"We shouldn't dress up or anything; after all, we're going to a divine party," Kiss-Shot said.
"Nah, no need; you look fine, and I don't really have anything better," I said as I got out of bed. "Recounting the village has been a hassle, and I can't leave that job to Bemus since he's badly injured," I complained about my bad luck.
"We need more money for the rebuilding; we wouldn't need it if someone hadn't taken everything valuable and made a throne," Kiss-Shot pointed out.
"How was I supposed to know this would happen? Anyway, getting money isn't that hard; I just have to do some hunting and alchemy jobs, and that's it. We'll have enough to rebuild the village as it was." Kiss-Shot didn't say anything to that; he just picked up his parasol and looked at me.
"Do you know who's coming to get us?" he asked.
"No, but I have an idea who it might be," I replied.
"And that would be him?" I didn't answer that question; I just pointed in a direction.
When Kiss-shot turned around, he saw a man with black and white hair wearing a toga and sandals and carrying a staff with wings and two entwined snakes.
"That would be me," said the god of travelers. "Let me introduce myself. I am Hermes, the god of messengers and other things," he said, bowing before Kiss-shot and trying to kiss his hand.
Kiss-shot just looked at him and walked past, ignoring him. At this, a bead of sweat appeared on Hermes's brow.
"Ha, your charms aren't as effective as you thought; like father, like son," I said to the god, walking past him.
Hermes just sighed.
"I admit defeat, but I would be a small-time chief compared to what's up there," Hermes warned me.
"If I were afraid of the gods, I wouldn't have accepted the invitation," I replied, dressing in my Grim Reaper form.
Hermes just smiled at me.
"Well, hold on tight and try not to throw up your lunch," he said, creating a magic circle beneath the three of us. And so we were teleported, passing through the interior of the world straight to Olympus.
I felt everything spinning—my brain, my organs, my body—but it was just my senses deceiving me, since we didn't actually move. I saw Kiss-shot wobbly as if she were about to fall.
"We've arrived. Let me give you a tour," he said, pointing with his caduceus toward the entrance to Olympus.
Technically, according to the myths, Olympus is in the sky among the clouds, but it wasn't quite like that. The entrance was above; from there, one traveled to the inverted world, where there were various creatures from different mythologies. I imagine this place is divided into regions as well, since I don't think Avalon is above Olympus and vice versa.
I approached Kiss-Shot, and when I saw she was alright, we followed Hermes through the city of the Olympian gods.
The place looked like a mountain shrouded in clouds, among which were several houses where the Olympians must live; I imagine the rest of the gods live with them, or in some secluded spot here, or even on Earth itself.
"That one over there is Demeter's house, while that one over there is Ares's, and that one over there is mine, the one next to Hestia's; further on is Athena's." He began to tell us about the different houses in the place, but Kiss-Shot and I were more focused on what this new world looked like.
It was brimming with life energy and ether; it was astonishing. Now I can understand why magical creatures came to live here since the age of man.
The path leading to the central area of Olympus was empty, but I imagined everyone was at the party.
After walking for a while, we arrived at an entrance where two gods were waiting.
"I see our special guest has arrived; you'd better put on your most attractive outfit, without that undead look or the bandages; it'll be better for the atmosphere," the god said with a smile.
"So you saw it?" I asked, but it was more of a statement than anything else.
"Yes, it was quite a sight to see my brother get beaten up like that, especially since it's something I couldn't do, so in a way, I'm a fan of yours." He spoke with great eloquence and charisma. "Let me introduce myself; I'm Dionysus, god of wine and revelry, and beside me is Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and Hera's private messenger."
"Hello, we're here welcoming gods and non-gods to the party. Welcome," he said, gesturing to the festivities. "The food is to the left, and the gossip zone is to the right. If you go there, I hope you can handle the way those three talk about the gods." I spoke to them both with a broad smile.
Those three, let me guess, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hera; I'm just guessing, I'll see if that's the case.
"Thank you very much," I said as I returned to my normal, bandaged form. The most dangerous ones had already seen my face; there was no point in hiding it anymore. I entered the party, followed by Kiss-shot and Hermes.
"Being on the opposite side of the world, I thought there wouldn't be any sun," Kiss-shot complained, still having to use the parasol.
"Well, let's continue our journey, if you like," Hermes began but was interrupted.
"That won't be necessary; I can guide you from here," came the deep voice of a male god.
When I turned around, I saw Hades dressed somewhat formally, but not too much; beside him was Persephone, greeting us both.
Hermes was about to say something but remained silent, simply bowing and almost running away.
"I didn't think you'd come to this kind of thing," I said, accepting Persephone's hug as I looked at Hades.
"Since it involves you, I can't help but get involved; after all, you're my son, even if not by blood," the god of the underworld said.
"Besides, knowing your circumstances, you don't want some deranged goddess to kidnap you, do you?" Persephone said, pinching my cheeks.
I tried to push him away, just enough so he could turn to Kiss-Shot.
"Come on, let's go meet my mother; Dante and Hades have something important to discuss with the Olympian god; we'll join them afterward," he said to Kiss-Shot without letting her speak. "Don't worry, darling, your wife will be safe with me and the others; no one will touch her," he said, gesturing and going to where Iris said the gossips were.
"Pray that Hera or Demeter infect her with malicious tongues," he said, heading to the center of the room. "Come on, Zeus has something to discuss with you."
As we walked toward where they were waiting for me, I just hoped nothing bad would happen.
"Oh, I see you've arrived; you took quite a while," a man's deep voice said; not far from me were five gods.
At the very top stood a large, pale man with white hair, whom I immediately recognized as Zeus. Not far away was Apollo, smiling and winking at me, which sent a shiver down my spine. Beside him was Artemis, staring at me intently, as if her gaze were piercing my head; I'll find out why later. On the other side was Ares.
"How's it going, brother-in-arms?" the god of war said, holding what was undoubtedly an alcoholic beverage. Beside him was a beautiful, serious-looking woman; I could have mistaken her for a CEO of a large corporation, with brown hair and a toga similar to Hermes's.
"It's hard to move around amidst all this noise, especially at these stupid parties," Hades said beside me.
"Give it to me, Uncle Hades, after all the effort Dionysus and I put into this party," Apollo complained.
"That doesn't matter now. Let's get to the main point, and that would be the addition of the being called Dante, or better known as 'Death,'" spoke the chief god of Olympus. "Don't you think that being so vital is only under your command, Hades?"
"He's my son; it's the most natural thing in the world," Hades declared.
"But I don't know if I'm mistaken," said Hermes, appearing out of nowhere. "So there really isn't any real connection to all that, other than a sentimental one, which doesn't really matter much to gods like us."
"He has a good way of twisting things; he's only saying that to curry favor with Zeus," said Artemis, looking at Hermes.
Hades clicked his tongue at this, then looked his younger brother straight in the eye.
"Fine, but what is it you want then, to have him under your personal command? I'm not going to allow that," said the god of the underworld.
"I have a proposal for that," the serious woman beside Ares said. "I've seen this being's combat skills, and I was quite impressed by how he managed to take down this ape standing next to me."
"What do you mean, ape, you cold and serious woman? Do you want to fight?" Ares said, somewhat annoyed by the insult.
"Battles like yours don't interest me, but getting back to the subject, I also saw how you manage that island known as Crisa," the goddess continued.
"What do you mean, getting to the point of your speech?" Zeus asked.
"That it be under the command of the twelve Greek gods and live on Mount Olympus," the goddess said.
"What do you mean, sister?" Artemis asked.
"What do you mean, sister?" "Some gods and creatures, like the nymphs and centaurs, have been claiming they want a place to live near here. We can create a place near the entrance to Olympus where Dante can rule and manage it; that way he'll be close by to run our errands at our convenience," the goddess proposed.
"Not a bad idea," Zeus said, scratching his chin.
"That might affect the task I gave him," Hades said.
"You can leave it to others, or to those who are truly responsible for it; I think Thanatos is very quiet these days thanks to Dante's intervention."
I said nothing, since my fate was in his hands; I could very well leave, but I need Kiss-Shot on my side; without her, I can't escape, so for now, all I can do is stay here and cry in silence.
Especially since Kiss has been making friends and emerging from that life of loneliness.
"What do you think, being of darkness?" Zeus asked me.
"I have no problem with that decision, but if you'll allow me, I'd like to ask for something in return," I said.
"And what would that be?" he inquired.
"That the entrance to Olympus be beneath Crisa, so I can travel from one place to another easily, since I'm technically still the ruler of that realm and I have to watch over it at least until I find a suitable replacement," whom I already have in mind.
"Hmm, that seems fine. I have no problem with the way to enter Olympus being through that island you have. I grant it." The god gave the order.
Now beings like humans, demi-humans, spirits, and gods will have to pass through Crisa; I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's something, period.
Just as we were about to continue our conversation, a figure I'd never seen before appeared. She was a woman wearing a toga similar to that of the serious goddess, only her eyes and hair were as red as fire.
"I think something's still missing, little brother," she said with a smile and a drink in her hand.
"And what would that be?" Zeus asked the woman.
"Since he's not a god and he's going to be on Olympus, we have to make him a champion," the woman said, raising her drink.
"That doesn't make sense; a champion is..." the serious goddess began but was interrupted by the red-haired goddess.
"Relax a little, Athena. What do rules matter? We're gods. What do you say, little brother?" the goddess said to Zeus.
"I think Hestia is right; Dante should be a champion." With his achievements and the power to fight my son Ares, he's considered a candidate for one," Zeus began.
"What achievements?" Artemis asked from the background.
"Then, as the chief god of Olympus, I decree Dante as my champion per—" He didn't finish, as he was stopped.
"Hold on right there for a moment; I won't allow it. Do you think I'll let you do what you want? Having someone like Dante in someone's hands is dangerous, especially in yours or Hera's," Hades interrupted.
Hades and Zeus were about to start fighting, something no one wanted to interrupt.
"About that, I think I have something you can say to avoid a fight and destroying everything that Dionysus and Apollo worked so hard on," I said.
Everyone stared at me for a moment.
...
"One, ha ha ha, I think I'm going to win," Poseidon began mockingly, holding a single one card.
Zeus, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon sat at a table. Poseidon had joined the fray last to decide whose personal field it would be.
In the future, the champions would be more from Olympus and all that, but that would come later; they weren't going to miss the opportunity to monopolize the first designated champion, even if they didn't have the qualifications.
"How unfair! Tell me he has something so I can take more cards," he said, continuing his turn.
Zeus said nothing and simply placed the card on the table. Hades just smiled smugly and played a card.
"A plus 4? That's not fair!" Poseidon complained.
"Shut up and take the four cards. You skip a turn," Hades said.
"It's a rule; you made it up," Poseidon said.
"It's a rule; you made it up."
"It's a rule." "It isn't," Hades retorted.
"Then how come you didn't skip your turn when they played one against you?" Poseidon countered.
"I don't remember that," Hades replied.
"Hahaha, shut up and skip the turn, Poseidon; we have to keep playing," Zeus said.
"What a sore loser," Hestia said.
The rest of us were watching the game with great interest, without interfering much.
...
"Ha, I won right in your faces, losers! The older sister is always the winner," Hestia said, jumping up and knocking over her seat.
"You tricked me," Poseidon said.
"I told you I had red, you idiot," Zeus said.
"I heard the color I had was green."
"That doesn't matter anymore," Poseidon said, throwing the cards to the ground and leaving like a sore loser.
Hades sighed.
"Well, at least Zeus didn't win," he said.
"What does that mean?" Zeus asked.
"What you heard, little brother," Hades replied.
The others were already backing away, including me, but someone came up and grabbed me by the neck.
"Don't run away, little champ. Now we'll make an amazing team, our party nights will be unforgettable, and you can bring that undead wife of yours; we're family now, and by default, she will be too. Think of me as your stepmother. Wait a minute, Persephone is already your stepmother; what comes after a stepmother?" She started rambling on and on. I could only stand there listening as Zeus and Hades began to fight.
...
"So I challenged him to an eating contest," I said, recounting my story.
"So, what happened?" Dionysus asked beside me, eager to hear more.
"The comedy began, and he ate and ate until he exploded," I explained.
"How did he explode, and how did his guts spill out and all that?" asked the god beside me, who turned out to be Pan, the god of nature.
"Almost. He just vomited up everything he'd eaten that day, and he almost threw up his stomach too. It was grotesque," I replied.
"I can just imagine something like that. I can just picture myself challenging Ares or Apollo to something like that, and it ending that way. It'll be the best thing ever," Dionysus said.
"I can just imagine myself challenging Ares or Apollo to something like that, and it'll end that way. It'll be the best thing ever," Dionysus said.
"I can just imagine myself doing that." "Don't make me imagine it; it disgusts me. But speaking of that, look, Dante, almost all the goddesses at this party have their eyes on you. Look, even Hera is glancing at you furtively; she's even ignoring the fact that Zeus is flirting with a nymph," Pan said.
I looked where he was pointing to meet Hera's gaze. When she noticed, she nervously started fidgeting with her nails.
"I don't like that, mainly because of the problems that could arise; I don't care if you sleep with her, she's not my mother, but there's someone who does," she warned me.
It could be. There are some myths that say Hera was tricked into marrying Zeus; it wasn't for love, but out of obligation, since she was the goddess of marriage. If that's the case, and knowing Hera's personality, just thinking about it gives me chills.
I couldn't continue pondering this, because Kiss appeared with a beautiful goddess by his side.
"My husband, Dis, is inviting us to stay at her temple this time. What do you say?"
"Dite?" I asked.
"Let me introduce myself," said the beautiful goddess, walking past Kiss. "My name is Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty," she said, extending her hand.
I stared at her hand for a second, trying to figure out what she wanted. To avoid conflict, I took her hand and kissed it.
Looking into her eyes, I could see hearts forming there, which gave me a bad feeling.
"Well, how about I buy you a drink?" Dionysus said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Excuse me, but Dante can't consume anything with alcohol," Kiss said immediately.
"How disgraceful," Dionysus said, as if it were something terrible. "And why would that be?"
"When Dante gets drunk, he loses all sense of himself and his memories; he also behaves like a madman, and it's very easy to take advantage of him," Kiss-Shot told me at that moment.
"Really?" he said to Kiss-Shot, then looked at me. "You know, I'm the god of wine, ecstasy, and theater, which allows me to do this," Dionysus said, holding his arm, and everything went black.
...
I felt like my heart was starting to beat again; I sat bolt upright only to be hit with a splitting headache.
I started hearing moans beside me, only to see a gigantic bed filled with naked women, and next to it, an Aphrodite who was completely unclothed and a little sticky, like the others.
"I see you're awake," I heard Kiss-shot's voice, only to see her sitting in a comfortable chair in the corner of the room.
"What happened?" I asked, trying to remember.
"Dionysus, I got you drunk just by touching you, which made the party even wilder; you were even flirting with Artemis. Only because she knew what happened; nothing bad happened to you, but that brings us to this point," she said, pointing at the bed.
"An orgy?" I asked again.
"A super orgy—it was incredible to see," Kiss replied.
"And what did you do?" I asked again.
"Of course, I participated; it was weird but amazing. Dite showed me and taught me many new ways to have sex; I don't remember it now, but I can remind you later."
I just rubbed my temple, trying to get rid of the headache.
This is different from when I was in One Piece; back then it was a world of debauchery, but now I have a partner and all that, and forced marriage doesn't count for much. And it's not that I haven't thought about having a harem; that would be silly of me, but I need Kiss's approval, besides not making it too big. I'm not a Pokémon trainer going around catching them all.
"Yeah, I want to try it again," Kiss-Shot blurted out.
"What do you mean, do something like that again?" I asked him.
"No, since I don't know much about these things, Dite offered to be a teacher for things like love and said it was necessary for you to be there or it wouldn't make sense, something like just the three of us," he replied.
Something inside me tells me that Aphrodite is manipulating and deceiving Kiss-Shot, but now's not the time to dwell on that. Right now, I just want to get this headache out of my head.
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Sorry for the delay; I've been busy with something that slowed me down writing this chapter, and I won't say more so I can upload it quickly. By the way, Happy New Year, and I hope everyone has a great time.