Null Tower, New York City
Kari Zel is always the first to arrive at a Vanguard meeting, since she always has multiple duplicates working at Null Tower.
Quantum is often the very last to arrive, despite moving at the speed of light; when he rematerializes in the Operation Room, he’s surprised to only find Kari there.
<Where is everyone?> he asks.
<Noriko just got back from Midgard City, she’s on her way.>
<We haven’t seen her much lately. What’s going on?>
<Beats me; I can barely get her out of her labs lately. The rare times she’s not busy building something, she’s in some kind of meeting with the Global Defense Organization.>
<Hm. Maybe it’s got something to do with that.> Quantum notes, sitting at the table; it took him a while to notice after turning back into flesh and bones, but the temperature has definitely dropped.
<Is it just me or it’s chilly around here?>
<Sorry it took so much. I had to reset the Tower’s environmental controls.> Noriko says, walking into the room with her green leather jacket fully zipped up. She’s not alone: there’s a Lar man standing next to her.
<Kari, you’ve met Kylon before. Quantum, this is Kylon, he’ll be joining us in the meeting.> Noriko introduces him.
<The Lar defector?> Quantum recalls.
<GDO consultant, at the moment.> Kylon clarifies.
<Did something happen in the Winter Kingdom?> Kari wonders out loud.
<I’ll explain in due time. Where are Torn and Vesta?> Noriko asks.
<No clue. You could’ve told me about having the meeting like this, I would’ve put on something a little warmer.> Kari complains, shivering; she’s wearing just a pink T-shirt that doesn’t even cover her midriff, and the room is so cold that she can see her own breath.
<That would have meant taking my refrigeration suit with me, including the GDO tracker it incorporates.> Kylon explains.
<You were not supposed to tell them.> Noriko replies, facepalming.
<They have no reason to trust me unless I give them something.> Kylon shrugs.
<Wait, so… he’s not here as liaison with the GDO?> Kari asks.
<My agreement with the GDO doesn’t allow me to leave Midgard City without explicit permission.>
<I already told you that I’m negotiating new terms with them. Let’s get started, okay? Kari, one of your duplicates can update Torn and Vesta once they decide to show up.> Noriko says, taking her place at the table followed by Kylon, and then she starts to explain.
<Okay, so according to my sources it looks like Ares has attracted some competition by destroying Hell. Both Apollo and Ares are making moves to attack him, and more worryingly they are currently having a secret meeting to discuss a potential alliance.>
<If it’s a secret meeting, how do you know about it?> Quantum asks.
<Because I am Null.>
<I guess I walked right into that one…> he admits, rolling his eyes.
<Apollo, Ares and Athena are the superpowers of the Olympian Galaxy. They are roughly equivalent to each other, and an alliance between two of them could potentially defeat the other one.> Kylon explains.
<That’s good, right? I mean, as much as I’d love us to be the ones to take down Ares, I’m not going to complain if Athena and Apollo do it for us!> Kari comments.
<It’s not so simple. Even together, they wouldn’t be able to fight both Ares and his allies… and he has several of them: Hera, Adrestia and Hebe. Defeating Ares would mean that either Apollo or Athena risk to lose their entire sector.> Kylon elaborates.
<We’re talking hundreds of billions of people. Apollo and Athena might consider them acceptable losses, but I don’t.> Noriko proclaims, her silver eyes shining.
<So we take down Ares. It’s not like we don’t already have a million reasons to do it, so why are we dragging our feet about that?> Quantum asks.
<I know Null already took care of all the other children of Hera, but Ares is different; if she kills him, she will retaliate.> Kylon answers.
<Which means we have to be smart about it. Our greatest advantage is that most gods don’t know the exact location of Earth, so we’re safe; Hera would probably retaliate against the Mortal Republic first, so we’ll have to make it look like they oppose any of our moves. So the first thing we’ll have to do is…>
Noriko pauses, shielding her eyes: all of a sudden, the room is flooded by light as the Sun just became ten times brighter than usual.
<What the hell!?> she exclaims, standing up and rushing towards the nearest window; there are now two Suns, and the second one is definitely too bright.
<This is bad. Really, really bad.> she immediately understand, taking out her N-Phone and activating a hologram: it shows that the second sun is actually located above Earth’s orbit.
<How is that star not burning up Earth’s atmosphere?> Kylon wonders.
<Because that’s not a star. That’s a wormhole.> Noriko answers.
Just then, the brightness is severely reduced as thousands upon thousands of rays of light escape from the wormhole and envelop the entire planet in a grid of photons.
<Those must be Apollo’s Oracles. We just lost our main advantage.> Noriko admits, and it’s hard not to hear a hint of dread in her voice.
Soon enough, a ray of light passes through the window and materializes into a woman with light brown skin, wearing a white uniform with a solar disk worn as a medal.
<My lord, I have found the Slayer.> she proclaims. Noriko draws her Genius Gun, Kari activates her 10K Rise, and Quantum is holding back enough electricity to power half the city.
<I take it you know her?> Kylon wonders.
<Shaina. And here I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with Apollo’s lackeys anymore.>
<That’s Grand Oracle Shaina now, for you nonbelievers.> Shaina boasts; soon enough she’s joined by a dozen other Oracles, each with the power to change their bodies into photons.
It looks like a fight is about to break out, but then someone else joins the conversation. Walking casually through the windows as if they weren’t even there, it’s a man with short white hair and a perfectly sculpted physique barely covered by white chiton. Or rather, a god.
<So this is the famed planet where Hestia was exiled. Never thought I’d visit it one day.>
<What do you want, Apollo?> Noriko asks.
<I ask the questions here, Slayer. Does your planet have a way to defend itself if I blow up its sun?>
Noriko doesn’t give him the satisfaction of a proper response.
<Then you will do exactly as I say.> the Sun God proclaims.
Labya, 34.000 light-years from Earth
This tropical paradise is widely considered one of the most beautiful planets in the Galaxy: visiting it is in every mortal’s bucket list.
While it’s nominally the capital world of the Aphrodite Queendom, it’s unlike other capitals.
There’s no government to speak of, there’s barely any recognizable infrastructure, there aren’t even real cities: the population mostly lives on the thousands upon thousands of beaches.
Nobody has to work because every necessity is provided by Aphrodite as long as her worshippers fulfill their duty: to have sex as much as possible.
As a young goddess lands on the golden sands of an absolutely perfect beach, she sighs.
<I’ve always hated this place.> Adrestia recalls. She’s definitely not dressed for the weather, wearing a white leather military uniform; she’s such a perfectionist that not a single grain of sand touches her white boots or her long blond hair, the only sign of femininity she allows herself.
<I always thought you hated fun. This place reminds me of my island Aeaea.> Circe notes, transforming her clothes into a swimsuit; judging by her tanned skin, in contrast with Adrestia’s extreme paleness, the two goddesses couldn’t have a more different attitude.
<We are not here to have fun.> the Ice Queen scolds her. If Adrestia looks out of place in a beach, her Winter Armor is truly alien to this environment.
Their discussion is cut short by the arrival of a delegation of official representatives: three extremely handsome and completely naked men.
<Lady Adrestia! You should’ve announced your arrival, we would’ve arranged an orgy in your honor; you didn’t need to bring your own prostitutes.> one of them says.
<And now I see why you don’t like it here.> Circe says, gesturing towards the delegate to instantly transform him into a pig.
<We are here to see Aphrodite. Right now.> the Ice Queen demands.
<Not dressed like that! Lady Adrestia has a special dispensation, but you can’t meet with Aphrodite while keeping your…> the other delegate says, not finishing the sentence before becoming a pig.
<At least you could try some variation.> Adrestia criticizes Circe.
<There you are!> Aphrodite exclaims, suddenly appearing in a cloud of rose petals; she runs towards Adrestia and hugs her, pushing her daughter’s head against her generous bosom.
<How’s my little baby? Still wearing those ugly ugly clothes, I see! Oh, is this your girlfriend?> she asks, leaving Adrestia to run towards Circe and passionately kiss her on the mouth.
<Is she always like this?> the Ice Queen asks Adrestia.
<Be thankful that you didn’t have to spend three thousand of your teenage years with her as your parent. Mother, can we talk business please?>
<But I was! What’s more important than sex?> Aphrodite complains.
The Ice Queen has a reply ready, but Adrestia stops her from committing that mistake:
<Don’t answer. Contradicting her on that topic is a death sentence.>
<We shall see about that. Do you know who I am, Aphrodite?>
<You’re the Ice B#tch, aren’t you?>
<Ice Queen.>
<Well, if you’re not here to have sex, what brings you to Labya? Maybe you like to watch?>
<If you can cool down your hormones for a few minutes, I have a proposition for you.>
<I’m sorry, but I was married once and it was a terrible idea! How about just a casual thing?>
<Let me ask you something, Aphrodite. Is there any god you won’t have sex with?>
<Why, plenty of, actually! There’s my parents and grand parents, great-grandma Gaea of course, my children… even if they have fantastic bodies, have you seen them?>
<How about Hera?>
Something changes in Aphrodite’s expression: her ditzy and clueless persona slips for a second, with her green eyes becoming bright red. A sudden gust of wind ruins the perfect summer day, with the peaceful sea becoming more agitated than during a tropical storm.
<Say the name of that hateful hag on my planet once more and I will transmute your genitals into something that would make Typhon scream in horror!!!>
Instead of being intimidated, the Ice Queen opens up the Winter Armor. Leiko Tanaka steps out of it and onto the beach completely naked… except for the chocker on her neck, which is holding the Vial of Destiny.
<Hera.> she repeats calmly.
Both Adrestia and Circe step away from Aphrodite as she angrily points her finger at Leiko, prepared to transform her into an eldritch abomination… except nothing happens.
<You… you’re resisting my wrath. What are you?> Aphrodite asks her.
<The Vial of Destiny makes me completely immune to divine power, and that includes being able to think rationally around you… a very rare commodity in this Galaxy, apparently. Adrestia tells me that you and her are the only gods currently allied with Ares.>
<And you wish to join us? Oh, sweetie, I know he’s incredibly hot but you wouldn’t survive two seconds with him! Not that he wouldn’t be into that, but…>
<Try to think with what you have between your ears instead of what’s between your legs for a minute, Aphrodite. Hera is your greatest obstacle. I’m offering you a way to remove her.>
<Hmmm, that’s tempting! But if you’re not interested in sleeping with me, what do you want in return for such a favor?>
<Now you’re speaking my language.> Leiko Tanaka answers, and her cold smile is enough to make Aphrodite shiver.
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