Chapter 27: Chapter 25 A talk with Ganesha
*Heracles PoV*
I got inside the office of Ganesha as he sat down and offered me a seat, he then ordered one of his children to bring us some refreshments and some snacks which arrived moments later. He then ordered for her to give us privacy to talk.
"Heracles, it is so good to see you doing well, lovely weather we have today don't you think? He started as he smiled happily, showing his pearly whites.
"Cut to the chase Ganesha, you know that I have little patience in small talks." I answered him, looking straight at his eyes.
His smile vanished as his expression became serious. He moved his hand inside his drawer and took a piece of paper from it.
"How is the boy?" he asked me.
"Is this what it is about? August?"
He nods his head and slides the paper towards me. "August Kaiser, the son of Siegfried Kaiser who is a member of my familia. I would advise you to look after him well, most of my children want him to leave you and join me. I'm afraid that they may do something drastic because of it. They believe that his rightful place should be with us."
I picked the paper and saw that it was a letter from his familia, specifically the lady adventurer I met 9 years ago. Shakti Varma. The letter states that August should be under their care, that Ganesha should ask for the boy to join them or use force such as issuing a wargame if needed. It also states that Beowulf the boy's spear rightfully belongs to Ganesha familia and to use this fact as a form of rightful challenge towards me.
"Hmmm... And what do you think about all of this?" I asked Ganesha for his opinion on the matter.
"I am a god who believes in free will Heracles. From the report 9 years ago, my captain asked August to join us instead of traveling the outside world with you. The boy chose you, and I respect his decision. As for the spear I have given it to his father as a gift and therefore it is his and solely his. That is my stance on this matter. But I'm afraid the majority of my familia disagree with my decision." he took a deep breath and continued. "Shakti is close with Siegfried, and she grew fond of the boy as they spent time together all those years ago. She is the one who is pushing the most in regards to this issue. They listen to me but I established my familia as a free democratic one, as I said I believe in free will. I will try to find a compromise but I can't guarantee much."
"And why are you warning me? The boy is strong and he would make a fine addition to your familia, I'm in a vulnerable spot right now and as you said you can use the spear as a probable cause for issuing a challenge for a wargame. Most gods would jump at this chance. Why aren't you?"
"Because I know that doing so would be a waste. August has no doubt grown fond of you, has bonded with you. He already considered you as his god. If I took this chance he may likely rebel and would not do me any good. His progression would stagnate and he would hit a wall. I don't want that for the son of my child."
"about this compromise, what do you have in mind?" I asked him, curious on what he would do if ever he was pressured by his familia in pursuing August in the future.
"I'm gonna use Lord Hades's proposition as a stage. We both know that the boy can't fight multiple level 5 at the same time no matter how strong you think he is. At least with this he would stand a chance. I do hope that your boy lives up to the confidence that you had set in him."
"So you're making it a multiple one on one match. And since you have the most amount of level 5 in the city your familia won't be able to make any excuses in the event that they'll lose since the odds are heavily in your favor."
"Yes... But if your boy loses then I'm afraid I have no more say in the matter and I would have to take him from your hands whether I like it or not."
I closed my eyes and massaged the bridge of my nose. I know what he is saying is right, August will have a chance in a one on one. He would likely win the whole thing if I'm completely honest but do I really trust this god? What he's saying is doable, I believe in my child strength, but I really don't like trusting other gods.
"Ok then, I'll inform August about this, he may need time to prepare."
"And I'll do everything that I can to avoid this, I'll talk to my familia, see what I can do."
We both stood up at the same time and gave each other our respect. As we moved to shake each other's hands Ganesha opened his mouth and said something I did not expect.
"One last thing Heracles. What do you know about Beowulf?"
I was taken aback by his question. What do I know about the spear? I know that it can think for itself, it is somewhat sentient, conscious even. I know that it grows with August, as he gets stronger the spear becomes stronger with him. And the most confusing thing about it is that it seems to have divinity yet it possesses no arcanum. But that's all I know on that topic.
"To tell you the truth not much, all I know is that the spear appears to be sentient, that it grows with its user. And I'm sure you already know this but it appears to have some sort of divinity that I can't seem to understand."
"So the basic knowledge of it I see. I will tell you the extent of what I know but you must swear to the river styx that this conversation will not leave this room, not even August should know this as it may put his life in jeopardy."
So he really did know something about the spear, but why is he telling me this? I got a feeling that the spear is more powerful than what most of us gods know. The oath of the gods is no small oath, it binds us and failure to uphold means losing arcanum rendering us mortal and vulnerable to death for nine years. Permanent death.
"I swear to the river styx, this conversation will not reach anyone else's ears." as soon as I said those words I felt a chain wrapped itself into my heart. The binding oath has now been cast. There is no going back now. I felt a chill as the room grew cold, it grew dark as divine magic binds my soul with Ganesha's.
"The oath has been made, it can never be broken for you will suffer consequences." Ganesha said and I know that the punishment for breaking the oath of the god is a heavy taboo for us.
"I know, now tell me what you know about the spear." I said as I looked at him in his eyes. He nodded and proceeded to talk.
"The spear Beowulf is no ordinary spear, most gods think that the weapon is something from ancient times, a time where gods were still able to use arcanum in the lower world. A time of heroes and legends, a time when you were still mortal. This is true but is just the tip of the iceberg." His gaze was serious, more serious than he was earlier. "the spear Beowulf is a Theïkó Óplo."
Chills run down my spine as I heard those words for the first time in a long long while. Theïkó Óplo, a weapon created to kill gods, to completely erase them from existence. I looked at Ganesha and felt extreme anger and rage at him.
*BOOM!*
I punched him square at his face sending him crashing at his table.
"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!!!" I moved in planning on pummeling his face on the ground. I grabbed his collar and raised my fist up the air. "YOU FUCKING GAVE A GOD KILLING WEAPON TO A MORTAL!!! A FUCKING MORTAL!!!"
"Listen to me Heracles." he said as his hands moved to cover his face. But I refuse to listen to his madness. I punched him breaking his guard. I'm so fucking angry right now that sending him back to heaven seems like something I would love to do right about now. Putting my whole strength in my fist I prepared to kill Ganesha with my bare hands.
"IT WAS LORD ZEUS'S IDEA!!!" my fist stopped inches away from his face.
"What did you say?" My breathing became rough, my mind failed to process why Zeus of all the gods would give such a dangerous weapon to a mortal. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"It was lord Zeus who planned everything. I gave the spear to Siegfried when he advanced to level 2 and became the record holder for the fastest ranked up at that time. At first I did not know the origin of the spear and thought that it would be a good weapon for him. But as time passed and Siegfried became stronger the divine aura that the weapon had became more prominent. Fortunately for me lord Zeus was the one who discovered the true nature of the weapon first."
"..." I was silenced by everything that I'm hearing right now. Why would Zeus not seal the weapon after discovering it?
"Siegfried was level 3 by then, he reached that level faster than anyone before him, a true genius at that time. And as he grows stronger so did the weapon. Zeus called us both and revealed everything to us, I was so ashamed at that time at my failure in recognizing the weapon." He took a deep breath and continued. "Lord Zeus then came up with a plan to hide the weapon since it cannot be sealed anymore since it already has a master. He tasked Siegfried in hiding it, leaving Orario in the process."
"Why not take it, hide it yourself?" I asked Ganesha.
"Because we can't, the weapon is bonded with Siegfried, bonded by blood magic, anyone who tries to take it from him will suffer unimaginable pain be it mortal or gods. I tried, Lord Zeus himself tried to take it away but our efforts were for naught. The only other solution is for us to eliminate the current user of the spear but I won't allow it. I will not kill someone who I consider as my own son, my child. Tell me Heracles, would you kill August? Would you kill your own child?"
"..." I was dumbstruck by the question, his eyes were filled with fire as he asked me. Would I kill August? "...No I will not."
"There you go. I cannot kill my own child, and Lord Zeus understood my plight so he suggested a plan, for Siegfried to suffer an injury which would lead to his early retirement. An arrow to the knee. He asked one of Hera's children to enchant the arrow so it may never heal. And Siegfried agreed, he sacrificed his future, all his potential, all his talent and left Orario willingly, guarding the weapon, taking it to a remote place no one can find, he even allowed a spell to be placed for us to know where he is and to know if he ever died so that we could retrieve the spear unowned by others. Unfortunately Your boy touched the spear and was bonded to it by the same blood magic that was bonded to Siegfried."
All this information was making my head hurt. I let go of Ganesha's collar and took a step back, I needed some air and some space. This new found knowledge is something that I didn't want. August owning a Theïkó Óplo was something I didn't calculate.
"So what should we do? Leave the city as well?" I asked Ganesha and he shook his head.
He stood up and dusted himself. He then answered my question. "You can't leave. 9 years ago the village where Siegfried stayed was attacked. It wasn't random, it was planned. Evilus knows about the weapon, the information that should be known to only Lord Zeus and I was leaked." He looked me in the eye and put his hand on my shoulder. "And right now I believe that they know who the current of the spear is. If you went outside the city Evilus would track the boy down and kill him taking the spear for themselves. The safest place for him right now is by your side here in the city."
"Where he's in danger with the other gods if ever they know this secret?"
"But you can protect him here, I can help you with that. And I'm sure that your blood brothers will do so as well. What we can do right now is to hope that the boy would grow stronger, he can be the asset we need in killing the gods who are in Evilus."
"So you plan to use him as a weapon?" my aura burst at the room, making Ganesha reel back and take a knee as the pressure pushed him down. "You plan to make him a lap dog for the gods of Orario to use?"
"Heracles calm down! If I planned for that I would have told everyone at the Denatus earlier. It was merely a suggestion. A last resort."
"Be careful where you thread Ganesha. Do remember that if I wanted to I can kill you here and now, and all you can do is watch from heaven as I kill everyone in your familia even without the aid of my arcanum."
"You and I both want the safety of your child. He is the last kin of mine and I would do everything in my power to protect the son of Siegfried. And I am telling you this because of that desire to protect his sire."
What a pathetic liar, he is not doing this for Siegfried nor for August, he is doing this for himself, I can see the guilt is eating him from the inside for what he has done. He is doing this to ease his guilt for what he has put his child to. I decided to ignore this since this guilt of his will benefit me in the long run.
I decided to leave and head to the door, leaving him here, if I didn't leave right now I might kill him in anger. I reached the door and looked back at him, he was biting his lips and clenching his fist looking at the ground.
"Good bye Ganesha." I said as I exited his office and made my way out of his home.
I can't help but think about everything that I had heard from Ganesha, about Zeus and what he had decided to do, about the sacrifice Siegfried Kaiser had made for these fools... About August and the path that he will inevitably take in the future. It seems that his faith is deeply tied to Evilus no matter how hard I tried to steer him away from it. They will come for his life, for the spear, that is just a fact. But I will do everything I can to help my child.
"I'll kill every single one of Evilus gods or mortals if I have to."
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***
Hey guys, that's 25 chapters done, how do you guys like the story so far?
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