Mammon's journey and his quest for the noble coquette seemed doomed to failure, an impossibility if Apollo, the Sun God, stood in his way. Mammon pondered all night until dawn, still lost in his dark thoughts. When Roxane awoke and asked him if he had slept much, all while keeping her mask on, Mammon realized he was worried. Not wanting her to notice his distress, for fear that she might lose confidence in a god who did not even trust himself, he pretended to be asleep too.
She lifted her mask, and the daylight struck her eyes. Her gaze was blurry for a few seconds, then became clear. She looked at him and realized he was sleeping. She woke him up by asking if gods slept too. He smiled, telling her that since he had been metamorphosed into a human, he logically also had their weaknesses. The young girl found his explanation logical and did not press the matter.
He, on the other hand, began the formal morning courtesies: asking if she had rested well, etc. She answered yes, but added that she had had a bizarre dream. The god's curiosity was piqued, and he asked her to explain.
After recounting her dream to Mammon, the god grew even more anxious. In Roxane's dream, the sun was rising one morning. She and Mammon were stopped in the middle of the desert, surrounded by several animals. The sun rose over all the animal species present, but upon reaching their level, it bypassed them in a strange way.
After telling her dream, she asked Mammon what it meant. The god replied: "Nothing at all, it's a dream like any other... you shouldn't worry." He looked out the window, telling himself it was a bad omen and that he had to find gods to help him very quickly, because things were getting hot.
For his part, Plutus decided to convene the council of gods at nightfall.
Plutus had invited Hera near a wall, trying to extract information from her and gauge the opinion of the gods of Olympus regarding his approach. She made him understand that she had only come to this stupid meeting out of boredom and because she was at odds with Zeus; her only interest was to drive her non-beloved mad, nothing else. Nevertheless, in her noble opinion, if she had to take a side in this war, it would certainly not be on Mammon's side, that little impolite, overly arrogant god, who respected none of them. She could not stand his self-centered behavior. Plutus thanked her for her frankness.
"You know, my beauty, I would have liked to give you a little kiss on the hand..." said Plutus.
A lightning bolt immediately destroyed the wall he was leaning against.
"I thank you for coming, but I still have a lot to do, and I don't want to draw Zeus's wrath upon myself," added Plutus, looking up at the sky.
Hera blushed with joy and smiled.
At nightfall, he threw a fireball into the middle of the courtyard. "Boom!"
"It is time we do what we are here for," said Plutus.
So, the other gods each took their usual place. And before they could begin, another god entered the sanctuary—an Orisha. When Plutus saw him, he was surprised to see the African God of War, Ogun.
"Wow! Ogun here? Tell me, are you here to wage war against me, to listen to the council, or are you neutral?" The god did not answer Plutus and continued to advance, looking serious, without a word. Plutus was confused, so he stared at him with intense concentration until he sat down. The atmosphere was tense. Once seated, Ogun crossed his feet, placed his fist under his chin, and looked at him with an angry expression.
"Are you sure this wish could help you, you who are on our lands?" said Ogun.
"You, Western gods, you do not respect the other Orisha gods and only come to see us when you need us! You believe your values are more important than ours," added Ogun. "When I heard Plutus was here, I quickly realized you would come to see me. So I stopped by to say hello, my old friend, and this is how you welcome me, Plutus?" said Ogun, spitting on the sanctuary floor.
With a barely visible gesture, he launched a golden arrow with a brilliant light at Plutus. When the arrow reached Plutus, with a speed like that of the sun, Plutus's aura stirred in all directions. The arrow slowed once it was in his defensive zone. When he looked at the arrow more closely, he saw a scroll rolled up on it. He immediately removed the parchment, and instantly, it burst. The sky darkened, and a burning light appeared above the sanctuary. Inside, it was written:
"In this war, I will not take sides with either of you. Do not consider this act as support for you; that is not the case. But I will be fair and will intervene when I deem it right for this war to end. But beware, he goes from there towards the Malin, then to Libya... You, the gods gathered here who have sided with Plutus, know that you will face ancient African and Western gods, for Mammon is also looking for other gods for his stupid quest. So, do not be naive, and good luck to you."
When the voice finished, time returned to its normal state, and it was night. Plutus immediately understood that Apollon, the great Sun God, was in favor of the idea that Mammon should be locked up.
When the light disappeared, Ogun congratulated him.
"Congratulations, Plutus, you still have that celestial reflex! Don't worry, I am with you, my brother. It's just that I don't like it when you pass through my land without even bothering to greet me," said Ogun.
"You see, Ogun, that is precisely why I didn't go to see you. Your teasing is always in such poor taste! Couldn't you have given me Apollo's message quietly?" said Plutus with a discouraged look.
"But no, you must show the entire assembly that you are the God of War, the powerful Ogun, by shooting me with an arrow. And what if I had taken it head-on?" he asked Ogun.
"You are all-powerful, Plutus, and honestly, I don't care if it hits you or not. Tell me, did you receive my message, yes or no?" said Ogun with a mischievous smile.
"Pff, that's what I thought! Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. I know you're happy to see me, but calm your joy, Ogun. Apollo has just given us... how should I put it... a..."
"Enough, are we going to have this council? I'm starting to get tired," said Khonsu. The other gods were also fed up. So, Plutus spoke once more and asked them to calm down. He asked the entire assembly how they were going to fight Mammon.
"I think we could start by preventing him from finishing his tour! That way, if he's alone, it will be easier for us to lock him up!" said Hera.
Immediately, Ogun intervened.
"I think we should listen to the advice of Apollo and Zeus. We must not intervene directly, but we must send our avatars. And above all, let Mammon prepare normally. We are talking about war, not a race! Let him take whoever he wants; I promise you he will lose this war, on the word of the God of War!"
"I agree, and I want to see what my new avatar is worth," added Shango.
"I'm for the avatars too. Marc Spector needs his rest," added Khonsu.
"Ahem, my beloved goddess, what do you say about these proposals? Or should I take your silence as the majority vote? Oshun?"
From the sanctuary floor, water emerged, shaping a silhouette with erotic and sensual curves. When the water dissipated, Oshun appeared.
"I think we should try to reason with him one last time to abandon his useless quest. And if he refuses, we can act without regret," said Oshun.
So, Plutus decided to grant Mammon the benefit of the doubt one last time and concluded the meeting.
"Very well, I think the meeting is over. I myself will go and see that little ungrateful and arrogant one to try to reason with him. But if he refuses to cooperate, you will each receive a message telling you that the war will take place! That gives you time to train and contact your avatars."
"Thank you for coming to this meeting, friends, majesties, my brothers and sisters, for this new mission. It reminds me of certain things, when we were one! Thank you all. The session is adjourned!" said Plutus with a burst of laughter.
Then, the gods dispersed.
After the council of the ancient gods, Plutus decided to let his goodness speak and make Mammon listen to reason.
Will Mammon, the arrogant god, agree to submit to Plutus's will, or will his ambition lead him straight to war?
The dream of Roxane, where the Sun bypasses Mammon, is it an omen of failure or of a more complex divine intervention?
We will find out in the next chapter.