Mountain of the Immortals

"I'll allow him to pass through the portal," I said seriously. "Bring him to me."

"Oh, come on," Artemis protested. "Just as I was about to check out my new weapon!"

"We were all about to receive our new weapons," Ares said, "but this is more important. The weapons can wait."

"Speak for yourself," Artemis said, as we left Hephaestus' workshop and waited for my father's messenger to be brought to us.

A couple of minutes later, a slender elf man was walking toward us, accompanied by four of our portal guards. He didn’t appear to pose any threat. On the contrary, he looked very timid and he almost cowered as he was presented to us.

* * *

Name: Kyle Myrith

Race: Elf

Class: Fighter

Level: 19

* * *

Indeed, his demeanor made more sense when I saw his level. I could only imagine the stress he was feeling. Being sent by a titan to five gods who want to kill him. No wonder he was almost shaking, despite trying to put on a brave face in front of us.

"Master Zeus," the man said and his voice cracked slightly. "Gods of Olympus, thank you for accepting me at such short notice."

"What is the purpose of your visit, mortal?" Ares asked, moving his hands to the pommels of his swords.

As subtle as the movement was, it didn't go unnoticed by the poor elf fighter who took a step back, only to bump into the shield of one of the guards who’d escorted him. Even the faintest touch of his swords by the god of war was enough of a threat for any mortal.

"Please allow me first to say that I am only here as a messenger, and I do not take any part in whatever might be happening between immortals," the man said.

"If that is the case, would you forsake your master and pledge your allegiance to Zeus, the king of Olympus?" Ares asked with the same determination as his first question.

The elf did not reply immediately. Instead he clenched his fist, but he didn’t look angry. It wasn't anger that made him react like that. It was frustration.

"Is that all we are to you?" the man said, all pretense of politeness now gone. "Followers. Minions in your plans. You think I wanted to come here and put my life at risk? Master Zeus, you know very well how your father's followers feel about him."

"I would watch my tone if I were you, mortal," Ares said, but I touched his shoulder to calm him down.

"The only reason I came here,” the man continued, “is because Cronus is holding my wife and daughter under lock and key. If I refused to do this, he would have killed them and then me. If I don't return, he will kill them and then I might as well die too."

"Kyle Myrith," I said seriously, taking a step forward. "Do what you were sent here to do."

"King— I mean, Cronus wants to meet with you," the man said. "He wants to discuss the terms of a mutual agreement, but he wants you to come alone and unarmed."

"Is that all?" I asked, and the man simply nodded. "Go back to Cronus and stay safe until all this is over. You will tell my father that I will come to him but under my own terms. With spear in hand. And you'll tell him that I want all the gods and titans of the Greek realms to bear witness to our meeting."

"Master Zeus, I will make sure to transmit what you have said word for word. However, I can't promise that your request will be honored."

"It will be," I replied, "because I will let everyone in the Greek realms know of this. If my father refuses to allow other gods and titans to watch our meeting, it will be because he cowers in fear of what will happen."

"Ma... Master, I can't speak these words to your father. You might as well strike me dead where I stand."

"Use your own words then. As long as he gets the point," I said. "Now go."

The messenger bowed his head, lower than any niceties required, and took his leave. Father had no idea I would soon be wielding a titan-killing weapon and he would most definitely become aggravated by my insolence, especially now that his armies had been decimated. And that was exactly what I wanted him to feel. To goad him into being reckless and coming to me, to his death. And all that while all the major players in the Greek pantheon watched.

Not only would they watch me defy their king and eventually kill him, but they would also be there for my proclamation of a new world. One where the terrorizing of a corrupt, paranoid titan was no longer tolerated. A perfect foundation upon which to build my future dominance.

"I thought we were going for a stealthy approach," Artemis said. "What made you change your mind?"

"It was foolish of me to think that he wouldn't be expecting us so fast," I explained. "Perhaps if we attacked him right after our victory against his armies or even during that time, we would have managed to surprise him."

"Zeus is right," Aphrodite agreed. "Sending a messenger of his own and requesting that Zeus go there to meet him sounds like he is gearing up for the end."

"And what kind of end would that be?" Ares asked.

"Well, he said he wants to talk about the terms of a mutual agreement," Hephaestus said hopefully. "Perhaps that will be the end of it?"

"My father wouldn’t even allow us to ever hold a different opinion to his," I said. "I doubt he took our destroying his armies well enough to want a peaceful solution."

"But you said it yourself," Hephaestus insisted. "He's beaten. It's only logical that he would try to reach an agreement with you."

"Logic has long escaped my father. Paranoia and anger are what drive him now, and we should only expect him to try to fool me and kill me."

"And by asking all the gods and titans to bear witness to your meeting, you're making sure there are no cheap tricks," Aphrodite deduced.

"Not only that. It's going to be the start of what's to come. It won’t just be me killing Cronus and claiming the throne. It's going to be a message to all of them. Titans are not invincible, and I can kill anyone and everyone who oversteps their authority."

"We still need to craft your weapon though," Hephaestus said, pulling us all back to the here and now.

"Can we start now?" I asked.

"Soon," he replied, and looked at the rest of our guildmates. "I think it's only fair that the rest of you see your new weapons first."

"They're ready?" Artemis asked, suddenly perking up and looking around the workshop for a glowing bow. "Did you manage to use my old bow? Did it hold its enchantments well?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Hephaestus said, producing a bow from his inventory that glowed blue across its whole length.

The wood, especially on the handle, resembled Artemis's old bow but the ends now resembled wings. The whole weapon thrummed with energy. Just from the color of it, I knew that it was above +10.

* * *

Name: Bow of Artemis +12

Type: Bow

Rarity: A Grade

Physical Attack: 696

Magic Attack: 188

Special Ability: Defining Shot

Attack Speed: Normal

Durability: 98,000/98,000

Weight: 1,680st.

Description: Once a C-grade bow, this majestic piece of warfare has been enchanted to levels few mortals or even gods have seen before. By breaking the +16 threshold, Artemis was able to change the bow's original name and forever mark this world with her courageous presence. The bow's previous characteristics were lost in time once it changed its name and manifested its unique ability. Hephaestus, the god of the forge used the bow's core to create a masterpiece worthy of the huntress. Once per day, the wielder of this weapon can unleash a devastating attack that has a 100% chance of finding its target, ignores any shield, armor, or magical bonuses, and always strikes a critical hit.

* * *

"You really did it," Artemis said, holding the bow in one hand and pulling Hephaestus in for a deep hug.

"You like it?", he asked, half-returning the embrace.

"Are you kidding? I love it! I was expecting a +6 bow, +7 tops. You got me something much stronger and more beautiful than my old bow. And yet it's still very much like it."

"It was quite a procedure to extract the core from the old bow,” Hephaestus told her, “because it was so strong and heavily enchanted, but once I put it in this new one, the rest was quite easy. I could have tried for +13 as well but decided not to risk it."

"This is just perfect," Artemis said, moving her bow from one hand to the other.

"And now it’s time for someone else to see their weapon too!" Aphrodite exclaimed and stepped between the two. "Now, what do you have for me, love?"

Hephaestus’ cheeks reddened but only momentarily, then he produced a great staff from his inventory and presented it to Aphrodite. A soft white glow ran through the whole length of the wood, while the top looked like a moving spiral of metal, wood, and a gem that looked liquid at one moment and solid the next.

* * *

Name: Branch of Life +5

Type: Two-Handed Blunt - Staff

Rarity: A Grade

Physical Attack: 261

Magic Attack: 173

Special Ability: Blessing of Life

Attack Speed: Normal

Durability: 95,000/95,000

Weight: 1,220st.

Description: The tree of life, which has roots across the entire Apocosmos, only rarely sheds parts of its branches to select individuals with the potential to create weapons worthy of legendary status. Hephaestus, the god of the forge, has crafted this weapon using a branch from the tree of life and a gemstone of the tree's resin, giving it the ability to imbue life. Once per day, the ability Blessing of Life can be used to bless all party members with the tree of life's power. If they fall in battle, they will be instantly resurrected with all the buffs they had intact.

* * *

"How in the world did you manage to get a branch from the tree of life?" Aphrodite asked, awed by the masterwork she was now holding.

"You may know every reputable merchant this side of the Apocosmos, but you're forgetting I’ve been a crafter for thousands of years," Hephaestus replied, this time with confidence. "It’s only natural that I have amassed a few marvelous crafting components."

"Does this mean that we get an additional instant resurrection on top of our ambrosia?" Ares asked.

"That's exactly it," he replied with pride, "And you won't even lose your buffs."

"So if we're killed once, we come back because of this ability, with our buffs in place," Ares said. "And if we die again, we return once more, because of the ambrosia we consumed. And if we pop one more ambrosia as soon as we're up, we’ve got another chance."

"Exactly,” I agreed, “but we can’t abuse the effect of the ambrosia any more than that, since we can only take one portion per day."

"Thank you," Aphrodite said, and kissed Hephaestus' cheek.