The Greek Pantheon was revered far and wide by the citizens of Greece. For as cruel as the Gods may have been in some cases, they provided humanity with so many other benefits that one could easily forget how tyrannical and high on themselves the Gods really were. Their superfluous attitude was shattered however when one of their number was brutally slain in battle. Not by another God or even a Titan but by none other than a mortal man. The man who had lost everything on the path of bloodshed. His allies, his army, and more importantly his family. Slain by his own hands and cursed as he was to walk around with their ashes permanently infused to his body. This and the chained bladed branded to his arms earned him the aptly named moniker of 'Ghost of Sparta.' For Kratos had lost everything worth living a mortal life for. So it was as if he had indeed passed on. For no mere mortal man could hope to ever achieve what Kratos had done.
Which was to slay a
god. In slewing Ares, Kratos had hoped to find meaning in the position that had caused him so much grief. Taking the throne of the God of War, Kratos was an indomitable machine as his reborn Spartan army conquered swathes of Greece sparing no one in the throes of their victory. But despite all this power, despite the land now under his army's fist there were still thoughts that lingered within Kratos's consciousness. All of the misdeeds that he had done in the service of an entity who had taken everything he cared for. His wife and daughter's last images were not that of a disciplined solider who had fought tooth and nail for everything that the family posses.
He was but a savage beast who cut down anything in his path which included them. This was not to be Kratos's only issue as the other Gods had grown wary of Kratos after seeing how a
mortal had been able to murder a god. The one who had made the impossible possible. With the power of a god now at his own fingertips who knew what he could do? What could prevent him from stopping whenever he wished?
Only the might of another god baring down on him. Fully aware of how uneasy Kratos was making the others, the only god that held a sliver of sympathy for what the spartan had gone through Athena approached Kratos in his quarters. Gone were the loincloth and clothes that seemed more fitting for a barbaric brute. In was the magnificent bronze armor that when put on someone with Kratos's mentality
emitted intimidation.
"I do not recall ever requesting for your presence, Athena."
The sheer indignation that Kratos's deep baritone gave off would have been enough to terrify any man. But Athena would not be cowed by tone alone. She had a message to deliver to Kratos. Thus no matter how much the Spartan detested it, it would get passed on. Folding her arms over each other, the goddess shook her head back and forth. She hadn't even spoken yet and Kratos could already tell that whatever her purpose was for intruding on his personal chambers, it was one of an urgent nature. But the spartan was also not one to have his time so eagerly wasted. Slamming his fist down on the right arm of his throne, he'd narrow his eyes at the goddess standing before him.
"You are no enemy of mine, Athena. But speak if you've come to do so!"
"Of course. You were never one to mince words after all. For a spartan has no need for such pleasantries. But that kind of thinking is exactly why I've come here, Kratos. You've pillaged without any thought of the consequences at all. I understand you're simply following the Spartan mentality but the more you continue to neglect the lasting effects this may have, I'm afraid I cannot protect you for much longer Kratos. Call off the invasion. Another chance to do may not arise."
At the suggested threat towards his life by some entity, Kratos shrugged it off. He'd bested a god! It had been a feat previously unheard of or even humored. What more could there be in this world that could ever hope to challenge him? Rising from his throne, he'd step down from it as the sound of armor rattling filled the vast halls of his quarters. As it seemed that the spartan had no intent on listening to her implicit warning, the goddess took a more direct approach and stood in front of his path.
"Remove yourself from my path, Athena. I'm not afraid of that which I cannot see with my own eyes. I've an army to lead. Your 'warnings' fall on ears that do not wish to listen. You may proclaim that you gave me the power that I currently wield until your breath runs dry. But as far as I am concerned, I owe you and the rest of Olympus nothing."
He stated as if it were the most common of truths. The question had been what could even come close to besting a god? After the death of Ares, it seemed it had shifted to what could best the Slayer of a God?
The tone of the situation then grew tense. The muscles in Kratos's face could have seen slowly shifting into an expression of rage. If Athena would not remove herself than he would and he'd neglect to be gentle about it. Athena's own stare didn't falter at the changing expression. But before the Spartan would have to take action into his own hands, Athena eventually moved off to the side and with a brief stare that signified acknowledgment, Kratos continued on his way. As the chamber doors slammed shut behind him, Athena was left by herself within the barren confines of the throne of a man far too angry at a life that had betrayed him. She had seen what would come of Kratos's actions and had tried to sway him otherwise. But if he refused to listen to anyone other than himself, she supposed he would indeed reap what he sowed.
Upon making his way to the city of Rhodes, Kratos oversaw the fire that was on the way to engulfing the city. It had been one of the few bastions that the Greeks had been able to use to hold out against the Spartans. But the citizens of this city were not made from the same mold as Kratos. They did not have what it took to stand against the power of an entity that saw them as nothing more than ants to be crushed under their heel. As he used his godly powers to increase his size to goliath-like proportions, the God of War began his attack on Rhodes. The defenses that would have been quite the challenge to overcome to mere mortals was nothing more than child's play for Kratos to destroy.
But right as the Spartans had victory nearly within their grasp, something happened that would change everything. Noticing an eagle landing on a nearby building, Kratos's powers began to drain. Almost as if it had been in synchronization with the eagle's arrival. But regardless Kratos's rampage had been stopped dead in it's tracks. His godly powers had been taken from him and he had been returned to his usual size. But that wasn't the only problem. The statue of Colossus of Rhodes had been animated and began to wreck havoc on the Spartans. Submitting them to a similar fate not unlike the one that Kratos had been dealing out to the defenders of Rhodes.
Was this some kind of karmic justice taking effect? Some kind of retribution from beyond by Ares? Or was it merely Athena trying to show him the 'error of his ways?' He supposed that in the end it mattered not. For whether it was the fates conspiring against him or the Olympians. The end result would be the same. That nothing would stop him from doing what he set out to accomplish and so he fought despite being outmatched in strength and size. But it seemed that no matter how hard he fought, the Colossus would simply not falter in it's task to destroy Kratos and the Spartans. Until another player entered into the fray.
His breathing heavy due to the repeated need to swing from building to building, lest he be caught in one that the Colossus set it's eyes on. The Spartan was in no mood for any more surprises but this one seemed like a blessing in disguise. Something that would have garnered far more suspicion from him were the situation less dire. But with no other options available to help bring down the construction, he couldn't turn this one away.
"...You offer me the tool to bring down this beast, Zeus?" Kratos questioned the king of the gods as he had appeared before him in a thunderous series of lightening bolts. With him he held a blade that possessed immense power within it. At least if the glowing was any indication. Staring down at the spartan, Zeus solemnly nodded. "I see the destruction that this animated construction brings and it's far worse than anything an army of mortals could hope to achieve. So I come to you baring the weapon that when wielded by me was enough to bring the Titan War to a decisive end. It's known as the Blade of Olympus for that reason. Now I bestow it onto you, my son."
The god proposed as he held the blade out expectantly. Kratos had never expected a show of such fealty from Zeus of all gods. But it was then that it finally hit Kratos what this had all been about. Athena had locked his godly powers inside so that he could not outwardly use them. To help even the playing field between him and the Colossus who would have been reduced to rubble had Kratos been able to remain at the size he had been at. Fine then, if the Olympians wished to test his ability once again then he'd demonstrate it. Just as boldly as he had upon slaying Ares.
"The battle will be over before the night is through."
Taking the blade in hand, Kratos began to focus all of his godly power into the blade. The ground began to rattle and quake under the power that the sword was giving off. Cracks even began to spread along the streets, threatening to collapse even more buildings and add to the debris. But thankfully Kratos managed to control the blade's power upon putting all of the power that he had held as God of War within the sword. Turning away from Zeus, Kratos began to leap towards the Colossus as he was intent on finishing the battle and proving his worth to the gods. Watching his son depart, Zeus could only mutter stoically.
"I know it will."
It was then Kratos invaded the inner sanctums of the Colossus to try and destroy it from the inside. The wooden structures that helped support the frame of the statue were easy enough to dismember with the Blade of Olympus. Eventually working his way up to the head, Kratos leaped out through the eye of the statue as it began to burn and shudder. Landing onto the ground, Kratos glanced around before looking up at the heavens above.
"Do you see Gods of Olympus?! DO YOU NEED MORE PROOF THAN THIS?!"
Unfortunately while Kratos had indeed defeated the Colossus, he had gotten so caught up in his victory proclamation that he didn't notice the outstretched hand. Until it introduced itself to him. As the gigantic hand smashed into Kratos, the blade of Olypmus was sent hurling through the air before stabbing into the ground. Severely weakened by the smack, Kratos had enough strength left in him to struggle to his feet. Staying on them was another question entirely. Numerous bones had no doubt been shattered, most likely some internal bleeding, and he could barely stay conscious enough to prevent himself from toppling over. But he had done it! He had shown the gods! All that was left was to reclaim that which was rightfully his. Limping pathetically over to the blade, Kratos weakly reached out a hand to try and grasp it.
But just before he could close his fingers around the hilt, victory was once again plucked right out of Kratos's teeth. In the form of the same eagle from before. Raising his blades in a clearly aggressive manner, Kratos knew that he was far too exhausted to put up much more than meager resistance if that. Laying the blade down onto the ground once the eagle had garnered some distance between it and Kratos, the sky began to rumble. Turning his head away as a lightening bolt shot down and engulfed the bird, as the smoke cleared Kratos's eyes shot open in shock(no pun intended.)
"Zeus?!"
Standing before the half-dead ghost of Sparta was indeed none other than Zeus himself. The same one who had gifted the Blade of Olympus to Kratos in order for him to defeat the Colossus. Reaching down and picking up the blade himself, thunder bolts rained near Kratos in a cascading manner. If it was an attempt to frighten the Spartan it failed spectacularly. Even as weakened as he was, Kratos knew better than to show fear in the face of an enemy, even one who seemed to hold all the cards. But something still didn't add up.
"But why?! You were the one who gave me the weapon! Why go to the effort if you were only going to steal it back!?" Kratos roared demanding an explanation for Zeus's madness. In doing so however, his body immediately convulsed with painful contractions. The spartan certainly had attitude to spare but they were checks that his body was in no condition to cash. Noticing Kratos's weakness, Zeus began on the move towards the Spartan who was clearly in no shape to defend himself.
"Why? I do this for the sanctity of not only myself but Olympus! You did what mortal men could only dream of. You killed the immortal and took his empty throne. Which happens to sit upon a mountain of corpses. Some of which include your own wife and daughter! Insolent child! If you cannot control your urges enough to spare those close to you, who's to say that you will not attempt to do upon I as you did to Ares or any of us for that matter? I could not let that fear grow into truth, Kratos. Hence why I'm taking care of the problem right now!"
Zeus bellowed as he'd blast Kratos to the ground with a quick shot of thunder. The electricity ran it's course along Kratos's body. Every nerve was on fire and taking into account his own grievous injuries, death would have been a sweet release for Kratos. Something Zeus had in mind. Propping one of his feet down on Kratos's shoulder, he placed the blade right above Kratos's abdominal region. Unable to even put up the slightest show of resistance against Zeus, Kratos stared defiantly at Zeus.
"Strike me down, Zeus. I command that you do so! For if you don't I'll simply come at you until my body fall apart at the seams! Athena was right. You and the rest of the Olympians saw my actions and took action because you were afraid of what I could do. So now you have me at your mercy and you'll strike me down as a coward would. Without a fair fight, something I could only expect from the king of the Olympians." Kratos muttered although the effort of even speaking drained the minuscule energy resources that he had left. As power surged within and around the blade, Zeus pitifully looked upon his son and spoke, this time in a much softer tone.
"These are your final breaths. Do you really wish to spend them cursing out the inevitable, my son?"
The sudden spot of spitle on Zeus's cheek was enough of a response for Kratos. But the spartan couldn't let it go without one final word in.
"These won't be the last breaths you hear from me, Zeus. For when I claw myself out of the pits of Hades, I'll make you the first of my victims. The mightiest Olympian will fall the hardest."
"Even as a dying man, you show defiance. Were the circumstances different I'd find it admirable. As it stands however, it's nothing more than a fool's act of desperation. Goodbye Kratos."
With that Zeus plunged the sword into Kratos's gut and searing pain shot through Kratos's body. His godly essence mixed in with Zeus's was enough to quickly sap away whatever droplets of life that he may have been clinging to. As the blade was ripped from his stomach, Kratos's eyelids began to grow heavy and soon dark shadow-like hands seeped out of the ground to drag Kratos away. To the deepest pits of Hades where he'd be sentenced to eternal damnation. But as his body was dragged away, something strange occurred. The influx of power within the Blade of Olympus had somehow caused a shift in Kratos's realm.
Where Kratos would have normally been destined to submit to the fate that the underlings in Hades had picked out for him, it wasn't to be however. For the power that had formerly belonged to Kratos and was stored within the confines of the sword had struggled against Zeus's and in unprecedented cases like this, one could not really hope to understand what could have happened to Kratos. But one thing was a certain. He was not dead and as far as the fates and gods knew, Kratos was neither dead nor alive. He had simply vanished for lack of a more appropriate term. As the Spartan's eyes opened, he had expected to have been busying himself dragging himself up to the surface of the living once more. But this was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"ZEUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSS!!!!"
As the Ghost of Sparta was sent plummeting through what could have only been considered some kind of temporal tear due to the conflicting godly energies within the Blade of Olympus, the other heroes of this story were busy running a scam-er a DnD campaign for the neighborhood kids in this Cul-De-Sac located within the not-so bustling city of Peach Creek.
"Eddy? Would you be hesitant in reminding me why in all of the places we could have held this game it had to be in Ed's basement?" The brain of the Ed-Trio known as Edd or affectionately Double D mused as he adjusted the wizard hat and his wig. "I do hope that the costume store that Ed picked these out from has a return policy. This wig is starting to chafe." The complaint fell on deaf ears however as the ringleader of the Eds was too engrossed in looking over his jar of four quarters to really pay much attention to Double D's bellyaching. As Double D insisted on pestering him however, Eddy eventually turned and angrily slapped his hand away.
"Because of the atmosphere, Sockhead! You think it'd look right if we set out on this epic adventure for heroes in the nerdiest home in the Cul-De-Sac? Besides, Ed wanted to be the GM so figured we'd play it at his house." Eddy shrugged before snickering at the costume complaint that Double D had lodged. Eddy had gotten himself a costume befitting of a rogue with fake hair and fake marker-drawn stubble to boot! The whole scam had come about after the simpleton of the group known as Ed had discovered DnD while reading some of his older monster comics. Deciding that since Ed seemed like he'd be the most enthusiastic GM/DungeonMaster ever, they could include the other kids in on the game for a measly 25cents per player. They had managed to rope in, Jimmy, Rolf, and even Kevin into the game. Although Kevin did threaten to beat them black and blue and some other color if they even thought of telling Nazz.
"Now why don't you go get everything set up, Wizard D and look pretty?" Eddy suggested before turning Double D around and giving him a swift kick to the rear to send him flying back. Once that had been dealt with, Eddy returned to starring over his money. But the sanctity of his money-watching wouldn't last for long as Eddy was scooped up in a large and powerful hug which could have only meant one person.
"I AM A ORK! RAAAAAAAAARGH! But the truth is I'm as sensitive as an onion on the outside." Ed said popping in his daily non-sequitur as he dropped Eddy down. The Ed-boy that lacked in intelligence had gone the extra mile in authenticity. Having gotten makeup to appear green, fake ears and fangs, oh and fake stubble! Not to mention the plastic axe that he lugged around. "Jimmy wanted to be a bard, Kevin wanted to be a halfling, and Rolf wanted to be a Mul! The best part is that.." Tugging Eddy close as if he was going to whisper something, Eddy rolled his eyes.
"I know you're going to yell it so why don't you-"
"I'M RUNNING THE DARK SUN CAMPAIGN, EDDY!" :D
Eddy was flung into the wall by the sheer force of Ed's enthusiasm. Slowly prying himself out of the Eddy shaped hole, the shorter Ed brushed himself off as he fixed his hat. Noticing that a section of his cape had been torn in the impact, he groaned. This meant that Double D wasn't gonna shut his yap about wanting to sew it shut! But, buuuuut but-butt-but! He couldn't let himself be ruined because of a few bad apples. Holding the jar up, Eddy glanced into the bathroom which was where the other three boys had gone to talk before deciding on actually going and playing the game.
"This whole thing sounds pretty dorkish, man. I'm thinking of splitting. You in, Rolf?"
"Rolf is afraid that he must decline, one who has a chin like a shovel Kevin. I'm quite eager to see my Mule in action!"
"Uh, pretty sure it's pronounced Mull, dude."
"That is what Rolf said. Do you grow corn stalks in those eardrums?"
"I know you aren't playing a mule!" Kevin snapped as the two got into each other's face only for Jimmy to blow his whistle. The same whistle that was usually referred to whenever Jimmy needed a little muscle. But in this case it was used only to get the other two boy's attention. Standing on top of the closed toilet, Jimmy's eyes began to water.
"All I wished was to play my bard, Fernando the Magnificent! But you two see fit to ruin my merry-making time by arguing like a bunch of ninnies! Well, thank you very much!" Jimmy scolded as he wiped at his eyes. Noticing the muted and shocked expressions that the two seemed to have, Jimmy smirked. "W-Was I really that intimidating?" Upon receiving two shakes of the head 'no', Jimmy finally looked behind himself to see what they were looking at.
Standing outside the bathroom door, Double D straightened his back out and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Gentlemen? The GM is very eager to get the game underway if you're all ready! I'd like to-" Double D was quickly silenced by a series of yelps of pain as the door was busted down on top of him and the trio of Kevin, Jimmy, and Rolf raced out of the bathroom. "Help."
Noticing the trouble that Double D appeared to be having, Eddy was more alarmed by the fact that his paying customers had vanished! Gone, rushed out the door without so much as even taking a seat to play! As steam hissed out of Eddy's ears, the rogue marched over to Double D and dragging him out from under the door, he'd point into the bathroom to where Kratos would have been standing. "I don't know who invited the tattooed cave-man but I don't think the players are supposed to run away BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTS, DOUBLE D!"
Eddy shrieked only to have Kratos stare down at him. "O-Oh. Hiya stretch. Ye-Yeah! You can be as cave-man as you want! I don't mind, heck I'd encourage it!" The scammer whimpered as he tried to weasel out of getting on this guy's bad side. "Oh Ed!~ ED!" Both Double D and Eddy yelled in unison as Ed marched over and looking over Kratos slowly, gave a thumbs up upon finishing his lookover.
"Nice barbarian costume, Bucko!" The dolt complimented as Kratos simply tried to understand what was happening. The last thing he recalled was seeing Zeus betray him and leave him for dead after plunging the Blade of Olympus through his chest. But this wasn't what he imagined the depths of Hades to look like. Surrounded by children posing as men and some type of creature. Was this some kind of elaborate trick that Zeus used his influence to enact just to get back at him?
"Zeus! Quit hiding behind the facade of children and illusions and face me! Or are you content to wallow in your fear?!"
As Kratos quickly set about wrecking whatever got in his path, the Eds quickly made their way off to hide under Ed's bed. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of hiding locations. But with how much this guy was content on going to town on pretty much everything that he felt like destroying would give him some kind of answers. Nudging Double D, Eddy whispered to him. "Who the heck is this guy, Double D?! He looks like something out of..I dunno, the Romans or something!" Double D rubbed at his temples as he tried to deduce how someone who clearly had gotten too far caught in an elaborate roleplay session or didn't belong to this time period at all, wound up in Ed's room of all places.
"The only explanation that comes to mind is one I doubt you and Ed will be able to comprehend. Basically think of time as like an ever-flowing machine. This machine is constantly growing and growing and growing. The old parts of the machine gradually become worn out and fall off to become what we in the modern times see as history. But this man clearly seems to have been displaced from his own time and can't quite grasp what has happened. There must have been something powerful enough back in his own time that caused some kind of temporal disturbance and ended up bringing him to the present-day. Gentlemen, I'm afraid I can eagerly say I'm as excited as you are for this opportunity to study real life history from an age long gone! Isn't this just marvelous?"
Ed and Eddy stared blankly at Double D once he had finished speaking.
"..Right. So what you're really saying is that this guy wants nothing more than to go home right? Well, Mr.Wizard why don't you use that wand of yours and 'poof' us up a time machine! We'll charge him by the pocketload for a ride home!" Eddy snickered as Double D narrowed his eyes and looked at the prop staff he had in his hand.
"Eddy, the complications of building a time machine are immense. There are all sort of problems that could arise and this man certainly doesn't seem like the friendliest type. Also, this is a staff! It's far too large and thick to be any kind of wand! Honestly Eddy, did you read up on any of the lore before you started this scam?"
"Nope. Looks too much like one of Ed's comic books and you know how those are. Also, I'm pretty sure it's a wand, Pointdexter."
"Staff!"
"Wand!"
"STAFF!"
"WAND! Hey, where'd Ed go?"
Eddy got his answer in the form of the bed being hurled into the air. As it started on it's descent back down, Ed had stood up with his toy axe drawn as he stared down Kratos who had no interest in slaying children. The look in Ed's eyes was different however. His eyes jittered around and it seemed as if someone were to look at them, they'd see nothing but TV snow.
"I AM LOTHAR THE BARBARIAN! THE MOST DANGEROUS OF THE ORKS EVER TO DANGER! Come man f history! I will face you in flipper to sword combat! Hi-Yah!"
That was Ed's battle cry before he leaped at Kratos and having been neglecting to pay attention towards the Eds, Lothar's strength caught Kratos off guard as he was pushed back. But he was still a demi-god and he was in no mood for Ed's game. So picking him up by the collar of his outfit, he'd seek to fling him into the wall before approaching Double D and Eddy menacingly.
"I do not know if you are merely illusions that Zeus has set up in an attempt to try and torment me. I do not know if I'll be able to leave whatever Hell I've been dropped into. But I do know that I'm in no mood for games, child. Tell me where I must go and I'll leave you all to resume what charade you had going here. My patience grows shorter with each passing minute."
"I assure you we're in allegiance with zero of the Greek Pantheon! We'll assist you in every way that we can! I'm Double D, this is Eddy, and the friend you flung through the wall is known as Ed. Apologies for his behavior. He still gets a bit overzealous at times." Double D honestly wasn't sure how to explain a time machine to someone who would have had no idea of such a thing. So thankfully the unexpected transition to what seemed like a kind of forest gave him some more time to think.
Glancing around to take in the new location, Kratos let out an anguished roar. What was happening to him?! Why had he ended up in this place instead of where he was supposed to be? The only conclusion that he could come to was that this was all part of a game by Zeus to test Kratos's sanity. Even beyond the realms of death. Did those three boys have something to do with it? If this was the case then Kratos would solve this test and bring himself to stand before Zeus. So that he could drive the Blade of Olymupus into his wretched heart. Looking over his shoulder at the Eds, Kratos motioned for them to follow him down the North Log.
Walking quietly in line behind Kratos, Eddy snickered as he held his jar up. Four quarters and whatever Kratos would be willing to part with in exchange for a ride on their time machine. When they got around to building one at least. He didn't even care that they were in the woods! Just hoped that no birds swooped down to take his quarters. He really hated birds.
Double D on the other hand was busy using his ruler to try and carve in algebraic formulas into the head of his staff. So as to better understand what really went into making a time machine and not something clearly meant to fool small children. Kratos hadn't struck them as being the nicest of people so Double D didn't even want to think of what he'd do if he found out that Eddy intended to use him for monetary gain.
Ed was busy watching the rear with his ork attire still good. Aside from missing one of the ears due to it having fallen off after Kratos punted him through the wall. But Lothar would be ever vigilant! Nothing would escape his sight and his might!
@Doctor Smartass @Librarian Cat @C.T. @ResistingTheEnlightened @Tokusentai @Mighty Roman @Mari
