Butch towered over the grill, an enormous, 8-foot-tall mass of muscle and power, casually flipping the burgers as he looked out over the field behind the house. The herd had grown; they were unlikely to have any shortage of beef anytime soon; though all the mixing of the herds ensured that this new breed of cattle didn't quite match up to any of the old standards.
As he looked around the gathering, he gave a low sigh. His fiance had already left for her appointment with the OBGYN. Every attempt he'd made to get her to meet Eyeball had been rebuffed so far. If anything was going to break them up, it was his friendship there; she had been steadily more angry with each day he'd left to work on the hull for the Dragonslayer II, and he'd had to promise her he'd be finished before the kid was born.
He was dreading Eyeball asking him to leave the compound for the trip. As much as the idea of another adventure was awesome; especially one to the stars; he would have to say no. He added a few more burgers to the grill, and looked out, past the herd, to the edge of the compound.
The Valkyrie compound was relatively isolated by what vaguely resembled natural barriers; but were in fact anything but. A ridiculous amount of brute force was used to create a series of canyons and ridges around a farming community in territory that had yet to be reclaimed by the United States; after the fall of Denver to the plagues, there were no longer any major cities within reach; Crater City was the biggest intact town in the entire region, with it's resident superhero team doing a truly miraculous job at keeping it safe.
The bottoms of the false canyons had thousands of skeletons laying amongst them; both the infected living and the dead trying and failing to reach the town; and a scattered handful of uninfected who unfortunately were left among the rest to die.
And inside the compound... a handful of businesses, farms, and Valkyrie's 'gang'... who were now functionally the government of the town, and not too happy about it. On the plus side, the overabundance of beef was actually worthwhile in trade; even if Valkyrie herself weren't ridiculously wealthy, as well as Butch, they would still be able to stay afloat here.
As Butch watched the familiar dark-hulled spacecraft start to approach, he glanced back to the house. "Mom! Odin! Eyeball's here!"
He could hear a dramatic curse, and tried not to imagine what was going on inside; knowing full well that the two were likely doing something that he wouldn't want to see, much less think about. He'd already seen his mother accidentally collapse her home a few months back during one of Odin's earlier visits, and would never recover from what he'd witnessed afterwards.
The twins... Jason and Freya... were asleep, with the maid, Martina, gently rocking their crib back and forth, alongside Martina's own much older daughter; the woman had managed to actually climb up one of the weak-spots in the new barricade around the compound, after it was put together, carrying her daughter on her back; and Valkyrie had offered her work, or a ride out of town, admiring her dedication.
As the spacecraft settled in on a massive grey concrete platform they'd erected for exactly this sort of purpose years ago, Valkyrie stepped out of the house carrying a cooler, wearing her typical armored golden boots, black leather pants, and... her not-quite-leather jacket wasn't quite buttoned up all the way, making it clear she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. Her face was a bit flushed, and Odin stepped behind almost immediately after her; leaning in close and smacking her on the ass as they stepped out.
Odin was wearing more modern garb; ordinary boots, jeans, and... one of Valkyrie's t-shirts, most likely, as it had a Metallica logo across the chest. He was also almost immediately casually backhanded into the wall with an audible crack, with both Odin and Valkyrie laughing as they headed out towards the grill, Odin rubbing his forehead.
Butch sighed. As much as he loved having his mom around, and the idea of raising kids in a place that was rendered safe not just by physical barriers, but by the fact that no-one on earth would dare to mess with the family of the two Titans, he needed to move further away. La Famiglia would be an awesome place to settle down, even if he couldn't fight in the arena anymore; everyone would just surrender immediately, and they'd politely ask him not to come back, most likely.
As Odin casually set out a stack of plates, and Valkyrie laid out a few bags of buns and various supplies for the meal, Eyeball was climbing out of the Dragonslayer, dusting himself off; and pulling a keg out of the back of the craft before walking forward; taking off his helmet and holding it under his arm as he approached, slinging the keg over his shoulder.
Valkyrie glanced at the keg, and laughed, as Eyeball set the keg, and his helmet, down on one of the tables; and set the tap in with a quick firm jab. "You know, I've involved him in all sorts of crimes, ranging from murder to blackmail, armed robbery, and if China keeps going the way signs are pointing, causing the downfall of an entire government. I don't think I've ever served beer to someone under 21 before. Hopefully his mother doesn't object."
A woman; fairly heavily pregnant, with dark skin and short, curly hair, stepped around the grill, glancing at Eyeball. Butch awkwardly looked away as the woman sighed. "So long as there's something else to drink I bet we'll be okay."
Eyeball blinked.. and glanced at Butch. "This her? Am I finally meeting your girl?"
The woman laughed. "No, he wishes. I'm Natasha. Me and Renee are friends of his girlfriend. We wanted kids, his mom wanted more maybe-titans in the world... and, well. I suspect being the mother of one of Valkyrie's grandchildren will probably make it risky to come after me."
Valkyrie nodded. "Damn right, there. Either me or Odin would come down on them like an atom bomb. And they'd pray it was Odin."
As a slender, shorter, asian girl stepped around to follow; Renee apparently; Butch sighed. "Honestly, she doesn't like you, and thinks you're a bad influence on me. Asked me not to go on this adventure of yours, off into space."
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Eyeball chuckled, as he started to fill a few mugs; passing them around to, as it turned out, everyone but the two pregnant women, before taking one for himself. "I will admit, you could come in handy. But I'm meeting President Thomes this evening. With any luck, I can convince him to send Spike along. He'll be a poor substitute for you, but should be enough to get the job done."
He glanced at Valkyrie. "Where are the twins?"
"Asleep, finally. Martina has them. You sure about this whole hunt business?" Valkyrie crossed her arms. "You've been acting like this is a one-way trip. And while Odin is definitely going to be 'Dad' as far as they are concerned, you'll be welcome to get involved. 'Uncle Jason' is the most likely label I imagine."
"It won't be a one-way trip for everyone who goes. But... probably for me. My instincts... meaning my powers... are telling me this has to happen. And, well. Kinda pushed me to get a will together before I left. Honestly, its why I agreed to the donation. I'd hoped to someday reconcile with Emerald, maybe try again... but I don't think there's time, even if the odds were good."
Odin clapped a hand on Valkyrie's shoulder. "His power isn't quite like Apollo's was. Its better, but worse, at the same time. Apollo, he could make decisions, and then see how they'd turn out. From what we can tell, for Eyeball, he decides how he wants things to end up... and his power tries to push him to choose the path that leads there. It'll be interesting to see if that's how Freya's work when she grows up."
Eyeball shrugs. "Ehh, we can't be sure she'll get precognition. She might be just like her big brother, and her mom."
"Ohh, no. She's got a gap right in the middle of her skull. Starting to grow a third eyeball, eyelid structure, the whole mess you ended up with. Now that we know how Butch turned out, its looking like she'll probably be strong, tough, but not a Titan... and have your gift. And her brother will probably grow up to be another Titan."
Eyeball shook his head. "Let me guess. She'll probably be invited to the Olympians to be their seer once she's old enough?"
Odin nodded. "Unless another Seer happens along first? Yes. There's been a Seer among the Olympians since before they were founded. Without Apollo, we could never have overthrown Cronos. And without you, we would have been crushed by the Jotun. I hope your daughter manages to be one of us for many thousands of years before such a pivotal moment arises again."
"Bah. So long as its an invitation, and not an order. Not that any daughter of Valkyrie could be forced to do something she didn't want to."
The gathering would last for a few hours; Eyeball switching to soda after the first hour so that he wouldn't become too impaired to fly; despite the psuedo-AI control built into the craft, it was best to stay ready for emergencies. There was talk of plans for the future; of numerous children, grandchildren, and rebuilding.
He took time to visit the sleeping children before he left; the twins pressed against each other in the crib, with Isabella; Martina's daughter; right there beside them. He could see the tiny bump on Freya's forehead; and gently brushed his fingers through her hair; short, impossibly soft.
He thought for just a moment, about what might have been. What turning point he could have chosen differently that would have led to Emerald's twins being born instead; twins that would have grown up to call him Daddy. Perhaps a pair of cute little dragons, with green scales like their mother. Who knew what they could have become.
He should make one last attempt to call her, before leaving. Not that it would matter. She'd made her feelings fairly clear, the last time they spoke.
***
The building was ancient; stone slabs carved during the days that Persia was an Empire, a throne every bit as old, one that had long ago been cracked and broken by war; and the stone had been pieced back together, now held in place by gold poured into the cracks, forged back into the shape it had borne while it was whole. The woman leaning back in the throne wore a long dress of purple silk, adorned with jewels; but she was no princess.
Her face was cracked with age and hatred; her hair long, dark, and threaded with gemstones as well, she looked like ancient royalty more than one of the most dangerous beings on the planet. But the fountain in the center of the room... one from which the stink of death and oil emerged, where oil seemed to bubble up and flow in unnatural patterns.. formed a reminder that those who upset the Black Death rarely left this room alive.
Aziz knelt before the throne, wearing a simple white robe; a vast difference from the finely tailored suits he typically wore; glancing at the jewels around the woman's head. Enchanted to warn her should he try to use his powers, he was reasonably certain that even trying to peek at her mind for a few seconds would likely result in his death, with his lungs filled with oil, then, if he were lucky, a quick death by drowning.
This woman would under no circumstances be willing to tolerate the rise of a Caliphate. She wanted the resurrection of the Empire of old, with herself as Empress. And so long as she held the same enemies as himself... he could work with her.
"Well, your highness. The plan is proceeding apace. We have had setbacks, of course. I've had no luck suborning anyone in the new US government, the candidate I supported appeared to have good odds until Thomes decided to run, and the Don of La Famiglia retired after I suborned him... with his daughter refusing to see me since she's taken over. However..."
He smiled. "Japan is no longer concerned with this world. In the event of another global war, their intention is evacuation and holding actions, rather than battle. We can safely ignore them. China is on the verge of a civil war... and once one of the two sides is on the verge of winning, Taiwan will step in and overthrow the survivor. Almasi's successor is one of our people, and will support us once his king has passed... and our forces are poised to take positions of control in both Australia and South America. Even better... there are isolated bastions of Jotun surviving in antarctica that the United States will learn of just at the right time to draw their navy away."
He swept his hand out across the floor. "I have manipulated the metahuman Eyeball; he will gather massive resources and as many powerful metahumans as he can, and flee this world on a suicide mission. I believe I have arranged events sufficiently to, at the very least, draw away the sole Titan the United States has remaining on this fool's errand."
"With your funding and influence behind us, we have put the pieces in place. Soon, the Persian Empire will rise once more to the ultimate position in this world; larger, and more powerful, than any nation had ever been. We will allow our enemies to spend themselves against each other... and then collect the pieces for our own."
A low, sibilant hiss filled the room. Aziz felt himself forced to his feet, grimacing in pain; he could feel his limbs forcibly stretched out in all directions. Ahh. His theory that, if she could control liquids, blood must work just fine for her purposes, had been proven correct.
"For my own, Aziz. Not us.... Me. Never forget who is in charge here, charlatan. Should you work against me, nothing can save you from my vengeance. Still. Your work has been... excellent so far. You will hold a position of great wealth and power in my Empire. Or you will join the dead in the black well."
He fell to the ground, groaning in pain. He'd lost all feeling in his limbs, as if they'd all fallen asleep; and he's started to black out, lose focus. "..Of course, your highness. I would never dream of betraying you."
At least, not while he was in the same country. If everything worked out as he intended, the Black Death would be just another of the enemies who would die to infighting among the scheming infidel of the world.