War God's Mantle- Underworld

by James Hunter

  I growled at the old man. “Above, in the library, is there a passage to the Temple of Hades on Lycastia Island?”

  His eyes went to Persephone. “She should know, shouldn’t she? That is where she came from, after all. Or perhaps she doesn’t remember ... for a reason! There are no coincidences, War God, only the hand of the haggard Fates.”

  The old man lurched. He grabbed a clockwork orb from his belt and triggered it. A flash of red light exploded out across the courtyard. That power gleamed in the Minotaur and the Tauromino. The pair of monstrous creatures rose at once, floating in the air—suspended by some unseen power. In a flash, pieces of the steam-powered animals went flying, reattaching themselves to the labyrinth guardians’ broken bodies. Repairing them. Resurrecting them. The dick had been monologuing, buying time until he could act. And worse, it had worked.

  We didn’t have the time to fight them again. No.

  The red godstone in Daedalus’ chest glowed brightly. “I am not defeated yet! I will have my vengeance. I will use your flesh to craft an army of my own. I will conquer all!”

  That wasn’t going to happen. With a sneer, I swung a sickle and hacked off Daedalus’ head, adding yet another decapitation to our collection in Minos Omega.

  The minute the Greek genius died, the scarlet gleaming inside the godstone dimmed, guttered, and finally faded to black. His body melted away into dust, as did all the flesh of all his creations. Only scrap metal and ruined engines remained. A deathly silence fell across the agora. Something red winked in the middle of the Minotaur’s remnants—it was the same bloody color as Hephaestus’ godstone, now lying in the dust of its former master. Could it be?

  I’d investigate that in a minute.

  We were down to about two hours now. We had to get to the Temple of Hades, and we had to do it quickly. But there was one loose end I needed to address first. I wheeled on Persephone.

  “Is the way clear now, goddess?” I asked, voice rough, low, and unamused. “Have we vanquished those who would oppose us?”

  She nodded, fear in her eyes. “I’ll trade you this”—she lifted the Necklace of Asclepius with a trembling hand—“in exchange for my mother’s weapons. I have a couple Essence potions left. If all goes well, we will reach the temple before I run out. However, I do wonder about your role in the Olympian War, Ares.”

  The godstone didn’t want to think about it, and I didn’t much care. The past was the past, and I was never much for history class. Current events? Yes, those were important. Deadly important, without a doubt.

  From the shadows, Loxo appeared. She snatched the necklace away from Persephone, and then climbed up my arm to press the amulet against my forehead.

  The necklace emitted a loud whine as the gears worked overtime to clear my head of Ares’ corrupting influence. Persephone came forward a moment later and took the sickles out of my hands.

  Loxo dismounted and stuck the amulet into my hand.

  I took it. “Thanks,” I said. And meant it. I needed to think, and that wasn’t the godstone’s strong suit.

  My Huntress smirked and kissed me, then faded away into the shadows.

  Phoebe came forward to repair the chain. Wow, so the Necklace of Asclepius helped with Persephone’s pomegranate seed problem. I’ll have to ponder that. I didn’t see that coming.

  Without the necklace, Persephone had to sit down. She held the sickles in her hands. The fate of her mother was still unknown, but I had an idea that we’d learn more in the Olympian Library. Problem was, we wouldn’t have much time to consult the card catalog.

  Sane Decisions and Insane Weapons

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, I sat in the Olympian Library, where Phoebe carefully adjusted the necklace on my chest. I’d recharged it with a blast of Lightning Lance, and now it was brimming with Divine Essence. Which meant the caustic, bloodthirsty spirit of Ares was temporarily held at bay.

  I sighed, scrubbed a hand through my hair, then nodded my thanks at Phoebe.

  No worries, big guy, she sent, tapping me on the chest, a wry smirk on her face.

  I breathed slowly, scoping out the interior of the Olympian Library, which was about a million times bigger than the secret library where we’d fought our first batch of Daedalus’ hobbies. Not far off, the Helios Chariot sat next to Phoebe’s mech, which still needed some repairs and a bit of TLC.

  I lounged in an oddly modern high-backed leather chair, positioned at a large hardwood table. In fact, a lot of the stuff in here looked suspiciously up to date. Then again, Daedalus had access to the Stair, the power of a god, and lots of time on his hands. The Olympian Library was your classic Tardis situation: it was bigger on the inside than what should be possible. Bookshelves spun up above us in various galleries complete with columns holding up a vast ceiling. The place was near to bursting with books, scrolls, and sheaves of parchment, as well as tapestries, paintings, and a virtual treasure trove of other oddities.

  It was clear that Daedalus hadn’t spent much time in the library. It was in dire need of a full-time employee to organize the place. My Amazons were checking the shelves to see if we could find more information on the Olympian War or what we might be going up against when we reached the Temple of Hades. It seemed important, and we still had to wait for our slow-moving Harvesters and Beastiamancers to join us. According to Persephone, though, we had a little time to burn. If she could be trusted, we were practically on Earl Necro Earl’s back doorstep. Nearby, there was a corridor that connected to the wonky M.C. Escher Stair. And the entrance to the Temple of Hades was just a single platform away.

  Still, I didn’t want to waste too much time. The faster we put down Necro Earl and destroyed the monster generators, the better. Once we took out my former platoon member and that traitor Antiope, we would be able to set up an encampment in the Temple of Hades. Then I could take off back to Lycastia City for a little rest and relaxation. Get back to building Amazons and managing the city.

  But, for the moment at least, I had some time to think.

  Phoebe sighed. So, I’m a genius—I mean, obviously—but I’m even more of a genius than I realized. Originally, I created the Necklace of Asclepius to optimize your Divine Essence usage, which also inhibits any negative forces that might affect your constitution. For Persephone, it did the same thing. She optimized her access to her own godstone while simultaneously limiting the effects of the pomegranate seeds on her system. So, yes, genius, that’s me.

  Persephone was a few tables away, head resting on the table. She had her sickles back and she’d downed another Essence potion, but she was clearly hurting.

  Me? I was collecting ancient artifacts of the gods like a fanboy at a comic con. The Minotaur’s shield, the spear, and the sandals of Hermes—also known as the Talaria—sat on the table before me. Only a god could use what we’d scavenged from the battlefield, and I was the only god in residence. Well, the only one we could trust, and even that was iffy. Next to all my badass new gear lay the crimson godstone from Hephaestus, along with a little sliver of a crystal. That had been the red wink we’d seen in the remnants of the Minotaur proper’s spare parts.

  Phoebe saw me glance at the gem and the crystal shard. Yeah, our boy Daedalus, before he went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, or maybe even afterwards, sure was a smart guy. How he managed to slice off a sliver of Hephaestus’ godstone, I’ll never know, but that was what was powering the Minotaur.

  “Wow, Phoebe, referencing forgotten TV commercials? Cocoa Puffs?” I smiled at her.

  She closed the lid of the clockwork necklace around my neck and stepped back. The lingo from your modern times boggles the mind. You lived in an age of wonder.

  “I don’t know about that—though the ’90s were pretty rad. Anyway, I think Daedalus went insane because of the godstone,” I said. “When Ares first tried to give me all that power, I nearly lost my mind. That was the whole reason he came up with the gaming system idea. To slowly dole out the power to me, but only after I’d mastered the power I alrea
dy had. Part of me wonders what would happen if I tried to absorb that godstone as well.”

  Surprisingly, Phoebe wasn’t against the idea. Crazy thing is, I’ve thought about how we could hack the system. With a second godstone, that might level you high enough so you could redraw the sigil, and that would end the war. The thing is, Ares already put in an automatic choke, so you can only access the godstone a little a time. If you did try to add Hephaestus’ godstone, it might bypass that process, or it might not do a thing to help you.

  “And the godstones might not like being in the same host,” I added. “Not when one killed the other.”

  I sighed. I so wanted to know that story. I pulled up my character sheet and saw I had leveled again. “Hey, I’m level twenty-eight. I’m going to add more to Fortune, since the Wrath ability works well with that.”

  And what are you thinking for your Ability Point? Phoebe didn’t meet my gaze. This had become a point of contention between my generals and me.

  “Don’t worry,” I replied, waving her concern away. “I’m going to max out Battle Forged. Then when I level again, I’ll choose Elemental Smithing, so we can modify our weapons to really kick ass.” Without another word, I upgraded the Battle Forged ability.

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  TRUE, ON THE ROAD, that wouldn’t help us much. But once I unlocked Elemental Smithing, it would all be worthwhile. And then, even if I somehow lost the Aegletes Crown, I’d lose Wrath, but I would keep the other Path of the Builder miracles. I had to think long-term. And again, my plan was to utilize all my Amazons to their fullest extent rather than seek personal glory. The necklace was helping with that.

  After adding my next ten Attribute Points to Fortune, I surveyed my character sheet.

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  I WAS LOOKING PASSABLE, though I would have to go back and increase my Intelligence and Willpower when I leveled again.

  Carefully covering my hand with a piece of leather, I gathered up Hephaestus’ godstone and the crystal shard and put them in a pouch.

  My godstone grew warm in my chest. You are a fool not to at least try to use the crystal shard to increase your power. Touch it at least. Try.

  I ignored the gem. If I toasted my conscience, this whole game would be over. We could run some tests and experiments back in Phoebe’s workshop. That would be far safer than inside some vast library on the edge of the M.C. Escher staircase to everywhere.

  Phoebe offered me a wink, then limped over to work on the broken legs of her steampunk mech.

  Standing, I picked up the spear and shield that I’d won from the Minotaur. I’d grabbed them quickly after the fight, stuffed them in the chariot, and took off. Now I could go through their stats.

  I checked out the spear first.

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  HOLDING THE WEAPON, I felt my stats inflate, deadly power racing along my limbs.

  My extra muscle made my armor creak and crack. Everything seemed clearer—and not just my sight, but my mind, my memory, even my instinct seemed more finely attuned. It made sense that the weapon of Athena would grant me some of the same bonus she was so well known for. And the weapon abilities were damned impressive as well. I saw that even though the Minotaur had used the Battlequake function, I could use it again. It reset with a new wielder. That had been some powerful mojo that we’d been hit with. I could only guess what Immortal Hoplite and Sunfire Strike might do.

  I twirled the spear absently in my hand, using my newfound mental acuity and focus to revisit what I’d learned about the gods so far on my journey.

  I recalled what Daedalus had said about the two sides of the Olympian War. At this point, it was more or less safe to say that it had basically been Zeus against Hades. Those had been the battle lines. Poseidon had sided with Hades, I was pretty sure. That was how Antiope came to wield that fancy trident. And Hera, who hated her philandering husband, naturally sided with the lord of the dead to get her revenge. It was common knowledge that Aphrodite also had a long-standing grudge against Zeus, which meant she was another Team Hades convert. Persephone, though technically a member of the Underworld brigade, was probably neutral thanks to both her loathing for her husband, Hades, and her love for her mother, Demeter.

  Zeus would’ve gathered his children around him: Athena, Apollo, Artemis, and others. According to Daedalus, most of those were long dead, including Hermes and Hestia. Interesting. But even with the insight of the spear, I couldn’t really discern Ares’ place in the battle or how all the destruction had come to pass in the first place. Reluctantly, I set the spear back down—the world suddenly a bit duller around me—and instead picked up the blazing shield.

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  SO, THIS WAS ANOTHER lost artifact from the Olympian War. Not quite as powerful as Athena’s Spear, but certainly nothing to scoff at, either. And its ability to superheat weapons for up to five minutes could prove to be a devastating advantage if used properly.

  The godstone was deeply and passionately in love with all these weapons. And it gave me a perfectly plausible scenario where my Amazons merely handed me weapon after weapon while I slaughtered my enemies alone. Ha! I could only imagine how Myrina would feel about being my caddie. However, if I did all the fighting, that would keep them safe, and I would get all the glory. There was a certain sense to that, I had to admit. I could go through the special attacks of each weapon until all my foes were laid low.

  The necklace wasn’t buzzing on my chest, which meant this line of reasoning was pure Jacob Merely. So far on this mission, we hadn’t lost a single Amazon. But I wouldn’t bet on our luck holding out. If an Amazon died, they wouldn’t have to just face death but torture at the hands of Hades, and that? I sure as shit didn’t want that to happen.

  The Crystal Scythe was still the most powerful item in my arsenal, and I still had one Time Orb left for the day, though I’d get a reboot in just a few hours. I still could use the Mystical Barrier, which was something I’d not done before. I couldn’t use the Sower’s Glass again, which was too bad, since that would’ve proved useful against Necro Earl. However, I’d collected some amazing artifacts. Should I go it alone?

  Phoebe climbed into her mech and trudged around the table, heading for me. It was fully functional once more. Wanna try on the sandals? she asked

  More than anything. I grinned, pushed my thoughts of battle and glory away, and picked the Talaria up, appraising Hermes’ footwear. The buckles of the straps were made from bronze, and everything else was fine brown leather. Two feathery wings, about nine inches long and brilliant, pearly white, were connected to the back heel. In my hand, the wings waved lazily. I took that as an invitation to slide them on.

  Undoing my old sandals, I slipped my feet down into my new kicks. Pulling the leather tight, I buckled them on and pulled up the description with a thought.

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  I SHARED THE DESCRIPTION with Phoebe, who hissed in surprise and appreciation. Damnnnnn! If only we could get a pair of those on Loxo, amiright? Can you imagine what she could do? Not only would she be nearly invisible, she could strike at a moment’s notice. Pretty sweet.

  I didn’t disagree. But everything we’ve found is for a god. And since Persephone and I are the only ones with the god label, we’ll have to share them.

  However, one look at the spring goddess told me she wasn’t going to be charging into battle any time soon. Not unless she was wearing my necklace. The potions she’d been downing weren’t exactly doing the trick anymore. Damn. Which meant the brunt of the battle would fall on my shoulders.

  Myrina came stomping up full of dark emotions. In her hand was a long scroll, rolled up. From her face, I knew she’d found something important. And that something wasn’t good.

  She was frowning, her brow furrowed, her face a thunderhead of anger. Her eyes went to the godstone in my chest, then to the necklace, before finally settling on my face. There her star
e stayed. The anger in her gaze felt as hot as the Inferno Shield.

  “What did you find out?” I asked.

  She didn’t answer. She went to the table, unrolled the scroll, then walked away without a saying a word. The slap of her sandals on the marble echoed through the galleries of the library.

  When Good Gods Go Bad

  LINES AND LINES OF text filled the pages, all of it penned in cramped ancient Greek, all of it written by Daedalus, the mad genius himself. It was a full accounting of the Olympian War. A play-by-play, call-by-call breakdown of what had happened and why. Persephone came over, her face wan, her eyes dull. Together with Phoebe, we read the history.

  What Ares had told me wasn’t exactly the truth. A version of it, sure, but with some serious omissions and some significant factual discrepancies. He’d said that once Hades wanted to break free from the Underworld to walk across the Earth and that Zeus hadn’t cared. After all, it was only humans, and humans weren’t too important to Zeus unless he was banging them. Ares had claimed he didn’t care much for the humans either, but he wanted to defeat Hades because of the glory involved. I recalled he wanted to brag that he’d conquered death itself. How many heroes can say that?

  The truth? Zeus had wanted to stop Hades, but this was before the three portals had been opened in the Mediterranean Sea—or, at least, one version of it. Hades had always resented being stuck in the Underworld, and he wanted out in a big way. He wanted to rule over all possible worlds. Zeus wasn’t about to let his brother get that kind of power, so boom—the gods split into two sides: those who supported Zeus and those who were all rah-rah, go, Team Hades. Well, to be clear, most of the gods just wanted Zeus dead, and this was the latest, most convenient reason.

  While skirmishes had happened on the Earth of Lycastia, the war among the gods started taking a toll on the humans. Turns out humans were important after all—as worshippers. More worshippers meant more power, though there was one exception: Hades. The dead were his worshippers, so wiping out a big chunk of humanity was actually a favorable outcome for him. The rest of the gods, however, decided it would be better to move their war games to someplace a little bit safer, so they decided to meet in Minos Omega for one final battle.