It's officially the Year of Our Lord 2025, and I have not seen one time-traveling DeLorean. I've seen a couple Tesla Cyber Trucks, but no DeLorean. I'm going to launch a formal complaint to Doctor Emmitt Brown. I want my time-travelling DeLorean and I want it now. Oh, and I have a new chapter ready for reading. Enjoy.
The police car pulled up to the scene, and John rushed out of the driver's seat with gun in hand. Several officers followed him and got themselves in position. There were no civilians nearby, and that seemed to make things easier for the police. Yet John couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that things weren't as they appeared. He listened closely, hearing the shrill and otherworldly sounds of some sort of creature. There wasn't any time to waste, and John turned to address his officers.
"Harrison and Blake, hold this position and keep civilians out. Sorbo and Lawless, you're with me."
"Captain, are we actually going to arrest this guy?" Lawless asked.
Sorbo then asked, "Can he even be arrested?"
John didn't have a decisive answer and simply replied, "We'll cross that bring when we get to it. Let's go."
It only took half a second for Corey to drop the Zeus facade and acknowledge to the newcomer with a wry smirk, "I knew it."
Brad halted his attack to address Corey. "You knew about this? How'd you...?"
"Later, Brad. "We've got to take this thing down."
Brad looked toward the enraged Hydra, its multiple heads whipping everywhere. "Any ideas?"
"We've got to cut off the main head to kill it, but these other ones keep getting in the way." Corey explained.
"Okay, so we just cut them off one by one, right? You can take one half and I can take the other." Brad suggested.
Corey was about to reply when one of the heads tried to attack them, and Brad torched it to force it into retreat. "Cutting the false heads won't work; they'll just grow into two more. We've got to keep them from growing back."
Another of the heads lunged forward and the teenage boys-turned-gods barely avoided the attack. Then Brad said, "Cauterization; burning an open wound to prevent blood loss or infection."
"Or regrowth in this case. Brad, you're a genius." Corey said.
"I have my moments. You ready to do this?" Brad asked.
"Yeah, just follow my lead." Corey said as he ready his sword.
"Just one thing; call me Ares."
"You call me Zeus and you've got a deal."
After they shared a grin of agreement, Zeus and Ares made their move. The Hydra hissed and shrieked and lunged its many heads forward with reckless abandon. The two teenage Gods pushed forward, running and dodging and ducking under the heads as they whipped around and snapped at them. Zeus and Ares were able to avoid the Hydra's relentless attacks right up until the former was within reach of the main head. A false head came right at Zeus, which was exactly what he wanted.
Zeus leapt up and above the false head, which he then cut clean off with his blade. This action would ordinarily have been a bad move, but Zeus had Ares now. Ares rushed straight for the severed neck just as it started convulsing on the ground. He closed the distance and reached out, and a burst of fire shot forth. The fire engulfed the neck and burned it to cinders, completely searing the wound shut. The plan worked, but there were still nine head's remaining of the Hydra.
Zeus and Ares pressed their attack, moving and dodging in between every remaining attempt from the Hydra to stop them. The next three false heads met a similar fate to the first; Zeus sliced them off and Ares burned them to keep them from growing back. The Hydra hissed and shrieked in rage and tried to blow the teens away with its plasma attacks. Zeus and Ares managed to stay on the move and burned another stumped neck.
Only five heads remained, four of them false and seemingly protecting the primary head. Zeus made his move, rushing the nearest head that reached out toward him while Ares followed close behind. He severed that head and Ares burned the stump within another matter of seconds, leaving only three false head and the primary one. The Hydra continued to fight back, unleashing another plasma attack that sent the two teen Gods into a momentary retreat to regroup.
As the battle raged, John led Officer Sorbo and Officer Lawless to a nearby car for cover. "Christ Almighty, what the hell is that thing?" Sorbo wondered aloud.
John didn't reply, and he didn't move any further into the fray, and Lawless said, "Captain, what's our play?"
"Stand down until I give the word." John replied, "I need to see this."
Zeus and Ares readied for the Hydra's next move, but the beast seemed to back away instead. "What's this damn thing waiting for?" Ares wondered aloud.
"It's a lot smarter than it looks. We've got to do this up close." Zeus said, gripping the hilt of his blade.
"What's the plan, Zeus?"
"Same drill; I'll cut and run and you burn it down."
The Hydra hardly gave the two young Gods a chance to react, reaching its two remaining false heads toward them. Zeus and Ares spread apart to either side, and Ares cut loose with a blast of fire to push the beast back. Zeus made his move, his sword out to the side as he bolted straight for the Hydra's main head. The Hydra unleashed another blast of plasma into which Zeus sidestepped. Another attack came which Zeus barely managed to avoid while Ares tried to ambush the beast. The Hydra seemed to feel Ares coming and whipped one of its false headsail into him, knocking Ares into a nearby streetlight.
Zeus didn't have time to check on his friend when the Hydra stretched its other false head straight for him. Zeus quickly jumped out of the way, only to notice the Hydra preparing to unleash another plasma blast. Acting quickly, Zeus unleashed a blast of lightning against the plasma. The attacks collided in an explosive exchange that lit up the immediate area. Zeus seemed to struggle against the Hydra and had to plant his feet into the ground just to stay upright. It wasn't enough, and Zeus had to jump away before he was overwhelmed. The momentum of his escape caused Zeus to drop his sword, and the Hydra was already on him ready to strike. Just as the Hydra sent out another plasma blast, something seemed to position itself between the blast and Zeus. The blast appeared to be blocked from something and when it settled, Zeus was astonished to find Ares standing in front of him with a circular object in his hand.
"Ares?" he said in disbelief.
Ares looked back at Zeus and said, "The one and only."
Zeus got back up to his feet to study the object that Ares was holding. "A shield? How'd you do that?"
Ares looked at the shield that was now attached to his left arm and replied, "I have no idea, but I like it."
Meanwhile, John led Sorbo and Lawless closer to the fight and took cover behind another destroyed vehicle. Sorbo opening asked, "What the fuck? There's two of those guys now?"
"Orders, Chief?" Lawless asked.
"Stay low until I give the word." John ordered, all the while closely watching the man in the silver armor.
The Hydra unleashed yet another blast of plasma, and this time Ares blocked the attack with his new shield. One of the false heads snaked around to the side where Ares was defenseless. It was Zeus who quickly intercepted the head and cut loose with a lightning blast. The attack drove the head, but the other head tried to attempt the same ambush. Zeus stopped that one as well. Ares held the primary head of the Hydra back with his shield, and he started taking a few steps forward. The Hydra kept up the plasma attack and forcing Ares to take a step back. Ares pushed back in almost a stalemate, gritting his teeth and snarling with determination.
Without even realizing it, an elongated weapon manifested in his free hand. Ares only just noticed the new weapon and, almost on pure instinct, he tossed the weapon directly into the Hydra's mouth. It halted the plasma attack and seemed to cause the Hydra to choke. The false heads seemed to react to the plight of the primary head, whipping and screeching in pain. Zeus and Ares quickly regrouped to plan their next move, and Ares manifested another weapon identical to the first one. Zeus looked at the new weapon that resembled a javelin.
"You got a spear too? Where's mine?" Zeus wondered with mocking jealousy.
Ares quickly replied, "You've got a big ass sword. What're you bitching about?"
The Hydra's screeching interrupted the bickering teenage Gods, and then Zeus looked at Ares' shield and said, "I've got an idea; just need a head start... and a boost."
Ares looked at his new shield and a smirked formed on his face. He knew exactly what Zeus was planning. Zeus ran in the opposite direction while Ares held off the false heads with his spear. The main head of the Hydra still struggled with the spear down its throat, but the false heads seemed to surround Ares on either side. They lunged forward at the exact same time, and Ares hopped back at the last minute. The heads collided with each other and were both left stunned, and Ares drove his second spear into both heads at the same time. The heads tried to break free but were embedded together.
Zeus in the meantime, saw his opening and rushed forward as fast as his legs to take him. Ares was ready and put himself into position, right as the Hydra finally dislodged the first spear from its mouth. It hiss and screeched and prepared to unleash one more plasma blast, but Ares didn't move to protect himself. Zeus was within reach until he leapt up as high as possible. He planted his feet down on Ares' shield, who in turn pushed up as hard as he could manage. The maneuver worked, and Zeus was sent high into the air. The Hydra hardly had a chance to react as Zeus came down and, in one swift and decisive move, cleaved the main head with his sword.
Zeus landed hard on the ground after the final blow and managed to balance himself with Ares quickly joining him. The severed main head of the Hydra fell just inches away from them. The body, along with the two remaining false heads, flailed and shuddered and finally, dropped to the ground in a heap and leaving on the scaly, bloodied carcass. The main head, somehow still alive, hissed at the two teens before eventually expiring, blood pouring out of its mouth where Ares' spear struck it.
The scene was quiet now. John and his fellow officers rose up from hiding while Zeus and Ares stood over the fallen corpse of the Hydra. "Uh, did we get it?" Ares asked.
With a relieved albeit slightly exhausted glance, Zeus replied, "Yeah, I think we did." Afterward, the Hydra seemed to melt away in plumes of smoke.
"Freeze," John suddenly shouted, approaching the duo with his officers. "Down on the ground. Hands behind your heads, now."
Ares glared at the cops and wondered aloud, "Is he being seriously? We just saved your lives, asshole."
"Brad, no," Zeus, Corey actually, said, grasping Ares' arm to stop him. "That's my father."
Brad understood the situation, but he still quietly asked, "Wait, you Dad doesn't know about you?"
Corey lightly shook his head while John shouted, "I said hands behind your heads. Down on the ground now."
His Zeus persona seemed to melt away like the Hydra had done moments earlier and Corey felt deeply conflicted. His father was just doing his job as a police officer, Corey knew this. But he couldn't just surrender right there either. Corey's thoughts raced through his mind faster than Roadrunner in the desert, trying to decern the most logical escape plan to get out of the current predicament. It was only then that Corey noticed something on a rooftop some short distance from the scene. A figure stood there, apparently dressed in a hooded cloak that flowed in the faintest gusts of wind. Instinct overtook Corey and, in a flash of lightning, his vanished along with Brad.
John shielded his face from the bright light and reopened his eyes to see the duo gone from sight. He rushed to the exact spot where Zeus and Ares stood. "Shit."
Elsewhere, Zeus and Ares reappeared on a rooftop a short distance away from the scene of the Hydra fight. It was the same same rooftop where Corey previously spotted the hooded figure and as it happened, the hooded figure was still there. He stood across the roof opposite of Zeus and Ares, the latter making an aggressive move forward to confront the mysterious stranger. Zeus stopped him and started slowly approaching the mysterious stranger in the hooded cloak. He couldn't see the face as it was shrouded from view but two piercing crimson red eyes were visible in beneath the hood. Zeus' instincts told him immediately that he and Ares they were confronting Hades himself.
"So, you're the reincarnation of Zeus. I have to tell you that I'm particularly impressed." Hades claimed in a low tone that was still audible enough to hear.
"Yeah, and you're supposed to be the so-called God of the Underworld. I've seen better." Zeus mockingly replied.
"Hey jackass, you feel like showing us your face, or are you just too chickenshit to do it?" Ares asked in a not-so-veiled challenge.
Hades chuckled, "Neither of you are anything like the original Zeus and Ares, but that's alright as long you give me what I want."
"Pandora's Box." Zeus concluded.
Hades smiled even though his hood concealed from the two teens. "I see that Athena's brought you up to speed. Very good."
"We could we just kill this clown right here and right now." Ares whispered to Zeus, but Zeus shook his head in refusal.
Looking back at Hades, Zeus asked, "Why do you want the box, Hades?"
Hades cocked his head to one side and laughed at the question he was asked. "It's not the box I want. It's the Hope inside of the box. Hope. Joy. Happiness. It's a lie, all of it. I felt none of things during my time ruling over the Underworld. My fellow Gods of the old world, they abandoned me. They forgot about me. I only had the souls of the damned for companionship, and even that wasn't enough for me. I learned that was no such thing as Hope, so when I learned of the existence of Pandora's Box... well, I think you can guess."
"Yeah. You killed all the Gods including Athena, and I'm guessing you killed all the mortals too, just to get your hands on Pandora's Box." Zeus concluded.
"The same fate will come to you unless you give me what I want. Hand over Pandora's Box." Hades demanded, outstretching his hand toward Zeus and Ares.
Zeus and Ares exchanged wary glances, as if trying to read what the other was thinking. Zeus glared at Hades and stated, "We don't have it and even if we did, there's no way in Hell that we'd hand it over to you."
Hades narrowed his glowing crimson eyes and cryptically stated, "You're going to regret denying me what's mine."
Ares stepped forward with a ball of fire in his right hand and declared, "You know what? I regret a lot of things, but kicking your ass won't be one of them."
Zeus was too late to stop Ares from throwing his fireball straight at Hades. In response to the oncoming attack, Hades outstretched his right arm. The fireball reached its target and an explosion of black smoke erupted. Zeus rushed to Ares and stood beside him, waiting for something to happen. Maybe Ares managed to hurt Hades, but Zeus wasn't so certain and readied himself for anything. The black smoke eventually cleared and, to the shock of Zeus and Ares, Hades was still standing and unscathed. Hades stared at Zeus and Ares and appeared to smirk at them before he responded by throwing both his hands out in front of him.
A force like a shockwave blasted straight into Zeus and Ares, sending them both flying backward toward the edge of the rooftop they were standing. Zeus crashed into the wall while Ares dropped to the ground hard. The latter was able to somewhat right himself on one knee, but the former took the full force of the shockwave and was very nearly knocked out. Zeus recovered just enough to see Hades now standing further away from himself and Ares, standing on the edge of the rooftop. Hades looked back at Zeus specifically, and it was in that brief instance that Zeus felt a pang of... familiarity?
"To be honest, it doesn't matter whether or not you have Pandora's Box. It'll be mine soon enough and I will destroy it and all Hope in this world. You won't be able to stop me." Hades boldly claimed.
Zeus prepared to launch a lightning bolt, but Hades suddenly vanished in a plume of black smoke long before he could take a shot. Ares just rejoined Zeus and said, "So what do we do now?"
With a determination he never thought possible in himself, Zeus replied, "There're others just like us, and we've got to find them."
Author's Note: Well, I launch my complain and uh... Doc Brown doesn't exist. Yeah, I'm a dummy. Anyway, this chapter has been completed and now Corey has a new ally in Brad, not Ares. There was also the first encounter with Hades, in which Zeus and Ares may have their work cut out for them. What other mythic forces will they face? Only time will tell, so leave some feedback and I'll see you soon. Peace.