Mountain of the Immortals

Jacob Daniels knocked on the thin wooden door of the room he had given to Zeus, but the god of thunder was awake long before dawn. He might well not have slept at all, as the bed was perfectly made when Jacob pushed the door open, and already cold to the touch.

Yet the old man had heard nothing during the night, even though he prided himself on sleeping very lightly. And noises weren’t actually that hard to come by in his wooden house, where the floors creaked under every footstep. But a possible explanation for the god’s absence became plain to him when a soft breeze rustled his loose shirt.

He turned toward the window and the great Texas outdoors, and understood that the god had probably wanted to spend some time out there. Perhaps he simply preferred sleeping under the stars. Either way, Jacob Daniels left the room and headed to his study to organize his notes from the past two days.

There had been so many facts packed into so few hours of semidrunk storytelling that putting them all into a cohesive piece that would genuinely portray Zeus's emotions and relationship dynamics was going to be a real challenge. One that he would most definitely not shy away from.

The two of them had been matched by their mutual friend and extremely convincing—if not intimidating—man who liked to go by his job title, the CEO. He believed the world would have a lot to gain from the true story of his adventures, his trials and tribulations, which were already the stuff of legends.

It was time mortals and gods alike heard the whole truth about the god whose sole purpose in life was to slaughter his father and avenge his siblings. And how he would not have managed any of it, had he not trusted in the gods and goddesses that came crashing into his life.

* * *

A few miles away, the ancient Greek god himself was enjoying the admittedly too cold waters of a slow river that wasn’t marked on any maps or GPS apps. It was a stream that served only the local wildlife, and was barely deep enough for a man to sink into. And yet that was exactly what Zeus was doing.

He soaked in the magnificence and beauty of this world, one that wasn’t tainted by magic and struggles for domination. A world where the balance of power and cycle of life were something that came naturally.

When he emerged from the water, he opened his eyes just in time to see a predator lunge at him.

The mountain lion had done a great job closing in on him while he was blissfully unaware, but it obviously didn't know what it was getting itself into by attacking him. Zeus smiled as he ducked to one side, avoiding the brunt of the beast's weight. The lion was an experienced fighter, however, and its fast reflexes meant it was able to stretch out its clawed limbs and sink them into Zeus's bare chest. It grappled onto him and swung its body around his, ending up with its hind feet on his back.

Zeus didn’t buckle under the massive beast's weight. In fact, he felt rejuvenated. Much more than any cold spring could ever make him feel.

He waited for the lion's next move, which was biting his neck. He knew that most large-cat predators would go for that exact attack, so that their prey bled out quicker. But the blood gushing from the wound only accounted for a few points from Zeus's total HP. In fact, he could probably have slept on it, if it wasn't for the pain, and woken up the next day with his HP still above the fifty-percent mark.

The god of thunder recognized that the animal didn't know any better and it was only natural that it would attack what looked like an old man in the river. After all, long white hair and a long white beard didn't make for the most intimidating appearance. The beast was only doing what its instincts told it to do, and there was nothing to be gained by its death.

So instead of snapping its neck or striking it down with a bolt of lightning, he placed his palm over its snout, completely covering its nostrils. Before the animal had the chance to react, he fell backward, still holding on to it. He felt the suction against his palm as the beast tried to inhale just before they hit the water, and he had no doubt it managed to partially fill its lungs.

It was going to come down to a game of patience, each of them literally holding their breaths. The mountain lion seemed to hope that Zeus would eventually lose consciousness, either from loss of blood or not enough air, so he'd let it go. If things went that way, it'd replenish the air in it lungs and then pull Zeus's body outside of the water to have a feast that would last it for days.

Of course, it likely had no inkling that all of that was utterly impossible. Zeus had never experienced fainting from a loss of blood in the thousand years of his lifetime. Limiting his access to air might have gotten him when he was still a fledgling deity, but it would never work on him now. Not when he was able to discharge a tiny stream of concentrated electricity that would split the water atoms, taking away the hydrogen and sucking in the oxygen.

All he had to do was wait until the beast ran out of air itself. But knowing how stubborn these predators could be, he suspected it would probably go for a second bite just before it did.

Not wanting to hurt the animal, he discharged the slightest amount of electricity and the waters surrounding them lit up with the intense energy that suddenly rushed through them. The animal felt the electricity run through its body and span around terrified, looking for its new aggressor.

Seeing that nobody was attacking it from behind and that the wounds on its prey closed almost instantly as soon as it pulled its teeth out to look around, it gave up and struggled out of the water before clinging onto the nearest rock. Zeus swiped at the bite marks, scrubbing at them in the water to make sure none of it would stain his clothes before he emerged from the river.

The lion was several feet away now, roaring at him. It didn’t look like it was provoking or even trying to intimidate him. It was acknowledging him as someone who was not welcome but tolerated. The mountain lion had established that it had just been demoted in the local food chain.

"You have a nice day too,” Zeus said, as he waved two fingers at the beast.

The lion took a few steps backward, keeping its eyes on the man that had bested it without even injuring it. Eventually, it turned and ran into the forest.

It was moments like this that Zeus was looking for when out visiting nature. Tranquility and simplicity. The beast had no ulterior motives other than feeding itself and that, to Zeus, was the epitome of simplicity. There were no plans for world domination or egos. No spitefulness or need for leadership. No resources, no research, no battles, or defenses.

A simple life was what he craved and now he wondered if perhaps the time had come to search for such a life. To retire from the throne and simply tell stories.

He pondered over the choices he’d made that had eventually led him to this point and tried to put things in a logical order so that Mr. Daniels would be able to accurately portray them in his biography. After all, the way a story was told was as important as the content of it.

He commanded a warm gust of air to dry him as he walked toward the large rock where he’d left his clothes. Getting in and out of normal garments that had no defensive bonus in his Apocosmos stats was somewhat liberating.

He had no armor, no weapons, no followers and believers needing attention. It had been way too long since he’d taken some time for himself. He had no doubt some of his fellow gods back on Olympus might not agree with this sentiment, but at the end of it all, he was the king.

He took the scenic route back to the road where he’d left his bike. The sun had been up for almost an hour now and the night outside had done him more good than any comfortable bed could ever have. In fact, he thought it would be good for him if he started to make this a thing every now and then. Perhaps a three-day trip away from everything each month.

The chopper roared as he throttled the gas, scaring off a few crows that had been lingering on a tree at the side of the road. The morning breeze and the last bits of nighttime humidity caressed his grizzled face as he drove back to the human's cabin.

The trip took less than thirty minutes and on his way there, he came across tons of mortals driving their cars, probably going to work. These were Cosmos humans who were ignorant about the way the world actually worked, unable to see stats, levels, and skills.

Zeus wondered if that was perhaps for the best. Ignorance did look like it was bliss in this world. Sure, there were still wars, violence, and cruelty every now and then, but in general terms, things were much better than in the Apocosmos. There had been millions of people in the history of this plane who’d lived full lives and died of natural causes, without ever experiencing the horrors of war and the violence of monsters. If that wasn't bliss, then he wasn't sure what was.

Speaking of bliss, he stopped outside of a bakery he’d seen on his way to the forest.

The old man had been making sure he had food and drinks over the past two days, so this was the least Zeus could do, especially since he was already late for their daily appointment. Spending what dollars he’d taken with him, he came out with bags full of steaming hot bread, muffins, donuts, and everything else a good Texas bakery had to offer.

Jacob was taking care of the plants on his front porch when Zeus finally arrived back at his place. He parked his bike right in front of it and stepped up onto the porch, arms outstretched to present his offerings.

"You shouldn't have, Master Zeus," the man said. He dropped the clippers in one of the large pots, rushing to take the bags. "If you wanted to try some of our local goods, you could have told me to order a delivery."

"It was on my way anyway,” Zeus replied, pulling the bags out of Jacob’s reach. “I didn't mind seeing what's available. Please don't let me hold you from your work. I'll put all these baked goods onto plates and bring them out here while you take care of your plants."

"There's no need," the man protested. "This only a hobby of mine. I can take the bags inside and prepare breakfast."

"Your pastimes are very important for your soul, Mr. Daniels," Zeus said, heading into the house. "Take pride in them and time with them."

The man nodded appreciatively, and Zeus went to the kitchen. He placed the bags on the counter, opposite a small frame from which a younger Jacob and a woman smiled at him. They seemed happy together, and Zeus wondered what might have happened to her that meant he was now alone. Perhaps after he was done with his story, they might delve into the old man's as well.

Coming out of the house with two plates in hand, Zeus found the old man rinsing off his hands with a hose right next to his bike.

"We can wash her later too if you'd like, Master Zeus," the man said.

The god of thunder took a seat by the table on the porch. "I think she looks fine dirty," he replied. "In fact, she looks better."

"Can't argue with that," Jacob replied, swiping his hands on his overalls and taking a seat opposite Zeus.

Their breakfast was as silent and enjoyable as the slow rise of the sun in the sky. It looked like it was going to be a hot day. Zeus waited until they were both stuffed before bringing out his second gift.

"What’s this, Master Zeus?" Jacob asked, as the god of thunder removed the wrapping from around the large bottle he’d placed on the table.

"You treated me to food, drinks, and a place to stay," he replied. "It’s only fair that I do the same."

* * *

Item: Ambrosia

Type: Consumable

Durability: 1/1

Grade: A Grade

Weight: 20st.

Description: The food of immortality. Ambrosia can only be created in places of power that have been claimed by a god. A mortal or god who eats ambrosia will gain one instance of immortality. This means that if a person who has consumed it dies, they are returned back to life with full HP/MP and without losing any XP. Each individual can only consume one unit of ambrosia per day.

* * *

"It’s mixed with some local bourbon," Zeus explained. "It makes it even better if you ask me, but don't quote me on that if any of the Olympians ask."

"That’s too large of a gift," the man said. "Ambrosia is destined only for gods, and I couldn’t be further from one.”

“Ambrosia is for whom I say it is. And today I say it is for you. Though I hope you'll never need its properties."

"I can't thank you enough, Master Zeus."

"And of course, in exchange for you sharing your abode with me, I can only extend an invitation to you as well. Have you ever traveled to Greece?"

"I haven’t. My missus always wanted to see the Greek islands but that never came to pass."

"Well, if you’re ever in the area, you're more than welcome to spent the night on Olympus."

"You are far too kind," Jacob said, and stood up. "I'll be right back."

The old man came back with his notebook and a couple of glasses that looked like they were only ever brought out for fancy dinners or special guests. They were made of crystal and had swans carved into them, their necks acting as the handles.

"I figured if there ever was a drink that deserved these crystal glasses, it’s ambrosia." Jacob smiled as he poured the golden drink. "To your honor."

"To joy," Zeus countered, and they both sipped on the sweet drink of the gods.

"This is beyond magnificent," the old man said, leaning back in his chair to savor the taste. "Master Zeus, I daresay that everything is downhill now for me taste-wise. I doubt anything will ever be able to top this."

"I'm glad you like it," Zeus said.

"Shall we start then?"

"We should. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"You said we won’t be touching the Titanomachy, correct?"

"That would probably take us more than a week," the god replied. "No, this time I'll tell you of our path to power and A-grade equipment. Of the strengthening of our city and the siege that Cronus laid on us. Of the crafting of the titan-killer and the ultimate confrontation with my father."

"I’m all ears."