Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. God of War is owned by Sony Entertainment and David Jaffe. Fairy Tail is owned by Funimation and… Z… zzz… zzz… hack! – and Hiro Mashina. Please support the official release. Oh god, why is there so much natural light?!
Chapter 1: New Horizons
Run, boy!
I will not leave you!
This is far beyond you, little brother. Do as your father says!
Atreus… please live, my son.
DAAAD!
Blue eyes opened wide belonging to a young boy of at most twelve years of age topped with red hair that was cut as short and shaved at the sides. A groan escaped his lips as he felt the sore stiffness throughout his small body. He slowly began to raise himself to a sitting position, revealing his attire to be a handcrafted fur coat with a linen undershirt and pants. Slung over his shoulder was an excellently crafted bow, yet was unfortunately paired with an empty quiver. A brown belt was wrapped around his waist to hold his pants up. A single knife with a black-silver blade and red hilt was sheathed at his side. Rolling his shoulders and holding in a flinch from a minor sting of pain, the boy let out one word.
"Ow." Groaned Atreus, instinctively moving an arm to his aching right shoulder. "Dumb move, Atreus, landing on your shoulder of all things.
His fingers gave an unconscious twitch and the sensation of smooth wood caught his attention. Trailing down his right arm Atreus found he was grasping around the hilt of a large axe, which needed to be used with two hands by any person of average size. The shaft alone was thirty-six inches in length made out of wood refined to a point that it was smooth to the touch, but not so slippery as to lose a grip on it. A golden pommel decorated the butt end of it, conjoined with several iron rings around the wooden shaft and a small fang-like blade jutting out to add further length to the axe. The head of the weapon was a sight to behold with gold inlaid at the edges of the metal and before the blade portion sharpened to a shimmering silver-like shine. Lines of runes were carved into the grey steel giving soft pulses of blue. Following the blue glow came the source of two blue rune stones embedded in the eye of the axe, and the boy could feel a constant chill from it.
Atreus knew this axe as Leviathan. A legendary axe forged by the greatest pair of smithing dwarf brothers. More importantly, it was the axe owned by his mother, passed to his father… and now to him. It left a harrowing dread in Atreus' heart, but he can't afford to be stuck in those thoughts. He needed to get his bearings before anything else, and so the boy reached out to grab the Leviathan. Given the axe's size, it looked more than unwieldy to the boy, yet with one hand he was able to lift it without a falter in his step. Using some spare rope, Atreus quickly made a patched harness composed of a series of knots to keep the Leviathan axe in place on his back. However, without a proper harness, Atreus couldn't draw it out to use it and he had no idea how to recall the axe if he ever lost it from his grip. There was one last thing Atreus was forgetting.
"Mimir!"Called Atreus, his blue eyes trailing around his surroundings. "Mimir, are you here!? If you can hear me, please tell me where you are!?"
While he wasn't given the usual shout of a grizzled man, a series of incoherent albeit angry noises muffled down by dirt drew Atreus' attention to a bush. Where the foliage would be normally upright, the leaves had been parted away from a sudden object that nestled at the central stem. Said object was the posterior cranium of a bald head covered in tattoos, in which the front where the face was planted in the soil. Gold horns grew from the forehead that Atreus used to hold on to and bring the disembodied head from the dirt and face the wise friend Atreus knew in his travels.
"Plegh, blgh!" Gagged the head of Mimir as he sputtered out dirt from his mouth. "Ugh, I think a worm tried to slither down my throat. Be a lad, lad, and don't leave me planted in the dirt again."
Atreus chuckled. "No promises."
Mimir rolled his golden eyes. With some spare rope, Atreus made a new harness for the boy to place Mimir at his hip with the knots hanging from protruding pieces of metal and bone on his belt. In that way, Atreus could retrieve Mimir by the horns and return him when need be. It was the same knots his father used when they first got Mimir as their third companion on their adventures.
The thought of his father brought a sour mood to Atreus. His head was still fuzzy in the memories. He couldn't remember much, but Atreus knew he and Kratos fought hard. All he could recall was being lifted off his feet. Speaking of which…
"Where are we?" Atreus muttered, taking the chance to fully scope out his surroundings.
He could not keep down the childish wonder from everything around him; a similar feeling he felt when first entering Alfheim. The first sight that greeted Atreus to the right was a great body of water reaching as far as the horizon. Having grown up deep in the wilderness, the largest body of water Atreus has ever seen was the lake where Jormungr lay. It was only because of his mother's teachings that he knew this to be the ocean as Faye described the ocean to be an endless expanse far greater than any lake.
This also told Atreus that he and Mimir were currently on an island. Looking back, Atreus' blue eyes bugged out when they trailed towards the sky where the biggest tree he had ever seen, its immense trunk rising to the heavens. Granted all that was left was the trunk as the rest was left as a stump, but it was still grand nonetheless. Even the roots went throughout the land to join with its lesser brethren of the forest where they would then dip down to feed on the ocean.
Then there was the air. Atreus couldn't describe it, but there was something more to it than he had felt back home. Every breath he took brought a slight feeling of rejuvenation. Not enough to be noticed at once, but Atreus could feel it more noticeable with each breath. The air traveling into his lungs felt so fulfilling; a refreshing tingle that the godling could feel to the tips of his toes and fingernails. It was almost like his body was getting better with each breath he took.
"Oh my…" Mimir murmured, his eyes of Bifrost crystal taking in everything with a scholar's study. "Well lad, we are definitely in the unknown thick of it."
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Atreus asked.
"Let me put it this way," Mimir spoke. "The Nine Realms, including Midgard, are nestled within the Yggdrasil, the World Tree. However, a tree is still a tree, and where there is a tree there is a forest with more trees. With all the history that the Yggdrasil has seen or will see, that is still that one tree where there are others with their own 'world' to them. What had been done was fling us far off from any branch of the Yggdrasil and onto the branch of another 'World Tree.'"
"So you have no idea where we are then," Atreus deadpanned.
"Precisely," Replied Mimir. "At least, we are quite literally the farthest we can be from the reaches of Odin and his bastard kin. They can rot in Ragnorak for all I care."
"But also from Father," Atreus said dejectedly. "Do you know what sent us here?"
"I… I'm not sure, lad," Mimir said. "There's a nasty fog in my head. Too much lightning and snow. What about you?"
"I… I'm sorry." Atreus said, rubbing his temple. "I think I hit my head too hard. Can't remember much of what happened."
"It'll be alright, little brother." Mimir comforted. "For now, I believe we should find our bearings in this new land. You know what to do."
Atreus acknowledged Mimir with a nod. Any normal being would find it too dire to be stranded on an unknown island without provisions, but this was exactly what Atreus was trained for. More than a warrior, more than an archer, he was a survivalist. Only now he was without his father at his side, yet this also was what Atreus was prepared for. Kratos would be disappointed if his son needed to be looked over constantly just to function. He is better than that.
First, Atreus had to find landmarks, preferably a clearing to make a camp, and then forage for food. Taking a deep breath, the boy snapped into sprinting deeper into the island. He showcased a grace in his step and agility completely unexpected of a boy his age as Atreus practically flew through the forest without difficulty. Each step he took was light to minimize sound and limit unneeded motion. Atreus was like a hazy blur stepping off from either root, rock, or branch in his way each serving as a stepping stone.
He soon stopped and perched on a branch. Just below him, the forest was split apart to make way for a dirt path. Atreus' thoughts concluded the presence of people on the island as the path was not possibly naturally made. That means people made this. This meant they were people here. People who could help him, and more importantly not try to kill him. Hopefully.
'Best to stay quiet.' Atreus thought.
Atreus hopped down back to the ground and followed the road whilst sticking to the cover of the foliage. Couldn't be too careful; never knew if a Draugr or fates forbid an Ancient decided to choose violence today. Or any animal or psycho for that matter. And now did Atreus come to realize the recent experiences with other people have mostly ended in him, his father or both killing other things when the first shot was fired. He hoped that whatever other people Atreus encountered for the first time would not decide to attack him and be friendly enough to chat.
Again, Atreus stopped abruptly when the sound of voices came to his ears. Not the cry of Nightmares or the guttural language of Dark Elves, but the language of people. Actual people speaking a language he could understand if the words he could pick up. However, that was soon silenced by a sudden rush of heat flooding through the forest enough that the wind blew against the branches of the trees. The smell of smoke and ash reached his nostrils now tainted the air, and Atreus's hopes were for a more peaceful resolution.
'Why couldn't peace be an option?' Atreus thought.
"That didn't feel right at all," Noted Mimir. "Best to keep ourselves hidden and quiet. Don't want to draw any unwanted attention from the locals."
Atreus nodded in agreement and continued to stalk the side of the road. The closer Atreus came to the source, he picked up the cackling laughter of a maniac. Internally sighing in exasperation, Atreus picked up the pace to the source of the man's voice by the tone that was being picked up. The closer he got, the more Atreus got more detail in that the man was ranting but what it was about he had no idea.
After jumping off from a low-hanging branch Atreus finally arrived on the scene and the people of this land. As soon as he did, Atreus hid behind a tree trunk and only risked peeking his head to the side to see. What immediately grabbed his attention was the mane of dirty blonde hair belonging to a young man. He was the source of the mad cackling going by the wide grin on his face, and those red eyes did not reassure Atreus of any good intentions. Beyond what the eye could see, Atreus felt something from the man that put his body on edge.
To his horror, he found three other people assumingly injured by him. Lying on the ground were two women spotting injuries. One was around his age a bit older with pink hair and a red cloak covered in burns while the other was more noticeably older with blue hair sporting blue clothes of a jacket that were unfortunately torn apart. Last was another man held in the maniacal man's hands like a sack, sporting black hair, and very strange clothes.
As the blonde man cackled, so continued his loud rants that attracted Atreus, but he could not understand. Perhaps if he heard more of the language his 'special' trait can allow him to make him understand. But it didn't take linguistic skills to know that the man was not up to any good, and would no doubt do more harm to the people defenseless.
To see these people defenseless made Atreus want to help. It was the same urge he felt when he heard of that ghost's plight against the statue the Thor. The same feeling that got him tricked into helping revive a witch, which his father disposed of before admonishing him. That same sheer need to free the dragons that have been chained down for so long. His father had always voiced against these actions, making it clear he found them to be a waste of time. Atreus could even hear his father's voice saying that he should not get himself involved or that it could bring more problems.
'But they do need help.' Atreus thought.
But Father wasn't here. And the more he looked at the depraved scene, the more Atreus wanted to stop him. To help these poor people before it was too late. It did not help that Atreus knew that he could do something. From this distance, Atreus did not doubt landing an arrow at a vital point and then working on healing those unconscious. Just as Atreus was about to pull out his bow, the air suddenly changed.
"Acnologia."
That word was from the man in the blonde's grasp. It was not a word of a language, but a name in itself. Atreus found his breath caught in his throat and he felt as if everything stilled like a deer caught in a trap. He did not know how or why, but some primal fear swept through Atreus' body stopping his hands from reaching his weapons. It was the most afraid he had ever felt, even more so when Baldur had kidnapped him and trapped his father and Atreus in Helheim.
"Lad, what the fuck is going on?!" Hissed Mimir, the minor god himself unnerved. "Give me a look-see! Show me what is going on!"
Hesitantly, Atreus pulled Mimir from his hip and held the head out to the side to look upon the scene. Mimir's Biforst eyes took in the sight of the black-haired man surrounded by writhing shadows. He knew it was foreign magic, but alike of such vile darkness that surpassed the black fog. The Bifrost eyes pierced through the metaphysical, allowing Mimir to study the phenomenon at a greater depth. Just in time to find the danger that was about to be unleashed.
"GET DOWN!" Mimir roared in alarm.
Atreus immediately pulled Mimir close to him and curled behind the tree trunk to make himself as small as possible. Then like the screech of a thousand nightmares, a vile power swept through the forest. He felt as if death clutched at his throat only to pass by like a chill wind. All around him, everything simply died with the tree trunk withering to a petrified husk to the very soil losing its life to become a lifeless grey. Leaves and bushes decayed into dust, leaving a silent wind behind.
When Atreus opened his eyes, the area of the forest was turned into a wasteland. He looked back at the road to find the women still lying on the ground, but the blonde maniac had joined them. There was no life in his eyes that had rolled back into his skull and his skin looked like freshly fallen ash. The other man was nowhere to be found.
"Mimir, what just happened?" Atreus asked.
"Cruel death," Mimir sneered. "That man carried a very, very dark curse. It was so wicked and nasty. I've never thought such magic existed. If we find that man, we can't face him."
Atreus agreed with a nod, but he didn't leave yet. First, he checked the woman still lying on the ground, releasing a sigh of relief when he felt a healthy pulse. He made a more careful approach to the dead blonde and lowered to one knee to take a closer look. The skin was already turning clammy from the loss of life and his eyes had rolled the pupils into the back of the head. Whether this guy was a maniac or not, Atreus grimaced in pity. No one deserved a death like this. To pay a modicum of respect, Atreus reached out and closed the blonde's eyelids to hide away the lifelessness in them and give an imitation of peaceful sleep.
"Go in peace," Atreus muttered.
However as Atreus was taking back his hand, his fingers caught the sensation of the heat of a fire. Alarmed eyes trailed to his fingertips to find growing embers of flame seeping from the deceased's eyes, and that alarm grew greater seeing the fact the flames were of no natural make from the strange color they emitted. Instead of red or blue, the fire was so black that no light could escape with embers of a glow of white to them. That was all Atreus could study about the fire before it suddenly snaked - not burned - its way up his arm, passed his shoulder, and came closer to the godling's wide blue eye. Once a single member of the black flame touched the window to the soul, Atreus' mind blanked out.
What he experienced in the darkness away from the real world was too much to properly fathom. His ears were overtaken by the sounds of countless voices, all of them preaching slaughter. He could only taste ash and smell the smoke of an unending fire all around him. Yet when trying to open his eyes, Atreus was not greeted to the island but a vast expanse filled with nothing but those black flames. The only thing separating it all was the giant structure before Atreus and what could only be described as giant feet before him. It was a moment later that Atreus was looking up at a giant throne of black stone where an entity of equal proportionate size sat, its entire body wreathed in shadows with the only noticeable traits being a beard of white fire and smoldering eyes. Eyes that were studying Atreus in curiosity.
"How… interesting. To think my gift comes in touch with a little godling like you."
Atreus could not formulate a response, his mind too haggard from sensory overload from this strange realm his mind was forced into. What he did know was that this thing was judging with a gaze that went beyond flesh and stone. It continued to search and the whole time Atreus could only feel a foreboding sense of unease. Hours that were probably seconds concluded with the giant of flame cracking a wicked smile, revealing a maw that held a roaring inferno within.
"Yes. You'll do nicely. Enjoy the power of my black flames, Atreus, son of Kratos and Laufey, grandson of Zeus and Fornjotr, descendent of Ouranos and Ymir."
As if shoved by a giant's hand, Atreus found himself coming back to the real world, gasping for air and getting himself up from lying on the floor. Atreus continued breathing haggardly until he found his nerves and heart steadying themselves. The infliction on his senses was gone like a waning dream as well as the memory of that encounter. All he could remember was the burn of the black flames traveling up his body until he blacked out. Yet when Atreus checked his arm he found no burns on his arm nor any singe marks on his clothes.
'Was I just… No, that was real.' Thought Atreus, struggling with his mind to remember what exactly happened.
"Are you alright, little brother!?" Cried a panicked Mimir. "You suddenly went limp. Are you good?"
"I… I think so." Atreus answered, not as sure himself.
"Don't spook me like that," Mimir said. "What happened? As soon as you touch the corpse, you blacked out. Did something latch on from the dead git?"
"I don't know," Atreus said in a tone of not wanting to continue on this topic. "We have to keep on moving."
"...Fine, but you are gonna have to let me take a look at you later." Mimir agreed.
Making sure the unconscious women were in no danger, Atreus continued his exploration throughout the island. Soon enough, Atreus and Mimir came upon the signs of a previous battle. Broken masks and torn cloth littered the ground as well as craters in the earth. A strange thing Atreus noted was how the air smelled different around these former battlefields. Yet he could not find anyone else, which was strange after what had to be a massive fight.
On the other hand, Atreus' was partially distracted by the hectic vision as he called it. When that entity spoke to him, he spoke names that were unknown to him. He knew of course that Kratos and Faye were the names of his parents, but there were others he did not know of. Names that he was directly related to.
"Mimir, who is Zeus?" Atreus asked the beheaded god of knowledge.
Mimir made a spit-take before speaking. "Lad, where did you hear that name!?"
"I just… heard it," Atreus said in a bad attempt at a lie.
Mimir grumbled something under his breath before replying. "It's not my place to say."
Atreus' mood soured. He knew where those words came from. Mimir would not say anything because it was related to Father. Any inquiry into Kratos' past was simply brushed away.
"Let me guess, Father doesn't want to talk about it," Atreus said with more heat than he intended. "Always keeping something from me, even after two years since the mess with Baldur. Why can't he trust me?"
"Little brother, it ain't like that!" Mimir argued in defense of Kratos. "It isn't because of trust that Kratos doesn't tell you; it's shame. He doesn't want you to know because he believes you'll see him in a much more horrid light than before. I want to tell you, I do, but it ain't my place to say. It should be your father to tell you when he feels more com-"
"HE ISN'T HERE!" Atreus bellowed, making the forest around him still from the force in his voice. "He isn't here to tell you to shut up! He's probably stuck in Midgard facing all of Asgard for all we know while we're here doing nothing worthwhile. For all I know, my father is dead and I am stuck here when I could have helped him!"
The whirl of emotions was too much and Atreus collapsed to his knees. He felt the river of tears down his face and he struggled to hold in the sobs that wanted to escape. Atreus did not want to think of the possibility; he couldn't handle the loss of another parent.
"I am sorry, lad." Mimir apologized. "You shouldn't have to go through something like this. I know you want to cry, want to rage, want to curse the fate fallen upon you, but there's no use doing that. What we have to do is to keep ourselves alive. Do you think you should give up on that?"
"...Right," Atreus answered, his voice a little hoarse.
Wiping the tears away, Atreus stood back up on his feet. Yet at that moment, he had to struggle to keep his balance when the ground rumbled. A powerful roar loud enough to force Atreus to cover his ears shook the island. For a moment, the blue sky was replaced by a grand inferno of crimson flames conjoined with crackling lightning. It lasted for a few seconds before dissipating away.
'That was a blast of some kind,' Atreus thought, his eyes tracing the direction of the inferno. 'I have to know what is going on here.'
"You know, lad," Mimir spoke knowingly, "the smart thing to do is not go in the direction of an explosion and gigantic inferno. For the sake of perfect health."
Atreus didn't make a motion of hearing Mimir's words. He was already off in a sprint, jumping into the canopy, and practically skipping through the branches in the very direction of the inferno.
Mimir sighed in defeat. "But what do I know trying to convince ya? I'm just the head of the smartest man alive who was stuck to a tree for a hundred winters now hanging from a boy's waist. But you're cracked like your father! So may as well jump out of the stove and into Muselpheim's fiery arse."
(Time-skip)
Despair was what they felt at that moment. They put all of their strength, and all of their heart into this battle, yet it proved nothing in the end. The one known as Precht, once a leader of Fairy Tail now a tyrant of one of the most villainous dark guilds. He was Hades, Fairy Tail's greatest threat by far. Nothing they dished out on the ancient man brought him close to defeat. Rather it seemed whatever damage he sustained was simply reversed by the sheer magic flooding from his body. It was then Hades unveiled his most vile spell.
Arcane Magic: Nemesis. That was the name of the hideous spell. The dark power in it darkened the very air in shadow, and from the rubble spawned monstrosities each with such overwhelming power. In comparison, every single Fairy Tail mage was spent. It was a cruel nightmare at play where nothing they did could do away with this monster. All they were left with was fear trembling through their bodies and the painful ache in their exhausted battered bodies.
Wendy Marvell was the worst off in the group being the youngest mage at a tender age of twelve years old. She was a young beauty with deep blue hair and warm brown eyes, but that was offset by the bruises marring her body. A Dragon Slayer she was called, raised by a dragon and taught the legendary power of the great magical beasts, yet all she felt was the terror in the air piercing her body like thousands of ice-cold knives.
"I'm scared…I'm so scared…" Wendy whimpered.
"Makarov raised a fine bunch of brats," Hades mused. "But there is no defying primordial magic. Be swallowed by the endless abyss."
A groaning caught their attention momentarily to Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail. He was an older teenager with a head of salmon-colored hair, onyx eyes, and a strong body that gave him a wild appearance. Wrapped around his neck was a scarf of dragon scales, and tongues of flame persisted from his lips. He had slammed a fist to the ground and forced himself up to his feet despite the pain in his body.
"Oh?" Hades queried with a raised brow. "You still want to fight? Admirable. Then let your last moments be agony."
By his mental command, the demonic constructs of black magic advanced on them ready to tear them apart. Natsu glared defiantly at them even when his body refused to move to defend himself. Lucy, the golden-haired Celestial Mage beauty, held on tight to the Dragon Slayer in some vain way to protect him. The rest such as the Erza Scarlet and Laxus Dreyar could only watch helplessly as the monsters of dark magic accosted them. Wendy could only curl up in a ball and hold her head tightly in some way to hide from the world.
'Please someone, help!' Wendy pleaded.
She could almost feel the claws of one of the demons inching towards her head ready to rip it off. It was at that moment when Wendy was so sure of her death that she heard it. Looking back many years from now, it was the first time Wendy heard his voice that never failed to spark hope in her spirit.
"Ljosta."
Something whistled through the air and suddenly the terror simply vanished. Wendy felt the prickles of bright light on her closed eyes. She almost didn't believe it when the air became far less malicious. An unfamiliar hand landed on her shoulder, making her still in fear. But the voice that greeted her was the farthest from evil.
"Hey, you don't have to be afraid. I'm here right now."
Hesitantly, Wendy opened her eyes to meet the owner of the strange voice. She first took notice of icy blue eyes on a pale face with faded scars going down from the left eye and crossing at the jawline. As identified by his very strange scent, the boy had shaven brown hair and wore furs built for the winter climate. In his free right hand was a bow with an accompanying quiver on his back while an intricately made ax was sheathed at his hip with ropes. Putting Wendy at ease from the dreadful situation was his comforting smile.
Wendy forced her gaze to her surroundings and found to her shock a significant amount of the demons were gone, specifically the ones closest to ending the lives of herself and her friends. Said friends were staring at the new arrival in shock. He had come as a blur of motion and killed the summoned demons with arrows of blazing blue. However, one found the presence of the boy in a much uglier light.
"Who are you!?" Precht demanded. "What magic did you use!? How did you dispel my demons!? The magic was taken directly from primordial darkness."
He simply couldn't comprehend it. Arcane Magic: Nemesis was taken directly from the book of Zeref. No light spell in this day and age would have been able to get rid of one of them. Any of the Fairy Tail wizards would have been hard-pressed to destroy even one at full strength. Yet this boy - this complete unknown - just waltzed in and did away with his creations easily.
Just what was that light magic contained in that bow that could destroy a spell derived from the abyss? The spell should have been invincible, yet whatever light contained in those arrows burned them away as if the night was chased away by the rising sun. Hades wanted to know. He demanded to know this magic of light that could do away with one of the darkest of spells.
The boy turned around to face Hades. Where most were cowed in his presence, the son of Kratos and Faye did not yield a single flinch. Atreus had faced much worse in his young life, including the awesome presence of Jormungr and the fires of Muselpheim. He did not take long to figure out the situation. This man, mighty as he might seem, attacked these people on their island and was delighting in his supremacy over them. These people had fought to the bitter end to defend themselves, something that Atreus respected especially from the pink-haired teenager who had the grit to still try to get to his feet.
The answer was clear for Atreus. If these people cannot fight anymore, then he'll fight for them.
"I will not repeat myself, boy," Hades threatened. "What magic did you use on my dark demons?"
Atreus thought for a minute, considering if he should answer truthfully. The constructs of magic did have a similarity to the black fog from the 'foreboding' sensation they emanated. The old man claimed it was magic from primordial darkness. Yet no matter how dark a spell it could not resist the purifying light of Alfheim. Even if Atreus answered truthfully, it would not have mattered in the end.
"None of your business," Atreus said, knocking an arrow to his bow.
"Do you know who you are talking to?" Hades almost growled, unleashing more of his power to intimidate Atreus. "I am Hades, lord of Grimoire Heart, master of dark magics taken from the Book of Zeref."
Atreus could feel something heavy in the air bearing down on his shoulders, but he did not give. While it was a new feeling, it did not compare to what the young godling had experienced. He's been stared down by gods, stood in the presence of the World Serpent, survived a dragon attacking him, and faced down the likes of Modi, Magni, and Baldur. His father carried himself a greater presence than this Hades could ever do, having witnessed Kratos at his most terrifying. The godling's lack of fear made the master of Grimoire Heart increasingly angry.
"Gotta admit, the kid's got balls," a large blonde man complimented.
Even so, Atreus acknowledged the threat the wizard was promising. He secured the hold on his bow just a bit tighter and prepared his senses on alert for the earliest notion of danger. It was at that moment, that Mimir finally decided to voice his presence. Or rather he could no longer contain the laughter behind his lips.
"Pfft, Hades!?" Mimir cackled, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Ye call yerself Hades!? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! What's next, some tavern whore is gonna call herself Aphrodite? Little brother, please, let me have a look at him. I have to see his face a bit more so I can laugh harder!"
The hopelessness that plagued the airship disappeared at the sheer ridiculousness, at least to the Earth Landers. All eyes, including Hades himself, put their incredulous stares on Atreus where indeed there was a talking head hanging from his waist! The wizards of Fairy Tail have all encountered their fair share of oddities in the world - talking cats included - but a living head certainly took the entire wedding cake. They continued to stare in gawking shock till one of them broke the awkward silence.
"DID THAT HEAD JUST FREAKING TALK!?" Natsu freaked out.
Atreus had the decency to give an embarrassed smile. He honestly could not blame them. Their reaction to Mimir was perfectly normal. The godling took such things as a talking head in stride as it was all a part of his 'normal' life. In the meantime, he untied Mimir from his harness and held the head up front to face the old man. Mimir took a solid good few seconds to study the man before he burst out laughing again.
"Bwha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Mimir laughed. "Lad, can you believe this dumb old fucker!? He calls himself Hades! He looks like he's about to meet Hades at any moment though!"
"I. Am. Hades!" Precht snarled.
"No yer not, dumbass," Mimir said. "For one, you're not nearly as fat as the dreary bastard, and you're missing just a few barbs in your flesh. You're just some senile human too drowned in his delusions. No, you remind me of another bearded bastard I've had the pleasure of knowing. Yeah, you may not be the one-eyed crow pisser, but you're close enough. Little brother."
"Yeah, Mimir?" Atreus asked, turning the head around to face Mimir.
"Fuck him up," Mimir said, and Atreus raised a brow.
"That's it!" Hades exclaimed, dark magic coiling around him like a rumbling storm. "I've had enough of this foolishness. Doesn't matter if there are a hundred of you fairies crawling out of the woodwork. You all die today!"
By his mental command, the dark creatures of magic were set upon him. Immediately, Atreus tensed into battle, and plans were already forming in his mind by the millisecond. What he knew was that he was up against a human mage with an unknown skill set. His current knowledge was the old mage calling himself Hades can summon creatures using dark magic. That is immediately negated if Atreus keeps using light arrows, but he only has so much. Add on to that fact Hades has defeated a group who are probably mages themselves with no damage.
With the current facts presented to Atreus, a plan of action was made for him. First, he needed to even the numbers. A smirk went on his face as he prepared an arrow glowing in Alfheim's light, but not to fire it. Along the wood of the bow, one of the many Nordic runes glowed in the same pure blue. Before the demons could reach him, he sprung back and aimed his bow at the ground.
"Ulfr Haulop!"
The arrow burst apart in brilliant light on impact with the ground, and the airship was filled with the howl of wolves. A whole pack of wolves taller than Atreus himself lept to life from the light, their bodies the same pure blue as the light of Alfheim they were summoned from. This was the power of the runic summon known as the Wrath of the Wolf and the most favored in the godling's collection. He found this rune to be the most useful as the wolves provided stopping power and harassment to any number of enemies. On another note, Atreus felt a strange sort of connection to the summoning; something in him made him favor the wolves more than others and the runic summoning itself always felt stronger to him than the rest. One of the light wolves even chose to stand by the godling's side to protect him.
Staring at the summoned wolf in the eyes, he felt a sensation rather than a message hit his mind. Without words, Atreus knew the wolf, magic as it was, called him "Father", and the rest of the pack agreed. It was a testament to the godling's mastery over the runic summon. In the first days when he first got the Wrath of the Wolf rune, he could only summon one wolf per arrow and it usually just attacked without his orders. It had been years then and the son of Kratos was proud of how far he had come with the mystical art. Atreus didn't need to voice his commands; his thoughts were enough for them to follow.
Instantly, the wolves of light pounced upon Hades' creations. Even as they were monsters pulled from the abyss, they were still prey to wolves. A single bite or a swipe of clawed paws was enough to make the demons be done away with. They released horrid screams as the light of Alfheim burned at their tainted bodies till they were nothing. The mages of Fairy Tail watched in amazement as in ten seconds the wolves of light had hunted down the earth demons and the dark atmosphere lightened without the presence of the ill magic. With the ease with which the Arcane Magic was dealt with, even Hades was left aghast.
"Not possible," muttered Hades, clearly unsettled. "No magic should be able to - GAAUUGH!"
His cry of pain was caused by one of the light wolves taking the chance to clamp its jaws on his left arm. The magically constructed fangs dug deep into the flesh and Hades felt a deep agony from the bite as if a white-hot lance pierced his very soul. On the outside world, the flesh around the bite area faintly glowed blue like poison. The Alfheim magic making up the wolf was burning its way through Hades' very blood that was tainted by the dark magics he delved into.
White hot agony laced through his body again, this time from his left leg where another light wolf bit down. This time, the pain fueled Hades' wrath, allowing him to push through to summon his Grimoire Chain. In a single swing, he whipped the wolf away from his leg and then used a ray of magic to shoot the wolf on his arm, making it dispel. His rage then focused back on Atreus, the cause of his misfortune.
"You bloody brat!" Hades screamed. "Amaterasu Forumla: 85!"
Mimir found the wording of the spell confusing. "Wait, what does the sun goddess have to-"
Atreus' danger senses went off like a cold chill down his spine. The times he felt that sensation when very deadly danger was right on top of him, such as the moment he was punched by Baldur. Instantly, purple circles of magical formula erupted to life around him, and Atreus could feel the tingle of power on his skin.
'Not good!' Atreus thought, his legs already tense to spring him away.
There was only one problem though. He was reminded he was not alone when behind him was the blue-haired girl. Unlike him, she couldn't move with the injuries she had. Atreus grimaced, wondering if he had the speed to escape if he carried her with him out of the zone. But then he looked to the wolf loyally at his side and a new idea formed.
Wendy Marvell in the meantime panicked when she saw the spell circle of the Amaterasu Formula. She had only seen the spell from a distance when it was used on Laxus, but she knew enough it was a dangerous spell as it brought the S-Class mage to one knee. And the spell right on top of her was of a higher number. She worried that perhaps this one would prove fatal and closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable pain until a hand snaked around her waist. Her brown eyes opened in surprise, finding the owner to be Atreus.
"Hold on tight," Atreus warned before she was yanked closer to his body.
There was a blinding light and then the deafening boom of an explosion as the Amaterasu Formula went off. The puff of smoke concealed the fate of not only Atreus but, to Fairy Tail's concern, Wendy as well. Hades had only a second to revel in supposed victory before Atreus and Wendy came out of the smoke unscathed riding on top of a light wolf. Atreus had Wendy seated in front of him using himself as a shield against any damage from the blast, but the wolf was fast enough to escape the spell entirely and ran along the walls. When Wendy opened her eyes, it was to find herself riding on top of a magical wolf at top speeds while her savior was sitting so close to her from behind.
"Don't worry," Atreus consoled. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"Th-Thank you," Wendy replied softly, a little red in the face.
Atreus trained his eyes below surveying the battle area. He noticed his summoned pack was closing in for another attack, but right now it would be a wasted effort. New mental commands were to have them hold back, surround the enemy, and wait for any openings.
"This kid's good," complimented Laxus. "Hey, where was this one hiding?"
"Laxus, he ain't part of the guild," Gray corrected. "He's someone new. I'm just glad he came to help."
'But will it be enough?' Was the unspoken question.
'By now, this Hades must have wisened up to any more tricks I might pull,' Atreus thought. 'Let's see if I can put any holes in his guard.'
Atreus nocked an arrow and fired it with a master's accuracy as if riding on the wolf did nothing to hinder his aim. Hades saw it coming and raised his hand to smack it away. As he did so, the light within the arrow burst on contact and Hades squawked in pain from the light burning at the dark magic within him. The light left its mark on the palm of its hand in poisonous blue on his flesh.
'Looks like the light of Alfheim is effective on the wizard,' Atreus mentally noted. 'Strange since nothing back home reacted like this to the light arrows.'
This time, Atreus fired two arrows in rapid succession. Hades was not letting the arrows get near him and used his magical chain to wipe them out of the air instead. Atreus clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, knowing any ranged attack was going to be blocked.
'I need something to harass him,' Atreus thought.
His thoughts were interrupted when Hades instead went on the attack, swinging his clawed chain to strike the wall in front of him. Atreus was forced to jump off the wolf and hugged Wendy close to him to save him from the fall. He rolled on the ground to reduce the impact, only wincing slightly at the sting of his shoulder meeting hard metal.
"Hey, you okay?" Atreus asked Wendy, checking the girl for injuries.
"I'm fine," Wendy answered, unharmed from the fall.
"Angry magic man on your front!" Mimir warned.
When Atreus focused his attention forward, he was not expecting the aged man to close the distance. He saw the man throwing a fist forward and threw up a hasty guard with his right forearm. At the same time, Atreus put an arm in front of Wendy for her protection.
The blow that connected was not something Atreus expected from an old man but rather from a very angry troll. Atreus felt his feet leave the floor from the strength in it, and his superior agility was his saving grace in landing properly instead of falling into a stumble.
His main priority was Wendy, having wrapped his arm around her waist to prevent her from getting injured. He winced from the dull throb in his arm where Hades' fist landed. Atreus had survived worse than the likes of Baldur, but he was sure there was going to be a nasty bruise.
"You okay, brother?" Mimir asked.
"Just an ache," Atreus answered, flexing his arm out and equipping his bow back with a nocked arrow.
"You're not an ordinary boy, are you?" Hades wondered aloud, his anger turning to curiosity. "I put a lot of my strength into that punch. It should've snapped your arm like a twig. What are you?"
Atreus didn't answer and instead took the opening he saw. With a rune glowing on a lower limb of the bow, Atreus let loose an arrow encased in Alfheim's light upward. It exploded in midair and a murder of crows made of light was brought into the world. They squawked ominously above them before diving onto Hades from all sides. Their number and speed overwhelmed the dark wizard and with each bird that struck his body was another burst of Alfheim's light that seared into his skin. The pain alone distracted him from focusing his magic.
That gave the wolves of light the opportunity to pounce upon the man yet again, sinking their fangs into whatever they could get their jaws around. The flesh burned in the blue light that seemed to eat at it.
"Is something cooking in here?" Mimir commented as the smell of burnt flesh was wafting through the airship.
"Mimir, do you know why the light of Alfheim is reacting like this?" Atreus asked the wisdom god.
"To most beings, Alfheim's light is benign," Mimir answered. "The worst you'll get is a splitting headache. However, the light has a very mean streak concerning anything with dark magic. I did notice that the old human's body was saturated with some vile sorcery. What we are seeing is the light trying to cleanse the taint within his body, and by cleansing, I mean burning it to a crisp."
Atreus couldn't help but cringe. If the smell was anything to go by, it was a very painful ordeal, even if it was deserved.
"Enough!" Hades roared, exerting a wave of pressure that dissipated the murder of crows assaulting him. "I will not be humiliated by a child."
From both of his hands, he cupped a small orb over his hands that soon grew larger and larger. Atreus tensed at the pressure in the air increase as more power was poured into the dark mage's spell. His hands inched to the Leviathan ax if it came down to it.
But it was not needed. In the most anticlimactic way, Hades suddenly lost the steam in his power. The orb of magic collapsed on itself as his magic failed to maintain it. His aura of oppression disappeared with it, making the air feel lighter in its natural way.
"What just happened?" Atreus voiced the question hanging over everyone's heads.
The ground suddenly rumbled wildly, making the waves churn against the ship. Atreus steadied his footing with practiced ease. Mimir had his eyes wide at the spectacle that was the source of the rumbling earth.
"Er, brother, you might want to look behind ya," Mimir said.
Atreus turned his head around and gawked at what his eyes beheld. Where once was a massive stump now rose a tree as massive as it was majestic. It rose to the very clouds where its canopy spread out like a golden umbrella. The cloudy sky seemed to diminish in its presence, and the falling leaves looked like motes of light traveling down to the ground.
"Woah," Mimir gasped with an excited smile. "Now that's something ya don't see every day, lad."
"Yeah," Atreus agreed, awed by the beautiful spectacle.
Lights of different colors drew Atreus' attention to the people he was protecting. On each one, brilliant light shined from a tattoo they all shared on their bodies, including Wendy's. There was new pressure in the air which Atreus now knew as his sense of magic, and it was gathering within them at an astonishing rate.
"Our emblems are shining," Wendy gasped, staring at her blue mark of Fairy Tail.
"Our magic power is returning," Erza gasped, feeling new strength flood through her body.
Out of the people who were getting their strength back, none drew Atreus' attention more than Natsu. As soon as he met eyes with the young man, Atreus didn't think he was looking at a man. No, the first thought that came up in his head was 'dragon.' Natsu, with new magic power renewing his strength, sprung forward upon Hades with a fist cocked back.
"We're the ones who are going to win!" Natsu exclaimed.
Before he could strike the blow, Natsu was intercepted by a palm strike across his cheek by Hades himself. Despite his major source of power gone, he was far from being defeated and his old age betrayed the raw strength his body still held.
"No!" Hades screamed. "Until the day he stands above all others, a devil will never rest!"
"What a pretentious prick," Mimir sneered.
Despite the blow, Natsu had righted himself to get back into the fight and wound his arm back to deal a returning blow. Someone had already beaten him to the literal punch when Atreus saw the large blonde man of the group take charge against Hades to deliver a haymaker. To Atreus, he also gave the impression of a dragon on sight, but the sensation did not register as strongly as Natsu. Atreus could not deny the presence the man carried himself with as he still fought on even with the injuries on his body, probably the worst next to the one that felt like a dragon. Oddly enough, Atreus noticed faint sparks of yellow electricity not unlike the kind he saw when he fought Magni and Modi.
"Laxus!" The pink-haired teenager exclaimed in surprise.
"Let's go, Fairy Tail!" Laxus roared.
It was a war cry if nothing else, and the others around Atreus responded in kind. In contrast to earlier before Atreus found them on their last legs, they now entered a battle with renewed vigor while ignoring the painful protests of their injured bodies. Even the girl that he was protecting did not stay behind the lines, flanking behind the aged wizard as Atreus felt magic gather at her palms.
Atreus should have been worried for them. A logical thought would go along the lines that their charge was a suicidal errand. Their injuries, no matter what strength they had regained so suddenly, should have them stay put. Yet Atreus did not have it in him to feel afraid of their safety. Rather looking at them face the danger that nearly killed them unafraid of death put a smile on his face. He had rarely met humans before, but Atreus was sure these were the most bizarre mortals he had ever encountered.
"Little brother, what's going on?" Mimir asked, unable to see from behind Atreus' waist.
"I think they can take this for now," Atreus answered.
Suddenly, the air was filled with the intense smell of fire and ozone. The source was none other than Natsu, now wreathed in a cloak of crimson fire and yellow lightning. That feeling of a dragon was more pronounced than ever; so much that Atreus thought he was hallucinating from seeing such a beast on a scale that put the likes of Fafnir to shame.
"As if I will let you," Hades warned, his hands moving to cast magic.
'Oh no you don't,' thought Atreus, drawing another arrow, but with the bowstring glowing a neon yellow.
"Þruma!"
The arrow streaked the distance like a yellow comet, crackling with golden electricity. Its mark was true as the arrow stabbed right through Hades' left palm and gave his body a nasty shock of dragon lightning.
To his surprise, the blue-haired girl had leaped from behind Hades. The winds had gathered to her hands where they were visible to see as streaks of grey. Looking at the girl, Atreus was surprised to yet again get the sensation that he wasn't staring at a mortal but a dragon of white. Her signature was the same as Natsu's in its potency.
'These people are something else,' Atreus thought, a grin growing on his face as his curiosity about the new magic they all wielded skyrocketed.
"Let's follow that up with," Wendy exclaimed, "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack."
The currents of air struck down on Hades' back in an imitation of a dragon's wing beat. Atreus definitely felt the blow from where he stood, but his surprise at the magic these people were displaying didn't stop there. Another took a turn on a Hades in the form of a shirtless, dark-haired young man summoning - no creating - blades of ice to slice at the man. Next, was the redhead woman who was surrounded by bright light only to then emerge in a suit of new armor and weapons. This armor augmented her abilities, striking Hades so fast with strikes that for a moment gave the image of a pentagram star.
And then finally was Natsu himself, wielding both lightning and fire at once. A sight Atreus never imagined to see. And he unleashed a devastating whirlwind of magical might that swallowed Hades whole. It grew in size, encompassing half of the airship and rising farther than the dark skies above them. The heat of such incredible magic was comparable to that of the realm of Muselpheim.
And thus did the old wizard fall, completely beaten. As if to award their victory, the sun peaked over the horizon to bring the dawn. Natsu had gotten to his knees, roaring in victory after a hard-fought battle that Atreus only had inklings of. Everyone else simply celebrated the fact they were all alive, and the godling himself smiled at the sight. He'd hardly ever seen a group of people have this much cheer at all.
"Quite an odd group, aren't they?" Mimir said.
"Yeah, and I like it," Atreus said.
Certainly a nice change of pace from meeting death around every corner.
A very ambitious passion project I've been working on for a long while. I wanted to make this type of fic after playing God of War Ragnarok. I liked Atreus as a character who is the offspring of two different pantheons. What sort of adventures can he handle the madness of Earthland presents? Being a god for one will certainly help.
For now, I'm posting this chapter to 'test the waters'. See how the initial goes.
Ages of the characters right now:
Erza - 19
Natsu - 17
Lucy - 17
Gray - 17
Atreus - 12 1/2
Wendy - 12