Divine Ascension: Reborn as a God of Power-Chapter 27: The Council of New Gods (Part 1)

My first memory of the day when things started to go wrong was when the sun's rays flooded into the room and woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and got up carefully so as not to wake the naked figure sleeping next to me. Aegle was next to me, still deep in sleep, her blonde hair covering part of her face, and I felt tender toward her, so I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

Once I woke up, I got up from the tree where we had been sleeping. Yes, we had been sleeping under a tree, and surprisingly, I slept better than I ever had in a bed in my previous life. I don't know why, probably some mystical or divine thing that was irrelevant.

The point is that I got up and shortly after went to the pond near where we were to bathe and start my life. Once clean, I got dressed and went to the training ground I had created with the help of the Hesperides. That place had been extremely useful to me over the years. There I had perfected my sword techniques, refining movements, creating my own styles, and taking them to a level that had made me almost legendary in some circles of Olympus.

I wasn't bragging (well, maybe a little), but my skill with the sword easily rivaled that of any other weapon user among the gods.

According to Hermes, who often came to watch me train—too often, if you asked me—I was already a step above Ares in pure technique... although, of course, that was only with a sword. Using any other weapon, I probably wouldn't have been so lucky.

And speaking of Hermes...

Just as I was concentrating on practicing a complicated sequence, I felt that familiar tingling sensation behind me. The kind of presence that only someone with absurd speed could leave behind. I stopped, turned my head slowly, and there he was, leaning against a rock as if he had been there for hours.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked without stopping my arm, twirling the sword in my hand with agility before sheathing it.

"Standing? Nah, I'm comfortably reclining. And how long has it been? Mmm... long enough to get bored. But watching you train is entertaining, I guess. It's like watching a bull try to embroider." He replied with his usual smile.

I frowned and approached him, wiping the sweat from my forehead with a cloth.

"Tell me the truth, did you come here just to mess with me, or do you have a valid reason for showing up unannounced this time?"

Hermes laughed as he pulled something out of his robe. A letter, sealed with a golden symbol I hadn't seen before.

"Strange as it may seem, this time I've come on serious business," he said, offering me the letter with an exaggerated bow. "Official invitation. You are being summoned to the first Council of New Gods. You're going to have to dress up."

I took the letter with a raised eyebrow, breaking the seal as I spoke:

"New Gods? Since when do they hold councils for those of us who aren't at least a thousand years old?"

"Good one. But I'm only 900," replied Hermes, raising an eyebrow in mock indignation. "But unfortunately, we're not organizing the party... at least not technically," he added, making quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

"What do you mean, not technically?" I asked, crossing my arms with my eyebrow raised even higher.

Hermes sighed, as if he was already tired of explaining.

"You see... the idea comes from Zeus's youngest son, Zagreus. Do you know him?"

"Should I?"

"Not really," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "He's one of those gods who are just there, they exist, but they're not really important in the grand scheme of things, basically like you."

In response, I just frowned.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm just telling you the facts," my expression didn't change, "Anyway, this Zagreus is what you might call old but new. He was born centuries ago but is barely recognized on Olympus, and by barely, I mean only his dad recognizes him. The point is, according to the gossip, the kid seems to have been pretty upset that Zeus and Hera denied him a place on the main council of Olympus. So, instead of staying in a corner crying... he decided to create his own council."

"And Zeus let him?"

"The funny thing is, he did," replied Hermes, crossing his arms behind his head with an amused smile. "According to them, the Big Z gave him the go-ahead. Maybe he saw it as some kind of experiment, or maybe he did it to see which gods aren't part of Olympus and aren't happy about it, kind of like a way to gather all the people he doesn't like in one place. Or maybe it's just an 'alternative performance space,' or some similar diplomatic bullshit. Although, knowing him, I think he did it mostly because he's bored, even if he won't admit it openly, and this is an opportunity to see what happens when the new gods start clashing ideas."

"And in that 'experiment,' who did they invite?"

"The new ones, mostly. Most of those who emerged after the Titanomachy until the Bronze Age of the man, basically most of those who don't yet have a formal seat on Olympus. Also those who aren't usually invited to anything, even though they've been around for millennia. And, of course... you."

I fell silent, leafing through the letter again. The text was formal, polished, but it had a different tone from the usual summons from Olympus. It was still somewhat pompous. Although I noticed a more... modern tone. There was something disturbing about it.

"And what are you doing in this, then?" I asked, looking at him sideways.

Hermes smiled.

"Officially, I'm a 'neutral outside observer.' In practice, I'm the messenger who got stuck handing out the invitations and, while I'm at it, snooping on who shows up. And you know I wouldn't miss the chance to see the new gods throw themselves at each other at their first meeting."

"Hermes... is this a meeting or a circus? Be serious."

"What's the difference between this and when the gods are in a closed room 9n Olympus?" He said with a crooked smile. "You're coming, right?"

I sighed, while still holding the letter on my hand.

"I don't have much choice, do I?"

"No, but I was going to convince you anyway."

"Convince me or annoy me until I say yes?"

"Is there a difference?"

I gave him a dry look, but I couldn't help laughing a little. With Hermes, you never knew if you were in the middle of an important conversation or a comedy sketch. Or both.

Anyway, I didn't know what to think about this advice from the gods. On the one hand, I didn't dislike the idea of being invited, but I was reluctant to attend a gathering and force myself to put on a happy face and socialize with dozens of strangers. It was like when you're invited to a party and most of the guests are people you've never met before. This would be a similar situation.

However, before I could give Hermes an answer, a sound of footsteps that I knew very well interrupted my thoughts.

I turned my head slightly and there was Aegle, her white robe askew over one shoulder, her hair still tousled from sleep and her eyes half-closed against the sunlight. She was rubbing her eyelids with one hand while holding the fabric with the other to keep it from slipping further.

"Chatting with your unbearable friend again at this time of the morning?" she muttered in a hoarse, just-awake voice.

Hermes turned to her with a cheeky smile.

"Good morning, radiant Aegle. Although I think you still have a leaf stuck in your hair."

She blinked, touched the side of her head, and sure enough, pulled out a small dry leaf.

"Great," she muttered as she threw it into the wind. Then she came up behind me and hugged me from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder. "What brought you here now, Hermes? Another message? Or are you just here to steal fruit from the garden like always?"

"This time I came for something important, I swear," he replied, raising his hands as if in surrender. "A letter with an official invitation from the Council of New Gods. All very serious, with seals and all the trimmings."

Aegle raised an eyebrow.

"Council of New Gods? That sounds... overly formal."

"And potentially boring," I said under my breath as I yawned, the letter still in my hand.

"Are you going?" She asked, taking a small step forward to stand in front of me, looking at me with that expression she used when she didn't want to tell me what she was thinking but hoped I would guess anyway.

"I don't know yet," I replied honestly. "It seems important, but... you know how I feel about this kind of thing. Meetings and formalities aren't my thing. I bet it'll just be self-important gods talking over other self-important gods."

Hermes clicked his tongue.

"That's part of the charm, Akhon. You have to experience it once to truly hate it."

Aegle touched my arm gently.

"If you decide to go, you won't be alone. I can accompany you, if you want."

I looked at her for a moment. She always said that. And she always meant it. Wherever I was, if I needed her, she would be there. Not out of obligation or duty. Just because she was there for me. And because she wanted to be.

"Thanks," I said, closing the letter and tucking it into my belt. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but... if I go, I'd like you to come with me."

"Then you've made your decision." Hermes said with a crooked smile, turning on his heel as if the matter was settled.

"I didn't say that."

"Yes, yes, of course. You say it with that 'I'm giving up but I don't want to admit it yet' look on your face. See you at the council, Guardian."

And with a golden flash, he disappeared.

I stared at the spot where he had been, still processing everything.

Aegle, without saying a word, leaned against me again.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm just feeling lazy, don't mind me."

Aegle smiled softly and kissed me on the shoulder.

"Then let's go back to bed and pretend he never came."

"That sounds dangerously tempting."

"And? Since when are you afraid of danger?"

I glanced at her, knowing she was right. I sighed and put my arm around her waist as we walked slowly back to the tree.

"Just a little longer... then we'll go and see how important this council really is."

"Perfect," she said with a mischievous smile. "I vote for ignoring it until the very last second."

And so, at least for a moment longer, the world could wait.