A Fool's Heart

by Nosferatu869

Ise's friends turned their back on him, didn't they? They didn't consider his feelings and selfishly pushed their own agenda. These actions have consequences. They will learn. Even if they don't want to. The road to becoming an adult is difficult, isn't it? But for the sake of the future, they ALL must mature. No more being stuck. Make your move, Ise.

20. Chapter 19: Olympus: Part 3

PART VI

"Hey, Heracles…. How would you fancy a spar?"

—That was the idea I proposed to Heracles. Needless to say, it caused a shock to those around me.

Hermes, with a nervous laugh, tried interjecting in order to prevent the situation from happening.

"Aahh, Issei-boy! Ahahaha, I-I don't think that's the best ide—"

However, he was stopped by his own father, Zeus, who placed a hand on his shoulder. I couldn't tell what he was saying to Hermes, but I was too focused on Heracles anyway. He seems to be thinking it over seriously.

"Hmm… A spar, you say? Hmm.."

I wondered about the hesitation, considering that I've heard about how much of a warrior's warrior Heracles was. Eventually though, after he was finished rubbing his chin, I received my answer.

"Mm…. No, I'm sorry, but I don't think that would be wise. You might be known as the "God-slayer" now, but I watched your fight with Atlas' Progeny. I can't imagine you walked away from that sort of battle unscathed, even with high-level healing rituals. I also watched your battle with the Devil who bears my long lost [Nemean Cestus] as well. Getting into those sorts of fights often is no joke. It's good that you have a fighter's spirit, but I'm afraid that I can't indulge that request. It would be irresponsible of me as a seasoned veteran of battle. I'd rather you became stronger before taking you head-on, even for a mere spar. So, let's just leave it at that for now, alright? No hard feelings, God-slayer."

That's what Heracles said… Wait… He doesn't think I can take him? I mean, I know he's obviously strong, this is the guy who held up the world for a little bit. But even so, this is just a friendly spar I'm suggesting. He doesn't even think I'm good enough for a spar? Moreover, he won't even consider it?

It's true that I was heavily outmatched during the fight with Atlas, but…. things have changed now. I now have better control over the power of Atlas than before. Even though I can't use it to its full potential because of my only above-average Devil anatomy, I still have the gauntlets to make up for it…. I can at least put up a decent fight. Enough for a spar, at least….

I don't know why, but…. The fact that he doesn't consider me a worthy opponent, even for a spar is….upsetting to me. It bothers me a lot….

(...In fact, it even irritates me somewhat….)

《..He and I are equals.》

—.

….

Because of my internal discomfort, I ended up doing something that I was explicitly warned against doing.

"Hey, come on, man… You know I can put up a fight, right? I mean, I'm the God-slayer! The saviour of Olympus! I've got a way better handle on my powers now! I can fight!"

"Even so, it is still too early for you to fight in the realm of gods on your own. I'm sorry, but I cannot."

Heracles tried walking past me to lead us out of his suite, but I persisted… I went further.

"Oh, come on! That's not fair! You're acting like I've never fought a god without this power! You've gotta know that ain't true! I can hold my own, you know that, don't you?! Right..? Or actually…. Maybe you do. And maybe, just maybe….there's actually a chance that you're scared….. Hercules?"

Just then, Heracles halted mid-step. Hermes came up beside me in a panic and waved his hands around while whisper-shouting at me.

"No, no, no, no, no! What are you doing, boy?! I told you, out of everyone here on Olympus most of all, do not call him that!"

"Ise! Have you lost your mind?!"

Even Azazel was trying to stop me too, but when Heracles turned around and slowly lumbered towards me, I took a step forward. I didn't back down. And as a result, Heracles and I stood face-to-face. Or rather, face-to-chest, since he easily towered over me.

His voice came out in a low, domineering tone, and he was no longer smiling like before. His friendly attitude completely disappeared.

"...Say it again."

(Despite the circumstances, I found it difficult to hold back the excitement in my expression.)

"Well, I certainly know that you're not a coward, but if you're not even willing to give me the time of day for a little fisticuffs, then I gotta assume you're scared, don't I? After all, even for a spar, the fight alone is enough to benefit both of our reputations. I mean, just think about it. The God-Slayer defeated by the strongest and mightiest of all the Heroes! Hercules! It's bound to gain you some new fans down in the underwo—"

SNATCH!

But before I even finished my statement, Heracles's huge hand grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. And without hesitation, I was flung out from the suite balcony with a toss, and flew into the centre of the colosseum with great force.

BREAK!

"ISE!"

"ISE-SAMA!"

I summoned my Trinity gauntlets in mid-air as I heard my friends calling out in worry. And luckily, I was able to get them on before I even fully crashed to the ground.

Thud!

I caught myself and landed on my knees, making a somewhat proper landing. Immediately after I landed, I heard Hermes's whistle ring through the air and his voice shouted.

FWEEEEEE!

"All combatants clear the arena! I repeat, all combatants and trainees, clear the arena! The God-slayer and Heracles have begun a duel!"

Hermes shouted it with a loud voice that sounded like he was projecting it throughout the stadium. As soon as that announcement came through, the warriors around the entire arena spared no hesitation in immediately exiting the floor.

"God-slayer VS Heracles?! Here?! Now?!"

"Don't question it, you fools! You heard lord Hermes! Now move it! Clear out at once!"

They all listened to Hermes's instructions without question. Despite his personality and reputation, they knew he wasn't joking. And that must also mean that they know how serious Heracles can be…

I didn't have the chance to gain my bearings though, because just as I thought of him, Heracles landed across far from me with a far more powerful slam than my own, forming a crater beneath his feet.

DOOONNN!

Once he stood up, he released a mighty shout, like that of a lion's roar and slammed his fists together, creating a gust of wind.

"IT'S ON!"

Maybe I've gone completely insane, because the old me would've never believed what I responded with.

"...Now that's what I'm talking about..!"

From there, my battle with Heracles began.

---

KIBA

My eyes couldn't believe what was happening. Ise-kun challenged Heracles, the strongest hero in history, to a duel! And when Heracles initially refused, Ise-kun provoked him by using his Roman name, which he despises being called! Thanks to that, Ise-kun was now standing off against Heracles himself, right in the middle of his gigantic colosseum.

"That moron! He must've completely lost his mind!"

Sensei exclaimed in shock, a shock that all of us were feeling right now, as we stood by watching, unable to interfere.

He's right. I can't believe what's happening right now. Has Ise-kun lost it?!

"I mean, he'll probably be alright?! Heracles is pretty good at holding back, even when he's mad, ya know!? S-So he'll be fine, definitely! Maybe! Probably..!"

But even Hermes was petrified. That didn't bode well. It only added to our collective fears…

—Even so, the bout commenced, with us left to spectate it helplessly.

Booooooooooom!

A powerful shockwave was released from Ise-kun's body as his power began to rise. He's charging the power of Atlas up! He really intends to fight Heracles head-on! And now, all we can do is watch with bated breath.

"LET'S GO, HERACLES!"

Now that Ise-kun's gotten what he wanted, he's gone back to calling Heracles by his original name!? He really did that just to provoke him! My mind was in disbelief. That Ise-kun of all people would do this..! Something so absurd!

—(It didn't seem like him.) : was what I thought at the time, not yet knowing the full extent of that

DON!

With the breaking of the floor beneath him, Ise-kun launched towards Heracles, initiating his assault. He's taking the first hit!

BAM!

Ise-kun struck Heracles in the chest, with full power, causing the entire colosseum to shake. A direct hit! But for it to land that easily, it gave off the impression that Heracles allowed it to connect.

No, that's exactly what happened! Heracles tanked the hit on purpose! It's obvious because he hadn't made any attempt to defend himself. He left himself entirely open. It was only a brief moment between that attack and the next, but I saw a tiny dribble of blood leak out of the corner of Heracles's mouth. Ise-kun drew a little blood!

But as I said, there wasn't enough time to register anything else, as Heracles threw a haymaker at Ise-kun, which he barely defended against using his arms.

DOOOOONNN!

Ise-kun was sent flying back across the entire length of the massive colosseum, flipping in mid-air like a ragdoll and colliding with the pillars upholding platforms along the way! He was only able to catch himself after planting his hands and feet into the ground, causing him to slide to a gradual stop on all fours.

Ise-kun looked to the fallen columns around him and quickly gathered a few broken pieces in each hand, which he hurled at Heracles at deadly speeds. The small boulders he launched at bullet speed rapidly approached Heracles, but Heracles didn't try to dodge. Instead, he punched each piece out of the air with precision as it reached him, turning them into dust and not allowing a single one to hit.

We weren't allowed the luxury of amazement, because Ise-kun then picked up an entire column multiple times size with ease, lifting it above his shoulders and launching it like a spear!

Heracles made no effort to dodge the column either, but just as he destroyed it with a single punch, the entire area around him was covered in dust, obscuring his figure completely. It was when that happened that Ise-kun launched himself forward. In a second or two, he was already where Heracles was and started an overwhelming assault.

He predicted Heracles's response and used the column's inevitable destruction as an opportunity to launch a surprise assault! And judging from how many hits he started to land on Heracles, it worked!

DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON!

It was a great amount of attacks, and each and every one of them connected! Despite the fantastic barrage, Heracles didn't even stagger back! He was taking every single one!

"Hahahahaha! Blitz, blitz, blitz! Outstanding!"

"A prediction and sneak attack! How crafty!"

While the rest of us were awestruck, Zeus-sama and Poseidon-sama beside us were thoroughly entertained.

Is this the realm of gods?! Is this level of intensity just entertainment to them?! These are earth shattering blows! The environment below them is cracking with every hit! It's like if you took the slugfest between Ise-kun and Sairaorg-san and dialed it up to eleven!

—Eventually, in the midst of Ise-kun's volley of punches, Heracles grabbed each of Ise-kun's fists. There, Heracles held Ise-kun tightly by the wrists, more specifically by the armoured bracers on them.

"Ohohoho! Watch out, god-killer! You don't want Heracles to crush your brand new toy so soon after receiving it!"

Zeus-sama exclaimed gleefully. Is he saying that Heracles is capable of destroying Ise-kun's "Trinity Slayer," a weapon created and blessed by the gods, just by squeezing them with his bare hands?! So that's the true strength of Heracles!?

Either way, Ise-kun didn't hesitate to take Zeus-sama's advice. He attempted headbutting Heracles, but Heracles matched that attack with his own forehead. Even that caused a shockwave! What is his head made out of?! Seeing as that didn't work, Ise-kun resorted to lifting his legs and planting his shoes into Heracles's face. Although Ise-kun's legs appeared to push Heracles's head back just a bit, it wasn't enough to release his iron grip.

Finally, Ise-kun changed strategies and planted his feet into the ground again, but he crouched down slightly. Just then, I noticed the build up of power in his legs, right before he launched himself and Heracles high into the air. That's at least 50 meters high! With a single leap! Even though I witnessed higher while viewing the recording of his battle with Atlas, watching it in person is on another level!

Now that Ise-kun had brought them to the sky, he flipped Heracles over to face the ground below and planted his feet against Heracles's chest. Again, he built up his power and kicked Heracles away with all the strength in his legs. As a result, Ise-kun was released from Heracles's undoubtedly mighty grasp and the hulk was sent crashing down into the ground below like a meteor.

"Hahaha! How nice of Heracles to let go of the boy's arms. He could've just torn them off if he felt like it."

Is what Zeus-sama said! Seriously?! He let himself get struck down?!

RUMBLE!

As the colosseum quaked fiercely, Ise-kun soon came hurtling down from the sky as well, readying his fist to attack. But unfortunately for him, somehow Heracles brought himself to his feet and met Ise-kun's fist with his own. The collision caused another massive shockwave and sent Ise-kun flying back up into the air.

DOOOOOONNNN!

However, before Ise-kun could fly up too high, he sent the chains attached to his bracers down to Heracles. They wrapped around Heracles's forearms tightly, allowing Ise-kun to stop his momentum in mid-air, and dragging Heracles's feet forward. Still, Heracles stood his ground as much as he could, and when he was planted firmly enough, he pulled down on the chains with great force. Thanks to that, Ise-kun didn't get to have a proper landing. Instead, the force of the pull fluctuated all throughout the chains until it reached Ise-kun, causing him to be whipped down towards the ground and crash straight into it.

SLAM!

Heracles pulled the chains towards him, likely to pull Ise-kun in closer, but to his surprise, the chains straightened. Ise-kun was able to gain footing and hold his ground!

But that wasn't what was the most astonishing part. The thing that must've caught everyone's breath in their throat was when we saw Ise-kun pulling back against Heracles's grip, and Heracles's firmly planted sandals started grinding against the earth.

[?!—!?]

Ise-kun is having a tug of war with the legendary Heracles himself! And he's even gaining some ground! I-I can't believe what I'm seeing! It looks like it's taking every single fiber of strength to do it, but it's still unbelievable!

But as had become the pattern, the amazement couldn't remain as it was. Because although Ise-kun was able to maintain a back-and-forth between him and Heracles, eventually Heracles's strength won over, and Ise-kun lost the tug of war.

Whip!

With the twist of his waist, Heracles pulled the chains in the direction facing his left, causing Ise-kun to be dragged that way. And soon, Ise-kun was lifted by the force of that pull, and Heracles dragged Ise-kun's body through the air like a fishing line, until his body was harshly slammed into one of the walls of the colosseum.

CRASH!

I saw the chains straighten again, implying that Ise-kun pulled on them from his place in the dust cloud. Heracles pulled against them like last time, but something was different. Heracles almost fell back, as if the chains completely gave..!

Instead of Heracles being pulled against, Ise-kun was sent flying out from the rubble towards Heracles!?

He used the strength of Heracles's pull and the firmness of his hold in the ground as leverage to launch himself directly at Heracles at astonishing speed!

Because of his tactic, Ise-kun was able to score a full-speed divekick attack on Heracles, with his legs landing straight in Heracles's abdomen. Heracles was sent hurtling back and crashed into the colosseum wall, just as Ise-kun had before. But before Ise-kun had the chance to get comfortable, Heracles harshly pulled Ise-kun towards him again. And although Ise-kun tried to resist the forward momentum by dragging his feet in the ground, he inevitably ended up in front of Heracles in a split-second, where the hero punched him directly in the face.

BAAAAM!

The sound resonated throughout the entire stadium.

The jab sent Ise-kun away from Heracles, this time unabated, as Heracles had released his grip on the chains. And despite being sent back with such force, Ise-kun somehow still maintained his footing the whole way back through his planted stance, creating a long trench between him and Heracles.

There, the fight suddenly came to a quiet standstill.

"...U…gh…"

Ise-kun let out a quiet groan as his torso, which had been fully arched back limbo style, lifted up and then fell forward limply. His arms hung loosely and his head was hanging down. I could see the blood spilling out from his hair onto the ground, and my anxiety began to rise as it did for my allies as well.

"Ise..!"

"Ise-sama..!"

Ravel, Buchou, and the rest of us cried out in worry. A direct hit from Heracles the hero… The fact that he even has a head attached to his shoulders is nothing short of a miracle provided to him by his godly powers, no doubt…

Adding further to our worries, Ise-kun weakly attempted to regain his upright posture. Eventually though, he was able to finally stand still. And after a moment, we heard Ise-kun say something.

"...A ….Ha…. Heh…"

No, he wasn't saying anything. That sound… It was like the sound of a chuckle. But there was no possibility of it being anything like that. I just couldn't imagine it.

….But I didn't have to. Because what I thought it was… was exactly true.

Ise-kun lifted his dirtied, bloodied face, only to reveal an unnervingly joyful grin. And he gave out a weak laugh that was stifled only by his heaving breaths.

"Hehe..! Hahaha..!"

—We were utterly speechless. Even after all of that, Ise-kun was…enjoying himself…? Even with blood drenching his head, spilling out from his mouth and nose, he smiled. He laughed, just like that…

And in response to this, Heracles, who dusted himself off, did the exact same thing. And so did his father and uncle, Zeus-sama and Poseidon-sama.

"Nehehehe…. Hahahahaha!"

"Hohohohoho!"

"Buhahaha!"

Heracles, Poseidon-sama, and even Zeus-sama, laughed too. They reciprocated Ise-kun's enjoyment. These four…. They're all laughing, acting like it's some sort of fun game… Does this mean…

Yesterday..… That unsettling thing that Ophis said…. Was what she said really true after all…? Is Ise-kun no longer someone who can be considered "the same" as the rest of us..? He's…"evolved" differently from the rest of us? Is that why he can find this sort of thing amusing….?

A battle between gods… Just a month ago, it was an insane life or death situation the likes of which none of us had ever laid eyes on. Even the battle against the Evil-God Loki didn't compare. And undoubtedly, Ise-kun would've agreed…. I'm sure he would've even gone as far as saying that he'd never want to go through the same thing ever again…. And yet, here he is…from the looks of it, having fun…doing exactly that. Even after what he said to the goddess Hestia, he's…

"Alright, God-slayer! You've already earned my respect since saving Olympus, but now, I'm truly astonished by you. You're definitely a worthy opponent. I think you're more than capable of carrying on the legacy of Atlas one day. In lieu of that, I've decided to get a little serious. How's about I show you something cool?"

Heracles said something we didn't understand. He's praising Ise-kun, that much is clear, but… what did he say? Did he say he was about to take things seriously? You mean to say that up until now, he hadn't been taking things seriously..? This level of destructive force isn't serious..? I could only imagine what sort of devastation a serious Heracles could wreak in a place like Olympus's overly populated city, let alone in this arena… It speaks to the threat that the Atlas Progeny and the original Atlas were as well..

While I was thinking about that, Heracles shouted out towards us in the stands.

"Hermes! Toss me my bow!"

He shouted a command at Hermes that appeared to have made him extremely worried.

"Y-You want what?! You can't be serious, Heracles!"

"Here, my boy!"

However, Hermes didn't need to oblige him, because Heracles' own father tossed him what he asked for. From what I could tell, it was a bow and arrow.

"Father! What are you doing?!"

"Don't worry, Hermes. He won't die. Even then, we can find a solution."

We were terrified by the things Zeus-sama was saying, but Azazel-sensei looked at Zeus-sama with anger.

"Zeus! What did you just do?!"

"Nothing, Azazel-bou. I merely gave my son what he asked. Whatever else happens is up to these two."

"What kind of response is that?!"

Zeus-sama didn't answer. Sensei said it in a low, threatening tone.

"If anything does happen, I want you to know that it will be considered an immediate breach of the alliance terms. And I'll be seeking your full penance for it… I don't think even your fellow Olympians will take kindly to that, will they, King Zeus?"

"I will take responsibility for whatever comes."

Sensei glared at Zeus-sama like I've never seen before. What is going to happen?! If I recall, Heracles was proficient with a bow in legend as well, but why does it have Hermes and Sensei so worried?!

"Alright then!"

Heracles pulled a massive arrow from his quiver and knocked it onto his bow. He then aimed across the stadium arena, directly at Ise-kun.

"Let us see what you do against this, legendary God-slayer… Are you ready?!"

Heracles is going to shoot that giant arrow at Ise-kun!? Despite this turn of events, the wild expression on Ise-kun's face didn't change.

"Haha! Bring it on, Hero!"

Ise-kun's voice echoed in the arena. But something about it was off… It almost sounded as if there was an extra layer present behind his voice that wasn't there usually. Still, I had no privilege to analyse it further, because in the next moment, Heracles loosed his arrow.

SNAP!

With a thunderous crack, Heracles's arrow was released from his bow and shot towards Ise-kun at such ridiculous speed that if was almost impossible to follow, picking up an entire trail of dust to cover the arena as it flew! With that speed, Ise-kun won't be able to dodge…!

"ISE-KUN!"

WHIP!

When the arrow reached Ise-kun, he was obscured entirely by the storm of dust. I didn't notice where the arrow had landed until it collided with the wall at the other end of the colosseum opposite Heracles.

DOOOOOONNNNN!

The arrow crashed into the wall, causing the stadium to rumble. If it collided with the arena, that means it missed Ise-kun, didn't it?! It didn't make contact?! So maybe he was able to dodge after all! Just barely, maybe!

Suuuuuu…

It was quiet for a bit as we all watched with bated breath, waiting anxiously for the dust to clear so we could see what happened. Bit by bit, the dust began to settle, allowing us to look at the spot where Ise-kun was…

And….

"...G…uh…"

I must've heard Ise-kun let out a little sound, even from how far away he was. That must've been an indicator of how quiet it was in the colosseum. But that sound, any sound around us in fact, seemed to have evaporated from the atmosphere just a moment later.

Now, I could only hear the sound of my own heart thumping in my head. Some part of me must've registered what just happened before my eyes did…

—Ise-kun… The entire right half of his torso underneath his armpit… It was gone. There was nothing but a giant gap there. I could see the inside of his body…

….

[!?—?!]

"ISE!"

"ISE-SAMA!"

As the unbelievable shock and horror registered within all of us, I saw Hermes zip past us towards the arena in a flash. It was like being frozen in a moment of time, my body and my brain were unable to do anything.

Then, Ravel-chan shouted something at the top of her lungs from the balcony.

"ISE-SAMAAAAA! USE THE TEARS! HURRY!"

—In that instant, the frozen body of Ise-kun moved. As if risen from the dead, he swiftly dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a small casing containing Phoenix Tears..! Then, he popped the cap and drank the tiny bottle's contents.

Shiiiin!

And with a flash of light, I could see Ise-kun's body reforming!

"Ise-kun!"

From there, we spared no hesitation in flying towards Ise-kun in the arena.

---

ISE

What….

What just…. Did Heracles arrow….hit me…?

[PARTNER!]

Ddraig… What's wrong..?

[YOUR BODY!]

My body…? What's wrong with it..? It's… Oh… I'm….

—It's missing a piece.

….

[!?—!?]

Ah…

[PAR…..NER…! P…...AY WITH ME…! PA…..!]

It's….getting dark…

…..

Is…ama…!

….

"ISE-SAMAAAA! USE THE TEARS! HURRY!"

[—?!]

—Without so much as a conscious thought, my body moved instinctively, reaching into my pocket and somehow popping open a bottle with strength I didn't have. My hand pressed it against my lips and the liquid fell into my mouth. For a split second, it sat there, doing nothing. Until it felt like my brain and my will to survive finally activated my conscious thought.

DRINK IT!

GULP!

"GAH!"

I swallowed the potion and fell to my knees with a sharp intake of air, as if my lungs finally could breathe. No, that's likely precisely what happened. I finally had oxygen and my body collapsed at the realisation of lost strength.

(-"ISSEI-BOY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"-)

Hermes was right in front of me, trying to say something, but I couldn't even hear him over the sound of my heart pounding. I think I read his lips asking me if I was okay.

(- "Ise-sama!"-)

(-"Ise!" -)

I faintly heard the sound of my friends rushing towards me, but I was stuck on my knees, dry heaving.

—I almost died..! FUCK! Fuck me! I almost died, again! Just like that time in Kyoto, against Cao Cao! It was the same fucking thing! I got a hole put in me by a legendary hero and almost died instantaneously! And the only thing that saved me were the Phoenix Tears given to me by Ravel! It's the exact same fucking outcome as last time! Fucking shit! Goddammit!

[Calm down, partner. It is alright. You are alright now..]

Fucking hell, Ddraig! What the fuck did I just do?! What happened to me?! It felt like I wasn't even in my right mind there for a while! Why the fuck did I think I could take that attack head-on?! Am I crazy?! Why did I do that?!

[I don't know, partner. I was hoping you would enlighten me on that.]

Shit..! I can't believe what just happened… And now here come my friends with the accompanying gods… I wonder how I'll explain myself to them..

I weakly brought myself up to my feet and tried to reassure everyone as they approached me.

"I-It's okay, everyone. I'm alright. I'm fine—"

"—Ise!"

Rias embraced me tightly the moment she came in range of me. It was…a nostalgic sensation. And yet, a part of me couldn't help but feel this….inexplicable discomfort.

"Uh, I-I'm okay. Look, I'm—"

Right as I gently pulled her away by her shoulders, Rias slapped me in the face.

Smack!

"What were you thinking?!"

I felt the heat on my cheek, but I ignored it.

"Sorry.."

I didn't have much to say back. Her reaction isn't wrong at all, honestly….

"Ise-sama.."

Ravel came up next to me too, wearing a complicated expression that implied an entire complex of emotions that couldn't be explained in words. I felt the guilt weigh in even heavier.

"I'm… I'm sorry… I.."

"—You should be more than sorry."

Azazel interjected, visibly furious.

"Rias is right. What were you even thinking? After what you've been through? I have half of a mind to smack you myself, you fool!"

I didn't have anything to say. To anyone. For a minute or two, it went on like that, with my friends all chastising me for what I had done…

I stood there shamefully until Gasper of all people finally spoke up.

"Sensei, everyone! P-Please don't gang up on Issei-senpai..! He's already apologised so can't we just let it go? Can't we just be happy that he's safe?"

Gasper defended me, even though I did something so stupid… I-I felt a swell of emotions that I hid from my face.

"You're right.."

Ravel also came up beside me and hugged my arm, placing her forehead against my bicep. She looked frustrated, but relieved.

"I'm just glad that you're alright.."

I smiled.

"Yeah, all thanks to you, again… You always save me when I'm in a pinch.."

Azazel sighed and rubbed his forehead, clearly deeply frustrated still. But it appeared that his anger shifted in another direction when I saw his eyes move toward the gods at his side.

"Well, Zeus..? You said you'd take responsibility for the worst, right?"

"Indeed, I did. And would the worst have occurred, I would have."

Azazel glared daggers at Zeus.

"The worst did occur. So what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean? The boy is fine."

Zeus's nonchalant response provoked something in Azazel. I've never seen him wear such a furious expression before!

"Zeus! Do you think this is a joke?"

"What joke? I don't know what you expect of me, Azazel-bou. Everything has already turned out for the best. What is it that you want from me? Compensation?"

"Compensation?! …Don't get me wrong, Zeus... I'm not a god like you, nor am I like the rest of your friends here on Olympus. I won't feel satisfied just being handed some useless trinket, god made artifact or not. I don't view everything from a lens of "value" and "exchanges." My student's life isn't something I place a value on that you can just "make up" for. Mere toys don't acquit you from your consequences."

"So what is it that you want, an apology?"

"That's the least of it.."

Heracles stepped forward and interjected humbly.

"If an apology is due, then please, allow me to do the honour. I said it myself before I had attacked the God-slayer, but I should have known better than to take it so far. It is only because of my pride and my wrath that I allowed any of this to occur. And I was reckless to bring out my ultimate weapon against him. My foolish excitement got the better of me. I apologise, dear Governor. And to you as well, God-slayer."

Heracles was earnestly saying sorry. He really does seem like a decent guy. Clearly a meat-head, but with a heart of gold. Him and Theseus are good people.

Azazel still didn't seem satisfied with that response and it seems like Zeus noticed.

"There you have it, Azazel-bou. Well, does that satisfy you?"

"Hmph… Pawning it off on your son, huh?"

"He is the primary responsible party for this. Of course it is also his blame to take."

"But none of it goes to you..?"

This was starting to worry me a lot. Azazel is more pissed than I've ever seen him and he won't let it go. At this point, it could spell serious trouble, and it's all my fault… That being said, I tried my best to step up and take responsibility for myself.

"Hey, Azazel… We're all good here. I accept your apology, Heracles. I apologise too. I shouldn't have provoked you like that. I knew it was the wrong thing to do and I still did it because I let my pride get the best of me. Sorry, I hope you didn't take it personally."

"Of course not! Pride is a very powerful thing! I too have known its influence and fallen prey to it. But don't worry! I might not always have the thickest skin, but I can certainly say that I don't bruise very easily! Any wounds to my pride can be forgiven with a bit of time and stress release! So there is no bad blood here, my friend! It was a fantastic match!"

Heracles smiled widely. So he doesn't hold grudges, huh? Like I thought, this guy is pretty swell. Can't help but feel like he's the type of loyal friend you'd wanna call "bro" or "Aniki."

Despite how Heracles and I made up, Azazel was still scowling. Rossweisse-san came up beside Azazel and whispered, attempting to be another voice of reason.

"Azazel. As much as I understand how you feel, for the sake of the alliance, this issue shouldn't escalate any further."

Azazel scoffed as he whispered back to her.

"Che… For the sake of the alliance, huh..?

"Remember that it is an alliance that you and Issei-kun helped build together. That's another reason we can't compromise it."

That seemed to cause a twitch in his facial expression. He was making an effort to hold back his frustration now.

Luckily, Poseidon and Hermes decreased the tension further with their own admissions.

"Brother. This is something we've discussed with Azazel-bou before, isn't it? Our old sense of stubbornness…. Perhaps it's true that we aren't due for an exchange of apologies as our successors just did. Even so, as the Tutelary gods of Olympus, I believe we can at least acknowledge our own sense of responsibility over what occurs in our presence. As allies to the God-slayer, and as the primary protectors of Olympus, we should have known better than to allow such a steep escalation. We could've prevented Heracles from doing further, and so, it would have been the responsible thing to do so. For that, I will acknowledge our part in the blame. Azazel-bou, we'll be sure to act more cautiously and considerately, should something else similar occur."

Wow, even Poseidon admitted some fault. It was a mature approach that I somehow didn't expect. It surprised me, honestly, considering Zeus's reaction. Hermes, just after Poseidon, did the same.

"A-Ah, I'll also take some blame! I could've stopped Heracles too if I had stolen his bow. I could've also moved Issei-boy out of harm's way if I had moved fast enough. I was just afraid and ended up not doing anything… As a god— no, as an ally, I'm ashamed! Forgive me, my friends!"

Damn, even Hermes apologised earnestly. I'm not sure why his daughter was also bowing her head, but I guess she's just that kind of girl to follow along.

It was only after Hermes's apology that Azazel seemed to finally calm down. He sighed, almost chuckling at one point.

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, Poseidon…. And Hermes… Heh. Don't worry about it. Even if I did want to blame you somehow, I don't think I could. You lost an arm protecting my student once already so I can't exactly blame you for being scared of losing another limb again. Thanks."

Angelia cheered, hyping her dad up and causing him to smile.

"Yeah! My daddy is a hero! He'll go against the biggest, baddest gods to save someone else! My daddy is the best!"

"Oh, well, hehe, it's nothing really…"

Okay, don't go acting all smug now, Mr. Hotshot.

Still, Azazel gave Zeus one final word on the matter.

"I'll let this go for now… But I want you to know, Zeus. Whether it's a treaty between the Three-powers and Olympus, or even between us and the entire rest of the world…. In the face of my student's life…they're all just meaningless scraps of paper. Remember that."

To that, Zeus didn't respond. And I was left speechless…

Azazel….

I… I don't even know what to say. I can't believe I put him in this position... I should've been more careful. I can't be this reckless. I have to be smarter. I just….don't know why I felt like I couldn't control myself. I don't know why everything I did felt so….justified. It almost felt like someone else was egging me on to keep going further… I felt excitement build out of nowhere and encouragement borne from nothing, all at the prospect of fighting Heracles as an equal…. Why…? I might enjoy fighting, but…that was something else…

I couldn't dwell on it any further. I had no answers for it. Anyway, the best thing to do now is just think things through more carefully. I have to control my emotions. Especially if I run into…anyone else I feel like fighting...

Poseidon broke the last of the tension with an enthusiastic clap.

"Now then! What say we move on to a new vista? Somewhere we can all relax and cool our heads, perhaps?"

Hermes snapped his fingers in agreement.

"Ah, great idea, uncle! I was just thinking the same thing! In fact, I hear that Hestia's Grove is beautiful at this time of year! Demeter's pasture would make for a lovely sightseeing locale as well!"

"Haha, yes, marvelous suggestions, Hermes! Let us do so! How about you, Heracles? Would you like to join us on our venture?"

"Perhaps later. For now, I'll assist in some repairs for the arena. Besides, my method of, ahem, d-decompression is often different from the norm."

"I see. Well then, good luck to you! As for the rest of us, let us make haste! If we manage our time correctly, we can spend an ample amount in both locations!"

Poseidon was quickly trying to urge us along, but I felt the need to interject. Now that everything was over, it was time to return to the subject I was most concerned about.

"Poseidon, wait. I think it's time we discussed my familiar."

Poseidon froze. His enthusiasm disappeared in a moment, leaving behind an awkward shamefulness.

"Ah, that…. I had forgotten about that."

"You promised that once we'd finished up in the Colosseums, you would address it, didn't you?"

"Aye, it's true, I certainly did…"

"So..?"

Poseidon sighed deeply.

"...Very well. Let us discuss it then."

"Good. But before that, I'd like to summon her first."

"..!?"

To my suggestion, Poseidon appeared shocked.

"Summon her? Here?"

"Yes. Despite what I said, I actually didn't just make a promise with you. I also made a promise to my familiar that I would summon her when the time was right, which was supposed to be the moment I saw you. I've already gone long past that point so I have no excuse not to summon her now. I have to keep my promise."

"W-Wait, my boy! That might not be the best idea..!"

"Why?"

Azazel walked up beside me with a cautious expression.

"Hold on, Ise. Don't you think that's a bad call? Remember what happened with Perseus?"

"I do remember. Very well… But even so, I made a promise to my familiar. You know me. I can't break my word… Besides, I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't sure it'd be okay. And if anything does go wrong, I can just unsummon her, right? I'll be ready for that. So don't worry, I've got this."

Azazel still looked unsure, but I could tell that he wanted to trust me.

"Alright, if you say so…"

"Thank you, sensei."

"Oh, shut up, will you? Don't act all polite just because I let you be reckless."

We both smiled. When I looked at Poseidon, he seemed more nervous than ever. I didn't even know he had access to that emotion.

"Alright, ready, Poseidon?"

I extended my hand, spawning a magical crest on the back of my palm, but before I could initiate the summoning, Poseidon interrupted ms.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"We must venture to Atlantis first."

I stopped, holding down my building frustration.

"What? Again with that? Are you kidding? You said that we could discuss this after the colosseum."

"And so we shall. But not here. This location— No, not a single location on Olympus is fit for this type of event. We should— We must be in Atlantis when the girl is summoned. No other destination will suffice. Trust me. It may not seem like much, but this is of grave importance."

That's what Poseidon stated. Of grave importance…? I didn't understand. What's the difference between Olympus and here? Is he worried about potential destruction? But then, wouldn't this very arena be the safest place on Olympus? Why would it be safer in Atlantis? Is there something there he isn't telling me about..? It was all fishy, no pun intended.

"I suggest you take this opportunity, Issei-boy. Poseidon rarely offers guests passage to Atlantis for any reason. Aside from competitions, his kingdom is very much secluded from our own, even though he lives up here. If he's offering to take us there, it's for a very good reason."

That's what Hermes whispered to me. Does Poseidon not live in Atlantis? He stays up here? That only makes me even more curious as to why he would suggest it… But if Hermes says that it's for a good reason, then I have no reason to disbelieve him. He might be a goofball, but he isn't a liar or deceptive.

"...Alright. Fine. We'll do it on Atlantis then."

Poseidon nodded.

"I'm glad… Hermes. Take us to the lake."

"Aye-aye!"

Hermes followed Poseidon's command and searched inside his bag. After a brief search, he brought his Caduceus, but not just one. This time, he brought out another Caduceus identical to his own and tossed it to his daughter, Angelia.

"Alright, Angelia! Time to bust out our new move!"

"Y-Yes, father!"

While Angelia nervously followed her father's instruction, I asked curiously.

"Uh, what are you two doing?"

"Oh, right! Well, you see, Issei-boy, after that awful incident with the Progeny of Atlas, I learned something crucial. That is that my ability to travel between realms is simply too limited! I mean, during that time, escaping from Ares' domain would've been a cinch for me. But that would've required abandoning you to die, and being the noble and brave god that I am, I simply couldn't resort to that! So, as a result, we were both left victims to the domain's effects. That issue got me thinking… What if I had the ability to take you out of the domain with me somehow? If that were the case, we could've left the Progeny trapped in the domain on his own without having to worry about him…until he probably broke out, but by then, Zeus would've already arrived! Anyway! Long story short, with the help of Hephaestus, I was able to modify my and my daughter's Caduceus' so that they can assist with that."

He stated that confidently, causing me some excitement.

"Whoa! So we're gonna be able to teleport straight to Atlantis then!"

Hermes chuckled awkwardly.

"Uh, actually, this ability only works on places that I've registered in my Caduceus once already, which requires me to open a portal there. I haven't registered Atlantis in the artifacts just yet, so… This is just gonna take us to the great lake near Hestia's Grove. From there, we'll need to get there the Poseidon way…"

"Oh…"

"B-But don't be disappointed yet! This power is awesome, I assure you! We just need to get it up and running… Which it already should be.."

Hermes looked at his daughter, who looked back at him with confusion.

"Um, father… How was it done again?"

"Ugh! For the last time, Angelia, inscribe the characters to spell out the name of the location on the hilt!"

"But the snakes are covering the hilt.."

"The snakes are part of the hilt! That's exactly where you need to write it!"

"Okay, but which one..?"

"BOTH of them! How can they take us anywhere if both of them don't know?!"

"Do I inscribe the characters upwards or downwards..?"

"Oh, for the love of..!"

—After Hermes helped his daughter figure it out, things were on the move again.

"There we go! Now hold it out so that they are stationed exactly across from each other and… There! Perfect!"

Once Hermes and Angelia were set, the golden snakes attached to the hilts of the Caduceus' started to move. The runes inscribed on them were also glowing. Both Hermes and Angelia's Caduceus extended into the size of tall scepters, and the snakes moved to different positions. One snake on each scepter moved towards the top and another towards the bottom. Then, the snakes stretched out into the air, connecting themselves with the snakes on the opposite Caduceus, essentially creating bridges between the Caduceus' tips and bottom end. Finally, the snakes shined brightly, causing a space of light to be created in the gap between the two Caduceus.

Shiiin!

We were blinded for a moment, but when the light died down, we could see that….there was now a portal open in the space between the artifacts! I could see a lake on the other side!

"Behold! Our mighty power! It's still a prototype right now, but it's more than enough to take us across Olympus for now!"

"Cool!"

Hermes puffed his chest pridefully with my compliment. For a moment, I braced myself to step toward the portal.

"Alright then! Let's go–"

Before I could finish my sentence, I collapsed to my knees.

[—?!]

"Ise?!" "Ise-sama!?"

Everyone surrounded me with worry as I felt the strength leaving my body. My hands were trembling. W-What the hell is going on?

"Ah, I suppose that was a given. We should handle that first."

The gods acted calmly, with Poseidon taking a knee beside me to reach my level.

"Poseidon? What's happening to him?!"

Azazel asked worriedly, but Poseidon ignored him. He appeared to be conjuring some kind of water spell? Zeus answered in his brother's stead.

"It's the poisoning. As many of you know, one of Heracles's deadly labours was that he was to slay the original Lernean Hydra. Just like its descendant that the boy faced before, the Hydras's fangs secreted a powerful venom unlike almost any other. The Hydra's blood was the same. So powerful that it was the very same venom that became the reason for Heracles's demise as a mortal demigod, and the reason that Chiron sacrificed his own immortality to be free of the pain. They are fortunate to have immortal bloodlines, or the magics of Olympus might not have revived them. The only way to avoid death from the venom is to have it removed, something only my brother is capable of."

The arrows! Shit! I had completely forgotten about the venom tipped arrows that Heracles had. They weren't just any regular old arrows. They were the same ones from legend. I should've expected that, but it felt like I wasn't thinking at all about the risks during the fight…

"Now, hold still, boy. This will be uncomfortable."

Poseidon advised me while holding a formation of water in his palm?

"Hermes."

"Aye."

Out of nowhere, Hermes used his sword to make a small cut on my side where the arrow originally took a chunk of my flesh from. I would've flinched, but that part of my abdomen was completely numb.. After that, Poseidon pressed his water ball up against my wound, allowing the water to seemingly enter my body through the incision. Then, for the next few seconds, I felt the most uncomfortable, cold feeling surge all throughout my body.

"Try not to squirm. This can be extremely painful without the correct amount of precision."

You say that, but I can literally feel the water coursing through every part of my body! I've never felt a more bizarre sensation in my life. It's right on the border of what I'd call "painful."

After a few moments, Poseidon extracted the water from my wound, leaving the magical ball of water floating in his palm to be tainted by a dark liquid.

"Is that..?"

"Indeed. This is the venom. I carefully removed it from your bloodstream using my magic. There shouldn't be any left now. Luckily, we extracted it quickly enough that you won't suffer any serious injuries, like nerve or organ damage. The water I conjure from my magics also contain healing properties, so any damage you might have incurred should heal on its own."

"I see. Thanks…"

I thanked Poseidon before unsteadily bringing myself up to my feet again. I feel much better now. Some of the shaking is still there, but that might be anxiety from the event.

"That'll teach you to be so reckless all the damn time."

Ouch, Azazel's remark hurt more than the poison. But I can't say that I blame him really…

—From there, Zeus and Poseidon urged us all along through the portal.

"Well done, everyone! Now then, shall we go see your kingdom, brother?"

"Aye, let us go then. To the inevitable.."

Zeus was excited, but Poseidon didn't quite match his energy. Even so, we walked through the portal to the other side of Olympus.

Shuuuun…

---

PART VII

—After going through the portal, we were greeted by the sight of a big, gorgeous lake. Some mortal residents appeared to be fishing and washing clothes here. Hermes whistled using his fingers this time, catching the attention of the mortals around.

"Heya, everybody! Clear out of the lake! We're taking a dip!"

As instructed, any of the mortals who were fishing, playing, or washing in the lake made some distance from it, giving us full access.

"We're not actually swimming to Atlantis from here or something, are we?"

"Swimming? Nope! Taking a dip? Yes!"

I still didn't know what Hermes was referring to, but my confusion didn't last long. Poseidon stepped in front of us and outstretched his arm, slowly motioning his palm up towards the sky, as if commanding something to rise from the water.

No, that's exactly what started happening..!

Fssshhhhhhh!

Something breached the surface of the water, something big! It's…a large naval ship! A large ship with a golden seahorse fashioned into the bow, sporting Poseidon's flag, and in pristine condition! Despite the water that was falling off from it, the ship looks brand new and dry in a matter of moments!

"See what I mean?"

"Wait, but how is this supposed to get us to Atlantis?"

"Climb aboard and you'll see."

Hermes cleverly remarked. The ship released a staircase, allowing us to board it. And so we did. Once we boarded, I couldn't help comparing it to some luxurious pirate ship. Naturally, Poseidon went up to steer the ship, and Hermes brandished us a fair warning.

"Alright, everyone! Strap in, this is going to be a bumpy ride. And I'm serious, by the way. You see those railing fixed to the sides of the ship? Yeah, hold onto those for dear life, because we're going to experience some turbulence."

Hermes gestured to the railings, prompting us all to stand beside it. I've never seen a railing inside of a ship before… What does that mean for us..?

"Are these…footholds?"

Rias was looking down at some odd prints in the shape of shoe soles beneath the railing. They appeared to be some sort of guide placement for our feet. There are even straps sticking out from them.

"What are these straps for?"

I asked the obvious, prompting Hermes to respond sarcastically.

"To provide you with the best experience during your flight. Or more like the opposite. "

"What?"

I was confused, but Hermes smirked at us, giving me an unsettling feeling.

"I did say to strap in, didn't I?"

"...Uh oh.."

I and the rest of my group strapped our shoes in and held onto the rail, expecting the worst that was yet to come.

"Alright, we're ready, father!"

"Very well! Then let's set sail! Poseidon!"

"Aye."

With the gods' confirmation to one another, the ship finally started moving slowly. Judging by the motion, we were slowly circling the lake for some reason…?

"Eep! I-I'm scared, senpai!"

Gasper, who was in the spot behind me, wrapped his arms around me, essentially clinging to me fearfully.

"Don't be scared, Gasper. I'm sure it's not that bad. You know how Hermes likes to exaggerate."

"—Pshh. Sure. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

Hermes, who was just standing around normally, scoffed at me. Obviously, it only caused Gasper to become even more afraid. Ugh, will you shut up, Hermes..?

Wooooosh…

Eventually though, I noticed that our ship was encircling the lake slightly faster than before. In fact, I think it's gradually picking up speed too. On top of that, I can also hear the sound of the water… It almost sounds like the water is making waves… Is that just because we're moving quickly or because Poseidon is using his powers?

Speaking of which, I never even got an answer to my question: how the hell are we getting to Atlantis from here..?

WHOOSH!

With a sudden pick up in speed that caused us to all grip the railing tightly, I glanced at Hermes.

"And if you look to your left, ladies and gents, you'll see our one way ticket into Atlantis."

Wondering what he meant by that, everyone curiously followed his instruction and looked out into the lake. Only for us to realise….that there was a giant whirlpool forming in it!

[—!?]

It's a whirlpool! A big one! And it's currently still expanding as we circle it! No, that's not even the main issue! The main issue is that, on top of expanding so much, the whirlpool is g-getting deeper!? Like, as if all of the water was sinking into a massive hole or something, the whirlpool just seems to go down, deep! Deeper than we can observe!

"W-Wait a second..! You can't mean..!?"

In my shock, I looked at Hermes once again, who just looked at me like he was about to laugh his ass off.

"You've.."

—And just as I expected, once we picked up enough speed, the ship dove nose first into the whirlpool sinkhole, causing us to careen "downwards" at full speed.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE SHITTING MEEEEEE!"

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

We went straight down into the whirlpool, and the entire environment around us was just raging waters, like we were traveling through some slipstream of waves!

Now I understand why we were told to strap in! There's no way we'd be attached to this ship if it wasn't for these footholds or railing! This is like riding some kind of insane theme park ride, except we're using water traveling through space right now!

"Waaaaaaaaaaaah! I don't wanna dieeeeeee!"

"Don't let go, Gasper! Keep your eyes closed!"

At this point, I couldn't even blame Gasper for his reaction! Half of us were screaming already anyway!

Unlike us though, the gods appeared unaffected.

"Why the hell are you fine?!"

I shouted that as loudly as I could at Hermes, who just replied nonchalantly.

"Once you've been on more than once, you know the trick! Just think of it as godly privilege!"

"You should've spared some of that privilege before we went down!"

"Nah, it's funnier this way!"

"Fuck you!"

WHOOOOOOOOOOSH!

The ship rocked hard, causing us to brace ourselves once again. Then, a few moments later…

WHOOSH!

With one final jerk, the ship stabilised to a leisurely speed.

"Haah, haa… I thought we were going to die.. You and me both, eh, buddy? Eh? Gasper?"

I tried talking to Gasper, who was still tightly attached to my waist, but he was out cold. You did good, buddy. I only heard you scream once during that whole thing. Although, that might be because you were completely out shortly after we dove in, but that's neither here nor there….

"Well, folks, we're here."

Hermes gave us the announcement, prompting us to finally take in our surroundings. I wasn't paying attention since we stabilised so I hadn't even noticed, but…everything around us was… blue..

[—?!]

"Holy shit, we're in the ocean!"

I exclaimed in shock. True to what I said, we were quite literally inside of the ocean's waters! And from the looks of it, pretty deep too! Despite that, we were able to breathe normally.

When I looked up, I noticed the air bubble around our ship, likely formed by magic.

"Wow, that whirlpool really did transport us somewhere else!"

"Yep! Being a sea god, Poseidon naturally has the ability to teleport from any body of water to the next. And with this ship, he can use any large enough body of water to transport multiple people with him to any part of the ocean of his choice! Pretty nifty, right?"

Hermes explained it to us, to our amazement. He then pointed out from the ship's bow ahead of us.

"But don't be amazed just yet, because the best has yet to come. I mean, you didn't think that Poseidon just transported us to a random spot in the ocean, did you? If I recall, we had a specific destination in mind, didn't we..?"

Hermes asked, goading us into looking out from the ship to whatever was ahead of us. From there, the amazement Hermes was expecting finally hit us.

"That's…"

Ahead of the ship, we could see our magnificent destination.

"Yep… Welcome to Atlantis."

—A beautiful glowing city, with tall structures. Some parts are made of stone and marble, but others are made of coral. Lights were present all throughout the gorgeous city, most of which appeared bioluminescent in nature. Depending on where you looked, you could see schools of fish and different aquatic creatures passing through the openings of every structure, and many of the creatures passed by each other in lanes like traffic.

Wooooooo~

From beside our ship, I heard a familiar high-pitched sound. When I looked, t-there was a group of whales swimming beside us!

"Oh, look, father!"

Angelia pointed the whales out, prompting the gods to wave at them.

"Hellooo~"

"The whales sure do love greeting you, don't they, uncle?"

"That they do, Hermes."

T-This is…!

"Awesooooomeee!"

Irina shouted with stars in her eyes, waving frantically at the whales. That's right, I do vaguely remember her having this frequent interest in marine life when we were kids. Her favourite place was the aquarium, as opposed to my favourite spot, which was the zoo.

Like Irina, we all ended up waving at the whales. I wondered if they even knew that we were greeting them. Eventually, the whales split off from us, swimming deeper into the ocean.

Wooooo…

"Ah, dear lord, the lovely creatures that you created are so beautiful, even in the sea! Praise be!"

"Hey, I know the praying doesn't give us gods a literal headache, but I'd hold off on it if I were you. It's kind of awkward with the rest of us here."

Hermes made that comment, but Irina was lost in her own little world. When she's praising, she can't be interacted with. She locks in.

—Anyway, at some point, we got close enough to the marvelous city of Atlantis for us to say that we arrived. The spot we arrived at appeared to be a port for receiving ships. Poseidon set us down at the port, allowing us to relax and get out from our footholds.

"Alright, folks! This is Atlantis so don't mention Salmon Roe or Ikayaki or anything like that, okay? It's rude."

That's what Hermes told us. Yeah, I think we would have gathered that, Hermes. Unlike the Rule of Olympus, that sort of thing is a lot more obvious…

"Alright, everyone! Let's disembark."

Zeus extended the staircase again, allowing us to disembark from the ship. When we got down, I was worried that we would be absorbed into the water, but it seems like Poseidon's bubble was still protecting our group. It's honestly hard to tell that it's even there now that we're not swimming through the ocean with speed.

Once off the ship, we heard a resounding blare of what resembled a horn of some kind..? No, that's not a horn. I've heard that sound before. It reminds me of a beach trip I took with my parents…

Oh, just as I started to remember, we encountered the reason for the sound! A pair of handsome men with human torsos and fish tails, who were seemingly outside of our bubble, were blowing into what looked like conch shells, creating the sound we heard.

Buuuuuuuuu!

When they were done, they greeted us, or more specifically, Poseidon, with a bow.

"Welcome back, Lord Poseidon."

"Welcome back, my lord."

"I have returned."

Soon after the greeting, another figure approached us from a distance. It was…a fish-man! No, like, literally! It's a dude with a fish head! Wait, if I remember correctly, isn't that what the average merman looks like?! I thought I remembered learning at some point that the average merman and mermaid actually resemble this guy and not the handsome duo to our side!

Anyway, the fishman, who was dressed like royalty and had regular human legs, approached us and even entered our air bubble! From the looks of it he's got some sort of neck brace that has water flowing through it. That must be what allows him to breathe air.

Naturally, he also greeted the gods with a bow.

"Lord Poseidon, King Zeus. Welcome back to Atlantis. It's been a while since we've seen you. You should've sent word that you were coming. We would've prepared a larger welcome. I see you've brought some surface dwellers with you as well. Your guests?"

"Indeed, my friend. Though, they are more under-dwellers than surface dwellers. A majority are Devils, you see. Here, we have Azazel, Viceroy of the Fallen-Angels."

Azazel shook hands with the fishman.

"A pleasure, Governor. I've heard much about you from Lord Poseidon."

"Good things, I hope."

Then, Poseidon directed the attention to me.

"And this is the legendary God-slayer himself, as well as his friends."

The fishman's big eyes somehow got bigger with my introduction and he extended a hand nervously, which I shook.

"T-This is..! The Devil who slayed the Lernean Hydra terrorizing lemnos, as well as Atlas the Titan-god's Progeny, the God-slayer himself! What an honour!"

"A-Ah, thank you! Nice to meet you! Um.."

"Oh, forgive me. My name is—"

"Ichthys!"

Hermes rudely interrupted the fishman's introduction, causing him to frown, somehow.

"How are you doing, Ichthys, buddy?"

"For the last time, Mercury, that is not my name! Stop turning me into some rude pun!"

"What, it's just a harmless little nickname! Right, Issei-boy?"

I deadpanned.

"Buzz off, gadfly. We're talking here."

"How cruel!"

After clearing his throat, the fishman introduced himself properly.

"Ahem. Anyway, my name is Psári. I am the primary advisor to Lord Triton, King of Atlantis."

"O-Oh, I'm Hyoudou Issei! But you can just call me Ise or God-slayer, either one is fine. Nice to meet you.""

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Slayer."

That's a new one. Wait a second, did he say King Triton?

"Hey, wait, isn't Poseidon king of Atlantis?"

Poseidon denied the claim.

"No, not anymore. I gave up that title centuries ago. Although I'm often still treated as king here, I passed on the kingly duties to my son. Hence why I am usually residing on Olympus. Triton is a far better king than I ever was anyhow. And far more deserving of the title…"

Okaaay… Poseidon stated that in an unusually modest, and even shameful, tone for him… Hermes followed with a bit of trivia.

"Fun fact, the first king of Atlantis, one of Poseidon's mortal offspring, was named Atlas! Hence why the Atlantic Ocean is named after him! Of course, that was back when Atlantis was above water, but that's neither here nor there.."

Hermes ended the sentence with the corner of his mouth, like if he was trying to mumble it… Thanks, Hermes, but I think everyone heard that. Plus, I care more about the fact that Poseidon isn't himself right now. I don't know if anyone else has noticed it, but ever since I pressured Poseidon into the topic of meeting my familiar, he hasn't acted the same. If I didn't know any better, I might assume that he's dreading this encounter….

"In any case, why don't we escort you and your guests over to the castle? I'm sure you'd love to see your son, my lord. Since you have surface dwellers, I'm sure you'd rather take a traditional mode of transport."

The fishman—er, Psári, motioned to the pair of mermen outside the bubble, prompting them to swiftly swim away.

Despite Poseidon's current demeanor, I felt the urge to insist on our objective.

"Hey, uh, Poseidon.. About where we're going.."

Poseidon, who appeared to be out of it for a moment, snapped back to reality.

"Ah, yes. Right. Don't worry, my boy. My son's castle will be the perfect location for us to discuss everything. It was my castle once after all. There's nowhere else I'd rather it happen.."

"Okay.."

Again, he fell awkwardly silent. It wasn't my place to call it out so I let it be. After a few seconds, a few chariots without wheels led by giant seahorses appeared before us, seemingly summoned by the mermen from before.

"I'll need to ask you to reduce the size of your bubbles, so as to not disrupt the flow of your vehicles."

Like last time, we split into multiple groups, with a god accompanying each of our chariots to provide us with their protection. We rode through the city, not caring much to stick close to the ground, and I could see everything below us. A bustling mythological metropolis is the best thing I could compare it to. A majority of the lights in the city were warmer colours, but as we approached the castle, we noticed cooler and brighter colours.

Once we made it to the vibrant castle, there actually was a line of mermen and fish troops on each side of the castle's entrance that were waiting for us. That conch signal from earlier must've been an announcement for our arrival.

After disembarking from the chariots, another conch horn was blared, causing the mermen soldiers to start thumping their lances against the ground, creating a muffled drumming rhythm.

As we passed through the lines of soldiers, they created an archway above us using their lances. We moved forward, towards the steps of the castle's entrance, where I could see a pair of individuals up there waiting for us. It's a burly merman with a shiny tail, and a regular, (but beautiful) mature looking woman who didn't appear to need an air bubble beside him. The merman was wearing a crown made from golden coral, while the woman next to him wore a tiara with pearls in it.

Once we made it up the steps, the merman transformed his legs into human ones and entered our bubble with the woman beside him. The man and his woman greeted Poseidon with smiles and hugs.

"Father! Hahaha!"

"Hello, my son. Hello, Libya."

As expected, the man was Triton, king of Atlantis and Poseidon's son. His resemblance was uncanny. His beard was a tinge lighter in colour though. The woman was Triton's wife, queen of Atlantis.

"Oh, it's so good to see you! You should've warned me that you were coming! I might've had time to put on a show for you! Ah, and if it isn't my favourite uncle as well! Hello, Uncle Zeus!"

"Hello, Triton! How are you?"

It was all hugs and kisses until it came to Hermes.

"Hey, little Triden! How've you been?"

Hermes put his arms out expecting a hug, but Triton just kept his happy smile.

"Ah, hello, cousin. Good to see you."

"That's it?!"

"Angelia! It's been so long, my sweet niece!"

"You're ignoring me?!"

As Triton hilariously paid no mind to the distraught Hermes, Triton addressed the rest of us.

"Who are these surface dwellers accompanying you, father? The majority appear to be of demonic origin."

"Indeed. You see, these are our allies from our newly established alliance. This is the viceroy Azazel, Governor of the Fallen-Angels."

"Greetings, your majesty."

Azazel shook hands with Triton, which meant that I was inevitably going to be next in line…

"And this lad here is the host of the Welsh Dragon Emperor— the legendary God-slayer, Hyoudou Issei."

I shook hands with Triton, who greeted me with a wide smile.

"Ah, yes! God-slayer! I remember the day that my father visited us last, he surprised us by tossing his trident out into the middle of nowhere, only to later tell us that it was to assist this generation's current Sekiryuutei in defeating the Hydra descendant! To think that you would become the renowned saviour to Olympus only a short while later, how unpredictable! Quite the turn of events! Perhaps it's fate! Either way, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"Y-Yeah, same here! Thanks for having me, your majesty!"

"Oh, please, call me Triton!"

"Seriously?!"

I'm getting familiar with way too many high level beings today! I'm already more mentally exhausted than physically, but any more than this and my brain might overload at some point…

"So, what brings all of you to the great city of Atlantis? Was the alliance with the underworld forces not yet settled?"

Poseidon answered his son's question, although with a bit of a grim tone.

"No, that's all been settled. We had our peace summit atop Olympus already, there's no longer anything else to confirm….. No, we are here for more….personal matters."

"I see. Well, whatever it might be, there's no use discussing it out here, is there? Come, come! Let's proceed inward! Bask in the pride and glory of Atlantis!"

—And so, we were led inside the gorgeous castle by the enthusiastic Triton. Unlike him however, his father and I weren't in particularly excited moods. Because Poseidon and I both knew what was to come.

At the very least, that's what I had convinced myself of. Truth be told, I had no idea what was about to happen. Nor did I truly understand the depth of the matter regarding my own familiar. That was something I was about to find out….

---

PART VIII

At this point, it would be redundant to mention how beautiful the interior of the castle was. Practically every location we've been to since the day has started has been amazing. This castle was no different. The interior was softly lit, as opposed to the palace on Olympus, with cooler colours rather than bright white rays. The walls were a similarly darker coloured stone, almost lavender in colour. Maybe this place was also partly constructed from coral. The drapes and carpets were also deep blues, purples, and greens, though unsurprisingly with golden accents. The motif of the seahorse was also aptly present in many places. And statues could be seen in various rooms as well, both of marble and stone.

Oh, and I guess the most important part, this place wasn't filled with water. There was actually a dry and breathable atmosphere here. When we initially entered through the castle's entrance, we passed through a barrier that was like a wall of water. From there, we were able to walk normally without the protection of a bubble. Judging by Triton and his father's ability to shape-shift though, I get the feeling this castle could actually be filled with water at any given time. Having that sort of decision come down to being a style preference, must be nice to be a god…

Anyway, eventually, we reached Triton's throne room, which was a lot more humble in comparison to Olympus. There was a lot of glass in the interior that allowed anyone to observe the ocean outside of the throne room. Oh, the thrones were also finely constructed by a beautiful, vibrant array of coral as well. Huh, go figure.

"So, father. Why is it that you've returned to Atlantis? Have you come to visit my mother? Or perhaps you're just missing some of our oceanic delicacies? Haha! I'll have a banquet arranged at once!"

Poseidon placed a foreboding hand on his son's shoulder.

"Triton… I'm afraid that I'm not here for anything of the sort, my son."

"Hmm? Then why have you come? Is it simply a tour for our newfound allies?"

Poseidon shook his head grimly.

"No, my son. Although I wish that were simply the reason… Truth be told, the real reason is nothing so pleasant. You might not want to be present for it."

Triton appeared confused and somewhat worried. He glanced behind his father's tall form and caught eyes with us. I looked away sheepishly, since I don't really know the guy well enough to let him in on anything that was about to happen. Triton seemed to pick up on the tension though, or maybe he was ignorant to it and simply played along. Either way, he didn't appear bothered by the idea of getting out of our hair.

"Oh, I see! You're feeling nostalgic being in your old throne room and you want a moment to yourself! Say no more, father! Libya and I will leave you be."

"Son.."

"Don't worry, father! We understand. Reminisce as long as you'd like! My queen and I shall spend some time in the recreational hall. Come, Psári, join us."

"Yes, my king."

Without much explanation needed, Triton left us all in the throne room, taking his wife and trusted advisor with him. Huh, quick on the uptake, that guy. I wanted to say something, but before I could, Poseidon walked toward Triton's throne, which was his old throne. He touched it for a moment, and then, surprisingly, he took a seat.

"...Hmph.."

With a quiet scoff that sounded like he was mocking himself, he stood up. He was looking down at the throne with disdain.

"...As I thought, even now, it doesn't feel right to claim it…. It is mine no longer…"

He said that with a sort of undeserving tone before stepping back down to our level.

"Ah, even now you think about that? I've told you that you worry too much about the past, brother."

That's the comment Zeus offhandedly made. It went completely unaddressed by Poseidon, leaving us in an awkward silence. What a bizarre difference of demeanor between the siblings. I couldn't imagine what this is about. But for whatever reason, Zeus seems to have an uncaring attitude about it, while Poseidon appears quietly introspective...

Well… Seems like we were all a little hesitant to say anything, but if I don't do something now, nothing will ever get addressed.

Seeing as there weren't any more distractions left, I stepped forward.

"Hey, um, Poseidon.."

"Yes, I know, lad… It's time."

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it looked like Poseidon was preparing himself emotionally or something… After taking a breath, he nodded firmly.

"Alright. Do it, lad. Bring her out."

I nodded, following his instruction and raising my hand. The magical crest on the back of my palm began glowing, signaling the summon of my primary familiar.

"Come, Medusa!"

I said the words, prompting the summoning to occur. The light flashed brightly in the throne room, and then died back down. A moment later, there was a large form in between me and Poseidon, facing my direction. My familiar was finally here.

"Medusa."

She greeted me, like always, unenthusiastically. However, she didn't seem as outwardly aggressive as usual. I hoped that was the result of her softening her opinion of me since we last spoke.

"Master… I must say you've surprised me. First, you unexpectedly send a foreign creature to my abode, then you summon me what feels like hours later. I can't say that it's unlike you to surprise me, however."

Upon her arrival, Medusa immediately reminded me of the issue at the corner of my mind.

"O-Oh, that's right..! I didn't have the chance to tell you about that, obviously… Um, well, first of all, sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you like that. I'm sure it must've been a shock to see…that creature appear so suddenly without explanation. But, to put it bluntly… That creature is actually my new familiar. In other words, you have a new "companion," I guess you could call it…. He'll be serving me alongside you from now on so I hope you two get along. Speaking of which, uh… You two didn't fight or anything, right?"

Medusa scoffed.

"Hardly. Though I can't say we got along much, we certainly didn't quarrel. He made various attempts to communicate with me, but I simply ignored him. He was annoyingly persistent…. Still, I didn't sense any ill intent."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like this gorgon can be reasonably calm when she wants to be as well. That's good. I was extremely worried about how it would turn out between them. It's not the best outcome, but indifference is better than malice.

"That being said…. Out of all the things that you could've sent over to my presence…. I certainly didn't expect it to be a grandchild of Poseidon."

She said that with a bit of venom in her voice, increasing my worry.

"Oh, so he told you that part too…"

"He did. But I was able to tell even before he spoke a word to me."

Wait… She could tell that he was related to Poseidon…? Did she recognise him somehow? No, she doesn't seem to refer to him with any level of familiarity… Is Poseidon's divine aura just that easy to spot, even from his descendants? But then, that would mean she'd have to be familiar with Poseidon himself…. And considering how unhappily she tends to refer to him and other gods…..

My nervousness continued to rise. And she hasn't even turned around yet.

"So, where on earth is this? This doesn't appear to be Olympus? Didn't you consider yourself a man of your word?"

"I do… And, no, it's not Olympus. This is the kingdom of Atlantis."

My response appeared to frustrate her.

"Huh? Atlantis? And why the hell did you summon me here? I thought we had an agreement?"

"We did. We still do. And that agreement wasn't to summon you on Olympus… It was to summon you before Poseidon."

"Poseidon doesn't reside in Atlantis. He hasn't for centuries. So where the hell do you expect him to be, you fool?"

That was the moment that Poseidon intervened.

"I am here, child."

Medusa froze in her spot and I watched as her expression changed. Slowly, she turned towards Poseidon's direction, her expression gradually becoming more aggressive by the second. Behind my back, I readied the spell to unsummon her at once…

I gulped as I heard Medusa utter Poseidon's name with a level of malicious familiarity I was hoping against.

"...Poseidon..!"

"...Yes, I am here, Thalassa… My child.."

—For a moment, I lost my focus due to the shock.

Did… Did Poseidon just call her his child..? And that name… "Thalassa?" Is that…her real name?

I was brought back down to reality by the sudden flare of Medusa's aura and the spike in her voice.

"You…! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME BY THAT NAME?!"

OOOOHHMM!

SHIT! That's bad!

"HEY, STOP!"

I jumped in between my familiar and Poseidon with my arms stretched out, as if to defend the god behind me. This only appeared to enrage her further.

"Master?! You…!"

"C-Calm down! You promised you wouldn't go berserk again, didn't you?! Remember what we agreed on! You have to keep your cool, like you said, or I'll have no choice but to unsummon you!"

"TCH! So you're protecting him after all..!"

"What?! No, if anything, I'm protecting you, you moron! I thought we already covered this—!"

"—Issei-lad."

I felt a sudden chill up my spine. When I looked back, Poseidon was leaking his own aura and had a grim expression.

"Let me ask you this, boy…. If I were to tell you right now that I had planned to erase your familiar right here, what would you do..?"

His question brought silence to my mind.

"...What?"

"If I told you that it was my intention from the very beginning to dispose of this gorgon after you summoned her, what would you do..? Would you choose to defend it? Or would you side with me and the rest of the gods..?"

For a moment, I believe Medusa's aura decreased. Maybe she was also taken aback by the suggestion. Even now, I have no idea what Poseidon is talking about. His abrupt change in attitude chilled me to the core with fear….

But… Even so….

"...I see."

I turned around and faced Poseidon with an equally grim expression. And despite my fear, I glared back at him.

"...In that case… I'm sorry, but I'll have to choose my familiar."

"...So even with the possession of another impressive familiar like my grandson….you would rather make an enemy of Olympus than betray her? Is that it?"

"...Y-Yeah… That's exactly right."

"And pray tell, God-slayer, why would you do such a thing..?"

I could only answer earnestly.

"...Does a guy like me really need a reason to protect his own familiar?"

—It was quiet in the throne room and the atmosphere was probably heavy enough to overcome the water pressure in the deep ocean trenches outside. Judging from the lack of interference from anyone else, the tension was too high to move through, let alone allow them to breathe freely. I don't know what's going on or what's about to happen… But I won't back down. I refuse to sit back and just let my familiar die without an explanation. Not on my watch…

Poseidon stared at me intently for what seemed like minutes, but were probably only moments in reality. And as the seconds passed, I steeled myself closer and closer to the insane possibility of needing to summon the power of Atlas.

Is this seriously going to go down like this….?

…Eventually, however, Poseidon's aura completely disappeared and he looked like he was calm. In fact, if I didn't know better, it even sounded like he was breathing a sigh of relief as well.

"I see… In that case, I'm relieved… I'm glad that you were the one who ended up as her "master."

I paused.

"...Wait, what?"

I was confused. And judging from the look on my familiar's face behind me, she was equally as lost. Poseidon apologised.

"Forgive me for that outburst, my boy. I'm sorry to say that it was nothing more than a gauge of your character. I was simply testing your resolve. I wondered whether or not your intentions with my daughter were pure or honourable, but as I can clearly see, I have nothing to worry about."

I was still befuddled, even with the added context.

"Sorry, what..? A test? You were testing me..? And what was that you said about a daughter?"

"You didn't mishear me. It is as I've said. This gorgon is my daughter. A child born from my union with the original gorgon Medusa. Our first child…."

—Finally, it felt like all of the pieces started to connect. A gorgon who maintains an appearance similar to the "true gorgon sisters" of legend. She refers to herself as "Medusa" despite not being the original. The way that she always referred to Poseidon with animosity. Her deep-seeded hatred for Perseus.

…This gorgon… She isn't "Medusa." She's her daughter. Not her Progeny, but her flesh and blood daughter…? Medusa and Poseidon's very first child….

How…can this be..?

"T-That can't be true, right? I mean, there isn't even any mention of children of Medusa in the legends besides Pegasus and Chrysaor. How could that…"

I was looking between Poseidon and "Medusa," but my familiar just hung her down and scowled in anger. When I looked back at Poseidon, he provided a brief explanation.

"It is the truth. This child is the first child born between Medusa and I. She precedes her siblings by half a century. She isn't recorded in any official texts because her existence was a quiet one. Along with this, she was never included in any prophecies, unlike her mother and I. Therefore, in many ways, she is invisible to the world of Greek myth."

My familiar began to snicker and laugh creepily.

"Yes, that's right… To the entire world, I'm practically non-existent. Nothing more than a forgotten memory, if even that… I'm sure that's exactly what you wanted for me and my mother, wasn't it, Poseidon..? Medusa is dead, and I am "no-one." All loose ends have been tied by mythological standards. You can just go on forgetting all about it.… You got the outcome you ultimately wanted, didn't you?"

For a moment, Poseidon snapped back.

"No, that isn't what I wanted! I never wanted any of this! This sort of outcome was always...!"

But he stopped himself and sighed. Poseidon looked longingly off to the side, which was an expression I never expected to see on a god of his status… After composing himself, he spoke normally again.

"Well, then. I'm sure you have many questions for me after all this time. Whatever you'd like to ask me, go on and do so. I shall answer to the best of my ability."

He said that, but my familiar didn't seem very receptive to his formality.

"...Questions? Yeah, right. As if… I don't have anything to ask you. I'm not confused about anything. I understand everything very clearly, even after all of these centuries. No, I have no questions for you…. But I do have words."

"Very well. Speak them."

Again, my familiar let out a creepy laugh.

"Kuku… It's amusing, honestly. All this time, I kept thinking of the exact string of words that I'd say to you once I saw you again… I had everything thought out; I always knew what I wanted to say firstly and lastly…. But now that I'm in front of you, I only feel the need to say one thing to you… Father…"

With an uncomfortably hateful smile, my familiar spoke with such disdain that I felt like I almost tasted the venom in her tone.

"You are a spineless, cowardly traitor-god who should be trapped in the depths of Tartarus for everything you put Medusa through.."

Whoa, yikes… Talk about a cold demeanor. She might not be as enraged or berserk as when she met Perseus, but she's certainly no less venomous.

Poseidon, on the other hand…

"...I know."

Replied solemnly, much to my familiar's surprise. She lost her smile.

"What…?"

In the unreadable silence between them, I interjected.

"W-Whoa, whoa, hold on, wait a second. First of all, what's even going on here? I'm completely lost. So, Medusa, or whatever her name is… she's your daughter, right? The first-born between you and the original Medusa? But I still don't really understand how that works? I mean, what even happened? Is the whole myth a lie? Why did you two split up? I know this is a delicate situation and all, but I feel like we're desperately in need of some context here."

I prodded, glancing between Poseidon and his apparent daughter, who just averted her gaze angrily. Poseidon replied after a heavy sigh.

"I'm afraid that is a long story.."

"Tell it."

To our surprise, my familiar spoke up. With a glare, she commanded Poseidon.

"Go on. Tell him the story…. I want to hear it from your own mouth. Tell my master how you let my mother die, Poseidon."

Her heart was clearly filled with scorn. Hearing the tone in her voice and knowing the legends, one could only assume that her past was full of pain.

With some visible hesitation, Poseidon appeared to come to the conclusion that he should follow his daughter's suggestion.

"Very well… I suppose there's nothing left but to tell you all then."

And so, after taking a step away from us, Poseidon began to reminisce. He regaled us with the true story of Medusa and himself..

---

LOVE

Medusa was like the untouched biomes of the sea, vibrant and full of life. Her beauty was like that of the sunset touching the ocean's horizon, ever radiant and gleaning serenity.

The moment I had laid eyes upon her as she sat at the shore of the sea, I knew that I wanted her to be mine. And so, I set out to seduce her.

I made a great many attempts at capturing her affections. I brought to her the finest shells in the sea, iridescent and glowing. When that didn't capture her heart, I attempted to use the sea itself to move her. I showed her all of my most fabulous and otherworldly tricks. At first, it seemed like she wasn't impressed by anything I did. Most mortal women were seduced simply by the fact of my divinely godhood, but Medusa was unlike the rest. At some point, I even began to feel disheartened. Never before had I failed to woo a woman, let alone a mortal one.

It wasn't until one day, in the midst of yet another failed attempt to capture her heart, did I finally attain it.

You see, on a day just like any other, as I made and failed my attempt towards Medusa, I noticed a ship of sailors on the horizon. The ship was being rocked unsteadily by shaky waters. However, I had always made sure to calm the waters wherever I arrived to speak with Medusa. It was then that I knew something was afoot. I set off to assist the sailors with whatever was assailing them, without so much as a word to Medusa at my departure.

When I arrived to assist the sailors, I found that they were being terrorised by the foul, newly born beast, Cetus. Using my abilities, I scared the beast off with little difficulty. How ironic that it was ultimately Perseus who would slay this same beast a mere century later…

Of course, I was lavished with praise by the sailors and worshiped by the settlers who passed through those waters. But it was only once I returned to Medusa that I noticed a change in her.

From that day forth, she appeared at the shoreline to wait for me. And although she refused my affections each time, she would smile at me, and ask me to walk the beach with her…

When we finally sat and spoke once, she asked me:

"Why did you help those sailors?"

I wondered why she would ask such an obvious question and provided an equally obvious answer.

"I am a god of the sea. It is my duty to do so."

Somehow, she was dissatisfied with my answer. Time passed, and when the moment came for us to sit together again, she asked me the same question.

I couldn't help my confusion. I kept wondering which answer she wanted from me. No matter how I replied, she didn't seem satisfied. At some point, I must've asked her what answer she was expecting from me. To me, it felt like she was pitying my own ignorance. Being a god, it was an unfamiliar feeling to me.

Eventually, what she told me was:

"You saved those mortals because it is your duty to do so? By whose standard? Does a god not do as he pleases? Who or what are you duty bound to? Is it your piousness? Is it your virtue? Honour? Why did you do it? Because you felt the need to? Because you wanted to? Neither of these are real reasons, are they? What I'd like for you to ask yourself is: Why did you feel the need to save them? Why did you want to? That's where you'll find the true reason."

I didn't understand what she wanted to hear from me. But no matter how I asked, she would always tell me that she didn't need to hear something she wanted to hear. She simply wanted "my answer." An answer from the heart…

So, one day, I thought long and hard, and found my resolve to answer with nothing but my heart.

---

—.

---

"What did you tell her..?"

I asked, and Poseidon turned to me with closed eyes, but he was smiling.

"I said to her: "Does a god like me need a reason to help those in need?"

I held my tongue, shocked by the sheer coincidence, allowing Poseidon to continue his story.

---

—.

---

Once I had told Medusa this, everything changed. No more did she deny my affections. If I came to present her with jewelry, she would wear it the next time I saw her. If I showed her my tricks, she would applaud my efforts. If I made an attempt to entertain her, she would laugh at my jesting.

Out of a simple curiosity, I asked her as well why she had decided to indulge me.

And with a smile as beautiful as any heavenly ocean view, she said to me:

"Does a woman like me need a reason to love a man like yourself?"

From then, I knew that she had accepted my love, and our hearts were one…

---

—.

Poseidon stopped there. I was stunned by the odd parallel between what I'd said earlier and what Poseidon was describing. In some ways, it must've also unsettled me. Knowing the gods' pension for following fate, I wondered if it truly was a coincidence. But if we go by what Hermes told me, it wouldn't be predestined for me to say that. So, I guess that's just who I am. It's just a coincidence… Still, it doesn't make it any less impactful. I wonder if that's why Poseidon immediately felt at ease with my response from before…

"—Finish the story."

Again, my familiar spoke out with disdain.

"It isn't over yet. Finish the story, coward.."

With her harsh words as motivation, Poseidon took a deep breath and continued.

"Aye, you're right, my child…. I'm afraid that isn't where the story ends at all.."

---

—.

---

Not long after our love began to flourish, Medusa and I bore a child. A daughter, as beautiful as the sun was bright, with all of the features of her mother untouched. She was born a gorgon, much like her mother. Unlike her mother, however, she was not a true mortal. As a result of her mother's genes as a Gorgon and my own as a god, she was born a demigod.

Naturally, this brought Medusa and I concern. It was obvious that the birth of a demigod, let alone a new "monster," could introduce a number of tales and legends just by existing. I wished to know my daughter's fate, but under the advice of Medusa, I never sought out an oracle.

In order to maintain our daughter's safety, I made sure to uphold my godly duties and operate as normal, whilst visiting whenever I was free of time. After all, though not spoken of much in legends, my wife's jealousy was nearly as powerful as Hera's once was.

And for a time, though I wasn't always so present, all was well.

….However, it all eventually changed once the hero, Perseus was born..

After the hero's birth, a mortal king who lusted after the boy's mother, had learned of Perseus's triumph over him through oracles, as Perseus's grandfather once had too. This mortal king, knowing only of a few monsters in myth, decided that it was Medusa who'd be the greatest candidate for Perseus to try and best. After all, she was the only monster he was certain of that Perseus couldn't defeat. The amount of warriors that Medusa had bested already was too vast. All of them trespassers onto her home, warriors who sought glory in a meaningless task, petrified by a woman who held no ill will towards them…

Eventually, the word had begun to spread on Olympus through Hermes. Perseus was on his way to find Medusa, unprepared. And naturally, Perseus being his own son, Zeus ordered his fellow gods to act. A selected few provided aid to Perseus for his mission, weapons, equipment and guidance. It was all he would need.

Once word had reached me in Atlantis, it was already underway. The news had brought me panic and I felt the need to act. But my wife, Amphirite, knew me too well. For a time, she had suspected my affair, as I had been unfaithful in the past, like my brother. And like my brother's wife, Hera, Amphirite also took unkindly to it. She threatened to take her own life and the life of our newly born son, Triton, if I left Atlantis to assist Medusa.

Enraged, I threatened Olympic judgment upon her. With a crime as grave as this, I could convince Zeus to banish her to Tartarus. That was what I had foolishly believed at the time. But once I turned away to leave and assist my other family, Amphirite said one thing to me:

"The rule of Olympus is absolute."

—It was those words that caused me to stay my feet. Only then had I realised exactly what my retaliation would've meant.

These events were the hands of fate at play. Everything was already set in motion. To interfere with all of it, it would likely mean the death of Zeus's son, Perseus, and stand as an affront to Olympus itself. If I defied the natural law of occurrence, I would be defying Olympus. That could've meant war between Olympus and Atlantis, and after I had already taken a vow swearing to never rebel against my brother and Olympus again, as I once had in the past.

Truthfully, I was afraid. Afraid of the possibilities that could occur, should I have interfered. The death of my son, the death of Perseus, war between the gods, the death of Amphirite, and whatever other consequences that could be wrought from defying a fate the Moirai had constructed for the foolish mortals who attempted to control it.

…And so, I did nothing.

I simply sat on my throne and waited. Waiting for the inevitable news….that Perseus had prevailed, and Medusa was slain.

---

—.

---

Poseidon finished his story while looking out from the glass windows in the throne room, out into the endless sea. From beside me, I heard my familiar snarl.

"Coward.."

Poseidon solemnly nodded his head.

"Yes... You're right…."

Poseidon walked toward his old throne and gripped the top of it tightly.

"The more time that passed, the more I tried to convince myself that there was nothing I could do. I tried to convince myself that I was powerless, but I was really just afraid. I thought that with time, the wound would heal and I would forget about Medusa… I was wrong. The more I ignored it, the longer the wound festered. My guilt grew with time, and the lies I told myself began to crumble away…. Medusa wasn't my wife, and I had many other women before her, but she was the one I had loved. No matter how strongly I tried to pretend it wasn't true. "A god like me was above such weaknesses." "A god like me wouldn't truly love a monster like Medusa." Cruel, stupid lies that I thought I could convince myself of with time. But in that time, I found that I kept questioning myself. And in the end, every moment of reflection concluded with the same notion: "Did a god like me ever need a reason to love someone like Medusa?"…. In the end, I asked myself the same question she had once asked me…. That's how I knew I had truly loved her… A simple, humble love. No grandiosity, no complications… A love that I failed to uphold and protect. A love that I never deserved..."

When Poseidon lifted his hand from the throne, a piece of the coral comprising it broke off.

"The answer: was NO…. So finally, with that conclusion, the guilt overcame me. I relinquished my throne, and vowed to never return to Atlantis as its "king" again. My wife and I separated, a rare occurrence for us gods. In due time, my son Triton became king in my stead, and I left for Olympus. Like a coward, I hid with my tail between my legs and dishonoured myself by allowing my family to die. So I no longer had the right to hold dominion over Atlantis. I wasn't fit to be a king…. Over time, I wondered whether or not my daughter still lived. Oftentimes, I heard tales of a gorgon who could be found in decrepit lairs all over Greece. I had hoped that it was more than just the folktales of the subspecies roaming around… No, I was sure that Thalassa was out there somewhere. Truthfully, I simply felt like I had no right to look for her. I had no right to claim her as my child anymore. I had already failed her as a father. The only solace I had was that the age of heroes had finally ended, leaving her safer than her mother ever was… That's why, I felt I could do nothing but hope, pathetically, that someone could come along and give her a place to call home, something I had no right to do. Perhaps even another god or a hero. And what with the appearance of this "Khaos Brigade," I became paranoid that their ilk might even find her and recruit her as an ally. Or maybe they'd just exterminate her for being a monster, like the heroes before them.…"

Poseidon then looked at me with an expression of appreciation I didn't expect.

"Then, you came along, Hyoudou Issei…. To think that it would be you, the humble saviour of Olympus, a powerful and honourable hero detached from any sullied history of ours. Perhaps that was also partly the hands of fate at work, or perhaps it's just mere coincidence. Either way, I couldn't have been any glader that it was you, my boy."

That's what Poseidon stated with a relieved smile. I guess that's why he decided to test me earlier. I can't say it's my favourite way to be tested, but at least it proved to him that I was trustworthy. As for my familiar's opinion, it's still yet to be seen…

Speaking of which, she growled in a low tone.

"...How ridiculous… Do you think I want to hear your excuses? Amphitrite, Triton, Zeus. Point the fingers wherever you want. It won't change anything… Nothing will change the fact that you abandoned mother and I to die!"

Poseidon frowned shamefully.

"...I know."

"You were the one who was supposed to be there to protect us! Not anyone else! Not any other god! Just you! You and you alone! Yet you abandoned us! You have no one else to blame but yourself!"

"...You're right."

Poseidon wasn't denying any of it. Judging from my familiar's expression, this was only increasing her anger.

"I have nothing to say to you! I want nothing from you! You're nothing but a spineless, cowardly, selfish bastard! You said you were afraid, but that's not true! You were just thinking about yourself! You only cared about how everything affected you, not us! If you'd thought about us, you wouldn't have hesitated to save us any way you could, but you didn't even try! You weren't looking out for anyone but yourself!"

"Aye, perhaps that's true as well…."

"Stop acting like you're sorry! You aren't sorry! If you were sorry, you would have done something! How can you act like you're sorry when you don't even know what my mother went through?!"

For the first time, I started to see tears well up in my familiar's eyes.

"You have no idea what it was like for her to send me away! You have no idea what it was like for me to watch her die and do nothing! All you did was sit in your pretty chair and wait for the results, like it was some Olympic score card! It didn't affect you when you were king and it doesn't affect you now! No matter how much time passes, you'll still be Poseidon, mighty god of the seas! And no matter how much time passes, my mother will still be just a dead monster from the story of another one of Greek mythology's heroes, and I'll be nothing but a forgotten memory, a blank spot in the text of our entire pantheon's history!"

"T-That isn't true, Thalassa! It doesn't have to be that way. You can become something much more than even your mother and I, I know it. From the moment you were born, your mother and I knew that you could surpass us, and succeed both of our legacies. If only you'd come home, maybe we could—"

"—Come home?! I HAVE NO HOME! My home is gone! It's been gone for centuries! It was destroyed the moment you abandoned us, and mother died along with it! I have nothing else to call home now!"

Although it was a conflict outside of my scope, I found that this was the only chance I had to intervene.

"That's wrong too."

My familiar was confused by my interjection, but I continued.

"It might not be the most scenic place to stay, and I know it'll never compare to what you've lost, but you can always think of my home as your own."

She scowled and looked away, though not maliciously.

"...This doesn't involve you."

"Sorry, but I can't agree. Family or not, gods or not, if anyone is bringing trouble to my familiar, I have to get involved. That's just how it is."

Once again, she looked confused.

"I don't understand you.."

"You've said that before."

I looked at Poseidon, who was slightly less confused.

"Poseidon. Sorry, but I'll have to ask that you refrain from trying to take my familiar away. Like you said, I found her so it's my job now to make sure that he has a place to call home, where she feels like she belongs. So unfortunately, you'll have to step back and leave that to me from now on."

Poseidon nodded, the shame never leaving his expression.

"Aye, you're right, my boy… I've no right to impose anymore. I'm hardly even her father… Very well. In that case, I leave her to you, God-slayer, Hyoudou Issei."

Poseidon said it with a small earnest bow, which is the first time I've ever received one from a god. He truly does appear to care deeply about all of this…

Still, my familiar wasn't impressed, it seems.

"Hmph…. Giving up that easy, huh? Of course. I should've known… You're just the same old coward.."

"N-No, it isn't that. It's just.."

But suddenly, an unexpected voice came out from behind us to interrupt, causing a sense of tension to rise.

"Now, now. Isn't that enough already? What's happened in the past can never be undone. Why dwell any further on it? Your father is remorseful, niece. Is there any reason to harbour this hatred any longer? Perhaps it's time to move on."

—Zeus said that. After which, it was quiet for a moment. Then, I think I heard my familiar's scaly fingers crack.

"...What did you say?"

She turned to look at him with a ferocious glare! I haven't seen her make a face like that since Perseus!

"You might have lived a few centuries, but you are still just a child with a powerful grudge. And though I understand your sentiments, it's time enough that you put all of it past you. Lest you become nothing more than a hateful monster, like many of those in legend before and after your mother."

After Zeus finished saying that, my familiar's aura began to pour out of her body! Just like the time with Perseus too, she started to gradually grow "taller" by lifting her body up with her snake half. Shit! This is bad!

"Sentiments…? SENTIMENTS?! You liken my loss— my pain and my sorrow, to mere sentiments?!"

"Thalassa! Calm yourself! Zeus, brother, stay out of this!"

As Poseidon tried to defuse things, to no avail, I readied my magical summoning circle before the panic set in. As I did that though, Azazel came up beside me and whispered something in my ear.

"Ise!"

"Azazel?"

"Listen…."

"...?! Really? I can do that?"

Azazel nodded his head. I suppose if there's anyone who'd know, it's him. Okay, let's do it..

"You… If it wasn't for you, my mother would still be alive! You, and your "hero" son! If only… If only you had let your little bastard runt die..!"

My familiar growled fiercely, causing Zeus to become serious as well.

"Watch what you say, gorgon.."

Once they started glaring at each other, I made my move.

"Thalassa! That's enough! Stop!"

I imbued the same magic that I use to summon my familiar, into the magical circle on the back of my palm while shouting my command. In an instant, my familiar's aura dissipated, causing her to stop in place.

"W-What..? What is this?"

"Come down here."

My familiar turned away from Zeus and lowered herself to my position. When I was eye level with her, she glared at me too.

"You bastard… You lied to me. All those pretty words about not forcing me to do your bidding…"

"I-I know, I know. I'm sorry. I really meant that when I said it, but… If it comes down to it, I have to keep you safe first. I'm sorry. I swear I'll make it up to you. But first.."

"Rotten bastard. There's nothing you could do to..."

Without explaining why, I hugged my familiar closely. She must've been confused, like everyone else, but I had a reason for doing it. And I whispered that reason in her ear.

"—I can't help you with everything you're going through right now, but there is one thing I can do. So for now, give all of your hatred over to me."

"What..?"

"All of your anger, your hatred, your fury. Pass it on over to me. I can handle it. I'll carry it all for you. I can't do much about your pain and your sorrow just yet, but I can at least take care of your rage. Just leave it all to me, okay? I am your master, after all."

I pulled away from her and smiled, confusing her further.

"It's what I do."

"...I don't…"

I turned my attention to Zeus, who appeared to have calmed down a bit.

"Zeus. I know it's out of left field, but I have a favour to ask."

"Hmm? A favour? So suddenly? What is it? "

"I want you to summon Perseus."

Zeus raised an eyebrow.

"Here? To Atlantis? For what reason, boy?"

"I'd like to fight him."

[—?!]

What I said seemed to shock everyone around me, although Zeus himself was intrigued.

"You'd like to spar with him? Now, of all times..?"

"Yeah. Well, actually, not exactly… I want to challenge him to a duel. A lot like the one I had with Heracles."

"Are you certain that's wise? That bout didn't end too favourably on your end."

"Ah, well, that's my fault. I got reckless. This time, I'll play it smart. Besides, compared to Heracles, Perseus probably won't be too much trouble."

I said that confidently, to which Zeus appeared to subtly take offense to.

"Oh? I wouldn't underestimate him either, God-slayer. What he lacks in strength compared to Heracles, he balances with dexterity and speed. I assure you he is no weakling. He is one of my sons after all. Not to mention, he is Heracles's elder."

"I know. But I've seen him fight. He won't be hard to handle like Heracles."

"Oh, are you referring to when he and your familiar met during your last encounter? I'm afraid to say that he was only defending himself then. If you choose to fight him head-on, it won't be so easy."

"Well, of course that's what you think. You are his father after all."

Zeus narrowed his eyes. Looks like my prodding worked. Zeus motioned to Hermes.

"Hermes. Send word to Perseus."

"Uh, what should I tell him?"

"Tell him that his father has summoned him."

Hermes frowned nervously, glancing at me and Zeus. Reluctantly, he sped off into a blur and disappeared. Meanwhile, Azazel came up beside me again.

"Ise? What are you thinking? You're picking another fight?"

"It's alright, Azazel. This time will be different. I'm not playing stupid."

"You better not be. After what you went through, you have no excuse."

"I know. But don't worry. This is something I've been planning since we got to Olympus."

Azazel narrowed his eyes.

"...You were planning this? What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see."

I looked back at my familiar and winked, confusing her further than before. Although, there was something about her expression that appeared to allude to the fact that she has a suspicion of what I was planning.

"Master... You can't be..."

And so, we waited there patiently. After a few minutes, Hermes eventually appeared again. With an exchange of nods towards Zeus, Hermes walked over to his daughter and brought out his Caduceus.

"Angelia."

"Yes, father."

So they're bringing him here after all. Good…

Shuuuuuuun!

With a bright flash of light, the portal between Hermes and Angelia opened up just like last time. This time however, it wasn't the rest of us who were stepping into it, but rather we who were waiting for someone to appear from the other side.

And he did.

Shuuun..

Stepping through the portal, fully adorning his armour, was that handsome faced bastard from last time…

"Perseus.."

Surprisingly, it wasn't just my familiar who growled that name this time. It also escaped my lips as well, for the second time today.

Perseus stepped away from the portal and stood with a firm posture. He greeted Zeus first.

"King Zeus."

"Please, Perseus. We aren't on Olympus. You can call me father just as you'd like."

"Very well, Father. Hermes. Angelia. Poseidon."

He greeted the two messengers as well as his uncle. Then, his eyes eventually landed on the rest of us. His gaze narrowed in on my familiar and I specifically. From beside me, I could hear her snarling like a beast while metaphorically bound by my magic. She asked me with an angry but defeated tone.

"...Is this meant to be my punishment, master? You would torture me so..?"

"This isn't torture or a punishment."

I responded without taking my eyes off of Perseus. And though he and the others couldn't hear what I was saying, his eyes focused on me too.

"This is retribution."

Zeus announced his son's arrival with a tinge of pride in his voice.

"Well, here he is. Perseus, the great hero-king of Mycenae and slayer of monsters! My son… And before you, my son, is the Red Dragon Emperor."

Perseus finished my introduction on his father's behalf.

"The God-slayer."

His cold eyes slid over to my familiar beside me.

"And the Gorgon spawn."

My familiar snarled and hissed with rage, undoubtedly furious at his appearance. There was also a smugness to his lack of animosity, as if he didn't even think of her as a threat even after last time…

But I stepped in front of my familiar, blocking his line of sight from her.

"Perseus."

"God-slayer."

We greeted each other with little to no enthusiasm. Hardly a greeting, more of an acknowledgement.

"I heard that you were the reason I was summoned."

"Yeah, that was me alright.."

"I see. And what is it that you want?"

"...Do you remember what happened the last time we met?"

"When I delivered your weapon to you?"

"Yeah. When you attacked my familiar.."

"It was the Gorgon who attacked first. I merely defended myself, nothing more."

"Oh yeah..? The way I remember it, you tried to kill her, and put a hole in shoulder…"

"Is that what you recall?"

"Yep. That's exactly what I remember."

Without a need for elaboration, I could tell by the glean in his eye that he understood what I was saying.

"I see… So then, you've called to "settle the score," is that it?"

"Yeah. That's exactly right.."

We stared at each other for a moment, neither of us changing our stern expressions. Perseus closed his eyes.

"Very well. Let us settle it then."

—He agreed, causing me to smirk. He turned to Zeus.

"Father?"

"...If it pleases you, my son. You are free to act as you desire. It is your right to accept or refuse any duel."

"Thank you."

So he needs daddy's approval, huh? Hmph, well, unlike him, I don't need to ask anyone. I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from doing this anyway..

"Are you really going to do this, Ise?"

Rias asked from a step back, next to Azazel. I didn't respond, instead stepping forward to speak with Perseus more easily.

"Alright then. Shall we move to the battle dome? Uncle—?"

"—Just one second, Perseus."

"Hmm? What is it?"

I stifled a smirk again to maintain my composure.

"How about we make a wager?"

Perseus raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"A wager?"

"Yeah, let's bet something, just you and me. I can see that you're just going with the motions right now. This way, we can make the fight a little more motivating for both of us."

"Hmm… I do not mind. But what is it that you would like to wager?"

I pointed to Perseus, not anywhere in particular, but rather his entire person.

"Your gifts from the gods."

[—?!]

Perseus made a suspicious expression to my idea, while his father had more of an outward reaction.

"What is the meaning of this, God-slayer? Why are you suggesting such a thing?"

"No reason in particular, really. I just think it's the most interesting thing to bet."

"I'd hope for your sake that this isn't some sort of vengeful effort on behalf of your familiar, for the monster Medusa. Perseus' heroic victory against the Gorgon was nothing more than a triumph dictated by the hands of fate. If you were to try and seek retribution for that act, it could be seen as nothing but an affront to Olympus and the natural occurrence of events as well. In that case, by rule of Olympus, I couldn't allow this duel to take place, and the terms of the wager would be invalid."

I'll give Zeus one thing, he might seem like a goofball at times, but when he's serious, he's sharp as a knife. Guess that's what centuries of knowledge and experience gives you. Cleverness, but still lacking in wisdom compared to some I've met, I must say.

"Tch.. Triumphant victory… I'm sure that's all it was to any of you.."

That's what my familiar was whispering from behind. She's certainly right about that. It's really all about perspective, isn't it? But the gods don't see mortals' point of view. It's always just a matter of fact for them.

Still, I should pick my answer carefully. Well, it's not like I have to exactly lie either…

"I know, Zeus. I'm not looking for vengeance for Medusa or anything grand like that. Hell, I'm hardly even looking for payback for my shoulder. If I'm being honest, my reasons are a lot simpler and more personal than any of that."

"And what is that reason?"

Still suspicious, huh? That's fine too. I'll just tell some more truths...

"...Well, the truth is, Perseus, I just don't like you very much."

I glared daggers at Perseus while relaying some honest feelings I've been keeping quiet.

"And for a while now, I've wanted nothing more than to break your stupid face."

Silence…

Then, I noticed a small smirk on Perseus's face.

"Hmph. So be it then."

Zeus again intervened.

"While that is acceptable, it is still far too steep a request to call Perseus to wager his most sacred treasures gifted to him during his heroic labour. His are artifacts that are etched into the very history of our Pantheon. They aren't mere toys and trinkets to pass around. In fact, one could even view your request as another indication of your subversive intentions that I alluded to before. A symbolic gesture, perhaps?"

He's getting in the way again. Gods are too damn smart. As I was thinking of a way to respond cleverly enough, Perseus luckily fulfilled that action on my behalf.

"Father. All of these treasures gifted to me by the gods are my own, are they not?"

"Hmm? But of course, my son. They belong solely to you. However—"

"If they belong solely to me, then is it not my decision alone to do as I please with them? Let their place in history stand. That will not change. But if they are mine and mine alone, then they are mine alone to wager. Unless you doubt that I could defend them."

Zeus appeared taken aback by his son's response. To be honest, I am too. I didn't expect that either. Maybe this super serious guy has his own tinge of pride to protect. Zeus relented, flaunting his own sense of pride in his son.

"Of course not. I have total confidence in you, my son."

"Thank you."

Once I saw the look in Perseus's eyes, I knew I'd won.

"Very well, God-slayer. Let's hear your terms then. What is it that you wish for me to wager? Is it all of my godly possessions or only a few? Be specific."

Just like I planned..

"Great. —In that case, I want you to put down three items. One: your sword. Two: your shield. And three: whatever you've got in that sack there."

I pointed to each of the items I listed respectively, ending with the dry, old sack that Perseus keeps hanging from his waistline. If I'm correct, there's gotta be something specific in there. Something I know Perseus would've held onto after all these centuries…

When I stated what I wanted, Zeus intervened again.

"And what will you wager in turn, God-slayer?"

"My Trinity Slayer."

"That won't be sufficient."

"Huh? Why not? My Trinity Slayer consists of 3 high tier magical artifacts. It should be enough to cover my side, shouldn't it?"

"Perhaps you see it that way, but its ability to transform itself only qualifies it as one weapon total. If you're planning to wager that, then I'm afraid it isn't enough."

I clicked my tongue in frustration. Perseus attempted to convince his father as well, but he was undeterred.

"Father. If it comes down to it, I can have the weapons melted down or separated by Hephaestus magic."

"Even so, it isn't enough. Your equipment has the legend of your heroics built into the very foundation of their history. His own has no reputation to uphold yet. He'll need to offer more."

After thinking for a moment, Perseus suggested something.

"In that case, might I make my own suggestion, God-slayer?"

"Go ahead."

"Along with your Trinity Slayer, I will secondly take your newest companion, Argos."

"Ho? So you knew about that, huh?"

"It was already known to those of us closely related to the council."

"Hmph. That so? Alright. What's the third thing then?"

Perseus lifted his arm and pointed behind me, towards my familiar.

"The Gorgon. I will take her as well."

"Heh. Really? Fat chance getting her to listen to you."

"I have no interest in placing her at my service. But the Champion's battle arena could use another monster of her caliber as part of our beast training regiment."

—.

I felt my thoughts come to an abrupt halt.

…And soon after, I felt the heat rising off of my skin.

"Perseus…"

My aura was leaking out from every edge of my body.

"Until now, I wanted to take it easy on you at first because I knew I was being unreasonable…. But now, I don't think I'll be able to hold back at all…"

—Zeus. You should've just accepted my original offer. Now, you've sealed your son's fate in this duel.

"Now, Perseus…. You'll be lucky to get a single drop of blood out of me."

Despite my bloodthirsty glare, Perseus actually smiled.

"The first or the last drop that's left. That's what I'm deciding to take right now."

—And so, the terms were set. The duel would take place in the Atlantean Battle Dome.

And I wasn't planning on holding anything back…

TO BE CONTINUED

---

GOT ANOTHER DAMN PROMOTION. LIFE IS BUSY. I'LL BE BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

(P.S. What did you guys think about the fight with Heracles? What's your opinions on Poseidon right now? Were you surprised by the real story of Medusa? Shocked by her true identity? Is Zeus kind of an asshole? What about Perseus? WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?!)

READ, RATE, REVIEW Y'ALL!