The Lonely God (Rosekook)

11

"Wait what does their blood do?"

"If used according to a rite, it could amplify a God's power by almost ten-fold!"

"Yeah, don't you remember Cronus tried to sire demi-gods in order to use them?"

"That is completely against the Accords, demi-gods are not supposed to be hunted like this!"

"Their blood is precious and it's completely wrong!"

Jeonguk closed his eyes and the sounds of the uproar he caused melted away as his mind took him right back to Eris' words.

"But you won't be able to open another portal, you don't have the brother's blood!" Jeongguk said in a desperate attempt to thwart her goal. "Didn't you say the portal needed both siblings blood?"

Eris merely laughed. "I have more than enough energy in my reserves to power up five portals, thank you for your concern. That excuse was just to play around a bit and watch you react once I brought the sister. Of course I knew who she was all along. It was highly entertaining, it always is with you mortals and your little inner conflicts. I am the goddess of discord after all..."

"You planned all this?"

"Down to the last detail." Eris grinned proudly, "arrogant, cocky little hot-heads like you are the best to work with. I chose you a long time ago for this glorious day, my dear Jeongguk. Consider yourself blessed."

"Jeongguk!"

He snapped out of his reverie to see the commotion brewing amongst the restless deities seated around the arena-like space had grown so much that some of them seemed on the point of rioting (Ares had even taken out his broadsword and was waving it around gleefully). Zeus had to hammer on his throne's armrest to call for attention, the booming echoes drowning out his subjects' chatter.

"That is a very serious accusation Jeon," Zeus frowned when relative calm settled on the audience.

Jeongguk didn't blink. "I know what I saw: her blood was shot with gold."

Amid gasps, he continued: "And moreover, I think I know their parent God as well."

"Really?" Hermes, the winged messenger God floated down in front of Jeongguk. "Do tell, this should be juicy."

"Hermes, do not encourage him," Hera called wearily. Hecate's threesome gaze bore down on Jeongguk, unflinching like her ward's.

Jeongguk turned towards a handsome God quietly stroking a lute, his skin shining like the sun itself. "Apollon...how long has it been since you checked up on your mortal brethren?"

An even bigger collective gasp echoed, followed by hasty mutters and furious whispers about the Accords and wasn't everybody supposed to abide by them and how exactly did-

Zeus hammered for order to be restored again. "SILENCE! Apollon, what do you have to say to that? You know it's a serious transgression to mingle from mortals of other worlds."

The Sun God looked pale and weary beneath his shiny veneer. For a moment, Jeongguk wondered if the God was perhaps feeling a little under the weather but soon pushed the thought away—he was a Healer and a God, neither of whom fell sick.

"How did you know?" he asked Jeongguk, sounding defeated.

"I only realised when I saw the golden blood," Jeongguk narrated, "but then it clicked: the girl had a gift for music and medically inclined in her studies, while the boy was described as being of a sunny disposition and exceptionally talented at archery, gifts that can be attributed to your divine self. Moreover, they're twins, as are you and your sister Artemis...perhaps it runs in the family."

"Twin demi-gods, in an alternate universe that does not host magical beings? How did they survive?" someone muttered, "They would have been ostracised by those ignorant mortals." It could have been Poseidon, slouched across his throne.

"My heritage must not have manifested in their world, fortunately muted and toned down to maintain balance..." Apollon sighed, "and now...a daughter I never knew will be the downfall of me...and Olympus itself."

"How so?" piped up a young God wearing a wreath of vine leaves. He tilted his head curiously, like a puppy. "Demi-gods are just divine children with some diluted talents derived from their godly parent."

Apollon sighed. "Demi-gods are far more powerful than you think, Dionysus . They have a connection to their parent god, a channel that once activated, allows for me, the divine parent, to transfer my essence to them and amplify their powers.

 However, a major drawback is that the channel is not a one-way transfer vessel—it can be manipulated and the demi-god's energy be transferred to me, affecting me profoundly. For example, emotions can be channelled back to me...it's like an empathic link, only on a much deeper level."

He spread his arms wide. "Eris must have knowledge of this connection that flows within me and my kindred. She will use the girl as a proxy, with my blood that runs through the girl's veins. Eris is, in effect, in control of my powers."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you all so blind?" Poseidon sat up properly from his slouched position. "Take a good look at him. Do you see before you the usually resplendent Apollon in all his shining glory? Because if I didn't know better, I'd say he looks quite, quite ill."

Jeongguk felt the shivers run down his body.

It was happening, Eris had outlined the details of her plan gleefully, enjoying the way his mouth dropped in horror.

"Zeus, you have to stop Eris!" Jeongguk interjected desperately, "we're running out of time! She's affecting Apollon just as he said: redirecting corrupted energy right back at him via his daughter's bond. And that means the sun will go out and disease will spread! Monsters will overrun everything and the mortals will be wiped out, you won't be able to face the beasts by yourselves!"

"DO NOT ORDER ME YOU IGNORANT FOOL!" Zeus bellowed and a lightning bolt struck the ground at Jeongguk's feet, charring the spot.

"My Lord," Apollon said weakly, "heed the boy, just this once. He's not lying, nor is he speaking nonsense. Both universes are currently aligned thanks to Eris' portal and the death toll on either side will rise for mortals. And I....I'm not feeling good..."

"I will not waste precious time saving a universe that I have nothing to do with," snorted Zeus, "the girl must die if we are to stop the rogue and close the portals."

"No!" Jeongguk felt faint. "No! Please, Eris is keeping her alive, you don't have to kill the girl, just stop Eris and seal her in Tartarus! Seal the portals and kill the beasts ravaging the other Korea before it's too late—"

This time the lightning bolt cracked the flagstone that Jeongguk stood on and weren't it for his reflexes as he leapt aside, he would have surely ended up a pile of ash.

"Husband!" Hera admonished in alarm.

"My Lord, if the alternate world is completely ravaged and destroyed, you know it will upset the balance set by the Primordial Ones," Athena cautioned and Hecate nodded along, "remember, the destruction of one world can cause a ripple effect in juxtaposed universes, or worse, unleash an inter-dimensional apocalypse that will ultimately affect us too. Are we prepared for such a risk?"

"We will deal with that AFTER we deal with the mess Jeon gifted us here, in THIS world," Zeus said grimly, "I will protect the people that worship me FIRST, before dealing with secondary worlds in which I'm not invested in. Am I clear?"

He turned to Jeongguk with cold eyes. "I hereby propose for this miserable creature here to be sentenced to an eternity to Jeju-do for his crimes against the state and against Olympus itself while we deal with Eris. That should keep you out of causing the next catastrophe."

Jeongguk's jaw slackened.

"You," he seethed, "have got to be kidding me."