THEOS

Luke didn’t know what to think any more. He always thought that his identity being exposed would be this massive, life shattering, monumental moment.

The worst part, it was. Just not at all in the way he envisioned it. He thought there would be a desperate struggle. A sinking realization that he would once again have to leave everything behind. Instead, he, Arke, and Nefkha were standing nearly shoulder to shoulder as the scandal of the ages shook Olympus.

It was humbling. A strong reminder that the world and its endless problems didn’t always revolve around him. That other people lived too and caused problems too and other people could solve them too.

In this case, it was Zeus doing the solving. Well, trying really. Luke got the strong sense that the god was regretting ever entertaining Spiros’s request.

“Okay. It seems that I was hasty in my actions. Helen, is this man truly your husband. If so, when did you get married, and why wasn’t I informed?”

And the plot thickens.

“Well, I was twenty. Heracles had just been born, and you didn’t seem to have time for anyone else. So I… It’s not a real marriage though. I just wanted to see if you’d even notice. I thought Menelaus knew that too.” She glared at him. “I haven’t even seen him since it happened.”

“Is this true?” Zeus asked Menelaus.

Menelaus looked absolutely miserable, but he nodded.

“Very well. In that case, as the King of Gods, I hereby annul your marriage and state this matter concluded and this opposition void. Now, let us all get on with the tournament. Hephaestus, please proceed.”

Hephaestus nodded. “Before I do, is there anyone else that would like to get anything out of their system? I’ll warn you all now, if anyone, and I mean anyone disrupts it again I will seek petty revenge for the next two thousand years” He looked around the room. “No? Very we–”

“I have something to say.” Nefkha suddenly stepped forward.

A pit instantly formed in Luke’s stomach.

“Who are you?” Zeus asked.

“My name is Nefkha. I know the identity of the thief.”

Arke was on him the second the word thief left his mouth. The pressure of her aura billowed out uncontrollably, and instantly the Luminous Sky Elder’s face planted in the metal floor as she squashed him under the weight of her mana.

Well, it’s happening. Luke thought to himself, ready to use the charge at any time. If he was honest with himself, he had known since the moment he saw Nefkha that it was going to come to this.

“My lord, please allow me to take him away. This matter doesn’t concern Olympus.”

“Really? I seem to recall that you used your authority as an Olympian to command the islands of the Dolion to do your bidding, did you not? Let this man speak. Now.” Zeus commanded. “Let us all learn the identity of this thief. Perhaps, we might even learn what it was that he stole.”

Arke stared at Zeus. Her wings slowly extended, and for a moment Luke thought she was going to do something. Maybe fly away, or perhaps just kill Nefkha then and there to hide the knowledge of the God Seed. Instead, she nodded slowly and stepped back. Likely realizing that she was significantly out matched. Zeus alone could easily defeat her, but with this many gods in the crowd, she didn’t stand a chance.

Zeus smiled, and knelt beside Nefkha. Then prying open his shattered jaw, poured a healing potion down his throat. Luke winced as the old man's nose popped back into its place.

“Speak. Tell us, who is this thief?”

“I just want to say something first. May I?” Nefkha asked, unsteadily rising to his feet, he spat out three bloody teeth.

“Go on.” Zeus said.

“All of you Olympian bastards can suck my dick,” he yelled.

Oh right. He hates them. It's why he didn’t turn me in, in the first place.

The King of Gods summoned a rag, and wiped Nefkha’s bloody spittle off his face.“I speak for all of us when I say this. I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“No you don’t.” Nefkha shook his head. “Your ilk never does.”

“Alright, that’s enough. Clearly this man has some sort of grudge. I say we kill him, and get this tournament over with.”

“We’re not going to kill him, Ares. The punishment for angry words isn’t death,” Zeus sighed.

“Why not, he’s clearly not here to talk. I reckon he doesn’t even know who this thief is.” Ares drawled.

“Hmm. What do you say Apollo. Does he know of the thief?” Zeus asked not taking his eyes off Nefkha.

“He didn’t lie,” Apollo said. “He knows. Or thinks he does.”

Huh. This could actually work.

“Well, you said what you wanted to say. Unless you have something more you want to add, I’d suggest you tell us of this thief.”

“No. I’ve said what needs to be said and I intend to keep my word.” Nefkha said. Then slowly turning around, he pointed his finger straight at Luke. “Luke. Luke is the thief.”

“I didn’t steal anything from Arke.” Luke denied instantly.

“Apollo?”

“Both tell their own truth the way they have experienced it. Keeping that in mind, I’d say the old man believes what he says, but his belief is founded on false information. Luke would not be able to believe he didn’t steal if he truly did.”

“It can’t be. I witnessed his resurrection myself. Arke told us that the soul of the man that had stolen from her had come to the Archipelago.”

“See, we should have just killed him from the start. He’s senile. The kid shows know signs of corruption” Ares scoffed.

“Apollo?” Zeus asked again.

The god of truth shrugged. “He believes he has told no lie.”

“Would you care to weigh in on this child? Perhaps you could shed some light on why this man thinks you rose from the dead.”

Luke considered his words carefully. Acutely aware of the fact that he was balancing on a knife's edge. A single misstep, a single mistruth, and that would be that. This was his chance to escape suspicion forever. To clear his name once and for all. Or… he would be forced to use a charge in front of all of them, and hide not just from Arke, but everyone. For once he used the God Seed to escape, there would be no hiding that he had it. Of course, knowing what he did, he knew the gods, while powerful nearly beyond measure, weren’t omnipotent. There were ways to hide, and not that he had experience Luke believed he could do a better job of hiding. He wasn’t new to this world any more. And yet, he still hesitated.

Apollo can’t tell the objective truth. By his words, it's obvious that he can only tell I’m telling the truth because I believe I'm telling the truth.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story belongs to Royal Road, not on Amazon. Report sightings.

I didn’t steal the Seed. The Seed chose me, after Arke tried to steal it from Aeolus. By right, it is mine, and you can’t steal what’s yours. That part is already covered, and it alone should wipe the suspicion off of me.

So I guess the real question is what do I believe is objective truth, that can also be used to convince them I’m innocent in all this.

Arya and Spiros shared a brief glance, and under the gaze of who knows how many gods deliberately walked to either side of Luke and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

Luke remembered what he had told them about his past in the Empress’s tomb. He remembered that day he had spent on Al’s boat after spending weeks traversing the wilderness. How easily everything had come to him because Max had grown up on a fisherman's boat too. He remembered his thoughts, however hazy, when he killed the Rebel and after nearly dying, and named his sword. That Max, wasn’t just a name of his meat suits' last owner. That part of Luke was Max.

He felt, once again, the Seed’s presence in his soul. Offering him escape, but ultimately leaving the decision up to him.

Taking a deep breath, he looked Zeus in the eye.

“My name was Max. I was born in Carim in a small fishing village. I don’t know who my parents are. Only that a fisherman found me one day, floating in the sea. He raised me from when I was a child to when I was a teenager. One day he had an accident at sea, and died. Soon after that, debt collectors started harassing me and the fisherman's wife. She was old, and suffering from heartbreak. She died. Soon after that the debt collectors took everything I had and chased me out of town and into the forest. I don’t remember how long I walked, but back then I was just a mortal. I was weak. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I stumbled around a little. I cried. I had lost everything and on top of that I was lost.

That’s when Nefkha found me.

He was one of the first cultivators I'd seen. He appeared behind my back, floating in the air with his legs crossed. He asked me if I was possessing this body or not. I didn’t really know how to answer him and I was scared. He took my silence for an admission, and continued to prattle on. About how the ‘ruddy Olympians’ were wasting his time. Of how he wanted to be left alone.

Eventually he told me to join the Luminous Sky Society. Not having a place to go, I agreed and joined the Society. When I got there, Arya showed me around. I met some disciples. Did my first mission to collect flowers with Spiros, his cousin and his sister. We found this black snake that was worth a lot of money and killed it. I spent most of it on this golden sword I saw hanging on the armory wall.

After that, I did another mission, this time to kill harpies with Arya, Ethan, Laxas, and some other guy. I forgot his name. Then, there was this expedition to go to the Empress’s tomb. I went there, learned some techniques. Killed a bunch of people. Awakened my mana. Mastered the techniques enough to be allowed to leave. I saw Len, he was bleeding out and his arm was infected. He wanted me to choose a healing potion as a prize and he gave me a round rock looking thing in exchange. I had a warrior tier healing potion, so I just picked something, and gave him that instead.

After that, some guy tried to kill me for stupid reason. I took care of him, and went to Sylcra. Fought some giants, met Heracles and the other Argonauts, some other stuff here and there. There was sweet Cyclops named Sophia, and some crappy Rebel. Now I’m here.”

“So you really could be my brother! Dad, why’d you abandon him at sea?” Theseus jumped into the air and whooped. Luke hadn’t even known he was there.

“I’m sorry?” Poseidon scratched the back of his head. “Stuff happens sometimes? I really don’t know how I could have lost you at sea, son. I’ll do better from now on.”

Luke stared blankly at the god with his mouth slightly agape. He looked just like Theseus, and by that virtue, just like Luke.

What the fuck is he on about? How can he not remember if he lost a kid at sea or not? Like… what?

“Oh sorry, I should have been more clear. I look like this because of a… mistake. The thing I took from the tomb was a mask and when I used it, it did this. My original face wasn’t as handsome.

But yeah. I didn’t steal anything from Arke.”

Zeus scratched his beard. “Apollo?”

“It’s true.”

A weight lifted off Luke’s shoulder.

“I guess that settles it. Nefkha, I know not your quarrel with Olympus. Knowing us though, we likely did something that offended you, and for that I apologize. Being a god, being powerful, being old, none of it necessarily instills us with either wisdom or compassion. As such, I do not judge you for your hatred. However, I cannot, in good conscience abide by the lies you have told us and yourself here today. Ares?”

The world blinked red and the old man disappeared.

Just like that, huh.

Hephaestus slowly clapped. “Well, that was riveting. Luke, I give your story seven points out of ten. It reminds me of legends ages past. Now if there isn’t anything else, can we please for the sake of all that is just and holy please get on with the games. I realize that most of us are possessed of long lives, and some of us are immortal, but that is no excuse to waste time.”

“I actually have a question, and I think after all this drama we all deserve an answer. What, Arke, was stolen from you?” Asked Apollo.

“If I don’t say?”

“You will speak, or you will die.” Ares said.

“Ares! You are crossing the line!” Iris yelled.

“Am I? Last I heard, she’s killed hundreds and extinguished the souls of hundreds more in this mad pursuit of hers. In the process, dragging our collective name through the mud. I say we deserve an answer.”

“I propose we vote on it.” Cybele said.

“I second that motion.” Apollo chimed in.

Zeus sighed. “All those who oppose this motion, say nay.”

“Nay!” Iris yelled.

“All who are in favor?”

“Yay.”

…

“Yay.”

…

“Yay.”

One after another, the gods cast their votes.

Zeus sighed once again. “Arke. The Council has spoken.”

“I won’t–”

A bolt of lightning shimmered to life in Zeus’s hand. “I urge you to reconsider your decision.”

“The God Seed.”

A heavy silence settled into the throne room. Then it was pandemonium.

The End of Book Two