Pasture of the Gods, Palace of the Gods.

Mars gazed at the sight before him, the lake which shimmered like diamonds and the first sight he had seen within the Heavens, was precisely this lake. A feeling of nostalgia warmed his chest, his hand gently passed through the shining lake cupping a bit of the water in his hands, he washed his face and soaked his long black hair that possessed a golden shine.

The manner in which he had done it, was skillfully and gracefully done almost like a ritual. A few of the friendly male Gods nearby, smiled and joined him in washing their faces and hair.

The manner was precisely the way in which Mars had done it, and it seemed to be a ritual among friends as they chatted and laughed for a bit and seemed almost like equals.

The name of this ritual was called "Equilibrium"

These proud Gods did not mind doing this with Mars, which seemed to hint at Mars' connection with the Gods being extremely deep. They talked about Aphrodyte and her daughters, Freya's body and about stealing her fruits to make ale, laughter filled the air as vulgar and cheap talk that didn't suit Gods were being casually discussed as they washed their hair and beards.

It was always said that even though this sort of talk was low-class and filled with debauchery, it was the kind which men bonded over. For as long as men had existed, these things have always brought them together no matter how uncivilized they may seem.

Although Mars was young and didn't have such experiences yet, the Gods treated him as their mascot and constantly teased him.

They gave him all manners of advice from their countless experiences, Mars gleefully listened as his eyes shone with a radiant glow.

He learned about the deeds between men and women from them. His face became red as he held his cup tightly and became drunk with wine, seeing this the elders laughed at him and made gripping motions with their hands which made him lower his head in shame.

Mars had mentioned he had accidentally once gripped Ares' breast in training making her squeal, which excited cheers from the men. It had not even registered to them, that Mars had landed a blow on Ares, the God of War.

Mars laughed along with the other Gods,  he listened intently as they spoke of their battles and their conquered women who were minor Goddesses.

'Heracles said I should take this pill around now....'

Suddenly, the ring on Mars' finger lit up and a pill was produced in the palm of his hands. Mars didn't think too much and threw the pill in his mouth as per Heracles' instructions along with a gulp of ale.

The young man along with the Gods drunk ale and mead, while they ate delicious delicacies as they sat by the river, young Mars had fallen asleep at some point with a careless smile plastered on his face.

Seeing this, each of the Gods he had been talking to stepped forward and placed their hands on his chest, a globe of light entered him from each of them. They smiled, got up hastily and left the young warrior asleep beside the river. They seemed to be worried about something and their actions were hurried.

Today was Mars' last day in the realm of the Gods.

***

The night before, Mars had met with Ares, Freya and Heracles. After repeatedly warning him and giving him advice, the three finally calmed down to some degree and each showed their love for him with a present.

Ares had given Mars a dimensional storage ring that could hold a large quantity of objects, Freya had told Mars hers was a secret. Mars didn't know if Heracles' gift was from his heart, or from his twisted humor and accepted a pill from him that would make his brain use 100% of it's power for an entire day.

(Author's note: lmao, yes NZT!!! Much respects to Brian Finch!!)

Mars had accepted these gifts, and then the Gods turned around and left abruptly which shocked Mars.

"...Wait.."

Hearing Mars' voice filled with worry, Ares and Freya instinctively hesitated for a bit but were pushed forward by Heracles and eventually continued walking. After biting her lips, Ares threw a quick last glance at Mars before walking ahead, Freya put her fingers on her lips making a "Shh" sound as she smiled beautifully and chased after Ares.

Mars seeing this, understood they probably had their reasons and was one of the things they couldn't talk about.

"What? You want us to see you out too?! Bwahaha!"

Heracles immediately responded with a response he seemed to be saving.

"Well fine! Go on ahead you fat bastard!"

"Y-You! Can you even spell bastard?!"

"I..Uh...B, A..uh...C..TARD!"

"Bwahaha! Oi Oi! He really can't spell it! That pill is indeed the best gift I, this great lord could have given you"

Mars' face had become red and fuming as he looked at the burly Heracles and couldn't help but feel the urge to punch him in his gut.

"You were supposed to teach me how to read and write! Instead you kept going over to Miss Aphrodyte's place and I don't understand why! She didn't let you in even once! By the way, what does a drowning dragon mean?! I don't know what it means but I know it's shameful! Want me to go around spreading it!"

"Y-You! Never speak those words again! Never dare speak those words! You ungrateful bastard!"

Heracles hurriedly looked around to make sure no one had heard Mars and covered his mouth. Ares and Freya had both already disappeared, his tone all of a sudden became meek and humble-

"Never mention this drowning dragon again...right? We're good friends right? I gave you my blessings and even a powerful pill! So never ever speak of this matter again, right?!"

Even though his voice was calm, there was a tiny bit of insanity deep inside his eyes. Seeing the terrifying gleam in Heracles' eyes as he held onto his collar, Mars' eyes lit up as his lips broke out into an evil and creepy smile.

Mars was sure that he had gotten his hands on a pot of gold, Heracles on the other hand felt as though a block of ice had fallen down the back of his shirt.

'Crap! He got me!'

His lips became dry, and his eyes a bit red.

"Should you really be holding on to my collar like this? Hehe, I can't breathe...It might just make my mouth slip when I try to breathe"

Heracles gently placed Mars on the ground after which he proceeded to straighten his clothes and pat him on the shoulder.

"Bwahaha, I was just too excited to see you Mars. Well, I have to get going now-"

"Wait"

*Pause*

"....Where did Ares and Freya go? Why'd they leave...like that?"

Heracles looked at Mars for a bit, and shook his head.

"I can't tell you"

Mars understood even if he threatened him with his new found leverage he wouldn't budge. It was just one of those things he absolutely couldn't defy.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"....Are they angry with me? Did I overstay?"

Mars' head drooped as he thought of these possibilities.

"Fool! You should know how they both feel about you! Have they not treated you as your little brother? Why would you look down on them and question it now! I also see you as my little brother!"

Mars was a bit moved by Heracles' words and watched as Heracles instantly became a golden streak in the sky.

*Flash*

'We will see how long you can run away for....don't think a few words of wisdom will make you look better in my eyes.'

Mars silently thought to himself.

***

It was then, Mars had decided that to drop by the Hall of the Gods, the first place he had seen before coming here. Shortly after  his arrival the ritual "Equilibrium" ensued, Mars spent some time with a few familiar faces and then fell asleep.

Suddenly, Mars' sleeping body was covered in a thick white smoke that seemed to have come from no where. It wrapped around his body several times and then it vanished along with his body.

Within this smoke, three faces could be seen. Heracles, Freya and of course Ares.

***

Ares' Domain-

The silhouette of a dark-skinned woman, covered in a black robe lay on a luxurious bed, her breathing ragged and her face red. She seemed to be in great pain, a light pulsing from her chest.

Some of her limbs started to dry up a tiny bit, but the energy within the Realm of the Gods seemed to be replenishing her body rapidly just at a mere beat slower.

'I wanted to see you off little brother...sorry, I can't send you off like I would like to...In your heart, I must always be your invulnerable older sister and can't allow you to see me like this'

'Be a man your sister can be proud of, and return to me as soon as you can. That's my only request'

***

Freya's Domain-

A woman dressed in a seductive green dress, lay breathing silently in the palm of a huge leaf in the middle of a lake. Neither the cool breeze, nor the moist leaf seemed to help her feverish state. Another leaf constantly poured water over her head and body trying to calm her down and lower her temperature.

'Boy, look at how much this beautiful Goddess suffers for you. Even my own champions didn't require my beautiful skin to become this weak and withered. I'll make sure to take interest for this'

Her seductive green eyes flashed, as they half-opened revealing a bit of slyness.

'My only wish is that you slay as much of those beasts in your home world, those things are not natural and defy nature. I dislike such things, however don't endanger your life for it. Should you fail, that is fine, run away and you can always try again. Those things aren't worth dying for so always remember to put your life as your top priority.'

***

Heracles' Domain-

An extremely burly figure sat on a throne made of gold, his breathing extremely heavy, his eyes red. He seemed to be using all his strength just to sit on the throne, a woman to the side of him who wore a mask constantly refilled his goblet as he drank large amounts of ale.

"Damn, I hate feeling this weak"

"Little snot nose brat better be grateful"

"When Hades sent his champion, I don't remember him feeling this weak"

"Then again, his champion wasn't as abnormal as this brat"

"Just who in the world was this brat's mother? He seemed to have another type of power hidden within him, but somehow it's sealed off.....How strange, I wonder why Ares told me not to mention it"

"Damn this, wait...shouldn't I have a pill I got from that old medicine fogey Asclepius to help with this"

Heracles searched his stash and noticed something unsettling.

'Did I not give that kid the pill I got from Earth?.....What's it doing here? Wait...what pill did I give him then?'

'Well no matter, it should be something good anyway'

'My only wish for you boy, is that you forget about the blasted drowning dragon! I don't care what else you do!'

The burly man cursed a few times before falling asleep against his will on his throne. If this was the usual alert Heracles, then he would have noticed that the pill he had given Mars, was from his Prank set and not from his personal stash. Any one of these pills could be extremely fatal to Mars as they were designed to be used on a God and not lesser beings.

The masked woman couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she wiped the mead off his mouth and beard with a cloth, the masked woman sat down beside him and opened a book.

Although she wore a mask, anyone could tell she was smiling by the look in her eyes.

***

The Three Gods had to use their own power to send him back to his realm, the more powerful a champion was, the more power was required to send him back. None of them had wanted Mars to see them in this state and so they had chosen to meet him beforehand and then let him go meet the other Gods who he had made connections with.

They knew for sure he would feel horrible knowing that the reason they were currently experiencing so much pain was because of Mars' extra time in the God's Domain.

Although Mars wasn't an incredibly intelligent person, there would be times his sharp instincts would lead to terrifying conclusions. This was Freya's gift in full bloom, it would draw out one's inner instincts to a frightening degree.

Freya could not give him intelligence if he wasn't her champion, but what she could do was manipulate his instincts with traits from beasts and make it a terrifying weapon.

Then they would carry out the ritual needed to send Mars away. The three Gods had their own thoughts as they silently sent their little brother away.

***

                  "Until we meet again, Mars - Champion of War"

***

Suddenly, in the middle of no where, the body of a young boy about 15 years old lay floating in a stream. The boy's eyes opened and he looked around, he then pulled himself to the bank and sat beside it.

The boy looked at his reflection in the river in confusion.

"Where is this place?....Better yet.....Who am I?"