One With Nature

The World's Heartbeat: 1

Have you ever walked home knowing for a fact you're getting a scolding when you get there?

That's what I felt like when I went back to the Shapeless Isels after my fight with Athena.

Saying I wasn't really enthusiastic as I slowly landed in the Shapeless Isles would be an understatement, especially with Stheno waiting there with her hands crossed. Medusa and Euryale were right behind her, looking at me in worry and panic.

"What did you do?" Stheno sternly asked me.

"I did what I had to," I replied, crossing my own arms and looking away like a child.

"What you had to?! You possibly made us enemies of the entire Greek Pantheon! Not just Athena!" Stheno actually raised her voice at the end as her glare got stronger.

"Zack, you didn't have to do that! Whatever feud that goddess had was with me! And-"

"And I should just stand by and watch as she turns your life to hell?" I asked, cutting Medusa off.

"What's with that mark on your chest?" Euryale asked with a raised eyebrow.

I looked at her in confusion. "What mark?"

"There's a glowing mark on your chest," Stheno said, pointing at my chest. "I didn't mention it because I thought you knew about it."

"What are you..." I cut myself off as I turn to my metal element and create a clean disk of metal that works as a mirror.

Sure enough, there WAS a mark on my chest. It looked like... a compass? It was a circle with a small line in each of the four directions. I can swear I saw this mark before, too, but I can't exactly remember.

"What is this?" I tried changing between a few elements, first fire, then wind, then water, but the mark stayed.

I changed to my tree element and began sensing, trying to see if the mark is mystical. But I still didn't feel anything. However, while something DID feel off.

I still didn't give off any magical energy, but the energy in the air around me seem to get... stronger? I don't know how to explain it, though saying more dense would be accurate.

"Hmm... it doesn't seem to be a curse, so that's a good thing," Stheno said as she walked closer and placed her hand on where the mark is.

Before I said anything else, I felt a POWERFUL energy coming closer to the island. "Something is coming!" I said, turning to where the energy was coming.

The Gorgon sisters looked at the direction I was looking at, and they seemed to pale as they saw lightning and clouds. "Oh no..." Medusa mumbled while slowly shaking her head.

"Now you've really done it, tree," Stheno and Euryale sighed in defeat at the same time.

I didn't need an explanation. I knew what was happening. Zeus was coming here to this island, most likely for me.

"Alright, you girls go inside, now!" I instructed, still looking at the clouds.

"What difference does it-"

"Now!" I repeated more sternly. The three sisters jumped slightly and hesitantly followed through with what I told them.

When they were inside the house, I changed to my Divine Metal element and started shooting metal to the house from my hands.

Shaping the metal, I made sure the house was surrounded by several walls made of divine metal. Even Zeus will have trouble breaking through all of these.

Turning to my wind element, I looked at the clouds again shot off the ground, headed straight to the king of the Greek Gods.

He wasn't hard to spot. Zeus' form was surrounded by lightning so it was easy to find him through the clouds. I flew in the air and stared at the God who was actually standing on clouds.

Zeus looked at me with a passive, somewhat tired look.

"So... the King of Gods himself. This might be a stupid question, but are you here about what happened to Athena and Poseidon?" I asked, preparing for a fight.

Zeus continued to stare at me for a few moments and I can swear his eyes widened for a second as he looked at the mark on my chest before looking me in the eyes again.

"No."

"Well, you're not gonna- wait, did you just say no?" I honestly thought for a second that I lost my senses of hearing.

Zeus sighed in exhaustion. "I was aware of the fight and watched the whole thing. Poseidon was the one to attack you, the spirit of the world, and suffered the consequences. Why should I defend him for attacking the Archtype of this world."

......... did he just call me 'Archtype'?

My eyes widen when I finally remembered where I saw that mark on my chest. It was the same mark Arcueid gains whenever she enters her 'Archtype Earth' form.

Did... did I just become Archtype Earth...?