That night, we all slept in different chambers of the castle.
From the inside, the building seemed much larger than it was from the outside, and I thought it might have been some property of Diogen's domain.
He did say it was a top-five strongest domain among the gods... I wonder who the others belong to?
Knock knock
I heard a knock on my door as I rose from my bed, feeling re-energized.
"Come in!" I said, thinking it would be Diogen or Lasandra, but when a different man entered, wearing a butler's suit, I instantly went on alert.
He was an older man, seeming to be in his forties, with neat black hair and a mustache. He was also relatively tall and well-built.
"Please, no need to be startled, Fate. I am Gray, Diogen's butler and demigod. I've been sent to ask if there is anything you might want. Tea? Wine?"
For some reason, I kept getting caught off guard by the demigods.
I need to remember that almost every god will have one. Still, it is strange to see humans walking around in the houses of the gods.
"That is kind, but I have no need for anything," I said, and the man nodded and prepared to leave before I cut him off by speaking again.
"I would like to ask a question, though." It was the first thing that had come to mind when I heard that he was a demigod.
Gray turned to listen.
"Why don't you live in a domain of your own?"
There were a few moments of silence before the butler answered.
"Well, Diogen is a very wanted god. Many have sought after his life, and I wish to be nearby at all times to offer my support."
The reasoning was sound, but it didn't seem to make complete sense.
"But demigods are not that strong. How can you be of help against gods like Zir?"
This time, Gray let out a light chuckle.
"You will find that not all demigods are as weak as others. Some teeter on the edge of true godhood, though most are hunted and killed by the other gods before they reach that point."
The news was hard to believe. If demigods could almost reach the strength of true gods, then that adds many more possible enemies.
I can understand why Lasandra wanted me to kill that man near her domain. If left alone, who knows how strong they can get.
"Thank you, Gray, that will be all."
After my conversation with Gray, I remained in bed for a while longer before deciding to look for Diogen and Lasandra.
I traveled through the castle that was within Diogen's domain and found it to be truly large.
There were tens upon tens of chambers and many other rooms that you would expect to find in castles.
Most impressive was the fact that the castle was five floors tall, and I still felt it was bigger on the inside than it looked from outside.
I found the two gods outside, sitting in chairs and deep in discussion. When Diogen spotted me, he waved me over to join them
.
"Fate," he said as I took a seat around the table with them. "Gods are slowly approaching us. We are sensing three."
The sun was high that day and beat down on us from above. The grass field looked marvelous under its rays.
I used my sensing and tried to feel for the presences, and Diogen was right. I felt three gods approaching us, though they were still a decent distance away.
"We were just strategizing. We know that one of the gods will certainly be Zir. The other two gods who will arrive with him are uncertain, but we have our guesses," Lasandra said, then allowed Diogen to continue.
"My guess is Martilanos, the fifteenth god, and Omiotres, the ninth god. They are the ones who have shown the most contempt for my helping of the newcomers. I believe they will be joining him."
I noted the names in my memory. I was slowly learning the full catalog of gods.
"I am familiar with both of them;" Diogen continued "however, my style of fighting will be most suited to Omiotres. He is a ranged fighter, and I can close the distance with teleportation. If he arrives, I will take him on. That leaves Zir and Martilanos, the fifteenth."
I did not know who the fifteenth god was, but I had met Zir, the fourth.
"I will take on Zir," I said with confidence I did not deserve to have.
Both of the gods gave me a confused look, so I elaborated on my position.
"Zir seems to be a god that relies on his unreal power in hand-to-hand combat. My ability works well against that, as it's quite a one-dimensional tactic. As long as I don't get too close."
I thought my reasoning was sound, but Diogen shook his head.
"If Zir was nothing but a physical brute, then you would be correct, but the fourth god is much more than that. Underestimating him would lead to your death."
I understood the reasoning and the importance of not underestimating your opponent, but my opinion was unchanged.
Perhaps I hold resentment towards Zir for his aggression towards me.
"Still, it only makes sense," I said in my defense. "Zir is the only god of the three that I am familiar with. If I go up against this Martilanos, I am at higher risk of being caught off guard."
Now, Lasandra and Diogen seriously considered what I said. They remained in deep thought for a few moments before replying.
"He makes a good point, and perhaps he can catch Zir off guard using his ability and land a strike that injures him badly. He could have a chance," Lasandra said.
I had not even told her what my ability was, so I assumed Diogen had told her. It did not annoy me, as I now trusted them both.
"Then it's settled. Fate will fight Zir, while I fight Omiotres, and Lasandra fights Martilanos. As soon as either Lasandra or I dispose of our opponents, we rush to Fate's aid."
We nodded at the plan.
There are many risks, but this is what we signed up for. I will not let Diogen fight to his death alone.
"Right then, the gods are nearing, so let us wait for them on the roof and draw them to separate battlefields. There are many places within my domain that are fit for combat."