a simple blacksmith in greece

CHAPTER 9

POV: Olympus

"You know we have to deal with this fast," Hermes said, his winged sandals barely touching the marble floor as he paced. "That dragon will only grow stronger the longer we leave it alone."

Across from him, Artemis sat with her arms crossed, her silver eyes cold. "I'm not sending my hunters to their deaths, Hermes. And that is final."

Hermes threw up his hands. "I'm not asking you to sacrifice them! I'm asking you to handle it. You're the goddess of the hunt, after all—I thought this would be within your expertise."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "I am a hunter, not a butcher. I do not slaughter divine creatures, rogue or not. If it were a natural beast, that would be one thing—but a dragon is different."

Hermes sighed. "Then what, we just leave it? Let it feast on mortals until it decides to come for Olympus?"

She leaned back against her throne, unfazed. "If you're so concerned, ask Apollo. He enjoys killing monsters."

Hermes crossed his arms. "Apollo is more concerned with poetry and music these days. And let's not forget the last time he fought a dragon."

Artemis scoffed. "Python was a different matter. This is a mere beast."

"A beast that has already taken out twenty mortals and wounded forty," Hermes reminded her. "We need to act before it turns into something none of us can stop."

Artemis tapped her fingers against the armrest of her throne, deep in thought. "Then send Ares. He'd love the chance to break something."

Hermes shook his head. "Ares wouldn't fight a dragon unless it challenged him directly. You know how he is—if there's no war, he's not interested."

Artemis exhaled sharply. "Then why are you bringing this to me, Hermes? If no Olympian is willing to deal with it, perhaps the problem will resolve itself."

"The problem won't resolve itself," Hermes said, his voice unusually serious. "And you know that."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Artemis sighed and stood.

"I will look into it," she said finally. "But I make no promises."

Hermes nodded. "That's all I ask."

With that, Artemis vanished in a flash of silver light, leaving Hermes alone in the grand hall of Olympus, his expression grim. This was not going to end well.

David POV

Moving cautiously through the forest, I kept my senses sharp. Monsters and supernatural beings always left traces of magic—whether they were awake, asleep, or even long dead. Their energy lingered, fading only slowly over time.

Right now, what I was sensing wasn't just a single presence. It was an entire area soaked in that energy as if something had poisoned the very air itself.

Focusing my magic on my legs, I sprinted forward, pushing my speed to the limit without activating an Avatar. I needed to conserve my strength until I knew exactly what I was dealing with.

Leaping onto a sturdy tree branch, I crouched and scanned the area ahead. A thick green fog blanketed the surroundings, swirling unnaturally like a living thing. The grass beneath it had withered into brittle husks, the life drained from the earth itself.

It was as if something had sucked the very essence from this place.

And whatever had done it… was still here.

I barely had time to react before a massive shadow loomed over me. Instinct screamed at me to move, but I was too slow.

A claw, massive and razor-sharp, struck me with bone-crushing force, sending me flying nearly forty feet through the air. My body slammed into the ground, pain exploding through my ribs. My vision blurred, and for a moment, everything almost faded to black.

Get up. Move.

Forcing my eyes open, I barely had time to register the second attack—another claw rushing straight toward me, ready to crush me into the dirt.

Desperation took over. I grabbed my cloak, the one I had taken from the Hellhound, and activated its power.

Shadows coiled around me, pulling me just out of reach. The ground where I had been shattered beneath the force of the impact.

My breath was ragged as I turned to face the monster that had ambushed me.

It was a dragon—unlike any I had ever seen.

Its scales were pitch black, darker than the night itself as if they absorbed the very light around them. One massive, glowing eye burned like molten gold in the center of its head, and its body was grotesquely overgrown. Four powerful arms, each tipped with claws that could tear through steel. Four thick hind legs, built for raw power.

And its wings—long, unnervingly delicate, resembling those of a butterfly, but far too large and pulsating with an eerie glow.

A creeping dread settled over me.

This thing wasn't just a dragon.

It was something worse.

I don't know what this thing is… and if I don't know its origins, my golden sword won't be enough. I need something made for slaying dragons.

Springing backward to gain distance, I focused my magic.

Projection—Balmung.

A legendary sword, one that had slain a dragon in the hands of a great hero. The weapon materialized in my grip, its blade shimmering with power.

No hesitation.

I activated Bird of Prey, my speed skyrocketing to an almost absurd level. The ground beneath me shattered as I launched forward, becoming a blur of motion.

I struck. Again and again, Balmung carved into the dragon's hide like a relentless storm. Each slash left glowing trails of mana, cutting deep into the creature's dark flesh.

But it wasn't enough.

The wounds—no matter how deep—began closing almost instantly. Worse, the dragon was learning. Adapting. It started dodging, at first barely, then more efficiently. One in every six strikes missed. Then one in five.

Damn it. It's getting faster.

The dragon roared, its massive claw slamming into the ground.

The earth beneath me exploded, shockwaves tearing through the forest. The sheer force sent me stumbling, and my footing was lost.

And that's when it struck.

Its tail lashed out like a whip, slamming into my side with bone-crushing force.

I felt everything crack.

The world spun as I was sent flying, crashing through several thick trees like a ragdoll. Wood shattered around me as my body finally hit the ground, pain lancing through my ribs.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it—my ribs weren't just cracked. Some of them were broken.

Shit… this thing is strong. Stronger than I thought.

I struggled to push myself up, forcing air back into my lungs.

The dragon stood there, its massive eye locked onto me.

And it was smiling.

The dragon was enjoying this fight. That much was clear.

Grinding my teeth, I pushed myself to my feet, my body screaming in protest. I dismissed Balmung—it wasn't enough.

I needed raw power.

Activating Bull Avatar, I felt the surge of strength flood through my limbs. My muscles tensed, my veins burned with power, and the pain dulled slightly. This was my best bet—I had to wear it down before I could land a decisive blow.

But running two Avatars at once? That was pushing it. My body would make me pay for this tomorrow.

I launched myself forward at an insane speed, closing the distance in a blink.

My fist connected with the dragon's jaw.

CRACK!

The impact sent it soaring into the air. Without hesitation, I leaped after it, raining down hundreds of punches. Each blow was like a sledgehammer, rattling its bones, denting its flesh—yet it kept fighting back.

Claws tore into me, leaving deep gashes in my skin. Blood poured from the wounds, adding to what I'd already lost.

This brutal exchange continued—me pounding into it, it clawing and slashing back—until my body couldn't take it anymore.

My heart pounded erratically.

The consequences of using Bird of Prey for too long hit me like a truck.

My vision blurred. My limbs felt sluggish.

The dragon noticed.

It lunged, jaws wide open, aiming to tear me apart—

I dodged, but not fast enough.

Its teeth sank into my arm.

A searing black mist spread from the wound, clinging to my flesh like a curse.

The bleeding stopped instantly, but—

FUCK!

Pain like nothing I'd ever felt exploded through my body.

"ARRHHHDHHHSHHDJS!"

The scream tore from my throat, raw and guttural.

I had to end this. Now.

The sky darkened as thunder rumbled in the distance. Raindrops began to fall, soaking the battlefield. My body surged with power, raw and unrestrained, crackling in the air like a storm barely contained.

Lightning arced around me, and I began to chant.

"A force of heaven's wrath, born of dragons to slay dragons… awaken— Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi."

A brilliant flash erupted as the legendary blade took form in my hands. A golden halberd with a black blade, shimmering with divine energy.

The storm answered.

A bolt of lightning struck the blade, filling it with celestial fury. It pulsed with power, vibrating in my grip.

The dragon roared and lunged.

I swung downward.

A shockwave blasted through the battlefield, tearing through the air with unmatched force. Wind howled. Trees bent. The very ground cracked beneath me.

I charged.

With everything I had left, I drove Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi into the dragon's eye.

Lightning poured from the blade, surging into the beast's skull, frying it from the inside. A brilliant blue glow erupted from its mouth as the energy consumed it.

The dragon's body twitched violently, then slowly… it began to fade.

But before it vanished completely, I heard its voice—clear, calm, and eerily… amused.

"Well done."

The black dragon's fading form looked at me, its single remaining eye filled with something almost like… approval.

"Now find me… the real me. Not this husk."

Then, with a final shimmer, it dissolved into golden particles and was gone.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath. My body screamed in agony. My missing arm throbbed, my wounds refused to close, and I was leaking power.

"…Shit."

There was no way the gods hadn't noticed that.

If they weren't already watching, they were now.

I forced myself to my feet, barely able to stay upright.

"I might have to leave this city…" I muttered, stumbling forward, leaving a trail of blood as I dragged myself back home.

POV: Olympus

The throne room of Olympus was heavy with tension. The gods sat in their respective seats, their divine radiance dimmed by the weight of the news. Zeus loomed over the assembly, his fingers gripping his throne's armrests, the very air around him humming with restrained fury.

"You're telling me… it's gone?" His voice rolled through the chamber like distant thunder.

"Yes, Zeus," Hermes confirmed, his usual lighthearted demeanor nowhere to be found. "The beast has been slain. Completely."

Zeus's gaze darkened. "How?" His eyes narrowed. "And more importantly—who was wielding lightning?"

Hermes hesitated before responding. "We don't know," he admitted. "But this wasn't ordinary lightning. It was divine. Whoever did this wasn't just borrowing power from an artifact or calling upon a lesser storm. This was raw, celestial lightning—on par with yours."

The Olympians exchanged uneasy glances.

"Impossible," Athena said firmly, her sharp eyes narrowing. "No one wields Zeus's domain but Zeus himself."

"That's what I thought too," Hermes said, shifting uncomfortably. "But I saw it. The storm that gathered wasn't natural—it answered to someone, and it obeyed them."

Zeus's fingers drummed against his throne, the cracks beneath his grip spreading further. "And the beast?"

"Dead," Hermes confirmed. "Not wounded, not sealed—completely erased from existence."

The room fell into silence.

It had merely been a divine beast—powerful, yes, but not a full-fledged deity. Still, the implications were dangerous. If someone could annihilate a creature of divine origin, it meant they possessed strength rivaling the gods themselves.

Aphrodite leaned forward, her voice smooth yet laced with intrigue. "And we have no idea who did this?"

Hermes shook his head. "Not yet. But the nature of the beast, its presence in the mortal world… If I had to guess, I'd say it wasn't of Olympus' making."

Zeus frowned. "Then who?"

Hermes sighed. "If I had to name a suspect… I'd say it was one of the old gods from Uruk."

A murmur spread through the gathered gods.

"Uruk…" Poseidon muttered. "That land is ancient even by our standards. If they've taken an interest in this, we need to know why."

Hera folded her arms. "And if they're interfering in our domain, we must decide how to respond. We cannot allow this to go unchecked."

Zeus exhaled, lightning crackling in his beard. "We will watch. We will listen. But above all—we will find out who did this."

A thunderclap echoed through the heavens as Olympus turned its gaze toward the mortal world, unaware of just how deep this mystery truly ran.

POV: Hades

The Underworld was never silent. The whispers of the dead, the slow flow of the Styx, and the distant cries of lost souls formed an unending background noise, but Hades paid them no mind. He sat on his obsidian throne, fingers steepled, deep in thought.

A divine beast was slain. Erased.

That alone was concerning, but the method—lightning not belonging to Zeus—was what truly disturbed him. Divine lightning was not something mortals could wield. Even gods outside of Olympus had little control over such raw celestial force.

"Who are you?" Hades muttered to himself, staring into the shifting shadows of his realm.

From the gloom, a pair of piercing silver eyes glowed. Thanatos, his silent enforcer, emerged from the darkness. "Shall I investigate, Lord Hades?"

The god of the dead nodded. "Yes. Someone has disturbed the balance. Find out who."

Thanatos bowed his head slightly before vanishing, his form dissolving into a wisp of black mist.

Hades sighed. He could feel it in his very being—something old had stirred, and Olympus was blind to it. For now.

POV: Hermes

The meeting had ended, but the questions remained. Hermes sat on a marble railing just outside the great hall of Olympus, looking down at the world below. His fingers drummed against his knee as he thought about what had just transpired.

A storm powerful enough to draw Zeus's attention. A beast wiped from existence. And no clues.

"Uruk…" he muttered under his breath. "If the old gods are making a move, we have a problem."

He considered visiting the Fates, but something told him they wouldn't be forthcoming. They rarely were when something big was about to happen.

Instead, he decided to start elsewhere. Someone had to have seen something. A storm that massive? It wasn't exactly subtle.

With a flicker of motion, he was gone, vanishing into the mortal realm.

POV: Apollo

In the great temple of Delphi, Apollo leaned against one of the golden pillars, watching the sacred fire flicker. The flames danced strangely, shifting between gold and deep blue, something he had never seen before.

"The winds have changed," murmured the Oracle of Delphi, kneeling before the fire.

Apollo frowned. "That's an understatement."

"The lightning that struck was not the only thing unnatural," she continued, her voice distant as if she were speaking through time itself. "A chain of fate has been broken. And another is being forged."

Apollo's golden eyes narrowed. "So something new has begun?"

The Oracle slowly turned to face him, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. "Yes. And the gods are not ready for it."

For the first time in centuries, Apollo felt uneasy.

POV: Ares

Ares was never one for meetings. Too much talking, not enough doing. But this time, he couldn't shake a feeling of unease.

A divine beast had been slaughtered. Not wounded, not scared off—destroyed. And whoever did it fought like a warrior.

He could respect that. But the fact that none of them knew who had done it? That pissed him off.

His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword as he walked through his war camp in Olympus, watching the spirits of fallen warriors train endlessly in mock battles.

"If there's someone strong enough to take down a divine beast," he muttered, "I want to fight them."

And he would. One way or another.

POV: Artemis

Away from Olympus, in the deepest parts of the wild, Artemis sat among her hunters. The scent of the forest was thick, and damp with the remnants of rain, and the earth hummed with something wrong.

Something unnatural had happened.

She hadn't voiced it in the meeting, but she had felt it the moment the beast died. It wasn't just the lightning; it was how it had been killed.

Something about it felt… off.

"Huntresses," she finally spoke, her voice carrying through the silent clearing. "We have a new quarry. We are tracking something unseen, something unknown."

One of the huntresses, a young girl with keen eyes, spoke. "What are we hunting?"

Artemis's silver eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "A phantom in the storm."

The hunt had begun.