Chapter 80: Book Three: Chapter 16

The God of the Underworld looked the same as Roger remembered when he first met him. Long white hair, red eyes, and pale skin on his thin muscled body in his black robes.

“Please excuse my lateness,” Hades spoke in his low-pitched tone. “My chariot needed repairs before I could leave. Did I miss anything?”

“Our meeting has only begun,” said Athena. “You didn’t miss anything.”

"How is my son?" Zeus asked.

"He is enjoying himself in the Elysium. I gave him a Cyclopes to wrestle with. Sorry I couldn't bring him back.”

Zeus frowned. “It is what it is…..”

Roger couldn’t understand why Hades couldn’t just bring Heracles back after Medusa turned the hero into stone. Unless the Fates told Hades to keep Heracles in the Underworld so Roger could save the world instead.

Hades gazed at the Cerberus and strolled toward them. “So you are my new pet from the future.” He narrowed his eyes at them. “Tell me, are you still obedient to my future self?”

The women grimaced, knowing this was the god who recently changed them in this time period. But they kept their distance from him.

“Aren’t you not allowed to know your future?” Labda asked with a mischievous grin.

Hades chuckled. “I assume you haven’t changed one bit.”

“Either did you, asshole,” Katina complained.

The God snarled at her. “You’re lucky we are here. If you are back in my realm, I would-”

“Enough, brother,” Zeus exclaimed. “We are not here to argue. Our fate will be here soon. Let’s continue with our plan.”

Hades struggled and stepped away from the beast women. They struck out their tongues at him, but he ignored them. Roger giggled while keeping his head low.

“As I said, the Giants will come from the north,” Athena continued. “Once they arrive, I believe they will surround our mountain and climb up to siege our palace.”

Roger saw the clay figures circled around the mountain like a wall.

“If we don’t want them to set foot on our mountain, we must keep them away on the ground.”

From the mountain, seven sparkling stars appeared and pushed the clay figures back. The stars represented the Gods, keeping the Giants away.

Poseidon pointed his finger at the blue streams. “I can use the rivers to strike my foe.”

“And I can use the forest to ambush my prey,” Artemis added.

Zeus swirled his finger around the tiny clouds. They expanded over the table, turning dark with flashing lights. “I can create a storm over their army. None of them will escape from my lightning strikes.”

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“Brilliant.” Athena glanced at Hades. “How about you?”

Hades pulled out his helmet and held it up. “I will use my invisibility to ambush the Giants. They will not sense me before I force them to their knees.”

Hermes pointed his finger at one of the clay figures. “But the Giants will sense me before I can strike one of them. How should I fight them?”

Athena glanced at Hades’s helmet and toward Hermes. Her lips curled within her helmet. “I suggest Hermes should wear your helmet, dear uncle. If they can’t see him, they will fall before they reach our home.”

“Your home,” Hades corrected, “but I guess you are correct. Indeed, Hermes is faster than me.”

He handed Hermes his helmet. “Do not leave a scratch on it.”

Hermes took the helmet and smiled like a little boy receiving his gift.

“What about us?” Labda asked.

Ares glanced at her. “You can fight with me. Together, we will be unstoppable! I can smack a Giant off its feet, and you can devour its flesh to its bones!”

“But we don’t want to fight with you,” said Cilla. “We want to fight with our sweetie.”

Hades turned around with a confused look on his face. “Your sweetie?”

The women reached their left arm around Roger and helped him against their waist.

“This man is our sweetie and we are destined to save the world with our love!” Cilla explained.

Roger blushed.

“How ridiculous!” Hades laughed. “A mortal and a three-headed dog woman?”

“She isn’t wrong, uncle,” said Athena. “The Fates predicted their romance will save our world.”

“And who cares! I turned a woman into a cow once so my damn wife wouldn’t find her,” Zeus explained. “Our love was a new experience for me. Hohoho!”

Athena rested her palm on her face. "You're lucky Hera isn't here."

Hades glared at Roger and the women, biting his lower lip. "Well… When they return to my gate, they can keep their man meat for all I cared for."

Katina's mouth watered. "Mmmmmmmmh, man meat…"

"You mean back to the gate in the future," Labda corrected.

Hades hissed through his teeth. "I know!"

"Chill, Hades." Athena glanced at Roger. "I taught you to strategize yourself, mortal. What are your plans for you and your girlfriend?"

Roger glanced at the moving map with a frown. Facing the Giants on the ground will be suicide to him. The women could fight them with their brute strength and speed, but Roger might only slow them down.

Then, he remembered how he fought the resurrected Cetus in San Francisco. With Medusa’s head, he had to reach a skyscraper to face the monster. So gaining the high ground would be a better option for him. However, he doesn't have Medusa’s head to turn the Giants into stone.

Roger glanced at Zeus. “Is Pegasus fully recovered?”

“Yes,” Zeus answered.

“Then please let me borrow him. I can fight the Giants in the sky where they can’t reach me.”

“With what?” Athena asked.

Roger rubbed his chin. He could use a bow and arrow to attack from a distance, but he didn’t practice his archery skills well. Close combat weapons will make him an easy target.

He widened his eyes and turned toward the Blacksmith God. “Hephaestus, you can build anything, right?”

Hephaestus grinned. “I wouldn’t be a God if I couldn’t use my forge.”

“I need you to build me a gun.”

“What is a gun?”

Roger held out his palms, facing each other. “It is a weapon that can shoot small a metal projectile. It can shoot faster than an arrow.”

“His people have many of them in their time,” Labda added.

Hephaestus stroked his scruffy beard. “Interesting, but you will need to design it for me. I can only build what is familiar to me.”

Roger smiled. “That won’t be a problem for me.”

“You haven’t suggested our role in the fight yet,” said Labda.

Katina chuckled. “I suggest we jump off the mountain and cobble the Giants on foot!”

Ares clapped his hands. “That’s my girl!”

“But Hephaestus can build us weapons too,” said Cilla. “We could use guns too.”

Hephaestus smiled at her. “Whatever you need, I will build it before the battle.”

Zeus crossed his arms. "I assume we will fight with our own plans to keep the Giants far from our mountain." His white eyes gleamed at Roger. "I hope we can count on you."

Roger felt the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. But with Hephaestus's help, fighting the Giants in a modern way should guarantee his advantage.