Right now, I was standing on the new island I was going to "govern." It was more like, if you want to go to Olympus, you have to pass through here and under my supervision, since I couldn't force anyone to do anything. I also had to protect this place at all times, no matter what, since it was now the new home of various Greek mythological creatures.
The funny thing is that, besides being a place where you could pass through Olympus, it also had an entrance and exit to Atlantis and the underworld, all thanks to Hades and Poseidon's whining to Hestia.
The good thing is that they let me name this place, so they called it Anamesa se kosmous (Anámesa se kosmous), which means "between worlds." And to shorten it, since it was too long, it was called Anacosmos.
The place was perfect; it had all three seasons, mountains, beaches, and everything. According to what I learned from Hestia, this place was created with the help of the twelve Olympian gods, or most of them.
You could see Pan flirting with some nymphs, Hecate with some empusas, Cerberus resting by a volcanic area near the entrance to the underworld, Despena with Poseidon and some sirens, Artemis with her huntresses, Ares and Hermes fighting, Demeter with Persephone and Kiss-shot having drinks, and Athena there too, reading a book; Apollo, Hera, Aphrodite, and Hestia were there.
"..." I stood there, unsure what to think, only to glance to my side, looking at Zeus, satisfied with his work, even though he'd hardly done anything.
"Why were all the gods on this island? I thought they had other things to do," I said to Zeus.
"All of them? I don't see Hades anywhere." At his response, I just rolled my eyes. "Calm down, man, it's not a big deal. They're just checking out the new place; it won't be permanent," he said, seeing my reaction. "Besides, who doesn't like seeing Aphrodite naked, enjoying the sun on the beach?" He winked at me, taking a look at Aphrodite in passing.
"What a drag," he simply said.
...
"Today we are gathered to inaugurate the new island near Olympus where all the gods, creatures, and our fellow beings will be able to live," Zeus began, speaking in the chamber of Olympus. "This place will be called Anakosmos by me, a name that occurred to me, and its caretaker will be our greatest champion to date," and the only one, "That is Dante, son of Hades."
At that moment, I was in the midst of the twelve Olympian gods, who began to applaud me; I could only bow my head in a sign of submission and recognition before the gods.
At that moment, the doors opened to reveal a large, somewhat poorly assembled robot. It had only one eye; it seemed to limp, as if they had tried to assemble a chariot and it hadn't turned out well.
At this sight, Zeus and Hera stood up in a frenzy.
"You," Hera said, with a tone of guilt and displeasure.
"I've returned, Mother, showing that I'm still alive and seeking a place among us as it should be."
"Hephaestus, it's good to see you're alright," she said somewhat cheerfully, then narrowed her eyes. "But there's a problem, and that is that all 12 Olympian positions are already filled, so there's no room for you right now."
The chief god's voice sounded a little regretful.
"Then they just need to remove one of you, and that's it," said the god of blacksmithing, as if he were talking about the weather.
"How dare you?" Poseidon began to scold; some other gods started to do the same.
A conflict seemed to be brewing until Hestia snapped her fingers, a sound that could perhaps be heard across the entire world.
"Everyone can calm down now; you're all acting like animals," said Hestia, turning her gaze to her nephew. "If you so desperately want to be here among us, then I grant you my position."
The words of the household goddesses caused another commotion.
"But, sister, are you sure?" Hades asked, a little worried.
"You're one of those who has the most right to be here," Poseidon added.
Zeus just stared at his sister.
"Oh, everyone be quiet now. That's precisely why I'm leaving. I want to rest from all these problems. Besides, I'm not leaving; I'm just stepping out of the Olympians. I'll continue living here and fixing your nonsense," Hestia scolded the others.
"Are you sure?" Zeus asked Hestia.
"Absolutely," he said with a smile, rising from his seat to stand beside me.
"Very well, then I approve the removal of Hestia as an Olympian goddess and assign her position to Hephaestus," Zeus announced.
(Note: According to my research, the position is usually given to Dionysus, but since I changed some cases, by default it has to go to Hephaestus.)
"With this, this meeting concludes with the incorporation of Anakosmos as Greek territory, with Dantes as its guardian and chief observer, and the removal of Hestia, goddess of the hearth, in favor of Hephaestus, god of the blacksmith; the session is adjourned," he said, rattling his thunder spear.
After that, I returned to Hestia's temple at his request to see something.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"Here," he said, opening a door, "is where I protect the sacred Greek fire."
A flame could be seen shifting through colors: deep red, orange, blue, white, and so on.
"I hope, didn't Prometheus steal it?" I asked.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean it can't return here; humankind can use fire and move into the future, but this fire is sacred; it must always remain here," the goddess of the hearth told me.
"Then why am I here?" I asked again.
"Well, since you are my champion, despite what they say about you being one of all the Olympians, I grant you permission to use this fire," she said, touching my chest. I felt a warmth spread through my body. "This fire is priceless, even beyond the air and sea; now you can summon a fraction of its power and use it to defend your new home and family."
I was stunned by this; I just stared at Hestia.
"Thank you so much, Hestia," I said.
She hugged me.
"Call me 'mother,' you little brat," she said, endearing herself to me.
...
Day 1 in Anakosmos
"Dante, wake up; it's time to train," Ares said, bursting into my room.
"What year is it?" Kiss-shot sat beside me, startled by the interruption.
I was lying next to her, trying to sleep.
"It's early; let me sleep," I pleaded.
"Hestia designed a place for us where we could practice as much as we wanted," he said cheerfully, ignoring my response.
He grabbed my forearm and dragged me to this talking place.
"Let me at least have breakfast," I said, crying.
...
Ares slashed with his spear, trying to turn me into a donut; I deflected each of his attempts with the side blades of the Fusion Sword.
As the fight progressed, Ares's intensity increased.
I quickly buried the swords in the ground and spun around, shattering the earth and creating a smokescreen. This allowed me to kick Ares, creating some distance.
Taking advantage of Ares coughing, since he had swallowed dirt and humi, I used Geppo to jump on top of him and finish him off, but he managed to react, sending me crashing to the ground.
At this, I transformed into my hybrid form and created a scythe to block Ares's attacks from the ground.
I created several swords above him, which drew his attention and gave me time to get up.
After destroying all the swords, Ares continued his relentless attack. I could only defend myself.
"Come on, Dante, beat him senseless!" Aphrodite began to cheer from afar.
"Woof, woof," Cerberus added, barking.
Athena was also there, watching the fight, along with Aeolus, Hypnos, Eris, and Hestia.
Seeing an opening, I spun around, kicking him in the jaw, momentarily stopping him. I then dropped to the ground, entered the opening, pulled myself up using my arms, and with another kick to the jaw, sent him flying into the air.
I enveloped the entire ground in darkness and, using Geppo and Soru, launched myself above Aresm, striking the darkness directly. He didn't sink, but the kick I delivered from mid-air caused the darkness to consume him.
I dispelled the darkness to create a floor, generating a pillar of darkness from which a charred and wounded Ares flew out.
Once on the ground, when Ares tried to get up, I sent him flying again into the sky using the Fusion Sword.
At great speed, I created several singularities where Ares was still standing. Sword in hand, I launched myself at him; he was barely able to defend himself, but at that moment the blades of the Fusion Swords flew all around.
"Omnislash," I said, teleporting to a singularity where a sword was located, and using Geppo's propulsion, I slashed the god of war, returning to another singularity and achieving a total of 13 quick and continuous cuts.
Ares fell to the ground on his back, while I landed on my feet.
I stared at Ares, who slowly rose, his body covered in ichor.
"That," he began to say. "That was incredible; teach me that move," said the god.
"I just wanted to go have breakfast," he said with a sigh.
Day 2 in Anakosmos
"Why do I have to do this?" I said, almost pleading; I was nearly naked, covered in targets, with an apple tied to my head.
"Because I'm helping you with Aria, and there's also what you did at the last party," said the moon goddess in a wicked tone.
"But I don't remember anything that happened," I pleaded.
"And that makes you even more guilty of your sin," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "Bows ready," she called to her huntresses. "Let the hunt begin," I gave the order.
I prepared to escape as several arrows flew in my direction.
Day 5 in Anakosmos
I was pushing the Temple of Demeter while she told me where to put it.
"No, a little more to the right," she said, so I moved it. "A little more," she continued. "You didn't go too far; a little more to the left. "I did as she said. "You know I don't like it here; let's find another spot," she said, like a mother proud of her hardworking son.
The problem is, I've been moving this gigantic temple for almost 10 hours. I was drenched in sweat, and my legs and arms were completely spent.
Day 23 in Anakosmos
Apollo, Hermes, and I were about to be hanged, all because Apollo had slept with the village leader's wife and Hermes with his daughter. And I was just passing through, only because I was their "friend."
"I bet he can last longer here than you," Hermes challenged Apollo.
"I bet I can hang here for days longer than you," he retorted.
I was staring at the two idiots, speechless.
"Let's go for a walk," they said. "It'll be fun," they said. "Nothing bad will happen," they said. I started complaining about both of them.
Day 41 in Anakosmos
"The thing is, when the gods and primordial beings don't affect the earth, it's called science. An example of this is the gravity of the planets. The moon is constantly falling toward the earth, but because it moves, it misses when it falls, causing what's called an orbit, and it's always like what happens with the sun." "The Earth is falling towards the sun, but since the sun moves, it also misses its mark, and so on all the time." I told Athena, standing next to a chalkboard, drawing pictures of the planets.
She was writing everything down on a scroll.
"Interesting. Hey, can you come to my temple tomorrow?" she asked.
"Sorry, but tomorrow I'm going to visit Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale," I replied.
"Oh, well, that's fine then," she said, looking disappointed.
I didn't know how to console her, so the place fell into an awkward silence.
Day 55 in Anakosmos
"I didn't think Hades' request would be for us to bathe Cerberus," Kiss-shot told me as he threw a bucket of lukewarm water on the guardian dog of the gates of the underworld.
"Me too," he said, completely covered in the dog shampoo I bought at the system's store.
Day 64 in Anakosmus
"I heard you know a lot about the knowledge of alchemy and magic," Hephaestus said to me.
"That's right," I replied, sitting down on a piece of rock and fanning myself against the heat. "How did you know?"
"I overheard Athena saying it while I was spying on her," Hephaestus said as he headed toward his forge.
I decided to ignore that and followed him.
"Right now I'm trying to create a new weapon to impress her, but I need materials here," he said, handing me a scroll. "Here's what I need."
I didn't look at the list but instead took the AT from my inventory.
Hephaestus was impressed by this.
"I didn't have a good way to store this, so I left it like a bullet in this contraption," I said, taking the bullet out of the anti-tank gun, except it wasn't a bullet but a magical horn that looked like a bullet.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"From another dimension. It belongs to some kind of hybrid between a dog and a unicorn, magical; right now it's the last one left." The cut, the whole thing about him immediately asking for more. "If you want to make a weapon that will impress and also do me a favor, make one with this unique material."
The god was thoughtful for a moment, but after a few seconds he spoke.
"Deal, I'll make your weapon, and you'll speak well of me, Athena," he told me.
"Fine," I said simply, knowing that if I spoke of this guy, Athena would just force me to change the subject.
"Right, I still need you to find the other materials."
Day 70 in Anakosmos
"So you want me to find this guy?" I asked Zeus.
"Yes, I want you to play the Grim Reaper and make this human pay for defiling my sanctuaries where I was worshipped; it's a capital crime," the god said furiously.
Seeing the information here, the human drunkenly peed in one of Zeus's sanctuaries.
"When I find him, what do I do?" I asked again.
"Tell him what his sin was and then send him to Hades," he ordered; I stared at him for a while to see if he would change his mind.
*20 minutes*
I found the guy Zeus was talking about. Dressed as the Grim Reaper, I approached with a determined stride. People who saw me backed away in fear.
After a few steps, I reached the guy; he was startled to see me and tried to run, but I was faster. I grabbed him by the collar and forced him face-to-face with my skeletal face.
"You sinner," I said loudly so everyone could hear, shaking him roughly.
"Who are you?" the guy asked.
"I am the Grim Reaper, and in the name of the gods, for desecrating Zeus's sanctuary, I condemn you to the underworld to die there," I declared forcefully.
Using the scythe, I opened a portal, and I quickly threw the man into the hole so it would close. He was gone. Now he must be hanging around in Hades; he only had to adapt or die.
Day 87 in Anakosmo
Aphrodite was on top of me, completely naked; she was pinching her nipples as I relentlessly thrust into her.
"Ah, Dante, don't stop; it feels so good," she moaned as she smoothed her hair.
"Are you sure Kiss-Shot said you could do this without her?" I asked doubtfully.
"Don't worry, I've got everything arranged, trust me. Now fill my vagina completely with your seed," she whispered in my ear before beginning to kiss me passionately, something I couldn't help but return.
Day 88 in Anakosmos
"So, why are you here alone with your suitcases?" Hestia asked me.
"I was tricked. I did something without Kiss-Shot's permission, and she punished me by kicking me out of the house for a week," I replied.
At this, Hestia started laughing uncontrollably at me while pointing a gun. If it weren't for Kiss-shot's instructions to come here, I might have gone to spend the week with Athena.
Day 92 in Anakosmos
I was exercising in just my pants in front of Hera. She was at a good distance, watching me intently.
"Hera, are you sure you don't need me to do anything else besides this?" I asked her.
"Don't worry, just keep going and don't stop, and remember that when we're alone you can call me Mommy," she said in a sensual voice, licking her lips.
Which sent shivers down my spine.
Day 109 in Anakosmos
"So the idea is that you come here, jump rope, take Zeus's head and swap it for a goat's head, and I'll pull you up." Poseidon gave me the orders.
"I have a feeling this isn't going to end well," I told Poseidon my concerns.
"Relax, boy; whatever happens, I'm here to defend you," said the sea god.
*Moments later*
"It was the brother's fault. He said he wanted to do this and used my time as an excuse," Poseidon said, blaming Zeus.
"I just want to say that I have proof that Poseidon was the one who got the goat's head about five days ago," I said, to which Poseidon remained silent, since he had said it was something that occurred to him on the spur of the moment.
"Do you have anything to say about that?" Zeus said, glaring at his brother. Poseidon then began to shout.
"Fuck—"
Day 121 in Anakosmos
"Double pair, I win," said Pan as he tried to grab the chips.
"Wait a second," said Dionysus. "Straight," he said, grinning.
Just as he was about to take the loot, I spoke up.
"Wait," I said, showing him my cards. "Royal flush."
"You cheated, cheater," Dionysus started complaining.
"If you did something to the cards," Pan continued.
"Something tells me you did something right when Pan's chair mysteriously broke," said Morpheus.
"If you don't have real proof, then you can't say I cheated, sore losers," I retorted to their complaints, which caused the three of them to turn on me, starting a fight.
[Congratulations, you have defeated a Greek god for the first time; your reward is 500,000,000,000 PL].
[Congratulations, you have defeated an Olympian god for the first time; their reward is 1,000,000,000,000 PL].
[Congratulations, you have defeated Dionysus; their reward is 50,000,000,000 PL].
Day 133 in Anakosmos
"Here, your weapon is ready," he said, handing me a bow. "I made the bowstring from the horn you gave me; it's indestructible and has space-time powers, something never seen before. At its full power, it could destroy or pierce any defense without breaking the shield."
As he described the weapon, I was awestruck by the bow; it was beautiful and otherworldly. I expected nothing less from the god of blacksmithing.
"Thank you so much, Hephaestus. If I could do anything to repay you, I would," I said.
"Well, there's something I'd like to ask," he began, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "I want to ask for Aphrodite's hand in marriage, and from what I understand, you're her sexual partner right now. So, I'd like to ask if you could stop doing that, because if all goes well, she'll be my wife."
I remembered that Hephaestus and Aphrodite were married in Greek mythology. A sad story filled with infidelity and abuse.
"Okay, I promise I won't sleep with Aphrodite again from now on," I said, placing a hand on my heart.
"Thank you very much, Dante; I really appreciate that," the deformed man said with a smile.
Day 135 in Anakosmos
It was Aphrodite and Hephaestus's wedding; I was watching as the two gods declared themselves husband and wife, and Kiss-shot was beside me, looking somewhat worried.
"I can't help but feel sorry for Dis, marrying someone she doesn't love; if something like that happened to me, I wouldn't know what to do," she told me.
"Don't worry, darling, I'm here by your side forever," I comforted her.
Day 136 in Anakosmos
I began to wake from my dream only to realize I was in a room I didn't recognize, chained to a bed and naked.
"What the hell?" I said, just as I heard the door open and Aphrodite appeared, dressed in her wedding gown.
"I see you've woken up, my beloved," she said, her eyes filled with lust and madness.
"Tell me, but what? Shouldn't you be with Hephaestus right now?" I said, panicking.
"Being with that ugly, deformed creature? No, you crazy woman! I wouldn't let a being like him touch me for any reason. I'm only yours and no one else's," she began.
"This is wrong," I started to say, but she put a finger to my lips.
"Relax, I gave Hephaestus a strong sleeping pill. He won't wake up for a while, and they won't be able to find us. But you know it's wrong to deny our intimacy. It drives me crazy not having your member inside me, filling me with love every day. But now, here, we'll spend many days together, giving each other love without stopping," she said, and began to rape me without a thought for my feelings.
Day 140 in Anakosmos
After five days, they managed to get me out of Aphrodite's temple. I suspected I was there, but there was no proof. They managed to distract Dis and Hestia; along with Kiss-Shot, they searched the place, found me, and rescued me.
As for Dis, she didn't suffer any punishment; she carried on as if nothing had happened. The only thing that was broken was my short-lived friendship with Hephaestus, since he took this as a betrayal on my part.
As always, the gods don't think.
Day 159 in Anakosmos
Aphrodite's pregnancy was confirmed, and I'm the father, since I'm the only one who's had sex with her since I arrived on Olympus. And just so you know, I'm still doing it with her and Kiss-Shot; that hasn't changed at all.
Day 176 in Anakosmos
I was with Hestia, Kiss-shot, and Persephone outside a room where Aria was giving birth to my son or daughter, being assisted by Artemis.
I was nervous, while the other women there were supporting me and trying to calm my nerves.
Suddenly, I heard a baby cry; Artemis immediately came out; she was holding a baby in her arms.
I quickly went to see the baby, only for Artemis to place her in my arms; I immediately noticed that she had Aria's black hair; later I'll find out if she has red eyes like me.
But what I did notice was that this baby was a girl.
"How is Aria?" I asked Artemis. She just shook her head, which made me sad. I had been with Aria for a little over nine months, and I had even considered her part of the family; I hope she can hold on and stay with us.
"What are you going to name her?" Persephone asked me.
"I'm going to call her Libra," I replied.
"Nice name. Come with her grandmother," she started to take the baby from my hands, only for Hetsioa to interrupt her.
"Wait a minute, I'm her grandmother, not you," she said, pointing at her.
"You're crazy. I'm Dante's mother, not you," Persephone said.
"It's better that her mother is here; she'll stay at my house with me to become a good assassin," Kiss-shot said.
"No, she'll make a good housewife," Hestia countered.
"You're wrong; she'll be a good flower gardener," Persephone said.
While the three women argued, Artemis intervened.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your discussion, but this child will become a great huntress under my command; after all, that was the agreement you made with Dante," Artemis said, making the situation worse.
The three women stared at the baby in her hand.
*Flashback.*
"So what do you need?" I asked the goddess of the hunt.
"Since the woman is already pregnant, I have to tell you that if the baby is a girl, then she will end up under my command of huntresses," she said.
"And why is that?" I asked again.
"For all the help I've given you," she replied.
"Didn't it say it was for the favor you owed me?" I said.
"This is something else entirely. You want the baby to be born safe, so fulfill this pact by the River Styx," the goddess commanded.
Knowing I was already pregnant and wanting the child to be born healthy, I did as she asked.
*End of flashback.*
"You're a crazy, wild woman; you'll never be a huntress," Persephone said, launching herself into a fight against Artemis, who was joined by Kiss-shot and Hestia, the latter trying to intervene but landing a few blows herself.
I simply began to move away from the madwomen, holding Libra in my hands, without them noticing.