Fields (Lv6): The ability to use fields of magic around

a static area giving the various effects for and against anyone

inside the warded area or trying to get in.

Repertoire of Wards: Barrier, Anti-Scrying, Anti-Necromantic,

Acid Blood, Restricted Accessibility, Anti-Monster.

Greater Pyromancy(Lv3): Your ability to raise and control fire

(-33MP to all fire spells- Doesn't affect FOW). Cost: 10 MP/sec

Great Flame Wave(Lv1): Unleash a wave of flames incinerating

all in their way. The most skilled the user is with this spell, the

greater the size of the wave. 1200 DMG, Cost: 1500(1467) MP

The Mind Palace was one of the most difficult skills I had to learn out

of all the Mist manipulation skills I currently possess. Aside from

giving me greater memorization skills it also protects my mind from

manipulation which while useless to me considering my gamer's

mind, it will provide a good excuse for any curious God that tries and

fails to influence my mind. Also the most important part of this skill is

that it is a necessary precursor of many other sub skills that I have

read about but I haven't been able to learn yet.

Rune magic was a skill that I just couldn't not learn. I had all the

theoretical knowledge smashed into my head through Odin's

Blessing and it would be a true waste if I hadn't cultivated this

particular skill and I haven't regretted a single moment of it. Runes

are practically the code language of creation.

As long as you are creative enough and with the right catalyst and

enough power, there is practically nothing that couldn't be done with

them. Currently I focused exclusively in bounded fields. They are a

branch of Rune magic that is interconnected with rituals, something

that I have been trained by Freyja and the ability to create safe areas

for me and my allies to build safe houses or to protect us in quests

was just too tempting not to learn.

Lastly I learned the Fire Wave spell that I upgraded to Great Flame

Wave and I know it is not exactly an esoteric spell but when I

accidentally found it in the library I had to learn it. I dream for the day

that I will max it and be able to go all Gokka Mekkyaku on any stupid

army of assholes that think they can stand against me. My cackles of

my future glorious pyro -devastation when I first used the spell had

the rest of the Valkyries look at me in no small amount of horror but I

couldn't understand why. Fire is so pretty after all.

So here I am now, once more in Heimdallr's Observatory at the end

of my 5 years time on Asgard ready to once more head to Midgard.

Ready to send me off were Elaine my best friend and also Freyja

who had become an older sister figure to me in all my time here and

lastly Odin, my no longer patron.

After saying my goodbyes to my fellow females I stood before the

All-Father of Asgard and bowed.

"It was an honor my Lord"

"It truly was an honor Alexandra Bellum. You have become an

extinguished warrior in your time in Asgard and even if you have

trained for a faction of the rest you have proved that you can call

yourself a true Valkyrie" said Odin making me smile in pride and then

continued

"As such it with great gladness that I bestow you today the mark of

the Aesir. Granting you the ability of unrestricted passage to Asgard,

Vanaheim and Hotel Valhalla in Boston."

The moment he said that the inside of my right forearm gained a

tattoo. It was in the shape of crossed Norse single -bladed axes and

there were two raven wings behind them.

PING*

You have gained a new Runic Seal.

Mark of the Aesir: The seal marks you as an ally of Asgard

giving you the privilege of travelling to Asgard and Vanaheim as

well as Hotel Valhalla. WARNING: All enemies of Asgard will

immediately attack you if they gaze on that mark.

"I don't know what to say milord." I said humbled by such a gesture.

"Say nothing Alexandra. Your accomplishments in the battlefield and

especially your mission had brought us the path to victory against

Surtr. Hell, your very presence caused some higher power to make

the Ragnarok prophecy that was haunting our whole pantheon for

millennia obsolete. It was the least I could do for giving us such a

gift."

"And talking of gifts. Here is the promised weapon commissioned by

your father and blessed by me with some hidden gifts as well that I

hope you will like when you can manage to unlock them." finished

the wily God with a mischievous smirk and handed me a spear.

The moment it touched my hand I knew that this weapon was

different and superior to anything I had held before in my life.

It was red as blood and was decorated with engravings of vines and

Runes and its blade was different from the traditional spear that is

only meant for stabbing. It was long enough to be capable of slicing

as well. The power it held wasn't able to be contained completely

and as a result I noticed a small crimson aura around the weapon

radiating bloodlust. My, my what an eager partner have I gotten.

Fate's Lament

+2.000 Damage

+100% Damage to Monsters

+100% Damage to Divine

Special: 'To Me' (Lv1): This weapon has been enchanted with

the same spell that was used on Mjolnir, Thor's ultimate

weapon. If called by its rightful owner it always flies back to

their hand (Alexandra Bellum).

Special: Spear Manipulation (Lv15): Through the blessing of

Ares this spear can be wielded even through the thoughts of its

wielder making them capable of telekinetically wielding it with

absolute precision in a 2 meters radius around their body.

Special: Bane Of Netherkind (Lv25): This spear is capable of

harming all beings of death and darkness.

Special: Locked (Lv?)

Special: Locked (Lv?)

Special: #%$& $%#

Info: This spear is a masterwork influenced by many Gods.

Forged by a mix of Celestial Bronze and Uru Steel and through

the blessings of Odin and Ares, the forging of Hephaestus as

well as the pieces of Laevatein and other ingredients that had

been used during its creation, it has become a weapon fit for a

God instead of a mortal. Its full power though remains sealed

until its rightful owner manages to reach the correct perquisites

to unlock them. Once touched by its owner the spear is

soulbound to them. As a result it will never stay far away from

them.

Well, Spear manipulation is going to need some work in order to be

battle ready but at least if I throw it I won't have to search for it. The

third boon is going to be useful against whatever Hades may choose

to throw at me if he is a sore loser and demons as well in future

worlds. The hidden aspects are a bit of a bummer but I guess the

only thing I have to do is level up.

Saying my goodbyes once more I step through the Bifrost.

1 of November 2005 - 6: 00 AM.

I find myself in a mortal city in Midgard. I look behind me and I see

that I am outside of the doors of Hotel Valhalla. It seems I am in

Boston. I guess it's time to finally go to Camp. 'Heh, it only took me

14 years and some change technically speaking' I thought with a

snort. 'This must be a record somewhere'.

I walk a bit further away from the Hotel and find myself in an empty

parking lot. I use some of the Mist to make sure no mortals will see

what I do and I summon Ruin for the first time since the War of

Muspelheim.

Ruin

Race: Areistion Horse

Gender: Male

Level 25

HP: 58.200

MP: 46.850

STR: 500

DEX: 1500 (Base: 250 + 250 every 5 Levels)

INT: 25

WIS: 25

Info: A warhorse from Ares exclusive breed gifted to his

daughter Alexandra Bellum. He is bound to his summoner for

life and his lifespan is as long as hers. The stronger his rider

becomes, the more abilities and power he awakens.

Steed Abilities

Familiar Bond (MAX): Through your bond with ruin you gain a

mental connection that allows you to communicate through

feelings and images. Also, your Strength and Vitality enhances

him adding to his power ( Ruin HP= Alex*2, MP= Alex*2, STR=

Alex*2)

Omni-Runner(MAX): Ruin has the ability to run through all

domains of the planet. He can run on the sky and on top of the

seas as easily as he can on solid ground. (Max speed =

675km/h)

Wind-Chaser (Lv10): Ruin through the use of his magic to

increase his speed tremendously (Max speed= 2.000 km/h).

Cost 50 Mp/min

Power Wave (Lv10): Ruin can, through the use of his magic and

your flames to summon a circle of flames around him that can

be sent like a wave at all direction, burning everything they

touch. DMG= Flames Of War x5, Cost 400 MP

Portal Jumping (Lv7): Ruin is capable of traveling through

space a limited amount of times per day (Current number: 4).

Cost: 1400 MP for Ruin. WARNING: It is recommended to travel

only to places that the rider has been through, random travels

without clear target or unknown destinations can be disastrous

(Tartarus, Niflheim etc.)

'My familiar has gotten quite the power boost since my fight with

Hade's army' I thought as I jumped on his back.

Immediately I used the portal jumping skill and teleported outside of

the wards of Camp. I used my magic sense to try to gain some

information about the wards and what I saw disappointed me a bit.

They were strong enough to hold normal monster at bay. Truly

powerful ones, and when I say truly powerful I don't mean the

Chimera or the Minotaur but beasts like Scylla or Echidna can force

their way through with some difficulty.

It is unbelievable sloppy and if I didn't have the maturity I have and

the foreknowledge of my first life I would be murderous right now

about the uncaring attitude the Gods have towards their mortal

children. Seriously, can't they spare two minutes from their busy

schedule to reinforce the wards some? Pathetic.

As I passed through the wards that surrounded the place I felt one

additional aspect of the wards that was very expertly hidden in the

scheme. It seems that it suppresses the libido of all demigods

residing within the wards.

That one is quite understandable I guess. You can't have an army of

teenagers and Greek demigods at that without taking some drastic

measures to prevent them from breeding like rabbits. The apples

don't fall far from the trees after all and considering all the adrenaline

in their bodies after the everyday activities it is a foregone conclusion

that without that particular ward in place chaos would have ensued.

And a lot of babies. And when I say a lot I mean A LOT. The Greek

Gods weren't considered the horndogs of the divine world just for

shits and giggles.

As I galloped towards the big house I saw the few early risers

amongst the demigods look at my familiar and armor, pale in fear

and start running away in fear. They probably thought I was some

type of Goddess and came to smite someone that annoyed me.

Smirking evilly at a daughter of Demeter that was tending to some

strawberries causing her to squeak and run for the hills I reached the

Big House.

After I sent Ruin away I knocked at the door and waited.

When the door opened I was greeted by Chiron on his wheelchair.

The moment he saw me he widened his eyes in surprise.

"Miss Bellum, I didn't expect to see you alive after all these years

and quite changed as well."

"I guess father or any of the other Gods didn't inform you about my

survival eh?"

"No they didn't but I shouldn't hold you at the door please come in."

As I stepped in I found myself in a big room with a ping pong table

and twelve chairs. The walls were decorated with paintings depicting

images from the Hellenic Era and there was a staircase that led to

the upper floors. Lastly there were 2 other doors but I didn't know

where they led.

As I sat on one of the chairs I readied myself for the interrogation

that I was sure to come but we were interrupted by someone coming

down the stairs.

"Chiron pinochle time. This is the day you will surely lose." said the

descending individual.

"What are you waiting for lets go outsi-" he stopped the moment he

saw and rolled his eyes contemptuously.

"Great another brat has come in the Camp. Just what I needed."

"Greetings sir, I am Alexandra Bellum." I said trying to pacify the irate

man child and God of Wine.

Dionysus "Painfully Sober"

Race: God

Gender: Male

Affiliation: Olympus

Level: ?

Status: ?

Info: Dinoysus is the Olympian God of Wine, Madness, Theater,

Ecstasy and Parties. You are not strong enough to know more.

"Not nice to meet you Acacia Belmont. Let's go outside Chiron, the

day started bad as it is maybe some pinochle will fix it. You too girl,

get on with it." said the bastard with an uncaring attitude as he

walked out of the door.

Chiron sent an apologetic smile at me and told me to follow him

outside.

As we sat around the table Chiron continued his discussion with me

all the while entertaining the God of man-children on my left.

"So Alexandra, what happened to you after the, ah unfortunate

incident outside of Camp 5 years ago?" prompted the centaur gently.

"Well after I slaughtered the Underworld Kings army." I started

receiving rolled eyes from Dionysus and a sigh of exasperation from

Chiron for my impertinent comment I begun to share my tale.

Throughout my story the Wine God couldn't stop commenting

sarcastically about anything and everything I said. With every quip

he said I became more and more angry until my patience came to an

end. I didn't rage though. No, the Master Antagonizer™ always

whispered in my ears the best ways to piss someone off so I did my

best to deliver.

As I described the declaration of war against Muspelheim the fucker

saw fit to interrupt me once more.

"And what a waste of time that was. Let them die on their own I said,

those idiot Asgardians always bite more than they can chew, there is

no reason to bother with them but Zeus saw fit to send help anyway.

Bah what a waste of time." declaring the fight for the preservation of

the cosmos as a waste of time and making my eyes flash red for a

moment causing Chiron to look at me in trepidation. Probably his

trouble radar, honed to perfection after centuries of dealing with

cheeky demigods was tingling in alarm but I wasn't deterred.

I opened my Inventory and pulled out a big leather flask filled with

mead from the goat Heidrun. For those that don't know, Heidrun is a

goat residing in Valhalla that her teats spill never ending mead that

was blessed by Odin, known for his love of alcohol and shared

amongst all the warriors there every night keeping them strong and

healthy in order to be ready to fight everyday as a form of training for

Ragnarok. Obviously I couldn't not take some for myself so after

buying a bigger on the inside flask from the market I filled it to the

brim with the mead and brought it with me.

Flask of Divine Mead (100/100 Liters)

+50% HP Regeneration for the next 3 hours after consumption

+100% to stamina after a sip

Info: A flask filled with the mead produced by the goat Heidrun.

It has many medical properties and those drunk on this

particular brew will have no hangovers in the morning.

"Well Chiron all that story telling made my throat dry so I thought I

should moisturize it a bit. Do you want some it is very invigorating.

Mead from Heidrun herself, you will not find better anywhere in the

Nine Worlds." I said with a shit eating grin on my face making the

centaur look at me in dawning realization at what I was about to do

and Dionysus to look at my flask with a longing that only someone

walking the Sahara desert without water could ever produce.

"Ah Lord Dionysus would you like some as well? I assure you it is

top notch." I said prompting him to accept with barely concealed glee

at the chance to taste some of the goods, momentarily forgetting his

restrictions and the fact that he called Zeus name not a minute

before.

He quickly summoned three glasses and after I poured my mead into

them we begun to move them to our lips for a first try. The moment

that the glasses edge touched his lips a sudden wind passed around

us and the wine in his glass was transmutated into diet coke.

You could practically see the moment the taste registered in his mind

and the hope was snuffed from his face. The rumble of thunder in

the distance also revealed the culprit for the liquid alteration.

The God of Wine mechanically put the glass on the table and stood

up, all the while I was smiling a very innocent smile and on the inside

I was cackling in vengeful satisfaction at the bastard. Alex 1 -

Dionysus 0.

"I am feeling a little sleepy Chiron I think I am going to take a nap

until launch, make sure none disturb me." said the crestfallen God

ignoring me completely and going back to his bedroom probably to

cry tears of agony, which just the thought of them brought a small

warm feeling in my chest.

After the idiot went inside I turned towards Chiron and spoke.

"Now that the annoyance is finally gone. I think is time to continue

my story yes?

Getting a nod from the trainer of Heroes I regaled him about the war

until my arrival here.

"It seems you had kind the adventures child. But to experience true

war so young is not something I would wish on anyone."

"Eh it is what it is Chiron there is no need to dwell on it anymore. It's

better to look towards the future."

"Quite right you are child, quite right indeed. I think it is also time for

a tour around camp and I believe you have been claimed as well? he

asked me.

At my nod he told me that I could settle in Cabin 5 after my tour and

he told me to follow him.

By the time the tour started it was already 7 so there were many

more people walking around preparing for the day and I could feel

their questioning looks at my attire. After all you don't see everyday

someone walking around in Vanir leather armor. Not that they knew

what it was but my style of armor was extremely different from what

they were used to and as a result made them wonder.

After an hour walking around and familiarizing myself with the place

(the shaking, lava spewing rock throwing climbing wall was so

badass btw) a conch horn was sounded which according to Chiron

was a signal for breakfast.

The dining pavilion was an open roofed area surrounded by Greek

Ionian columns and filled with tables for the 12 cabins as well as the

Big House occupants. By the time we reached there everyone was

already assembled with Dionysus the only one absent.

The moment we stepped in all eyes were on me. I quickly spotted

Thalia almost 16, sitting alone in the Zeus table, Luke at the head of

Hermes table and not so little Annabeth at the Athena table together

with her blonde and grey eyed siblings. None of them recognized

me, but I didn't expect them too. Puberty and the CHA perk had

changed me a lot compared to the flat chested 8 years old they knew

and my hair didn't help matters either.

I was seated besides Chiron in the Head table and he hit the ground

with his front hoof gaining the attention of everyone and putting a

stop in the murmuring of the discussions going on throughout the

pavilion.

"If I can have your attention please. Before we begin our breakfast I

would like for everyone to welcome a new camper that joined us

about 2 hours ago. Alexandra Bellum, Daughter of Ares." announced

Chiron and causing a red boar and spear symbol to appear above

my head. It seems father was watching over me.

Cabin 5 started cheering distastefully and with no discipline at all

making me make a mental note to put them in proper order the first

chance I get and the rest of the tables to clap politely.

The irregular reactions came from the members of my Dream Team.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" shouted Thalia, ever the blunt one.

Luke had snapped to his feet and was looking at me with his usual

wimpy expression of wonder.

Annabeth on the other hand froze. She was looking at me like she

had seen a ghost, like she couldn't believe that I was actually here

and alive.

"Hey guys, long time no see!" I said waving to them a small smile to

my face.

I expected many things.

Some raging sure.

Lots of crying definitely.

Spine crushing hugs most assuredly.

What I didn't expect was a freaking lightning bolt coming my way

ready to incinerate me and only my reflexes honed in the field of war

making me capable of dodging out of the way.

"What the fuck you bitch? Why did you chuck a fucking lightning bolt

at me?" I shouted, now a little angry at the almost murder attempt.

"You ask why you brat? We have been mourning you for 5 fucking

years thinking you were dead." shouted the daughter Zeus back

beneath a pile of a bunch of unfortunate crispy demigods trying to

restrain her.

*WHISTLEEEEEE*

A high pitched whistle put a stop to the drama. Annie was standing

on her chair and was giving everyone the patented Athena Glare of

Doom™.

"Alright people, we had enough fun for today. Thalia, Luke, Alex with

me" said the blonde 5 foot nothing with a serious face prompting us

to follow without question and the rest to move back to their seats

silent as a grave.

'The dominatrix is strong in this one. Poor Percy, he is screwed' I

thought with an amused grin as I was led inside the forest and from

there to great pile of stones.

The moment we stopped, I tried to speak but I was interrupted by a

flying grey eyed missile that tackled me to the ground and started

staining my armor with snot and tears.

"Hey Annie-love, I am home." I said while patting her hair.

After that everyone calmed down, they started asking me questions

about my whereabouts for all these years, making me for the second

time in the same day to speak about my time in Asgard.

They were very surprised about the existence of other pantheons

though I didn't understand why. What made the Olympians so

special to be the only ones to exist? Absolutely nothing. The moment

I finished my story once again I was prepared to answer a million

questions from a curious daughter of Athena but it was Luke that

spoke first.

"So, if we prey to Odin and then die in battle we get to go to an

eternal afterlife party carried by blonde hot women in revealing

armor? Because if it is, then I will have to reconsider my future divine

sacrifices."

His question brought him two deadpanned looks from me and Annie

and a dangerous look from the resident electrotherapist.

"Well, Thalia and Annie are definitely qualified but you my minion I

am afraid are too wimpy for Valhalla. Maybe if I ask a favor from

Freyja she can find you a place as a stable boy instead" I answered

with a smirk.

"Oi" he shouted amusedly causing us to laugh at the ongoing joke.

Everything was fine.

After spending some time catching up with my friends we had to split

up because they had activities to go to.

I followed Annie to the Arena where my siblings were scheduled

most of the time to train and after another hug she left for her

tutoring sessions.

Once inside I saw a girl around 14 wielding a spear and fighting

against 3 boys wielding swords while about two dozen other kids

were cheering at the spectacle.

Clarisse La Rue "Head-Bitch"

Race: Demigoddess

Gender: Female

Level: 13

MP: 1.017

STR: 90

VIT: 40

DEX: 45

INT: 23

WIS: 15

LUC: 10

Info: Clarisse is a daughter of Ares, God of War and as the

strongest of her siblings, she is designated as the head

councilor of Cabin 6. She loves her brothers and sisters and

hates wimpy people. She is pleased that another girl will join

her cabin and hopes she is strong.

Seeing her stats I am admittedly a bit disappointed. I didn't expect

any of the campers to be on my level, not really but I at least hoped

that they would all have hit the 15 level mark. At least the more

powerful ones. Considering Clarisse is the strongest Ares member

until now and they are as a cabin the best fighters of camp some few

exceptions excluded, then it no wonder so many of them die when

they go to the mortal world. They are simply not trained good enough

to survive there. Clearly Chiron doesn't train them as good as he

should have and I could feel myself lose some respect for the Trainer

of Heroes.

Inner thoughts pushed to the back of my mind I started approaching

the fighting area. The moment I was spotted one of my fellow

siblings shouted.

"The newbie is here" drawing the attention of everyone and stopping

the sparring session cold.

Clarisse after stabbing her spear to the ground she turned towards

me.

"So you are my newest sister heh. Good the whole cabin was

becoming a sausage fest as it is. Its good to have some more girls."

she said above the laughter of the rest at her sausage fest comment.

"Happy to be here I suppose." I replied causing her smirk to become

wider.

"Well, that remains to be seen newbie. You see Ares cabin is not like

the others. In order to become truly welcome you have to prove

yourself.

"Oh, and how do I prove myself?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and

inwardly was amused both at her cute attempt at intimidating me as

well as the chance to put these guys to their place. Ares is the God

of bloodlust but he also represents more than the cruel aspect of

war. After all, all soldiers must be disciplined and organized.

Something that my soon to be minions seem to lack, considering

their thug like behavior.

"I am glad you asked. You see Ares only acknowledges only the best

warriors and in order to prove yourself a capable one you must fight

against 5 members of our cabin back to back. I don't expect you to

win considering you just came here and lack the training but a

certain amount of talent is expected. And they won't be holding

back." replied my baby sister with a cute expression meant to make

me scared but all it achieved was to make me want to coo at her. I

have a fondness for baby animals sue me. Hibari-sama would be

proud.

"How about something more fun?" I shot back with a shit eating grin

causing her to raise an eyebrow in interest.

"I will fight all the Ares kids at the same time me versus all no holding

back. If you manage to make me drop my weapon I will do all the

chores for the next six months no questions asked. If you lose I will

become leader of the cabin and you all have to follow my orders to

perfection."

The laughter that followed would have annoyed me normally but they

were going to get so thrashed promptly that my pity for the poor

brats superseded every other feeling in me.

"Heh there is always one once in a while that is more cocky than

usual but you took the cake brat. Okay you have a deal. After all who

am I to decline the chance for no chores for 6 months."

It took them twenty minutes for everyone to get ready for my little

initiation test. Apparently they wanted to beat the cockiness out of

me thoroughly that's why they invited the whole camp in order to

watch the spectacle for extra humiliation. Poor naïve fools.

I was standing on one side of the arena and on the opposite side

was the whole Ares cabin weapons ready and faces eager. The

seats on the amphitheater-like arena were full of people and I

noticed Luke talking bets about the result of the fight. Bastard was

probably going to make a killing.

The sound Chiron hitting his front foot on the ground silenced

everyone.

"Heroes, this is an initiation test and I will act as an overseer and

medic. Killing and maiming is forbidden and the stakes of the wager

stated will be enforced by me so give it your best" said the centaur

making the spectators cheer and my siblings to all grin in happiness.

I just kept smiling serenely.

"BEGIN"

"Scatter" shouted Clarisse making her troops surround me and the

only things I did was pull out a small butter knife I had accidentally

put in my inventory in Asgard and forgot to return.

"Is that the best weapon you have brat? This will be a piece of cake."

sneered the head councilor above the jeers of her troops and I

couldn't help but reply.

"I wanted to take it easy on you little weaklings but unfortunately this

is the smallest blade I have. Don't worry though, I will try not to

humiliate you too much little sister."

The results were immediate. Clarisse and all the other went red in

rage at my insults and became enraged, empowering me a bit.

Rage Booster +27 STR

"Cream the punk!" was the shout of my little sister and they all

attacked me as one.

I jumped as high as I could and kicked the ground near the charging

demigods with Concussive Force. The ground literally rippled and

caused a cloud of sand to blind everyone.

When the dust had settled the spectators couldn't believe their eyes.

All of Ares Cabin has fallen to the ground a groaning in pain. The

exception were the members of the Dream Team that were wearing

very happy smiles and if I am not imagining things Luke had big D

letters replacing his eyes and I made a mental note to demand him a

share of the profit.

Shakily my opposition started to stand up and pick up their weapons

again though all the cockiness had left their face and only weariness

remained.

"What happened brats. Didn't you say that you will beat me to the

ground? Where is all the bravado now little brothers and sisters?"

"What nonsense are you spouting you little bitch? You don't look

older than 13."

"The keyword here is look, little sister. I am technically 20 years old. I

just spent too much time in divine realms and caused my bodies

growth to be stunted for a while." I replied with a small smirk making

everyone to look at me in fascination.

"I don't care how old you are you hag. I won't let your little trick stop

me from kicking your ass." shouted Clarisse getting a loud consent

from everyone and they charged once more but this time I wasn't

feeling so merciful.

I showed them a level of power with my little kick that would have

made anyone else step back and reconsider but these brats literally

ignored all the warning signs and started charging like bandits

against an extremely superior opponent. This sort of behavior and

lack of strategy or instincts is unacceptable.

Yes they don't have a chance no matter what they do but they don't

know that. I expected her to at least send a few of her soldiers to test

the waters after my little introduction and gauge the level of my skill

but they didn't even bother.

I immediately used normal fire imbuement on my butter knife and cut

the first two attackers spears in half followed by twin punches at the

side of their jaws rendering them unconscious.

Another two came from behind swords poised and ready to strike but

they never got the chance. At this point my dexterity was at 195 with

my items and the fastest amongst them was Clarisse at 45. My

attack was a blur to them and my extremely superior strength send

them flying taking another one with them and crashing them on top

of a training dummy.

After that it became a blur. Everyone that got near me was instantly

put down hard. There was no mercy or flowery moves to show off. In

5 minutes the only one conscious aside from me was La Rue in a

defensive stance who looked kind of terrified now. She didn't expect

such a turn of events.

I could see it on her face, she understood that she didn't have a

chance to win and her hands that were holding her spear were white

from the force she was putting. She didn't give up though so I could

respect that.

"Well little sister. What do you think, did I prove myself now? Am I

worthy?" I asked with a mocking grin.

"You are not a newbie demigod. None who just came from the

streets possesses such power and skill. You have been trained." she

said and I could practically feel her kicking herself for

underestimating me so thoroughly.

Deciding to at least let her keep some of her dignity intact I stored

my knife and pulled out my spear. It drew surprised gasps from

everyone when they caught sight of it. It may not be particularly

powerful in its sealed state but the energy it released was like a

beacon and everyone here understood that it wasn't an ordinary

weapon.

Getting into an expert stance I spoke again.

"Cmon Clarisse, show me your skill. As the second strongest you are

going to be my lieutenant. I have to see what you are made of."

My declaration made her steel herself and immediately attacked. Her

strikes were fast and precise and the power behind them wasn't

inconsiderable but see was too static. She fought like a power

fighter, unyielding and expecting to overpower her opponents. This

style was good against fellow demigods but it wouldn't serve her well

against real threats.

Monsters by nature were physically stronger than demigods bar vary

few exceptions like Big Three demigods or me who have the gamer

system and hence I am an anomaly. She needed to learn how to

move continuously and enhance her speed in order to be able to end

battles quickly and decisively because one hit was all it would take to

kill her and this is something I want to prevent. Burying my family

newly discovered or not is not something I was willing to accept.

I blocked and dodged again and again. I didn't let her touch me even

for one second and I could see her getting tired quickly, her

desperation to land a hit was making her sloppy and causing her to

waste her stamina faster.

After 5 minutes I decided it was enough to get my point across and

after redirecting one of her thrusts to the left I did a reverse rotation

and took her legs for under her with the pole of my spear sending

her to the ground and my spear point 1 inch from her neck.

"Yield" I said causing her to nod and after that I pulled away my

spear and gave her my hand. She looked at it for a second and then

took it. It seems there was no grudge to be had between sisters.

Percy though I don't think is going to be so lucky. Poor bastard.

She tried to say something to me but it was derailed by the cheering

from our audience making go red in the face in embarrassment from

the backfiring of her idea.

Hopefully I was saved from a headache by Chiron who once more

silenced everyone.

"The victor of this battle is Alexandra Bellum and as a result of her

wager she is the new councilor of Cabin 5"

Once the announcement was made the cheering started again and

Annabeth practically flew towards me to get me in a hug

congratulating me and babbling nonstop about how cool I was,

causing Clarisse to become a little red in the face in anger.

After that Chiron sent everyone to continue with their camp activities

and I was left with my cabin in the arena. They were all nursing their

bruises and were refusing to look at me in the eyes.

"Okay, enough with the sulking people there was no shame in your

defeat."

"Bullshit there was no shame. You practically toyed with us. A small

army of demigods and we couldn't even scratch one person."

Shouted one of the boys getting nods from the others.

"And doesn't that say everything?" I replied making everyone look at

me in question.

"I am not an ordinary demigod kids. I am both older and more

experienced. You can't even use your magic yet. You have focused

on honing only your weapons skill and even then there is so much

someone can learn only by spars and training."

"We have killed monsters too you know. You are not the only one

who had to find the camp on your own or had met difficulties."

Replied back the same person and caused the rest to consent to that

so I decided to make it clear to them.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"Brad Lixon"

"Brad let me ask you something. Have you heard from Thalia her

story about how she got to camp? I asked making everyone look at

me in confusion at such an irrelevant to the matter question.

"Answer me brat. There is a point to it."

"Well yes we have heard rumors you know. She came together with

Castellan and Chase about 5 years ago chased by an army send

from Hades but they managed to reach here because a demigod

stayed behind to fight the army. Rumor said that all three Kindly

Ones were there. None truly knows what happened to that demigod.

They are probably dead though considering they had to fight the

whole army" answered the boy with a shudder.

"That demigod was me." I answered and everyones eyes widened in

surprise.

"Then how are you here? I mean how did you manage to escape?"

"I didn't escape. I slaughtered them all. All three Furies and about 10

thousand hellhounds and Cyclopes were burned alive by me. I put

the fear of the God of War so thoroughly inside the Furies hearts that

I doubt they will ever dare to come out of the Underworld anytime

soon."

My words made every gap in me in wonder and a little fear.

"How is this possible? I mean demigods are stronger than humans

yes but this extent of power is something only Gods can do. Are you

secretly a Goddess or something?"

"Ha no I am not a Goddess and as for your first question the answer

is my magic."

"Magic? Like the Mist tricks that the Hecate kids do?" asked Clarisse

this time and seriously pissed me off.

"Every demigod is and must be capable of using their magic in order

to reach their full potential. Even children of Ares that usually are

better in the physical styles of combat must supplement our fighting

style or else we stagnate and become limited."

"But if this is the case then why doesn't Chiron teaches us magic?"

"That I don't know but from now on you will have extra training with

me both in magic and in weapon handling. Also you will all be

comporting yourselves with military discipline both in and out of the

training yard."

On my words some started to protest but I put a stop to that.

"We are children of war but that doesn't mean we have to act like

thugs. Your unbecoming behavior ends right now gentlemen and

ladies and whoever doesn't like he or she can come and fight me for

a change in regime." I reinforced my words with a little bit of Aura

Dominion causing my eyes to turn into red flames and a crimson

aura to surround.

Everyone in the arena immediately turned white in fear and nodded

in consent. They would not go against the monster in their midst.

And that's how it was done from that day on.

(Ares Daily Obnoxious, New and Improved Schedule - ADONIS)

I woke them up at five in the morning. No longer will they start their

activities at 8 like a bunch of pansies. It is time to learn to enjoy

some simple calisthenics early in the moring in order to oxygenize

the brain and get their blood pumping.

*Crack*

"RUN YOU LITTLE SHITS RUN. MY GRANDMOTHER CAN MOVE

FASTER THAN YOU, YOU LITTLE PISS OF SHIT."

"Crack*

"AND IF I SEE A SINGLE PERSON DROP THEIR ATONES I AM

GOING TO MAKE EVERYONES LIFE HELL. I WILL NO LONGER

GO EASY ON YOU"

*Crack*

Of course I had to motivate them a bit that's why I had them carry

boulders while training and used a vine whip I made in order to give

them some needed 'traction'. It wouldn't do to half-ass their running

speed after all.

After the relaxing jogging in the woods we went for breakfast and it

was finally time for weapon training.

I started by showing them forms and after I made them repeat them

continuously a few hundred times I made them all spar with me like

in the initiation test. Nothing gives you experience more than fighting

a superior opponent and there was no better in camp than me

currently.

Following the light sparring.

(FLASHBACK)

"Oh my god Brad flew ten meters from her hit." whimpered one poor

sod trembling in fear.

"LESS TALKING MORE FIGHTING MONGRELS" shouted the 5 foot

3" monster as she rotated an unfortunate bastard by his ankle and

frisbeed him on another two.

"MOMMY"

(END FLASHBACK)

We headed for launch and after we trained 2 more hours in physical

conditioning I had them train into unlocking their mana. I didn't have

time though to do it through meditation because it would take too

much time so I used the other way to do it which was to use the mist

on them until they unconsciously unlocked it.

(FLASHBACK)

"OH MY GOD IS THAT A GIANT CENTIPEDE"

"SPIDERS SO MANY SPIDERS"

"THE ZOMBIES ARE EVERYWHERE WE ARE DEAD. WE ARE

DEAD"

"MOMMY"

(END FLASHBACK)

Our day ended at 7 o'clock when we all went happily (read:

traumatized) back to our cabin for a shower and then to dinner.

More than a month we followed my new training schedule religiously

with no complaints from anyone (Aura Dominion is a really

motivating skill after all) and the results spoke for themselves.

The first few time Capture the Flag was very difficult for them. Their

bodies too exhausted from the daily training to be able to give it their

all, but after the third week of November things started to change.

My little siblings started to flourish and expand their tactics

broadening their strategies from just attack there, pummel everything

continue plans they had before.

Also their superior conditioning and their more refined skills made

quick work of even the most skilled combatants. It reached a point

that even Thalia started to join our side from time to time because

she couldn't stand losing all the time.

So here we are now 20 of December when Chiron made an

announcement.

"Heroes, the Winter Solstice is near and like every year all full-time

campers will be going on Olympus for the celebration. As a result on

25 of December there will be no Camp activities in order to prepare

for our travel to the Empire State building at noon."

The cheering was deafening but I couldn't give it any mind because

this was the start of the Lightning Thief. I knew that Luke wouldn't be

doing any stealing this time and as a result I didn't know who his

replacement was. But that wasn't the most serious matter. I didn't

particularly care about the woes of Zeus or Hades and a little scare

like that to their self assurance and ego builds character in my

opinion.

No. The problem was that Thalia on 25 of December was turning 16.

I only hoped that the Gods wouldn't do something stupid in their

paranoia (read: Zeus).

(OMAKE)

Alex gets revenge against Loki

"Some say that revenge is best served cold. Me? I say that revenge

is best served when they are on fire." Alex thought to herself as she

walked to the Valkyries Courtyard. "But to get said revenge you need

a good team. To get Loki the God of Mischief? You need the best.

Lucky for me I know the best. Even better they really hate Loki." Alex

thought as she saw her Valkyrie sister walking towards her. "Thus

Valkyrie 11 was formed"

"Vira, Cerea, and Breta are the innocent cute valkyries who could do

no wrong. Perfect for the first phase of the plan." Alex thinks to

herself. "Fun fact. Gods and Goddess can get drunk. So drunk that

they can black out for a long time where not even Zeus's whining

can wake them up."

"Getting Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite drunk was easy. Vira just

keep asking them who can hold their liquor the best. Those girls

keep going because not one of them would admit defeat. Interesting

Athena won, ended up giving Tyr a lap dance before pasting out.

Always the quiet ones." Alex thought shaking her head at the

memory.

"Cerea had the easiest time getting Hera drunk. As soon as Zeus

went into HORNDOG mode during the party, Hera when straight to

the open bar (there is always a open bar somewhere in Asgard by

divine law) and proceeded to out drink most of the war gods under

the table. When Hera dropped she was mumbling about god size

dog collars, chastity belts for men, and a lubed rubber ducky. Poor

Cerea was shaking by the end of that rant." Alex shivers "I am

beginning to understand why Zeus avoids his wife nowadays."

"Breta had a harder time with Frey, Freyja, and Sif. Those ladies

know how to out drink Irish Gods and keep going. However Breta

had a plan. She told the goddesses of a shot game where every time

Zeus hits on a woman and gets shot down, they take a shot. All

three of them found that interesting and began their game. They

were passed out one hour later. Zeus it seems has no game and not

for lack of trying."

"Missia, Rydia, and Erika had the hardest job of all. Phase two was

knocking out Loki without him knowing it. Lucky they are cunning

and Loki was a bit arrogant after pranking me" Alex pulls on her

blond hair. "That became Loki's downfall. They pranked him with little

tricks that Loki knew were there and laughed them all away anyway.

All except the one true endeavor of putting a roofie in his mead. He

was out like a light." Alex smirked to herself as she slowly started

walking down a long hall.

"Terra, Jordna and Maria helped with phase three in setting

everything up, placing everyone into the right place. Jordna even

made a banner, thus we were all set. We sent the signal to Lucy who

was known to all as to an honorable valkyrie who would NEVER lie

about anything." Alex giggled to herself. "And from a certain point of

view she didn't lie to anyone. She simple told everyone that Loki had

a message for everyone and to follow her to see him.

Alex finally stops at a massive door were all the gods were standing

in pure shock. "phase four, pay back time for making me blonde. Let

the games begin" she smiled evilly.

"Uhaaaa" Loki groaned as he sat up in bed. "That must have been

one hell of a party last night." As Loki begins to look around "Wait

this isn't my room, this is Odin's bedroom. What am i doing here?" A

moan is then heard right next to him and as Loki turns he sees nude

goddesses lying next to him. Artemis and Aphrodite were cuddling

together on his left with Athena lying over his left leg. Hera was

hugging Loki's waist mumbling about

whips, whip cream, and strawberries that made Loki shiver for a

moment. Frigga, Freyja and Sif were on his right side spooning each

other with them smelling like an alcohol distillery. "How much did

they drink last night?!" Loki thought to himself, and then Loki noticed

a banner above him.

"Loki declares himself to be the greatest and most powerful manly

god of all!"

"Suck it Zeus!"

Loki blinks, then blinks again "Oh shit." Just as Loki realized that he

needs to get out of the universe in a hurry, the door to the bedroom

opened with a crash waking the goddesses up. There in the doorway

was Odin, Zeus, Thor, Apollo and may other gods looking at Loki in

shock. The goddesses look around only to go red in anger while

looking at Loki.

"So… who wants to try a Greek orgy?" Loki asked with a smile on

his face

"AIHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Alex smiles as she

starts walking away "HAMMERS DON'T GO THERE! NOT THE

FACE! NOT THE FACE!" Alex pauses for a moment

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, HIT THE FACE! HIT

THE FACE! OH GODS I THINK I CAN TASTE PURPLE NOW! NO!

FREYJA DON'T PULL OUT MY INTESTINES! I DON'T WANT TO

SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH KNOTS.

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! HERA PUT DOWN THAT

WHIP! NOT THE WHIP!"

Alex looks back and smirks while playing with her blond hair

"Puny god"

(END OMAKE)

Before we end this I want to make a small disclaimer.

I had many people using offensive words in the reviews

shouting about the harems and that I am prejudiced and that

Greek Gods had harems so it is perfectly normal for Alex to

have one.

Point 1: Harem is an Arabic word that came from Arabic

cultures in order to describe a number of slave women that

were used as personal sex toys by the lord of a province or

whatever.

Point 2: The Greek Gods and the Greek culture in general never

had legal polygamy NEVER. Yes there were always people with

lovers on the side but the law of the land always said to be

faithful to your life partner and that extra marital relationships

were not actually an expectation, just horny men not caring.

The very fact that someone tried to educate me an actual Greek

about Greek history was laughable and they should really check

their sources better.

Point 3: I am European, born and raised in a European country

and the principle of polygamy is illogical and abhorrent to me.

In polyamorous relationship that consists of 1 man and many

women there can be no real equality and it is not a sign of a

stable relationship. There is the Alpha of the pride (man) and

the subservient women and no harem animes don't constitute

as a good example of a polygamous marriage.

Point 4: In the whole world polygamy is illegal aside from

Islamic nations, India(but with restrictions) and a few other

Asian countries. No first world country allows polygamy and it

is punished with fines and jail time. Hell, in America there are

states that even immigrants that in their culture there is a

polygamy clause they are expelled from the country as it is

considered a federal offence.

Point 5: If you want to judge my ideas and my beliefs then at

least have the dignity of login in properly instead of doing it as

guests. You are not even brave enough to speak about your

opinions even behind a keyboard properly and from now on all

reviews with offensive language against me will be deleted.

Especially if they are as guests. I am writing this fic because I

want to put my thoughts into words and share them with those

that like them. If you think you can't accept my views then you

and your many wives can click the big red X button and go read

some very well written and deep harem story rooted in reality

that you like so much.

Point 6: I dare you to ask a woman from Europe or America and

ask her opinion on harems and if she would ever be willing to

join one. I am amused with what her answer would be.

And now that this annoyance is out of the way this is it for

chapter 18 guys and I hope you liked it. Next time is Olympus

and probably Percy coming to camp unless my muse makes me

change my mind. Cheers.

~ChildeOfWar

The Dungeon of Kinslaying

Welcome to chapter 19. I am pleased to inform you that this is

my longest chapter yet with an impressive number of 20k

words. *Applauds echoing everywhere*. As always Percy

Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and any other franchises to

their rightful owners. This story is purely fan made and nonprofit.

IMPORTANT: Something that I forgot to write in the previws

chapter is that the OMAKE was made like the first one by

SilverDrak01. I just liked it and published it with his permission.

ENJOY!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 19: The Winter Solstice

(Interlude Athena)

The day of the Winter Solstice has arrived and I am not all that

excited about it. My fellow Gods enjoy these celebrations but I

always found them tedious. The debauchery and inebriation is

distasteful dulling their minds and ensnaring their senses causing

them to make lapses in judgment and creating problems that most

often than not I have to be consulted in order to resolve them.

I will never forget 10 years ago when Hermes and Apollo were found

in bed with Khione of all Goddesses and Boreas threw a hissy fit

about the "defilement" of his daughter (eyeroll). Honestly, that vapid

snow Goddess has been sleeping around with everything with a

pulse (and a few without one) since time immemorial. Boreas used

the situation is his advantage in order to gain some extra benefits

through the council and everyone knew it.

Thankfully, (and I never expected such thought to ever come from

me) through Ares intimidation and my prompting of Aeolus to

discipline his sidekick put a stop to the ambitiousness of the Wind

God.

Talking about Ares he has been acting strange these last few years.

In the last couple of decades wars in general have taken a lower

intensity and he hasn't started a single fight between himself and

another God since Woodstock 69'(by the void was that a day I would

rather forget). This silence is as welcome as it is alarming.

Ares has always been both a hothead and a bloodthirsty monster.

The amount of bloodbaths and unnecessary wars caused by him are

uncountable and we all thought him as a simple brute that has a

position in the council mostly as a way to keep him in our sight and

hence in line than someone who has anything to offer.

Recent data contradict that statement though. The all encompassing

bloodthirsty aura that always caused everyone to be on edge and

ready for a fight has ceased to surround him. Also, after the battle in

Muspelheim he has been spending an increasing amount of time

with Hestia of all people, sitting near the Hearth and just talking

which is all kinds of unbelievable considering how much of a pacifist

our most terrifying aunt is. I could not think of a reason why my most

war loving sibling would behave so differently than his usual self. I at

least couldn't until he visited me in my temple a few weeks ago.

He told me about his trepidation(read:fear) of war coming to us. Of

old enemies rising throughout the pantheons causing problems and

furthering their agendas and the same happening here and

considering the terrifying situation with Surtr I was inclined to believe

him. I had never felt such fear, not even when we fought Typhoon

had we been stricken with such hopelessness and considering the

special properties of his flaming sword, the feeling of death coming

to us.

The very idea that monsters near the caliber of the flaming giant

would start awakening or the Titans and start causing problems

made the ichor to freeze in my veins. We were not ready for these

kinds of conflicts. Unlike in the past most of our greatest combatants

have become lazy and complacent and Zeus doesn't help matters

either.

His paranoia and viciousness has alienated almost all non -

Olympian members of the Greek pantheon and if what Freyja had

related to me about the real reason that Hades started World War 2

is truth then things had truly taken a turn for the worst. If it ever gets

out that Zeus is capable and most importantly willing to entrap and

weaken his own (even if estranged) brother like that, then there will

be none to help us when we need it.

Furthermore our demigods are weak and through no fault of their

own. The censorship of knowledge on how to truly train their gifts

and that idiotic law about the contact of the Immortals with their

mortal children has made them even more so.

Alexandra Bellum is a very good example of what a properly trained

demigod can really achieve and considering that Thalia, a child of

one of the Big Three and most importantly, the child of the Great

Prophecy wouldn't last even 1 minute against her is a good example

of how far the standards have fallen. And all that because one

capricious and power hungry God is too insecure of his ability to

keep his moronic Throne and he makes himself feel secure only by

threatening the livelihood of everyone around him with his smallmindedness

and cruel disposition.

Talking about Alexandra, she is most likely going to be here tonight

and I am looking forward to see how far she has come since the time

she walked inside my Dracaena Dungeon. The child had shown her

prodigious nature and at such a young age as well and her use of

the Flames Of War are nothing sort of a miracle considering that

most War Deities (me included, to my charging) couldn't freely use

them. Without burning a few states in exchange at least.

I had seen her in Muspelheim of course and I noticed her skill with a

bow but I couldn't do a true gauging of her abilities considering how

chaotic the battlefield was. The stories I had heard both from Freyja,

as well as her own recollection of her fight with Sinmara speaks of

how fortunate it was her accidental trip to the Norse pantheon. If she

had managed to stay here then she would have stagnated like all

others of her brethren and it would have been a terrible outcome

considering how talented she is.

I have become kind fond of the child to be truthful. When I first

learned of her, it was through Cernnunos challenge and I was

pleasantly surprised by her ingenuity and her nerve. You don't see a

child of Ares use her head and intelligence in order to defeat their

adversaries. No matter how talented in battle, the children of my

brother lack in the brain department. They are good soldiers but

make for bad commanders and intellectuals. Their hotheadedness

doesn't help matters either.

Alexandra though is different. She truly honors her namesake with

her intelligence and ability to think outside of the box and her

accomplishment both in her first dungeon and on my own later when

I saved her from Zeus stupidity consolidated that opinion.

Here is a child who has faced hardships since she was 6 years old

and after every challenge became stronger and better for it. She

hasn't let the difficulties make her bitter and cruel or excessively

arrogant. I am truly looking forward on how far she will go in the

years to come.

If she manages to survive the King's schemes at least. The paranoid

imbecile has been entirely too happy these last few days and the

couple of times Alexandra's name has been mentioned I noticed him

smiling instead of the usual scowl of rage he has when he hears of

her.

After the visit to Asgard he was apoplectic in rage at both the power

of his granddaughter, as well as her snubbing of him when she

chose to sit with the Vanir delegation. Not that I blame her, the more

time you can spend away from my idiotic father the better and if I

could I would have sat somewhere else too.

I only hope that whatever he has cooked up I will be able to help her

with because if she perishes then we will lose our strongest mortal

demigod and most likely the allegiance of Thalia Grace as well

considering their close friendship and that is unacceptable. If we kill

one of the best friends of the one destined to save or doom us then

we might as well jump into the void ourselves to spare our enemies

the trouble.

That is why I have already talked with many others in the council,

gathering allies in order to prevent the Royal filths idiotic plans.

Artemis was the first I explained the situation to and she was

immediately on board. My huntress sister had been more than happy

to assist a maiden in need. Hermes was easy as well. From what I

was able to deduce, Alexandra has been able to prevent the horrible

fate of his son Luke Castellan and as a result he feels indebted to

her. Apollo even if reluctant will follow his twin's decision so he also

joined.

Lastly I managed to persuade Poseidon. He was the most difficult of

all. The butchering Alexandra inflicted on his Cyclops children that

he donated to Hades army a few years back didn't endear her to him

but the barnacle beard if everything else is a pragmatic God and the

possibility of Thalia Grace choosing to raze Olympus to the ground

was not something he could allow.

Ares naturally will help of course and as a result Aphrodite will assist

him as well (those two are near inseparable) so most of the

Olympians are on our side. I can only hope it will be enough.

(End of interlude)

Alex POV

There were around 50 of us demigods plus Chiron as we headed for

the Empire State Building on the afternoon of the 25th of December

of 2005. According to Annabeth the Camp has around 150 demigods

all in all but the ones not in Camp are the ones that stay there only

for the summer months and choose to stay with their mortal parents

the rest of the year.

We all got in a bus that has been expanded internally and was driven

by one of Hermes assistants. The trip there only took us 20 minutes

with no traffic at all and we didn't encounter even one red light.

Considering that Hermes is the God of travelers I am not surprised.

Once there, we were led by Chiron inside and after he took a

passage card from the receptionist we were led to the elevators.

There, he used the mist to obscure the sight of mortals and pressed

a button that caused the elevator to expand into a size fit for all of us

to hop in.

The ascendance took us 10 minutes and honestly Percy was right,

Apollo must really change the music, it is atrocious.

The moment the elevator was opened we gazed upon the city of

Olympus beyond a golden hardlight bridge and I got to say that while

beautiful, it had nothing on Asgard.

The city looked like what and ancient Greek city must have looked

like but cleaner and more imposing. Everything was made from white

marble and gold. It was also separated in two areas, the inner and

the outer one.

The outer area was separated in three parts. The commercial district

that was positioned on the main road towards the inner section of the

city. There was the market were satyrs and nymphs sold their wares

which consisted of anything and everything, from nectar and

ambrosia to replicas of the Golden Fleece and even weapons and

magic books written by even the Gods themselves.

Second at the left side of the main road was the residential district

and there is where the immortal satyrs, heroes, nymphs, the

servants responsible for the upkeep of the city, the handmaidens of

the Goddesses lived and some very minor Gods like Psyche and

Ariadne had their temples.

On the right side of the main road was the crafting district and this is

where all the wares that were sold on the market as well as the main

forge of Hephaestus resided that also served as his temple.

The inner sanctum was surrounded by a moat that many multi

colored fish swam inside and you could get there by crossing three

beautiful golden (eyeroll, they must really love their gold) bridges that

had intricate images of the most glorious (eyeroll again) moments of

the Gods according to Chiron.

Inside was the place where all the Olympians as well as most of the

minor Gods had their temples and the whole place was decorated by

parks filled with flowers and greenery, as well as statutes of Gods

and heroes of old.

At the upper most point of the inner sanctum was the council of the

pantheon as well as our final destination. It was gigantic and made to

be both admired by its beauty as well as intimidate.

As we passed through the open bronze gates of the council room we

met the Gods.

Their seats were positioned in a u shape with the King and Queen at

the head. At the left side of Zeus was Poseidon dressed in a

Hawaiian shirt and looking more like a beach bum than an actual

Lord of the Seas. After him was my father and an extremely beautiful

Goddess that could only be Aphrodite, followed by a very muscled

and tanned God that considering all his hair and beard were on fire

could only be Hephaestus and last was the annoyance himself,

Dionysus.

On the right side of Hera, was the asshole, Hades himself since he

was allowed only today to be here on Olympus and was trying to

catch my eyes but I ignored him. After him was seated a beautiful

but intimidating Goddess with black long hair and stormy grey eyes

that were identical to Annabeth, meaning that this could only be

Athena. After her was a blonde and green eyed woman dressed in a

traditional Greek chiton and sheathed at the side of her throne was a

golden sword, the symbol of power of Demeter and according to the

legends, the reforged scythe of her father Kronos. Following her

were the twins of Leto, Artemis and Apollo talking to each other and

considering her annoyed face, the Goddess of the Hunt didn't really

enjoy that conversation. Last was a blonde guy with a mischievous

smile and a caduceus positioned at the side of his throne marking

him as Hermes, messenger of the Gods.

On the left and right sides behind the Olympians were many thrones

occupied by other Gods and Goddesses and I recognized some of

them. Hecate with her torch and polecat, Phobos and Deimos who I

had briefly seen in Muspelheim and even a woman with golden

wings that could only be Nike amongst many others had come to

attend this important event.

Lastly, at the center of the u formation was a huge hearth and near

sat a single child looking Goddess that was poking the flames with

an iron rod. Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth.

We stood in perfect formation before the whole council with Chiron at

the head and we all kneeled before the Gods. A couple of minutes of

that was enough it seems for Zeus to satisfy his megalomaniac

jollies by having a bunch of kids kneel before him and he

commenced the council meeting with a sound of thunder.

The whole thing was a bore of epic proportions. After Zeus wasted a

whole half an hour of our lifespan with a long winded speech about

another year of prosperity under his rule and the glory of the Gods

and bla bla bla, it was time for the rest of the Gods both major and

minor if they wanted to, to petition the council to help them either to

resolve disputes they had with another God or to request assistance

with whatever problems they may had encountered in their own

domains.

After that was over with, Zeus made a nod toward Hecate and I

detected the Mist trying to ensnare my senses. I managed to resist

the spell but the rest of the demigods aside from Thalia and also

Chiron were caught in the haze. I was ready to pull out my spear and

die in blazing glory a prayer of Odin on my lips but my father stopped

me.

'Stop Alexandra, there is no threat yet. There is delicate information

that demigods are not allowed to hear and the Mist will just stop

them from noticing for a few minutes until we are done. Stand down

there is no threat.' He telepathically spoke in my mind.

"The last issue of this council meeting has to do with the great

prophecy. Thalia my daughter step forward." said Zeus and causing

Thalia to stand before the whole council her face very white in

trepidation.

"In order to be succinct I will recite the Great Prophesy.

A half-blood of the Eldest Gods,

Shall reach sixteen against all odds,

And find the world in endless sleep,

The heroes cursed blade shall reap,

A single choice shall end his days,

Olympus to preserve or raze."

The moment the prophecy was fully uttered I could see Thalia's face

had changed through many emotions. Fear, anger, betrayal but

horror was the most prominent. I couldn't blame her either. It wasn't

everyday you heard that you were destined to die and your choice

would save or doom a whole pantheon in the process. Of course she

was definitely NOT the child of the prophecy but she didn't know that

and most importantly the trigger happy Gods didn't know it either.

"Tonight when midnight comes my daughter will reach her sixteen

birthday and the prophecy will begin. We must find a way to stop this

from occurring. Thoughts"

"Just kill the brat and be done with it. No brat no prophecy easy

peasy." said the hateful and uncaring voice of the Wine God and it

was this moment that I made a promise to myself that if I ever get

strong enough I would fade this son of a bitch once and for all.

"That would be quite dishonorable don't you think? The girl is one of

our soldiers and has served adequately until now. Furthermore she

is the current leader of the demigod camp. Are you prepared to strike

such a powerful blow to the morale of our mortal subjects? In

addition, the demigods are barely tolerating us at this point, are you

prepared for the consequences of killing one of their own just

because we didn't bother to find another way?"

The speech came from none other than my father Ares and left

everyone with their mouths open in astonishment. They didn't expect

such a stance from the usually bloodthirsty God.

'You are welcome brat. Never say I didn't do anything nice for you'

he said in my mind and I couldn't help the small grin that appeared

on my lips. The great sap cares about his children after all.

"Are you saying that the demigods are capable of being a threat to

us boy?" replied Zeus his masterbolt in hand ready to incinerate us

all at the very notion of being a threat.

"Not at all father. What Ares meant was that if we kill the leader of

the demigods like that just because her existence inconvenienced us

then they will stop worshipping and believing in us at all. Their

prayers and sacrifices are at the bare minimum already. If we carry

on with Dionysus suggestion then you can all be sure that by

summer's end there will not be enough demigods to make a 5 man

squad." replied Athena in a no nonsense voice and if her glare

towards the drunk fucker is any indication

A scoff sounded besides her drawing the attention of everyone. "And

where would they go niece. If they leave their silly little camp, most

of them won't last a year before they become monster food. The

women could possibly join Artemis Hunt on a pinch but the men

have no such option.

"Couldn't Thalia join the Hunt then? If she becomes immortal now,

then she will never become sixteen and as a result she won't

become eligible for the prophecy." said Demeter a curious look on

her face.

"Not possible." piped in Aphrodite and Artemis at the same time. The

first had a grin of a cat that caught the canary and the latter a cold

expression.

Instantly Thalia became beet red and I was gobsmacked at that little

revelation. Luke's super charming smile of panty dropping was not a

complete boast after all. Teasing material detected.

"The there is no choice, we can't allow this prop-" Zeus spoke with

finality pissing me off something fierce and I couldn't be silent

anymore.

"She is not the child of the prophecy." I said making everyone freeze

in place.

"Impossible, how are you able to function through my spell?" said

Hecate in astonishment.

"I may be young milady but I am a certified sorceress. I even got the

tattoo. The spell you used was not strong enough to affect me.

Though it was very awesome. A perception spell that causes the

mind to freeze until the caster lifts it, causing the victim to think that

no time has passed. Very inventive, I will have to try to recreate it." I

praised the Goddess

"And who is your master child because I definitely didn't christen you

as a sorceress"

"Why Lady Freyja of course. I served as her apprentice for 5 years

and then I spent another 5 in the Valkyrie order." I replied getting

curious looks from everyone at me declaration.

"Enough with the posturing. Speak child. What did you mean when

you said that the girl is not the child in the prophecy?" said Hera,

Queen of the Gods looking at me with an unreadable expression and

stopping her husband from making a fuss.

"It says so in the prophecies words your majesty. A single choice

shall end HIS days. Not HER days pointing at a female demigod or

THEIR days making the gender ambiguous. The destined child is

male." I replied making everyone pause. All except of Poseidon that

the only indication that something was wrong was the tighter grip on

his trident.

"Even so Alexandra. The use of "his" determiner could be gender

ambiguous in this case. After all prophecies are meant to be

confusing." said Athena playing the devil's advocate.

"If that was the case milady then the first line could be differently

interpreted as well couldn't it? After all, it could be speaking about an

Elder divine not the Big Three specifically but the six original

Olympians or even and older deity like Lord Thanatos or Lady

Hecate." I countered getting a nod from the Wisdom Goddess.

"However the greatest indicator is right before our eyes." I paused

letting some suspense roll in.

"And that would be?" asked Hades with a raised eyebrow.

"That would be the fact that there is no army or an apocalyptic

monster in our doorstep ready to kill you all."

My words caused some nervous look to pass around the audience

and Zeus eyes to harden in rage at the mere thought of a threat.

'The guy has some serious insecurities' I thought.

"After all the child of a prophecy at HIS 16 birthday is meant to see

the world on endless sleep and make a choice for or against

Olympus with a 'blade' in hand. There is no enemy here to cause

some type of conflict and unless in the next 2 hours some terrible

calamity befalls us all, I don't see it happening. Ergo Thalia would be

disqualified from the prophecy" I finished getting a grateful smile

from my friend for defending her before the Gods.

"You speak logically child. Thalia's death wouldn't serve anything

after all and I would have said so if no one had but it seems you got

to do it first. I commend your intelligence." I was complimented by

Athena, making me blush a little at the beautiful immortal.

"I have heard enough." thundered the asshole. "I will put the vote

before the council in order to decide how we should act. Since Thalia

is my daughter, I will not vote."

"Those voting for death" he said and Immediately Dionysus, Hera,

Hades and Hephaestus raised their hands drawing some negative

looks from the rest.

"Those voting against" The rest rose their hands with Demeter

choosing to abstain.

The result was obvious with 4 voting for death and 7 against, saving

Thalia from a death sentence and me from having to make an

impromptu kidnapping/escaping for more snowy pastures.

"The council has decided and Thalia Grace will be allowed to live."

His words made me bite my own tongue literally in order to stop

myself from cursing him. The sheer gal of the bastard. 'Allowing her

to live' as if he had any right on someone else life like that. Oh how I

longed to run him through with my spear and watch as the light left

his eyes. Then he would know what is like for someone else to have

his life on his hands and deciding to end it. I wanted him to know true

despair.

Due to acquiring the required state of mind one of your skills

has been upgraded.

Tyrant's Spirit Emergence(Lv1): Unlocking this skill you can

sense the auras of everyone around you in a 16 meter radius.

Actively using this skill, the user can generate an aura of fear

that can amplify/induce terror on beings inside their aura and

lower the status of the enemies that are affected. If the feeling

of fear is big enough then the victim can freeze in terror, fall

unconscious or even die. -2% to all enemies' stats that have

been inflicted by fear status. Active use cost 350 MP

The alert made me snap out of my murderous thoughts and after a

quick look at my upgraded skill I focused back on the proceedings.

"And with this last issue out of the way then I declare this meeting

adjourned and the celebration to begin." said Zeus and the

attendants started cheering and Hecate with a snap of her fingers

released the demigods from her spell.

I didn't pay any mind to them though. I headed straight to Thalia in

order to comfort her. This was not a fun situation to be in. Watching

your own father callously and with no remorse putting to a fucking

vote whether to deserve to live or to die because he couldn't keep it

in his fucking pants would be traumatizing to even the most thick

skinned of people.

So, when I reached her I took her by her arm ignoring her protests

and led her to one of the gardens outside the council room. When

we sat on one of the benches I let her get ahold of herself in silence

but after 10 minutes I couldn't keep it in anymore.

"So you and Luke eh." I said a shit eating grin on my face causing

her to turn red and sputter a bit.

"He is handsome I guess but I didn't expect you to let him in your

panties so soon. Is his silver tongue as good as he bragged about or

was it all hot air?" I continued wiggling my eyebrows suggestively

and making her invent a new shade of red color, causing me to laugh

loudly.

"Oh fuck you, you bitch" said the daughter of Zeus both in

mortification and anger at my teasing but I couldn't really fault her. I

wouldn't be all that comfortable having my sex life discussed in front

of the whole pantheon and my own father as well.

"Oh love, I didn't know you liked me that way. Though I expect at

least one dinner if you want to have some fun with me." I replied with

a smirk while wiggling my eyebrows suggestively and causing her to

gap at me in mortification. It was at this point that I gave her the final

blow.

"You can invite Luke as well if you want I don't mind. Only, you have

to arrange for a bigger bed because the Camp's are simply not big

enough for three people you know."

If she was embarrassed before, now she went into supernova and

for a moment I worried for her blood pressure, but before she could

reply, probably with her spear if her look was anything to go by we

were interrupted by an awkward cough and a giggle.

"Oh dear, what an interesting conversation we stumbled upon. They

grow up so fast don't they love?" said a voice from behind us.

When I turned around I saw Aphrodite with a very amused smile on

her face and beside her was my father with a dead look, his eyes

barely showing any fire at all.

I didn't know how to react to my father hearing me propositioning

someone for a threesome so I decided to act like it never happened

for both my sanity and from the look of him, his as well.

"Lady Aphrodite, Old man. What can we do for you?"

"You can leave your friend here with Dite and come with me brat. I

want to have some words."

After getting a nod from Thalia I shrugged and started walking

besides the God. A couple of minutes later he started talking.

"You have done a good job with your siblings, super brat. It was

high-time they learned some discipline."

"Well they never had anyone show them the correct way to act you

know. Chiron for all the accolades he has as a trainer is at best a

sub-par teacher, which considering how arrogant all his well known

students were and their fates should have been a very strong

indication on his competency" I said with an aggravated voice.

"Not fond of the horse eh?"

"Fuck no. He is annoyingly cryptic to any question you ask him and

he focuses exclusively to the physical side of training. I have to teach

the brats how to unlock their mana consciously and most of them

have been in the accursed Camp for years. What the fuck is his

deal? We are demigods, our whole gig is the divine energy we got

from our divine parent making us superior to normal mortals. Why

isn't he helping the kids to grow stronger?" I stated barely keeping

my help from shouting.

"He is not allowed to kid. The King" he said the word 'King' like it was

a pile of shit that he stepped on.

"Doesn't want the demigods to learn about 'dangerous abilities that

they are not capable to wield responsibly'." he finished with a roll in

his eyes and his tone was dryer than an old woman's cunt.

"So it comes back to him again doesn't it?"

"Yes it does and he has been spitting mad since he heard about your

interaction with the Norse which I am really proud of your deeds by

the way. You have become a war veteran, accomplishing great

deeds in battle and even assisting in the death of both Surtr and his

bitch of a wife."

"Father I-"

"That's why I must both warn you and help you." he said in a very

serious tone, the flames of his eyes becoming an inferno from the

rage within.

"What do you mean?"

"The asshole has planned to make an event today and I am pretty

sure that his most hated brother has helped as well. I would have

been impressed of watching the two of them work together after

millennia of bitter hatred if they didn't plan to get you shafted."

"What exactly are they planning?" I asked, not at all surprised that

these two Gods would be so against me. Though for Hades to even

contemplate to work together with Zeus after what he did to him. I

shook my head in disappointment. If I didn't think him petty before,

now I surely do.

"A challenge for those who would volunteer. Giving some bullshit

excuse about how entertaining it was last time we did that and

wanting to turn it into a tradition. Making demigods fight for the

audience's entertainment and proving themselves before the Gods,

promising honor and some kind of reward in exchange or other such

crap."

"I won't volunteer then, simple as that. Let some other poor smack

get chosen" I replied uncaring. If some random demigod wants to

risk life and limb in order to gain some dubious honor from the Gods

then he is free to do so.

"Good. I am all for a good fight any day but sometimes you have to

choose your battles. However I am going to give you a little help in

case the shit hits the fan and also as a personal trial from me slash

reward for your veteran status." he said and touched my head a red

glow engulfing me.

Perk Revised: BLESSING OF ARES(1/2): PERMANENT +10 TO

ALL STATS EXCEPT LUCK. ACTIVE +10.000 STR, +5000 VIT,

+8000 DEX. It can only be granted by Ares to his children. When

active the user is lost in rage and as chosen by Ares himself

you can activate it once every 25 days on your own.

I goggled at the revised perk like an idiot, completely stupefied.

Seeing my reaction he laughed at me, the dick.

"You like brat? This is something I have granted twice in all my

lifetime as a God. Both times your siblings were lost in rage and died

from the overload of power, unable to gain true control."

"Then why give me something like this?"

"Because you are my strongest child ever and more. I have seen

you brat. The way you fight is not like your fellow siblings. All my

children aside from incredible strength gain my recklessness and

bloodthirst from my domains and never think before they act.

You are different though. You fight smart, you use tactics and you

don't let your anger consume you. Well mostly. If there is anyone that

can master this, it is you." he said with a grin and rubbed my head,

completely ruining my hair and making me glare at him, though I was

happy that my father believed in me.

"Let's go brat. It's almost time for Zeus surprise event" he finished,

starting to walk back into the council room and I followed.

We had just reached the gates of the council room turned ball room

when the tinkling of a glass was heard all around.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please." said the King of

assholes with a smarmy smirk on his face, making everyone focus

on him.

"With the gracious assistance of my brother Hades" pointing to the

Underworld King and gaining shrewd looks from the most cunning of

the room at such an oxymorous behavior from the two hated rivals

and surprised ones from everyone else.

"I decided to begin a new tradition for the Winter and Summer

Solstices in order to bring more life in the celebrations. I would like to

honor and test one of the demigods in a challenge against

dangerous odds in order for them to illustrate the fruits of their

training and show us all their skills in real battle. Of course if they win

they would be rewarded with a golden laurel and will be granted one

reasonable boon from me in exchange for showing us their might

against dangerous odds."

As the thunder farter was speaking I could see inside the room, his

new 'tradition' was met with mixed results. The most stupid of the

immortals as well as the naïve demigods were all smiles for the

spectacle to come and the chance to prove themselves before their

parents respectively. The rest were looking either in horror or in rage

at the audacity of the King to turn their kids into gladiators for his

entertainment.

"Now, I ask all the demigods in attendance to come before us and for

the volunteers for the Solstice Games to raise their hands. Their

names will written magically in a paper and put in the champion

chalice-" summoning a big bronze and gem encrusted chalice with

Greek runes around it. 'It seems it is not only Athena that is a fan of

Harry Potter' I thought sarcastically.

"-and one of the volunteers will be randomly selected to be the 2005

Winter Solstice Champion."

Quickly all of us gathered in rows similar to a legion if front of Zeus

and many started raising their hands. Thankfully we assembled

together with our siblings and I ordered all of them to not volunteer.

Those who tried to protest I silenced with a fiery look that promised

unending suffering if I was disobeyed making them shiver in terror at

the mere idea of disobeying me.

I observed the rest and from what I saw Thalia had no intention to

risk her life to gain any honor from her deadbeat father and her

rolling eyes look she send me enforced that. Luke followed his

girlfriends lead. After all happy wife, happy life or the girlfriend

equivalent at least and I made a mental note to tease them later.

Unfortunately no one gave Annie the memo and she volunteered

herself making my blood run cold and the look that asshole Hades

sent me gave me no delusion that the stupid goblet was random or

that they would chose anyone but Annabeth if I didn't play ball and it

pissed me off. If I hated anything in the world, it is being forced to do

something against my will and these petty assholes where forcing

me to either walk into their trap or watch as my dearest friend died

before my eyes.

Looking at the Gods I could see my father understood the situation

and he was griping his throne so hard that I could see small cracks

on it and Athena was looking pleadingly at me.

I sighed. You owe me big time for this Athena. I prayed to the

Goddess and she nodded in return, a grateful look in her eyes, and

with a resigned scowl I made my best Katniss Everdeen

impersonation and I volunteered myself as a tribute to Zeus 'I am a

murderous asshole Games' name pending. Clarisse that was beside

me saw the whole exchange and was looking at me with concern. I

tried to reassure her with my eyes and a smile but from her look I

was not all that successful.

I had really bonded with my youngest sister and from what her status

info said these days she had acquired some type of hero worship

and role model thing from me. I was fond of her as well. Aside from

being one of the few girls in my cabin she was also the most skilled

after me and the most intelligent of the lot.

"The time to join is over and now we will wait for the chalice to make

its choice."

With an explosion of blue flames (I rolled my eyes at the blatant

plagiarism) a piece of paper landed on the only hand of Zeus (I

smirked at that because Ares explained to me how that came to be.)

and everyone waited with a bated breath for the result.

"The champion is-" paused the Drama Queen.

"-Alexandra Bellum, daughter of Ares" he declared drawing an

applause from the immortals with some pitying looks here and there

that I expertly ignored and excited cheering from the demigods.

Annie was half disappointed for not being chosen but she gave me

an encouraging smile which I returned. I didn't want to make her

think that anything was wrong. She would figure out I volunteered in

order to save her from whatever this cluster fuck is going to be and

she didn't need the extra guilt if I died.

The thunder fucker gave the shadow prick a nod and with a raise of

his hands summoned a Red Gate making me pause for a moment.

'It seems they really don't like me. Who would have thought?' I

thought sarcastically.

"Before our champion enters the Gate I will offer some clues for the

trials ahead." announced Zeus.

"The only way out of the Gate is by opening the Exit door inside the

diamond room and as long as the monster lives the exit remains

locked." so a simple defeat the boss in order to unlock the Gate.

Astral Gate detected. Scanning. Please wait.

Red dungeon discovered. Do you wish to enter?

YES/NO.

"Whenever you are ready. You may enter." said the asshole with a

self-satisfied smirk. Oh bastard, it is so on right now. You want a

spectacle. I will give you one you will never forget.

PING*

Legendary Quest: Royal Challenge

Main Objective: Kill the Final Boss and unlock the EXIT Gate.

Bonus 1: ?

Bonus 2: ?

Bonus 3: ?

Bonus 4: ?

Bonus 5: ?

Bonus 6: ?

Bonus 7: ?

Rewards:

Main Objective: 100m xp, 5k D, Title, Skill Book,?.

1: ?

2: ?

3: ?

4: ?

5: ?

6: ?

7: ?

Failure:

Death

YES/NO.

With a final look at my father I pressed YES and stepped through the

Gate.

I found myself in circular room made out of a golden stone, the walls

were depicting the 12 Olympians and the roof was open showing a

cloudless blue sky. Right in front of me was a humongous Gate

made out of pure diamond.

In a vertical line along the middle of the gate there were 5 seals with

a sigil above them depicting the four basic elements and also a leaf

that probably symbolised nature and two keyholes at the left and

right most sides that had the depictions of a sun and a cresecent

moon respectively above them. I would have observed it more but

the sound of flapping wings made me turn to the origin of the

disturbance and boy was it a treat.

She was bigger than a one story building. She had the body of a

lioness, the talons and wings of an eagle and the head of a beautiful

woman. Her eyes were golden and were full of knowledge and

wisdom. She exuded power compareable to Sinmara and I knew that

if I tried to fight her I wouldn't stand a chance in hell.

Ligeia „The Original"

Race: Sphinx

Gender: Female

Lv: ?

Status: ?

Info: Ligeia is the first sphinx of her kind and as a result the

strongest. She was assigned the duty of testing the champion

demigod and granting them the first key of the gate if they are

victorious. If not, then she is free to devour them.

"Greetings half-ling, I am Ligeia, the first of the guardians. The only

way for you to win is to answer correctly to my riddle. I will only say it

once and you can only answer once. Answer wrong and I will attack.

Delay too much and I will attack. Do you understand?"

"Yes Lady Ligeia",

Giving me a nod for my respectful tone, she started reciting the

riddle.

Despised it is by knave and coward

After it the wise inquire

It rises above all death and fire

And is the bane it is of crook and traitor.

What is it?

" You have 5 minutes" she said and she summoned an hourglass

with sand inside that started flowing.

It was a tricky one. At the beginning my mind went to honesty or

maybe honor but both of those are not the bane of traitors or crooks.

They show contempt for those qualities and usually manipulate such

people in order to further their goals. I had been thinking about 4

minutes, trying to figure out what the answer could possibly be until I

re-read the second verse and I figured it out.

"TRUTH." I shouted.

"The answer is truth, because it the wise people greatest desire to

find the truth and all criminals and traitors hate the truth because

they deal in lies and deceit." I finished receiving an impressed look

by the Sphinx.

"You are correct child. It seems you will not become my dinner today.

Maybe another time." she said with a smirk drawing a deadpanned

look from me.

"Gee thanks"

"Here take the golden key as a reward for your wisdom. My job is

done." she finished and flew away to places unknown while I

inspected the key.

Sun Gold Key

Info: One of the 2 keys needed to open the Boss Gate. It is

made from Imperial Gold. A metal created by Roman

alchemists/priests on the heights of the Roman Empire's power

and t is capable of harming the supernatural

Putting the key in my inventory for safekeeping I gazed at a

drawbridge that connected to an island with a river below. Shrugging

I started walking on top of it and when I reached the island which

was filled with trees found in the Mediterranean, I followed a path

that led me to a brown gate with the symbol of a rock on top of it.

There was an inscription as well.

" Through the Gate of Earth strength is the only quality that

matters"

Strength eh? My specialty is strength, this is going to be a piece of

cake. With a grin I pushed the door open and stepped through.

You are walking into a pocket dimension .

As I walked inside I saw a rocky area that was similar to the outside

but even more wild looking. It was twilight in the dimension and the

visibility was slowly deeming. There were boulders all around for an

ambush and the ground was muddy enough to be slightly slippery.

The biggest problem though became apparent the moment that the

door I entered through closed behind me.

PING*

Due to the special conditions of the Earth Gate, all external

mana based abilities are negated.

I wanted to swear but the heavy footsteps of something approaching

gave me pause. When it showed itself behind one of the boulders I

was surprised. But not at the monsters identity.

Minotaur "MOORDEROUS"

Race: Monster

Gender Male

Level: 35

HP: 30.300 (+20.000)

MP: 630

STR: 300 (350)

VIT: 200

DEX: 50

INT: 15

WIS: 8

LUC: 5

Info: The Minotaur is a monster with the head and tail of a bull

and the body of a man. He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth

on the command of King Minos of Crete. He was the son of

Minos wife Pasiphae that was cursed to mate with a white bull

by the God Poseidon. He was eventually killed by the Athenian

hero Theseus, son of Poseidon.

Percy Jackson when he first fought the beast he described him

naked aside from a fruit of the looms underwear (though I am pretty

sure that was just added from Rick cause of PG and to raise the

comedy aspect).

Right now before me, the fucking thing is wearing a gold full plate

armor with helmet and everything that covers all its body except of

his horns and is wielding a humongous golden axe.

If I was any other demigod and I include even the Big Three here

then they wouldn't stand a chance against this menace. The armor

covered everything and without any speck of magic it would be

useless to fight the literal juggernaut before me. Unfortunately for it, I

am not a normal demigod.

I instantly pulled out my bow and fired twice at the chinks of the

armor on the shoulders but it seems they gave him some high quality

chainmail as well because they were completely ineffective. The only

thing my attack accomplished was to enrage the monster and have it

charge at me, its axe above its head.

Thankfully it was very slow and I easily jumped on the scattered

boulders and I jumped around gaining distance and kept on firing my

arrows at him to keep its attention.

As I was running around I carved runes on top of the boulders while

escaping the idiotic things charges. Twice he hit his head on the

rocks injuring itself and causing one of its horns to break of.

HP: 29.800/30.300

A few minutes later I had created a circle shaped runic array about

20 meters wide in radius and a smaller one outside the bigger one.

The room may have negated the external mana use but it didn't stop

the ambient magic from charging runes or myself from using blood,

one of the richest mediums and carriers of magic from helping along.

As I hid behind one of the many boulders of our arena, I threw a

small rock in the middle of the bigger array drawing the attention of

the huge brute and causing it to get in the right position. 'Excellent'.

Bathing the runes of the smaller array with a few drops of blood I

focused all my strength on my fists and used concussive force (one

of my perks and hence not mana reliant abilities kukukuuku) to hit

the array with a hammer blow.

The result was immediate. The array I created was basically an

amplifying and sympathetic one. The closest thing that is similar in

use is the voodoo dolls, but instead of using it on living beings, it is

used directly on the environment.

The whole area circled by the bigger array exploded with the power

of the concussive force and created a crater that was 3 meters deep

at the centermost point. This is where the Minotaur was, having

collapsed on its front. It wasn't truly injured though because the

damage was made on the ground and not to it. His condition was

mostly because of the surprise and the loss of its balance.

HP: 28.000/30.300

That's why I didn't give it time to reorient itself. I jumped high from a

boulder outside the crater and I drop kicked the brute a la Tsunade

(Tsutenkyaku FTW), making sure to use concussive force to bypass

its armor.

The force of my kick buried the monster deeper in the earth and I

could clearly hear the snapping of its bones. Considering that there

was an indent in the shape of my foot right in the middle of its

armored back, I am sure that it won't be walking anytime soon.

HP: 4.000/30.300, Critical Hit

I gripped its remaining horn and lifted it from the ground throwing the

half conscious monster on its back. After I ripped the helmet for its

body and inventoried it I drew my spear and put it between its eyes.

"Game Over"

And I plunged it with all my strength killing it.

It became golden dust leaving behind its armor and weapon as well

as the horn that had broken earlier and was still imbedded on a

boulder a few meters away.

Cretan Golden Axe

+1500 DMG

+ 50% DMG against monsters

Special: Strength Specialist: None that has STR lower than 200

will be able to lift this weapon, but for those who are strong

enough the weapon will weight like a feather on their hands.

Info: A weapon made in the shape of an ancient double headed

axe of the Minoan Era. It is made from Imperial Gold, a metal

capable of hurting the supernatural and is particularly good

against monsters.

Bull Zodiac Armor

+5% HP Regeneration

+50 STR

Special: Strength Specialist: None that has STR lower than 200

will be able to wear this armor, but for those who are strong

enough it will weight like a feather on their body.

Info: A heavy plate armor made from Imperial Gold. It grants the

user great strength and vitality and is superior to any armor

made by mortal hands, granting excellent protection against

physical attacks to a point.

Wow the terrible duo seems pulled out all the stops in order to make

it as hard for me as possible. Well the jokes on them though

because now these babies are mine. I will have to reforge them

though because they were not made for my body type in mind.

Putting them in my inventory together with the horn I was about to

search for the exit but I didn't need to because one of the boulders

started moving revealing a passage that probably led to my next

challenge.

The whole path was a narrow catacomb and if I didn't have my ability

to use mana, I wouldn't be able to see my own nose but thankfully

my flashlight spell solved that problem.

After walking for a while I found myself in a larger room with a gate

that had the symbol of a water drop on top.

I had my spear in hand and my bow strapped across my torso

because I didn't know if they could figure out a way to negate my

inventory and I didn't fancy fighting whatever monster was inside

without a weapon.

The moment I entered the door closed behind me and a new alert

appeared in front of my eyes.

Due to the special conditions of the Water Gate, all external

mana based abilities except of normal fire magic are negated.

So now they left me with at least one element, though they made

sure to deny me my Flames of War and considering the Gate I am in

they left me with an elemental disadvantage. Hopefully my great

mastery of the element will reduce the handicap some.

The area looked like a huge swamp. There were trees all around

obscuring most of the sun rays and the ground was filled with weeds

and ankle deep mud.

As I trudged along, I had to make sure I stepped carefully because

the ground was extremely slippery and I almost gotten bitten twice

by snakes camouflaged amongst the trees and weeds. Gods how I

hated snakes. Those crawling disgusting things always gave me the

heebie-jeebies ugh.

After twenty minutes of muddy walking through the swamp (and I

really needed to give my armor a very thorough cleaning after this) I

found my way to a lake. It was big enough I suppose and the water

was so dark that you couldn't see the depths even at the banks of it.

Obviously the monster I had to face resided inside the lake and I

wasn't in the mood to wait for it until it decides to grace me with its

presence. So after I made sure to collect a few big enough piles of

rocks and boulders in case I needed a heavy projectile for whatever

aquatic monster I had to face, I started skipping stones on the lake,

trying to draw its attention.

It didn't take long. I could see a huge body starting to rise from the

deep and I instantly jumped back to gain some distance. The

moment the monster reached the surface I wanted to laugh. Not

because it was weak.

On the contrary, it was one of the most powerful and famous

monsters in Greek Mythology. The fact was though that I was an

expert in fire magic which was its greatest weakness and I always

wanted to fight this monster and as a result I had thought up various

strategies in order to defeat it. This is going to be fun.

Hydra "Lernaian"

Race: Monster

Gender: Female

Level: 45

HP: 25.700

MP: 1040

STR: 150

VIT: 400

DEX: 200

INT: 10

WIS: 5

LUC: 15

Info: The original Hydra that was killed by Herakles. A daughter

of Echidna and Typhoon, she is capable firing projectiles of

acid from her many mouths and if you cut any of her head two

more instantly replace it.

She had the body of a drakon and nine heads that looked like

snakes. She was about 20 meters long from heads to tail and was

looking at me like I was the tastiest thing since strawberry

cheesecake.

As she sent one of her heads on a head on strike I cut it off with my

spear. I knew what it was going to happen but I wanted to test what

would happen HP wise because if she lost HP then I would just cut

her heads until she hit 0 but I wasn't so lucky.

HP: 22.000/25.700

HP: 27.000/27.000

Damn the head sprouting took only 5 seconds and she even raised

her health bar by almost 2k. Talk about a broken ability. No wonder

Herk the jerk needed the help of Iolaous to defeat the monster. If you

try to cut a head you don't have enough time to pick a bow light it on

fire and then hit the stump. I have to get creative.

Seeing that my first theory was a big bust I tried a different approach.

As she attacked me again with more of her heads now, I rolled

underneath them and stabbed the main body 3 times before I had to

block one of the heads mouths with the shaft of my spear. The force

of the hit threw me 10 meters onto the air and I crushed on one of

the piles of rocks I had made a while back.

HP: 29.100/29.100 (+8000)

FF: 0/5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)

HP: 21.000/27.000

HP: 27.000/27.000

Damn, that regeneration is insane. It seems cauterizing the wounds

is the only way to go and I have to be very careful because my force

field is gone and one bite is all it needs to kill me. That poison is no

joke.

I had to jump to the side and roll behind another pile of rocks

because she spit at me a glob of acid as big as a cow and I winced a

little when I saw the rocks actually melting and becoming slag.

So now I am going to test theory number three. As I drew its

attention and made all the heads turn towards me I used Great

Flame Wave. A literal tidal wave of orange and red fire came out of

my hands and I overloaded it with double the mana required in order

to make it bigger.

MP: 20.400/23.425 (+5000)

The result was a big fat nothing. The fucking snake's skin is

extremely fire resistant on the outside it seems. Only the inside is

vulnerable to fire. I have one more plan and if it doesn't work either

then I will just charge in with fire imbuement and hopefully I will kill it

before she melts my inside with her acid bite.

I picked one of the stones from the piles I made before and after

imbuing it with fire I chucked it at one of the heads.

The screech of pain was an indication that it worked. The force of my

throw pulverized the head and the acid caught fire instantly

cauterizing the stump and preventing the sprouting of more heads.

One down, nine more to go.

I continued like that for a while. I threw rocks at it and killed head

after head until I run out of stones. The bloody monster got

accustomed enough to my throws that it managed to dodge many of

them.

By the time I run out only three heads were left on the monster.

Seeing as I had no other choice I griped my spear tightly and I

charged forward.

The hydra, desperate enough to kill the troublesome brat that killed

so many of her heads made an all out attack by trying to hit me from

both the front and the sides. She was prepared to sacrifice even

more of her heads as long as she managed to land a fatal strike.

Unfortunately for her I was experienced enough to understand what

she was trying to do. A few moments before our collision I pulled out

the axe I had won from the Minotaur and used my spears second

boon to telekinetically make it rotate ate my front, repelling the main

head and with a backstep and a huge flaming swipe I cut the other

two heads leaving the Hydra with only one left.

Seeing as she had no chance of winning now, she tried to return

back inside the lake but I didn't let her. The many fallen bodies of the

cut heads had made it difficult for her to move and I had plenty of

time to run on top of her body and pike her with my spear in place.

HP: 2500/27.000

After that the last head just gave up and fell to the ground. As I was

getting closer I could see it on the monsters eyes that she was

resigned to her death and that was when I made a different call.

"Do you want to live?" I asked. I knew she was intelligent enough to

understand me. Monstrous she may be but she is still a child of two

intelligent beings.

She was looking at me curiously. She didn't expect me to show her

mercy.

"I can save you and heal you but in exchange you will serve me from

now on as my familiar. My goals will be your goals and your loyalty

will be unwavering because once the contract is completed if you go

back on it your very existence will be erased. There will be no

respawning for you. Do we have an accord?"

I could see in her eyes that she understood what I was talking about

and after a couple of minute of contemplation she nodded.

Smiling in triumph I painted with my blood a Greek Omega and

recited the bonding spell.

" With a sacrifice of blood and magic and the consent of both of us I

hereby declare you as my familiar in an accord that is bound by life

and death. As your master I declare so. Rise Aristomache in your

new life as my familiar. So mote it be."

When I finished the familiar ritual, great pressures of magic were

released from both of us and I could see that the change became

prevalent quickly.

She didn't gain back her heads, but instead she became bigger and

now she had one head that was scalier and was black and crimson

in color like my flames of war. She had a single horn sprouting from

her forehead that was alight on crimson fire and instead of the two

fangs that her previous snake shaped heads had, her mouth was full

of razor sharp teeth more reminiscent of a dragon. The most

prominent change though were the two humongous crimson wings

coming out of her back and the four clawed legs, two on the front

and two on the back. As she was now, she looked like a hybrid of an

eastern and western dragon, which was so fucking cool.

Aristomache

Race: Drakon

Gender: Female

Level: 25

HP: 82.450

MP: 59.150

STR: 750

VIT: 450

DEX: 540

INT:260

WIS: 63

CHA: 100

LUC: 37

Info: The original Hydra turned Drakon by her defeat and

subsequent bonding to Alexandra Bellum through a familiar

contract. She is bound to her mistress for life and her lifespan

is as long as hers. The stronger her mistress becomes the more

power she gains and more skills and abilities she awakens.

Familiar Bond (MAX): Through your bond with Aristomache you

gain a mental connection that allows you to communicate

through feelings, images and even full blown telepathy. Your

familiar gains bonus in her status depending on yours.

(HPx2+VIT, MPx2+INT, STRx3, VITx3, DEXx3, INTx2, WIS/2,

CHAx1, LUCx1)

Transform: Because of her heritage as a child of a divine being

and your special bond with her, Aristomache has gained the

ability to take a human form. However, the caveat of this skill is

that she will appear as old as you are physically and all her

physical stats and MP will be halved while in human form. Cost:

2.000 MP.

The Many-Headed One (Lv1): Because of her previous form as a

many headed Hydra Aristomache is capable of conjuring heads

made purely out of crimson flames and using them in

conjunction. DMG: 500, Cost: 400, Number of heads: 1

Dragon's Breath(Lv1): Because of her change of race and the

powerful fire affinity of her Mistress, Aristomache is capable of

breathing fire from her mouth, both FOW and normal ones.

WARNING: In human form she will be incapable of wielding the

FOW in any shape or form . DMG: 2000, Cost: 1500 MP, Range: 5

meters

One with the Flames(Lv1): By sacrificing her ability to secrete

poison and her water nature she gained a powerful skill in

exchange. By devouring or diving into flames of others no

matter their nature (Holy, demonic, divine etc.) she can heal

from wounds and restore her stamina and mana. Exception to

that are cold flames and immortal slaying flames like the

Godslaying flames of Tartarus. HP/sec: 50, MP/sec: 25

I knew I was being watched by the whole pantheon right now but I

couldn't help it. I started cackling like a full blown evil mastermind.

My new minion was so badass and considering that she can take a

human form I am going to have her be with me more often than

Ruin.

"So, how do you like your new form Aristomache? Not to toot my

own horn but I think that my magic made you way better than

before." I said with a self satisfied grin.

" You are correct Mistress. I feel better than ever. The eternal hunger

that made me seek out demigods in order to eat them is now gone

and for the first time in my life I can have full coherent thoughts and

actual full blown feelings aside from fear or rage. Gods I can use the

word coherent in a sentence, how cool is that." said the Drakoness

in my head all the while giggling like a schoolgirl.

" What are we going to do now Mistress?"

"Right now I am going to send you away from here because I need

to finish this little challenge and we are going to discuss the

particulars about our bond once I am finished. However I may have

need of your fighting prowess in the Gates ahead so it is possible

that I will re-summon you ok?"

" Alright Mistress, I will be waiting. Now please sent me away, I want

to hunt for something to eat that isn't a two legged chicken tasting

morsel. I am eager to try venison with my new taste buds."

Amused I raised my left hand and I noticed that the red Omega

tattoo that used to symbolize my bond with Ruin gained a new

addition. There was a red and black snake circling the Greek letter

and eating its tail like an Ouroboros.

With a flex of my mana on the snake tattoo I watched my new

dragon familiar turn into countless flaming sparks and vanished from

the area. The moment the last spark disappeared the ground

trembled and a new Gate came out of the center of the lake with

small rocks making a path towards it. Considering that it had an

ember as a symbol then the new challenge is the fire one. Pfft I am

as fire proof as my hottest flames. Unless they brought an Elder

Dragon or something I don't see this one being particularly difficult.

The landscape I found myself in was similar to the Earth challenge

but instead of an arena full of boulders and muddy ground, here the

sun was burning extremely hot and the ground was rock solid and

hard as well as completely even. All in all, a barren hot empty plain.

Due to the special conditions of the Fire Gate, all external mana

based abilities except of normal nature magic are negated.

Goodie and now the elemental disadvantage is truly prevalent. The

ground is so infertile and rock solid that I am going to need double

the amount of mana to use my only nature spell and it is going to be

slower too.

As I was griping about the stupid rules of the challenge a few things

appeared out of thin air behind me drawing my attention.

The first thing I noticed was an ancient Hesiod plough that farmers

tied horses or oxen on it and was used in order to cultivate the earth.

Beside it there was a small pouch and a bucket of blood. I didn't

need to be an Athena child to understand what I must do here and if

I know my myths as well as I think then I have to pull a Jason here.

Luckily my new spear had the right boon to help me in this particular

trial.

The only thing missing is the labor "animal" and speak of the devil, I

felt the rumbling of mechanical feet hitting the earth in the distance.

Khalkotauros

Race: Automaton

Gender: N/A

Level: 30

HP: 25.200

MP: 11.040

STR: 250

DUR: 600

DEX: 35

INT: 15

Info: The Khalkotauros is the original one of the two mechanical

Bulls that Hephaestus gifted to King Aeetes of Colchis and was

used by Jason together with its sibling to plough a field in order

to win the Golden Fleece. It is extremely strong and capable of

breathing fire hot enough to melt steel.

Now, normally I would have to tame the Bulls, slowly manage to

plough the very hard and unyielding ground and after putting the

dragon blood inside the holes I make, I will have to douse them with

the blood on the bucket in order for Spartoi to come. That would

have been too troublesome and time consuming though and I have

no intention to play on the Gods whims if I can help it so I will cheat.

First, I killed the bulls to get them out of my way. One thrust in the

mechanical inside parts of one of them (thank you Percy) and a

concussive force on the other and I got myself a shit ton of celestial

bronze ready to be traded for favors with the Hephaestus Cabin or

the dwarves in Nidavelir on a later date.

After that I used my nigh indestructible spear together with you

guessed it concussive force and made many linear furrows on the

ground in the shape of a ploughed field. Not as good or deep as my

fissure spell but I didn't need to create small canyons here so no

worries.

Lastly I put the Dragon's teeth inside the ground and after I covered

them with the misplaced earth I doused them with blood right from

the vain.

You see the special thing about spartoi is that except of being

immune to all weapons outside of underworld metals or death

aligned beings like say a daughter of Hades for example they own

their allegiance on the person who fed them blood while in their tooth

state. It is a very obscure trivia and something not known to many

because Zeus doesn't like people knowing things but I was mentored

for 5 years by a Goddess of magic and spend another 2 in a place

with one of the most complete magical libraries in the cosmos so I

made sure to learn a lot of things about many magical trivia.

As a result, instead of having to fight against a bunch of murderous

skeletons that wouldn't be all that difficult considering my weapons

Bane of Netherkind skill I have a half a dozen new skeletons that I

can summon to do my bidding whenever I want. So I promptly

ordered them to go back in their dragon tooth state and now

whenever I need them I can just throw them on the ground and they

will awaken again. Making sure I put my most innocent face, I looked

somewhere on the sky and addressed one of my watchers.

"Thank you Lord Hades for such an awesome gift, you are most

generous."

I knew that taunting the God was not a wise thing but if it was

anyone else but me here then they would have never been able to

win. Hell if I hadn't stumbled on a comprehensive guide about

making spartoi and draugr in Odin's library or didn't have my spear

with me then this challenge was a slow death sentence.

The whole trial was an insidious trap. I would have not been able to

make the skeletons mine and without a proper weapon I would have

to fight them without end, tiring myself and ultimately getting killed.

And we are talking about me here. Any other demigod wouldn't be

able to deal with these bulls unless he was a fire user child of

Hephaestus or a very skilled child of Poseidon. Everyone else would

be extra crispy in five seconds flat and even if they survived the bulls

the spartoi will simply kill them after. I don't see anyone but a child of

the Underworld wielding Stygian Iron after all.

So as you can understand I think I am justified for the cheek I

showed the sore loser watching me.

My inner monologue was interrupted by a gate rising from the

ground. It was pure white and had the symbol of a twister on it. The

Air Gate.

As I stepped through I found myself on a mountain peak with clouds

below me obscuring the ground.

Due to the special conditions of the Air Gate, all external mana

based abilities except of normal water magic are negated.

And just like that my good mood went to shit. My water magic is my

weakest skill out of all my current affinities and with good reason. It

is the direct opposite of my strongest elemental affinity which is fire

and the only reason I even studied it was because I need a certain

level of competency on it together with earth to learn nature magic

which I love.

* Screeeee*

The screech sounded like a bird of prey and I prepared myself for

what was to come. I wasn't disappointed.

Golden Eagle

Race: Dios Eagle

Gender: Male

Level: 55

HP: 40.000

MP: 33.000

STR: 100

VIT: 250

DEX: 400

INT: 350

WIS: 50

LUC: 80

Info: The Golden Eagle is the familiar of Zeus, King of the Greek

Pantheon and Lord of the Sky. He is the bird that was ordered to

eat Prometheus intestines every day while leaving him to

regenerate them by night in order to do it again the next day

and also the one who stole the Ophiotaurus intestines from the

Titans preventing them for achieving victory against the Gods.

He is blessed by Zeus and is capable of wielding lightning as

easy as breathing.

The Eagle was purely gold with a silver beak and talons. He was as

big as a two seat aircraft and if the sparks that were flowing along his

body were an indication then it could teaser my butt into extra

crispiness very easily.

Damn and what a resume and those stats. There is no way I could

take this thing head on. At least not without my full arsenal and even

then I am not sure I would be able to win without some serious

wounds at best. I had to cheat.

Thankfully I had comprehensive knowledge about the most versatileplease-

nerf-too-OP branch of magic ever. I am talking of course

about Runes.

So I hid behind the many boulders and indentions of the mountain all

the while I started inscribing a shit ton of runes all around the peak.

Unlike the first challenge though, I did something different. I used in

conjunction with the normal Norse Runes I knew one of the five

Elder ones I had been blessed by my trip through Yggdrasil.

From what I learned from Odin, with the Elder Runes unlike their

younger counterparts (which you had to take into account all the

different meanings they have under their sphere of influence when

using them and as a result when you have to do something

complicated you have to make a lot of countermeasures to negate

the extra meanings you don't want to use) the user is able to use

certain parts of their meanings through the wielders intent. For

example, in my current array I used the Hagalaz.

It represents Hail and symbolizes Nature, Wrath, Being Tested and

Overcoming Obstacles. I only used only part of the Nature

symbolism and the Wrath one and discarded the rest. Also they are

many times over more potent than the younger ones as well.

After I was done I went to the highest peak of the mountain and

inscribed the rune one last time and bathed it in my blood. I was right

on time as well because I could see the stupid bird coming at me

with ferocity, ready to tear me to shreds.

Well the jokes on him because the moment he got near the mountain

I used my Hydrokinesis to activate my rune assisted cheat to win

strategy.

I used the runic array to gather the water from the clouds and

condense it into liquid and then through the Elder Runes symbolisms

of Nature and Wrath which can also be interpreted as Wrath of

Nature, I created a CAT 4 hurricane on top of a mountain peak.

It was glorious. Tons upon tons of water fell on top of the flying

chicken like an angry bull making it completely wet and as a result

causing the lightning that was coursing through its skin to hurt it very

seriously and semi-drowning it at the same time. After 10 minutes of

glorious bird blender watching I let go of the spell and the eagle

dropped near me and on top of the mountain like a ragdoll.

HP: 3.000/40.000

Through a very ingenious way of using water magic, your

Hydromancy has leveled up

Hydromancy(Lv15-Lv20): Your ability to control water (-20MP to

all water spells). Cost: 24 MP/sec.

I could have easily killed it with a single thrust and that would be the

end of it but I wanted to make a point and also I really wanted to

profit from this. After all I won against almost impossible odds, I

deserved something extra for my labor so I plunged my fist into the

Eagles chest making it scream in agony (not that I cared) and ripped

out its heart.

Heart of the Golden Eagle

Info: The heart of the Golden Eagle, sacred animal of Zeus and

blessed by him. It is a very rare ingredient that is capable of

very potent results through its use in rituals and alchemy.

Oh it was very precious indeed and I planned to make the most of it

right here by using it for one of the most ancient and powerful rituals

I knew. It is called the Conqueror's Bounty and everyone capable of

using this ritual can only do it 3 times in their lives irrespective if they

are God or mortal.

Misuse of it according to Freyja leads to certain irreversible death for

both immortals and mortals alike which shows how powerful it is.

This is my first time using this ritual so I didn't have anything to be

afraid of so without further adieu I chanted the words needed in

ancient Norse, thanking my fallen enemy for giving a part of him in

order for me to become stronger and praising him for his prowess in

battle.

After that I ate the heart. Yes you heard right, I ate the heart raw just

like that. As I was chewing the very nasty treat I couldn't help but

compare myself to Daenerys when she ate the horse heart in the

first season of the series. Of course I had no horse lord rapist infect

me with its sprog so I think I had the better deal all things considered

but anyway I went on a tangent.

The moment I swallowed the last bite I felt a warm feeling inside me

and an alert from the system.

Through the use of an ancient ritual you gained a new perk .

Golden Sky: By devouring the heart of Zeus Golden Eagle you

gain:

+5.000 HP

+3.000 MP

Elemental Affinity: Air

New animal form: Golden Eagle

Ping*

Air Affinity: +20% xp when using air related spells and rituals.

Aeromancy(Lv1): Your ability to control the air and wind (-1 to

all air spells). Cost: 30MP/sec

Shape shifting (Lv5-Lv10): Your ability to transform yourself

into various animals. It needs an exceptional amount of

knowledge about the physiology of the animal in order to

transform. Current number of forms: 2, Form(s): Red-Tailed

Hawk, Golden Eagle.

And just like that I boosted my health and magic pools decently

enough, I got the final affinity for the 4 basic elements and a new

"animagus" form as a cherry on top. Of course my new form wasn't

actually the magical one I killed but its common normal counterpart

but I didn't care. Free skill is free. All in all a good haul for 30 minutes

work. Even better, the power I gained came directly from Zeus own

magic. Talk about twisting the knife in the wound.

Humming a cheery tune I collected plenty of the eagle's feathers

because it would be a shame to waste them and wiped the blood

from my chin, the entire time my smile haven't left my face for a

moment.

The particularly funny thing in the whole situation is that it took 10

minutes for the next Gate to appear. Ol' Zuzu must have been

throwing a temper tantrum to end all tantrums because of the very

permanent death of his favorite animal and considering that by the

end of the night he is most likely going to be missing a symbol of

power as well, I almost pitied the poor bastard. Almost but not quite.

One featherless giant dead eagle later and finally the next Gate

appeared. It was Green with brown accents and there were flowers

and vines sprouting around its borders.

Stepping through, I appeared in a forest. The trees were

innumerable and very thick and consisted of mostly pines and oaks.

There were sounds of wild life all around and with my Clairvoyance I

was able to detect a herd of deer. It was quite beautiful all things

considered and it reminded me of the forests of Vanaheim, with less

snow and more insects at least.

Due to the special conditions of the Nature Gate, all external

mana based abilities except of normal air magic are negated.

I didn't have any more time to admire the view because the next

challenge reared its head.

Tree Goliath

Race: Dryad/Golem

Gender: N/A

Level: 65

HP: 500.000

MP: 1.000

STR: 3.000

VIT: 5.000

DEX: 60

INT: 10

WIS: 5

LUC: 50

Info: The Tree Goliath is a fusion of a Dryad and an Earth Golem

made through a sacrificial ritual. They are barely sentient but

they make up for their luck of intelligence for their

overwhelming physical power. They were used in the old times

as protectors of forests but their viciousness of anything trying

to harm their territory made them unreliable after the

supernatural hid from the mortal world. This particular one was

made by Demeter 3 millennia ago but she forgot about it. It was

found by Zeus in order to serve as a challenge to the trials.

It was big, around 20 feet tall and had a male buff body type. It was

made out of rock and tree bark with vines and grass all around its

body and its head was shaped like a human but with deer antlers

made out of wood.

Well shit. I have fought many powerful beings but on all those times I

had my full magic to help me. Being so limited is not going to help

me here. I need a fucking army to defeat the bloody thing.

Instantly an idea came to me. I may not have an army, but I have

'Hulk'. Kinda.

I silently run away from the golem trying not to draw its attention and

found a clearing that was hopefully far enough away from it to

manage to summon 'Hulk'. Three drops of blood and five minutes

later my newest minion was by my side once again.

" Mistress I am well fed and ready to serve. Venison was way better

than I thought. Yummm. However they are so small, I had to eat

many of them in order to become full." I heard a peppy voice in my

head.

I deadpanned. My new gluttonous minion was really living it up in her

new form and I made a mental note to restrict her deer hunting

because I don't fancy to piss Artemis off enough to turn me into a

deer.

"I am happy for you Ari (Aristomache for short) but I have a need for

your fire breathing capabilities."

" Of course Mistress. Where do we go?"

After explaining the situation to her I rode on top of her back and we

flew towards the overpowered golem, all the while I was humming

the Game of Thrones intro song. Once we reached the golem I

focused my magic on Ari in order to enhance her power and ordered

her to strike.

"Light em Up!"

With a great roar a literal inferno came out of my dragon's mouth and

completely engulfed the golem and a 10 meters radius around it.

I smirked at the devastation. I so wanted to shout Dracarys but I

didn't want to confuse the familiar so I lamented a bit the missed

opportunity.

Unfortunately, I underestimated the golem. Great emerald light

shinned through the forest all around and coalesced on the forest

guardian rapidly putting out the fire and healing it completely.

We both gaped at the fucking unfair ability like idiots and

unfortunately gave it the opportunity to hit us with its fist.

Aristomache disappeared in red sparks, too wounded to continue

and probably is going to be unavailable for the rest of the 'dungeon'

ride but this was the least of my problems.

I wasn't spared from its strike and as I flew from the force of the hit

and crushed on top of a tree hundreds of meters away I had to use

all my will power to stay conscious.

HP: 500/34.100

MP: 15.000/26.425

FF: 0/5000

WARNING: The gamer is in critical condition.

You have been inflicted status effect: Crippling Wounds: -90%

to all movement.

You have been inflicted with status effect: Bleeding: -10 HP/ min

My everything was broken and breathing was a misery to do so. I

was bleeding from my head somewhere because my left eye was

blinded by the flow of blood. If it wasn't for the force field tanking

some of the damage I would have been a splatter of blood and

viscera around the whole fucking forest.

I was angry. No, I was furious at fucking Zeus for using such an

overpowered monster just because he can't understand that

because someone doesn't lick his asshole doesn't mean they are

interested on his throne. I was angry at Demeter for forgetting about

such a menace and as a result allowing the shitty King to make use

of it against me. But most of all I was pissed off at myself. My easy

victories until now had made me arrogant. I sat in place like an idiot

marveling at my familiar's spell instead of keeping my guard up and

fucking gaining some distance. After all a forest guardian is

obviously going to have some way to prevent forest fires from

happening to a point.

Using gamer's mind to ignore the pain I pulled out ambrosia from my

inventory and consumed them quickly. I could feel my wounds

closing and my bones to set back on their place, but it wasn't instant

nor painless.

Every laceration closing felt like liquid fire on my skin, every muscle

putting itself together like a stab wound but the worse were the

bones. As I said earlier most of my bones were broken so every

snap of bone that was set back to its proper place was like a

hammer blow. Especially my spine and ribs. Gods it felt I was being

teared from the inside and I think I passed out a few times while

healing.

When I came to, the sun had moved a bit on the sky meaning that it

took me a couple of hours to heal. Talking a sip from my special

mead to boost my regeneration in order to relief the soreness of my

body and restore my stamina, I contemplated on where to go from

here.

Fighting the creature head on was suicide and even lighting it on fire

was meaningless, it would just put out the fire and then it would

smash me into a pulp. Not that I was able to create a fire now

without Ari to help me.

There must be a way to win though, some trick or weakness I can

exploit. As I was rethinking about my 'fight' with the beast I

remembered a small detail. The creature drew power from the forest

around it to put out the flame and as long as it is around its forest its

power is technically limitless. That's when I had an idea.

After using Clairvoyance in order to pinpoint its location I summoned

Ruin and I started galloping.

As we were running I stopped every few dozen meters and carved

fire runes on the barks of the trees in a circle around the golem at

first and after I was done I spread my marking even further away. I

marked and I marked until I could create the fire rune in my sleep

and hours later when I was done I had marked literal miles upon

miles of forest with the runes.

I couldn't take out the guardian from the forest in order to depower

him and make him vulnerable so I had only one option, Take out the

forest root and stem instead. It would have been easier with Ari but

Ruin could use fire as well though weaker, so I had to cheat through

runes.

So I rode on my steed and used a subdued Power Wave to create

small embers on the foliage and the forest ground. Every time the

flames reached the runes on the barks of the trees there was an

explosion of fire that consumed more trees around and I was

counting on that.

I created a domino effect inside the whole area and by running and

lighting fires in a wide circle around the golem, preventing it from

focusing in one area. Rune by rune more explosions occurred and

the flames spread far and wide.

It reached a point where the smoke was so thick that it obscured my

vision completely and became almost impossible to breath. I

signaled Ruin to start running towards the sky in order for us to

escape and as I watched from up high I could see half the forest was

on fire.

I didn't like what I had to do. The poor animals and trees had

committed no sin to deserve such extinction but it was the only

choice I had and I can't condemn myself here forever. This was one

more of Zeus follies. The innocent had paid for his arrogance once

more. I rationalized in my head in order to relieve myself some of the

guilt I was feeling because I wasn't done yet. I had to make sure that

the fire completely surrounded the golem so I carried on with my fire

starting.

By the time I was done and the forest was completely engulfed in

flames I could see stars appearing on the sky and by this point I was

beyond tired. These kinds of dungeons are not meant to be done by

one person alone. Usually they are taken on by whole teams. The

fact that I had to drink nectar twice in order to finish with my plan was

a good indication on how tiring it was. My reserves are humongous

for a demigod after all. Anyone else would have died from

exhaustion at this point and it was only my Divine Constitution perk

that allowed me to do what I did without collapsing.

As I was thinking about using my whole reserves on a more powerful

Power Wave I noticed a great emerald pillar reaching the sky from

somewhere inside the flames and I braced myself. A few seconds

later an Omni-directional wave of emerald energy spread around the

whole forest taking out the fire with extreme prejudice.

By the time it was done I was scared that my plan had failed and that

I had to do it all over again but I needn't have worried.

Sacred Tree

Level: 40

HP: 5000

MP: 1.000

STR: 0

VIT: 50

DEX: 0

INT: 0

WIS: 0

LUC: 0

Info: A holy tree that used to be a Forest Guardian. In order to

save the forest it was protecting from an unrelenting fire, it

sacrificed most of his power and his sentience to create a flame

nullifying wave in order to save what it could. As a result it

transformed into a sacred tree which magic slowly and with

time will restore the damage done.

As I saw the description I wanted to cry and only the fact that I knew

I was being watched by the Gods prevented me for doing so. If the

guild was crushing before, now it was all consuming and I ignored

the Gate that appeared behind me. I had to make amends for my

actions. No matter the reason and how I justified it was, my actions

brought misery to a whole ecosystem and I had to fix it even if a little.

I took the horn of the Minotaur and 7 feathers from the golden eagle

as well my last harpy feather from my first monster and I cast two

rituals.

The first was the Earth Rejuvenation Ritual that would help the land

restore each self in a rapid rate.

The second was a more personal one and it was a small penance for

my actions. I carved runes with my blood on the sacred tree, but not

standard ones. I used the four of the five Elder Runes I knew.

First Berkana in the middle which symbolizes Femininity, Fertility,

Healing, Regeneration, Birth. And after that in a triangle around the

first Rune I used Eihwaz at the upper point of the triangle with the

meanings of Balance and the World Tree and on the other two points

I used Uruz for Strength, Tenacity and Untamed Potential and finally

Hagalaz for Nature and Overcoming Obstacles.

My hope was that Berkana will help heal the land, give birth to new

life, keep the ground fertile and finally the femininity aspect together

with Eihwaz World Tree would bless the sacred tree with a dryad on

nymph. The rest were used to enhance all the effects and to

empower the ritual even more I sacrificed both the axe and the

zodiac armor I gained on my Earth challenge.

I started the ritual by singing a song of asking forgiveness and

penance I learned from Freyja and also a prayer to her. I had no

intention to ask for help from Demeter or Artemis. This situation may

have not been their fault directly, but half responsible for this crime

was their King, who they let him do whatever he wanted, harming

anyone in his way and they didn't stand up against him. I was not

going to honor their inaction with sacrifice nor song.

When I finished my song I saw the results of my rituals. The whole

dimension was glowing with a faint green light and the sacred tree

had changed. Instead of the pine it was before it had transformed

into an Ash tree, the same as Yggdrasil itself but its branches were

golden in color and shining an ethereal light.

Sacred Ash Tree (Blessed)

Level 100

MP: 250.000

VIT: 100.000

Info: A sacred tree that through the use of Elder Runes and the

heartfelt sacrifice of Alexandra Bellum has been granted a great

blessing by the Goddess Freyja and ?. Its presence will quickly

revitalize the forest and make it stronger than it ever was. As

the time passes there is a possibility for a tree spirit to emerge.

Happy at the success of my ritual, I looked for the first time at the

last gate before the Boss room. It was black with silver accents and it

had a crescent moon as a symbol at its center. I didn't need to be a

genius to figure out that I would be dealing with dark creatures or

demons this time so I replaced my Vanir armor for the one I used in

Muspelheim.

These kinds of creatures are known for transferring rot and curses

through direct skin contact or blood and the full body armor will

protect me better instead of the Vanir leather and helmet-less one.

Hopping on Ruin I passed through and I immediately ordered my

horse to run as high to the sky as possible. On the ground

everywhere I looked there were undead and demons ready to tear

me apart and the realm looked like a milder copy of Muspelheim.

The sky was red and there were volcanoes in the distance slowly

leaking rivers of magma. The air was dry and very hot but thankfully

there was no smell of sulfur or rain of ashes because the sky was

clear of black clouds. Thank Yggdrasil for small miracles.

The whole army because I can't call it anything else is at least 100

thousand strong and I felt myself falter for a moment before getting a

hold of myself. I am curious how they are going to rationalize this

particular challenge to the rest of the Gods because this has

surpassed whatever should constitute as a test to demigods at this

point. The only good thing about this, is that no demigod will ever

volunteer in this new "tradition" that Zeus wants to implement. Not

unless they really want to die at least.

Due to the special conditions of the Moon Gate, all Mist,

Elemental and Runic magics are negated.

Well, took them long enough I suppose. I expected at some point to

remove my ability to use Runes and they didn't disappoint but as a

result normal mana skills and effects are open to me.

As I used observe to scan the power levels of the army I found out

that the monsters may have been many but they were all weaker

than me. It seems Hades believes that quantity is a quality of its own

and normally he would be right but he made a terrible mistake at his

choice of troops. The undead of course were a given but he also

filled half his army with demons. Fire demons to be exact, all weaker

than me and now because they focused so hard in negating my

Runes, they left me free to use an ability none knew I had.

I wanted so bad to shout at the heavens "My trap card has been

activated" but I held myself back. It was no time for jokes.

The army was separated by race. On the left were the demons and

on the right the undead so I removed my helmet and put on my

circlet that I had put on my inventory when I put my flaming spirit

armor and I galloped on the air in front of the fire demons.

The moment they saw me all beings below started screaming for my

blood but not for long.

I used my Tyrant's Aura on full making the demons cower(the dead

feel no emotions hence they are immune), my Kingly Aura perk

working in tandem and then after spreading my wings for even

greater effect I focused my mana on the circlet on my brow and my

voice reverberated through the whole realm.

"Children of the Flames! Your allegiance belongs to me. Destroy the

undead filth that infect the world with their presence. Your Queen

and Lady commands you. Obey the will of your true Ruler!"

My shout made every single being, alive or not freeze and instantly

all the demons eyes started glowing. The spell worked. In order to

move things along I flew on the side of the undead and swung twice

my spear vertically while using Warlord's Fang, killing dozens of

them in the process and creating and opening for my army of

demons to cut through the undead formations like a hot knife through

butter.

As the demons were decimating one side of the undead army I flew

towards the flank and used my only available attack spell to kill as

many as I could and by this point victory was assured.

About an hour later the last of the undead turned to dust and as I

touched the ground on top of Ruin the demons started shouting.

" QUEEN OF FIRE! QUEEN OF FIRE!"

"Now that the filth have been destroyed by your might, this realm is

yours!" I shouted making the cheers louder than before.

Warlord's Fang(Lv17-Lv20): + 540 dmg/per slash, cost: 57 mp.

As the demons dispersed a small light appeared in front of me and a

small silver key with its butt having the shape of a crescent moon

appeared on my hands.

Moon Silver Key

Info: One of the 2 keys needed to open the Boss Gate. It is

made from blessed silver. The metal is favored by the Goddess

Artemis and has purifying and anti-evil properties.

After putting it in my inventory I headed towards the Red Gate that

had appeared and I found myself back to the starting area of the

dungeon and before the diamond door that lead to the Boss room.

The 5 seals on the gate were glowing, signifying my victory over the

trials and now the only thing left is to put the keys inside.

Putting my helmet on for extra protection and with my spear in hand I

inserted the keys and unlocked the door.

As I walked through an icy corridor, I reached a frozen arena twice

as big as a football (American) stadium. There were 4 spires on the

cardinal directions that reached high to the sky and were curved like

snake fangs. The walls were as tall as a 5 story building and steep

with an uneven surface that was sharp enough to cut deeply at the

touch.

The moment I entered the arena the corridors gate closed behind

me, preventing me from going back. Surprisingly enough there were

no magical restrictions this time which was both a good and a bad

thing.

Good because I was at full power and bad because the creators of

the dungeons wanted to kill me, not help and the fact that they didn't

care if I was at my 100% worried me about the power level of the

monster I had to face.

An innocuous sound from behind me made the hair on the back of

my head to rise in alarm and I instinctively jumped left dodging a

spear of ice twice as tall as me that would have easily spiked me on

the ground.

Turning back I gazed at the Final Boss that was standing on the

walls of the arena.

She was huge, the size of a school bus and thrice as wide if you

include her 6 spindly and very pointy black legs and two fangs in the

front that could probably crash steel between them. The rest of her

body was hairy and pure white contrasting with the black color of her

limbs and she had numerous red eyes that were looking at me like I

was the best treat ever. Internally I wondered if I tasted like chicken

too but I immediately suppressed my brief ADHD tangent from

occurring and focused on the enemy.

Vetrar örvænting „Queen"

Race: Ice Spider

Gender: Female

Level: 80

HP: 412.000

MP: 119.200

STR: 800

VIT: 1.000

DEX: 1.500

INT: 200

WIS: 150

LUC: 30

Info: She is the Wintry Despair. A monster from the frozen realm

of Jotunheim and one deadly enough for even the Jotnar to be

wary of. She was imported from her home realm by Ares, God

of War to keep as a pet on a lark. Used as a final boss in his

daughter's dungeon in order to make things fair, instead of the

Ice Dragon that was the original Boss.

I felt my eyebrow twitch. Those assholes wanted me to face a

fucking dragon and kill it as well. They didn't even try to hide their

real intentions at this point. How fucking disgraceful.

Sending a silent thank you to my father for the intervention I lifted my

spear and threw it like a javelin, Warfyre full coated. Gods how

glorious it felt to be able to use my flames once more.

The spear struck the wall completely missing the monster. For its

size, it was unreasonably fast as it jumped with one leap on the

opposite side of the arena wall, breathing a hail of ice spears that

crushed everywhere on the arena floor and only my quick use of

Gradation Mist by creating a dome of sword around and above me,

protected me from becoming a pincushion.

Summoning my weapon back on my hands I sent an omnidirectional

Flame Wave to melt the ice pikes on the ground and as I

was running toward the spider that remained unmoving, waiting for

me to make a mistake for her to capitalize, I used the Earth Wall

spell once I was in range to strike the center of her body and threw

her off the wall.

My strategy bore fruit and as she crashed to the ground I created 20

Mist swords and after using Warfyre Napalm I let them fly, hitting her

dead center.

MP: 18.000/26.425

When the dust settled the result was not what I was hoping. Instead

of a mutilated spider, what I saw was a thick film of ice around the

Bosses body with only a few cracks here and there.

I couldn't believe it. I used like one forth of my magic in a single

attack and it didn't even faze her.

I had not time to gape in disbelief because the ice armor(?) started

cracking and from within came a very pissed off Spider Queen.

I jumped back to dodge whatever attack she would release and I

was ready to create another shield made of swords but she did

something different.

She started glowing a pale icy blue color and with a great release of

magic a fucking hailstorm appeared out of nowhere obscuring my

sight and pelting me with razor sharp pieces of ice.

I tried to use Flame Wave to give me some breathing room but the

cold and wind was so intense that drowned the flame in seconds.

At the last moment I blocked the fangs of the monster from

skewering me and ripping me apart. Not that my current condition

was any better. I was trying with all my strength to hold back the

behemoth that was determined to eat me and I was losing ground

fast.

For all my strength, she was stronger and the cold was numbing my

body, weakening me more. I used normal fire to coat my whole body

in order to stop the cold from damaging me further but the results

were lackluster at best.

I didn't know what to do. Even if Aristomache was available, she

would have become mince meat very quickly. The level disparity

being exceedingly large even if she had a racial advantage.

In my desperation I decided to take a gamble. I was dead anyway so

I would both emerge victorious here and survive or I will die trying.

I activated the Blessing of Ares and instantly an aurora of crimson

energy came forth from my body and blasted the spider 10 meters

away. The sheer pressure of power made the snow and hail to

freeze on the air and the wind completely ceased.

I was still in control of my faculties though with great effort and I

glared at the fucking spider with all my hate activating Tyrant's Aura

and I made a mad grin at the sight of her numerous eyes dilating in

terror. After that I remember nothing but a red haze.

When I came to, I was panting like a dog in exhaustion and my

whole body felt like it was tenderized with warhammers. All around

me the arena was completely gone. The walls have completely

disappeared and only a spire was still standing. The ground was

filled with gouges big enough to fit an elephant and the only thing I

could still recognize as the Boss Spider was her two fangs that were

imbedded to the ground. Sipping for the third time today the

rejuvenation mead and internally wondering if I was becoming an

alcoholic out of necessity, I picked the two fangs and put them in the

inventory. The spoils go to the victor after all and maybe I could

make some daggers out of them, you never know.

Tyrant's Spirit Emergence (Lv1-Lv2): -4% to all enemies' stats

that have been inflicted by fear status. Active use cost 350 MP

+1 STR

+3 VIT

+2 DEX

Smiling a bit at the stats upgrade I sighed in utter exhaustion. The

whole dungeon was a nightmare of epic proportions and I am so

done with this shit. The moment I get out of here I am going back to

camp and I am going to sleep for a weak straight.

Using the spear as a cane I walked towards the EXIT Gate that

appeared but I didn't let myself lower my guard down. The shitty

King was extremely determined to off me and I am sure that if he

gets the chance he is going to try some underhanded bullshit to

reach his goal.

That's why as I passed through the Gate I had my inventory open

and the Styx water flask was ready to be used.

I appeared in a dark room illuminated by green torches on the walls

and the floor was glistening obsidians. For a moment I thought I was

in Hades Palace but the Goddess that appeared before me put a

stop to that thought, however my situation wasn't any better.

A Goddess appeared between me and the final Gate. She was

blonde and blue eyed, almost angelic you could say. She had a

petite body and was dressed in a white dress that while it showed

her feminine side, it covered all the good parts. She was also very

beautiful and her whole virginal sweet girl gig made her very

attractive for anyone that gazed upon her. At least until you learned a

bit about her and then all the happy feelings jumped out of the

window.

Prodosia "Royal Bitch"

Race: Goddess

Gender: Female

Affiliation: Herself, Zeus, Olympus.

Level: ?

Status: ?

Info: Prodosia is the daughter of Zeus and Apate and is the

Goddess of BETRAYAL and GUILE. You are not strong enough

to know more.

"Well hello there champion. What a pleasant surprise it was to see

you emerge victorious against such impossible odds. I am a very big

fan." a cutesy giggle on her lips.

"Thank you milady, for your kind words. Can I have your name

please? I am afraid I don't recognize you."

"Oh no worries, I would be surprised if you would have. After all

Daddy-dearest made sure to hide my existence from the rest of the

Gods in order for me to help him handle his more ah sensitive work

without the rest knowing. Politics you know."

And there it is. The fucker is simply incapable of giving up. I didn't let

my wariness show on my face though. I pulled the Styx water flask

behind me just enough for the cork to come out and used my

hydrokinesis to control just a drop of the precious liquid inside.

Putting it back in place I slowly moved the single drop a few

centimeters away from my shoes and a bit above the ground to

camouflage its black color with the floor.

"Where are my manners? My name is Prodosia, daughter of Zeus

and Goddess of Betrayal. How do you do?"

"Nice to meet you milady and I will be well enough when I go back to

my bed. I am tired from all the fighting."

"Understandable really but here lies the problem. Daddy wants you

dead. Like really really dead and unfortunately for you, the job falls to

me. It is nothing personal I assure you. Just business." she said

getting in the crook of the matter with a sweet smile.

"Yes but as a Goddess you cannot attack me directly because of the

Ancient Laws and I can assure you that no monster you are capable

of summoning is good enough to beat me even in my current state.

So why don't you go away and I will forget this conversation when I

go to Olympus." I shot back a grin on my face all the while the drop

of water was slowly nearing her position."

"You actually believe you can escape me, little girl? Me? A Goddess.

Don't make me laugh."

"Well little minor Goddess I have pranked and sassed Loki the God

of Mischief himself and even fought against Surtr and his armies of

demons. Do you actually believe that a baby Goddess like you

barely passed her half millennia is capable of actually beating me?

You better step aside child, before you regret it." I said as I made my

eyes go red in flames and put emphases on the words minor and

child to mock her more thoroughly.

It worked like a charm because her whole face turned golden in

embarrassment and rage and she predictably lashed out.

"You are mocking MEEE? An upstart mortal mocks me a princess

and Goddess? You will regret this brat. I planned to give you a quick

death but now you will suffer until I am satisfied. I cur-" that was as

far as she got because the droplet of Styx water touched her naked

ankle and instantly gave results.

Her scream of pain in having all but a drop of her divine energy

ripped from her was admittedly very satisfying. There is nothing that I

enjoy more than watching arrogant self important cunts get their ego

deflated. I enjoy it even more when I am responsible for the

deflating.

"What did you do to me? Why do I feel this weak?" she whimpered

as she lied in a fetal position on the floor.

"Nothing too serious sweetheart, I just threw a droplet of water from

the River Styx at you. For all intents and purposes you are now a

demigod and a very weak one at that for the next month or so. Ain't

that great?" I said with a sweet tone that turned into cackles all the

while she became whiter and whiter and looked at me like I was the

Devil himself.

"There is a silverlining to your situation though. Do you want to hear

it?" I continued and getting a hopeful look in return.

"You won't have to experience a whole month as a demigod. Hell I

can make this feeling go away right here right now." I didn't manage

to say anymore because she jumped on me and started blabbering.

"Oh yes please I will do anything. I promise I won't try to hurt you

ever again. I will not even go near you again. Please make this

feeling of weakness stop." she started begging me and I felt

disgusted with this miserable creature that until three minutes ago

was so high and mighty. How pathetic.

I didn't give her any more time to beg, with a lightning fast movement

I pulled my spear back and stabbed her right threw the sternum and

out of her back. Ichor, the Golden blood of the Gods dyed my red

blade and the ground and a few droplets of it fell on my face and

clothes.

"W-hy, I-I-I pr-omi-sed." she asked me in horror at my deceit and

Gods if I didn't feel the irony of the situation.

"Are you so naïve to think that I would trust the words of the

Goddess of Guile and Betrayal?" I said mockingly

"A person like you who revels in causing misery and breaking bonds

of love and trust so callously will get no mercy from me." I finished a

hard look on my face while looking at her tearstained and bloody

face all the while she begged for mercy.

"What about all the demigods you killed on the orders of Zeus? All

the lives you ruined. Did you give them mercy? I will give you now as

much mercy as you gave them. And if it means anything to you, it is

nothing personal. Just business." and with that badass line I plunged

my spear bellow her chin and into her brain killing her.

I was ready to release a breath of relief at managing to survive a

hostile encounter with a Goddess even if a weak one when the shit

hit the fan in a very spectacular manner.

When a God dies forcefully and doesn't quietly fade, all the energy

and power they have explodes out at the place of their death and

causes reality to distort for a few seconds. The stronger the God, the

greater the distortion.

Considering that Prodosia was a very minor Goddess of very minor

domains, the distortion normally would be negligible and there would

be no harm done.

The key word here though is normally. When I killed her we were

inside a very small and poorly made pocket dimension created

hastily by the Goddess herself in order to do her dirty work and get

out without getting noticed.

Her death destabilized the whole thing and the distortion created

shattered the whole thing like a mirror getting hit by a grenade. The

result?

I was swallowed by my old friend the great void together with the

disintegrating body of the stupid immortal as my only escape was

destroyed in front of my eyes.

As I was floating away in the nothingness I had only two thoughts.

First I lamented the fact that I died once again as a virgin which

sucked royal ass.

Second.

Fuck my E-Rank Luck!

And this is it for chapter 19 guys. I will be making a poll

probably which will be on for a couple of days and also check

out my Discord channel. My account is ChildeOfWar #3363.

Sent me a message and I will put you in the stories chatroom.

Check it out if you want. This goodbye for now. See you next

time. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

I get a new name or two

Here we are guys, Chapter 20. As always Percy Jackson

belongs to Rick Riordan and any other franchises mentioned to

their rightful owners.

Useful information you should probably check:

Common speech is written normally like any other dialogue

"Hello I am Alex"

The light guys language is signified like this: "Hello I am Alex"

And the bad guys like this: "Hello I am Alex"

ENJOY!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

Chapter 20: And then, there was Light.

I have been slowly drifting inside my old friend the Void for an

unidentifiable amount of time. Here time doesn't exist, only the

eternal blackness. I had to use every single shred of my willpower to

not start screaming in terror at this unholy place. I always knew there

was a chance that I would die. That I would never reach the heights

the System was capable of helping me reach. I just hoped that when

the time came I could rest in an afterlife of whatever world I was. Yet,

here I am now, to a place worse than any hell a God can ever

conceive.

The only reason I held on for so long was funnily enough the slowly

dusting corpse of the Goddess I had slain. It was proof of existence,

of a physical thing aside from me inside this hellish oblivion, but

second by the second it was turning to dust, absorbed by the all

consuming darkness and I knew that the moment it disappeared. It

would not take much time for it to consume me too. I could feel a

pressure crushing me to my very soul, trying with all its power to

erase my existence. No matter how much I tried to resist, an all

encompassing despair was taking over my thoughts like I had taken

a dive in Cocytus multiplied by 100.

Suddenly everything around me froze. The pressure that was

consuming me subsided completely. I could feel myself breathing

again and it was then that the System or whoever was responsible

for it talked me for the first time since character creation.

DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

"What? Are you serious?"

DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE?

"Do you even have to ask? Of course I want to."

THERE WILL BE A PRICE. ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY IT?

I paused. The price could be anything. I didn't know what I would

have to deal with. It could be enslavement or I could be turned to a

rodent or something. I had to know more.

"What kind of price? I will tell you now that I prefer to be erased from

existence than submit myself to eternal servitude. I will either be free

in Life or in Death. I don't care which it is. So knowing that, name

your price."

IT SEEMS WE HAD CHOSEN WELL, WE HAVE NO NEED FOR

SLAVES ALEXANDRA BELLUM. YOUR EXISTENSE IS MEANT

FOR MORE THAN BEING A SERVANT TO US.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked but I was ignored.

THE PRICE FOR YOUR SECOND CHANCE WILL BE A MISSION.

COMPLETE IT AND YOU WILL BE RETURNED TO YOUR FIRST

WORLD WITHIN TWO YEARS TIME FROM THE MOMENT YOU

LEFT. FAIL AND YOU WILL BE ERASED. DO WE HAVE AN

ACCORD?

"Agreed, but what is the mission?"

YOU SHALL KNOW SOON. FOR NOW TAKE STOCK OF YOUR

REWARDS AND YOUR NEW TITLE. BEWARE, WHILE ON YOUR

MISSION YOUR ABILITIES WILL BE HANDICAPPED AS A

PENALTY FOR FALLING TO THE VOID LIKE AN IDIOT.

I froze.

"Oh come on, you can't blame me for this. The stupid Goddess

made a half-assed pocket dimension. How was I supposed to know

that her death was going to implode fucking reality?" I whine- I mean

defended my actions to the voice but I was once again ignored.

PING*

Legendary Quest: Royal Challenge

Main Objective: Kill the Final Boss and unlock the EXIT Gate.

Bonus 1: Solve Sphinx's Riddle (Y)

Bonus 2: Defeat the Minotaur (Y)

Bonus 3: Defeat the Hydra (Y)

Bonus 4: Seed the Dragon Teeth and defeat the army of Spartoi

(Y)

Bonus 5: Defeat the Golden Eagle (Y)

Bonus 6: Defeat the Forest Guardian (Y)

Bonus 7: Defeat the Great Army of Hades (Y)

Rewards:

Main Objective: 100m xp, 5k D, Title, Skill Book, Special Title.

1: 10m xp, 500 D, Status Crystal(minor)

2: 20m xp, 250 D, Horn, Imperial Gold Axe, Imperial Gold Armor

3: 30m xp, 500 D, 3 flasks of Poison

4: 40 xp, 800 D, Stygian Iron dagger, Skill Book

5: 50 xp, 1000 D, x7 Golden Feathers

6: 60m xp, 1200 D, Tree Seed

7: 70m xp, 1500 D, Skill Book

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Hooboy. Payday is upon me. I am literally able to swim in a bathtub

of gold coins al a Scrooge with all these Drachmas.

Due to managing to kill a Divine Being, you have attained a

Special Title.

Godslayer(Rank 1): You have done the impossible and have

managed to slay a God in one on one fight as a mortal. As a

result you have gained the title and prestige of a Godslayer.

Your new title allows you to absorb some of the power of the

Gods you kill. The more Gods you kill, the bigger the chance of

gaining an authority or special ability from your fallen foe.

New Perk: Blood of the Gods(Rank 1): Because you killed a God

and 'bathed' in their blood you gain a +20% chance of

resistance against Divine spells and Curses, +20.000 increase

on your HP and MP and +5% DMG against beings with Divine

blood.

Level Up x5

Since you reached Level 30, level ups from now on would need

Current Levels Exp + CLXP/3

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Sorceress

Level: 30 (32.031.855/148.691.936)

HP: 58.300 (+33.000) HPReg= 13 % /h

MP: 50.060(+28.000) MPReg= 152 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)

STR: 291

VIT: 153 +28 HP PER 5 VIT x lv

DEX: 183(197)

INT:130(140) +24 MP PER 5 INT x lv

WIS: 125(150) +5 MPREG PER 5 WIS

CHA: 100(120)

LUC: 37(62)

Status Points: 20

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 5000

New Title: Legendary Hero: Herakles Who? You have defeated

many of the most fearsome and powerful monsters of your

Pantheon and beyond. You have carved your name in the

history of your people and gained the respect of many Gods.

This title gives you increased positive reputation with all the

Gods of your Pantheon and their allies. Enemies of the

Pantheon will abhor your existence. +20% DMG against

monsters.

Skill Book: Animal Form (Common): Those who read this book

gain the ability to transform into a random animal. The animal

form cannot be magical.

Skill Book: Blacksmithing: The Art of Forging

Skill Book: Reinforcement

Status Crystal(Minor): By using this Crystal you gain +5 free

Status Points to spend.

x3 Flask of Poison

Info: A small crystal flask containing the poison of the

legendary monster Hydra. The poison is so potent that all

beings equal or weaker by the Hydra die within 3 minutes after

being injected with it.

Stygian Iron Dagger

DMG +450

Mana Absorption +1% of the enemy Mana Core

Special: Soul Stealer: All beings wounded by this blade have a

part of their soul energy absorbed by the weapon. Non-Immortal

beings and monsters equal or lower level by the wielder that are

killed with this weapon have their souls completely absorbed in

the blade trapping it within as long as the weapon is intact.

Info: A blade made from Stygian Iron, a metal found at the

banks of the River Styx. Only those with a connection with

Death are capable of holding this blade without getting harmed

by it.

Mysterious Tree Seed: A tree seed of mysterious origins. You

don't have the required qualifications to know more.

Damn. I gained 5 levels just like that. Not bad, not bad at all. The

Godslayer title has a lot of potential and the perk is fucking broken,

though I don't think I am going to start hunting Gods anytime soon.

Even if they are evil, there is no way even Odin will tolerate me if I

make of habit of ending the lives of immortals, so I am going to

shelve this title for now until I am strong enough for the notoriety of it

to not matter.

The other title on the other hand is definitely a very nice one and I

am going to make a lot of use of it in the future.

The Stygian Dagger is kind of useless to me as it is, so no dice

there.

The tree seed I have no idea what it does and until I am capable of

learning more I am going to ignore it for now. No reason to risk

screwing myself over by messing with an unidentifiable magical plant

of mysterious power.

Ignoring the poison flasks and the golden feathers I focus on the

juiciest rewards. I am talking of course about the Skill Books. This is

the first time I encountered such books. Even in Odin's library the

books needed to be read normally in order to learn from them and

just reading them once wouldn't impart you with all the knowledge.

You had to understand the concepts of what you read, so these

babies here are a welcome surprise.

First I used the Blacksmithing one. I always liked the whole forging

trope to tell the truth and Hephaestus was one of the Gods that I was

mostly drawn to when I had to choose my divine parent, though if

you asked me now I wouldn't be willing to change my heritage. I

really enjoy being a child of War and I am most at peace ironically

enough when I can feel the Flames burning inside my soul in a beat

that mimics my heartbeat.

Blacksmithing(Lv1): With this skill you make your first step into

mastering the noble art of the hammer and anvil. True Masters

of the skill are able to create wonders that even Gods gaze

upon with awe.

The moment the book was absorbed, a shit ton of knowledge was

shoved in my brain. How to build a rudimentary forge. The right

temperatures to melt and combine different ores. Purifying metals

and the proper way of striking the heated metal with the hammer.

When the transfer was done I was knowledgeable enough to create

a normal iron sword, though only the knowledge. From what I can

guess, I need practice until I am able to truly call myself a

blacksmith.

Second I learned the reinforcement spell.

Reinforcement(Lv1):This skill allows you to reinforce the

purpose of existence. Examples of it would be increasing the

sharpness of a knife, the nourishment of food, or in the case of

a living creature, physical strength, speed and durability. It is

impossible to reinforce something vague. As living things will

resist invasion of Mana, reinforcing someone else is

impossible. Cost: 300 MP/min. Increase in STR, Speed and

Physical Resistance)x0,5%

It was obviously the same skill shown in nasuverse and for a second

I wondered if my luck will start becoming even worse if I imitated

even peripherally Emiya Shirou.

I shuddered. My luck is super shitty as it is. If I get infected by the

Emiyaness then I am screwed. On the other hand the Lord of GAR is

known for being the supreme chick magnet so it could have some

positive results as well. I shook my head. It is not time to think about

those things.

After that, I used the animal form book and the result made my eye

twitch.

Shape shifting (Lv10-Lv15): Your ability to transform yourself

into various animals. It needs an exceptional amount of

knowledge about the physiology of the animal in order to

transform. Current number of forms: 3, Form(s): Red-Tailed

Hawk, Golden Eagle, Palomino Horse.

Out of all the animals I could have gained, the horse wasn't one I

was expecting. Don't get me wrong I love horses and Ruin is

awesome but I really don't like the connotations of being able to

transform into a mare. I will have to keep this form as hidden as

possible and also stay as far away from Poseidon as possible.

Demeter didn't have all that much fun by transforming into a mare

near him.

Lastly, I crushed the status crystal totaling my free points to 25 and

left them for later and I waited.

After 5 minutes I saw a small white dot far away that was becoming

bigger by the second until the light engulfed me and I felt myself

falling face first onto a white marble floor.

"Owie" it hurt a little but thankfully my forcefield and increased

durability absorbed most of the damage.

"You know, out of everyone that has ever come here, your entrance

was the most entertaining of all." a very amused masculine voice

that would make Morgan Freeman and every male Opera star singer

green with envy said from behind me.

As I turned around and stood up I saw in front me a man looking

around 50 years old with platinum blonde hair and a beard long

enough to touch his knees wearing white robes. He was smirking at

me and his blue eyes were twinkling with humor.

The sheer power he was exuding made Odin look like an ant. Let me

tell you, having an Entity (because the title of God wasn't strong

enough to describe the presence of this person) so powerful giving

you any attention at all was nerve-racking in a very fundamental

level. Mortals are just not suited to be in the presence of such higher

life forms and I am pretty sure than any other mortal and I am

including demigods as well to this would be at best frothing on the

ground if they were in my position or simply disintegrating on the

spot. Believe me, not a fun way to go.

"If you are quite done having your existential crisis, I believe we

should move on Miss Bellum."

Shuddering internally at the Entity reading my thoughts without even

being able to detect it I spoke.

"I believe you are right sir. Where you the one who talked to me in

the Void? Am I supposed to do a mission for you in order to go

home? Ehm and what should I call you sir?" I asked trying to be as

respectful as possible.

"Well to answer your questions. I am not the one who spoke to you

in the Void, though I know who it was and that person has chosen to

remain nameless for now and if I were you I would not search for the

identity of your patron until they choose to reveal themselves."

"Second, the mission is supposed to be given by me yes. The

aforementioned nameless entity owed me a favor and she has let

me borrow your services to fix a little problem I have that we will get

to later." he continued in a cheery tone while I got a little annoyed

that I was relegated into an errand girl.

"And finally, I am Eru Ilúvatar, but you may call me Eru for short

because my full name can be a mouthful. "

I gaped and after getting over my shock, I spoke.

"You mean, you are the one that created Melkor and the other guys

in the Tolkien books?" and promptly put my foot in my mouth.

"You know, the Smillmarilion has many stories and characters inside

and the only one you remember by name is the bad apple. I mean

really now, what is so good with that brat to make him so popular.

The only thing he did was to interrupt our long awaited family concert

that we had been preparing for years and then he started to get all

bitchy because I punished him for it." replied the Creator God in an

annoyed tone griping about rebellious children and greater discipline

while I was gawking at him.

"Ahem, let's focus on the crook of the matter. I need you to do

something for me because I can't freely interfere in Arda without

giving Morgoth(damn he even calls him with his new name) will in

return become capable of interfering as well. Since you will be

inserted into the world by the power of another God I am getting

away for it scot free, you get me?"

"Yes sir."

"Excellent, now you mission is to make sure that a male member of

the House of Durin survives the Battle of Five Armies. I don't care

how you achieve it. Save one or save them all or even give birth to a

heir or something, as long that a son of Durin exist past the

reclaiming of Erebor then I am content. Thoughts."

PING*

Mithic Quest: The Line of Durin

Main Objective: Make sure a male descendant of Dwarf King

Durin survives the Battle of the Five Armies

Bonus 1: ?

Bonus 2: ?

Bonus 3: ?

Bonus 4: ?

Rewards:

Main Objective: 200m xp, Skill Book, Unlocking of the Gamer

System, Return to PJ universe.

Bonus 1: ?

Bonus 2:?

Bonus 3: ?

Bonus 4: ?

Failure

Forever trapped in Arda/ Gamer System stays sealed

forever/Possible Death

(YES/NO)

Pressing YES at the quest I quickly replied.

"Okay, first of all the whole giving birth thing you can scratch now.

Not happening. Like ever. Saving Thorin Oakenshield or Fili or Kili is

doable I suppose. The question is how I am going to join their

company. I can't just appear one day and say 'Hey fellas, I heard you

are gonna fight a Dragon, I am coming too.'"

"Well no need to worry about that. You are going to be sent in the

timeline a bit further back to manage to make a name of yourself and

I recommend befriending Olorin. He would easily be able to

recommend you."

"Also, you will be joining the world as a Maiar under Tulkas, the Valar

of War and with a different name so it would be easy for people to

trust you. After all, all Maiar are respected." said the very sunny

creator God and I couldn't help but interrupt.

"coughMaironcough*" [Mairon is Sauron's name as a Maiar before

he joined Melkor].

Giving me an annoyed look for my cheek he continued.

"Moving on, what you have to know is about the restrictions imposed

to you as a punishment for jumping in the Void."

"Oh joy." I replied with a groan.

"Oh it is going to be very amusing. For me that is. For you not so

much." he replied with a mischievous grin that I didn't like at all and

after raising his hand he blasted me with a white beam of light.

Status

Name: Laergunlneth (Alexandra Bellum)

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Sorceress

Level: 30 (32.031.855/148.691.936)

HP: 58.300 (+33.000) HPReg= 13 % /h

MP: 50.060(+28.000) MPReg= 152 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle) (LOCKED)

STR: 291

VIT: 153 +28 HP PER 5 VIT x lv

DEX: 183(197)

INT:130(140) +24 MP PER 5 INT x lv

WIS: 125(150) +5 MPREG PER 5 WIS

CHA: 100(120)

LUC: 37(62)

Status Points: 20

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 5000

GRIMOIRE:

MISC. SPELLS:

Warlord's Fang, Observe and Reinforcement are locked

MIST: (LOCKED)

ELEMENTAL: (PATIALLY LOCKED)

Light Affinity: +20% xp when using light based spells and ritual

s

Lumiomancy (Lv25): Your ability to control light(-25MP to all

light based spells). Cost 15MP

Flashlight(MAX): A light type spell that depending on the

amount of mana used it can illuminate a set amount of area.

Cost: 1 MP for every 10dm of area

Light Ball(MAX): A light type spell that creates a palm sized ball

of light that can remain alight alone for 5 minutes and illuminate

in a 10 meters radius. If an illumination rune is carved bellow

the spell then it can remain as long as the rune is intact. Cost

100 MP.

Laeshi (Lv25): A light type spell that imbues weapons and

projectiles like arrows or bullets or even your body with light

causing them to deal extra light damage. + 70 dmg, Cost: 35(10)

MP/ min. Special: When used against

PERKS:

All Perks aside from the Blessing of Ares, Concussive Force,

Valkyrie Wings, Clairvoyance and Forcefield are active.

TITLES:

All titles are available

FAMILIARS:

You are incapable of summoning familiars that are outside of

Arda.

By gaining a blessing from a higher Entity you gain.

Title Maiar(Fake): You have been blessed by Eru Illuvatar

himself to be his hand in the realm of Arda. As long as you

reside in his world, you become immune to the passage of time

but not death and you have the ability to alter your body to

whatever age you wish, though you will not be able to alter your

natural features.

PERK UPGRADE: Voice of the Eldar - Voice of the Valar: By the

blessing of Eru Illuvatar your voice has become as good as the

most talented Gods of Music. Also this blessing grants you the

branch of magic Spellsinger. +30 CHA

SPELLSINGER:

Siren Song(Lv1): Your beautiful voice is capable of enthralling

the minds of everyone who hear it, though the stronger the will

of the victim the harder it is for you to enthrall them. Cost: 200

MP/min, 5% chance of enthralling beings that are a higher level

than you. The higher the level the lower the chance.

Soothsinger(Lv1): Your song is capable of healing some of the

wounds and weariness of the ones who hear it. It doesn't work

on beings of darkness and evil or those you designate as

enemies. Cost 500 MP/min +10 HP/min and Stamina to allies ),

1% chance of curing curse and illnesses.

Song of Light(Lv1): When you are singing using this skill, all

allies that don't have a dark allingment get empowered by it and

you can even chase away the darkness and despair. Cost

700MP/min, + 10 to all physical stats of all your non darkness

allinged allies, DMG +200 to all beings of darkness and evil,

20% chance to cause migraines to your enemies.

"You know that you practically sealed all my combat spells aside

from simple weapon usage and light imbuement right? And what

kind of name is Laergunthel? I need a whole minute just to say the

whole thing." I asked, my voice raised a pitch higher from the horror.

"Yep, sorry lass, I wanted to cut you some more slack but your

patron is quite strict. Be happy that I was able to give you the

Spellsinger ability. They originally wanted for you to gain that ability

as a reward for completing this mission but I was able to give you

this concession. " he said in an apologetic voice and I was really

grateful for it as well. Of course It couldn't have been so easy and his

next words felt like swords stabbing me in the gut repeatedly.

"Also, your name is a very beautiful one. It means 'Song of Sorcery'

and I don't think there are many names more apt to describe you

than this." he said indignant at even thinking of his naming sense as

weird.

"Oh before I forget. You are forbidden from using your spear and you

Inventory as well so they will be locked away until the end of the

mission. The only items allowed for you to have are your Vanir

armor, your bow and whatever accessories you are wearing. Sorry"

And before I could start swearing at this 'happy' piece of news, my

Flaming spirit armor and Spear were replaced with my Vanir armor,

circlet and bow and with a pulling sensation I was flung away from

Eru's plane and crushed on the cold, ground of Middle Earth. The

last thing I saw before everything went black was an old grey robbed

figure hurrying towards me.

(ERU ILLUVATAR's POV)

The moment the little demigod was teleported away he could feel the

presence of one of his brethren appearing in his dimension.

"I said it before but I think you are being too harsh on the child." said

Eru, all joviality from his voice leaving and being replaced with a

neutral tone.

"Yes, you have said so ********** but she has to struggle and face

adversity in order for her to move forward and fulfill her destiny. She

won't be able to do what she must if I coddle her." replied the 'voice'

with an equally neutral tone.

"I am not talking about coddling her but she could at least have her

weapon of choice with her or even her weaker elements aside from

light. I don't think Hydromancy or Chloromancy would have boosted

her strength so much to not be challenged in Arda."

"I will not have one of the ********** learn to rely on some weapon

and the rest of her elements had been used plenty before but the

light affinity has been neglected. This is simply a reminder for her to

not neglect any of her abilities." the 'voice' replied.

"Also to be clear. You are not to help her anymore, either directly or

through an intermediary. Am I clear child?" finished the 'voice' with a

chilly tone causing 'Eru Illuvatar' to shudder a little and reply with a

subdued tone.

"Yes Mother"

(END OF ERU's POV)

THIRD AGE - YEAR 2800

I came to consciousness with a groan and I felt like my head was

going to break. It had been a while since I woke up less than in a

perfect condition. It seems the forcefield perk had been spoiling me.

As I opened my eyes I saw myself lying on top of a grey cloak while I

was resting my head on a root of a big tree. Everywhere around me I

could hear the sound of insects buzzing and the sound of branches

creaking by the pull of the wind, making me theorize that I was in a

forest of some kind. Not particularly surprising considering that Arda

was pretty much forests, a few cities or doomscapes full of Orcs.

"I see you are finally awake. You took your time coming back to the

land of the awake, young one" said a wizened voice from my side.

It belonged to an old tall man dressed in a wizard's attire with a

pointy hat and all, colored completely grey. He was sitting on a fallen

bark of a tree in front of a campfire while smoking his pipe. He had a

sword strapped on his waste and a gnarled stuff with a white crystal

at the top resting beside him.

His gray eyes had an ageless look and I could see curiosity in them

directed at me. I of course recognized his for who he was. He was

one of the most iconic characters of the books after all.

"Greetings, Olorin and well met. I am named Laergunlneth." I replied,

my voice possessing a musical quality that made both me and him

be taken aback for a moment. I didn't expect the perk upgrade to be

so potent. This needs further investigation.

Olorin or Gandalf as he is more commonly known had a look of

surprise at calling him by his Maiar name.

"It has been a very long time since I was last referred by that name.

There are precious few who know of it in the whole Middle-Earth in

this day and age so I am curious on how you came about this

information." he said all the while his tone didn't change for a

moment but I noticed how tense he was and the hardened look in his

eyes.

He is probably thinking that I was told of his name by Sauron and

that I am another of his servants.

"Peace, my friend. I am a Maiar just like you. This is my first time in

Middle-Earth."

"A Maiar" he asked in surprise and I felt his magic inspecting me.

From the widening of his eyes, it seems he confirmed my words.

Of course I am not a full fledged Maiar. I just posses the title and the

blessing of Illuvatar. I am not a primordial and immortal entity of

creation after all. Eru just made sure that I register as one to make

my job here easier.

"You are to serve as an Istari here then? Who is your patron?"

"That's what I was told to do. As for a patron, Lord Illuvatar said that I

was to serve under Lord Tulkas but I have never met him."

He was horrified. I would be too in his position if I heard that the

'God' of War sent an envoy of his in the mortal world.

In the immortal words of the centaur Firenze of Hogwarts 'Mars is

bright tonight'. I was practically a neon psychedelic sign that there

was great conflict in the future.

"How is it possible to have never met your own patron? Did you not

reside in Valinor?" he wondered.

"Well no. After Lord Illuvatar made me a Maiar, he sent me here

directly. I never had the chance to do so you know."

"And in all the time since your creation, you never visited Valinor

even once?" he asked in doubt, probably thinking I was yanking his

chain, which I was.

"It's not like I was given a lot of free time. I was just given some

information of the world and I was chucked to here. Wherever here

is." I exclaimed in annoyance

"That is extremely strange. Why would Lord Illuvatar keep you a

secret for so many millennia and away from the rest?" he said,

thinking that I was created together with the rest of the others and

now it is my time to have some fun.

"What do you mean millennia? Our Lord made me a Maiar, like half

an hour ago." I shot back, a slight tilt of my head and my eyes

widened in an innocent look.

He froze with his pipe a few centimeters from his mouth and a

faraway look in his eyes. Internally I was cackling. I am going to have

so much fun with pretending to be a baby Istar.

"I see" said the poor wizard with a shuddering breath and I had to

use all of my considerable willpower to keep myself from snorting in

amusement.

"By the way Olorin, where exactly are we?"

"First of all please don't call that, child. My Maiar name is not one to

be used carelessly. After all names have power." he gently chided

me.

"And how should I call you then? I don't think it would be polite if I

just addressed you as 'Hey you'?"

"In this day and age I am known as Gandalf the Grey" he replied,

amused by my words.

"As for our current location, we are slightly East of the Harbor of

Mithlond and West of the Shire, the land of Hobbits."

"And what is the year exactly?"

"This is the year of 2800 of the Third Age."

From what I remember from my fantasy genre enthusiast days the

Company started their journey to Erebor on the year 2941 of the

Third Age. That means that I have 140 years to waste here until I

can even start my main mission. Perfect ( note the sarcasm).

"I see. Thank you for the information and for helping me while I was

unconscious. I guess I will be going now." I said and I stood up

strapping my bow around my torso but I was stopped by the wizard.

"Going where? Why would you leave?"

"Well I can't exactly stay here. This is a new place and I am eager to

do some exploring. Travel world, smell the flowers, kill some Orcs.

You know, the fun stuff." I replied with a cheery tone while vibrating

in place.

I may not be here in Arda by choice but I won't lie about how excited

I was. I was given a chance to be away from all Gods and complete

freedom to do whatever I wanted. I considered the whole situation

here more of a vacation than actually a punishment.

From the second I started this Game I was constantly hurrying, trying

to survive either on the road or in war with my years with Freyja

being my only exception. So the chance to spend centuries traveling

around without obligations or Gods trying to kill me was a big relief. I

know of course that Middle-Earth is not without dangers, but

considering that Sauron is currently playing possum, the only danger

for now is some Orcs who I am more than capable of

disemboweling.

"You can always come with me." offered the wizard.

"Why would you want me with you. Aren't Istari supposed to be

isolationists?

"Normally this is the case and there is an unwritten rule between us

to not bother one another without reason but you are very young and

inexperienced and the world is a dangerous place to tread alone."

"Come on Gandalf I am very young but I am not a normal mortal. I

can easily defend myself from vagabonds or some Orcs.

"Oh I have no doubt about that but I can't in good conscience let

such a young child travel around in an unknown world without even a

little bit of guidance.

At his words a sour expression overtook my face and I crossed my

hands in annoyance causing him to chuckle in amusement.

"Please do me the favor for this old man's peace of mind."

I harrumphed a bit annoyed at having the old wizard as a babysitter.

"How about a compromise?" proposed the old Maiar.

"What kind of compromise?"

"You will accompany me in my travels for a few years in order to gain

some experience with this world and at the end of it you are free to

go your own way."

"I guess I can accept that. But you have to promise not to coddle

me."

"I have no such plans I assure you. Think of it this way. Right now

your only weapon is a bow, you are going to need at least a sword to

better defend yourself when enemies come near you and also a stuff

which is of great importance for an Istari."

I perked up at that. I always thought that the magical stuffs were very

cool and I had to hold back a squeal.

"You are going to help me make a magic stuff?" I asked jumping

beside him and looking at him in the eyes while my violet orbs were

sparkling in anticipation.

"I guess I will. It would not do to go back on my word is it?" he

replied, amused by my rapid change of expression.

PING*

Rare Quest: The Greybeard's assistant

Main Objective: Follow Gandalf on his travels for at least a year.

Bonus 1: ?

Bonus 2: ?

Rewards

Main Objective: + 2m xp, Stuff of the Istari.

Bonus 1: ?

Bonus 2: ?

Failure:

Aimless wandering of Middle Earth/ Decreased reputation with

Gandalf/ Possible Capture and Death.

(YES/NO)

"Alright then. I will become your traveling companion for a year." I

conceded, pressing YES and accepting the mission.

"Excellent. If you are ready then I believe it is time to be going. We

have already wasted a couple of hours of daylight as it is. It wouldn't

do to dally anymore."

And with that prompting we made sure that the campfire was

completely extinguished and we hopped on his carriage pulled by a

hairy horse.

"So where do we go first?"

"We will head East towards Rohan. I have heard rumors of Orc raids

and I want to investigate. First though, we will pass through Shire. I

have to sell some fireworks I made for them there." he answered,

getting a nod.

It took us about a week to reach the Shire. With the pace we were

going and together with the time spent selling the fireworks on some

very excited Hobbits we reached the village of Bree 11 days into our

travelling.

Our time on the road was educating but also quite boring. Gandalf

was patient with me, answering questions about everything and

anything and told me stories about his travels in the long time he has

been walking Arda.

After resting in the Prancing Pony, the Hotel/Tavern of Bree and

barely managing to save one lusty bastard from dying through

disembowelment by my hands for daring to slap my butt, a very

amused Gandalf lead my very annoyed self South through the

imaginatively named Green Way that crossed through Cardolan.

From there, after 15 days of suffering through the dull monotony of

watching green plains slowly passing by we crossed the river of

Thanbad.

It was after that when things became a bit more exciting. On our way

through Enedwaith we started encountering enemies. Mostly Orcs

but also human bandits trying to prey on unsuspecting travelers. My

bow and Gandalf made short work of them though and I was

disappointed at how weak they were. No wonder most of my power

was sealed. If I was on full power I would have been able to find the

One Ring and chuck it into Mount Doom in 8 hours flat.

It took use 25 days to reach from river Thanbad the Gap of Rohan

because we what to be careful about ambushes and killing the Orcs

wasted a lot of our time. Also we had to make detours a few time to

assist villages that were being under attack and it was there that I

started using my healing song.

If I wasn't busy treating the poor villagers I would have been

laughing at Gandlaf's gobsmacked look at me having such ability.

The elves were known to be able to use magic with their singing but

that was mostly to enhance their crafting skills by using

enchantments through their voice. Healing with it had never been

done before and after we left the very grateful and awestruck

villagers he complimented me in having such a special gift.

Soothsinger(Lv1-Lv7): Your song is capable of healing some of

the wounds and weariness of the ones who hear it. It doesn't

work on beings of darkness and evil or those you designate as

enemies. Cost 488 MP/min +40 HP/min to allies ), 4% chance of

curing curse and illnesses.

I was really happy with that skill as well. I may be relatively strong

and with the passage of time, trials and dimensions my power shall

only grow stronger still, but I don't plan to forever be alone just

hunting for more power and the ability to heal those I cherish is a

precious one.

We reached the Gap of Rohan on the 51st day since the beginning

of our travels. The Kingdom of the Rohirim consisted of open planes

with small hills and aside from the Fangorn forest on the North it had

scarce few other woodland areas.

As we were traveling through the kingdom, we noticed that the raids

from Orcs became more concentrated and brutal. We had found

many a village completely destroyed, its people butchered to the last

and these sight to be frank disturbed me more that they ought to. I

am not some greenhorn. I have fought in wars and I have killed

beasts that would make the bravest of warriors fall to their knees in

terror at the sight of them.

The crux of the matter however was that I have never encountered

such butchery of innocents. Muspelheim was just a demonic fiery

wasteland, you didn't feel any guilt about killing everything moving in

sight that wasn't an ally and all my other battles were against

monsters that I only felt glee in destroying.

Here though, these filthy beasts didn't kill armed opponents or but

innocent women and children that could barely lift a sword if they

had one. They brutally took these people's lives just for the fun of it

and I hadn't been more disgusted in my life.

From that day onwards I became more brutal in my killing of the filthy

creatures and Gandalf was looking me in concern from time to time. I

even managed to acquire a sword from one of my fallen enemies. It

was nothing to write home about. Just a simple blade made with

conventional medieval forging process but I managed to amp it up a

bit with runes making it slightly better. I even unlocked a new subskill.

Runic Enchanting (Lv3): The ability to empower items with the

use of Runes. Currently you have a 60% chance to successfully

enchant an F-Rank item.

Generic Castle-forged sword (Enchanted)

DMG +60

Special: Runic enchantment: Through the use of Runes you

have made the blade ever sharp and capable of withstanding

great amounts of punishment. + 30 DMG

Info: A castle forged blade made from iron made in Edoras.

Originally wielded by a soldier of Rohan, it was stolen by an Orc

raider after killing him and now it has once more changed

hands in the same way by ending up with Laergunleth. Her

rudimentary use of runes has made the weapon slightly better

than the original.

As I said, nothing to write home about and I will replace it the first

second I found an adequate spear but for now it will do.

A couple of weeks since we reached Rohan we arrived on the

'capital' of the Kingdom called Edoras. Gandalf wanted to speak with

the King in order to understand better the situation here and also to

offer our assistance which was fine by me.

Edoras was different from the one shown in the movies. The

architecture was pretty much the same, a mix of Norse and

mediaeval themes combined together but the city as a whole was

bigger than what was shown in LotR 2 to be the King's castle and 20

houses here and there inside half wooden and have stone wall.

First of all the walls aside from the Main Gate (that was made by a

very thick sturdy wood), were made completely from stone and were

about 15 feet tall. The city inside were obviously mediaeval but

surprisingly clean and well maintained and the people while I was

looking around were content but I could see and underlining of

anxiousness which was understandable considering all the recent

raids. There were hundreds of houses built in a circle around the

castle that stood on an elevated hill and from what Gandalf told me it

also served as a barracks for the standing army.

When we reached the border of the castle, after the wizard

introduced himself to a guard we were quickly led into the Throne

room. Seems Gandalf is a well known figure around these parts.

Before we entered the throne room's gates that had an impressive

amount of horses carved onto them we were forced to surrender our

weapons. Personally I didn't care all that much about the sword but

my bow was a different matter altogether and I informed the soldier

that collected them that if I see a single scratch on it that I will have

him watch as I turn his intestines in top knots and use them for many

other fun stuff that Freyja was very happy to teach me about. I even

reinforced my promise (read: threat) by using a miniscule amount of

my aura skill.

By the time I was done, the soldier was trembling like a leaf in the

wind, stuttering promises of being extremely careful and everyone

else around that heard me were looking at me like I was the Devil

himself. Gandalf was giving me a deadpanned look that was barely

sufficient in expressing his exasperation with my antics.

After I was finished having my fun, we were led into the throne room

and before the King of Rohan.

He was blonde and fair skinned which is the dominant coloring of the

people of these lands and quite young. I would wager that his is

barely into his twenties and his Kingship is a recent thing as well.

"King Brytta, thank you for agreeing to meet us in such a short

notice. This is my young apprentice Celephindis and we have come

here to enquire about your recent problems with Orc raids and of

course we are happy to offer our assistance shall you need it."

Gandalf was adamant for me to use another name in Middle-Earth

than my 'real Maiar name' because it wouldn't do to use names of

power like that for nothing and he was the one who names me

Celephindis that means 'Silver Tresses' which I like better than my

Maiar one. Admitedly being names 'Song of Sorcery is very cool but

the Sindarin name of it is both a mouthful and a pain to pronounce.

My new one on the other hand rolls on the tongue, so Celephindis it

is.

"As the King of Rohan I thank you for your assistant but there is no

need for it. My armies have the situation under control and your

interference is unnecessary." said the brat with an arrogant look on

his face that clearly thought made him appear Kingly but all it did

was give him a very constipated look.

Of course me being me I couldn't exactly stay silent at such an

obvious freeshot and The Master Antagonizer™ got once more to

work.

"If by having the situation under control you mean that dozens of

villages had been destroyed and the people put to the sword to the

last, then clearly your information gathering leaves much to be

desired." I snarked back, making the soldiers in the room bristle in

indignation and Gandalf to give an unnoticed groan at my

impertinence.

The King revealing his excellent survival instincts replied with his

arrogant visage somehow becoming even more prominent, which

would have impressed me if the words that came out of his mouth

didn't prompt a wholly different reaction out of me.

"I don't expect a little girl to fully grasp the situation here. You are

lucky that your Master is a very respected figure or you would have

been flogged for insulting a King. Women should occupy themselves

with the birthing and rearing of children and not with military matters

that are above their ability to comprehend."

I froze. Intellectually I knew that the era I was residing right now was

not kind to women, at least for the race of Men, but I expected that

the piece of shit sitting on that throne would have understood that

Gandalf, one of the five fucking Istari wouldn't have chosen to

apprentice just anyone.

Furthermore the blonde prick called me, a child of War and a veteran

to boot, even if he didn't know I was any of those things incapable of

comprehending military matters. Yes, as you can understand my

reaction wasn't exactly subdued.

It started with my sarcastic smile being removed from my face and

getting replaced with a scowl. After that my violet eyes started

turning red and I could see Gandalf from the corner of my sight

slightly shaking his head at me in order to stop me but I ignored him.

Seeing my starting to grit my teeth, the ponce was about to open his

mouth in order to dig his grave deeper but he wasn't fast enough

because a literal aura of red and white power exploded out of me

and there was enough killing intent to make everyone in the room

bar Gandalf himself to instantly fall to the ground, paralyzed in terror.

"Y OU I N SIG NIF ICA NT L I T T L E M OR TAL, IN NO CE N T P

EO PLE, YOUR PEO PL E A R E B E I N G CULLED B Y T H E

HUNDREDS A S W E S PE A K A ND YOU ST A N D HERE P R O

C L A IM IN G T H A T EV ER YT HI N G IS UNDER CONTROL W

HIL E YO U IN SULT ME, A MAGE, AND SPIT TI NG OF O U R O F

FE R OF H E L P. TE LL M E MONGREL, DO YOU HAVE A DEATH

WISH?"

As I was speaking, my voice reverberated throughout the whole city

and underneath me the ground started cracking from the pressure. I

was doing a very good Galadriel impersonation if I say so myself.

By the time Gandalf managed to calm me down and stop me from

turning the shitty Kings intestines into tapestries to decorate his

walls, (Freyja taught me well) everyone (King included) was very

eager to accommodate us and our offer of help was quickly and

gratefully (read: fearfully) accepted.

After the King and his guards excused themselves for a moment to

deal with an urgent matter of the state (read: change their pants) we

were led into a big room eith a tablw depicting the map of Rohan and

the raids that have been made until now. From what they could

theorize, these Orcs are the remnants of the army that had fled

Moria after the end the Battle of Azanubizar with the Dwarves.

The King has been sending patrol on the North-East borders hoping

to catch the raid parties as quickly as possible but they rarely

managed to find them before they had inserted themselves deep into

Rohan territory and his only reaction to this was just sending more

soldiers. No wonder they couldn't catch them and I told him so.

"What do you mean by this? I have done my best to reinforce my

endangered borders as much as possible." he said slightly indignant

but his fear of me made him hold his tongue.

"Your strategy is not faulty in thought but considering their ease with

which they are bypassing these patrols means that either they have

a spy in your court which is unlikely or they are not coming in from

the North East border and they just left a small number of their

troops doing so to keep your attention there while moving their main

forces from elsewhere." I finished making him and his strategist look

at me like I sprouted a second head.

"There is no other place for them to pass through from the North.

The only other way they could come is through the forest of Fangorn

and it is known Orcs avoid that cursed place like a plague. Not even

the most foolhardy of them would dare to enter those woods."

"What about the Misty Mountains then? Could they have been able

to traverse the paths from there and pass through Nan Carunir, close

to Isengard?"I asked and instantly Gandalf replied.

"No my dear, Saruman the White, the strongest of our order resides

in the Tower of Isengard. Orcs would have never been able to pass

through there without great costs."

I wanted to tell him about what kind of dick Saruman the White truly

was but I decided to let it go for now. It is not a time for that kind of

discussion.

"If that is the case then the only possible alternative is that the Orcs

aren't actually from Moria but they are coming directly from the

West."

I was going to say more but I was once again interrupted.

"The Orcs of Mordor are kept at bay by the armies of Gondor. We

would have been notified if such big hordes of them have managed

to pass through" said one of the commanders.

"Are you sure about that? As you say Gondor has always kept them

at bay, so it would be a really big strike to their pride if they

acknowledged that they have been slipping in their duties isn't it?" I

said making everyone blanch at my insinuation.

"Bu-But they are our allies, we can't accuse them with no proof."

stuttered the greenhorn King in trepidation.

"And you won't." I assured him, making him let a sigh of relief.

"Baseless accusations is for idiots, here we deal in facts. That's why

I will personally scout the lands West of Rohan and maybe I will find

some clue. Gondor may be skiving on their duties or maybe the Orcs

are coming from somewhere else. No matter what it is I am going to

figure it out. What you must now do is order your people to leave the

North-West areas of your country and move East while you reinforce

the whole borders. Once I return from my scouting mission then we

will act depending on the information." I declared, my Kingly aura on

full force making everyone stand straighter in my presence.

"No milady." replied the mortals.

"If that is the case then I need someone to bring me my bow and

sword so I can start." I declared.

"But milady, we need sometime for the rest of the scouts to get

ready."

"What other scouts? There will be none else coming with me. They

will only slow me down."

"Absolutely not. Strong you may be but if you encounter too many

Orcs then even you can get overwhelmed." shouted Gandalf, talking

for the first time since we started the strategy meeting.

"They won't be able to detect me Gandalf. I will be perfectly fine" I

said with an eyeroll to the worrywart.

"Orcs have extremely good sense of smell. No matter how good is

your stealth, sooner or later you will be detected."

"Stealth? Who said anything about stealth? I will just fly by. In one

week tops I will be back." I said making everyone look at me like I

declared that a Balrog is cuddly cutie that I want as a pet, which

admittedly only the first part is wrong.

"What do you mean fly?" asked Gandalf and I thought that an image

was better than a thousand words so I jumped on top of the table

and transformed into my Golden Eagle form.

The moment they saw a 5 foot nothing girl transform into a bird of

prey, Gandalf's face took an expression of great revelation, the

soldiers jumped back in fear and I think there was a manly (read:

girly as fuck) scream of fear from some of them and the King froze in

place and after that his eyes turned on the back of his head and

fainted.

The next morning after reassuring Gandalf that I would be careful I

transformed into my avian form and flew West.

Twenty minutes into my flight I noticed band of Orcs no more than 20

of them moving deep into Rohan territory and I found a perfect

chance to get some more information. After I found a narrow pass a

bit further along their destination I stood on top of it hidden and

waited.

The moment the started crossing it I acted. I through a great boulder

in front and after that behind them to trap them in place followed with

another two, making sure to not harm the most imposing of them and

as a result the leader. This strategy killed about ten of them and my

light-imbued arrows dealt with the rest minus their leader as they

desperately tried to find an escape.

Done with the trash I shoved two more of my arrows in the last Orc's

and leaders knees, taking slight pleasure from his screams of pain

and I leisurely approached him. Putting the tip of my sword at his

neck I spoke.

"Why are attacking Rohan? Talk"

"I will tell you nothing whore." replied the creature in black speech,

the language of Mordor.

Considering how much the books and movies described the

disgusting effect of the language had on them about hearing it I was

sorely disappointed. Yes it was guttural and harsh but I felt nothing

from it. No power or trepidation. My only guess is that because I was

an outsider, whatever magic was used to unnerve the 'light' of the

folk of Arda didn't affect me, which was good.

Surprising the Orc even further I replied in his own language.

"Oh you will talk filth. I am patient and I can stay awake for days if I

must." I shot back and made a scratch on his left arm with my light

coated blade causing him to scream in agony.

The stubborn thing was refusing to cooperate. If I wasn't pressed for

time I would be impressed by its loyalty. Seeing that my initial

approach wasn't working I decided to test one of my new abilities.

I started singing while using Enchantment. In two minutes straight

he was silent and compliant. My thrall became willing to answer all of

my questions.

Siren Song (Lv2): Cost: 199 MP/min, 5,2% chance of enthralling

beings that are a higher level than you. The higher the level the

lower the chance.

From what he told me, the raids on Rohan came from the Master in

order to weaken the Kingdom and the plan was to continue these

attacks for decades into the future drawing the attention of the Men

and Elves leaving the aforementioned Master to accomplish his

plans secretly, though he didn't what those were but I had an idea

what those were.

After that he told me that they had created a great encampment in

the crags of Emyn Muil and everyday more Orcs were coming from

Mordor through the Death Marches.

Lastly I asked about Azog the Defiler but aside from the fact that he

survived his injuries the Orc was not important enough to know.

Done with my 'interrogation' I chopped his head and transformed

once more into my Eagle form and headed for Emyn Muil. It took me

only an hour to reach there and an addition thirty minutes to find the

encampment and the situation was bad.

There were around 5 thousand Orcs congregated inside a massive

encampment and I could also see small bands of them trickling in

from further behind while others were heading for either directly to

Rohan or talking a Northern path probably to act as decoys.

My scouting done, I turned North and headed towards Dol Guldur.

Now that I have come till her I thought it would be a good chance to

check if Sauron has already occupied the place. It took me half a day

to reach the southernmost point of Mirkwood and as I approached

the dilapidated castle I felt the corruptive presence as well as

obscuring words hiding from only the most skilled of sensors.

Unfortunately for them I was such a sensor, an apprentice of Freyja

could not be anything but a Master in magical sense if they ever

wanted to graduate from their apprenticeship.

Confirming Sauron's location I turned back. It was not yet time to

deal with the filth. I planned to chase him away way before Thorin

started his quest though. Gandalf having to leave the Company

caused a lot of problem that I was hoping to avoid.

It took me almost a day to reach back to Edoras from Dol Guldur and

when I arrived it was midday. Descending in front of the palace

Gates I transformed back into my human form startling the guards

standing outside and was led to the throne room were King Brytta

was waiting together with Gandalf and I requested a meeting to be

convened immediately.

Ten minutes later everyone gathered in the strategy room waiting for

my report.

"Well then, what did you find?" prompted Gandalf and I complied,

explaining my discovery of the Orc party and the fact I interrogated

the leader though I didn't say how, leaving it to my audience's

imagination and smirking at their shudders. I told them what the Orc

told and my own discoveries in Emyn Muil drawing outraged looks

from the Rohirim at the insidious and the long term plan of the Orcs

and I noticed Gandalf flinch when I mentioned the Master.

After that the King thanked me for my assistance in bringing such

important information to him and I noticed for the first time that he

was looking at me with honest respect and he told us that he will

send this information to Gondor to warn them and ask them for

assistance.

For the next few weeks I took off everyday traveling all around

Rohan and killing as many Orc parties as I could find and healing

people here and there wherever possible. I also scouted ahead and

guided the patrols of Rohirim on the correct places to attack and

block the Orc incursions, using my singing to empower them and

after the battle ended heal them as well.

By the time a plan of attack was decided I had become very famous

in Rohan. The common folk and were praising me for all the help I

gave them, protecting them and healing their wounds and the

soldiers were standing straight at attention every time they saw me

calling my "Lady Commander" which admittedly did great things to

my ego.

One year since my arrival on the spring of 2801 of the Third age the

Rohirim armies has managed to repel more and more of the raids

and a plan was put in motion. The armies of Rohan would attack

from the East side of the crags drawing the attention of the Orcs

while Gondor would send many smaller parties from the sides in

order to flank them. Gandalf would ride together with Brytta at the

front of the army while I in eagle form would fly ahead in order to

neutralize scouts and watch out for ambushes.

By the time summer had come all Orc presence in Eren Muil has

been extinguished and I was declared a fried of Rohan.

Soothsinger(Lv7-Lv15): Your song is capable of healing some

of the wounds and weariness of the ones who hear it. It doesn't

work on beings of darkness and evil or those you designate as

enemies. Cost 474 MP/min +80 HP/min to allies ), 8% chance of

curing curse and illnesses.

Song of Light(Lv1-Lv5): When you are singing using this skill,

all creatures of light get empowered by it and you can even

chase away the darkness and despair. Cost 700MP/min, + 15 to

all physical stats of non darkness aligned allies, DMG +225 to

all beings of darkness and evil, 21% chance to cause

debilitating migraines to your enemies.

In that time I was also given the option to submit my quest and the

first bonus objective was revealed to be the stopping of the Orc raids

but I hadn't accomplished the second one so I chose to wait.

Done with our time in Rohan, Gandalf choose to lead us towards

Lorien to visit the Lady Galadriel and also most importantly for me to

collect the first part of the pieces needed in order to create my staff.

The moment we stepped inside the borders of the forest I could feel

a powerful barrier inspecting us and our intent. It felt like I passed

under a small waterfall and this feeling clued me in on the fact that

the Lady Galadriel used Nenya the Ring of Water in order to

empower her borders wards and keep the dark influence of Dol

Guldur at bay.

Twenty minutes after we entered the forest we got surrounded by

elves and after getting blindfolded (which was unnecessary because

I could feel the beacon of power coming from about a mile ahead),

we were led into their dwelling.

One we arrived we had our blindfolds removed and we were led to

meet the masters of the territory which were the aforementioned

Lady Galadriel and her husband Celeborn.

The lady of the house was truly and utterly enchanting in her beauty.

The actress playing her in the movies was very beautiful but she just

couldn't imitate the beauty of the real thing. No wonder everyone that

looked at her was awed by her presence and if I hadn't met actual

Goddesses with Aphrodite and especially Freyja that surpassed all

other women mortal and immortal in beauty I would have been

awestruck as well.

" Welcome in Lothlorien Gandalf the Grey. Would you introduce me

your companion ?" said the she-elf trying to look stoic but I could

sense she was unnerved. Why you ask? Well she couldn't use her

little trinket in her finger to read my thoughts. After you spend a few

millennia being able to easily invade everyone's mind to gauge their

intentions, when you find someone completely blocking you then it's

easy to guess that you wouldn't be exactly happy with it.

And this is it for chapter 20. As always you can ask me any

questions on my discord channe with my account being

ChildeOfWar #3336. I hope you enjoyed it and see you around

next time. Enjoy!

~ChildeOfWar

I give Sauron the finger

Here we are, chapter 21 and I have to say that dialogues are the

worst and hardest part of writing a story. As always, Percy

Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan and all other franchises

mentioned to their rightful owners.

Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 21

" Welcome in Lothlorien Gandalf the Grey. Would you introduce me

your companion?" said the she-elf trying to look stoic but I could

sense she was unnerved. Why you ask? Well she couldn't use her

little trinket in her finger to read my thoughts. After you spend a few

millennia being able to easily invade everyone's mind to gauge their

intentions, when you find someone completely blocking you then it's

easy to guess that you wouldn't be exactly happy with it.

End of previous chapter

"This is Celephindis milady. The newest Maiar of Middle Earth" he

said surprising the elven couple.

"Truly?" she asked getting a nod from both of us.

"Tell me then Celephindis. Under which Valar have you come to the

mortal lands?" her voice serene and most of the tenseness had left

her body after learning of my Maiar 'race' but not completely.

"Well, this is an interesting question milady and quite complicated."

"How so?" she asked, a curious tilt to her head.

"I have never met any of the Valar. Lord Eru Illuvatar sent me here in

order to complete a mission for him. I was assigned to serve under

Lord Tulkas though, but I have never met him." I said drawing a gasp

from the she-elf and a resigned look from her husband.

"I see. This is not a good sign. For our supreme lord to interfere this

much and send an emissary of war to the mortal lands, it seems that

the next years are going to be steeped in conflict" concluded the

bearer Nenya.

"You have time to prepare still. The necessary pieces haven't all

come in play yet."

"You are talking about the One Ring. Do you know where it is?"

asked Gandalf this time in interest which was reciprocated by the

others.

"I have a pretty good idea where it is but I will tell no more about it. It

is not time yet and it is not meant for any of us to bear this burden."

"Are you sure? Maybe if we dealt with it now, we can prevent a lot of

deaths later."

"We will fail. Its corruption will destroy us before we are even halfway

to Mordor. This is the destiny of another Gandalf. Let it go and it

would be better if you kept this information amongst yourselves." I

said with a hard look making all three of them pause.

"You are right about that young one, we will be discreet. We can on

the other hand prepare and strengthen our forces now that we know

that there are wars to come."

Discussion done and with the decision to prepare for the inevitable

war made, we were led to guest rooms in order to freshen up

ourselves and after that Gandalf and I walked beneath the Mallon

trees trying to find the first part of my staff.

He led me outside a wooden door inscribed with elven runes

positioned between the roots of the greatest and biggest of the

Mallon trees. Once inside I headed downwards through the stairs

and found myself in a great cavern filled with crystals of every color

imaginable. Big or small they unsurpassed in beauty and I could

sense them draw power from the ambient magic around them. It was

fascinating.

"Truly a wondrous sight, isn't it?" said Gandalf with a small smile and

I could feel the crystal on his staff resonating with many others inside

the cavern.

"What type of crystals are they?" I asked

"They are Elemmírë, the most precious of gems in the whole of

Arda." he answered

"Star-Jewels." I translated in awe.

"Well go on then. Extend your senses and try to find the one crystal

that resonates with you the most."

I did as he told me and started searching and while there were many

different crystals that were drawn to me, the one that was meant for

me was practically tugging on my magical senses like an overexcited

puppy.

It was a ruby as big as a coconut with uneven edges and was

shining with a crimson light identical to my Flames of War. I snorted

inwardly, you can take the soldier out of the war but you can't take

the war out of the soldier.

As I picked it up great crimson sparks were released from the crystal

like small silent fireworks. I felt a great resonance with it, like I found

a part of myself that I had lost until this moment and I wondered if it

was a similar feeling that magicals in Harry Potter felt when they

found their wands.

Collecting done, we headed back in order to dine with our hosts and

the next day we once again hit the road on the first light. Gandalf

said that he wanted me to meet Elrond in Rivendell and he started

heading back towards the gap of Rohan in order for us to avoid the

Misty Mountains but I didn't let him. I wanted to have some

experience with those mountains when I wasn't pressed for time.

Seeing how stubborn I was in my decision, he complied and we

headed North. Even if he humored me, he was uncompromising in

heading as far away from Mirrormere and Moria as possible but

when I asked for the reason why he deflected my questioning which

was a shame because I would really fancy fighting a Balrog and I

told him so.

Giving me an exasperated look and muttering about brainless brats

and being too old for this shit he started lecturing me about my

recklessness and made me promise him that I wouldn't ever try to

challenge a Balrog to a fight, which while I pouted I agreed

reluctantly. I so wanted a new pet, I missed Ruin and Aristomache.

We were passing through the Gladden Fields when my crystal

started shining on its own. Seeing this peculiar occurrence we

decided to investigate. According to Gandalf the only reason for this

happening is if a piece of the shame crystal was somewhere nearby

and they were resonating with its other.

Using the gem as a pseudo compass we followed it as it started

glowing more and started vibrating the closer we got to its sister

jewel until it pointed us towards a part of the river.

Shrugging I started stripping my clothes and ignored the

embarrassed groan of Gandalf that instantly turned his back to me

and I jumped into the River Gladden. As I submerged myself

completely beneath the waters I noticed a glow from the bottom that

was identical to my own gem and I made a mental note to give it a

name because calling it 'the gem' all the time was getting old.

When I reached the glow I found a corpse with a white circlet on its

head decorated with two glowing rubies that gave the feeling of rage

and betrayal. Unwilling to deal with this while striving for breath I

picked the corpse and started swimming upwards.

Throwing the poor dead bastard back to land I used my light magic

to dry myself quickly (which was a pain because fire is so much

better for this) and after I was dressed once again I told Gandalf to

turn around.

After he gave me an annoyed look for my antics and assured me

that I was responsible for graying even more of his hair he started

inspecting the corpse.

"Well my dear, it seems you have a knack for doing the impossible.

Do you know who this is?" he said pointing at the corpse.

"No idea."

"This is Isildur, one of the kings of Gondor all the way back on the

Second Age and the man who stroke down Sauron himself."

"Oh you mean Isildur the Fool then. The idiotic man that managed to

bring the One Ring all the way to Mount Doom and he didn't destroy

it out of greed." I replied uncaring, causing him to pause for a

moment.

"Yes I guess you could call him foolish for not destroying it when he

came so close but you have to understand. That artifact is capable of

corrupting the hearts of even the noblest of Elves with time. The race

of men that by nature are so easily led to evil had no chance to resist

the rings pull."

"Whatever, but I still think that Elrond should have kicked the idiot

inside the magma together with the ring. It would have spared the

world countless years of pain and suffering and so many lives would

have been saved as well."

"That's a very totalitarian way of thinking child. Elrond and Isildur

were friends bonded in the field of battle. Would you kill so callously

one of your own even if it was for a good cause?"

"Well I don't think I would kill them but I would have never left them

leave that volcano with the ring. I would have at least beaten the

stupid out of them until they came to their senses."

"An unorthodox way of doing things I suppose but I can't help but

think that it would have worked, surprisingly enough." he commented

with an amused smile.

"Of course it would have worked. Nothing like a good ass kicking to

put some idiot's head on straight again." I replied fake haughtily

causing us both to trade glances and start laughing.

The way after that little detour was mostly uneventful aside from a

couple of packs of wolves that a bit of fire managed to chase away.

We reached our desired spot to pass through the Misty Mountains 5

days after leaving Lothlorien and it took us an additional 5 to cross

through, finding ourselves to a pass overlooking the Valley Imladris

or most commonly known as Rivendell.

As we reached the Gates of the House of Elrond two armored

soldiers stopped us. I couldn't fault them either. It is not every day

that a 14 year old looking girl arrives to their home together with an

old man and a cart carrying a corpse.

Thankfully Gandalf was a known figure around these parts and they

quickly send someone to call the Lord of the house in order to deal

with the situation.

We only waited for 5 minutes before a black haired distinguished elf

came rushing towards the gate followed by a blonde haired armored

warrior that in my magical senses was shining like the sun.

"Gandalf the Grey, you have always be known to have a penchant

for involving yourself in weird situations but bringing a dead man's

corpse into my home must be one for the history books." said the

Elf-Lord half amused half exasperated with the old wizards antics

and both myself and the pretty boy (more pretty boy than usual) elf

were snickering to the side, causing some attention to be drawn to

me.

"And you would be?" asked Elrond

"My name is Laergulneth but you may call me Celephindis if you so

wish milord." I replied making my eyes glow gold with light magic for

a second to send the message across and by the surprised

expressions of both elves it seems they got it.

"Well met Lady Celephindis and I would like very much to make your

acquaintance later but right now I want you to explain to me why you

are bringing a corpse into my home."

I snorted."That's what I asked as well milord but apparently a royal

corpse needs special enough treatment to have to carry the damn

thing all the way through the Misty Mountains instead of burying it in

whole somewhere and being done with it." I griped giving Gandalf

the look and causing him to stare back in exasperation having dealt

with my complaints 10 days straight.

"Royal?" asked Elrond with an amused raised eyebrow at my

cheekiness.

"Yes milord, I present to you the lost body of King Isildur that young

Celephindis found inside the river Gladden." said the wizard though

he stuttered at the word found a bit. Seems he still hadn't got over

his mortification at seeing some skin. It wasn't like he watched

anything more risky than my naked back. He turned around pretty

fast after all.

"Truly? Do you have any solid proof that it is the right one?" was the

reply, a sad and at the same time hopeful tone in his voice.

"Why yes, we found him wearing the Star of Elendil. It could be no

one else."

"Indeed, the Eledilmir was known to have been lost together with

Isildur so it is more than probable that it is him. Did you find anything

else with him?" replied the elf trying to be subtle.

"Nope, I was very thorough in my search, no small golden innocuous

trinkets anywhere near him." I said nonchalantly and I am very sure

that if at that moment he had been drinking he would have done a

very impressive spit-take to the obvious amusement of everyone

else.

"I see." he muttered looking at me like a father looks at his daughter

after he caught her in her room with a boy and doesn't know how to

deal with it.

After that entertaining conversation I was led to a guest room to

freshen up while Gandalf followed Elrond in order to take care of the

fallen King's body.

Rare Quest: The Greybeard's assistant

Main Objective: Follow Gandalf on his travels for at least a year.

(Y)

Bonus 1: Help the Kingdom of Rohan with the Orc raids. (Y)

Bonus 2: Find Isildur's body together with Elendilmir and return

them to Rivendell before they fall at the hands of Saruman. (Y)

Rewards

Main Objective: + 10m xp, Stuff of the Istari, Elven Enchanting.

Bonus 1: 500k xp, 250 Gold Coins, +5 levels in Riding,

Increased reputation with the people of Rohan.

Bonus 2: 1m xp, Elendilmir, Elven Forged Shield, Increased

reputation with Elrond and the House of Isildur.

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Level: 30 (43.531.855/148.691.936)

CURRENCY: ($= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 5000,)UNAVAILABLE,

MG=250 (Mortal Gold)

Riding skill(Lv25): Your ability to ride a mount either a vehicle

or living creature. +95% possibility of staying astride while in

battle. +30% damage dealt while riding a mount in battle.

New Skill: Elven Enchanting (Lv1): You are capable to bind

enchantments in both organic and not objects through the use

of your voice and your intent. You are not capable to further this

skill without guidance until you reach Lv10.

Nice. Another quest bites the dust, though I am a bit bummed that I

won't get the shield and staff right away. I will probably be gifted

those by Elrond or something. Also I have to somehow make them

teach me enchanting. I shrugged, that is a problem for future Alex.

A little while later an elf-maid came to my room bringing a dress that

caused me to cringe inwardly at the sheer girlyness of it and told me

that the bath house was available for my use.

Happy to be finally able to take a proper bath instead washing myself

with wet towels or in streams I followed her.

The bathhouse was big enough to accommodate at least 40 people

at the same time before becoming too crowded and currently was

completely empty aside from me.

Quickly stripping from my armor and after futilely trying to stop the

elf-maid whose name was Neleth from doing my laundry for me, I

stepped into the hot water.

I had been relaxing for a few minutes before I felt another person

stepping inside the water a couple of meters away from me but I was

too zen to bother even lifting my head.

" Hello, I haven't seen here before, are you new in Imladris?" asked

a beautiful voice in Sindarin from my side causing me to lift my head

and open my eyes towards her.

She was beautiful in a way Galadriel was beautiful, surpassing the

average elf by a wide margin. She had black hair and sky blue eyes

and her skin was ivory and blemishless while her curves were the

perfect hourglass figure. All in all, a supreme babe.

" Hello, I am Celephindis and yes I just came to Rivendell together

with Gandalf. What is your name?"

" I am Arwen and I welcome you to my home. I hope you enjoy your

stay here."

" I hope so too, though I don't think I will stay for long, I have things

to do but I will surely miss this bath house." I replied trying to focus

on her eyes instead of anywhere else and inwardly cursing that lucky

bastard Aragon for landing such a beautiful wife.

" You are not? You will be heading to Lothlorien or Mirkwood

perhaps?" she asked curiously.

" Neither, I am going to Ered Luin." I said surprising her.

" But what would an elf and a young one at that have to do in Ered

Luin?" she said in concern and I looked at her in confusion for a

moment before realization came and I laughed a bit, to her

bewilderment.

" I am not an elf Miss Arwen, I am an Istar like Gandalf" I told her,

giving her a meaningful look while showing her my not-pointy ear

that was heading beneath my hair.

From her widened eyes and the slight bow of her head it seems she

knew what exactly the Istari were, unlike the race of men and

dwarves that thought them just long living powerful wizards that tried

to fight against the forces of Mordor.

I wasn't very surprised by her knowledge. She was both an elf and

one that had been born just as the Third Age started as well the

daughter of an Elf Lord. It was obvious that she would be privy to

more delicate information like the origins of the Istari.

After the introductions were over we started discussing about our

lives. She told me about her life in Rivendell, her family and her

occasional trips to her grandmother in Lothlorien and I regaled her

about my adventures in Arda which she enjoyed.

By the time we chose to get out of the water I believe we had

become friendly acquaintances at least and I was hoping to become

truly friends with her in the years I will stay here. After all, it would

become quite boring if my only friend was a mischievous old man

with a penchant for making intricate shapes with his smoking pipe.

No matter how cool those tricks were.

As we stood up to leave though, an amusing situation happened.

Arwen who was ready to leave the water gazed at my body and

goggled a little in surprise, which admittedly it was really funny

watching a composed elf like her taking such an expression, though I

couldn't understand why.

"What is it? Is there something on me? Am I dirty somewhere?" I

asked checking around myself trying to find what cause her to react

like this.

"It is not that just…" she said hesitating.

"Yes, come on spit it out, I am not biting." 'Unless you want to that is',

I thought inwardly with a giggle.

"You are just very 'gifted' for your age." she asked slightly mortified at

the topic of the conversation which I derived great entertainment

from.

She was not exactly wrong though. I was truly 'very gifted' for my

bodies age. I was 5 feet 4 and I was a high C cup with wide hips and

long legs. My skin was not ivory white like her but that was mostly

because I spend too much time in the sun, making me gain a slight

tan. My eyes were violet which I had no idea from whom I gotten

them since my mother's were brown and my shitty old man's were

red. As a result and not to toot my own horn, I was a fucking knock

out babe and considering the Fertility Goddess body type perk I had,

by the time my body reaches full adulthood I am pretty sure I will be

waving some pretty solid D cups if not E.

" Oh love thank you for the compliment but if you want to play with

my girls" at the word girls I cupped my tits with my both hands and

turned them to her direction "I expect at least a dinner first." I said,

wiggling my eyebrows suggestively and causing her to turn a deep

red while waving her hands and stuttering incomprehensible denials.

My uproarious laughing at her cute embarrassment must have been

heard throughout the whole valley and by the time we were exiting

the bath house wearing long dresses (to my charging) and ready for

dinner, I had managed to collect myself, though Arwen was cutely

glaring (read: pouting) at me for messing with her.

When we reached the dining pavilion everyone was already seated

and there were quite a few dropped jaws as we walked together to

our seats. It was not surprising really, Arwen was known as the most

beautiful elf since that Luthien chick and that Fertility Goddess perk I

had was not for shit and giggles. Until a few months ago I still had

the bodytype of a child and my armor and unkempt appearance from

a life of fighting and on the road didn't exactly show me at my best.

Now though, I am wearing a (ugh!) dress that shows a modest

amount of a very endowed cleavage and it is formfitting enough to

accentuate all my curves slightly, causing as result the

aforementioned jaws to drop. Not that I cared all that much. I had no

intention to start something here knowing that my stay in Arda is

permanent and even if I didn't care about that, the fact that many

seem to forget (and by many I mean the romance addled rabid

fanfiction fangirls that write Si LotR and Hobbit stories) is that this

world is stuck firmly in the middle ages.

As a result women have no rights at all aside from elves who are

slightly better and second, the people here are stinking, filthy dirty.

Bathing is not something people do at these parts of the universe

regularly. Also wearing heavy plate form fitting armors causes the

body to sweat and stink with a fierceness of dragonfire.

So as you can understand their pipe dreams about noble knights

(chauvinistic assholes) sweeping them off their feet (wearing their

smelly armor) and talking them to their clean (not), accommodating

(there is no indoor plumbing outside of Rivendell) castles are just

that. Dreams. So no baby, this girl likes her partners sufficiently

bathed and Arda's people just don't do it for me.

Done with my inner monologue, I sat beside the elven princess on

the main table and after greeting the Lord of the house we started

eating.

The food was very good, I could feel the magic in everything making

every single dish very tasty and nutritious and if I am not mistaken

keeping everything fresh for weeks. I couldn't wait to learn this trick,

together with the reinforcement skill I would be able to make food

good enough for even Gods to praise and with a little alteration in the

spells, give them all kinds of different effects. I giggled like Jiraya

internally. I could already imagine a meal with a hot date while I have

filled the food with aphrodisiac spells and enchantments. Distant

future me is going to have so much fun.

After we were done and people started retiring for the nights I was

invited together with Gandalf at Elrond's office.

As I guessed, they thanked me for finding the body of the ancient

king and the heirloom he was wearing and as gift, they gave me a

round shield as big as my torso and completely silver with vine

decorations on its edges that were sharp enough to cut flesh and a

long piece of white wood as tall as me that according to Gandalf is

made from trees fully grown and imbued with the magic of a powerful

artifact (by the look that was exchanged between him and Elrond I

had a very good idea what this 'artifact was).

According to the Lord of Rivendell, the shield was made at the first

age by an Elven Master blacksmith but because his people prefer to

fight with bows or acrobatically using shorter blades, it hadn't gotten

much use.

Thanking him for the gifts that would be useful considering how

limited she is power wise currently, I asked him if it is possible to be

trained in enchanting by his people sometime in the future and after

showing him my voice magic which surprised him, he was more than

happy to assist me in cultivating such 'a rare gift from the Valar'.

Our discussion ended by warning me about the stirring of darkness

and he requested that if I found anything suspicious that I should

warn them as well if possible, which I was more than happy to do so.

The next day came quickly and my time in Imladris had come to an

end for now. According to the timeline, Thorin and his father Thrain

would go to the Blue Mountains in 2802 of the Third Age and this

was my chance to become known to the dwarves and start

cultivating a rapport with them.

Saying goodbye to Gandalf and Elrond and after hugging Arwen

goodbye and promising her that I would write as often as I could, I

strapped my new shield on my back and with my incomplete staff in

hand started heading west.

About an hour into my trek I checked around and after detecting

none I transformed into my eagle form and started flying around the

trollshaws. My plan was to find the elven forged blades and the gold

that the company would originally find inside the troll cave and use

them to bribe and help the people of Erebor in their time of need.

From the movie I had seen, the gold was enough to fill two big

barrels full of it. A horde big enough to build a big village or a small

town from scratch if you are frugal enough.

Many would think that it would be a fool's errand considering how

many years in the future was that event and a logical person would

say that the trolls must have found them and brought them there but

I disagree.

In the Hobbit movie the trolls had only 1 metal weapon and that a

very shitty one. Even if they couldn't touch the elven blades, they

could have been able to make something better with the rest of the

simple swords found there. The fact that they didn't means that

either they didn't care about those riches and as a result wouldn't

have bothered to carry and bring with them in their cave or that they

have never found that particular cave, meaning that all that money

and equipment was hidden there for much longer and as a result

possibly ripe for the taking even in the current time.

I spent 5 days in that forest searching every nook and cranny of it

until I found the correct cave and what do you know, I was right.

Even better, there were no trolls at this point either, making my job

easier.

Knowing that without my inventory it would be impossible to carry

everything I decided to cheat with the best cheating method ever

devised, I am of course talking about runes.

Using the skin of the dead rabbits that had become my meals in the

five days here, I made two pouches with straps in order to be carried

easier and I started suing runes in them meant for space expansion.

I was not the best at that particular branch of magic but I managed.

In one pouch I put all the gold coins and jewels and in the other

Orcist, Stinger and my own enchanted sword, choosing to take

Glamdring as my own. Sorry Gandalf, finders keepers.

Side mission successfully done, I once again transformed in my very

handy eagle form and mentally thanking (snort) Zeus for giving me

such a nice gift, I flew towards the Blue Mountains.

It took me less than 2 days to reach my destination and using my

eagle vision I was able to quickly find the dwarf contingent

numbering around 20.000 but considering the slaughter of Smaug

and the War in Moria a few years prior, the majority of them were

women and children.

From what I could observe, they had built a town at the side of the

Mountain made mostly of wood with a precious few stone buildings.

The most noticeable detail though, was that there was not a palace

or mansion built anywhere for the ruling family. It seems the Thrain

wasn't arrogant enough to indulge in such frivolities while his people

were suffering. Good for him.

Descending in a secluded section of some woods nearby, I took my

human form and started heading towards what will be known in the

future as Small Erebor.

As I came closer I could see the wooden walls no more than 12 feet

tall and guards standing visible both on top them and at the gate.

The moment I went near, one of them stopped me.

"Halt, this is a dwarf city stranger, what is your business here?"

"I seek an audience with King Thrain and I have come for far away in

order to do so."

"And what business would a woman have with our king?" the little

shit asked condescendingly.

"This woman's business are her own, now be a good little guard and

ask your king if he shall receive me or not, time is money after all." I

shot back and used a little bit of my aura to intimidate the guard into

compliance.

A few minutes later I was led inside a house at the top of the city.

Getting inside I met two male dwarves that are actually taller than

the Earth's ones, around 5'3" and 5'4" in height and a female one

that I think was called darrow being slightly smaller at 5'1".

"Greetings King Thrain, it's a honor to make your acquaintance." I

said buttering him up a bit and considering he stood straighter after

my words, I think it worked.

"Well met stranger. As you know I am Thrain, the king of this city of

dwarves and with me are my son and heir Thorin and my daughter

Dis." he said pointing at the other two dwarves inside the house and

then continued.

"Before we continue with whatever you came here for I would ask

you to remove your hood and tell me your name, I would prefer to

not refer you as stranger for as long as you will stay here" he

finished and I complied.

The moment I removed my cloak though I heard a gasp from the

female dwarf and a hiss from Thorin as his hand went for his blade.

"You have a lot of audacity stepping in our home after how your kind

treated us elf." shouted the prince and only the hand of his father

stopped him from attacking me then and there.

I was confused for a moment until I understood the problem. Raising

my hand in a 'peace' gesture I removed my hair from my ears and

showed them, causing them to pause and look at me in surprise.

"You have misunderstood prince Thorin, I am not an elf."

"And what are you then? Elf you might not be but you don't belong in

the race of men either, your too beautiful and powerful for that, I can

feel that much." said Thrain and I smiled.

"Do you know of Gandalf the Grey or maybe Saruman the White

perhaps?"

"The Istari? You mean to tell me that you are one of them then? A

witch."

As the word witch left the King's mouth I could see Thorin becoming

a little white and look at me in slight trepidation. He was probably

thinking I would turn him in a toad or something for 'insulting' me and

I couldn't help but smile amusedly at his expression, an opinion that I

shared with the King whose eyes twinkled in mirth.

The order of the Istari might be respected by the folk of Middle Earth

but even then, there were stories and superstition about magic

users, especially from the dwarves who are a suspicious lot by

nature.

My non-elveness finally assured I discussed my proposition with him.

In exchange for the gold and jewels in my pouch I requested to be

taught the art of crafting, both blacksmithing and jewel craft by them.

I also promised to help them protect their home in case of danger.

At first they were skeptical by my request unwilling to share the

secrets of their craft to anyone but after I showed the extent of the

wealth I was willing to part with, their tune changed quickly. Proud or

not, feeding so many mouths as the population of Dwarf Town as it

was currently called, cost money that they simply didn't have and my

gold would bring great relief so they agreed without much funfair and

after drawing a contract at our agreement, I was escorted in a small

tavern/hotel to find a room for the night.

The next day my lessons and new duties begun. First of all I

removed my Vanir armor and replaced it with a simple tunic and

breaches because it would be a waste to wear it while sweltering

away inside the forge.

I was assigned to be an apprentice under Balin funnily enough who

was the senior and best blacksmith in the town. Say whatever you

say about the dwarves but they keep their word once they come to

an agreement. I have expected to get saddled with a 3rd rate

blacksmith and have to prove myself every step of the way until I

was given proper instruction but I was pleasantly surprised.

Once I entered the forge I was told to follow my new teacher as he

gave me a tour of the place, teaching me about the equipment and

the procedure one has to follow to start smithing. He was patient with

me, always making sure I understood what he taught me and willing

to answer my questions without problem.

I spend 48 years with them. The first 5 I was simply an apprentice

under Balin following him around and as I learned, I was assigned

jobs from just shoveling coal inside the forge, to using the blower to

keep the fire going and with time I was allowed to start making small

things like horse petals, nails and other small everyday objects.

By my 10th year there I finally managed to graduate from being an

apprentice and was given my own space inside the forge to start

working and getting proper commissions. By this point the town had

started to get more visitors that came here to trade. After Moria fell to

the Orcs the people of the West side of Middle-Earth had no way to

buy dwarven quality weapons, jewels or even everyday objects like

plows and furniture.

The closest dwarf kingdom was Erebor that the merchants had to go

all the way through the gap of Rohan and the cursed forest of

Mirkwood before they could reach there and then return, which was

no easy or timely feat. After Smaug happened, only the Iron Hills

remained as a true dwarven Kingdom which was even further East

and as a result the presence of Thorin's people in the Blue

Mountains was a new opportunity for merchants.

After 20 years spent in the Blue Mountains (2822 T.A.) working in the

forges I had managed to be elevated from assistant smith into a

smith journeyman or journeywoman in my case and I was trusted to

make weapons. During that time I had become friends with Dis,

Thorin's sister and my free time I spent it with her either learning how

to make beautiful accessories with gems, an art that was

predominately learned by the females in their culture or drinking

mead and complaining about the uselessness of the male gender to

the annoyance of Thorin who was a full blown uptight stick in the

mud by then and the amusement of Balin and Thrain.

The years after brought some prosperity to the town. At my urgings

and help, the King has started making proper infrastructure and

extension of the town, bringing it to a respectable size and naming it

Small Erebor in honor of their roots.

Thrain when he came here was planning to just create a temporary

residence until he had gathered enough forces to retake Erebor but I

managed to persuade him to make this place a true home. After all I

said to him even if they retake the Lonely Mountain there is no

reason that they couldn't have this place be governed by a second

son down the line or gifted to one of the other clans in exchange for

assistance. Considering how few warriors they currently had and the

low birth rates of the dwarves in general he conceded to my idea.

In order to bring in new people and make the place more renown I

started giving performances in the main 'park' whenever I had the

time and cheated a bit by using siren song on the humans making

them talk with wonder for Small Erebor and its many wonders

wherever they went in order to advertise the place more and also my

healing song which drew a great influx of both men and elves that

wished to heal themselves from ailments or great wounds. Ruthless

PR campaigns at its finest.

At the year 2840 T.A. Small Erebor had become a great trading

outpost and was nicknamed the jewel of the Blue Mountains and I

the 'White-gold Maiden' who brought luck and prosperity to the

dwarves'. The first time I was called that I turned completely red in

embarrassment and Dis never let me live it down.

By this point the money came rolling in such an extent that it was

decided by Thrain to start digging into the mountain in search of ores

and at the first month of the year 2840 T. A. the first vein of amethyst

was found, bringing great glee and celebration amongst the people.

Seeing that the future was well assured, Thrain decided to gather a

company of a few dwarves in order to return to Erebor and try to

retake it. Both I and his children tried to persuade him against this

harebrained idea but he was relentless, so at the middle of spring he

left with a reluctant Balin and a few others in order to retake Erebor

leaving Thorin as the new leader of Small Erebor until his return.

I knew of course that he never would but I was no one's babysitter, if

he wanted to die so much then he was free to do so. My job was to

preserve the line of Durin from dying out and an old son of it would

not be a great loss. Cold I know but by that point I was mentally 60

years old and jaded enough to not care about those I was not close

to. If I didn't know though for sure that Balin would be safe and would

return then things would have been different.

It was 2 years later that Balin and another 2 of his companions

returned and told us that they were ambushed in Mirkwood by Orcs

and that they didn't know about Thrain's whereabouts. They had

searched everywhere for a whole year before they decided to return,

hoping that maybe he had found his way back.

With the old King MIA Thorin was reluctantly crowned as King of

Dwarves and Lord of Small Erebor 2 weeks later.

I stayed in Small Erebor until the year 2850 and by that point I had

become an expert blacksmith but according to Balin that level of skill

was the best that they could reach at this day and age. When Moria

fell and to a smaller extent Erebor, the greatest minds of the dwarffolk

were lost and together with them most of lore of their crafts that

had been cultivated since the time of Celebrimor. According to Balin,

the loss of this knowledge was greater than all the gold in the world

and I couldn't help but agree with him.

It was that same year that my best friend at this point Dis married a

blonde haired handsome dwarf named Gilli that I made sure to

enlighten him about my expert intestine knot making techniques and

what would happen to him if he mistreats my friend in any way,

shape or form, making him take a color more fair than an elf while

nodding in terror. Balin and Thor where eavesdropping on my

'conversation' and it was that incident I think that made the surly

dwarf-king actually like me. Balin was rolling on the ground laughing

uproariously.

The day after the wedding I collected my personal belongings from

my hotel room and was ready to leave. No I didn't live in the hotel for

the decades staying there. I had built a big house at the richest parts

of the city that also served as a place for Dis to crash every time

Thorin pissed her off and I gifted it to her as a wedding present.

In a completely unrelated note, the first thing everyone that gets

inside the house will be able to see is an expertly made tapestry of a

fair-haired woman making long knots from the intestines of boars

that she killed protecting her child from them. Yep, completely

unrelated.

As I reached the gates I saw both Dis and her very scared husband,

as well as Balin and Thorin. After a teary good bye from the couple

(for different reasons) and my old teacher I came face to face with

Thorin.

He had the same look as the Hobbit movie, though he looked

younger and he had a slight smile in his face. The prosperity of his

people unlike in canon had relieved him of some of his stress.

"Lady Celephindis, your help brought great prosperity to my people

and you are always welcome at my home and hearth."

"It was a pleasure Thorin Oakenshield and I thank you for taking me

in and granting me the knowledge of your people's craft. Know that

in the future, when the time comes and you have need for my help I

will be there" I said with a meaningful look causing him to widen his

eyes and I continued.

"That said I believe it is time I give you something that will help you a

lot in your trials ahead."

I then pulled out Orcist. I still haven't managed to figure out how it

was made but I managed to carve some runes using intense light

magic, making it stronger than before.

Orcist "The Goblin-Bane"

+ 1500 DMG

+100% DMG against Orcs and Goblins

+100% DMG when imbued with light magic

Special: ElvenBlade: The blade is indestructible against

anything below the power of a God. Its method of creation had

also made it capable of harming all creatures of darkness and

evil and when they are near, it shines with a gold light warning

its wielder of imminent danger.

Special: Runic Empowerment: Through the use of runes carved

on it, the blade is now more powerful and can now be used only

by its rightful owner and his descendants. Owner: Thorin II

Oakenshield.

Info: Orcist is a blade made by an elven Master Blacksmith at

the First Age and was used by many warriors to slay hordes of

Orcs and Goblins. Through the use of Runes by the Maiar

Celephindis, the blade has become even stronger and causes

fear at the hearts of dark creatures at the sight of it.

"This blade is made by Elves at the First Age and I have enchanted

it personally as well. Let 7 drops of your blood fall at the butt of the

pommel and the sword will only be able to be wielded by your hands

and those of your blood and none else." I said while he was admiring

the legendary blade in awe.

"As a son of the line of Durin, I give you my utmost gratitude for both

your offer of assistance and this gift. May you find great fortune in

your travels ahead." he replied and after a modified handshake

(forearmshake?) I was once again on the road.

Walking leisurely upon the main road I took stock of all the progress I

had made in my say with the dwarves.

Expert Blacksmithing (Lv25): With this skill you have reached

the greatest heights of the mortal non-magical aspects of the

noble art of the hammer and anvil. You are capable of molding

metals in any shape or form you desire through your work and

creating wonders that can compete with the greatest mortal

practitioners of the art. True Masters of the skill are able to

create wonders that even Gods gaze upon with awe.

Hammer Mastery (Lv20): Your ability to use hammers. +40%

dmg and 10% armor penetration when using hammers.

The Blacksmithing skill upgraded easily to journeyman and then

expert. The only caveat for me to do so was to make a good weapon

that was okeyed by a master of the craft and also to be taught by

one, something that Balin did well enough. I didn't expect to gain a

weapon mastery out of it but I won't complain about it. I don't think I

am going to use hammers much though. They may be very

appropriate considering my best stat is STR, but after gaining my

spear, I don't think I will ever be able to main some other weapon.

Siren Song (Lv2-Lv7): Your beautiful voice is capable of

enthralling the minds of everyone who hear it, though the

stronger the will of the victim the harder it is for you to enthrall

them. Cost: 190 MP/min, 6% chance of enthralling beings that

are a higher level than you. The higher the level the lower the

chance.

Soothsinger(Lv15-Lv30-MAX): Your song is capable of healing

some of the wounds and weariness of the ones who hear it. It

doesn't work on beings of darkness and evil or those you

designate as enemies. Cost 444 MP/min +155 HP/min to allies ),

15,5% chance of curing curse and illnesses. This skill can be

UPGRADED.

Song of Light(Lv5-Lv7): When you are singing using this skill,

all creatures of light get empowered by it and you can even

chase away the darkness and despair. Cost 700MP/min, + 17 to

all physical stats of non darkness aligned allies, DMG +235 to

all beings of darkness and evil, 22% chance to cause

debilitating migraines to your enemies.

My spellsinger branch of magic got a lot of work as well with

Soothsinger actually maxing out. I have come a long way from the

child that was embarrassed to even sing in front of a dragon in order

to save her life. Surprisingly enough I have come to enjoy singing a

lot and I plan in the future to further this type of magic. I will have to

learn how to play an instrument for that though and the few of those

existing in Arda don't interest me. Maybe when I go home I can

figure out something.

Lumiomancy (MAX): Your ability to control light(-30MP to all

light based spells). Cost 10MP

Laeshi (MAX): A light type spell that imbues weapons and

projectiles like arrows or bullets or even your body with light

causing them to deal extra light damage. + 100 dmg, Cost: 30(1)

MP/ min. Special: When used against dark aligned creatures or

beings then there is a +175% damage dealt.

Illumination (Lv2): A light type spells that causes an explosion

of light around the user, dealing damage to all enemies touched

by it and weakens all dark magic in the affected area for the

next 20 minutes. DMG 1550, Radius: 5,5 meters, Cost

1499(1469) MP.

Last of course I trained my only elemental magic currently available

to me as much as I could. The new spell was created by taking

inspiration from Gandalf when he fought that Balrog inside the mines

of Moria and his fight with the Necromancer. Mine is nowhere

powerful enough of course. The skill is still very low level as I didn't

have plenty of time to focus on it and other elemental magics don't

come to me as fast as fire did, affinity or no affinity.

The last thing I managed to accomplish was to use a ritual that acted

as my observe skill. It is the reason why I was finally able to see the

stats of Orcist. I have to create a runic array with the desired item

inside it and after activating I was able to gain information. Nowhere

near as good and easy as Observe, but it can be useful if you want

to check the integrity of an item, both for its quality as well as

checking if it has any curses on it.

Ritual of Psychometry: : Through this ritual the caster can scan

an item about its history, composition and enchantments. It

cannot be used on organic matter.

Through this, I was able to check my nifty new sword. I haven't made

my staff yet, I am going to learn some enchanting from the elves

before I begin to do that. There is no such thing as overkill after all

and if I am going to wield a honking staff I at least am going to make

it as powerful as possible.

Glamdring "The Foe-Hammer"

+3000 DMG

+100% DMG against Orcs and Goblins

+100% DMG when imbued with light magic

Special: ElvenBlade: The blade is indestructible against

anything below the power of a God. Its method of creation had

also made it capable of harming all creatures of darkness and

evil and when they are near, it shines with a blue ethereal flame

warning its wielder of imminent danger.

Special: Purifying Flame: A runic enchantment made by

Celephindis. When the wielder focuses raw magic in the blade,

Glamdring gets coated by a white colored flame that inflicts

+500 DMG against beings of darkness, death and evil. It also

activates the light magic imbuement effect.

Special: Runic Empowerment: Through the use of runes carved

on it, the blade is now more powerful and can now be used only

by its rightful owner and her descendants.

Info: Glamdring (also called the Foe-hammer and the Beater ) is

a hand-and-a-half sword , forged for Turgon , the Elven King of

Gondolin during the First Age , and now is wielded by the Maiar

Celephindis. Through the use of Runes by said Maiar, the blade

has reached new heights in power and causes fear at the hearts

of dark creatures at the sight of it.

What, did you think that I would give Thorin a blade as good as

mine? As if I would give such a powerful weapon to anyone that is

not my most close of allies and even then I would take precautions.

Some may call me greedy for withholding the good stuff from others

but I don't care. These powers are mine and I am the one that

chooses who gets what. Whoever doesn't like it can try to make their

own powerful sword if they want it so much.

Rant done and safely away from prying eyes I transformed into my

eagle form and started flying away. I first found my way to Mithlond,

the only port capable of sailing to Valinor, the realm of the local

pantheon.

It was a beautiful place with clean wide roads and the architecture

was clearly elven. For a port city though, it wasn't very populated.

The only difference with the other cities of its kind though, was that it

was populated from all the non-dark races of middle earth, with men,

elves and hobbits walking around and I had even seen a couple of

dwarves drinking in a tavern which was very strange because

generally they didn't like to associate with elves.

After spending a couple of days there, I hit the road once more. For

a whole year I traveled the whole of Middle-Earth never staying on a

place for more than a few days exploring everything.

I visited the lands of the Dunedain, giving them help against the Orcs

and Goblins, and healing them whenever I could. I then went to

Rohan and I found Brytta, an old man now at the twilight years of his

life. He welcomed me in his palace and while surprised by my youth

he chalked it up to just magic shenanigans and introduced me to his

son who was very surprised to meet the 'Singing Maiden', a title I

had gotten after I left Rohan for my deeds of both battle and healing

during the raids and I was starting to get annoyed to tell the truth

about all these Maiden titles. Not that they weren't flattering but

every time I heard the bloody titles I was reminded that I am a 60

years old virgin and it kind of pissed me off.

Leaving Rohan behind me I headed north towards Fangorn where I

met the Ents. They were kind beings and after I showed them some

of my light magic I was able to convince them that I wasn't a servant

of the Dark Lord. They had many stories to tell in their own slow way

and I was particularly interested about their female counterparts, the

Entiwives. According to them they had resided in what is known

today as the Brownlands, a desert south of Dol Guldur and they had

been missing since the second age after Sauron had burned their

lands.

I pitied them. Even now, millennia later they said that the Entwives

had been lost, not dead just lost. I told them before my departure

that I will keep an eye out for them and if I find even a hint about

their location that I would come back here to tell them. After a slow

thank you from the living trees I headed towards Mirkwood.

You could feel the corruption in the forest and the spiders there were

practically everywhere on the southern parts and near Dol Guldur so

I chose to stay away for now. If it wasn't for the elves killing them in

droves then I am certain that they would have taken over the whole

eastern border by now which is all kinds of scary.

I chose to not make myself known to the lords of the forest for now

and I just left a series of runic stones of light and protection along the

main forest that separated the northern for the southern part of the

forest in order to give some relief to the overworked elves. The

moment my pseudo-ward was activated I could hear the screeches

from the Acromantulas 2.0.

Nodding in satisfaction at managing to once more to annoy another

old evil fuck and meddle in their plans (Sauron) I completely ignored

Erebor for now and headed to Mount Gundabad for some

reconnaissance. I was not capable in my current state to take on the

whole army in that fortress but I was able to find their current

numbers (around 12.000 Orcs) because it was information that is

going to be useful in the near future if I have anything to say about it.

My self-appointed scouting mission finished, I then headed towards

Rhune. I wanted to check over the people living there and I was

hoping to maybe find Palando and Alatar, the Blue wizards.

According to the wiki, they were the first of the Istari that stepped in

the Middle-Earth and there were rumors from Tolkien that they had

been corrupted by Sauron at some point and I was hoping to prevent

that.

Unfortunately though, I run out of time. As I was flying through the

south side of Mirkwood I sensed an explosion of light magic and

quickly headed to the source.

It was Gandalf and he was banishing some spiders while he was

protecting someone that was sitting wounded against the bark of a

tree. Descending to the ground I took my human form and I started

singing my Song of Light empowering my fellow wizard and causing

pained screeches to the many-legged abominations. After I got a

surprised and grateful look from Gandalf I cast Illumination and

overpowered the spell by putting about 10k of MP to it. The sheer

force of the explosion send the beasts crashing to the ground and on

the trees all around and they started fleeing in terror knowing that

they would be incapable of dealing with two Istari at the same time.

"I cannot describe how happy I am to see you dear Celephindis. I

really appreciated your help here." said the wizard with a tired smile.

"What is going on Gandalf, why would you come so near of that

accursed place and alone at that?" I asked, my inner Ares bluntness

rearing its head.

"I had gotten some rumors about a small band of Orcs abducting

travelers that were passing through Mirkwood and I decided to

investigate. Unfortunately I was too late." he said with a sad sigh

pointing at the corpse that was against the tree.

"Is that King Thrain?" I gasped in my best surprised voice and

inwardly wondering if my performance was good enough for an

Oscar.

"You knew Thrain?" asked the wizard with a raised eyebrow.

"Knew?" I scoffed "I lived at his city for near 50 years Gandalf,

learning how to forge and I helped them stand on their feet again"

"I told the old fool that it wasn't time yet to take back Erebor and that

his mission was doomed from the start but he didn't listen, the

stubborn dwarf" I replied with a sigh.

"Stubbornness my dear is one of the most potent qualities of dwarfkind.

Once they put something in their heads you will sooner be able

to make a Hobbit go on a diet than change a dwarf's mind." said the

Grey Istar with a wry humorless grin.

After burying the body (Gandalf's latest horse had died a few months

ago and he didn't have a chance to find a new companion yet) we

started heading for Rivendell. Gandalf had suspicions that the Orcs

were assembling at the old fortress of Dol Guldur (they were) and

there were even rumors of a Necromancer having made shop there

and he wanted to convince the White Council to act and nip this

threat at the bud.

As he was talking I was inwardly smiling in glee. Finally things were

going to become interesting. I had been waiting for this moment for

decades.

Originally, the White Council had chosen to ignore this place at the

urgings of Saruman who by that point had been searching for the

One Ring for centuries and by dismissing Gandalf's fears he

managed to buy time for Sauron to gain his strength unimpeded.

Unfortunately for him, I was here now and I was not going to let this

shit go on.

"Hey Gandalf." I said as we were walking through the forest

"Yes?"

"Do you want to reach Rivendell faster?"

"Of course I do but unfortunately we have no rides so we will have to

make do with our feet. "

"I know of a way we can go faster."

"Really now? Let's hear it then."

"You will have to promise to tell no one though and if you ever do I

promise that I will tear your beard from your chin and use it to light a

bonfire." I threatened and he nodded rapidly while holding his beard

protectively.

Being a little red in the face I jumped slightly on the air and where

once stood a woman, now was a white mare bigger than any horse

ever existing in Middle-Earth.

Gandalf actually dropped his staff in shock. He knew of course about

the shape shifters and that I was one but it is a 'known' fact that

people with this gift only had one form so my sudden non-avian

transformation caught him completely off guard.

"Celephindis dear, you have to really stop doing things like that. This

old heart can take so many surprises." he exclaimed with an amused

smile after getting over his shock and I gave him a (horsey?) snort

and an eyeroll which was pretty difficult in that form while lowering

myself on the ground in order for him to rid- climb on.

Deciding to erase the R word from my mind for the foreseeable

future I made sure he held on my silver mane tightly and I galloped

as fast as I could towards the Misty Mountains. Considering that he

left a surprised yelp as I accelerated I would wager that I was going

way faster than any horse he had moun-, I mean ridde-. I was faster

than any horse he had seen in his life.

We chose to continue riding through the night and discard sleep

considering the importance of the situation and I managed to get us

at the Misty Mountain pass directly at the outer side of Rivendell in

less than two days which was really fucking impressive.

Another day through the rocky pass and we reached Imladris. Once

there we informed Elrond of what happened and Gandalf urged him

to send for the White Council in order to decide on our steps forward.

The time it took for everyone to come I spend my days relaxing and

sharing stories with Arwen who I had been sending letters every

couple of years. I cashed Elrond's promise of being taught elf

enchanting and he promised that I would start lessons after the

Council was over.

Finally, after a week of waiting Galadriel, Saruman and surprisingly

enough Thranduil had come to Rivendell and we were led in an open

balcony with a round table.

Getting curious looks from the two people that hadn't met me yet but

choosing to ignore me the Council started and Gandalf begun to

describe the situation at Dol Guldur, the capture and death of Thrain

that got a contemptuous scoff from Thranduil (not that I expected

any better) and he urged the Council to act and attack the fortress

quickly in order to stop the dark forces there from consolidating their

power.

"This is absurd Gandalf. Dol Guldur has been an empty ruin for

millennia." said Sauron with a dismissive tone.

"There is darkness residing in those ruins Saruman. There are

rumors of a Necromance-"

"A Necromancer? Obviously some foolish mortal doing parlor tricks

and conspiring with the Orcs to cause trouble."

"But surely Saruman, if Gandalf said there is darkness inside these

ruins then the least we could is to at least investigate." interjected

Galadriel for the first time.

"There has been an increased amount of giant spiders. Descendants

of that accursed Osgiliath have been harassing my people

continuously for a few years now I will admit but I sensed no

darkness there." said Thranduil a haughty tone in his voice.

"Then I see no reason to continue with this discussion. The matter

is-" tried to say Saruman while beginning to sit up but I stopped him.

"The matter is far from over and more serious than you think." I

interjected causing everyone's eyes to focus on me.

"And who are you girl that think that you know better than us."

sneered slightly the wizard causing me to smirk.

"Oh my Curumo old chap. To think that you can't even recognize a

fellow Maiar on sight. No wonder so many details had been slipping

from you these last few years. " I said with a pleasant tone causing

him to widen his eyes.

"A sixth Maiar, after all these years. Under which of the Valar have

you come here?"

I smirked, my eyes glowing a haunting purple for a moment "Lord

Tulkas of course."

My words made those in the know to gain a resigned look while

Thranduil's expression for the first time changed from haughty to

something resembling trepidation. The Valar as a whole were very

peaceful so to send an emissary of War like that signified that the

shit had hit the fan in a very spectacular way (or whatever equivalent

phrase existed before the discovery of the fan).

I continued, not letting him speak while enjoying the look of slight

fear on the white robed wizard's face.

"The whole fortress is under an illusion in order to hide what lies

inside its walls. It was very subtle and was able to fool even Gandalf

but I am very sensitive to magic so the enchantment couldn't be

hidden from me." I said making everyone widen their eyes in

realization.

"Sauron is without a doubt hiding there as a Wraith gaining strength

day by day and we must act."

"Enough with this nonsense. There is no proof of what you say.

Subtle illusion that only 'you' could sense, don't make me laugh. If

such a thing truly existed in Dol Guldur then either I or Lady

Galadriel would have sensed it. You baseless accusations only serve

to cause panic." shouted the wizard in a thunderous voice trying to

intimidate me and causing the rest of the council to tense.

Seeing that it had come to this I decided to go all out kick the bastard

in the balls once and for all.

Focusing my magic I spent 15k of MP on my Tyrant's Aura creating

an aurora of white and red magic that brought the occupants of the

whole valley to their knees and it was only the formidable willpower

of everyone inside the council that prevented them from submitting

to my power.

" THERE IS NO PROOF YOU SAY? THE WHOLE OF MIDDLEEARTH

IS FILLED WITH PROOF YOU JUST CHOOSE NOT TO

SEE THEM." I raged in fury at the power hungry traitor.

I was about to start swinging at the bastard before a delicate hand

landed on my shoulder stopping me from eviscerating the bastard.

"Peace Lady Celephindis. We have come here in order to decide our

path against the forces of darkness not fight against its other. You

speak about proof, if you have found such then tell us." prompted the

she-elf causing to drop the spell.

"I have braved the High Fells of Rhudaur. The tombs were empty.

The jails had been ripped open from within."

"That means-" said Elrond with his head down.

"That means that the Nazgul walk amongst us once more and this is

only one problem."

"When Thror was captured he was carrying the ring of Durin with him

that is now lost, stolen by Orcs and we all know who the beasts

serve." I spat drawing realizations from everyone.

"Last, I have scouted the old Orc fortress in Gundabad. There were

above 12 thousand Orcs smelting weapons and spawning more by

the day."

"If these are not enough proof then I don't know what else you need."

I finished causing the room to become silent as everyone.

"Even then, the Orcs have been known to act up from time to time

causing problems and conflicts by the centuries. The debacle with

the raids in Rohan and the war against the dwarves in Moria is proof

enough. That doesn't mean though that the Dark Lord is active once

more. Urging us to march to some old ruin because you sensed

some 'illusion' is the height of foolishness. If the Orcs up north are

amassing an army as you say then we have to turn our gazes to that

direction and nip this new army in the bud, not go chasing after

ghosts because you had some 'feeling'." finished the wizard and I

could see that the others were starting to agree him.

"You know, you are good. Very good indeed. If I didn't know with

certainty your true nature you would have actually succeeded in

buying time." I mocked gaining questioning looks from everyone bar

Galadriel who had a slight widened look.

"What are you talking about girl? Stop talking in riddles and speak

whatever nonsense you are meant to say. I have important things to

do rather than spending my time listening to your spiel."

"What I am talking about Curumo, is that when you use your little

palantir in order to communicate with Sauron you should be careful

to not be secretly listened to by others. Did you know that there is a

third one in Gondor being guarded by the Stewards in order to not

fall on the wrong hands?" I bluffed through my teeth drawing my

sword and prompting both elf lords and Gandalf to do the same

pointing them at the traitor, grief and anger in their eyes at the

duplicity.

Seeing that he had been found, the wizard screamed in rage and

summoned a dark force to send us away but I countered him. I used

Illumination to keep the magic at bay and I started singing the Song

of Light, empowering my allies and weakening the dark magic

substantially.

Considering that all three elven rings of power were at the same

place it didn't take long to completely crush the wizards power and a

swing from Thranduil's sword sent him back to Valinor the fast way to

have some very harsh words with Aule and Eru. And just like that,

one of the greatest threats in Middle Earth that caused so many

problems for the Fellowship of the Ring in the future is now gone

before he became a problem.

Immediately after Sauron's true colors (heh the puns are real!)

became known the White Council begun to act. Gandalf was sent to

Rohan to inform the King about the white wizard's treachery and to

urge him to surround Isengard with some of his army in order to

prevent someone else from the servants of the Dark Lord to take

back the strategic area and whatever dangerous and important

content are currently held inside the place.

After that he was to speak with the Steward of Gondor and to advice

him to be alert because there is a big chance that Mordor would start

causing problems soon. None had the illusion that Sauron would not

retaliate for the loss of such a big asset.

Thranduil and Elrond were both to raise their armies and ready

themselves to attack Dol Guldur and Mount Gundabad respectively

with the latter communicating with the Dunedain in order to gather

more assistance and to warn them to move away from the north

because of the dangerous Orc presence.

Galadriel will follow us to the ancient fortress while she ordered her

soldiers to guard the gate of Mirrormere. We were afraid that maybe

the Orcs residing in the mines of Moria would try to flank us from the

back if we moved our forces away.

Lastly, I was to fly quickly to Small Erebor and try to gain the

allegiance of the dwarves. Arkenstone or not, Thorin is a respected

figure to his entire race after his feats at the War against the Orcs of

Moria.

Usually if I asked the Dwarf King to assist the elves in a war I was

sure that I would be denied on the spot. Thankfully though, the truth

about the fate of Thrain and the reveal of the ones responsible was a

great motivation to ignore his grudges for now and he agreed to

send for all the dwarf warriors of the West to assemble and guard

the west Gate of Moria but only if he was to participate on the attack

of Dol Guldur which was more than reasonable enough.

Preparations done, one month after the death of the former Istari, we

were approaching with a 20.000 strong army the Fortress of Dark

Sorcery. At the beginning I thought that it would be an easy victory.

The Dark Lord was weak and unprepared and we had the advantage

of two rings of power and a powerful army but Sauron was neither

naïve nor stupid. The plan was for our main army to attack from the

side of Lothlorien while 200 of Mirkwood's best rangers led by

Legolas and me were to strike from inside the forest at the northern

side culling the giant spiders and causing the enemy to fight on two

fronts.

In hindsight I should have known it wouldn't be so simple. Weakened

or not Sauron was both cunning and vicious and while not in top

form he had many millennia of hiding in the shadows in order to

regain his power.

The main army found themselves up against a great army of Orcs

and trolls numbering more than 25 thousand. The filthy beasts had

made great underground caverns in order to hide their population

from sight and they caught us off guard. Thankfully with Nenya and

Narya wielded by Gandalf and Galadriel as well as Glorfindel who

had been sent as a representative from Rivendell we had more than

enough fire power to balance things out even with fewer numbers,

though the fight was difficult and long.

My side of the battle was another type of beast entirely. It started

good enough, we were leaping through the trees quickly, killing every

single arachnid on sight with extreme prejudice but as we headed

closer to the enemy stronghold things became harder. Warg riders

started attacking us with abandon not caring how many of them died

as long as they delayed us and caused us to bleed. My song of light

was a good counterbalance and due to the light alignment of the

elves, the moment I started singing they started glowing and

glittering like stars, their strikes faster and more powerful. The Orcs

and spiders were burning up the moment they got near us and the

morale couldn't be better. At least until a titanic explosion of dark

magic snuffed my magic like a candle in a storm and a crippling

feeling despair as well as the screech of something monstrous was

heard overhead giving our enemies a second wind.

I could see a winged draconic form black as night and ridden by a

black cloaked mace wielding figure charging toward the area that the

main army was positioned while 5 Nazgul were galloping towards us

empowering the feeling of despair in the air. A great white force of

light rose from the ground to combat the darkness but it was being

stalemated and I couldn't see anymore because I had to focus on

dodging a swing from one of the wraiths that almost took my head.

Drawing Glamdring and focusing light imbuement on the blade

empowering the already existing enchantments of the blade I

attacked with ferocity forcing my enemy to position his weapon in

order to block my hit but unfortunately for him my target was his

horse instead him.

With a powerful swing I behead the corrupted animal and sent its

rider crashing to the ground. My actions revitalized the morale of my

forces that started fighting back with vigor and trying to mimic my

tactic with great results.

Swing, block, thrust, dodge the battle raged around us, as I tried to

kill the abomination before me. I blocked once more one of his

overhead swings that were heavy enough to rattle my bones and

that second of disorientation gave him the chance to hit me with a

kick on my abdomen sending me flying back and crushing through a

tree.

Groaning in pain at the powerful strike I got on my feet with a

wheeze while watching the wraith coming towards me with an

arrogant slow gait. Good, if it wasn't for that self-assurance I wouldn't

have the time to come to my senses and I would have been a goner.

It is always a treat for the bad guys to let you get your second wind

instead of striking fast and decisively because they like to gloat.

Arrogance (of the enemy) is every hero's greatest boon.

Seeing as his physical parameters were stronger than me I decided

to go all out. Preserving my strength for later be damned. Using

about 5000 of my MP I used my Illumination spell that pushed back

the feeling of despair while crushing on the wraiths like an enraged

bull sending them all flying back. Seeing my chance I jumped on top

of my enemy and pierced him with my light coated sword causing it

to screech in pain and with a tearing sound that threw me back a few

feet a black aura for lack of a better word flew from inside the black

cloaked armored Nazgul while hastily flying back to each master and

causing the rest of its kind to start fleeing in fear.

Without need for prompting Legolas ordered for a full charge ahead

while I sang songs of healing and light to keep everyone to as much

of a top form as I could. Once near Dol Guldur we used our bows to

strike the enemies that were standing on top of the walls while we

killed all standing on the ground. At this point I transformed in my

eagle form and flew towards the magical stalemate of our main army.

Using my Illumination I managed to shift the balance to our favor and

with a great heave the light (field?) crushed the Witch-King and his

ride forcing them to retreat and fly back to Mordor in fear.

Feeling of despair now almost completely diminished and using my

spellsinger spells to empower our army we managed to breach the

fortress while culling every single Orc in our way to the last.

Following Galadriel and Gandalf as well as Thranduil we headed to

the top of the castle were the dark humanoid shape of the Dark Lord

was waiting for us. I could feel the fury he was releasing as he

watched his centuries of plans crashing down before his eyes and I

couldn't help the satisfied smirk that appeared on my lips.

Seeing as I am not a stupid anime protagonist, I decided to be

proactive and not let the fucker make the first move. Through all the

fighting my MP had been lowered to 35k MP so I put 30k into my

illumination spell and I started singing the song of light once more

while holding my focusing crystal in my hands.

The overcharged spell created a pillar of expanding power that I

think it may have reached the clouds blinding everyone in a white

light and luckily for me, my allies choose to chip is as well. The light

energy from a strong wizard, an almost minor goddess in power Elf-

Lady and my overpowered divine natured light combined with the

amplification of my star crystal and two rings of power completely

erased even the tiniest of hints of Sauron's presence for miles

sending him packing back to Mordor and denying him a strategic

position that he could use to attack further north.

Wanting to make sure that the fucker never stepped inside here

again for the foreseeable future I immediately got to work. At the

peak of the fortress I created a powerful purifying ritual and strong

armed the other three of my allies to help me.

Using Elder and younger Runes in tandem I created a huge runic

circle that was surrounded with 4 smaller ones in the cardinal

directions. After we positioned ourselves inside the smaller circles I

ordered everyone to pour seven drops of blood inside the greater

circle and brace themselves.

The moment the last drop of blood fell, the runes started glowing in

all the colors of the rainbow and a great pressure was felt that only

lasted for a second that was followed with a great sound of a bell

ringing and a literal sea of white light drowned the world.

It encompassed almost all of Mirkwood and reached even Rivendell,

Isengard and Fangorn, half of Rohan and it was only the Dark Lord's

interference that prevented the light from reaching past the Dead

Marches and into Mordor.

The results of the powerful ritual could be felt immediately. The very

air felt cleaner and the dark clouds that were a constant above the

ancient stronghold had disappeared, allowing the sun to touch it for

the first time in millennia. Additionally nature had become more

vibrant and the spiders that occupied Mirkwood for so long had all

died, the light having burned them to ashes. Lastly the fortress itself

had changed dramatically. Before the ritual it was a dark and

foreboding place made of a black stone similar to an Orc's blood but

now it had all turned a bright white, like marble.

Both the army and my helpers were looking around in awe at the

sight. They didn't expect such a drastic change to occur. The

complete disappearance of darkness had renewed hope to

everybody and their happy expression brought a tired smile to my

face and if it wasn't for Galadriel that held me in her arms, I would

have fallen to the ground in exhaustion.

It took me about an hour to create the whole array and it was the

only reason that I didn't die like an idiot because I forgot in my haste

that I was very low in magical reserves. So when it was activated it

drew 60k of energy from me while I only had 10k MP. As a result, it

drew energy from my HP.

Level: 30 (103.531.855/148.691.936)

HP: 7.500/58.300

MP: 5/50.060

+3 DEX

+3 VIT

+ 5 INT

+3 WIS

Due to achieving a great victory for the forces of light way

before its time and shattering the plans of Fate you have

unlocked:

Song of Power (Lv1): When you are singing using this skill, all

allies gain a 10% boost to their physical stats and lessen their

weariness by 5%. Cost: 200 MP/min

Greater Lumiomancy (Lumiomancy): Your ability to control

light(-31MP to all light based spells). Cost 10MP

Laeshi - Meira ljós (Lv1): A light type spell that imbues weapons

and projectiles like arrows or bullets or even your body with

light causing them to deal extra light damage. + 100 dmg, Cost:

100(69) MP/ min. Special: When used against dark aligned

creatures or beings then there is a +175% damage dealt. Its

upgraded form allows the user to extend the range of their

weapon when used on melee weapons and multiplying the

number of projectiles fired when used on a ranged weapon.

Melee: +1cm, Ranged: +1 additional light construct projectile.

Illumination (Lv2-Lv15): A light type spells that causes an

explosion of light around the user, dealing damage to all

enemies touched by it and weakens all dark magic in the

affected area for the next 20 minutes. DMG 2300, Radius: 6,8

meters, Cost 1486(1455) MP.

Light Shield (Lv1): A light type spell that creates a one

directional curved light construct in the shape of a shield that

protects the user against magical attacks and it is capable of

negating a certain amount of dark magic or spells that is fired

upon it. Cost: 500 (469) MP, Durability: 500 DMG, Dark Magic

Negation: 250 DMG.

Happy with my new skills and more importantly of putting a

gobsmacked expression on the face of that haughty fucker

Thranduil, I let myself pass out in the arms of the Lady of Lothlorien.

This is it guys, I was originally planning on ending this chapter

after the White Council but a sudden inspiration made me

change my mind and here we are. Sorry for the delay but life

happened. I hope you enjoyed it and see ya next time for the

Quest of Erebor. Maybe.

~ChildeOfWar

Dungeondiving is painful !

Chapter 22 is up guys. As always Percy Jackson belongs to

Rick Riordan and all other franchises to their rightful owners.

There is strictly non profit.

Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 22: Hobbit

After the events in Dol Guldur I slept for 10 days straight in order to

recover from my exhaustion. I had been transferred to Lothlorien

where healers watched over me night and day.

After waking up from my slumber, I was congratulated and profusely

thanked by Galadriel from my leading part into grievously wounding

Sauron and bringing back light and beauty into a place that was

thought forever lost to darkness. As a gift for my deeds, I was given

the tower of Orthanc and Isengard to keep as my own which was all

kinds of cool but I wanted to study elven enchantment first before I

could relax in my new fancy tower until the quest for Erebor.

My studies begun in Rivendell two weeks after my awakening. Unlike

the dwarves that put me immediately into physical work, the elves

assigned me to learn the theory behind their magic through relevant

books inside Elrond's massive library.

From what I figured out, their particular brand of magic worked

through understanding of the concept you wanted to put into your

enchantment and then you used your voice as a medium to coax or

request for lack of better word the 'consciousness of the world' into

materializing your desire into the object you wished to empower.

It was a direct opposite of the magus magic in the nasuverse in a

sense. Here the more humanity or better yet, the sentient races

decoded the mysteries of the world, then the 'world conscience' was

able to better apply and empower the more esoteric and complicated

enchantments into their spells, while in nasuverse, the magic lost

potency and 'weight' the more humanity learned and 'True Magics'

disappeared.

Of course you couldn't exactly piggyback on the 'world' to get you

through with your magic because no matter how much knowledge it

had accumulated, if the caster lacked understanding then the results

were subpar and temporary at best, disastrous at worst.

This was the main reason why most of the great magicks of the

world had been lost. After the Fall of Gondolin and the great

drowning, most of the knowledge and great practitioners had been

lost and as a result the art had regressed.

Thankfully, while I wouldn't be able to progress my craft by too many

levels right now, when I returned to my original world where science

is centuries ahead, I would be able to create wonders with it. I also

made sure to advance my INT as much as possible because the

better my information processing, the faster I could learn and really

start building.

It took me 2 years to memorize everything than I needed in order to

be deemed ready to graduate the theoretical part. After that, I was

trained into blacksmithing and was taught special techniques and

practices to purify and harden metals to give them greater durability.

These secrets allowed the elves to create weapons out of softer

metals (mostly silver) without being inferior to iron weapons all the

while keeping the purifying properties of silver intact.

+15 INT

Expert Blacksmithing (Lv25-Lv30): MAX- This skill can be

UPGRADED.

I had to spend another 5 years to max my blacksmithing skill and

master the hardening technique to the fullest. The combination of

herbs and ores needed to be mixed into the main metal to do so as

well as the timing was extremely demanding in its precision and

depending on what you wanted to build and the effects on the object,

you had to use different combinations and ratios. All in all, a pain in

the ass.

The basics mastered, I was now put to work in order to master

enchanting. Let me tell you, an elven forge was completely different

than a dwarven one. Where with the dwarves the sound of hammer

strikes echoed all around in a rhythmic tone, here these sounds

where shrouded by the beautiful singing of the crafters. Magic was

suffusing every nook and cranny of the place and my magical

senses where drowning in a good way from the concentration of the

light energies within.

I toiled with the elves for 50 long years. By the beginning of the year

1910 of the third age I had learned everything they could teach me

when it came to enchantments and I even managed to coax the

knowledge on how to work on mithril out of them.

As a graduating challenge I finally managed to create a staff using all

of my accumulated skill. In addition, on my free time I would train

with my available magics in order to level them up as far as I could

and because I had taken some tips from Elrond who was an elder

being of Light and a Child of the Great Song, I could easily upgrade

them as well. Lastly I used some of my free status points to make my

LUC reach 50 in order to get the extra perk.

+2 STR

+20 INT

+15 WIS

+10 VIT

+10 DEX

+5 LUC

Hammer Mastery (MAX): Your ability to use hammers. +60%

dmg and 15% armor penetration when using hammers. This

skill can be UPGRADED.

Greater Enchanting(Lv5): The craft that allows you to empower

objects or buildings with extra abilities or characteristics

through the use of your magic, either through your voice, runes

or some other type of medium. True Masters of the skill are

capable of creating wonders that even the Gods would envy

and desire.

Greater Lumiomancy (Lv1-25): Your ability to control

light(-56MP to all light based spells). Cost 2MP

Meira ljós (Lv1-Lv25): A light type spell that imbues weapons

and projectiles like arrows or bullets or even your body with

light causing them to deal extra light damage. + 1300 dmg,

Cost: 340(284) MP/ min. Special: When used against dark

aligned creatures or beings then there is a +200% damage dealt.

Its upgraded form allows the user to extend the range of their

weapon when used on melee weapons and multiplying the

number of projectiles fired when used on a ranged weapon.

Melee: +3,4cm, Ranged: +25 additional light construct

projectiles.

Greater Illumination (Lv1): A light type spells that causes an

explosion of light around the user, dealing damage to all

enemies touched by it and weakens all dark magic in the

affected area for the next 8 hours. DMG 3000, Radius: 25

meters, Cost 2000(1944) MP.

Aegis of Light (Lv1): A light type spell that creates a omnidirectional

curved light construct in the shape of a sphere that

protects the user against magical attacks and it is capable of

negating a certain amount of dark magic or spells that is fired

upon it. Cost: 750 (494) MP, Durability: 4000 DMG, Dark Magic

Negation: 2500 DMG.

Healing Song (Lv3): Your song is capable of healing most of the

wounds and weariness of the ones who hear it. It doesn't work

on beings of darkness and evil or those you designate as

enemies. Cost 438 MP/min, +190 HP/min to allies ), 19% chance

of curing curses and illnesses.

Song of Ethereal Light (Lv2): When you are singing using this

skill, all creatures of light get empowered by it and you can

even chase away the darkness and despair. Cost 600MP/min, +

36 to all physical stats of non darkness aligned allies, DMG

+320 to all beings of darkness and evil, 24,6% chance to cause

debilitating migraines to your enemies.

New Perk: Deadly Luck: Whenever you fight against an

opponent that is either a higher level than you or he has on

average higher stats then you, you gain +40% of critical strike

anytime you strike him both physically or with magic and your

critical hits cause +100% DMG.

Ruindol

+100 DMG

+ 100% DMG when casting spells

+150% DMG when casting light aligned spells

+300% DMG when casting fire aligned spells

Special: Runic Empowerment: Through the use of runes carved

on it, the blade is now more powerful and can now be used only

by its rightful owner and her descendants.

Special: Elven: The staff is indestructible against anything

below the power of a God. Its method of creation had also made

it capable of harming all creatures of darkness and evil and

when they are near, it shines with a crimson ethereal flame

warning its wielder of imminent danger.

Info: Ruindol or Fiery Red Head in common, is a staff made by

the Maiar Celephindis.

I had made it using the special enchanted silver of the elves. The

handle was decorated with beautiful carvings of vines while on the

top there was perfect sphere made out of the red Star Jewel I had

been gifted decades ago in Lothlorien.

When I held it in my hands, I could feel it practically thrumming with

suppressed power. It was this day that Elrond seeing my creation

that he gave me officially the title of Celephindis the Red. Happy with

my achievement, I departed from Rivendell after saying my

goodbyes to Arwen promising to write as often as I could and

thanking Elrond for his hospitality, I headed towards Isengard in

order to make shop there.

The tower inside was dreary as fuck. Saruman truly dropped the ball

when it came to interior decoration, though admittedly his library

while way smaller than Elrond's, was full of books filled with obscure

knowledge that I doubt the elves or anyone sane really would want

to use some of the rituals or spells inside.

In one of those books I found the secret passages and rooms of the

tower and after some inspection I discovered a cavern in the bowels

that is the future would have probably been used to spawn those

super-soldier Orcs as well as forging weapons for them.

Happy that a rudimentary forge had already been created, I got to

work and upgraded it as much as I could only with a couple of weeks

of work, both by using me light magic to carve the place into a better

shape and also through runes to make it more accommodating and

to improve my tools and furnace to maximum potential.

The next twenty years passed by in relative peace with the

occasional Orc hunting or healing expedition to break the monotony

from my blacksmithing research. Having the capacity to live forever

had made me regard the years as if they were hours and I could in

hindsight understand why Gods seemed so forgetful of their children

if the passing of twenty years feels more like a long day to me than

the lifetime it is to mortals. Perspective is a great and terrible thing.

The only thing I had managed to improve in these decades aside

from my crafting skill were my sword and spear skills and I also

focused on my stats as much as I could in my free time, though they

were a bitch and a half to gain even a single level.

+7 STR

+12 VIT, DEX

+18 INT

+10 WIS

Sword Paragon(Lv1-Lv2): Your ability to use a sword without

chopping your own hand. +50% dmg and 23% attack speed

when wielding a sword.

Spear Paragon(Lv2-Lv3): Your ability to use a spear in battle

without poking your eye out. +55% dmg with and +24% attack

speed when wielding spears.

Expert Blacksmithing (Lv25-Lv30-MAX): With this skill you have

reached the greatest heights of the mortal non-magical aspects

of the noble art of the hammer and anvil. You are capable of

molding metals in any shape or form you desire through your

work and creating wonders that can compete with the greatest

mortal practitioners of the art. True Masters of the skill are able

to create wonders that even Gods gaze upon with awe. This

skill can be UPGRADED.

2933 T.A. - Tower of Orthanc - Isengard

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

The sound of hammer and anvil was heard from within my personal

forge as I created a spearhead out of elven silver.

Putting it inside of purified water and waiting until it cooled I dropped

on a table and started carving runes on it as I chanted a song of light

into the metal and after I was done, I dropped my finished product

together with another thirteen spearheads of the same quality and

enchantment.

These weapons were part of the preparations for one of my most

harebrained ideas in order to stave off my boredom. I snickered a bit

to myself as I was imagining Gandalf's horrified and exasperated

look at what I was about to do.

Taking a bath to remove all the sweat and grime from my body I put

on my fully red tunic and breaches and on top of it my newly

upgraded blood red Vanir armor (you gotta go with the theme).

Sheathing my sword and bow to my back ala witcher and putting my

newly finished spearheads inside a space expanded pouch, I picked

up my staff and headed towards Lothlorien.

I wanted to fly but my staff, unlike the rest of my belongings wouldn't

stick to me if I transformed so on foot I went (not that I was in a hurry

or anything, I still had a little less than a decade until it was time to

do some winged lizard extermination) but just as I was about to

reach the tree line of the forest of Lothlorien, I turned left and went in

front of a giant open gate that led inside the Misty Mountains, known

as Mirrormere.

Getting inside I spiked in a circle 6 of my 14 spearheads to the

ground and after exiting I was prepared to traverse the whole

mountain in order to reach the other side when like a lightbulb a

genius idea came to me and I wanted to repeatedly smack my head

on the stone because I hadn't thought of it sooner.

Left eye twitching a bit, I dropped my staff to the ground and after

transforming into an eagle, I picked the bloody thing with my talons

and flew to the Gate of Moria.

Waiting for the night to come in order for the moon runes to become

visible, I occupied myself by throwing rocks inside the lake and lo

and behold, the moment the last rays of sunlight disappeared my

tentacle hentai rape senses started tingling in alarm and I send a

magical nuke of light from my staff into the lake, wounding the beast

gravely. A few light imbued arrows later and I sent it to sleep with the

fishes (huehuehuehuehue yes pun fully intended and I am not

ashamed at all.)

Looking at the moonlight gate and making a mental note to search

Sauman's collection about the way of creation of these gates

because they were the coolest thing ever, I read the inscription.

"Ennyn Durin Aran Moria. Pedo Mellon a Minno. Im Narvi hain

echant. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin."

"The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. I, Narvi,

made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs."

Letting out a giggle in a very fangirlish way at being able to do

something every Tolkien fan wanted to do but never could I uttered

"Mellon" in glee and pushed the doors open. Since the expedition of

the retaking of Kaz-a-dum is not destined to occur until decades in

the future, the place was slightly cleaner and without the desiccated

corpses of dozens of dwarves littering the ground.

Using my uber flashlight spell to light the way, after using another six

of my spearheads to create a circle in front of the entrance I trekked

cheerily through the ruins. It took me about 1 and half days by my

internal clock to reach that sunlit room without the grave thankfully

(and if I have say about it, then Balin will never have the fate he

originally had here) and from there it was another hour of fast paced

walking until I reached a huge area filled with pillars that looked like

fucking towers. It was one thing to watch this place through the

movie screen and a completely different thing to experience it for

real.

Unfortunately I hadn't come here for sightseeing so I quickly got to

work. Using chalk, I inscribed a big runic circle and imbedded my last

two spearheads inside it. One towards the direction of the Gate of

Moria and the other towards Mirrormere.

Talking a deep breath to psych myself up, I stood in the middle of the

runic circle and using both my hands to hold my staff in front of me I

poured about 40.000 mana and cast Greater illumination shouting "

YOU SHALL NOOOT PAAAAASSSS!".

Yes I know I was alone at that moment and there were no bridges or

gates in sight but I just couldn't let go such a prime chance to satisfy

my inner otak- fantasy genre enthusiast.

The Runic circle absorbed my spell and lit up like a Christmas tree. It

released a pulse of a great purifying light that encompassed every

nook and cranny of the ancient dwarf kingdom from gate to gate and

to its deepest reaches and when the light touched my other two

anchors it was absorbed there and repeated the spell again and

again for seven times until all my spearheads had burned out into

inertness.

The screams of thousands of Orcs disintegrating from the spells

power brought a vicious self-satisfied smile on my lips at a work well

done, but it was not time for celebration yet, because there was one

last obstacle before Durin's home became pest free.

Sitting down in a lotus position with my staff on my lap I started

meditating in order to rest and preserve my strength for the fight

ahead.

It was a few minutes later that I could feel the monster lumbering my

way. Its feet caused great booming with every step and I could

practically feel a shadowy and suffocating presence trying to

smother me and make me bow down and submit. Unfortunately for

the demon, my inner natural stubbornness and Gamer's Mind were

more than capable of negating its aura.

As it approached slowly and confidently, I could make out more and

more of its appearance. It was 10 feet tall in a humanoid slightly

hunched body that was completely black. It was engulfed in orange

and red flames that reeked of sulfur and he had a fiery whip and

sword on its left and right hand respectively. Its head was decorated

with 2 big black horns and its mouth was glowing with an inner

flame. On its back there were two draconic wings that thankfully

wouldn't be able to use considering we were underground. It was

also wounded. I could see cracks around its body and flaming pieces

of its flesh falling to the ground. It seems my ritual while not fatal, left

it with a very nice present. Good.

" Gurz kul mubi lat maiar. Latob dush kul nar fukisham thluk." It

bellowed with arrogance.

My reply was to blast the fucker with a Great Illumination. After all

according to the Ares cabin, when in doubt, go with the nuclear

option.

The wall of attacking light slammed the beast like a freight train,

knocking it down on its back. I immediately run and leaped on top of

its leg and trekked all the way to its torso. I was about to plunge

Glamdring in its heart but one of its wings folded inwards and

slammed me away from it as I crushed on one of the pillars and

sending my staff flying away.

As it stumbled to its feet, it used my disorientation to make a thrust at

me with its sword but a hasty Aegis of Light gave me enough time to

roll to the right before it broke and the sword ripped through the

building wide column like it was made of paper and started melting

the stone instantly.

'Note to shelf, don't let that thing touch you' I thought with a shudder

at the close call.

"GRAAAAAAAAAH" roared the demon at his failure in killing me and

he swung his whip but it got caught around one of the pillars causing

me to smirk. I didn't choose to wait in this place because I liked the

view.

Seeing my chance I leapt once into the fray, singing a song of light to

inflict some more damage and boost myself a bit more together with

Mortal Combat and Rage Booster,

STR: 347

VIT: 221

DEX: 251(265)

I rolled beneath its feet and hacked at his legs making the Balrog cry

in pain. What I didn't expect was for it to explode in flames that threw

me away with bone shattering force but my problems didn't end

there. I could feel myself for the first time in this life burning. The

cursed flames ate through my clothes and started burning my skin as

I screamed in pain.

Instinctively I used my light magic to coat my body in an aura of light

that extinguished away the demonic fire but it didn't take away the

pain. Giving a cursory glance to my body I could see the many

hideous burn wounds from the top of my feet all the way to my face

considering the pain I felt.

New Perk: Cursed Scars: Due to getting burned by demonic

flames, your body has gained hideous scars that will cause you

pain every time you are near a demonic presence. - 60 CHA.

I sang Healing Song in order to return to fighting condition but I knew

that flames like those didn't heal easily but this was a problem for

future me. Right now I had a monster to kill.

Speaking of it, Mr. Balrog was on his knees trying to get on its feet

but my little sword work on his legs prevented him from doing so.

Happy at getting a break finally, I transformed into my eagle form

and flew above him. Turing back to my human form, I imbued my

sword with as much magic as I could spare and plunged on top of

his head with a battlecry of "FLY YOU FOOL!". Just because I could.

*SQUELCH*

My little stunt proved fruitious because I pierced my way through its

skull on top of his head and out of his mouth. Never living anything to

fate, I cast a great illumination through my blade making its mouth

and eyes shine with white light like a discoball and giving it the final

blow causing its fire to become extinguished and crushing face first

to the ground.

Giving a sigh of relief, I pulled my sword out of the dead fuckers skull

and walking along its spine I used my blade to curve out through its

flesh in order to reach the heart. A few minutes of great stink and

black blood everywhere I had finally in my hands a black heart as big

as a football pulsing with an inner crimson light.

According to Saruman's book, it also serves as a repository for its

immortal soul. Balrogs after all were Maiar that where corrupted by

Morgoth and became demonic gods. Putting it inside my space

expanded pouch for safe keeping, I stumbled towards my staff. I

transformed into my eagle form and flew out of Mirrormere heading

to my tower post haste. I heard an alert from the game but I was in

too much pain to pay notice to it right now.

Once there, I quickly found my notes on a healing ritual I had created

using both Norse and elven runes. Discarding my spoil from the

fight, I put my notes and sword into the pouch and once more cast

Healing Song to mitigate some of the pain. Pulling a robe on myself

to preserve my modesty, I flew through a window and went to

Rivendell as fast as my wings could carry me.

The pain while I traveled was excruciating but I gritted my teeth

(beak?) and managed to reach my destination. By the time I arrived

to Imladris it was well into the night and I made a mental note to

apologize later but for now I had need of some expert healing so with

cry I crushed through a window and into Arwen's room causing her

to wake up with a startle and scream in fright.

Quickly transforming back into my human form I made to greet her

but she was faster.

"You idiot, you almost scared me to death. What were you thinking?

Are you out of your mind?" she started screaming some more and

the angry look she was giving me was all kinds of hot but I didn't

have time for this right now.

"… Infection… Cursed… Healing… Ritual… Pouch….

Athelas….Burns" I tried to speak but my mind was already going

hazy and I was slurring. I stumbled into her arms and my world was

going black. The last thing I registered was Arwen's worried face and

the crushing of her doors opening and then nothing.

2939 T.A. - Imladris

Due to some inconsistencies with the leveling system a new

patch has been used to fix the issue. From now on every new

level will require the previous levels experience points plus 50

million more.

The Gamer has woken up in healing area. All negative status

and ailments are cured.

Perk Cursed Scars has been removed due to the combination of

Gamer's Body, Divine Constitution and Healing Water Ritual.

I woke up with a start feeling phantom pains throughout my whole

body making me wince a little. Looking down I noticed that like the

system said the burn scars from the Balrog had completely

disappeared leaving behind pink healthy skin, which was a relief

because I didn't fancy spending my time inside a fullbody armor and

mask for the rest of my life.

After making sure that everything was in order from my side I noticed

that I was inside a healing pool that at the bottom had the runic circle

I had invented for my Healing Ritual.

It was a good thing that I could breathe underwater because if not, it

would have taken decades to finish healing.

Getting on my feet, I left the water and found myself inside one of the

bathhouses of Imladris. I searched around for something to wear to

preserve my modesty but there was nothing.

Grumbling a little, I resigned myself to wait here until someone came

and brought me some clothes. Since I had nothing better to do I

decided to check my notifications for killing the Balrog.

Hidden Quest: Dwarven Hegemony

Objective: Purge the mines of Moria from the Orc presence. (Y)

Bonus Objective: Defeat the Balrog. (Y)

Rewards

100m exp, 20.000 Gold, Kingdom of Moria (Copy), Title, 100Kg

of Mithril.

150m exp, Heart of Balrog, +1 Rank Fire Manipulation,

Godslayer point.

Failure:

Moria will remain under Orc control for the next 400 years

(QUEST COMPLETE)

Due to slaying a Divine being you have gained an upgrade to

Godslayer Perks.

Perk: Blood of the Gods(Rank 1 - Grade 1): Because you killed a

God and 'bathed' in their blood you gain a +25% chance of

resistance against Divine spells and Curses, +40.000 increase

on your HP and MP and +10% DMG against beings with Divine

blood.

Godslayer(Rank 1 - Grade 1): You have done the impossible and

have managed to slay a God in one on one fight as a mortal. As

a result you have gained the title and prestige of a Godslayer.

Your new title allows you to absorb some of the power of the

Gods you kill. The more Gods you kill, the bigger the chance of

gaining an authority or special ability from your Fallen foe.

By slaying the corrupted Maiar Balrog you have stolen some of

its power and have gained +50 to all base stats permanently.

Due to bathing to the blood of a Greater Demonic Entity and

managing to overcome its curse you gain:

New Perk: Greater Demonic Resistance: All demonic spells and

magic gain a 25% decrease in their effectiveness when cast on

you.

High Pyromancy (Lv3): Your ability to conjure and control fire.

Because of your great skill in wielding flames and the

deepening of your affinity now all your fire spells will inflict

+50% more DMG. (-70MP to all fire spells- Doesn't affect FOW).

Cost: 10 MP/sec

Orc's slain: 50.000 - Exp gained: 5.000.000

Barlog slain: 1 - Exp gained: 100.000.000

Quest Exp: 250.000.000

Total Exp: 355.000.000

Level Up x2

Putting my new stat points to INT in order to take it to 250, I enjoyed

my new perks and the skyrocketing power up I just gained once

more and my LUC perk in my opinion was broken as all hell.

DEX 250= Grace of the Assassin: With this perk your natural

precision, accuracy, flexibility and speed surpasses all human

limits. You will no longer waste any movement in battle and you

will move with a grace befitting of a master assassin.

250 INT= Magical Potency of the Archmage (III): You unlocked a

part of the hidden power of the Archmage inside you. With this

perk you gain +100% in the power of your spells without

needing to overcharge them and +20% Magic Resistance.

LUC 100= Miss Fortune: When fighting against an enemy that is

a higher level from you or has on average greater stats than

yours then there is a 35% for them to be unlucky enough to

misstep, trip or even have his sweat get inside his eyes causing

him to get blinded temporarily and generally have many

annoyances and inconveniences throughout your battle.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum / Celephindis the Red

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Maiar (Fake)

Level: 32 (108.000.000/250.000.000)

HP: 91.300 (+51.000) HPReg= 13 % /h

MP: 84.100 (+41.000) MPReg= 229 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)[LOCKED]

STR: 366

VIT: 225

DEX: 255(269)

INT:250(260)

WIS: 200(225)

CHA: 175(195)

LUC: 110(135)

Status Points: 0

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 4250, MG=20.250

Unfortunately, minus the Balrog Heart, the rest of my physical

rewards were stored into my inventory and as a result I won't be able

to use them until I go back to Earth. I could really use some mithril

right now to create a new outfit considering my Vanir Armor became

ashes.

I didn't have a chance to lament my favorite armor though because

Arwen came into the room and looked at me with wide eyes and I

put my most charming smile into use.

"Hey Arwen, long time no see, Sorry for the scare by the way."

She didn't speak but just started walking towards me and I opened

my arms to give her a hug but all I got was a glare and a punch in

the face that sent me into the pool.

"What the fuck woman. Why did you punch me?" I shouted as I got

once again out of the water and gazed at the angry visage of my

elven friend while nursing my cheek. For a mildly pampered princess

she hit like a sledgehammer.

"You have the gall to ask me why? You crushed one night through

my window, head to toe with cursed burns and demanding me to use

some experimental ritual that my father had barely been able to

decipher as quickly as possible before you expired and you expect

me to be calm about it?"

"Okay I may had been a little hurt…." I tried to say but see

interrupted me with a shrill scream which was extremely out of

character for an elf.

"A LITTLE HURT! YOU ALMOST DIED YOU MORON. YOU HAVE

BEEN IN A HEALING COMA FOR 6 YEARS. WHAT IN THE NAME

OF THE VALAR HAVE YOU DONE TO GET IN SUCH A STATE!"

Ignoring the duration of my 'little sleep' for the moment, I replied

hesitantly. The elf princess looked like she wanted to flay me alive

and whip me with my skin. It was terrifying.

"I may have picked a fight with a Balrog. Teehee!"

"Where did you stumble upon a Balrog of all things? She said in

exasperation trying to keep her temper in check and then continued.

"And most importantly, why in all that is good did you decide to fight

it instead of running?" Crossing her arms and giving me The

Eyebrow™, her father's signature move when dealing with Gandalf's

shenanigans.

"M..r..a" I muttered trying to delay the inevitable.

"A little louder please" The Eyebrow™ never faltering for a second.

"I went to Moria.." and that was as far as I managed to get before I

was punched on the other cheek and was thrown in the pool a

second time.

'Oh bitch, the first one I may have deserved it but now you are

playing with fire' I thought angry and kinda aroused at the same time.

I like women with personality sue me.

Getting my torso out of the water, I griped her from the ankle and

pulled her inside the water.

"KYYYYYAAAAA"

*SPLASH*

As she flayed about, I picked her from her waist and positioned her

at the wall of the pool, trapping her body with mine while glaring at

her.

"How do you like that princess? Not as fun when it happens to you is

it." I taunted her using Infuriating Ares Smirk #3 causing her to give

me the glare of a particularly vicious kitten while her cheeks were

completely red from both fright and embarrassment.

"You… You… absolutely… idiotic… !" she sputtered searching to find

the best insult while trying not to compromise her noble bearing and

elfness but at this moment gazing at her beautiful blue eyes there

was only one thing I was capable of doing, so I kissed her with all the

passion I could muster.

I felt her freeze in shock for a few moments before she started to

tentatively reciprocate and a few moments later she gripped my butt

which admittedly impressed me with her initiative and we were both

lost to our shared passion as the room was filled with the sound of

splashing water, breathy sighs and moans.

About an hour later we left the bathhouse thankfully fully dressed

with me grinning like a loon and Arwen doing everything in her power

to not look in my general direction while blushing a red so intense

that I was slightly worried she was depriving the rest of her body

from blood.

I escorted my friend (girlfriend? lover?) to her chambers in order to

calm down and internalize what we did giving her a smoldering kiss

just because I could and I went to find the Lord of the House all the

while praying he didn't know I banged his hellcat of daughter.

After getting thoroughly scolded by the Elf Lord for my recklessness,

I was ordered to stay in Rivendell in order for him to monitor my

healing process because he wasn't sure what side effects my

experimental Healing Ritual would have completely ignoring my

protests. Not that I tried all that hard to resist. Isengard was nice and

all but the solitude could be a little too much at times.

So for three years I stayed in Rivendell mostly relaxing and

deepening my relationship with Arwen who after our second time

together really let go and never looked back. The only annoying part

was that we had to keep our thing a secret because according to her,

while same sex relationships were not frowned upon between elves

(which was kind of logical really. If you live for upwards 10 thousand

years, prejudices like that stop to have meaning at some point) she

didn't want to disappoint her father due to the inappropriateness of

our actions.

Considering that Elrond gave me the stink eye for the first year in my

stay and Glorfindel together with Elladan and Elohir would snicker at

us every time they saw us hanging out, I don't think we were quite

successful with all this cloak and dagger.

The only things I did training wise, was to Max my Siren Song by

practicing on wild animals in the woods and the twins and Glorfindel

every time they got too annoying and level up my Light shield

because it saved my butt against the Balrog.

Siren Song (MAX): Your beautiful voice is capable of enthralling

the minds of everyone who hear it, though the stronger the will

of the victim the harder it is for you to enthrall them. Cost: 170

MP/min, 16% chance of enthralling beings that are a higher level

than you. The higher the level the lower the chance. This skill

can be UPGRADED.

Aegis of Light (Lv1 - Lv10): A light type spell that creates a

omni-directional curved light construct in the shape of a sphere

that protects the user against magical attacks and it is capable

of negating a certain amount of dark magic or spells that is fired

upon it. Cost: 750 (449) MP, Durability: 8.500 DMG, Dark Magic

Negation: 4.300 DMG.

2941 T.A. - Imladris

It was noon when a contingent of 13 dwarves, a Hobbit and a Wizard

walked into Rivendell. If I wasn't so pissed with them for getting

rejected when I offered to become a member of the company by

Gandalf as a punishment for the Balrog thing I would have probably

teased them for their deer on headlights looks.

At dinner time I sat besides Balin amusing ourselves with the

awestruck looks the younger dwarves were giving me, the 'Whitegold

Maiden' had become something of an urban legend in Small-

Erebor apparently. When everyone was distracted I gave Balin a ring

with a ruby on top that would glow with a red light every time he was

pointing it to its pre-locked destination. It functioned the almost same

way as an Eternal Pose from One Piece.

Its destination was the ruined city of Dale and more particularly, a

hidden cache that can only be seen by the one wearing the ring and

has enough weapons and chain mails for twenty people. I had

enchanted them only with never-rusting and ever-sharp spells but

they were of excellent quality.

Since there was no White Council meeting and no Saruman to cause

problems, the company left the next day at the first light without

problems with the only difference being that I gave Bilbo the sword

he will later name Sting instead of finding it inside the troll cave.

When night came, I said goodbye to Arwen who was the only person

that knew about my mission and the results of my success. She was

the one who put my newly made rudimentary armor on me as a sort

of farewell ritual and after a teary intense kiss that lasted for minutes,

I put my staff inside my supply pouch and transformed into my Redailed

Hawk form. Gandalf may be able to recognize my eagle form

but none knows about this one aside from my lover.

I flew to Eagle's Eyrie and resigned myself to wait. I knew that the

Company was inside the Misty Mountains right now but it was

impossible to find them so this is my only choice.

It was 3 days later that a bunch of tired adventurers descend on top

of the eyrie on top of the Giant Eagles that were way cooler than

Zeus rabid beast.

After watching the bromance moment between Bilbo and Thorin, I

followed the Company for a week from a distance, making sure the

changes I made by being here didn't butterfly the dwarves into an

early grave.

Once they reached Beorn's house, I knew that everything would be

okay for now so I flew away to Lake Town.

Getting inside using my bird form was a piece of cake but the sight I

encountered was horrible. The whole place was dilapidated and the

people were living together packed like rats because there was not

enough space. The water was filthy, filled with feces from so many

bodies shitting literally where they were eating and the stink was

almost unbearable.

If I had to make a comparison, the whole place had the same

appearance as the description as Flea Bottom of Kings Landing from

the ASoIaF books.

Well not all of it. The mayor of course lived in what could be

considered to be a manor with an opulent interior filled with baubles

and other useless items that if each was sold would probably feed at

least two families but he was not the only one. Esgaroth surprisingly

enough wasn't ruled by a monarchy but by electing their mayor

amongst one of the 'wise men of the city' called the Merchants.

These rich families controlled the whole economy of the place and

kept themselves in power with an iron grip using both their ability to

deny supplies and create taxes on the populace for the smallest of

excuses and it pissed me off.

If there was one thing that set me off more than anything, it was

corrupted leaders that caused their people to suffer because of their

greed. Since I had a few weeks before Thorin and the others

reached here I decided to help the people as much as I could.

First I carved some water cleansing runes onto stones picked from

inside the river and threw them all around the town and the

surrounding waters. I could have used a ritual to do the exact same

thing instantly but the magical discharge would be felt for miles and I

didn't fancy making Smaug curious enough to investigate or be

chased around to be burned to the stake for practicing 'dark magic'.

With these stones the water will be clean and germ free in about two

weeks, give or take a couple of days and they would continue to

keep the water in perfect condition for a few decades before they

became inert.

I hunted deers and boars every day inside the forest and using my

space expanded pouch, I left them inside the house Bard with a

letter telling him to take as much as he needs for his family and the

rest to distribute to those in need. It wasn't possible to feed everyone

but every little bit of help makes the situation better.

In a completely unrelated note all of the corrupt and cruel Merchants

(the upper class of Esgaroth) as well as the Mayor, his sniveling

advisor who was probably the third cousin twice removed of Grima

Wormtongue and some soldiers that I had noticed getting 'favors'

from women in town in exchange for not declaring them 'criminals'

had misfortune fall on them like a house of bricks.

From deadly illnesses, to tripping down the stairs and breaking their

necks, stumbling drunk into the lake, dying due to capital E -

Explosive diarrhea inside their toilets (Mayor) and my personal

favorite having a heart attack while masturbating and found the next

day with their erect cock in rigor mortis while in their hands. By the

time my third week here had passed and the company was led into

the town (without problems this time due to the new management)

Lake Town had become a cleaner 'city' in more than one way.

Listening to the company griping about their capture inside

Greenwood (now that the corruption is gone, it had taken its previous

name instead of Mirkwood). From what I could understand, since

there were no spiders to threaten them, the Sylvan Elves had spread

throughout the whole forest from top to bottom making settlements

and outposts and they are also in the process of rebuilding Dol

Guldur as a stronghold against Sauron.

As a result, it didn't take them even an hour to detect the very loud

dwarves and Legolas recognizing Thorin, 'escorted' them to meet his

father. From there the obvious happened because while Thorin is

calmer and wiser, Thranduil is a raging cunt and can make even the

noblest of saints want to commit murder so the same altercation

happened and down the dungeons they went for some R&R for a

couple of weeks.

Fortunately for them and the whole of Middle-Earth, Bilbo had found

the One Ring and smuggled them out the river inside barrels where

they were found by Bard, who after some negotiations escorted the

"dwarf merchants" into Lake Town to rest in his house. Gandalf

unfortunately was kept in actual chambers instead of the dungeons

so they couldn't smuggle him away.

After staying for a week, they bought some boats with a pouch of

gold I helped them 'find' and they headed towards Dale and from

there Erebor. Of course Kili being wounded with the morgul arrow

together with Fili, Oin and Bofur stayed behind while I kept watch on

the situation. I could always heal him but I thought it would be a

disservice to him. I had scouted behind and Tauriel was approaching

so I decided to let his confession happen though I made sure to

place some athelas inside the house for my peace of mind.

With the Orcs running with their tails between their legs and Kili in

the tender hands of Tauriel getting healed, I flew to Erebor following

the Company. Unlike in the movies though, Thorin still had Orcist

because the elves couldn't touch the blade due to my enchanting.

The rest had armed themselves with the supply cache I had hidden

in Dale.

Durin's day came, Bilbo managed to get them into the Lonely

Mountain and now to clock was ticking. I picked a warhammer I had

built for this day and positioned myself above the main gate. All that

was left was for me to wait for the right time.

Dragon's Bane

+4000 DMG

-30% movement speed

-25% attack speed

+100% DMG when used against an armored opponent

+50% DMG when imbued with light

Special: Bombardment: A special enchantment made by

Celephindis the Red using both Runes and elven enchantment.

Once every day, the wielder of the hammer can choose to

activate the spell and when striking an enemy the weapon

creates a burst of explosive force that equals x5 times the DMG

additionally to the DMG that would have originally inflicted.

Info: A Warhammer made by Celephindis the Red using a

combination of elven silver and dwarven iron. It was made in

order to serve as a weapon against the fire drake Smaug. Its

size big enough to rest comfortably to a short trolls hands and

anyone with strength less than 300 will be incapable of using it.

The next day had come and it was afternoon. Perched on top of the

main gate I heard the roars of a dragon and saw a river of molten

gold flowing out of the gate. Knowing what was about to happen, I

strapped my sword to my side and my staff on a special sheath on

my back and I griped my Warhammer with both hands preparing

myself.

The moment Smaug bursted through the gates, I kicked the wall I

was standing on and with my hammer above my head imbued with

light, I smashed him right on top of his head.

STR+HAMMER+ LIGHT IMBUEMENT = [366 + 4000 + (1300

+1300*200%)] = [4366+3900] = 8266

HAMMER ENCHANTMENTS= [4000 + 4000* 100% + 4000* 50%]]

= [8000 + 2000] = 10.000

DMG = 18.266

HAMMER SPECIAL = [18.266 * 5] = [91.330]

CRITICAL HIT + DEADLY LUCK = [ 91.330+ 91.330*100 + 182.660

*100%] = 365.320 Total DMG.

Fierce Smaug may have been but my strike was fiercer and he

crshed to the ground his head half buried inside the earth. Striking

while the iron was hot (huh the puns) I hit him again and again and

again until his head had become red paste. A small lake of blood

and molten gold painted the front of the gates of Erebor, the dragons

body twitching in its death throes until a few moments later he stilled,

never to move again.

Smaug = 100.000.000 EXP

Gleeful at a job well done and relieved that I didn't have to fight the

monster head on while I was so handicapped in this world

considering the lives that were at stake if I failed, I couldn't help but

start cackling in maniacal glee.

Hearing my laughter, the dwarves and Bilbo hesitantly came out to

see what was going on and froze at the sight before them. It is not

every day that you see a dragon that starred as a protagonist of your

nightmares for decades had his head turned to a pulp by a woman

wielding a massive warhammer like it was made of straws.

"La- Lady Celephindis, what are you doing here?" asked Bilbo while

the rest were trying to comprehend their new reality.

"Well, I came to do some pest control dear hobbit. What do you think

King Thorin? Are you satisfied with my services?" I teased the

gobsmacked dwarf that was looking at me in wonder and then did

something I had never seen Thorin do. He laughed uproariously in

exuberance and as I approached them squeezed me hard enough to

crack my spine, prompting the rest to start cheering and laughing.

After everyone calmed down, Thorin told that I was to be given

whatever rewards I wanted within reason and if it was within his

power he would grant it. Seeing my chance I asked for three things.

First, I claimed ownership of the dragon's heart and some of its

scales for my personal use, which they were more than happy to

grant. Second, I requested him to make peace with both Men and

Elves near his realm because I didn't want the innocent to suffer

because Thranduil was a raging cunt.

Laughing at the title I gave the King of Greenwood, he accepted

seeing the logic in my argument and promising that he would do so.

Last I requested that he let me purify through a ritual the treasures of

his home, explaining the effects of a dragon's presence and the

dangers of the Dragon Sickness. To make it easier on him I told him

that they were more than welcome to escort and watch me as I

worked.

The last one was the hardest one to sell but after Balin talked to him

and reminded him of the madness that befell his grandfather Thror

he accepted.

A couple of hours later, the whole of Erebor was bathed in a white

cleansing light and the curse of the dragon was trapped inside 7 egg

sized rubies that had turned black. Seeing the change in the gems,

Thorin thanked me for ridding his home from such evil and

preventing him for his inevitable succumbing to the curse.

After the excitement was over, everyone started organizing. Thorin

sent a message via ravens to his kin in the Iron Hills and Small

Erebor to inform them of the good news and request reinforcement

and those who wished to return home to do so respectively.

On the same night, while everyone was sleeping, I managed to talk

with Bilbo that was sitting on one of the balconies alone.

"What ails you my friend, you look troubled." I said from behind him

startling him.

"O-oh, Lady Celephindis, its its nothing. I was just thinking of home,

yes home, you know Shire all the way West." stammered the

anxious hobbit and receiving an amused look while refusing to look

in my eyes.

"You know Mr. Baggins for an 'expert' burglar you are a really bad

liar." I said shooting a look at his breast pocket causing him to freeze

for a moment before deflating and explaining about what Smaug told

him about the stone and his fears that if he gave it to Thorin he

would fall into madness.

"You are correct in your fears Mr. Baggins, that's why I came here

with a solution that will make everyone happy."

"What type of solution?" asked the Halfling nervously.

"Take out the Arkenstone and see." I said and the moment he pulled

out the glowing white stone, I did the same with a rune carved

diamond in my hands of the same size and touched the Heart of the

Mountain with it.

Instantly in my hands was a second Arkenstone exactly the same as

the original glowing softly causing Bilbo to gasp in surprise.

"There you go, now you can give the 'Arkenstone' to Thorin without

fearing for his mind while I will take the original and hide it

somewhere that none in Middle-Earth will be able to find." I said

trading stones with him causing him to smile in relief and thanking

me.

As he left to finally get some peaceful sleep I finally got the chance

to make use of Dragon Heart.

Performing the same ritual that I used with Zeus eagle, I devoured

the heart and instantly felt raw power suffusing my being. It felt like

molten rivers where flowing inside my every vain and I fell to the

ground, my mouth open in a silent scream. When the pain became

manageable again I opened the game alerts.

Through the use of the ancient ritual of Conqueror's Bounty you

gain:

Dragon's Kin

+ 40.000 HP

+20.000 MP

+5% HP Regen.

+15 MP Regen for every 5 WIS

+50 to all stats

+1 Rank to Pyromancy

Perk: Dragontongue: You have the ability to use the magical

language of the Dragons and you are capable to speak to all

reptiles from the lowliest of geckos to the mightiest of Dragons.

All of the reptiles that are weaker than you will obey you and

revere you when speaking to them.

Special Perk: Dragon Form: You have the ability to transform

into a mighty fire Dragon. When in that form all you stats aside

from LUC increase x100 and your HP and MP x10. When in

Dragon Form all dragonslaying items and magic are extremely

effective against you and in you human form they inflict +20%

more damage than they would if they were used against a nondragon.

VIT 250 = (Special): Uzumaki Clan (II): Through this perk you

gain a small part of the Uzumaki's great vitality. Gives +7 vitality

points for every 5 points of VIT, your body becomes durable

enough that mundane weapons will not be capable of piercing

your skin and you gain +2% HP Regen.

WIS 250 = ?: Eru Illuvatar has denied you usage of this perk

while in his Realm. The only thing you can attain for now is:

Space Affinity: +20% exp when using space natured spells and

rituals.

Space Manipulation(Lv1): Your ability to manipulate spatial

energies (-1 MP to all spatial spells) Cost: 10.000 MP/sec

Supreme Pyromancy(Lv1): Your ability to conjure and control

fire. Because of your great skill in wielding flames and the

deepening of your affinity now all your fire spells will inflict

+200% more DMG. (-200MP to all fire spells- Doesn't affect

FOW). Cost: 10 MP/sec

Hidden Quest: The cursed stone

Objective: Steal the Arkenstone

Rewards

200m xp, Arkenstone, Prevent the future generations of Erebor

Dwarves from being cursed with madness, Halls of Erebor

(Copy).

Failure:

Erebor will fall to discord on the events of The Lord of the

Rings/ Possible Death of Thorin.

Level Up x1

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum/ Celephindis the Red

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Maiar (Fake)

Level: 33 (158.000.000/300.000.000)

HP: 154.625 (+91.000) HPReg= 20 % /h

MP: 112.169(+61.000) MPReg= 1.104 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)

STR: 424

VIT: 275 +35 HP PER 5 VIT x lv

DEX: 305(319)

INT:300(310) +24 MP PER 5 INT x lv

WIS: 250(275) +20 MPREG PER 5 WIS

CHA: 225(245)

LUC: 160(185)

Status Points: 5

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 4250, MG=20.250 (Mortal

Gold)

Hammer Paragon (Lv1): Your ability to use hammers. +65% dmg

and 16% armor penetration when using hammers.

New Title: Dragonslayer: When you have this title equipped, you

deal + 15% damage to all dragons and wyrms and you exude

passively an aura of dominance around you that will make the

weak willed bow to your superiority.

Seeing my new power up I grinned though I couldn't understand

what kind of perk WIS gave me for Eru to not even allow me to know

about it. I shrugged, I am not long for this world anyway, I will find out

soon enough.

What I was practically salivating about was my Dragon Form and my

acquisition of the second of the higher affinities. Space, Time, Light

and Darkness are affinities that can only be acquired by getting

blessed by a Supreme Being or Consciousness through special

circumstances.

Like how I gained my light affinity from Yggdrasil by withstanding its

presence as a mortal or getting chosen again by the same Beings by

meditating on the desired concept about the same way the

Greybeards tried to understand the Dragon Shouts in Skyrim. The

caveat with this method is that instead of decades, you need

centuries.

Your average Joe and I am putting even most Gods in that category,

use structured spells created through arithmetic equations and runes

in order to even use these types of magic. There is a reason that

there is not a Time god in the Greek Pantheon aside of Zeus

paranoia. They are too lazy to put the effort needed for the

Primordial God Chronos to even humor thinking about blessing

them, much less actually doing so and there is also obvious why the

Hindu Gods are so fucking powerful compared to the rest.

They are as culture practically the forefathers of meditation and the

metaphysical enlightenment and as a result many of them had

managed to achieve one or more of these affinities, with the Trimurti

having like all of them and from what Freyja told me briefly, many

more that have been forbidden to be even named to non-major Gods

through an inter-pantheon Divine Agreement.

Think about it for a moment. Even actual Gods if they are bellow of a

certain level of power or influence are forbidden to even know about

those affinities. I can only wonder on what kind of shit the top dogs

get up to considering that Life and Death magic is a thing.

The fact I have two of them is simply unreal and that's why I will

make sure none knows about the space one. A pseudo light affinity

possess the children of Apollo and other Sun Gods which in actuality

is not a full one but something like sunlight manipulation and

considering Freyja was my teacher everyone thinks that she made

Frey bless me or something. Space and Time on the other hand are

very heavy stuff and I will make sure no one knows about how

special I am until I can go toe to toe with a major god at least.

Happy with my latest accomplishments, I retired for the night in order

to get some sleep because the next days are sure to be hectic.

The next day Bilbo approached Thorin and gave him the

'Arkenstone' bringing happiness to all the dwarves and declared

Bilbo as the Greatest Burglar in all of Arda and friend of all dwarfkind

much to his consternation.

A month later, Thorin was sitting on the throne of Erebor with the

'Arkenstone' above his head while dwarves, elves and men filled the

whole room celebrating his coronation as King under the Mountain.

There was a lot of repairing needed to be done still until the dwarven

halls returned to their pristine condition but everyone was hopeful

and more than happy to work.

Using some of his gold at my prompting, he invested in the

rebuilding of the city of Dale bringing back one of his kingdoms

greatest trade allies. Lastly, he gave the surly Elven King his gems

and finally freed Gandalf that was amusingly enough still a 'guest'

inside the halls of Greenwood.

Because the Orc presence had been almost completely decimated

outside of Mordor and its surrounding lands and my request to make

peace with the elves, there was no War of Five Armies and as a

result the line of Durin did not end and my mission was officially over.

Walking through an empty corridor inside Erebor lost in my thoughts,

I didn't see a white portal appearing above me until it swallowed me

whole taking me away from Arda never to return again. My only

regret is that I wouldn't see Arwen again but there was nothing I

could do about it.

Looking around I found myself back to the white space that I first met

Eru Illuvatar.

"Hello Alexandra Bellum, I hope you had fun with your adventures

into my realm." said the creator God with a happy smile.

"Sure, it was very entertaining and educating as well if I am to be

honest."

"Excellent and since you were successful in my mission, it is time to

for your reward."

"Reward? I thought my rewards was getting back home and

whatever I will get from the mission I accepted." I said puzzled.

"Well yes, but those are being given to you by your patron not me

and I am not someone to not recognize a debt. Forced or not you

helped my children tremendously acting above and beyond, saving

many lives and tipping the scales in the side of light by a great

margin. That's why I am more than happy to give you a reward from

yours truly. So? What will it be?"

I didn't even have to think about it, I knew exactly what I wanted.

"I want the knowledge and skill of Feanor and Celebrimor in the arts

of crafting and enchanting" I replied with a slightly maniacal smile

while the Elder God deadpanned.

"Out of all the things you could have asked… ! Pfff ok whatever, you

are not my problem anymore so it doesn't really matter to me who

you screw over with that kind of knowledge." and he waved his hand

causing a new alert to appear on the game system.

You have been blessed by a Divine Being, you gain:

Ascendant Blacksmithing (MAX): With this skill you have

reached the greatest heights of the immortal magical aspects of

the noble art of the hammer and anvil. Your skill is inferior to

only major Gods of the Forge. You are capable of molding

metals in any shape or form you desire and infusing them with

powerful conceptual properties through your work. You can

create wonders that even Gods gaze upon with awe or fear. This

skill can be UPGRADED.

Ascendant Enchanting(MAX): The craft that allows you to

empower matter with extra abilities or powerful concepts

through the use of your magic, either through your voice, runes

or some other type of medium. You are capable of creating

wonders that even the Gods would envy, desire or fear and your

skill is inferior only to major Gods of the Forge and/or Magic.

This skill can be UPGRADED.

Instantly I felt millennia of knowledge in magic and blacksmithing

shoved in my head with all the gentleness of a car crash causing me

to get the mother of all headaches and fall on my ass from the

shock.

Getting on my feet with a slight whimper I glared at the smirking

asshole causing his smile to widen slightly in satisfaction but I let it

go. I had enough of higher beings screwing me over because I

couldn't control my mouth, not that I got the chance, because the

moment I was about to open my mouth he waived his hand in a

shooing motion and I was once again translocated away.

Looking around with a twitching eyebrow I felt the need to start

singing Hello Darkness my old friend by Disturbed. At least this time

whatever Eru did protected me from getting devoured by the Void so

silverlinings and in order to pass the time until whoever my patron is

deems it to return me to Earth I opened the latest alerts for my

successful mission.

Mythic Quest: The Line of Durin

Main Objective: Make sure a male descendant of Dwarf King

Durin survives the Battle of the Five Armies (Y)

Bonus 1: Join the Company of Thorin Oakenshield and reach

Erebor without casualties. (F)

Bonus 2: Purify the Darkness of Dol Guldur (Y)

Bonus 3: Kill Smaug before he destroys Esgaroth (Y)

Bonus 4: Purify the Horde of Erebor from the Dragon Sickness

(Y)

Rewards:

Main Objective: 300m xp, Skill Book: Ore Sense, Unlocking of

the Gamer System, Return to PJ universe.

Bonus 1: 50m xp, 20.000 Gold Coins,+10 Levels in

Blacksmithing, Increased reputation with dwarf-kind

Bonus 2: 200m xp, + 10 Levels in Lumiomancy, Increased

reputation with all the free people of Middle-Earth, Fortress of

Dol Guldur (Copy)

Bonus 3: 350m xp, Dragon Scale Armor (Ingredients), Dragon

Heart, Dale (Copy), Increased reputation with dwarfs of Erebor

and people of Esgaroth.

Bonus 4: 50m xp, 50.000 Gold, Prevent Thorin from falling to

Dragon Sickness, Increased reputation with Thorin II

Oakenshield.

(MISSION COMPLETE)

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum/ Celephindis the Red

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Sorceress

Level: 36 (8.000.000/350.000.000)

HP: 160.400 (+91.000) HPReg= 20 % /h

MP: 116.600 (+61.000) MPReg= 1.104 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)

STR: 448

VIT: 275 +35 HP PER 5 VIT x lv

DEX: 305(319)

INT:300(310) +24 MP PER 5 INT x lv

WIS: 250(275) +20 MPREG PER 5 WIS

CHA: 225(245)

LUC: 160(185)

Status Points: 20

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 4250, MG=70.250 (Mortal

Gold)

Ore Sense(MAX): You can detect the presence of ores and

precious stones inside the Earth in a 100 meter radius.

Higher Lumiomancy (Lv5): Your ability to control light. .

Because of your great skill in wielding light and the deepening

of your affinity now all your light spells will inflict +200% more

DMG. (-200MP to all light spells) Cost: 10 MP/min.

*Ping*

You have got a letter.

I didn't get to admire my new stats because of the weird glowing

letter that appeared in front of me.

Opening it warily as if expecting it to explode in my face, it was from

my mysterious patron and as I started reading, the farther I went the

wider my eyes were widening until by the time the letter was over I

was gaping like a fish out of water at the implications of what they

wanted me to do, and to put the cherry on top my newest WIS perk

finally revealed itself at the same type a portal opened to lead me

back home.

"Jesus Christ and Mother of God!"

A few answers for some of the Reviewers:

Brandon Boodoo: Dude, there are like a million different gamer

fics throughout both this site and others and I haven't seen a

single one of those authors using the Gamer System exactly

like the Korean manga, so unless you go to every single one of

those fics and complain about not describing the game

'properly', I don't understand why you give flak to me about it.

Lastly this is called fanfiction for a reason. If we fanfic authors

in general had to follow the canon script without deviations in

our works then what is the point of fanfiction in the first place.

My advice chill and enjoy the story or try to find some unaltered

gamer system fic. I am sure you will find plenty of them

somewhere.

grimmouse197: The MC didn't improve on those skills because

she focused completely on her crafting skills. Also you have to

understand that with not having any serious challenges in Arda,

the MC got kinda of lazy fightingwise because she was tired of

being sent from battlefield to battlefield like in her old world.

She may have had the Gamer's mind but don't forget that she

participated in a war and also has been trying to survive

murderous relatives since she first got the infodump at six

years old. Lastly, her current skills with weapons is beyond

what a normal human is capable of achieving. Think of it as

nasuverse D++Rank Weapon handling. To level up these skills

is to reach the levels of ability of Cu Culainn or Gilgamesh or

something who are solid A and above. Not something that can

be done by swinging a weapon on air or without a divine tier

teacher. Those things take time.

Lord Parthas: To answer your questions, no I have not a

confused sexuality I am completely straight thank you very

much. The MC appears to be gender bent because yes I found

the situation funny a bit and you have to admit, giving cheek on

an omnipotent entity of unknown morals and goals was a

particularly stupid thing to do and he got off lightly in my

opinion and second, the only thing I will say is that I have a very

good reason plot wise on why I did what I did. Last, the image

of a 5 foot 5 woman kicking around a bunch of self important

rapey chauvinistic cunts is amusing to me.

And this is it for chapter 22 guys. I know that was my latest

update to date but life happens and this chapter kind of kicked

my ass. I will try to update again in a weeks time the latest but

no promises. Thank you for reading and see ya around.

~ChildeOfWar

Well! That escalated quickly!

Here I am with chapter 23 guys. As always Percy Jackson

belongs to Rick Riordan and all other franchises and references

mentioned to their rightful owners.

Enjoy!

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 23: Interlude: Reactions, Reflections and Spilled

Blood

(Point Of View - Ares)

After my talk with the super-brat I felt a great weight leave my

shoulders. Now that she was informed of Zeus schemes, she would

make sure neither her nor her siblings would join that murder-trial

masquerading as a viable challenge for demigods. I am tired of

watching my children dying as it is, I will not have them throw their

lives away just because Zeus is a paranoid fuck.

Sitting on my throne I listened to the King spout about the new

'tradition' he wanted to establish and I observed Alexandra giving a

death glare at every one of my brats, making them straighten up in

fear at what would happen to them if they even think of joining this

charade. I smirked in satisfaction.

For far too long had my demigods been acting like thugs and I can

admit my appearance and behavior when I met them might have

played a part to it but it is good to see them so disciplined. I don't like

the Romans (no Greek truly does) but admittedly there is a beautiful

thing watching legions of soldiers moving and fighting in one rhythm

with absolute precision in their every actions and not like a band of

bandits that my brats had been behaving like until my super-brat

read them the riot act.

Now they fight as a team and they actually think before going into

action. I am the God of War, not of suicide bombers and my sprogs

should reflect that. They had gotten strong as well and most of them

are a few days away from truly awakening their magic, with Clarisse

actually managing to do a half-assed mana imbuement on her spare

spear. I wasn't surprised, women as a rule have always been known

to grasp magic in its earlier stages faster and have finer control of

their mana. Men more often than not excel in more mana-heavy

expressions of magic with a few exceptions once in a while.

Alexandra excels in both but it would do a disservice to 99% of all

demigods if I compared them to her. She has leaped above the titles

of prodigy and genius and is somewhere along the lines of force of

nature. Not even Theseus has managed to reach such level of

control over his magic and by the end he was a man that to this day

is exalted by both Athena and Hecate as the most talented demigod

to live magic wise. But not anymore, my super-brat had thoroughly

won that title and she is barely a teenager by this point.

"Shit" swore Aphrodite from beside me and I was about to tease her

about her 'inelegant language that should never be used by a lady'

but her serious look prompted me to focus on the demigods and

what I saw made me want to groan because of course that Athena

brat was going to ruin everything. If there was one major weakness

my daughter had, was that she got attached to others very easily

and that owl-spawn had truly dug her claws in her heart.

Seeing the self satisfied look Corpse Breath was sending my

daughter, it seems he knew it too and now there was no way she

was getting out of this. I never wished it more in my life to kick that

ungrateful fucks teeth in. After everything my daughter did for him

(Athena had informed some of us secretly about what she learned

from Freyja), this is how he repays her just because his ego was

bruised. Even I who am considered by almost everyone would never

dare to treat some that I owed such a great debt to with anything

less than curt respect. If it wasn't for Dite I would have destroyed my

throne in my rage at the sheer disgracefulness of their schemes.

The only good thing about this whole situation is that I will get to see

the crushed faces of these fuckers when my child emerges

victorious, and it is a matter of when not if. I had watched as she

fought in Muspelheim and the honestly ingenious use of Gradation

Mist and Warfyre Napalm and something tells me that those are

only the tip of the iceberg.

Her youthful appearance had made them forget that she spent 10

Earth years in the Norse Realm being trained by both Freyja and the

Valkyrie Order as well as fighting in a war and they are going to

really regret that lapse in judgment. Their disappointment is going to

be delicious. This I am going to relish.

(End of POV - Ares)

(POV Pallas Athena)

Watching Alexandra stepping through the Astral Gate I couldn't help

but feel a stab of guilt about my part in forcing her to participate in

that atrocity of a challenge. I should have known that Annabeth

would have tried to participate and discouraged her from it.

Her fatal flaw (as is many of my children) is her pride and the chance

to prove herself before the whole pantheon is too great a temptation.

The rest of my children had seen the writing on the wall and kept

themselves from joining, but they were older and more experienced

than my youngest whose youthful impulsiveness unknowingly sent

her idol into the jaws of the beast.

The only thing that is giving me some hope is the knowledge of how

truly competent the daughter of war is both in battle prowess as well

in cunning. If there is one demigod capable of prevailing this House

of Horror it is her.

The question here is if we are ready to deal with the consequences

either in her victory or her defeat because no matter the outcome it

would be foolish to believe that there won't be repercussions for this

travesty.

In their arrogance, the two brothers had forgotten that Alexandra had

made a lot of powerful friends since her introduction to the Divine

World. Friends that would not be happy when they learn that Zeus

practically strong armed her into basically walking to her death and I

can only hope that his small-mindedness won't lead us to war.

If the worse happens then my top priority would be to protect my

children first and foremost. I will not allow my sons and daughters to

fight in a war and more than likely die for the capriciousness of a

King that would murder them in cold blood the moment they showed

any potential. Even if it means I have to raise my spear against my

own Father I will protect them and any other demigod I can. This I

swear!

(End POV - Pallas Athena)

(POV - Thalia Grace)

I never liked my father. No, dislike is a weak word to describe the

sheer loathing I felt towards my sperm donor. I remember being just

6 years old when he walked into mine and my deadbeat mother's

house for the first time since I had been conceived. Until that point I

had only heard Beryl's drunken ramblings about the handsome,

charismatic 'man' that was my absentee father, but the only thing I

saw in his cold, so very cold eyes as he looked at me for the first

time was condescension.

You would expect that after seeing me for the first time he would

have spared me a smile or a compliment or Hades even a pat at the

head but the only thing he did was look me up and down for a

moment and then he led my ecstatic mother into her bedroom where

he fucked her for hours while I had to hear her screams and moans

of pleasure until the next morning. Both of them being completely

uncaring about the too young child that was forced to stay awake all

night hearing their filth.

Thinking of that incident still brings bile of disgust in my throat to this

day and the only good thing that came from it was my little brother

Jason. Even then I had to raise him practically on my own for a

whole 2 years because my mother was too depressed with Zeus

abandoning her again to care about the 'brats'. I mean lady how

stupid can you be? Had you not learned from the first time?

Whatever familial attachment I still had for him crushed and burned

after he let his bitch of a wife Hera to kill my baby brother to appease

her. I couldn't stand to live in that house for even a minute longer, it

was too much. The same night, after Beryl drunkenly passed out in

her 'grief', I stole every single dollar she had stashed in the house,

packed a small bag of clothes and other essentials and left, after of

course throwing everything that could constitute as alcoholic down

the drain. Never let it be said that even in such a tender age I wasn't

a vindictive bitch.

For a whole year I got by alone before I met with Luke who like me

suffered from 'deadbeat father syndrome'. We joined together to

better defend against the monsters who hunted us constantly, saving

each other's lives and becoming friends. A year after our meeting,

we stumbled into an alley containing a very intense and dangerous 9

year old looking girl with a fascination for guns and an overprotection

streak a mile wide for her even younger charge that painfully

reminded me of my relationship with my now dead brother.

For months we traveled together through the West coast, killing

monsters by the droves and becoming a family of choice instead of

one of blood (though we were blood related in a sense) and for a

little time I was truly happy. Until that accursed night when my

wretched heritage showed its ugly face and ruined everything that is.

It was the only instance I remember as I was sitting on the ground,

exhausted by summoning lightning for the first time, seeing Alex's

face take an expression of fear and after explaining the situation I

couldn't fault her either, but when the rest of us panicked not

knowing what to do, she didn't falter.

Acting quickly, she led us to that nymph grove, stood face to face

with a Goddess and her lieutenant without even flinching and even

got acknowledged from her as the strongest demigod alive, which to

be truthful made me extremely jealous at the time and after that led

us safely all the way to Camp and to my shame even taking my

place in standing alone up against a literal army of monsters even

though they had come for me. To add insult to injury, where I would

have been barely capable of giving a token of resistance, she took

them all to the grave with her. Or so we had thought back then.

For five years we had mourned her and I vowed to never lose

another member of my family again so I trained. I trained and trained

and then trained some more until my hands bled and I could barely

stumble in my bed at night in order to be strong enough to keep my

promise. It was Luke who snapped me slightly out of my funk with

his stupid smile and kind words and it was at this point that I started

to like him as more than just a friend or sibling.

Day by day we all started to heal. Annabeth while more mature than

a kid her age actually smiled and started to have fun (though she

always said that Alex was not dead), Luke became more serious and

while he still acts like a goof from time to time he became a big

brother for everyone and a role model for most of the younger kids.

Lastly, I rose to be the strongest demigod in Camp and the unofficial

leader as well as becoming a couple with Luke and before we knew

it five years had passed.

Seeing her sitting at the head table, I didn't recognize her. She was

older and more confident, her hair a light blonde instead of her

previous black and as beautiful as Artemis. Not that she was meek

before or anything but before she had the confidence of someone

that fought alone against impossible odds for too fucking long. She

was weary. Now though, she looked like someone that was at peace

with themselves. She had a quiet confidence that made you want to

follow her knowing that she would lead you through a thousand

battles and emerge victorious every time. She had the bearing of a

Queen, no. A King .

Seeing her walk through the Gate to what is quite obvious a scheme

from my sperm donor to kill her (I may be impulsive but I am not

stupid, I noticed her byplay with Hades very clearly) and giving

reassuring looks to both me and the others, she didn't have the look

of resignation of someone walking to their deaths, not like she had

back then against the monster army. She was almost bored, like

having two of the strongest Gods of the whole pantheon vying for

your blood was just another Tuesday, all the while making sure that

those she cherished remained safe. It was as maddening as it was

awe-inspiring and I promised to myself that no matter what, I will

become strong enough to stand by her side and help share some of

the burden. To not need to be saved and protected by her anymore.

To be someone she can rely on to have her back. This I vow.

(End POV - Thalia Grace)

(POV - Clarisse La Rue)

Watching Alex walking through the Gate gave me a bad feeling. I

didn't understand what exactly happened between Hades and my

older sister but I didn't like it. The moment the counselor of our cabin

finishes with this thing, I am going to sit her down and force her into

filling me in on what is going on. Decision made I focused on the

huge screen that showed the trials while glaring into submission

some of the more rowdy of my siblings that were calling Alex a

gloryhog and a cheater because she didn't let them compete while

see did.

First was a riddle from a sphinx and if the comments of the Gods are

accurate, then it is not a run of the mill one either but the original and

strongest of them all. My siblings hearing that little tidbit of

information paled and I smirked in satisfaction. That's what they get

for grumbling against big sister's orders. That beast is way above our

weight class and none are smart enough to solve the riddle it gave. If

any of them had actually been chosen they would already be dead,

bringing great shame to our cabin. Unlike them though, our badass

oldest sibling had more than enough brainpower to pass the

challenge without a scratch.

After that she went inside a gate that apparently there only strength

mattered and I knew she had it in the bag. If there is one thing that

Alex is the best at, it's the strength department. I had seen her lift a

two ton boulder over her head with barely any effort. I had to rub my

eyes a couple of times and even then if I hadn't witnessed it with my

own eyes I wouldn't have believed it.

" Due to the special conditions of the Earth Gate, all external

mana based abilities are negated." showed on top of the screen

as Alex was entering.

"WHAT THE FUCK! THIS WASN'T IN THE AGREEMENT! WHAT

GAMES ARE YOU PLAYING ZEUS?" screamed my furious father as

he leapt on his feet and getting held back by Aphrodite and Athena.

The pressure actually brought all of us demigods in our knees. It is

one thing to hear about the great power of the Gods and another to

experience it firsthand.

"Sit back down boy and keep silent. If it was any other demigod then

there would not have been any restrictions but Alexandra Bellum is

exceptionally powerful. These trials are meant to show the

challenger's skills not just a demigod smashing through her enemies

as if made by paper after all." answered Zeus in loud voice full of

authority getting nods from many other Gods but I couldn't help but

notice that none of the Olympians agreed with him.

"It matters not if she is stronger than the other demigods Father.

These trials were designed by the Council as a whole and its

parameters where something we had to vote on. Now when the time

comes to put them into use we learn with no prior warning that you

have done at least one alteration. Are you saying that our words and

votes don't matter to you as a King? That we are redundant?" spoke

Athena in a chilling tone that had my hair stand on edge. Where my

father's rage was explosive and hot, capable of turning you to ashes,

Athena's was like taking a dive in the Arctic. It felt cold and ruthless,

like you were already dead but didn't know it yet and for the first time

I felt my respect rising for Cabin 6 if they were capable of even a

smidgen of what their mother could do.

The minor Gods started murmuring and sending weary looks at the

Council members and something tells me that what is happening

tonight is not the usual arguing between the Gods that Chiron always

jokes about. Something is going on behind the scenes and I am

afraid my sister is in the middle of it.

Zeus face was starting to get a golden tinge and he griped his

Master Bolt tighter but before he could reply to his daughter's words

Hestia intervened.

"SILENCE! What Zeus did is unacceptable!" she said sending a

chilling glare at the King "but now is not the time for this discussion

that we WILL have later. For now we will watch my grand-niece

battle and if I have to, I will personally intervene should she be in

danger of dying. Faux-pas or not." finished the Goddess of the

Hearth and you could see that her words brought smiles to all the

demigods here. It was nice to know that there was actually someone

amongst the Gods that cared about our lives as more than just a

symbol of their pride or as pawns. It was liberating in a sense.

Once there was order again, the camera was unpaused and we

were able to see the monster that my big sis had to fight and by the

Gods it didn't disappoint. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur was

one of the classics and one every self-respecting Greek demigod

ought to know so we all had an idea in our heads about it on how

fearsome the high-class monster was, but this. This armored

behemoth would make mince meat on even the most experienced of

our warriors. If he was naked as depicted in the stories then Thalia

for sure and I, now that I had been trained better could have dealt

with it but like it is now we would need a dozen of our best warriors

and even then more than a few of us would have probably died.

So watching my force of nature of a sister not even blinking when up

against this juggernaut was more than a little disheartening. Just

how far would we have to go to reach her levels of strength? This

was a question that all of us demigods watching her jump from

boulder to boulder flinging arrows and tricking the Minotaur into

crushing itself on them wondered.

"Impressive! Her archery is exceptionally good and her mobility is

commendable as well. She has truly flourished and fights with a

grace of a true hunter, fast and decisive. As expected of a maiden of

Alexandra's caliber." praised Artemis, a smile on her face with her

twin nodding along acknowledging her skill with a bow and I had to

really try to keep a happy smile form appearing to my face. I was

extremely proud of my big sis but I had a reputation as the (second)

badest bitch to keep.

A few moments later she hid behind some boulders and started

making weird squiggles on the ground drawing confused looks from

the mortals and curious one from the Gods. The moment she

punched the squiggles and the results caused exclamations of

surprise from everyone. What kind of bullshit is that?

"A sympathetic and amplifying scheme. And so quickly too. If she

hadn't already been named a Sorceress I would have given her the

title myself after such a showing of Runic magic." complimented

Hecate, her gaze never leaving the screen.

"Is it an advanced array?" asked Athena, always eager to know

more.

"All runic magic is advanced and complicated. This particular one

though, while obscure to be sure, is not a high level array. The

impressive thing is that she managed to cast it using Norse Runes."

"How so? I heard that Norse runes are usually the easiest for a

prospective mage to learn compared to other runic languages."

"These kinds of spells have been made by Hindu practitioners and

later Egyptians and all such arrays are in these respective Runic

languages as a result, Sanscrit and Hieroglyphs respectively. I know

for a fact that the Norse had never made something like this before,

so even if it isn't an original idea, the fact that she managed to

recreate it in a completely different Runic language from scratch is

momentous and the fact that she did it on the fly and mid-battle even

more so. She must truly be a savant in the magical arts. I can't wait

to meet her and discuss some magical theory with her. It would be

illuminating for sure."

"Sure it is impressive. Until she makes a mistake and blows herself

and half the state with her. There is a reason we had forbid the

knowledge of most magics from the mortals." grumbled Zeus.

"With all due respect King Zeus, but all pantheons have been

teaching plenty of mortal magic users for thousands of years and

none has blown up a country to this day. The whole Egyptian

pantheon in particular is filled to with almost exclusively of mortal

magic users and -"exclaimed the Goddess of Magic in indignation,

causing many to nod with her in agreement but she was interrupted.

"And where have the Egyptians been for the last 2 millennia? Exiled

in their duat by the same mortals they taught and forbidden to

emerge to the world." seethed the Sky God. "So no, Goddess of

Magic, I will not allow the mortals the knowledge on how to wield

such a power when it has been proven that they can't be responsible

with it." finished the King and ending the discussion there by causing

a crackle of thunder, filling the whole room with the smell of ozone

and making everyone submit to his order, but I couldn't help but feel

insulted and wronged. How many of our fellow demigods would have

been alive today if they were capable of using some magic? How

many died because Zeus was too paranoid to let us reach our full

potential? I couldn't help but wonder and I am pretty sure I am not

the only one either.

Watching the strongest demigod kick a divine made armor with

enough force to leave the shape of her foot on it and cripple at the

same time one of the most fearsome monsters in the world

reinforced my decision to learn magic Zeus be damned. Even if I

have to go through Alex's hellish training a thousand times I am not

going to back down. This is a promise.

(End POV - Clarisse La Rue)

(POV- Annabeth Chase)

Alex is the coolest ever. Since the day in that alley she had proved

again and again that she above the other demigods, both in the brain

and the brawn department. She is also very kind and heroic even if

she refuses to call herself a hero. She chose to stay behind and fight

a literal monster army from Hades alone just to keep us safe after all

and while Thalia and Luke believed her dead I never did. I always

knew that she would come back one day and I was proven right in

the end. Ha it showed those two idiots that they shouldn't have

doubted me. You only have to look at the way she practically

dismantled the Minotaur to understand how exceptional she truly is.

From the beginning she moved him to her desires so he can

ultimately walk to his death and with so many restrictions to boot.

Seeing her walk away without even a scratch on her body was

incredibly awe-inspiring and I couldn't wait for her to show me some

of her moves later.

As she was walking through the swamp and grimacing at the mud

that was dirtying her armor I couldn't help but giggle. Trust Alex to

walk toward what is quite possibly a terrifying monster and her

greatest issue to be the mud on her clothes.

Seeing that humongous Hydra emerge from the lake gave me

goosebumps and I kicked myself for thinking I was strong enough to

actually compete in such a challenge. Hades I doubt I would have

managed to even defeat the Minotaur and watching Alex practically

play around with the beast that even Herakles needed help to deal

with showed how far behind I am from becoming a great Hero and

warrior.

Though seeing an almost dead Hydra get transformed into a dragon

while acting like an overeager puppy was so far into the realms of

surreal that many of the observers had to rub their eyes (me

amongst them) to make sure we were not hallucinating. Lord

Hermes actually dropped his phone in surprise and the War God was

guffawing while smacking his throne. Lord Zeus furious sparking was

quite strange though. Well it was, until Lady Hecate explained to us

that what Alex did was practically taking ownership of the

transformed monster as her familiar and I understood. Gods are

possessive after all and Alex practically stole one of his monsters

even if unknowingly. I hope the King won't be too angry with her after

he calmed down a little. Additionally I made a mental note to badger

Alex into taking me flying on her dragon. After all how many

demigods have ridden a genuine dragon and lived to tell the tale?

None that I know of. This is going to be so awesome.

(End POV - Annabeth Chase)

(POV - Hades Aidoneus)

I can see the scornful and hateful looks that many in the Council are

sending me believing they are discreet but they are not. My actions

towards Alexandra are not one of hate or of a bruised ego as many

would like to think but of once more being bound by my youngest

'brothers' cruelty. This time though the chains are not ones that bind

my power but something that I can freely admit is even more

important than even my domain. I am talking of course of my

beloved Persephone.

That monster Zeus seeing that he could no longer keep me under

his thumb with brute force, he gave me an ultimatum. Either I play by

his rules or Persephone would have an accident serious enough to

send her to Tartarus in order to reform. To make sure I don't have

any funny ideas I was also promised that the moment she descents

to Tartarus Hera (willingly or not) will annul my marriage through her

domain breaking my bond with my wife and making me unable to

track her.

As a result, I won't be able to rescue her myself and considering that

she is just a Goddess of Spring with no martial ability aside from her

nature magic then it's highly unlikely for her to manage to escape the

horrors that roam the plains of that accursed Pit on her own. Though

even if she could have, I would never be able to put her in such a

predicament.

I am unable to keep her safe in the Underworld both because of that

thrice-damned agreement with Demeter as well as the fact that her

domains make it necessary for her to go to the surface for spring to

come. So I gritted once more my teeth and bowed to my brother's

ruthlessness that even his own children are not exempt from.

The only satisfaction I got from the current situation was watching

Alexandra smash through the challenges and making Zeus's

eyebrow to twitch in aggravation with every success. Her antics in

the Fire dungeon are a prime example of how amusingly impertinent

that girl is. Shattering Hephaestus favorite bulls and looting them

produced a great deal of laugher with Hermes the loudest of them all

and then created ploughs into the ground by practically hitting it into

compliance with Aphrodite commenting that after these actions

Jason became 'so last year' making Hera glare at her and the

demigods to start cheering.

These feats brought impressed whistles into the room and

comments about Herakles not being as strong as her when he was

still a demigod, causing Artemis and Ares to gain smug grins of

triumph for probably different reasons and Zeus to start slightly

sparking in frustration which increased by a magnitude of two when

the demigoddess proved how knowledgeable she was of the magical

arts and instead of putting herself into a perilous dead end, she

actually acquired 6 Spartoi as minions. Though the cheeky

comments were not all that much appreciated but I let it go. She had

many reasons to be salty with me, I can't really blame her.

As Alexandra was walking through the Gate of the next challenge I

hoped she would be strong to overcome the challenges ahead

because from this point on things became serious. In the case

though of her dying, I will make sure she directly goes to the Isles of

the Blessed. Someone who has helped me so much deserves

nothing less. This is my solemn oath and I intend to keep it.

(End POV - Hades Aidoneous)

(POV - Phoebus Artemis)

I am filled with conflicting emotions. On one hand I am both proud

and elated watching how much Alexandra has flourished and

improved since her disappearance 5 years ago. On the other hand, I

am despondent and furious watching this travesty of a challenge and

yes I know I have barely interacted with the girl but as a patron of all

maidens I am wroth to have to watch her walk into what is practically

a death sentence because the King (I haven't called Zeus as father

for the last few millennia) has lost what was left of his senses and

sees enemies everywhere he looks.

Up until this point was the 'easy' part and by easy I mean that if even

my precious Hunters had braved this 'dungeon' together, more than

half of them would be dead by this point and I am being generous.

While they had encountered both the Minotaur and hydras into the

past, they had to deal with an unarmed and unarmored stupid

monster and with younger, weaker hydras that even them had cost

me more than a few of my sisters-in-arms.

The ones Alexandra had to fight were unbelievably more powerful

and deadly and she had to fight them all alone. The true nature of

how much of a parody this event is, was easily shown when she had

to grow and fight the Spartoi. If she wasn't as knowledgeable in the

lore of their creation and their hidden characteristics then she would

have died no questions asked and I am saying this with the

knowledge that even my whole Hunt would have fallen to them even

if they were fresh and worked together. No matter how skilled they

are, it is impossible to win against an opponent that never tires,

heals nigh instantly and fights easily through wounds that would

make even a God pause. So when she managed to create them

under her thrall and mocked the Lord of the Dead at the same time,

my smile was more than a little vindictive and satisfied.

Unfortunately my happiness didn't last for long because the

aforementioned 'easy' part was over and now as she was walking

through the Air Gate she was no longer the hunter but the prey.

Zeus sacred eagle was powerful enough to destroy whole towns

from the face of the map through the storms created by the flapping

of its wings and its sheer speed in the air and the air currents it

creates as it flies would make even my most experienced Hunters

hard pressed to even scratch it with their arrows.

The only chance I think Alexandra has is for her to use her Valkyrie

wings to charge the eagle as fast as possible and deal a debilitating

hit on one of its wings before it starts taking her seriously (except of

his elemental ability, Zeus had given the stupid bird a lot of his

arrogance as well).

Of course the daughter of Ares has chosen to surpass all

expectations by creating a CAT 4 hurricane according to a gawking

Poseidon and gobsmacked audience by the use of a runic array

complex and powerful enough that if I didn't know better I would

have said that the stoic Hecate was giving the image of the

demigoddess the same look I has seen my reprobate of a brother

give towards beautiful women but I am sure I was mistaken. I hope I

was mistaken at least.

As Alex was walking towards the eagle with her spear in her hand I

felt more than a little relieved that one more danger has passed and I

was sharing an amused smile with Athena about the way out of

character behavior of Ares who spent his time alternating between

being deathly pale and smugly smirking towards Zeus throughout the

whole 'show' until this point but it seems I talked too soon.

That girl is just too much like her father when it comes to pissing off

people and today she decided to achieve something not even Ares

had managed to do throughout his whole immortal life. Many from

the audience actually turned their heads so they didn't watch the

gruesome sight while more than a few of the demigods actually

started throwing up on the floor (and boy was Hera pissed at the

dirtying of her expensive and extremely rare Persian carpet that had

actually been plundered and then sacrificed to her by some of her

worshipers during Alexander the Greats conquest ironically enough.)

As she ripped the still beating hand of the bird out of its chest with

her bare hands and then started devouring it and taking its power for

her own Zeus face had started turning from its normal Caucasian

color to gold, then to glowing gold which was the highest 'score' up

until this point and deepened all the way to deer droppings brown

(Aphrodite's words not mine).

We watched with morbid fascination that rapid change of coloration

and if it wasn't for Poseidon, Hestia and surprisingly enough Hades

that held the King down, then all states east of Kansas would have

been razed to a wasteland. They had to actually use sealing magic

on him to restrain his power for a moment before he managed to

strike down all airborne bodies from Hawaii to Spain.

"LET ME GO! I AM GOING TO KILL THE LITTLE BITCH! SHE WILL

SUFFER SUCH HORROR THAT PROMETHEUS TORMENT WILL

LOOK LIKE A VACATION!

"GET BACK TO YOUR SENSES ZEUS. YOUR RAGE WILL

DESTROY THE FUCKING COUNTRY! said Poseidon trying for

once to be the voice of reason.

"YES ZEUS. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY I WILL HAVE

TO PAY ON OVERTIMES FOR EXPANSION AND PROCESSING IF

YOU CONTINUE THIS? BY US I WILL FUCKING MAKE YOU PAY

FOR THE COSTS IF YOU DON'T CEASE RIGHT THIS MOMENT!

added the Lord of the Dead and we didn't know we should laugh or

cry at his comment because we weren't actually sure if he was being

serious or just making fun of Zeus.

I together with Hermes, Athena, Apollo and a few minor Gods had to

stand in front of the children and create a barrier to prevent them

from getting crushed from the full force of the Big Three going

supernova.

The more efficient of all was Hestia though. Seeing that it was

impossible to calm him down with words she raised her hands and

set him on fire using the 'grey flames'. According to rumors from the

oldest Gods, when the original six were celebrating their victory over

the Titans, Hestia disliking the revelry sat some distance away

underneath a tree to find some peace and quiet and she fell asleep.

There Priapus a lecher even by Divine standards tried to defile her

and it was by the braying of a nearby donkey (who after this incident

became the Goddesses sacred animal) that she was woken up.

In her rage and fear at what nearly happened to her the Goddess

used for the first and last time these 'grey flames' that while they

don't do any actual physical damage on the victim, the pain they

cause as they touch you is so intense that after 1 day Priapus

actually faded, unable to withstand the torment any longer. After this

day not even the most moronic of Gods (read: Zeus) would ever

think of trying to be anything but courteous towards the eldest

Olympian.

As anyone can understand the moment the flames hit the King

between his legs (Hestia later would claim that she accidentally hit

him there in her panic to make him stop but the black color of the

usual orange flames in her eyes betrayed her. Not that there was

anyone brave enough to call her out on it.) She let him scream in

agony and humiliation for 5 minutes in front of the whole pantheon

before she judged him 'calm' enough to act according to her words

'like a King instead of a rabid animal'.

After everyone calmed down and took their seats again, we watched

the very impertinent maiden walk through the Nature Gate and I

shared a sigh of exasperation with my twin at the drama that

occurred barely half-way through the challenge and we both

exchanged a look that showed our true feelings. This was only the

beginning.

(End POV - Phoebus Artemis)

(POV - Phoebus Apollo)

Finally chilling on my throne as I watched the girl Little sis' has been

so enamoured with (in a platonic way) fight her way through the quite

obviously murder attempts in the form of challenges, I can't help but

think that she is going to be capital T Trouble. More trouble than she

had already caused with the whole heart eating thing *shudder*. I

have mostly focused in healing and some curse magic personally but

I have read on more than a few magical branches but aside from

Necromancy, Rituals always gave me the hibbie jibbies and after

seeing the demigoddesses little heart-to-stomach moment with

father's familiar didn't dislike them any less that's for sure, but let's

get back to the source of the trouble herself.

Aside from the fact that she is unbelievably powerful for a demigod

(one so young to boot) and her connections with Asgard, she is also

mind numbingly beautiful, even by divine standards. Something that

all the Gods I had talked with have mentioned, even if it is as an

afterthought for now. While yes, at this point she is barely a teenager

and I am not such a creep as to make moves on such a young girl

(Artemis would probably castrate me with a rusty dull spoon and

then feed me my balls raw if I did), it doesn't erase the fact that in a

few years she going to be turning heads and dropping jaws like

nobody's business.

There are few things that can cause greater discord between a

bunch of Gods than fighting over a beautiful lady's attention.

Poseidon's and Zeus's actions towards Demeter or even the almost

'battle' for Thetis until that pesky prophecy came about to ruin their

plans are prime enough examples and let's not even mention

Aphrodite. Hades, Helen of Troy caused millions of deaths and the

destruction of a whole city-state and Alexandra is obvious that with

the exception of the Goddess of Love, she will be more beautiful

than all the other ladies mentioned.

If she was just a pretty face things would have been manageable but

this woman seems to have gotten the whole package of brains,

brawns and beauty and that makes her as desirable as she is

dangerous. Watching her astride a freaking dragon (who is also her

familiar) creating a firestorm big enough to erase a sizeable army

from the face of the map is proof enough of the power she wields.

The demigods and some of the more warlike of the Gods were

cheering for the spectacular sight but the cheers died in their throats

as the Forest Guardian used an unbelievably potent ability for his

species and extinguished the flames while incapacitating the dragon

and crushing more than half the skeleton of the demigoddess. The

cheers turned to screams with some of the demigods actually

starting to cry. It seems they have finally understood the seriousness

of the situation. This is not a new tradition meant to honor our mortal

children. This is an execution 'platform' made to satiate our King's

all-consuming paranoia.

"This is not your Forest Guardian." said Ares to Zeus, his whole eyes

a complete crimson color and his voice steady and cold as ice. This

was alarming on many levels. The War God was always a hothead,

his fury burned with emotion and when he became truly angry the

whole world knew it but this was a different rage, a cold rage, silent

and insidious more akin to Athena than Ares and the Sky God didn't

help matters.

"Of course it is my Forest Guardian boy it is not my fault if your child

proved not be good enough to overcome it." his uncaring voice made

more than just a few who heard him grit their teeth in rage and

Athena spoke once more.

"A Forest Guardian is made by the willing sacrifice of a tree nymph

and the blessing of a deity with an ability to command nature. Their

power increases the longer they live and their potential depends on

how connected the creator deity is to nature. You may have some

minor chlorokinesis Father just strong enough to make a Forest

Guardian but creating one so powerful is beyond you. What I would

like to know is why you deceived us like this? You had assured us

that the challenge would have one of YOUR Forest Guardian's as an

adversary, not this juggernaut." as she was talking her eyes never

left Zeus's and if I was a betting God I would say that this moment

the King lost whatever loyalty and trust the Wisdom Goddess had left

for him and she is not the only one either.

"Your accusations strike deep daughter and I would normally be

furious with them but it is better if I clear away your misconception."

"Misconceptions?" asked Athena indignantly and her cracking grip

on her throne showed that she was more than a little angry for being

talked to like a naïve child who couldn't understand what her father

was trying to teach her.

"When we were creating the challenge I said that I would put one of

my Forest Guardians as one of the obstacles. I never said though

that I was the one that had created it. You see, this particular one I

had found in the Ancient Lands, Thessaly to be exact, a few years

ago and its creator deity had abandoned ownership of it and not

wanting it to go to waste I claimed it for my own. So as you can see I

never lied. This Guardian IS my own. When I proposed to include it

in the challenge you all were more than happy to agree. It is not my

fault that one of our nature deities among the council didn't bother to

check on it. I am not a Nature God as you said and it had been a

while since I had seen one of those. It just didn't occur to me that it

would be so strong. Oh well, I guess next time we will have to be

more careful." said the smug asshole.

I can't help - watching the furious face of all the demigods that saw

one of their own get killed in front of them while the King they swore

to serve completely disregarded her life- but wonder of what

repercussions these shameful actions will cause.

"I don't think you will need to worry Your Majesty. It seems your

grand-daughter has everything well in hand." said a cackling

Nemesis prompting everyone to focus on the screen once again and

what we saw astounded me

The previous half dead girl was now completely healthy riding astride

one of Ares' horses galloping through the whole forest while carving

runes on the barks of trees. We were distracted from the astounding

sight by Hecate whose laughter echoed in the room.

"Oh this genius girl. This is going to be a treat for all of us. You better

not miss a single detail young demigods, this is a great example of

how ingenuity and cunning can topple even the sturdiest mountains."

said the Goddess of Magic, a dangerous gleam in her eyes and I

could see the Athena send a frankly terrifying smile to our father who

had his throne on a vice grip and then the fun started.

Fire, hungry and all consuming engulfed the whole forest burning

away everything in its path and drawing horrified looks from Demeter

and my sister who had a very complicated expression watching this.

I couldn't fault her either. On one hand this mortal was destroying

whole acres of the Wild, a part of her domain but on the other hand,

this young maiden used what she had in her disposal as Hecate so

poetically said to prevail over insurmountable odds. Are her actions

distasteful? Most definitely but can you really blame her? She was

between a rock and a hard place. She could attack the overpowered

Guardian futilely head on and die or she could destroy the whole

forest and survive while dooming a whole ecosystem.

Not everyone saw it that way though. Demeter was apoplectic in her

rage and I was afraid that we may have had to intervene before she

did something stupid (our aunt was never the most reasonable or

rational of individuals) but Alexandra saved herself with her actions.

And what a sight it was.

"Beautiful." I said in awe barely above a whisper completely amazed

by her voice. My music domain was tingling in happiness at me

witnessing such an exceptional performance that would make even

Euterpe, the Muse of Music, Song and Poetry green with envy.

She sacrificed one of the twelve Zodiac armors and enough divine

metal to arm a small team of demigods to the gills and used a ritual

that was fuelled by her own lifeforce and enhancing it with her

melodic voice to repent for the damage she caused. Such

selflessness is a rare sight and if the grudgingly respectful look

Demeter sported as well as the happy grin of my twin (is that a small

blush I am seeing on your face Arty? How interesting.), then I am

sure she won't have a problem with the nature deities after all.

Though the prayer to Freyja, a foreign Goddess, made more than a

few slightly annoyed but I am not surprised. Children of Ares come in

many flavors, from cruel monsters to honorable soldiers and even

kind if-you-squint charismatic leaders once every few centuries and

everything else in between but the thing every single one of them

never failed to possess is their capacity to piss people off, mortal and

immortal alike. So seeing her spurn the Greek Gods and asking for

the blessing of a foreign Goddess was not something that gave me

much of a pause.

What will happen if there comes a day when someone pushes her

too far? Zeus may be a vicious cunt and an extremist but he has a

small point. The Gods are regulated by both Ancient and Divine

Laws keeping them from going too far and those few who try to

ignore them are made an example to remind everyone else where

the line is and what the consequences of forgetting it are. Demigods

have no such balances and even with their lack of strength

compared to the Gods, had made over the millennia more than a few

waves big enough to draw our attention more than it should be.

While Alexandra Bellum has shown a great capacity for kindness

and love, if a bit rough around the ages, history has proven that the

most loving people are capable of creating the greatest atrocities

and I only wonder if the now kind demigoddess that has still not

reached her peak would be a force of good for the future or another

calamity that will leave a bloodstained earth behind her. This is going

to be troublesome.

(End POV - Phoebus Apollo)

(POV - Queen Hera)

I am tired and have been so for millennia. Spending my days trapped

inside the gilded cage that is Olympus is a torture I could never get

used to. The white marble halls, the beautiful buildings and the

spectacular gardens only served to bring me nausea and make me

feel claustrophobic.

I used to be powerful once, vibrant, confident and full of life and

curiosity but after my 'marriage', Zeus made sure to destroy every bit

of myself that I could be proud of and only a bitter Goddess angry at

the world remained that punished everyone around her in order to

distract her from the fact of how broken she was and still is.

By all that is good, I remember the countless mortal women and

children I had given terrible fates to and instead of the satisfaction I

used to feel at punishing the 'sluts' and 'bastards' only self-loathing

and horror stares back. Back then it was so easy to see them as just

women that desired to steal my 'husband' from me, trying to replace

me but looking at it with a more cynical mind and a now wider

perspective they were nothing more than victims of my 'Lord

Husbands' lusts.

How can a simple mortal, powerless and fragile dare to deny the

'King of the Gods' what he desired if the result would be most likely a

fate worse than death. They couldn't rely on the Goddess of Women

to protect them because even I was nothing but a plaything and

status symbol before the might of the King and so they gave in,

pretending to actually welcome his advances hoping desperately that

he would get bored and forget about them. Unfortunately when he

predictably did move on, I in my blindness punished the innocent for

the crimes of the guilty and as the centuries went by so did my

power wane bit by bit. I had betrayed my own domains and duty and

as a result I was punished in return by them.

Now I am a pale imitation of my former self. A caricature of the

Goddess that stood against Titans unflinchingly, all the hate and rage

and fury completely extinguished and I can't help but sometimes,

when I lie alone on my bed late at night, to wish for the end. Heh,

you wouldn't think that an 'all-powerful', immortal Goddess would

ever contemplate dying but at this point I would welcome it with open

arms. The feeling of release finally after all these years, to be free

and away from the monster I am forced to sleep besides. To finally

rest.

Watching the daughter of my son Ares (another disappointment,

though in the recent years he started to change from what he was

before but I had been let down too much to dare to hope) fight her

way through what would be considered for a demigod

insurmountable odds and rising above them was quite a shock. I had

long ago given up on the notion of 'Heroes' and of underdogs

actually managing to rise above their station, victorious and whole so

I could be forgiven when I was left gapping like one of my second

oldest brother's creatures watching this mortal devouring without a

care in the world the heart of my greatest tormentor's familiar and it

didn't end there either.

Even after suffering a devastating blow from a Forest Guardian

powerful enough to stand against a weak Titan and coming at the

edge between life and death she somehow managed to recover and

emerge the winner, bringing an alien feeling inside my chest.

After Zeus was calmed down enough to not do anything more foolish

than normal, I watched, now very intrigued, the girl no Alexandra as

she rode on one of her father's horses her Valkyrie wings spread

wide (and wasn't that a surprise? A Greek demigod actually blessed

by that snake Odin of all people and let go as well with no

repercussions) as she commanded a whole army of fire demons to

devour their undead allies while in her own right decimating more

than a few of them.

The important note of this situation was that she declared herself a

Queen and that would not be much of problem initially, after all

plenty of people called themselves Kings and Queens but just

because they did so, didn't actually give them any authority. The

peculiarity of the situation is that a 50 thousand strong army of fire

demons declared her their Queen of Fire all the while she was

wearing one of the royal crowns of Muspelheim. Many may have not

made the connection yet, but these kinds of artifacts would never be

able to be worn by anyone if they hadn't acknowledged them as

rightful owners.

Hades, if someone tried to wear my own crown even as weak as I

am, they would only meet death and suffering because they would

try to usurp a rightful authority of a divine being. Suffice to say their

death would be neither slow nor merciful. So it is more than a little

astonishing that a mortal no matter how exceptional was capable of

wearing such a crown made by one of the most powerful entities in

the Cosmos without turning to ashes. There is much more than

meets the eye on my grand-daughter and as I tried to carve her

image in my mind I had finally indentified that foreign feeling in my

chest. This feeling was hope.

(End POV - Queen Hera)

(POV - Poseidon, King of Atlantis)

Power, cunning, skill, tenacity, the most important tenants of a good

warrior and this mortal girl has them all, along with a restless spirit

that refuses to bow down and seeks to carve her own way. She

reminds me of the tides of a stormy sea, ever moving and

unrelenting, capable of devastating and swallowing all that try to

tame them in a watery grave and making even the unyielding earth

falter and retreat. All these significant characteristics had been

combined inside an extremely beautiful package that in a few years

would make even the most self-controlled men hot under their collars

and this is a terribly dangerous combination. Especially in recent

times.

If she had appeared even a couple of centuries back, while there

would have been squabbles between the Gods both wanting to bed

her or take her under their wing, at the end of the day it would have

been business as usual with the girl either married off to someone, a

concubine either as an immortal hero or a minor Goddess or dead.

The problem now though is that conflict is imminent. Oceanus who

up until this point I had good if a bit formal relations with, being

married to his daughter, has gone completely off the grid while old

and powerful sea monsters that had been either killed or caged

thousands of years ago are once again swimming in the seas

causing death and destruction both to the human populations and

the sea life. In addition, there are rumors and hints whispered

amongst the old sea spirits that monsters are mobilizing in great

numbers but no matter how hard both me and other Gods that had

already started seeing the signs tried to locate them, we came up

with nothing but dead ends.

That means that one or more powerful entities are actively hiding

them from our sight and there is only one use someone can have for

so many monsters. War.

Unfortunately, Zeus refuses to see reason and his paranoia had

instead focused stubbornly in the exceptional daughter of his son,

with his behavior becoming more erratic and idiotic by the day. In the

recent 100 years he had made more political blunders than all his

tenure combined and he has alienated almost every minor God in

our pantheon and many others both major and minor foreign ones.

His last shenanigan though had been a devastating blow to the unity

of the Council. I, more than anyone can understand how much a

parent can love their child. Immortal or not, monstrous or beautiful, a

proper parent will always hold their children in their hearts. Even if

they prove rebellious or even act directly against them, you can't

truly hate them, so I can understand the fury of both Ares and many

others when they see their demigod children who are born to a tragic

and difficult life as it is get murdered by their King, either directly or

through intermediaries just because they show some promise.

The very thought of my little brother actually harming even a hair

from Perseus head (my secret demigod child and the first of my

demigods being born in near a century) brings the apocalyptic fury

that I had for so many years caged to the deepest parts of my being

almost back to the surface. Zeus actions have divided us too much

and even a half decent general can see that we are practically ripe

for the picking. Even if we emerge victorious once again through

whatever comes for our throats, the victory will be neither easy nor

bloodless. By the time we are done the funeral pyres will be bright

enough to turn night into day and I will try my very best so that Percy

will not be inside one of those pyres. Prophecy be damned.

Alexandra Bellum, would serve as the perfect person to prepare and

unite our demigods into becoming warriors strong enough to

withstand the coming storm, her transformation of the Ares Cabin

have been more than enough proof of her usefulness. But my idiotic

brothers have seen fit to alienate her the best they can.

Her, a one in a thousand years prodigy with enough charisma to

metaphorically (now literally) raise the dead and powerful enough

that even without reaching her prime she can most likely prevail

against weak minor Gods and instead of making use of her, they try

to kill her. I can't help but wonder if all his critical thinking had

completely been absorbed by the Owl Goddess while inside her

father's head and now Zeus is left without.

Their whole 'genius' plan had even backfired spectacularly. Instead

of the ignoble death of the overpowered Heroine that would shatter

the morale of the demigods they wished for, they revealed to the

whole pantheon an unstoppable force that would tear apart

everything in her way to emerge victorious. They created a symbol of

hope for the demigods that there was actually a way for them to

flourish and showed them that their current stagnation was not an

unchanging situation but just another hurdle to overcome. In simpler

words she lit a fire under their asses and now change is inevitable.

For good or worse still remains to be seen.

On the other hand to the Gods she reminded them that they were

not as invisible as they thought they were and that the demigods are

not just little more special mortals that they could do whatever they

want without repercussions. After showing all of us her cunning and

adaptability throughout the dungeon her fight against the final boss

was more than enough to emphasize this point further.

At the beginning she showed how much she struggled against such

a powerful foe but even then, through sheer ingenuity and

adaptability, she managed to stay alive and relatively unharmed

where others (and I am putting even some immortals to that

category) would have been dinner by now proving her skill and

tenacity. Then she revealed the true extent of her powers and the

world was rendered speechless at her true form showing all the true

extent of her power.

When the Blessing of Ares was unleashed, her body matured at

least half a decade revealing how heartstoppingly beautiful she was

to become in a few years. A crimson aura surrounded her from head

to toe while the whole of her eyes glowed with her signature color.

The icy hurricane was completely extinguished by the pressure of

her might and the snowflakes froze on the air unmoving as if afraid

that if they move they would be devoured by the monster that

appeared inside their world. The Ice Queen Spider that was until this

point playing with her prey started showing signs of terror as she

came face to face with the true predator. A few beats after that,

Alexandra let out a battle cry that shattered the walls of the arena to

rubble sending the Boss monster flying and burying her underneath

the broken stones just by the force of the sonic pulse, but she wasn't

done yet.

Sending a devastating punch at the location where the spider was

buried, she turned the rubble to dust and pulverized the 2 hind most

legs of the beast causing it to scream. Gripping it from its face with

one hand and lifting it above her head flailing, a feat that caused

everyone to gawk at the sheer strength that the demigoddess

possessed, she smacked it to the ground again and again causing

spider shaped indentions to the floor.

Tired with this she then ripped the rest of her legs from her body and

piked it to the ground with them, bringing shrieks of pain from the

arachnid and retching from the more weak-willed of the audience

and then for the coup de grace she painfully ripped the two fangs

from her enemies face and jumping high in the sky she came down

like a glowing red meteor on top of her dying foe creating a blinding

explosion of crimson War Flames that completely erased the

monster from existence. After the light show was over with and we

could see the arena again, the only thing remaining was the two

glowing fangs that were imbedded to the floor and an unmoving but

still living demigoddess that was slowly coming to consciousness.

One beat. Two beats. Three beats and suddenly the whole throne

room was filled with the shouts of mortals and immortals alike

screaming in adulation at such a glorious performance and I could

see both the relief and sheer satisfaction of Ares as well as many

others from the Council as well as Hades scowl of disappointment.

The only one that wasn't reacting as he should was Zeus, something

aside from me only Athena noticed and alarm bells blared in our

ears. The King should have been furious at such a display of power

from a mortal and at his failure of killing her but instead he was

smiling and at this moment there was only one thing in my mind.

This is going to bite us on the ass.

(End POV - Poseidon, King of Atlantis)

(POV - ?)

All throughout this new distasteful spectacle, I watched with the rest

of my fellow demigods while despairing at the power shown by

Alexandra Bellum, daughter of Ares.

When she first appeared in camp, showing her prodigious skill all the

while being such an easy going person (when you were not part of

her cabin because then she turned into the devil himself) I had

hoped I could draw her to my point of view. I hoped to show her how

cruel and faithless the Gods truly are and have her join me and Lord

Kronos into overthrowing our uncaring parents and building

something new, something better.

After some subtle attempts to fish some information of her opinions

however I clearly came to the understanding that while she was no

fan of Zeus and a few other Gods and if they fell she wouldn't shed a

tear for them, she actually hated the Titans and would actively fight

against them with everything she had if they tried to rise again,

calling them 'barbaric mad dogs that must be put down for the good

of the world'.

So watching her smash through challenges that an army of

demigods would have been slaughtered against and emerging

victorious with only exhaustion and a few superficial wounds was

more than a little chilling. How could we fight against such a foe

when she was capable of ripping apart even monsters strong

enough to kill Gods? How could we topple Olympus for our Lord

when the Gods had such a terrifying guard dog obstructing our path?

How can demigods even chose the correct path when that freak of

nature gave them hope that they could become better in that

accursed camp and denying the right side, the Titans the demigod

army they were awaiting?

I was beginning to truly despair hearing many of my fellow halfbloods,

some that were more than a little receptive of my recruiting

attempts talking about asking the daughter of Ares for instructions

and whispering about truly flourishing with their help. Thankfully, the

treacherous nature of the Gods showed its ugly face and as a

smiling Zeus opened the Gate a sound like the shattering of

countless glasses was heard and the Gate was devoured by a

terrifying tear of space akin to a black hole sending everyone to the

ground.

When we could finally see again, where the Dungeon Gate was

previously positioned only a crater remained ridding the world from

one of my greatest obstacles. The Gods were speechless looking at

each other and probably trying to understand what the Hades

happened but it seems the War God came to the conclusion that

Zeus was the responsible for what was clearly some serious foul

play (not that I could exactly blame him, after all, the King's behavior

from the beginning to the end clearly showed his opinion for the

demigoddess) and with something that was between a scream of

grief and battlecry he shouted "KIN-SLAYER" and after getting

engulfed in those red flames that were identical to his daughter he

attacked Zeus with his great sword creating a burning diagonal slash

from shoulder to hip, sending him crashing to the wall behind the

thrones.

After that chaos ensued. The more peaceful of minor Gods as well

as that coward Dionysus flashed away instantly to escape and as a

result 8 demigods turned to ashes because they had the misfortune

to look directly in their direction. Seeing this, Chiron quickly shouted

for everyone to run away from the throne room but we were unable

to open the Gates. Some of the Gods, like Aphrodite, Hermes and

surprisingly enough Hera jumped in front of us creating a barrier with

their power, Apollo and Athena were barely managing to subdue the

raging War God and Poseidon together with Hades and Demeter

were preparing to check out on the King and maybe even try to keep

him from causing a massacre in his rage but it proved futile because

Zeus recovered too fast and didn't take such a bow to his pride

silently.

With an incoherent scream he chucked his Master Bolt charged with

enough power to erase New York (the state) from the face of the

map towards the still screaming and thrashing Ares uncaring about

killing his other children that where holding him in place but it seems

his wound made him miss and as a result barely grazed the Gods.

The unfortunate part of this though, was that instead of striking a trio

of Gods, the lightning bolt hit the barrier that was protecting us and

our Guardians being unprepared of defending against such a force

were not able to contain the full might of it.

The result?

From the 50 demigods that came here today, 1 died by treachery

inside the Dungeon and 8 because of uncaring cowardly Gods that

were too concerned with their lives to care about us, bringing the

number to 41. After Zeus diminished lightning bolt struck the number

fell all the way to what was probably less than a dozen and

shattering the previous closed doors to smithereens.

More than 40 demigods were snuffed in a second because the Gods

were unable to act like the responsible deities they were supposed to

be, their smoking blackened corpses lying on the ground silent

screams in their faces and if I had even a smidgen of doubt about

my decisions to join the Titan Lord before, it has now completely

disappeared.

Wincing at the numerous burn marks that were littering my body, I

picked up the Master Bolt that was on the ground and after putting it

in its sheath that I had managed to steal a few hours back I put on

an invisibility ring that my Lord had gifted me and hightailed out of it

before the smoke was extinguished. The original plan was for me to

stay at camp for a little while longer in order to recruit more

demigods to our side but after this fiasco? They would come

sprinting to join the Titan army all of their own just with a single

prompt.

As I was running away from Olympus the last thing I heard was the

bloodcurdling scream of Thalia shouting Luke's name.

After I managed to reach beyond New Jersey a few hours later and

chose to rest for a moment to regain my breath I couldn't help the

smirk of triumph from taking over my face while my Lord was

whispering congratulations of my success inside my mind and

Olympus beginning of the end. This is going to be glorious.

(End POV - ?, Herald of the Golden Age)

Some answers to a few of the reviews, ignore if you don't want

extra information about the story. :P

Arwen: First I will answer something that many had commented

about and that is: Why Alex didn't wish from Eru to take Arwen

with her. Think about it people, Alex's world is filled with strife

and she is always chased after by Zeus and who knows who

else under his employ all the while the Titans are a few years

away from invading Olympus. Arwen while not completely

defenseless was raised as a slightly pampered princess and

she is beautiful enough that she was called the most beautiful

elf since Luthien. Do you think the Gods would be able to resist

going after a new species that is as beautiful as a Goddess?

Would Alex be able to protect her against so many horny Gods?

Alex may be powerful but she is nowhere near strong enough to

stand against so many immortals on her own. In addition Arwen

would have to be taken without even getting asked about it from

her home, her world and her family and people and being sent

somewhere else with no hope for returning back while having

no purpose other than being Alex's lover when she was free

from fighting or saving the world or whatever Alex would need

to do as a demigoddess. Also there was a small paragraph in

chapter 22 that talked how Alex said her tearful goodbyes to

Arwen knowing that they would never see each other again so

no agpol857 she didn't abandon her without a care in the world

and I suggest you read more attentively from now own. Lastly,

this stories tags are Adventure/Humor so please understand

that while there won't be bereft completely of romance, I won't

make a big deal out of it and whoever expects long chapters of

love confessions and romantic scenes both the cutesy or the

lemon kind then I am afraid they are going to be sorely

disappointed. While I like romance in fanfictions and I had

found a few of them that really hits you in the kokoro, I am

enough self-aware to know I would only blunder such scenes

so instead of writing of some disgusting deluge of romantic

scenes that would bring you nausea I prefer to do without too

much romance. For all our sakes.

Perk: Another question was about what was going on with the

Godslayer perk. After killing Prodosia the perk became

Godslayer(Level 1) but now after the Balrog it is Godslayer

(Level 1 - Grade 1). This is not a simple perk and it will need a

lot of killing to truly shine people, so be patient and read

carefully.

Worm: A few people have been asking me about Worm. I can

freely admit that Worm is one of my favorite franchises together

with Tolkien's books, ASoIaF and Harry Potter but the power

levels in it and the enemies are so far above the current Alex

that is not even funny. Hell, Worm's Alexandria can rip her apart

in 2 seconds flat and I am being generous here. So while both

all of you and me would like to see Alex showing Lung who the

real Dragon is, I am afraid that it will be a little far into the future

before I am comfortable with her going there.

Korst: Yes pal, I originally had so many ideas about the world of

Middle-Earth but it is simply so big and full of different plots

that if I went through with all my ideas I would need at least

another 3-5 chapters to write them on. My plan from the start

was to have only 2 chapters in Arda and that's why it looks

more than a little bit rushed in the end. I was as you said

completely done with Middle-Earth and I wanted her to go

home.

moh999: Yes pal I am planning at some point somewhat far into

the future to send her to the Song of Ice and Fire world and I

have already written like 7.000 words of the first chapter for it

because ideas came to my head one day and I just couldn't not

write it but it would be a long time in the future, after I am done

with PJO another full world and possibly (I haven't decided yet)

a few side worlds like the one with Arda as well. So yes you can

be happy with the knowledge that Westeros is coming but sad

with the fact that the traffic is going to be terrible. Kind like the

Night Walkers in a sense. Sorry.

Just an Anime Fan: I would like to thank you pal for pointing out

the x100 bonus of Alex's Dragon Form. I was also planning to

give her stats to the 4 digits with her transformation and I made

a mistake but now it is fixed so thanks.

Sypho Dias: First of all, when Alex went to Middle Earth her

stats were not quartered. Most of her skills were locked but not

her stats. Also she took so much time to gain those levels

because it simply takes a very long time to master the things

that she was being taught. Dwarves live for about 300 years and

elves are immortal as long as they don't fall in battle or they

don't die from heartbreak so they had accumulated knowledge

on their skills great enough to need decades to truly master and

even then much had been lost through the calamities. In

addition just because she can, doesn't mean she is going to

spend her whole life just grinding away ignoring anything else.

The point of living your life is being happy while doing so and

maybe some people find pleasure in completely focusing on

their craft but Alex is not that kind of person. Last, she may

have the gamer system but the one she has is not like the ones

in some other fics that makes you max enchanter, blacksmith,

architect, doctor, cook and herbologist in 3 weeks flat all the

while mastering three different weapon style and two different

magic systems at the same time just by mixing the same potion

again and again and somehow feeding her the knowledge of

centuries of crafting. If Alex wants to really excel in those

things then she is going to have to work for it.

This is it guys for chapter 23 and I hope I answered all of your

questions. See ya next time. Cheerios.

~ChildeOfWar

The years away and the return!

Finally chapter 24 is ready. I had also made a small correction

on chapter 22 because I had maxed Expert Blacksmithing twice

so this is the reason for the double update. Anyway PJO

belongs to Rick Riordan and any other franchises mentioned to

their rightful owners.

A special recommendation from me. The FLASHBACK inside

Poseidon's POV is best read if you have Avatar: The Last

Airbender - The Last Agni Kai (1 Hour) version but the one

without the Violin intro. To me it felt more epic.

Enjoy.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 24: The years away and world building

(1 Day after the Solstice - 26 of December 2005)

(POV Pallas Athena)

How could things go so wrong, so fast?

One moment we were waiting for Alexandra to come out of the Gate

and the next she is swallowed by a dimensional destabilization

making everyone freeze. I couldn't understand how such a thing

could be possible. Not that I had all that much time to figure it out

considering Ares went berserk and attacked Zeus.

By the time we had managed to subdue him, that accursed Sky God

chose to prove once and for all that there is no limit on how much of

an imbecilic moron he could be by actually firing his Master Bolt to

full power inside an enclosed space and as a result killing most of

the poor demigods that didn't have a chance to defend themselves

against it. The moment the lightning hit the children I felt my

connection with 6 of my 7 children in Olympus snap and sever

bringing a cold chill down my spine.

After that everything was hazy and I lost myself in my emotions,

something that hadn't happened since the death of Pallas all those

millennia ago. Unfortunately for Zeus, this time instead of just

sorrow, I also felt rage. Pure encompassing maddening rage and as

a result I no longer felt the need to hold Ares back. In contrast I

joined him together with a few other Gods, including Hermes, Hecate

and surprisingly enough Hades.

By the time some of my fellow Olympians and minor Gods managed

to snap us out of our grief filled fury, the Sky God had lost his

genitals, eyes and good arm from the shoulders and had enough

holes and lacerations along with broken bones to make even the

most experienced surgeons throw up in mortification. Not that I

regret it. The only reason that he still breathes the air outside of the

Pit was the other Gods intervention.

Hestia and Poseidon had taken charge amidst the chaos. The Sea

God had ordered a silent Hephaestus to use chains to keep Zeus

and the rampaging Gods (me amongst them) in place to keep us

from causing anymore problems, something that back then rankled

me but going over it now that I am calm I think that it was a wise

decision. I was not in a state mind to be given free reign. None of us

were.

After that, Hestia together with Apollo tried to stabilize as many

demigods as they could and teleported them in the Camps infirmary

together with a host of his healers. Though inspecting the list of the

dead now, I can't help the tears gathering in my eyes. So many

demigods dead because an irrational childish God threw a temper

tantrum.

A couple of hours later when everyone had calmed down sufficiently

we convened to decide how to proceed. Hestia had taken a seat

once more while Dionysus and Hades were bound to their thrones

and Zeus was kneeling before the council unconscious in order for

his fate to be decided.

"Considering the circumstances we find ourselves in I am obliged to

take temporary role as the head of the council until a more

permanent solution is found. If there anyone who would like to object

now is the time of it." said Poseidon sitting after many millennia once

again in the middle of the council table with Hestia on his right and

Hera on his left. He was clad in a gold and green Antlantean armor

that looked like the scales of fish with a great trident symbol on his

chest and a golden crown encrusted with emeralds that matched his

eyes. In his hands was his trident in all its glory pulsing with power

and his expression was one of cold calculation instead of the laid

back one he was known to have in recent years. His ever present

smile nowhere to be found.

Waiting for 1 minute and after none spoke up against him, he

continued.

"Very well. Since there are no objections we should start addressing

the events that happened today, the repercussions that will come

from these events and our course of action."

"What is there to consider? This was literally a royal screw up that

will bite us on the ass. We all know that the Titans are stirring more

than ever before since their confinement, no need to pretend

anymore and Zeus actions might as well have given them the keys

to Olympus as well as the nooses to hang us with." said Hermes a

scowl of barely suppressed rage on his face getting nods from many

of the others.

"Hermes's words may have been crude but there is truth in them all

the same. The reason we are gathered here though is to find

solutions and minimize the problems that Zeus actions has brought

us." said Hestia always the peacemaker.

"If that is the case then the first thing we must do is deal with the

idiots amongst us I say. It is better to solidify our positions between

us before we take further actions in a wider circle." I said wanting to

deal with the traitors and imbeciles and send them away to whatever

hole they deserve to get before we speak about things that they

ought not to know.

"I never expected to so wholeheartedly agree with you sister. There

is no reason to think too much about what we have to do. Let's do

away with their heads I say. Maybe some vacation time in Tartarus

will give them the wakeup call they need." said my ever brash

brother his hand never leaving the pommel of his sword and his

whole body being continuously a hair trigger away from assuming his

true form. I couldn't exactly judge him either. Out of the 26 children

he had in camp he lost all of them (amongst them being the one he

loved the most) except one and even then, the survivor is practically

a cripple which for a warrior is a fate worse than death.

"And have them escape or join the Titans in a bid for revenge? As if

we didn't have enough enemies as it is. I propose we rip their

domains from them and chuck them in the void to be devoured. With

a full council and if everyone agrees it is possible to do so. It will give

some well deserved vindication for the demigods as well." state

Hephaestus, his voice while low and near toneless couldn't

completely hide his inner rage at the decimation of his children and

caused everyone to freeze for a moment before Ares started

laughing.

"Hahaha I can say without shame that the cripple's proposal has

truly surpassed mine with a great margin. I didn't know you had it in

you. Truly marvelous."

This exchange caused everyone to start muttering and discussing

the merits of this course. The latest atrocities had completely spent

whatever notions of mercy we would usually have for one of our own

but a slight tremor and an explosion of fire from the central hearth

put a stop to the chattering.

"While both your proposals have merit." said Poseidon, getting a

warning glare from Hestia and then he continued.

"I believe these punishments need some alterations because while

ripping their domains from them is something I am more than happy

to vote for, forcing them to fade will have repercussions that we do

not need. No matter how wretched, forcing a God to fade outside of

battle or indirectly is against the Divine Laws and I don't know about

you but I have no desire for Rudra or Void forbid Shiva actually

deciding to do away with us. The fate of the South Americans is not

one I would wish on my worst enemy after all." he said with a

shudder and a slight foreign pressure engulfed the whole room

giving everyone goosebumps.

The Aztecs and the Mayans had been practicing mass human

sacrifices for centuries but the coming of the Spanish and the

decimation of their culture had caused them to lose a lot of power

and influence. To reverse this power loss they joined forces and they

decided to start eating humans and consuming their souls and

ordering their demigods and few followers to follow along with the

practice.

As a result and to no one's surprise, they fell to the path of Asura

becoming demonic Gods with an eternal hunger for everything living,

their very presence causing corruption and making anything weaker

than a God near them to be consumed by their sins.

They didn't get much time to enjoy their newfound strength though

because Shiva the united personification of Brahma the Creator,

Vishnu the Preserver and Rudar the Destroyer came upon them and

erased them from existence with a wave of his hands. This being

was above the existence of Titans or Gods and more akin to the

Primordials like Gaia or Nyx whose power is truly absolute. After he

was done he gathered the domains of all these fallen Gods and

shared them between the cardinal pantheons.

The pantheons are the Norse of the North which consist of the Aesir

and the Vanir with Odin All-Father as their leader and one of the

most cunning and conniving individuals I had the misfortune of

meeting. Many talk about the duplicitous nature of Loki but he has

nothing on the Crow-father, either in personal power or vicious

cunning.

Then come the Shinto of the East, the Japanese religion with its

leader being Amaterasu-Omikami, the Goddess of the Sun and an

extremely powerful one at that considering the number of

worshippers the religion has even in this day and age, being an

active one.

After them are the Egyptians of the South with their Supreme leader

being Amun Ra. Of course the Sun God is too preoccupied with his

feud with Apophis his arch-enemy also known as Apep God of

Chaos and as a result gave rule to his son Osiris who after his

unfortunate dismemberment passed down to Horus.

Next are of course us, the Greco-Roman pantheon of the West led

until today (but not for much longer) by Zeus.

Last are the Hindu of the Middle with their Supreme Deity being

Shiva who split himself into Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra 'in order to

be able to contain his power while on the material plane without

extinguishing the planet' was his words and if that is not the scariest

thing someone can hear from a God's mouth then I don't know what

is. The 'leader' of the pantheon is Indra the Sky God but that is only

because the aforementioned Gods can't be bothered with

administrating matters. He is practically a glorified steward and

secretary for the true leaders which none has left him forget in all the

time since he ascended on his 'throne'.

The four first pantheons have connected with the Cardinal Flames of

Civilizations taking the accumulated power of worship from them in

order to empower themselves even if we are not actively worshiped

with the Norse and the Shinto being more of placeholders than

anything considering that the former have many mortals in their

personal realms and 8 worlds to worship them and the latter is still

an 'alive' religion. The Hindu of the Middle regulate this power of

worship and keep everyone in check. About 2 thousand years ago

the Christian God tried to usurp the Middle from the Hindus but after

a smackdown of epic proportions he was banished from this plane of

existence with his tail between his legs taking with him all his winged

creations, never to be heard again. Anyway I went into a tangent so I

digress.

After Shiva took the domain power of the Mayans and Aztecs he

gave the Norse the earth, fertility and nature ones,to the Shinto he

gave the death, sun and fire, to the Egyptians gave the War and sky

and last to us gave the seas, storm, justice and intelligence ones. He

kept the more powerful ones of time and space and some others for

himself of course. There had never been a 'modern' deity with such

domains since the Persians but they are now all dead via suicide by

Vishnu which was impressive on its own because he is the preserver

instead of the destroyer, so someone can only imagine the heights of

stupidity they reached in order to force the 'peaceful one' of the

trimurti to erase them.

Time and space were usually seen in older religions like the

Mesopotamians and the Titans but the former have all faded and the

latter are caged (for how long they will stay such remains to be

seen).

This distribution of power was part of the cause for Zeus latent

excessive paranoia as well. With Poseidon getting empowered in

two of his domains, me in one and last Themis being given the

Justice domain instead of him he was frothing at the mouth in rage.

Wounded pride and deluded fear at his 'rival' becoming 'almost' as

powerful as him (which was false because Poseidon is the strongest

deity after Hestia who is the most powerful in the council, peaceful

nature or not).

Considering all these facts, the idea of going against the Divine Laws

and drawing the Middle's attention to us was extremely moronic and

as a result was quickly given up on the spot.

"I want to say a few things before a decision is made." said Hades,

his face looking like it was carved from stone.

"Speak." said Hestia, a blue flamed glare in her eyes making

Poseidon who was seated besides het to gulp silently in reflex.

Not wanting to turn into cinders the God of the Dead started quickly

speaking. First he talked about the real reason for World War 2 and

the actions of Zeus, something that aside from Demeter, Hera and

Dionysus everyone else already knew because Freyja had told me

and I shared with the others. Then he continued with the threat of

Persephone and the threat of annulment of his marriage, something

that Hera confirmed.

As a result he was let free and a permanent seat in the Council was

made for him. It was a travesty for Death to not be represented in the

center of our religion for so long but now this was rectified.

With Hades done and over with, it was time for Dionysus to be

judged. The sniveling worm was actually cowering bound in his seat,

drawing disgusted looks from the rest of the Gods at the pitiful sight.

Not wanting to suffer his sorry presence any longer he was given an

ultimatum. He will swear an oath of loyalty to the Styx thrice uttered

and thrice bound and give up his seat in the council and his domain

of Freedom, the domain that was responsible for allowing him a seat

in the first place (contrary to popular belief we didn't accept him for

his very good wine making skills or his madness inducing ones). In

exchange he will be removed from the demigod camp and his

restrictions lifted without further punishment. Of course if he commits

a crime in the future our judgment will be harsher than what it would

normally be.

Quickly accepting, the chains binding him were removed and his

throne crumbled into dust. Reluctantly pulling a white orb that

represented his Freedom domain and shakily giving it to Hestia for

safekeeping, he flashed out of the room to probably go cry to his

wife's lap.

"Damn. I never expected the day that we would get rid of that idiot

would finally come." said Apollo with a whistle.

"If you are feeling relief then I can only imagine the reactions of the

demigods when they find out that they won't have to interact with him

any longer." replied Artemis with a snort and bringing a somber

mood back into the room.

"Talking of the demigods we have to act soon. The flames of unity

inside the camps are almost nonexistent. I am afraid if reparations

aren't made as fast as possible then they will flock to father's side

like moths to a flame, and you all know what the flame does to the

moths." warned the Goddess of the Hearth drawing nods of

understanding for everyone.

"Yes we will sister, but first we have to put some measure of order

between us and solidify our authority with the minor Gods." replied

Poseidon.

"For this reason I propose to invite Hecate as the newest member of

the council as the representative of Magic as well as Freedom. Her

domain of Crossroads and hence choices will resonate acceptably

with it. She is the one who can give us more ideas on how we are to

alter the regulation of mystical knowledge to the demigods as well as

pacifying the minor Gods by elevating one of them. We need one

more person after all to have a tie-breaker number now that we no

longer have a King with two votes to act like one." said Hera, proving

that she deserved the title of Queen. She was after all an old hand at

politicking, both inside Olympus and after the creation of that

accursed Roman civilization becoming one of the leading figures in

the creation of the state.

After Hera's proposition got a unanimous agreement, Hermes was

assigned to send a message to the soon to be Olympian Goddess

and we retired until the next day in order to take care of our domains.

Zeus was agreed that he would stay sedated and guarded by Hestia

in order to prevent another Golden Net situation (though with so

many Gods against him and a lost Master Blot it was unlikely but

once bitten twice shy.)

(End POV - Pallas Athena)

(POV - Phoebus Apollo)

The second day A.Z. (After Zeus), after a gob smacked Hecate got

her new domain and an obsidian throne surrounded by visible violet

Mist, we moved on with the rest the immediate problems.

First we had to decide on who would act as head of the council and

"Ruler" of the Greco-Roman Pantheon. After a vote was made,

Hestia was the definite winner. Considering how much damage our

power-base and reputation had taken after Zeus latest stunt, we

needed our strongest and arguably wisest deity to take the reins,

something everyone (except for Hestia herself who was too busy

hyperventilating) happily agreed. Poseidon and Hades actually

sighed in relief at not having to take the responsibility causing

Athena and Artemis to roll their eyes in tandem probably thinking

something along the lines of 'Men' which would have been funny but

I was not in the mood for it right now. One thing in our agenda was

finally done and now somewhere upwards to one million more left.

Fucking brilliant.

The next one had to do with the demigods. Hermes proposed we

make it law that all demigods that enter camp are to be claimed by

their eleventh birthday at the latest, an issue that in my opinion had

been left unresolved for far too long even though the solution was

incredibly easy. It doesn't take more than 3 seconds for a God to

check the camp if any of their energy resides inside one of the kids

and just make a claiming.

The whole situation was created because some (mostly the minor

Gods) didn't think there was a point to do so if there wasn't a Cabin

for their kids and some Olympians refusing to do so until the kids

'proved' themselves which was absurd. A child should never have to

prove themselves in order for their parents to notice them. I

personally make sure to claim all my children within a week of them

entering camp at the latest.

Speaking of Cabins, Hestia decided that there will be one built for

any deity major and minor in order to pacify and give respect to

everyone and after some grumbling from the more proud Gods

coughAphroditecoughHeracough it was agreed upon and Athena

had taken the responsibility to assign one of her kids to begin the

designing and building and hopefully bringing some needed

distraction to the demigods.

Done with the infrastructure we moved to the proper manning of the

Camp. Until this point Zeus had decided that our mortal children

could get by on their own with only Chiron and later Dionysus as

authority figures which was another scheme to keep them drifting

and weakened. Now though, things have changed and as a result

more 'faculty' is going to come in to help.

Contrary to popular belief we Gods don't take care of all of our

domains on our own. While yes we can split ourselves to deal with

most of the most important and serious jobs needed, we also use

'employees' under our jurisdiction (usually partially immortal

demigods or even very talented mortals). Hermes for example has

hundreds of messengers equipped with bottomless bags and winged

shoes to make deliveries and Athena has even more scholars and

researchers in many places advancing knowledge and deciding on

the time humanity will be ready to receive such knowledge.

She also is responsible for the suppression of certain dangerous

knowledge that some genius mortals manage to uncover from time

to time though the use of Mist or more often than not by employing

them herself. (The knowledge on how to create an atomic bomb and

its results has caused a vital need for the foundation of such a subdepartment

no matter how much she hates it.)

As such the Camp received half a dozen new scholars along with a

new great library building (when it is constructed) that will help with

properly educating young demigods both in their mortal subjects as

well as broadening their knowledge in the divine world. Hecate had

requested for a part of the library to be used for the safekeeping of

the magical texts that are going to be needed if the kids are going to

learn to use their magic. She also sent two of her handmaidens

(non-Empousai handmaidens) to teach them.

Ares had retrofitted the weapons stash inside the camp with new

weapons. Both blunt for training purposes as well as real ones for

new demigods to choose from, something that both Hades and

Poseidon added to, because children from their respective domains

find it hard to use weapons that are not made in the Underworld or

Sea respectively and Hephaestus did the same with armors and

shields as well as new state of the art training automatons.

The seven ladies of the council sprouted 1 of their sacred trees

around the borders of the camp, creating a barrier strong enough to

keep even an army of monsters out without a problem. (Though

Aphrodite started pouting when the sex-drive suppression wasn't

removed and complained about it to the ire of the rest of the ladies

and the amusement of everyone else.)

Next we had to deliberate a lot and there were many who were afraid

about the interference clause (me amongst them) in the Ancient

Laws when a decision was made to quickly send all demigods that

have not yet gone to camp from ages of 8 and above to be trained.

The crux of the matter was that while we can enforce this, we can't

expect them to actually reach the place on their own in such tender

ages. Not everyone can be such freaks of nature as Alexandra was

after all. That's why a decision was finally made though extremely

reluctantly and it was decided that we will transport and explain the

situation to each other's children ourselves. For example, Aphrodite

will be responsible for Hermes children or Poseidon for mine and so

on and so forth, bypassing that way the Gods inability to interfere

with their own children.

The reason for this is that we were afraid that Titans would start

hunting or forcefully recruiting our defenseless offspring and that is

something we can't allow, both because they are our kids and from a

strategic point of view as well (Athena's words not mine). Hopefully,

all this new faces will manage to bring some dearly needed laughter

and morale back inside the camp.

Done for now with the demigod issue, I decided that it was now a

good time to some urgent changes that occurred when nobody was

looking.

"There are some dire changes that occurred that the council should

be informed about. It happened at the day of the Solstice but I was

not able to detect it until yesterday night." I said making everyone

look in my direction.

"Of course there are because it is obvious that we cannot catch a

break. Go on, get on with it." said Poseidon with a groan and before I

could speak a green haze came over my vision, I lost control of my

body and the smell of serpents and burned daphne leafs filled the

room.

50 half-bloods head to Olympus on a bus.

1 is lost insidiously in the Gate with a flash.

8 were dusted cowardly in the rush

and 30 perished by the lightning blast.

The Sky God's atrocities make the Gods in rage boil

Olympian's and not fury cause the heavens to recoil

The children's spilled blood dyes red the earthen soil.

The Great Stirring these fallen souls awaken

Monsters horrific and ancient evils the shadows strengthen

and cruel Golden eyes in the darkness beckon the forsaken.

Sister against sister, brother against brother

bronze arms and the spirits of peace before the Mountain's feet

shatter

innocent blood both red and gold the Usurped spill with glee and

laughter

the future of the West shall rule the ones who will prevail the

slaughter

Fate is broken, the future is a mystery

War's daughter holds the keys of victory

Her great spear and shield the evil must withstand

and her fiery soul will be set aflame in the final stand.

"What does this mean Apollo?" said Hera horrified.

"Well fellas, that is Fate speak for 'we got nothing, you better wing

it'."

"SHIT." said Hades, managing to describe completely our collective

thoughts in one word.

(End - POV Phoebus Apollo)

(1 Month after the Solstice - 26 of January 2006)

(POV Thalia Grace)

1 month.

That's how long it has been since that disastrous Winter Solstice.

Gods what a great gift did my sperm donor give me for my birthday. I

couldn't help think deprecatingly.

His lightning took away 31 demigods because he couldn't stand the

fact that he was wounded by an angry father that watched his

daughter being blatantly assassinated in front of the whole pantheon.

Dionysus the coward together with another couple spineless fools

killed another 8 in their panic to save their own hide by flashing away

uncaring about the consequences.

The first thing I remember after the clap of thunder was waking up on

the charred black marble of the Council room holding Annabeth in

my arms and covering her with my body. Someone else was on top

of me while the only thing I could hear was an unending ringing.

As I looked around all that I was able to see was the whole demigod

group fallen to the ground either dead or barely living with burn scars

and melted body parts. When I turned to dislodge the person who

had collapsed on my back I was met with the most soul crushing

sight someone could have shown me.

Luke, the goofy, charming son of Hermes that I had fallen in love

with. The boy that I had gone through thick and thin with. One of the

only three people that still gave light in my life was dead. He used his

own body to protect me and paid the price for it. He was charred

black from head to toe. The lightning had hit him directly and the only

things that were left unscathed were his two blue eyes that were now

empty and dull in death.

At the beginning I was unable to comprehend what I was seeing. I

thought that I was hallucinating, that all this was a bad dream that I

would soon wake up from but the pain from my wounds didn't let me

delude myself anymore and the only thing I managed to do was

scream Luke's name in horror before I passed out once more.

It took me 30 hours to wake up.

When I opened my eyes once more I found myself in the camp's

infirmary. I was lying on one of the beds and Annabeth was sleeping

by my bedside tear tracks dried on her cheeks.

The rest of the beds were separated into two different groups. On

the one I was in, the beds were filled with bandaged and moaning in

pain demigods that numbered to less than 10 while the other group

was filled with beds that were covering the occupants from head to

toe in white blankets. I didn't need to be a genius to understand that

these were all dead.

Immediately after watching this heartbreaking sight I started sobbing.

Luke was dead, Alex was dead, the Camp was broken and the only

ones left from our little family were me and Annabeth.

My crying woke up the daughter of Athena who instantly flew into my

arms and started shaking, her tears soaking my shirt and I didn't

know what to say. I wanted to say that everything would be better in

time, that we would manage to move through the pain but I couldn't

do that because it would be but empty words. The pain will never go

away and the hole in our souls will never truly mend, so I just held

her in my arms tighter and cried with her for all the people that we

lost, for all the suffering we had to endure because of Zeus tyranny

and I cursed him to the deepest pits of Tartarus.

It was about a week later that everyone was deemed healed enough

and the summer campers to return in order to conduct the funeral

pyres ceremony. The only one not attending was Clarisse but I

couldn't fault her. The Ares Cabin suffered the worst out of all others.

Out of the 26 children of Ares only her survived. Being the most

numerous they had taken the front row seats and as a result they

were the first to feel the power of Zeus Master Bolt. She only

survived because all her siblings created a dog pile on top of her to

protect her and even then she lost her left leg from her knee and

down and her back was scarred from her nape of her neck to her

waist full of electrical burns.

The only reason she is still mobile even if she needs a crutch was

the quick healing of Apollo but even then, her time as a warrior has

ended. Without her leg it would be impossible to fight anymore and

for a daughter of War this was a fate worse than death. The shock of

what happened had made her catatonic and Silena, her best friend

and Cabin Ten's councilor had to stay by her side 24/7 because we

were afraid that she would kill herself if she was left alone.

The other cabins that suffered the greatest losses were the

Hephaestus and Athena Cabins with the former losing all 5 of its

members making it officially an empty one and the latter lost 6 of its

7 year round members with only Annabeth surviving due to me

guarding her with my body.

The rest of the dead was L-Luke Castellan son of Hermes and an

unclaimed demigod from Cabin 11 and last a son and a daughter of

Apollo with the latter being only 8 years old. She had only been in

camp for only 3 weeks and been claimed for only a couple of days

before that disastrous trip. Michael Yew the Councilor of Cabin 8 was

inconsolable by the loss, focusing in his work in the infirmary in order

to be able to function and his siblings had to force him to eat and

sleep because they are afraid that he will collapse from the

exhaustion.

As the shroud covered bodies were set on fire all the 112 demigods

in attendance were silent. When before the camp felt like a

sanctuary, a safe haven and home for demigods, now it felt cold.

Even the hearth was barely crackling and Chiron had barely

managed to give a half hearted eulogy before he silently sat down on

his wheelchair and just stared at the fires.

Watching the fires burning Luke's body and Alex's empty shroud

while holding a sobbing Annabeth in my hands I couldn't help but

feel like a failure. I had made a promise of getting strong. Strong

enough to protect those I held dear and I couldn't keep it even for a

day. Now with only my last friend by my side I can only wonder how

will I be able to live on inside this Camp that is filled with the happy

memories of those that had been taken from me so cruely.

(End -POV Thalia Grace)

(POV Aristomache)

It has been one month since my Mistress disappeared. Yes I say

disappeared because she is not dead and this is not me being in

denial. When my Lady transformed me into this greater form, she

also bound my life to hers so the fact that I am not in the Underworld

waiting to be judged at this moment means that she has not

perished. In addition, a few hours after the disaster I received a

humongous power boost and since then I noticed that my

parameters are increasing. Very slowly yes, but still increasing all the

same. Lady Alexandra may be lost but she still fights, she hasn't

surrendered and I am sure that she is searching for a way back, so I

will wait and in the meantime I will make sure those she holds

dearest to her heart are taken care of.

The creation of our bond didn't give me only a new form and some

extra abilities. Amongst the many gifts, I also received a lot of her

memories and knowledge. Knowledge that I will now use to reignite

some of the fire in her families weary hearts.

After that stupid tree forced me to reform (which took me half a

month), I found myself naked in my human form on top of my Ladies

bed in her Cabin. Thankfully, it was the middle of the night so her

sister and her chaperone were both fast asleep making it easy for

me to sneak out and stumble into the forest unnoticed. From there I

took my greatly diminished dragon form and flew away to Caldera,

Yellowstone where I took a dive inside the lava. It took me 3 days to

reach it because of my weakness and another 11 days of eating the

flames and sleeping to restore myself completely and now after I

managed to permanently borrow some human clothes from a

women's clothes shop (nothing special, a red T-shirt, some

underwear and blue skintight jeans and black boots) I am back to

camp. Since I was inside the boundaries when the new powerful

wards were created now I have unrestricted access to the place.

Passing through using my human and thus more subtle form a few

minutes before midnight, I first entered the Cabin of that accursed

Sky God, may he forever rot in the deepest pit. Since he is probably

quite preoccupied being caged and all, it was the only cabin I could

enter without getting smote by an angry deity.

The whole place had the look of a mausoleum and I had to hold my

snicker when I saw the big ass statue that was positioned in the

middle have its cheeks decorated with male genitalia. Its chiton was

painted in pink with red heart shaped polka dots along with scorch

marks that were probably made by lightning generated by an angry

demigoddess with an axe to grind.

Making sure to record that hilarious image to memory to share with

my Mistress when she returns, I continued with my self-imposed

mission. Getting beside the panty clad and nothing else sleeping girl

and talking a few moments to admire the view, I conjured some mist

form ropes around her body and a silk wrap around her mouth. I

wouldn't want her to wake up the whole fucking camp in her panic

after all (also I wanted to draw some amusement from her panicking

face not to mention how hot it was but no one has to know that).

Thalia Grace woke up with a start. Quickly figuring out that she was

tied and gagged on her own bed she started thrashing around trying

to get free while lightning currents were coursing around her body.

Unfortunately for her, her bindings while they looked like ropes

where actually crystallized magical energy.

"Give it a rest will ya. You are not getting free of these ropes unless I

will it so." I said making her focus on me while I was sitting a meter

on her right on a conjured fluffy armchair and immediately started

glaring at me and mumbling what is more than likely insults and

threats through her gag.

"Oh I am not a bitch, I am a dragon. Most particularly I am the

dragon servant of my Lady Alexandra. My name is Aristomache." I

said getting a disbelieving look from the demigoddess and tried to

speak but her gag didn't exactly help her.

"Dam bmm afff dafon. Meah Mhhg"

(That big ass Dragon? Yeah Right.)

"I will have you know that I am no big ass dragon girly. My butt is

perfectly proportionate to my body. As for my human form, you can

thank my Mistress greatness for giving me this ability." I replied

slightly insulted while standing up and showing her my pants clad

perfectly shaped butt and then I continued.

"I also wouldn't start throwing rocks when I am living in a glass

house little pear. You should definitely cut back on bread if you catch

my drift." I mocked her while crossing my hands below my bosom

and raising them slightly to show her my 'superiority'. A mocking

smirk never leaving my face for a second.

By the redness of her face and the vain that was furiously throbbing

on her temple I believe I sent the message across and now that I

satiated my amusement by annoying the girl it is time to get to

business.

"Now that we had our fun, I believe it is time to explain my presence

here and my reason for my peculiar visit yes?"

Getting a roll of her eyes and a reluctant nod, I continued.

"The first thing you have to know is that my Lady is not dead. She is

very much alive and while she is lost somewhere that I am blocked

from following, I am sure sooner than later she will return."

My words made her freeze for a second and after looking at me like I

sprouted a second head she begun thrashing and mumbling

questions once more.

"Okay that's enough. I am going to remove the gag and I will answer

all of your questions. When I am done, I will make an offer and if you

accept we can go from there if not I will leave you unharmed and

depart from the camp and after 5 minutes your bonds will disappear

never to see me again until my Mistress returns at the earliest. If you

start shouting though and cause a scene I swear I will burn your hair

bald. In order to reassure you I will swear my terms on the Styx." I

said and a rumble of thunder was heard sealing my oath.

After gauging me for a moment the daughter of Zeus released a sigh

and a nod prompting me to remove her gag.

"Okay then. Say your piece."

"Excellent. I came here today to make a proposition to both you and

the other two girls that are very close to my Mistress. Annabeth

Chase and Clarisse La Rue I believe are their names."

"Yes, you got it right and the proposition is?" asked the tied up girl

impatiently.

"I want all three of you to follow me in order to go on a training trip of

sort. Even now worlds away I can feel my Lady getting stronger by

the second. By the time she returns she will probably be strong

enough that the Gods will regard her both as a powerful pawn to use

her as well as a threat to be bound and removed when her uses are

over with."

"Some yes, but I don't believe that her father or some of her friends

in the council will allow it and Alex is not naïve enough to fall for false

promises." Interrupted the girl, her inexperience shown clearly in her

words.

"My Lady may be not naïve but she has a dangerous weakness of

turning people she trusts into her blind spots. She has a great

respect for the Owl Goddess for example or even her Father but I

have lived for a long time even if my intelligence until a little while

ago was barely great enough to comprehend the world around me.

The Gods and any deity for that matter no matter how much they say

they have changed have proved that they are both selfish in their

actions and uncaring of mortal lives time and time again.

"That's not true. Zeus and a few others may be exactly as you say

but we all saw Ares rage when Alex disappeared in that black hole

thingy. These were not the actions of an uncaring God."

"The War God's actions were nothing but pure selfishness. He lost

control of his emotions causing a fight in the middle of the crowded

council room uncaring about what a divine battle will do to the

mortals in the room. Hell for all we know if he kept his calm one of

the more magic savvy deities may have been able to find a clue

about my Mistresses whereabouts or even able to retrieve her.

Because of him only my bond with her stands as proof that she still

lives and she will have to find her way back on her own." I could see

that my words had shocked her into silence by finally understanding

the situation a little bit.

"That's why I need to collect as many people as I can who are loyal

to my Mistress to stand by her side and protect her back. That's

where you three come in and I will try my best to make you as

powerful as possible. So what do you say? Are you in?" I finished,

releasing her from her bonds and giving her my hand a neutral

expression on my face and waiting for her response.

After contemplating my offer for a couple of minutes she looked at

me in the eyes and took my hand, a determined look on her face. "I

am in."

Waiting for the morning to come, Thalia went on with her daily

routine to not draw attention and by launch time she was able to

bring Annabeth discretely in her Cabin. After explaining my identity

and my reason for my presence here and barely managing to keep

her squeals of happiness at the news of my Ladies survival from

being heard, she eagerly joined us.

The daughter of Athena had managed by the time dinner had come

to convince a reluctant Silena who acted as Clarisse keeper to trade

places with her for the night. When everyone went to sleep they

brought Alexandra's little sister in Cabin 1. Half an hour later they

were riding on my dragon form as we flew away from the Greek

Camp and its stagnation.

(End - POC Aristomache)

(Olympian Council - Summer Solstice - 25 June 2007)

(POV - Poseidon, King of Atlantis)

Things have been hectic since that accursed Winter Solstice almost

two years ago. We had managed to organize ourselves as quickly as

possible and Hestia's proposal has managed to pacify the Minor

Gods, improving our relations with them by a lot but the biggest

change has been with the demigods.

The new Cabins and the certain claiming had brought great relief in

the hearts of our mortal children. The new faculties and knowledge

shared with them had also made them much stronger and well

rounder than the past. The fatality rates have been starting to

decrease optimistically, thought since the changes are still in their

infancy we have a good way to go but it had not been easy and the

disappearance of Thalia Grace together with the last child of Ares

and Athena's favorite daughter had crushed the morale of the Camp

particularly hard considering how close it was to the 'Crimson

Solstice' as it has now been named. A name that is equally

appropriate in my opinion in order to describe that stupid incident.

To this day their whereabouts are unknown and even Artemis had

failed to find a single clue of them, much to her consternation and

the two war deities grief. The only clue we have is the scent of a

dragon inside Cabin 1 (now renamed Cabin 21), which is not

particularly encouraging.

Their disappearance had been seen as a sign by the rest of the

demigods to start abandoning the camp and it was only our fast

actions in making the necessary changes and the arrival of the

youngest demigods by divine intervention that prevented the place

from becoming a ghost town. Even then, by the time we learned of it

and acted 50 of the 110 remaining demigods had already left and

from the 50 adult demigods that had graduated camp and left to

make a life on the mortal world not even one had we managed to

locate. Considering that 2-5 demigods had been going MIA from

Camp every year for more than 30 years from what Athena's

calculation has shown, then there are at best if we are extremely

lucky more than 120 demigods that are members of the Titan army,

worshiping them and as a result helping our accursed father to

reform bit by bit.

Right now we have 109 demigods in Camp but the crux of the matter

is that a good percentage of them are younger than 13 years old and

no matter how talented they won't be able to easily stand against

experienced and adult demigods.

What we are hoping for is to delay the true battles of the inevitable

war that is to come as long as possible to give time to our children to

sharpen themselves and grow older and prepare the rest of our

assets as much as possible.

That's why we have kept the fact that the previous Great Prophecy

has been negated from even our most loyal vassals. None outside

the Council knows about the new one and we had all swore the most

binding divine oaths to make sure that there will be no spreading of

that knowledge. While the newest one is in everyone's opinion even

more grim and foreboding than the previous one, I personally felt

relief when I heard it. No longer will Fate's shears stand as a sword

of Damocles above my precious son's neck. Now Alexandra Bellum

had taken his place. At least that's what Apollo and a few others had

theorized though I still have my doubts. The girl had been consumed

by the void between dimensions and even Gods are incapable of

surviving inside it. What chance a simple mortal no matter how

exceptional have.

Thankfully my son Perseus has done a great job in leading the camp

and keeping the morale high after his success in retrieving Zeus

fancy vibrator (and by the void I had almost broken my rib in laughter

when I heard the boy calling the Master Bolt by that name). Hermes

had brought him to camp in the middle of April and by the time June

had come he had managed to improve a lot both with Anaklusmos

that he won in the first of the two Green dungeons he cleared. The

other being a comprehensive book on how to train and improve his

gifts as a demigod son of mine with a big warning about his

Earthshaker powers that Athena forced me to include because 'none

wants what happened with the Roman one all those decades ago to

occur again' which was something I had grudgingly accepted.

So by the time 13 of June had come and 12 days before the Solstice

a prophecy was made by Apollo and was then repeated by his

mummified Oracle to my son.

The Son of the Sea west he shall head

With love and death through danger he shall tread

The stolen lightning to the Gods he must return

for by Sun's peak day to the Crooked One's hand it shall descent.

Considering that most prophecies we have heard until now weren't

complete unless they had at least two 'doom' interpretations, this one

was practically a joyful one by the Fates standards.

He was joined by the councilor of Aphrodite's and Hades Cabins

named Silena and Bianca respectively (both I and his mother teased

him so much for being surrounded by so many girls). On their way

they had to fight through a Griffin that crushed on their bus, Medusa

(and Athena's face when we received the 'impertinent' package was

hilarious), Echidna and Chimera sent by 'Zeus' (read Kronos, the

schemer trying to create as much conflict between the 'child of

prophecy' and the Gods as possible) and Ares challenge (which was

meant to be a slight help for them to be able to continue their journey

west).

By the time they had reached Las Vegas they had no money to

spend for transportation and as such they had to head to Los

Angeles on foot. I wanted to help him but we had already intervened

twice with me healing him in the river when Chimera's snake bit him

and through Ares.

It took them 3 days to walk the distance and they had to fight two

different packs of hellhounds in between. By the time they reached

L.A. it was night and the next day was the Summer Solstice. After a

night spent in the presidential suits of a 5 star hotel because Hades

is a show off they descended to the Underworld.

From what Hades relayed to us after the event, Ethan Nakamura a

son of Nemesis and one of the thought until then victims of the

Crimson Solstice had stolen the bolt and tried to use the questing

party's entrance through Erebus to conceal his, using an invisibility

ring. Bianca had managed to easily make Cerberus to stand down

being her father's daughter and the magical items detector in the

passage through Erebus only detected the existence of them not the

number so he thought that if he passed invisibly at the same time he

could fool the system and chuck the bolt into Tartarus with no

problems.

It was a good plan but unfortunately for him, Hades had made many

upgrades to it so the moment he passed through, his ring's effects

were negated and was found out. Seeing that he was about to fail he

made a run for the Pit's entrance but Perseus managed to fight him

off in the last minute and Bianca used a shadow whip to catch the

sheath moments before it was lost into the Abyss.

The traitor demigod unfortunately had managed to escape using a

transportation marble but at least now we have more than enough

solid proof for the rise of the Titans and the Master Bolt is safe. The

only issue was that Perseus had managed to accidentally activate

his Earthshaker powers in the battle and now I have to pay for the

damages or suffer a frothing Hades rage for the next couple

millennia. I of course fake-threatened that all his drachma

allowances had a 90% reduction for the next 300 years because of

the damages and took great amusement from his embarrassment. It

is a parent's job after all to tease their children every chance they

get.

Since Zeus was no longer in charge, we could now once again use

the old custom of rewards for our questing demigods. Depending on

the difficulty and importance of the quest, it is tradition for the

parents of the questers or the contracting God to reward them

appropriately. Aphrodite gave her daughter a Hephaestus made

armor that is far superior to anything the demigods had up until this

moment (in gold and hot pink color *shudders*) and was capable to

transform into whatever style of clothes the user desired, Hades

gifted his only daughter with an advanced tome about the usage of

her powers and told her to regulate what her brother read from it until

he became more mature.

Last, I gave my son a trident made from the forges of Atlantis

capable of turning into a bracelet and always returning to its owner.

Furthermore, it had been charged with a miniscule amount of power

from my own trident in order to help him advance his mastery over

my domains faster.

With the Master Bolt retrieved and our relationships with our subjects

both immortal and mortal becoming better by the day as well as the

fact that the Kronos still subtly attempts at consolidating his powers

we hoped that we could at least look forward to a less stressful year

and until the middle of autumn it looked as such but it wasn't meant

to be. Odin sent a recording projection stone through one of his

ravens requesting (read: demanding) a meeting and he looked

furious.

He joined us about a week later with Freyja and 21 Valkyries

escorting him. There was not even a hint of the fake joviality he was

usually sporting which was a very big sign that he meant business

but the angrier of the two was Freyja. You could feel her power

rolling barely suppressed just beneath her skin, her eyes had a

constant glow with no pupil and her hand was gripping her sword

sheathed at her waist intensely, something that was imitated by all

her winged fully armored escorts behind her.

The reason of this surprise meeting? Alexandra Bellum.

Apparently, Odin may have released her from his service even after

he blessed her but after her years of service in the war and her time

in the Valkyries she is considered a child of the North (has legitimate

citizenry papers too) all the same and she also has the title of

ambassador responsible with maintaining Asgard's relations with our

pantheon. So the events of her death that had somehow traveled as

far as Vanaheim reached the ears of Odin who was really pissed at

the demise of one of his Valkyries retired or not and Freyja being

something like a honorary older sister and teacher to Alexandra was

even less amused. Zeus apparently had been informed of that little

detail in an official message that was sent to him by the All-Father.

Another screw up in the great lists of screw ups that we are slowing

unraveling now that he can no longer hide them.

This particular one we paid dearly as well because when Odin

demanded the soul of 'his' warrior and he learned that we don't know

where it is because she never appeared in the Underworld he

threatened to convene a Cardinal Flame Council in order for us to

answer for the disappearance of one of his ambassadors (one of the

few titles that hold almost absolute immunity in inter-pantheon

relations). In order to pacify him we had to give up the states of

Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine to his rule as

well as three Blessing Orbs with a sky, sea and earth/nature

alignment. These things are extremely rare and are capable of

making a minor demigod as powerful as an average Big Three one.

Gods are extremely possessive of them because they contain what

is practically their power but unlike normal blessing, the orbs

completely separate their authority from them and while the drain is

akin to having a demigod child and it regenerates easily, the giver

will have no influence on the blessed or be capable to take it back if

they were betrayed or defied.

By the time the negotiations were done and the snake in a raven's

body left we were 4 States poorer and our ego had taken a very

thorough beating but we were much wiser from it.

In a completely unrelated topic, let's talk about Zeus. Before the

Crimson Solstice he was the King of the Olympians and God of the

Sky, Weather, Thunderstorms, Lightning, Winds, Clouds, Law, Order,

Justice, Power and the Human Race. A pretty significant resume to

be sure.

After he was judged by the Council for his crimes, he lost his throne,

his Sky, Lightning and Order domains went to Hera as consolation

prize for putting up with him for all those years, Weather was given

to Demeter, I got Winds and Thunderstorms and as a result

Susanno'o can go fuck himself because I am no longer 'just' a

Stormbringer but a legitimate God of Storms and also Aeolus is now

my bitch (let him try to pull the shit he did with Odysseus for now on,

I dare him), Justice was given to Themis to make the minor Gods

happy and last but certainly not least Law, Power and the patronage

of the Human Race went to Hestia as the Head-deity of our

pantheon increasing her already fearsome power by magnitudes.

As a result he became the minor God of Clouds, lost his seat in the

Council and was sentenced to be imprisoned in the bedroom of his

temple with power suppressing cuffs for 4.000 years, 1 century for

every demigod that died on the Solstice.

After Odin left, the Clouds domain went to Hera and he was chained

with powerful God suppression chains from his hands and legs in the

bowels of Olympus suspended above the flowing lava that feeds

Hephaestus forges in order to keep him warm with an added 16.000

years to his punishment, 4.000 years for its state lost. So

unfortunately, we won't be seeing him for the next 20 millennia. And

no Hades and Hera's cackling was absolutely a form of grief and

sorrow about our brothers necessary but heart-retching fate and if

anyone claims differently, then they are filthy, stinky liars.

After that the Winter Solstice of 2006 came and went, Winter

became Spring and as a result Demeter temporarily ceased her

incessant whining and we hoped that everything would be peaceful

for a little while but no, some annoying son of a bitch that was later

revealed to be Ethan Nakamura (Hades has created a special place

for him in the fields of Punishment) thought it was a good idea to

poison Hestia's tree with Elder Python's Poison directly from Tartarus

because we can't catch a break.

By the time June came, a cure had still not be found and since the

nexus tree was poisoned the wards were beginning to deteriorate

rapidly so after Perseus gave them the coordinates for the Golden

Fleece it was decided that someone had to quest for it.

The one chosen was a daughter of Nike that had won the Capture

the Flag game the night previously and for companions she chose

my son Perseus and a son of my heir Triton which were brilliant

choices considering they headed to the Sea of Monsters and the

words of the prophecy.

You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,

You shall find what you seek and make it your own,

The masked Captains power will supersede your own

And fail without friends, to fly home alone.

The contractor of the quest was Hermes who gave them a bag with a

few must haves for that particular Sea (never step foot those waters

inside without the multivitamins) and me and Triton combined our

boons in order to give them a perfect condition Union Sea water

battleship with a skeleton (in more than one way) crew to get them to

their destination as safely as possible.

They passed through the terrible duo and after some arguing they

choose Skylla as their trial. Using her 'Victory sense' as Nike calls

her mortal children's expression of power, she ordered only some of

the skeletons to stay visible on the main deck with Percy hiding

inside a holed box while the rest were to get inside with the son of

Triton using his powers to accelerate the ship as much as he could.

A moment before Skylla attacked, Perseus created a wall of sea

water and tried to block her as much as possible. By the time they

got away only two skeletons had been snatched by the monster and

while the demigods were celebrating the successful strategy we

couldn't help but be impressed by the ingenuity and teamwork of the

questing party.

Sadly they had the bad luck to meet Chrysaor, one of my most

powerful children and unfortunately for them one of the more vicious

and self-centered as well. The demigods fought well and the more

advanced ships cannons managed to equalize the two sides for a

while but the centuries of experience and the ichor in his veins

proved too much a boon and as a result Perseus and Joan (the

daughter of Nike) fell into the sea while Mark (the son of Triton) was

captured by Chrysaor.

The two escapes found themselves in the island of Circe where

Percy had to spend some time as a guinea pig which Aphrodite

found particularly cute and even promised to make a commiserating

plushy to gift the Camp in his image and I made sure to ask her to

make another 2, one for me and one for his mother. After a while

Joan got suspicious and through a series of half amusing and half

terrifying events (stumbling in the female-only bath-house of the

island while it was in use is the definition of both halves) they

managed to escape the island on top of Queen Ann's Revenge while

they left a no longer pig shaped (by a point of view) Blackbeard, son

of Ares and his crew to raise havoc on the island.

Passing through the sirens quickly while using candle wax to keep

their song from affecting them, they reached their destination. The

Island of Polyphemous.

For a while everything had been going perfectly. They waited until

the Cyclops had left to graze his sheep and used some powerful

sleeping concoction that Joan made from some flowers in the island

to roofie both his stew and his wine cask. By the time night came,

Polyphemus was sleeping like a baby and now that his man eating

sheep were caged inside his cave they easily snatched the

unguarded Fleece and hightailed it towards their 'borrowed' pirate

ship.

Once they reached Miami Percy sent Joan back alone as per the

prophecies words but got captured by Ethan Nakamura and led

towards his personal ship Princess Andromeda. There he was

reunited with Mark that had been sold to the Titans by Chrysaor for

gold apparently.

Subtly managing to create a rainbow and an Iris message he

managed to make him admit that he was the one that poisoned the

guardian tree alienating all the camp's demigods in one move. After

all, he endangered their only safe haven that has finally become a

place where they could be proud to reside unlike the past but the son

of Nemesis words after brought a somber mood and once again we

all cursed Zeus for all the problems he has caused us.

(FLASHBACK)

" Why Ethan? Why continue with this madness when things are

becoming so much better for us in Camp?" said Percy trying to

understand the motives of his adversary.

" Why you ask? Because I want the Gods to be punished for their

crimes. For all the demigods that I had to watch throw their lives

away into danger year after year just for their parents to notice them.

I remember every name of every demigod that died unlamented, not

even an empty funeral pyre to ease their way into the Underworld.

Charon probably still tortures them by having them wait in line in

order to reach their peaceful death because apparently 'Death isn't

fair' ain't it Percy. Didn't Charon say that to you when you were

searching for Zeus precious Master Bolt." mocked the boy with a

grin.

" I understand your pain Ethan, but now things have changed. Zeus

is gone and the Gods have learned from their mistakes. If you come

back now I will stand by your side and plead your case. I just helped

save camp I will ask for my reward to be the pardon of all demigods

that joined the Titans if they return. There is still hope." promised

Percy trying to get through to the misguided demigod but all he got in

return was uproarious laughter.

" Hahahahahaha hope you say. You think there is still hope?" asked

in disbelief the son of Nemesis and continued.

" You are a good kid Percy. One of the few truly kind souls that I

have ever met like my girlfriend Astraea the now dead daughter of

Elpis, the daughter of Hope." he said making the son of Poseidon

wince internally.

" She was a truly kind girl. Barely strong enough to be a demigod but

that didn't matter because she could light up the world of even the

most depressed of people just with her smile and for a time as I was

by her side I truly felt peace. The constant pain of our parents

rejection had dulled and I thought that if I couldn't get recognition for

them then I at least will build a happy life with Astraea."

" But three years ago on my 17 birthday to be precise, as she went

to visit her father, she used a plane in order to be safe from the

monsters that walk the land but unfortunately for her the plane was

struck in a freak lightning storm and was destroyed, taking 200

passengers to the grave amongst them being Astraea."

" A few days later I went to visit the Big House in order to use the

phone so I could call her and it was there that I heard the happy

laughter of Dionysus talking about how he had to deal with one less

brat because Zeus killed her for daring to step into his domain

without a proper sacrifice." finished Ethan.

Percy couldn't speak. There wasn't anything to say to that. How can

you make someone rationalize such brutality without your words

sounding empty and he was ready to make a bid for escape when

Nakamura started speaking again.

" My girlfriend's namesake Astraea was the goddess of innocence

and she was on the earth alongside humans during the Golden Age

of Man. When the Iron Age, the Age of the Gods dawned, bringing

along misery and wickedness, Astraea abandoned the earth and

went to the skies where she transformed into the constellation Virgo.

According to a prophecy, when Astraea returns to Earth one day, she

will once again bring the utopia that was during the Golden Age,

bringing an end to human suffering. So in her name I am going to

bring back that utopia and I will crush Olympus brick by brick, stone

by stone until not even dust remains to hint to their existence. I will

be the Herald of the Golden Age so I give you one last chance, join

me and prosper or refuse and die. Choose now before is too late

Percy."

Thankfully at that moment a black Pegasus that he had helped free

earlier charged through the monsters holding them and after quickly

getting on top Percy and Mark flew away and escaping while behind

them an enraged son of Nemesis screamed in rage and cursed

them.

(End - FLASHBACK)

(End - POV Poseidon, King of Atlantis)

As the Gods watched the daughter of Nike position the Golden

Fleece on top of one of the branches of Hestia's Chaste-tree

revitalizing the land and powering the wards, they were happy that

their children would remain protected inside the formidable wards but

a sudden sound akin to glass distracted them from the iris view.

Space started to twist and distort as a multi colored kaleidoscopic

portal opened before the thrones of the Gods. Everyone stood up

weapons in hands and spells on their lips the being that emerged

from the portal did not look hostile.

It was a woman looking to be in her early twenties wearing red old

style dress robes with a longsword sheathed on her waist. She was

very voluptuous with pale blonde hair and violet eyes and was

extremely beautiful, more akin to a Goddess of beauty than the

mortal she was. And she was mortal, the Gods could easily sense it

even though her mortality existed only by a thread. Hades, the only

male God capable of keeping his ichor on his more important head

was about to demand her identity but he was interrupted by Ares of

all people.

"SUPER-BRAT. Is that you?" his shock was prevalent for all to see.

The flames of his eyes completely extinguished and for the first time

the Gods were able to see the violet natural color of his orbs. Making

the connection between the shared eye color between the intruder

and the War God, they all figured out the identity of the 'intruder'.

"Heya guys, long time no see. What did I miss?" said cheekily the

demigoddess.

"Oh you have no idea." replied Hermes with a shake of his head and

a rueful grin.

"We will fill her in on the situation here Hermes but first I really have

to know, how did you escape the dimensional void?" interrupted

Athena a curious gleam in her eyes.

"That's a very long story and in order to explain everything then I will

need a seat and a drink."

With a snap of her fingers Aphrodite created a comfortable chair and

a small side table with a jug of wine and a crystal tumbler and after

everyone got comfortable she started her tale.

"Well first of all in order to understand the situation you have to learn

what exactly happened when I was about to exit the challenge Gate.

As I was ready to come through…." and from there Alexandra talked

about her whole sordid tale, from the existence of the hidden

Goddess of Betrayal and daughter of Zeus named Prodosia and how

after they fought for a bit she lost control of the hidden dimension

causing a space destabilization that chucked them both inside the

dimensional gap to how she was saved by a foreign supreme deity

and was given a quest as her ticket to home while the Goddess was

left to be consumed by the void.

Then after answering some questions about the name of the God

and his domains, she talked about her quest and her adventures in

Arda, describing the places she saw and the many different races

that lived there.

Throughout her story the Gods were dazzled about a whole world

that the wild was still prominent and untouched by man, with the

environment clean and the star filled sky visible to all every night in

its entire splendor.

When she was done, she was congratulated for her accomplishment

and then Hestia spoke.

"Now that we have been informed of your spectacular adventures I

think it is time for you to ask us for a boon of your choice. After all,

you managed to stand victorious against a Gate challenge than no

one short of a God would have been able to prevail, something that

qualified you for a gift anyway and even had to suffer for our former

Kings paranoia." the Queens words getting nod from the rest of the

council.

"As such you can request a greater boon than you would have

originally been rewarded with and since the council had been sworn

on the Styx when you accepted the challenge we will make sure to

deliver. It will have to be within our power though, you cannot ask for

something that we are unable to do either because it is impossible or

it is forbidden by the Ancient Laws." as the Goddess of Fore finished

many in the council were expecting to welcome a new Goddess into

the fold. After all, with a chance of a carte blanche request from them

what else would someone ask for? It was only logical that she would

ask to become a Goddess.

Unfortunately for them, Alexandra was not so predictable.

"If that is the case then I want a full powered blessing orb from each

Olympian."

The whole Council froze in their place and Artemis tried to dissuade

her from that course.

"Alexandra, no matter how strong you are, you will never be able to

handle the power of so many domains in your body. If you use all

these blessing orbs you will explode from the inside out. If power is

what you wish for, we would be more than happy to make you a

Goddess to stand amongst us."

"Oh don't worry my lady, aside from two orbs I have no intention of

using the rest on myself. The rest I am going to use to advance my

forging and enchanting skills. As I said before, in the near 150 years

I spent in Arda I gained a true appreciation for these crafts and what

a better way to create a true master piece than the power of a true

God. The reason I want so many of them is that I have no

experience in using them and I am afraid most of them will be

wasted in the manufacturing and testing process. To prove my

sincerity I will swear here and now on the Styx that I will absorb only

two of the blessing orbs I will be given today from you here and not

any of the others." the moment she swore the oath, a distant clap of

thunder sealed it and the Gods relaxed, no longer afraid that they

would have a whole pantheon of blessings combined into one

demigod, a powerful one at that in the first place. This much power

unregulated by the Ancient Laws would have been too dangerous.

The whole exploding thing a mere misdirection of the thruth.

"If that is the case then why didn't you ask for a powerful artifact to

be given to you. I am sure my son Hephaestus would be more than

happy to gift you one."

"That's because I am an artist my lady. I am sure that your son would

have been able to give me an artifact that far surpasses anything

that I will be able to accomplish but the crux of the matter is that it

wouldn't have been created by my own hands. There would be no

challenge and no knowledge and wisdom gained from it." finished

Alexandra and waited for the verdict.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you but after hearing such

passionate words from someone wishing to further my craft, I am

more than happy to indulge her." said Hephaestus a ghost of a smile

on his face.

"Indeed, as a Goddess of knowledge and wisdom it would be a

travesty to prevent someone from seeking to further themselves

intellectually." Athena added a proud look in her eyes.

"If that is the case then we will be more than happy to grant your

wish child." said Hestia, a knowing look in her eyes that the rest

didn't notice aside from Hades whose cunning didn't get suppressed

by flattery unlike a certain wisdom Goddess he could mention.

After all Alexandra swore that she herself wouldn't use more than

two orbs, she never said anything about giving it to someone else.

Not that he cared. Unlike the others, his domains would make

anyone not having a true death affinity go suicidal, unable to

withstand the deathly energies. There is a reason after all that so

many of his children go on the deep end when they overuse their

powers. Their mortal blood is incapable to keep the aftereffects

completely in check.

With a sheepish but happy smile she received the 13 blessing orbs

and put them in her inventory for later use. Seeing as they were

done for now and with the camps quest over most Gods choose to

leave in order to go back to their duty or inside someone's bed for

depending on the individual.

The only ones that stayed behind were Ares, Athena and

Hephaestus with the latter wishing her luck in her crafting and then

going on his way.

As they approached her, her smiling visage disappeared and she

spoke.

"Okay what the fuck happened? Why is Hestia a Queen and where

is the sky asshole?"

"Eloquent as ever eh brat?" smirked Ares

"Oh my, you can use words like eloquent in a sentence correctly now

daddy dearest? Did you beg Athena to tutor you or something?"

mocked Alex with an identical grin.

"What was that brat? Did you just say 'Please Father I want to get

my teeth kicked in?' because that is what I heard." replied the God of

War his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably and before his daughter

could reply, they were interrupted by Athena.

"As entertaining it would be to watch you two bicker like toddlers, I

believe we have a few things that we must inform Alexandra about,

so keep your parent-child reunion for later." and with a grip on both

the hot headed idiots shoulders she teleported them to her temple in

Olympus.

A few hours later a shell-shocked and red-eyed demigoddess was

seen exiting the Empire State Building in New York. The knowledge

of the fate of her siblings and the disappearance of her 'sisters'

heavy on her mind.

Considering her age, she could no longer stay in her Cabin in the

Camp. This place was meant for children to learn about the divine

world and after getting old enough to make their own way, armed

with the necessary skills to survive.

As such, she decided to rent a room in one of the hotels in town for

the night and figure out her course of action the next day. After

getting inside her room, she made sure to place some rudimentary

bounded fields and decided to distract herself with her newest perk.

WIS 250 = Personal Domain (I): You have attained the ability to

become the Master of your own Realm. Depending on the

population and the prosperity of your Realm you increase your

influence in your domain and pave the direction of your realm.

Damn if this wasn't a fucking shock when she first saw it. A whole

fucking world completely formed and fully stocked with both flora and

fauna for her to rule over and direct on her whims. The only thing

missing was humans or other sapient beings on their level and

above, but she wasn't really in a hurry to fill the place with those.

After all, humanity didn't exactly appreciate Gaia all that much

considering the state of the environment.

Activating the perk, a white haze surrounded her right hand and with

a vertical slash on the air a portal opened for her to step through.

Once she reached the other side she found herself on the peak of

the great mountain she fought Zeus eagle nearly a century and a

half ago by her perspective. Using one of her domain powers she

summoned a holographic map of her dimension.

From what she was able to deduce, it was slightly bigger that the

size of the Earth with both a North and South Pole that was

predictably iced over and a landmass connected to the North Pole

that had almost identical shape to America (both North and South).

The differences where many though. First as I said before there was

no Arctic sea between the north pole and the mainland. Where it was

supposed to be the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea was

actually fully land. In contrast, at the position of the USA and a big

part of Canada there was a humongous Gulf that inside was an

island big enough for USA to fit inside surrounded by a Narrow Sea

and with a Bay on the East side to connect it to the wider Ocean.

Last, there was a humongous chain of mountains that went from

almost the top of the continent to the very tip at the bottom.

Happy with what she had observed for now she was ready to

summon her wings and fly around a bit when a voice behind her

made her freeze.

"You took your sweet time in finally stepping in you realm didn't you

love? For a moment I thought you would never visit." said a sweet

tinkling familiar voice.

Turning slowly around still in disbelief she gazed at a beautiful smile

she thought she would never get to see again.

"ARWEN!?"

Now I will be answering on some of the reviews:

.90: My dude, I had everyone on both discord and here in the

reviews busting their heads about what the hidden perk was

going to be and you just go and figure it out just like that. I

couldn't describe to you how shell shocked I was when I read

your comment. Damn and I was really enjoying the mystery of it

too. Here take a cyber cookie for your supreme detective skills.

All the rest: Hah, you didn't expect Arwen to make a comeback

did you suckers? I had planned this from the beginning and I

really enjoyed the many whining comments about her

abandoning Arwen and never seeing her again.

Kukukukukukuku I feed on your tears of frustration.

Anyway this is it for now guys. If someone wants to see a

rudimentary map of Alex's personal dimension then they can

come on my discord channel. ChildeOfWar #3363 and see ya

next time with the explanation of Arwen appearance, some

blessing orbs and many other things. Cheers!

~ChildeOfWar

I 'christen' my new dimension

Chapter 25 is up guys. As always PJO belongs to Rick Riordan

and all other franchises mentioned to their rightful owners.

THE GAME OF DIVINITY

CHAPTER 25: I become the Breaker of Chains. But cooler!

(Ending of chapter 24)

Happy with what she had observed for now she was ready to

summon her wings and fly around a bit when a voice behind her

made her freeze.

" You took your sweet time in finally stepping in you realm didn't you

love? For a moment I thought you would never visit." said a sweet

tinkling familiar voice.

Turning slowly around still in disbelief she gazed at a beautiful smile

she thought she would never get to see again.

" ARWEN!?"

(Flashback over)

"Hello Celephindis or should I call you Alexandra now that we are no

longer in Arda?" asked the elven princess with a teasing smile while

I failed to keep my mouth from opening and closing like a fish.

"How is this possible? How are you here?" I stuttered out in shock.

"What's with all these questions? I would think that I would get at

least a hug by this point." said the she-elf with a pout and a pointed

look, her hands crossed in mild annoyance at my denseness.

Hearing her words and finally managing to get over my stupor I

crushed her in a hug while spinning her around, her happy squeals

drawing a happy smile out of me.

When I put her to the ground, she tried to say something but I didn't

let her. My mouth was instantly on hers while I made sure to commit

her sweet taste in memory. With a smack of my foot on the earth a

big patch of soft grass sprouted from the ground, clothes started

flying everywhere and for the next hour we were in bliss.

After our happy 'reunion', we were lying on the soft grass, Arwen's

head resting on my chest and while I didn't want to ruin the moment,

my curiosity got the better of me. While I was ecstatic with her

presence here, it didn't explain how she managed to leave Arda and

come here.

"I was allowed to come here by Lord Eru Illuvatar as a trade."

"Trade? What kind of trade?" I asked in confusion.

"The heart of Balrog you had stashed in Isengard and then carried in

your enlarged pouch with you." she bit back with her father's Raised

Eyebrow of Doom™ in full capacity making me wince a little. I had

completely forgotten about that thing. I got too absorbed with

spending time with Arwen when I healed from that fight and then

Erebor happened and the heart completely escaped my mind.

"Ok I suppose I got that, but what did Eru want with that thing that it

constituted in such a trade. Don't get me wrong, I would trade a

million Balrog hearts if it meant I had you by my side but what about

your family, your people. I have no way to get you back, won't you

miss them? This world is extremely dangerous as well, there is a war

coming and the Gods are a bunch of horndo-" she ceased my

bubbling with a finger on my lips a small smile on her face.

"Lord Illuvatar is not a kind of person to force his will on one of his

children my love. While he couldn't allow the soul of a Primordial

entity like a Maiar even if corrupted to leave Arda due to Sacred

Laws, he was more than happy to allow me to do so as an

exchange."

"Bu-but your father, your brothers-"

"Hush and let me finish." she said more sternly this time, her smile

still fixed in place.

"Our Lord came to me in a dream and explained the situation. After

that he gave me memories of a possible future where I would fall in

love with a heir of Isildur named Aragon, son of Arathorn. He showed

me the War of the Ring and the bravery of the hobbit Frodo who

managed to end the threat of Sauron forever. After that he showed

me my marriage to Aragorn, my time as his Queen and last he

showed me the passing of my husband and my last years in an

abandoned Lothlorien. The mellon trees had lost their greatness, the

enchanting music of the forest had ceased and I died sad and alone

from heartbreak, my body wasting away for months until my son

visited me and gave me a proper burial."

As she described in more detail her memories of that future that

would never be I could see her holding back tears and was trembling

in grief while reprimanding her foolishness for getting so lovestruck

with a mortal and the consequences of these choices.

"After seeing all these events, I was given a choice. I could remain in

the Arda and either marry Aragorn, stay in Rivendell or go across the

sea and to Valinor after the Fellowship of the Ring was formed or I

could be sent here with two boons of his choice and be together with

you but forever but be locked away from Arda knowing that there

would be many hardships and battles ahead that we would have to

face. I chose you. After seeing how miserably my life ended with

Aragorn and while my life in Valinor or my father would have been

peaceful, I knew I couldn't stay with them. Since I met you everything

had been so exciting, your stories of another world filled with

adventure had already taken root in my mind and I knew the dullness

of the life of an elven princess would only make me despondent so I

choose you. When the Fellowship was formed I said my goodbyes to

my family and Lord Illuvatar sent me here to wait for you." finished

Arwen while waiting for my response.

"Damn, I managed to turn a prim and proper elven princess into a

rebellious thrill seeker. I am so proud of myself right now. The only

thing left is to make you start cussing and your assimilation into the

dark side would be complete. All part of my plan. Muahahahahaha." I

said in my most 'evil' voice getting a deadpanned look from my lover

until my laughter annoyed her so much that she pinched my nipple.

"Ouch, what was that for? Do you know how much this hurts

woman?"

"I do, that's why I did it." she said not a hint of remorse in her voice.

"Now that you are done acting like a failed Dark Lord-"

"Oi that's rude" I protested but she completely ignored me and

carried on like I never spoke.

"-I think it is time for you to make some proper accommodations in

this place for me and also I will have to explain the boons and

caveats of my deal." she said (read: ordered) and stood up to

recollect her discarded clothes while I had to keep from drooling as

she bend over naked in order to pick it from the ground. Damn that's

a heavenly derriere.

"Are you still lying down? Get on with it, you have work to that needs

to be done."

I groaned. The things I do for love and a shapely butt.

"I am coming, I am coming"

We first explored the mountain peak we found ourselves on.

According to the map I was given it was 10 thousand meters tall, one

and a half kilometers taller than Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain on

Earth and it was sitting at the middle of a great island that was filled

with forests and grassy plains. The island was positioned inside a

Gulf and the sea around it was more akin to a humongous moat that

served as a border with the land surrounding the island.

Due to nostalgia I wanted to name the mountain Erebor but Arwen

informed me that she had already named it the Eye of the Monarch

since she was here first. She also had the audacity when I made to

protest to cheekily say 'you snooze, you lose' and I didn't know

whether to beam in pride or moan in despair at her newly discovered

impertinence. It seems I taught her a little bit too well and now the

student has become the master.

As we reached the peak I could feel a subtle tingling in my senses

and an urge to do something but for the life of me I couldn't figure

out what. Shrugging and deciding to deal with that at a later time I

instead admired the majestic view with my lover in my arms. The

night sky was filled with innumerable stars and we could easily see

them all since there was no pollution to hide them.

As we sat there, Arwen explained to me the caveats and boons of

her situation here. The first boon was a copy of the Mirror of

Galadriel. With it she would be capable to scry the whole dimension

with none but me able to hide from her if I wished (which I didn't) as

well as Midgard (though a sufficiently knowledgeable magic user

never mind Gods would be easily able to block her sight) and once a

year in the Spring Equinox, she would be able to create something

similar to an Iris Message and for 24 hours be able to communicate

with anyone from Arda. With this thing she was practically Heimdallr

0.5 and I was itching to inspect the thing to figure out how it worked.

Her second boon was more of a caveat in my opinion. Because she

didn't 'belong' in the PJO dimension and because the overseer of it

didn't accept intruders easily, she was merged to the tree that had

been created by the Forest Guardian and I subsequently enhanced

through Elder Runes and Rituals. She had become what is

practically a super-nymph. According to her she could with some

effort teleport anywhere there was soil or flora inside the dimension

with the exception being the sea floor. She also had some ability with

plant manipulation and she could also communicate and command

all the animals as the de facto Lady-Of-the-Forest.

The bad thing with it was that while this merging had made it

possible for her to reside in this plane without getting erased, she

was incapable of entering any other realm due to her meager

connection with the PJO world.

Hearing this I got an idea. Opening my inventory, I searched for the

correct item and pulled out the Blessing Orb of Artemis. It was a

crystal looking orb as big as an apple and inside silver, green and

white colors were moving and coiling around each other. Explaining

its use to her, I touched it on her forehead and I bid the domains of

Moon, Hunt, Wild and Childbirth to be absorbed by her while keeping

the Maiden aspect trapped inside. If she wants it then I will be more

than happy to give it to her but I love her kisses too much to give

them up and I told her so, something she agreed with.

When the haze of divine aura was fully absorbed inside her, I could

easily discern the changes on her. Firstly she had become slightly

younger. When before she had the body of a fully grown woman in

her early twenties now she didn't look a day passed 18 (it didn't

diminish her beauty though). The power of her magic and her

connection to the wild had skyrocketed and I could see grass and

flowers filling the whole area. Lastly her eyes that used to be sky

blue now had changed to yellowish silver identical to the color of the

moon. Talking about the moon, I could see a moon for the first time

appear on the night sky in its full glory, its pale light concentrating on

my lover's position.

Standing before me now she was at least three times as powerful

before and he ground with all my strength because I was almost

blown away by the pressure. Arwen was immortal originally and

when she merged with the Guardian Tree she become one with a

small part of the energies of Yggdrasil through the Elder Runes

giving her a power boost big enough to make all other nymphs in

existence pale in comparison to her. Adding the divine energy of a

nature Goddess and she has become so strong that if she gets a

little more battle experience the current me wouldn't stand a chance

against in a fight.

If I wanted to reach her power level right now I would need like 7

Blessing Orbs and even if you ignore the fact that Styx would curse

me, I don't want to gain so many perks and abilities so quickly that I

wouldn't know what to do with them. Better a master of a few useful

skills than a amateur of thousands.

Since Arwen was busy right now meditating and trying to balance the

energies and the connections to her domains I decided to use the

two Blessing Orbs that I wanted for myself.

Those were Athena's and Hephaestus. After all I had more than

enough power on my own and with the Gamer system I was only

going to get more in time. What I needed most of all was versatility in

the use of my skills and a boost on my mental stats.

Athena's orb had the blue and bronze colors of Ravenclaw (which I

was not exactly surprised about considering her fascination with the

franchise) as well as grey, while the Forge God's orb was colored

bronze, black and red.

When I was done, a deluge of notifications filled my sight.

Due to receiving the Blessing of Athena you gain:

+2 INT per Level

+1 WIS per Level

+15 MP per Level

Eye of the Mind (True) is a heightened capacity for observation,

refined through training, discipline and experience. A dangeravoidance

ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the

current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent's

activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of

talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A

weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through

tenacious training. So long there is even a 1% chance of a

comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Master Of War: When you hold a weapon in your hands you

instinctively know how to use it (lv30) but to retain the

knowledge of it if you change weapon you must level it to level

5. All weapons can be used by you.

Scholar: You gain a 15% exp increase on all crafting and

intellectual related skills.

Perk Upgrade: Supreme Commander(II): When you lead in battle

all allies gain +30 to all physical stats in a 500 meter radius

Due to receiving the Blessing of Hephaestus you gain:

+1 STR per Level

+50 Mp per Level

Pyrokinesis +2 Levels

Supreme Pyromancy(Lv1-Lv3)

One with the Forge: The user can create, shape and manipulate

refineries, forges, and everything in them, including all the

aspects of refineries, from the purely physical ones and also

mythical/conceptual ones. The only limit is the users

knowledge.+20% exp to all crafting and forge related skills

Magma Affinity: +20% xp when using magma related spells and

rituals

Magmamancy (Lv1): Your ability to generate and control magma

and lava (-20MP to all magma spells). Cost 150 MP/ sec

Perk Upgrade: Divine Blacksmithing (Lv1): With this skill you

have reached the greatest heights of the immortal magical

aspects of the noble art of the hammer and anvil. Your skill is

inferior to only actual Gods of the Forge but not for long. You

are capable of molding metals in any shape or form you desire

and infusing them with conceptual properties through your

work. You can create wonders that even Gods gaze upon with

awe. This skill can be UPGRADED.

Due to the concentration of so many divine Blessing on your

body and soul you gain:

Perk Upgrade: Divine Aura: Your godly blood makes you emit a

natural aura that can be identified by all of the supernatural. Its

power has grown to such an extent that lesser monsters are

terrified of it while the strongest ones think of it as a challenge.

With rigorous and dedicated training you can learn how to

enhance or suppress it.

Status

Name: Alexandra Bellum/ Celephindis the Red

Race: Demigod

Gender: Female

Title: Legendary Hero

Level: 36 (8.000.000/350.000.000)

HP: 160.400 (+91.000) HPReg= 20 % /h

MP: 131.580 (+61.000) MPReg= 1.244 mp/min

FF: 5000 FFReg= 1000/min (when outside battle)

STR: 484

VIT: 275 +35 HP PER 5 VIT x lv

DEX: 305(319)

INT: 372(382) +24 MP PER 5 INT x lv

WIS: 286(311) +20 MPREG PER 5 WIS

CHA: 225(245)

LUC: 160(185)

Status Points: 20

CURRENCY: $= 9600, D=17.691, AG= 4250, MG=20.250 (Mortal

Gold)

Damn that felt good and to be truthful my finger was itching to put

those 16 point in STR to get another perk but I have been stuffed full

of new abilities by this point and there were many that I had to

further from my pre-existing ones so I will hold back for now. When I

get a handle of my new powers and if I hadn't already reached 500

STR naturally I will make the step.

Doing some stretching to relieve myself from the soreness of

meditating so many hours I noticed that morning had already come

and Arwen was waiting for me.

Picking her up in a princess carry and ignoring her cry of surprise, I

unleashed my wings from my back and jumped over the edge,

Arwen's hands a vice grip around my neck while she was screaming

my ears off. Of course she could always just teleport anywhere there

was earth in the dimension and everything but I think it will be

sometime until she gets used to her new state of existence.

We flew around the mountain, the new super-nymph now calmed

down after getting used being on the air. The whole island that had

the great mountain as its center was filled with rivers, grasslands

stuffed with flowers of all the colors of the rainbow and acres upon

acres of never ending forests. Both the flora and the fauna reminded

me of European forests with oaks and pines dominating and there

was a big lake at the north-east side. The two of the three biggest

rivers had their beginning from the mountain. I landed at the roots of

the Eye of the Monarch in a place that had equal distance between

the two rivers.

It was as I touched the ground that I noticed a big change. My wings

that previously were the shape of a crow's and with feathers black as

night, now were a pearly white, leathery and had a bat like shape

with a horned tip at the peak of them. It seems the heart of Smaug

gave me more than a new form and some boosts. Making a mental

note to check them better later we started walking towards the

Mountain.

Once there and giving a cryptic smile to a curious Arwen I pulled out

the Erebor(Copy) snow bubble and pressed it on the Mountain. With

a great flash of light the snow bubble disappeared and the earth

started trembling. The rocks of the Mountains started moving around

changing shape and colors. After a few minutes before the amazed

eyes of the elf turned nymph and the smug ones of her own, Gates

identical to the original Erebor took shape.

Stepping inside, the interior was exactly as she remembered the

original though without the scorch marks or damages that Smaug

caused. This was Erebor at its heights or almost its heights. While

the living areas, armories and generally the living spaces were all in

perfect conditions, there were no mines and the treasure room would

barely fit two Smaugs. It seems that if she wanted a sea of gold she

would have to mine for it herself and in order to store it she would

have to start expanding. Shrugging and uncaring about the gold

anyway she continued the tour of the place, giving a special

inspection of the forges that she promised herself she was going to

use in the future extensively, they reached the inside of the secret

door that Thorin and his Company entered Erebor. They key was

placed at the bottom of the hidden door and she gave it to Arwen for

safe keeping.

Done with most of the tour the only vital place they had to visit was

the throne room.

The throne was positioned in the middle of a small elevated island

that was connected to the rest of the complex with a narrow stone

bridge without handles. I always thought that the handles had been

destroyed or melted during the attack but it seems they never made

any. I can only guess how many Kings under the Mountain had died

because they stumbled and fell into the chasm.

Reaching the throne, I opened my inventory and picked a certain

precious stone from inside. When Arwen saw it she actually gasped.

"Is that the Arkenstone?" said the ex-princess, amazed at the sight.

"Yep."

"The original one?"

"Yep."

"So you basically stole the Crown Jewel, the one gem that whoever

possesses it is declared by all dwarf-kind as King of all dwarfs and

Thorin declared you friend of the Dwarfs."

"Well I didn't exactly leave him without an Arkenstone. I made an

exact replica without the corruption aura and gave it to him.

Considering how much ambient magic there is inside that Mountain,

Gondolin would probably rise from the sea before the enchantments

fade. So who cares? I did him a favor really. Now he won't become a

gold hungry mad man."

"Fair enough" shrugged my lover and then continued curiously. "So

what exactly does this jewel do except of serving like a never ending

candle and eating away at your mind?"

"Good question let me check." I replied and used observe.

Arkenstone "The Heart of the Mountain"

Magic Storage: 2.000.000/50.000.000 MP

Special: Dragon sickness

Info: The Arkenstone was mined from the mines of Erebor and

has served as the Kings Under the Mountain most prized jewel.

It had been in the possession of Smaug the Fire Drake during

his occupation of Erebor and was later stolen by Bilbo Baggins

and given to Celephindis the Red secretly for safe keeping. It is

capable of storing within itself an obscene amount of magical

energy and under capable magic users it can change any

inorganic matter into any metal of their choice as long as it has

contact with even a sliver of the desired metal.

Reading the description out loud our Arwen's eyes widened the

further I got while the same happened to my smile. By the time I was

done she was looking in space with a dead look while I was cackling

in glee. I was ready to make use of my precious but the black haired

beauty stopped me.

"No Celephindis, you are not allowed to turn the whole mountain into

mithril, I forbid it."

"What? Not even a little?"

"No and this is final. Also just before you think otherwise, I forbid

from taking the Arkenstone outside of this dimension. The last thing

we need is for you to crush the economy of the world just because

you were bored"

"Ok fine, but I am going to use it for my forging projects."

"Very well. As long as the damage remains inside the forges I guess

I can agree to it." she conceded grudgingly.

"Yaaaay celebration time" I shouted and after putting the Arkenstone

in the special place above the throne, I sat my lover on it and got to

work.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing you idiot?"

"Christening our new throne of course." I replied while undressing

her and kissing every piece of ivory soft flesh that was revealed to

the world and slowly her half-hearted protesting cries changed into

encouraging pleasurable ones.

To be particularly honest, there was just something special in giving

an elven princess mind blowing orgasms on top of the throne of the

dwarf king. The only place I believe that would have made the

experience even better was if I had done the same thing on the

throne of Minas Tirith. The idea of 'cuckolding' the King of all Men on

top of his own throne was all kinds of kinky. Unfortunately I had no

copy of the place and no matter how satisfying the idea I had neither

the time nor the drive to build a replica of the damn thing. At the end

of the day I have the beautiful lady beneath me writhing in pleasure

and I am more than satisfied with it.

A couple of hours later a blushing Arwen teleported my smugly

smirking self in front of her tree. Once there I created a few meters

away a big slab of earth that looked like a huge notice board. Giving

her the necessary instructions, she pointed her hand at the wall of

earth and after her hand was engulfed in a white haze-like energy

she slashed with her hands creating a portal to a place I showed her

through sharing a memory.

As we stepped through, we appeared inside my personal cave in

Wisteria's grove. The place where my life as a demigod started. I

was snapped from my nostalgic thoughts by Arwen's gasp of pain

and I barely managed to catch her before she fell into the ground.

"Arwen, are you alright? What happened?"

"I felt extremely dizzy for a moment don't worry about me I am fine.

The only problem I notice is how much weaker I feel compared to

your world." she said as she slowly got to her feet. I used observe on

her in order to get a better idea of the situation.

Arwen "Elven Lady of the Wild"

Race: High-Nymph/High-Elf

Gender: Female

Affiliation: Alexandra Bellum/ Personal Dimension #2319567

Title: Undomiel (As a child of the stars she gains +20% to all

stat when underneath a starlit sky as well as a +20% greater

experience when using light or celestial magics)

Level: 20 (100) [SURPRESSED to 20%]

HP: 81.600 (408.000)

MP: 105.600 (528.000)

STR: 130 (650)

VIT: 170 (850)

DEX: 380 (1.900)

INT: 220 (1.100)

WIS: 200 (1.000)

CHA: 290 (1.450)

LUC: 24 (100)

Info: Arwen Undomiel is an Yggdrasil blessed nymph and a

former elven princess. She is in love with Alexandra Bellum and

hopes to experience many adventures with her. As a Highnymph

to Personal Dimension #2319567 she can't leave her

trees dimension without repercussions and as a result most of

her powers are temporarily suppressed until she returns to her

own. Though weakened she can still use an inferior version of

her abilities not unlike a demigod while in Midgard.

First of all damn. Those stats are through the roof and she is

considered only a nymph. I can only wonder on what kind of power

level a God would have.

Secondly, I will have to spend some time in order to build proper

equipment for her because she is practically defenseless right now. I

wanted to kick myself for being such an impulsive idiot. I brought her

to Midgard and she doesn't even have a knife on her. Hell she is still

wearing a dress of all things. She won't even be able to run if we are

attacked.

Third I will have to name my new world pronto because the current

designation is atrocious.

I was about to tell her that we should return back to Erebor for now

but she refused.

"I have been waiting a long time to see and experience everything

your world has to offer. This little handicap is not going to stop me.

It's not like we will go looking for trouble, we are going to do some

sightseeing and then we will return."

Seeing her stubborn face I knew I wouldn't be able to change her

mind. Releasing a sigh of resignation I pulled my staff Ruindol from

my inventory and I gave it to her. She may not be able to use fire

magic but she had a powerful light affinity so it would be an

adequate weapon until I make her, her own.

"Very well. But the moment we are attacked or I tell you to, you will

open a gate back. I know that you are capable of defending yourself

but for my peace of mind until you get used to your new abilities you

will leave the fighting to me ok?" I said trying to be as stern as

possible but it seems I failed because she squealed like a little girl

and hugged me.

Sneaking around as discretely as possible we reached the main road

because I didn't want to reveal Arwen existence to anyone just yet, I

summoned Ruin in order to be able to travel faster. It wouldn't do to

waste more time on the road than strictly necessary.

The moment he appeared beside me he started rubbing his head on

my face while Arwen gasped in surprise at the fearsome look of my

stallion and I would have teased her for it but I instead focused on

his latest power boost.

Ruin

Race: Areistion Horse

Gender: Male

Level 36

HP: 320.800 HPReg= 20%/h

MP: 263.160 MPReg= 1.244 mp/min

STR: 968

DEX: 2.000 (Base: 250 + 250 every 5 Levels)

INT: 35

WIS: 35

Info: A warhorse from Ares exclusive breed gifted to his

daughter Alexandra Bellum. He is bound to his summoner for

life and his lifespan is as long as hers. The stronger his rider

becomes, the more abilities and power he awakens.

Steed Abilities

NEW PERK: Lv35 Perk: Equus Lord: Ruin through his bond with

his Mistress has risen exponentially in power. As a result he

has gained an aura of dominance that makes all inferior

specimen of the equus genus subservient to him. When riding

in battle the enemy horses would get agitated and scared

seeing him riding towards them.

His stats had predictably risen and his newest perk is nice I suppose

though I think it is too situational. If we lived a few centuries back

then it would have been nice but at this point whatever horse we

meet it is more likely than not to be equal or more powerful than

Ruin. Gods have the best stuff after all.

Shrugging, I petted my familiar's head and after he was satisfied we

hoped on and with the delightful feeling of my lover's breasts

pressed on my back we teleported outside L.A.

From there I rode for a couple of hours until we reached Las Vegas. I

used the Mist to make us look like a pair of mortals dressed in jeans

and t-shirts and I started showing her what a modern human city

looks like.

First we went shopping because we both had a dire need for new

clothes and other essentials. I after all had been looking like a 12

year old when I had last bought clothing so I needed a new wardrobe

and Arwen was living into a medieval world up until now.

Three hours later after the start struck (heh the puns) princess

dragged me into every single clothing and accessory shop she could

find I managed to persuade her into going sightseeing. My wallet had

screamed in agony at the purchase of so many brand clothes.

We watched a movie, a romance one and I hated it but Arwen was

tear-eyed by the end and I have a terrible suspicion that there are

more of those in my future. Leaving the cinema we went to get some

food and I finally managed after 141 years 6 months 4 days 12 hours

and 23 minutes to taste once more the heavenly treat that is a

double cheeseburger. The moan I let out when I put it in my mouth

caused Arwen to go red from her toes to the roots of her hair and I

noticed that the men and some women that sat in the restaurant

around us were rearranging their pants or fanning themselves

respectively.

After that little 'incident' we ate quickly and a slightly annoyed Arwen

dragged me out of the restaurant, the blush still very prominent on

her cheeks while a cute glare was directed my way. I managed to

pacify her with a kiss thankfully and we were ready to head home

when I noticed something peculiar. One of the pubs on a side street

named the Moonlight pub in blue neon cursive (and I mentally

thanked Athena for giving me those awesome glasses because I

would have probably burst a vessel trying to read this with my

dyslexia) was surrounded in many heavy layers of mist. Giving our

shopping bags to Arwen and sending her home, I went in, in order to

investigate.

Stepping through the door casually I noticed that the place didn't

look different from your average pub. There was a big bar filled with

many different beverages with a hot bartender in leather skintight

pants and a sleeveless shirt manning it. Scattered everywhere were

tables with chairs or sofas in muted colors occupied by about a

dozen people enjoying their drinks. If an average mortal could

manage to get inside here they would have found nothing out of the

ordinary but looks can be deceiving.

While some people here were human, I could feel more than a few

foreign magical signatures from a few of the customers and when I

used observe none was lower than level 18 with the bartender being

the highest, an impressive level 29.

As I took a seat in one of the bar seats I could feel everyone's eyes

boring into my form but I suppressed my urge to show them their

place. I didn't want to cause a ruckus without a good reason. After all

I came here for information not to make unnecessary enemies.

I was about to order a beer but I was interrupted by the bartender.

"You should leave. We don't like your kind around here." said the

cute brunette and I used a quick observe on her.

Patricia De la Croix "Kick ass Witch"

Race: Quarter-Jotuun/Human (magi)

Gender: Female

Level: 29

HP: 3.860

MP: 11.000

STR: 15

VIT: 46

DEX: 25

INT: 120

WIS: 89

CHA: 21

LUC: 23

Info: Patricia age 27 is the daughter of a demigod son of Aegir,

Norse Jottun God of Ale and the Sea and a human witch. She

had a prodigious talent in the magical arts from a young age

and after she learned everything she could from her mother she

left to make her own way in the world. For the last 4 years she

has been the owner of one of the many establishments

scattered around the world that cater to the supernatural. She is

weary of your presence and knows that she doesn't stand a

chance against you if you start trouble.

"Oh love, you wound me with your words. Here I come to your pub to

enjoy a pint of bitter and you give me such a cold shoulder." I fakepouted

causing Patricia to scoff and cross her hands.

"Yeah right, you want me to believe that a Goddess like you would

enter a Moonlight pub just to drink some beer? Pull the other one, it

has bells on it."

"While I am delighted by the compliment I am afraid I am not a

Goddess girly." I said sharpening my right pointer finger's nail with a

bit of air magic (this was the whole extent of my abilities with that

element currently) and made a shallow cut in the inside of my left

palm causing a little red blood to trickle out.

Seeing that she wasn't dealing with a Goddess the bartender relaxed

slightly while I used some subtle fire magic to evaporate my blood,

the scratch healing in its own in seconds.

"You are a demigod then?"

"Yep, the name is Cely, what's yours?" I asked while shortening my

elven name. I don't know what kind of scrying spells these people

have or what is the extent of their magic ability. It wouldn't do to utter

my full name while a Fae lurked around.

"I am Trish and now that we introduced ourselves I gotta ask. What

does a goody two shoes demigod like you doing in Moonlight

territory? I thought your kind was always chasing around your Gods

like lost puppies. Or are you maybe one of those 'revolutionaries'

that are trying to bring back the Titans?" taunted the little girl trying to

anger me and if it was the me before meeting Freyja I would have

probably decked her but at this point in my life I only found her

attempts at best amusing.

"Cute and don't worry I will be more than happy to exchange some

information with you but first I am going to need that beer." I said

leaving 10 bucks on the counter.

After she came back with my bar that I observed to make sure it was

clean we started talking.

From what I was able to discover from her, the Moonlight world was

the name most people used to describe the supernatural community.

Her pub like thousands other establishments around the world are

places were non vanilla mortals are capable of entering for many

reasons. Information, Job requests, relaxation or even sanctuaries.

These establishments are sponsored by the Thirteen which like their

name explains are the thirteen strongest Guilds or Sects whatever

you want to call them that are filled with the most powerful

supernatural beings from human mages to hybrids like Trish or me or

others like Vampires, werewolves, fairies and every supernatural

being ever recorded in history and some that had not.

These places are an agreed on neutral grounds and whoever dared

to cause trouble inside them would meet a slow and painful death.

That's why Trish was so spooked when she had mistaken my aura

for that of a Goddess. The only Gods that enter these places are

either rogue ones that cause problems or official ones that came to

give some poor shod a really bad day because they had committed a

taboo. Taboos happen when someone acts knowingly against the

laws established between the Pantheons and the Thirteen.

The pantheons of the world had made an agreement to leave these

establishments and their Guilds on their own. In exchange the

Thirteen are responsible for keeping their members in line, give

information to the official pantheons about their enemies or usurpers

like the 'Titan revolutionists' and lastly and most importantly to assist

in keeping the Moonlight world a secret from the mortals.

Contrary to popular belief the Mist is neither all powerful nor

absolute. It works by altering the sight of mortals so they see

supernatural incidents as something normal instead but the crux of

the matter is that to do that the mortals must have absolute faith that

there is not such a thing as a supernatural and this is the problem.

Not all people are completely in denial of the supernatural. Children

and teenagers don't have such established notions of normalcy of

the world and as a result more of the former than the latter are able

to see through the mist. In addition there are many adults who

search around the world for magic or monsters like bigfoot or some

idiots who find some 'satanic' ritual and try to do it on a LARK only

for the ritual to actually work once in a blue moon and kill them all

while whatever they summoned start causing problems until it is put

down by the guilds. Clear-sighted mortals are exceedingly rare and

are snapped up the moment they are found in order to become

apprentices of some mage if they are lucky, potions ingredients if

they are not.

According to Trish there had even been a few instances on the past

that governments had discovered the supernatural and in pure

human stupidity had tried to create departments that their jobs was

to cull and extinguish the 'freaks'. Gods unfortunately or fortunately

depending on your perspective can't interfere with the mortals

directly and the demigods are due to their nature very awkward with

technology so the Thirteen step in to deal with them.

Being shown the job request board I was amazed by the sheer

spectrum of the requests. From helping a grove of dryads relocate

their trees, to dealing with a bunch of kelpies that had caused too

many deaths, raiding party requests for naturally emerging dungeon

Gates, to even apprenticeship requests for Alchemy, there was

everything that was asked. Hell there was a request from a succubus

that was searching for a magically powerful human to impregnate

her and her sisters which I thought these kinds of stuff were only

found in trashy smut novels.

Finishing my beer, I picked a few requests that I found interesting

and after they were marked by Trish I bid a goodbye and exited the

establishment my horizons broadened.

The call of nature (D-Rank) - Side Quests (0/9)

Complete all quests that you have accepted from the Moonlight

pub.

Rewards: 2m exp per quests, 2.000$ per quest, ?, ?.

Failure: Nothing

Walking down the side street, I made sure my steps were slow and

casual. Throughout all the time I spent inside the pub I could feel

someone looking at me persistently and I wanted to see what their

business with me was.

It was as I entered a side alley that three 'men' leapt in front of me

while another four blocked my way back effectively 'trapping' me.

They were all caucasian in skin tone and had extremely pale skin.

Their eyes were red and slit like a snakes while they had very smug

or self assured smirks freely showing their pointed and sharp

incisors. Wanting to gain some additional information, I observed

their leader, a tall and handsome blonde haired man that looked no

older than thirty.

Joshua Campbell 'Montague Coven General'

Race: Vampire

Gender: Male

Level: 26

HP: 20.000 HPRegen: 80% per minute when outside battle

MP: 15.000 MPRegen: Only through blood consumption or

sleep

STR: 380

VIT: 300

DEX: 420

INT: 150

WIS: 22

CHA: 45

LUC: 5

Info: Joshua Campbell was a Confederate soldier during the

Civil War. He was turned in 1864 by Pierre Montague a French

600 years old Dhampir that had come to the states to build his

own coven away from the oppression and prejudice of the old

families of Europe. He wants to kidnap you after smelling the

delicious and powerful scent of your blood in order to gift you

to his Master and turn you into a blood bank and broodmare for

the next generation of the coven.

"Hello sweetheart. Haven't you been taught to never walk through

dark alleys alone? You can find many dangers when stumbling in the

dark after all." said the idiot with a self-assured smirk, his toadies

laughing in the background for his 'wit'.

"And haven't you been taught any better lines? I mean seriously how

more cliché can you get? I feel embarrassed for all Vampires

everywhere for having to share race with a blithering moron like

you." I replied slightly slouched and an expression of utter boredom

on my face causing the idiot to grit his teeth in rage.

"Oh I am going to enjoy breaking you, you fucking bitch. Capture

her." he shouted while three of his minions jumped me.

One second before they could touch me I unleashed my draconic

wings from my back ripping in half the two idiots that tried to attack

me from behind while I caught the other by the throat and turned him

to ashes with a flex of my Pyromancy. Acting quickly, I used my earth

magic to impale the last three grunts through their hearts leaving

only the leader alive.

I expected him to run seeing all his back up getting decimated so I

could follow him to his coven but instead that self-preservation

deficient idiot tackled me like a rugby player on the ground. Using

the momentum to my advantage I put the soles of my feet on his

sternum, I kicked him on the air and out of the alley causing him to

crush on a concrete wall on the other side of the street. Thankfully

they had the sense of mind to use the mist before confronting me so

the street was empty.

Casually walking out of the alley while dusting my pants half

heartedly, I pulled my beloved spear from my inventory and I had to

stop myself from purring in pleasure at having my precious in my

hands once more.

"You little whore. I am going to-"he tried to say but the wall behind

him turned into an earthen fist that punched him face first into the

middle of the road creating a human shaped hole into the ground.

Suppressing my giggles at the amusing sight I stabbed him on the

shoulder and I was about to have some information gathering

discussion with him but before I could even lift him he screamed in

pain and tuned into white dust.

I paused in astonishment. The moron had 20.000 HP and I made

sure to not imbue my spear with fire so what the hell happened?

Using observe on my weapon it was easy to figure out.

Fate's Lament

+20.000 Damage

+100% Damage to Divine

+100% Damage to Monsters

+50% effectiveness when using the 4 basic elements

Special: 'To Me'(Lv1): This weapon has been enchanted with the

same spell that was used on Mjolnir, Thor's ultimate weapon. If

called by its rightful owner it always flies back to their hand

(Alexandra Bellum).

Special: Spear Manipulation(Lv15): Through the blessing of

Ares this spear can be wielded even through the thoughts of its

wielder making them capable of telekinetically wielding it with

absolute precision in a 2 meters radius around their body.

Special: Bane Of Netherkind (Lv25): This spear is capable of

harming all beings of death and darkness.

Special: Progenitor of Fire (Lv35): When the spear is in its

user's hand all fire magic is amplified by 150% (Including the

Flames of War). Also any type of fire that is inferior of the user's

capability to wield in rank can be absorbed by the blade and

unleashed in a concentrated beam of fiery death.

Special: Locked (Lv?)

Special: #%$& $%#

Info: This spear is a masterwork influenced by many Gods.

Forged by a mix of Celestial Bronze and Uru Steel and through

the blessings of Odin and Ares, the forging of Hephaestus as

well as the pieces of Laevatein and other ingredients that had

been used during its creation, it has become a weapon fit for a

God instead of a mortal. Its full power though remains sealed

until its rightful owner manages to reach the correct perquisites

to unlock them. Once touched by its owner the spear is

soulbound to them. As a result it will never stay far away from

them.

Since I had skyrocketed in level I had managed to unlock more of my

spear's power and as a result the new basic damage output oneshot

him, not even counting the percentage increase in damage due

to Vampires being monsters.

While I was happy with the upgrade of my weapon I just lost my

chance to find out the location of the base of the Montague Coven

and that annoyed me. Entering once again the pub with my spear in

hand and a slight scowl on my face I felt everyone tense. Slowly

reaching the counter I didn't let Trish speak. I picked three Gold

Asgardian Coins from my inventory and pounded them in front of

her.

"The Montague Coven, where is it?" I said my eyes glowing a

crimson light. I wasn't all that angry but a little bit of intimidation

makes people answer me faster.

"The Vampire Coven? They are all the way down to New Orleans.

What is your business with them?" said the pub's owner while

gulping but at the same time pocketing the coins. Damn, even while

scared shitless she still had the audacity to pick the money. I was

impressed.

"Some idiot named Joshua Campbell and half a dozen of his grunts

tried to capture me not even 5 minutes ago." causing some of the

eavesdropping tenants to curse at the bloodsucker's stupidity. You

don't try to take on someone whose divine aura drowns the room

they sit in unless you have a small army with you or are strong

enough to match them.

I of course unshackled them from this dark and cruel world but they

didn't manage to last long enough for me to ask them any questions

so I will have to get some answers from you. Where are all the

Vampire bases and hideouts inside the city?"

"This information is going to cost you."

"How much?"

"One hundred Asgardian Coins."

Giving her the money, I strolled out of the establishment to the visible

relief of its tenants. Unknowingly to me, the moment I had walked far

enough away some of the more brave individuals and those that

dealt in information decided to observe the entertainment from some

distance away while the rest run away fast to get the hell out of

dodge.

According to the information I got, there were three Vampire covens

that had presence in the city. The Montague, the Brotherhood of

Blood and the Teeth. These three covens have also the monopoly of

the prostitution and trafficking rings but instead of selling just human

merchandise they also dealt in supernatural creatures as well.

Nature spirits, Yokai, witches and even some demigods or legacies

from time to time (though secretly), they had them all. Originally they

had set up shop is San Francisco but after the Amazons kicked their

asses they came here.

Once I reached the Red Light District of Las Vegas, I went from

brothel to brothel that belonged to the bloodsuckers and I killed

everyone inside, both the vampires and the customers that had the

unfortunate luck to be using their 'services' at the time. These VIP

brothels only cater to those who are knowledgeable of the Moonlight

world and as a result they knew exactly the situation of the 'workers'

there so I had no mercy to give to such scum.

In order send a message of my opinion for this trade, I used a simple

steel sword instead of my spear or Glamdring. Using divine or holy

metal completely dusts the vampires but steel ones don't.

By the time I was done with the brothels and the warehouses

scattered around the city with more merchandise inside, I had freed

more than a hundred women of various races while the heads of

hundreds were mounted on wooden pikes sprouted from the ground

through my Chloromancy, I even leveled it up a bit which was a

welcome sight.

Chloromancy(Lv20-Lv22): Your ability to raise and control

plants (-24MP to all plant spells). Cost 28 MP/ sec

Collecting all the girls in the biggest warehouse, I asked them about

their situation and if they had any families to return to and it was then

that I discovered another disgusting fact about the supernatural

world.

Slavery was apparently quite legal as long as you follow the proper

channels. As a result every single woman here had been marked

with a tattoo that gives a distinctive aura that helps to track them no

matter where they try to hide. Even if they managed to return to their

families, raid parties would come for them anyway while endangering

their loved ones. The only way for someone to escape was if they

had useful connections with one of the pantheons or they were

descendants of Gods. Demigods and legacies are the only mortal

beings forbidden for getting enslaved though they can be

'conquered' and turned into concubines or servants of the winner in

one on one battles and that includes males as well (like what the

Amazons do or Circe). Seeing their defeated faces I got an idea but

it would have to be their decision.

Using the Mist to engulf the warehouse and preventing our

observers from overhearing I gave them an offer. They would be

saved from their lives as prostitutes but the cost was that they will

have to abandon the Nine Realms forever and obey the laws I will

put up for them.

I gave them 10 minutes to discuss it between each other and at the

end they accepted. After all, they had been living under hellish

conditions up until this point and there was nowhere they could run

to escape from their pursuers so they accepted to follow their

rescuer. For good or for worse remained to be seen but either way

they were screwed so nobody cared. This was their only chance for

a better life and if the worse happened they would trade one master

for the other and it would be business as usual. It's not like they

could escape if they run.

Giving them a reassuring smile, I opened a Gate into my dimension

and after they all got in I closed it and was left alone in the

warehouse. Acting quickly I created a firestorm that circled the whole

building while I used my terramancy to make an underground

passage until I reached a park a few blocks away, befuddling my

method of escape. Once there I transformed into my eagle form and

flew away from Las Vegas and went back to my home. I had caused

a lot of work for myself but I couldn't bring myself to regret it.

When I stepped into the my private dimension I found a slightly

panicking Arwen comforting a few of our youngest new residents

while the rest were either trying to help her or were nervously looking

around.

It took us over a week to organize everyone. Our new residents were

120 in number and considering their physiologies, they had to be

directed to specific areas in order to prosper. Most of them were tree

and bush nymphs and as a result they created two 'colonies'. One

was around Arwen's sacred tree and the other on the Island

continent near the Monarch's Eye. They were joined by half a dozen

potamides (river naiads) and limnades (lake naiads) each living

about 30 more to find a home to.

These were a mix of yokais (7 foxes, 6 cats, 2 dogs,3 tengus and

even a couple of kappas) and witches (10) so we couldn't exactly

expect them to reside in a tree or in a pond or something. As a

result, we built a village near the sea east of Arwen's tree than was

named Moon tree in her honor with the surrounding community of

nymphs being called the Lunar grove. The other grove was called

the high grove in honor of the mountain.

They wanted to name the village Alexandria at the beginning but I

dissuaded them from it, not wanting to give the name on one of the

most famous cities in Midgard to what is practically 10 small houses

placed near each other and I named it Haven. I know, not the most

imaginative but it is what it is.

The only laws we put in place for now was that they had to respect

the environment as well as being careful on what magics they are

practicing aside from the obvious ones like murder and stealing. I am

not hypocritical enough to ban branches of magic from them but I

made sure to inform them that if they performed sacrificial rituals with

their fellows as ingredients there would be no mercy for them.

Accommodations in place and some rudimentary farms and orchards

for food created for the village, I could now focus in forging.

Using the Arkenstone, I enhanced the already impressive forges in

Erebor by turning some tools and a couple of the furnaces into mithril

that were then further enchanted and improved dramatically through

the One with the Forge perk saving me a huge amount of time by

making able to easily customize the enormous place in a matter of

hours.

Preparations done, I got to work first with Arwen's equipment and

begun with her weapons. A hunting knife and two dual wielding

sword curved swords that the elves favored so much. They were

made by elven silver in order to have a purifying element.

Lunar Knife

+1750 DMG

+100% DMG to Monsters

+25% DMG to undead and dark aligned beings

+50% DMG when imbedded with light magic

Special: Death of a thousand cuts: When this knife cuts in the

enemies flesh it causes the victim's wounds to bleed 3 times

faster than normal.

Special: Runic Empowerment: Through the use of runes carved

on it, the blade is now more powerful and can now be used only

by its rightful owner and her descendants.

Info: A hunting knife made by Alexandra Bellum for Arwen

Undomiel. It is made from elven silver and can be extremely

effective against dark creatures.

Crescent Moon Dual Blades

+4.500 DMG

+100% DMG to Monsters

+100% DMG to Divines

+25% DMG to undead and dark aligned beings

+50% DMG when imbedded with light magic

Special: Rapid Slash: When fighting against a higher leveled

opponent, the user can activate this enchantment that grants

+200% increase in DEX until the enemy dies or retreats.

WARNING: Once the enchantment deactivates the user will

suffer a -50% debuff to her DEX for the next hour.

Special: Runic Empowerment: Through the use of runes carved

on it, the blade is now more powerful and can now be used only

by its rightful owner and her descendants.

Her hunting bow was made from one of the branches of her tree

empowered with runes made by the spare shavings of the silver

ingot and the string was created by combining some of our hair

together.

Full Moon Hunting Bow

+9.000 DMG

+125% DMG to Monsters

+100% DMG to Divines

+50% DMG to undead and dark aligned beings

+75% DMG when imbedded with light magic

Special: Vital Strike: When an arrow strikes a vital part on an

enemy it has a 15% chance to deal +100% Critical damage.

Special: Meira ljós: Grants knowledge of that particular skill to

the user and enhances its damage by 10% as well as all light

spells used threw the weapon. The greater the users skills with

the spell, the more numerous and damaging the arrows.

Special: String of Love: All physical arrows fired threw thiss

bow fly with 50% more speed than they would normally do and

gain a 10% boost in their penetrating power.

Special: Runic Empowerment: Through the use of runes carved

on it, the blade is now more powerful and can now be used only

by its rightful owner and her descendants.

Info: A hunting bow made by Alexandra Bellum for Arwen

Undomiel. It is a masterpiece of crafting, possessing countless

formidable abilities and at the hands of a skilled hunter it is

capable of decimating even the strongest of monsters.

Finally done with the weapons after almost two weeks of never

ending forging, I made her a nice deer leather quiver that can

summon arrows from an assigned room and is designed to never

spill its arrows and I was finally more assured about her safety.

Epic Runic Enchanting (Lv27): The ability to empower items

with the use of Runes. Currently you have a 76% chance to

successfully enchant a B-Rank item through the use of runes.

[Not to be confused with Mythical enchantment she learned

from the elves. This is the skill that governs non-Arda runes

that she has not explored in their full potential in enchanting]

+1 STR

+5 VIT

Unfortunately for me I couldn't relax because I had the side quests to

finish. All of them were made by nature spirits that were in dire need

for help. A couple of covens of nymphs in Oregon, a flock of sylphs

(wind spirits) in Texas, some potamides in St. Louis, some fire

elementals in Yellowstone and even half a dozen Undines near

Chicago sent me in a wild trip around all the United fucking States of

flipping America.

The silver-lining of these quests was that I got the pleasure of seeing

the ecstatic face of my girlfriend as she experienced all these new

travels as well as the chance to visit every freaking clothing store her

eyes landed upon.

I got the last laugh though, because I threw all the work in dealing

with our latest batch of residents to her while I flew away trying to

explore the whole dimension that we finally managed to name 'Dalur

Heimanna' whichs means 'The Valley of Worlds'. Yes I know it was

kinda pretentious but it was either this or Azeroth since I didn't know

if I would ever travel to the original WoW I decided to go with the

safe option.

By the time Halloween came aside from a few outings with my

favorite nymph, I spent my time either training said nymph or training

myself in some of my more neglected skills.

First and foremost I managed to upgrade one of the skills I gained

after Zeus dungeon but never had the chance to use. It took a lot of

disintegrating stones before I was confident enough to use it on

myself but the boost was worth it.

Greater Reinforcement(Lv1):This skill allows you to reinforce

the purpose of existence. Examples of it would be increasing

the sharpness of a knife, the nourishment of food, or in the case

of a living creature, physical strength, speed and durability. It is

impossible to reinforce something vague. As living things will

resist invasion of Mana, reinforcing someone else is

impossible. Cost: 300 MP/min. Increase in STR, Speed and

Physical Resistance) by +5%.

After that I focused in my most neglected of the basic affinities. I am

talking of course about air and the skills I created from it were

spectacular. They synchronize perfectly with my fighting style and as

a result my efficiency skyrocketed.

Aeromancy(Lv25): Your ability to control the air and wind (-25 to

all air spells). Cost: 5 MP/sec

Wind Cutter (Lv28): You surround your blade with concentrated

sharp winds that are then released in a pointy or cutting blast,

slashing everything in its way. This skill can be combined with

Warlord's Fang and other similar skills combining their damage.

DMG: 1100 per slash, Cost: 944 (919)

Feather Steps (Lv10): You remove wind resistance in a 1 meter

radius around you, increasing your movement speed by 10% for

5 minutes. Cost: 900 MP

+3 DEX

+3 VIT

Last, as I was improving the Wind Cutter I made sure to combine it

with Warlord's Fang and predictably the results were devastating.

The first time I experimented with this combo I created a ravine in

the middle of a grass field and I had to endure an hour long lecture

by Arwen about my recklessness and the destruction of innocents

plants. After that I went to the Great Desert which was located on the

South-Western part of Dalur Heimanna in order to escape my lover's

wrath.

Warlord's Fury(Lv5): A long raged slash used by focusing your

mana into a fine blade around your weapon, aim and swing.

Legend says that true Masters of this skill could cut armies in

twain with a single slash of their blades. + 1200 dmg/per slash,

cost: 150 MP.

My rate of improvement was greater than any time in the past but

that was a given. I didn't have to worry about collateral damage. I

could easily fly above the sea or on a rocky island, was way more

experienced with wielding my magic than the past, had humongous

reserves to spare in order to spam my spells and lastly my spear

gave me a greater ease in controlling the four basic elements. All in

all, it was training montage galore.

Now I am sitting on the second biggest island of DH (Dalur Hemanna

for short) which was the place that I fought the army of demons and

skeletons. Unfortunately the demons had been erased so I had no

personal army of fire breathing flesh rending beasties to command at

my leisure (for now). I named it Dragonwing Island since if you

looked at it from above it had the general shape of it and currently

aside from me, only a small colony of fire elementals resided there.

I had decided now that I had my own place, to summon my familiars

here as well. No longer will Ruin have to stay at the stables of my

father, he can be freely running around here. As for Aristomache, it is

the first time I would see her since I returned from Arda and I was

looking forward to finally bond with her.

Performing the summoning, Ruin quickly appeared beside me and

after a few pats I send him to explore his new home. For my shedragon

though, I had to spend almost 30.000 MP until I managed to

summon her which was strange.

She appeared before me in all her scaly red glory and after a happy

mental cry of 'Mistress' I was getting crushed in a hug by an overexcited

beautiful redhead woman around my age wearing a crimson

Vanir armor.

"Oh Mistress I missed you so much. I am so happy to see you after

all this time. And oh my Gods you have gotten so powerful and so

gorgeous as well and-" she kept bubbling away talking my ear off

and I had to put a finger on top of her lips to make her stop.

"I missed you too Mache but you I can't answer your questions if you

don't let me." I told you amusedly causing her to blush a bit in

embarrassment.

Aristomache

Race: Dragon

Gender: Female

Level: 36

HP: 367.622 HPReg= 20 % /h

MP: 258.720 (129.360) MPReg= 1.104 mp/min

STR: 1.458 (729)

VIT: 849 (425)

DEX: 924 (462)

INT: 600

WIS: 125

CHA: 225

LUC: 160

Info: The original Hydra turned Drakon by her defeat and

subsequent bonding to Alexandra Bellum through a familiar

contract. She is bound to her mistress for life and her lifespan

is as long as hers. The stronger her mistress become the more

powerful she becomes and more skills and abilities she

awakens.

I was impressed with her power but before I could check her skills I

was interrupted.

"Do you need me for something Mistress?"

"Nope. I just wanted to meet you and give you a tour-"

"If that's the case then can you send me back? I was in the middle of

something that I must get to ASAP." said the she-dragon

apologetically, getting me curious.

"What do you possibly have to do that can't wait a few minutes"

"There was a new prophecy that was announced and it is big

enough to involve many pantheons. I and your other minions were

getting ready to join the raid teams." she informed me but I got more

confused.

"What other minions? What the fuck did I miss?" I asked befuddled.

"I am talking about the daughters of Zeus and Athena you had taken

under your wing as well as your sister that followed you around like a

hatchling. After you disappearance I took them into a training trip to

make them more useful for you. You don't have to worry Mistress,

they have gotten good enough to not embarrass you."

Giving a sigh of relief at finally finding out what happened to the

missing demigoddess and knowing that they are alright, I focused at

the crux of the matter.

"Do you remember the words of the prophecy?" I asked.

"Of course, and considering that it was simultaneously given to all

Cardinal pantheons, it had created quite the situation."

From the mountains of the West and the sands of South,

the plains of East and the North's cold waves and snow

great serpents of old slither the world to devour

heroes united must stand, to each other devout,

their blades to strike the hearts of the foul

but without the help of their Gods

their time will be short and souls lost

too high their failures cost.

Divine Quest: A World on Fire

Main Objective: Join the Dungeon Raids

Bonus Objective 1: ?

Bonus Objective 2: ?

Bonus Objective 3: ?

Bonus Objective 4: ?

Rewards: ?

Failure: Chaos/ Death of Friends/ Greater possibility of Titan

victory

(YES/NO)

'Well. Here we go again.' I thought with a weary sigh. It seems I can't

catch a break.

This is it guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. For more

information about the story join my Discord account. Send me a

private message in this site and I will send you the invitation

link. Cheers.

~ChildeOfWar