Chapter 32: Upgrade

As much as it felt like selling what was left of his soul all over again, Synto couldn’t complain about the accommodations. Apollo had set them up in one of his safe-houses, as well as a couple of people to guard them. Of course, those same four men were to prevent him from disappearing into the night after making an agreement with their boss, but that was a reasonable precaution.

The house was nothing special, but it was outfitted well. There were two bedrooms on one end and an open room with a firepit on the other. There was a table and chairs as well as a couch. Plenty of alcohol, and even a deck of cards to play with. No food, but that was another use for their babysitters, whenever they needed.

It was the perfect place to kick back for a day or two and let someone else do all the work. He’d done just that and slept like a baby, with only the ghost of a worry that they’d be killed in their sleep. Now that it was morning, he’d gotten up only to collapse on the couch and stare at the ceiling. There was no need to think or plan, and he could let his thoughts drift away to daydreams of power, revenge, and domination.

Mykos stumbled out of his room before too long. He nearly fell, but caught himself on the back of the couch. Synto looked up and grimaced. “How do you feel, boy?” he asked.

His son was surprised but pleased at the question. “Not great,” he said in a wavery voice. “Been sweating all night, and my dreams have been…” he trailed off, looking into the distance.

His green eyes were darker, more vivid, and the darkened veins went all the way up his neck and framed his face. When Mykos spoke, his teeth looked sharper, more bestial. Or maybe it was just the way he looked when dealing with pain and weakness.

“The Divinity isn’t agreeing with you,” said Synto. “Just as Apollo warned. That’s the thing with certain forms of Divinity. It can take a toll on you, without the proper precautions.” He sat up carefully and patted the spot next to him. Mykos helped himself along with the couch and collapsed on the spot.

“What kind of precautions?” he asked. There was little of his usual arrogance and haughtiness today, but that desire to please him, to be accepted, never went away.

“Apollo said more Maw Divinity. As stupid as that might sound, it makes sense. Something some people don’t know about having multiple forms of Divinity, is that they begin to interact strangely. Get enough from two Gods who are allied with each other or have overlap, and you might get something greater, or more stable.”

Mykos remained looking forward, but he peeked out the corner of his eyes to watch Synto carefully. “You used to have such Divinity, didn’t you?”

With a deep breath, Synto simply said, “Yes. Once. You don’t need to know the details, but suffice to say, I was once a Demigod of considerable strength. And I will be once more. Stick with me, and even with your poor choices, we’ll find a way to make you powerful and useful as well. Where is Adriana now?”

He focused for a second. “Three miles away, and above us. She’s in the Stephanos Outpost like Apollo said. What…what kind of Divinity did you have?”

Synto considered snapping at him or even hitting the boy upside the head for pushing, but it would cost him nothing, and it might shut Mykos up. “I’ve always favored Warmaster Divinity. At the end of the day, nothing will serve you better than being better at fighting and killing others. There is much to combat and physical prowess that isn’t flashy or impressive, but it gets the job done.”

Mykos nodded, and they were silent for a little while longer. It wouldn’t last. The Mystery of Yearning alerted him to the question before it was asked. “What was the most impressive thing you had?”

“What I have now, and have always had,” said Synto. “The Mystery of Vulnerability has served me for twenty years now. It was once stronger than it is now, but when…Things happened, and I lost my power, I was able to keep this. In the future, I will take what I can, but my goals are dominion and worship, so I will likely take what I can to aid me in that.

“For you? We should consider more Huntsman Divinity. The Maw and he were allies once, before she turned. More Iosephos couldn’t hurt, as he allows for safer consumption of everything.”

“Yes,” said Mykos, chuckling. “My sense of taste has been incredible since consuming that and hitting the first level of ascension. Speaking of…”

Synto laughed and felt a moment of real affection. The realization shocked him, and he buried it back down. “Leave that to me.” He got up, went to the door, and made his demands of the blond teenager sitting outside. Then he grabbed the deck of cards and sat at the table. Mykos joined him a minute later.

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They played for about half an hour as Synto showed off every game he knew, and Mykos taught him one they played in his village, for the one good deck of cards that everyone had to share. They’d nearly forgotten about food when the door opened and Apollo himself walked in, joined by a couple of his underlings.

“Apollo! Here to kill us or tell us good news?” Synto inhaled and the smell of fresh bread washed over him. “If it’s death, give us the food first, at least.”

“Well, obviously,” said Apollo. “I may be a bastard, but I’m not a monster. But alas, you will continue to plague the world another day. I bring news both good and bad in equal measure. Adriana is out of our reach for now, but won’t be for too long. My spies in the outpost inform me that they plan on leaving tomorrow morning, and I know exactly which boat they’ll be leaving on.”

“Excellent!” Synto’s mind raced with possibilities. “That means ambush. How are we doing this?”

Apollo motioned, and his underlings brought their baskets to the table before bowing and ducking out of the house. “I’m thinking on the way to the boat, pincer attack. There’s going to be at least seven people in a group, so we’ll need a hefty amount of firepower to make this work. Half their group are Demigods or close to it, and they are good at working together. I’m thinking we double their numbers and maybe your man there makes us a couple of monsters to help keep the pressure on.”

“I can do that,” said Mykos, as earnest as he could be.

Synto shook his head. “Not in your current state. As you can see, he’s gotten worse overnight. Please tell me you brought that Divinity you promised.”

Apollo opened the nearest basket. He pulled out a black and green orb and set it in front of Mykos. “This should help stabilize you, but I should warn you. If you continue to make monsters without taking enough of a break between birthings, then it will consume you and you’ll end up a monster yourself eventually.

“That said, this should be enough to make a couple more, and then I’ll give you another small taste. Once you’ve reached Demigod level, your body will be more resistant to the corruption.”

Mykos took the Divinity and rolled it around his palm. He looked to Synto for either permission or approval, possibly both. When he got the nod, the Divinity popped back, and the house flashed green. Almost immediately, the green in his veins receded down below his neck, and his eyes looked marginally more normal.

“That’s…That’s much better,” Mykos said after a minute of checking himself over. “If you want me to make monsters, I’m going to need a lot of Bestia. And also to know what kind of monsters we want to make. I…I’ve only made two so far, and the Divinity knows how to do it and shows me, but I do know we’ll need the right pieces.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem, will it Apollo?” Synto found himself putting his hand on Mykos’ shoulder. He squeezed it reassuringly.

Apollo definitely noticed. He smirked at the two of them and said, “Of course not. The prize we’ll get for the ransom is easily worth more than the resources I’m going to be putting to you. Which reminds me. I promised you some Divinity as well, did I not?” From the same basket, he pulled out a black orb with twinkling blue spots.

Synto took it and looked at it. “Jerikas? Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever had Moon Divinity. Not sure it will have any special symmetry, but anything that brings me closer to being a Demigod again.”

“That’s the spirit,” Apollo cheered. “Not only that, but I chose this one specifically for you. Knowing you as I do, this will probably give you an advantage you never knew you wanted. What are you waiting for?”

Betrayal, mostly, but Synto didn’t detect any deception or malice. No, Apollo was all in on their plan, and that meant it was on Synto to make it happen, just like in the old days. “Bottoms up,” he said, and consumed the Moon Divinity.

He barely noticed the flash around him. It never seemed as important when he ascended and came down for it. The very act was like bursting into flame and falling asleep, but only for a split second, over as soon as it began. He took a deep breath and smiled.

“I got…” The words formed themselves in his mind, as they often did. “I’ve got the Wreath of Darkness. Interesting. I don’t think it’s going to do much during the day, but it puts me at twenty-one percent Divinity, and the fourth level. Good enough for me, really.”

And it was. Another fifteen percent and he would back up to his original power. More or less. There would always be a hole after what Apollo’s men had taken from him back in the day, but he was alive, at least, and he could get satisfaction for that later, after they’d all profited.

“So,” said Synto. “Mykos and I have a bit more power, and you’ll provide the men and weaponry for our ambush. Until then, what?”

Apollo shrugged. “Whatever you want for the next twelve hours. I’m your boss, not your parent. Be here after sunset and we’ll discuss the plans and you’ll have your Bestia ready. Other than that, do whatever you want, but maybe hide the boy’s face if you’re in public. Enjoy the charm of Mykarkos, and I’ll see you tonight.”

Without further ado, he left Synto and Mykos alone. The latter didn’t wait to open the other basket and pulled out wrapped bread, meat, cheese, and some wine. Synto grabbed a couple of hardboiled eggs, and found a little box with seasonings in it. Apollo was indeed a bastard, but he could be generous when it suited him.

“Eat up well,” said Synto to his son. “We’ll rest today, maybe go out and see the sights, but tonight and tomorrow we need to be at our best. Tomorrow, Adriana. Next week? Our own island.”

“That sounds great, father,” said Mykos, beaming at him. Synto grabbed the wine and looked away. He suddenly needed a drink.