With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Mr Zoat]

27th October 2012
19:03 GMT

I raise a shield screen, reinforcing it with a duplicate of Raquel's kinetic barrier. The… Mass stops, the leading spines striking and-.

Lantern, it's-.

Shoggothing, yes.

Strands are passing through my barrier as the thing twists to expand around, its movement limited only slightly by the kinetic energy absorption effect.

Shoggoths aren't real. Lovecraft based his description-.

There's a flash of purple and my construct is gone, the durlan -because I do know what durlans are, Sinestro- turns to vapour that I suspect will be quite good at penetrating environmental shields.

In the background, I see one of the space elevators is enveloped in flames.

"Infernal-!"

I pull back, generating a powerful magnetic flux in the area in front of me. Durlans don't exactly have weaknesses, but they have vulnerabilities depending on what form they're occupying. Disturbing as the forms they manifest can be, they're ultimately expressions of their control of their physical form rather than anything magical.

My construct causes electricity to dance and the air to energise, the durlan turning into something a little more solid to tough it out. Which means that when Geoffrey's blood plasma hits it, it's forced to soak the hit.

Lysis, durlan, qwa-matter.

And that stuff burns anything, but-.

"Geoff, back up. It-."

Whu-?

I'm yanked off the ground, dragged into the air and sent spinning by-. Ow! Fucking Lightray shot me again, and the knobbler in blue and yellow next to him is doing something to make me float.

Pre-civil war durlan.

Thank you Sinestro.

"What do you want?!" Imperious Overlord Exigency!

"What do you think, Gray-face!?" Lightray has a very punchable face himself. "We're here to stop you taking over this planet!" "I'm the good guy!"

Better late than never. "No."

A wave of orange passes through my armour, disrupting… Ah..? The Knobbler's grip and I form a fusion cannon on my left arm as I draw my daiklave with my right hand.

"You come here." Lightray fires his electric wanking hands at me again and I block his shot. "To my place of power." I raise my left arm and he frantically evades, the surprised Bananaman watching him go. "And expect to best me?"

I feel him lose his grip on me as a glowing plasma shield appears in front of him. Bend To My Will!

"Hard luck."

Fire.

The beam howls through the intervening space, dissipates his shield and burns his armour!

"Waaagh!"

He reels in the sky, cloth flaking off his burns. Those are hardly crippling wounds, and a New God of any power would regrow that skin but someone blew up my space elevator and I don't feel like-

Watch your-.

-dealing-.

A stream of ferrofluid roars into me, battering my shield before retreating to orbit around-.

"Vykin. Leave Uncle Drax's magic robot at home today?" Dismissal of Trivialities.

He's standing on a small platform of the stuff as it undulates and ripples around him. Looks like his armour has been upgraded since our first meeting.

"Do not mock me, monster! I have seen the worlds your insane followers wiped clean of life, the-."

"Are you implying that you consider life to be dirty? Unclean?"

Ferrofluid claws leap at me, twisting around my hastily interposed constructs in an attempt to stab me-.

Before swiftly being pulled back as my laser constructs start taking shots at him. Sure, we both have bare faces, but I have construct armour and he's got a stupid 'unique' weapon. In fact-.

Alert.

Lobo-. No, wait, just a velorpian; the psions' partially successful attempt to resurrect the czarians in a slightly more controllable form. They look similar, but the velorpians aren't anything like as bizarre. I honestly thought that the psions killed them off when they terminated the project, but here one is at least.

Purple light leaps from his mouth, which isn't something that they're usually able to do. I evade, but the shot follows me. It's-. Is that a power ring effect? That colour's off but-. You Will Not Defy Me!

I slash the stream of energy with my daiklave, batting it off towards Lightray for a moment before the velorpian decides to save his shot. He closes, drawing two cleavers from the harness on his back.

"You know what they're payin' me for your head, bastlick?!"

"Not enough to get your lines-" A construct grapple grabs him from behind, slowing his flight and causing him to misjudge his swing. "-right, Faux'bo."

"Fag you!"

I fire, hitting him in the head at point blank range and blasting the skin off his face. Got his eyes too, but those will grow back pretty quickly. Must remember not to let him bleed anywhere.

Or… Quail The Vanquished.

The tip of my daiklave punches into his neck, piercing his windpipe and spine without hitting his carotid artery. The smaller blood vessels don't dare-

I cough.

-bleed in my presence. Wait, I don't cough. I'm a New God wearing an environmental shield. Something… Wants me dead. Looks like I'm the durlan's main target, though its efforts are impeded by the fact that I don't work like a normal living creature.

But did they brief it in orange ring abilities? Master Of My Own Domain.

Assimilate!

Durlan presence detected. Identity theft in progress.

There's a shimmer in the air, though I don't know if it's trying to get away or to bring in more of its mass. Just in case, I create a larger shield all around us to prevent it escaping. I don't know exactly how it's getting around my shield but hopefully this will disrupt its efforts a little.

Ten percent.

"Grayven!" Koriand'r swoops in, leading a small squad of tamaranean Orange Lanterns who swiftly assail the other New Gods. "What is happening?"

I puke, orange light and organic durlan forcefully evacuated from my interior.

"Someehgh. Someone decided to be stupid. Let's round them up and ask them some polite questions."

 

[Mr Zoat]

27th October 2012
19:06 GMT

Twenty percent.

The durlan's doing something inside me, and it feels like a combination of stomach ache and a chesty cough. But it's not radion, and my armour is fortifying my entire body, not just my outer surface. I think it's realising that it's on to a loser there, but my shield-bubble prevents it escaping fast enough to evade me.

In the distance I see an orange glow surround the damaged space elevator as the Lanterns on duty move to prevent a catastrophe. Good lads.

"Gunna cut 'n gut yah!"

Ah, his vocal cords have regrown. Two Lanterns-.

"Not blades, ladies. Don't pierce the skin. Blunt and burning weapons only."

They go to work with a mace and a maser. Nice to see that they're making use of those adult education seminars.

"Koriand'r, do you have any use for a velorpian Construct-Lantern?"

She shakes her head vehemently. "I will not use my ring to enslave another being."

"Fair enough. I'm stuck here until I've finished with this-"

Thirty percent.

"-durlan, but as far as I can tell I'm being targetted for elimination by both the New Gods of New Genesis-"

I smile as a magnet construct tears away Vykin's ferrofluid and the other Lanterns start clamping chain constructs on his extremities.

"-and… These people."

I scan the velorpian in detail, trying to-. Oh, that's interesting. There's some sort of… Thing embedded in his chest. Reads a little like a power ring, only… Not. It's purple? That doesn't correspond to-.

"You with the mace? There's an object in his stomach. Please remove it while spilling as little fluid as possible."

The tamaranean woman nods her hair. "Yes, Lord-" A strike to the back to the neck cracks the velorpian's spine and paralyses him for at least a few seconds. "-Grayven."

She generates an auto-chirurgeon construct, all whirring drills and flensing blades, and presses it to his abdomen. At least it's quiet.

"Princess." The leader of the squad handling Vykin floats closer, the chain running from his bracer to the construct collar around Vykin's neck pulling the New God closer. "What should we do with our prisoners?"

She considers for a moment. "Are these your people, Grayven?"

"Same species, different culture. I've met Vykin before, but the rest are new."

Lightray laughs as he rapidly evades the squad sent after him, completely missing the destroyers descending through the atmosphere with their flak turrets pointing downwards. The Lanterns back off and raise barriers as the ships fire and Lightray falls burning from the sky.

Hm.

Forty percent.

In the air and on the ground around the Central Power Battery building I see the same scene repeated: two factions being pinned down by Orange Lanterns.

"Vykin, did my brother put you up to this?"

"We do not need orders from Orion to know that evil must be opposed."

I look down at his waist. Yes, there it is. "Koriand'r, could you please take that device on his hip and pass it to me?"

She spots the Mother Box, blinks, glances down at my own Mother Box, then sends out a grapple construct to pull it from his harness.

Ping.

"Well, then you should have thought of that before coming here." I-.

Bluergh! GuH!

Ugh.

I think that's all of the durlan finally out of me. It appears to be trying to bring itself back together into a corporeal whole just in front of me. Maybe it wants to communicate? I certainly feel better for having it out of me.

I dismiss the bubble shield and grab Vykin's Mother Box, attaching it to my belt. Now, how to-?

"Lord Grayven!" The Lantern working away at the velorpian pulls her construct free, a small black disk in her construct forceps. "I have it!"

"Oh, that is interesting. Pass it here?"

She throws it to me and I catch it in my right hand. "Sinestro, is this what I think it is?"

"I can't feel any particular emotional resonance."

"It seems that I've done something to earn the ire of the Green Lantern Corpse, the Guardians' team of black operations assassins. Which makes you-"

The durlan in front of me is shifting back into their blank humanoid mode, and clutching his head as he tries and fails to fight my influence.

Fifty percent.

"-Von Daggle."

He glows purple for an instant, but my orange swiftly overpowers it.

"Let's see how this goes. Vykin's Mother Box, connect me to Highfather Izaya the Inheritor."

Ping?

"Yes, really."

Ping.

There's a moment of delay, then a large translucent image of his head appears in the air above us.

"Grayven of Apokolips."

"Highfather. Do these people belong to you?"

The floating head looks around, and I think I see him sigh. "They are of New Genesis."

"Did you send them after me?"

"I did not. But they are my people, and I will bear the burden of their actions. What do you want in exchange for their lives?"

"You can owe me."

"I.. see. And what surety do you want?"

"None. You can take them back in a few minutes. You seem like the trustworthy sort." I turn my head away from the apparition and smile at Vykin, who looks crushed at his failure. "What a nice man. You hear that? You'll be heading home shortly. Now."

Sixty percent.

Von Daggle collapses in the air.

"Ring, contact the Guardians."

"By your command."

The delay is longer, but after a moment the head of a Guardian appears over my ring.

"Apokoliptian. What do you want?"

"You just tried to murder me. I have what's left of your 'Corpse' as my prisoners, and I was wondering-."

"No such organisation exists. Do not contact us like this again."

The head vanishes, and I shrug at Von Daggle.

"Bad news for you, chum. But I guess they wouldn't be deniable operations if they weren't deniable. Finish the assimilation."

"By your command."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
09:52 GMT +3

"So…" I raise my eyebrows at Hephaestus. "Made a decision yet?"

He regards me testily. "Come up with a new argument to persuade me, have you?"

"Honestly? No. But if you aren't prepared to take the risk, we'll need more time to work on your equipment, and delaying is only dragging this out."

"You want me to take the risk."

"Eh… I… Yes, but-! I don't understand the thaumaturgy involved and it isn't me going through it. It's you. If, having heard all of the information that we have, you decide that it's not worth the risk, that's your decision. I'll just nod and carry on. We'll still be closer to our goal."

And I mean that. I really don't understand the explanation that Hecate started with, not in any detail. It turns out that Hephaestus's concern about dissolving in the power was entirely valid. Using the default version of the binding spell that could actually happen. However, with the ring and the Spear, Hecate had other options.

At the safest level, we have the 'constant gradual drain' option. Using the ring as a moderating influence, Hephaestus would literally just use it as a booster when he needed it. He would actually have to use spells to expand his abilities and insight, not just to increase his power output.

At the mid-level, we can directly empower him up to his maximum… 'Stretch' level. That could go wrong, but it almost certainly wouldn't. Once he acclimatised to his new size, we could repeat the process up to his new 'stretch' level, and so on until… Well, most likely until the titan embryo loses coherency and we have to wait for it to re-emerge. The upside is that it would increase Hephaestus's innate power. He'd be able to just do stuff, and his instinct for modern technology would increase. Not to the level of an actual God of Technology, but somewhat. Getting to full power would probably take… A few months, though, and might take even longer. And it might well not ever get him to the point where he could fight Zeus.

And then there's option three. Conceptual unbinding. On the up side, it would result in him becoming a full-on God of Technology, far more powerful than even the most optimistic result of option two. It would be faster too; we could be out of here this afternoon. It's also… Technically safer than option two, in the sense that it's virtually impossible that it would kill him.

But.

But it essentially involved chirurgically pulling his brain apart, sticking more brain in between the parts and sewing the whole thing back up and hoping that his mind still functions.

Maybe. Hecate was losing patience with me when she came up with that explanation.

"When you fought the Lord of Order, Nabu." I nod. "Did you consider using the Ophidian's power?"

"Considered and dismissed. Too much risk to Mister Zatara."

"When you first bonded with her, then. The illusion world. If it had been real, would you have done it?"

"I did do it. Remember, I thought that it was real. And I didn't think I'd still exist afterwards."

"Would you do it again?"

"It's not really the same thing."

"So, yes."

"But look how my social skills have improved. Uh?" I sigh. "Look… If it were me, I wouldn't be-. I'm not sure whether I'd go for two or three. I put on this ring in the knowledge that it would probably change my character, but I always could take it off. I let the Ophidian in, but that was in a desperate situation and I don't live like that most of the time. The one time I absorbed a lot of demon magic and became ruthlessly utilitarian, I didn't like the person I became. But I can't make that kind of decision for you."

"No."

I shrug. "I want you to take this power to smack Zeus down, free Diana and advance the cause of the technological revolution with your new power. But those are my goals. What do you want?"

"The same. To smack Zeus down. Ares too. To walk without limping for the first time in more years than I care to think about."

"But you want to be the one walking."

"That I do."

"Well… Is there any more information you need in order to make a decision?"

"Yes, and I'm waiting for a response from the person I asked."

Oh.

"Because you, Orange Lantern, are the last person to go to for the voice of moderation."

…

"Thought I was… Fairly moderate just there…"

"I know. Ah." He stands up as… An owl swoops down, landing on the top of a nearby low diving board. "Here she is."

I'm bowing even as Athena sort of.. blurs back into a humanoid form.

"Phaeste."

"Thena."

"My Lady."

"And my champion's headache. I have learned something of your nature from her prayers. Rise."

I straighten up. There's… Actually a fairly strong resemblance between Diana and-. Well, this avatar of Athena. I suppose that it's not really too surprising that a people as militant as the Amazons would base their ideal of youthful beauty on their war goddess, but her statues on the surface make it a good deal less obvious.

"Do you intend to pay Hecate's price?"

"Not up to me."

Hephaestus raises his right hand. "If this is about your mother, we were already planning on freeing her."

Athena nods. "Then I will use my own magic to ensure that your mind remains whole during the process of elevating you."

He nods. "You think the third choice is best, then? Complete unbinding?"

"I think that if we want any relevancy as a pantheon that we will need to be led by a god who is both interested in the world and appealing to mortals. A God of Technology is certainly relevant; your holy day is being observed by mortal artificers even though their skills are outside of your domain. And you have remained better connected to the world than most. Tell me that this is not what you want."

"I can't, because it is."

"Then embrace this opportunity. Become something greater than you are."

He nods, then turns back towards Hecate's house.

"Then let's do this."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
12:12 GMT +3

Mount Olympus isn't anything special. A little under three thousand metres at its highest point, it's tall for a European mountain but doesn't even make the top hundred tallest mountains worldwide. It's snow-covered for nine months of the year, though with global warming a thing of the past that might increase a little. The lower slopes are coated in forests and scrubland with significant biodiversity while the highest portions are bare rock. There are more Christian places of worship here than Hellenist ones; Greek Orthodox churches, shrines and actual monasteries are sited at several places, while the ruins of Hellenistic shrines can really only be seen if you know where to look.

The idea of changing that has been brought up a few times, but the monks and priests are -understandably, if with a certain degree of bias- rather against it.

There's no divine palace sitting at the top. No Zeus sitting on a throne.

Except.

I hold aloft a mug filled with the Cider of Discord, take a sip-

And as I swallow I couldn't say what it tasted like only that it left me shuddering, and I have no idea whether it's good-shuddering or bad.

-and then pour the rest of it on the scree-covered ground. Next, I drop a pile of small sticks and kindling out of subspace and set it on fire. Ah, add some petrol? Better. Drop a pile of cow organs on top of that.

Because while I can't do magic, I'm perfectly capable of performing rituals that existing magic will react to. I've got no idea why the Olympians tied their rituals to the burning of animal organs but I'll admit that does make things simpler. Then I hold out the cup and wait.

The smell's interesting. I mean, it's definitely beefy, but at the same time it's clearly different from the muscle-tissue I usually eat.

I watch the pile blacken and burn.

We decided on this method of entry because it's respectful and… Frankly, the alternative was to swap places with the Ophidian and… While she could exist in Divine Olympus, we're not sure that Divine Olympus could survive having her exist inside it. And in

Hard. Rough. Unyielding.

fact, I…

I raise my right hand, my

Gather. Flow. Bind. Life.

tattoos… There. Their presence apparent even through my armour. Like my arm is an arm and a

Lever. Holding. Grasping.

tool at the same time. Welcome to the thaumosphere, or at least the bits the Olympians have formatted for their own convenience.

I take a moment to look around

Growing. Flowing. Reaching. Calling.

and try to let the concept-objects just sort of… Flow over me, interface with me. The thing and the idea of the thing. It's not… Harmful, and…

Hunger. Hunger. Hunger.

There's that. I can actually feel it beat in my chest not at all like a second heart actually but that's the only metaphor that's even sort of accurate. I take a moment to press my hands to my chest, getting used to the essence of my own existence.

And then I turn my eyes upward, to the

Power. Greatness. Grandeur.

of the Palace of Olympus. The path up is a path and the idea of a path

Journey. Travel. Conveyance.

and to put one foot on it is to step off it at your destination. Interesting thing about Olympus is that unlike Valhalla there isn't an elect class of semi-divine soldiers on guard duty. Ares might favour a warrior in life but once they're dead they belong to Hades. Unless they end up in the Elysian Fields, but that's still in Erebos. To get a soldier here they'd have to experience apotheosis and then they'd be a bit above guard duty. Some way off a group of women are sitting at a scroll-covered table, pens in hand and talking animatedly to one another.

Nice gardens. I imagine that they stay like that because-.

"Paul."

I smile as a familiar woman approaches. "Calliope. How have you been?"

"Well enough. I have been spending time with my sisters, since… I gained my freedom. I trust that he-. The criminal-."

"Will be spending the rest of his natural life in prison. After that, it's not up to mortal justice."

She nods distractedly. "What brings you to Olympus?"

"I'm here to talk to Lord Zeus. It might be advisable to get to a safe distance."

"Ah?"

"If things go badly."

"I-. I will pass that on. Zeus holds court through-" She points into the palace. "-there. I… Believe that he may be expecting you."

"Thank you. Be well."

Her face falls slightly as I stride off in the direction she indicated. Thing about the palace is that it's ancient Greek palatial, designed for a people who would have to use burning torches if they had no natural light. Olympus had to be created in that mode, so even though everything is exaggerated, it's not… Overwhelming. Or all that large. For example, having gotten this far, there's only a relatively small antechamber before-

"Ah, Lantern! Come! Come!"

-I'm outside the throne room, pushing open the door and walking inside with the owner's

Majesty. Power. Presence. Caged lightning. Gar.

permission. I think that ordinarily my eyes would be drawn to the empty throne at the head of the room, but Zeus has-. So much happening, the conceptual links so strong and clear that I'm-. Ugh. Feeling more than a little off.

"Oh? I'm mildly impressed. Lesser mortals have been struck dead from seeing me like this."

His physical form-? It puts me in mind of Hades, for obvious reasons. The structure of the face makes the relationship obvious, though Zeus's hair is entirely white. Not grey, not mostly comprised of white hair while a few still have colour, no; the whole head of hair and neatly groomed beard are white. He's wearing a blue doric chiton under a purple himation, both accented with gold stitching. The gold theme carries on to his gold bracers and necklace, as well as the diadem on his head. And

Wealth. Prosperity. Success. Power. Status.

I understand why he's dressed as he is. I'm not completely clear why he's lounging on a klinē in the centre of a room next to a table upon which appears to be a light lunch. He's too conceptually unsubtle for me to have the meaning shoved into my brain. Still, there are a couple of other klinē around so perhaps he's just finished a meeting.

I bow. "Lord Zeus. King of Olympus."

"Come!" He gestures to the seat opposite him, not grinning exactly, but certainly smiling. "Come, sit."

I don't know what he's up to, but there's no sense in being rude about it. I follow his directions-. And see as I get closer that he's not above pettiness. Unlike Hades, who is a little larger than most men because he can't get smaller, Zeus is about nine feet tall and without appearing to have been stretched out in the way that very tall humans sometimes do. And the furniture is sized for him, which means that it's a little too large for me to sit comfortably.

"Thank you, my lord."

"So I understand that I've got you waxing wroth, mortal man." He leans a short distance towards me, and it's like seeing a storm coming towards me while I'm wearing conductive clothing. "What exactly is your problem?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Spoiler: Original version

28th October 2012
12:16 GMT +3

"How blunt do you want me to be?"

His smile broadens in a decidedly unfriendly way. "Knock yourself out."

"You asked Diana to-."

"Princess Diana."

"I have her permission to refer to her by name."

"She is your sovereign. You should refer to her by her title."

"My considerable respect for Diana is unaffected by what I call her. I don't need to constantly remind myself that she's my superior. If anything, Lord Zeus, the deferential way I respond to her even without being compelled to use it should be an indicator of how much respect I feel for her."

He shrugs, reaching out to pick up a goblet of watered down wine. "Perhaps you left barbarian culture too old to learn proper manners."

"Perhaps. But the point I was trying to make is that there's nothing wrong with you asking Diana to marry you-."

"I'm so glad that I have your permission."

"You need her mother's permission, not mine. But whether or not you need it, I can comment on how right it is. And it's fine. You asked, she said no. Then you sent her to Tartarus."

"I'm her divine sovereign."

"Yes?"

"I was being polite about the marriage thing. Saying no to me has consequences."

"Oh. At least you're not pretending it wasn't about that."

He frowns, scoffing. "What else was it going to be about? The titans? My brother is watching them like a two-headed eagle."

"So are you planning on leaving her down there until she changes her mind?"

"Eh." He looks away from me, giving it some thought. "Probably not."

"'Probably not' as in..?"

His eyes widen as he glares, and-. He's not crackling with lightning or anything, but it looks like some of the stroma of his irises are glowing. "As in probably not."

"Is there something you would like in exchange for-?"

"You respecting my position would be a start."

"'Respect the position' or 'respect the man'?"

"Pay your respects to Cronus and see how far it gets you."

"Maybe your marriage prospects would be better if you actually stayed true to your marriage vows."

"Maybe mortals would be more respectful if I-"

LIGHTNING! FORCE! UNBRIDLED POWER!

I shrink back slightly without meaning to.

"-took the time to remind them of my power!"

"And maybe they'd see you for the brute and tyrant that you are. I mean, my god, Eris has done more to advance the pantheon recently than you have. She's spent more time with Cassandra, too."

And wasn't learning that a surprise. She's even been volunteering to babysit.

"If my youngest daughter wants my attention then she can earn it."

I can't help but chuckle. "I can't imagine why no one wants to marry you."

"Do you think that the lightning I threw at you is the limit of my power?"

"Oh, no. I know perfectly well that you aren't weak. I can see your power. Feel it. I know that you're no weaker now than you were three thousand years ago. I just don't care."

"Are you living each moment as if it were your last? Or do you want to die for your princess?"

"Since I got my ring, I've learned to live in accordance with my desire, unhindered by fear. I've not quite gotten to the point where I'd rather die than back down, but if something-" I smile. "-or someone tries to stop me or mine living how they want, I start working out how to stop them being a problem."

I lean towards him.

"And you're being a problem."

WANT.

"You should have been removed as king when you lost Greece to a Jewish architect. Instead, everyone followed your lead and just gave up. You are incompetent. This incident hasn't changed my mind about you; it's just made dealing with it more urgent."

"Hah! I honestly can't remember last time a mortal spoke-. No, anyone spoke to me with such disrespect. What makes you think I won't erase you from existence, mortal?"

"Why would I think you're more skilled at erasing people than you are at being king?"

"Oh. Okay."

LIGHTNING RETRIBUTION SMITING CHASTISEMENT!

There's no build-up, just lightning and the idea of lightning, sudden and powerful, leaping towards me before taking a right angle and flying out of the room. Zeus cuts it off and stares after it, frowning.

"I'm jolly glad that worked."

"How..?"

Clank. Clank. Clank.

The doors bang open and then lock in place as the hulking figure lumbers in. He's more muscular than Zeus; his build actually puts me in mind of Kalmin, the product of countless hours performing physically demanding labour with his upper body. He's wearing space-aged body armour in shining gold, though his left leg appears less armoured and more replaced with a cybernetic styled after the rest of the armour. In his hands is a huge hammer whose head sparks and cracks with caged lightning. The back of the armour is bulky and further expanded by the resting mechanical manipulator appendages attached to it.

"Father. Striking at a herald."

Zeus and I both rise to our feet, him to square off against his opponent and me to clear the area. The circuitry that allowed him to do that just melted off my cup so I'd rather he didn't get it into his head to try again.

"That armour. Hephaestus? Did you cut off your own leg?"

"A king is owed fealty and respect, and owes his people direction, protection and justice. You provide none of those, and hence are owed nothing. You're a bent nail, a rotten beam due for replacement."

"It seems that I'll have to throw you off this mountain again, Hephaestus. This time you'll land on your head."

"We'll see." Blades and arcane ranged weapons uncurl from his back. "And my name is not Hephaestus. I'm Hephaestaean."

28th October 2012
12:16 GMT +3

I look him in the

Crackling thunderheads.

eyes for a moment. His body is mimicking human expression. It's designed to do that. And I get the strong impression that he thinks he knows what I'm up to and that he's confident that he can deal with it. Could be just the contempt he generally feels for mortals, irritation that one has gone as far as I have. Or it could be that he genuinely knows what I've planned and thinks that he can cope with it.

He was clever, back when the gods fought the titans. Cunning. Even inspiring. But with over a thousand years with nothing much to do… How clever is he today?

Can't tell. But whatever the answer, I should maximise my advantages. And we're in the heart of what's left of the Hellenic mythos here.

"I probably shouldn't. I wouldn't want to violate the rules of hospitality."

"Oh, don't worry." He smiles and gestures at me with a swing of his right hand. "I make allowances for half-civilised barbarians."

"If you're making an allowance, I felt that the lightning bolt you threw at me last year was a little unnecessary."

For a moment, he's nonplussed.

"You lived. Something few can claim."

"I was fighting angels at the time. Angels from the religion that is currently practised by about ninety nine percent of Greeks. I fail to see how attacking me when I'm doing that is in the Hellenic interest."

"And that was why I did not strike you twice. You flew too close to my temple for me to simply ignore you."

"What I'm curious about is, why you decided to strike me once."

His eyes remain fixed on me, unblinking.

"Because you persuaded Hera to forsake me, as well you know."

"Funny story about that." I gesture to the closest fruit bowl with my right hand. "May I?"

"By all means. Though perhaps you should avoid the pomegranates. I doubt that either of us want you stuck here."

He smiles as he says it, but I'll stick to the plums.

"Thank you."

I pick one up, and use a construct knife to slice through the flesh and extract the stone.

"As you may understand, I struggle to see the humour in my ex-wife appearing in court while drunk and dishevelled, insulting me at length before finally forsaking me."

"I didn't recognise her. I had no idea that I was talking to Hera until after she left."

Eyes still fixed on me, he breathes in slowly.

Then he exhales.

"Eris."

"I mean, I said it. I meant every word. But if I'd known, I might have been more cautious. What I don't understand is why you care. You're a free man, now, free to bed any man or woman you like without breaking your marriage vows. In some places it's even legal to do that in the form of an animal. Good plum, by the way. My compliments to the farmer."

I haven't eaten any of it.

"I have no need to justify myself to you. Or her."

"Of course not. But my understanding was that you had agreed of your own free w-."

Sudden force.

"I have no need to justify myself."

That one… That one actually echoed, and his face… Glowed. But he didn't take any overtly aggressive action. Not enough. And… While I could needle him on that point, that might go beyond bounds.

"At least you know the 'why' now. And I know that you hit me with lightning because you could not continue to ignore me."

"Quite."

"Can we talk about the reason why I'm here now, or is that covered by 'you don't need to explain yourself'?"

His smile broadens in a decidedly unfriendly way. "Knock yourself out."

"You asked Diana to-."

"Princess Diana."

"I have her permission to refer to her by name."

"She is your sovereign. You should refer to her by her title."

"My considerable respect for Diana is unaffected by what I call her. I don't need to constantly remind myself that she's my superior. If anything, Lord Zeus, the deferential way I respond to her even without being compelled to use it should be an indicator of how much respect I feel for her."

He shrugs, reaching out to pour a small measure of wine and a larger measure of water into a goblet. "Perhaps you left barbarian culture too old to learn proper manners."

"Perhaps. But the point I was trying to make is that there's nothing wrong with you asking Diana to marry you-."

"I'm so glad that I have your permission."

"You need her mother's permission, not mine. But whether or not you need it, I can comment on how right it is. And it's fine. You asked, she said no. Then you sent her to Tartarus."

"I'm her divine sovereign."

"Yes?"

"I was being polite about the marriage thing. Saying no to me has consequences."

"Oh. At least you're not pretending it wasn't about that."

He frowns, scoffing. "What else was it going to be about? The titans? My brother is watching them like a two-headed eagle. Fraternal gibes aside, he has my utmost respect."

"So are you planning on leaving her down there until she changes her mind?"

"Eh." He looks away from me, giving it some thought. "Probably not."

"'Probably not' as in..?"

His eyes widen as he glares, and-. He's not cracking with lightning or anything, but it looks like some of the stroma of his irises are glowing. "As in probably not."

"Is there something you would like in exchange for-?"

"You respecting my position would be a start. I am the King of Olympus, not some minor god you can trade with like a merchant."

I nod again. Probably pushed that as far as I can. What should I-?

"Alright, I… Think we're both pushing what courtesy will allow." I point to a harp on a stand at the side of the room. "Perhaps some music might improve the mood?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Spoiler: Original Version

28th October 2012
12:20 GMT +3

Many years ago I watched a pantomime. I don't remember what it was called, only that the villain of the piece was a pirate captain, and that at one point he was challenged for the captaincy by one of his cowardly crewmen who had taken a potion to grant him courage. They then performed a song called 'Pain, pain, pain', taking alternate verses to threaten and taunt one another. From what I remember, that would fit this situation quite well.

Of course, there's another option.

"These are the signs of the king honour-broke,"

Hephaestaean shifts his hammer into a defensive position, left hand just under the head which is pointing towards Zeus. Zeus grimaces, his face like-. Thunder, as he reaches down slightly with his right hand and hurls the lunch table aside.

"Pride coming first over all,"

The glow in Zeus's eyes is getting brighter, but I don't see him calling for or summoning any weapons. I know that he sometimes uses a bident, but he mostly just goes for-.

The lightning comes from nowhere, the air humming as electrons are torn from every molecule available and slammed into-. Hephaestaean's hammer, where the plasma field easily absorbs the charge.

"You use lightning but don't understand the first thing about physics. Let me educate-"

Reforge.

"-you."

The air between them turns blue as his hammer turns the air into plasma, the blast slamming into Zeus and making him cringe for a moment, his hair smouldering. Then he rallies, slamming his hands forward and parting them, his electromagnetic shield diverting the charged plasma off to the sides.

"Treading the backs and the necks of his folk,"

"I see Metis hasn't been entirely wasted on you."

The floor to either side is scorched and the remaining furniture incinerated. But

Permanence.

the charring undoes itself a few moments later. Because Hephaestaean made no effort to override its nature with his attack.

"You dare use my own lightning against me?!"

Oncoming storm.

Zeus moves in a blur, left hand grasping for the shaft of Hephaestaean's hammer while the right flies at Hephaestaean's helmeted head!

"That he alone might stand tall."

A three-clawed mechanical hand catches the shot at Hephaestaean's face, runes inscribed on the blades glowing as they make shallow cuts into Zeus's fingers. Hephaestaean flat out lets go of the hammer, dragging Zeus's shoulder down before he does the same. And he barely gets his left foot out of the way in an awkward half-hop which leaves him off-balance as Hephaestaean's mechadendrites stab forward towards his eyes!

Zeus ducks his head slightly, taking the double hit to the forehead as he responds with another lightning bolt. But Hephaestaean's armour is fully insulated and another mechanical arm is in the process of gripping the haft of his hammer.

"Giving himself to desires that are base,"

Zeus darts back as the air around Hephaestaean flares with plasma.

"Too slow, boy."

"Progress is a slow but steady thing, father. Human technology gets better all the time, while storms become less and less relevant."

Zeus's eyes flare and his hair billows as if blown by the wind.

"I'll show you-."

The turquoise bolt of.. something, hits him in the forehead, burning his flesh. Though his expression shows more rage than pain.

"Tyrannous, cunning and cruel."

Zeus blurs, moving faster than I can see as he strikes Hephaestaean from all directions. Punches rain down on armoured arms, his backpack, the sides of his head, his chest and any other part he can easily reach. Hephaestaean is buffeted, forced to lean away from each attack in turn and rely on his additional appendages to ward Zeus away. Zeus can easily move around them, but it buys him-.

Hephaestaean raises his hammer and Zeus falls onto his back, clutching his forehead.

"Bring him down – set someone else in his place,"

"Predictable." Hephaestaean teleports forward, gun firing into Zeus's right hand as the head of his hammer drops down on Zeus's forehead with a crunch. "You fell into a pattern. The analysis of-."

He brings the hammer down again, but this time Zeus catches the head with a grimace. The head of the hammer begins to glow, heating up and Zeus does something to it.

"Such men are not fit to rule."

Hephaestaean deploys another gun, aiming it at the freely-bleeding wound on Zeus's forehead. A red beam lances out, the hammer's head dimming as the heat is returned to its sender.

"Heat? It's just energy."

Hephaestaean tries to wrench his hammer out of Zeus's grasp but Zeus has kept his focus better than he expected, shoving the hammer head up and making Hephaestaean stagger backwards. Zeus is up again in a moment, viciously resuming his attack. This time he-. He's flying, moving in the air with-. The air is bending around his fingers, and that swipe gouged into the metal of one of Hephaestaean's claws. Air manipulation. Hephaestaean has his own supply so Zeus shouldn't be able to affect it without breaching his armour completely, but it-.

"Oh?"

Oh dear. A figure I immediately recognise as Ares calmly strolls in through the wedged open doors, smiling at the violence on display. And he's looking at me. Or rather us, because the Hellenes can manage perfectly well with one war god.

"Diana's pet madman provoking a fight between Father and… Is that Hephaestus? Now this is interesting."

Hephaestaean is using small bursts of plasma to disrupt Zeus's air blades, but it looks like Zeus is not merely faster but also more skilled. His hits are landing, and while the main body of Hephaestaean's armour has only tiny amounts of damage when compared to the freely-bleeding gash on Zeus's forehead, two of Hephaestaean's mechanical limbs are lying on the floor.

"Ares! I command you to aid me!"

Ares very visibly hesitates. It's no secret that Ares's core nature causes him to seek to conquer. Zeus looks weak right now, and he doesn't know how Hephaestaean has become this much stronger. Staying out of it and killing the victor if they're weak enough is the obvious play. But that's Zeus's blood, and he knows that Hephaestaean will bear a grudge. If he isn't weakened then Ares is in the shit. If Zeus wins it's business as usual.

Weaponmaster.

Hephaestaean's hammer flies out of his hand and into Ares's grasp. He takes a hold of it and takes a few practice swings to get a feel for it.

"Nice weight. You always did the best work. I think I'll keep your final piece as a trophy."

Zeus slams both hands into Hephaestaean's cuirass, electricity crackling and winds roaring as the metal starts to give way!

28th October 2012
12:20 GMT +3

"You play?"

"Some of my new sisters have been trying to civilise me. They thought that it might stick better if they set the lessons to music."

He takes a drink.

"Fine, but even if you can play with the grace of Orpheus you'll not move me. I'm a good deal harder to please than Persephone."

I get up, and walk over to the… Beautifully crafted harp. There's some non-standard decorative carving in the wood, and I can't immediately identify what sort of tree it came from.

"Not a classical Greek instrument."

"My cripple of a son isn't the only one who tries to stay up to date. Apollo doesn't think much of you either."

"Yes, I had a dream a few nights ago about running around the interior of a crystal sphere while the lower portion filled up with oranges. Presumably, that was his idea of sending me a clear message."

"I really don't understand why you're like this. You come up here to ask me for a favour, but rather than offer me gifts or praise, you just remind me of how you usually refer to me."

"I don't know what you want, and it wouldn't be entirely honest."

"Feh. No one praises a king honestly. It's just that I might have been moved if you humbled yourself."

Would that-? I mean, I could. It would be a bit annoying to have spent all that time unnecessarily, but I'd rather get Diana free sooner and with less risk. And novel works of thaumaturgy are their own reward.

"So if I-?"

"It doesn't work if you try to make it a trade."

He keeps watching me… Ah. He wants me to actually humble myself. I could still do it, and he'd make a show of not being impressed, but he'd enjoy the fact I hated doing it and probably would let Diana out a little early.

How utterly contemptible. He's clearly not worthy of his position, but that should have been obvious a thousand years ago. But this… He actually would. He'd do it. And from the way he's looking at me, he knows I'd know it. If I fall on my knees and plead with him, Diana will be out before too long.

I'm not going to. It's not about pride. It's about building a better future without lazy, petulant man-children with power they don't deserve and won't use properly.

I look over the harp once more, then put my fingers on the strings.

I don't actually have the first idea how to play a harp, but fortunately my ring does.

"Cursed oathbreakers, your honour's in pawn,
And worthless the vows you have made,
Justice shall see you where others have gone,
Delivered to those you betrayed!"

Doesn't look like he's heard this one before, but it's clear from the way he's looking at me that I'm treading on thin ice.

"These are the signs of a mage that's forsworn,
The True Gifts gone dead in his hand,"

Unfortunately, there's no such thing as 'true gifts'. Magic's available to anyone who puts the work in. But Klarion's use of chaos magic upended the normal function of the thaumosphere, so he'll do.

I doubt that Zeus even knows who he is. A few images that Teekl showed me will do for this part.

"Magic corrupted and discipline torn,
Shifting heart like shifting sand;
Swift to allow any passion to run,"

Though it's not exactly hard to remember what he looked like.

"Given to hatred and rage.
Give him wide berth and his company shun,
For darkness devours the Dark Mage."

Ephialtes of Trachis is probably the most notable traitor in Classical Greece. Not a perfect match for the lyrics again, but I can stretch it a little, and it gives Zeus something that he'll recognise. Looks like he's actually enjoying it a little.

Good.

"These are the signs of a traitor in war,
Wealth from no visible source,
Shunning old comrades he welcomed before,
Holding to no steady course.
If you uncover the one who'd betray,
Heed not his words nor his pen
Give him no second chance – drive him away–
False once will prove false again."

Skip a few verses. They're not really necessary for my purpose.

"Cursed Oathbreakers, your honor's in pawn
And worthless the vows you have made,
Justice shall see you where others have gone,
Delivered to those you betrayed!"

The next verse is easy. I don't think there's anyone who knows anything about the Catholic Church's paedophilia cover up who doesn't know exactly who was responsible. And he's a representative of the religion that displaced Hellenism, so it's playing to the crowd.

"These are the signs of the treacherous priest–
Pleasure in anyone's pain,
Abuse or degrading of man or of beast,
Duty as second to gain."

To be absolutely fair, it probably wasn't personal gain, just his horrible idea of what was in the Church's interest. Doesn't really help everyone who got raped as a result.

"Preaching belief but with none of his own,
Twisting all that he controls,"

Though in terms of belief in the morals he preached, that's probably true. Believe in the ideal, not the idol.

"Fear him and never face him all alone,
He corrupts innocent souls."

Now, I have to judge this right. Using an image of Zeus would be too direct a provocation. An image of Odin on the other hand, a god whose face I don't know…

"These are the signs of the king honour-broke,
Pride coming first over all,
Treading the backs and the necks of his folk
That he alone might stand tall."

And it's not as if Jon Haraldson ever told me what his wife looks like, so if my construct looks a little like Diana…

"Giving himself to desires that are base"

And maintain eye contact as his jaw hardens.

"Tyrannous, cunning and cruel-."

LIGHTNING RETRIBUTION SMITING CHASTISEMENT!

There's no build-up, just lightning and the idea of lightning, sudden and powerful, leaping towards me before taking a right angle and flying out of the room. Zeus cuts it off and stares after it, frowning.

"I'm jolly glad that worked."

"How..?"

Clank. Clank. Clank.

The doors bang open and then lock in place as the hulking figure lumbers in. He's more muscular than Zeus; his build actually puts me in mind of Kalmin, the product of countless hours performing physically demanding labour with his upper body. He's wearing space-aged body armour in shining gold, though his left leg appears less armoured and more replaced with a cybernetic styled after the rest of the armour. In his hands is a huge hammer whose head sparks and crackles with caged lightning. The back of the armour is bulky and further expanded by the resting mechanical manipulator appendages attached to it.

"Father. Striking at a herald and violating hospitality."

Zeus and I both rise to our feet, Zeus to square off against his opponent and me to clear the area. The circuitry that allowed him to do that just melted off my cup so I'd rather he didn't get it into his head to try again.

"That armour. Hephaestus? Did you cut off your own leg?"

"A king is owed fealty and respect, and owes his people direction, protection and justice. You provide none of those, and hence are owed nothing. You're a bent nail, a rotten beam due for replacement."

"It seems that I'll have to throw you off this mountain again, Hephaestus. This time you'll land on your head."

"We'll see." Blades and arcane ranged weapons uncurl from his back. "And my name is not Hephaestus. I'm Hephaestaean."

"Bring him down – set someone else in his place,
Such men are not fit to rule."

Hephaestaean shifts his hammer into a defensive position, left hand just under the head which is pointing towards Zeus. Zeus grimaces, his face like-. Thunder, as he reaches down slightly with his right hand and hurls the lunch table aside.

The glow in Zeus's eyes is getting brighter, but I don't see him calling for or summoning any weapons. I know that he sometimes uses a bident, but he mostly just goes for-.

The lightning comes from nowhere, the air humming as electrons are torn from every molecule available and slammed into-. Hephaestaean's hammer, where the plasma field easily absorbs the charge.

"You use lightning but don't understand the first thing about physics. Let me educate-"

Reforge.

"-you."

The air between them turns blue as his hammer turns the air into plasma, the blast slamming into Zeus and making him cringe for a moment, his hair smouldering. Then he rallies, slamming his hands forward and parting them, his electromagnetic shield diverting the charged plasma off to the sides.

"I see Metis hasn't been entirely wasted on you."

The floor to either side is scorched and the remaining furniture incinerated. But

Permanence.

the charring undoes itself a few moments later. Because Hephaestaean made no effort to override its nature with his attack.

"You dare use my own lightning against me?!"

Oncoming storm.

Zeus moves in a blur, left hand grasping for the shaft of Hephaestaean's hammer while the right flies at Hephaestaean's helmeted head!

A three-clawed mechanical hand catches the shot at Hephaestaean's face, runes inscribed on the blades glowing as they make shallow cuts into Zeus's fingers. Hephaestaean flat out lets go of the hammer, dragging Zeus's shoulder down before does the same. And he barely gets his left foot out of the way in an awkward half-hop which leaves him off-balance as Hephaestaean's mechadendrites stab forward towards his eyes!

Zeus ducks his head slightly, taking the double hit to the forehead as he responds with another lightning bolt. But Hephaestaean's armour is fully insulated and another mechanical arm is in the process of gripping the haft of his hammer.

Zeus darts back as the air around Hephaestaean flares with plasma.

"Too slow, boy."

"Progress is a slow but steady thing, father. Human technology gets better all the time, while storms become less and less relevant."

Zeus's eyes flare and his hair billows as if blown by the wind.

"I'll show you-."

The turquoise bolt of.. something, hits him in the forehead, burning his flesh. Though his expression shows more rage than pain.

Zeus blurs, moving faster than I can see as he strikes Hephaestaean from all directions. Punches rain down on armoured arms, his backpack, the sides of his head, his chest and any other part he can easily reach. Hephaestaean is buffeted, forced to lean away from each attack in turn and rely on his additional appendages to ward Zeus away. Zeus can easily move around them, but it buys him-.

Hephaestaean raises his hammer and Zeus falls onto his back, clutching his forehead.

"Predictable." Hephaestaean teleports forward, gun firing into Zeus's right hand as the head of his hammer drops down on Zeus's forehead with a crunch. "You fell into a pattern. The analysis of-."

He brings the hammer down again, but this time Zeus catches the head with a grimace. The head of the hammer begins to glow, heating up and Zeus does something to it.

Hephaestaean deploys another gun, aiming it at the freely-bleeding wound on Zeus's forehead. A red beam lances out, the hammer's head dimming as the heat is returned to its sender.

"Heat? It's just energy."

Hephaestaean tries to wrench his hammer out of Zeus's grasp but Zeus has kept his focus better than he expected, shoving the hammer head up and making Hephaestaean stagger backwards. Zeus is up again in a moment, viciously resuming his attack. This time he-. He's flying, moving in the air with-. The air is bending around his fingers, and that swipe gouged into the metal of one of Hephaestaean's claws. Air manipulation. Hephaestaean has his own supply so Zeus shouldn't be able to affect it without breaching his armour completely, but it-.

"Oh?"

Oh dear. A figure I immediately recognise as Ares calmly strolls in through the wedged open doors, smiling at the violence on display. And he's looking at me. Or rather us, because the Hellenes can manage perfectly well with one war god.

"Diana's pet madman provoking a fight between Father and… Is that Hephaestus? Now this is interesting."

Hephaestaean is using small bursts of plasma to disrupt Zeus's air blades, but it looks like Zeus is not merely faster but also more skilled. His hits are landing, and while the main body of Hephaestaean's armour has only tiny amounts of damage when compared to the freely-bleeding gash on Zeus's forehead, two of Hephaestaean's mechanical limbs are lying on the floor.

"Ares! I command you to aid me!"

Ares very visibly hesitates. It's no secret that Ares's core nature causes him to seek to conquer. Zeus looks weak right now, and he doesn't know how Hephaestaean has become this much stronger. Staying out of it and killing the victor if they're weak enough is the obvious play. But that's Zeus's blood, and he knows that Hephaestaean will bear a grudge. If he isn't weakened then Ares is in the shit. If Zeus wins it's business as usual.

Weaponmaster.

Hephaestaean's hammer flies out of his hand and into Ares's grasp. He takes a hold of it and takes a few practise swings to get a feel for it.

"Nice weight. You always did the best work. I think I'll keep your final piece as a trophy."

Zeus slams both hands into Hephaestaean's cuirass, electricity crackling and winds roaring as the metal starts to give way!

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
12:22 GMT +3

Hephaestaean grips Zeus's wrists, trusting in his armour to survive anything less than a concerted effort. The turquoise gun comes around, only for a lightning bolt to disintegrate it.

Zeus grins a rictus, shouting to be heard over his own winds. "I have you now!"

"No."

The remaining mechadendrites lunge for Zeus's forehead wound, and

Sapping.

dig.

Ares frowns as his father's forehead bulges, then takes a firmer grip on the hammer and marches towards Hephaestaean with it raised high. "If I have to do this myself, then-"

Hephaestaean releases Zeus's forearms and punches him in the chest, knocking him back as his head bleeds even more freely.

"-I expect-"

Ares swings at Hephaestaean's exposed back, striking-.

The hammer stops in the air, Ares barely keeping his grip as it does.

"-to-. What?"

"Cursed Oathbreakers, your honour's in pawn,"

"I hoped that I'd meet you here, Ares." Hephaestaean turns away from where Zeus is clasping his forehead to face Ares. "Did you really think that I'd forget what you can do? That isn't just a weapon; it's an engineering tool. Almost anything can be used destructively, but that doesn't make my forge hammer into a weapon of war."

He holds out his right hand, and with a small flare of electrical activity the hammer flies to him.

Detected.

I look-. I watch a small fly crawl between Zeus's fingers and take wing, launching itself towards me.

Thought.

I just hope that she remembers how to be a person as well as a fly.

"And worthless the vows you have made,"

Ares grabs his sword and shield as Hephaestaean swings at him. Ares is easily able to turn aside the head of the hammer with his shield, but can only stare as the shield begins to rust away from the point of impact.

"Things built-" Hephaestaean swings again and Ares steps towards him, catching the haft of the hammer on the rim of his flaking shield. The blow is stopped but now the decay is even faster. "-by the hand-" Ares stabs at the cleft in Hephaestaean's chest plate, only for the sword to be intercepted from the side by a mechadendrite. "-of man or god."

The fly hovers in the air next to me and

Actualisation.

shimmers, shifting into a humanoid woman in her middle years, wearing what appears to be a leather and fur mini-dress. Rather than look as confused as I assumed that a woman in her position would look, she's focused on her surroundings immediately.

Which means that she gets to see Ares's sword crumble to rust as Zeus pulls himself upright, wiping the blood from his eyes.

Ares stares at the bladeless hilt-

"That-."

-as Hephaestaean's hammer comes around in a full swing and smashes him in the side of the head, sending him crashing to the ground!

There's a quiet groan, then Ares lies still.

Preparation over Passion.

"Yaagh!"

Zeus charges Hephaestaean from behind, wind blades coating his hands once more. But he's just rushing right in, not evading or flying. Hephaestaean raises his hammer and jabs with the butt of the haft right in Zeus's forehead wound.

"Gah!"

Zeus staggers back as Hephaestaean advances, head of his hammer hitting Zeus in the ribs, stomach, arm and face. I nod in satisfaction as Zeus's nose is flattened across his face, but otherwise remain silent as Zeus finally collapses to the ground. He's conscious but insensible.

"Justice shall see you where others have gone,
Delivered to those you betrayed."

"Hm." Hephaestaean plants the butt on his hammer on the floor and with his left hand and two tentacle mechadendrites explores the cut in his chest. "Reasonable. I'll improve it for next time."

Metis takes a few steps towards him, more curious than cautious.

"What are you?"

"I'm a god infused with the power of a nascent titan. I am Hephaestaean, God of Technology and Artifice. And you are Metis." He gestures to the door. "You are free to leave or remain as you choose. Your daughter Athena is looking forward to the opportunity to get to know you properly."

"I will stay."

Hephaestaean nods, then marches up to Zeus and grabs him by the neck with his left hand.

"Nygh."

"Don't worry, Father. I don't intend to kill you." He moves his hammer so that the head of it is touching Zeus's bloodied face. "But I find the concept of a weather god who doesn't understand thermodynamics positively offensive. I cast you into exile until such time as you graduate with a Masters in Meteorology. Only then may you return to Olympus. Do you understand?"

Zeus manages a very weak nod.

"Good."

He bends, slamming Zeus into-. Through the floor, which ripples like water to allow his passage and then returns to stone.

Hephaestaean then hesitates, taking a deep breath. Then he takes off his helmet, a quiet hiss sounding as the seal is broken. His face is still recognisably his, but the oddly metallic hair is far shorter and the expression is… Sharper. Not stronger exactly, but far more focused. More determined.

He reverses the hammer and slams the head into the floor.

"By the might of my arm and the power of my soul, I declare myself Hephaestaean, King of Olympus." He looks at me and he doesn't smile. But he does give me a respectful nod. "This was a dream, once. And as for the rest…" He turns and walks towards the fallen Ares. "I dismiss you as God of Battle. I don't know who I'll replace you with… Hippolyta or Kratos, probably."

Now he smiles, and it's not a pleasant expression.

"But that means that I need to give you a new job, doesn't it? I can hardly leave you to your own devices."

He lifts the head of his hammer a little way off the ground.

"I think… God of Eunuchs."

He brings the hammer down.

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
17:11 GMT +3

I smile as a familiar figure comes into pseudo-sight.

"Di-."

"Why are they cheering, Paul?"

"You know why. But if you really want me to spell it out?" My vision substitute doesn't reliably show me subtle facial expression, so I can't tell exactly what her response is. "Zeus is no longer parasitizing on them."

"You promised me-."

"I didn't! I stood out of the way and sang an insulting song! You want me to do the lasso again?"

"Do you mean to say that you talked Zeus into amending his ways?"

"Diana, I'm a Lantern, not a miracle worker. He's still alive, but he's not in charge of Olympus any longer which means that you're out."

"I am not even going to ask how-. You expect me to leave the titans unguarded while they grow in power?"

"Sure. They're still trapped by the nature of Tartarus and the Hekatonkheires can keep an eye on things. And the only thing that Cronus has done in living memory is create Donna and Deva. Do you think those were evil acts?"

"It is a great risk-."

"Was creating two daughters an evil act?"

She doesn't immediately respond, instead rising off the ground and flying towards the Gates of Tartarus. I give her a moment and then follow along behind her at a respectful distance.

"Who rules Olympus now?"

"Hephaestaean."

I can hear her either sigh or just take a deep breath.

"Explain."

"You remember that stuff with Richard Simpson, where he was trying to change himself into a God of Technology?"

"You put Hephaestus through that process."

"Hephaestus volunteered to go through the process after we workshopped it with Hecate, Eris and Athena."

She slows slightly at the mention of Athena, but I doubt that she's really surprised.

"So really he's become everything a forward-thinking pantheon needs their leader to be: stronger and with none of the weaknesses of his former self."

"And what of Zeus?"

"Cast down until he gains a decent understanding of meteorology. In the material world he's limited to avatar power, and he's got no titans boosting him any more. Oh, and obviously we freed Metis."

"At least that explains Lady Athena's support."

"I don't know. She's rather fond of you, too."

And there's the door. Diana and I push through to see Hephaestaean completing his divine cybermancy on Akhlys, mechadendrites whirring and clicking as they replace weak flesh with elegant machinery. She… Her gold-tinted flesh glows as the implanted arcane circuitry twists her nature to reflect the technological improvements humanity has made to medicine and healthcare since the days of Ancient Greece. Her robotic eyes shift and focus, taking in her new body.

Hephaestaean points to her left hand.

"As you can see, I focused your aura of ill-health through your left hand. You'll need to discharge it once a month or so, but you can do that ritually rather than by personal contact."

"I understand, Lord."

Hephaestaean nods in satisfaction, two servo arms with cameras already pointing at Diana and me as we land.

"Diana. You are free to go, unless there is anything in Tartarus that requires my immediate attention."

"No, Lord Hephaest-. Aean."

Hephaestaean smiles. "Don't worry. I'm not entirely used to it myself."

"What commands do you have for me?"

"None. Unless you feel like undergoing apotheosis, in which case I'm sure I could find some work for you."

"I think it best if I remain mortal for now, Lord. Quite aside from the responsibility of raising my sons-" She glances at me. "-I have concerns what might happen if I left the material world."

"Wise of you. In that case, continue your mission as Wonder Woman with my blessing. I'll put some new armour together for you once I have the free time; my capacities now are far in advance of what they used to be."

"If I may ask, what plans do you have now that you rule Olympus?"

"I intend to modernise. Every significant figure in our mythos will have to maintain their domain and encourage proselytism or get replaced like a broken part."

"Does that include me, nephew?"

Hades strikes out of the darkness in… What I assume to be his full raiment. Never actually seen him wearing it before. Zagreus lurks behind him, still fully tooled up.

"Technically, yes. But you're doing a fine job, Uncle, and Thana is already trying to convert people at your instruction. I would appreciate you giving me a full briefing, but I fully expect to find that you are the most engaged of our people."

Hades nods. "I can brief you at your-"

A plume of rose petals erupts from thin air, spraying red and pink flakes across the desolate landscape. And emerging from the centre is…

"-convenience."

An entrancingly beautiful woman in the prime of her life, striding elegantly towards Hephaestaean with a smile barely concealing her desire.

Hephaestaean pulls his mechadendrites in. "Aphrodite."

"Dear husband. Is it true? Have you overthrown Zeus?"

Hephaestaean shakes his head. "It is, but I haven't changed my mind. You had no more desire to marry me than I did you."

"That-." She looks away, at least decent enough to feel shame. At being caught out, at least. "I…"

"I declare us to be divorced. We both know that you prefer Ares; go to him now with my blessing. He was on Olympus when last I saw him."

She strikes a pose that displays her physical charms to greatest effect without quite crossing the line into full-on harlotry.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. Quite certain."

She shrugs, running her eyes over him. "Let me know if you change your mind."

The petals are sucked in towards her, vanishing as she does.

"Bitch."

I smirk, raising my right hand to my forehead. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go and give everyone the good news."

Hephaestaean nods and I

step out, reappearing

28th October 2012
09:15 GMT -5

in the Mountain. I-.

"Oh. Hey, Paul." Captain Marvel smiles at me. "Ah, I wouldn't ask, but Ollie always said that if anything weird happened I should probably talk to you first, so… I am."

"What's up?"

"My transformation isn't working. I'm… Kinda stuck?" He looks at me hopefully. "You got any ideas?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Regnancy

28th October 2012
09:15 GMT -5

"U-um."

"Oh." He looks at me uncomfortably. "Did you..? Do something?"

"Yesss. Yes, I did. Ah, how quickly do you need to change back?"

"I got school tomorrow? W-? Why?"

"The fastest way to turn you back would probably be to get Adom or Osiris-. What's happening with Lieutenant Marvel and Mary Marvel?"

"Mary's stuck in normal mode." He shrugs. "Freddy's still in bed. I mean, it is a Sunday. But you think Amon could transform us?"

"Maybe? I've never tried studying the spell that transforms you. I didn't even know you'd.. be affected like this."

"Oh, ah, yeah, the Wizard says you're not allowed to study the spell. Ah, or anyone else. I think he… I think he thinks you're a bad influence."

…

"Yeah, that's… That's fair. Of course, since I haven't studied the spell, and since Adom and Amon use different gods, it might just not work."

His eyes narrow suspiciously. "Did you..? Do something to Zeus?"

"He's not.. dead or anything. Just… Feeling a little under the weather."

"Isn't he the God of Weather?"

"No, the-. It's a metaphor. The point is, they might not be able to turn you back, so we might need to work out something else. Has the Wizard said anything?"

William looks away awkwardly. "See, Zeus's Power is how I visit him, so I can't really get there right now?"

"Darn it. Um, okay. How does the… Sponsoring you thing work?"

"Oh, the Wizard handles all of that. I've never even met any of them."

"Okay. So… Zeus lost his link to the titans in Tartarus, but he kept his own-."

Or did he? What exactly did Hephaestaean take away when he cast him out? And he… Didn't give it to someone else. He just locked it away from Zeus. So… A lightning bolt. The Cyclopes, perhaps? Or just ask Hephaestaean to arrange for a substitute until Zeus sorts himself out.

"If Zeus is unavailable, do you have any preference as to who substitutes for him?"

"I guess… As long as it works. I just got kinda used to saying 'Shazam'. And shouldn't we try using Amon's lightning first?"

"That will turn you back into William Batson so you can go to school tomorrow. But-."

"But I can't just get them to transform me whenever I need to transform." He nods. "Billy doesn't need to do anything today, so I can just come-." He realises something. "Do you need to do something else today?"

"Explain to Batman why I thought overthrowing Zeus was a good idea, but I'm happy to put that off for a few hours." Hm. "Have you ever used anything else to transform?"

"One time, Freddy transformed me by saying 'Shazam' and dodging out the way so the lightning bolt hit me instead. Oh, hey." He smiles. "Shazam. Shazam! Shazaaaaaaam."

I look at him in confusion for a moment.

He shrugs. "I can say it without transforming. I haven't been able to do that for a while."

"Does the word 'Shazam' come up a lot in conversation?"

"It didn't, and then I couldn't say it?"

I nod. "I understand. Okay, let's try…" I raise my left hand to my mouth. "Orange Lantern to Osiris. Orange Lantern to Osiris. Come-."

"Osiris here! Am I late already?"

"No, no. Captain Marvel has a problem we're hoping that you can help with. Could you-?"

"Recognized, Osiris, B One Nine."

Amon flies out of the zeta tube the moment the lights dim, smiling enthusiastically. "How may I help?"

"Hey, Osiris! I'm having trouble transforming right now, and I'm hoping that your lightning can do it."

"You want me to hit you with my lightning?" William nods. "Okay, I-." His head jerks slightly. "Ah. Lord Zehuti says that he doesn't think it works like that."

William nods. "We figured it might not, but it worked with Lieutenant Marvel so I'm hoping it will work with you."

"Before we… Do anything. Amon, have you noticed your powers working differently in the last few hours?"

He blurs up to the ceiling and then slowly flies down. He looks around, then closes his eyes and concentrates for a moment, listening and… smelling.

"No." He opens his eyes, shaking his head. "Everything feels the same."

"Good show. Captain, if… This turns out to hit you like normal lightning, will it..? Hurt you?"

"Yeah, but not too bad." He nods. "I'll be okay."

"Right then." Construct armour, bubble shield and retreat back a small way. "Go ahead."

Amon floats up to William and puts his right hand on his left shoulder. "Are you prepared?"

William nods. "Uh-huh."

"Teth Adom!"

Lightning flashes from nowhere and Amon drops to the ground, having taken the precaution of wearing a copy of his costume on his normal body. William-.

"Ow." Smoke rises off his still-adult body, and he takes a moment to look at his arms. "Oh."

"Okay, that's slightly more of a problem. Do you think the Wizard would be alright with Amon visiting the Rock of Eternity?"

"Ah." He brushes some fragments of ash off his costume. "That should be okay. Un-less… You haven't..? Done anything to Solomon, right?"

"No, and I have no plans to."

"So it should be okay." He turns to Amon. "I can show you where to go."

Amon nods. "I would like to meet the Wizard who murdered my brother."

"And while you're doing that I'll see if I can find out what happened to Zeus's lightning. Ring, find Zeus."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
07:22 GMT -7

"-daughter's getting up in a few minutes-."

Helena Sandsmark cuts herself off as she spots me flying in. Zeus appears to have acquired jeans and a shirt from somewhere, and his wounds are less obvious than they were a few hours ago. She's currently standing outside of her house and very clearly not happy that he's here.

Why is he here? He's clearly spent time on Earth in the modern era; one of the products of that time is currently sleeping in her room upstairs. So it's not as if he needs someone to explain how money works or anything like that. Similarly, he must have somewhere to live.

I land a short distance away from Cassandra's parents.

"Doctor Sandsmark. Zeus."

"Hephaestus's bard." Zeus stares at me with a look of contempt. "Here to narrate my life in verse? Let me pay you your worth."

He reaches into his pocket, and tosses me… Half a copper coin. An old British halfpenny, if I'm any judge.

"Half a coin to match your wits. Too kind."

"Paul, why is he here?"

"I don't know. He's not on Olympus because he got overthrown by Hephaestaean, but I don't know why he's here."

"I'm here because I need a reference. I need to get into a college of some sort in order to get back to Olympus, and a published Doctor of Archaeology would seem to be my best bet. A better question is: what are you doing here?"

"Captain Marvel can't transform."

"Who?"

"The current champion of the wizard Jebediah of Canaan. Shazam."

"Oh. Him. Yes, it wouldn't, would it? I don't have access to my lightning, because Hephaestus has never been a fool. No one else has it, so even automatic things like my gift to Jebediah aren't working."

"How do I start it working?"

"Ah, to do that you must perform an epic quest worthy of the Elysian Fields. First, enter the gateway into the Dream in Erebos, and pass into that eldritch place to retrieve a single petal from each of the strange flowers that bloom in Morpheus's own garden. Next, to Tartarus, and steal a single tear from each of the beings bound there. These you will need to quench the fires which burn beneath Mount Othrys, that you may take the remaining fragments of the bones of Uranus from their vaults. Then you must travel unto the hallowed halls of Harvard University, whereupon you may suck my cock."

"You realise that Captain Marvel is the one useful thing you've done with yourself in living memory, don't you? The one thing people actually credit you for?"

"Jeb got me to sign up to that while I was merry with drink. Don't expect me to have any real attachment to the man."

"I doubt that anyone here expects you to have any real attachment to anyone. What exactly do you want on this reference? I can hardly give you a character reference; we barely know each other."

"You mean you might have to lie on a reference?" He looks at her incredulously. "Do people actually tell the truth on those things?"

"Yes!"

"What do you want?"

Zeus turns his head my way. "What?"

"What do you want in order to be helpful? You don't like me and I don't like you, but Captain Marvel respects you and does good work in your name."

"Ah, no, no, I think I've been discharged of all responsibilities. Captain Marvel will just have to make do."

I take a quick look at his desire network. Nothing unbearable, but… He's not going to help.

"Right, fine. Your lack of cooperation has been noted. Good da-."

"Hey!" Dr. Sandsmark glares at me. "Where are you going?"

"Erebos. Hades has been nothing but helpful for as long as I've known him."

"Hm." Zeus grimaces. "Family."

"You ate your first wife and kept her trapped in your head for thousands of years. You literally threw Hephaestus off a mountain so hard that his leg got crushed and you played away from home so often that the Goddess of Marriage divorced you, the rest of your family says 'Hm, Zeus'. Doctor Sandsmark, I apologise for this inconvenience."

I raise my right hand to my forehead

and

28th October 2012
17:25 GMT +3

appear in Erebos, face to face with Zagreus's arrow.

"Feeling jumpy?"

"Everyone's feeling jumpy. You just overthrew Zeus."

"Hephaestaean overthrew Zeus."

"Hephaestaean exists because of you. He asked me if I'd like to try out for the position of War God."

"From the way you appear to like pointing arrows at people, I'd say that you were a natural fit."

"Not really." He lowers the arrow and reduces the tension on the string. "Hm."

"What?"

"I just realised that your carefully planned chaos is far scarier than Eris's habit of pulling loose threads."

"But I'm happy with my current job. Why aren't you taking it?"

"I don't particularly want to be a god."

"You were rather born the wrong person, then."

"No, I mean that I don't have any desire to be part of the kind of active pantheon that Hephaestaean wants us to become. I understand the logic of it; I'm out in the world enough to know what 'competition' is. But I like being a tour guide and hunter. Even though hunting isn't a part of the lives of most humans any longer, there's a job that an Olympian could do… I don't want to. If anyone needs to do it, Artemis can have the job."

"Were you working the role under Zeus?"

"No, but he didn't care. Hephaestaean does, and I'm concerned that he might take it badly. I heard about Ares."

"I don't think he'll geld you for wanting to come off the civil list. Given the backlogs I'm seeing around here, I'd be more worried about what your father will say."

"I am."

"What do you actually get out of it, anyway?"

"Nothing. The power I get from Erebos comes from my being born here rather than being a gift from my father. The spells bound to my equipment have already been paid for and everything else is my innate power."

"Can I assume that other Olympians are similarly concerned?"

"Zeus's laziness let people just drift away and do their own thing. If Hephaestaean makes an issue of things, then he…"

Zagreus jerks his head towards the west, staring with no small amount of concern.

"Something wrong?"

"My mother is leaving her grove. She very seldom does-. I should go and see what she wants."

Between Hera and Aphrodite…

"I think I can guess."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
17:28 GMT +3

"…psychiatrists to experience their patients' condition. Fewer avail themselves of the opportunity than choose to experience nightmares, and I doubt that either will ever be truly popular."

Hephaestaean nods at Melinoë's description. 'Nightmares and Madness' is never going to be a super-popular domain, but there are things she could be doing with it that she isn't. Actually allowing cursing, for a start. I wasn't keen due to the fact that magic regulation is a sensitive enough topic already and I wanted her to at least be able to connect with some people, even if they were weirdoes like Dr. Crane.

Hephaestaean makes eye contact with me for a moment while his other limbs leaf through Melinoë's written records. They have cameras, so… It looks like he's capable of multithreading his thought processes now. Sorting huge quantities of data will be child's play. We weren't sure he'd get 'data'…

"Unless you allowed it to be weaponised, which Paul advised you not to do."

The National Rifle Association is already suing to get a ruling saying that magic ammunition is covered by the 2nd Amendment, and given the changes that the Sheeda caused they'll probably get it. Regular small arms ammunition was not reliable against Sheeda armour, even if the shooter could hit them. The original lawsuit was trying to get offensive spells covered as well, but it was clear fairly early on that that wasn't going to work. Though…

A gun is a gun. A weapon. Something like a knife is a tool. Just about every kitchen on the planet has at least one sharp knife, and most will have more. Yes, you can stab someone with one, but there are plenty of other daily uses. Same with saws, nails, hammers…

When someone learns magic, even if they don't learn any purely offensive spells, they've learned something that effectively lets them smith a gun in a minute or two with no equipment. Not a great gun, but it'll still kill people. Electricians could probably rig up a taser if they had access to a toolkit and some wire, but they don't learn how to throw lightning.

Legislatures around the world are interesting places right now.

"Do you intend to command me otherwise?"

"Not at the present time. You are active in your domain; I do not intend to second guess you. My main query for you regards your work with your father. Nothing about your domain relates to justice or judgement."

"Father needed more judges and my brother and I were available."

"Would you object to those responsibilities being passed to other people?"

"No. But it would take a considerable amount of time to train someone in the forms of Father's court."

"I think it is worth retasking Dike and Eunomia. It is unlikely that mortal judges will turn to us for guidance within the foreseeable future, and Erebos has a substantial backlog now."

"My lord, have you considered promoting the older shades? Those with long exposure of Lord Hades' court would make up in experience what they lack in divine magic."

He nods. "That may be wise, but it remains Hades's decision. This is his domain, and I will not intrude on the details of his rulership." He returns his full attention to Melinoë. "You may take your leave; I will return your notes to you once I have copied them."

Melinoë nods and turns away, not looking at me as she heads back towards her court.

"Paul." He waits until Melinoë closes the door to his borrowed office. With so many deities gathered here to make this happen, I imagine that he decided to stay put until he'd been able to meet them in his new official capacity. Or perhaps so that he can deal with Tartarus's inmates. "How goes it?"

"Slight problem. Captain Marvel can't transform. Zeus was one of his sponsors-."

He nods. "And with Zeus rendered mortal, that power is no longer available. Has it affected anyone else?"

"The two friends with whom he shares his power. I'm… Not aware of Zeus personally sponsoring anyone else. I don't suppose that you're able to sort him out, are you?"

"Not without breaking my word to Zeus and granting someone else his station. What steps have you taken?"

"I asked another person with similar abilities to see if they could transform him. They can't. I asked Zeus, and he.. didn't have any helpful suggestions."

"He asked you to suck his penis, didn't he?"

"And now Marvel is going to talk to the man who Zeus delegated the job to."

Hephaestaean grimaces. "Because of course Zeus couldn't pay attention to a mortal champion himself. In ages past such things were a major source of interest amongst the Olympians." He shakes his head. "Now many barely pay attention to their own domains, indulging themselves rather than doing their duty."

I remember a forge on a hillside of-.

"I know that expression." I see a red light behind his left eyeball. I guess that's some sort of analytical system. "Even though I only had a handful of worshippers, I answered the prayers of the Amazons and I went to smithing trade shows. I even wrote a few articles in trade magazines. I didn't try to convert people, because who cares about some old smith from a Greek island hardly anyone has heard of? I could have done more, but I was still doing my duty."

"One other problem. I take it that you're happy with Hades's work?"

Hephaestaean nods. "I intend to make this 'safe harbour for the souls' a major part of our bidding for the souls of mankind."

"What's your plan for when Persephone asks for a divorce?"

"… Oh."

"You divorced yourself from Aphrodite, but you could do that on the grounds of infidelity. Same with Hera and Zeus. But you didn't state that as the reason. So it looks like you've just taken the authority to divorce people for yourself. Persephone has never been happy in her marriage, but she's been faithful and so has Hades. Unless I've missed something-."

"The only grounds for divorce would be her habitual abandonment of her husband, and that would require him to ask for one. Which he will not do."

"But does the King of Olympus need a cause?"

"He should. I came to the throne by power, but I took that power because I believe that my cause is just. If I rule by power alone then I'm no better than Cronus."

I shrug. "I agree, but my opinion matters little. Persephone doesn't know me, and while Hades likes me he doesn't like me enough to forget the love of his life and mother of his children."

"Do you have any advice?"

"Establish a constitution defining your powers and responsibilities and stick to it. But that's for the future. Right now…" I shrug again. "Not… Really. I don't think there's a good answer. Any advice on the Captain Marvel issue?"

"Zeus derived his ease at conjuring lightning from the arcane smithing of the cyclopes. They dislike the company of gods, though you may be better able to barter with them than we could. I have no idea where they live in the modern era, though if you intend to seek them out I suggest asking Gaea."

I nod. "Will do. Anything I can do to help you?"

"Seek out Olympians across the world and inform them of what has happened. Win them over, if you can." Two arms blur, molecule-printing… A book, into the space on his borrowed desk. "Here's a list of the names I know of and descriptions of their habits. Some you know, some you do not."

The print finishes in seconds, and I drop the resulting tome into subspace.

"Will do. Good luck with your new duties."

"I may well need it."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
17:37 GMT +3

I watch as Io oversees a small team of Amazons clearing out Baroness Paula von Gunther's workshop. About time really, but I'm a little puzzled as to why they're doing it now. And-.

What's that?

I'm looking at… A large humanoid. Looks a little like Hephaestaean's armour, only the faceplate is a solid piece-. No, the whole helmet is a solid piece without any eye slit. Instead, the eyes are jewels with tiny runes inscribed on their interiors, most likely using tiny flaws in the structure of the crystal. The range of movement seems good… Organic, even. Not like the clumsy tripods that Hephaestus and Vulcan used.

Frowning slightly, I drop down next to Io.

"Io. What's going on?"

"With Lord Hephaestaean's ascension, it seemed appropriate to build him a proper temple. Paula's workshop is in a good location, and it fits his theme."

"Not afraid of tripping over the mysteries of her cult?"

"Why would I be? It's my cult too, now."

I-.

"Yes, I know that I'm barely educated in the artifice of Man's World-."

I frown. "Io. This workshop was built for a woman, remember? Who studied-."

"It's just what we call it."

"Well stop. It sounds ridiculous. You know that Hephaestaean intends to start proselytising, right?"

"Yes." She nods, smiling as she considers it. "Under his command the gods will become involved in the lives of worshippers all across the world. It will be like the old days come again."

"And you're up for the High Priestess position?"

She shrugs. "Maybe. He told me that he would help me learn sciences and technology beyond smithing. What he is now is so different from what he was, I… I wouldn't be able to do it. After thousands of years of just refining what we know…"

I reach over and pat her on the right shoulder with my left hand.

"I know. I've been trying to change that since I got here, so I know how big a deal it is."

"I've been thinking about having a daughter. Children deal with change-."

"Cough cough."

"I know that you could give me a daughter, but it has been some time since I have been in a long term relationship-."

"Not why I was coughing." She shrugs and shakes her head, not understanding. "You said 'daughter'. Through Hephaestaean, you have access to advanced reproductive technologies. When I help two women have a child the child is always a girl, but in your position-."

"A son." She frowns uncertainly, eyes dipping to the ground. "Uh."

"Yeeeeeees?"

She looks up again, her face relaxing as if some part of the world suddenly makes sense in a way it didn't before. "I understand, now. Why you chose Eris to emulate, rather than Hephaestus. He builds on what came before, but you… It's like when we tore down this city so we could rebuild it with a sewer."

"I do like sewers." The ambulatory suit of armour comes out carrying a workbench. "Where did the golem come from?"

Its head rotates about a hundred and twenty degrees so that it can look at me. It regards me for a moment and then sets the workbench down and turns its body to match the direction its face is facing before marching in my direction.

"Orange Lantern."

"One of many. Sorry, I couldn't see a desire network, so I assumed…"

"This body is warded. I am a zontanonaut."

"He found a way to bind a shade to a robotic body? You can leave the underworld like this?"

"Yes, though having been a demigod in life may have made that easier. My name is Erichthonius. With my father's rise in power-"

My ring fills me in on the mythological version of his history. Ah, well, he sounds like an alright guy, though… I don't see the Hephaestus I know doing most of that.

"-he took the opportunity to reach out to me in the underworld."

I scan… What I can of his carapace. "It's an impressive piece of work."

"I know. I tried to keep up to date with the artifice of the living world, but speaking to the shades of the most recently dead… It was beyond me. Until now."

"It makes more sense when you can see it yourself?"

"My father included a device to feed information directly to my mind in this artificial body. My divine heritage causes me to instinctively understand how to apply technology in a useful way. Themyscira will be my first test since I popularised the use of the horse collar."

I smile. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"I believe that I do. I've seen your files."

I nod. "I wish you all the best in your mission, then. You haven't seen Gaea recently, have you? Or a cyclopes?"

"Despite what certain chroniclers claimed, I was birthed by Athena in the conventional way and have no special knowledge of Gaea's whereabouts."

He sounds more than a little put out by my asking.

"Sorry, I meant no offence to either of your parents. I just want to talk to her."

"I suggest the forest. Now if you will excuse me, I should get back to work."

He turns away in a motion which doesn't require an owl's neck and marches back inside the workshop. I wince inwardly.

"Is that a sore point with him?"

"That his father was accused of raping his mother, and he was supposedly born from his seed spilling on the ground after dripping off her thigh? Yes, it's a sore point. Why are you looking for the cyclopes?"

"It turns out that Zeus was doing exactly one thing useful with his life: lending a portion of his power to a mortal hero. With Zeus out of the picture, that hero is weakened. Since the cyclopes made his lightning I'm hoping they can bypass the fault."

"Could he just find another sponsor?"

"Probably, but I'd want to vet them so we don't get another Zeus, and they need to have a really particular ability set. I mean, Jupiter put it about just as much as Zeus, right?"

"I know little about the Gods of Rome."

I nod. "Okay. Back to work for both of us."

I transition up to the inner city, where-. Where I'm treated to a view of a royal family hug as Diana is embraced by her mother and sons. Surprisingly, it's Menalippe who makes eye contact with me and angrily gestures to the palace. Okay, let's go and see what she wants.

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
17:42 GMT +3

"Paul, sit down there-" Menalippe points to an upholstered chair in the small drawing room she's led me to. "-and take off your rings."

I sit down, but hesitate on removing my rings.

"I don't speak much Themysciran Greek, and your English isn't anything like perfect. Taking off my rings introduces an opportunity for miscommunication."

"I understand. I want you to take them off anyway."

Due diligence scans… Clear. I shrug, take off first Hinon's custom ring and then Larfleeze's first ring and then lean down to lay them both on the floor. And then I take a deep breath in through my nose. One of the nice things about Themyscira is that there hasn't been enough industrial development for taking off the rings to worsen the quality of the air I'm breathing. Some parts get a bit wiffy when they're cleaning out the sewers, but that's not a problem at the moment.

"Are any gods dead?"

She's got a strong accent, but she's clearly been attending language classes. Amazons have had time to learn more languages but they haven't really had the opportunity until recently. And the languages they have been learning sound very strange to speakers from other parts of the world due to linguistic drift and the lack of native speakers to communicate with.

"No."

"Have any titans been released?"

"Yes, Metis."

"Metis has been released from Zeus's body?"

"Hephaestaean broke open his forehead."

"And the roles of the gods. Has that changed?"

"Ares has been removed from his position as God of War and is now God of Eunuchs. The position of God of War is now open. Zeus has been suspended from his position of God of Weather. Hephaestaean is now God of Technology and Artifice, which encompasses and expands upon his previous role. So far there have been no other changes."

"Ritual observances. Have those changed?"

Amazons don't pray to Ares.

"I suggest making a bigger thing of the Hephaesteia. Use it as a time for teaching reluctant Amazons to use unfamiliar machinery."

"Who will be the new God of War?"

"Hephaestaean suggested Queen Hippolyta or Kratos."

"Queen Hippolyta would not want it. Kratos may. I do not know."

"How about Athena?"

"Lady Athena is a strategist. She might be capable of fulfilling the role, but I doubt that she could ever have the bloodlust that Ares possesses."

"Is that bloodlust essential?"

"That, or something like it. Lady Athena speaks into the ears of generals as Goddess of Strategy. Ares rouses the blood of warriors. The outlook is quite different. Kratos was known for his willingness to use brute force for Zeus. Athena is different."

No. If that's a requirement, she won't. And neither would Queen Hippolyta.

"Why did you want to talk to me in private?"

"Because we know that you bring chaos, that you love Prince Kon and Princess Diana, and that you are a deadly enemy. I was worried that you might have gone to war with all Olympus. Many Amazons were worried that you might do that. Now, I can calm them."

"Okay, but why did you want me to take off my rings?"

"They are a symbol of the avarice spirit. I think it proper that you not speak to her while we talk."

"Ah, okay, but that wouldn't actually stop me. Our souls are bound together."

"Then it just makes it clear to you. And it will remind you that you are mortal. What other changes can we expect?"

I think this is something from Amazon culture that I don't understand. Move on. "Hephaestaean will have a more active role in the world."

"When Io and Thana both left Themyscira at their gods' command, we knew that other gods might also make that command. We have accepted the idea."

"Erichthonius and Io are turning Baroness von Gunther's old workshop into a new temple, and will probably expect more Amazons to make an effort with expanding their horizons."

"I can work to encourage that."

"Does Zeus have a cult here?"

"Not any more. The few Amazons that prayed to him did so… In the hope that he would make them pregnant. That no longer happens."

I nod. With the weather here guaranteed and with his moral lessons frankly dubious, there wasn't any obvious reason for one to exist. But it's worth checking. I get-.

No. Wait.

"How will this affect how Amazons feel about me?"

"Most women don't know enough about what you have done today to have decided how they feel. We expect demigod heroes to do great things, but this…"

I nod. "Right. That's fair." I stand, calling my rings back to my fingers. "If anyone wants to know where I am, I'm tracking down every Olympian in order to pass on a message from Hephaestaean."

"What message is that?"

"That he expects them to start pulling their weight. Excuse me."

Hand to forehead and

I'm standing in the forest of Themyscira, not too far from the first place I met Gaea. Quite some distance from the actual sacred grove that forms her temple, but she's the Titaness of Earth. I'm sure that she can manage.

I kneel, laying the palms of my hands on the bare earth.

"Gaea, mother of all that lives, I would really appreciate it if you could tell me where I could find the cyclopes. I need to commission some work from them, and they seem to have ducked everyone's detection."

"And you hope that they kept me up to date."

I bow my head as Gaea walks out of the greenery. Or rather her current human-seeming avatar does, I suppose.

"Yes."

"You do not seek conflict with them? You have gotten rather good at conflict."

"That's not what I want from them. I mean, if it turns out that they've been grinding bones to make bread, there will be conflict."

"No, they have not. You may find them on Mount Fuji. The Gods of Japan have taken to commissioning pieces from them."

"Thank you. I shall remain peaceful if at all possible."

"See that you do. And please, spend more time with Euanthe. She does not understand the power that she has won without you."

"I will. Thank you again."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
23:49 GMT +9

Mount Fuji at night is… I'd like to be able to say 'beautiful', and it's not ugly or anything, but honestly it's like a smaller and snowier Olympus Mons. And compared to the grandeur of the floating lumps of Krypton, or planet Keauna in the Reach periphery where they were struck by a colossal asteroid early in the planet's history and it's still visibly sticking into the planet, just poking through the atmosphere. Now that's a sight to see, especially through the atmosphere.

It's just…

It's not all that. It's a big mountain in a small… Pond…

Oh, I am too young to be this jaded.

I fly over plenty of lights on my way in, and as a matter of courtesy I notified the woman in the National Public Safety Commission who is the League's contact that I was going to Mount Fuji to talk to their gods in person. I didn't technically have to, but they don't have to let me in the country except for the fact that they've got no way to actually stop me… Superhero law isn't for the anal retentive. She wished me good luck, which I thought was nice.

And now I'm looking down at a Shinto shrine. Not one of the big ones, but it's old enough to have mystical significance. Moss and vines are growing over stone structures, blending manmade with natural, though the paths and rock gardens are kept tidy. A couple of lights are on, but as far as I can tell the attendants have all left for the night.

I find an out of the way pagoda. I sit. I close my eyes and we open them, our coils reaching out to lightly grasp the wooden structure.

Less polite than when I went to Olympus, but then, these aren't my gods.

In the material world, I take a small bowl out of subspace and fill it with vegetable curry. A second bowl is filled with rice, and then I push both of them across from me.

In the immaterial world, our tongue flicks out and tastes the mana. Yes, the gods know this place. A small bite, and they must feel our presence even if they somehow missed it before now. We-.

"A certain person has made an artless approach. Still, it is pleasing that they are not entirely without courtesy."

We taste ions in the air, charged particles with electrons ready to leap. But where Zeus was calm until he was striking, this power is under control, constantly directed.

I open my material eyes, nodding to the traditionally attired Japanese man now sitting opposite me.

"I wasn't expecting so august a personage. I'd have been happy talking to the spirit of this pagoda."

"One felt the sudden absence of a certain person from Greece. One is somewhat aware of the habits of the Great Serpent of Avarice and its representative. One felt that it would be prudent to address the matter directly."

"I'm looking for the cyclopes. According to their mother, they've living in Japan. I wish to commission a piece from them."

"It may be that such persons are guests in these lands. But as guests, they are owed protection from those who might harm them."

"Quite true, and I respect you for insisting on that point."

"One might then enquire on the nature of the commission."

"One thunderbolt, or whatever it was they did for Zeus that let him throw them."

"One might enquire what use the Great Serpent of Avarice has for thunderbolts."

"Not much of one. But Captain Marvel needs them to access one sixth of his powers. Hephaestaean might be able to produce a solution, but he's a bit busy."

"One has heard of 'Captain Marvel'. The anointed champion of the wizard Shazam, and a hero of great note."

"It's more 'Sha'am' at the moment."

"One is curious. Is it simply divine lightning that is needed?"

"I'm not entirely certain. I think that the deity in question needs a certain level of raw power and to be capable of using their lightning to open passageways between realms. And be diplomatic enough to work with Jebediah of Canaan and the others; it used to be Shazamo."

"If one were aware of another deity capable and willing to fulfil such a role, would the noble representative of the Great Serpent be interested?"

"Certainly, but it's ultimately not up to me."

The god shifts the curry bowl a little closer.

"One is curious. The honourable representative had openly opposed the Silver City, and spoken for the Gods of Olympus. One wonders how aware he is of the actions of other pantheons."

"You're co-opting belief focuses from outside your pantheon, aren't you?"

"Our family has grown. There is little need to use force, even where it would be possible to do so. More than that, in our heartland we have never been overthrown. We allow the way we are presented to be buffeted by the winds of time."

"Not my first choice of strategy, but if it works, good for you."

"Venerable elders have asked whether it might be wise to offer patronage to costumed heroes. This humble one offers his power and the lightning at his command in place of that of mighty Zeus, if it will serve."

"Ah, thank you. Who are you?"

"This one is Susano-o-no-Mikoto, and has the honour of being God of the Sea, Storms, Fields, Harvest, Marriage, and Love."

I'm not sure what the thematic link is there, but whatever makes the Japanese happy I suppose.

"Good show. The Wizard currently has passageways to the Rock of Eternity set up in Fawcett City. Would you like a lift, or would you prefer to make your own way?"

"This one thinks that it would be rude to ignore this offering, or to unnecessarily detain the honourable representative."

"As you will. I am grateful for your help, and hope that you and the Wizard have a productive working relationship."

We withdraw our grip on the local thaumosphere, returning to a purely physical existence.

Susano-o-no-Mikoto is gone. As is the curry and the rice.

Hm. Alright, so they want William to advertise for them. That's the sort of thing Zeus should have been doing. I'm certainly not going to complain about it, and with that offer on the table I don't have the same need to speak with the cyclopes. Would they have given me a better deal? Maybe, but an opportunity for advertising isn't exactly a high cost, and I won't be paying it anyway.

As for his pantheon's plan… Co-opting newly emerging symbols doesn't give humanity anything. It's divine cultural parasitism, and the oldest members of the pantheon won't benefit from it directly anyway. Shinto isn't looking for converts.

Or maybe they are, now. Was this them reaching out to make an accommodation before Hephaestaean really gets going? Well, joke's on them: I'm terrible at understanding subtle communication. I'll ask William how the negotiations went when I see him again.

No, the list of wandering gods. We'll need a God of War first.

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
16:12 GMT

"Jogging in the mornings, go man go
Work outs in the health spa, muscles glow!"

I wonder. Is that double-irony, or are they just playing it 'straight'?

A large hairy man doing curls behind a reception desk looks up from his forearm, mildly affronted that I'm interrupting him. Hairy not in the sense that the hair on the top of his head is long, but rather in the sense that he appears to have short hair coming from everywhere. "Yeah?"

"I'm looking for Kratos?"

He glances at the sign on the other side of the room, a stylised image of a muscular man lifting a massive barbell with the legend 'Kratos Gym' below it.

A couple of men lifting weights in the 'gym' part of the room glance my way, then dismiss me as a weedy manlet unworthy of their time.

"Who wants to see him?"

"My name's-"

"Paul."

"-and his nephew sent me."

He shrugs. "Prove it."

I take Hephaestaean's cup out of subspace and put it on the desk, melted circuitry still encrusted on the surface. "Good enough?"

He short-grunts, completes his curl and then carefully lays his dumbbell down on the small rack. The weights are equal to what a normal person might put on a barbell. Kratos Gym is no place for weeds. Or steroid users, according to the poster behind the desk.

"This way."

He leads me through the exercise space where men beefier than most cattle lift, clean, jerk and curl, bulging muscles smoothly exerting themselves. Ring scan shows that they're completely serious about the steroid thing, but the same restriction doesn't apply to magic.

My guide pushes through the doors at the back of the weight room, the sounds of excited cheers reaching my ears even as the sight of burly naked men grappling with one another reaches my eyes.

"Ugh!" / "Grgh!"

And between the wrestling circles strides the man I'm here to see. He's not actually much bigger than the others, but there's a certain presence to him that I feel from the other Olympians. Much like Ploutos, he's carved out a space for himself in the modern world where he's comfortable. Unlike Ploutos, it's an area filled with bodybuilders, power lifters and mixed martial artists.

Though they can get stuffed if they don't use pankration.

Kratos looks at me, and I can feel force in his stare. Oh. No, these aren't just meatheads. These are actual worshippers, men who've knelt at the shrine to the Ancient Greek God of Strength. And he's showing the benefits of that. Kratos grabs a stout staff from the wall and tosses it to my escort and nods his head towards the back office before heading towards it himself. My escort turns away from me towards one of the rings, where one of the contestants has the other in a chokehold and is weathering the increasingly weak elbow strikes trying to dislodge him. A finger comes up-

"End!"

-and there's a pause before the end of the staff strikes the winner in the middle of the forehead. The strikes seems to wake him up, causing him to release his opponent from the hold, blood flow to his brain fully restored. The contestants take a moment to gasp and recover themselves, then they hold out their right hands and clasp one another's wrists.

I follow Kratos into the office. He doesn't take the seat, preferring to loom at me across the desk from a standing position.

"What?"

"Zeus fell."

This doesn't appear to faze him. "Who?"

"Hephaestus, who became Hephaestaean."

"What does he want?"

"Your service."

"I don't break legs for the King of Olympus any longer."

"He doesn't need you to break legs. He needs you to inspire people to build strength. He wants to offer you-."

"He's drea-ming. I know you, Orange Lantern. I know what you do. I even respect it. You see those men out there?"

I nod.

"Lots of people want to come here. I test them and they fail. Those are the only ones who understand strength. You want everyone to wake up and seize power as if it was their birthright?" He looks at me, looking slightly amused. "It won't happen. Most people are helots, and they're happy like that."

"And you don't want the job of changing that?"

"I don't want the job of changing that."

"How about the job of God of War?"

"What happened to Ares?"

"Hammer to the groin."

"Heh. Hephaestus had cause. But I don't want the job. War is slaughter. Any weak idiot can pull a trigger. That's not me. Doing what you're told is not strength."

"Then change it yourself. Hephaestaean would be-."

"Change it yourself if you think it's so great. What do you think is going to happen?"

"I think that after the Sheeda attacks and angel invasion people are less inclined towards monotheism than they used to be. A dynamic pantheon with something to offer could make inroads in human civilisation."

"But what would they have to offer me?"

"A chance to test your philosophy on a wider canvas, and reach people who wouldn't have heard of you otherwise."

"These men understand strength. If I have to teach people strength, then they aren't worth teaching. I don't care about philosophy. I don't need to prove that I'm right to other people; it's enough that I know that I am."

"And if everyone became strong?"

"Then even I could not teach all of them how to use that strength."

"Nothing I or Hephaestaean could do to change your mind?"

"Nothing."

"Alright." I take a card with my contact details on out of subspace and lay it on his desk. "If you think of anything you want to talk about, get in touch."

"You have shown respect by making this offer." He shakes his head. "But I will not ever accept it. Hephaestaean should just form his own cult without any other Olympians. After all this time, we are all used to working apart."

"It might come to that. But I'd like to try talking to people first."

He smiles. It's not a friendly expression.

"That's not what I have heard."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
20:02 GMT

Artemis looks out across what little can be seen of the surface of Bylan 5.

"Nice place. Other-you do this?" Soulscent Tracking.

Radioactive ash and a plethora of toxic chemicals fill the once-breathable atmosphere. I can hear rumbles of thunder as ion lightning leaps between layers of mutually antagonistic chemicals, but I can't see the lightning itself because the pea soup is just too thick. If whatever did this isn't ongoing at least some of this should have settled out by now. If there were any of the native species left I'd toss a couple of power rings at them so they could start fixing it, but as far as I can tell there aren't.

"I'm not really sure. I don't think so. I've got most of his memories… Reasonably well integrated, and I think I'd remember doing something like this."

"You said you got messed up after you tried coping with Vandal Savage's memories."

"I did, and I barely retain any of it, but this is different. Other Grayven's memories were… Formatted to someone who thinks like I do. I might forget things, or not immediately call them to mind, but I shouldn't just… Blank on something." Just Give Up.

"I don't… Feel anything."

"Me neither, but all the other sites had at least something."

Wrecks, small abandoned New God outposts from the last big war, and one warren inhabited by a bioengineered insectoid weapon species that positively reeked of Apokolips. My guess is that he acquired the Absolute Dominion and the parts needed to repair it by going down the list and eventually getting lucky. But this place… Couldn't detect anything from orbit.

"What could do this?"

"Orbital bombardment heavy enough to breach the mantle over a large area. That would provide a source of heat, and… Depending on the elements involved, the chemicals and radiologicals. There are pure spite weapons that could do this temporarily, and… You could make some sort of foul terraforming engine to do this directly."

"Should we look for it? Can't be that hard to shut it down. Then we might actually be able to see where we're going."

I shake my head.

"Doesn't feel right. All the other sites were dead. No one's going to abandon a machine like that in case younger species get ideas above their station." I shake my head. "Mass ecological vandalism isn't my speciality. He and I are both too inclined towards efficiency. Even that ridiculous harvest snake the Citizenry used is more efficient than this."

"Sometimes it's just about sending a message."

"How do you send a message when there's no one to hear it?" I shake my head. "No, don't answer that. It could be. It just doesn't feel right. This is something Apokolips might do to a site of symbolic importance… A holy world or something. But this wasn't."

I hold up my left hand.

"Kara Zor-El, found anything?"

"Yes. You are standing on compressed ash. The original surface of the planet is two hundred metres below you. Below that is a structure containing non-native elements."

Ring?

Unable to locate.

"Kara, are you sure about that? Neither my ring or the Absolute Dominion's sensors are showing anything."

"Kryptonian sensors are superior. And less well known to the New Gods."

I'm not sure about the first, but the second is certainly true. There are limits to what sensor masking can achieve when you can work on the level of detail that we can. The ability to absorb electromagnetic radiation and heat doesn't mean all that much when you're scanning for changes in molecular density. Heck, even for advanced civilisations dummying ultrasound scans is a pain. Interfering with the returns is simple, but disguising that something interfered with them is hard.

But New God technology is designed to interface with the soul, and there are ways to convince it to lie to the user. And power rings have no particular ability to bypass magic. Brute force backed by a strong soul, on the other hand…

I float a little way into the air and generate a huge excavator construct, force generating rings tearing into the ground and dragging out a continuous column of material. Initially all I see is the same dark ash that we're standing on, then after a few moments it changes to dull grey bedrock.

Then there's a hole.

I toss the column aside, letting it fall to the ground with a crash and plume of ash. Down there… No, still not picking up anything of significance. Still, if Kara's wrong then I've only wasted a few minutes.

I turn to Artemis. "Ladies f-?"

She looses her arrow and vanishes as it disappears into the pit. I stride over thin air, looking down for a moment as I dismiss my construct, and then drop.

I fall a kilometre in a few seconds before increasing power to my aero discs and reducing speed to a rate less likely to crush Artemis to death if I land on her. I should probably feel some sort of danger here… Not because a fall like this is actually a threat to me, but some… Residual squishy human instinct? But, no. All I feel is mild curiosity. And it is mild, as I don't really expect anything outstanding, just something slightly better hidden.

I guess that between Magic Horse Land and Bondage Elf Land, a mere hole in the ground containing the secrets of the gods doesn't really-.

"Are you really ennuing?"

I shrug my right shoulder as I reach the bottom of the hole.

"Maybe a bit. Aren't you?"

"I did an off the cuff speech about global economic integration in civics class last week. Think I'm getting a 'A'."

"Not an A P-?"

"Not an A Plus because the question was about forest management."

"But you can't just ask about forest management, because it's affected by temperature, rain pH-."

"And a loada other things that don't relate to just one country, which is why I'm getting an A and a place on the FBI's watch list."

I flash her a frown as she examines the bottom of the hole. "You weren't there already? Disappointing."

"It's a different list." Tracking the Prey.

"So what have we got?"

"Looks like New God armour, but I can't feel it. You getting anything?"

Hm. Master Of All I Survey.

…

"Not a dickybird. I'll-."

She splutters with laughter. "What?"

"What? Dickyb-? Anything. Like, not even a small bird?"

"That's a word?"

I stare at her. "How have you known me for this long-" I draw my sword and stab it into the armoured plate. "-and not heard me say it?"

"You've never said it."

I frown. "I must have-."

"You haven't." I shove downwards with my daiklave, but I don't quite punch through. "Want a hand?"

I shake my head, traversing the blade to slowly cut a plug out. "Just jump through with a beacon when I've made a hole. This is a little more effort than they made at the other sites. Maybe this will be interesting."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
20:07 GMT

"…risk a boom tube?"

I nod to myself as Artemis speaks through my ring. Neither radio waves nor New God type communicators get through, but power rings work just fine.

"No, with the Absolute Dominion in orbit I can use a hush tube. You sure it didn't react to your magic?"

"Not that I can see or feel."

Right. Mother Box.

Ping.

A hole in the universe opens just below me, and I drop down into… Darkness, illuminated only by Sinestro's glow. "How's he treating you?"

She grimaces, pulls it off her right middle finger and tosses it to me. I pull it onto my right ring finger.

"That bad?"

"Apparently I'm 'barely adequate, despite my upbringing'."

"Would you rather be an excellent fit for a dictator who believed that order could only be maintained through fear?" I peer around, the darkness-. Wait.

Ping.

"Can you see better than me?"

"Only if I make an effort. Does that mean there's someone here?"

"Not necessarily. And since we're not being inundated by parademons or aero-troopers, I tend to doubt it. Not sure how the system is powerful enough to mess with us like this." I frown, then shake my head. "Which is odd, because a system that can do that would be valuable and worth defending, particularly if it wasn't stripped for parts. But it isn't being defended."

Artemis readies an arrow. "Don't speak too soon." Death Awaits.

"Obvious question, through. There's no outward sign that anything's here-."

"Where did other-you hear about it. If you still don't think he built it himself."

"A sufficiently traumatic head injury might just erase the memory, but that doesn't… Sound right." I walk over to the closest wall and place my left palm against it. Bow To My Will!

The stygian blackness pulls back a little, but scans still aren't telling me much. Mother Box?

Ping.

Great. Looks like we're in a store room of some sort. The few remaining crates are neatly stacked in the corner, no obvious detritus left around the place. No particular feeling from anything.

Oh.

"One possibility does come to mind, given the state of the outside."

"Anti-Life research. Do we need to leave?"

"No. Incidental tertiary exposure shouldn't do much to us, though if we confirm it we'll need to leave and destroy the place from orbit."

My frown deepens as I shake my head, lifting my hand off the wall and armouring myself. No lock on the door, just a requirement for a minimal level of spiritual power. Easy enough to manage

"So if it's not that..?"

The door opens, the darkness retreating once more to… Reveal a laboratory? A small one. The machinery is a garish combination of purple, yellow and green and… I can't immediately call to mind a New God with that colour scheme. Evil colours, though, so that fits. A red and orange helmet that I'd be insane to try on sits on a small plinth, while a larger circular platform stands empty on one side. Teleporter? Fabricator? Viewing platform? Miniature safe room?

Naturally, there's no control panel.

Ping.

Artemis comes in behind me, eyes darting around. "Is it doing that now?"

Ping.

I find myself shaking my head again. "I don't know about that. I mean, yes, that technique could work, but why would anyone put a machine designed to resurrect New Gods away from Apokolips?"

Artemis glances at me. "You said we couldn't be resurrected."

"I definitely can't, you probably can't, because our souls will merge with the Source upon our deaths. That doesn't mean that we can't be cloned, just that… We wouldn't get much out of it." I move a little closer to the platform, trying to draw upon Other Grayven's earliest memories. "Darkseid had a team… Working on the problem. They never really solved it. They got to the point where the duplicates weren't totally mindless and could be taught, but they lacked the spiritual force of the originals." I smile. "That's one of the reasons how I know that I'm me and not a duplicate, despite merging with Other Grayven."

"So they were making copies here?"

"Something like that. You couldn't make duplicates to use as infiltrators because they wouldn't have the knowledge or spiritual presence. You couldn't use the system to make powerful New Gods immortal for the same reason. Baron Bedlam's multiple plastic bodies were as far as the research got, as far as I know."

I walk over to… Because of course there's no control panel. I walk over to a group of levers and haphazardly placed unmarked buttons, hoping that Mother Box will be able to do something with it.

Ping.

Well, keep trying.

"How does he work?"

"As I understand it, his consciousness isn't attached to any one body. He'd still die if all of his bodies were destroyed, but losing the odd one or two isn't more than an inconvenience."

"Any idea why Other Grayven wanted it? Or why it was abandoned?"

"No. None." I take a closer look at the machine to see if anything springs to mind. "As far as I recall, he didn't know what was here. Only that it was something New God."

"You don't think he got made here?"

"No, the memories I got from him distinctly include his childhood."

"But that wouldn't mean he wasn't, right? They could have copied a child and then just let him grow up normally."

"True, but there's no obvious benefit. I mean, he could have been an experiment to see what would happen, and… Darkseid wouldn't just throw him away if that's what happened because he might learn something out of it. But we're Darkseid's sons. Every memory I have of Apokolips includes us being referred to like that, and if…"

No.

Mother Box, Sinestro, scan for my genetic material.

Lantern Grayven, you already know.

"Oh."

"What?"

"I have no memory of being here before, but there's genetic material from-." Why were there crates in the store room when everything else-? "From me here."

A construct claw grabs a crate and yanks it over to us before cutting it open.

A dozen foetuses with copies of my own face blankly stare up at me from their preservative jars.

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
21:32 GMT

"…because I would be fired."

Ploutos strums the fingers of his right hand against the side of his coffee cup, avoiding my eyes. For a moment I feel awkward about hassling an old man, before I remind myself that while he is old he's younger than quite a few of the Olympians I've already spoken to and been turned down by.

"Wouldn't that be economic suicide?"

"Only in the same sense that smoking is suicide. The fundamentals of an economy are not harmed by short term price fluctuations. Real economic damage kills slowly but surely. The office I hold and the privileges that come with it are the most a person can hold in Greece without being elected. And because I am not elected and because it is my job to tell people who want to spend money they don't have that they can't, I don't have the support of a political machine and I don't have the support of the cabinet."

"But you have the support of your peers-. You don't, because they want your job."

"It's not as if I'm ever going to retire, after all."

"You'd have to eventually, wouldn't you? I mean, they're going to notice eventually."

"There are people in this world who do not age as most do. It would be simple to 'discover' that I was descended from a demigod or some such thing, particularly with people growing accustomed to being guarded by the Heraklya."

"I was surprised by how many of them volunteered."

Given the effort it's taken to persuade other Amazons to go through the Dolmen Gate, the fact that most of Herakles' daughters were happy to decamp to the mainland came as a bit of a surprise. Particularly given the number of statues that had to be relocated in a hurry. Still, it's… Making the people of Greece feel a good deal safer, and been a major boon to the tourist industry.

And not just from lesbians.

It's also made it hard for the Orthodox Church to complain too much about the pagans, though that's probably going to change in the not-too-distant future. Having living proof of the power of the Olympians hanging around has emboldened the pagans, and… It's interesting to watch them trying to speak to the Amazons in Ancient Greek.

I imagine it's like saying 'ayve' to a Roman and then being confused as to why they tell you to go away.

"I was not."

"Oh?"

"During Themyscira's brief and fleeting contacts with the world outside of their island, it was usually the Heraklya who made the journey. Hippolyta knows that the government in Athens has no malice for her or her people, but that would not stop a single individual attacking them. The Heraklya are even more capable of taking care of themselves than their sister Amazons."

"And because despite everything they're still defined by their father."

"Which is not a bad thing as far as the rest of Greece is concerned."

"The Archbishop's speech rather suggested otherwise."

"It was a moderation on his former position, and an indication of the direction of travel. It is usually unwise for churchmen to spring things on their parishioners. They have long since acknowledged that we Olympians exist, and it actually helps their position that the Heraklya hold their father in such low regard."

"So..?"

"So I will wait between five years and a decade, until such things are normalised if not fully accepted, then I will make a quiet announcement concerning my own 'heritage'."

"But a hard 'no' on acting as God of Commerce?"

"You have a compromise in mind?"

"Hellenism isn't exactly a major world religion at the moment."

"That is true. And if I were to take the job, I doubt that it would be much different to the lectures I am periodically called upon to give to my fellow economists. Some time away from the office, but returning to Olympus rather than Davos."

"I'm sure that Hephaestaean would prefer it if you were actively trying to proselytise, sharing your wisdom with anyone who needed it. But taking a day or two a month to answer those who request your guidance shouldn't be any great burden."

"No." He nods. "No, I suppose that you are correct. And Hephaestaean does not want me to control a company for him?"

"Given the rate at which I've been picking up rejections today, I think he'll be glad that you're willing to do anything."

"Ah, yes. I see how that could happen. Despite his power, Zeus was never ambitious. He fought Cronus for his own survival and took power as his due, not because he sought it for its own sake."

"Jesus never sought power for its own sake, and the religion he inspired is the largest on the planet."

"True, but I have my suspicions about Paul and he founded the institution."

"Not going to tell me that you met him?"

"He would hardly have asked me for business advice. No, if you want to hear about the early church, I suggest speaking with Athena."

"It has been suggested to me that I might like to avoid unplanned encounters with gods."

A wry smile. "It may be wise. Will Hephaestaean expect me to offer him advice on how best to use the technology he is developing?"

"I imagine that he would appreciate it, but he's willing to take whatever you're willing to offer. I.. work in a field where many of my contemporaries maintain separate identities for their civilian lives and heroic lives. That sort of deceit is really quite common."

"A superhero of economics. I have never been referred to as that in such a literal way. Very well: I agree. You may tell Hephaestaean that I am willing to act as a part time God of Commerce, advising the rest of the pantheon and the most ardent of our worshippers."

"And in the future-?"

"In.. the future, I may be willing to revise my position. Depending on what else is happening. The difficulty is that I am not prepared to do half a job with the Greek economy, or half a job as a god."

"Is there anyone you can train up for either job?"

"No one I'd trust." He sighs. "I will speak with the Rector of the University of Athens about increasing the number of lectures I deliver. I should be able to sense anyone sufficiently capable, and I should be able to find time to mentor them. I have a suspicion that a man like you will not rest until this theological restructuring happens, whether the world is willing or not."

"And on that note, do you want a power ring?"

He frowns, his eyes dipping to my hands for a moment.

"Why would you offer me one of those?"

"It would explain the longevity without you needing to make overt reference to the Hellenic mythos, and allow you to move far faster than a normal man. The fact that I consult with you is already well known, so it wouldn't seem strange that I might give you one."

"I will have to think on it at some length."

 

[Mr Zoat]

28th October 2012
17:46 GMT -5

"Recognized, Captain Marvel, One Five, Osiris, B One Nine."

I do one last scan of the machinery in Red Tornado's Granny Annexe.. loft, then dismiss my construct and fly down through the hole in the floor. William is still Captain Marvel shaped, but he looks a bit more upbeat.

"Captain, what news?"

"Oh, everyone had a ton of ideas! The Wizard can trigger my transformation himself if I go back to the Rock of Eternity, so I don't have to worry about school tomorrow."

I nod. Impractical for regular use, but an excellent backup.

"And then a Japanese god showed up and said he could take over from Zeus."

"Susano-o-no-Mikoto."

"You sent him? He just said that 'a certain person' did."

"That's how he talks."

"Huh. Weird. Oh, and after we left Osiris remembered that Angelica was the one who got the Wizard to power up Adom using Kahndaqi gods. She says that she could link me up with any god-. Ah, or god-like being who wanted to give me their power, including the Kahndaqi gods."

'Power' is Atum, so…

"Shaaam?"

William chuckles. "That would be kinda awkward to say. But it would work. And Zauriel said that he could talk to his king about sponsoring me, but he'd need permission because that's not something his order really covered."

"Does he have the power for something like that? No disrespect intended to Zauriel, but he's not drawing power from multiple titans, and while you're certainly a good person I'm not sure you're a saint."

He shrugs modestly. "I'm not either. But I am a Christian, so… Honestly? I'd feel more comfortable about getting power from Heaven than someplace else."

"I… Did say that I'd bury the hatchet with Zauriel, so if that's really what you want, go for it. But were there any other options?"

"Mister Miracle said that a Mother Box could handle my transformation. It wouldn't give me any extra power, but it could let me change." He takes a deep breath. "But he doesn't have a spare one, and the only person who can make me one is Himon, and he's on Apokolips."

I wince.

"Normally I like automation, but in this case I suggest one of the solutions that doesn't involve going to Apokolips."

"That's what I thought. So, what's with Susano-o-no-Mikoto?"

"His pantheon expands by convincing newly emergent gods to join it. He told me that he thinks you'd be good advertising."

"So it's like wearing a sponsor's name on my shirt? I don't know if the Wizard will like that."

"Jebediah convinced your existing sponsors to work together to empower you. One of them was a serial rapist, and another once tried to cut a baby in half to solve an argument."

"Um. Better I have Herakles's strength than he does, right?"

"Is that how it-" William clamps his right hand over his mouth. "-works?"

"Can.. you.. pretend I didn't say that?"

"Say what? Also, on an unrelated matter, Herakles is an evil man who at the very least deserves whatever's happened to him, though I have no idea what that is."

"Okay. Thanks." He nods, then takes a step back. "I'm gunna go check in with Batman, then I need to get back to the Wizard to get transformed for school tomorrow. "

"Are you just going to do that every time?"

"No, but this is something I need to think about real hard, and I should probably talk to people. Including Mary and Freddie."

I nod. "Very wise. I'll see you when I see you."

He turns to Amon. "Thanks for your help, Osiris. And thanks for keeping cool around the Wizard. I know how angry he makes you."

"Captain, you are my friend and the friend of my brother. I will bite my tongue around the Wizard a hundred times if you need me to."

William smiles. "But a hundred and one is one too many?"

"Oh, no. If you need me a hundred and one times then it is taking me away from my studies more than my sister and brother will allow. I am sure that Adom would take my place, though."

William's smile fades. "Yeah, let's… Let's make sure that doesn't happen."

Amon nods. "I am glad that we both value education so highly."

"That too." He rises of the ground and flies back towards the zeta tube. "Be seeing you!"

"Recognized, Captain Marvel, One Five."

"I would like to add my congratulations to those of Captain Marvel."

"I can hold my tongue when I must."

"That's not what The Key says."

For an instant he looks shocked, then he makes an amused exhalation and shakes his head. "Do not make jokes like that around my sister. She would not respond well."

"Speaking of your sister, do you think she'd be willing to take a trip to Brazil? Gaea suggested that I make time to speak with Euanthe, and-."

"You do not disobey the Goddess of the Earth."

"Not if you've got any sense, and I have at least that much."

"That is not what Wonder Woman says."

"Ou-ch. Blooming leave her in Tartarus next time."

"No. You wouldn't."

"No, I wouldn't. Ah, I don't suppose that the Kahndaqi pantheon has any spare war-related gods, does it?"

"Ah, there is Sekhmet? But I do not think that she is 'spare'?"

"Gods can be worshipped by more than one pantheon."

He frowns interrogatively. "Why are you asking?"

"Hephaestaean and I are having trouble filling up his cabinet. We need a war god, and none of the related Greek gods are interested."

"What happened to Ares?"

"Hammer to the crotch."

"Are there no other Greek gods who could-?"

"Kratos is running a gym, Hippolyta is too peaceful, Enyo likes being a punk musician and told me to fuck myself with a cricket bat, Nike doesn't want to be tied to war that strongly, Athena doesn't want that part of the war portfolio and Eris hasn't sobered up enough to ask."

"I will ask her on your behalf, but I do not know. Is there no one else you could ask?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

29th October 2012
03:45 GMT +3

Olympus has already started to change.

Hephaestaean told me that he considered teleporting his old workshop up here, then decided that it wouldn't be worth it. His expertise has expanded so much that it would be easier to just start again… Not that he's had time, or is likely to have time in the near future. But an oval-shaped deliberative chamber has replaced Zeus's feasting room, and… Dolmen Gates that look suspiciously like stargates have appeared near to convenient points of egress. Did he put his head together with Hecate, or has his domain expanded to the point where he can invent novel arcanotechnology without anyone's help?

Idle curiosity. Not important right now, and I actively want to flip the table so it's not really a problem -for me- if something goes a little off-script.

The other matter, on the other hand…

"I beg your pardon, my lord, but we aren't really set up to receive guests at the moment. If you had sent word ahead I would have ensured that Hephaestaean was here to greet you."

Susano-o-no-Mikoto nods politely.

"The honourable representative has no need to apologise. This humble one was impetuously overwhelmed by curiosity. It has been a great deal of time since the Gods of Japan have had direct contact with the Gods of Olympus."

Even I caught that jab. One side has a country, the other side has a hill with delusions of grandeur. But they're not exactly in competition. The Olympians might be work shy, but they don't have the same need to take advantage of their brief moment of fame to secure their metaphysiques and make themselves into something that Johnny-come-latelies do.

I smile politely at Lady Liberty, who smiles back just as honestly. She's gone for the classical robes that look classy to most modern people but just look a little off to someone used to Themysciran clothing. I'll be interested to see if she actually sounds French.

"You are welcome to visit for as long as you like, but I am afraid that we will be poor hosts at present."

"It seems to me that you're the person to talk to if we want to get something done around here."

Ah. Transatlantic, with just a hint of a French accent. How marvellously fake.

"Madam, I may properly be likened to a sixty year old sea mine: reasonably safe if left to my own devices, but prone to explode if prodded. The question of whether or not I can 'get things done' is not precisely relevant."

"Alright, then let's save us the trouble of you and Mister Mikoto talking around each other for hours. Hephaestus wants to rebuild his pantheon into something that humans all over the world will worship. But how about trying something different?"

"We're already working on aliens, if that's what you mean."

"I mean, why not make it part of a wider revival of other faiths?"

"Lack of a personal stake."

"Oh?" She raises her eyebrows. "Your negotiations with the Silver City resulted in necromancers being able to reach their dead for the first time in history, and your provocation turned more waverers away from their 'default' religion. Superheroes are already objects of reverence. Do you know how many people worship Superman?"

"'Worship' as in 'literally pray to', or as in 'revere greatly'?"

"Why split hairs? The Roman Catholics had indulgences and crucifixes. He has t-shirts and posable action figures. People all across the world cheer on his deeds, wear his symbol and call out to him in times of hardship."

"The difference may only exist in peoples' minds, but it does exist there. There's a big difference between passively accepting converts and actively proselytising. And yes, I do know roughly how many people worship him and I know roughly what he thinks of them. He has absolutely no desire to be a god."

"Then he should consider being less godly."

Susano-o-no-Mikoto looks a little uncomfortable at how assertive she's being, but he holds his tongue.

"Our pantheon is expanding into new markets. People shouldn't be tied to contracts with gods they don't want. But that doesn't mean we have to compete."

"To paraphrase G'kar, I have no desire to replace a monopoly with another monopoly. I'm helping Hephaestaean because he took a big risk to help me and I owe him at least this much. Look, could you explain what you actually want and leave convincing me until after I've said 'no'?"

"My proposal is that non-monotheistic religions should act in concert… At least, in the initial stages, in order to normalise theological pluralism and defray potential backlash."

"Not a terrible idea. But the founding gods of Shinto are already worshipped by the Japanese, and… No one else. You've been expanding by recruiting people like you, who are already revered in other places. The Olympians are going to be trying to convert people who've heard of them but see them as something other."

"Greater risk of failure, but with that comes a greater potential reward. We'd like to improve your odds and take a little of the reward ourselves. I've read the digest version of your thaumic research write-ups. Earth has more than enough raw magic to sustain all of its gods. And people are mentally flexible enough to accept gods with overlapping responsibilities. We could form a united pantheon for the entire world."

"A trade association?"

"By setting certain standards of behavior, we could limit the influence of those who… Struggle to remember that we're here to work with mortals. You may find our help useful if some of the Othrysians don't cope very well with freedom."

Ah… This is what I get for not having a plan in place: people expecting me to decide things. I mean, I could just say 'Hail Eris' and ignore the issue, but I don't think-.

"This one apologises for interrupting this most worthy discussion, but this one had been under the impression that there were no other gods in residence."

I turn, following his gaze upwards to the true summit of Mount Olympus, the counterpart of 'the Throne of Zeus' of the material mountain. On the absolute peak, a man holds his arms over his head in triumph.

"There… Aren't. Please excuse me while I go and find out who that is."

I fly towards the man, who lowers his arms and starts to look around and appreciate the view. He's dressed like a mountaineer from the mid-twentieth century, back when silk and tweed were the clothing of choice rather than modern thermals. His chin is covered in a mid-length black beard, and there's a small amount of black hair poking out from under his hat at the back. He has a climbing axe in his right hand-. No, strapped to the stump of his right forearm, a loop of rope slung over his shoulder and a heavy pack on his back.

He turns back my way, sees me and waves his left hand before sitting down on the rock and doffing his pack. "Ho, Lantern!"

"Hello? I'm sorry, but we're not really open for business at the moment."

"I know. Kratos told me that you were hiring, so I thought I should be proactive and apply for the job in person."

"Ah, well, I appreciate it, Mister..?"

"Týr. Or call me Tyr; I know English-speakers don't like the accents."

"Oh. Excellent. I actually recommended you for the position two years ago, so I'm very glad that you're here. Um, what's in the bag?"

He wraps his hook around the straps holding the back closed and tugs, revealing...

"Five thousand years' worth of references. I'm eager to join a pantheon that's as proactive as I am, so I thought I should make a strong impression. How am I doing?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

29th October 2012
05:19 GMT +3

"…which is when Odin started laughing." He waves his right forearm dismissively. "I learned a valuable lesson about not taking loyalty for granted that day."

Hephaestaean nods, his fully repaired mechadendrites working their way through Tyr's truly impressive stack of references. Apparently, his most recent occupation was working in a bar in Reykjavík, which… Well, as he said, it's a people-orientated occupation.

Hephaestaean is occupying the position at the 'head' of the oval, with Metis on his right and the pile of papers and scrolls on his left. I'm not sure how they've been preserved; velum can last 1500 years but some of those are far older.

I'm sitting on the mid-right part of the oval, opposite our Shinto guests. Tyr looks happy enough to deliver his speech from the middle of the floor, and it's been a learning experience. I had no idea that he used to be the head of their pantheon. Or that Odin was supposed to release Fenrir, but decided that getting his boss crippled was a better idea.

"Do you think it will cause you difficulty in interacting with him in the future?"

"We haven't spoken for twelve hundred years. He is fixated with avoiding his own death at Ragnarok, I decided that a band of backstabbers weren't worth my time. I won't say that I wouldn't kick him in the balls if I had a clear shot, but I won't make revenge the focus of my life."

"And what about Fenrir?"

"I don't think he's going to give me my hand back. And I don't think I'd want it; he's probably drooled all over it."

"Is the feud between you ongoing?"

"He was my dog, you know? I think he regretted taking my hand the moment he saw how shocked I was." Tyr looks aside for a moment. "No, there's no grudge there. If I saw him again I'd offer him dinner, and I think he'd go after Odin rather than me."

"And what about Garmr?"

"He's supposed to kill me at the end of the world. I've never even seen him. If it happens, then it happens. I'm not going to worry about something that may never happen, and that I couldn't stop if it does end up happening."

"How are your relations with the other Æsir?"

"Freyja sends me a letter every year, and I send one back in return. Other than that, I don't have much to do with them."

"Have you spoken to Jon Haraldson?"

"I appear to him in his dreams sometimes and give him uplifting omens. He is Odin's man, and his wife is Odin's servant, and Odin already hates him. I don't want to make his life harder."

Hephaestaean nods. "Do you have any relationships with members of my pantheon that I don't know about?"

"I think Orange Lantern once suggested that I marry Athena, but I think-" Hephaestaean's tentacles stop for a moment, then go back to reading paperwork. "-that he was telling a joke. I have never even met her. Though I hear that she's a good god. I look forward to working with her."

"Very well. Now, what plans do you have for the domain of war?"

"I believe that my focus should be the soldiers and their guidance. There are good reasons to go to war, good reasons to kill intelligent beings. Usually, soldiers do not think about them when they go to fight. I would change that. I would help them understand what the good reasons to fight are. I want to teach them how to come to terms with their destructive urges and harness them. I wish to teach them the value of suffering and hardship and resolution."

"And why have you not done so before now?"

"I had no support amongst the Æsir. To change a people, you have to change their worldview. The whole pattern of thoughts they use to understand the world. I could not do that on my own. You can find a few hundred examples of my attempts to change men's hearts in my references. But I could not change everyone. Now, in this time, human civilisation is ready to change. And I want to be part of that."

"With the gods of the Hellenes?"

"I do not think that you will limit yourselves to the Hellenes."

"No, but I might start there."

Tyr nods. "It might be good to start with a smaller group of people. I have not been a god as part of a pantheon for a long time. Being able to travel where I want is nice, but I have reached the point in my life where I ache for the presence of peers. It will be better than working at Ikea, which is what I was going to do before Kratos telephoned me."

"Do you have plans on how to begin?"

"Yes. I have a few worshippers who could act as priests, and I will need to speak to the Amazons to see if some of them are willing. I know enough about rune magic that I think I can get their attention. The advantage of modern communications technology is that it is possible to share lessons with a great many people and have them shared accurately. I cannot plan for everything, but that is how I will start."

"Can you fight?"

"So long as I don't stick my sword hand in my enemy's mouth before the fight starts. It took me a long time to learn to fight left handed, but I prefer it to strapping a blade to my stump."

"Have you ever fought an angel?"

"Very briefly, during the invasion. Will we be fighting the Silver City?"

"I do not want to, but they may decide that they do not want other religions to be revived."

"Then we fight. I can defend against their magic, and their fire does little to me."

Hephaestaean nods. "I will need to follow up on your references, but I like what I have heard. You will have my decision within nine days. Do you have somewhere to stay, or do you require lodgings?"

"I have a tent on the slopes. Whether I go to Olympus or Sweden, I'd like to spend the rest of my free time in the natural world."

"Then I thank you for coming here, and give you leave to depart."

Tyr comes to attention facing Hephaestaean, gives him a formal bow, then turns and strides out of the deliberative chamber.

He's not even out of the room before Hephaestaean starts taking pieces of metal out of subspace and begins working on them, plasma cuttings stencilling the solid pieces as the structure begins to come together.

"A new right hand for your new right hand man?"

"Yes. He sounds perfect, and the references are good. This hand will symbolise our bond, as well as making it easier for him to hold things."

I nod. "Now that that's settled, I should visit Brazil. Do you want to speak to Euanthe here?"

"Yes. She has a base of worshippers and a clear role. If she will not come, get permission for us to build temples in her new land."

"Will do. Any other orders?"

The fingers of the hand flex as the plasma cuttings begin inscribing the runes that will grant it phyresis.

"No. Go with my blessing."

I nod, standing up-. Ah. "Lady Liberty, did you ever consider recruiting Uncle Sam?"

"Sure did, but Uncle Sam has not been seen in the Heartlands or in the material world for decades."

I frown. "Yes he has. He's been hanging around Washington for months."

She looks at me quizzically.

"Orange Lantern, I've known Uncle Sam for longer than anyone. I don't know who that person in Washington is, but they aren't Uncle Sam."

 

[Mr Zoat]

29th October 2012
23:52 GMT -3

Honestly, he acts more like a living statue than anything else.

It's not as if I bothered keeping track of Uncle Sam in any detail. Justice Society era records describe him as being stronger than he looks like he should be, tougher than he looks and able to fire Jubilee-grade bright lights from his hands. The one time I was forced to interact with him was at the ceremony marking the passing of the Citizenship Recognition Act, and he struck me as being… Really fake. Normally when someone goes on about principles that much while skipping actual policy, it's because they know their preferred policies would either alienate voters or be guaranteed to fail. I just decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because if anyone is going to be that patriotic, it's him, but…

But apparently it's not him.

My rings get confused when I try to scan him directly, but just asking for a visual image of the area he's in works fine. And he hasn't been doing anything particularly worrying in the half-hour or so since Lady Liberty alerted me to the possible problem, but…

For goodness sake, I'm supposed to be looking for John Constantine!

Okay, compose a message to Batman.

Ready.

Have spoken to the American Goddess of Liberty. She has stated that the person posing as Uncle Sam is not actually Uncle Sam. I have no further information at this time. Send.

Compliance.

Shaking my head, I look down at the Garden of Brasília. Euanthe doesn't like cities. Though she isn't actively hostile to humans, with Brasília abandoned and in ruins she didn't see any reason not to have fun with the place with her new High Priestess. Her temple-palace is a huge eyesore of flowers and leaves, towering over the vine-wreathed trees that are busy breaking down the stone, concrete, steel and glass that was once a city. If I remember Dr. Isley's work, a good deal of that breaking down is being done by microscopic plants rather than raw green magic. There are a few humans around, but most of the former inhabitants of the inner city have left as refugees. The favela residents with nowhere else to go mostly went the same way, but some have stayed on. It's actually a little safer to live in the city now compared to what it was like in the gang-infested parts before the Sheeda Harrowing, though the amenities aren't as good.

Reminds me a little of planet O. Have to see about getting one of the natives to visit, and probably someone from Alstair.

After I find-!

Djhurr.

Do I need an actual staff or something? People I can give these jobs to? And I can't even guarantee that I'm going to be able to give finding John my full attention after Hephaestaean is fully bedded in.

I fly over the woodlands, towards the temple-palace. Euanthe doesn't sleep but I think that Dr. Isley does. She still did at Arkham, and while she was active as Poison Ivy. But she hasn't been attending follow-up appointments while she's been in Brazil. Well, Euanthe's the one I want to talk to anyway.

I land on the… Courtyard? And walk towards the trailing fronds that cover the entrance. Hard to make a door out of living plants after all, and in Brazil keeping cool and dry is more of an issue than keeping warm.

"Euanthe? Are you at home?"

She can't ordinarily hear through plants, due to plants not having ears and so not being able to hear. But she should be aware of the pressure of my body against the plant surface that I'm standing on, and feel the plant spores on my armour.

"Yes! Come in!"

I push through the fronds, walking through into a segmented, woody hallway. No leaves in here due to the reduced light level, but there are closed flower buds at short intervals along the walls. That's a Poison Ivy classic; they'll no doubt be loaded with some sort of unnatural mental influence pollen, assuming that it's not something more deadly.

Either of them can rearrange plant life as much as they want, but that sort of thing would get annoying if there was more than one person living in a structure. 'Hey, I was using that room!' I suppose that's why there's an actual structure here, rather than Euanthe just making what she wants as she wants it. Or maybe she just feels that she should just guide the plants a little but that using them and throwing them away would be wrong. Not.. so much morally wrong as out of order.

I come to a crossroads, and…

"Euanthe?"

Flowers along one of the corridors open, petals twinkling with bioluminescence. Not a characteristic those flowers usually have, so I guess that Euanthe has been listening to Dr. Isley.

I accelerate to a jog, hearing… Splashing ahead. I don't remember Euanthe needing to.. bathe. She's a plant. But maybe she likes the sensation of being rained on?

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"No."

That was Dr. Isley. She sounds awake at any rate.

I proceed to follow the flowers through the temple palace, eventually coming out onto a.. balcony. Above is a canopy of large bioluminescence petals, the walls covered in living vines and… The floor area is a plankton-filled pool. Dr. Isley is swimming in the deep part, and the water is green enough that I can't tell what she's wearing. Euanthe is sitting on a rock in the shallows, moisture from the shower-vines misting her as she plays with a pale-wooded miniature tree. As per normal, she's not bothered with any clothing, though her current body doesn't look 'feature complete'.

Dr. Isley stops swimming when she spots me, raising her right hand out of the water to wave. Her skin is back to medium green, which contrasts prettily with her red hair. Euanthe doesn't look up, but that's not unusual for her.

"What brings you here?"

"We overthrew Zeus. The new ruler wants to persuade Euanthe to branch out, and allow the other Olympians to proselytise here."

Dr. Isley breast strokes her way towards the shallows, leaves growing over her shoulders and down her torso as she emerges from the water. "What about Demeter?"

"She's the goddess of harvest and agriculture and she has tentatively agreed to return to work in that role. Rhea's not coming back-."

Euanthe's head jerks up. "You have seen Rhea?"

"No, but I met some of the children she had after she left. She's dead, I'm afraid."

"Oh." She freezes in place for a moment, then goes back to staring at her tree.

Dr. Isley fully leaves the water to stand on the wooden shore line. I fly down to her as she runs her hands through her hair, plankton blooming into decorative flowers.

"How long did it take you to learn that?"

"A little under a month. They don't last, but they're not supposed to. I'm glad I can understand that now."

I smile warmly. "So am I. What's with the tree?"

She looks around. "This one? I missed modern amenities. Euanthe tried to create plants that could provide them, but I don't think she really understood. Still, it's… Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I meant Euanthe's bonsai tree."

"She grew it from the wood you gave her from the Garden of Eden. Did that really happen?"

"Yes."

"Apparently, she's nearly managed to align it with the Green. When she does, every plant on the planet will burn any demon that touches it."

"And that's why we want her in the pantheon."

 

[Mr Zoat]

29th October 2012
23:59 GMT -3

Orange light shines out across the subterranean cavern, the various highly toxic alchemical substances that leaked down here from the Sheeda ship being unmade.

Dr. Isley shudders in relief. "Thank you. You have no idea what it felt like to have something that unnatural under my skin."

"Under your skin?"

She holds up her left arm and points at a slightly discoloured patch of skin. As I watch, the darker green gradually retreats until it's gone entirely.

"Are you..? Alright?"

"I finally have the connection to plant life that I used to think I had. Their strength is my strength and their pain is my pain." She shrugs. "It has its down sides, but I… I like it. I like being part of something bigger than myself, even if that's literal."

"As long as you're happy." I nod and smile. "And not murdering people, then it's all good."

"No, that's not something I do any more." She does a quiet laugh-snort. "I spend more time trying to keep people alive. With all the farmland Euanthe reforested, farming… Farming stopped. That wasn't a problem for the Accala or the other forest tribes, but the people who are still living in the cities were in danger of starving."

"Cities need to be fed by large areas of countryside in order to function. Did you persuade Euanthe to spare subsistence farms?"

"No, but I gave the fruit-bearing plants around them a boost and created some new super fruits." She shakes her head. "Hugo sent some missionaries, but the people still there aren't interested in learning."

"Learning..? To live in the forest?"

"We're not ordering everyone to live in caves. The Accala have homes. But high-density settlements don't have a place in the civilization we're building. They're not good for the land or for humans."

"Um…"

"We're trying to show people a better way to live. You've seen alien civilizations; you can't tell me that every species destroys their natural habitat to industrialise."

"You'd like Alstair and O. The Dominion use some plant-based technology, but… Yes. The path that the human species has taken is… Fairly typical. Magic-based civilisation are usually less antagonistic, but there aren't all that many of those. And then you've got the problem of civilisations which don't have the fuel to fully industrialise…"

"Could I visit those worlds? If I could see what they're doing differently, it could end up helping everyone."

"I think it would be better if I invited someone from there, here. I don't think having the person whose job it is to explain humans to Euanthe should wander too far away."

We turn away from the purified pool, plant roots already poking through the earth around us to drink from it. I put an environmental shield around both of us and up we go.

"You could do that."

"I've got a lot on." She smirks. "What?"

"I have been teaching Euanthe how to be more human. Did you know that she can shift herself into a more humanlike shape?"

We land back on the surface, and I withdraw my environmental shield. It's only a short walk back to the temple-palace, and with that problem dealt with I hope that Euanthe will be in a convivial mood.

"She's fairly human-looking now."

She rolls her eyes. "Do you need me to spell it out?"

"Yes. And if people did that more often they'd find their interactions with me much more productive."

"She told me that she wanted your 'meat'."

"She told me that she thought that was a way of thanking me for rescuing her."

"Plants don't have sex. Plant reproductive systems-."

"Dad was a biology teacher. I know how plant reproduction works."

"She looks like she does because she's -spiritually- humanlike. The reason she could even think about 'meating' you is because when she's more human she has human desires."

I frown. "I-."

"She's into you. I'm trying to set you up with her, is what I'm saying."

"And I'm saying that while I appreciate your consideration and directness, I'm perfectly happy in my present relationship."

Dr. Isley's eyes widen a little. "Oh, I-. Didn't know."

"No reason why you would. Honestly, I've been assuming that the two of you were together."

"Why?"

"Your obvious reverence for her and your victim profile."

She frowns. "You thought I killed men because I was gay?"

"Not because, but if I had to guess your orientation based on how good your relationships with-."

"No, no, I mostly killed men because they were the leading polluters and industrialists, and because it was easy because I could control their minds. I… When I was Poison Ivy, I found the idea of any sort of physical intimacy with any… Meat, revolting. Any flirting was just… Contempt for their… Meat-ness."

"Ah. I apologise for my presumption. Are you..? How are you doing now?"

"I'm not seeing anyone. I know I… Could, but-. I killed a lot of people as Poison Ivy. I don't… Back.. how I was then, I wouldn't have hurt Euanthe."

I nod. "She's safe for you to be around, but you're not sure who else would be. You're scared of relapsing."

"Swamp Thing fixed my brain, but behaviors are habit-forming. I think it's… Best, if I limit how close I get to people."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to exempt me."

"Please. You're no more at risk than Euanthe."

"Are you sure? I know that I've got plant matter in my body, and Euanthe banned me from directly controlling them."

"You can control-?"

The root-covered street in front of me blisters and writhes, existing ground cover shoved aside as a… Seed pod emerges from the ground, turning from near-white to mid-green to brown as it swells to two metres in height.

"I didn't think Euanthe-?"

Bramble armour slides into place over Dr. Isley's body.

"It's not her."

The seed pod cracks and splits, husk falling away and shrivelling up to reveal a cream coloured manikin-like feminine humanoid. For a moment it looks like it's about to collapse, then it steadies itself and looks directly at me.

"Hello?"

"Orange Lantern. I am Persephone, Queen of Erebos, and I wish to petition Hephaestaean for a divorce."

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
00:04 GMT -3

"Yeah, we… Saw this coming. Um. How blunt do you want me to be? Fair warning, I can do 'fairly' and 'very'."

The… Seedling's face has the suggestion of features, but it doesn't look like it's flexible enough to have actual expression.

"You will refuse me. What is so different between-?"

"No. I don't have the authority to approve or disapprove. I raised the issue with Hephaestaean and he's already considering it. But Hephaestaean is working on reorganising the entire pantheon so your marital status isn't a high priority. And once that's done he is still going to need Hades's support. He and I are both aware that you did not enter into your marriage entirely of your own free will, but we've really got no idea how to handle the situation in a way that doesn't just blow up in our faces."

"So he might grant my petition at some point in the future?"

"It's possible. If you wish to help your case, I strongly suggest coming up with a solution that isn't just the petition being granted and you leaving. If there's anything that could allow you and your husband to reconcile, ask and I'll make it happen."

"I have lived in fear of that man for longer than your people have had the wheel. There is nothing."

"Well… We'll try and come up with something, but it's going to be a while."

"I understand. I have grown accustomed to such disappointment."

She kneels, then the exterior of her vessel starts to harden and grow woody. After a few moments the skin is solid bark, and I see roots extruding from the lower part of the body into the ground.

"Huh."

"That was Persephone."

"Ancient Greek telepresence. Honestly, that was quite creative. I hope we end up being able to keep her on board."

"I… So… She's in the underworld?"

"Erebos." I flash her a smile. "Honestly, given your association with Euanthe, you'll probably end up going there when you die."

"Euanthe offered to have me reborn as a dryad."

"Oh? I didn't know that she could do that. Generous of her."

"She said it was…" She's staring at the bark-encrusted body. "Was because I was already so closely tied to her, she'd basically take my soul into her to make it happen."

"Sounds plausibl-."

"Does-? Does winter really happen because Demeter misses her?"

"No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous. Winter happens because that hemisphere of the planet is tilting away from the sun."

"No, I-. I know that. I just don't know how much of the stories are true."

"Demeter caused crop failures, but it wasn't over the whole of the world. If she'd tried that the gods of those regions would have stepped in and stopped her, which might have resulted in the Hellenes deciding to worship one of them instead of her."

"She doesn't want to be married to Hades."

"Correct."

"Why doesn't she just leave him?"

"Ah, well, when Demeter went crazy crops failed and a lot of people died. Do you know what happens if the God of the Dead decides to spend all his time trying to woo his wife back instead of doing his job?"

"Oh. Would he do that?"

"Oh yes, he genuinely loves her. How well do you know the story?"

"I skimmed it as Poison Ivy. Hades tricked Persephone into staying in the underworld -Erebos- with him by spiking her drink with pomegranate seeds. Demeter turned the world into a barren wasteland until Zeus stepped in and negotiated a compromise."

"The main thing is that Hades got permission from Persephone's father to marry her, and incorrectly assumed that that meant that said father had talked it through with Demeter and Persephone. He hadn't. So when Hades turned up she thought that she was being abducted, but was too intimidated to actually say anything, and as far as I know the pomegranate thing didn't happen at all."

"But Hades knows now."

"And he keeps trying to improve their relationship because he does actually love her, and it's not working."

"Have-?" Dr. Isley shakes her head. "Have they considered marriage counselling?"

"They know all of their issues. I've talked to their children and quite a few other people who know them, and there isn't really anything that could be fixed by adding a new perspective. The problem is how the relationship started, and Hades has done everything he could to fix that."

"Other than letting her get a divorce."

"That wouldn't fix the relationship." I quietly snort. "There was a… Case I was involved in a while ago, in India. A group of refugees accepted refuge in a magical land, and one of their children was made the magical heir to the place. His mother freaked out because she hates magic, grabbed him and fled. The current ruler used force to get him back."

"I don't see the link."

"The boy and Persephone both have a place of honour. Neither are mistreated, and the consequences for them going elsewhere are bad for a lot of people. In utilitarian terms, the choice between being a prince and condemning a nation to death is simple. For most of history, a woman complaining that her king-husband who loves her, is faithful to her and is actually a pretty good father was a bit brusque when they first met thousands of years ago but apologised as soon as he found out about the misunderstanding would be…"

"Unreasonable. But at the same time, it's not right to force her to be somewhere she doesn't want to be." She frowns. "If Euanthe joins the Greek pantheon, does this become our problem?"

I shrug. "Not more than it is already. Has Euanthe extended the gift of chlororeincarnation to the rest of her worshippers?"

"No, not yet. You mean that they're going to Erebos when they die?"

"Probably."

"What do we..? Get out of worshipping the other gods?"

"Someone magical overseeing the parts of existence that Euanthe isn't and doesn't care about. And given that Hephaestaean wants the gods to become more active, probably low level blessings and active guidance for the devout. For me, afterlife services was the big thing I wanted because my rings already give me a mission and a method."

"You worship Hades? That seems a bit sombre for you."

"No, I worship… In the sense of making offerings, to any gods who deserve it. My particular patron is Eris."

"What's she goddess of?"

"Chaos."

"That makes a lot of sense." She nods. "I'll tell Euanthe about this when she finishes with her tree."

"Thank you."

She nods and starts to walk back towards the temple-palace, then stops herself.

"Would Persephone like Hades if they hadn't met like that?"

"No idea. Objectively, they have the best marriage amongst the major Olympians."

"Kind of a shame they can't just start over."

"Yes, it-."

…

Huh.

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
06:10 GMT +3

"So, your mother spoke to me."

Zagreus nods, awkwardly. "I imagine that she spoke to you about a divorce."

"Yes, she did. I want to ask you how you feel about it."

He shrugs unhappily. "I don't remember how old I was when I realised that… My parents' relationship wasn't right. It was a long time before Father had his revelation about how he could make something of Erebos. Mother… She wasn't ever cold towards me, or to Macaria or Melinoë. But Father spent a lot of time… Away from where she brought us up."

"I was mostly wondering about their relationship now."

"Father hopes that she could get interested in the gardens the awakened shades have created."

"Is she?"

"She.. was, a little. She just left whenever Father was there, and… Since he was justifiably proud of what his people had achieved with his aid and he wanted to share it with her, he was always there in the hope that she'd suddenly come around."

"Zagreus, I'm being asked to make a decision about something I know very little about. Is there..? Do you think, any chance that your mother-."

"No. Honestly, I… Think that Father should have divorced her centuries ago. At this point they're just making one another miserable."

"Has your mother given any indication as to what she would look for in a husband if she were unattached?"

"Ah-. No. That… The Gods of Olympus don't have no-fault divorce. If one party wrongs the other, things get settled in the wronged party's favour. She might have ended up being down here full time if she'd.. done anything-."

"No, no, I meant, in theory. I'm trying to work out whether or not she might have accepted your father as her husband if they'd had a better introduction."

"Do.. you.. have a time machine?"

"No, and that wouldn't work anyway. I changed the way time travel works so that it generates parallel timelines if you change anything significant. I was thinking, what would happen if we dosed them with the waters of the Lethe?"

"The whole.. point of the Lethe is to erase memories prior to rebirth. They would be mental infants. I.. don't.. think that's a good solution."

"How about a reduced dose?"

"What, exactly, are you trying to do?"

"Ideally, I'd want to remove every memory she had of interacting with him, and let him woo her from a clean slate. Obviously, she would have to agree to that in order for it to happen."

"She would forget Melinoë and Macaria. And me."

"That's why I'm hoping that it's possible to narrow the effect. Hecate's people have been working with it."

"They were making it into normal water, not anything else."

"But that still required them to understand how it works. And if they don't know how to do it, we could ask Mnemosyne and Metis to chip in."

"You're still talking about erasing thousands of years worth of memories."

"What is Persephone's contribution to human civilisation?"

"She increases plant vitality and fertility during spring."

"But she isn't the reason for it. Plants would still grow without her."

His expression hardens. "I don't appreciate you implying that my mother has wasted her life."

"Normally I'd say that if the person doing it was happy then they weren't wasting it even if they didn't help anyone else. But from the sounds of things she isn't."

He gestures towards the orchard with his right hand. "Do you think that Erebos would be this verdant if Father wasn't trying to impress her?"

"I'm not talking about rewriting history, I'm talking about rewriting-. Honestly, yes, because he was trying to create the most perfect kingdom ever having been influenced by Enlightenment European ideas, which would probably have included leisure gardens, but we're getting off the point. An objective valuation of Persephone's life isn't relevant. The fact that she's not happy and wants a change is."

He hesitates for a moment.

"Yes."

"Do you have a better idea? Because if you do I'll be extremely happy to consider it."

"I just don't think that their relationship can be fixed."

"Do you know how to convince your father of that fact?"

"I think he knows. I think-. He.. must."

"Just get him to say it, then I can talk to Hephaestaean and we can get the divorce formalised. Off you go."

Zagreus's doesn't move. After a few seconds, his face starts to fall.

"'Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.'"

"Yep. He loves her, despite her never returning that affection. He has done for millennia, even during his worse times. He isn't going to change now, because there isn't any.. further level of rejection she would go to. What could have changed today that might make him rethink?"

"Nothing, curse you."

"What are you cursing me for? My personal life is very simple."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to your parents about what's happening, and ask what they'd be willing to consider regarding extreme measures at marriage counselling. This isn't going away and there's no point in putting it off any further."

"And what will you do?"

"I'm going to talk to Hecate and Company about what can be achieved with the water of the Lethe. And reassure her about the rehabilitation of the Titans and a dozen other things. I suggest talking to your mother first, as she'll want the reassurance that something is actually happening."

"I agree. I will speak with you tomorrow."

 

[Mr Zoat]

29th October 2012
22:23 GMT -5

"Recognised, Orange Lantern, B Zero Six."

"Hey, Oh El."

As the lights fade I see Richard working at the main computer. He doesn't look around.

"You know you.. can just use my name."

"It's not a good idea to get into the habit of calling superheroes by name when they're in uniform."

I consider that for a moment, then shrug and switch into normal clothes.

"Better?"

He glances around, and smirks. "I'm not exactly a fashion expert, but I don't know I'd call it better, Paul."

"Y'all just jealous of my Orange Lantern swagger." I stroll over. "What are you working on?"

"Uncle Sam."

"Can you..? Explain to me how significant a figure he is? To Americans?"

"Ah, he hasn't been around for a while, Paul. Most Americans just think he's an old and crazy Greatest-Generation-patriotic superhero."

"Do we know what he actually is?"

"Why? Did you get done messing with the Greek gods so you need to mess with the American ones?"

"Lady Liberty defected to Japan."

"Freedom of Religion, Paul. She can be worshipped by whoever she wants."

"Just because you have the constitutionally guaranteed freedom to do something, that doesn't mean that you should use it. Find anything?"

"Well, he does act a little different, but the analysis program is working from nineteen forties video footage. It's pretty much all staged, which means his actions aren't natural."

"Did Red Tornado or Red Inferno meet him? We might be able to download a video file."

"I already asked." He calls up a video file, and I get a grainy video of a party of some sort. A square forms around one corner of the room and expands, showing Uncle Sam casually patting Human Bomb on the shoulder as Invisible Hood backs away. "Same problem. They only met him a couple of times and didn't work together."

"Alan and Jay?"

"They knew him, but it's been a long time. And we've only got the word of 'The American Goddess of Liberty'-" He sounds like he's not taking the idea entirely seriously. "-that there's anything wrong in the first place. Batman didn't notice anything wrong when he spoke to him."

"Batman's American."

"So you think he's got some kind of American-specific mind control? Bit of a stretch."

"Until you remember that Captain Nazi could influence the minds of Germans. Did Diana meet him?"

"Ah, I don't think so." He brings up a Justice League itinerary. "No. Not officially."

"Rats. So I assume that it's inconclusive."

"Well, there are differences." He calls up a couple of examples, one of Uncle Sam walking down a corridor and another of him shaking someone's hand. "But there aren't enough from the forties for me to be sure that was how he always did it. And even if it was, that doesn't mean he hasn't just changed how he does it."

"Or if he is something like Captain Nazi, he could have died and been replaced by a doppelgänger. That's not necessarily a cause for concern."

"This might be."

He brings up Uncle Sam's itinerary.

"Not that I mind, but did we get that legitimately or-."

"No."

"I suppose this probably won't go to court one way or the other. Is-?" I see what he's talking about. "Ah."

Uncle Sam's been meeting with the with people on the House Committee on the Judiciary, which is odd but not really a cause for concern in itself. Usually a superhero would have to have a little more renown that he has to be called up for the sake of it, but his whole thing is being 'Super United States Man'. The potential problem is that he's also been talking to a lot of people responsible for running the Alliance.

The Justice League's charter was signed off on by the United Nations Security Council, which means that the U.S. Federal Government via the State Department approved it. But while that covers the League, actual U.S. policy towards superpowered vigilantes varies greatly from place to place. Occasionally, some brave soul suggests federal regulation, then someone points to Gotham or Hub City as a good example of why a government bypass isn't always a bad thing.

Or they wish them good luck arresting Superman, or they ask them how good their health plan is.

"That's worrying, but it's hardly a smoking gun."

"How much control did Captain Nazi have?"

"Pass. Some. It's hard to quantify that sort of thing. How much mind control protection do Members of Congress have?"

"Basically? None."

My smile vanishes. "That's a problem."

"A few have wards which should stop magic mind control-."

"Ah… No. If they're using the type I think they are, they won't. Not the style Captain Nazi used. They're designed to weaken or throw off ongoing spells. Captain Nazi's control was undirected; everyone in a place was in effect surrounded by the spell at all times. There isn't anywhere to throw it off to. Even my spell eaters would just keep heating up until they became useless. Telepath blockers?"

"I don't think we've got those."

"We've got g-gnomes. They could easily block any hostile telepath they'd be likely to encounter. I'd bet on a few dozen of them even against someone as strong as M'gann."

"Wouldn't that just mean that the g-gnomes were controlling Congress rather than anyone else?"

"I trust creatures without an instinct to dominate more than I would most humans. But we should probably raise the issue with the Speaker of the House at some point."

"Good luck. But right now they don't have any telepathic defences."

"Marvellous. Remind me why we haven't replaced them all with robots?"

"If we did, they might actually start working."

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
09:23 GMT -7

I don't look around as Luna trots up to me and drapes her neck over my right shoulder.

"You are distressed."

I look at the foetal mes in the jars in front of me. I've been subjecting them to every analysis I can think of, and none of the results are good.

"The greatest terrors are those conjured by our own minds, for the material universe is limited to threats which are possible. The imagination has no such restriction."

She snorts quietly. "You are not much given to poetry. Explain your concern to Us. The infants are clearly long dead, if they were even brought fully to term. Did you find the remains of your true mother?"

"No. And please don't even whisper anything like that around Mortalla."

Luna tilts her head so that her left eye enters the field of vision of my right. It's an awkward pose because it involves her horn resting on my forehead, but I appreciate the reassurance that she's trying to give. And the resolve she's showing in the face of this grisly sight. I reach up with my right hand and rest it against the right side of her neck.

"We shall not, though We believe that she would remember having birthed a babe of your complexion."

"Maybe she birthed one of them." I gesture to them with my left hand. "I don't have any sort of hang up about being a clone, but I wouldn't be him. Or… I can't fathom why they exist."

"You are a powerful warrior and capable leader."

"Thank you for the affirmation, dear heart." I turn my head right, kissing her lightly on the nose. "But I haven't forgotten."

"That is not what We meant. It seems to Us that your loathsome father may have decided that growing replicas was a more reliable method of creating commanders than conventional training."

"Plausible, but where are they?" I reach out with my left hand and tap the middle jar. "It's hard to tell when that facility was in operation, but it's been there for decades at least. He's had plenty of time to create more of me…" I shake my head. "Nothing."

"Are your unborn brothers whole?"

"Some are. Others were malformed, and some appear to have been either dissected or vivisected."

"Is there some difference that explains why they were treated in such a manner?"

"None that I can see." I turn my left wrist, rotating the jar in the half-hope that the secret is written on the back. "Can I ask you an extremely personal question?"

"Given the intimacy which we have already shared, We think that you are somewhat tardy in enquiring about anything further."

"It's not the same for Apokoliptians. Emotional intimacy is more significant than physical intimacy, though I…" I nuzzle her nose. "Hope that you're looking forward to your first time as a biped as much as I am."

She nervously stamps her rear left leg, but I can feel her catch herself doing it and make it land quietly. "We imagine that we are a little more apprehensive than you were. The bipedal form is quite unbalanced, and the forelimbs are not designed to resist compression."

"I'll talk you through it. It's about Nightmare Moon."

"We surmised as much. You may ask."

"Do you remember how Nightmare Moon thought? Not.. what she wanted; everyone standing near her knew that the moment she bellowed it at them. How she thought, how she felt, what she liked and disliked… How she made decisions."

"We try not to dwell 'pon it. Shorn of Our hesitancy, her moods were as intense as her expression of them. We are uncertain if that was because she was mentally healthy -though malevolent- and We had… Not been for some considerable time. Or-" She tosses her mane. "-if it was a product of her megalomania. Her memories are… Something of a blur to Us. Doth that help you?"

I shake my head. "Not with this. As far as I can tell, none of Grayven's memories are barred to me. But it helps… Helps me to understand what you went through, and I do appreciate you feeling able to do that."

"You said that he knew aught of what he had uncovered."

"Or he didn't think it was a big deal. There wasn't anything there that could have helped with his fleet-building, so he just didn't bother thinking about it. I don't know."

"Are there any amongst his retinue with whom you could enquire?"

"Not if I wanted to maintain the illusion that I am him. I get the clear impression that he was not much given to collegiality."

"If We may be honest, We were surprised to discover that you were."

"Much as I'd like to be able to claim to be the greatest being there has ever been in any universe, it's simply the case that… Aside from the Source, all beings are limited in their own ways. There are things that I don't know or don't understand, and working with others is only sensible. It is a foolish ruler who makes their advisors too intimidated to offer advice."

"Is that how you see them? Your fellow illuminated?"

"Ah, don't-. Call them that. It has other connotations in English. And… No. I'm… First amongst equals, but they're my guys. People I can go to in order to discuss things with people I can talk to as equals."

"Have you discussed this matter with them?"

"No. This is a New God thing and I need to be able to handle it without them, because it's my thing. I could ask Scott, or… I don't know, cash in that favour Izaya owes me for a consultation, but I can't imagine either of them being involved in this."

"Are there none on Apokolips with whom you could consult?"

I exhale slowly through clenched lips. "Sure. Absolutely no one I'd want to give dead foetal clones of me, and no one I could think of who wouldn't do something nightmarish with them."

"Given their nature, we are curious as to why you would give them the opportunity, rather than simply treating with them as you did with Chrysalis."

"Because Darkseid Is. Can't risk it."

"Do you not also possess the Omega Effect?"

"I suspect so. I know, I usually say that 'a weapon you don't know how to use is a weapon that belongs to your enemy', but it in this case that's literally true. I can't gamble everything on a first strike with an attack he's known about for centuries and I certainly can't assume that I'm immune to his. I can't risk the escalation at this stage."

"Hath any other New God used its power before him?"

"Not as far as I know. Yuga Khan was more powerful generally, but I don't think he used the Omega Force. Uncle Drax was supposed to merge with it, but that didn't work out."

"Why not?"

"Desaad sabotaged his equipment as a favour to Father. He ended up getting badly burned, which was still an improvement on what everyone else who'd tried it got."

"Is there some aspect to the physiology of your family that renders them proof against it?"

"Not as far as I know." I frown slightly. "What, you think Darkseid was trying to create Omega Effect-capable clone soldiers?"

"We do not know enough of your people to know his mind. Is it possible?"

"If he… Isolated what it was about his mindset or physiology that enabled him to channel it… Maybe?"

"And further… Is it possible that none are the original?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
18:28 GMT

"Mister Chandler!"

Francis Chandler takes a sip from his polystyrene coffee cup and then looks around. "Alright Lantern."

"I don't like to make definitive statements about things like that. I thought I was, then Pluto happened."

The other cab drivers are watching our exchange with an air of cautious curiosity.

"Yeah. Wound Renee right up, messin' with the horoscopes."

"I doubt that a giant alien starfish bodes well for anyone." It's still there, actually. Not like we could move the blasted thing. "How have you been?"

"Had a bloke triple over the inside o' me cab Saturday."

"Triple?"

"Yeah. Pissed himself, shit himself and threw up, all at the same time. Don't s'pose that happens much in your line o' work."

"No." I wince, raise my left hand in the direction of his taxi and.. deal with the remaining residue in a wave of orange light. "Thankfully not."

"Cheers."

"Not a problem. Look, I know I've asked before-."

"You still not found 'im?" Mr. Chandler frowns. "How's he managing that?"

"John has long been cunning, but now he's cunning and powerful. He didn't-. I don't know, leave an emergency chest, or emergency letter, or anything like that with you, did he?"

"He gave me a spare key t' his gaff once, but that place got burned down five years ago." He shakes his head. "John gen'rally turns up when he turns up."

"Right. Well, again, let me know if you hear from him. Or if he's asked you not to talk to me, please pass along my best wishes."

"Will do."

"Thank you." I raise my right hand to my forehead,

sight the familiar bundle of desires and

30th October 2012
13:30 GMT -5

reappear next to Zatanna as the wards around the site glow white for a moment.

She frowns at me as I switch into more casual clothes and then take off my rings and put them into a warded ring box.

"You put out a lot of power when you do that."

I slide the box into my pocket. "When you say 'put out', what exactly do you mean?"

"You.. temporarily make the Plane of Avarice part of the material universe. If it wasn't for your tattoos, any magician on Earth could track where you go. Even with them it's not exactly hard."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not immediately. I don't know what the long term effects would be." She frowns. "Earth's thaumosphere should be fine, but there'd probably be a short term disruption to magic use in an area… Of a couple of blocks?"

"Not a lot of American magic users, and the Atlanteans are used to adjusting for disruption. Is there anyone it would be a real problem for?"

She folds her arms across her chest.

"Me."

"Ah. Sorry. But you've adjusted now, right?"

"I just don't cast complicated spells while you're doing it."

"Is there anything I can do to make it not do that?" She raises her left eyebrow. "Other than only doing it to warded locations like this one?"

"Probably… I can try and research some sort of gateway charm?"

"It doesn't sound like it's a high priority, but if you could I'd appreciate it." I gesture vaguely to the runes with my right hand. "Will these be alright while we're away?"

She nods. "They'll fade after they've-" One to the right of me disappears. "-had-. There we go. And once we use them again they'll erase themselves. Someone who knew exactly what they were looking for could work out that something happened here, but everything will be too mixed up for them to tell what."

"Good show. Shall we?"

We step out of the vacant shop in Hub City, into a street largely populated with similarly vacant shops. Between the ludicrous crime, corruption, and the Sheeda ship that sat here for a month without anyone noticing because the disappearance rate didn't change significantly, there's a serious Bill before the state legislature calling for the city to be torn down. If it comes to that I think I might just find a dedicated architect and offer them a ring, because I'm interested to see what happens and they can't exactly make the place worse.

Ah, the delightful crunch of needles underfoot.

"How's school?"

"A chore. But it makes Dad happy." She looks around. "What would it take to fix this place?"

"A major industry forming a locus of wealth generation, combined with replacing every part of the local civil service and government."

"Is that something you can do?"

"No. Introducing a new industry to an area would require a lot of time I don't have to spare, and no one has the authority to just order the sort of cauterising that city administration needs."

"How about magic?"

"As a new industry?" She nods as we cross the street to avoid a small cluster of delinquents. I smile at one who appears to be assessing me as a mugging target, and pull my coat aside just enough to flash my gun holster. He gets the idea. "This doesn't look like a place that's got any sort of mystical significance at all. I'd suggest almost anywhere else."

"I bet the subsidies are good."

"I bet they don't outweigh the costs."

We enter a still-functioning café showing not-so-subtle gang colours, order drinks and.. a sandwich, because I'm not risking anything else, and then sit down to wait for-.

Johanna Garrick walks in, ignores the serving counter in favour of coming straight over to us. This doesn't appear to strike the gangers sharing the space as particularly strange, since they don't bother to give us more than a quick once-over.

"Hallo, friends."

"Johanna. Any news?"

"I'm going to rub myself in alcohol once ve leave. Vhat did you vant to talk about?"

"Uncle Sam."

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
13:33 GMT -5

"The mad bomber from my Earth, or the grinning fool from this one?"

"The local chap."

"I have been trying to avoid him."

Zatanna frowns. "Why?"

"You know vhat the version from my Earth has been doing?"

"Leading a rebellion against Nazi control?"

Johanna looks like she finds that sort of comment tiresome. "No. The National Socialist Party rules Greater Germany. America is an independent country. Ve don't control them. They make perfectly good fascists on their own."

"So he's fighting American fascists."

"You could say that. But America has been fascist for sixty years. Just about everyone is fascist, or nationalist, or at least neutral. Mostly, he just murders hundreds of civilians vherever he can, American, German, or anyone else."

"What? Why?"

"Because their grandparents failed him? Because the country thinks that he vas on the wrong side of history? Or perhaps he just doesn't like being reminded that he lost? Or perhaps he is in denial about all of the genocides that America carried out before National Socialists got involved? I don't know."

"Much as I enjoy mocking America, that's not the version we'd like to know about."

"I know he's on the contact list, und I saw a photograph of him mit Vincent Edge vhen I visited his office. Do you vant me to ask about him?"

"'Ask', probably not. Just try and find out what he does. I assume that you've told people where you're from?"

"Jah. And many negro men have hit on me after being told." She gives her head a small shake. "It is very strange."

"They're probably just trying to annoy you. Or get you to say something that would make the Alliance kick you out."

"Or they think they can convert you."

"I am villing to not call for them to be deported to Africa, but let's not go crazy."

"Ah, but think how much it would piss off your creators."

"Psh, please. They vere purged years ago. And then the people who purged them vere purged. Unt I think that the people who purged them vere purged also." She takes on a slightly more serious expression. "If I did that, I vould not be going back. Unt if I do not go back, then Overgirl's oh-so-secret plan to change our society fails. So even if I meet a very nice negro, it vill not happen."

"But you accept the idea that there could be nice negroes."

She shrugs. "Sure. If you can accept three nice National Socialists, I can accept nice negroes."

Zatanna kicks me under the table.

"It's more that I hope that I can encourage you to stop being a National Socialist."

"Unt have a nice negro boyfriend?"

She sounds… Not angry, exactly; I'd see that. Irritated? Disgusted? "That's up to you. Or, will be. Hopefully."

"Even if the Reich reforms to a degree, sixty years of racial education vill not just vanish."

"Yes, I can hear that in your voice. I'm not sure what you think I'm suggesting that's so-" She looks away, giving her head a small shake. "-offensive, but I'm pretty sure-."

"No, no, I vas.. overreacting. I'll… Ah. I'll go back.. to vork."

I reach out with my right hand. "Johanna, it's not-."

She pushes back her chair, not meeting my eyes. "I vill go. Goodbye."

She doesn't walk out at super speed, but she does walk quickly and with purpose.

"Um."

Zatanna puts her sandwich down. "What did you expect? Even if she's not super-committed to being a Nazi, she still grew up in a Nazi country."

I nod. "And having run out of other types of subhuman, they probably use 'negro' as their main racist insult. And she just got hit with culture shock combined with cognitive dissonance." I sigh. "This is one of the times when I shouldn't go after her, right?"

"I think that's probably best. You can phone her tonight or something."

I nod, taking a bite of-. Why do they do this? Why do sandwich shops mix mayonnaise with tuna? Shouldn't a cheap café like this go easy on the mayonnaise and not turn the contents of the sandwich into tuna-flavoured mayonnaise gloop? And I can't even get rid of it without using my rings.

"You don't have to eat it."

"That would be rude."

But darn. I swallow.

"Do you have any advice on the situation with Persephone?"

"Tell Hades that if he's even pretending to be a good person he should just let her go. I can't imagine what it would be like to be married for thousands of years to someone who terrified me like he does."

"Yeah… I'm leaving that for.. plan C."

She frowns at me. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Hades is actually doing a good job at his main job, and going by the actions of the other Olympians, Persephone isn't missing out on much by spending time in Erebos. There's no overt offence. Sure, other factors aside I'm inclined to agree with you. Hades hasn't done much wrong but it's clearly never going to be the relationship that he wants it to be. But I'm not all that good at persuading people to do things they don't want to get things they don't want, and Hades doesn't want to completely lose Persephone."

"He's already completely lost her."

"I just wish I understood why she was so scared of him. He's never seemed that intimidating to me."

"You're not most people."

I smile warmly. "Thank you. Neither are you."

She smiles, rolling her eyes. "That's not what I meant. What would you do if you did find him scary?"

"Depends. Being slightly scared of an authority figure isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it was a problem for me… Get stronger until I didn't? Find a new god?"

"Could Persephone do that?"

"Euanthe did that, and she was far weaker than Persephone a couple of years ago."

"Could you help Persephone out the same way?"

"I suppose I-."

My phone rings and I pull it out of my jacket. It's Zagreus.

I guess it's time, then.

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
21:45 GMT +3

"…butcher my mind to make me his compliant slave!"

Persephone is clearly incensed, and has naturally decided that I've sided with Hades and regard her as a problem to be beaten into compliance. We're in the palace for this, and I can see the pear trees outside of the window stretching up to provide their goddess with weaponry. Not the grass or flowers though, because her domain is far narrower than that.

I should probably let her get her rant out of her system before interjecting.

But they're not even in the same room.

"Have you no shame?!"

"No."

Darn it. I see Zagreus wince behind her. I'm not completely sure what sort of societal norms he complies with, but there aren't many societies where having a complete mental breakdown in front of a stranger is encouraged. Thing is… With everything that's happened, a raging… Minor goddess just isn't that big a deal any more.

The next stage will be threats, and I shouldn't point out that they're empty.

"You are the lowest form of mortal life. Were there any justice in this world you would suffer in Tartarus as you so richly deserve, your genitals devoured daily by blunt-beaked ravens. What land do you come from that trains its people in such callousness?"

I wait for a-.

"Answer me!"

"I am a citizen of Themyscira."

And that's an end to the threat, because Themyscira's plant life is blessed by Demeter and the locals haven't broken the covenant. She can't do a thing to Britain because… Because it's outside of her bulwark anyway, and though the quantity has crept up after the Sheeda Harrowing and the disappearance of huge areas of South American farmland, it still doesn't do much of its own farming. And she can't do anything to my original homeworld because even if there was a portal back there, a magic life form like her couldn't exist there.

"But if it helps, I've revised my original plan significantly."

"No!"

Don't. Sound. Smug.

"And if this one last attempt at rapprochement doesn't work I will happily argue in favour of a divorce to Hephaestaean."

"You want to carve my brain out of my skull!"

"No, that was the original version of the plan that I came up with in two minutes because people expect me to be able to solve a problem that's been simmering away for thousands of years in a couple of days. After I talked to Hecate, I found out that her coven can remove classes of memory temporarily, and return them to their owner at a later time."

"And you think that is better."

Don't say 'yes, obviously'.

"As I understand it, the reason why your relationship with Hades is in such a state is Zeus. If he'd talked things through with you and your mother, or just told Hades to try wooing you himself, things might be very different. On the other hand, if you couldn't stand him anyway, then it was never going to happen and he needs to get his head around that."

"So I am still your slave."

Don't say, 'no, you're still an immortal goddess-queen with a lifestyle that would be envied around the world', true as it would be.

"So you came to me to ask me to persuade Hephaestaean to give you a divorce. This is what you would have to do in order to get my cooperation. If you don't want my help, feel free to return to your forest." I shrug. "Up to you. Now if you'll please excuse me, I also need to persuade Lord Hades to go through with this."

I turn.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't talked to him about this yet. The whole point is to either prove to you that the relationship could work, or to prove to him that it can't. If the latter is true, he might well grant you a divorce without bothering Hephaestaean. Which would be better for everyone. But to be fair, we'd be locking his memories too."

I take a breath.

"There's no need to make a quick decision about this. Take as much time to think about it as you want."

I walk away, heading through the receiving room door, down the corridor and out onto a balcony overlooking part of the garden. Lords Hades-. I wince inwardly at how hopeful he looks. Macaria looks less so.

"So I've got a plan."

"Yes?"

"And Queen Persephone hasn't agreed to it yet, but I want you both to have time to feed back with any problems you can see or any reassurances you want."

"Zeus no longer sits upon Olympus. I believe that you have proven that your plans can have merit."

"So you know that Zeus is the reason why your relationship with Persephone fell at the first hurdle, that if you'd taken the time to woo her you both hopefully wouldn't be where you are now."

"Yes."

"I've been talking to Hecate, and we're pretty sure that we can… Temporarily, remove some of your memories. Effectively… Making it as if your relationship to date hadn't happened for as long as the spell is in effect."

"So that I could begin our relationship again properly."

"Maybe. Because she's not keen, and the only way I think she's going to agree to this, is if it doesn't work, you grant her a divorce."

"But it will-. What-. In this wager, what qualifies as a success?"

"You'd be trying to woo her original self. If she rejects you, even without all of the fear she felt when you… Collected, her. Then that's a failure."

"And she would leave."

"And you would agree to a divorce, and trouble her no more."

"And what is a success?"

"If you build up a sufficiently positive relationship that it causes her to view your current relationship in a new light when your memories are restored."

"Is there any risk?"

"You might have to divorce your wife, whom you love, and avoid her evermore."

"Is there any risk from the magic?"

"Not so far as we can determine."

"Then I will do it. The opportunity to finally make things right with Persephone is more than I can pass up."

I smile. "Glad to hear it. I'll go and see if she's decided yet."