Chapter 162

It's been eight days since my meeting with the gods and in that time I'd been kept busy mastering my new gifts abilities and learning their capabilities. I spent hours this out in the training ground mastering these new powers Blanca, Leonidas, Hippolyta, Autolycus, Amphiaraus, Tydeus and Xena who I informed about my meeting with the gods and wanted to see what I could do now. When I told them about my meeting though I asked them to keep quiet about it since I didn't want a large audience when I was still mastering my new abilities.

To begin with when it came to trying out my new abilities I'd tried summoning the Spartan warriors and I was not disappointed to see them all armed with shields and spears with swords sheathed on their sides. They looked like regular Spartan soldiers but their skin was as pale as marble and there were holes in some of their armor as if it had been rusted away. When I released them from my summons they seemed to turn into black dust that just vanished into the wind as if the army were never there.

Then there's my new wings which I am now able to say were as lethal as they were beautiful with their new abilities that were without a doubt going to be helpful in battles. To begin with I could now flap them harder allowing me to gain more height when I'm gliding but I still couldn't use them to take off and fly, only glide. Along with this there are the new abilities that were more suited for combat then pleasure or getaways. Another ability I'd obtained is similar to that of a timberjack with my wings now being able to slice through solid metal as if it were thin wood and actual wood like butter. I figured this ability would come in handy when I'm attacking ships since I could hop off Toothless and slice through their sails slowing the ships down. Then there are the two hooks that I could use to grapple onto things but also carve into things like wood and I knew I'd find a way to use them.

Finally there's the last new ability that was definitely going to come in handy when it came to attacks and I'd discovered this ability by accident when I flexed my wings. I discovered I could launch my now larger feathers out as projectiles and they were definitely lethal considering they were like large blades. When I first found out about this ability it shocked everyone who was present but none were more shocked than Leonidas and I couldn't blame him since one of the blade feathers impaled itself in the wall right next to his head. These blade feathers in general they were sharp and strong to the point they were able to pierce through a sheet gronkle iron with no trouble so I am beyond glad it missed Leonidas or Sparta would need a new king. After I learnt how to launch the blade feathers at will I spent two days mastering my aim with my wings from both the ground and the sky using wooden targets with the feathers growing back nearly instantly. To train on the ground I'd run and release my wings for only a second launching the blades at the targets and to train from the sky I'd jump from the roof of a building and spread my wings, gliding passed the targets launching my blade feathers. It took me an entire day before I was able to hit the targets and another day before I was able to hit the bulls eye every time.

There's also my new chest plate that I'd spent a day mastering how to use and learning of its capabilities that I had to say were impressive. To begin with I'd learnt how to activate the projections that I soon learnt were actually as solid as gronkle iron and a lot tougher than it as well. I learnt this when I had Tydeus hit me in the chest as hard as he could and when his fist met the projection there was a clang of metal followed by Tydeus screaming in pain while gripping his fist that was now broken. He claimed it felt as if he'd just punched a metal wall giving me an idea of how strong this armor was so I had him stab the projection with a gronkle iron sword and the sword shattered. I then had him and Autolycus come at me with a small battering ram, which lead to the discovery of what the chains on the projections were for.

When the battering ram came close to me the chains extended shooting out and anchoring themselves into the ground before anyone could react. When the battering ram struck me I didn't move so much as an inch with the chains holding me in place while the front of the battering ram was shattered. After that I ran a few more tests to see what would activate the chains such as jumping onto a wooden plank while Tydeus and Autolycus shaking it around and that activated the chains. I did a few other tests like this and found the chains were meant to act as anchors for when something tried to push me or throw me down. I'd taken to wearing the chest plate as a piece of my regular attire under my grootslang coat after I learnt the projections shine through it without causing any damage.

Finally there's the new arrow Artemis gave to me, which I knew was going to be helpful in taking down large groups of enemies who were split up. I learnt that I didn't need a bow to launch it since it floated on its own and would fly with enough speed and force that it could pierce a five-foot thick block of gronkle iron as if it were made of sand. I could control it through my will and practiced a lot using it by having targets thrown into the air and at me as I willed the arrow to fly through the air and strike them. Within a day I had become quite good at using it and knew it would come in handy for taking down large groups of opponents. Then there was its other ability I learnt in which I could summon it from wherever it was locked up meaning if it was taken from me like with Diomedes I'd be able to call it back to me and begin attacking. There's also how it can go from killing an opponent to merely knocking them out for at least eight hours which I knew would be helpful. It all really depended on my intention since when I wanted an opponent dead it would streak at them leaving a path of red light that lasted a few seconds while if I just wanted them stunned the light would be grass green. The only weak point was it had a limited range of twentyfive feet from before it wouldn't be able to move any farther and I'd have to call it back to me. Either way I knew with its abilities and how it was controlled this arrow would make a mean combination with my kappa shell helmet since I'd also practiced using them together for two straight days and everyone agreed it would be difficult to go up against me with them under my control.

Once I'd fully mastered all my new gifts I celebrated with my comrades sharing the new nectar I was given and trying it for the first time. To describe how the nectar tasted was difficult since it tasted as if it were made from a gentle spring rain with a cool breeze and suns light gently shining down on me. In other words all other nectars paled in comparison to the flavor of this nectar since it was absolutely to die for and everyone agreed on that subject but I was looking forward to the chance to actually try out my new gear on some actual opponents. Someone up on Mount Olympus must have felt my desire since I got word of a group of bandits who'd been causing trouble for traders from a seven-year-old boy who'd run into the palace begging to speak with me. The guards were going to throw him out claiming I didn't have time to deal with rowdy children but I called him off since the child seemed determined along with terrified about something. He explained that his parents were travelling traders who were captured by a group of bandits while on their way to Sparta and begged me to save them.

After that I asked him for as much details as he could give me on the bandits location and their numbers and from what he could tell there were thirty-five of them and they intended to sell his parents as slaves. Now I was sitting down on the ground against Toothless near the road where the boy and his parents were attacked with my Scouters exploring the forest for the place where the bandits could be found. I'd had them searching for three hours and so far they'd come up with nothing other than a few rabbits, squirrels and other forms of wildlife but not much else. I sighed in annoyance wondering if we should try somewhere else but these thoughts were brought to an end when I caught sight of an archer hiding in a tree and knew something was up. I decided it best my scouters focus on that area and recalled the others and sent them to that area for a more thorough check up on the place since that archer was more than likely one of the bandits I was after.

2 hours later

It's been two hours since I discovered the archer in the tree and in that time I'd discovered why my scouters couldn't find any of the bandits. They'd taken refuge in a cave that lead to a huge cavern full of at least fifty armed men who'd set up bridges, wooden support beams, zip lines, a few hanging cages and multiple wagons with wooden cages built on some, multiple horses in a pen, multiple crates and sacks next to the wagons and in the walls were caverns filled with people who were tied up. It didn't take a genius to know that these people were their captives and the ones who were running around freely were the bandits I'd been looking for. By the looks of things they were getting ready to pack up and leave meaning I had to work fast but I smiled since this was a chance to test out my new gear. With these thoughts in mind I pushed myself up off Toothless who looked at me with his head tilted in confusion but I just turned to him and said.

"Time to go to work bud!" Hearing this he immediately got up as I mounted him and we took off to deal with the bandits.

10 minutes later

All the archers who were hidden in the trees were now tied up and restrained while being guarded by Toothless until I could transport them to Sparta to be dealt with. After that I'd dealt with the two men who were guarding the outside of the cave with a single bola disc launched at each of them restraining them before I transported them to where Toothless was with the others. After they were dealt with I sat on top of the caves entrance with the legs of my spider pack extended as another bandit made his way out to check on his allies. The second he walked out of that cave I struck by having my spider packs lower legs hook him beneath his arms and pull him up before using the upper arms to cocoon him before he could even react. With the bandits who were guarding the outside dealt with I'd taken out my kappa shell and put it on my head before making my way into the cave to finish this once and for all.

This brings us to now with me making my way down the caves tunnel which leads to the cavern where the main base of the bandits was set up. As I approached the entrance to the cavern I began whistling a tune to catch the attention of the bandits and it worked since two men walked in front of the entrance to see what was going on. Seeing me coming alone they both chuckled before they pulled out their swords and charged at me ready to take me down but I just smiled knowing the fun was about to begin.

Nobodies POV:

Bandits cavern base

All those present heard screaming from the entrance to the cavern and turned to the entrance hoping to see what was happening only to be greeted by a strange sight of the two bandits who went to investigate the whistling flying out of the cave and into the cavern. When they landed they were unconscious but groaning in pain before their attention was pulled away from the two unconscious men by the sound of someone saying.

"They really weren't that tough." They all turned to where the voice came from only to see Hiccup Haddock at the entrance of the cavern collapsing his lion gauntlets as he walked into the cavern before he took the kappa shell into his real hand and released his golden arrow into his prosthetic hand. "Alright boys, I'm going to give you all a choice." He looked around. "You can either lay down your weapons now and surrender or be the first ones that my latest gift from the gods are used on." They all stared at him for a few seconds before they burst out laughing making Hiccup sigh. "Well can't say I didn't give you a chance to avoid the coming pain."

He threw the kappa shell towards one of the bridges that they had between the valleys of the caverns while also willing the arrow to begin the attack on the bandits. The kappa shell immediately cut the ropes that were holding the bridge together causing it to fall down and the ten bandits on it to fall to the ground hard before the kappa shell turned around in mid air. Five men readied their bows to fire at Hiccup who stood calmly concentrating on controlling his weapons but before they could let their arrows loose the kappa shell came flying in front of them cutting their bows in two leaving them unable to fire. Before they could react however Hiccups golden arrow came speeding in flying in a straight line from their sides and since they were next to each other it flew right through all of them leaving a glowing green string like steam behind. The archers dropped their bows to the ground before one by one their bodies joined their destroyed weapons on the ground but they were simply unconscious as the arrow took off to another target.

As it did this two men charged at Hiccups still form as the kappa shell flew above them towards a zip line where another man was flying down towards Hiccup. Before he could reach him though the kappa shell flew into the zip line severing it and making the man riding go into a free fall landing on top of the two men who were charging at Hiccup. The kappa shell continued to fly up into the air severing the ropes holding some of the wooden cages bringing them down on some unlucky bandits who tries to charge at Hiccup. Six men then tried to attack Hiccup from all sides hoping that he wouldn't have time to react but sadly for them they'd forgotten Hiccups golden arrow that had been taking men down one by one by flying into their bodies and coming out. When it came out however there'd never be any visible marks but there would be a streak of green light behind the arrow as it flew while the men would drop to the ground unconscious.

Hiccup continued to watch as his kappa shell and golden arrow destroyed the bandit's lair and brought down the ones who had created it with a blank face. Inside however he was shocked at how quickly the two weapons he'd chosen to use were destroying a small army of men. He knew they were powerful from his time practicing with them in the training grounds but to actually see them used against actual opponents was definitely something else all together. To see them take down so many opponents while also concentrating on controlling them was not an easy thing to do but it was definitely worth the effort and nothing a lot of practice couldn't help make easier. It was then the last of the bandits fell and he willed both his kappa shell and his golden arrow back to him as he held out both his real hand and his prosthetic hand. He caught the kappa shell in his real hand and the arrow in his prosthetic hand smiling as he shrunk the shell down before placing it in the spider pack while the arrow went back into his arm. With all the bandits dealt with he looked around at the downed bandits and the damage his kappa shell had done before he sighed and shook his head as he said.

"Time to start the cleanup." He ran a hand through his hair. "Man I hate this part of the job." He then looked at the caverns where the people were being kept. "Better start by freeing the captives, at least they'll be able to help me with the cleanup by getting their horses hitched up to their wagons and loading up their belongings." With these thoughts in mind he made his way to the caverns where the people were being held.

4 days later

Hiccups POV:

It's been four days since my battle with the bandits and in that time I have been suffering from multiple headaches caused by not just the kings and queens but also the people I'd rescued. Shortly I took down the bandits I freed the people who helped me with clean up after thanking me for saving them before I lead them out of the cavern where they began hooking the horses up to the wagons and loading up the wagons. While they did that I loaded up the bandits into the cage wagons so they could be transported without any trouble and be handed over to the authorities for their crimes. Normally I wouldn't find this job too strenuous but this time it was different because despite me informing the people I was happily married the single female prisoners took every opportunity to flirt with me. This was more than enough incentive for me to keep doing what I was doing but faster than I already was since I felt the sooner I got back to Sparta the sooner I'd get away from these fan girls.

When we got back I handed the bandits over to the leaders so they could be tried and sentenced for all their crimes while the people I rescued were taken for checkups and to be questioned about what they know about the bandits. While this was happening everyone was kept busy due to those bandits being wanted all over Greece so I was able to enjoy some peace and enjoy some undisturbed down time with Blanca. Sadly my time of enjoyment and peace was short lived since through questioning the people I saved the kings and queens learnt about my new golden arrow after asking about my fight against the bandits. This sadly lead to the leaders and nobles to rekindle their efforts in trying to recruit me into their service and as expected that lead to me losing any chance of a peaceful day whenever I left my bedroom. It was for this reason I had decided it was time for me to take Hades offer and head down to the underworld, which brings us to now. Blanca, Toothless, Adal who I recently summoned and I standing in front Hippolyta, Leonidas, Xena, Tydeus. Amphiaraus and Autolycusstanding in front of us with a portal door behind us. I smiled at my friends as Leonidas stepped up and said.

"Although I treasure our friendship Hiccup I do hope it'll be a while before we see each other again since whenever we do see each other it's always ends up with big trouble."

"Hey, you invited me to Sparta and besides, it's not a reunion or a vacation without some sort of dangerous problem popping up." They all chuckled.

"So are you sure you have everything?" I nodded.

"Don't worry, everything I was given including the rewards for saving Greece and capturing the bandits are either in my spider pack or in my ships storage hold while my ship itself is in my prosthetic arm." He nodded.

"Remember my friend, when you enter the underworld don't touch the water and pay the ferry man if you wish to make it across." I nodded.

"Don't worry, I've come prepared for this trip and know all I must do to make it to the other side." He nodded.

"I wish you luck my friend." I nodded as the portal door opened behind me.

"And I hope the next time we meet, the only fighting involved is friendly sparring."

He nodded as my dungeon buddies said their own goodbyes with Xena much to my shock going as far as to kiss my cheek before running off leaving me surprised but Blanca just giggled. We then made our way through the portal to begin our journey into the underworld starting with entering the room full of portals. I gently held Blanca's hand as I lead her down the hall full of portals to different parts of Greece with Toothless and Adal following behind us until we reached the intimidating door that would take us to the Greek underworld where all the souls went. Blanca gave my hand a comforting squeeze making me smile at her before the door opened and we made our way in with Toothless and Adal following. For a few second all I could see was a blinding bright light before it dimmed and I found us standing in a long tunnel leading to who knows where with stone torches with burning green flames lighting the way. I turned to Blanca and shrugged as I said.

"Well shall we see where this tunnel leads?" She nodded but before we could take a step forward a familiar voice echoed.

"Best not go anywhere without a guide Hiccup." We turned towards the voice to find Hermes standing there smiling at us. "Hades sent me to escort you both to the river Styx where Charon will take you across but from there you'll be on your own but don't worry, just follow the path and you'll be fine." I nodded.

"We understand Hermes."

With that said he began leading us down the tunnel walking for what seemed like hours until we entered a giant cavern with giant stone pillars holding up the ceiling. I realized we were standing on top of a long stairway that lead to a platform with a stairway on either the right or the left side that lead to another platform which had one more stairway leading to the ground. The ground itself was a square stone tiled floor leading up to a stone dock but scattered around this floor and on the corners of each platform were large pillars supporting giant metal bowls that held burning green flames to light up the cavern. The thing that caught my attention the most however was the giant green river in the middle of it all that was flowing through the cavern and seemed to flow endlessly. I knew this was the river of Styx which I also knew none of us should touch since another name for this river is the river of forgetfulness as all those who touch it will completely lose their memories. I wouldn't remember Toothless, Blanca, my parents, Berk or anything about my past or present, not even my own name and that is the last thing I wanted to suffer. I turned to those with me and mentally said 'or anyone I care about to suffer'. I was brought out of my thoughts when Hermes turned to us and say.

"Things are going to get a little creepy down in this part but stay calm." We nodded before he lead us down the steps to the ground level before translucent people and creatures appeared around us with some looking horribly disfigured. "The souls of those who can't pay the Charon." Blanca then asked.

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" Hermes shook his head sadly.

"There's nothing anyone can do for them I'm afraid."

It was then we reached the edge of the dock and I looked out at the fog that covered the river as the water rippled before I saw something come out of the fog. I used my eagle eye and the eye of the dragon to get a better look at what was coming towards us but the second I saw what was coming I wish I hadn't. I knew what was approaching us was Charon but he was not something that was pleasant to look at and I could tell the others felt the same way if Blanca leaning in closer to me while Toothless and Adal getting into fighting stance was anything to go by. I couldn't blame them though since Charon looked like a corpse that was doing what seemed to be a mix of decaying and melting on top of what looked like the roof of some ship wreck that had a burning torch at the front while his legs seemed to be merged to the ship itself. He used a stick in his hands, which had the other end in the water to push the ship forward towards the dock, and as he got closer I felt as if the life was being sucked out of me. When he reached the edge he turned his ship to the side with the skull that was his head never looking away from us before Hermes turned to me and said.

"It'll cost you two golden drachmas each before he'll allow you to board."

I nodded and reached into my coat before my spider pack placed eight gold drachmas into my hand and I lifted them up to show Charon. He stared at me for a second before his right arm let go of the pole and reached out towards me, extending as the sound of breaking wood echoed from it until it came to stop a foot away from me with the palm facing up. I dropped the drachmas into his hand before he pulled his arm back and a gangplank dropped from the side of the ship as Hermes turned to face us and said.

"Well this is where we part ways so just remember to stay on the path till you come to the 'Judgment Hall' and from there the judges king Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthys will direct you which way to go." We nodded before we boarded the ship and took off with Hermes form disappearing as we entered the fog.

Half an hour later

As we made our way down the pathways of hell I thought back to what happened after we parted ways from Hermes to board Charon's ship. Blanca held onto me the entire time in fear and I couldn't blame her since Charon alone was scary but the things that seemed to be moving around in the fog increased the scare factor ten fold. When we finally broke out of the fog I was happy as I saw another stone dock like the one before but I saw this one had a dirt path on its edge that was leading away from the dock. When Charon docked his ship we all couldn't get off it fast enough but we were still careful since the last thing we wanted was to fall into the river. After that Charon drove his ship back into the fog while we made our way down the path eventually coming to a large black gate that had two giant black armored skeletons on either side holding its edges.

When we walked through those gates we were greeted by none other than Hades three headed guard dog Cerberus herself who was quick to cover me in her slobber before running up to Adal who was equally as happy to see her. Seeing them together and so close I knew it better to let the two crazy pooches be and let Adal know we'd come pick him up when it was time to go home and to help Cerberus guard the gates of hell. He gave a growl and nod before returning his attention to Cerberus who seemed happy to have her playmate back as we continued on the path with Blanca giving me a look I didn't recognize until she leaned in and told me that it was very sweet of me to give Adal time to play with a dog similar to him in size and power.

Shortly after we left them behind we arrived at the hall of judgment just in time to see some of the bandits I took down and brought back to Sparta to face punishment for their crimes, which lead to their execution. Whenever one of them walked up to be judged they were immediately sentenced to eternity in Tartarus and their bodies would turn to smoke that would be blown into a cave on the left side of the hall. When Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthys saw us however they stood up from their thrones and bowed before telling us that Hades awaited us in his palace. They sat back down in their thrones that moved to the side exposing the wall behind them along with the massive door that seemed to form out of it. This door looked like the one I had in my portal room leading to hell but it seemed to ooze power and the doorframe was made from human bone. The door opened up enough for us to pass through revealing a glowing red light and we were pulled in before darkness for a few seconds which brings us to now with my eyes still closed as wind rushed into my face.

The wind finally stopped allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief as I opened my eyes and look around to see that we were now in a large room made entirely from lava rock. I looked around and saw this room had no walls but it did have support beams with red banners that had the symbol of Hades marking the bottom of each of them. Behind us stood a door that was identical to the one we were pulled through and when I looked outside I saw that there was nothing but the wasteland that made up the majority of the underworld. The thing that caught my attention the most however was on the other end of the room where lord Hades was sitting upon a throne made of the blackest lava rock I'd ever seen. This throne had curved and jagged spikes sticking out of the sides of the backrest and was resting on a large platform with stairs leading up to it. On either side of the platform stood a single giant statue of Hades himself holding up the ceiling and glaring down at those who approached the throne. I admit this was not a place I wanted to be since it was scary even to me and I'd charged into battle against demons without hesitation. I took a breath as I looked towards lord Hades before he said in a voice that echoed through the room.

"Come forth Hiccup Haddock!" I walked forward to the throne stopping ten feet away from the stairs leading up the platform and dropped to one knee in a bow.

"Lord Hades, you honor us by summoning us before your throne."

"Arise Hiccup Haddock for I have brought you here to give you the reward I promised you when you were summoned to Mount Olympus." I stood up as he raised his hand and a gate rose from the ground and on the other side was a large beautiful field. "This gate leads to Elysian Fields, a place where no soul is burdened by any worldly worries, it is the reward given to heroes whose souls have passed into my realm." I nodded. "Hiccup, I know how difficult life can be for you after one of your adventures with the people constantly swarming you with offers or requests so I feel before you return to your island you deserve some down time with your beloved and dragon while your wolf catches up with Cerberus." I smiled at him in thanks before a mischievous idea came to me.

"Why do I get the feeling you really just wanted me here so your dog could have a little fun with her old playmate." He chuckled.

"It is true I care for Cerberus and that I did bring you here partly to cheer her up a bit but I also believe you deserve some peace before the chaos enters your life again as it always does." I chuckled before he gestured to the gate. "Now go and enjoy the peace that can only be found in the Elysian Fields." I nodded before Blanca and Toothless walked up on either side of me and we entered through the gate for a week of peace and relaxation.

7 days later

It's been a week since me, Blanca and Toothless entered Elysian Fields and this past week can only be described as relaxing since here I had no worries, nobody seriously bothering me and was just able to enjoy my day. Along with this I was able to meet some of Greece's greatest heroes and learn some new fighting techniques and strategies from them. Blanca also had a good time as far as I could tell since even on my island it was rare that we were just able to take a stroll and enjoy each others company. Toothless had a good time laying in the grass and sleeping his days away which is something he didn't get to enjoy being one of the alpha dragons and us being pulled into adventures together. Now I am sad to say our time of peace has come to an end and now we were making our way towards the portal door that would take us back to my portal room. I gently took Blanca's hand as I looked at Adal who was next to her while Toothless was on my side as I said.

"Let's go home." Blanca smiled.

"Are you ready to face your parents since you know they aren't going to be happy to hear how you got mixed up in another life risking adventure and they are going to be upset to hear you entered the underworld."

"Yeah, perhaps we should wait a couple of days before going back to Berk." She giggled.

"Hiccup, you're only delaying the inevitable confrontation and the longer you wait the worse it'll be." I sighed and nodded.

"Just give me a few days to enjoy the peace on our island, get everything in order and mess around a bit since after an adventure like the one we just had I need a bit more time to think." She raised an eyebrow.

"Adventures like the one we just had." I nodded. "Do you mean ending with so much repairs and political work." I shook my head.

"No, the ones involving mind-control." She tilted her head in confusion. "I've had my fair share of issues in which someone has used mind-control to make things difficult for me." I turned to Toothless. "Mostly putting Toothless under their control to turn him against me." I turned back to her.

"Isn't he immune to mind-control?"

"The first time was before I got the ability to give the immunity to mind-control and the second time was against the titan Chronis." She nodded. "It's when people use this method it gets my blood boil and it's the adventures that involve mind-control that give me the worst headaches." Blanca gently caressed my face calming me down.

"Don't worry Hiccup, I'm sure this will be the last time you'll have to deal with any form of mind-control." I smiled at her and gently leaned into her touch.

"I hope you're right my sweet serpent." With that said we made our way through as I prayed for a peaceful time ahead.

AN: One of the bests way to start a new year is with a new chapter and it is now officially 'January 1st 2021' here in SA so to all of you I say HAPPY NEW YEAR let's hope it's better than 2020 with no new strains of the Covid-19. Anyway if you're wondering when Hiccup will be getting closer to Astrid in the next chapter, the answer is maybe and if you've had enough mind-control for now then I can still make it a chapter where they get closer. If you've had enough mind control for now then just review or PM me and seriously please review since the last chapter I got hardly got any and thanks to those who did review. Anyway hope you all have enjoyed the chapter and have a wonderful year so till next time have a nice day.