Elysium

Lugh's war room

The sounds of gaming erupted even louder than the last time they came out of Lugh’s war room.

Now the room was filled with a few trickster deities like Wukong, Anansi, and Mercury. They were all playing a game together with Ariel, even his appointed Guardian Angel Daniel was sitting with them all having fun.

Lugh had just returned from visiting the Tuatha Dé Danann. He placed his godsends in the corner and stood watching the group of youths playing together.

“This is unacceptable! How does Daniel keep beating us!” Wu Kong yelled in frustration. “I’m even playing the Gorilla character with the tie! He has to be strong, he’s just like me.”

“But Wu, you’re a monkey,” Ariel said in confusion. The others laughed at Wu huffing and puffing. “A distant relative then whatever. This game sucks.”

“What did you say when Mercury was complaining before Ariel?” Lugh asked

“Sounds like a skill issue,” Ariel responded, laughing. Just then Loki walked in and sat on a chair furthest away from everyone.

“Where you go, Lo?” Lugh asked. “I was speaking with Odin about dumb stuff he needed me to do. Don’t worry too much about it,” he said looking visibly annoyed.

In all his time here, Ariel had been having the time of his life. Throughout his existence he felt like an outcast, all he wanted was to be understood but it seemed like the only communication he was able to speak was miscommunication.

It didn't help that his face was mean mugging everyone. He couldn’t help it; he was literally born looking like he wanted to fight. He only had one friend and lately they’d been drifting apart because he got a girlfriend.

Yet here he’d made so many friends with these deities and Daniel the angel, he didn’t want it to end. For the first time, he didn’t feel the loneliness of his home.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows here in Elysium. There was one deity that made it clear he didn’t want him here, nor liked him.

Loki stared at Ariel with contempt, something that Lugh noticed immediately. “Lo, can’t you just relax? Ariel’s one of his tric—”

“He’s not one of us, how could he understand how we feel?” Loki interrupted Lugh. Just what was his problem?

It didn’t matter if Ariel was human, he would square up and fight a deity for disrespecting him.

“Yo, blue boy, I don’t like your attitude,” he said, getting up and getting closer to Loki. Loki also got up and headed for Ariel, until the two were face to face.

Daniel went between the two to get them away from each other. “You're just a human and no human could ever understand what we've been through. So, you want to come here and be all friendly with us? Yeah, they may trust you but I don’t,” Loki spit out.

Ariel couldn’t believe what he was hearing, Yes, he didn’t know all of the lore and history of what happened but Lugh did tell him the basics. He knew that Loki was still hurt about Lucifer betraying them and didn’t want to create new relationships with others.

But they didn’t even know him! He didn’t even try to know him, for all his life Ariel just wanted to have someone in his corner, yet his dad was too busy with work. He had no siblings or cousins, and the area he lived in didn’t have children his age.

He also wanted love and for someone to accept him for who he was. While he had a few girlfriends, they never lasted long and the one he truly fell for didn’t want him. She wanted his friend, so he stepped aside and did the honorable thing.

And what did he get? They both stopped hanging out with him even when he went out of his way to protect them. In the hopes that they would come back and tell him thank you. Which is what he was doing right before Lugh recruited him to be his retainer.

Much like Charlie and Audrey, Ariel was profoundly lonely and nothing he did changed that feeling. Yet the difference between Charlie and the two delinquents was that in their loneliness they had a love of music that calmed their sorrow.

Ariel wasn’t the best at showing his emotions or conveying his thoughts… he subconsciously learned that from his father who was very introverted. Yet one thing that Ariel would always appreciate and love about his father was introducing him to music and bands that shaped him.

Joy Disorder, the Cured, ECHOs with the Bunnnymen, Depeche Modular, Los Dinos, Sioux and the Banshee Wails, the Mitts, Lincoln Square, King, and many more.

“Sometimes in life, you can’t explain yourself or how you feel. Or maybe no one will truly understand you just because they don’t have the capacity to,” Ariel’s dad would say to him.

“When that happens, grab one of these vinyls and listen to the songs. There will be one that will explain everything to you.”

Ariel remembered that conversation vividly to this day. It was the most profound moment he shared with his father. A moment that he knew his father “loved him” without having to tell him directly, which he couldn’t even say. Both men felt like failures to the other.

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Ariel remembered hearing those words and seeing the vinyl cover of a white and light blue art. It looked regal, like a knight’s coat of arms, and on the middle of the vinyl read “Joy Disorder, Ceremony”

“Is that one of the songs that understands you?” he asked his dad, who in turned smiled as he handed him the vinyl cover.

“This song is the greatest song ever written. If you feel like no other song in my collection understands you, then this one will. So, when you feel like the world is crashing or if you feel lonely, ceremony is there.”

As Ariel grabbed the vinyl cover he didn’t truly understand at the time. It wasn’t until the girl he liked chose his friend over him that he decided to finally truly listen to the essence of the song. The song that changed his life.

As Ariel stood in front of Loki he stood his ground but understood the hurt he, Lugh, and the others had felt. “You’d be surprised, us humans understand exactly how you feel. Daniel can you take me home to get something?”

Daniel nodded and placed his hand on his shoulder. They warped out leaving everyone else in the war room.

“Loki, what gives? Lugh picked Ariel, shouldn't that be enough?” Wu Kong said.

“Loki still hates humans, we all know that. But Ariel’s different man,” Mercury chimed in. Loki sat back in the corner, looking away from everyone else and sulking. “He’s like Ad—“

“Don’t you dare say his name!” Loki shouted, he knew the name Mercury was about to say. “I still agree with Lucifer it’s all those humans' fault that Father ignored us and abandoned us. What do these silly human know about how any of us felt during the Great Rebellion?” Loki bit his lip in frustration.

“I doubt he knows what it feels like to kill his brother.” Those words stung all the tricksters in the room.

That was true, who could really know what it was like for Loki to be charmed by Lucifer and his plans. To kill Thor, the brother he loved that stood in his way.

“It wasn’t you Loki,” Lugh said. He had sat in front of him in the opposite chair.

“We can sit around and try to cope about what happened. But in the end we were the reason everyone died. Let me blame the humans so I can feel better about myself.”

Lugh didn’t understand what caused Loki to blow up like this. He wasn’t acting this way before he’d recruited Ariel as his retainer. What was it that Odin told him? Ariel returned right as Loki finished speaking.

Daniel held a vinyl player and Ariel held in his hands the white and blue vinyl with the words “Joy Disorder, Ceremony”.

“What kind of human contraption is this?” Wu Kong asked.

“You guys don’t know what a vinyl player is?” Ariel asked.

“Some of the deities are banned from leaving Elysium, lord Ariel, not to mention that time moves very differently here,” Daniel replied as he set up the vinyl player.

“It’s music, human music,” Ariel proudly exclaimed.

“I have no idea why you want to have us listen to this filth,” Loki spat.

“My dad taught me that sometimes people can’t understand or communicate properly but that music like this, music with meaning, can reach the soul and can help one understand themselves.”

Ariel took the vinyl out of the sleeve and placed it on the record player.

“I don’t know, Ariel. I listen to music the humans created for me back in the day. It was pretty boring,” Lugh said.

“Nothing is going to change my mind about you humans. You can’t understand us, and no silly song will ever change my mind.” Loki got up and was about to leave when Ariel stood in his path.

“Just give it a chance.” Pleading with Loki, Ariel dropped the needle.

“What’s the name of the song?” Wu Kong asked.

“It’s called Ceremony, the greatest song ever made.”

///

America

The Sumner Bar

As the two disguised celestial beings entered the bar, the atmosphere changed. Most of the people in the bar turned to look at the weird people they’d never seen before.

Noticing the awkwardness, Damaris did the devil horn sign with both hands. This sign replaced her typical peace sign hello.

“They seem to be staring at us,” Zhong kui said. “Maybe I overdressed us.” Damaris looked disappointed at her statement. “I thought the cowboy hat would make you look more American,” she sighed.

They both went up to the bar and were greeted by Beth who, while friendly, had her eyebrow arched up. “What can I get you two?”

“I’ll take orange juice if you have it!” Damaris said, sticking her tongue out. “I’m technically under age for alcoholic beverages. Oh, but I’m old enough to be here.” Beth looked at the strange bubbly goth girl.

“Yeah we got some orange juice and what about you, cowboy?” Beth moved her head to look at Zhong kui.

“I’ll take one Choujiu to drink.”

An awkward silence arose between the three. Damaris elbowed Zhong kui in the side. “Warden you got to use a cowboy accent when you’re in disguise!”

“Oh… I’ll take one Choujiu to drink there, partner.” Zhong kui had a deep southern drawl as he reordered his drink. Almost like he had practiced this beforehand, many years ago.

Beth stood flabbergasted. “Uh I don’t carry any Cho jin, anything else?”

“Green tea?” he asked with his heavy accent.

“Yeah, I’ll get that set up for you.” Even with the strange exchange, Beth gave the two a warm smile.

“Good going, Warden! We definitely made her think we were humans with that accent you gave her. So, which human is it?” Damaris took out her tablet and started to move it to the crowded groups of people all around her.

Zhong kui’s eyes darted around the room looking for the strong fighter the soul told him about. Scouting the sea of heads that had been bunched up together, he noticed Audrey and her dark reddish hair with white streaks in the front.

“It's her with the red leather jacket.” Zhong kui didn’t want to point; it would be extremely rude in this setting. Instead, he swiveled Damaris in the general direction of Audrey.

“Time to get to work like a true angel of the lord,” Damaris said as she got up and pinpointed Audrey, doing her best to snap a picture of her quickly and quietly.

She felt like a spy trying to sneak around without a human noticing her. “Phew, I got it,” she said returning back to her seat. Zhong kui gave her a thumbs up of approval with his giant hands.

“Excellent work, Agent Damaris.” Zhong Kui supported Damaris' little role play, something that Damaris appreciated. Beth walked up and placed the two drinks in front of them.

“Here you two go—”

Damaris and Zhong kui quickly covered the tablet from her and looked very suspicious, they both gave Beth a thumbs up as Zhong kui grabbed his drink.

“Well, enjoy. The music going to start soon as well.”

As she walked away she shook her head and thought, what the heck is wrong with them? Damaris pressed play and in a few seconds they experienced the beat down Queen’s entire existence.

Her relationship with her mother and sister. The main catalyst to her descent into delinquency, the feeling of abandonment from friends and her father. The many impulsive decisions she

made to get to this point in her life.

And all the moments and memories of Allie and how she protected Audrey. As Zhong kui watched there was a part of him that thought how perfect Allie would be as his retainer.

She definitely had a noble and honorable soul with the information he had. They also saw the moments of the last few days and the stress and hurt Audrey went through. Damaris then brought up her stats.

Audrey Saito-Rivera

STR:<0/0/0/0/0/0>

INT: <0/0/X/X/X/X>*

ATH: <0/_/_/_/_/_>

RES: <0/0/0/0/_/_>

“Okay, twenty-two years old, half Japanese and half Salvadorian. Oh, that explains why her last names are like that in the system. Her and her sister legally changed it to Rhodes, based on some wrestler they loved. There's an asterisk next to her intelligence,” Damaris said perplexed.

“What does that mean?” Zhong kui asked. While her soul had maxed out strength, her low ather level worried Zhong kui.

How would she be able to summon multiple godsends he would give her in the Tryfing? Like his ghost army, or his favored godsend ghost-catcher. Or the use of the Diyu portal?

“The tablet senses that her personality is so strong, that it overrides her soul's original levels of Intelligence she was supposed to have. She’s just really reckless and impulsive. She’s definitely not dumb or anything. Honestly, I think she’s beautiful and cool. I should have just copied her for my disguise.

Zhong kui sighed. “I don’t think she’s the retainer for me, Damaris. If that's true she is the complete opposite of how I act. Would she even listen to my concerns and plans?”

Damaris looked bummed at that, she thought someone like Audrey deserved a shot at the Tryfing and changing her life around.

“Can we still stay to watch the band play?” Damaris asked.

“Sure but only one or two songs, I still need to find my retainer,” Zhong kui said. He looked at the young woman who was talking to other patrons around her waiting for the band. Logically, Zhong kui knew this was the right decision…Yet something in him was telling him he was wrong.

3rd Tryfing

Official judge: Heroic Greek deity, Achilles.

Support judge: Angel, Damaris.

Chosen deities:

Ra: Demi-God: Darren Donaldson

Lugh: Knight: Ariel Morales

Zhong Kui: Exorcist

Inari: Polymath: Kento Sanosuke

Freya: Assassin: Charlie Wilson

Nuada: Conqueror: João Machado

Minerva: Tactician ???

Team Arc-Angel: Hero Luther Satenly

Fantasia world: The world known as Helioan

Starting year: not yet decided.

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