Chapter 403: Gathering of Legends
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While Alex was busy enjoying his orgy, high above the land of Greece, above the peak of their highest mountain, sat the literal home of the gods, Olympus. There the architecture looked to be a mixture of swirling cloud and stone pillars, while the residents dressed in white sheet-like togas as they went about their business, unaware of the meeting taking place at the highest place in Olympus, the hall of the gods.
Zeus was currently there along with all of the other twelve Olympians who ruled Olympus as they sat around a great horseshoe shaped table, and a certain young looking girl that was tending to the great fire in the middle. With Zeus having reclaimed his place at the head of the table, to his right was his brother Poseidon, and his sons Ares, Hephaestus, Apollon, Hermes, and Dionysus. To his immediate left at the head of the table was his wife Hera, and then past her was his sister Demeter, the goddess Aphrodite, and then his daughters Artemis, and Athena.
For the longest time none of the gods and goddesses said anything as Zeus glared angrily at a piece of paper before him, his typical easy going demeanor long gone as he slowly read it out loud once again.
"To the CURRENT rulers of Olympus,
I am writing to inform you that I will be attacking Olympus with the intention of taking control of it from Zeus tonight at eight pm sharp, and that I wished to give your forces ample time to prepare(not that it'll help in the slightest). As such, when I arrive please make sure that all of the most important people are gathered in a single location to give me ease in beating all of you, and make sure your buŧŧs are all clean for when I proceed to spank your divine ȧsses.
Sincerely, the Dragon Emperor.
P.S. Please send Hera my regards, and tell her I'll see her soon."
Thunder boomed around them and the skies of Olympus as a fresh wave of anger filled Zeus from reading the letter again, before he proceeded to chuck it into the great hearth before him to get it out of his sight. He then rounded on his wife next to him, who appeared to be hiding a chuckle at the post script Alex included as he demanded,
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, 'wife'?" Instead of appearing troubled at her husband's tone and attitude, Hera's smile just widened as she enjoyed every second of his anger, as for the first time he had an inkling of how he'd made her feel hundreds of times throughout the millennia.
While they were technically husband and wife, Hera had only married Zeus after he made her lower her guard by turning himself into a swan, and then raping her. As the goddess ȧssociated with marriage she would never be able to wed anyone if she wasn't pure, so she had reluctantly married Zeus and bore him two sons, Ares and Hephaestus. As if that hadn't been insulting enough though, Zeus then proceeded to cheat on her every chance he got while also siring hundreds of bastards over the millennia with other women, several of which were now seated with them as the twelve Olympians.
While she herself was a victim, people hated Hera almost as much as they disliked Zeus due to the fact that she never tried to punish her husband for his philandering, instead targeting the objects of his ŀust and the innocent children they ended up birthing. The most infamous example of this was Heracles, who she tried to murder with two snakes while he was baby, and then she drove him to kill his own wife and children with his bȧrė hands in a fit of insanity.
That was why she was enjoying the current situation quite a bit, as her divinity as the goddess of marriage prevented her from being similarly unfaithful to husband, and showing him how it felt. Now, despite the fact that she had never actually met Alex before, Zeus was seething with anger and jealousy at the implication that there was something going on between himself and his wife, which all of the other gods knew was impossible.
Regardless, Hera couldn't help the smirk on her face as she honestly replied,
"I have no idea what he is talking about husband, perhaps the Dragon Emperor simply wished to rile you up even more. I have heard that he is quite the battle junky." While Hera's logic was sound to Zeus and the others gods, that didn't appease his anger in the slightest. Instead, he then declared,
"If he wants me 'riled', THEN HE'LL GET ME RILED!" Zeus then looked at Hermes and ordered,
"Rally all of the minor gods and heroes! I want every single force under Olympus ready to fight within the hour!" Standing to attention, the messenger God, who appeared quite small compared to his fellow divines, then vanished as he left to carry out his duty.
...
As the remaining time until the battle slowly slipped by, all of Olympus became active as they prepared for Alex's arrival.
The minstrels and muses that filled the skies of Olympus with serene and pleasant music were replaced with warriors and heroes that were armed with a variety of ancient weapons, such as swords, shields, lances, ect. They were the current generation of demigods that were the result of a god's union with a mortal, and as such were also born with several powers that they inherited from their godly parents, along with the rare few that were also born with sacred gears.
They weren't the only ones gathering though, as many of the heroes suddenly looked up when they heard the flapping of wings, accompanied by a horse's neigh.
"PERSEUS!" One of the heroes cried out, before the air was filled with the chant,
"""PERSEUS! PERSEUS! PERSEUS!"""
As the pure white Pegasus touched down onto the ground, everyone watched the figure on its back in awe, a genuine legend from history that all modern heroes took inspiration from.
As he dismounted the Pegasus many of those around gathered around roared their excitement from having him join them in battle, as Perseus had been living in Elysium ever since his death all that time ago. In preparation for Alex's arrival, even the heroes who had died and retired to their own version of Heaven had emerged for battle.
This was even more evident a moment later as the ground beneath their feet began to shudder, announcing the arrival of none other than THE greatest hero in Greek history, Heracles himself. Unlike Perseus, who's appearance inspired an uproar of excitement, Heracles's appearance caused a silence of awe to descend upon the crowd as everyone took in the appearance of the legend of legends, the greatest hero to ever exist.
While everyone else silent in awe though, Perseus readily approached the hulking figure while laughing lightheartedly as he said,
"Brother! It appears that we'll have the honor of facing the Dragon Emperor himself this time, what do you think of him?" Heracles was silent for a moment as he pondered his brother's question, before answering in his characteristic deep rumble,
"He will be a worthy adversary, I will be honored to help the one to defeat him earn such glory." Perseus smiled widely at his brothers words, as he too felt the same way. Their time had passed and they only emerged from Elysium when Olympus itself had dire need of them, it was time for the new generations to earn all of the honor and glory.
Truthfully, if Heracles had one regret about facing Alex, it was that his fool of a descendant was off who-knows-where with the rest of those self-proclaimed heroes instead of being here for his own share of glory. However someone else interrupted his musings as they said,
"The honor will be all mine Heracles, after I defeat the Dragon Emperor of course." Heracles and Perseus both fought back a groan as they turned back to see none other than Achilles approaching them, causing another wave of excitement to pass through the crowds.
""Achilles."" Both brothers said flatly as they greeted their fellow hero, who responded by nodding slightly at them in return before proceeding to flip his long flawless golden hair back, while a nearby light glistened off his pristine armor.
Needless to say that neither brother cared much for the infamous glory hog, who continued to pursue it even after death. Thankfully though they didn't have to suffer his presence alone for long, as a familiar and welcome cry echoed over the crowds.
"""AWOO! AWOO! AWOO!"""
This marked the arrival of an entire crowd of figures dressed identically in leather straps with red patterns, another famous figure at their head who had led them into a glorious battle, and death, Leonidas.
"'Leonidas."" The brothers greeted the famous king respectfully, unlike Achilles, as Leonidas had been the one to lead a mere three hundred soldiers to the Hot Gates in order to hold back the approaching Persian armies, holding the gates for three days against tens of thousands of enemies before ultimately sacrificing themselves to give the armies of Greece a chance to mobilize.
They had been one of the few instances of an entire army being allowed into the fields of Elysium, instead of just the single famous hero. Naturally Heracles and Perseus respected someone who had given their life in exchange for the freedom of the entire Greek world, more than a man whose only ambition in life and death had been to obtain as much personal glory as possible.
While Leonidas, Heracles, and Perseus all discussed various plans for when Alex arrived(and Achilles made sure his weapons and armor were in good shape), several more heroes joined them in the planning and waiting. These included Theseus, Jason with his Argonauts, Hector of Troy(who merely glanced in Achilles's direction once before joining the planning), and many others.
Their presence both reassured the current heroes of Olympus due to their myths and legacies, but at the same time made many of them nervous due to the thought of fighting alongside their idols. But they would have to get over any discomfort real quick when Zeus himself suddenly appeared in the skies above them, accompanied by a thundering boom as lightning crackled around him.
Surrounding Zeus was ten of the other Olympians dressed for combat in their own respective attires, while Zeus himself was dressed in pure white toga that flapped in the increasingly violent wind. Slowly Zeus's cracking blue eyes scanned the literal millions of warriors and heroes that had gathered below him, before his voice boomed down at them,
"You have all gathered today because we face an unprecedented threat. The Dragon Emperor has fought and even killed gods, Devils, and any number of enemies that none of us have ever even conceived of existing or fighting; and now he had done what none have ever thought possible, and United Heaven and Hell under his banner!"
As his voice echoed out over the armies of Olympus, many of the gathered soldiers and heroes felt their blood pumping at the thought of fighting such a powerful and infamous figure, their dėsɨrė to win glory and make a name for themselves dominating the daunting fact that Alex was simply too powerful for them to beat. Seeing this, Zeus then continued,
"Now the Dragon Emperor is on his way here, presumably with the armies of Heaven, Hell, and his Asora at his back, with the intention of 'conquering' Olympus for themselves! Well, WILL WE LET THEM!?"
With the sky roaring along with Zeus's shout, the millions of warriors roared back their willingness to meet the challenge despite the odds against them, building up the hype as the seconds counted down until Alex's arrival.
***
While Zeus and the armies of Olympus were prepared to meet him outside, inside the divine hall there was a brief spatial distortion before two figures appeared out of thin air, Alex and Nyx.
As he looked around in awe Alex uttered,
"So this is the seat of power in Olympus..." Nyx nodded in affirmation as she said,
"Yep, this is where those annoying Olympians are based and hold their meetings." As she had been one of the dark gods that sought to end the stability of the world, Nyx was very much looking forward to seeing Alex humiliate the entire pantheon by himself.
While he himself was smiling wryly at her eagerness, something else grabbed Alex's attention as he focused on the sole occupant in the throne room, a young looking girl who was silently tending the great hearth that sat in the center of it. As she turned to look at him Alex knew instantly who she was due to only one Olympian fitting her profile, Hestia.
Hestia was the oldest of the Olympians and was the first-born child of the Titan Cronus, who's latent power and potential instilled so much fear in the King of the Titans, that he then began the trend of eating his own children to prevent them from rising up against him. Though this trend ended up backfiring on him when Zeus rose up and freed his captive siblings, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.
Despite her own power and potential however, Hestia had always been similar to Anne in that she was naturally pacifistic, except that Anne would fight when she needed to, while it was nearly impossible to get Hestia to mobilize. As he looked at her though, Alex could honestly say that this was good thing as even her passive aura was sending shivers along even his skin, telling him that if she ever decided to use her strength, the rankings of the world's strongest would be completely rearranged.
As the youthful looking girl then directed her attention to him for the first time, Alex got his first real look at the strongest Olympian.
Her eyes were a deep charcoal black that glowed orange at the center like they were live coals, while her long smooth charcoal black hair cascaded down her shoulders gracefully. Despite her appearing to be in her early teens like Yue or Mavis though, true to DXD world logic, Hestia had some of the largest brėȧsts Alex had ever seen on someone with her figure, appearing even slightly larger than Nyx's.
"It's a pŀėȧsurė to finally meet the famous Dragon Emperor, and I'm glad that you managed to save your daughter." Though he approached with complete confidence before, Alex paused at Hestia's words, as they hadn't said anything regarding Edith being kidnapped at one point, yet Hestia looked and acted as if she knew all about it. Seeing him pause, the goddess continued,
"I see a lot in the flames and coals of the hearth, but always within our own world. So consider me surprised as well when one day I saw the missing Dragon Emperor welcoming his own children into the world, and then one of them suddenly being taken."
Sensing genuine sincerity from Hestia's tone and words, Alex nodded to her slightly and said,
"Thank you for your sincerity, and it is an honor to meet the first Olympian." Smiling warmly back at the sincerity that Alex returned to her, Hestia returned to tending her hearth without giving him another glance, fully intending to stay out of Alex's fight with her family since she had a fairly good grasp of his character by this point.
Knowing that Hestia wasn't going to interfere with him, Alex then proceeded to make his way to Zeus's throne, before planting his buŧŧ right in it as he decided to wait for the Olympians to join him. Meanwhile Nyx then proceeded to act in her role as his slave-maid, and started bringing Alex refreshments from the Olympian table while they waited.
In the silence of the divine hall though, aside from the constant crackle of Hestia's hearth, the pitter patter of feet on the stone floors drew Alex's attention, revealing a surprising visitor.
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While Alex was busy enjoying his orgy, high above the land of Greece, above the peak of their highest mountain, sat the literal home of the gods, Olympus. There the architecture looked to be a mixture of swirling cloud and stone pillars, while the residents dressed in white sheet-like togas as they went about their business, unaware of the meeting taking place at the highest place in Olympus, the hall of the gods.
Zeus was currently there along with all of the other twelve Olympians who ruled Olympus as they sat around a great horseshoe shaped table, and a certain young looking girl that was tending to the great fire in the middle. With Zeus having reclaimed his place at the head of the table, to his right was his brother Poseidon, and his sons Ares, Hephaestus, Apollon, Hermes, and Dionysus. To his immediate left at the head of the table was his wife Hera, and then past her was his sister Demeter, the goddess Aphrodite, and then his daughters Artemis, and Athena.
For the longest time none of the gods and goddesses said anything as Zeus glared angrily at a piece of paper before him, his typical easy going demeanor long gone as he slowly read it out loud once again.
"To the CURRENT rulers of Olympus,
I am writing to inform you that I will be attacking Olympus with the intention of taking control of it from Zeus tonight at eight pm sharp, and that I wished to give your forces ample time to prepare(not that it'll help in the slightest). As such, when I arrive please make sure that all of the most important people are gathered in a single location to give me ease in beating all of you, and make sure your buŧŧs are all clean for when I proceed to spank your divine ȧsses.
Sincerely, the Dragon Emperor.
P.S. Please send Hera my regards, and tell her I'll see her soon."
Thunder boomed around them and the skies of Olympus as a fresh wave of anger filled Zeus from reading the letter again, before he proceeded to chuck it into the great hearth before him to get it out of his sight. He then rounded on his wife next to him, who appeared to be hiding a chuckle at the post script Alex included as he demanded,
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, 'wife'?" Instead of appearing troubled at her husband's tone and attitude, Hera's smile just widened as she enjoyed every second of his anger, as for the first time he had an inkling of how he'd made her feel hundreds of times throughout the millennia.
While they were technically husband and wife, Hera had only married Zeus after he made her lower her guard by turning himself into a swan, and then raping her. As the goddess ȧssociated with marriage she would never be able to wed anyone if she wasn't pure, so she had reluctantly married Zeus and bore him two sons, Ares and Hephaestus. As if that hadn't been insulting enough though, Zeus then proceeded to cheat on her every chance he got while also siring hundreds of bastards over the millennia with other women, several of which were now seated with them as the twelve Olympians.
While she herself was a victim, people hated Hera almost as much as they disliked Zeus due to the fact that she never tried to punish her husband for his philandering, instead targeting the objects of his ŀust and the innocent children they ended up birthing. The most infamous example of this was Heracles, who she tried to murder with two snakes while he was baby, and then she drove him to kill his own wife and children with his bȧrė hands in a fit of insanity.
That was why she was enjoying the current situation quite a bit, as her divinity as the goddess of marriage prevented her from being similarly unfaithful to husband, and showing him how it felt. Now, despite the fact that she had never actually met Alex before, Zeus was seething with anger and jealousy at the implication that there was something going on between himself and his wife, which all of the other gods knew was impossible.
Regardless, Hera couldn't help the smirk on her face as she honestly replied,
"I have no idea what he is talking about husband, perhaps the Dragon Emperor simply wished to rile you up even more. I have heard that he is quite the battle junky." While Hera's logic was sound to Zeus and the others gods, that didn't appease his anger in the slightest. Instead, he then declared,
"If he wants me 'riled', THEN HE'LL GET ME RILED!" Zeus then looked at Hermes and ordered,
"Rally all of the minor gods and heroes! I want every single force under Olympus ready to fight within the hour!" Standing to attention, the messenger God, who appeared quite small compared to his fellow divines, then vanished as he left to carry out his duty.
...
As the remaining time until the battle slowly slipped by, all of Olympus became active as they prepared for Alex's arrival.
The minstrels and muses that filled the skies of Olympus with serene and pleasant music were replaced with warriors and heroes that were armed with a variety of ancient weapons, such as swords, shields, lances, ect. They were the current generation of demigods that were the result of a god's union with a mortal, and as such were also born with several powers that they inherited from their godly parents, along with the rare few that were also born with sacred gears.
They weren't the only ones gathering though, as many of the heroes suddenly looked up when they heard the flapping of wings, accompanied by a horse's neigh.
"PERSEUS!" One of the heroes cried out, before the air was filled with the chant,
"""PERSEUS! PERSEUS! PERSEUS!"""
As the pure white Pegasus touched down onto the ground, everyone watched the figure on its back in awe, a genuine legend from history that all modern heroes took inspiration from.
As he dismounted the Pegasus many of those around gathered around roared their excitement from having him join them in battle, as Perseus had been living in Elysium ever since his death all that time ago. In preparation for Alex's arrival, even the heroes who had died and retired to their own version of Heaven had emerged for battle.
This was even more evident a moment later as the ground beneath their feet began to shudder, announcing the arrival of none other than THE greatest hero in Greek history, Heracles himself. Unlike Perseus, who's appearance inspired an uproar of excitement, Heracles's appearance caused a silence of awe to descend upon the crowd as everyone took in the appearance of the legend of legends, the greatest hero to ever exist.
While everyone else silent in awe though, Perseus readily approached the hulking figure while laughing lightheartedly as he said,
"Brother! It appears that we'll have the honor of facing the Dragon Emperor himself this time, what do you think of him?" Heracles was silent for a moment as he pondered his brother's question, before answering in his characteristic deep rumble,
"He will be a worthy adversary, I will be honored to help the one to defeat him earn such glory." Perseus smiled widely at his brothers words, as he too felt the same way. Their time had passed and they only emerged from Elysium when Olympus itself had dire need of them, it was time for the new generations to earn all of the honor and glory.
Truthfully, if Heracles had one regret about facing Alex, it was that his fool of a descendant was off who-knows-where with the rest of those self-proclaimed heroes instead of being here for his own share of glory. However someone else interrupted his musings as they said,
"The honor will be all mine Heracles, after I defeat the Dragon Emperor of course." Heracles and Perseus both fought back a groan as they turned back to see none other than Achilles approaching them, causing another wave of excitement to pass through the crowds.
""Achilles."" Both brothers said flatly as they greeted their fellow hero, who responded by nodding slightly at them in return before proceeding to flip his long flawless golden hair back, while a nearby light glistened off his pristine armor.
Needless to say that neither brother cared much for the infamous glory hog, who continued to pursue it even after death. Thankfully though they didn't have to suffer his presence alone for long, as a familiar and welcome cry echoed over the crowds.
"""AWOO! AWOO! AWOO!"""
This marked the arrival of an entire crowd of figures dressed identically in leather straps with red patterns, another famous figure at their head who had led them into a glorious battle, and death, Leonidas.
"'Leonidas."" The brothers greeted the famous king respectfully, unlike Achilles, as Leonidas had been the one to lead a mere three hundred soldiers to the Hot Gates in order to hold back the approaching Persian armies, holding the gates for three days against tens of thousands of enemies before ultimately sacrificing themselves to give the armies of Greece a chance to mobilize.
They had been one of the few instances of an entire army being allowed into the fields of Elysium, instead of just the single famous hero. Naturally Heracles and Perseus respected someone who had given their life in exchange for the freedom of the entire Greek world, more than a man whose only ambition in life and death had been to obtain as much personal glory as possible.
While Leonidas, Heracles, and Perseus all discussed various plans for when Alex arrived(and Achilles made sure his weapons and armor were in good shape), several more heroes joined them in the planning and waiting. These included Theseus, Jason with his Argonauts, Hector of Troy(who merely glanced in Achilles's direction once before joining the planning), and many others.
Their presence both reassured the current heroes of Olympus due to their myths and legacies, but at the same time made many of them nervous due to the thought of fighting alongside their idols. But they would have to get over any discomfort real quick when Zeus himself suddenly appeared in the skies above them, accompanied by a thundering boom as lightning crackled around him.
Surrounding Zeus was ten of the other Olympians dressed for combat in their own respective attires, while Zeus himself was dressed in pure white toga that flapped in the increasingly violent wind. Slowly Zeus's cracking blue eyes scanned the literal millions of warriors and heroes that had gathered below him, before his voice boomed down at them,
"You have all gathered today because we face an unprecedented threat. The Dragon Emperor has fought and even killed gods, Devils, and any number of enemies that none of us have ever even conceived of existing or fighting; and now he had done what none have ever thought possible, and United Heaven and Hell under his banner!"
As his voice echoed out over the armies of Olympus, many of the gathered soldiers and heroes felt their blood pumping at the thought of fighting such a powerful and infamous figure, their dėsɨrė to win glory and make a name for themselves dominating the daunting fact that Alex was simply too powerful for them to beat. Seeing this, Zeus then continued,
"Now the Dragon Emperor is on his way here, presumably with the armies of Heaven, Hell, and his Asora at his back, with the intention of 'conquering' Olympus for themselves! Well, WILL WE LET THEM!?"
With the sky roaring along with Zeus's shout, the millions of warriors roared back their willingness to meet the challenge despite the odds against them, building up the hype as the seconds counted down until Alex's arrival.
***
While Zeus and the armies of Olympus were prepared to meet him outside, inside the divine hall there was a brief spatial distortion before two figures appeared out of thin air, Alex and Nyx.
As he looked around in awe Alex uttered,
"So this is the seat of power in Olympus..." Nyx nodded in affirmation as she said,
"Yep, this is where those annoying Olympians are based and hold their meetings." As she had been one of the dark gods that sought to end the stability of the world, Nyx was very much looking forward to seeing Alex humiliate the entire pantheon by himself.
While he himself was smiling wryly at her eagerness, something else grabbed Alex's attention as he focused on the sole occupant in the throne room, a young looking girl who was silently tending the great hearth that sat in the center of it. As she turned to look at him Alex knew instantly who she was due to only one Olympian fitting her profile, Hestia.
Hestia was the oldest of the Olympians and was the first-born child of the Titan Cronus, who's latent power and potential instilled so much fear in the King of the Titans, that he then began the trend of eating his own children to prevent them from rising up against him. Though this trend ended up backfiring on him when Zeus rose up and freed his captive siblings, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.
Despite her own power and potential however, Hestia had always been similar to Anne in that she was naturally pacifistic, except that Anne would fight when she needed to, while it was nearly impossible to get Hestia to mobilize. As he looked at her though, Alex could honestly say that this was good thing as even her passive aura was sending shivers along even his skin, telling him that if she ever decided to use her strength, the rankings of the world's strongest would be completely rearranged.
As the youthful looking girl then directed her attention to him for the first time, Alex got his first real look at the strongest Olympian.
Her eyes were a deep charcoal black that glowed orange at the center like they were live coals, while her long smooth charcoal black hair cascaded down her shoulders gracefully. Despite her appearing to be in her early teens like Yue or Mavis though, true to DXD world logic, Hestia had some of the largest brėȧsts Alex had ever seen on someone with her figure, appearing even slightly larger than Nyx's.
"It's a pŀėȧsurė to finally meet the famous Dragon Emperor, and I'm glad that you managed to save your daughter." Though he approached with complete confidence before, Alex paused at Hestia's words, as they hadn't said anything regarding Edith being kidnapped at one point, yet Hestia looked and acted as if she knew all about it. Seeing him pause, the goddess continued,
"I see a lot in the flames and coals of the hearth, but always within our own world. So consider me surprised as well when one day I saw the missing Dragon Emperor welcoming his own children into the world, and then one of them suddenly being taken."
Sensing genuine sincerity from Hestia's tone and words, Alex nodded to her slightly and said,
"Thank you for your sincerity, and it is an honor to meet the first Olympian." Smiling warmly back at the sincerity that Alex returned to her, Hestia returned to tending her hearth without giving him another glance, fully intending to stay out of Alex's fight with her family since she had a fairly good grasp of his character by this point.
Knowing that Hestia wasn't going to interfere with him, Alex then proceeded to make his way to Zeus's throne, before planting his buŧŧ right in it as he decided to wait for the Olympians to join him. Meanwhile Nyx then proceeded to act in her role as his slave-maid, and started bringing Alex refreshments from the Olympian table while they waited.
In the silence of the divine hall though, aside from the constant crackle of Hestia's hearth, the pitter patter of feet on the stone floors drew Alex's attention, revealing a surprising visitor.
While Alex was busy enjoying his orgy, high above the land of Greece, above the peak of their highest mountain, sat the literal home of the gods, Olympus. There the architecture looked to be a mixture of swirling cloud and stone pillars, while the residents dressed in white sheet-like togas as they went about their business, unaware of the meeting taking place at the highest place in Olympus, the hall of the gods. Zeus was currently there along with all of the other twelve Olympians who ruled Olympus as they sat around a great horseshoe shaped table, and a certain young looking girl that was tending to the great fire in the middle. With Zeus having reclaimed his place at the head of the table, to his right was his brother Poseidon, and his sons Ares, Hephaestus, Apollon, Hermes, and Dionysus. To his immediate left at the head of the table was his wife Hera, and then past her was his sister Demeter, the goddess Aphrodite, and then his daughters Artemis, and Athena. For the longest time none of the gods and goddesses said anything as Zeus glared angrily at a piece of paper before him, his typical easy going demeanor long gone as he slowly read it out loud once again. "To the CURRENT rulers of Olympus, I am writing to inform you that I will be attacking Olympus with the intention of taking control of it from Zeus tonight at eight pm sharp, and that I wished to give your forces ample time to preparenot that it'll help in the slightest. As such, when I arrive please make sure that all of the most important people are gathered in a single location to give me ease in beating all of you, and make sure your bus are all clean for when I proceed to spank your divine sses. Sincerely, the Dragon Emperor. P.S. Please send Hera my regards, and tell her I'll see her soon." Thunder boomed around them and the skies of Olympus as a fresh wave of anger filled Zeus from reading the letter again, before he proceeded to chuck it into the great hearth before him to get it out of his sight. He then rounded on his wife next to him, who appeared to be hiding a chuckle at the post script Alex included as he demanded, "Is there anything you'd like to tell me, 'wife'?" Instead of appearing troubled at her husband's tone and attitude, Hera's smile just widened as she enjoyed every second of his anger, as for the first time he had an inkling of how he'd made her feel hundreds of times throughout the millennia. While they were technically husband and wife, Hera had only married Zeus after he made her lower her guard by turning himself into a swan, and then raping her. As the goddess ssociated with marriage she would never be able to wed anyone if she wasn't pure, so she had reluctantly married Zeus and bore him two sons, Ares and Hephaestus. As if that hadn't been insulting enough though, Zeus then proceeded to cheat on her every chance he got while also siring hundreds of bastards over the millennia with other women, several of which were now seated with them as the twelve Olympians. While she herself was a victim, people hated Hera almost as much as they disliked Zeus due to the fact that she never tried to punish her husband for his philandering, instead targeting the objects of his ust and the innocent children they ended up birthing. The most infamous example of this was Heracles, who she tried to murder with two snakes while he was baby, and then she drove him to kill his own wife and children with his br hands in a fit of insanity. That was why she was enjoying the current situation quite a bit, as her divinity as the goddess of marriage prevented her from being similarly unfaithful to husband, and showing him how it felt. Now, despite the fact that she had never actually met Alex before, Zeus was seething with anger and jealousy at the implication that there was something going on between himself and his wife, which all of the other gods knew was impossible. Regardless, Hera couldn't help the smirk on her face as she honestly replied, "I have no idea what he is talking about husband, perhaps the Dragon Emperor simply wished to rile you up even more. I have heard that he is quite the battle junky." While Hera's logic was sound to Zeus and the others gods, that didn't appease his anger in the slightest. Instead, he then declared, "If he wants me 'riled', THEN HE'LL GET ME RILED!" Zeus then looked at Hermes and ordered, "Rally all of the minor gods and heroes! I want every single force under Olympus ready to fight within the hour!" Standing to attention, the messenger God, who appeared quite small compared to his fellow divines, then vanished as he left to carry out his duty. ... As the remaining time until the battle slowly slipped by, all of Olympus became active as they prepared for Alex's arrival. The minstrels and muses that filled the skies of Olympus with serene and pleasant music were replaced with warriors and heroes that were armed with a variety of ancient weapons, such as swords, shields, lances, ect. They were the current generation of demigods that were the result of a god's union with a mortal, and as such were also born with several powers that they inherited from their godly parents, along with the rare few that were also born with sacred gears. They weren't the only ones gathering though, as many of the heroes suddenly looked up when they heard the flapping of wings, accompanied by a horse's neigh. "PERSEUS!" One of the heroes cried out, before the air was filled with the chant, """PERSEUS! PERSEUS! PERSEUS!""" As the pure white Pegasus touched down onto the ground, everyone watched the figure on its back in awe, a genuine legend from history that all modern heroes took inspiration from. As he dismounted the Pegasus many of those around gathered around roared their excitement from having him join them in battle, as Perseus had been living in Elysium ever since his death all that time ago. In preparation for Alex's arrival, even the heroes who had died and retired to their own version of Heaven had emerged for battle. This was even more evident a moment later as the ground beneath their feet began to shudder, announcing the arrival of none other than THE greatest hero in Greek history, Heracles himself. Unlike Perseus, who's appearance inspired an uproar of excitement, Heracles's appearance caused a silence of awe to descend upon the crowd as everyone took in the appearance of the legend of legends, the greatest hero to ever exist. While everyone else silent in awe though, Perseus readily approached the hulking figure while laughing lightheartedly as he said, "Brother! It appears that we'll have the honor of facing the Dragon Emperor himself this time, what do you think of him?" Heracles was silent for a moment as he pondered his brother's question, before answering in his characteristic deep rumble, "He will be a worthy adversary, I will be honored to help the one to defeat him earn such glory." Perseus smiled widely at his brothers words, as he too felt the same way. Their time had passed and they only emerged from Elysium when Olympus itself had dire need of them, it was time for the new generations to earn all of the honor and glory. Truthfully, if Heracles had one regret about facing Alex, it was that his fool of a descendant was off who-knows-where with the rest of those self-proclaimed heroes instead of being here for his own share of glory. However someone else interrupted his musings as they said, "The honor will be all mine Heracles, after I defeat the Dragon Emperor of course." Heracles and Perseus both fought back a groan as they turned back to see none other than Achilles approaching them, causing another wave of excitement to pass through the crowds. ""Achilles."" Both brothers said flatly as they greeted their fellow hero, who responded by nodding slightly at them in return before proceeding to flip his long flawless golden hair back, while a nearby light glistened off his pristine armor. Needless to say that neither brother cared much for the infamous glory hog, who continued to pursue it even after death. Thankfully though they didn't have to suffer his presence alone for long, as a familiar and welcome cry echoed over the crowds. """AWOO! AWOO! AWOO!""" This marked the arrival of an entire crowd of figures dressed identically in leather straps with red patterns, another famous figure at their head who had led them into a glorious battle, and death, Leonidas. "'Leonidas."" The brothers greeted the famous king respectfully, unlike Achilles, as Leonidas had been the one to lead a mere three hundred soldiers to the Hot Gates in order to hold back the approaching Persian armies, holding the gates for three days against tens of thousands of enemies before ultimately sacrificing themselves to give the armies of Greece a chance to mobilize. They had been one of the few instances of an entire army being allowed into the fields of Elysium, instead of just the single famous hero. Naturally Heracles and Perseus respected someone who had given their life in exchange for the freedom of the entire Greek world, more than a man whose only ambition in life and death had been to obtain as much personal glory as possible. While Leonidas, Heracles, and Perseus all discussed various plans for when Alex arrivedand Achilles made sure his weapons and armor were in good shape, several more heroes joined them in the planning and waiting. These included Theseus, Jason with his Argonauts, Hector of Troywho merely glanced in Achilles's direction once before joining the planning, and many others. Their presence both reassured the current heroes of Olympus due to their myths and legacies, but at the same time made many of them nervous due to the thought of fighting alongside their idols. But they would have to get over any discomfort real quick when Zeus himself suddenly appeared in the skies above them, accompanied by a thundering boom as lightning crackled around him. Surrounding Zeus was ten of the other Olympians dressed for combat in their own respective attires, while Zeus himself was dressed in pure white toga that flapped in the increasingly violent wind. Slowly Zeus's cracking blue eyes scanned the literal millions of warriors and heroes that had gathered below him, before his voice boomed down at them, "You have all gathered today because we face an unprecedented threat. The Dragon Emperor has fought and even killed gods, Devils, and any number of enemies that none of us have ever even conceived of existing or fighting; and now he had done what none have ever thought possible, and United Heaven and Hell under his banner!" As his voice echoed out over the armies of Olympus, many of the gathered soldiers and heroes felt their blood pumping at the thought of fighting such a powerful and infamous figure, their dsr to win glory and make a name for themselves dominating the daunting fact that Alex was simply too powerful for them to beat. Seeing this, Zeus then continued, "Now the Dragon Emperor is on his way here, presumably with the armies of Heaven, Hell, and his Asora at his back, with the intention of 'conquering' Olympus for themselves! Well, WILL WE LET THEM!?" With the sky roaring along with Zeus's shout, the millions of warriors roared back their willingness to meet the challenge despite the odds against them, building up the hype as the seconds counted down until Alex's arrival. *** While Zeus and the armies of Olympus were prepared to meet him outside, inside the divine hall there was a brief spatial distortion before two figures appeared out of thin air, Alex and Nyx. As he looked around in awe Alex uttered, "So this is the seat of power in Olympus..." Nyx nodded in affirmation as she said, "Yep, this is where those annoying Olympians are based and hold their meetings." As she had been one of the dark gods that sought to end the stability of the world, Nyx was very much looking forward to seeing Alex humiliate the entire pantheon by himself. While he himself was smiling wryly at her eagerness, something else grabbed Alex's attention as he focused on the sole occupant in the throne room, a young looking girl who was silently tending the great hearth that sat in the center of it. As she turned to look at him Alex knew instantly who she was due to only one Olympian fitting her profile, Hestia. Hestia was the oldest of the Olympians and was the first-born child of the Titan Cronus, who's latent power and potential instilled so much fear in the King of the Titans, that he then began the trend of eating his own children to prevent them from rising up against him. Though this trend ended up backfiring on him when Zeus rose up and freed his captive siblings, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Despite her own power and potential however, Hestia had always been similar to Anne in that she was naturally pacifistic, except that Anne would fight when she needed to, while it was nearly impossible to get Hestia to mobilize. As he looked at her though, Alex could honestly say that this was good thing as even her passive aura was sending shivers along even his skin, telling him that if she ever decided to use her strength, the rankings of the world's strongest would be completely rearranged. As the youthful looking girl then directed her attention to him for the first time, Alex got his first real look at the strongest Olympian. Her eyes were a deep charcoal black that glowed orange at the center like they were live coals, while her long smooth charcoal black hair cascaded down her shoulders gracefully. Despite her appearing to be in her early teens like Yue or Mavis though, true to DXD world logic, Hestia had some of the largest brsts Alex had ever seen on someone with her figure, appearing even slightly larger than Nyx's. "It's a psur to finally meet the famous Dragon Emperor, and I'm glad that you managed to save your daughter." Though he approached with complete confidence before, Alex paused at Hestia's words, as they hadn't said anything regarding Edith being kidnapped at one point, yet Hestia looked and acted as if she knew all about it. Seeing him pause, the goddess continued, "I see a lot in the flames and coals of the hearth, but always within our own world. So consider me surprised as well when one day I saw the missing Dragon Emperor welcoming his own children into the world, and then one of them suddenly being taken." Sensing genuine sincerity from Hestia's tone and words, Alex nodded to her slightly and said, "Thank you for your sincerity, and it is an honor to meet the first Olympian." Smiling warmly back at the sincerity that Alex returned to her, Hestia returned to tending her hearth without giving him another glance, fully intending to stay out of Alex's fight with her family since she had a fairly good grasp of his character by this point. Knowing that Hestia wasn't going to interfere with him, Alex then proceeded to make his way to Zeus's throne, before planting his bu right in it as he decided to wait for the Olympians to join him. Meanwhile Nyx then proceeded to act in her role as his slave-maid, and started bringing Alex refreshments from the Olympian table while they waited. In the silence of the divine hall though, aside from the constant crackle of Hestia's hearth, the pitter patter of feet on the stone floors drew Alex's attention, revealing a surprising visitor.
