"Now, just let me do the talking." Hermes advised, the group walking towards the temple. As they approached, they saw Zeus sitting on a throne, matching the description Hermes had given him. He appeared as an old man, but he was physically fit, muscular and tall. His beard reached towards his waist, braided in the traditional Greek style.
"Ah, my exiled son has returned! Nice to see you making 'a head' in these days." Zeus said, making obvious of Hermes' disembodied state.
"Humorous. Nice to see no matter how much time has passed, you'll never run out of ways to torment me, father." Hermes responded, not appreciating the pun.
"Yes… I guess you have learned your lesson. Hephaistos, reattach Hermes' head back onto his body. You are lucky we have kept your body in pristine condition." Zeus said.
"Yippy." Hermes sarcastically responded.
"Father?! Father, it is you!" A voice exclaimed, a goddess suddenly flying from the temple, wearing a white cloak and winged sandals. Hermes smiled widely, finally seeing the one he had hoped to see out of this entire journey!
"Angelia! Oh, my dear sweet laurel! I have prayed you would be safe!" Hermes exclaimed, Angelia landing near Isaac. Isaac took Hermes off of his belt, Angelia quickly taking Hermes' head from Isaac's hand and hugging it!
"Oh, father! I cried for so long when you had disappeared! Please, don't leave us again!" Angelia said, hugging him tightly.
"I don't plan on it. Now, I have a few things to talk to you about, but right now, I need to get my body back!" Hermes said. Angelia nodded, walking with Hermes' head into the temple.
"Now, strange mortals, bringing me the head of my former ambassador is quite a feat, especially how I had planned for him to never be found. In fact, I myself had to stay Poseidon's hand from attacking you when you collapsed his favorite lighthouse. Now, I must ask, what is your reason?" Zeus asked.
"All in time, Lord Zeus. But first... I believe a drink is in order." Isaac said, taking the bottle of wine from his belt. Zeus smiled widely, seeing the traditional bottle.
"Wine from the island of Lemnos? I must admit, you continue to surprise me." Zeus said, stretching out his hand. Suddenly, the bottle of wine flew from Isaac's hands, appearing in Zeus'.
"You know... it's rude to drink alone." Zeus commented, gesturing for Isaac to approach him. Reluctantly, Isaac walked to Zeus' throne, the god of lightning watching him.
He leaned forward, handing Isaac the bottle of wine. Isaac uncorked it, the smell of Greek wine overwhelming his sense of smell.
"Ya mas!" Zeus said, gesturing towards the bottle. Taking a breath, Isaac put the bottle to his lips, tipping it back and taking a large swig. Isaac gulped down what he had, coughing a bit. Zeus smirked, taking the bottle and drinking it down. After a sigh of satisfaction, he threw the bottle behind him, shattering upon hitting the floor.
"Hmm... they don't make it like they used to. Too sweet. Now that drinks are done, what is your reason for coming here?" Zeus asked.
"Zeus, God of Thunder and Sky! Rightful ruler of Olympus! My friends and I have traveled far to return Hermes, messenger of the Greek Pantheon, to his home." Isaac lied, using Zeus' pride to conceal his deceit.
"Quite a story, stranger. But were you promised anything? Riches, untold power?" Zeus asked.
"Of course not, Lord Zeus! For we, great God of Olympus, are merely your servants." Isaac lied, bowing. Zeus chuckled at this, not remembering the last time he was praised this much.
"Hahaha! You must speak to all of the gods of this world like this! Your honeyed words have put me in a good mood. And I must admit, I have missed an experienced messenger around here." Zeus said.
"And your son." Rotor added.
"Right, right. Yes, I have missed Hermes. Tell you what, you and your friends are very much welcome to stay here. Make yourself at home. But do not bother Hestia! She must remain at attention to maintain the eternal flame. Stay out of the temple and you will not have anything to worry about." Zeus instructed.
"Noted." Isaac said. Zeus nodded, before relaxing back into his throne.
"So where should we start?" Antoine whispered.
"We should acquaint ourselves with the other gods. If we get ourselves familiar with them, we might be able to convince them to our cause." Rotor answered.
"I will talk to Hephaestus. I might be able to find common ground with him through his work." Isaac said, grabbing an old smithing hammer from his pack.
"Right. I'll go see if I can find Dionysus. I might be able to trade him a few secrets of brewing for his loyalty." Rotor said, walking towards a large vineyard.
"Bunnie and I will try to see what can be done. We'll meet back here later once we have a few ideas on who we can trust." Antoine said.
"Elohim be with us, as we attempt to bring justice to the Pantheon." Isaac said, walking towards the opening of a chamber radiating with large amounts of heat.
2 Hours Later:
Hephaestus:
Isaac was bringing down a sledgehammer down onto an incandescent slab of steel, a deformed, bearded man bringing down a sledgehammer on the same spot as Isaac's hammer retreated. After a few cycles, the deformed man put the metal back into the forge, pulling a rope above him, the bellows pumping air into the coals.
"I must say, the use of your Hellfire in my forge has sped up my work. I am not used to such efficiency." The deformed man said.
"Thank you, Hephaestus. I'm more than willing to aid a fellow blacksmith in his craft." Isaac responded.
"So, what was it you were talking about earlier?" Hephaestus asked.
"I was talking about my family back home. I'm hoping to get back home soon. My wife is expected to go into labor very soon." Isaac answered.
"Wife... you know, I've been married twice. But my first wife, she and I never had children." Hephaestus commented.
"Who were you married to?" Isaac asked.
"Aphrodite. Very beautiful, but she did not have the good sense of keeping her affair with Ares private." Hephaestus answered.
"Sorry to hear about that. But you're better off without her." Isaac said, readying his sledgehammer. Hephaestus grabbed the slab of metal from the forge, slamming it back onto the anvil.
"That happened a few thousand years ago. I'm married to someone much better, and don't say anything to the others, but she is far more beautiful than Aphrodite. At least, she is to me." Hephaestus said, bringing the hammer down on the slab.
"What's her name?" Isaac asked, hitting the slab of steel.
"Aglaea. We have four beautiful daughters. And yes, Aphrodite is pissed." Hephaestus answered.
"Better for you, in my opinion. I mean, she is supposed to be the Greek Goddess of Love." Isaac said, bringing down the sledgehammer.
"Right..." Hephaestus said, continuing to work on the metal.
Dionysus
"You can search far and wide/ You can drink the whole town dry./ But you'll never find a beer so brown, as the one we drink in our home town!/ You can drink your fancy ales!/ You can drink them by the flagon!/ But the only brew, for the brave and true... comes from the Green Dragon!" Dionysus and Rotor sang, clinking two large mugs of ale and drinking them down! They were uproariously laughing, a band of shades playing instruments.
"Ahahaha! I haven't met a mortal that could keep up with me! I'm glad it was someone who could actually brew up an ale I never had!" Dionysus drunkenly stated, taking another gulp of ale.
"The brewing setup you have is insane! An ale like this would take weeks to make!" Rotor said, walking over to a table. Dionysus followed, sitting across from him.
"It's enchanted. but none of the other Gods are appreciative of my setup. Of course, the one thing I make mostly is wine. And my father, he cannot get enough of it!" Dionysus said, quickly draining his mug of ale.
"You know, we got Zeus a bottle of Lemnian wine earlier today. He just drank it down and tossed the empty behind his throne." Rotor said, causing Dionysus to become wide-eyed.
"He didn't even savor it? Lemnian wine is impossible to obtain here! I even have trouble brewing it here! And he'll always complain. 'It's too sweet'. Or, "It's not sweet enough". No pleasing that one." Dionysus stated.
"Zeus... what's your relationship with him?" Rotor asked.
"Zeus is my father, my mother being Semele. Unfortunately, while she was pregnant with me, she asked Zeus to appear to her as he did Hera. This had killed her. Zeus managed to rescue me from her womb and had sewn me into his thigh until I was ready to be born." Dionysus explained.
"That's horrible! I mean, your father going as far as to sew you into his thigh is commendable. But why did Semele ask Zeus to appear as he did to Hera?" Rotor asked. Dionysus produced a bottle of wine from his hip, quickly taking a swig.
"Hera! She's the reason!" Dionysus exclaimed, causing the band to stop playing.
"She disguised herself as an old nurse! She told my mother to make that request! She's the reason my mother is dead!" Dionysus yelled, allowing himself to succumb to his rage!
"Calm yourself, Dionysus! Here, have some more ale!" Rotor said, handing him his mug. Dionysus reluctantly took it, quickly drinking it down.
"Thank you... mortal..." Dionysus muttered, the band beginning to play again.
"If she's responsible for something so heinous, why not confront her?" Rotor asked.
"She's Queen of Olympus. And Zeus has promised that as long as she doesn't try to overthrow him, he will not go against her. There is nothing I can do." Dionysus answered.
"And Zeus? What about him?" Rotor asked. Dionysus soon caught on to what Rotor was asking, becoming surprised.
"Unfortunately, as the atrocities I have seen Zeus commit, he is my father. His rule may not be perfect, but it is better than the rule would be, if headed by Hera. Now, if we're done talking about politics, how about another drink?" Dionysus explained.
Antoine and Bunnie:
1 Hour and 15 minutes ago:
Bunnie and Antoine were resting against a large boulder, frustrated and exhausted.
"Wow! Forty-five minutes and none of the Gods of Olympus want anything to do with us." Antoine said, stretching out his arms.
"What did you expect? We can't talk to Hestia, Ares is not the rational type, and I personally don't want to deal with Poseidon or Athena." Bunnie analyzed.
"Athena: The Cruel Hypocrite, or Poseidon: The Cowardly Abuser. Neither one is a good choice." Antoine said, getting up from the ground. As they talked, they heard the sound of a small stone being pushed away, quickly turning their heads to the sound.
"Hello?" Antoine said, his hand going towards the saber at his belt.
"If you plan on using that on me, I would rather you know it will be a one-way trip to Tartarus." A voice said.
"Who is that? Show yourself!" Bunnie said, looking around.
"Well, actually, I would rather not. I... I don't like people seeing me. Makes me nervous." The voice said, sounding uncertain.
"Nervous? Nervous about what?" Antoine asked, his hand going away from his saber.
"People! People make me nervous! Everyone just looks at me and think I'm the bad guy! I'm not the one forcing myself onto young maidens or laying waste to entire civilizations!" The voice exclaimed, having a nervous outburst.
"And who do you think is responsible for the influx of souls to the Underworld? Me! That's who! I haven't slept a full night in Millenia!" The Voice exclaimed, beginning to panic.
"Whoa! Alright, just calm down! Listen, we're just trying to find someone to talk to. Someone who can help us with Zeus." Bunnie said, trying to calm the figure.
"Zeus? What do you want with Zeus?" The voice asked, calming down.
"Well, it's a long story. We helped return Hermes to Olympus, but really, the reason is so we can stop Zeus from spreading his influence. You know, stop him from raining down Hell on mortals, that kind of business." Bunnie explained.
"My nephew? He's back?" The voice asked.
"Nephew? Who are you, exactly?" Antoine asked. Letting out a large sigh, the figure began to materialize, showing him to be a thin, well-built male, clean shaven. He was wearing black armor, a helm in his hands. His hair was black, cut short.
"I... am Hades. God of the Underworld." He said, showing signs of becoming nervous.
"Were you just invisible?" Bunnie asked. Hades nodded, tossing the helm in his hands.
"I don't like traveling outside of the Underworld. When I do, I prefer not to be seen. Now that formalities are out of the way, who exactly are you?" Hades asked.
"My name is Antoine D'Coolette. This lovely lady next to me is my wife, Bunnie D'Coolette." Antoine said, introducing themselves.
"How are you?" Bunnie asked, extending a hand. Hades only looked at it, backing up a few steps.
"Not good. In fact, I'm never good! I'm sleep-deprived, I have to wait for my wife eight months out of the year, and the only conversations I have out of those eight months are from dead people!" Hades nervously exclaimed.
"Okay, okay, just calm down. Listen, we're new here. We've actually been looking for a God of Olympus to speak to. Someone to talk to about Zeus." Bunnie said.
"Well... I might actually be able to help you. But not here! Come with me." Hades requested. Antoine and Bunnie looked at each other, unsure if they should go with him.
"Either you come with me so we can talk privately, or you stay here and continue to strike out on coming up with a way of overthrowing my maniacal brother. Your choice." Hades said, giving an ultimatum.
"Hermes better be right about this." Bunnie said, extending an open hand. Hades smiled, taking it.
"Now, I highly recommend taking a deep breath. This might be... uncomfortable." Hades said, a ring of fire beginning to envelope them. Suddenly, they were engulfed by the strange fire, only warmth shrouding them. But as soon as they were engulfed by the fire, it had extinguished itself, revealing them to be in a strange environment.
"Is... is this where you live?" Antoine asked, seeing the strange surroundings. A large river ran through the environment, black and thick as tar. There were strange figures in the river, clawing to breach the surface, before sinking back into the black, viscous liquid. He soon saw an entire biome of this strange world green as a meadow! There were happy people, dancing and laughing, drinking and singing songs.
"Welcome to the Underworld! Home sweet home!" Hades said, before a chariot appeared before them, pulled by a team of flaming horses. Hades pet the lead horse's snout before hopping up into the chariot, taking the reins.
"Hop aboard. I'll take you to my palace where we can discuss your plan." Hades said, stepping aside to allow them to board. Seeing no other option, they hopped up, gripping onto the edge of the chariot.
"Hold onto something!" Hades instructed, before cracking the reins, the horses quickly pulling away! They were suddenly racing across the grounds of the Underworld, crossing the environment expertly! Soon, they reached a castle in the center of it all, appearing to be made out of black obsidian.
"Now, before we go inside, would you please wipe your feet on the mat? Persephone hates it when guests track dirt through the halls." Hades requested, hopping out of the chariot. Antoine and Bunnie followed suit, the chariot soon racing away from the castle grounds.
They entered the castle, seeing it to be decorated with Greek artifacts. Besides the artifacts, it was also decorated with plants from the mortal plane, bringing a strange atmosphere to the place.
"This is decorated beautifully!" Bunnie commented, loving the presence of the flowers.
"Persephone requested for them to be here. And I will admit... I've grown to like them." Hades responded.
They continued through the castle, before entering the throne room. Upon one of the thrones was Hades' wife, Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. She was looking bored, but once she had seen Hades and his guests, she quickly sat up, showing interest.
"Dear husband, you've brought guests! And Mobians, no less! I'm so proud of you, Hades!" Persephone exclaimed, showing pride.
"I didn't do it out of improvement upon myself, Persephone. I did it because they are allied with Hermes. They wish to help challenge Zeus' rule over Olympus." Hades revealed.
"Improvement? What improvement?" Antoine asked. Persephone calmly rose from her throne, walking towards the others.
"My husband has a bit of... what was it you mortals called it? It's... a condition he has, being uncomfortable in certain areas. Oftentimes, around large groups of people he doesn't know." Persephone explained.
"You mean social anxiety?" Bunnie asked. Persephone quickly snapped her fingers, nodding.
"That's it!" Persephone said, confirming Bunnie's guess.
"You knowing how I feel in the mortal plane was one too many people, Persephone! I don't need two mortals knowing, as well!" Hades said, walking to his throne.
"There's no need to be angry about it. Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of." Antoine stated.
"I am a God of Olympus! I am Ruler of the Underworld! I do not have 'anxiety'!" Hades exclaimed.
"Hades, Asclepius said that the more you try to deny it, you're going to only make it harder to acknowledge and treat it. And the mortal is correct. There's nothing to be ashamed of." Persephone said, reminding Hades of the reality of his condition.
"By the way, who are you two? Are you friends of my husband?" Persephone asked.
"Well, not necessarily friends. We just met him today." Antoine answered.
"Anyone who is willing to go against my tyrant of a brother is a friend to me. Now, I'm assuming you have no actual plan against Zeus, do you?" Hades asked.
"I... no." Bunnie responded. Hades smirked, stretching out his arms.
"Only way to overthrow him is to challenge his rule. A battle to submission. Of course, for a mortal, it's to the death. And I will tell you this, last time someone had done this, it was Hermes." Hades explained.
"Really? Hermes never mentioned that." Antoine said.
"I would not blame him. Zeus clear punched him through the mountain! The air split, deafening all of us! And Hermes... broken and unable to stand... my brother... he grabbed under his chin and ripped his head off!" Hades exclaimed, radiating anger!
"Hades! Please, calm yourself!" Persephone reacted, her hands gripping his shoulders. Hades breathed heavily, before calming down.
"I'm sorry, but none of you are equal to him! I can't allow such brutality to occur again!" Hades said, beginning to stride towards the exit.
"Hey, wait! We can't just give up! Amphios said that Zeus is going to lay waste to mankind! We can't just stand by and let it happen!" Bunnie exclaimed.
"What do you not understand?! If a god of Olympus can't take Zeus down, what chance do you think your friend has?!" Hades questioned.
"What... what about the offspring of an angel?" Bunnie hesitantly asked. This stopped Hades in his tracks, slowly turning back towards them.
"Say again?" Hades asked, shocked.
"Well, our friend... his mother was an angel. And his father was a demon." Bunnie explained. Hades began nodding, piecing this information together.
"Maybe... this might actually be feasible. Persephone, I'll be back late. I have a few errands to run." Hades said, walking towards the exit.
"Don't forget the Mobians! They have no other way to get back to the mortal plane without you!" Persephone reminded, Hades turning back.
"My mistake! Bunnie and Antoine, follow me or be left behind! We have a few things to gather for your Nephilim friend!" Hades exclaimed.
"You already know what a Nephilim is?" Antoine asked, walking behind Hades.
"Of course! I may be a bit secluded, but I've met my fair share of Nephilims! But never one with a demonic parentage! This fight will be very interesting!" Hades responded.
Kingdom of Acorn: Late Afternoon
"Just... just wait for me! I need a breather, okay?" Sally said, stopping from a jog around the castle. Lily ran back to her, having joined her on her exercise.
"You alright? You're redder and sweatier than usual." Lily observed.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm... I'm just carrying a bit more weight than last time. Listen, it's just a nice, easy jog. Just something to keep my blood flowing. It's not like I'm just gonna go into labor." Sally responded.
"But the doctor, she said..." Lily attempted to say, before being stopped by Sally.
"I know what she said, but I'm not due for a few more weeks. And a little run isn't going to hurt me. Okay, I've got my breathe. Ready to get back to running?" Sally asked. Lily looked unsure, not wanting to risk hurting Sally and the baby. She could feel the energy around her, and she felt that the baby could be coming any day now!
"Okay, just... stay with me for the rest of the run. I don't want you to exert yourself too much." Lily said, beginning to jog.
Spagonia: Olympus
"This is going to be a stretch, but I pray this will be enough. I just hope these relics will be the turning tide." Hades said, walking towards Zeus, who was sitting upon his throne of Olympus.
"But can Isaac actually kill him?" Antoine asked.
"No one can kill a god! But beating him into submission, that is always a possibility." Hades answered.
Zeus soon saw Hades walking towards the throne, seeing him accompanied by the two Mobians that walked off earlier that day.
"Hades! Dear brother! You've found the others! Good! Makes it less of a pain to round them up later." Zeus said, adopting an angry tone.
"What do you mean, 'Round them up'?" Hades asked. Zeus leaped from his throne, his arm gesturing to his throne. A bloody, battered Heracles stumbled from behind the throne, limping heavily.
"It appears I wasn't told quite a few details of the reason for them coming here." Zeus said, his gaze quickly going towards Apate. She quickly became horrified, finally piecing together that she had never actually told Zeus!
"Zeus, please! They tricked me! I believed I had told you!" She exclaimed, soon running from him. A quick snap of Zeus' fingers summoned a bolt of lightning, vaporizing her on impact!
"Good riddance." Heracles muttered.
"Now, if your friend actually chooses to challenge my rule, I will allow it. Considering he was able to defeat my son in combat, he must be a worthy adversary." Zeus said, stretching out his arms. Heracles soon adopted a hateful demeanor, glaring towards his father!
"Are you insane?! He deserves to be executed on the spot! To Tartarus with sport! He must be killed to preserve the sanctity of Olympus!" Heracles bellowed. Zeus' smirk turned into a frown, unamused by his son's attitude.
"How dare you!?" Zeus calmly said, a fist suddenly punching through Heracles' sternum! The Demi-god coughed up large amount of blood, before collapsing, dead before hitting the ground. Zeus looked up from Heracles' corpse, his eyes cold and angry.
"Prepare the Nephilim for combat. You have twenty minutes." Zeus coldly said, walking into the Pantheon.
"Shit." Hades responded, seeing his youngest nephew dead.