"Do you believe that father is still alive?" Deus asked as the three walked through the palace halls.
"I do not know, Deus," Perseus shook his head with a small smile. Yet within the depths of his eyes was a complicated light that flashed ever so briefly. Deus didn't see this, however the other man did.
"What about you Darius?" Deus asked, revealing the last man's name. Unlike the other two, Darius was not a half-god nor a god. He was an Ascender who ruled over a higher world before being recruited by Zeus. Well, recruited was actually a strong word. It was more of a coerced recruiting than it was a willing decision. He was a man of great power, so much so that Zeus had sealed his power once he accepted him as his subordinate. Darius could only use his full strength when Olympus was in great distress, the kind that could destroy the planet. So many gods referred to him as the 'Last Line of Defense'. In fact, Ares was secretly afraid of Darius. And that was why he kept sending him out of the Mountain.
"My knowledge is no greater than yours, Deus," Darius stated with a small smile. Yet there was a slightly complicated look in his eyes when he spoke. It seemed that he knew something that Deus didn't. Soon the three were before the great doors that led to the throne room. The doors were open, so they could see and hear what was happening inside. But they chose to stay behind and wait their turn.
They could see Ares's large frame seated in the large throne. The previous awkwardness of such a sight had long been wiped away. The aura of the new king was calm and detached. And he seemed very uninterested in whatever was being reported. Before Ares were three people, kneeling with their heads bowed so low that neither Deus, Perseus nor Darius could make them out.
"We have searched the entirety of the Second Heaven, King Ares. There are still no traces of the God King Zeus." One of the kneeling men said. And finally, there was a reaction from Ares.
"What did you say?" the new Olympian God King's voice was filled with turbulence and war, much like his title. And there was a slight fury that accompanied it.
"This cannot be good," Perseus frowned and said. Since his usurpation, Ares had been recognised as the new God King. Yet there was always the unease that remained from having not seen Zeus actually die. So he sent people after any traces of the previous King. But this wasn't the issue. The issue was that some made the mistake of calling Zeus God King Zeus, and that was a trigger for Ares.
"But it is much better than before," Darius stated, and both Deus and Perseus nodded their heads in agreement.
Indeed, there had been great improvement in Ares's temperament. For before, he would have immediately crushed the people before him without any questions. But it seemed that time had eased his worries greatly. Maybe Zeus's absence had convinced Ares that he really had killed his father. And that was why he didn't run into a rampage immediately.
"Forgive my impudence great God King Ares. What I meant to say was that the traitor Zeus remains unseen." The man hurriedly corrected himself as sweat fell from his forehead like a torrential rainfall. The others with him were also very nervous. After all, they didn't want to be implicated.
"Very well. Continue your search. Do not stop until you have concrete evidence that Zeus is dead – or that he is alive" Ares's aura receded once the man apologized, and he waved them away.
"Yes God King Ares," the three men answered eagerly before scampering away in a great hurry.
"I see you have returned," Ares merely gave the retreating men a cursory glance before focusing on Perseus and his team. Honestly, he cared very little for many of his men. But he did hold Perseus, Deus and Darius in high esteem. For his eyes flashed brilliantly upon seeing the three approaching. He would have loved Darius more if he could use him as a failsafe in case Zeus returned. But if that was the case – if Darius's seal could so easily be removed for trivial matters of succession fights and banters – Zeus would have employed the powerful Ascender's skill when he was out of options.
"Yes, we have indeed returned, God King Ares," Perseus was the first to drop to his knees. The others followed soon after. As the leader of this small team, Perseus was the spokesperson and reporter. It was he who spoke for the three. Deus was very wary of Ares and could hardly mutter a word in the God of War's presence, whiles Darius was a man of a few words and could hardly be bothered to speak more than it was required of him.
"What do you have for me then? Is Heracles dead?" Ares asked. Yet his voice was dull and uninteresting. It seemed that he already knew the answer to this question.
"No, he is not," Perseus smiled faintly as he replied.
What a joke. Heracles was so strong that even Zeus had to be wary of him. In fact, although none of them liked to admit it, their brother was much stronger than them. Yes, people often said that Perseus and Ares were as strong as Heracles. But as people who had faced their brother in combat before, both knew that this assumption was false. For unlike the two who had a limit to their strength, Heracles had no such limit. Their brother was always weaker when the fight started, but as it continued, his strength grew. Each time it started off with Heracles on the back foot, yet each time it ended with the Slayer of the Nemean Lion completely dominating them. Fortunately, few knew of the actual situation. And neither Perseus nor Ares was keen on telling the public the actual truth.
"Then you have returned because…" Ares asked with slightly raised brows. Perseus was the leader of an entire army. He could send a scout or a messenger whenever he needed to deliver some news to Ares. Yet for some reason, he preferred coming personally. And he always brought Deus and Darius with him. It was starting to get under Ares's skin.
"It's about the Seer in our ranks," Darius spoke up this time. Unlike Perseus, Ares didn't dare be too disrespectful around Darius. So he only looked curiously at the outsider who had lived here most of his life and asked,
"What about her?"
In all of Olympus, there were only three Seers amongst the gods – Hestia, Hera and Athena. Hestia had gone missing about a decade ago when Mane had been born. Just like Athena she sought to reverse the boy's cruel fate. Athena had been cooped up in the Olympian library, combing the archives for anything that could serve as the solution to avoiding Mane's grim fate. The last of the three was Hera. But she wasn't of great help either. For Ares didn't find it an issue to imprison his own mother once he took over his father's throne. Well, he was able to strike a killing blow at his father. Surely in some way, imprisoning Hera was mercy. But because of this, there was no Seer left on Olympus. Luckily for Ares, there were a few Seers that had been trained by Hera over the years. After capturing Olympus and claiming it as his own, Ares killed the Seers that resisted him and distributed those that submitted amongst his troops. One of these Seers was in Perseus's camp. And it was this very person that Perseus was referring to.
"She saw a vision," Perseus lifted his head to face Ares directly. His eyes flashed brightly as he easily dealt with Ares spiritual pressure.
"So what? Seers are meant to see visions all the time. But that doesn't give you the right to come banging on my door whenever they do." Ares stood up as he was speaking. A red glow escaped his eyes as he walked down the stairs that led to his throne and stood before Perseus. His aura was menacing, and the amount of blood that had been spilled to produce such an effect was clear to the three who knelt.
"She saw Mane," Perseus wasn't daunted by Ares aura. Sure Ares may now be the master of Olympus, but they were still very similar in strength. Ares was slightly stronger, but even he would have to pay a big price if he wanted to deal with Perseus. He had submitted to him, but he wasn't afraid of him. And right now, he was a bit upset with his brother. For Ares wasn't taking this very seriously. The visions of a Seer were never to be undermined. Of course once Perseus informed Ares that the vision was of his nephew, the nonchalant War God's countenance switched.
The aura of the God of War – now King of Olympus – filled the throne room and extended to the entirety of Mount Olympus. A red light enshrouded Ares's figure as a huge broadsword was summoned into his right hand. His readiness was akin to a man going to war. Yet all this happened because a name he dreaded as much as Zeus's was mentioned.
"What did she see?" Ares's voice was akin to a thunderclap. So domineering was his voice that Deus who knelt beside Perseus could feel his strength receding. He suddenly grew very cold, a feeling he should have never experienced with his superior physique. Darius was also uncomfortable. But that was only because he wasn't at his peak. At his greatest strength, not even Zeus could make him uncomfortable. But even though he was uncomfortable, he didn't shiver and shrivel like Deus. He actually had a small smile on his face, and the word "Interesting" escaped his slightly parted lips.
"He has been recognised," Perseus replied calmly. This was the reason why Perseus submitted to Ares – Mane.
Perseus had fought and killed many creatures that threatened Olympus over the years, and his status as a hero was cemented in the hearts of the people. His heart was filled with light and kindness, and there was little he wouldn't do for another. When his nephew was born, Perseus was filled with so much joy that one would have thought that the child was his own. In fact, Zeus had made that very comment, a decision that was terrible at the time because it made everyone vastly uncomfortable given the unusual sexual records of Olympians. But Perseus didn't get to rejoice for long. For soon prophecies of Mane began to appear. And it was revealed that he was the 7th Supreme. And when more of these prophecies foretold of the grim era the 7th Supreme would introduce, Perseus feared for the people. And he became an Olympian who sought to deal with the threat at its infancy – he wanted Mane dead.
As noble as his heart was – for the decision was made by taking the lives of others into consideration – it didn't change the fact that Perseus wanted to kill his own nephew. It saddened him greatly to suggest such a thing at all, but he felt it was his duty as a protector of the people to do so. Of course his decision had opened a huge rift between him and Ray, and their previously strong relationship was destroyed. Unfortunately for Perseus, Zeus was having none of those thoughts. And for the first time in his life, the former Olympian God King put another before himself and refused to order the death of his grandson.
But now Zeus was no more. And Ares, the new Master of Olympus, wasn't exactly fond of Mane either. His decision wasn't as noble as Perseus's. In fact, it wasn't noble in any way. For while Perseus sought to protect the universe, Ares sought to protect his rights as a god. But that didn't matter because both were on the same page. Ares had sworn that once things on Olympus had stabilized, he would seek the Supreme with all the forces of Olympus. And since Asgard was at war, this was the best time to do this. For only Asgard was interested in protecting the Supreme. It was for this reason that Perseus gave himself to Ares to be used as a spear.
"What do you mean he has been recognised?" Ares asked impatiently. Strands of his aura struck the walls of the palace throne room, and the sturdy construction developed a few unnatural cracks, but they healed rapidly. One of his rampant aura strands did approach Perseus, but it was vaporized by Perseus's aura shield before it could do any damage.
"Simple: He will soon become a No…" Perseus started, before his statement was interrupted by a booming voice that filled the entirety of Mount Olympus and the True Universe itself. For the Universe Will had something to announce. And it brought much discomfort to the gods.
"ALL HAIL MANE HARBINGER, HE WHO IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE ALLVERSE. ALL SHALL PROCLAIM THE NAME OF THE SUPREME! FOR HIS PATH IS UNCOMMON AND HIS FATE SURE."
"ALL HAIL SUPREME EMPEROR MANE HARBINGER!"