Paragons 1

by Gideon Mills

  McGarrett shook his head. “Like I said, a crazy-ass Paragon. I like you, Ares. You get shit done, but you are out there.”

  I took that as a compliment. “If you say so. Maybe you could help me.”

  The man tilted his head. “How is that?”

  “I’m looking for another crazy-ass Paragon, my sister Eris. Greek God of Strife and Discord.”

  The man smirked. “Does crazy run in the family?”

  It was my turn to burst out laughing, a big booming one. I’m sure half the city heard me. “You have no clue how true that is.”

  “I’m sure I do,” the officer said. “Look, if you want to talk about it, I’m off at six. Meet me at Kane’s bar on Fifth Avenue.”

  He would want to meet there, in that part of the city. “Great,” I said. “I’ll see you then.”

  That night I sat in the bar. It wasn’t much for the area, might be the cheapest place on the street, and that was a good thing. I wasn’t swimming in money, and I needed to figure this out.

  The officer walked in, and he wasn’t alone. With him was another cop I had seen around; she was in a police uniform like McGarrett. “This is my wife,” he said.

  “You never mentioned being married.” I took her in, and he was a lucky man.

  “And that is why,” he said.

  “Sorry,” I said. “Force of habit.”

  “I’m Janet,” she said. “And I hear you are looking for your sister.”

  I nodded. “Eris.”

  “I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to history. What can you tell me about her? Is she like Eris?”

  Janet and I went into a talk about my history, and Eris. The Gods. It was rather interesting and fun to talk about myself in the third person as if I wasn’t me. None of them believed me at all.

  I’m not sure that I have a way to prove it to them.

  “I’ll look into it,” Janet said.

  “If anyone can help you,” McGarrett said, “it’s her, or White Angel’s sidekick, but that ain’t happening.”

  “I wish. I wouldn’t mind spending some more time with White Angel.”

  Janet rolled her eyes. “I don’t get the appeal.”

  “Trust me, she’s hot enough to be a God,” I said.

  Both the McGarretts laughed. “You really are nuts,” McGarrett said. He patted me on the back, and we ordered another round.

  10

  Email is a pain

  Sure, back on Mount Olympus I had the internet and access to email. Though I had no reason to use the stuff. Janet was a big fan of email and instant messaging. I was slow to learn the difference and how to use them.

  Not to mention my fingers were better for other things, like pleasuring a woman. I was no writer and not a research technician. I made do with it, but I was just so slow. If my life depended on my typing I’d be a dead man. Thankfully I was a fighter, a warrior.

  Janet, much like me, was always just behind Eris. My sister must have been planning this for years and years. She had a plan and was pulling it off. The city wasn’t prepared for her, or for me for that matter.

  If my father hadn’t been a dipshit and had let some of us visit and help the humans prepare for those that liked to hurt them, they would be ready.

  This was his fault just as much as mine. Zeus was an arrogant gasbag. I looked up to where I knew Mount Olympus was. “Dad, you fucking idiot. Why did you not let us come?”

  If he were looking down he’d hear. Otherwise, I was just talking to myself. Which was probably the case. Either way I was annoyed and ready for a break in the case.

  Janet had a lead for me to look into; a lot of people in Hell’s Kitchen had been acting up. It was better than nothing, and I was definitely going to follow up on it. That part of the city had been made famous by comic books.

  There was a chance that a real-life hero was in that area, and I was trying to figure that out. I didn’t want to infringe on their territory.

  An email popped up from Janet and sure enough, it was home to a man that went by the codename ThunderBolt. I already didn’t like him. That was the type of name that my father would have.

  After thanking Janet, I left my place and went out to the location where ThunderBolt was known to hang out. He might have some information I needed. This was going to be fun.

  Getting across town took over an hour. The one bad thing about living in a city with eight million people and another ten-plus million in the surrounding area was that it was always slow going. I had taken to using the subway, or taxies.

  I was in a taxi today. Running and jumping tended to draw a lot of attention from both regular people and the evil Paragons. A guy in a cab went unnoticed, at least for the most part.

  My driver today was beyond cautious with his driving. I didn’t think such a thing existed. All I ever heard were stories of drivers that scared their passengers half to death. But this one drove like an old man.

  “You’re that new guy,” the driver said.

  I looked up at him from the back seat. “Uh. Sure.”

  So much for being low-key on the way over. I was starting to get noticed, and I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

  “You actually think you are Ares?”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  He tossed back a magazine to me. I didn’t think they made those anymore, but I guess in a city this size even old things like that are used. It was called Paragons of America. I never thought of such a thing, but here it was.

  On the cover was a blurry picture of me fighting the ugly beast. I opened it up and found the page with the article about me. It was both glowing and scathing in turn. Making me look saintly at times, while ripping me to shreds the next paragraph. The writer of the article was all over the place and couldn’t make up his mind on me. Part of me understood how he wasn’t sure what to make of me, since I was going around telling people who I was, and many though I was crazy. That part didn’t bother me, but the part that said I might not be looking out for the people hurt. So far, I had done nothing but help those here, and try to protect them.

  This was an interesting magazine, and I wondered if it had anything on my sister. As well as White Angel.

  I leaned forward. “I am Ares, and does this thing have anything on Eris?”

  The man shook his head. “Never heard of Eris. You think you’re the God of War?”

  “I am the God of War.”

  Maybe I should just give up, but I’m a stubborn guy, and I will not pretend to be just a regular Paragon.

  “If you say so, buddy,” he said. “I do like your work. It says you’re God-level. That’s fucking crazy.”

  I chuckled; the power levels. There was no doubt that I was God-level since I was a God. “I am. So, you ever heard of White Angel?”

  The man laughed. “I’m sure that every man in the city has heard of her.”

  There was no doubt about that, and a good chance every woman hated her. She was that hot. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with her.”

  “Yeah. Me too,” the driver said. “She hasn’t returned my calls.”

  I could tell that he was making a joke, and that Fleur didn’t just hand out her number to random taxi drivers. For the rest of the drive through the city I thumbed the magazine hoping to learn more about the other heroes and villains in the area.

  It talked more about the former soldier in Texas. Major Thorn was making a name for himself and his team, several rather attractive female Paragons that made me want to form my own superhero team. Fleur and me taking the city by storm. I liked the way that appeared in my head.

  The driver dropped me off in front of a building with a sign on the front. I was in the right place; it actually said the home of ThunderBolt. That couldn’t be the smartest move in the world.

  Letting it go, I entered the building and was greeted by a receptionist. “What can I do for you?” she asked. She was short with spiky blue hair and tattoos on her arms.

  “I’m here to talk to Thu
nderBolt,” I said. “I’m Ares.”

  “You have an appointment?” The woman paused in her typing and looked up at me. “Well?”

  “No, I just need to talk to him.”

  “My boss is a busy man, and doesn’t accept drop-ins.”

  I groaned. “I’m a hero, Ares. Greek God of War. Maybe you’ve heard of me. Go tell your boss I want to talk.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t look like no God.”

  I lifted the desk in front of me with my pinky finger. “Go.”

  She dashed away.

  I had put the fear of God into her, and I didn’t care. She needed to learn to see who was in front of her, and not treat people that could hurt her with disrespect. Ugh, that made me sound like a villain, but she had to see the world and not just look past us. That was how a person stayed alive. Looking at the world and not their damn computer.

  A minute later, she returned with a man in a superhero costume. Skin-tight spandex in blue with white lightning on it. “I’m ThunderBolt,” he said, turning and assuming I followed him. His hair was bright blond and have him a youthful look. “Follow me.”

  The Paragon led me back to his office. It was large and filled with what I was sure were expensive items. Not that I cared, but he was putting on a show for the people.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “I’m looking into some activity in Hell’s Kitchen.”

  The man scoffed at me. “There is nothing going on here.”

  I had a feeling this man didn’t do much actual heroing, and spend his day here telling people that he was the best hero in the city. He had a poster on the wall that said as much. Next to a plaque that honored him, from the mayor.

  This man made my skin crawl. There might have been a time when he had been a great hero, but not anymore. Next to the plaque was a diploma from the Paragon Academy. I had learned that there was a school to train the Paragons to be heroes. I wondered how much that cost to attend.

  Thunderbolt was eyeing me with a look of disdain. “You’re that new hero. The crazy one.”

  “Look buddy,” I said. “I have good intel that Hell’s Kitchen has some funny business, and I think it might be related to what I’m investigating. I just wanted to let you know, and see if you had any intel on it. Clearly, you don’t have a fucking clue what is going on.”

  The man’s face went bright red, and he clenched his fist. “Look, freak,” he said. “I’m the top hero in the city. I have the mayor on speed dial and everyone knows who I am.”

  His body started to shimmer, and I could see the sparks of electricity on him. “I’m like your daddy,” he said.

  I laughed. “You are nothing like Zeus. Trust me. You might have a little bit of lighting in you, but no real power.”

  There was no way that man was going to attack me. I’ve met his type over and over. All bark and no bite. He would threaten me all day, but if push came to shove, he’d be hiding under his desk and cowering in fear.

  I stepped toward him. “Do it.”

  He backed away from me and shrank in size. Just as I had expected from him and his type. Even some of the Gods were like him, and I hated them.

  “Listen,” I said. “I’m going to go out and do your job, and if you try to take credit for it, I’ll be back.”

  I didn’t even wait for him before I did an about-face and left his office.

  11

  Hell’s Kitchen

  I walked the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. This part of the city was better than mine, and it was no wonder that Thunderdick decided to make this his home. If I could afford this part of NYC, I would. Sure, there were better parts, but this was nice. I could see myself living here. It was nothing like the comics, and I was glad.

  Janet had mentioned a few places that had the highest rate of unusual activity, so I set off to find them.

  The first location was a hospital, and it had been seen better days. This angered me. That man was sitting in his ivory tower and letting this happen. It was sure as shit my sister and her power to cause strife and discord. She was just out here making people’s lives bad.

  Though I was too late to do anything about it. If Thunderprick had been doing his job, I might have been able to find Eris and put a stop to her.

  Walking through the hospital, it was clear that she had caused random fights. Not a full-scale riot like she did back in Central Park, but still enough to cause harm to many. That was her real skill.

  Precise attacks could lead to large-scale events. In the past, I was happy to let them happen. I reveled in the aftermath of the Trojan War, which Eris started. Those were the glory days for me. No longer was that the case, and I was out here doing something about it.

  Maybe I’d get the girl in the end with all my effort to fix my fuck-up. Though I doubted it. The one I wanted was out there doing her own thing, and I was off here doing mine.

  The more I walked through this place, the angrier I got at Eris. And at the Paragon supposedly protecting this part of the city. If this was the best they had to offer, it was no wonder the world was in chaos.

  I knew that the Greeks or my Roman alter ego weren’t the only supernatural beings in the world. What the humans didn’t know was that I was real. So was Ra, and the Egyptian Gods. That meant Set and Apep were genuine too, and so was Norse. Who knew what they were all up to? My father, by locking us up in Mount Olympus, had allowed them to run rampant. Maybe one of them was the cause of the Paragons.

  It was clear to me now that Eris was just one problem, and I needed to fix that. Then I needed to find out why the world was in such a bad place that Paragons even existed. Something evil must be coming, and heroes were required to stop it. To save the world, and my dumbass father locked us away.

  Frustrated, I exited the hospital and went to the next location. Restaurant Row. Again, I was too late, but signs of Eris littered the area. I hated being so far behind her. It would be one thing if this were Athena or the titan Coeus.

  I needed to get ahead of Eris and I didn’t have the chops to do it. That was tough to admit. I looked up toward my home. “Sister, I know you are watching. A little help?”

  Athena would be up there looking down on me. She would be creating a strategy in case she needed to act. I knew our father would demand it of her and she’d be willing to appease him.

  Athena might not appear in front of me like our mother did, but she might help me. She wasn’t a terrible woman, even if she didn’t love me. We were on the opposite side of the same coin. She had to see I was trying to do it her way.

  The old me, the one that people seem to remember, would have been smashing the city. Not caring about the carnage I created. It was true, I did that. I had been just as much a monster as many of the people I killed in the name of my father. He created me this way. As much as people wanted to blame me, it was his fault just as much as mine.

  Letting that go, it was time to go home. Janet was right, Eris had been here. That was clear, and she might just be living here. Not that I could find her. Athena might just be watching me. Looking down at me laughing about how stupid I was. How I’d messed up.

  But I’d be the one laughing in the end. There was no doubt in my mind, I would win this battle. For that was what it was, a battle. A war. And I was the God of War. You can’t beat me at my own game.

  12

  A surprise visit

  All that and nothing. I sat in my apartment, alone and in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. They were surprisingly comfortable. I saw the appeal to them over the tighty whities and even boxers.

  I had bowl of fruity pebbles and a glass of chocolate milk as I watched the morning news. A knock sounded on my door. I hadn’t been expecting any visitors. Setting my breakfast of champions down, I walked over and opened the door.

  Yes, I know. One should look to see who it is. But I’m a God, not much can hurt me. So I wasn’t worried about a crazy man with a gun or knife. The person who was actually there. . . that I was
n’t prepared for.

  Standing there in her sexy-as-hell costume was Fleur, and she wasn’t alone. Next to her was an equally sexy woman. She had long dark brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She had a narrow face, with deep brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. While she was tall, she had a fine-boned, slender frame.

  While not the same type of hotness as Fleur, she was still stunning. I took her in. She giggled. “Just like Fleur said,” the woman said. She eyed me. “And even more attractive than she let on.”

  I grinned. “I’m Ares.”

  “Oh, I know you, hunky man.”

  “Lola, for the love of God, please don’t.”

  Lola licked her lips. “I can’t help it. He truly is a Greek God.”

  “Finally,” I said. “Someone sees me for who I am.”

  Lola giggled. “You are one hot man. I’d ride you all day long.”

  “I like you,” I said. “What can I do for you two?”

  Lola walked into my place, and Fleur was a step behind her. “Nice place,” Fleur said. Clearly, she didn’t mean it. Her face crinkled up at the sight.

  The other woman walked over to my sofa, took the place I had been sitting, and ate my bowl of cereal. Never in my life had I met such a character.

  “Good stuff,” she said. “Love Fruity Pebbles.”

  “Don’t have that in Mount Olympus,” I said. “Again, as much as I love seeing the two of you, and I do—what can I do for you?”

  Fleur sighed. “You were right.”

  I shook my head. “Come again, did you say what I think you did?”

  “She did.” Lola finished the bowl and moved to my milk. She indeed had no boundaries. “We, and by that I mean me, have been looking into some unusual activity.”

  “You a Paragon?”

  Lola finished the milk. “No. I’m just a regular old person, but I’m a hacker.”

  That was a shock. Not what I was expecting at all. “So, you work with Fleur?”