Chapter 44: City Folk Sure Are Wild
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"Zeus's child?"
For a moment, Orin Vale suspected he had misheard.
Zola clutched her stomach. "I was surprised too. But that bird-person told me so, adamant about it. He said they were coming to kill us. Assassins, monsters, all sorts of things beyond my imagination, have all received the command to execute us."
It sounded absurd at first, but after a moment's thought, Orin Vale felt it was actually a real possibility.
Greek mythology has always been a realm somewhat beyond the reach of human ethics; out of every ten myths, at least nine contained content unsuitable for children. The DC Comics universe, in its philosophy of respecting the original work, perfectly preserved this particular penchant of the Greek gods in its adaptations. And as the king of the gods, Zeus took this principle to its absolute extreme.
The guy was basically a fully-automated, self-propelled pile driver, getting it on wherever he went. Mortals, gods, or aliens—he wouldn't refuse anyone. He'd even go for those not in humanoid form without hesitation. After tens of thousands of years of continuous updates, his "Experience Point System" was enough to leave even the strangest modern perverts in the dust. A psychiatrist would have to give him a wide berth.
If he remembered correctly, Zeus did have a habit of going out to "have fun" every so often. He was skilled at using magic to transform his appearance, approaching girls of different classes, personalities, and races in various guises. Then, after a whole night of wild storms, he would often vanish into thin air the next day.
The whole routine was incredibly smooth. Even Arthur would probably have to admire him on the spot and concede, "You're the true Aquaman; this throne should be yours."
Thinking of this, Orin Vale asked, "So now you're starting to think that bird-person was right? You've really met Zeus?"
"...Maybe," Zola said.
"So who do you think was Zeus? What did he look like?"
"Uh... I think he was a truck driver."
Orin Vale was taken aback. "A truck driver?"
He had expected someone like a handsome, dashing young master who spent money like water.
Could this be what a high-level player was like, with a persona that completely broke the usual pattern?
"Yeah, but he was really well-built, and his marksmanship was incredible."
Orin Vale: "?"
"Then again, it might have been the guy who played pool." Zola scratched her head, pondering. "He was really handsome. I offered to buy him a whiskey, and next thing I knew, we were chatting our way back to a hotel room..."
Orin Vale: "??"
"Oh, or it might have been that guy in the band," Zola mused. "He had a great singing voice, I really liked his thr—no, that doesn't feel right. It probably wasn't him. Because he was a little small... and it was over too quickly."
Orin Vale: "???"
He suddenly realized it wasn't so unreasonable that this girl would run into Zeus.
City folk are wild.
"Ah, I remember now." Zola frowned. "That bird-person also said that I wouldn't be safe anywhere. The assassins won't give up; that person will hunt me to the ends of the earth. Unless... unless there's only one place.
I remember the word he used then... it was something like, 'The... Themys-something'..."
"Themyscira (Paradise Island)?" Orin Vale prompted.
"Yes, that's the name!" Zola said, pleasantly surprised. "So the place is real? Do you know of it?"
"Well, consider yourself lucky."
He had just obtained the precise coordinates for Paradise Island a short while ago. Otherwise, it would be impossible for any ordinary person to set foot on the legendary island.
After noting the coordinates, Orin Vale had already been trying to figure out an excuse to visit Paradise Island. While letting his fists do the talking was an option, they, the warriors of Light, never bullied the weak. They generally preferred to reason with others. It was just like the famous theory proposed by his senior, Ultraman Cosmos: their Ultraman Race always prioritized friendly negotiations. Only when talks broke down did they consider the option to "cremate on the spot."
He never expected an opportunity to fall right into his lap like this.
Although Paradise Island was notoriously exclusive, they were still quite respectful of the gods of the Greek pantheon. After all, Paradise Island was an island created by Zeus to shelter them, and the Amazons and Olympus shared a deep history.
*So, I'm here under an oracle from Hermes, bringing a child of Zeus to your island for refuge. That should be perfectly reasonable, right?*
Snapping out of his thoughts, Orin Vale saw Zola staring at him, her expression a pitiful yet hopeful plea. He smiled.
"Of course. We'll head there now."
The armor was perfectly capable of long-distance flight, but Zola was a mere mortal. If he simply carried her on the armor's shoulder while flying to Paradise Island at several Mach, she'd likely be gone before any assassin could reach her.
However, Orin Vale had already devised a solution for this.
The heroes of DC Comics each had their own methods for saving people. For instance, when Superman carried someone at supersonic speed, his own bio-force field would protect them. The Flash's Speed Force could also extend to cover anyone he carried, preventing any adverse effects from the extreme speeds.
Inspired by them, Orin Vale had developed a similar method. He could protect his passenger in a manner similar to a bio-force field or the Speed Force. However, being an Ultraman, the force field he developed was naturally driven by light energy.
By enveloping Zola in a light-energy force field as he held her, the effect was similar to the energy field from a Green Lantern's ring.
This way, he could go all out without any reservations, heading straight for Paradise Island at supersonic speed.
He was approaching the marked coordinates. Although there was still some distance to go, with Orin Vale's super-vision, he should theoretically have been able to see Paradise Island by now.
But looking out, the sea was perfectly calm, with nothing in sight.
He tried switching his vision to different spectrums and even used the armor's onboard sensors to scan the area, but came up with nothing.
As expected, the stealth buff cast by the Greek gods was potent; it was truly difficult to detect through conventional means. Steve Trevor landing precisely on this island was a true stroke of fate, something that could only be described as destiny. The probability of landing exactly on this island in the vast Pacific Ocean was akin to making a one-in-a-billion sniper shot from the other side of the continent.
Then, in a mere instant, the weather turned.
A storm erupted without any warning. A howling gale whipped the seawater into monstrous waves that surged toward the sky like moving mountain peaks. The terrifying waves crashed down through the darkness like heavy warhammers. Beneath a sky of roiling dark clouds, the mountainous waves sent spray shooting high into the air, scattering in every direction.
The sea surface, perfectly calm just a moment ago, was now a raging turbulence, swelling up dramatically. The sheer amplitude of its curves was enough to remind one of the adult, Power Girl version of Kara!
Those were the kind of curves that were practically written into her character's design with a capital "L" for Large.
Orin Vale hovered in mid-air. Through the towering storm and the massive vortex, he saw a colossal shadow slowly rising from beneath the sea. It opened its cavernous mouth toward the two of them in a defiant display.
"W-what's happening!?" Zola asked in terror.
"Don't be afraid," Orin Vale said calmly. "It's just a monster."
Zola: "?"
(end of chapter)