Chapter 59: Chapter 59 – Thor Vult!
Here's the new chapter!
Thanks for waiting!
*Any images in this chapter do not belong to me! It belongs to their respective artists/creators!
If you don't like the design images, feel free to choose and adopt the design you like!
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter, peasants!
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- Location: Åland Islands (Ahvenanmaa).
Pov. Third-person.
In a small archipelago located in the north of the world, a refuge had been built for an ancient people of Greek origin who ended up fleeing a catastrophe.
The people called themselves Aeolites.
And after they fled and settled down safely, thank the god they came to worship...
The Aeolites were, more than ever, determined to spread the glory of their god.
"For Aeolia! All hail Thor!" roared an Aeolite, in full armor.
"HAIL THOR!" shouted several voices.
The voices belonged to an army of approximately three thousand men, all armored in armor similar to the man who had roared first. They were all in a vast field, in the midst of the storm brewing in the sky, and what they were doing now was a soul vow...
At the head of the army was Igris, and though he couldn't be seen, he had a satisfied look in his eyes. This was due to the fact that his teaching efforts on how to fight and how to forge were not in vain.
It was then that an Aeolite soldier, dressed in slightly different armor, was soon at the head of the army, alongside Igris.
"Aeolites! We once praised the wrong gods, but we were saved by the true one! So I'll make this promise... Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but we will NEVER rest until other peoples behold the greatness of our god!" roared the soldier beside Igris.
The three thousand-man army soon brandished their weapons in the air and roared in approval.
It was then that Igris unsheathed his sword and raised it to the sky, before reciting two words that would be spoken with the force of thunder by the army...
"Thor... WANTS!" roared Igris.
The army looked more determined than ever.
"THOR! WANTS!" roared the army.
- Location: Mount Olympus / Greece.
"I don't want," said Thor, looking at the deity in front of him.
The deity in front of Thor was the god known as Dionysus, a god well-known for his addiction to wine and partying.
"Are you sure? The orgy is something quite unforgettable on Olympus, the Empusas and Nymphs always surprise~" said Dionysus.
Dionysus' face was flushed, but not out of shame or anything like that... Turns out the wine god was already drunk.
In fact... It was quite rare to see Dionysus when he was NOT drunk or partying.
Faced with Dionysus' answer, the Norse god of thunder just frowned and started to walk away.
"No thanks!" said Thor.
Dionysus soon tried to follow.
"Come on my friend, I'm sure –" said Dionysus, before being abruptly interrupted by Thor.
"NO. THANKS," said Thor, looking at Dionysus.
Dionysus seemed to understand Thor's mood and soon turned away from the thunder god, accepting Thor's refusal to join the 'festivities'.
Thor only saw Dionysus walk away and then shook his head in denial as he resumed walking towards a specific place on Olympus that he started to go to more often.
The Forge of Hephaestus.
As Thor reached the forge, he saw Hera, cross-legged and sitting on an anvil. When Hera noticed Thor's presence, she waved a smile at the thunder god of the north.
"Hello, Thor! I thought you wouldn't come today, everyone talks about you after the Olympics, so I thought you'd attend some festivity," said Hera.
Thor only responded with a smile.
"Festivities and I don't get along. It usually never ends well… For the others," said Thor, whispering the last part.
Hera, however, heard the whisper and was soon confused, until a few seconds later she looked at Thor with a knowing gaze.
"... Drinking problems?" asked Hera.
Thor had the decency to look a little embarrassed.
"...Yes," said Thor.
Hera showed no disappointment, as she had seen many deities with similar, even worse, tastes to alcohol than Thor.
"So... How's his little project going?" asked Thor, with a smile.
Hera soon became excited.
"I've never seen him so inspired before, that autonomous armor project you showed him moved him so much that he hasn't come out of the forge in days, he must be finishing it already," said Hera.
Hera soon got up and stood by Thor's side, and then grabbed the thunder god's hand and soon guided him through the great forge, leading Thor to the spot where Hephaestus was building a design inspired by the STAND that Thor created for Hodr years ago.
The name Hephaestus gave the project was simple...
Talos, the guardian.
"...I'm glad he liked his gift," said Thor.
For Thor, he had gone years without having recognized Hephaestus as a son. This resulted in a small need for Thor to deliver some gifts that he was sure Hephaestus would appreciate.
Thor would make a point of participating more in Hephaestus' life.
Hera glanced at Thor's smile before her smile widened as the goddess blushed a little.
For Hera, she was feeling at that moment a very comforting sensation, and she didn't want that feeling to end...
But she knew better... Everything good doesn't usually last forever.
"By the way… how long do you plan on staying?" asked Hera, in a disinterested tone, though internally that wasn't the case.
Thor glanced at Hera briefly, before considering his next words. It was at that moment, both gods found the young Hephaestus anxiously working on a kind of giant armor.
It was enough for Thor to see the smile on Hephaestus' face to make a decision.
"Well... I was initially going to return with my mother and brother, however... I see no reason not to extend my stay if permitted," said Thor.
This made Hera happy right away.
Hephaestus, who noticed the presence of his mother and the one he considered a father, soon showed a big smile.
"Aeo – I mean, Thor! The design you gave me is unique, I've never seen anything like that autonomous guardian armor! The closest thing was the Gugalanna, the Anunnaki's second most powerful weapon," said Hephaestus.
Before, Hephaestus believed that the pinnacle of the forge's creation was Gugalanna... But when Hephaestus saw Thor's designs, he knew how wrong he was.
To be the best blacksmith wasn't just about being able to succeed in crafting... It was about thinking outside the box, it all boiled down to Hephaestus in one word...
Innovation.
A word that contains the inventor's curiosity, more dedication, and, above all, a lot of creativity.
"Well... It's up to you to improve," said Thor, smiling at Hephaestus.
Hephaestus could only laugh in response before heading back to work, at which time Hera looked at Hephaestus and Thor with a look of satisfaction.
A few days later, Frigg decided to return to Asgard along with Baldr, Thor on the other hand was allowed to stay on Olympus. So years passed and Thor didn't leave Olympus much and chose to stay in the forge or the room he was given.
In the meantime, countless attempts were made to get the thunder god's attention, from flowers to nymphs in the room, to serve as servants.
These attempts were attributed to a 'secret admirer'.
However, Thor just kept the gifts and went on with his life on Olympus.
Until one day Thor got bored and chose to leave Olympus and go to the city that had chosen Athena as its protective goddess.
And here was Thor, in the middle of the city of Athens, using runes to hide from the eyes of mortals.
Just strolling around and enjoying the old-times life could provide.
Until something caught Thor's attention.
"Attention everyone! It is time for us to praise our patron goddess, asking for wisdom and prosperity for our beloved city!" said a voice.
The voice turned out to be that of a priest, who was in front of a great temple, the main temple in the city, and completely dedicated to the goddess Athena.
A group of humans began to gather around the temple, waiting for the ritual to begin.
But that's not what caught Thor's attention...
It was the fact that the goddess Athena was in the crowd looking at the people anxiously. Thor was confused by Athena's presence, for while rare gods interacted with humans, it was even rarer for a god to just anxiously await the actions of a mortal.
It was then that the audience began to whisper vehemently, especially the men.
"Look at her, so beautiful"
"Such a beauty… Is she really a mortal?"
"Her hair is perhaps more beautiful than the goddess Athena herself"
These comments, as well as several that followed, only served to cause a frown to arise and grow on the face of the goddess Athena herself who was present...
Athena could be described as many things...
Zeus' favorite daughter.
Goddess of wisdom and strategic war.
The patron goddess of the city of Athens.
But if there was something that few knew, it was a small flaw in the perfect daughter of Zeus...
This was due to the fact that Athena was always praised, in fact, she was the most praised goddess by her own father, but when she found someone who was praised more than her...
A feeling of envy clouded the wisdom goddess's mind.
And that feeling once again arose, this time through the comments of mortals who were staring at one priestess in particular, who didn't mind the attention and just focused on finishing the ritual.
Thor just raised an eyebrow towards Athena, who hadn't noticed his presence, showing to be a little interested in the reaction Athena will give. However, he was surprised when Athena just turned and walked away from the throng of worshipers, and while it was noticeable that the frown had lessened, it was still clear Athena's displeasure towards the priestess.
The Norse god of thunder could only sigh in disapproval, though he had a look of understanding on his face.
"...Although humans and gods are different in terms of power and longevity... We are very similar in terms of behavior" said Thor, still looking at Athena's exit.
It was then that Thor felt, through the Viljestyrke – Archer, the presence of another supernatural being.
When Thor recognized the presence he only raised his eyebrows in surprise and a hint of confusion.
"...stupid fish," said Thor, looking at someone away from the crowd who was looking at Athena's exit.
At that very moment, the ritual that was taking place was over and most of the people dispersed, with only a few men staying behind and trying, but failing miserably, to convince the prettiest young priestess in the temple to leave with them.
The priestess was the youngest in the temple and had dedicated her entire life, from birth until now, to the goddess Athena. Despite all the care with her skin, hair, and bolder clothes than the other priestesses, the young woman never failed to follow the principle of Athena's chastity, and never once failed in temptation.
A few hours later, after having turned down numerous marriage proposals, the young priestess was heading towards a small river with a pitcher in her hand.
When the priestess reached the river and began to fill the jug, the waters of the river began to move, it seemed that the river had created life, and from the bottom of the river, the most beautiful man that the young priestess had appeared on the surface.
That man was Poseidon, and at that moment he was looking at the priestess with a seductive smile and a gaze of lust.
"Greetings, beautiful young one… Am I pleased to know your name?" said Poseidon.
The young priestess was ecstatic, after all, she knew that the being in front of her was a god, and if the presentation with the waters of the river and the trident in his hands, it was a little obvious who this god was in the humble priestess's vision.
"...Greetings, Lord Poseidon...My name is Medusa" said the young priestess, identified as Medusa, bowing a little.
The name brought a smile to Poseidon's face.
"Hmm...' Guardian, Protector', is an apt name I suppose... You are the guardian bearer of such beauty that defies the principles of creation of humanity, and awake the deepest desire of men" Poseidon said, approaching the young Medusa.
Medusa was shocked by the sea god's obvious flirtation, and while his flirtation over her beauty was appreciated, the young priestess knew this could be the start of something...
Something she didn't like because of her priestess duty and her vow of chastity.
"I... I appreciate the compliment, my lord... But I must go, the ritual at the time of the wolf is important, as I will be the one leading" said Medusa, quickly moving away from Poseidon.
That statement was proven not to have the effect that Medusa wanted on Poseidon... For the god just licked his lips.
"There are other more pleasurable things to do in the hour of the wolf... Leave the rituals to others, after all, priests have a lot, come with me and I will teach you the pleasures of the body" said Poseidon.
It was then that Medusa looked up in horror and threw the jar full of water at Poseidon and started running. Poseidon just grinned in amusement as the jar broke as it collided with his body harmlessly and watched the young Medusa flee.
"... How cute... I just wish you were watching this Athena, but again, the news gets around, so I'll probably still see that smile fall from your face" said Poseidon, who soon started following Medusa.
Although a direct confrontation between gods was frowned upon by Zeus' order... Nothing stood in the way of an 'indirect' confrontation.
"Help! Help! Somebody help me!" shouted Medusa, as she passed the houses of the city.
But when the curious eyes realized who was after the young Medusa, they just gave the young priestess pitying looks and ran to their houses and locked themselves up.
Although the act could be considered cruel, who in their right mind would stand in the way of a god? They are just men and, above all, they want to live for a few more years of an already short life, avoiding bringing the wrath of a god or goddess.
When Medusa realized she wouldn't get help from mortals, only one alternative crossed her mind.
If humans won't help, maybe gods will grant her request.
And then Medusa ran towards the temple of Athena, still insisting on screaming for help on the way. When the young priestess arrived at the temple and fell to her knees, resulting in cuts that made her knee bleed, in front of the statue of Athena, the young woman began to pray with tears in her eyes.
"Oh, goddess Athena, in this moment of great risk to my life, I, a soul dedicated to you, ask for your help so that the pain does not fall on me, please, I beg you... I, who has dedicated my life to you, implore for your help in this time of dire need" said Medusa.
The silence was the answer to Medusa.
When Medusa realized that nothing, not even a sign, had happened, she tried more fervently.
"Please someone... Anyone... At least... Answer me!" said Medusa, tears falling freely from her eyes.
It was then that a hand grabbed Medusa's hair, she was so distracted trying to make contact with some deity that she didn't notice the sound of footsteps and pulled hard, pulling Medusa off her knees on the floor, cutting even more the already injured knees.
It was Poseidon, with a mocking smile.
"What was that priestess? Do you think we're going to waste our time helping one of you humans? HaHaHa! You humans reproduce fast, what's one more death?" asked Poseidon.
The sea god soon threw the priestess away from the statue of Athena.
"Let's have some fun, shall we? I'm sure after a while you might even start to like it~" said Poseidon.
The sea god soon stabbed the trident into the immaculate floor of the temple and began approaching Medusa with a look of desire.
During all this time, Medusa didn't stop whispering for help, although the look already showed that she had already given up, and just accepted what was going to happen.
But then something happened that neither Medusa nor Poseidon had foreseen.
A white hammer with gold and black accents soon flew past the priestess and slammed into Poseidon, hurling the sea god towards the statue of Athena, which shattered in the process and the rubble buried Poseidon.
The hammer was easily distinguishable as the Mjolnir, in its Uruz form, which basically made Mjolnir similar in size to Marvel's Mjolnir, only with the shorter grip.
Mjolnir just floated, until it flew back, into the wielder's hand...
Thor stood at the entrance to the temple, sporting a boring look.
When Poseidon stood up and saw that it was Thor, a frown could be seen on the face of the Greek sea god.
"Have you lost your mind Asgardian?! NO ONE can interfere in the affairs of other gods from different territories! Do you want war beyond enmity with the top 10 beings?!" asked Poseidon screaming in a fury.
Thor, however, didn't seem to mind.
"What if I said I already had my eye on her and you were taking what was mine? Also, my hammer 'spontaneously' slipped out of my hand and 'coincidentally' met you in his path and, for 'convenience', stopped your actions that I was unaware of," said Thor, with a mocking smile.
A vein could be seen pop on Poseidon's forehead.
"You bastard... Do you think this is a joke?!" asked Poseidon.
It was then that pressure fell on Poseidon's shoulders, who soon fell to the ground on his knees and began to sweat profusely.
Thor had used the Viljestyrke – King, again, and was now walking towards Poseidon.
"I don't make jokes, my uncle does... I make promises King of the Greek Seas, and my current promise is simple, get out of my sight or I'll put Mjolnir on your chest and look into your eyes when you scream in agony as Mjolnir crushes your bones slowly due to its weight..." said Thor, listlessly.
The pressure in the air stopped, and when Poseidon realized it, he didn't think twice and just grabbed the trident and teleported away from the temple. Although Poseidon was annoyed, there was no way he could assert dominance against Thor after having witnessed the Norse thundergod display at the divine Olympics, as well as knowing the insane weight of Mjolnir.
With Poseidon's departure, the priestess for the first time spoke looks at Thor.
"Thank you…Who are you?" asked Medusa, still in shock.
Thor just looked at the priestess and flashed a smile, resulting in Medusa blushing a little.
"Officially, I'm just someone willing to lend a hand. Unofficially, I'd like you to help me find some missing 'sea dogs'; I'm a thunder god, unlike Zeus, I'm an Asgardian, a god from the north... My name is Thor," said Thor, with a small smile.
Medusa was still silent as Thor continued to introduce himself, although Medusa's silence was interpreted by Thor that the young woman wanted something in exchange for help.
"If you feel threatened, I promise to help you as best I can... Here, take this" said Thor, taking a special ring from the storage space of his necklace and handing it to Medusa, still in shock.
"This ring will help you in the best way possible... You can live your life in peace... Your life will be extended, unfortunately, as I didn't know how to remove this effect without a harmful side effect, but it won't be an age in divine parameters, but it will be many years yet," said Thor, with a welcoming smile.
That simple welcoming smile in the middle of the night changed Medusa forever, and that could be noticed a few months later...
On a road that took travelers to Athens, a group of merchants was heading towards it for the purpose of exchanging goods in the great city...
Until they were approached by the young Medusa, who appeared out of nowhere.
"Greetings! Excuse me, gentlemen, excuse me! Do you happen to have time to talk about our lord and savior Thor Odinson?" asked Medusa, looking excitedly at the merchants who were startled by the look of the attractive young priestess...
A look that bordered on madness and fanaticism.
The merchants soon began to run, only for Medusa to run after them quickly.
"HEY! DON'T RUN FROM THE LORD!" shouted Medusa.
And just like that, another overly devoted (crazy) began to spread the word about a protective god of humans.
And so, years passed, until years turned into decades, and decades turned into centuries.
Zeus' lineage among humans was expanded, and there was a great deal of interference from the gods in the lives of mankind in the Greek world.
A good example was a particular demigod...
Perseus, son of Zeus, and Cyclops' bane.
The ambitious young man eventually became the leader of a Helladic people, mainly due to his incredible leadership skills, prowess in combat, and most of all, the desire to be a leader.
Zeus presented the young man with a private magic shield, which had the face of a woman with serpent-like hair embedded in the face of the bronze shield.
Young Perseus gives the shield the name of Algol, the demon's head, a mythical weapon capable of transforming living beings that look into the woman's 'eyes' in the shield into stone.
With this weapon, young Perseus threatened the Cyclopes to build the walls and houses of the city in which Perseus declared himself the first ruler.
The city was called Mycenae, the city of the twin lion gates.
Several cities eventually evolved from existing human settlements, through someone ambitious, with determination and, above all, power to back the claim.
Most of the time, they were demigods.
Persephone's birth and her disappearance also marked an entire year of drought in the mortal world, due to the fact that the crops were directly influenced by the mood of her mother, Demeter, who went looking for her until she found Persephone in the arms of Hades, who had fallen in love for his niece.
And so on, Greece lived and evolved under the direct influence of demigods assuming power by the right of conquest.
Decades passed and the gods only commented on the conquest of their half-blood descendants, especially Zeus who always rejoiced in the deeds of his sons and descendants.
Although... Some still questioned the way Zeus presented himself to human women with a mere trick of illusion to make him look like anything, like an ant.
Another thing that happened was Zeus' confrontation with Thor again, being the reason for Thor's interruption in the Poseidon subject and his attempt to sleep with a mortal.
Thor had claimed to Zeus that he had his eye on the priestess and had wanted to sleep with her for ages because he was 'enchanted' by her beauty.
This was obviously a complete lie on Thor's part.
But the Norse god just shrugged off Poseidon's complaints and Zeus saw this as an opportunity to humiliate his brother a little and dropped the Medusa subject.
Unfortunately for Thor, two goddesses showed displeasure with Thor's claims.
Hera played dumb and asked Thor directly after the meeting was over, and the thunder god explained in detail what happened, as well as the truth... Except for the part that wanted Medusa's help to find the Telkhines.
Thor's motive for helping Medusa was simple, if the Telkhines turned out not to hear the gods, then maybe, just maybe, they would hear the voices of mortals, and with a devoted priestess that was Medusa, he hoped the Telkhines would at least hear the request.
The other goddess who showed displeasure was Aphrodite, but it was something more childish, pouting angrily in envy of the mortal woman who was helped by her 'alleged future husband'. Aphrodite, however, still tried to cast a feat on Medusa when she found her, trying to make the young woman fall in love with someone else and forget about Thor.
Unfortunately for Aphrodite, Thor's ring always protected young Medusa from any deed cast.
The result was that Medusa just lived carefree while spreading the word about Thor, and Aphrodite slipped into a state of depression from the spells' constant failures.
Thor, on the other hand, stayed in Greece for quite some time, and just a few years later he was inside a cave in central Greece, where thousands of mortals claimed the place was cursed, and the cave was filled with silk threads.
The Norse god of thunder believed it was the home of the Moeraes.
Unfortunately... That wasn't the case.
"So… how do you weave, anyway?" asked Thor, interested.
In front of Thor was a giant spider.
The spider responded with actions, not words, due to the lack of lips and tongue, raising its front legs.
Thor just blinked and looked around, noting the amount of embroidery and fabric, all made of silk, around the cave. As Thor watched the cave, the giant spider quickly got back to work on embroidery, using four front legs, while at the same time producing silk threads.
The Norse god, noticing the spider's talent for craftsmanship and the state of the cave, which demonstrated abandonment and isolation, soon broke into a smile.
"Hey... Would you like to become a goddess?" said Thor.
The giant spider stopped what it was doing and looks at Thor, but unfortunately for Thor, started waving its paws quickly.
Thor, not knowing what the spider was talking about, soon lost his temper and approached, making a simple rune, which while it couldn't break a curse completely, could alter a little.
The giant spider glowed, and as the glow faded, an attractive young girl with short lavender hair with bangs covering the right side of her face, possessing six red monochromatic with no pupils eyes, and sharp teeth, stood in front of Thor.
However, the most notable physical feature is that the lower half of her body was still that of an enormous spider.
... It is worth noting that the upper half, which was human, was naked.
But the young woman didn't seem to mind the state of her dress and just raised her hands, which looked more like claws and looked at them in curiosity.
At the same time, Thor looked at the woman in confusion.
"Strange, I thought it would only be the eyes, not the entire half of the spider body… Tell me, did you enjoy being a spider?" asked Thor, curious and approaching the young woman.
The young woman awoke from her thoughts and then nodded to Thor.
"It was easier to weave being a spider... But I think it's even better now!" said the young woman, looking at the body excitedly.
Thor had found the young woman's excitement about her new body funny, but then he asked a question that made the young woman pay attention to him again.
"I'm glad you liked the new body… But you still haven't answered me. I asked if you would like to be a goddess, so what your answer is?" asked Thor.
Thor was interested in the young woman and her talent, after all, if a talented young woman were abandoned here, then it wouldn't hurt to take her in and take her into his pantheon. With a talent for weaving, she could give new meaning to weaving and crafting, roles that, to Thor, would be of utmost importance to the mortals of Midgard now and in the future.
"Are you... Are you a god?" asked the young woman.
Thor noticed the young woman had a slight frown, so he assumed she didn't have a good experience with deities.
"Yes... But not the gods you hail before, I'm Thor, a god from a distant land, in the north of the world, and I have taken an interest in your talent, if you want it to be appreciated, I offer you this opportunity" said Thor, holding out his hand to the young woman.
The young woman looked at Thor's hand and thought about the day she ended up becoming a giant spider.
It turns out that the young girl was just an ordinary mortal girl with a talent for weaving.
A talent that ended up drawing the attention of supernatural beings for the works of art she made. Unfortunately for the young girl, this ended up resulting in a competition between her and Athena...
A competition she won fairly.
But she ended up being cursed by Athena, turning her into a giant monster and forcing her to run away from home and isolate herself in a cave.
If there was one thing the young woman missed, it was the praise of others for her work, crafting works of art so beautiful they could draw the attention of gods.
And now, after years, the opportunity to be praised and recognized again by others was being offered in front of her.
Also... Become a goddess?
"Becoming a goddess you say, what… Goddess?" asked the curious young woman.
Thor just grinned wider.
"Goddess of crafts and weaving, what does that sound like to you? Obviously, I have to notify my brother, due to him being the next leader, but I know him well, so I'm sure he will probably accept my request. But what is your answer?" asked Thor.
The young woman thought for just a few seconds before grabbing Thor's outstretched hand and shaking it.
"I accept... My name is Arachne" said the young woman, with a bright smile.
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Well, that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, peasants!
'Vol.1: Tales of a God' is ending and I'm already drawing the timeline for Vol.2.
See you next week!
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