Beyond The Impossible

Thrake, 53.000 light-years from Earth

This is a sacred day: flocks of doves and starships dance in the sky in celebration, entire valleys have been transmutated into endless fields of flowers, and triumphal music is playing everywhere.

Enyo looks at herself in the mirror. The statuesque Goddess of War is wearing her black uniform, which would make any woman be mistaken for a man but wouldn’t fool anyone when worn by a goddess. She places a blue rose on the golden brooch that is fixing the black cape to her shoulders, adjusts the sword of diamonds on her belt, and nods in solemn appreciation.

<You look ridiculous> someone mocks her, followed by the sound of someone biting an apple.

Enyo reacts nearly at the speed of sound, unsheathing her sword to attack whoever just talked… but there’s nobody there. The voice is once again behind her.

<No wonder you prefer to wear your helmet> the voice adds, taking another bite. It’s a voice that Enyo knows and loathes, and she recognizes the image projected into the mirror.

<Eris> she grumbles, with a voice as low as it’s possible while still being considered feminine.

She tries to keep her cool while passing a hand though her hair, a pink buzzcut.

<So, a bridesmaid once again, uh? Ah, Hebe’s wedding, what sweet memories. Remember when I convinced Herakles that she’d been eaten by Echidna, and that idiot jumped inside the stomach of the Mother Of Monsters to rescue her? Good times.>

<Uninvited. Leave.>

<Ooh, two words, Enyo? Wow. Keep this up and you’ll speak like a normal goddess in no time, perhaps in time for the end of Hera’s decree to marry within the year! Oh, speaking of which, you know what I think, my dear half-sister?>

<Uninterested.>

<I think  you’re not going to get married. I think you don’t want to, and that there’s no god that actually wants you… maybe because you’re more powerful than them, or maybe because your mother scares them worse than Hades. Not that I care about marriage, but…>

<Enough> Enyo declares, shooting two beams of energy from her eyes: the mirror is instantly vaporized. She pauses for a second, then she hears another bite from an apple.

<…but you really should> Eris continues, talking with her mouth full. She’s leaning against the wall, and Enyo notices that she’s not casting a shadow.

<Illusion.>

<I’d say “precaution”: I’m still considered a traitor of Olympus, after all. Well, my monosyllabic friend, I’m no Tyche but I only see two things in your future, if you don’t ask anyone to marry you. Number one, Hera forces you to marry your brother Ares.>

<Never!>

<Yes, it’s unlikely: Hera might not care about the whole “raped my daughter” thing… it’s one of the things I admire about her, actually… but she wants him to give her grandchildren, and I know you’re barren. Whether it’s because of what Ares did to you, or if Ilithyia sterilized you, it doesn’t matter. Number two, Hera declares your claim to your sector illegitimate, and reverts control over it back to Ares… or perhaps takes it for herself, waiting for Ilithyia to pop out a few new gods.>

<Three?>

<Three, the freakin’ Goddess of War grows a fu##ing pair and doesn’t do what Mommy tells her> Eris answers in a much harsher tone. Her body becomes a black mist, which circles around Enyo and puts her arm around her shoulders.

<Of course you realize what this would mean, right?>

<War.>

<That’s my girl> Eris says with a smile, the same that preceded the fall of many empires.

 

Null Tower, New York City

It’s not a pretty sight. The Winter King didn’t appreciate the erasure of all the building’s databases; his ice crashed all windows and collapsed several walls, to the point that no humans are allowed inside: the entire Tower could collapse at any minute.

Vesta is bending one of the exposed titanium beams with her bare hands, while Quantum sighs.

<Couldn’t he just zap the building into another dimension, like Abyss did with the first Tower? It’s going to be a nightmare to clean up.>

<I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do at the moment, Max. Why don’t you go to your sister? She must be really upset about the whole invasion> Vesta comments, using her fire to weld the beam.

<She wanted to be alone with her girlfriend. Said she needs to figure out if she want to continue her career as a super-hero or if it’s time to stop.>

<What, again?> Kari asks: she’s behind them, balancing with one foot on the edge of a wall that’s been cut in half.

<This place is dangerous, Kari> Vesta reprimands her.

<Like that’s something new> the Myridian girl jokes, landing in front of her teammates with a somersault <Besides, we figured you wanted to say goodbye.>

<Indeed> Torn agrees, showing up one story above them and jumping down the hole that connects the two floors. Vesta rolls her eyes.

<What part of “it’s dangerous, don’t follow me” is that hard to understand, guys?>

<Going back to Hell to see your family?> Quantum guesses.

<Not exactly. Even with the Soul Reaper, I was useless in the fight with the Winter King: it’s time I resume my training in the use of the Blood> Torn answers.

<And I can’t miss the chance to learn a few new alien martial arts, so I’m going with him. Well, this duplicate is going: the real me is still on Myridia> Kari adds.

<Are you sure that’s a good idea? The entire planet is a deathtrap> Quantum reminds her.

<I know! It’s going to be awesome. See ya in a few weeks! Ready, Torn?>

<Stand back. STAIRWELL TO HELL!!!>– the Demon shouts, creating a pentagram of fire on the floor: he jumps inside with Kari, and they disappear in a blaze of otherworldly energy.

Which is exactly what the building didn’t need, making the entire floor shake violently.

<Do you think he will ever learn how to do a decent goodbye?> Quantum asks, transforming into light to avoid being hit in the head with debris.

Vesta looks at him without saying anything. The wall that falls on her can’t do any damage, but Quantum knows better than sticking around an upset goddess.

 

Midgard Station, Antartica

Much less than a second later, Quantum is on the other side of the planet. He figured he’d find Noriko in the same room where they thawed Vesta, but there’s only a Lampyrian there. She’s sitting cross-legged on the table, her blue wings taking most of the space, and she’s fidgeting with a device on her wrist. If she notices Quantum, she doesn’t really show it.

<Hi. Lily, right? I’m not really good at remembering names.>

<It must suck> she answers, not looking up from the device.

<Do you know where Noriko is? I’d like to talk to her.>

<She’s with Voron; she asked not to be disturbed. Is it okay if I ask you a question about humans?>

<Sure. I have plenty of questions about Lampyrians, so that’s fair.>

<Do you mate only with members of your sub-species, or can you cross-breed?>

<We don’t call it “sub-species”. And yes we do, ehm, cross. Noriko is biracial, for example.>

<Really? I’d like to examine her genetic code. Does this look right to you?> she asks, pressing a button on her device. The light around her flickers, and her image is rapidly altered: her blue skin and hair become brown and she grows a nose. The only things that identify her as something different from a girl of African descent are the bright blue eyes and the wings.

<Just lose the wings and you can pass for a human. Where did you get that device?>

<I built it from a few scraps of Null’s technology I found around.>

<I thought you were a spy, not a scientist.>

<I’m kind of both. I was recruited into the Blue Rose because I scored higher than any other Lampyrian that ever took the Sophia Test.>

<Never heard of it. What does it measure?> he asks, making conversation.

<Intelligence; specifically, problem solving and pattern recognition. The average Lampyrian scores 0.88, humans between 0.95 and 1.04 depending on the planet’s technological level. I scored 4.03.>

<Wow. You’re four times smarter than a regular human?>

<It’s a logarithmic scale: it’s more about a thousand. It’s not that high; the Lar average is 7 and the few gods that took the test are above 9.>

<I guess humans must look pretty dumb to you. Does that mean you’re leaving soon?>

<I hope not! I haven’t had much exposure to humans, and from your conversations Earth’s culture sounds unbelievably rich and diverse. Would you mind showing me the planet?>

<Sure, why not. Sounds like fun> Quantum answers her; Lily’s enthusiasm reminds him of how Kari reacted to his world, and there’s something charming and instantly likeable about her.

 

At the station’s highest level

If Antarctica wasn’t uninhabited, anyone witnessing the dark clouds gathering above the station would find it very strange. Not only because they formed in a few seconds, but because they emit a lightning bolt that doesn’t seem to obey the laws of physics: it makes a 90 degrees turn, moving into the single window carved into the side of the mountain and striking an Asian girl that was waiting for it with open arms. The electricity flows through Noriko Null’s entire body, gathering around her head until it’s absorbed by her silver eyes.

Dr. Dimitry Voron witnesses the entire process, approaching her only when she’s done. She seems to have some problems with her balance, but when he gets closer she signals him to stop.

<I’m okay. It just takes a lot to process the new information, if I wait too long between updates.>

<It’s amazing. Did you really just absorb everything the planet has learned in the past month!?>

<Yep. I need coffee, want some? Close the window> she orders, with the station obliging: the only opening to the Antarctic closes, and she concentrates on the espresso machine.

<No, thanks. I don’t understand how this works: does the Nexus create the clouds? If so, how? And how does it absorbs knowledge from other brains?>

<I haven’t figured it out yet. Dmitry, I haven’t had the chance to thank you for all you’ve done for me and my team: it took a lot of guts to stand up to the Prime Minister like that.>

<It was the only logical course of action. Does that mean you will grant asylum to Red Star and me?>

<Of course. There’s a lot of work to do, and I can certainly use someone smart like you. But don’t get me wrong, I’m still…>

<Orders of magnitude smarter than me> Dmitry finishes her sentence, using the exact same words she was about to use. That makes her smile.

<I’m very jealous of your gift. Your grandfather helped boost my intelligence, but it’s practically nothing compared to what the Nexus does for you. I wonder how it makes you see the world, Null.>

<Would you like to see?> she asks, placing her hands on his temples and concentrating.

<Soul Resonance> she says, and Voron can suddenly feel a warm wave inside his brain. Everything feels a bit odd: looking down at his hands, he can see every single muscle and tendon and bone being labeled. He can memorize each fingerprint, calculate the speed of growth of each fingernail.

When he looks back at Noriko, he’s speechless. He sees the Nexus inside her head, a pulsating infinity symbol constantly receiving feedback from the world.

<What do I look like?> she asks. He can identify the pitch and vibrations of her voice, the insecurity and self-doubt in the sound, and in her silver eyes he can glimpse a reflection of the universe. Voron doesn’t answer. He gets closes and kisses her, feeling overwhelmed and humbled by what he is witnessing. It feels like an eternity passes before their lips separate and the link is severed. They’re close enough to feel each other’s warmth. Their breathing gets heavier and they kiss again.

<Close the door. No interruptions> she orders, taking off her clothes.

Fortunately, nobody calls while they’re making love.

 

Thrake, 53.000 light-years from Earth

The wedding of the daughter of the Queen of the Galaxy is obviously a very big deal: more than a dozen gods are already here, and even more are scheduled to show up. Enyo doesn’t care for them, walking towards her mother.

Ever the center of attention, Hera is particularly formal today. The golden crown resting on her blue hair is so heavy that it would kill any human trying to wear it, and her tight dress is showing up not only the generous cleavage but also the tacky emerald resting on her ample bosom.

<Enyo! Come here!> she calls for her, snapping her fingers like she was calling a dog. She’s standing next to a man with golden skin, wearing a white toga and a laurel crown.

<This is Helios, your sister’s fiancée and future head of the House of Kronos.>

<Princess Enyo> Helios greets her, being completely ignored by the Goddess of War.

<Mother.>

<Yes, dear? Is there something you wanted to tell me?>

Enyo inhales. Her scream can break a planet in half: if she catches Hera by surprise, she might be able to hurt her. She hesitates when the sky gets much, much darker in a matter of seconds.

<Who dares to interrupt my daughter’s wedding!?> Hera shouts, her eyes spewing blue fire.

The light returns when the darkness concentrates in a specific area, creating the silhouette of a woman with long hair. A solid area of pure blackness, with two pale grey eyes as the only source of color. Enyo feels a chill down her spine: this is Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of Darkness.

<I have no interest in your petty schemes, Hera. I only came to talk with Zeus.>

<Well, he’s not here yet. And I don’t remember inviting the likes of you> Hera tells her, crossing her arms. Nyx’s silhouette doubles in size, looking down at the Queen.

<I was not asking, little one. I shall wait for him> she continues, shrinking back to human size and floating towards the altar. A Primordial doesn’t debase herself to walking, after all.

-Pretentious harlot. Helios, stop making the sun brighter, it won’t intimidate her.

<I’m not doing anything> the god explains, looking upwards. Thrake’s star is indeed brighter than before; so much brighter, in fact, that every mortal on the planet goes blind instantly.

They won’t suffer for long: the sun exploded minutes ago, and the light that only now reaches the planet because of its limited speed is soon followed by a shockwave so incomprehensibly powerful that wiping out an entire world doesn’t even slow it down.

Even Enyo instinctively protected herself, covering her eyes with one hand and unsheathing her sword with the other. When she does open her eyes, the entire sky has been replaced with blue fire.

<Who dares to interrupt my daughter’s wedding!?> Hera shouts again. When her blue fire dissipates, the stars are visible and the flower arrangements begin floating away: there isn’t much gravity left, since she only preserved a couple of square miles from destruction.

<I only know of one god who uses a supernova as his regular weapon> Helios suggests.

<Apollo> Enyo clarifies. Just one word, but said with dread and excitement at the thought of battle.

<Who does he think he is!? My daughter will get married today, and I will order the entire Galaxy to declare war against that traitor!!!> Hera hysterically screams, almost throwing a tantrum.

<Indeed> Enyo comments, looking around the crowd of confused gods. Something floats right in front of her eyes: a golden apple, with a black K carved inside.

If she has allied herself with Apollo, this could be Enyo’s way out of marriage… and something even worse than war.

Boreas, 3.000 light-years from Earth

The Winter Palace is always covered in ice, but today Ganos Lal is shaking: it’s even colder than she imagined. She watches Leiko Tanaka, the new Ice Queen, walk towards the throne by stepping on the frozen corpses of the royal council. She’s wearing the Winter Armor: while the human is smaller than the Winter King, the armor has morphed to fit her perfectly.

<Should I order to raise the temperature, my lady?> Ganos asks.

<It’s okay>– the Ice Queen answers, lowering the helmet as she sits down.

<The cold doesn’t bother me anymore.>