"Liam, you're here!"
Today was the anniversary of Miami Phoenix High School and things were pretty normal, for now. Booths lined up the school grounds, students were either attending or visiting the stalls, and visitors were scattered everywhere. The activity was nearing its climax as the day came to an end. Most of the people went to the different events held by the school which the younger gods were involved.
Zeus had a hard time choosing which son he should attend to since all of them invited him and was hoping he would come to theirs. But then his favoritism instincts kicked in and chose one without a thought. His brothers teased him because it was so obvious that he would choose Apollo, which he quickly denied and made an excuse that he wanted to hear the boy.
And then there was Heracles cursing him somewhere far away.
He shrugged. "I wanted to listen you play." He was lying of course, because not a week would pass by with him not hearing his son's music back at Olympus.
Apollo wanted to roll his eyes but gave him a genuine smile.
Looks like someone forgot he was the god of truth.
But deep down he was happy since out of the four, he was chosen.
Besides, no one can resist him. "The recital's about to start. Let's get you seated."
The older boy shook his head. "No, no, you go on ahead. I'll be alright." He showed him his ticket and grinned. "VIP, right?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, best in the house." Before he could say anymore, his club mate Monica was calling for him.
"Break a leg."
Apollo nodded before running off to the stage.
Zeus followed the crowd being guided by an usher to the huge tent. He a felt strong breeze and the scent of rain hit his nose before going inside. A storm was coming. He at least hoped this night will end without monsters attacking them.
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"The hills are alive with the sound of music~"
Hades wanted to kill himself, literally.
The ex-lord of the underworld couldn't take another minute of this "work of art" that the humans had proclaimed. It's not like he wasn't into the performing arts, his taste were directed to the plays presented in the underworld like The Great Fire of London, The Black Death, Titanic…
Yup, those were the classics for Hades.
"My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds…"
Not this crap.
Ironically, he had seen this show a hundred times. The wife and daughter took a liking to it the first time they watched it, and now every year in the underworld the undead actors would perform this ludicrous play since it was a hit…to the two at least. The rest, if not all, were suffering…then again they were in the underworld…
He already tolerated this year's act, and now he was going to have to endure it yet again?
"Ji-hun."
He turned his head to see Dionysus smiling at him. He was seated near the main doors so if ever his sanity broke, he was prepared. "Shouldn't you be on that stage?" he asked eyeing his costume.
He was wearing a messenger outfit back in the old days. "Yeah but my scene is still far away." He answered and took a sip from his can of grape soda.
"You're playing that pathetic boy."
"If you mean by Rolfe, yeah." He took another swig before asking "You know him?"
"Yes, Melinoe took a liking to him…" to his dismay. "I'll leave after you've performed, and since it's the only major scene of your character."
He shrugged. "You can come back before I start."
Hades turned to the woman still running around the stage like a lunatic. "I'll take the offer then." He stood up and headed for the exit. The moment the door shut behind him, someone bumped into him. He didn't move an inch and just looked at the boy on the floor, rubbing his forehead. Their eyes met, and Hades knew he had seen him somewhere before, but where?
The boy quickly stood up and avoided his gaze by adjusting his cap.
He noticed he was sweating profusely, and began to walk around him when he caught his arm and felt him shook. "Pardon me but I think we are acquainted with one another."
He didn't turn to him but said "A-Aga- I-I d-d-don't know what h-human is s-speaking…"
"Really now?" He was about to face him when he was shoved aside and that loosened his grip on him. He could have easily caught the younger boy but decided to let him be, and watched him disappear to a corner. He looked down. On the floor lay a shiny black marble.
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Poseidon felt insecure.
Ever since he came here, he had been feeling that someone, or something, was watching him, and with the dim, colored lights and misty surroundings, it wasn't helping much. Standing among the crowd, he was waiting for Hermes to congratulate him because their group made it to the finals. He admitted he was enjoying the competition, and how the dancers moved to the beat made him want to do the Macarena. But with what he's feeling, he needed to be alert.
One-hundred percent-
"Damian!"
He instinctively turned around and almost changed his weapon if Hermes hadn't stopped him.
"Chill man!" he said, holding the hand with the rod.
Poseidon sighed and withdrew his hand. "I thought you were…"
He cocked an eyebrow. "Thought what?"
Shaking his head, he just said "Nothing. Congrats by the way. You were awesome out there."
His nephew grinned widely. "Of course! Sync said it himself, I'm one of the best! You'll see my awesome meter burst through the roof later on! You'll watch right?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I'm here for."
Hermes was about to reply when someone pushed him as they passed by. "Hey!" He quickly turned to see him squeeze his way between two people. "Tch. What's his prob-"
"Daisuke, after him!"
Before he could reply, Poseidon was already after the stranger. He couldn't do anything but follow them. He hoped this wouldn't lead to trouble because if it did he won't be able to show his killer moves for the finale. Running swiftly and dodging everyone on his path, he headed out of the gym.
He caught a glimpse of his uncle turning to a corner and dashed towards there. They were now behind the gym and Poseidon managed to trap the boy. The latter had no way of escape with those brick walls and could only cower in fear.
Hermes didn't know him but from the way Poseidon was looking at him, he clutched his weapon in his back pocket.
"Who are you?" asked Poseidon. "And don't play with us. You ran into me weeks ago."
"You've met him before?" asked Hermes.
He nodded his eyes fixed on the other. "We came across him just before the minotaur incident."
Just then, the mysterious boy started laughing until it became hysterical. "Agae…" He took a step forward, but he wasn't threatening them. "Agae had enough!"
"Agae?" Hermes then remembered he was one of Cronus minions. "You're that crazy satyr! The one disguised as Ganymede!"
"Yes! I is Agae! And Agae shall destroy the gods once and for all!"
"Do you really believe that killing us, Cronus will make you an Olympian?!" exclaimed Poseidon.
"No! Agae shall be made Agae! Agae shall replace Pan! Agae will be made god of goats!"
Hermes sighed and looked at his watch. They would be performing anytime soon. "Chaos I have no time for this." He muttered. "Let's just get rid of him!"
Suddenly, the sky shook with thunder followed by a massive downpour of rain which soaked them within seconds. Poseidon made a large ball of water on his right hand and said "I'll have to agree with you."
Before any of them could attack, Agae threw something on the ground and they were blinded by a flash of light. They heard him say "Agae is not your enemy today!", and when they recovered he was gone.
"What did he mean-" Hermes was interrupted by the screams inside the gym. "Damn!" The two of them darted back to the entrance to see people flooding out, the others shouting as they ran away from the danger inside.
Just in time, he saw Sync came out and approached him. "Sync! What's happening?!"
The older boy clutched his arms, eyes wide with fear. "It- It took-!"
"What?" He needed to grip the other's arm to steady him. "What is it?!"
"It took Angelica!" he slid down to the ground and started sobbing.
Hermes couldn't believe what he was seeing. The boy he was starting to idolize was kneeling and crying on the dirt floor. But the sudden realization of what he heard hit him. "W-What?!"
"Hermes!"
His head snapped to his uncle who was already at the door, the last person finally emerging from it. As he transformed his weapon, he said to Sync "Dude get out of here!" He proceeded inside the gym, but he had to jump to the side as spikes were sent on his way. He quickly got to his feet and hid behind a toppled table as another wave of spikes almost got him.
Taking a peek, the place was a mess, chairs and tables were disarrayed, pieces of shattered glass scattered the floor, and he didn't even want to know how "their" trophy got stuck on the ceiling. But what was worst, a number of corpses lay everywhere, spikes protruding from their bodies, and it was all because of that damn beast.
A manticore.
It was a man-eating lion, only bigger, and it had tattered wings and a tail like that of a scorpion. It shot poisonous spikes that can kill in an instant, and judging by the dead bodies, it lived up to its name.
"Hermes!"
He almost stuck a knife on the older boy's throat if the latter hadn't deflected it with his spear.
"Chill man!" Poseidon said as if it was a joke, but with the situation they were in, even Hermes wouldn't laugh. "We need to split. Attack it from the rear."
"Let's call the others!"
He shook his head. "We aren't the only ones. I called Zeus and said they were busy with theirs. Hades and Hephaestus aren't answering which leave-"
They heard a growl, and slowly looked up to see the manticore hovering dangerously above them. Its face smeared with blood and it was licking its lips as it watched them, hungrily.
Gulping, Hermes muttered "You need a distraction?"
"You're the fastest."
Hermes was slightly annoyed, just because he was the second fastest among the gods, doesn't mean he had to always be the decoy, but he couldn't complain. As the beast was about to swipe its sharp claws at them, they bolted, each taking one side. He threw a knife but the wings deflected it, but he got its attention. He ran around the gym, evading its spikes while throwing knives at it. He managed to hit its eye, and that aggravated it, but it finally landed on the dance floor.
Poseidon took this chance to ram his spear into the body, but the manticore shook him off. His weapon still stuck on its body, he had nothing to defend himself as it pounced on him.
As the music started playing Skrillex on the background, Poseidon found himself trapped under, the beast's face mere inches from his. He was exerting every inch of his strength just to push those fangs away while trying not to get nauseated from the bad breath coming from it.
The scent was a mix of blood and flesh which he doesn't want to know what kind it is.
Hermes appeared on the manticore's back and rammed another knife on its good eye, blinding the creature. He had to hold on tight as it tried to get rid of him.
Poseidon quickly stood up and shouted "Hermes, your knife!"
Still riding the beast, he threw his ninjato to him.
Catching it, he dashed towards the two and when he was about to collide with them, he slid under and stabbed it, making a deep cut. He rolled to his side as the manticore collapsed, sighing as he heard it disintegrating.
He turned his head to see the creature crumbled to dust, but Hermes was nowhere in sight. He sat up and saw him crouching over something. Standing up, he went to him and saw the dead girl's body. He asked "Who's she?"
"Angelica. She was Sync's girlfriend." Hermes stood up and forced a chuckle. "Funny, they only got together today."
Poseidon gave back his weapon and could only say "Let's just hope the Fates don't take anymore."
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"The world really hates me!"
"Shocking…"
Ares glared at the brunette. He didn't expect Zeus to come, but why did it have to be him of all people?
Then a manticore tackled him.
Ares was at his the peak during the game when the beast appeared out of nowhere and had attacked one of the opponents. He didn't mind but that meant the game was cancelled, which they almost owned it in the last few seconds if this creature, which was trying to claw him, hadn't butted in. Lifting the beast with ease, he threw it towards the scoreboard.
The creature's back slammed the board, causing it to spark and malfunction, but this little kitty was rather strong and it was flying towards them a second later.
The night sky pouring rain over them was obscuring their vision, but the lights of the football field helped them see clearly. When the manticore was near enough, Hephaestus snapped his fingers and it burst into flames, leaving a trail as it tried to extinguish itself.
"Will you stop with the flames already!" shouted Ares and he threw one of his axes, hitting its head. The axe got stuck, but it returned to him in an instant. The past few days returned some of their powers and he regained control over weapons, but being human has its limitations. He transformed both the axes into swords and started battling with the beast. He managed to pierce a sword on its side, but it countered and clawed his chest. Ares stumbled back and held his sword in a defensive position, clutching his chest in pain caused by the gashes.
Hephaestus quickly struck his flaming hammer and it landed a few feet away, but it still didn't kill it. The usage of their power was weakening them, but seeing the few corpses scattered on the field, they were reminded that they were the only ones that could stop this thing. At the corner of his eyes, he saw the goalpost and had an idea.
"Hey,"
Ares glared at him. "What?"
"Lead it there."
He looked at it and said "This better work." The other was already running while he was left to deal with the raging creature. "Hey ya ugly puss! Is that all you can do?!" He then dashed towards the goalpost. The manticore could only chase him since its wings were charred.
As soon as they got close, Hephaestus calculated his move before manipulating the metal goalpost and sent it falling to the manticore with a thud, missing Ares by a few inches. It finally dissolved into dust and a sudden strong wind took it away.
They both sat down, both of them panting heavily, the fight taking a toll on them.
"Are you really trying to kill me?" said Ares between pants.
"Too subtle…I rather burn-" he was interrupted by one of his fit of coughing. He had to turn to the side to hide the blood spewing from his mouth. He quickly wiped his hand on the grass, thankful for the rain washing it away.
Ares didn't need to know what it was. He forced himself to stand up and said "Dammit, where's Apollo when you need him."
The other also stood up and placing his fingers between his lips, he whistled. A dog came running to them and happily barked at Ares feet.
"Get that mutt away from me!"
"Mulciber, here."
The dog went to his master and received a pat to its head.
"Can't that thing turn into a hell hound or something? It ran off before that thing was here."
"Mulciber is normal…unlike us." And they both walked away from him.
Ares could only mutter "Tch, since when were we ever normal?"
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The moment Dionysus had finished his part, that's when the marble on Hades palm began to transform into a manticore, and they were ready.
The audience was unaware at first. Then they thought it was part of the play, even though there wasn't a lion in the first place. But when it tried to assault a couple, they started screaming and shouting. Everyone instinctively headed for the entrance causing a stampede.
The vines dangling on the ceiling had automatically warped around the lion and kept it from breaking free. The more it thrashed, the more it tightened around its body.
Before the former went on the stage, Hades had instructed him to grow vines across the ceiling. He wasn't certain if his theory was correct about the seemingly harmless object being a monster. But just to ensure the safety of the humans, he camped on the farthest corner, and that's where it happened.
Now, the two watched as their prey tried to struggle free from the vines, but the more it thrashed around, the binds tightened around its body.
Luckily, there weren't any casualties, but they could hear Dionysus' club facilitator, Mr. Moreau, and his partner, Princess, howling in agony at the front, but they just ignored them.
"My play! It'z ruined!"
"I'm never gonna be like Lindsy Lohan!"
"So what do we do it?" asked Dionysus, eating some grapes growing from the vines.
"Exterminate it."
He popped a piece of grape into its mouth, and then made the vine strangle it until there was no life in it. As it turned into dust, he asked "Where did it come from?"
"From Cronus, only he used a messenger to do his bidding." He looked at his palm, remembering the boy, specifically the creature. "Let's find the others."
"Oh! Can we like use your shadow transportation thingy?"
"We're just going out-" he was interrupted when the boy suddenly hugged his arm, waiting for them to teleport.
Since it looked like Dionysus wasn't going let go anytime soon, Hades could only sigh as darkness started to form around them, and in a flash they were gone.
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The winds weren't caused by the storm, no, it was Zeus himself.
The plastic chairs and wooden planks of the stage were whirling in the air. People were screaming in the distance as they struggled against the currents. Some noticing they were coming from the blond boy but were too frightened for a monster was swooping down and devouring its victims.
When it was about to eat the child carrying it, Apollo quickly shot a bolt of light at its hind. This caused the child to be dropped but Zeus directed the air towards the girl, making her gently float down like a feather. When everyone was a hundred meters away, Zeus electrified the beast and it came crashing down.
"Now!"
As the sky crackled with thunder, he sent a lightning down the monster while Apollo projected beams of light. The impact almost caused an explosion, and the manticore was done for, leaving a large hole on the ground.
"So much for a monsterless night." Zeus grumbled.
"Well, at least I got to perform." Apollo smiled weakly, but it was quickly gone when he saw the monster's havoc. "Those poor souls…"
"Just doing business."
Apollo almost had a heart attack while Zeus was startled. They turned around to see Hades, with Dionysus behind him, waving.
"Seriously Hades, stop teleporting out of nowhere!" said Zeus with irritation.
"There's a difference between appearing out of thin air and using darkness to lead you the way. Besides, your son begged me to. He deserved it since he did a good job on stage. Oh wait, you weren't there."
Zeus ignored the last part.
Hades observed the surrounding, cold rain prickling his skin. "I see you've done a splendid job right here."
"Only four died. Yours?"
"No casualties on our side!" said Dionysus rather happily.
"If crushed hopes and dreams will be considered, then yes, there were a few." said Hades, remembering the two bawling at the auditorium.
"So is counting the dead gonna be a thing?"
They turned to see the other four approaching them and Poseidon said "I guess Hermes and I won this round."
The boy could only nod in response, still lost from what had happened.
Apollo asked "What about you two?"
Ares pointed to Hephaestus "He left the field in flames."
"He destroyed most of it." he replied.
"Well, all's well that ends well, I guess." said Poseidon with a shrug.
"Not quite, gentlemen."
They didn't need to know who it was. They turned to the boy recording them who appeared out of nowhere.
"You've made quite a commotion, especially you," Hayes smirked.
"Lord Zeus."
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Credit goes to the owner of the image.