Beyond The Impossible

Thalassia, Aegian Galaxy

The crystal city surrounding the Coral Palace is unlike anything Vesta has ever seen before, even if only ruins are left.

<This must’ve been an amazing place in its time, rivaling Olympus itself.> she admits.

<Oh yes. One of the most beautiful mortal civilizations I’ve ever seen.> Calypso acknowledges; then she looks away, noticing that Quantum has been staring at her even more than the typical male.

<Can I help you?> she asks, surprisingly polite for a ruling goddess.

<What’s your gimmick?> he asks back.

He’s talking through radio waves: they’re at the bottom of the ocean now, so in his human form he would be crushed instantly. Instead he’s a walking hologram at the moment.

<I don’t understand the question.>

<All the gods we’ve met so far have a gimmick. Demeter had telekinesis, Artemis could make weapons of light… what’s yours? Do you, like, control the oceans or the weather?>

<Yours is an absurd question. What about Vesta? She doesn’t have a “gimmick”!>

<Fire.> he simply says.

<He does have a point, Calypso, in his own way. Why did Poseidon grant you sovereignty over one of his sectors?> Vesta asks.

<You know your brother. He likes a pretty face.>

<Come on, even I am not that naïve. If I remember correctly, you do have one specialty… granting immortality to mortals.>

<Wait, that’s an option!?> Quantum exclaims.

<Few gods know how to grant true immortality; mostly the really, really powerful ones. I’m the only Class-4 goddess with that ability.> Calypso says, with a certain pride in her voice.

<No offense, but why is that important to Poseidon? He can grant immortality as well.>

<I was gifted a sector to stop me from giving away immortality, either to his subjects or to worshipers of his rivals. Truth be told, most gods are very protective of their own immortality and don’t take kindly to anyone else achieving the same status.>

<Sure, but diplomacy isn’t Poseidon’s strong suit. I thought he’d rather kill you himself than…> Vesta says, stopping in the middle of the sentence when she realizes the reason.

<Oh my Gaea. He can’t, isn’t it? You’re immune to divine wrath!>

<Well I don’t like to brag, but… yeah. No god can hurt me.> Calypso boasts.

<Seriously!? Then what are you doing serving Poseidon?> Quantum asks.

<Just because I can’t be hurt by them, doesn’t mean I can fight back. When I argued with Poseidon to return Ulysses to his realm, he destroyed the planet I called home. I learned my lesson and have kept my disdain for his leadership to myself ever since.>

<Hmm. I wonder if that’s the true reason why Ulysses came to you in the first place?> Vesta hypothesizes, stroking her chin pensively.

<That’s funny, the Angel of Death said something like that when we met. She didn’t believe Ulysses truly fell in love with me… according to her, it was just a ploy to study my powers! Clearly, she was an insane woman.>

<Clearly.> Quantum repeats, exchanging looks with Vesta.

<Speaking of which, you mentioned something about her laboratory?>

<Sure, it’s right here.> Calypso replies.

The two members of the Vanguard look around, only spotting the rubble of crystal palaces.

<Well not really here, but sharing its place. I believe “out of synch with reality” is how she used to describe it. Let me see if I remember how to unlock the door.> Calypso says, walking up to the remains of a crystal column and tapping it with her finger.

<What do you think?> Quantum whispers to Vesta.

<She could’ve warned Poseidon at any time; she won’t rebel against him, but we’re safe.>

<No I meant about her power. You should throw a fireball at her.>

<Why would I do that!?>

<To see if it works, duh!>

<I think I’ve got it.> Calypso says, unlocking something. An opening reveals itself, opening a door to a place that shouldn’t exist.

The ocean floods through it, mixing with waters that have been stagnating for over a century.

<Too bad Noriko is losing all this, she would’ve loved to come up with an explanation of how that works!> Quantum says, being the first one to cross the door.

 

The Stygian Galaxy, 3 million light-years from Earth

<This is getting nowhere.> Noriko Null complains, getting out of her meditating position.

<What is it this time?> Hades asks, beginning to lose what little patience he has for mortals.

<There are so many things I should be doing right now. The Vanguard is on a mission, I have work to do on reverse engineering the Ithaca’s core and building the Genesis Armor… not to mention a freaking empire to run…>

<Those can wait. That is the burden of mortality: your time is finite, so you should prioritize. Do you think you will be able to face Ereshkigal without my training? Or Poseidon?>

<I defeated Tiamat and fought Gaea to a standstill, you know.>

<And yet you paid a hefty price for defeating smaller gods. What else are you willing to sacrifice to your pride?> Hades asks, and as he lifts his hand the image of a man walks as a semitransparent ghost out of the shadows… the image of Dmitry Voron, the man who died saving Noriko’s life from Ares.

<How dare you!?> she yells at the god, her eyes becoming completely black for a second. Until she falls on her knees, repeatedly punching her own head.

<No no no! Stay inside! Stay inside!!! I’m not turning into Abyss again!!!>

<You are safe as long as you are in my realm, Null. Let us continue; we have work to do.>

<Yes. Yes, we do.> Noriko replies, getting back on her feet and wiping off her tears.

<Leave behind your guilt and forget your regrets; they’re better left behind.> Hades offers, his voice surprisingly sympathetic to her pain.

<That’s where you’re wrong, Hades: those are the things that push me forward.>

<Even if they break you?>

<That’s my secret weapon, Hades… I’ve always been broken.>

 

Aegian Galaxy, 2.5 million light-years from Earth

The spheres of fire created by Vesta float into the water; technically speaking they’re balls of plasma, which is why they can still “burn” without oxygen to sustain them.

They’re bright enough to illuminate the laboratory, which is definitely smaller and more cluttered than the Vanguard expected.

<How long has this stuff been sitting here?> Vesta asks, noticing severe signs of rust everywhere.

<I’m not good with years. A couple centuries maybe? Don’t worry, we’re completely safe: everything remotely functional has been taken to safety.> Calypso reassures them.

<So the signal that reached the Ithaca couldn’t have come from here. Another dead end.> Vesta sighs, picking up something from the clutter. A very detailed drawing of the galaxy etched on the back of a seashell.

<But as long as we’re here, maybe you could tell us something about the Angel of Death? We know her under the name of Roxiana.>

<Yes, that’s how she introduced herself the first time we met. I remember it clearly…> the goddess says, as she starts to describe her past.

 

183 Before Null, Thalassia

Calypso barely raises her head above the back of her throne, carefully peeking while trying her best to stay hidden.

The screams have stopped, but that’s hardly encouraging: the blood of her Sirens is still mixing with the waters of the throne room.

<You can come out. I’m not going to hurt you.> the mortal reassures her.

Calypso can’t believe her eyes. A sixteen year old mortal stands victorious over the bodies of three dozens of her Sirens. She doesn’t have a scratch, while her servants have been reduced to a pile of severed limbs.

<Who are you? What do you want from me?>

<The name’s Roxiana, and let me tell you, the water here is just lovely. Words can’t describe how much you can miss the ocean after staying in Hell.>

<Uhm, thanks? So you’re… not here for immortality?>

<Ah, Calypso, no wonder Ulysses sought you out to exploit your gifts. But my dear…> Roxiana chuckles, pausing to holster her gun <I’m the most intelligent and capable being in this joke of a galaxy. If I wanted to be immortal, trust me, I would be.>

<Then what? I see you’re a Thalassian, have you come to reclaim your world?>

<Thalassia is a shadow if its former glory. There is nothing on this planet but ghosts and regrets. I have little interest for the latter, but the former? My passion is chasing ghosts. Uncovering the truth that lies in discovering the secrets of the past.>

<My Sirens held no secrets. There is no knowledge for you to gather here, mortal.>

<Oh but you’re wrong, Calypso, so very wrong. You’re a goddess, and gods can mean so many different things to different people. To some, you’re an object of desire. To others, a source of comfort. But to me? To me, Calypso, you are an open book.>

<I don’t understand what…>

<Tell me everything you know about the Gates of Heaven, then forget all you ever knew about them.> Roxiana orders, her eyes suddenly shining gold.

 

28 After Null, Thalassia

<I wouldn’t meet her again until years later. She seemed amused by the fact I was still alive.> Calypso ends her tale.

<You said she was sixteen?> Quantum says.

<I didn’t know it at the time, but yes, later learned that’s how young she was.>

<She was using her Golden Eyes to absorb information from gods. At sixteen.> Vesta repeats, seriously regretting not forcing Noriko to join this mission.

<And those “Gates of Heaven” she asked you about?> Quantum asks.

<I have no clue of what she was referring to. In insight, I should’ve warned Poseidon about her, but who would’ve believed a mortal could challenge a god like that? It’s unheard of!>

<You… don’t get around much, don’t you?>

Vesta’s question remains unanswered, since the laboratory seems to come alive: the walls themselves start to glow, emitting a faint but constant hum.

<Now what? Did we trip some alarm!?> Quantum wonders, as a bubble appears before them. Or rather it looks like a bubble: it’s space itself that warps, pushing aside the water to make room for a sphere that contains air and two women. A white woman with a bald head, and a black woman with very voluminous air.

<Well that’s unexpected. Skorpios?> Roxiana orders.

<On it.> is the reply of her henchwoman. Her Drylon device twists the space around Vesta: when she tries to fly in her direction to punch her, the goddess discovers that she can’t reach her… space itself expands unnaturally, no matter how fast she moves.

Quantum instead tries to attack Roxiana, but the laser beam he throws at her completely misses even if he did compensate for the refraction caused by the water.

<Please. I have the Absolute Defense, remember? None of your powers work on me.> Roxiana reminds him, tapping on the bracelet on her wrist.

<One word and I drop all of them into the nearest star.> Skorpios says.

<That word is going to be “no”, Skorpios. Even if it did result in their deaths, which I doubt, I have no interest in killing them.> Roxiana objects.

<What? Why not? They invaded your base!> Skorpios answers, releasing Vesta from warped space.

<We only came here because she sent a signal to Ithaca. Admit it, you wanted to lure us into your territory!> Vesta accuses her.

<And why would I do that?>

<I dunno, supervillain stuff! Why are we even talking about this!?> Quantum asks.

<Because I didn’t orchestrate your arrival into this galaxy. This is most interesting… as is the absence of Null. No doubt related to her visit to Hades.> Roxiana comments.

<You’ve been spying on us!?> Vesta exclaims.

Roxiana replies by silently staring at her.

<Yeah I guess that’s a stupid question.> the goddess admits.

<We should investigate this together. It’s quite a compelling mystery.> Roxiana offers.

<You’ve got to be kidding me.> Quantum exclaims.

<Can’t we just drop them into a star and then investigate?> Skorpios asks.

<What is it with you and dropping people into stars?> Roxiana asks back, just as her minion warps space again to bring the Vanguard to their base.