Asphodelus, 50.000 light-years from Earth
Unlike most gods, Eris has known pain for a long time. From the emotional abuse she took from Hera when she adopted her, to the torture that the goddess of discord has inflicted upon countless mortals, to the humiliation of being reduced to a disembodied mass of dark energy as punishment for conspiring against her father Zeus. But nothing, not even her current imprisonment inside a containment unit built by Hephaestus, compares to the pain of having Rhea as her only company.
<Do you think this dress makes my hair look too red?> her grandmother asks, looking at her own reflection as she inspects the orange evening gown she’s wearing.
<I mean, orange is like the poor god’s red, right? I don’t understand why Hestia likes it so much. Do you think maybe she’d like this one?>
Eris can’t answer: the containment unit prevents her from recreating a physical body. If she could talk, she would curse Vesta’s name for helping Null trap her here, instead of debating her fashion sense.
<I know what you’re thinking: my daughters look good wearing anything, right? You’ve always been such a good friend to them, especially to… where did she go?> Rhea wonders: she just turned away for a second, and Eris completely disappeared from her sight.
Something else gets her attention: the temperature just spiked out of control, with the atmosphere itself catching fire and instantly incinerating any mortal living on this hemisphere. Including, much to Rhea’s displeasure, the pretty dress she was holding.
<Now that’s just wrong! What am I supposed to wear now?> she complains while the tectonic plates of this continent shake enough to submerge all remnants of civilization beneath a sea of lava.
<Hades, is that you? What did I tell you about playing with magma?> Rhea asks, ascending until she reaches the planet’s orbit. Or rather, the orbit of what’s left of the planet.
On the opposite side of the globe, there is another world smashing against her own: someone literally threw an entire planet at her. There is, of course, not a single mortal survivor.
<Aww, it’s going to take forever to grow those mortals back. Where did that planet come from? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t hanging around in this system. What do you think, Eris?> Rhea asks, looking around to find her granddaughter. But all she can see are the remains of a broken planet.
Naqada Galaxy, 17 million light-years from Earth
As far as Eris is concerned, the trip was instantaneous: a second ago she was enduring Rhea’s incessant babbling, and now the containment unit that is her prison has been transported into what she immediately recognizes as an Egyptian temple.
There are two goddesses before her: Nepthys, wearing her dark form-fitting armor as usual, and Ilithyia who is uncharacteristically wearing an Egyptian black dress. Between them and the containment unit there is a mortal, a scantily-clad woman who would be considered Arabian on Earth, kneeling on the floor.
<Do we really need this one?> Nepthys asks.
<We want to sow chaos, don’t we? My half-sister is the best goddess for the job.>
<Whatever. Do your job, slave.> Nephthys says, opening the containment unit. The black cloud that is the current form of Eris escapes her prison and goes for the mortal’s mouth, forcing herself inside. Immediately after that, the mortal stands up and inspects her body.
<Not too bad, I can see myself wearing this body for a while. Why the rescue?> Eris asks, now possessing the mortal’s body and voice.
<I defected to the Egyptian pantheon. I figured that, like me, you’re not happy about your place on Olympus and think that you deserve more. In other words, we should forge an alliance.>
<Sorry, Ilithyia, I was talking to the goddess in charge here. How can I repay you, Nephtys?>
<Hey, rescuing you was my idea!> Ilithyia protests.
<Silence, spawn of Zeus. And you, dark goddess, explain yourself on how you might be useful to the Goddess of the Dead.>
<We haven’t been formally introduced, haven’t we? I am Eris, the Goddess of Discord, the Unending Strife, the Daughter of the Primordial Goddess Nyx.>
<Really. I am also the daughter of a Primordial.>
<You don’t say! It seems we have a lot in common, Nephthys. Why don’t you show me your realm? It looks…> Eris pauses to look around: just about every surface of the temple is covered in hieroglyphs, and the light is provided by candles held in the hands of mummies chained to the walls.
<… very tasteful.>
<We don’t have time for that; we need a strategy on how to take down Olympus.> Ilithyia objects.
<You Greeks and your preoccupation with time are bothersome. Come, Eris, tell me more about what exactly a Goddess of Discord does.> Nephthys says, escorting Eris outside of the temple.
<Think about it as “spreading chaos”, or “fu##ing things up”> Eris answers, glancing at an increasingly furious Ilithyia.
Parthenos, 80.000 light-years from Earth
Ruling the Athenian Federation is no easy task: there are hundreds of planets with many different cultures and customs, and each of them has a democratically elected local government.
The Athenian Senate is in charge of supervising those governments, and while it is technically the highest authority in the Federation, in practice the Athenian High Command holds the real power.
Its current chairwoman, a black woman in her seventies wearing a formal white uniform, is standing at attention in Athena’s presidential office.
The Goddess of Wisdom is in civilian clothes, with her blonde hair styled in a chignon; she’s sitting at her marble desk, with an owl perched on her chair’s backrest.
<Thank you for coming, High General Promachos. I would rather discuss this in person.>
<I’m at your service, Lady Athena.>
<Our spy satellites in the Asphodelus system informed me that the planet has been destroyed, with the total loss of its mortal population. While the planet had no strategic value, such an attack on the personal world of the Queen Mother will have serious consequences.>
<I can imagine. But Asphodelus is deep in the Zeus sector; how did a hostile fleet reach it?>
<It didn’t. Someone threw a planet at it.>
<A… planet, Lady Athena? It can’t have been Apollo: this doesn’t match his strategy. What other god would employ such a tactic against the mother of Hera?>
<There is a precedent: during the Tiamat incident, Isis teleported her own planet into our galaxy.>
<You are suggesting this was an attack from the Egyptians.>
<It’s a possibility. I wish to put the Athenian fleet in high alert; please make sure Apollo doesn’t see this as our attempt to escalate tensions. I’m not inclined to interfere with his squabble with Hera.>
<Yes, Lady Athena.>
<And assign Dmitry Voron to work on finding evidence this was an Egyptian attack. It’s time to put our only recruit from Earth to good use.>
<Shouldn’t we rather employ the Slayer of Gods, Lady Athena?>
<I will deal with Null personally, High General. You are dismissed.> the goddess informs her. The High General doesn’t agree with her, but she still makes a military salute, bows and politely leaves the room. Only once she’s gone, Athena stands up and presses a button on her desk.
<Cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day, Nike. I need to visit my godchild.> Athena says before disappearing with a flash of light.
Lagos, Nigeria
As an athlete, Daren Bekker is not new to fame. Being a gold medalist at the Paralympics is one thing, but becoming the most famous patient in the 21st century is a different beast altogether. He hasn’t had the chance to go back to South Africa yet, being stuck in the endless barrage of interviews.
He’s been enjoying free time for less than two hours when the door to his hotel room unexpectedly opens, and without any wording Noriko Null walks inside like she owns the place.
<Mr. Bekker. I hope I’m not disturbing you.>
<No no, it’s fine, I was, uhm, where did you get the key to my room?> he asks, still confused by the whole situation as he watches Noriko looking around to check the place.
<The front desk. I bought the hotel fifteen minutes ago. Can I see the hand?> she asks, grabbing his left hand without waiting for permission. Its skin is still blue, and she inspects it pressing against it until she can feel the bones inside it.
<Seems stable enough, but I didn’t expect it to stay blue. I’ll have to look into it.>
<As long as it works, it could be neon green for all I care. Listen, uhm, people keep asking me if anyone can use this technology to regrow limbs, and I don’t really know how to answer.>
<Eventually yes, but it’ll need some work. The current batch of Molecular Assemblers puts a massive strain on the body, only a perfect human specimen can survive the process.>
<Thank you. You’re not too bad yourself.> he jokes. Noriko takes a moment to realize the awkwardness of the situation, and despite her efforts against it she blushes.
<Oh I didn’t mean it like that! I just think that being a world-class athlete implies you’re above average. You know, in, like, stamina and, uh, stuff? You know what I mean?> she stumbles, feeling like she’s making a fool of herself while Daren smiles at her.
<You don’t have a lot of casual conversations in social situations, don’t you?>
<It’s that obvious, uh?> she asks nervously, while thinking she’d rather have someone trying to kill her. Which is the exact moment when someone knocks on the door.
<Expecting someone?> she asks.
<I wasn’t expecting you either. Although it’s been a pleasant surprise.>
<I should, uhm, I should probably open the door.> Noriko answers, just now letting his hand go.
<Should you?> he asks rhetorically, and she seriously considers ignoring everything else.
<Yes, it would be wise not to keep me waiting.> is instead the answer that comes from the hallway.
Noriko recognizes the voice and quickly opens the door, finding herself facing a statuesque blonde wearing an elegant yellow office suit.
<Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!!!> Noriko complains.
<I take it you two know each other, miss…?> Daren asks, feeling completely lost.
<Athena Panhellenios, a friend of Noriko’s. I just need a few minutes of her time.>
<Of course you do. Sorry, Mr. Bekker, we’ll have to continue some other time.>
<Call me Daren, please. How about tomorrow night? Say, six o’clock?>
<Works for me. See you tomorrow.> Noriko hastily answers, practically dragging Athena with her as she leaves the room. The goddess seems slightly amused by her protégé antics.
<Did you just agree to a romantic encounter, Noriko?>
<I guess I did. More importantly, what the heck are you doing on Earth, Athena!?>
<Supervising you. I notice bio-engineered cells in that man’s hand; reminiscent of the self-replicating powers of the Many, combined with Lampyrian genetics. And a quick glance confirms that the news about this discovery have completely eclipsed any potential discussion about the creation of Midgard City, which I assume was part of your plan.>
<You’ve been spying on me, I get it. I’ll repeat the question: why are you on Earth?>
<I wanted to ask you something in person. Did you throw a planet at my grandma’s world?>
<What?>
<Did you throw a planet at…>
<I heard you the first time, it’s just a weird question. How would I even do that!?>
<Oh please, Noriko, I’m the Goddess of Wisdom. I know that you have the Iron Key of Heaven and that you used it to teleport Lampyria into the Middle Galaxy.>
<Well, I don’t have the Key anymore, and I’m pretty sure nobody has used it since. Besides, aren’t there several gods who can do the same thing? I remember Isis did it once.>
<Precisely. Either the Egyptians are attacking us, or more likely, someone is framing them.>
<Who would want a war between the Greek and Egyptian gods?> Noriko asks.
<I haven’t discovered it yet. But I can tell you one thing: if a divine war erupts, this galaxy could become uninhabitable for mortals.>
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