THEOS

“This is bad.” Luke said, his hand resting on the handle of his sword, and his knuckles white with the strength of his grip. “Really fucking bad.”

“If it’s as you say, then… I agree.” Jason nodded. “Someone intends to start a war.”

Luke shook his head “Cyzicus has been at war. This is going beyond that. It was already personal but–” He sighed loudly. He hadn’t known Cyzicus or Sophia that long, but the Emperor had been good to him, and good to his people. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now. Fuck. Luke thought to himself, feeling angry on the Hero’s behalf. Angry that someone would be cruel enough to come from who knows where, and kill a man's family to steal from him. It was both despicable, and in an example of everything that was wrong with Theos.

“At war with who?” Jason asked.

“They call her the Rebel, but her name is Tyrisa– Tyrisa of Peles. A few weeks ago, she killed one of his grandsons. Sophia and Cyzicus chased her for over a month, but Cyzicus had to come and power the teleportation altars when the Tide began. Sophia kept up the chase, but…” He trailed off. Wincing as he turned his head away from the sight.

“I see.” Jason said darkly. “To stoop so low as to kill his family, and then his lover…”

Another shockwave traveled through the air, rocking the Argo back violently, as it pressed onwards towards the city.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Jason yelled, his face suddenly going pale. A bronze key left his ring, and attached itself to the wheel. Suddenly the ship stopped moving, and a shimmering golden barrier engulfed it.

“What happened, why did you stop?” Luke frowned.

On cue a violent explosion detonated above the city, and a corona of electric fire bloomed out from a point high in the clouds. It splashed harmlessly across the city’s shields, but devastated all the trees and roads around it. Throwing vast amounts of dust and other debris into the air. A moment later, the same, but significantly diminished wave, collided against the Argo.

For a moment, his vision turned white and he flinched away from the light, but the ship’s wards were more than capable of withstanding the energy. The only sign of the ring of fire even hitting them was the boat rocking back, as if it had hit a wave of water.

Luke spilled small amounts of mana from his body, and anchored himself in space to stay steady.

“That was….” Luke whispered in awe, eyeing Jason out of the coroner of his eyes. Curiosity bubbled within him, as he wondered how Jason predicted the future.

Does he know the same Truth as me? No, I need to actually see the thing, and unless he can… Luke dismissed the thought. Now wasn’t the time.

He squinted as he looked past the barrier surrounding the ship, and strained his eyes in order to get a glimpse of the battle, or perhaps the result of it. He had a hard time imagining anyone surviving such a large attack, and if the outcome was unfavorable, that was bad. Not just for him, but for everyone.

A few seconds later, a small ripple permeated through the sparse clouds still hanging in his body, and some tension left his body.

He didn’t know whether it was the Emperor or the Rebel that had unleashed that attack, but so long as the fighting continued, Cyzicus lived. For now, he would take solace in that.

A few seconds later the frequency of the shockwaves picked up, and almost became rhythmic. As if someone was striking a hammer onto an anvil.

“We need to move back,” Jason said hurriedly, darting towards the wooden wheel in the center of the deck, he turned one of the keys embedded in it. Instantly, the sails hanging over the side of the ship changed direction, and the ship banked to the left.

“We should help.” Luke said impatiently. “You said we can take Saint-tier attacks right. Let’s go and bash right into her, or something.”

“I- uhhh.” A pained look came over Jason’s face, and he shook his head. “No. We can’t. Getting in between two Hero-tiers is a terrible idea. We can stand up to something like that, but we won’t be able to do anything other than run. Besides, all the weapons we have are still at the Warrior-tier, and –”

A commotion behind him alerted him to Heracles and a dozen other Argonauts marching onto the deck. “Jason.” He said, his club slung over his shoulder and a savage grin on his face. His earlier embarrassment seemingly gone. “What’s attacking!” He yelled, rising into the air. “

“No one is–”

Luke zoned out, only listening with half an ear letting and Jason explain the situation. His eyes focused on the sky, hoping to see anything other than faint ripple splitting the clouds, and occasionally darting towards the door whenever someone new wandered onto the deck.

His thoughts churned in his head, as he wondered if there was anything he could do to help. Try as he might though, he couldn’t think of a single thing.

But, I don’t have to be the one to do it either.

“Heracles, do you have anything that can kill a hero?” Luke asked the blonde Son of Zeus, grinning slightly as his question was met with a savage grin.

“I have a few things that might do the trick.” His ring glowed softly, and a bow appeared in one hand and a single black arrow in the other. An uncountable number of sickly red runes ran up the length of its shaft, glowing dimly in light.

Luke stepped away as an ominous aura originating from the arrow spread across the deck, and an unknown instinct warned him to get away, and runs as far as he could.

What tier is that? He thought, feeling his heart beating nervously in his chest.

“No! Don’t get yourself killed.” Jason shook his head. “We just got you back, and you know as well as I do that the difference in tiers isn’t something you can solve with some talismans. This isn’t a monster in a cave. You won’t be able to hit her, and we can’t have Lord Cyzicus be in the crossfire either.”

“I can–”

“No you can’t.” Jason shut him down. “Put that away.”

“But–”

“Now, Heracles.”

The Son of Zeus glared at Jason, his ring glowed once again, and both the arrow and the bow vanished.

Unconsciously, Luke let out a sigh of relief. What kind of crazy ass shit did Zeus give to him?

“We wait.” Jason said with finality, craning his neck as he looked to the sky with a frown.

The battle went on far longer than Luke thought it would. Another massive explosion like the one that spooked Jason never happened again, but even hours later, tremors could be felt.

At the four hour mark, most of the ship’s crew returned inside. Not that Luke could blame them.

No one could actually see the battle, and with Lukeus and Rex having climbed on to the deck with Blinky in tow, not many were eager to spend time in the creature's headache-inducing company.

At some point someone had suggested that Rex just leave the creature in the stables, and return without it, but no one was comfortable leaving it unsupervised, and neither did they want to tell him to go away, when it was his own grandfather fighting to the death.

So they just stood there. Solemn and quiet, with their eyes trained to the sky.

Until eventually– it happened.

A blood soaked figure half tumbled, and half flew through the air, directly towards the Argo. Luke’s breath hitched as tried to see if it was a friend or foe.

A golden crown glinted atop his head, and an instant later, multiple people leapt into action.

Lukeus and Heracles both lifted off the deck of the ship and barreled towards him. Other’s let loose dozens of arrows. Some skillfully deposited protective talismans right behind Cyzicus and covered what looked to be his retreat, while others shot far into the sky, and detonated with thunderous force in the direction he came from– hopefully forestalling the Rebel. If she had chased him.

Before any of them though, it was the Argo itself that reached him, and Luke suppressed a wince as both Lukeus and Heracles slammed into its deck.

Cyzicus himself passed through the wards without resistance, and came to a sudden stop as soon as he was within the boundary of the golden shield.

“YOU HIDE BEHIND THESE CHILDREN!” A bald, legless woman screamed, as she wailed on the barrier with both her blood covered fist.

So that’s her?

“Something like that…” The Emperor muttered under his breath. “Saint-tier right?” He asked, turning to Jason.

“Y–”

The world flashed white, and then it roared.

Blood poured out of every orifice of Luke’s face, and the control he had over his mana slipped entirely as he collided heavily into ship walls.

Ears ringing, and blood pooling in his mouth he desperately tried to hold onto consciousness. Instinctively, he reached into his inventory, and deposited a healing potion from the vial straight into his mouth, and swallowed it down with the blood already in there.

Cool healing energy spread throughout his body.

“Sorry about that.” Cyzicus said, his breath heavy.. “It seems that this barrier doesn’t defend against sound.”

“It does.” Jason said, climbing to his feet. “I just have it disabled. I didn’t know that even the noise would be so devastating.”

“Is she dead?” Luke asked, staggered forward, while wiping blood away the blood from his mouth.

“She–” Cyzicus suddenly coughed blood and fell to his knees. Lukeus rushed to his side, and poured a healing potion down his throat.

“Gramps. Stay with me! Come on.” He yelled, but it was too late. Cyzicus was unconscious.

“She lives. I saw her flee,” Heracles said, his hands clenching the brass rails of the Argo. “Jason, take him back to the Capital and see to it that he gets the care that he needs. From what I understand, he’s been away from the teleportation altars for too long as well. Use the Argo to power the system while he recovers.”

“What are you thinking?” Jason asked tiredley.

“There’s a Hero out there that hurt someone important to me. She’s weakened, and I have the means to kill her.”

“Heracles… That’s–”

“I won’t be talked out of this Jason. You saw the state she was in, even before she took a Saint-tier talisman to the face. If we give her the chance to recover then…”

“Then she’ll run, and kill more of my family the next time she comes.” Lukeus interrupted him. “I’ve had enough. Let’s end it while she’s weak.” Lukeus withdrew his sword from its sheath and marched through the door leading into the ship. No doubt going to retrieve Nutbutter.

These fuckers. Are they serious? Luke grinned, as his mind ground down to a halt at the sheer audacity they were displaying. He already knew Heracles was insane, but for Lukeus to go along with it as well, it was truly outside of his expectation.

“Are you stupid?” Jason yelled. “Lord Zeus won’t bail you out every time, Heracles. Do you know how lucky you got with Arke? Do you know how many people died when we broke her blockade?”

“Three hundred and eleven.” He said without skipping a beat.

“Then how can you even consider this?”

“Some things are worth dying for Jason. Being meek, and showing your belly like a good little dog is no way to live. Just because they’re strong, doesn’t mean they deserve to be obeyed. Even if it means death. I’d rather die on my feet, with my club in my hand, then live in fear of those stronger than I.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Jason ran his hands through his hair and screamed.

“That’s why you’ll never be a god.” Heracles muttered. “Chiron taught us better than this.”

“Chiron literally taught us the opposite of that!”

“Enough. I’m going.” He said, and a moment later Lukeus landed on the deck of the Argo. His pegasus harnessed to a cheap looking chariot.

Luke blinked as a quest popped up in his vision.

Quest Alert: Kill a Hero

“I’ll come with.”