Chaos Bringer (Percy Jackson; The God Slayer From Another World)

Chapter 15 Ceremony of the fittest

Luke and Zoë both alighted down in the center of the waiting party, and they immediately noticed the vibe shift on each of their faces. Which was confusing, to say the least. They all looked to the servants of Ryan with a cautious eye.

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," Maya answered, and bit her lip. Luke knew this was the same tell as Annebeth. Something was not okay.

Luke gave a worried look to Zoë.

"We have the flames. The ritual can begin." Zoë told them.

"Zoë," said John. "When Ryan gets this weapon, what will he do after defeating the destroyer?"

"What do you mean," Zoë asked irritated. "He's going back to his world."

John looked at her deeply. "Do you know who Ryan is?"

"A godslayer," she said. "He left the group to pursue his own mission of peace."

"You are half right at least," Moxie said. "He's not a godslayer, not anymore. Not since decided to spend his days as a vagabond, learning more of the world. He's a bit of a rogue now."

"Rogue," Luke repeated. "Like he goes against you guys?"

"Not exactly," she said. "But long story short. We can not let him gain any more power."

""Is he really that bad?" Zoë asked. "He said he is leaving peacefully. Back to his own home. I believe him."

"I believed what he said to. "Moxie said. "But he is a fickle guy. And very hard to pin down and predict. Even after all these years, we have no idea where his alignments are."

"But we do," Luke said. "And he hasn't mistreated us. He gave us a second chance and he doesn't indulge himself even though he is basically a god in this world. What about him is greedy?"

John sighed. "This is a drag. Fine. If you trust him so much. Then we shall continue the ritual. But if he turns out to be evil, your world and mine will suffer."

"You obviously didn't come here to fight," Luke said. "Let's keep it that way for as long as we can."

"Ryan will return to our world," he said, still looking at Zoë. "Along with any of his property. He will be erased from any mortal memory he has come across, and we will not leave a trace. Deal?"

"Deal," Maya answered him.

"Now," he took the wet fleece from his shoulder and laid it on the stone floor in front of Zoë, "Shall we continue this little ritual?"

Zoë took the fleece from him and sat it down before her. She sat cross-legged, and slowly breathed in and out to calm down. She held out her hands over the fleece, then let loose the red flames of the fields of punishment. They illuminated everything around them, creating a hellish like glow. The flames encircled the fleece. Wrapping around it and embracing it. The fleece itself grew steadily brightly. Until then, the flames receded, and the fleece was blackened and crumbling in ashes. Achilles appeared again. He held his hand over the fleece, and the fleeces ashes became golden. It reshaped itself till it forms a long curved blade with no hilt. The type of blade that would be on a Scythe.

"Don't touch it," Luke warned. He came and picked up the blade. "Only the undead can touch it. That is what Ryan instructed."

"Now," John said. "We can now go to Olympus. That is where this quest began and it shall end there. I am sure he would agree."

He held out his hand. A magic circle he drew prior appeared around them. Then in a flash of light, they all appeared back into the main throne room of the olympians. And to their surprise, it was empty. Luke has never seen it empty. Until he tried to overthrow them of course. But he never experienced it otherwise. It all seemed too weird not to have the towering figures sit there and look down on him both literally and figuratively. Their footsteps clocked and clicked on the marble in the bleaker quietness.