AN: Due to my mistake JttW will be edited further in the story when its time finally comes, until then its going to stay in it's place so I have less work.
My return South was almost immediately interrupted when upon passing through the Celts lands I found it being pacified by Roman Legions led by who other than Julius Caesar. It was a relatively brief detour following his army as they waged war and conquered the land, especially as I noticed he was being watched by other familiar faces.
The Greek Gods have obviously taken to their new identities rather well if Mars was anything to go by, having turned from that insufferable brat into an actually respectable God of War. It was easy to see that he favored Caesar, watching his conquests like a proud father watches their son. Venus was also there, adding some backing to Caesars claim to be descendant of her. It was interesting being greeted by them as old friends, when in the past we rarely interacted. Hearing from the two of them how the other gods had faired was enlightening, such as how Jupiter was actually a decent King and Husband, Bacchus being seen as one of Rome's most revered deity's and how other gods had joined the Pantheon such as Quirinus and Janus.
The two lovers were good company as we watched the exploits of Caesar, following his conquest of Gaul and and return to Rome. It was their that I left them, having no desire to follow them to Egypt with the General and instead caught up with some others I hadn't seen yet. Vesta was a delight, being delighted to see me again after so many years and immediately demanded my attention, asking for stories of my travels and any new snacks I had.
It was heartening to see that she remained the same lovable cinnamon roll as ever, and it was with her that I stayed for some time, simple enjoying being with her. Eventually I met with the others of the pantheon, with Jupiter actually surprising me by apologizing for his previous actions and stating that I was correct to support Humanity in those times. It was pleasing to see the Head of the Pantheon actually embody his aspect of Justice instead of merely paying it lip service.
Of course there was a single exception to the rule in how the Greek Gods had improved, that being Athena, or rather Minerva now. Upon my first meeting with her she bolted as fast as she could, not even offering me a greetings. The subsequent meetings followed that same pattern, her running at the mere sight of me. When I brought it up with the others they only let sighed and told me that I should hear from here. It was during Caesars return and the celebrations taking place that I finally cornered the now skittish goddess, asking that she talk with me.
The goddess told me what happened to her, how her prestige and influence had been reduced, her aspects of War and Battel being stripped from her in favor of other Skills, and the shame she felt that she could no longer challenge me as she once had. It was depressing, seeing the once fiery goddess so despondent over her new identity and role. There was nothing I could do for the goddess, her new persona having become a part of her very being due to the worship of the masses.
I also met with the various new gods that had risen in the pantheon, notably Bellona. The goddess of war was someone that was known to me in the past, under the name Enyo but her association to Ares made me unwilling to associate with her. Now though she had risen to rival Athena's status as a war goddess and desired to prove it, pulling the same stuff the no longer war goddess used to do. Whenever she wasn't doing her duties and watching over Rome's armies she found the time to challenge me to various tests of combat seeking to further her reputation as a greater goddess of war than Athena. The fact that she often made sure to do so in full view of Minerva reminding her of what she lost soured my impression of her.
For as much as I complained about Athena I did respect her and her drive to improve. Seeing her be so disrespected by a minor goddess despite her status as an Olympian deeply annoyed me. And so I thrashed her whenever she came, not bothering to teach her as I did Athena and instead simply beat her into the ground whenever she tried that shit. Not that it stopped her from coming back.
I honestly lost track of time, happy to be among friendlier faces and enjoy the creation of the Roman Empire. So much so that I was blindsided when new broke out that there was a certain Jew stirring up trouble. Most of the Roman Gods ignored the issue, same for many of the roman officials deciding to leave the problem in the local governors hands, but I knew that things were about to kick off in a big way. I took some time to extract myself from the situation, doing my best to make my way to Judaea before the fireworks kicked off, and I managed to arrive in time for the moment that I had been waiting for for over four thousand years.
Upon a Cross a Savior lay, crucified by the people he sought to save. I would later learn that his death was orchestrated by both my Fallen brothers and Lucy himself in a bid to stop whatever plan He had for his son, not realizing they were playing into his hands. His death marked the Start of a War that would last over a millennia, consuming the world as He spread throughout the earth. Pantheons would fall and be devoured by his crusade, gods brought low and erased while others turned to mere stories and shadows of their former selves. And it all started here. As the Son of God was killed.
I made my way to the Underworld to find it filled with Celebration, Fallen Angels and Devils alike cheering that they succeeded in slaying Jesus. I did my best to muster our forces, to warn them about what was coming but the consequences of being gone from home for so long were finally revealed as my status among my kin was Low, only my innate strength giving me any influence at all with them. I took to long, and after the three days that Jesus lay dead Hell was under attacked as the forces of Heavenly Host broke in and took the souls of the Dead from Abrahams Bosom, taking them to Heaven while slaughtering anything that got in their way.
It was a massacre, with the Underworld taking the brunt of the damage. None of the Leaders of the Underworld expected such a violent retaliation, being caught off guard as They followed the Soul of Jesus right to where they needed to go. There were those that blamed me in the aftermath, seeing me as a traitor despite me doing my best to warn due to the timing of my appearance. They were largely ignored by the remainder as I took what charge I could, getting my people ready for the Chaos that would follow.
AN: The first Major Milestone for the Story has been reached, The Start of the Great War. 1500 years of conflict to get through, involving Arthurian Mythos, Japanese Legends, The French, and more. Image Index had been updated. Using some Images from Silver W. King's story [Making a Video Game Company to Get My Waifu (Percy Jackson/FGO - Asterios SI)].