Paragons 1

by Gideon Mills

  I groaned. “We need to get them.”

  “We will,” Fleur said.

  The next morning, I woke in Lola’s bed. It hadn’t been the most refreshing sleep I’ve had. Lola and I had cuddled for a while before passing out. I woke up with a sore body and not looking forward to seeing my dear sister.

  She might be one of the worst in the family, and that was saying something.

  This was a big moment for the fight against Eris, Finn, Fenrir, and Reign. Just thinking about how many they were brought me down. It was no wonder it felt like we were losing. That there was no end in sight. I hated that thought.

  We had to find my sister and stop her. And find whoever else was helping. The city was in terror, and while many weren’t behind Reign, they soon would be if things didn’t get back to normal.

  The world had Paragons now, and they are needed. That much I had seen. Even before I arrived here from Mount Olympus, I could see that, but it was reinforced by being here and witnessing their power.

  While they weren’t my equals, they did well. Humans were capable of amazing feats. I envied them in some ways. The fact they had developed powers to be as close to the Gods as possible was astonishing.

  Now it was time to save them. To save them from my sister, and from themselves.

  I got out of the bed and did my best to not wake Lola. She stirred and watched me dress in my jeans and John Wick T-shirt. I’d actually seen that one and liked it. Right up my alley for some kickass fighting and action scenes.

  I didn’t mind the shirt at all, even if this wasn’t the style I pictured myself wearing back on Earth. I had always been casual, but this might be a bit too casual.

  Lola smiled. “You could take that off, and get back into bed with me.”

  She was completely nude on the bed, and I could see every inch of her. Her perky breasts and flat stomach. It was a hard thing to pass up on. Not only was she physically beautiful but she had a great mind. She knew her way around both the computer and me.

  I wanted to take her up on the offer to have a little more fun. Lola rolled on to her side and winked at me.

  “You know I would,” I said. “I really want to, but we can’t.”

  Today was too important to risk messing around.

  “You’re no fun,” Lola teased. But she was already getting up herself. Lola was a vital part of the plan and had to be ready too. Just because she didn’t go out in the field didn’t mean she wasn’t important.

  “Tonight,” I said.

  “I hope so.” She gave me a longing look, and it switched to a fearful one. “This is so dangerous. Going into a trap.”

  I nodded. “I know, but we have to. Eris is the bane of my existence, and causing the city a lot of problems.”

  Lola walked over to her closet. I was able to see her amazing ass. It was one of the sweetest butts around. Hard to take my eyes off her.

  “She is, and so are Finn and Reign. And I get it, but I’m still worried about you three. I hate that I’m staying here and safe.”

  “You are hardly safe,” I said. “I worry about you too. Paragons can do some crazy things, and I fear for all of us.”

  She stopped dead in her tracks and spun to face me. “I’m completely safe,” she said. “No Paragon or hacker will ever find me.”

  “You are the best,” I said. “I know that, but I still worry about you. About all of us too.”

  She walked to me and pulled me close. “Be strong. You can’t be thinking about me while you are out there.”

  I sighed. “I can’t help it.”

  Lola and Fleur filled my mind all the time. They consumed me, and I was starting to depend on them. My time on Earth had gone differently than I had planned. Not that I had a plan when I took that leap or when I was picturing visiting again.

  Though Eris was as much a reason for that as meeting Fleur and Lola. Sure all my visits had had sex and I’d fucked some attractive women. This time, it more than sex and I was thankful for that. I needed this in my life and was truly happy to have them.

  I leaned down to Lola and kissed her, a short but passionate one. Her lips were soft against mine, her body firm.

  “I’ll be safe,” I said. “I’ll do everything I can to return to you.”

  “Good.”

  Lola spun on her heel and went to the closet. She was gone for only a few minutes, but when she exited, she was a new woman. Dressed in her typical attire, and it was hot. The collared shirt was tight, and the top buttons were undone. Her perky breasts were teasing me, and I had trouble taking my eyes off them. She had on a skirt that was so short, I was sure if she bent over I’d see her butt.

  “You look amazing,” I said.

  “Thank you.”

  Out in the main part of the hideout, we met the other two. Neither Fleur or I could wear our superhero outfits, and Steve couldn’t wear his police officer uniform. It was a shame that we couldn’t go out the way we wanted.

  Fleur wore a pair of form-fitting jeans that showed her amazing legs. They were among the best I had ever seen.

  To top off her outfit, she wore a shirt that matched her flaming red hair. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  “You like what you see?” she asked.

  I nodded. “I do.”

  Lola playfully tapped my arm.

  “Ouch.”

  “Like that hurt,” Lola said.

  I shrugged.

  “And I’m teasing,” Lola said.

  McGarrett gave me look that said you are fucking crazy. He didn’t know the half of it.

  “You ready?” McGarrett asked.

  “As I’ll ever be,” I said. I wasn’t looking forward to this, but it was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not.

  “Good,” McGarrett said.

  We were planning to leave the warehouse in waves and travel to the meetup alone. It was an hour away, and I would be the last to leave. Even with, I would arrive first since I was going to run. The others were driving, and we all know how New York traffic is.

  McGarrett was the first out of the place. I walked him to the door. “Be safe.”

  He laughed. “Safe is a relative term for us today.”

  It was my turn to chuckle. “I guess it is. I’ll see you there soon.”

  The officer patted me on the shoulder. “You will.” And he left.

  Ten minutes later, it was Fleur’s turn to leave. It was hard to watch her go. Lola and I walked her over to the door. “Be safe,” Lola said.

  Fleur smiled. “I will.”

  Lola leaned into Fleur and kissed her. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it was clear they loved each other too.

  I hugged Fleur, and she was gone.

  Now it was just Lola and me in the hideout. It was tough knowing they were on the way to the fight, and I wasn’t. But I would be soon, and I was going to see my sister. Hopefully, this all went to plan.

  Not that it was a great plan.

  I kissed Lola and left. Not looking back to her, because if I did, I might not be able to depart.

  36

  Dearest Sister

  The meeting place was in a high-traffic area of the city, Times Square. I had only been there once since I had been back to Earth and if I’m being honest, not a fan. Just a tourist spot to sell a bunch of stuff to make money.

  I was the first to arrive as planned, and got there well before my sister. The street was already filled with people. More than I could count, and one of the reasons I wasn’t a fan of the place. Too many people made me nervous. I hunched off to the side and waited for the action to start. I feared we were going to cause a lot of people to get hurt. Even at this early hour.

  Time dragged one as I waited for Eris to arrive. I knew that I wouldn’t see the others when they made it to their spots.

  Glancing around, I knew they both should be in their places. I wanted to contact Lola as well. She was radio silence for all of us unless it was an emergency. I both wanted her to contact me, and not. It was a strange
feeling, and one I wasn’t used to.

  Time dragged toward the appointed time when my sister and Finn were supposed to meet. We still didn’t know why they were meeting other than the chance to set us up. To make us look like the villains attacking Times Square.

  That horrible thought played through my head. Philip Storm up on the news giving his report. His pompous attitude. Going over it and saying, I told you so, over and over. It irked me just thinking about it. We aren’t the bad guys here. Not even a little bit.

  Eris was trying to cause pure and simple chaos. That was fun for her, and she loved it. While I had used her in the wars and liked the way her magic worked then, now it was a pain in my fucking ass. I hated it and was more than happy to send her to the Underworld to deal with dear old Hades.

  I knew full well that he wouldn’t be kind to her. Just like he wouldn’t be friendly to me. Hades wouldn’t openly say it, but the man loathed all the other Gods. Being forced to live in the Underworld away from Mount Olympus took a toll on him.

  As I stood scanning the crowd, I saw Finn arrive. He wore an impeccable suit, with his hair slicked back. To me, it screamed slimeball but what did I know.

  Finn stood there, looking around at all the people. As I stood there waiting, the number of tourists that arrived grew and grew. The streets were bustling with people. The locals were hawking their wares alongside people dressed up as different characters; a Mickey and Minnie Mouse were posing with tourists for pictures.

  People, for the most part, gave Finn a wide berth. Not wanting to mess with the villainous man. I don’t blame them; if I were a mere mortal, I wouldn’t go near him.

  Ten minutes passed, then twenty and no sign of Eris. She was late, and Finn was getting restless. It was clear he wasn’t a man used to people making him wait. This was the only good thing about all this, watching Finn squirm in Times Square.

  My body stiffened as I waited for my dear sister to arrive. She always did have a flair for the theatrics. Eris liked to feel more important that she really was. Being a God, but not one of the twelve made many of the others also act that way, since the Twelve and Hades were viewed differently. They got more prestige and honor that the others longed for. It was no wonder that many tried over the years, as Mount Olympus moved, to be more powerful and trick people into worshiping them.

  It didn’t work. In many ways, it had the opposite effect and caused many of us to lose power. The people of Earth now followed the one God, and the rest of us were left to wilt. I was done with that, and going to show the world I was a hero.

  Forty minutes after her supposed arrival time, Eris appeared. She wore some of the most revealing clothes I had ever seen on a person, God or mortal. She might as well be nude. Her appearance caused a stir among the people on the street.

  Her top was sheer and exposed her nipples. In her time here, she had pierced them, and the whole world could see. She had sheer pants on as well, with a teeny tiny thong that let everyone see her ass. If she wasn’t my sister, I might have said she was bewitching. But I was well past shit like that.

  And both Lola and Fleur make her look plain. I was much more into them now, and not Gods.

  The people stopped and gawked at Eris. And at the people that followed her, since she wasn’t alone. I should have expected that, but hadn’t.

  With her were several of the escaped Paragons, Thunderdick and Archer among them. I had learned that one of the men was Jamie and the other Wyatt. Seeing Archer and his thick frame raised my blood pressure. The man betrayed his own, and as a military man, that rubbed me the wrong way. ThunderBolt was no better.

  There was little doubt that these people were Paragons. They might not be in costumes, but they walked with power. No one could see them and not know. That made this even harder to deal with.

  Reign was sure to get word that a group of Paragons were in Times Square and would send out his goon squad to take them out. Watching it all made me anxious.

  Eris stopped in front of Finn, and with my super hearing, I was able to focus and listen in on the conversation. I wasn’t a fan of doing this, but it was sometimes required of me. Over the years I had learned to hate listening in, since you never knew what you’d hear. Plus, I didn’t want others listening in on my private talks. Not that I had anything to hide.

  “About time,” Finn said. “I don’t have all day.”

  Eris shrugged and laughed lightly. “You work for me,” she said. “Remember.”

  Finn narrowed his eyes. “I do not work for you.”

  Eris leaned in real close. “You do, and you know it. I might not be the big boss, but I’m second in command.”

  Finn didn’t look pleased. “Be that as it may, things aren’t’ going the way you said.”

  “They are going well enough,” Eris said. “The city in on the brink of war.”

  Finn sneered. “Maybe for you. But I’ve lost my powers. He better repay tenfold.”

  Eris laughed. “You will be rewarded for being a faithful servant.”

  Anger filled Finn’s face. His lips quivered with disgust. “Servant.”

  He said the word with such vigor and loathing that even my sister stepped back. She tilted her head.

  “This phase of the plan better work,” she said.

  Finn crinkled his nose. “If I know my sister and her pet, Lola, they’ll be here, and if this Ares is what you say he is, he’s here.”

  Eris nodded. “Ares is the God of War. Just like I’m a God. I’ve shown you, proven it to you.”

  The former Paragon’s face went white with fear. His body shivered from some memory, and I had to imagine that she had showed him the gates to the Underworld. Something I would never show a mortal, but it was a good way to prove who we were.

  “Yes. Well,” Finn said. “My father is pressuring me to get results. and we need those problems gone.”

  Eris rolled her eyes. “They are just gnats, nothing more.”

  Finn laughed. “The God of War isn’t a gnat, nor is my sister.”

  The Goddess of Strife shrugged. “So say you.” She turned to her thugs. “You know what to do.”

  37

  A Mess in Times Square

  Before I could even react, the Paragons attacked the people walking around. Killing innocent people. Stronggirl picked up a man and threw him across the concrete jungle that was Time Square, in front of many tourists. The man’s screams were deafening. Guttural. As he landed on the street, the shouts stopped, and he made a smear on the concrete. It was hard to watch.

  I left my hiding spot first and landed in front of the vile Paragon, screaming for all the mortals to hear. “Leave!”

  Around me chaos erupted. I had already diverted from the plan but seeing that man fly through the air and die was too much. Sure, I have done much worse in my own life. I’ve killed. I’ve maimed, but not for the sport of it. That was what this was.

  “Eris, Finn. All of you. I will not stand here and let you get away with this. You will answer for your crimes.”

  Thunderprick was shooting his fire at people fleeing. Archer was powering up to be my equal, but it wouldn’t be long enough. His powers only lasted ten minutes and made him, for that brief period, close to as powerful as me, but not quite. Ten minutes was nothing compared to being like that all the time, and I would make quick work of him and Stronggirl.

  Archer and the others stepped up in front of me. “I have been waiting for you,” Archer said.

  “As have I,” Stronggirl said. “Round Two. Ding ding.”

  Both rushed at me and punched with their maximum force. I didn’t move an inch. I let them give me their best and brushed it off. Both landed at the same time and sent me back several inches. That was it. More than I had expected if I’m being honest.

  Yet not nearly what they thought would happen. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that even my dearest sister had expected more from the pair. She never truly realized how much more powerful the Twelve were.

  She would be abl
e to kill me, but these humans were peons to me. I laughed.

  “That the best you got?” I asked in a mocking voice. Over the years, I learned that getting into people’s heads was the best way to get them off their game.

  Archer sneered. “You aren’t all that.”

  He launched a string of attacks at me. Punching and kicking with a fury and flurry. I dodged them all, smiling the whole time as he attempted to land just a glancing blow. Stronggirl joined him, both moving as fast as they could.

  I dodged a hook from Stronggirl, and a kick from Archer. I’m sure that the pair would take out nearly all the other Paragon in this onslaught, but I was no Paragon.

  “Haven’t you learned,” I said, feigning a yawn, “that you are no match for me. I’m the God of War.”

  “You are just an arrogant man,” Archer said. “The real God, the real power will arrive soon.”

  “And who might that be?” I asked

  Before he could answer, the police arrived. Along with their mecha suits for taking out Paragons. I groaned. While I could take them out, it would play into Reign’s hand. That was the last thing I wanted to do.

  I looked around the area; Fleur was fighting with ThunderBolt and McGarrett was helping to get people to safety. The team was working well and adjusting, but the arrival of the anti-Paragon force wasn’t good.

  I had to protect Fleur and keep her safe. She was more than capable of handling herself. She was the most skilled fighter that I had ever seen, and that was saying something. I had seen firsthand the likes of Alexander, Leonidas, Sun Tzu, and Spartacus. She was better than all of them. Made them look like fools, and if she had my speed and strength would make quick work of even me. Of all the Gods.

  Yet, she would be powerless against the mechas and the weapons that took out Paragons’ powers. I had to react fast and get her and McGarrett out of here. This wasn’t good.

  I leaped into the air, not caring anymore about Archer or Stronggirl. Hopefully, Reign would be able to take them in, and even though they weren’t good people, I hoped they didn’t lose their powers. I had really grown soft, but removing that from a person was inhumane.