God of War: Daughter of War

Flurry discovered that things were mostly the same for her, her father, and her uncle, as in they trained every day to make sure Deimos understood how to use every weapon that was available to them, and could handle himself if he ever had to fight on his own, an event that usually took place in the morning. From there it all determined on what skills Flurry wanted to work on, as some days she focused on learning from Hecate, carefully delving into the magical power she had access to, and other days she learned from both Artemis or Apollo, as one of the twins came at any given moment. It was strange, since she and her father were used to the twins coming together and sharing their wisdom with her, though it stood to reason that the gods in question were busy and that only one could come at any given moment, which was understandable since she and her family were the same. Flurry had to wonder if Apollo might have seen something, since he was the God of Prophecies, but it was impossible to tell since he didn't usually talk about what he saw, save for telling Zeus, so she focused on what she and her family were doing on any given day.

In addition to all of that Flurry looked at the list that Athena had given her father and found that it contained the names of the various cities, islands, and everywhere of importance in Greece, plus it even listed how they felt about her father, her uncle, and herself joining the gods of Olympus, only to be surprised by the contents.

"Seriously?! Most of the settlements and cities are against Ares being replaced, despite the fact that he's dead and that there is no way for him to come back?" Flurry remarked, something that made her wonder just how many loyalists Ares had in his army just before his death, because it seemed impossible for this to happen, that so many would ignore the word of Zeus, before something came to mind as she recalled their first day back in Sparta after freeing Deimos.

"My thoughts exactly: Hera." Kratos said, as he had been wondering why the list was like this, that so many would ignore the word of the King of the Gods, and only one thing made sense to him, that this had to be the work of Hera, trying to piss everyone in Sparta off without letting anyone know it was her who was doing this, something both he and Flurry had determined without too much trouble.

"I do hope this isn't the start of something worse." Deimos commented, as the last thing they needed was the arrival of the event that the gods were terrified of, or at least those who knew of it since it was hard to tell which gods of Olympus knew about the prophecy and which ones had been left in the dark to avoid panic.

Of course there wasn't much they could do with this information, that the Queen of the Gods disliked them and that the list Athena had obtained for them complicated their lives, rather Flurry focused on how to address the situation that was in front of them, namely spreading word of her father and uncle's godhood to the rest of Greece. Her plan was simple and wouldn't incur the wrath of any gods, as the three of them would return to the ships and sail from location to location, to speak with those who called the cities and settlements home and try to convince them that the previous God of War had fallen, plus two new gods ruled over Sparta. They needed to tell people that there was a new god who stood in Ares' place, one chosen by Zeus and the other Olympians, and to do that they had to travel to the other settlements of Greece so they could speak with those in charge, to convince them of her father and uncle's godhood. Her thought process was that there was a chance, however slim, that Hera might know about the Marked Warrior prophecy and might be looking for ways to incite the other gods into crushing both Sparta and it's new gods, so by going in with a more peaceful approach there was a chance they could bypass the bloodshed.

Kratos had to admit that it made sense, because if they went around conquering everything and dominating everyone, like Ares would have done, there was a good chance Hera would use it against them when she spoke with the other gods and her husband, so he hoped that Flurry's plan would work, since he'd rather not incur the wrath of Olympus.

With that in mind they put the first stage of her plan into motion, which involved carefully sailing from one port to another and stopping at the various locations on Athena's list, because while most seemed to be against them there were others, such as Athens and Attica, who accepted that they were gods with ease. While they traveled around Greece, not using the Olympian Gates since they didn't want to miss any settlements, Flurry kept track of which locations were true to Athena's information, as in those who denied that her father and uncle were gods, and who changed their minds. There were a few locations that responded well to the discovery that Kratos and Deimos were gods, as they were able to call forth a portion of their godly power, forming a sheen of sorts around them that mortals could perceive, meaning that all they had to do after that was inform them that a ship would be by in a few days to deliver their new statues. Such a thing told the people of the cities that the people of Sparta were more than simple savages, like they had been under Ares' control, meaning the message about new gods might be easier received by the other settlements once news spread of their ascension.

Of course not everything was that simple, as there were some cities where those who worshiped Ares were in control of a decent part of the settlements and denied their claims of being gods, causing Flurry to mark them down for later, since they would come back when the time was right to try again.

There was one city that they avoided for the most part, the city of Argos, which was the one that Hera happened to be the patron goddess of, meaning the people who called it home would no doubt deny their godhood and do everything in their power to tick off the trio. It was a trap that was just waiting to be sprung, that much all three of them agreed on, so for the time being they focused on all of the other cities and settlements, occasionally returning to Olympus to check in with Athena or the other gods that were on their side. What Flurry meant by that was that Hades seemed angry all the time, Poseidon was moody and did his best to make sure the seas didn't suffer, and Hermes just gave them a twisted smile, like he knew a joke that none of them had been told yet, but none of them seemed very friendly right now. Athena shared their confusion on the matter, she had no idea why the other gods were being so weird, especially since they had welcomed the trio into the fold when the announcement was made, but that just meant they had to be careful, since there was no telling what the other gods would do in their current state.

Fortunately nothing major happened while they traversed the seas, no gods came to smite them for Kratos' past sins or take them down due to Deimos being with them, and no massive monsters dared to attack their ship, meaning they could tackle the list of settlements and not have to worry about anything else, though Flurry knew it wouldn't last forever.

Eventually they had to check in with the city of Argos, as it was the last one on the first list Athena gave them, back when she wanted to help them out, so when six months had passed, since Zeus welcomed them into Olympus fully, Flurry found that it was time to dock at Hera's city and see where they stood on the matter. As they drew closer and closer to the city she and both of her family members found that a number of soldiers were present near the docks, more than they were expecting since this was supposed to be a peaceful visit to determine where Argos stood on the matter of Kratos and Deimos being the newest additions to Olympus. Flurry had decided not to make a big deal about her own godhood, since it wasn't worth the headache Hera had started during her visit to Sparta, and focused on helping her father and uncle secure their rightful place in the hearts of the people of Greece, a feat that was much harder with Hera apparently working against them. That didn't change the fact that the scene in front of them was one that worried all three of them and Albis, who had joined them on this quest and had been given a set of light armor that wouldn't weigh her down, modified to fit her body since she didn't have legs like a normal person.

The armed forces in front of them wasn't a good sign, even if one considered that they might be out on patrol and were just passing by, but it still presented the group with an odd feeling that none of them wanted to feel right now, because landing here could be the start of something major.

"I know none of us want to be here, since this might be a trap, but this is the last stop on Athena's list... you know, before we have to deal with Ares' remaining loyalists." Flurry remarked, though at the same time she and her family did a quick check of their weapons, out of sight of the soldiers since she didn't want to give them the impression that they were here to cause chaos or bring war to their doorstep, just in the off chance that they were attacked by those who still, foolishly, worshiped the previous God of War.

"Indeed. We shall proceed as planned: land, speak with the locals, and see if they're willing to accept the word of Zeus, that we are gods of Olympus." Kratos stated, though he shared the unease that everyone felt right now, this was most likely a trap that Hera had set up to make him and Deimos seem like bad apples, meaning it was entirely possible that they would be attacked at some point during their visit, hence why he wanted everyone to be prepared, just in case they were right, to which he glanced out at the city, "If they accept his word, we will be out of here in no time and no one has to die... if not, well, we are prepared in case madness has taken hold of the city."

"I share your thoughts, brother, as I'd rather not spill blood unnecessarily either... but with Hera there's no telling what sort of orders she might have given them." Deimos stated, though at the same time he recalled some of the magic lessons that his niece had been given over the last couple of months, something he was still coming to terms with since he hadn't been expecting Hecate to take such an interest in Flurry's powers, so he knew that there was a chance that she might have a spell that could help them out.

"The loyalists are going to be annoying, especially since some still believe that Ares is alive." Albis added, because based on what they had seen during their visits to some of the other cities there were those who believed that Athena was lying, as in Ares' followers refused to acknowledge that their god had attacked Athens and had been beaten by Kratos, and she had to assume that they were going to cause problems for them, "We had best be careful."

Flurry, Kratos, and Deimos nodded their heads for a moment, showing that they agreed with Albis' comment, especially since it was the same thing Flurry had said a few times before they even reached Argos, before they departed from their ship and walked onto the dock. As they did so all four of them found that there were definitely soldiers watching them, no doubt keeping an eye on what was going on, while the people who were present noticed that they had arrived at last and got out of the way, because while the loyalists wanted to deny what Zeus had said, about Kratos and Deimos being gods, there were those who believed his decree. Some of the ordinary citizens took one look at them, their ships, and the couple of weapons they had on them, and took a step back immediately, showing that they knew who her father and uncle were and realized that something major was about to happen, even if the group was hoping for nothing more than a talk with the loyalists of Ares so they could clear some stuff up. Flurry was grateful that not everyone seemed to be standing against them, based on their reactions to her and her family, though her hands rested near her sickles as she focused on the ten soldiers that were in front of them, as something told her this wasn't going to be an easy visit.

When they reached the end of the dock the group found that there were more than ten soldiers, as more had arrived after the four of them started moving, so with a total of at least twenty individuals standing against them everyone realized this might turn into a fight, just as Hera no doubt intended.

"Stand down, warriors of Argos, we are not here to fight you." Kratos stated, which would please the citizens that would be caught in the crossfire if a fight broke out, though as he said that his eyes lingered on the men in front of him, who just so happened to be carrying swords on their belts and wore silver armor with red sashes, "We wish to speak with the loyalists who continue to serve the previous God of War, Ares, who was slain during his invasion of Athens and whose death was ordered by Zeus himself."

"So, the False God and his followers have arrived." one of the men, the Captain no doubt, remarked, where he stepped up for a moment and quickly drew his sword as he faced Kratos, pointing it right at him while his men did the same with the others, making sure that all four of them were covered as the citizens ran off to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, while Kratos and his family frowned at the men, "Lady Hera told us everything: about how you've been falsifying everything you have said, that none of you are really gods, and that you would overstep your boundaries at the worst moment... seems like this is the latter, don't you think?"

"Not really, since you are addressing the three newest gods of Olympus: Kratos, the God of War; Deimos, the God of Courage; and Flurry Heart, the Goddess of Death." Albis replied, as usually Flurry's title caused people to pause as each of them took in the information they were being given, since it connected to the tales about her and her appearance, not to mention her sickles, though this time it didn't seem like anyone was taking her seriously.

"At least the tales about you traveling with a monster are true. Kill her first, then we can focus on the Ghost of Sparta and his followers." the Captain said, his tone revealing that he wasn't in the mood to play this 'game' with them, even if they were telling the truth, while at the same time telling the group that he thought she was not worth the time to even think about, despite how peaceful she was.

Albis, after having done her best to get used to training with her body, turned around and avoided the swords that came towards her, while at the same time Flurry and her family raised their weapons to block the incoming attacks before just pushing their foes back, allowing them to spread out. With that done Albis swung her tail and knocked her foes away from her, something that opened the way for her to rush up to one and focus her gaze on him, turning him into stone before the man had a chance to defend himself, causing her to crush him by tightening her tail around it and pulverizing the new statue to dust. While she did that Deimos raised his shield and blocked the blades that were coming at him, waiting for a few seconds before swinging his left arm as he knocked his foes back, breaking their guard in no time, where he lashed out with his spear and stabbed each one in their sides, doing enough to pierce them without actually killing them. Kratos did more of the same, he used one of his blades to open his foes' defenses before slashing at their exposed weaknesses with the other one, wounding them and showing them that he was still willing to show mercy, despite the fact that Ares would have wiped them out in an instant for this transgression.

Flurry, on the other hand, dodged the incoming attacks with ease, as they were slower than the monsters she had fought with her father in the past, only to disappear and reappear behind her foes, dealing a few cuts to each of them with her sickles before she turned towards everyone.

"I don't know what Hera told you, but all of it is wrong. My father, uncle, and I are gods, just as Albis said." Flurry said, as she didn't want to kill the people that had attacked them, since they were given wrong information with the purpose of trying to make them seem like they were just warmongers to the rest of the Olympians, though this did tell the people of Argos that her father wasn't the same as Ares, "Tell you what, if you agree to help us, to correct this situation and tell the other settlements of the lie you've been told, we'll let you live."

"And if we refuse you'll kill us... we know how your father works, girl." the Captain replied, focusing on the fact that Kratos was the Ghost of Sparta, a brutal warrior who decimated everything in his path, and not the truth that was staring him in the face, all while his men stood defiantly as well, showing them that they were believing Hera's foul lie.

As he opened his mouth to continue, however, something struck down him and his men, each one dying as their heads were taking off by some unknown force, only for the group to see a black robed figure appear off in the distance before it headed deeper into Argos, and before they could react they heard the roar of a powerful beast.

"Great, we have an assassin on the loose, whose going to sully our name if we don't catch them, and it sounds like Argos, the monster, might have been released." Deimos remarked, as that was the only thing that made sense, that Hera's pet was likely on the loose, either because she wanted it to cause chaos and blame it on them, or someone had done that just to further sully their name.

Flurry sighed as she realized that another quest had come to them, though this time it was straightforward, just track the assassin down and contain them to make them confess, which only made her wonder what this quest might throw at her and her family.