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Issue #24: X, Omen.
(Kane's P.O.V)
The second we arrived, Persephone had promptly stolen away Diana, leaving me standing at the entrance to the Ballroom in full view of everyone.
Fortunately, my own 'act less interesting than a stone at the side of the road' attitude and the level of egos within the chamber, ensured I was ignored.
I cast a final glance out into the room, taking note of everyone's relative positions, before carving out a mental pattern.
The reason for that was to stay far away from Persephone and Diana. Or rather, the crowds of Gods she was introducing to the latter.
Yikes. The princess looked like she wanted to be somewhere else.
The other reason was to assess threats.
So far, I'd noted 5 Gods and Goddesses, I termed as 'stay away from until you have a working plan'
They sent off Spider Sense ringing something crazy.
The first was of course Hades. The God of the Underworld was seated in his throne, head bent as he spoke to a sun tanned God on a throne next to him.
Aeacus, and Minos stood in wait below the stairway leading to the thrones.
Said sun tanned God was Poseidon. He was dressed in a snug, blue-scaled armor, sandy blond hair flowing like water behind him. In his hand, he held a golden trident.
The trident output a different kind of pressure.
The third was a tall woman in a majestic dress, with light armor touches and a shining shield shaped like an owl on her arm.
Athena. Most likely. I kept something in between us, blocking her line of sight.
She had very keen senses. I could tell from the way her body was angled. It might not seem like it, but she had a better awareness of the room and it's occupants than I did.
The fourth was a white haired girl-who's currently and clearly headed my way.
Shit.
I grabbed a drink from a passing Dryad, ducked under an obsidian tree with gems for leaves, before hiding behind a pillar.
"Nice moves."
A voice drawled from my left.
I turned my head to regard the one who had spoken. A flash of light caught my eye.
"You too."
I complimented the gray haired, bespectacled God dressed in a robe with the symbol of a serpent entwined around a rod.
"Oh this?"
He held up a glowing ruby, one clearly plucked from the strange potted obsidian plant next to him.
"I wasn't stealing...this is for...charity. Yes. Typhoid and Influenza are pretty bad this time of the decade and the hospitals don't get enough support with the bloody great war going on..."
He trailed off grumbling before he caught himself.
Coughing in embarrassment, he extended an arm forward.
"Sorry, I am-"
"Asclepius, God of Physicians."
I cut in, shaking it.
"Gotta say, wasn't expecting a God to be..."
"Polite? Well-Mannered?"
He interjected with a wry smile.
"I was going to say nice."
I replied to which he shrugged.
"I'll take that I guess. So Mr. X the Assassin, what's a guy like you doing in a place..."
He shook his head with a grossed out expression.
"Sorry, I just noticed how cliche' I was getting."
"Don't worry, I was about to call you out on it."
I patted his shoulder.
"Thank you my good man. Sometimes I forget life is not a moving picture. But, where you come from they're called movies right?"
He asked cheekily.
How did...
"Hahaha. Don't frown, it looks bad on you."
He waved his hand before me, a flash of green passing through me.
"Just like I thought, you have vaccines and antibodies for sicknesses without a cure in this time frame. Ergo...time travel..."
He came closer,
"Or...interdimensional shenanigans."
Asclepius said, eagerly awaiting my response.
I kept my face blank, tilting it before taking a slow sip of my drink and swallowed the moan of pleasure, threatening to escape me.
"What-"
"It's refined Ambrosia extract."
A different voice said from my back.
"Take more than a few sips and Diana will be carrying your inebriated form out of the banquet hall."
The white haired girl was back, or rather I had placed myself in her line of sight.
"Lady Artemis."
Asclepius bowed smoothly.
"Always a pleasure to see you. As lovely as the light of a full moon-"
"Enough." She coldly replied as I turned around to face her.
Stormy gray eyes stared back at me.
Asclepius from the side gazed in between the maiden goddess and I before I felt him begin inching away.
Artemis said nothing for a few seconds, lips twisted in a confused frown that made her look both cute and petulant. At the same time.
Her presence however was like the surface of a pond. But you know what they say, still waters run deep.
"I get the sense you're thinking something rude."
She begun in that bell like voice.
"What gave you that impression?"
My voice was calm as I took another small sip of my drink.
She was right. This thing while it tasted like all the best drinks I've ever had mixed together...was also very strong.
"Your eyes. I've met assassins before but never one with such...a cutting gaze."
I had no response for that.
And from the way her face straightened into an impassive expression, she wasn't interested in one.
"Hold out your hand."
She ordered.
I was tempted to refuse but...a part of my instinct told me I would regret it.
So I presented her with my left hand.
She slapped it away before grabbing my right one. I stomped down on the urge to pull it back.
"There."
A flash of silver light appeared at the back of my palm, a tattoo of a gray crescent moon.
"And my debt to you for defeating Circe and protecting Themiscyra is paid."
Then she turned around and promptly disappeared into the sea of gods.
She left me there, standing in place like a fool with no explanation as to what the Tattoo was.
-0-
Right after that...weird encounter, I took the chance to stay in the shadows, merely the observer.
On my way to an alcove close to one of the windows, a shadow passed by me, cloak flapping around as a woman in a gray hood blocked my way.
I looked around, only to find that no one else had reacted to her sudden presence. It was like she was...invisible.
"No. Not invisible. I'm everywhere at once. They have come to learn to ignore me...for what I am."
A whispery voice, like the hiss of a serpent before striking, left her hood.
"And who might I have the pleasure of knowing?"
I stepped into a smooth bow, a cordial smile on, as I faced this stranger.
The mysterious ones are always the most dangerous.
"Can you not tell?"
She responded playfully.
"You above all should."
Cryptic.
I straightened, an inquisitive arc to my mouth,
"Can't say I do. But I'll tell you, what kind of Goddess I suspect you might be."
She remained silent.
"You remind me of a butterfly in the night."
I breathed out, ignoring that the shadows around us were getting...larger and more menacing upon my statement.
Spider Sense remained silent however.
"A butterfly in the night sometimes represents a messenger from beyond. In some cultures it might be considered a good thing."
She replied.
I snorted.
"Bullshit, this is a world where nothing is inherently innocent. I'm more inclined to think of it as an Omen. A bad one."
Through the shadows of her hood, a small smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Well then, if you consider me the goddess of Bad Omens, how about I leave you with one."
Oh shit. I messed up.
Wary, I instinctively started pulling on my bio-energy.
She stepped close, the rim of her hood almost touching my chin.
" He will visit you. In a fortnite on the night of a victory against the Lover of War. "
I grabbed her shoulders uncaring about the consequences.
"Who? Who will visit?"
The hood fell away as she looked up. A pale face with black pools of darkness focused on me. And everything faded away, leaving the two of us alone, surrounded by darkness.
Her smile turned a pure evil.
"THE MANY FACED GOD. THE GOD OF KILLING. THE GOD...OF ASSASSINS."
I blinked.
And she was gone.
I was left in place, holding in my hand...a completely black butterfly.
"Where'd you get that?"
A sudden voice, dryer than saw dust with a light Indian accent asked from over my shoulder.
Shit that was the second time it happened. These gods had to be using some ability to cover their presence.
Kind of like what Hades had been doing. Manipulating his whole being to impose himself in the view, or retract himself and completely erase any biological feedback I might have used to read him.
I turned around, folding the butterfly into my palm, before hiding it in the pocket of the pants I had on.
Rhadamanthus, the third judge, was staring unblinkingly at me.
I forced a smile.
"Nothing to concern yourself with. I was actually wondering when I would get the chance to meet you in pers-"
I stopped talking.
He held up the black butterfly by two fingers.
I palmed my side. It was no longer in my pocket.
"Nice trick."
I growled low.
"How'd you do it?"
The judge said nothing, eyes narrowed at the butterfly in his fingers.
Brown eyes turned to regard me.
"You have no idea what this means, do you boy?"
Boy?
Insult aside, there was something I seemed to be missing.
Right before I could ask what that was, he held up a tanned hand.
"Not here. The King is about to begin his address. You might want to pay attention, he gets...moody on the Eve of his Wife's return to Olympus."