A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 470: Chapter 427

It was weird, despite being so far away, we could see what was happening clearly, almost like we were standing right beside them.

I\'ve watched pretty much all the videos I could find about him ever since they appeared online. Ever since he abruptly showed back up and caused a scene everywhere he went. And I knew he was strong, that was obvious, and I don\'t think anyone would say otherwise, but to actually see it in person was an entirely different experience.

What....was I even supposed to say at this point?

I felt like I had gotten a lot stronger recently. Even Sai had been helping with my training and I couldn\'t believe how much stronger I was than even a few weeks ago but.....it felt like the gap didn\'t even close at all.

He...

He doesn\'t even think about me, does he? Like I\'m not even a consideration in his head or plans. It\'s so obvious in hindsight, and evident by how disdainfully he treated us.

We weren\'t even worth noticing in his eyes, were we?

Here I was, not even able to speak when that thing looked at me. It was like some immense pressure weighing down on me when he barely even acknowledged me. Yet, Wilhelm barely even blinked and casually fought him....through an odd way, but even so!

They were just chatting while casually throwing out more power than I could bring out even with tons of prep time!

They were doing things I couldn\'t even understand.

And Wilhelm was keeping up with a literal God...erm, Titan? Was there even a difference?

Like something happened, and he just casually responded and explained them as they went and a God was treating him like an equal.

I had no idea what was going on half the time, only that they were throwing attacks back and forth. Kronos did a big stupid thing that blocked out the sky, something that was really scary, and Wilhelm just countered it without even a second thought.

What did he call it – Sword of Destruction?

Did it have something to do with out Bloodline power? Could I do something like that too?

It just completely destroyed that towering look-alike that Kronos made that could probably destroy an entire city with ease.

It seemed more ridiculous than watching the few videos of when Wilhelm fought Indra not that long ago. Maybe just because we were watching it all unfold.

That....game they were playing.

Was that even the right word?

A fight that didn\'t really seem to be a fight, but it could still hurt you. Everyone saw what happened, if their \'pieces\' were hurt, they were hurt too.

I was definitely relieved they weren\'t going to fight in here. I saw how destructive his fight with Indra got, I doubted it would be any less than that.

But that didn\'t mean there was no danger for him.

I was....a little worried.

But that proved to be pointless.

He handled himself so well that it really made me wonder how much experience he had.

That comment about how many times he fought with his life on the line. What.....had happened to him since he left?

Has he really had such a terrible life that he\'s had to fight to the death so many times that this is pretty much a normal thing for him that he doesn\'t even bat an eye?

Maybe....I should ask Mother?

I hated to even think about what was going on between them, but maybe I should stop pretending nothing was happening. I would be able to talk to her about certain things then....

Even so, I just...didn\'t know what to think anymore.

Brother always told me about Gods when he dealt with them. How they were super arrogant and powerful and they looked down on every other race. But here Wilhelm was being treated with actual respect.

Why was it that I\'m stuck at this point while my nephew was already towering over me with barely any actual time spent in the supernatural!?

It\'s not fair!

...is what I want to say.

Even Riser.

Someone I was planning to fight. Someone who I was wracking my brain on how to beat, making plans with my Peerage.....Wilhelm barely cast him a glance and neutralized him with a single spell like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Then he just....literally threw him out of the building like he was nothing.

I....hadn\'t even considered sealing him like that. I was so focused on beating his Regeneration, that the thought of just trapping him or making him not able to fight didn\'t cross my mind.

Super obvious in hindsight, but I just completely ignored it.

What was I even doing up to this point? I\'ve just been focusing entirely on my own Power of Destruction and not much else. Sure, I\'ve been doing some physical exercises but...It\'s not like I was going to fight on the front line.

I was a backline fighter and was proud of myself for where I was at.

It\'s laughable.

What was Wilhelm? I saw him fight in close tons of times, yet he also could hang back and throw around spells that dwarfed what I could do...

Was I being stupid and holding myself back by thinking of myself in only one way?

Satans, I feel like such an idiot.

I don\'t know why, but I just started giggling, and I couldn\'t hold it back.

"Rias, what\'s wrong?" Sona looked at me in concern.

Though it was pretty obvious she was also shaken.

"I just realized how insignificant Riser was and how stupid of me it was to spend so much time worrying about him." I wiped away a tear that was forming at the corner of my eye.

"....not the reaction I was expecting." She muttered.

"That\'s the spirit, cousin!" Sai slapped my shoulder...kind of hard.

No, I was just weak.

"Hey Sona."

"What?"

"Can you teach me Magic later." I asked.

"....what brought this on, Rias?" She furrowed her brow.

"Just realized I was being silly about some things. It would be stupid of me not to learn Magic properly if I\'m not a physical fighter." Why was I only relying on my Power of Destruction again? Obviously it was my bread and butter, and I needed to train it better, but it\'s stupid of me not to pick up some Magic to compliment my fighting style.

I can\'t just be throwing around big blasts of energy all the time.

I always compared myself to Brother, even if I didn\'t say it out loud, there was a bit of jealousy there. He was so strong and he only used his Power of Destruction, so I felt like I had to copy him to get the same results.

Stupid.

"What about Akeno?" Sona glanced at my Queen at my side who was silently watching us.

"She\'s good at what she does, but she specializes in only a couple things." I shrugged. "You\'re more familiar with a bunch of stuff."

"Fair enough." She nodded.

Why did it feel like there was a big weight off my shoulders?

I felt....calm, despite everything.

Maybe it was because Brother and everyone else finally arrived and the oppressive feeling disappeared. Or maybe it was because I felt like I had a new lease on life.

After seeing how so far ahead someone my own age was, everything else I\'ve been dealing with felt like a fight on the playground.

Not worth mentioning.

"Hey Sai, if you fought Wilhelm, how would you have done?" I kind of knew how strong Sai was, and he was probably closer to me than he was to Wilhelm..

"I would have lost." My cousin chuckled without a second thought. "It would have been a good fight though!"

"You\'re not annoyed or upset?"

"Why would I be?" He blinked. "Just means I need to get stronger because there are stronger opponents out there!"

"Heh, you should stop caring about everyone else and worry about yourself, Princess." The supposed new Monkey King offered his own two cents. "Gramps told me that if you\'re only focused on keeping up with other people, you\'re going to trip and fall down eventually."

"Hmph, I could have taken him."

"Sure you could, Vali." Bikou answered sarcastically. "Did you see that spell at the end? Hoh boy, that set off alarms in my head. I\'d have been turned to minced meat if I tried to take that. How would you have handled that, Vali?"

"Fuck off." The silvered-haired guy snorted.

He was the White-Dragon Emperor of this Generation, wasn\'t he?

And even he was saying he wouldn\'t have been much use there...

Maybe I am being a bit too hard on myself over all of this.

"Hey Sona, are you still going to get revenge on Wilhelm for blowing you up?" I suddenly asked.

"Shut up, Rias." Sona scowled.

Hehe.

[***]

Zeus POV

At many points, I questioned why I even decided to deem this \'meeting\' a priority.

Those others squabbled amongst themselves and I cared not for their bickering. If not for my brother\'s suggestion, and that of my daughter, I would not have even come.

Olympus did not need outside help.

But at the same time, the tides were shifting, as Poseidon would say.

After the fiasco with Indra causing a commotion, many others were thrown into the spotlight and many had begun to forget about me.

That was unacceptable, I was the King of Olympus and it was important to remind everyone of this fact.

It would be imperative that they all be reminded who stood atop Olympus and looked down at them.

Especially after the incident in Tartarus with Father being freed.

I did not believe any trite about Hades being responsible. Whether he joined that ridiculous \'Khaos Brigade\' or not, I didn\'t care. But despite all the arguments and fighting between my brother and I, I knew without a doubt in my heart that he would never willingly release our father.

There were others scheming against Olympus, and that would not stand. So I swallowed my annoyance and joined up with these others.

Some annoying arguing led to some sort of agreement I didn\'t care much about. Putting together a team of our younger generation?

It...wasn\'t a bad idea.

Our battle with the Giants in the Gigantomachia was proof that there were obstacles that required....additional resources to handle. To treat this as a similar situation would not be incorrect.

And It\'s true that there haven\'t been many reasons for us to train our newest Demi-Gods recently. They\'ve become fat and content with whatever privileges we\'ve given them.

I suppose it\'s time for them to earn their keep for all we\'ve done for them.

And as long as I do not have to deal with other Pantheons invading our territory, I had not much to say. A meager few brats from different places barely entered my eyes.

I had thought this was to be the end of it. We had reached....an agreement of sorts which I found surprisingly tolerable.

For some reason, the others were more open to accepting these concessions.

Indra had been quiet, far too quiet.

Of course, he had suffered rather recently.

Not defeating a Mortal?

Amusing as it was concerning.

But I would take pleasure in his failures regardless. He had become far too arrogant over the years just because faith in Olympus had waned.

He shrunk his head back now, like a coward.

This Khaos Brigade also seemed to strike at the core of his home as well. A second strike that certainly felled his confidence.

The others were more concerning, however.

Nuwa was not someone I had interacted with much. But her charm and insight were undoubtedly brilliant in how she navigated these talks.

The Devils, ignorable.

We had no reason to deal with them normally.

Same for those feathered ones

Leftovers of a long dead God.

Lugh....no need to concern myself with him and his ilk. His people kept to themselves, and they were now preoccupied with their own old foes returning.

No, the one I cared most about was Odin.

There was something that gave me pause about him, more so than usual.

It was as if he knew more than he was saying and we were walking down the path he already devised.

That Old God was not to be trifled with lightly.

However, all of that seemed immaterial in the moment.

How none of us noticed, I cannot claim to know the answer. Perhaps the subtlety of it took everyone equally by surprise.

How my Father managed to sneak beneath our notice and \'kidnap\' a room full of our younger members set a fury in everyone\'s eyes.

Once it was noticed, it became rather obvious. But had it not been discovered; how long would it have taken before one of us had seen?

As much as I desired to immediately confront my Father, however, despite the many years since that fateful battle to determine the rulership of Olympus, I still recalled it vividly. I stayed my hand for now, and decided to watch.

It took myself and my brothers to confront our Father, I was not foolish enough to ignore that memory just because I was now King.

"Should we just destroy this....barrier and rush in?" The Fallen Angel leader asked. "I doubt it could take all of us if we just brute force the thing."

"It\'s not a barrier." The Devil with the Green Hair stated. "Well, it is by extension, but not by design. It\'s cutting off everything underneath from the normal flow of time. Collapsing it forcibly could be detrimental to everyone inside."

Intelligent.

Yes, they say he\'s one of their \'Super Devils\' or some other nonsense word. However, intelligence was a strength on its own. My Daughter was not the strongest Goddess among ours, but her Wisdom made her a formidable enemy for any who underestimate her. I would see this as a similar situation.

Despite my dislike for the Devils, their leaders were not to be underestimated.

It seemed as though they took a similar approach. The Red one was their strongest, while the Green one was his aid.

"Do we have anyone inside that can help?" Lugh asked.

"We didn\'t want anyone to so obviously look over their shoulders....so while we kept people nearby, they were....also locked out." dThe only woman among the Devils answered.

"I\'m assuming that just teleporting wouldn\'t work." The Fallen Angel said sarcastically. "Anyone have any ideas? I\'m getting a little antsy knowing that Vali is there...."

"Calm yourself, bird-boy." Odin spoke and I found myself paying more attention. "I asked the brat to look after the other kids."

"Hmm, if he\'s there then it should be alright." The Monkey king rubbed his beard.

"Hmph." Indra snorted, but didn\'t dispute it.

"Our wards are not defenseless either." Goddess Nuwa reminded. "I\'m sure many of us gave them some way to defend themselves in the worst case."

"That\'s true, Bikou has a Talisman with a blow from me. He could probably take down this barrier with it." Sun Wukong nodded.

There were nods around the room.

.....we should probably give our own wards/demi-gods/younger generation some methods in the future....

It would look poor on us if our own descendants did not have such things if others gave theirs some.

"Why don\'t we take a peek inside first before deciding to go in guns blazing?" Odin suggested.

I found myself agreeing with his statement.

I did not care too much if the ones inside were sacrificed. More Demi-Gods could be made, and they were not particularly noteworthy in comparison to the rest of their brethren, thus, gathering information on Father was a far greater goal for me.

"I agree." I stated, throwing my weight behind the Norse Sky-Father.

"We can all pull our strength to look inside without an issue." Goddess Nuwa nodded.

Odin got up and made a spectacle of stretching his back. "I got this." The All-Father\'s eye glowed and he used the mystical symbols from his origin. "Alright, give me some of your juice, people."

Everyone casually raised a hand up, sending a bit of their Godly Power towards what Odin was doing. I too followed suit, being careful with how much I sent, measured against the others.

"Oh yeah, I still got it." He clapped as images came into view.

There did not appear to be any deaths quite yet, but I focused mostly on my Father.

I felt a flurry of emotions after seeing him again.

There he stood, facing off against the Mortal.

The same for which my fellow Gods placed some semblance of confidence. The same which Indra fought not long ago.

I did not hold him in much regard even after hearing certain feats he performed. A mortal was still a mortal in the end. A hundred years, a thousand years, would it matter? However....seeing my Father look at him with such patience caused me to start reevaluating my earlier perceptions.

My father was not one who opted for subtle or passive approaches. That was not to say he was incapable of them. But the Titan king was arrogant and aggressive in nearly all his actions. If he was angry, he would not scheme, he would stomp to whoever made him angry and deal with them in the simplest and most brutal way.

He was loud and bombastic.

Not....this.

We couldn\'t hear anything, but it was enough to watch. And it was as if they were having a casual conversation between equals.

"Hey, Thunder Crotch, any comment?"

"...Odin." I glared at him, not rising to his provocation. "What do you expect me to say?"

"Don\'t know, maybe some commentary? How\'s the brat doing?"

I glanced back at the image, Father and the Mortal doing some....mock battle through some odd means.

It looked as if they were battling through avatars.

It was amusing, but required no further consideration.

"Father is playing." I said bluntly.

The Mortal casted his spells, and Father defended against them with ease. Was there anything else that needed to be said?

There was....no need to step in. And I was more interested in gauging Father\'s actions. What was his purpose? What did he hope to achieve? Perhaps some kind of clue as to what he was planning, as odd as it was to consider.

Mother told me stories about his guile in the primal past, but I never experienced it myself. By the time we rebelled, he had become overconfident and blinded to his own flaws. But it would be folly to dismiss those tales now, especially considering that he too overthrew his own Father.

That was my intent, until something changed. Father became.....more serious.

His true power shined through the miniature avatar, if briefly.

"We should intervene." I found myself frowning.

"Hoh, Lightning boy you\'re worried are you?" Odin laughed. "I didn\'t take you for caring about all the brat."

"I care not for the Mortal." I scowled. "However, Father has deemed him a threat to warrant his true power. If he intends to finish his games, he may escape before we can remove this disruption."

"While I don\'t agree with what he said entirely, he\'s correct. We should bring this thing down now." The one who sat on the Dead God\'s throne agreed with me. "I don\'t like sitting here watching while our wards are potentially in danger. Even if there is someone there protecting them. If the Titan decides to stop doing what it is they are doing, a true fight would induce casualties by proximity."

"Well, hard to argue with that." The Monkey King tapped the pipe in his hand to the table, putting it away. "Can\'t go too hard, let\'s try something easy first."

His power seeped out and he moved quickly, throwing a fist at the barrier back with the vague phantom of a Buddha behind him.

It shook vigorously, but still held.

It seemed that Father also noticed as well.

"Put your back into it next time, yeah?" Odin mocked.

"Come now, All-Father, he obviously was being gentle." Nuwa stepped forward. "I\'m also afraid of being over zealous." She held her hand out, condensing her Godly Power into the form of a needle. A simple throw of it and it stabbed into the temporal barrier, causing it to shudder once more.

"Hmm, looks like they\'re finishing up regardless." Odin rubbed his beard, and then, he seemed to freeze in place. "...what is that?" He muttered, catching all of our attention.

The Mortal, he did something.

I narrowed my eyes to get a better look and it seemed to be magic filled with Odin\'s touch. Strange, that he would be caught off guard by something he should be familiar with. But I also watched as Father panicked.

Father panicked.

The Mortal did something that caused Father to stop whatever game it was they were playing.

Father was hurt.

The Mortal wounded the Great Titan King.

"Odin, what magic did that mortal invoke from your part of the world?" My words rumbled.

"Who knows." The Norse God shrugged.

"I\'m also curious." The Green-haired Devil looked at the All-father. "I wasn\'t able to analyze it properly."

"Even through a visual technique, and from avatars, the danger it posed was noticeable." Goddess Nuwa made a comment as well.

"You seem awfully close with the mortal, Odin." Indra cast a sideways glance towards him.

"Do you have something to say, Indra?" The Asgardian King stepped up. He was still but a child in most of our eyes, but he held himself well for his position.

"I said what I wanted to say, boy." The Hindu God responded with a scoff.

"Daughter, you keep track of all of Olympus\'s potential enemies." I glanced towards Athena, not allowing any other Gods outside of our Pantheon to hear us speaking. A small parlor trick, but one that had come in handy. "Report on him."

She lowered her head. "Birth Name, Takao Shimoda. Current name, Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg. Age – unknown, presumably, early twenties. He is the son of the current Lucifer, and a normal human woman. Currently living within the territory of Takamagahara, specifically the Eastern Youkai under Amaterasu\'s Priestess – Yasaka. Verified Relationships include known lovers – Yasaka, Izanami-no-Mikoto, Scáthach –"

I held up my hand to silence her. I didn\'t care about who the mortal was having sex with. "Recent events surrounding him."

"Since the gathering of the factions to broker peace, I have done extensive research. His most recent appearances include defeating a monster similar to the Hydra offspring in nature. Defeating the subordinate of Lucifer – Okita Souji. Defeating the Fallen Angel – Kokabiel. Defeating the God of Storm – Susanoo. Fighting the God of Lightning – Indra."

"Father, give the command and we can kill him before he becomes a problem for us." My son offered, killing intent spilling off of him.

"Son, do you think I am unaware of your desires towards that woman of his is the source of your offer?" I glared towards him.

Foolish boy.

He had been very vocal about the reappearance of a past love of his. An unrequited one at that.

If you are going to do something idiotic, don\'t do it right in front of me and other Gods where they can all see for themselves.

Sometimes I consider forcing the two aspects of war into a single entity to save me the trouble of them both missing valuable pieces of wisdom.

Those feats were...admirable.

He was not one of mine, so I could look from the side to admire his growth. I obviously would not have allowed him to grow so fast under my own watch without a good collar, but I don\'t know what those Eastern Gods are thinking sometimes.

But there was no point in considering it. He was not one of mine, and that was both a blessing and a curse. I would not have to worry about any ill intentions, but I also had no control over this variable.

Mortal whims were much more difficult to predict. Often making foolish decisions for ridiculous reasons. And with such power at his disposal, he could unintentionally cause disturbances anywhere he went.

"Enough." I said with lightning filling my voice. I gave them no heed as I shot forward, destroying the barrier.

Father disappeared immediately once he realized we were approaching.

Not that I should have expected any different.

Instead, I landed onto the ground of the room, staring at the Mortal.

I required answers.

[***]

Wilhelm POV

I leaned on my sword, looking at the God for whom I could guess their identity. Granted, I didn\'t come out and say it, more so just said something a little cheeky instead.

"Will!" A Saintess slammed into my back, wrapping her arms around me. Obviously, she was sounding worried.

"Hey, hey." I quickly went to sooth the Saintess. "It\'s fine, I\'m fine. There was no real danger."

Sad Jeanne was bad Jeanne.

For real, I think it\'s on the same level as when Jinn was sad. It just felt so wrong. Other people could experience a wide array of emotions, but those two are not allowed to be sad.

The other Godly figures and higher-ups arrived quickly as well.

They checked on their own wards specifically, which was understandable.

More like a cursory look over to make sure they were alive before they all regathered with me as the sort of...center.

Still, Jeanne got pats was my priority.

Jeanne did get a little nervous and hid behind me.

It was honestly rather cute. The same Jeanne who rode into battle hundreds of times and commanded thousands of soldiers was also shy when people stared at her in other settings. I didn\'t even think it was because of the Godly gazes, she wouldn\'t back down under them if it came to it.

She was just adorable.

But I digress.

"Well, howdy. Wonderful evening it\'s been, huh?" I finally decided to break the awkward silence. "If there\'s nothing else, I\'ll probably be hitting the road."

"Oh stop being a smartass." Odin snorted. "What happened?"

Ah, right to it then. "Big guy showed up, we chatted, and then played a game in lieu of fighting it out. But I\'m guessing you already know that." I eyed them skeptically. I wasn\'t one hundred percent sure they were watching, but I had a feeling so.

"Mortal."

"God." I responded, not liking his rude tone.

He looked unamused.

"Come on, let\'s not fight." Sun Wukong casually produced a chair to sit down on. I don\'t know where he was keeping it, but who was I to tell the Monkey King that he couldn\'t magically produce furniture. "He probably doesn\'t know who you are, Zeus."

Well, the two deities that flanked his side were big giveaways. And to be honest, artists\' depictions of him were pretty spot on. Sure some minor details were off, but overall, I had confidence in picking him out in a room.

"Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service." I introduced myself.

"I am Zues, Master of Olympus." He grumphed. It came off as halfhearted and merely pleasantries. "You also have the honor of meeting my children, Ares, and Athena." He wasn\'t quite frowning, but it was easy to tell he didn\'t want to do a whole introduction and was probably annoyed that he had to go through this rather than just demand something of me.

"Charmed." I said curtly, glancing at both of them. "So, what can I do for you all?"

"What did my Father speak to you about?" Zeus ignored everything else and immediately spoke up. There was a sort of demand in his tone that irked me.

I don\'t even think it was intentional. Just like....a normalcy of his everyday way of speaking.

Zeus spoke, and everyone under him fell over themselves to answer.

"We talked about a lot of things." I felt myself frowning. "Be more specific."

"Come on, kiddo." Azazel stepped in. "This isn\'t just for him. We need to know what happened. A big guy like Kronos coming to cause problems for all of us is a big deal."

"Well, first off, you may want to check in with your people because he all but admitted that he was a distraction." I said that much at least.

Azazel blinked. "Crap, Serafall –"

"On it." She was already pulling out a phone. "Baldie, idiot, you two check things out."

The Two other Satans immediately departed at the speed of Teleportation.

"Besides, you could ask anyone else here what they heard. There\'s a room full of people here to act as witnesses." I shrugged. "Otherwise, if you need me, I\'ll –"

"I will reward you in relation to the insight you offer." Zeus suddenly spoke up, making my stop in my tracks.

"Come again?" I blinked.

"I\'m with the brat there. Since when are you so charitable, Thunder Crotch?"

"Call me that again, All-father and you will see first hand my temper." Zeus growled. "And it\'s common sense to pay for a service, or are you too out of touch with mortal affairs." He scoffed.

"A reward?" I perked up.

Odin continued to stare at Zeus. "I\'m skeptical about your identity right now."

"You are testing my patience." Zeus issued another low growl.

"It\'s just odd, is all."

"What is odd about me paying for information? Do the nuances of rulership escape you in your old age?" Zeus scowled. "You pay a mercenary for their sword, that is knowledge since time innumerable. He is not under myself, thus he is treated as such. My father bestowed some amount of respect upon him, thus I will offer the same respect. His insight is more valuable than any other who witnessed."

You know, that sounded rather logical, yet still carried a large amount of arrogance in it.

I\'m impressed.

"Yes, Olympus rewards those who perform meritorious services to the Gods." The Goddess Athena smiled. "Protecting our wards, and providing information about a common enemy are admirable deeds."

And here comes the scheming.

I wasn\'t oblivious to it, even if I didn\'t care to think too hard about it at the moment.

But I was keen on receiving a reward.

I like to receive things.

"Oh come off it." Odin huffed. "Dammit, self-righteous asshole, making everyone else look bad."

"Oh neat, can I have a Golden Apple?" I just took a shot in the dark.

Zeus twitched slightly, but it wasn\'t an outright rejection. "Rarely has one been rewarded to a mortal." He said.

Ah, I can read between the lines here.

He needs something decent otherwise it\'s a no go.

Hmm.

"Well." I tapped my chin. "Kronos was just here as a distraction. At most, he took a pot shot at some people without much care. It seems he was mostly interested in just taking a look at the \'mortals\' in comparison to his time. Secondly, he\'s obviously working with people other than his own. A few of his choice of words implied some people supporting him or such. The Khaos Brigade is almost a certainty, but I can\'t say for 100%. He did also let slip something, but it\'s just my conjecture. I\'ll just point out the obvious for the sake of it, you should probably keep an eye on Atlas if he\'s still stuck holding up the \'world\' and all that. Perhaps Prometheus too if he\'s still sore about the centuries of torture. But otherwise, there was a slip up from him briefly mentioning some friends. Could mean his old comrades, could mean new ones. Might want to check out the \'lesser Gods\' who aren\'t too happy with your lot right now. Hmm, it\'s also worth pointing out that he\'s not at full power, make of that what you will."

I just rambled out everything I had thought of.

Zeus frowned after hearing what I had to say.

Well, it\'s not like most of that wouldn\'t be obvious from hearing any reports about what happened from other people, but what could you do?

"Ah." I blinked.

"Speak." Zeus noticed my expression.

"Well, the first thing I would do in his situation.....um....did him and your mom ever officially separate?" Perhaps I could have chosen my words more carefully but it is what it is.

Zues\'s eyes flashed briefly. "I will send a Golden Apple at a later date."

Hmm, well bully for me.

Sometimes, you just need someone else to point out he obvious when you\'re caught up in your own head.

He\'d been surprisingly amicable.

Well, for a Greek God.

There didn\'t seem to be any other issues. Thus, I found myself about to say my final goodbyes until the doors slammed open.

Venelana came in with Mozart at her side, and accompanying her was also Raikou and Scáthach.

Did she call them out of concern?

I wasn\'t really in any danger...but I supposed she didn\'t know that.

Wait, how did she even know I was \'in trouble\' in the first place if these Gods only barely found out moments ago?

"Mother?" A certain red-headed devil exclaimed, not particularly loud.

"...daughter?" Indra stared at Raikou.

"My love." The last one made me do a double check. A...surprisingly soft, if sharp tone came out from under the horned helmet of Area as he stared at my Scáthach.

....The Greeks don\'t need two Gods of War, right?

[***]

A/N

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