The Sword Heart Sect were going about their business calmly.
Despite all the chaos happening in the world right now, they weren't greatly affected. And even the fact that they were technically at war with both the race of Amazons and the Company of Amazon didn't affect them that much.
Amazon—both sides—didn't even know where they lived.
So of course, they were safe from most forms of reprisal due to this.
They had attacked a few warehouses in the time that Ocean Song was gone, and they had procured many of the illicit gains that now stocked the vaults of the Sect.
The Sect was officially not poor anymore, if barely.
Mel was patting Tyson's head, telling him how happy she was to receive his latest gift. In his free time, he had been practicing his forging by making all manner of kitchenware for her.
His practice with the god Hephaestus had allowed him a breakthrough in his crafting, and he had gotten better at making smaller, more intricate pieces.
Dozens of pots and pans hung all around them.
Equally, there were kitchen knives of all varieties that now filled drawers and walls for Mel to use.
Most Cyclops were born Smiths.
But as Hepheastus was teaching him that for a newborn Cyclops, it takes a very long time for them to develop the delicate skills needed to handle high-tier work. That any random smith can hammer a sword into shape, but a true master can use their hammer to forge even the most delicate pieces of jewelry if they wanted.
So Tyson had been focusing most of his efforts on making smaller things.
That's not to say he had been ignoring his normal crafting either.
His personal forge was filled with weapons hanging on the walls. Sometimes he smelt them back down, but if they made him happy, he would hang them up for anyone to use if they needed.
Tyson remembered what Ocean Song told him. That his job would be to supply everyone in the sect with a Divine Weapon.
He didn't take that as hyperbole.
And while none of his weapons would be what he could call 'Divine Weapons,' Tyson felt that at least, he should have a lot of weapons made for anyone who joined up.
Ocean Song wasn't shy about saying how they would be recruiting new generations of disciples in the future, and Tyson wanted to be prepared.
Ocean also told Tyson that he should make thousands of weapons for the future so he can shoot them at people while calling them mongrels.
He didn't know what that meant, but he would listen to his older brother.
Mel had settled in as well.
Her days had become something of a routine, one she looked forward to.
She never anticipated that as a goddess, she would be serving as a cook for a bunch of mortals and monsters, but here she was, preparing for dinner tonight.
And being a cook for them was a full-time job.
Tyson alone could eat a cow easily.
She was very happy to have a large set of kitchenware to work with now as well.
And she absolutely adored Tyson and would happily accept any of his gifts. She had been surprised that no one from her side of the fence had come over and told her to go back home.
Sure, she had seen a certain Raven around every now and then, but it didn't make any moves or say anything to her to indicate that she should go home.
And it wasn't like Helheim couldn't operate without her. Frankly, most of it was automated at this point, and she had Garmr, her faithful wolf, to watch over if anyone or anything decided to cause trouble.
And it wasn't like she was cut off from her realm either.
She was more than able to tell if something happened that required her immediate return.
All in all, it was a much-needed and ironically helpful vacation considering she was 'working' like a menial laborer.
Overall, she was happy right now.
It took her mind off her romance troubles, and it awakened a sort of maternal side of her that she didn't have before.
On the other side of the sect, Medusa burst out of her workshop; smoke and smog billowed outwards as she coughed and gasped in the fresh air.
She nearly fell over in relief as a visible purple smoke wafted out of the room she just exited.
Most noticeably, however, was the obscenely large sword on her back that she carried around like it wasn't even there.
There was one person near her that noticed what was happening.
Daedalus was knee-deep in a freshly plowed garden as he stood up and scowled angrily in her direction.
"What's that smell!? I can smell the toxicity from here. It's going to kill off all the plants I just put into the dirt!"
"I was making poison!" Medusa wheezed back.
"I noticed." Daedalus gestured to the purple smoke. "Why are you making poison!?"
"Ask that dumbass yourself! He told me to start doing it!" She threw her arms up.
Daedalus let out a sigh, acknowledging that response. "Are you at least making progress?"
Medusa scowled deeply. "I'm good at it, and I've been making a lot of progress!" She shouted angrily.
"I'm sorry to hear that!" He shouted back, matching her tone.
He understood.
She was angry that she was apparently good at the stupid thing that Ocean Song made her do. Just as Daedalus was angry that he turned out to be skilled at the things Ocean Song made up on a whim.
"Wait, is that where my herbs went!?" Daedalus's eyes widened.
Medusa looked at him and pursed her lips. "Where else do you expect me to get herbs to make poison from?"
"You stole my herbs! Do you have any idea how long it took me to till this patch of dirt and plant them!?"
"We stole them together; they're not just yours." Medusa crossed her arms, defending herself.
Amazon supplies not just mundane things. When they almost got smashed by the giant bronze automaton, it turned out they had picked rather well and stolen a truck full of magical stuff.
Some Celestial Bronze wasn't uncommon, but they also found certain herbs, even a few species of mythical animals.
Daedalus still glared at her. "These were my share. You got your own share."
"I already used mine," Medusa said casually.
"That's it!" Daedalus drew his sword.
"You want to fight!?" Medusa grabbed the massive and heavy sword off her back, but surprisingly, Daedalus wasn't deterred.
Just as they were about to clash, Nessie appeared in front of them, letting out a loud "Bawhooo!"
"Mother—" Daedalus nearly jumped from his spot at the sudden arrival. "Stop doing that!"
"Hmph." Medusa put her sword away.
"Bawhooo!" Nessie pointed her flipper at both of them in accusation.
While neither could understand it, they could pick up what she was trying to say.
Daedalus scoffed. "I was just going to teach her a lesson."
"I was only going to beat him up a bit." Medusa also defended herself from the accusation.
Funnily, they weren't lying.
It was far from the first time they had started fighting.
Before they could continue arguing, they heard a honking.
A car horn, to be specific.
And it was odd because, for one, they were high up in the air on a literal mountain, and the nearest road was miles away.
And two, there wasn't even a road up to their mountain.
And three, not many people actually knew where they lived.
Thus, they came to one conclusion on who it was.
Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and head towards the entrance to the sect. And that's when they all went quiet under the continuous horn honking.
They watched, expressionlessly, as a white truck with a glass container on the back, with Ocean Song sitting inside, drove up the thousands of steps that led to the entrance to the Sect.
The car appeared to be having quite a bit of trouble, yet it kept moving with surprising willpower.
The fact that it was even capable of scaling the steps was because it was a smaller-than-average automobile.
But that isn't what made them all quiet—well, most of them. Tyson was oblivious and just happy to see his brother again after a long time.
The others had mixed looks of confusion and growing horror.
Because they recognized the Popemobile.
And particularly, they recognized the hat on Ocean Song's head.
The car eventually reached the top, settling comfortably right at the entrance.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists! Your sect master returns, with gains!" He declared loudly and triumphantly, gesturing to both his hat and the car after he got out.
Of course, his robes billowed heroically.
"What did you do!?" Medusa was the first, grabbing his collar and smacking her forehead against his.
"Fellow Daoist—"
"No, what did you do!?" Daedalus also grabbed his collar and shook him. "Did you steal the Tartarus-damned Popemobile!?"
Ocean Song silently looked away.
"We're dead." Medusa released him.
"Not the normal dead either." Daedalus let out a sigh. "There's no coming back from this."
"I wonder if I can hide in Tartarus. Do you think if we admit to a certain someone about her tree, it would be the lesser of two evils here?" Medusa asked.
"Fellow Daoists, you're overlooking something important!"
They both looked to Ocean Song again.
"My hat as well!" He said proudly, hands clasped behind his back. "I have ventured to the Heavens and emerged victorious!"
The driver's side door slammed shut, breaking them from their growing distress as they overlooked one important fact: that someone was driving him.
They all turned to look at the woman, who had an uncannily vacant expression on her face.
All except Mel.
Mel looked at her, and her eyes widened in horror.
Mel could see beyond the false facsimile at the front. Beyond it, she could see the wings, the eyes, the shape, and the power of it.
She, of course, knew what it was.
She, as a goddess, would have to be utterly ignorant of the world not to know who they were.
Every religion, every pantheon—they all knew who they were.
"Oh, and this is Ambriel. I didn't think she would follow me back home, but here she is. Therefore, she is now a fellow Sect member!" Ocean Song declared, not caring to even run it past her. "Oh, and she's an Angel!"
There was a brief moment where they processed that last part.
"What?"
[Line Break]
Hercules sat happily in his seat.
He had a hot dog in one hand, half eaten, and a warm beer in the other.
It had been one of his long desires. Being the god of sports, he could 'watch' sports taking place, even from his island.
But he had long desired to attend the games himself.
To embrace the atmosphere, the enthusiasm of the crowd, and the thrill of watching everything with his eyes and to be here and be part of the excitement.
And now, he finally was able to do so.
He couldn't claim to be a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, but Fenway Park was legendary in the world of baseball, so he wanted to check it off his box. A tour of every major stadium or field for all his favorite sports.
Now, he had all the time in the world to do so.
He hadn't felt this happy and relaxed in centuries.
There weren't a great many people here today; it was one of their early season games against a team that most fans didn't really care about. Not one of the legendary rivalries, nor a World Series game.
Maybe a third of the stadium was filled, but Hercules didn't mind.
He sat high up in the bleachers, all by himself for the most part, enjoying it all the same. To him, there wasn't much difference between being in a field-side seat or high up in the nosebleeds.
He wasn't a god of sports anymore, but all the same, he took pride in his previous domain at least.
It wasn't just the hotdog and beer either.
He reached into his pocket and took out a golden apple, biting into it.
It felt appropriate.
Probably because he could feel those approaching.
"Herakles!" Someone touched down not far away from him; the mists swirled to keep it all hidden.
The former god frowned because the newcomer was blocking his view. "What do you want, Artemis?" he grunted. "And move out of the way; you're blocking the game."
The Goddess of the Hunt scowled deeply, not used to being talked to so rudely. She wanted to say something about 'finally tracking him down,' but that seemed rather…inappropriate, considering he was casually sitting here watching a game of baseball.
"You're to come with me immediately." She demanded.
"Hmm, let me think." He tapped his chin. "I'm going to have to go with no."
"It wasn't a request."
Hercules tilted his head and then slowly started to smile. "Are you going to fight me, Artemis?"
Artemis narrowed her eyes, her bow appearing in her hands. "I've been given full authority to hunt."
Hercules wasn't intimidated; in fact, he chuckled. "You really don't get it, do you?" He stood up, stretching his back, and at his side, he lifted up his 'new' club, which was carved from one of the branches of Hera's Golden Apple tree. "I'm not a god anymore."
"That's precisely the problem." She said in a low tone. "Zeus is furious. And now, so is Hera. You crossed the line, Herakles."
"No, no." I still smiled good-naturedly. "I mean, you seem to forget. I'm mortal now. That means certain rules are back in place. Let me ask you again, Artemis, are you going to fight me like that?"
That is to say, a god wasn't allowed to fight a mortal with their full strength.
There were strict rules when it came to a god utilizing their full power on a mortal or without cause.
And Hercules?
He fought gods before he ever became one.
Artemis paused and considered what he truly said.
There was a beat of hesitation as she realized that he was correct. They had been focused on him as a fellow god, but now…perhaps it really sunk in that he threw away his godhood.
"You stole Hera's Golden Apples; you broke part of her tree." Artemis spoke up, pointing out that they had cause in this case.
"Sure." Hercules acknowledged. "Go ahead, curse me if you're too afraid to fight." He held his arms open, looking up at the sky. "Take your best shot!"
Surprisingly, the sky didn't answer.
Artemis, though, wasn't shocked by the lack of response. Just like the others, they were confused in equal measure to angered by his actions.
"...you're playing a dangerous game."
Hercules sat back down. "Funny you say that, because I felt like I stopped playing games. The stupid game you all play—I don't want to be involved anymore. That's it. Leave me alone, and I'll leave you all alone. A good deal, right?'
"That's not how it works, and you know it."
Hercules let out a sigh. "Of course I know; I spent thousands of years with you lot." His tone carried a sharp edge. "So, let me make it a bit clearer for you all. I'm done. I'm not playing anymore. And I know that won't convince you. I could threaten; I could say that every time you all try your stupid games again, I'll just go over to your houses and wreck them in retaliation."
Artemis was about to open her mouth, but Hercules held up a hand to shush her.
"Look, Artemis? I know what you're going to say. But I want you to understand something. I have nothing left to lose. Consider that for a moment. I have no friends left, no family. I willingly gave up being a god, my supposed 'reward.'" Hercules took a breath and continued in a lower tone. "Consider this, and ask yourself. If I get pissed off, what's stopping me from flipping everything over?"
Artemis did consider it.
She heard every one of his words, and they sank deep into her mind as he said each one.
For the first time, she realized, she wasn't in a position of power.
Threats? Bribes?
He made it abundantly clear that none of that would work.
They had no one to threaten him with.
They had nothing to bribe him with.
He gave up godhood, the single greatest boon they could realistically give.
And the realization of horror finally dawned on the Goddess of the Hunt.
That they well and truly pushed Hercules to the edge, and they had nothing to keep him in line with any longer. That, a pawn they had on the board for so long had walked off it, and they had nothing to force it back on.
Her silence was telling enough for Hercules.
"And Artemis." Hercules picked the Golden Apple up again, taking another bite. "Tell that lieutenant of yours that I saved her family, so we're even."
[Line Break]
A/N
Ocean Song returns, and Hercules tells the gods to fuck off.
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