by Gideon Mills
Then she was gone, and I was alone in the street of New York. Part of me was disappointed in that, I liked her and wanted to talk to her more. To see what was under that barely-there superhero outfit.
Maybe I’d get that chance. In the meantime, I was here and going to enjoy this. Going to make the best of my time here on Earth. Now that I was registered to be a hero in the city, I might just do that, even if it hadn’t been my plan. I’d stick around for a while.
If the hero thing doesn’t work, I could go back to what I usually do and be a soldier.
6
Settling in
All I have to say was this, getting a place to live with no ID was a fucking pain in the butt. Times had changed since I was last here. And the city was damn expensive. That was expected.
Mount Olympus always ended up located in an area that was costly to live in. That wasn’t going to make me leave. I had no desire to be that far from my home. Unless I was fighting in a war. Then I’d leave, but for this here gig, this was the only place for me, and I was staying.
Plus, with it being the biggest city it needed the most heroes. It had White Angel already. But as I found my place I learned of others, both here and across America. Some former soldier in San Antonio, Thorn, and some super-genius in Detroit. A speedster in Vegas. Among others.
New York was also home to the biggest baddest evil Paragons, and I wanted to test my might. To see how strong I was.
My hole-in-the-wall apartment was in the Bronx. A real dump, but at least I’d been able to get an apartment. Plus some furniture. The last time I had been on Earth I had a bank account, and it still worked, but getting the money with no ID was hard. Fucking technology was getting in the way.
Needless to say, for now I was living in poverty and hating it. I was also trying to find out where Eris went. I knew that my father was going to be pissed that she was here. That I had made it possible, but if I found her and took her in, I would at least get him off my back when I went back to Mount Olympus, whenever that was.
At the moment I was sitting on my falling-apart sofa and searching the internet. Looking for random acts of violence or riots. Fights between people that would never normally fight. That was just what Eris did. Her power. To my horror there was more than I could track.
I spent my days and nights trying to find her. Always showing up just too late. She was a trickster these days, and one step ahead of me.
Part of me wanted to just give up, and fight regular Paragons. I heard of a man with super strength and invulnerability. He would be a great test for me, and he was all about causing trouble. Robbing banks.
I was going to have to test myself and my sword against him. The one thing I did splurge on in my poverty was a police scanner. That was how I heard of the guy in the first place, and how I was going to find him. I thought I might find more on Eris using it, but she was too careful.
A long week, and so far no sign of her, or the man. Nothing.
And to make matters worse, I hadn’t seen Fleur again.
7
Testing myself
The next morning, I was about to leave my place to head to the local coffee shop. The girl that served me there was pretty. No Fleur, but very doable. As I was closing the door, the police scanner went off.
Robbery in progress. Paragon. God-level. That was one thing I found funny. The humans had given the Paragons power levels. God being the highest, and alpha being the lowest.
I hesitated, listening, hoping it was him. And it was.
Coffee was going to have to wait. I picked up the scanner and listened as I made my way to the bank. It wasn’t too far from my place, at least for me, and my God-level speed. I was able to run faster than any mortal, and leap further too.
Using my speed and leaping I made my way to the bank and landed in front of it. I had arrived before any of the police, and saw a man in black just exiting.
“Ares,” he said. I was pleased that he knew my name. “I heard about you messing around.”
I had stopped a few other fights as I searched for Eris. To be honest they weren’t much, but I guess word was spreading about me. I was completely okay with that.
“I like to stop bullies,” I said. “You’re a big ugly one.”
Not the best line I’ve ever used. I was still getting used to the current slang. The man narrowed his eyes and smirked.
“You don’t look tough,” he said. He had a big bag of money on his shoulder and shrugged it off and to the ground. “This will be quick.”
I laughed. “It sure will be.”
Cracking my neck and back, I waited for this villain to move. I had been waiting for a Paragon to test my powers. The man rushed at me with speed and power. It wasn’t much compared to me and nothing compared to Hermes. Not that many would be, but I did want to see that speedster in Vegas race Hermes.
I stood my ground and let the Paragon smash into me with all his force. He didn’t even knock me back with the impact. It was too much to hope for a real fight.
It was just then that the police and other Paragons arrived, just in time to watch the man bounce off me, and see my power. My strength. Zeus was a fucking coward. This guy was nothing compared to me.
“Holy shit,” the man in black said. “How?”
“I’m a God, you fool.”
I attacked him with a speed granted only to a God. I used all my power to punch him in the gut, and he dropped like a boulder. This was going to be a short fight as my punch knocked him out. I guess I was just like that bald dude and his powerful fist.
I picked up the man and turned to the police. “What do you want me to do with him?”
It was McGarrett that approached me with a pair of special handcuffs. I had seen them before and knew they blocked the powers of Paragons. I wondered what they would do to me. If they would work or just tickle.
“That was impressive,” a feminine voice said. One that I had been longing to hear again. Fleur was here in her stunning hero costume. “I know every martial art in the world, and I had trouble with Stalwart.”
“You know all the martial arts?” I asked. That didn’t seem possible, and I had to know more. I trained all the time, and I didn’t know them all.
“It's my Paragon ability.”
Interesting. I needed to learn more about her. She had been a force to reckon with in the fight a week ago.
“That is just cool,” I said. “You and I need to talk.”
She laughed. “Not happening, buddy.”
“What did I do?”
“I don’t do crazy,” she said and walked away.
8
Frustration
That night back in my apartment, shithole that it was, I sat alone and frustrated. Fleur was one woman I just didn’t understand. Since I had been back on Earth, most of the women and even many of the men had been drawn to me. I had to fight them off with a stick.
Sure, I had been planning on some carnal fun, but once I saw Fleur, she was the one I wanted. I like to aim for the top. Go big or go home was my motto. Fleur was damn close to Aphrodite, and I wasn’t going to miss the chance to fuck her.
I just needed to figure out what I was doing wrong and fix that little problem. In the meantime, I had the Eris issue to deal with. I was sure that dear old dad was going to appear at any moment and give me a berating about being stupid and reckless.
I wasn’t looking forward to that one, but there was little that he could do now that I was here. Fuck it. No way I could leave Eris here to run rampant, hurting innocent people. Father might come stop her, but I couldn’t count on that. Even if I wanted to return to Mount Olympus I couldn’t. Father’s barrier was hard to get through; I needed Zeus or Hera to get back home.
I turned on the TV and watched the Mets game. Try as I might, I just couldn’t be a Yankees fan. The game was a mild distraction from my disappointment from earlier with Fleur. At least I wiped the floor with Stalwart.
That was such a hero name, and it made me won
der if he had been one. I opened the laptop that I had gotten from a pawnshop. I was fairly certain that the previous owner of the thing used it for nothing more than looking at internet porn.
It was so cheap that the place didn’t clear the search history. Looking over that history made even me blush. Some of the things that man or woman was into. Fucking sick.
Once I saw that, I did a full reinstall of the thing. I wanted nothing to do that type of shit. Back to Stalwart, and sure enough. He had been a hero but was broke and sick of working for free.
I have to admit, he had a point. Maybe they needed some sort of superhero group that paid the heroes to save the city. I had hoped that after I registered they would give me a paycheck, but nope. Nothing.
At least being a soldier, a man was paid. Being a hero sucked, and yet here I was. Trying to be the hero and impress those here, to impress me. I wanted to be different, and better. I was sick of being nothing but violence.
I hadn’t admitted that before, but here I was. Saying it out loud to myself in my shithole apartment as the Mets were getting wiped by the Braves. What a fucking joke. I shut the TV off and left my place. There was a dive bar not too far away. That was one thing that I was sure my brother Dionysus would love.
I had on a tight-fitting shirt and jeans. That appeared to be the norm when going to bars now. As I walked into the bar, not a single person looked up. That had been the case these days. People just didn’t pay attention to the world around them.
Sitting down at the bar, I took in the place. There were eight people here tonight and two employees that I could see. I had been trained to take in all my surroundings. At the bar, I waited for the grizzled woman that tended it to approach me.
A minute later, she arrived. “What can I get you?”
The tap beer selection was dreadful, but it would have to suffice. That was one of the many great things about Mount Olympus, the beer was great. Might be the only great thing these days.
With my beer in hand, I began to drink while thinking of a way to find both Eris and Fleur.
Sitting on that bar stool in this cheap bar, drinking and trying to figure out what was going on, I thought that this was one of those times that being more like Athena would be good. Not that I wanted to be like her, but she was the strategy person. I was the act now and think later. Like not realizing Eris would tag along. Fuck. I do the same stupid shit all the time.
“Yes, you do.” I tuned to see, on the stool next to me, the hazy form of a person.
“Mother,” I said. The bartender gave me a strange look. I dropped the money on the counter and head out. I knew that Hera’s projection would be able to follow me. It was strange to see her, but she appeared with me outside on the street, and we walked back to my place.
“You shouldn’t have let your sister trick you,” Hera said.
I shrugged. “I wanted to leave, she just used that.”
My mother closed her eyes and nodded. “I know you did. This place, and these people. I do not get the rest of you and your obsession with them.”
My mother might be the Queen of the Gods, and of Woman, Childbirth and more. But she would never truly understand mortals. This was the closest she ever got to them.
“They are part of us,” I said. “They give us power.”
“Not anymore.”
That was true. “As weak as we may be, I’m still stronger than the Paragons here.”
She nodded. “I saw. That was just one, and if I’m being honest, not a very smart one.”
My mother was nothing if not blunt. It was one of the few things I liked about her.
“Why are you here?” Returning the favor.
“Your father is furious,” she said. “He nearly came after you. Hades offered to come too. As did Poseidon.”
It didn’t surprise me that all three of the big three wanted to come. They loved Earth just as much as I did. They loved the people and being around them. It also didn’t surprise me that my mother wanted my father as far from here as possible.
“I’m not going back,” I said.
“I know, and you can’t. Your sister is causing problems.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll fix it. Eris is a pain, and my problem.”
Hera breathed in deeply, started to speak and stopped. She wanted to say more. That was clear. I had the sinking suspicion that she had spoken to a sibyl. That she’d heard or seen something bad, and wanted to warn me. That was forbidden, and now I was worried. How bad did I mess up?
“Please,” she said. “Find your sister. Send her to Hades.”
My eyes shot up. “You want me to send her to the underworld?”
She nodded. “That is the only place that can hold her. Keep her from causing problems both here and back home.”
I closed my eyes. “I will.”
Then she was gone. I was standing in the street alone, and people were staring at me. Fuck’em.
9
A real Test
A few more weeks, and I still had found nothing on my sister. Eris had vanished. As I searched for her, I was making a name for myself as a hero.
I arrived at a scene that showed some promise for being Eris’s. It was out in front of Yankee stadium, and part of me was tempted to let the scene unfold and damage the place. Would make it nicer in my opinion. The new stadium lacked the charm of the old one. I had actually gone to that one once.
I saw the Great Bambino play in person. He was one of the best to ever play. Baseball was truly America’s game. I liked some American football too. Though baseball was pure and simple. Just like war at times.
Though football and the violence, that too had a pull on me.
Anyway, there I was standing in front of Yankee stadium, hoping to find my sister.
Instead, I was looking at the most grotesque-looking thing I had ever seen in my life. That was saying something too. Some of the monsters back in the day. They were nasty, and if you ever had to look at Hephaestus’s face. Fuck.
But this dude or woman, I wasn’t sure, appeared to be ripped straight from the underworld. Taller than me, with spikes protruding from the body, and a vile ooze. The smell alone made me want to vomit.
It was no wonder the people in the area were running around like crazy and trying to get away. I should have just picked the person up and thrown them at the stadium, and be done with it.
That wasn’t the heroic thing to do, and I was on the up and up. “Listen,” I said. “I don’t know what happened, but you got to come in.”
The beast or person made a sound that sounded like a no and then lunged at me. It was definitely a no. I’ve mentioned before I’m not immune to everything, and whatever that ooze was hurt.
As the giant spikes failed to penetrate my skin the ooze leaked all over me. It burned like hot molten lava. Trust me on that one, I know how much that hurts. Been there, done that.
“Fuck!” I yelled. Even with all the pain, I held my ground. I wasn’t letting this beast past me.
The sounds around me died down, and I knew that the civilians had made it to safety. I held the beast at bay and hoped that those fancy handcuffs the police had would work.
“Argh,” the thing said. And punched me.
It was enough to push me back slightly. This one was even stronger that Stalwart. My mother had been right about him. This was more of a test.
I needed to disengage and start over. Redo. Hit the reset button. Find my last save point. Using my part of my godly strength, I lifted the black ball of ugly and tossed it towards the parking garage. Even though I had been tempted in the other direction.
“What the fuck are you?” I asked. Not that I wanted to know. The sirens were close, and that meant backup was too.
The thing bounced on the ground but was on its feet faster than I thought possible. Wasting no time, the beast came at me. The impact sent me back this time, and the ooze lingered on me, burning my skin.
I went flying back and saw the cop cars
arriving. It was go time. I needed to show them I was unstoppable. That this was nothing.
Grunting, I leaped into the air and readied to punch the beast. It saw my move coming a mile away. I really telegraphed it. What can I say, I haven’t fought anything that challenged me in millennia, and it showed, no matter how much I trained.
I landed on the ground, making a large hole. “Oops.”
The spiked beast was behind me and attempted to mount me. At least that was how it felt, and I wanted nothing to do with that shit. I kicked back and landed in the groin. I heard a loud scream, and I spun. I punched in the jaw and heard a bone crack. This thing was just as fragile as a human if I didn’t hold back.
I had been, and I wasn’t anymore. I let rage fill me and I punched the beast harder and faster. Letting out my own internal beast, my true desire for violence out in full force. I smashed on the creature until it was screaming for mercy and then I forced myself to stop.
That wasn’t easy to do, once I get going like that I want to kill. To maim my opponent so they never fight me again. That might be why I’m so hated back home.
I stood and turned to see my old friend McGarrett. He and I had bumped into each other several times.
“McGarrett,” I said. My fist was covered in the ooze and hurting like hell. “Don’t you have a life?”
The officer laughed. “Look who’s talking.”
I shrugged. “Touché.”
He smiled and placed the cuffs on the beast. To my surprise they grew to fit the creature. “Magic?” I asked.
“Magic isn’t real,” McGarrett said.
“I hate to break it to you,” I said. “I’m magic. It’s real.”
“You’re a crazy-ass Paragon. Nothing magic about it.”
“I’m the Greek God Ares,” I said. “God of War. Of violence.”
