God of War: Daughter of War

Due to their position in the Domain of Death, as they were closer to the end and a potential exit, something Flurry was able to determine thanks to her new position as the realm's master, she carefully forged a way towards that area, giving her father time to explain things to Deimos. For right now he gave him the basics, as the full story would have to wait until they were back in Sparta, where he went over his bond to Ares, how he found Flurry, them killing the Furies and then doing the same to Persephone for her crimes, and the death of the God of War so he could take his place. Deimos, of course, was still taken aback by even the basics of the story, since he wasn't expecting Kratos to bring down an Olympian and take their place on Olympus, though for now that paled in comparison to the discovery that really shocked him, Thanatos being taken out by someone like Flurry. Kratos was sort of in the same boat, as while he was used to the fact that his daughter was skilled, and was smart enough to figure out multiple things on her own, the fact that she became the Goddess of Death was a lot to take in, something they would have to help her get used to, especially with how feared Thanatos was.

At the same time, however, Flurry was lost in thought, as now she understood why so many powerful beings had called her 'Death' throughout the years, though instead of it being because of her skills or her sickles, like many might have thought, it was due to something totally different. She was Death itself, a force that even the gods of Olympus feared since none dared to mess with Thanatos over their long reign, which sort of explained how she was able to deal with some of the immortal beings they had fought since her father found her, as her sickles could be considered godly tools. From what she knew only a godly weapon or the power of another god could take down a god, plus the power of Pandora's Box allowed a mortal to kill someone like Ares, but now she understood why she had been able to do such a thing before this point in time, it had to be due to her sickles. Even that thought paled in comparison to the fact that she was now the Goddess of Death, a being that all gods and titans feared, which only made her wonder about how the gods of Olympus would see her once they returned to her father's new throne and spoke to some of their new friends.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she brought them to an area that looked like the cliffs that had overlooked the area that she and her father had beaten Ares in, only to find an unexpected sight, that being the presence of the grave digger they had seen several times in the past.

"You are early... I only just finished... the first... grave..." the grave digger commented, though as he turned to look at them, no doubt only expecting to see one or two of them, he paused for a moment as he found Deimos, alive and well, standing behind Kratos and Flurry, while they, in turn, could see a bloody feminine body resting nearby, Callisto's to be exact, which meant he had somehow stolen her corpse from Atlantis, "What is this?! One of you was supposed to die this day... Zeus said that one of you would die during the confrontation with Thanatos, since you refused to step off your doomed path when I told you to do so... has the God of Death gone soft, after all these long years?"

"Thanatos is dead... and no, I did not kill him. That honor belongs to my daughter." Kratos stated, but as he said that he had to wonder why Zeus had said such a thing in the first place, that he or his brother would die during the battle with the God of Death, instead of minding his own business and letting events play out without him incorrectly guessing what might happen in this realm, since it made him look like a fool, "What are you doing here, in the Domain of Death? I highly doubt someone like you would have gotten permission to come here to dig multiple graves."

"It matters not how I got here, only that I was told to come and dig two graves: one for Callisto, may the gods have mercy on her soul, and for the one who died while facing Thanatos." the figure replied, where he glanced at Kratos' group for a couple of seconds, clearly wondering how in the world his orders could have been so messed up, or maybe there was more to this than what Flurry and the others could see.

"Actually, I would think that such a thing matters, since Thanatos and his replacement didn't let you in." Deimos said, which only made him wonder what else was going on right now, especially since it looked like his brother and his niece, a fact he was still getting used to, might know the figure that was in front of them, even though he was sad to see that his mother had perished recently as well.

"His 'replacement'? Surely you aren't suggesting that your brother is now Death itself?" the grave digger remarked, where he let out a chuckle, as he found the very idea of someone like Deimos taking Thanatos' place absurd, in fact he refused to believe that Thanatos had actually been replaced, rather that Kratos and Flurry must have found a way to convince him to let go of Deimos.

"No, he isn't... I am." Flurry said, something that caused the grave digger to stop what he was doing as he focused on her for a few seconds, almost as if he was debating whether or not he should believe her statement, though the frightened look he gave her told everyone that he must have figured out that she was telling the truth, especially when she moved her right hand for a moment and the nearby mist formed into a black rose.

"Zeus was right... you are dangerous." the grave digger commented, which told Kratos that the King of the Gods must have told the figure in front of them all about him and his daughter, hence why he knew so much about them, though this also confirmed that the old man must be one of Zeus' greatest and most faithful follower, if he told him so much about those he was tasked with following all the time.

"Trust me, Zeus has nothing to fear from us. We're going to be busy for quite a while." Flurry stated, as there were a few things they had to do now that Deimos was alive and well, especially with her awakening as the Goddess of Death, and it meant that her family would be preoccupied for a time, so there was nothing for Zeus to fear from them, something that caused her to lift Callisto with her magic and gently place her in Kratos' hands, "Also, we're burying grandmother in Sparta, as this realm is no place for someone like her to rest... hopefully Zeus understands our feelings on the matter and doesn't punish you for us doing this."

The grave digger said nothing to that as he bowed his head, likely showing that he acknowledged what she was saying, and collected his tools that were resting around them, allowing Kratos to walk up the rest of the path and discovered that this place was definitely like the cliffs overlooking the area they fought Ares in, as there was an Olympian Gate nearby, one that sprung to life as Athena stepped out of it.

"Kratos, Flurry, I am glad that you are... alright." Athena said, where she found a reason to pause as she noticed that Kratos was holding Callisto, Deimos was standing behind his brother, and the air around Flurry had changed slightly, though at the same time she noticed that Thanatos' signature had vanished, "You have some explaining to do."

"And we will... once our mother is buried." Kratos replied, which was when he and Deimos walked through the portal that was behind Athena, traveling to Olympus as Flurry made sure the grave digger went through the magic as well, because she didn't want to leave him in the Domain of Death, and nodded once the old figure used the gate.

Once the grave digger was gone both she and Athena stepped through the gate and appeared in the center of Olympus, as there was one Olympian Gate there that wasn't tied to any specific location, though instead of slowing down they walked over to the God of War's residence and Kratos opened the way to Sparta. Deimos, of course, was taken aback by the fact that he was talking through Olympus, the place that the gods ruled over the mortal plane from and even lived in, along with the fact that his brother had been telling him the truth, he had become a god during his absence. From there they used the gate on the edge of Kratos' domain and headed back down to Sparta, allowing Deimos to see the splendor of the city for the first time in years, if not for the first time in his entire life, though he wasn't ready for what happened when they walked down one of the streets. Many Spartans hailed Kratos as their Lord and saluted him as he walked by, nodding towards them as he focused on tracking down those who could help with Callisto's burial, though there were those that recognized Deimos, no doubt due to his unique marking, and started to praise him like he was a god as well.

Flurry realized that they might be closer to the truth than any of them might have known, as both her father and her uncle were the children of a god, demigods to be exact, so it stood to reason that her uncle, with the proper training, might be on their level at some point in the future. Such a thing made an idea spring to mind that would not only help Deimos, but also aid them in making sure the gods of Olympus knew that they weren't about to turn on them or try and take their power, as some gods did seem to get nervous when a new one gained too much power in a short period of time. Flurry thought about the virtues that Spartans followed, ones that her father had taught her about and might have drilled into Deimos before he was taken, and understood that there might be one they could use for her uncle, if he would even accept such an honor in the first place. While she thought about that her father finally reached the area that he was interested in, allowing him to hand Callisto over to those that would tend to his fallen mother as he and Deimos gathered nearby, allowing Flurry to see that the grave digger had disappeared, no doubt to find Zeus and report what he had seen.

She then had to wonder why Athena had traveled to the Domain of Death, even though she knew they would be there at some point, before realizing that she must have known about Deimos and had known where Ares had imprisoned him, no doubt information she had been ordered to say nothing about.

"Does Deimos know what you did?" Flurry asked, because at this point part of her was sure that her father had recalled all of the memories that were connected to the day he lost his brother, meaning that, if she was right about Athena having been there the day her uncle was taken, it was only a matter of time until her father put the pieces together, which meant his anger towards the Goddess of Wisdom would return.

"He was younger than Kratos, so part of me wants to say 'no'... but he might." Athena admitted, though this was bad for her, because if Flurry was able to figure out her involvement in Deimos' abduction, even if she did nothing but stop Ares from killing Kratos when he was young, then it was only a matter of time until her father figured it out and turned on her, meaning all of Sparta might do the same, "Your father probably remembers... and if he doesn't, well, he will in no time."

"Another question: can you elevate someone else to the rank of a god?" Flurry inquired, because an idea had formed in her head as she thought about her father and her uncle, where the former would be devastated if he lost his brother yet again, even if it was due to old age since they were gods and Deimos wasn't.

Instead of replying immediately Athena considered why Flurry would ask such a thing, especially since it was clear that she and her father were gods, in fact she could tell that much without the young lady telling her anything, meaning they would live far longer than any mortals they knew. As soon as she thought about that Athena realized why the question had been asked, it was because Flurry wanted to give her father more time with his brother, so they could catch up and make up for all the years that had been stolen from them, thanks to Ares kidnapping Deimos all those years ago. Such a thing would no doubt cause an uproar among the gods of Olympus, as with Flurry becoming a goddess meant that Sparta had two, so raising Deimos into godhood would give the city three in total and might make some gods wonder if Kratos was going to try and take over Olympus or something. As she raised an eyebrow at Flurry, however, she noticed the movement that she was making, a quick reminder of the mark that her father and uncle possessed, which told her that Thanatos had revealed the existence of the Marked Warrior prophecy to them, something that could prove to be disastrous if Zeus found out that Kratos knew why his brother had been abducted in the first place.

In that moment everything snapped together, the raising of Deimos into godhood would be seen as one side offering the other something as an act of apology, while the other side accepting would be seen as forgiveness, and to mortals it would be seen as Olympus erasing the sins of the past and truly embracing the new gods. Athena then realized that if they left Deimos as a mortal there was a chance that another god, or even a mortal champion of another god, could come in and take the recovered warrior out, which would set Kratos on the war path and would bring about all sorts of destruction as he sought out his brother's killer. Such a thing would only hasten the arrival of the event described in the Marked Warrior prophecy, because Kratos' rage was unlike anything she had seen before and this scenario would only end with him going to war against the rest of the Olympians, no doubt assuming that they were responsible for his brother's demise. This was Flurry's solution to the problem, make Deimos into a god and train him to fight like the other Spartans, likely to help all of the other settlements respect him in his new role, and by keeping all three of them alive Kratos' rage would be kept under wraps, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about the prophecy.

Athena realized something in that moment, Flurry was far smarter than anyone gave her credit for, she was trying to stop a prophecy that foretold the end of the world in her own way, and honestly she realized that it had a chance to succeed, a chance to stop what Zeus was afraid of, causing her to tilt her head for a moment.

"Yes, I see now... Deimos, the God of Courage... that could work." Athena commented, because it was something that the Spartans believed in, especially since it also reflected one's strength, their defiance towards tyranny, and their incredibly strong willingness to lay down their lives for what they believed in, and she was sure that it would work for Deimos once he got over his time in Thanatos' realm.

Flurry was glad to see that Athena was willing to consider the idea that had sprung into her mind, a way to stop the very prophecy that Zeus seemed afraid of, if what they learned from Thanatos was correct, though for the time being both of them focused on her father and uncle as both rejoined them. Deimos, of course, had been an interesting surprise for the people of Sparta, and he even admitted that some were already seeing him as a god, like his brother, though Kratos had gifted him the Arms of Sparta, to give him his own weapons in case he joined their warriors on the battlefield. Athena told them that she was heading back to Olympus and that it was best that they joined her, as they needed to inform the rest of the Olympians of Flurry's ascension, plus she had her own announcement that Zeus needed to be informed of, before she could tell everyone else about her decision. Kratos raised an eyebrow as he heard that, because he knew that Athena had been part of his brother being abducted, or had been present at the very least, though since Flurry wasn't annoyed at the moment he decided to put his faith in her and followed Athena back to the Olympian Gate.

This time around Kratos and Flurry found that more of the gods were present when they reached the main chamber that all of the gods gathered in, while at the same time Zeus was now sitting on his throne, where Athena walked up to him for a moment and the two walked down one of the other passages, allowing the pair to introduce Deimos to the rest of the assembled gods.

"Athena, what's going on? Why is he here?!" Zeus asked, doing his best to keep his voice controlled, as he didn't need all of Kratos' family, the living members anyway, gathered in Olympus, not when it was time to make sure the new God of War fully took on his armor and his position.

"Zeus... before he died, Thanatos told them about the Marked Warrior prophecy. They know why Ares took Deimos, and what he intended on using Kratos for." Athena replied, though at the same time she held up a hand to stop the King of the Gods from exploding, because after Ares' death she had noticed a look of fear appear in his eyes every now and then, a small one that came and went far too fast for anyone to react to, and right now she needed to keep that contained, least he ruin everything, "However, Flurry's already come up with a plan to keep the peace... and, quite honestly, we might be able to stop the prophecy completely if we do this."

Zeus stood there for a moment and listened to the proposed idea, something he instantly hated as soon as Athena told him what she had learned from her talk with Flurry, mostly because it would give Sparta more power than he wanted the Spartans to have, and he could tell that Athena wasn't too pleased with his look of disapproval. She explained every bit of reasoning that went into this decision, why it would stop the destruction of Olympus, or so she hoped since Flurry was the rock that kept Kratos calm and collected, and why it would bring peace to Greece, for real this time. While Zeus thought about what she had to say, however, he still informed her that he wasn't too keen on allowing Sparta to have three gods, as he knew all about Flurry's ascension, but sighed as he realized that Athena was right, this might be the best chance they had to actually stop the prophecy he had spent years trying to stop. With that in mind he returned to the main chamber, where he found many of the gods chatting with Deimos, who wasn't used to being around even a single god, much less all those his brother and niece had met over the years, where he said nothing as he returned to his throne.

Such a thing caused everyone to stop talking and turn towards him, while at the same time Athena walked over to where Kratos and Flurry were standing, where she found that most of the assembled Olympians, minus Hephaestus since he was apparently busy on Zeus' latest orders, were eager to hear what the King of the Gods had to say.

"On this day we fully welcome Kratos into our fold as the new God of War," Zeus said, where the gods found that the figure in question focused for a moment and the armor that Hephaestus had made for him appeared on him without delay, while Flurry found that, without knowing it, the Smith God had made it in Deimos' imagine, at least the shoulder pieces anyway, showing that he had embraced his calling as the Ares' replacement, "in addition to that, as repayment for the years stolen by Ares, I would like to offer you, Deimos, a similar position: would you join us as the God of Courage?"

"I... I don't..." Deimos started to say, as he wasn't sure what to make of the situation that was unfolding before him, since he certainly hadn't done anything deserving of being a god, not like his brother and niece who had slain gods to reach this very point of their journeys, though one look at Flurry told him that this was her idea, to help him bond with Kratos and to stop the prophecy they heard about, causing him to straighten himself as he faced the gods, "I would be honored to join Olympus and stand among you as the 'God of Courage'."

"And what about Flurry?" Artemis asked, because after everything that had happened over the years, since the day she and her brother had met her to this moment in time, she assumed it was only fair that the young lady had earned the right to join both her father and her uncle as a god of Olympus.

"She, on her own, has been elevated to the level of a god... may we welcome her into the fold as the Goddess of Death." Zeus stated, something that sent a wave of silence and disbelief through the assembled gods, as while they knew she was tied to the element in some manner, due to her sickles, this information caught them all by surprise, where he got up and faced the assembled gods, "I must take my leave. Flurry Heart, Deimos, welcome to Olympus... may the mortals favor you as they have favored all of us in the past."

Flurry said nothing to that as Zeus departed, no doubt to return to whatever project was demanding his attention, though as that happened she and Deimos found that several gods wanted to talk to them, especially after Zeus' announcement, while noting that Hera seemed displeased and Apollo seemed worried as he whispered something to his sister, making her wonder what the future had in store for them.