A wide grin spread over his face and he leaned back in his simple wooden chair. "I thought you were one that relied on power, but it seems there's more to you than I thought. Even if you win this, you will still have a hundred more troubles coming your way. If you know that, why would you still pursue this path?"

"Would you miss the chance at the perfect Apocosmos war, where all realms fought against each other, if it meant that you would have a million problems afterward?"

"Not by a long shot," he replied instantly. "Is that what this is for you?"

"I will be king of the Greek realms," I said, repeating the promise I'd made to myself, "and I will make Cronus pay for killing my siblings."

"I had no idea about your siblings," Ares said. He looked over at his sister with affectionate eyes. "I like what I'm hearing, Zeus, but I can't leave this place now. My show is just about to begin."

"What kind of show?" Aphrodite asked. "You've been here for almost a decade."

"But only now have I found the perfect way to cause havoc between two Norse gods," he said, and retrieved something from his inventory. "I guess this is one of the few times that I actually do have to hide."

* * *

Name: Knuckles of Magni

Type: Fist Weapons

Rarity: B Grade

Physical Attack: 213

Magic Attack: 91

Special Ability: -

Attack Speed: Fast

Durability: 14689/19000

Weight: 680st.

Description: A pair of knuckles created from seven different metal alloys created in the depths of Nidavellir. Thor himself had this weapon made as a gift for his son, Magni. The knuckles are unbreakable and protect the wearer's fingers from any sort of damage.

* * *

"That's a beautiful pair of fists you have there, but how will a weapon cause the havoc you're looking for?" I asked.

"This is not just any weapon," he said. "This is a prized possession of Magni. He doesn't use it anymore, but it is still a prized possession of his. Now imagine what will happen when he finds out that this was stolen."

"He will be mad," Aphrodite said, "and probably try to kill you, if he finds out that you stole it."

"But what if it's found in the temple of a different god?" he pointed out. "Especially one that Magni is not particularly fond of, like his brother Modi? Modi was always jealous of the weapon their father gifted his brother over him."

"So you want to start a war between the two gods?" I asked. "How do you plan to achieve that?"

"Since you're asking," he said, and leaned forward in his chair, "and since you're here, asking me to join you in what might be the last adventure I have, you might as well ask how we plan to achieve it."

"You're not pulling us into your scheming, brother," Aphrodite said before I had the chance to respond. "We came here to invite you to our cla--"

"Would you have come here if you didn't need me?" he asked.

She was taken aback. "What we definitely do not need is you dictating the terms of your joining."

"Well, then, there's nothing to talk about is there?" he said, and took a big sip of his mead.

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For a few long seconds, the crackling of the fire and the occasional hooting of an owl was the only sound in the small canyon we sat in.

"How are we doing it?" I asked.

Aphrodite sighed.

"Now we're talking," Ares said, and put his mug down only to clap his hands together excitedly. "We need to make sure that the weapon falls into the hands of a follower of Modi and someone on Magni's side finds it there."

"We have no knowledge of these gods, so you'll have to explain a few things to us," Artemis said.

The god of war nodded in understanding. "Magni and Modi are both children of Thor, the god of thunder." He looked at me, "I mean. in the Norse realms."

I nodded, and he continued.

"They have always been at each other's throats since they were kids, but when they grew up and gained their godhoods, Thor showed his clear preference for Magni by giving him this weapon. That's when they became proper full-blown enemies."

"Why doesn't their father do something about it?" I asked.

"I doubt he cares as long as they don't kill each other," Ares replied. "The knuckles are considered a relic of Magni's faith, and I had to kill dozens of draugar to get my hands on them. And a few dozen more to make sure nobody knew that it was me who took them."

"So right now they're looking for the person who stole the weapon?" I asked.

"Exactly," he said, nodding enthusiastically. "And I have no doubt the first place they will search for them will be Holhemein, one of the neighboring villages with a large temple of Modi."

"And that's where they're going to find the weapon?" I asked.

"Finding it there will not be enough," he said. "The draugr might be mindless fighters but there will be warriors of Magni with them, and they are bloodthirsty but not stupid."

"We need to find a way to offload the weapon so that it's found during the battle," I said.

"That's the plan, yes," Ares said. "If the weapon is found on one of Modi's followers, war will be unavoidable. Stealing a religious artifact is a more than enough cause for war."

I considered his plan for a while, but the truth was that I had so little information about the players and what the dynamics between gods and their faiths were in this place, that the best source of information was him. As much as I didn't like trusting someone I'd just met, I had seen how he looked at Aphrodite.

This was a brother that cared for her and I doubted he would do anything to put her in danger. After all, living so long and getting to his level while doing what he was doing, must have meant that he was quite a careful planner. Either that, or he was an extremely fast runner. Probably a bit of both.

"When are we doing it?" I asked.

"I was supposed to find a way to offload the weapon immediately after I stole it, but my dear sister made me change my plans," he said.

Aphrodite mock-grinned at him.

"If we leave now," he said, "we can reach Holhemein in less than an hour."

"Let's get going then," I said and stood up.

Aphrodite cast her usual water spell and snuffed out the magical bonfire that we had been sitting in front of.

"Now why would you do that?" Ares protested.

"You're not going to need it anymore, are you?" she asked. "You're coming with us afterward.""

"Still, I would have liked to leave it here," he said. "You know, as a reminder to this world that I was here."

"Just get your things and let's go," she said.

"I'm leaving the tent here," he said. "Don't want to make it too obvious that I fled as soon as the weapon disappeared. Putting out the fire might already be too much."

I sent him an invitation to our party.

"It has been so many years since I had any proper buffs," he said looking at Aphrodite. "Go ahead, sister. Make me stronger."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes but started casting her buffs on us all the same.

"I see you've learned some new tricks since we last went XPing together, sister."

Once we were all ready to go, Ares pointed to the lake.

"Care to do the honors, Aphro?"

I had seen her oyster appear out of the waves in the sea but never had I watched it emerge from the still waters of a lake. It moved so gracefully, barely creating any ripples as it came toward us.

"This way, we won't be seen and will be there much faster than the foot soldiers of Modi."

"So you were counting on me dropping you there with my oyster," Aphrodite said as her vessel opened up.

"It's only fair to reimburse me for the time I lost to meet you here, isn't it?" he asked, and we all stepped into the oyster once more. "Head along the north-east coast and around half an hour into our trip, you'll see the lights of the village. Don't take us directly there. Let's land a mile or so away so that we're not seen by anyone."

"Good call," Aphrodite said.

The lid of the oyster shut behind us while we moved down its stairs.

"I missed this place," Ares said and threw himself at one of the chairs that had multiple furs piled up on it. "Zeus, what's your weapon of choice?"

"The spear," I replied. "I see you favor the dual swords. Perhaps it would be a good thing to get to know each other's skills before we fight together."

"Oh, I think you're going to like mine," he said and stood up, unsheathing both of his weapons. "Check this out."

He brought one sword in front of the other, crossing them and pulling them back. Sparks flew all over, and a glow emanated from his blades, spreading out from them and touching me. As soon as it hit me, I saw a new buff appear next to the ones that Aphrodite had provided us with.

* * *

Name: War and Mayhem

Type: Buff

Level: 1

Effect: Boosts Physical Attack by 12%

Time Left: 4 minutes 59 seconds

Description: The recipient's mana channels are stimulated by the call for battle. Mana flow is accelerated and concentrates more densely on each strike, resulting in more powerful attacks.

* * *