Null Tower, New York City
Vesta adjusts her red dress: it’s a lot more revealing than what she usually wears, with its low cut on her cleavage. It is, however, exactly what her mother Rhea would normally wear.
<Are you sure this is going to work?> she asks as Noriko Null puts a golden bracelet on her wrist.
<We’ll see in a moment.> Noriko answers, pressing a hidden button on the jewelry.
<I don’t feel any… whoa. What happened to my voice?> Vesta asks, touching her throat: her voice just became more high-pitched than usual.
<She does sound exactly like her mother now. And her heath signature is also identical; this should be enough to fool any god who doesn’t pay attention to her body language.> Athena comments.
<Don’t worry, as long as she doesn’t use any big words, nobody will suspect she’s not Rhea. I have to admit that I’m kind of jealous I didn’t come up with this trick, sunshine.> Hermes tells Noriko.
<Whatever. Just don’t get caught, alright?> she responds.
<Oh please. Nobody can catch me.> Hermes boasts, taking Vesta in his arms and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Megalopolis, 52.000 light-years away
Before today, Vesta thought she knew what speed was. Unlike her siblings she never learned how to exceed the speed of light, but she had at least some idea of what it meant to travel that fast.
The last two minutes reminded her just how pathetically slow she is compared to Hermes: they just reached the other side of the Olympian Galaxy in less time than she needs to fly around the globe.
<And here we are! Megalopolis, capital world of the Hera sector, the most populous planet in the Galaxy. Quite frankly, the last place I want to visit.> Hermes tells her. They’re orbiting the hemisphere where it’s still night, and it’s almost entirely illuminated by city lights.
<Why? It’s been ages since I’ve been to Megalopolis, but it wasn’t that bad.>
<Are you kidding me? This is the most sexually repressed planet in the universe! That’s the kind of thing that happens when marriage is mandatory at puberty, contraception is illegal, adultery is illegal, homosexuality is illegal, most sex positions are illegal, a woman can only work in temples or in the government, and she can’t even re-marry if her husband dies.>
<That does sound like something my sister would enforce. How will I contact you to get back?>
<I’m afraid that wasn’t part of the deal.> Hermes answers, rapidly disappearing.
<I should’ve seen it coming.> Vesta sighs, flying towards the planet.
The Holy Palace
Finding the place wasn’t hard. It’s completely different from the last time Vesta saw it, which isn’t surprising since it was three thousand years ago, but it’s still a garden large enough to be seen from orbit. The Holy Palace is similarly huge, and it’s surrounded by two colossal statues: they represent winged women raising a laurel wreath and a stylized lightning bolt.
Vesta floats towards the main building, passing by numerous sacred peacocks and the priestesses attending to them. She hesitates before opening the door that leads inside, and her heart skips a beat when the door opens itself to reveal a goddess on the other side.
<What an unexpected surprise.> Adrestia says. The daughter of Ares is wearing her white military uniform, clearly designed for a man; the only sign of femininity is her platinum blonde hair, long enough to reach the end of her back.
<Yes, it’s always good to see you, sweetie.> Vesta answers nervously. She’s always found Adrestia unsettling, especially because she never seems to blink.
<You seem nervous, Queen Mother. Is something bothering you?>
“It’s working, she really thinks I’m Rhea” Vesta thinks.
<No, I’m fine, thank you… uhm… which one are you, exactly? I’m not so good with names.>
<I am Adrestia, She Who Cannot Be Escaped. Goddess of revenge, revolt and retribution.>
<Re-tri-what? Like, taxes and stuff? Oh poor thing, it must get sooo boring!>
<You don’t need to fake ignorance with me. You know exactly what I am.>
<I do?> Vesta says, fearing her impression of Rhea wasn’t convincing enough.
<Someone destroyed your world. You want revenge. I can feel it.>
<Yes. I’m here to get revenge for Asphodelus.> Vesta answers. And she’s not lying: her family may not care about the mortal who died when Asphodelus was destroyed, but she does.
<Then you’re in the right place.> Adrestia says, practically dragging Vesta inside.
Null Tower, New York City
<I’m not comfortable with this.> Noriko Null complains, crossing her arms.
She’s in the tower’s hangar, where Hermes is stretching in front of one of the Valkyrie shuttles.
<You’re just jealous because I’m going to visit a brand new galaxy before you do, like when I went to the Uruk Galaxy first.> Kari Zel teases her, sticking out her tongue.
<I don’t care about setting that kind of record.> Noriko answers.
<Yes you do.> Torn intervenes.
<Since you’re so willing to talk, do you care to explain why can’t you open a portal to the Naqada Galaxy on your own?> Noriko asks him.
<It’s too far away.>
<Seriously? You had no problem reaching the Middle Galaxy!>
<Hell is there, which makes it easier. There is no large quantity of Blood energy in the Naqada Galaxy, and it’s more than a hundred times farther away.>
<Whatever. I really, really don’t like the idea of trusting Hermes.> Noriko admits.
<You hurt my feelings, sunshine! What did I ever do to deserve your distrust?> the god asks.
<You tried to kill me. Several times, I might add.>
<She plays hard to get, but she’s secretly crazy about me.> Hermes whispers to Quantum.
<Dude, you must have a death wish or something.> the hero comments.
<Here’s the deal, Hermes: help my friends figure out what’s going on with Nephthys, then bring them back safe and sound, and I will…>
<…sleep with me?>
<…consider not killing you at the first chance I get.>
<Close enough. Ready, boys and girls?> Hermes asks, excitedly rubbing his hands.
The rest of the Vanguard gets inside the Valkyrie, and Noriko watches them disappear as soon as Hermes touches its hull.
Rationally, she knows Hermes would not kill them… at least not now: he doesn’t have anything to gain by eliminating the main source of trouble for his rival gods.
But deep down, she resents being forced in this position: waiting home to wait for her team to come back while she’s powerless to help them. And she knows herself enough to understand that she won’t be able to commit to any other project until their return… she needs a distraction.
She takes out her N-Phone and makes a call that would’ve been inconceivable for her at the beginning of her career.
<Daren? This is Null, sorry I didn’t call back earlier. Are you still interested in going on a date?>
Deshret, Naqada Galaxy
This planet hasn’t seen a drop of rain for centuries. Two suns shine brightly for thirty-six hours each day, leaving only two hours of night, and there are no clouds whatsoever.
The combination of these factors means that few people look up at the sky, and even fewer expect anything would ever fall from there.
The Valkyrie lands on a sandhill, although considering it does so at a hundred miles per hour it would be more correct to say it crashes.
Quantum is the first one to leave the shuttle, and he immediately shields his eyes from the twin suns. It’s incredibly hot; not as much as Hell was, but it’s similarly uncomfortable.
<I should’ve brought my sunscreen. Are you sure this is the right place?> he asks to Hermes, who just joined him. Considering he just dragged the entire shuttle across two galaxies, Quantum is impressed to notice he doesn’t even look tired.
<Of course! Welcome to Deshret, the cozy home of my old friend Serket.>
<I thought we came here to see Nephthys.>
<Come on, you think you can just show up on the doorstep of one of the Nine Gods Who Rule The Universe? Especially an Egyptian one! These guys go crazy about protocol.>
<Please tell me the whole planet isn’t like this.> Kari Zel says after she opens the hatch to step outside, waving her hand to fan herself.
<I’m afraid it is, dear. This is a sanctuary world; we stopped using those eons ago, but the Egyptians never met a tradition they couldn’t carry on longer than needed. Basically, the whole planet is a single temple to Serket, and mortals all over her sector come here for their pilgrimage.>
<Then we should simply call this goddess to talk to us.>Torn intervenes, stepping into the light wearing his trademark leather duster.
<Dude, it’s like a hundred degrees here, how can you wear that?> Quantum asks.
<It’s chilly.> Torn shrugs.
<He does make a good point, though. Let’s just call this Serket and be done with it.> Kari says while taking off her pink shirt and fashioning it into a scarf around her head, remaining in her bra.
<See, this is why you need a professional! This is Egyptian territory, there are specific rules that should be followed.> Hermes explains, starting to count on his fingers:
<First we need to find one of her priests. Second, we need to convince the priest to take us to one of her shrines; bribery usually helps. Third, we make a sacrifice in her name and beg her to…>
<What kind of sacrifice?> Torn interrupts him.
<Something of value to Serket, something that gets her attention. Serket is the goddess of poisons, venoms, scorpions and healing. She manufactures the best poisons in the universe; I’ve purchased oceans of it over the centuries, and it just so happens that I know how to find some on this planet.>
<That’s why you brought us here? To use us as bait for a poison goddess!?> Quantum asks.
<Well you can’t expect me to take the poison, can you? I could fake being poisoned, but she won’t fall for it for the third time. Now, which one of you…>
Before Hermes can finish the sentence, a red energy sword emerges from his chest. Torn twists it to extract it, making sure to spill divine blood over the sand.
<Torn! What the Hades!?> Kari exclaims.
<Well that was unexpected.> Hermes comments, genuinely surprised but otherwise unphased.
<Serket! We offer you the blood of an Olympian! Show yourself, if you dare!> Torn shouts.
Quantum and Kari look at him with puzzled expressions on their faces.
<What?> the Demon asks.
<Are you out of your mind!? We need him to get back to Earth!> Quantum complains.
<Your concern for my well-being is truly touching.> Hermes comments, looking at the stab wound on his chest that is quickly healing.
<You asked for a sacrifice. But it seems she doesn’t find Olympians interesting enough.> Torn answers, creating a dagger for himself; he doesn’t slit his wrist only because Kari grabs it.
<How about we try to solve this without spilling blood?> she suggests.
Then something beneath the sand moves. Something big enough to shake the ground like an earthquake, making it extremely hard to even stand up.
<That’s going to be quite a challenge.> Hermes comments.
Then something emerges from the ground: a woman the size of a mountain. Her body from the waist down is a scorpion’s tail that reaches beneath the sand, while her upper body has chitinous scales to cover her arms and breasts; the only thing she wears is a crown made of scorpion legs.
<You DARE to show your lying face in my galaxy, Hermes!?> she says angrily.
<That reminds me, I should probably mention that the last time I was here she sentenced me to death.> Hermes tells the Vanguard.
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