Chapter 8: The Strongest Under the Heavens (Rewrite)
Goku wasn't sure what to think about this particular Olympian god. As Camp Half-Blood Forest's trees burned around him, he took it upon himself to examine Ares's appearance. The god of war had a murderous look of anger in both eyes that stared into his very soul. The Saiyan of Earth could tell he had a lot of combat experience – given everything he's seen about him through Aphrodite's memories – but his total power level, on the other hand, didn't seem all that impressive at first glance.
However, considering that he couldn't sense either Aphrodite or Artemis's ki signatures, this presumption might prove to be inaccurate. There might be a chance for Ares to give him the first challenging fight in this entire universe. That's what Goku hoped would happen, at least. After everything he has been through these past few hours, such a hypothetical battle was something he desperately needed to experience.
He then narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm guessing you're Ares, right? The god of war?"
"Oh, the great Son Goku recognizes me, huh? I'm truly honored." The war god sarcastically chuckled. He would have started walking over to him if not for Aphrodite standing between them.
She darted her eyes from one man to another in nervousness.
"Don't take one step closer to him, Ares! Your quarrel is with me, not Goku!"
"Oh? And what exactly are you going to do to stop me, babe? Wrap me in up more of those thorns? I already blasted your pathetic excuse for a cloud out of the sky. Our quarrel was over before it even started."
Aphrodite took a hesitant step back. She then stood her ground and glared at Ares.
"I'll admit that my trap for you wasn't the best, but the meaning behind it should be obvious, even to someone as thickheaded as you. I am solely responsible for Goku's appearance in our universe and I won't let you, or any of the other Olympians, lay a single finger on him because of it!" Aphrodite proclaimed with the utmost conviction. She furrowed her blonde eyebrows and empowered her irises with pink energy while speaking.
Goku placed a hand on the love goddess's shoulder and shook his head.
"I appreciate the help, Aphrodite, but this situation is my mess clean up too. I even surrendered myself to Artemis and the girls a while ago."
She tilted her head to the side in shock. It was quite rare for Goku to willingly give himself up like that. The only exception was when he gave up fighting Cell at the Cell Games.
"Huh? You did?"
"Yes. He speaks the truth, Aphrodite," Artemis said while standing next to Goku's side. "After a brief skirmish involving myself, the Hunters, and a hydra, he agreed to stand trial on Mount Olympus. Well, once he woke up from the aftereffects of my divine tranquilizer dart, that is."
She couldn't help, but smirk at the fact that she managed to incapacitate Goku, in spite of their sizable gap in strength.
"Hey! I was caught off-guard, Artemis. How was I supposed to know you were going to attack me right as I got done destroying that hydra?"
Artemis shook her head and sighed.
"Hunting doesn't always involve a fair fight, Goku. A successful hunter always knows when to take advantage of their prey's most prominent weaknesses. And in this case, it was your inability to sense my divine energy." She said. "Shouldn't a fighter of your experience and caliber be aware of that by now?"
Goku took a moment to process Artemis's question. The last time he let himself get off-guard, Piccolo had blasted a hole in his shoulder during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. That was a bit different from what happened with Artemis's tranquilizer dart, but it did add some credence to her statement.
"Yeah. I guess you've got a good point there…"
As he gently stroked his chin in thought, Artemis turned her attention over to Ares. She crossed her arms and challengingly glared at her half-brother in annoyance.
"Your assistance isn't required here, Ares. I've done as Father instructed and taken Son Goku under my custody. Simply retrieve Aphrodite, go back to Olympus, and prepare for his upcoming trial like everyone else. My hunters and I can handle everything else from here."
Zoë nodded. "You could also extinguish these flames while thou art at it. This whole entire forest could burn down any moment now!"
Her gaze was primarily focused on each of the War Chariot's four horses. Fire was still continuing to spew from their nostrils and slightly open mouths.
Ares glared at the young teenager. He was too preoccupied with his own goals to really care what she had to say.
"Not gonna happen, Little Miss Shakespeare. This place will continue burning to kingdom come until I get what I came here for."
Artemis's lieutenant choked a little in anger. "S-Shakespeare?"
"Then enlighten us, Ares. What is it that you want?" The goddess of the hunt sharply inquired.
Her half-brother reclaimed his spear and skillfully spun it around. He then pointed its arrowhead at Goku's face.
"Tch! Isn't it obvious? I want to put that alien dumbass in his place!"
Artemis, recalling Ares and Aphrodite's millennium-long love affair, looked at the love goddess in dismay. His animosity towards Goku was quite inevitable in hindsight.
I should have known jealousy had a part to play in this whole mess. No matter how many mortal women he sleeps with and impregnates, Aphrodite seems to be the one he truly desires above all else. However, it appears that she doesn't feel the same way. Not anymore, at least.
She wasn't surprised by Ares's misogynistic behavior, of course, but Aphrodite usually acted no different from him. She tended to sleep around from person to person on a near-constant basis, yet for some reason, Goku's presence caused her to change inside.
Artemis couldn't exactly understand why this was the case. What set Goku apart from Adonis or any of the goddess of love's other previous lovers? His childish reaction to Ares's legitimate threat made her even more confused by it.
"Woah, seriously?! Alright!" He beamed in excitement. This expression changed as soon as he saw the weird look Aphrodite, Artemis, and the Hunters were giving him. "I mean… uh… you want to put me in my place? Any reason for that?"
The god of war slammed his spear into the ground, grimacing.
"Several reasons, punk. First, you steal my woman – my love goddess – and turn her against me without even trying. If it were any other person, I'd have to give you props, but with her, it makes my blood boil with rage." He scowled with even more fire in his explosive-laden eyes. "Second, ever since you arrived here from that shithole you call a universe, the gods have been hyping you up as this world-ending threat that even Kronos would be afraid of. And my father, Zeus, even saw a vision of you doing just that to Olympus… with or without Kronos's very influence."
Goku widened his eyes in surprise. He didn't expect Ares to bring that up so soon.
"You were right, Artemis. It seems like Zeus saw that same vision, after all."
"Afraid so…"
Aphrodite shook her head, getting a bit frustrated. "Don't let some ridiculous dream get to you, sweetie! Zeus saw you in a gray gi with a pink Super Saiyan form and scythe, yet you don't have either of these. How could it possibly be true, if that's the case? For all we know, Kronos could have planted a false glimpse of the future inside his head!"
"And what if you're wrong about that, babe? What then? Goku may be some goody two-shoes now, but there's no telling what the future could hold. If fate decides to turn him to Kronos's side, then there's nothing we can do to stop it from happening." Ares grunted vindictively. "That's why I should save all of Olympus the trouble and eliminate this moron while we still have the chance. It'll be the last fight he ever has."
For a brief moment, an evil, dark presence was detected by Goku. It loomed over Ares's divine aura, much to his steadily growing confusion and concern.
What was that? And how was I able to sense it just now? That shouldn't be possible for a god like Ares…
He set these thoughts aside to address what Ares just said.
"That's a bit of a bold claim. You do know what kind of monsters I've fought before, right?"
"Oh, don't worry, Aphrodite's not the only Olympian who caught a glimpse of your past battles. We've seen all of your previous enemies, including King Piccolo, Vegeta, Cell, Majin Buu, and, of course, the living dildo himself, Lord Frieza. And gotta say, apart from Buu, neither of them seemed all that impressive or divine in strength."
Goku was too confused by Ares's weird description of Frieza to really respond to anything else.
"Uh… what's a dildo? Is that Frieza's race or something?"
Not to wanting to explain such an uncomfortable, explicit topic, everyone looked at Aphrodite as if expecting her to answer without hesitation. She looked away from Goku with a prominent blush on her cheeks.
"N-No comment."
This little scene caused Ares to burst into an uproarious fit of laughter. The man's lack of knowledge and self-awareness was beyond perplexing to him.
"BAHAHAHAHAHA! See?! This is why you piss me off so much. You're touted as this fearless, all-powerful warrior, yet even in your mid-thirties, you continue to act like an overgrown manchild. Aphrodite may call it innocence or that stupid "pure of heart" bullshit, but in actuality, you refused to grow up and don't think of the consequences your actions bring upon everyone else. Hell, I may be the god of war, but at least I openly embrace my need to commit widespread violence, suffering, and mayhem for all eternity." He then pointed his spear over at Goku once more. "You, on the other hand, claim to fight for the sake of protecting your friends and family, yet, in the end, almost every enemy you've come across has flourished thanks to your own selfishness, or Saiyan instincts. Whatever the hell you want to call it."
He laughed a bit to chuckle at the look of defeat in Goku's eyes. The Saiyan of Earth hadn't said a single word to refute his claims.
"Honestly, it's no wonder your wife kicked the bucket when she did. She could no longer stand to be neglected by a self-centered, mentally defective husband like… you."
It was then that Goku snapped. At practically uncalculatable speeds, Goku teleported in front of Ares and placed an open palm close to his face. His white aura was activated in seconds, putting enough excess pressure on the war god's body to make him crouch downward.
"W-What the—"
"Don't you DARE mention her again!" He yelled, traces of green eyes and golden-yellow hair appearing for a split second to match his heightened fury.
Ares almost gulped down a bit of saliva from shock. He was not expecting him to move that fast. His movements were nearly untraceable, even to a god like himself.
The hell? I didn't see him coming at all…
He stood frozen in place, not wishing to instigate Goku further until their fight began.
Aphrodite, meanwhile, placed a hand over her mouth in aghast horror. Mentioning Chi-Chi's death was quite an idiotic move on Ares's part. Thanks to that, she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he'd see the Saiyan side of his personality at work.
Oh dear. Do you have any idea what you've just done, Ares?
In contrast, Artemis was more so fascinated by Goku's temporary change in appearance than anything. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but this new form was an interesting sight, nonetheless.
What was that just now? Another technique that he hasn't revealed yet? I wonder if this one multiplies his power like the Kaioken does.
Goku scowled, baring his teeth as if he were ready to lash out at any moment. The man's black hair also flowed in the wind, and partially stood up in a way that mirrored his yet-to-unveiled transformation.
"You want to fight me so badly, Ares? Fine then! Name the place and time, and I'll be there."
Ares glared down at him in a mix of disgust and uncertainty. He then smirked to maintain his tough, power hungry image.
"Alright. We'll fight at the camp's Combat Arena. It's a bit on the small side, but I'll make some much-needed… adjustments before our fight starts." He replied with a cold sneer. "I also want an audience full of this camp's brats, including mine. It'll be all the more gratifying to have witnesses for the complete massacre I'm going to commit on your Asian-looking ass."
The war god then pointed toward a large, cylindrical stadium that was fairly reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum in its prime. Goku noted how different it looked from the World Martial Arts Tournament's arena.
"I don't know about that part. Will these kids be safe sitting on the sidelines like that? When it comes to my fights, I don't want anyone who's not directly involved to get hurt."
Ares rolled his eyes and scowled. "You're really going to be a pussy about it, huh? Tsk. Everyone who attends this dump is part god, hence the word, demigod. Witnessing this sort of stuff is like watching TV for them. As long as we fight one-on-one, they'll be fine."
The Saiyan warrior wasn't entirely convinced, but he nodded in understanding, regardless. After all, he wanted to start this fight as soon as Ares did.
"If you say so. Let's just head to the arena and get this over with."
"Feh. Didn't think you were so eager to face your death, Goku. Then again, you have gone through it twice at this point. I think a third one is well overdue." The god of war chuckled. Goku was too busy looking at Camp Half-Blood Forest's emblazoned trees to respond.
"You might also want to put out this forest fire as promised. These poor trees have experienced enough damage."
"No need for that." A calm, echoey voice replied from somewhere within the forest.
Before Ares could comply with these terms, all of the flames were extinguished in seconds. Even stranger was the fact that each tree, while previously burned to a crisp, were now back to normal. It was as if nothing happened to them at all.
Goku then turned his head around in several directions, attempting to identify the location of this unforeseen speaker.
"Huh? Who said that? And what just happened?!"
Feeling a soft tug on his pantleg, he looked down to see a little eight-year-old girl with light brown hair and fire-like, orangish red eyes. She held a small, glowing fireball in her other hand that seemed to comprise of the forest's prior flames.
"That would be me," She said. She then casually snapped her fingers and disposed of the orb like a burnt out lightbulb. "And as for stopping Ares's forest fire, I've already got that covered."
The girl smiled up at Goku, much his clear confusion.
"Woah! Are you one of those demigods, little girl?"
Giving him a funny look, she gracefully walked over to Ares's four flaming horses and pet each one with little fear of being burned.
"I'm something far more than a simple demigod, Son Goku. My name is Hestia, the Olympian goddess of the hearth, sacrificial fire, home, and family. It's nice to finally meet you face-to-face."
The martial artist's eyes widened in amazement. He didn't think he'd be meeting another Olympian god or goddess so soon.
"Oh, right! You're the oldest of the Olympians, I think! I heard it be mentioned in one of Aphrodite's memories." He recalled. "But how do you know my name, anyway? Does news travel that fast on Olympus or something?"
"Not as fast you'd expect, unfortunately," Hestia lightly chuckled.
She then slowly shook her head and gave Goku a warm, inviting smile.
"I've been aware of your existence for quite a while. I suppose you could call me a fan of sorts, considering how many times you've saved your world from conquest and destruction in the past."
There was a small twinkle in her eyes, causing him to draw a blank on what to say as a response. Before now, he assumed that Aphrodite was the first one to find out about him.
"Seriously? I mean, I wouldn't say many times, but thanks, I guess."
Hestia's smile struck a nerve in Aphrodite's subconscious, but she didn't know why. She was a virgin goddess, so being potential competition for Goku's affections didn't seem likely. Then again, Artemis was also a virgin, yet she spent a lot of time with him in her cabin.
If she truly wanted Goku to herself, Aphrodite would need to keep her guard up around those two.
After this conflict is resolved, I'll have to keep an eye on Artemis. And maybe Hestia too, if she really does like Goku as much as she implies.
She darted her eyes from one virgin goddess to another before standing closer to Goku once again. Artemis took note of this odd behavior, but didn't care enough about the love goddess's antics to address it.
"Him? Save his world? Please. Tell that to Kid Buu's Planet Burst attack." Ares snorted. "You always have to come and ruin my fun, don't you, Hes?"
However, even he, the savage, bloodthirsty god of war himself, could not help, but calm down around his paternal and maternal aunt, Hestia. He never held any sort of resentment towards her, unlike his father and the other Olympians.
"I'm just trying to keep you and the others out of trouble is all. I can't have you burning all of Camp Half-Blood to the ground, you know? That wouldn't be good for anyone, considering Olympus's current predicament." The goddess of the hearth replied matter-of-factly, gesturing to Goku as the aforementioned "predicament" that needed to be dealt with.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to cause you Olympian guys such a panic."
Hearing this, she vanished in a torrent of flames and transported herself right next to Goku's pantleg.
"You have no need to apologize. I know you've been through a lot these past six months. My condolences go out to you and the rest of your remaining family."
"Wait, you know about… that too?"
"Oh, of course I do! Aphrodite's not the only one who has used Iris Messages to view alternate universes outside our own. I know all about Gohan, Goten, and, obviously, your late wife, Chi-Chi. Being a family-oriented goddess, admiring millions upon billions of different families from afar is a favorite pastime of mine." Hestia warmly explained. "And, to be honest, I was fairly pleased by the genuine care you felt for yours, Goku. That includes your friends too."
The martial artist shared a brief, almost melancholic grin with her. He then looked up at the sky to reminisce about his entire life leading up to this current moment.
"Yeah. She… they meant a lot to me and still do. I couldn't ask for anybody else in the world to spend my life."
The memory of Chi-Chi's smiling face began to fade back into his subconscious, causing him to grimace in sadness. From the sidelines, Aphrodite felt a pang of guilt and hurt well up in her chest, but she ultimately couldn't blame Goku for that. He was in a profound state of grief and it would take a long time for him to officially move on from the Ox-Princess's passing.
When that time came, the love goddess hoped that he could develop similar or even stronger feelings for her, but for now, such a possibility was null and void. All Aphrodite wanted was to make sure he remained safe and content in this new world.
Sadly, his upcoming fight with Ares was about to get in the way of that desire.
"Ugh. Does anyone have a barf bag? I thought you Saiyans liked to fight, not share your pathetic sob stories."
Hestia gave the god of war a fiery glare before shaking her head in understanding.
"You don't need to say anymore, Goku. I understand how much you cared for her."
He nodded and wiped his eyes before any single trace of a tear could fall. "A-Alright. Thanks for saying all of that, Hestia. It really did help." His frown was then replaced with an enthusiastic smile of gratitude. The goddess of the hearth repeated this gesture in kind.
"You're welcome. Now, I believe you have a battle with Ares to attend to. It wouldn't be wise to keep him waiting any longer."
"That's true. I'm eager to start too."
"Feh. Eager to get your ass whooped, more like." The war god quipped. "Glad we're on the same page."
The Hunters of Artemis, seeing that Ares's pyromania was now under control, took it upon themselves to reconvene with their mistress. Artemis was notably lost in her own thoughts, all of which centered around Goku and their earlier confrontation.
I see. It appears this Chi-Chi woman, as I've suspected, was the person he lost before coming here. Her death only happened six months prior to this moment, so Aphrodite's choice to pursue him as a "lover" or whatever she was aiming for could not be more poorly timed. The poor man didn't even have a year to mourn her.
Although annoyed by the love goddess's selfish actions, she was smart enough to realize that Goku's issues were greatly escalated by Zeus and herself as well. This man had gone through so much in such little time, because of them. It was hard for her not feel guilty about it.
I see now that violence wasn't the right way to approach him. Goku didn't seem angry at all, given his Saiyan heritage, but… I still think it'd be best if I apologized for my and Zoë's prior lapse of judgement. Well, after the impending trial and this whole Ares situation is dealt with… She thought, recognizing her mistakes and lack of hindsight. I just hope that warmongering fool doesn't make this situation even worse than before.
Ares was just about done talking, so he clasped his spear and started heading to the camp's Combat Arena.
"Now, with all that mopey, depressing crap out of our system, let's get Dionysus or Chiron and gather everyone—"
Ares's instructions were interrupted by the loud stomps of an irate Mr. D. Following close behind him were Chiron, Clarisse La Rue, and Sherman Yang.
"Well, look at that. That saves us some time."
The wine god looked over Camp Half-Blood Forest's surroundings and snarled at the traces of scorch marks that were present there. The uprooted trees and plant-life served to annoy him even more.
"What in Tartarus's pit happened here?!"
"That would be my handiwork, Cokehead. Or is that Diet Cokehead? I've lost track of the non-alcoholic drinks you've been stuck with since… well, you've been stuck at this dump."
Dionysus took a large sip of Diet Coke and crushed it in his hands.
"Oh, bite me, Ares. Why are you even here, anyway? Last time I checked, Artemis was handling the Jackie Chan wannabe just fine."
Goku waved his hand. "It's actually Son Goku, not whatever you just said. You're the wine dude, right? Dionysus? It's nice to meet you!"
The words that came out of his mouth went in one ear and out the other for Mr. D. Being called, "the wine dude", for the thousandth time didn't improve his mood one bit.
"Sure. That's me. Glad I don't have to waste my time explaining myself to someone with your… intellect." The former Olympian snorted. He then glanced at Ares and lazily jerked a thumb towards Goku. "Let me guess. You've come to fight this moron, haven't you?"
"Hmph. Is it that obvious? I wanted to make things easier for Dad by knocking this porcupine-haired idiot down a few pegs."
Dionysus exasperatedly wiped a hand over his face. He always had to be involved in his fellow Olympians' drama somehow.
"Wonderful. Knowing you, I have a feeling this will cause tons of collateral damage that I will be responsible for cleaning up afterwards. And here I thought this camp couldn't become even more of a shithole."
Ares snickered. "Guess there won't be much for you to lose then."
He then turned to see his two kids, Clarisse and Sherman, excitedly walking over to him. It had been a long time since they've seen each other.
"Long time no see, kids. Been causing any trouble lately?"
"More than ever, Dad," Clarisse said with a smirk. "Are you seriously going to fight that guy? I thought he wouldn't even be worth your time."
"Hell yeah, I am. It'll be more than worth it to see that dumbass grovel beneath my feet. You're going to witness a slaughter you won't soon forget, Clarisse and… um…"
Ares frowned looking at this son. It was difficult to keep proper track of every demigod he sired in the past. As a result, Sherman's joyful expression soured into one of sadness and confusion.
"It's Sherman, Dad. You had me with Lucy Yang? Ring any bells?"
Recalling all the mortal women he's slept with – which was, of course, a lot – Ares suddenly snapped his fingers in realization.
"Oh yeah. I remember now." Ares hummed to himself. "Mmmm. Lucy Yang. She was a fine one back in the day. Mmhm."
Perverted thoughts of Lucy Yang's once youthful, voluptuous body then came to mind. She couldn't compare to Aphrodite in terms of beauty, but to Ares, she was at least a 9 or 10 by mortal standards.
Sherman squirmed in discomfort, not expecting Ares to remember his mom from a purely sexual perspective. He crossed his arms and gagged a little. Clarisse did the same.
"Gee. Thanks for putting that image in my head, Dad. Real nice." The demigod grumbled.
"Whatever, son. There's nothing wrong with admiring a good body when I see one. Aphrodite should know all about that."
He then suggestively leered at Aphrodite's curvaceous figure, recalling the thousands of times he ravished it in bed. However, such a gaze, to his increasing anger and sadness, caused the love goddess to immediately look away and hide behind Goku.
Zoë wasn't pleased by these perverted advances either. She growled under her breath in revulsion. "Disgusting pig…"
"Care to repeat that, sweetie?"
Despite Ares's status as a Greek deity, Zoë felt outraged by this humiliating nickname. She instinctively reached for her bow and prepared to fire.
"S-Sweetie?! How dare thee! No man, whether they be mortal or god, can get away with such a—"
Artemis cupped a hand over her lieutenant's mouth. The girl almost said a comment she wouldn't live long enough to fully regret. At the same time, some of the Hunters forced her arms down, so no stray arrows could be deployed by her hand.
"Don't say anymore, Zoë. This isn't a fight you want to involve yourself in." The goddess of the hunt whispered close to her ear.
"Sorry, my lady."
Artemis and the other Hunters then released Zoë, allowing her to patiently wait around like everyone else.
Once that brief moment was settled, Chiron took a closer look at Goku and the damaged Archery Field. He frowned while stroking his brown, scraggly beard.
"Are you certain fighting here is wise, Ares? I fear there won't be a camp left to run if you wish to battle Son Goku at full power. Just look at the damage produced via simple scream, if, of course, I'm right to assume that was him."
"Yeah, you're right to think that me, Mr. Horse Guy. Usually I'm able to keep my ki under control, so sorry if I caused any damage to your camp and its surroundings." Goku said apologetically. While speaking, he tried his best not to gawk at the fact that Chiron was part-house and part-human at the same time.
"Just call me Chiron. Cleanup is already underway at the Dining Pavilion, so your concern isn't warranted. Regardless, I still appreciate the sentiment."
"Oh okay. Good to know then."
"That's why we'll be fighting in the Combat Arena. It's big enough not to destroy everything and the campers, including my own brats, will be able to watch us beat the snot out of each other. It's a win-win." Ares proclaimed confidently. While Sherman and Clarisse supported this idea without question, Chiron still felt somewhat cautious about it.
"Hmm. I suppose that seems promising enough. With a few extra precautions, the forest and Thalia's Pine Tree won't have any chance of being permanently devastated. What do you think, Mr. D?"
"It's not smart idea by any stretch of the imagination," Dionysus muttered with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "but what the hell? Personally, anything to keep these ankle-biters out of my hair is a literal godsend. And considering it's dark out, they won't have much better to do until it's lights out at 11."
Hestia cupped her chin in thought. She didn't want to pick any sides in this whole debacle.
"I am uncertain about this. I have a feeling Zeus will be displeased about this battle taking place without his approval or supervision. After all, Artemis was tasked with bringing Goku to Olympus dead or alive."
"That's a good point. Zeus does get particularly livid when things don't go according to his plans." Aphrodite agreed. She was dreading the reaction he'd have to her escaping from Olympus.
"Like I said, it's far from being a good idea. But it does grant Chiron, myself, and the rest of us an ample opportunity to observe Ukog's abilities. That way, we can see if he's as big of a threat as Zeus made him out to be. Wasn't that your goal too, Artemis?" The wine god replied. Ignoring the fact that Dionysus got Goku's name wrong once again, his fellow Olympian confirmed this presumption to be true.
"I can't deny that, yes. The Kamehameha Wave is still a technique my girls and I wish to analyze up close."
"I have no idea what that is or why it has such a nonsensical name, but the point still stands either way. This fight will be officially taking place here."
Aphrodite pursed her lips. "But what if—"
"Any objections? No? Good then. Let's get this show on the road." Dionysus said while purposely ignoring the love goddess. He then left with Chiron and prepared to assemble each of Camp Half-Blood's demigods into the arena.
Ares followed closely behind them, but first, he took the time to intimidate his opponent a bit more. Goku, however, wasn't fazed by it.
"There's no turning back from this, Son Goku. We'll keep fighting until one of us falls unconscious or stops breathing. Like with any self-respecting warrior, surrender isn't an option by any means. Got that… punk?" He growled while his pointing underneath Goku's chin. The Saiyan martial artist remained calm and gently pushed the weapon away from him.
"The feeling's mutual, Ares. I'll give you a fight either of us won't soon forget. I can promise you that much."
Both warriors stared each other down and projected their energies in equal defense against one another's. Unsurprisingly, the war god was the first to crack under pressure, much to his annoyance.
"We'll see about that, Goku." Ares grunted. "Just remember what my father's vision foretold. The outcome of this fight will determine Olympus's fate and I intend to keep it safe from whatever… monster you might turn into."
Goku narrowed his eyes in concern. The dark presence he felt within Ares's body came to mind. He didn't know what it was, but it did not seem like something the war god had any control over.
"I can say the same to you."
"What?!"
Suddenly, a surge of pain shot through his divine blood. He hurriedly transformed his spear back into an aluminum baseball bat and stomped away, not wishing to draw any suspicion towards himself.
It was then that Clarisse and Sherman shared their own looks of contempt with Goku.
"You better start digging yourself a shallow grave, moron. I can tell my dad won't stop fighting until you're dead and buried." The daughter of Ares cockily advised.
"Yeah, what she said. Nice knowing ya, pal. Hehehe!" Sherman sneered, sprinting back to his cabin to personally inform the others of what just happened. Clarisse, after glaring back at Goku with newfound hatred, did the same.
He blinked a few times. He didn't quite understand why Ares's kids held that much resentment towards him. His fight with their father hadn't even taken place yet.
"Sheesh. Those were some scary-looking kids."
The girl, in particular, towered over most children her age. Embarrassingly enough, he couldn't quite tell what her gender even was at first glance.
Hestia nodded. "They mostly inherit that trait from their father. Intimidation is a common trait amongst demigods claimed by Ares."
"Guess they won't be hard to spot in the crowd then."
Sighing, he performed a few stretches to loosen his joints a bit. His body still felt a bit strained due to Artemis's tranquilizer dart. Once he was done, he lightly grinned and tilted his head to address the Olympian three goddesses.
"Welp, that's that. Wish me luck, guys."
Aphrodite then speedily grabbed ahold of his arm before he could walk over to the camp's Combat Arena. She bore into his eyes in growing concern.
"Goku, think of what you are dealing with for a second! I know you're powerful enough to handle it, but provoking Ares in his current state won't end well for anyone! Your reputation amongst the gods could get even worse if he is harmed in any way. Don't you realize that?"
The Saiyan warrior took a deep breath and frowned at her.
"I get what you're saying, but what other choice do I have? Zeus already doesn't trust me, because of that vision he had, so if I don't fight Ares now and settle our differences, he'll continue to send other gods like Artemis to capture me or worse. And that will cause even more destruction and harm than before. I want to avoid that as much as possible. Besides," He then clenched his fists in remembrance of Ares's hateful rant, "he disrespected my wife, Aphrodite. There's no way I'll let him get away with something like that. Not a chance!"
Hearing this, the love goddess loosened her grip on his arm. His mind was already made up. Even after all those arguments and fights they had in the past, he… still loved her that much, hm? I see…
She then bit her lower lip and fully let go of him.
"I understand Goku. I won't stop you then. Just…" the now-sympathetic Aphrodite leaned over to kiss his cheek. This one, however, was far less enthusiastic than the one given in New York City. "…don't be too reckless, okay?"
Goku, although a bit caught off-guard by this short display of affection, smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
"I won't."
He then headed over to Camp Half-Blood's Combat Arena as agreed. Aphrodite longingly gazed at him from behind, realizing how selfish she was to put so much pressure on his shoulders. The love goddess should have known how much grief surrounded Goku's heart, yet she outright ignored it in order to fulfill her own heart's desires.
Now, she would have to see both of her loves – one old and one new – fight each other to the death like gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. And it was all her fault.
Artemis squinted her silver eyes and glared at Aphrodite in disapproval.
"Are you satisfied with what you've done? Causing a fight between your two supposed "suitors" to see which one is worthy enough to court you?"
She flinched at the moon goddess's harsh words, but knew she had no room to deny her claims. "No… I'm not. I never wanted this to happen…"
The goddess of the hunt doubtfully rolled her eyes and prepared to move out.
Hestia shook her head in dismay and permeated a calm sense of warmth throughout the area. This feeling, usually indicative of the hearth on Mount Olympus, helped ease the tension between Aphrodite and Artemis.
"Calm yourselves, girls. Antagonizing one another won't make things any easier for either of you. As goddesses, all three of us need to properly adapt to the changes our world undergo from Goku's arrival; just as we've always done from one era to the next."
"Right…" the two other goddesses said in unison.
"Now, let's head to the stadium. I'm usually not one to enjoy fights or fighting in general, but this will be a rare exception." Hestia chirped as she excitedly clapped her hands together.
With that, she, Artemis, and the Hunters of Artemis all approached the Combat Arena while Aphrodite momentarily stood behind. She looked down at the ground as fresh tears slowly fell from her eyes. Thinking about Zeus's prophetic dream and the consequences that would certainly come from it, the love goddess proceeded to keep blaming herself for this entire situation.
It proved that despite being the Olympian goddess of love, she didn't quite understand the feeling at all or how it affected around people, including Goku. She changed her attire into that of a long black dress that flowed in the cold wind. To any random passersby, it would appear as if Aphrodite were in a state of mourning or guilt.
"I'm so sorry, Goku. Please… find it in your heart to forgive me." She whispered as tears streaked down her cheeks.
Before her mascara could bleed, she composed herself and took a deep, prolonged breath. She then walked to the stadium, praying that this battle would not be the last for either participant.
Sometime later…
Camp Half-Blood's Combat Arena, also known as the Swordfighting Arena, was a large complex used for dueling and weapon practice between demigods. Much like the Roman Colosseum in ancient times, it contained built-in stands where campers could view short sparring matches or even sporting events. Specific sections were designated to each of the twelve main cabins, including the usually vacant Artemis Cabin.
These were separated by individually colored tarps and symbols, such as a bronze trident for Poseidon Cabin, a thunderbolt for Zeus Cabin, a silver bow and arrow for Artemis Cabin, and so on.
The actual arena itself offered test-dummies that campers could practice close-quarters combat with, but since they wouldn't be required for an official match like Goku and Ares's, they were placed back into the storage closet.
Within the span of a half-hour or so, the Combat Arena was filled to maximum capacity. Every cabin – with the exception of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Hades – had seats occupied by half-blood or mythical denizens. While Artemis and her hunters sat in their own section, the Hermes Cabin, due it including demigods that had yet to be claimed by their divine parent, held the largest portion of the entire audience by far. These aforementioned campers, namely the two Stoll Brothers, were placing bets on who had a better chance of winning this fight.
Anyone who dared select Goku as the victor were threatened with toilet swirlies or, worse, being anally probed by Clarisse's new spear, Maimer, so mostly everyone put their money on Ares out of fear.
Meanwhile, a morose Aphrodite joined her own demigod children in the stands. This group included the cabin's head counselor, Silena Beauregard, an half-Japanese girl named Drew Tanaka, a fairly young girl named Lacy, Mitchell, nine other girls, and four other boys. They were all above average in terms of looks, but Silena stood out the most.
She was a fourteen, going on fifteen-year-old girl with curly black hair, sparkling blue eyes, and full red lips like her mother. Being the leader of their cabin, she was, despite her young age, comparatively the most equal to Aphrodite in terms of sheer beauty. She was also the first one to notice her sudden change in mood.
"Mom's here?! Yay!" Lacy gasped. She quickly jumped out of her seat and hugged Aphrodite's waist as tight as possible. She was a nine-year-old girl with blonde pigtails, blue eyes, and braces on her teeth.
The goddess of love was almost knocked off her feet due to Lacy's sudden embrace, but she returned it, nonetheless. She grinned at the girl whilst brushing her hair back.
"O-Oh hi, Lacy. How are you have been doing, dear? It's been such a long time since I've last seen you."
"Pretty good! I'll have to go back to school after Christmas Break is over, but still good!" She beamed. She was personally dreading her return to the Brooklyn Academy for the Gifted, but seeing her mother for the first time in years helped ease those concerns.
"That's wonderful, sweetie. But… um… I'd suggest working on getting those braces removed." Aphrodite said as she lifted Lacy's chin up with her thumb. "They get in the way of your smile."
Lacy groaned and nodded her head in agreement.
"Yeah. They're pretty annoying, but Dad says I need them if I want to have teeth as good as yours someday."
"Keep at it then, dear." Aphrodite lightly caressed the side of Lacy's face, causing the little girl to giggle in amusement.
"Oh, please. You having teeth as good as a goddess's? In your dreams, hon." Drew Tanaka snorted. She was tall and a little younger than Silena, but not by much. The Japanese teen had pink eyeliner, warm brown eyes, and long black hair that was curled into ringlets. She also had an almost Christmasy smell to her that was comparable to nutmeg and pine.
Aphrodite sighed, shaking her head in disapproval of Drew's shallow behavior. She wondered if that was a trait inherited from her specifically. Given her recent treatment of Goku, she wouldn't be surprised.
"Be nice to your sister, Drew." She glowered. "You're both my daughters, so I expect your personalities to be just as beautiful as your appearances. Looks won't get you everything you want in life, after all…"
Frowning at that last statement, she plopped herself down in a seat and cupped her cheeks with each hand.
"You heard her, Drew. Be nice." Lacy sassily repeated their mother's words.
"Whatever," the Asian diva said. She then took out a nailfile and began giving herself a personal manicure. "What was with that depressing tangent, anyway, Mom? That doesn't sound like you at all."
Silence sat herself next to Aphrodite and nodded. "Even I have to agree with Drew on that. Is there something bothering you?"
"It's nothing, girls. I've just been having... a few regrets lately." The goddess of love murmured.
At that moment, Goku made his way into the stadium, childishly awestruck by the sheer size of its battle arena. This behavior caused Aphrodite to squirm in her seat from longing. One of her daughters quirked a brow at this strange reaction, looking from her to Goku in suspicion.
"Uh… does it have something to do with that Goku guy down there?"
Aphrodite slumped her shoulders, feeling embarrassed by the fact she was this easy to read emotionally.
"Yes, it does. I'm the reason why he's here in the first place."
"Seriously? That one guy who had his face in the mud a few hours ago?" Mitchell chuckled in amusement.
"Yeah, yeah. Goku can be goofy sometimes, but he isn't just some ordinary mortal man, Mitchell. He's been a hero to his own universe many times over. I know about some of his exploits from firsthand experience…" She lovingly proclaimed. Her expression became somewhat entranced and listless, much to Drew's confusion.
"So, like, if that weirdo is from another world or whatever, does that mean you've been… I dunno… stalking him?"
Aphrodite indignantly crossed her arms. "No! I was only admiring him from afar using an Iris Message. It's completely different, Drew."
Drew set her nailfile down and absentmindedly blew on her pink fingernails.
"Ah, so cyberstalking, got it. But come on, Mom. What's the big deal? You're the goddess of love and lust. What makes him any different from Ares, Adonis, my dad, or any other men you've banged in the past few centuries? Settling for one guy seems pretty lame, honestly."
Tired of her half-sister's rudeness, Silena got out of her seat to reprimand the Asian prima donna.
"Knock it off, Drew. That's going too far. Love is a complicated emotion to experience sometimes. All of us, including you, should be well aware of that as her children." said Silena.
"That's rich coming from you, Silena, or should I say, Mrs. Beckendorf." Diva haughtily snickered. Silena's eyes widened in horror while the other members of Cabin #10 looked just as shocked.
"Eep!" the black-haired girl squealed. Her cheeks were now as red as a ripened tomato.
In Hephaestus Cabin's row, Charles Beckendorf, a sixteen-year-old African-American teen, lifted his head up in confusion. He had muscles comparable in size to that of a professional baseball player and short, black hair. His forearms were also concealed by bandages and miniscule scorch-marks from working in Camp Half-Blood's Armory all day.
"Huh? Did someone say my name?" Charles shouted, moving his head around to inspect each row. Silena stood frozen in place, keeping her mouth shut until he sat back down. Assuming he was just hearing things, he shrugged and resumed talking with Hephaestus's other demigod children.
Silena was now free to give Drew a real piece of her mind. The utter humiliation she experience was simply too much to bear.
"Pardon my language, but what the hell is wrong with you, Drew?! I told you that was a secret!"
"Oh, boohoo. If you were a real daughter of Aphrodite, he'd be wrapped around your little finger by now! What do you think Charmspeak is for?"
Aphrodite huffed exhaustedly and placed both hands on their shoulders.
"Break it up, girls! Charmspeak should be handled so irresponsibly like that, Drew. It's my inherited gift to you both, so treat it as such. And Silena, I'm afraid your sister has a point. Bottling up your true feelings won't do you any good in the long run. I should know; this whole battle is going to take place because of mine. Understand what I'm saying?"
Silena glanced over at Charles Beckendorf, ultimately understanding where her mother was coming from. She didn't want her heart to be broken again after everything she experienced with a certain corrupt son of Hermes.
"Yeah, Mom. I'll work on it…" The young demigod promised. Aphrodite then pulled her and Drew into a forced group hug, much to the latter's clear disgust.
"That's my girl! Now, with all that drama settled, it's time for you kids to see what makes Son Goku so special!" The love goddess proclaimed. Now in a somewhat more chipper mood than before, she gracefully sat herself beside Lacy, Drew, and Silena.
"Oh boy. I'm, like, soooo excited." Drew grumbled in a sarcastic tone.
Aphrodite stroked her chin in thought. "Hm. We really need to work on that attitude problem of yours. Perhaps your dad spoiled you too much while I was gone."
Lacy, curious to know what Goku was like, leaned close to her mother's ear and whispered, "Is he gonna scream some more?"
"Well, there's a possibility that he will, yes. Hehe." Aphrodite giggled. She then motherly rubbed the top of her head and waited for the fight to begin.
Within the arena itself, Goku was still taking in his new surroundings. He was particularly amazed by the amount of demigods in attendance, noticing that each one varied from one another in terms of age, gender, and nationality.
Ares, on the other hand, was studying the man's movements in an attempt to spot any weaknesses or physical ailments he could take advantage of. Much to his frustration, there weren't.
Gotta admit, I'm impressed. Even when walking around like a moron, all portions of his body are perfectly defended and accounted for. It's as if he's tracking my every move from a distance…
His walking patterns, while random at first glance, were also covering ground that a sneak attack from Ares could occur in. The god of war then gazed down at his aluminum baseball bat with a cold, calculating sneer. His face was reflected into the bat's metallic coat, causing him to bask in the indomitable glory of his divine appearance.
No matter. Regardless of skill, he's no match for a god in terms of strength and endurance. He can't even sense our energy, so if I tire him out enough and take him by surprise, it's game over.
Since all gods had regenerative abilities, Goku would never be able to permanently wound him without a Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold weapon in hand.
The martial artist in question found the different colors and symbols for each cabin pretty interesting. It reminded him of how the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament were set up back when he was a kid.
"This really isn't all that different from the World Martial Arts Tournaments on Papaya Island. It does feel a bit more cramped, though…"
He then noticed a larger, tightly compact section above the Combat Arena's twelve stands. It was built closer to the building's open roof, purposely keeping some distance between it and the ensuing battle about to take place. Its banner contained a black Pegasus, the current symbol for Camp Half-Blood as a whole.
Seated in this special location were, of course, Dionysus, Chiron, and a large, blonde-haired man with hundreds of matching blue eyes that were scattered all across his body. Goku couldn't help, but be amazed that such a strange creature could even exist.
"And… uh… that guy's different too… whatever he is." He muttered, trying his best not look at all of those eyes all at once. He jokingly began to wonder if Tien's equivalent to Super Saiyan would look something like that.
Dionysus looked down from the pavilion, took one last swig of Diet Coke, and coughed. "They need to start paying me for this crap…"
He then cleared his throat and magically altered the sound of his voice.
"Alright, everyone. Pipe down for a moment, so I can explain what's going on here. That goes double for you, Stoll's." He bellowed. In Cabin 11's row, Ethan and Travis whistled innocently, pretending not to know what the wine god was talking about. "Anyway, apparently, this guy, Sun Wukong—"
"It's Son Goku. Pretending you don't remember it isn't very mature of you." Artemis corrected him from within the crowd.
"Oh, like it matters. It's basically the same thing. As I was saying, this mortal is public enemy #1 on Mount Olympus right now, because someone couldn't keep it in her pants." Dionysus yelled while not-so-subtly gesturing to Aphrodite's seat. Most of the other campers either laughed or gasped in response. "Yeah, that's right. This whole fiasco started, because Aphrodite got tired of Ares or any other guy in our world and needed an alien to satisfy her. Figure out how that makes any friggin' sense."
"Really, Dionysus? Can't you have a filter for once?"
The god of wine snorted. "Can't you? What I said is completely accurate and you know it."
"I mean, she's not even wearing pants, so it can't be completely accurate, right?"
Everyone in the audience, including Aphrodite, reacted to Goku's comment with blank stares.
"Oh yeah. I can see what you mean, Mom. He's very special." Drew chuckled.
"Don't force my hand, young lady. Just be quiet and listen to the former drunk ramble on." Aphrodite huffed in a low, authoritative growl. Drew rolled her eyes and stuck a piece of gum in her mouth.
"Fine."
Trying to ignore the utter stupidity that was Goku's question, Dionysus shook his head and continued speaking.
"The point is that Ares, due to being rejected by a certain goddess, wants to pick a fight with this guy out of jealousy and other ego-related nonsense. And yadayadayada, now we're here. Like any gladiatorial match, it will be a fight to the death or brink of exhaustion." He lazily summed up, purposely glossing over some major details, so the fight could start. "Anyone not on board with this?"
Every single one of Camp Half-Blood's demigods were in unanimous agreement. "No!"
"Wonderful. Now, you two go knock yourselves out… literally. Oh and there's weapons over there if you need them, I guess." Dionysus instructed. He then kicked back in his chair and cracked open a fresh can of Diet Coke.
"Well, that's one way to announce a fight…" Goku murmured. This god obviously wasn't as passionate as the World Tournament Announcer from back in the day.
Chiron, noticing that the credentials of this match weren't fully understood, trotted into view and took over for Dionysus.
"Erm… like Mr. D explained, any sort of violence is allowed in this battle, whether that be done with a weapon or by one's own hand. However, I beg of you to keep damages to your surroundings at a minimum. There are still children in attendance. Demigod children specifically, but still children, regardless."
"Don't worry, Chiron. I'll try my best to keep our fight as far away from the crowd as possible." Goku promised.
"I'll have your word on that, Mr. Son. Now, without further ado, you two may begin when ready." Chiron authorized with a small, ever-so-slight wave of his hand. He then stood to Dionysus's left while the monster with hundreds of eyes, Argus, was still positioned to the right.
"Kick his spiky-haired ass, Dad!" Clarisse loudly cheered while punching her fist in the air.
"Yeah! Send him back to his own world in a body bag!" Sherman Yang chimed in. The rest of the Ares Cabin then roared with pride, giving their father all the support he needed.
Artemis looked disturbed by this behavior. She was seated next to Hestia, Zoë, and the rest of her followers. Their section, the 8th, was located two rows from Aphrodite's.
"I suspected Ares's progeny would be aggressive, but they almost seem far too… barbaric for my tastes. Are they always like this?"
Hestia shook her head. "Not quite. Their bloodlust only shows when in the heat of battle, much like you and the Hunters. Plus, keep in mind, this is likely one of the only times they'll be able to witness their father participating in a fight. Gods and goddesses are forbidden from interacting with their children for extended periods of time, remember?"
Artemis placed a hand over chin and thought over the elder goddess's words.
"Hmph. I suppose that's true. However, I fear this will be a difficult experience for Goku to go through. While Ares has the given support of his representative cabin, here, with the exception of maybe Aphrodite…" Artemis frowned at the sight of Goku's body. "…he has no one. All of his friends and allies are an entire universe away."
Hestia smiled and kindly patted her on the shoulder. She could tell the goddess of the hunt had grown to care about him in her own way. Maybe she saw him as a kindred spirit due to the pain she's also experienced in life.
"I wouldn't worry too much. Goku, as a Saiyan, is truly at his happiest within any sort of battlefield. He may be far away from his home, true, but martial arts is a longstanding companion of his." The goddess of the hearth noted. "So as long as he continues to fight and enjoy fighting, he'll never be truly alone."
Artemis hung her mouth slightly agape from surprise. Her feelings for hunting functioned almost exactly the same way. In that sense, the two of them were both warriors, but cut from a different, yet similar cloth.
"I see…"
"Besides, who says you couldn't cheer him on, Artemis? Seems to me that you've grown a soft spot for our Saiyan friend." Hestia suggested with a playful wink.
"That's out of the question, Hestia. I'm under strict orders from my father. As instructed, I must take Goku to Mount Olympus for his trial. Nothing can change that." A faint sense of remorse could be seen in Artemis's eyes as she spoke. "Even if I don't believe he's done anything wrong, I must appease my father and do what's best for… everyone."
"That's an understandable decision and I can't fault you for it. Loyalty to our family on Olympus is part of my domain, after all." Hestia replied with stern, emblazoned eyes. "But are you certain Goku should be demonized as a threat comparable to Kronos? Or considered someone who could be possessed by him in a future we're not even certain is real?"
Artemis tentatively held her breath, looking over everything she's discovered about Goku in the past few hours. She didn't want to believe it, but from her experience, prophecies, one way or another, always came true. That didn't mean she wanted to treat Goku as a criminal for causing destruction he hasn't caused yet.
"I… I don't have a definitive answer to that question yet. There's a chance this 'fight' could sort out my feelings about it."
She narrowed her silver eyes, glaring at Goku and Ares as they prepared to charge one another.
Hestia paused for a moment to inspect her facial expressions. "If that's what you think is best…"
Now, everyone's eyes were completely glued to the Combat Arena's battleground. They remained silent, wondering which fighter would make the first move.
Ares cracked his knuckles, glaring at the childish Saiyan warrior as he stood almost perfectly still. He tipped his shades downward, unveiling two pupils filled to the brim with atomic devastation via mushroom cloud.
"Hey, I've got an idea, Goku. How about we skip the trial…" He trailed a hand over his spear and transformed it into an extremely long broadsword. Much like the spear, this blade was forever stained with the blood of Ares's fallen enemies. It also had a ruby-encrusted skull as its pommel. "…and go straight to the execution."
Goku remained calm and felt the wind from his ki expand across the entire arena.
"Can't do that, Ares. I've had my fair share of life-threatening fights in the past and I can tell you, with all honesty, this won't be the last."
"Tehehehe! I'll be the judge of that dumbass!" The god of war roared maniacally. In a blinding flash of light, Ares's biker jacket changed into a set of ancient Imperial Gold armor. A Spartan helmet of the same composition was also adorned atop his head, sported a red, mohawk-like thrill in its center. His armor was further accentuated by a long, shred cape that was stained red with the blood of thousands of fallen Greek soldiers.
While most demigods could not fully look at Ares's current state without feeling unnerved or paranoid, Goku, as always, stood his ground. In fact, he was more concerned for Ares's wellbeing than anything else.
"You've felt it before, didn't you?"
Ares narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you blathering on about?"
"There's some dark presence inside of you. I can sense it feeding on the hatred you have for me. If you don't gain control of it soon, these kids are going to get hurt; your kids too, Ares. And I don't think I'll be hold back anymore against you if that happens."
Goku's words only served to anger the god of war even more. He tightened his grip on the sword and brandished it, ready to slice through his opponent like paper if need be.
"Piss off. You don't know shit about what's going on inside me. Don't act like you suddenly care after everything you've taken from me." Ares snarled. To Goku's chagrin, the fiery purple aura began to trickle from his body once again. "And if you think you'll be able to hold back against me in this fight, then think again, bastard. It's time for you to get a taste of what war really feels like!"
Sighing, Goku got into the fighting stance made famous by the Turtle School of Martial Arts. He crouched down, made his right hand into a claw, and rested his left fist by the hip.
"Fine! Then show me!"
"GRRRAAAAGH!"
Moving hundreds of time faster than light itself, he launched himself at Goku with devastating force and wound up his sword with both arms. Ares then directly slashed at his body, producing a massive shockwave of divine energy that sent everyone flying backward into their seats. Some of the arena's stone columns cracked apart into tiny, almost miniscule pieces too.
Once the smoke cleared, the war god felt his divine weapon abruptly stop in place. He chuckled, boldly assuming that Goku was either cleaved in two or outright obliterated from the impact alone.
"Haha. Told you wouldn't be to hold back against—"
To his shock, the Saiyan martial artist, standing completely unscathed, managed to block Ares's sword with a single finger.
"WHAT?!"
"Woah!" Multiple demigods shouted in amazement.
"AWESOME!" Lacy gawped from the sidelines in sheer awe. "He didn't even need to scream that time!"
The rest of the crowd started to get just as excited. Before, they didn't think a mortal like Goku could challenge an Olympian at all, but now, things seemed a lot less one-sided. He actually had a fighting chance and the fight was only just beginning.
"Impossible! There's no way you were fast enough to react to that in your Base Form!" Ares growled, his glowing red eyes exploding with combustible fury.
Goku simply glared at him and said, "This isn't the first time I've dealt with a sword. A weapon like this won't do you any good if enough isn't put into your slashes."
Feeling as if he was being talked down to, Ares clamped down on his lower jaw and slid himself backward a few feet.
"GRRRGH! You want power? I'll show you power!"
Coating his body in a bloodred aura, the god of war teleported himself behind Goku in a flash of light and proceeded to slash his sword thousands of times in mere seconds. Although he couldn't sense Ares's divine ki, the Z-Fighter used his heightened senses to anticipate the sword's movements before it could even be slashed at any angle. He expertly moved his body around like a ragdoll, ducking, dodging, and blocking whenever he saw fit.
"Hold still!"
As he changed the direction of his sword for a split second, Goku smirked and lightly slapped the sword away from his face. The war god unintentionally left himself wide open.
"Gotcha!"
"W-What?!"
Goku, whilst surrounding himself in an aura made from himself his ki, slammed a fist straight into Ares's stomach. His eyes popped out of their sockets as he hacked up a clump of golden ichor in response.
The children of Ares Cabin all winced in response. Clarisse, however, was concerned the most by her father's condition.
"Dad!"
The martial artist twisted his fist deeper into the Olympian's Imperial Gold armor, causing it to, shockingly, begin cracking apart.
"Y-You… you sneaky son of a—"
"HYAAAAAAH!"
Not wasting a single breath, Goku took a small step back and powerfully kicked Ares straight underneath his chin. Fresh ichor splattered from his mouth as he spun into one of the Combat Arena's walls. The pain he felt was minor, but still quite infuriating, nonetheless.
Dionysus looked down at this moment in slight amusement. "Well, shit. Looks like that moron really does have some skill."
Chiron couldn't help, but agree. He had trained countless heroes over the past millennia, you none of them – no demigod, at least – could cause so much damage to a god like Ares. The only one who came close was his current favorite student, Percy Jackson.
"Indeed. I'm curious what else he has in store for us."
Ares removed himself from the wall and crouched down to take a breather. He wiped some golden ichor from his mouth and stared down at its presence in disgust. Feeling his wounds and armor starting to regenerate, he slowly stood back up with his sword, growling.
"Man, I guess you gods really do heal up fast. That kind of kick isn't easy to recover from." Goku commented, looking somewhat impressed by Ares's high level of endurance.
"Shut up, mortal. You… you made me bleed. And now, I'm going to return the favor." The son of Zeus proclaimed. "Brace yourself!"
This time, due to Ares's rage, he was surrounded by an odd mix of bloodred and purple auras. He then levitated off the ground and, within split second timing, speed blitzed around the entire stadium with his broadsword at the ready. He dashed from all directions, appearing to the foreseeable eye as merely golden, purple, and red blur.
Thankfully for Goku, Ares's darker purple aura now made it possible for him to sense his movements. He darted his eyes up and down, left to right, and every other position the war god was moving toward.
"Eat this!"
Ares managed to dash along Goku's chest in midair. Caught a bit by surprise, the Saiyan bent himself backward and was just barely sliced by his opponent's sword. A small streak of blood spurt from this cut, but it wasn't deep enough to stop him from fighting back.
"Haha! There's far more where that came from!"
He then slammed his weapon into the sandy floor, balanced himself on top of it, and grabbed ahold of its hilt while somersaulting higher into the air. The god of war, directly afterwards, held it above his head and prepared to slam it straight down on Goku's skull, much like a more lethal Double Axe Handle. Goku, of course, foresaw this attack and quickly evaded it with a series of backflips.
Ares's eyes narrowed into slits as he unceremoniously crashed back down to the surface. His blade was now coated from top to bottom with small particles of sand as a result.
He glanced over at the spot where Goku now stood. The martial artist simply wiped the blood from his chin and got into a fighting stance once more. Ares's attack, unfortunately, did nothing to wear him down at all.
"Damn you!"
Tightening the grip on his sword's hilt hard enough to draw divine blood, Ares spun himself around and became a flaming, makeshift tornado. The observant demigods ducked for cover as Ares's high velocity winds swirled toward them and around Goku. He, on the other hand, hopped from side to side and ducked to avoid any stray blasts of fire that came from this new technique. Ares continued to spin around for a few more moments until he abruptly stopped to grab onto one of the Combat Arena's lower walls.
Losing even more of his already short temper, he kicked his feet off the walls and went careening towards Goku like a falling meteorite. Earth's protector couldn't help feeling a little disappointed by this decision.
He's pretty fast, I'll give him that. And I can tell this evil ki of his is making him even faster He thought with furrowed eyebrows. But none of this will be enough to win this fight. He'll realize that soon enough.
Taking a deep breath, he bent his knees low to the ground and clenched his fists together. Artemis, based on what happened in her own fight, could already tell what he was going to do.
"I was wondering when he'd use that technique. I wonder how Ares will fair against it."
"We shall see. At the rate this fight is going, we might even see Goku show off the highest levels of the Kaioken." Hestia presumed with a curious grin.
Zoë listened in from the sidelines and said, "Does thou mean… the x20 multiplier?"
"The very same, child."
Artemis, on a subconscious level, could feel her legs shaking in what could best be described as excitement. It was an odd feeling, yet Goku's unconventional method of fighting seemed to bring it out without much effort.
Show me what you're truly capable of, Son Goku. All of Olympus is watching… waiting to see what you'll do next.
In that same moment, Goku focused his ki and patiently waited for Ares to get closer. The war god was too arrogant to see the obvious trap that was set up for him.
What a fool! He's leaving himself wide open. He thought. While winding up his sword like the aluminum baseball bat it used to be, he gasped upon seeing Goku stand directly in front of him.
"Now, it's my turn…" He muttered. His body was then enveloped in a massive, reddish-orange aura. His muscles additionally expanded in both size and mass. "Kaioken… x3!"
Goku then vanished almost instantaneously and evaded Ares's attack. Contrary to his own prior belief, he alone was the one who left himself wide open.
"Shit! Not the Kaio— GWAAAAGH!"
The Olympian's mortal opponent performed a powerful uppercut straight underneath his chin. With a firm smack, he was sent rocketing back in the opposite direction and would have kept going if not for Goku scissor-kicking his backside. He played a game of one-man tennis and relentlessly smacked Ares from one part of the arena to another.
This Kaioken-infused onslaught caused pieces of Ares's indestructible armor to break apart and fly off. Imperial Gold plating aside, it was still unable to withstand the blunt force produced from Goku's powerful, continuous punches. Now twitching in place from pain, Goku went upside down and kicked Ares straight back into the air using a perfectly executed handstand. The god of war flailed about due to fatigue as Goku flew after him. The Saiyan warrior floated above his body and, in annoyance, performed a haymaker down onto Ares's chest plate. The amount of sheer pain and anguish he felt in that moment was almost indescribable.
Feeling the wind being knocked out of him, Ares was sent falling back down to the stadium below. No longer having the ability to slow the speed of his descent, he tilted his head to glare daggers at Goku's ever-observant form.
"GRRAAAAGH! You… YOU SON OF A BIIIIITCH!" The Olympian deity screamed.
He helplessly plummeted into the ground, causing a massive implosion of divine energy and hot sand to erupt like a geyser. A plume of smoke also permeated through the area in response, causing everyone – besides Goku – to be unaware of Ares's fate for a short moment.
Up above, he deactivated the Kaioken and monitored the god's current condition from afar. The evil presence inside his body, sadly, was now beginning to stir and grow in size. He had a sinking feeling that this fight wouldn't be as easy from now on.
"That… power or whatever it is keeps getting bigger. Maybe it'll be best for Ares and everyone else if I… take it down myself somehow." The Saiyan martial artist muttered to himself. He then flew down to get a closer look.
Artemis was practically starstruck by the spectacle that took place before her. She knew the Kaioken was quite powerful based on her own experience with it in combat, but even Kaioken x3's differences were quite huge to say the least.
However, even she could tell that anything up to Kaioken x20 still wouldn't be strong enough to vanquish an Olympian's Divine Form. If she used her own, in fact, Goku's base Kaioken technique wouldn't even leave a single scratch on her.
The same would likely apply for Ares as well, but deep down, she had a feeling the Saiyan warrior knew this fact beforehand. He would have been more confident about this recent barrage of attacks if he didn't.
Once the smoke cleared, Ares forced himself up and took multiple short, shallow breaths. He was unable to hide the results of Goku's counterattack, including the golden ichor trickling from his mouth and broken nose.
"Haha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ares laughed uncontrollably at the sight of his own blood once again. "You know, I have to give you props, Son. You've pissed me off more than any mortal I've had the misfortune of meeting. And on top of that, you've also managed to make me – a god of war – bleed… twice!"
His cape was then near-instantaneously burned to cinders by the purple flames surrounding his body. Things were now starting to heat up and not in a good way.
"That's the last mistake you'll ever make, punk. You won't be alive by the end of this fight."
Goku sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, it wouldn't be the first time I've been told that."
"This isn't a joke, you jackass! Take me seriously or you're as good as dead! You hear me, Monkey?!"
With a swift wave of his hand, a billowing wall of purple flames trailed after Goku. This sinister heatwave increased in both size and speed with each second, preparing to consume him within an all-encompassing inferno.
Aphrodite stood up from her seat and shouted, "Look out, Goku!"
"Oh shoot!"
In response to the love goddess's warning, he performed a cartwheel to dodge the firewall. However, he was unable to avoid the flames completely and was, as a result, engulfed by it.
"Agh! What the heck? It's… grabbing onto me!" Goku winced. The dark fire consumed him whole and kept him bound to it on all sides. His shirt, pants, and even skin began to spontaneously combust from the intense heat alone, causing him to wince in minor pain.
"Get out of there!" Lacy shrieked. She was literally one the edge of her seat and, like her mother, couldn't seem to sit back down.
Clenching down hard on his teeth, the Saiyan warrior focused his ki and managed to temporarily tap into his true, hidden power for a split second.
"HYAAAAAAH!"
He tapped into the golden aura of his Super Saiyan form for a split second to extinguish the firewall and keep it away from any vital areas. Taking a moment to breathe, he fanned himself and comically panted like a dog.
"Phew. That was close! Good think I put that out…" He sighed in relief. He looked down at his gi and skins, noticing how many scorch marks were spread all throughout. There were some rips and tears in the gi's orange fabric as well, but nothing too irreparable or anything. "Oh man! That was my only outfit…"
"Some damaged pajamas are the least of your concerns, punk. Think fast!"
Due to catching his own self off-guard with this minor inspection, Ares successfully slammed into Goku's body and, after channeling more purple fire through his sword, sliced him across the chest. Flames then burst forth from the open wound and sent crimson blood exploding outward in response.
"GAAAAAAGH!"
Artemis's eyes temporarily turned from silver to a bright gold in concern. "Goku!"
To her, Aphrodite, and most of the audience's chagrin, the massive burst of heat within his body caused Goku painfully tumble into the arena's backwall. His gi and blue undershirt were left in tatters as he clutched his chest in pain. It felt like heartburn, but far worse.
"Is that enough power for you? How about this?!" Materializing his sword back into a baseball bat, Ares sprinted up to Goku and took advantage of this dazed state to repeatedly jab him in the stomach. "And this! And this! And this! AND THIS!"
The god of war finished off his combo by swinging the bat straight into Goku's face. He then swung it across his chin for good measure. Aphrodite covered her mouth and could barely stand to see her new love in such a weakened state, but continued watching, regardless.
Goku could do nothing else, but cough up blood. "HYAAK!"
Taking a slight step back, Ares spun his bat around and transformed it into a spear with relative ease. Electricity surged from its tip as the war god, with a maniacal, bloodthirsty grin on his face, stabbed it into Goku's stomach.
High-voltage electric shocks coursed his body and the already open wound, causing him to feel the power of a thousand lightning bolts all in one single attack.
"Gzzzzt! GAAAH!"
"That's right! SCREAM!"
By the end of this attack, lightning bolts were released from Goku's body and could be heard as a loud, earsplitting clap of thunder. Zeus would have been proud if he were there right now to see this fight personally.
Everything remained silent for a moment after that. Goku hung his head down as Ares mercilessly pulled the spearhead out of his gullet. He took a look at Goku's blood stains and smiled from ear to ear.
"Now, do you realize what you're up against? The thing about us gods is that we regenerate from each injury. You can't kill or seriously injure me, even if you tried. And that Kaioken crap won't do anything to change that." The war god grunted. His injuries, as expected, began to close up and heal on their own. "Well? Does the great Son Goku have anything to say to that? Or should I throw your corpse in the trash where it belongs?"
"Man, for some so-called god of war, you kinda seem like all talk to me."
Despite the burning, electrocution, and stab wounds, Goku looked up at Ares with his usual goofy grin. He then pushed himself away from the wall, spit out some blood from his mouth, and cracked his neck muscles as if nothing happened at all. He wasn't injured in the slightest.
"T-There's no way! You only got minor injuries from all that shit?!"
The Z-Fighter chuckled at such an odd statement.
"Well, duh. You being able to regenerate is cool and all, but I'm nowhere close to using my full power yet. This fight is just getting started, Ares." He proclaimed. "Besides, Majin Buu had the same power to regenerate himself and I still beat him in the end. You should be no different if you don't have anything better to show off than this."
Ares stuck out his spear in growing irritation. "Well, news flash, but I'm not Majin Buu, dumbass! No matter what form or technique you decide to pull out of your ass, I'll still a find a way to overcome it. That's what us Olympians always do."
"That so? Mind if I show you an old technique of mine then?"
"Do whatever you want. If it's anything like the Kaioken, though, you'd just be wasting my time." Ares scoffed.
Goku smirked, resting his hands and feet flatly on the ground. He resembled a football player who was ready to hike the ball.
"Well, it's more like a combination of that and this one. And I'll be going all in with the Kaioken this time, so you won't be disappointed, I'm sure."
Ares squinted his eyes, vividly recalling one moment from Goku's past adventures that was shown in the Hall of the Gods. Wait… that stance. Is that what I think it is?
Aphrodite gasped in delight from her seat. She couldn't believe that such an old technique was being brought back right before her very eyes.
"No way! It's the—"
"Here goes. Kaioken x10… Meteor Combination!" Due to the large amount of pressure being exerted, Goku's arms and legs were buried deeper into the ground. "HRAAAAH!"
With a triumphant battle cry, his speed increased tenfold as he sprinted toward Ares and slammed an elbow straight into his helmet. This, to everyone's shock, immediately snapped the Imperial Gold helm into two large, dented chunks of shrapnel.
"GRAAAAAGH! W-What the hell? Not the—" The god of war croaked. He was silenced by Kaioken-empowered Goku performing a speedy, untraceable barrage of kicks at all vital portions of his body. Whether it be the legs, arms, neck, head, or family jewels, no section was safe from the martial artist's full-frontal massacre.
"ATATATATATATATA! WATA!" He repeatedly yelled, swiping his legs and feet at Ares in near-instant succession. Ares's armor, much like the helmet before it, was torn to shreds by each subsequent blow. Droplets from ichor were also sprayed all over the arena floor, unable to properly heal in time due to Goku's inhuman agility.
"Gaaa…ghh. I'll… kill… you!"
Divine blood gushed from his teeth, nose, and mouth as Goku, finally, kicked him one last time. Last, but not least, he didn't give him any time to recover and wound up his arm for a decisive, finishing blow.
"HYAAAAH! GAAAH!" The Saiyan screamed, sending an unbelievably brutal uppercut straight into Ares's stomach. His red eyes widened to maximum capacity as blood was vomited out of his mouth like a waterfall. His armor was also completely shattered, leaving Ares with a bare, battered down chest for all to see.
"DAAAAAGHHH!" The god howled in agony. He grabbed onto broken form, trying his best to stop the ichor from flowing out of each wound, but to no avail. To make matters worse, it continued to ooze out of his mouth and rendered him practically speechless.
"Y-You… you sneaky little bastard. I swear you'll… pay for…"
Goku interrupted this threat by tossing him high up into the air with Kaioken x10. Now that he was a safe distance away from Camp Half-Blood's demigods, he'd be able to finish up his Meteor Combination with another decisive attack.
He looked over at Artemis and smiled. "Ready to see that demonstration of the Kamehameha I promised you?"
The goddess of the moon was somewhat taken aback by the man's question.
"That depends. How much damage will this… blast of yours do to Ares in his current state?"
"Not sure. He's a god, so it shouldn't be lethal with his healing power and whatnot." He then looked up to see Ares descending towards the earth at an alarming rate. "Guess I'll have to find out."
He then casually gave a thumbs up to everyone else in the Combat Arena, including Aphrodite, Hestia, and the Hunters of Artemis.
"Watch and learn everyone. This time, you'll be able to see it up close."
He then took a deep breath and pinpointed Ares's exact position in the sky. With black eyes narrowed into slants, Goku cupped one hand over the other and coated himself with an even larger, flame-like aura.
"Let's finish this. Kaioken x20… Kamehameha!"
The mere utterance of this phrase shook all of Camp Half-Blood from side to side, and caused massive cracks to appear across the entire arena, walls and flooring included.
"Kaaa… Meee…"
A small sphere of blue and white ki formed in the center of his palms. With each subsequent syllable, the ball grew bigger and shot out blinding beams of light in various directions.
"…Haaa… Meee…"
Up above, Ares opened his eyes to see the blue glow being emitted from Goku's hands. He started to panic and materialized a massive, magical shield in front of him.
"You think that's going to defeat me?! THEN DO IT! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT, SAIYAN!"
"…HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku screamed with all his might. As soon as the Kamehameha Wave was released from his hands as a gigantic blue beam, Kaioken x20 further increased its size and speed exponentially. It rocketed straight through Ares's shield and, much like the purple firewall from before, engulfed him whole.
"D-Dammit! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The mixture of his divine energy with Goku's ki created a massive explosion that lit up the entire campgrounds and everything miles apart from it. His glowing body then sailed into the air and crashed down into the ground like a fallen meteorite, hence the name, Meteor Combination. This turned what was once a normal explosion into a small supernova that blinded the demigods, mythical creatures, and Olympians watching below. Argus, in particular, got it the worse out of all of them.
"Lgggh! My eyes! All of my eyes!" He cried out in pain. There were even a few eyes on his tongue, so his voice came out a bit garbled when speaking.
"Shit! This feels like my last hangover!" Dionysus scowled in irritation. He then jumped behind his fellow counselor's horse body for protection. "Shield my eyes, Chiron!"
The centaur groaned, looking a bit offended. "And how, may I ask, does that help me exactly, Mr. D?"
Once the Kamehameha's explosion disappeared, the audience uncovered their eyes to inspect the damages. It appeared that the whole topmost section of the Combat Arena was broken apart and looked as if it instantly would shatter to pieces if another similar attack was fired. Thankfully, apart from Argus, no innocent bystanders were brought to any physical harm.
Goku nodded at his handiwork and said, "Wow. I've come a long way since Namek. That Kaioken x20 Kamehameha didn't do anything to my body whatsoever. Must be all that time dealing with the strain produced from Super Saiyan 3."
Aphrodite ran down to the bottommost section of the stands to express her concerns. "Are you okay, Goku? That wound isn't hurting you too much, is it?"
"Nope. I feel as good as new, honestly! Can't say the same for Ares, though…"
Buried deep in the center of the arena, Ares's limp, despondent body was laid flat on the ground. His armor was now completely gone and his skin was burned to a crisp, much to Cabin #5's aghast horror. His tan skin was also somewhat ash-colored and steaming with pillars of smoke.
Clarisse couldn't stand the humiliation any longer and let the anger flow through her. "L-Look… LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY DAD, YOU BASTARD!"
She then attempted to jump in the ring and fight Goku herself, but was stopped by her siblings.
"Let go of me! I want to stake that shithead's head on a pike!"
"Calm the hell down, sis! He's not dead yet!" Her brother, Mark, yelled. Realizing that the battle wasn't over yet, Clarisse temporarily resisted the urge Goku and sat back down.
The Saiyan warrior himself felt a bit guilty after seeing the girl's reaction. "Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to injure him that much."
"Don't apologize yet, Goku. Remember that Ares can still regenerate. He's been through far worse battles than this and survived." Artemis advised cautiously.
"I get that, but it still doesn't feel right to leave him like… this, you know? It might take a long time for him to heal from that, even with regeneration in hand."
Out of nowhere, he then sensed a massive spike of evil energy erupt from Ares's unconscious body. It began to combine itself with a bright, cosmic light unfathomable by mortal comprehension.
"Or… maybe I'm wrong." Goku muttered in shock. "Should he be recovering that fast right now?"
Aphrodite's eyes widened in utter terror. There were kids around, yet he was still bringing out that transformation, regardless. "Oh no…"
Ares then slowly stood up as his skin and Imperial Gold armor were coated with divine energy. Any injury he sustained from the prior battle with Goku was gone in mere seconds.
"YOU!" His voice was deeper and had a faint, otherworldly echo to it. "You have pissed me off for the last time, Son Goku! Now, it's about time you've experienced what a true god of war is capable of!"
Surrounded by a circle of purple fire, Ares's form glowed even brighter and towered over everyone in close proximity. It emitted a bluish, white light that became brighter and brighter with each passing second.
Chiron, realizing what Ares was about to do, immediately went to warn his campers.
"By Zeus's beard! Everyone take cover! Ares is unleashing his Divine Form!"
He then ducked for cover behind Dionysus's chair. An incredibly horrified Argus, having more eyes than anyone present, did the same.
The demigods did as instructed and cowered underneath their seats. Despite being curious about what it looked like, they were far too young to die for something like that. The Hunters of Artemis followed their mistress's orders and did the same.
Meanwhile, Dionysus didn't care one bit about what was going on. Being a god himself, he saw no real issue with witnessing it. He was immune to the Divine Form's more dangerous effects, anyway.
"Hm. Now, this should be interesting."
Goku recalled hearing the term, Divine Form, be mentioned in Aphrodite's memories, but he didn't exactly know what it was or what it could do. He shielded his eyes as Ares drew closer to unleashing his true power.
"Divine Form?"
"It's a god or goddess's true appearance, Goku. Any mortal who catches a glimpse of it will be incinerated!" Aphrodite explained.
"Incinerated?! What do I even do against him then?"
Artemis shook her head. "I am not certain myself. I just pray that Ares calms himself down before everything here is erased from existence."
Suddenly, Ares emerged from his cosmic metamorphosis. He was now a towering humanoid with fiery blue skin, and orange eyes that were imbued with the same level of heat and destruction. He also sported a larger, more imposing copy of the Greek armor that Goku previously dismantled piece by piece.
Dionysus casually waved at the Saiyan man. "Nice knowing you, Ukog. It's been… well, something, I guess."
Ares continued to stand there menacingly. His aura was a dark, fiery purple that contrasted with the Kaioken's red one. Even in this divine state, the evil presence within the war god's soul was still potent as ever.
He said nothing in reply, glaring down at the Saiyan warrior with murderous intent. With no words left to be shared between them, Goku thought it best just to attack again.
"Kaioken x20!"
He flew up to Ares's body at speeds far exceeding light itself and performed a series of consecutive blows against him. The war of god, to Goku's astonishment, didn't budge at all. The Kaioken, even at its highest level, was completely useless against his Divine Form.
"What?!"
"Now… it's my turn." Ares stated in a booming voice. He grabbed onto Goku's leg and mercilessly slammed him into the ground.
"GAH!" The Saiyan cried as he felt the bones in his body start to crack a little. He tried to get back up, but Ares proceeded to pin him down with his foot. "D-Dammit!"
"""GOKU!""" Hestia, Aphrodite, and even Artemis screamed in concern.
"Ever seen a thousand supernovas go off at once? Well, in my Divine Form, that's what these punches are going to feel like!"
Subconsciously harnessing dark ki into his fist, Ares punched down at Goku's small body, creating a devastating, purple and blue shockwave that burned the remainder of the Combat Arena's open roof to cinders.
The topmost portion of Goku's gi was now completely disintegrated as he was buried into a deep crevice. He hacked up a clump of blood as the god of war let loose one supernova-level punch after another until the martial artist was left broken beyond any foreseeable repair.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is war, punk! Going through constant pain and anguish until you're just begging to be put out of your misery!" Ares demonically laughed as he continued to beat Goku to near-death. "But I won't grant you that satisfaction. I'll make the last moments of your worthless, little mortal life a hell on Earth! Then, and only then, will you realize how idiotic it was to ever think of defeating me, THE GOD OF WAR HIMSELF!"
With each fist that hammered against Goku's chest, he continued to cough up blood and simultaneously felt the force of a thousand stars explode in front of him. The life began to leave his eyes as exhaustion and pain overwhelmed his senses.
"Don't worry! You'll see your wife again very soon. Oh wait, no, you won't! HAHAHAHA!"
Aphrodite saw this brutal onslaught take place with tears in her eyes. "Get up, Goku! Please! This isn't what I wanted to happen!"
Hearing the goddess of love's voice, he clawed his hands against the sand and attempted to keep himself alive. "I-I won't die here. I can't. I promised her…"
One by one, from Vegeta and Bulma to Krillin and Master Roshi, his mind began to think of the friends he left behind and, potentially, would never see again. As soon as he reminisced about Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten, his life flashed before his eyes. He recalled the time he spent with Chi-Chi during their childhood, adulthood, and, worst of all, his last goodbyes to her at Wukong Hospital six months ago.
The image of her smiling face caused the light within his soul to resurface. He promised her to move on and continuing living in her absence. He couldn't die here. Chi-Chi would never forgive him if he did.
"N-No! I refuse to die. I promised her I'd be there for Gohan and Goten… and everyone else too!" Goku roared determinedly. "I… PROMISSSSSSSSEEDDD!"
Storm clouds began to form above Camp Half-Blood and struck lightning throughout the entire battlefield, appearing in conjunction with Goku's rising ki signature.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He unleashed his innermost rage and power as a loud, primal scream. His black hair then stood on end and changed into a shade of golden yellow. His eyes also now glowed with an emerald green hue that somewhat matched Aphrodite's.
The newly transformed Goku activated his golden aura at full force. It took the form of a draconic serpent and pushed Ares's fist away from him. The god of war, taken by surprise, stumbled back a few feet.
"The hell? What gives?" He then looked down and saw Goku calmly levitate himself out of the crater. "So you finally decided to bring that out, huh? Wouldn't say I'm impressed."
The Saiyan didn't even bother to reply. He just proceeded to glare at Ares in anger.
Artemis couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was Goku truly concealing this much raw power inside him?
His hair and eyes… they've changed. Just like before when Ares insulted Chi-Chi…
Perhaps this was why Zeus felt so frightened by that dream about Goku. With this form and variations of it, he truly had the potential to match the gods in terms of strength.
"W-What is that, Aphrodite?" She asked in growing fascination. The golden light of Goku's hair and aura currently illuminated her silver irises.
Aphrodite smiled, feeling blessed to see the first glimpse of Goku's true power in person.
"You could say it's the gateway to granting Goku his strongest abilities; a form which has been passed down as a myth by the Saiyans of old… and the one Frieza, former tyrannical emperor of the universe, met his end fighting against…"
She then placed a hand over her heart, and observed the intense standdown taking place between god and mortal.
"The legendary Super Saiyan."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone