Olympus: Political Powers

Change is Good

"Eh! Eh! Ah!" Victor trained his body for combat using a punching bag, he would spare no time in getting ready for whatever came at him. The door knocked on Victor's door abruptly and ended his training session. A gun concealed under his jacket, he made his way to the door. Opening the door, the taller god Hermes towered above him, an unfortunate frown on his face.

"Victor, I come bearing bad news" Hermes spoke "Clarice has just put a target on your head, it's about your military duties, she says you've gone AWOL and threatened the security of Olympus in doing so, you are set to look like a renegade . . . Seward is coming here right away" Hermes didn't appear to hold any scrolls, he spoke from the heart, which meant he'd come here on his own accord.

"Thank you Hermes . . . but-" Victor realised he didn't have much time and ran to suit up "Thank you, you may leave" Victor didn't want Hermes to be seen here.

"Perhaps some gods are willing to help you, there are still some that don't believe you to have defected or whatever label she may put on your head. They can-" Hermes was cut short by Victor.

"Keep a telepathic link open, but for now, I can't endanger others because of me" Victor began to suit up in his alternate armour. Seward possessed the powers of Poseidon, and he'd need to get him out of the range of others. Had it been foolish not to ask for help? He can't possibly win this. Should he ask for help while he can? No.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Victor ran throughout the city, holding his .700 caliber magnum with extra magazines, his adamantine Bowie knife and many other weapons and gadgets. This armour was specifically made for sustaining hits from super individuals, but it wasn't yet finished. He'd have to rush the process. Making his way to a farm, he stood in the bare land, waiting for Seward to come. He could see the god from far away, approaching Victor and ready for a fight, believing him to really be a renegade. I could've had Hercules be on my side.

Victor rushed into battle with a sword, hoping to engage the god in close combat to limit his powers.

Nomadic Serpent

Hermes, our link is weak . . . I can't feel him anymore, his telepathic relay, it's gone . . .

Clara Mass, Vasillias's advisor, appointed into position as a result of the war. She was behind this. She stood high, placing herself above every living thing, she had her own thing coming.

"Making me out to be a renegade general?" Victor responded to the taunt, taking deep breaths, his body slowly tiring, but his stamina still strong "clever, but stupid. When I clear my name and the whole Olympus bears truth to the lies of the real renegade, who will they trust? You are a wolf in sheep's clothing, a coward hiding in plain sight, yet you claim what? To offer liberation? To save the olympians? Your kind is the worst" Victor's adamantine knife clashed with the golden trident of the Son of the Sea, the force of the blow sending him back, the only thing keeping him to the ground being his weight. He'd underestimated Seward, and no reinforcements would come, but he had a far-fetched plan, a long shot.

Spitting out a string of blood from his mouth and into his face plate, Victor performed a perfect side roll to compensate for his reduced manoeuvrability, Seward had just missed his mark, his trident flying past the Fallen God with a firm and swift movement, the power might've killed him, the sound of the air being cut could be heard out loud. Victor doubled forward and made his way to Seward's back, slashing at the son of the sea's back. The god had underestimated Victor as well, because even if he wasn't god, his skills were toned over millennia's of military focused battle. I'm not playing for smiles, i'll get killed. Sometimes you have to play dirty to win. Victor side rolled around Seward as he prepared his plan.

"You know, very convenient your husband disappearing in your house? Any coincidence? Why'd you kill your husband Clara?" Victor attempted mind games, but she wasn't the real threat here, he was just having fun to get under her skin. The real threat was Seward, the Son of the Poseidon. Didn't this guy die?

"Why were you so eager to kill your dad Seward? Got too tired of humping him?" Victor smirked, taunting the god as Seward threw his Trident forward, piercing Victor's armour and sending him through the air flying. He landed with a crash, his rib was bruised, it had to be. Victor reached his hand into his holster, producing his gun from the armour. It was a Desert Eagle .50 Pistol custom made, but that wasn't the real trick. S.P.I.N Tech bullets will reduce any man to the regular human standard, removing any powers or extraordinary physiology. Victor raised his gun, taking aim to see a large wave of ocean tearing through the crop and heading straight at Victor The Son of Poseidon now had his distance to launch a proper attack, a large ocean wave encompassing the whole countryside coming right at him, ten stories high.

Victor ignored the large wave of ocean, towering as large as a ten story building. Ignore it and make the shot! The gun sent it's S.P.I.N Tech bullet forward, Seward's shoulder was pierced, cutting into his muscle and sinew, but the bullet stayed in. Seward's muscles began to reduce in a smooth transition, a god made mortal as long as that bullet stayed in. The Irony? Both were gods made mortals now. A shadow encompassed the both, Seward's attack lay right above him, coming right down toward him. The huge wave crashed through, it should've snapped his neck. He should've been dead. He lay closing his eyes, his armour was damaged and his guns ineffective. The ocean was deep, and he was losing breath.

Instead the armour was made to protect him from this. Was Clara caught in the big wave as well? Did Seward's neck snap? Victor tried to swim to the surface as he pondered on the possibilities. It seemed like a mile swim up. F*ck Clara! I didn't expect this!

No Way Out

As the ocean came to pass, the clash between his armour and the tidal wave left his muscle unrelaxed, and his durability shells cracked. He reached his hand to his extra plates, relieving the armour to its basic components. It left him weaker, but more agile. "What crimes Clara? There's no one here, so why don't you drop the act. Why are you really doing this? You want to know why i've been AWOL?" he raised his gun, sending two S.P.I.N tech bullets at Clara, hoping to do the same as he did to Seward. He performed several side rolls, staying on the move as his opponent was dangerous. "I can't get back in Olympus, I have no access anymore, i'm no longer a god, no more than you are a patriot to Olympus" he was waiting for Hermes to re-establish a link "What did you do to Hermes Clarice?" he kept his distance as she could crush him with little effort if he gave her the chance. That's what this whole game was, keeping her distracted and stalling, keeping his distance so she doesn't realise what he's doing, keep her talking so she doesn't think of it.

"You know Clarice, when I first heard we have a new advisor to the king, I got ideas, I imagined you differently" he hadn't even checked if the bullets made their mark, instead he focused on staying on the move and distracting her "but did you even stop to question why I went AWOL? Did you ask yourself or did you just try to justify your cause? What did you tell everyone Clarice? Did you march to the sound of trumpets and paraded around as a hero?" he'd be damned if this didn't work. He raised his head to see if Clarice was on the ground, was she defeated? Of course she wouldn't make it easy for him . . .

Two projectiles ejected from a strange technologically advanced device.  Clarice drops herself onto the floor and playfully caresses the wet ground.  Licking cherry flavored lips, the lavender eyed heroine spins back onto her feet.  "Was that S.P.I.N tech?"  Mister Grey's arsenal was far more advanced that she once presumed.  Her time to think was incredibly thin.  He continued babbling about her supposed facade.  Annoyed best described her feelings at the moment.  

"You're humanity has rendered you unable to communicate with the Gods? This is why you've gone AWOL."  Although head trauma kept the reality-warper unbalanced for a few seconds, her attention span had wandered when Mister Grey spoke of festivities, orgies, or whatever the hell he uttered.  Formulating a sharp diamond spear from nothingness, a drained Trinity member lunges her creation at the clavicle of a grey attired mortal. 
  
Clara Mass would be damned if she permitted a victory for one sorry vigilante.  It wasn't her fault that he'd become the abomination he is now.  It wasn't her fault that his arrest was mandatory for Vasilias' image.  "Hermes was put in his place", she huffed and she puffed, "And you my dear must come in dead or alive."  Victory will not comply no matter what she says or how calmly she acts. 
 
"I'll give you this one chance to surrender.  Together we can go to Olympus and end this political madness."  Hands folded behind her head, Clara Mass's signature devilish smile stretches across her dirt colored face.  If he surrendered...her life would be so much simpler.  However, if he does not react accordingly the fatal bombshell will end him like she ended Michael.  She tries her hardest to ignore the pain within her complex mind.  This sudden gut wrenching issue has been caused by Seward's mental shrieks. 
 
"I-If you surrender", Clarice forcefully swallows her prideful ego, "I'll support you in Olympian court.  Help you regain your powers."

Clara manoeuvred herself around the bullets, his mental games must continue, keep her distracted long enough so he doesn't end up a corpse. "You know about S.P.I.N Tech? Found it in Park's armoury, handy bullets, thing about them is they took down Seward didn't they? Can you hear his pain? Perhaps you might want to help him?" she spoke of his humanity, it seemed she had the concept wrong. "Because I am mortal, the Olympus barrier doesn't open for me, I must be escorted in by a god" from behind her back she lunged a spear forward at dangerous speeds, it was only because he was smart enough to keep his distance that he was able to slide under it, missing him by a few inches.

He kept the option of surrender open though, harder to defeat him if she thinks there is hope of surrender "Surrender you say? What are the terms of this surrender?" he began to talk once more, She's playing for keeps, get her to talk so she doesn't reality-bend."You know, you can take away all of Seward's pain, you only need to wish it, but of course you don't have much left" he knew very well if she healed Seward, it would take it out of her, and give him time to escape and formulate a plan, but if she left him he might die.

He would have to take a gamble, get close enough to shoot her point-blank with S.P.I.N tech, but she'd have the same advantage. He ran forward, just five meters away from Clara, he swerved left and right to make it hard for her to lock on to him. He produced his gun once more, getting ready to fire upon the goddess.

She would take her chances by delaying his death.  Somewhere deep within the bowels of her soul exists a light of optimism.  If she could acquire Mister Grey as an ally there wouldn't be any doubt placed onto her position as the King's most prized possession.  Insulted at first by his surprise of her expansive intellect, the violet eyed chess player keeps her cheesy smile intact.  Tonight she would emerge as the winner regardless of the dire stipulations. 
 
"I am a goddess.  I can bring you to Olympus", she immediately notices his odd body language, "You don't want an alliance", Clarice knew if healing Seward occurred, Mister Grey would use her drained powers as a tactical advantage.  "Are you mentally challenged?"  Her arms unfold and she readies herself for another assault but prior to speaking those words of sarcasm, the motivated mortal shoots yet another S.P.I.N tech bullet aimed her gorgeous face. 

Flawless Clarice cannot afford having an actual loss.  Once more sheer momentum takes Clara Mass back a step or two. However, acrobatic agility flows into a ballerina like twirl.  Even though it tears her teeth apart, the reality-warper snickers as the Park's device easily becomes a stick of double bubble gum.  She was truly a blessed woman living an realm unworthy of her tender touch.
 
Clarice uses her sleeve to wipe of the bloody enamel.  Her powers are dwindling as the string of time heal an aching body.  Without further delay its time to end this over extended confrontation.  She claps her hands twice and the god Hermes appears on his knees, chained to the gnarly wetland.  He's been obviously drugged by plants unknown to this dimension.  Clara Mass applauds Mister Grey's valiant efforts but she's grown bored of this tiresome waltz.  "Surrender or Hermes dies."

Suddenly the battlefield changes, everything changes. Clara gives him the ultimatum. A drugged Hermes is on his knees, unable to speak even. "Surrender or Hermes dies" Victor's hands loosened a little, dropping his guard and standing there in a moment of silence, going through plans and possibilities in his head.

"How do I know this isn't an illusion Clara? That when I turn my back you'll stab me and walk victoriously to the Olympians?" his eyes scan around for Seward "and how do you plan on saving Seward?" he shouts out across the green landscape. This wasn't a victory, he was actually considering surrender. He'd return to his duties, and Hermes lives. It was hardly worth for him to die when this could all be solved so easily. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

"You also said you'd help me regain my powers, but we both know the gods can't just bestow me what was once lost. My only hope is the golden fleece" he described the situation to her. The Golden Fleece, the one Angeni promised him to acquire, the last desperate hope it seemed. Maybe Clarice would suggest accompanying them on the journey, to which he wouldn't know how to reply. "Prove to me that Hermes is real, tell me what happens to Seward and my powers, and then I might just come"

Malnutrition infects the bodily insides of Olympus' messenger god.  Clarice shrugs at Mister Grey's realistic concern.  How could he believe the honesty coming from such a flawless demigoddess?  Jumping up and down like a monkey, Clara Mass gives her best impression of Princess Helena of Troy.  Clarice really doesn't like that sad excuse of a woman.  Nonetheless after doing a little shimmy, a single padded roundhouse kick cracks the cartilage inside Hermes's nose.  
 
"Look. No hands."  Afar a pulsating heartbeat of the Seven Sea's final prince steadies.  It is no illusion that thee graceful executive administrator has used what's left of her powers to save an innocent soul.  Consider healing her most faithful follower a kind gesture for future reference.  Slowly walking along the wet greenery, the evenly tanned beauty hopes Alceus' shadow will respectfully surrender his valiant efforts.   
 
"Victor you make things so difficult but I have a proposal", she's getting closer in proximity, "I agree to your terms", the thought of working alongside Angeni is cringe worthy,  "In return I'll owe you another favor so long as you support me in my future endeavors."  Face to face stood the brash beau and an AWOL mortal.  The Golden Fleece is an adventure worth anticipating.  It'd no doubt solidify her newest position as the Trinity Foundation's brightest heroine.  Bowing politely as a sign of curtsy, Clarice Michelle assures Mister Grey she'll act appropriately from here on out.  Although if he even gives the slightest clue of hesitation the former mercenary would slit his throat with an accurate slash of turquoise painted nails.  
 
It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order - and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order  
 
~ Douglas Hostadter

Just when he thought he'd seen a glimpse of hope for Clarice, the demigoddess attack Hermes once more, much to Victor's anger hidden by his mask. She made her proposition, getting closer as she did so. Was she stalling him to get close enough? His hands trained the gun on her as she walked. When he'd heard her speak of her future endeavours, would he dare agree to her terms? Maybe he can at least lie, but she might sense it, he couldn't risk Hermes life.

One must invest an amount of interest in a deal, not too much, but not too little. "Why would you do that Clara?" he ignored her trained finger nails, lethal as they are. "What future endeavours do you speak of?" she could strike him down here and now, but that'd do her only worse. Anyone can take a life, it's nothing special, but she'd have Alceus and Angeni on her tail, and Vasillias wouldn't be pleased of his nephew's death. How would Trinity handle it? What replacement could she possibly muster up for him? Will Ares take the sole job of being Olympus's defender? Does she truly believe that the dying Seward could replace him?

A deal with the devil? Was she serious? But then his eyes scanned Hermes, with blood dripping down his nose, flashbacks of Park. His best friend Park died in a civil war between the gods because Victor asked for his help, and now Hermes pays the price. "I'm not making a deal with the devil, it's not the life I want, I answer only to Olympus and the king, and you Clara are on no pedestal you deserve" he'd decided against it, but slid his hands to his gun, if she'd turn around to go and kill Hermes or even raise her hand towards, he'd shoot her before she can touch him.

"Maybe there is good in you Clara, your mentality isn't broken, it's bent. Maybe it can be mended again. Let me help you" he'd tried the path of honesty, no trash talk, none of the likes of that. If Clara really wanted to help, maybe she deserved a chance. "So here's another proposition, Hermes lives, we get Seward to safety as our first priority. I will give you a chance, you stop firing at me, and I resume my position at Olympus. Should you need help with a quest, I will consider it, but will not be bind by contract. In compensation, you don't have to help me with the Golden Fleece. Do these terms sound acceptable?" he extended his hand to the goddess. "Clarice, i'm done fighting you, my body is sore. But I believe there is good in you, this isn't it. Maybe you had daddy issues, I did too, but Hermes has nothing to do with this. This is a way of a coward, my offer is sincere and honest as your senses will tell you, just take my hand, no tricks"

Depending on what she does next, she could be dead, a villain, or a hero.

Oceanic Prince

Twisted Ideals

Seward pounces out of nowhere, very well alive and ready to stab Victor. Truth be told, the hit would've made it, but Clara had seemingly saved him from her own monster before proposing a new deal. "So everything stays the same? Done deal" Clarice then gave him Seward to do with as he wishes. He hit his head with the hilt of his gun, fading him into unconsciousness so he wouldn't be able to follow him out. "Clarice . . ." the former god spoke to her as she walked away "release Hermes" he nodded to the god, an understanding between the both, and somewhat apologetic on Victor's part, not a soul had died today.

It seems he had expected different from Clarice, she was cunning and aggressive, as any diplomat should be, but she didn't act like a villain tonight, save for Hermes torture. It seems he'd misjudged her. "I'm sorry Hermes for dragging you into this" Victor raised Hermes head up from its position.

"I chose to help you Victor, I don't regret any of it" he still showed disgust for Clarice. "I'll be back to Olympus soon, you get out of here before that Seward wakes up" he forced a smile, one that Victor returned.

A new day shall rise, the aftermath of this day? Hermes is tortured, something that'll pass over time, Seward is no longer valuable to Clarice it seems. Victor's armour is broken, Clarice will find a way to make herself the hero of today, but the two will meet as strangers next time. Victor imagines being up in Olympus again, and this battle has had him thinking, will he ever see the place again? Someday . . . someday the god shall rise.

Knowledge

Weekly Update

Epilogue