America had been fun. It took a fair amount of distance and hindsight for Atreus to admit it. The ridiculousness that Kratos could get up to at the drop of a hat was kind of fun once he got used to the man's pace. A case of 'Oh, we're doing this now. Okay.'
It was an odd bit of familiar unfamiliarity. His father would often just decide to do something, seemingly at random. But in his father's case there was always a gruff practicality to it. There was always an objective to move towards, even if it was something so simple as improving their ability to survive against dangerous foes, or occasionally to teach Atreus a lesson. This Kratos on the other hand... If ever there was a true goal in mind, it was always for the sake of testing or pushing limits. Whether that be Atreus', for the sake of training, or Kratos' for the sake of finding a bigger, more impressive challenge to overcome.
Maybe that was the big difference. Kratos, God of Strength. He saw a world full of challenges to be conquered. Whereas Kratos, God of War. He already challenged the world. And he won. And he got nothing from it but regret. There was wisdom to be learned from his father. Temperance. Survival. Humility. But... For as valuable as those lessons were, and as grateful as Atreus was to learn them no matter how clumsy a teacher his father had been at first...
There was something about this other version of Kratos. An almost polar opposite. Boisterous. Reckless. Proud to a fault. But for all that, he was unburdened by guilt, and so was able to see and feel the joy of being alive. Atreus struggled to find anything wrong with that. Even when it meant watching him wrestle a tornado.
Yes. America had been fun. England... England was less fun.
And by his bored sigh, Kratos agreed.
"It's a big wet blanket," the god of strength complained as they walked the streets of... Some city neither of them cared to remember the name of. It was somewhere towards the south-east of the island, Atreus could remember that much. "It used to be a land of brave warriors! Knights who swore to uphold honourable conduct in battle! Ah, I'd call it the good old days, but that was all during that war everyone hated so much. Father demanded we stay out of it. A shame. It would have been great fun. I know Ares agrees."
"That's not saying much," Atreus noted. "It was a war. Of course Ares would've liked to be part of it."
"True, but what a war! Battles of such terrifying scope were waged, events that would shape the world as it is now! Many of them fought on these shores!" The god kicked a rock petulantly. "The men of this nation aren't quite so steadfast or proud as they were back then."
Atreus felt something grab his arm and attempt to pull him into an alley. A failed effort. The culprit however, didn't seem ready to give up. A man with his hair shaved down to stubble. Though 'man' might have been generous. The lack of hair aged him, but he still looked to have barely come of age. The knife in his hand was probably meant to be intimidating. "Give us your fucking walle–" Before the man could even finish his demand, Kratos came into view around the corner of the alley.
The god tilted his head at the silent, wide-eyed man attempting to hold Atreus at knifepoint.
"Uhhh..." The knife dropped from his hand as he turned to run, only for Kratos to grab his arm and lift him by it. The other hand taking hold of his leg. Muscles strained as the god of strength reared back. "C-Come on mate! I was only takin' the PIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiii...!"
Atreus watched as the failed mugger sailed into the horizon, thrown like a javelin hard enough for him to escape from sight. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"Possibly. I threw him in the direction of the sea... I think..." Kratos looked at the sun partially hidden behind dark clouds, pointed, then turned his hand to where south should be. Not quite the direction he had thrown the mugger. "... Close enough."
"Anyway, as I was saying," he continued as they resumed walking. "This land's time of legends came long after that of Greece. A thousand years or so. So many tales of brave knights doing battle with monstrous beasts, like Cath Palug, the great monster cat!"
"A... Cat?" Atreus asked. "That doesn't sound all that scary."
"You wouldn't say that to have seen it. Some creatures defy even we gods' understanding. Perhaps it's a great trauma from that time that has these people so fascinated with lions despite them never being native to these islands..." The god of strength shook off the idle musings to get back to the subject at hand. "But of course! The most famed beasts of the British Isles are of course dragons! Famous for them! One of the most fearsome even graces one of their flags!"
Oh. Atreus was familiar with those. "Wow... Yeah, not super eager to fight a dragon again any time soon." He couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment Kratos had that he quickly tried to hide. "So what happened to all of it?"
"Ah, that war. The way it ended, all of the fun creatures got sealed into Sacred Gears to empower humans. The angels, fallen and devils are all nearing extinction. All the bravest warriors died bravely, and now we live in a time of mostly peace where everyone forgot the joy of punching one another in the face to see who gives up first!"
"I mean... That doesn't sound so bad to me," Atreus responded, looking around. The town wasn't exactly bustling at the moment but there were plenty of people just going about their daily lives. Not really worrying about surviving in the way Atreus was used to. "People mostly getting along, living comfortable lives. And I mean, you took me to that uh, that boxing event! There's totally still people who love punching each other in the face!"
Like a moody child, Kratos' shoulders slumped at a counterpoint that didn't satisfy as much as Atreus hoped. "Yes, but that was all carefully planned and coordinated with strict rules of conduct for the proper weight of competitors and all kinds of other things that get in the way! No one ever just walks up to a group of proud warriors and shouts–"
Suddenly the god of strength turned sharply to the left and slammed a door off its hinges with his bare hands.
"LET US DO BATTLE FOR FUN AND GLORY!"
Atreus, who had gotten a couple of steps ahead before he realised what had just happened, had to stumble and scamper back to see what mad thing Kratos had done this time. And as he looked inside, he saw that yes, this time it was solidly in the realm of madness.
The occupants of the building, the many, many members of the clergy, stared dumbfounded at the mountain of a man who just broke their door to the point of shattering the frame. For a long moment, no one moved. Until some of them dared to look away from the behemoth, to a woman in the back of the room, standing over two girls, appearing to have been lecturing them before the intrusion.
But before the one who seemed to be in charge could do or say anything, the two girls leapt to their feet and each put a hand on the swords at their hips. "How dare you enter this house of God with violent intent!" the blue-haired girl shouted.
"We'll smite you in the name of the Lord!" the chestnut-haired girl declared.
Only for the woman behind them to grab both by their collars and yank them back before bopping each of them on the head.
"Ah! Sister Griselda!" the brown haired girl complained as she rubbed her head, not even needing to look before naming the one responsible.
"This is a little much for you, children." As the woman spoke, the rest of the clergy present in the room finally came to full attention, reaching for weapons, waiting for her word. "Though I won't deny it's maybe a little much for me as well. What causes an Olympian to darken the doorstep of this house of God?"
"The desire for a worthy contest of strength and skill!" Kratos answered proudly.
"... Really? I'm fairly certain the others of your ilk wouldn't appreciate you doing this."
Kratos put his hands on his hips, still striking a heroic figure even while expressing dissatisfaction. "Well it wasn't the plan but, honestly I forgot how boring this land was. The Americas! Now they still have monsters! Remember the wendigo, boy?!"
"I wish I didn't."
"And the weather! I think wrestling tornadoes is my new favourite hobby! But here... Here it's just..." His expression twisted in distaste. "Wet."
"I see. Well, a devoted servant of the Lord should aspire to the parable of the Good Samaritan. So of course we are willing to accommodate weary travellers, no matter who they may be."
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck–" The voice was quiet, distant, belonging to none present. Coming from outside and growing louder. "-fuck fuck fuck fuck!" And the source finally arrived, flying over the top of Kratos to hover in front of him on winged shoes. "Hi! Ho there, lovely folks of the Anglican church, good to see you, your old pal Hermes here, just here to apologise for him, Kratos has a way of barrelling through all good sense to do what he likes! So if it's all the same I'll just get him out of your hair-!"
"No need," Griselda said calmly. "So long as conduct remains cordial, I see no issue."
The messenger god wasn't as comfortable with it at all, but naturally his opinion was overruled by– "Excellent!" Kratos' eager acceptance. "So! Who shall be our opponents?! I look forward to seeing what the servants of God of the Bible are capable of!"
-(-)-
"Remember boy! This is just a spar! Don't be too hard on them!"
The funny thing was, as Atreus stood across from the two girls who were so ready to throw down with a literal god, he had no idea whether holding back as Kratos suggested was the right call. They weren't gods, but Atreus could only somewhat take that label. He had come more into his godhood over the years of travelling with Kratos, but it was hard for him to claim the same kind of power as one more established. Then again, he had helped against Baldur. Then again again, it sometimes felt like the gods of this realm were on a different level entirely to those he was familiar with.
Or maybe he had simply never seen those from his homeland truly cut loose.
Whatever the case might have been, in the here and now he could feel the intent of his opponents. Whatever they had been told, they intended to give everything they had to this. They felt confident they could surprise him.
He unshouldered his bow. No one seemed intent on giving a signal to begin, and so he shrugged and withdrew an arrow. The girls looked at one another, nodded in sync.
Oh good, they were starting.
They moved toward him, running in parallel as they approached. Jumping over them would have been cute, but he got the impression they were hoping for that. And so instead he chose the one that seemed to be the weaker link. The girl with the chestnut hair and the curved sword blinked as he focused entirely on her, moving around her side with supernatural speed. "Ljosta!" Just as Kratos said, this was just a spar. And dangerous as his light arrows could be, they were far less so than his other options. A streak of blue leapt from his bow, testing the girl's reaction as her partner was caught behind her, unable to act. Her reflexes were exceptional as she caught the blast of light on her sword, though the impact knocked her a step back.
"Irina!"
"I'm fine, Xenovia!" Her sword seemed to... Roil and twist, until it took on a new, much thicker shape to catch the second and third arrows. And being ready for them, she braced herself much better against the impact. "Haaa–!" The sword twisted again as she dodged under the next arrow. The strangely malleable weapon stretched out into a long and flexible cord that maintained its bladed edge. With a mighty swing she flung that edge toward him. What an interesting weapon! He was less enamoured with it when it coiled around the limb of his bow, but it was still unique. Still, even ensnared, Irina couldn't overpower him well enough to snatch the weapon out of his hands, only hamper his aim. And so he did something that didn't require him to aim.
"Kroko li!"
From the bow came a small storm of birds made of blue light that immediately sought out the most obvious target.
"Ahhh!" Irina squealed, seeing the birds ready to dive bomb her.
"Ha!" Atreus heard the other girl shout, saw the sword pointed at the flock of birds and watched as a blast of energy emerged from the sword tip to blow through most of them at once. The remainder of which Irina was able to fend off well enough.
The young god smiled. He knew Xenovia was there, able to read her intent enough to know she planned to ambush him from the moment Irina blocked the first light arrow. But she gave up the advantage she thought she had so she could protect her partner.
But, in defending herself, Irina had let go of his bow. And so having seen who had the best offense and the best defense, his target swiftly changed to Xenovia. "Ljosta!" Three arrows one after another loosed at the blue haired girl who only held off the first before the second staggered her and the third blasted her backwards.
"Ugh! Why are you so strong!" Irina complained, though more pouty than truly angry.
Xenovia forced herself to firm her stance. "That bow must be a legendary weapon."
"Girls!" Griselda called out to them in a slightly patronising tone, "You do remember what weapons you hold, yes?"
"Legendary?" Atreus asked, examining it. "My mom made this bow for me." Though it had gone through some big changes since then. "Then again, I guess it was worked on by legendary smiths so... I guess?" He had proven pretty conclusively that he could wipe the floor with them with just standard means. A little disappointing that he couldn't really try out his new stuff. But they were younger than him and entirely human. The neat tricks of their weapons were fun, but weren't going to turn the tide. So he decided to give them a handicap.
Reshouldering his bow, he put his hands together, a ball of blue light forming between them. One of the things he had been learning with Melinoé was recreating the elements he used with magic. It would be a shame for the light syphoned from the bifrost that enchanted his bow to run out after all. And so he had learned to shape light and lightning, while working on other things. Between his hands, the ball of light gradually took form into a shaft that then flattened, a curved guard taking shape above his hands.
"Did he just make a holy weapon?!" Irina asked.
"Girls!" Once again a shout from the audience. "Light doesn't always mean holy light, I've taught you this! Do you even listen to my lectures?!"
"It's the light of Alfheim," Atreus explained, taking the weapon in one hand. "I'm not much of a swordsman at all, but the best way to learn is with practice."
He could feel the irritation from Xenovia. She felt like he was looking down on her. He wasn't really. Or at least... He was trying not to. It was impressive for a mortal to stand against a god, even a god who was still learning! He used to think that kind of thing was impossible! But he wouldn't be able to correct her then and there. Once again the two girls communicated to each other with only a nod and the fight was rejoined.
He wasn't too proud to say it was mostly the gifts of his godhood that kept him in the fight. By mutual agreement it seemed they had decided to not use the special abilities of their weapons, treating them only as ordinary swords. And perhaps that was why the nature of the fight changed so drastically. Instead of Atreus running rings around them, they were able to play to their strengths. They were fantastic swordswomen. Still young, still inexperienced, but so well trained. The difference there was so staggering that Atreus couldn't learn a thing about swordsmanship from this spar.
And so he took the chance to learn something else.
He had come more into his gifts over time. He honestly wished it had taken longer so he wouldn't have gotten an insight into a wendigo's feelings. But in any case, he could sense feelings and intents much more keenly now. Thus, for him, this spar was a chance to train in using those gifts in battle. The two girls practically sang their intents to defeat him and so every swing of their swords came some time after he knew it was coming. Not only that, it was like getting a crash course in swordsmanship. He knew what they were going to do, and he could read their intents for what they expected in response. What they wanted him to do. What they feared he would do. Usually the former was for sparring with one another, while the latter was against their teacher.
Their feelings gave him the perfect counter nearly every time and with his well trained physicality, he was more than capable of carrying it out.
"How is he doing this?!" Irina complained.
"You liar!" Xenovia accused. "You fight like Griselda!" She leapt away and–
"Okay, time-out!" Atreus called as he watched her cast her arm to one side. She was readying something, and he could tell she expected it to end the fight permanently. God or no god.
Griselda launched herself at Xenovia, grabbed the girl's arm and wrenched it behind her back. "I agree. I'll not let you kill yourself over a spar. You aren't ready for that yet." Letting her student go, she shooed them all away. "Now off you go. You're permitted to watch. Mighty Kratos, if you would join me?"
"I am overjoyed to do so!" Kratos declared as he cracked the floor landing in the sparring ring. "May our battle inspire all around with its majesty!"
Xenovia glared at Atreus the entire time as they moved out of the way, though she wore a smile as she settle in to watch her teacher fight.
"I don't really wanna watch this," Atreus muttered.
"Afraid to see your father lose?" the blue haired girl taunted.
He looked at her like she was crazy. "I'm one thing but there's no way she can beat him. She's facing the literal god of strength!"
"There's only one true God."
His skin crawled at the certainty. At the fanaticism. He couldn't help but be reminded of the story of Persephone's death. After all, the exact same words had marked her grave.
In the ring, Kratos cracked his knuckles, letting Griselda make the first move. Which she did. By pulling out a gun.
What happened next could be comfortably described as a storm of very careful violence, at least to the human perspective. Griselda the exorcist moving much more nimbly and assuredly than her proteges. Only getting close to Kratos when she had to, each bolt of light fired burning his skin slightly. It could be described as death by a thousand cuts, but it was more like death by a thousand finger pokes. Her ability to actually harm Kratos was minimal.
And yet, his ability to do the same was none. She danced around him. Never gave him opportunity to pin her down and secure victory. Any single instant of vulnerability would end it in his favour and yet she wasn't allowing him a single one.
Naturally, Atreus could see the reason. He had lived it, after all. And so he could only feel worried. He could see every time Kratos attempted to catch the woman he moved that little bit faster, swung that little bit harder. It was a familiar pattern. A stop-start fight as Kratos adjusted his efforts upward bit by bit. Each attempt a response rather than an assault of his own. He was having fun, ramping up his capabilities to see what she was made of. The spar with Atreus had started that way also.
But because of that, Atreus recognised the turn. As Griselda was starting to sweat, starting to reach her upper limit. And Kratos was getting annoyed.
"Oh no..."
And in that moment... Kratos' attention shifted. Away from Griselda and toward his son.
His eyes closed. And he smiled. "Ha-HA! Very well!" Kratos bellowed with a grin. "I concede! Well fought, madam!"
"I... Really?" Griselda asked, short of breath, as confused as anyone.
"Yes! A splendid display, and I'm sure my son Atreus learned a great deal from your young proteges! Isn't that right, Atreus!?"
"I, uh," Atreus stammered, not understanding what just happened and having to reorient himself. "Uh, yeah!" he agreed as he turned to the girls. "It was a lot of fun. I hope we can do it again sometime."
"I see... If I may be so bold, and please pardon my rudeness," Griselda continued, "But I had heard less than pleasant things about Olympians and their conduct. I admit despite your demanding appearance... I have been pleasantly surprised."
The god of strength scratched his cheek, seeming genuinely embarrassed. But he managed to say, "Becoming better, perhaps it isn't what one does for oneself."
The exorcist smiled. "I see. May God be with you on your journey."
"And may Hestia bless you for your courtesy! Come, boy! Greater adventures await!"
The members of the seminary watched the father and son leave, a very relieved Hermes chasing in their wake and giving Kratos an earful.
Xenovia smiled smugly.
"Your pride is showing, Xenovia," her teacher warned.
"Ah, sorry teacher. But you just defeated a supposed god! That was amazing!"
Griselda snorted. "Girl, if he cared to, he would have turned Canterbury into a crater. Make no mistake, others call them gods for good reason. What's significant is that he chose to concede." Once again, her eyes turned toward the broad back of the god of strength. "Perhaps, perhaps it gives me some hope for the future."
-(-)-
A/N: This chapter seen very very early on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!