Chapter 20

Greek Gods

Zeus - King of the Greek gods
Hera - Queen of the Greek gods, sister and wife of Zeus
Hades - god of the underworld, brother of Zeus
Poseidon - god of the sea, brother of Zeus
Demeter - goddess of harvest and fertility of the earth, sister of Zeus
Hestia - the virgin goddess, ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state. sister of Zeus.
Aphrodite - Daughter of Zeus and Dione, Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality
Artemis - Daughter of Zeus and Leto, goddess of the hunt, the moon, and chastity
Athena - Daughter of Zeus and Metis, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
Ares - Son of Zeus and Hera, god of war
Apollo - Son of Zeus and Leto - god of the sun and light, music and poetry, healing and plagues, prophecy and knowledge, order and beauty, archery and agriculture.
Dionysus - Son of Zeus and Semele - God of the vine, grape-harvest, wine-making, wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, theatre
Hephaetus - Son of Zeus and Hera - god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture.
Hermes - Son of Zeus and Maia - Messenger of the gods, god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, border crossings, guide to the Underworld
Eris - Daughter of Zeus and Hera, sister of Ares - minor goddess of discord and strife
Deimos - son of Ares, twin of Phobos - god of dread
Phobos - son of Ares, twin of Deimos - god of fear
Dolos - Personification of trickery, cunning deception, craftiness, treachery and guile
Apate - Counterpart of Dolos, goddess of fraud and deception.
Enyo - Daughter of Zeus and Hera, goddess of war and destruction, another sister of Ares

Ephus - the godling man with an unsual power.
Dr. Quinn Markov - human wife of Ephus
Aniketos - Human who is the Caspian god killer
Amaunet - sister of Aniketos, the Eternal Nile Serpent

Egyptian Goddesses and wives to Ephus

Bast - Goddess of cats, protection, joy, dance, music, family, and love
Sekhmet- Goddess of fire, war, and dance
Hathor - Goddess of the sky, dance, love, beauty, joy, motherhood, foreign lands, mining, music and fertility.
Serket - Goddess of scorpions, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites
Maat - Goddess of Truth and Justice
Tefnut - Goddess of Rain, Air, Moisture, Weather, Dew, Fertility, and Water

Brothers of Bast and Sekhmet

Thoth - God of knowledge
Sobek - God of the Nile, the Army, military, fertility and of crocodiles
Anhur - God of war and the sky bearer - Full brother of Bast and Sekhmet
Horus - Ancient God of the sky and kingship
Min - God of fertility
Khonshu - God of the Moon
Apophis - God of Chaos and darkness
Shu - God of the wind and air

Ephus and Ares immediately broke apart after the initial strike. Ephus nodded, he had felt the added strength in Ares’s strike.

“So, you think to overpower me with strength hmm?” Ares spit out, “you are about to find that nothing you can do will surpass my superior skill!”

“Skill? As I said before I have seen insects with more skill than your paltry ones. Though your insane bragging is good for a few laughs. Ephus said.

“How dare you belittle the greatest war god in history.” Ares growled out.

This comment of course had Ephus laughing harder. “Greatest? You really are a dunce of war. I can only imagine that, you have no honor what so ever. Unlike a true war god, I suspect that you only like sneak attacks, stabbing people in the back, truly you are nothing but a common thug.”

“Common!? I will gut you, cutting you into more pieces than can ever be counted!” Ares screamed as he started a renewed set of attacks.

Laughing Ephus replied, “oh really? From what I have seen so far, I’d say your chances of that are slim to non-existent.”

They had been at it for an hour, when Epus nodded as he felt Zeus, plus all his brothers and sisters appear. They were a predetermined distance apart, around almost three sides. A moment later he felt Aphrodite and her sisters appear beside them also a certain distance apart.

Well, Ephus thought most of it is there, then nodded when Apate and her brother appeared filling in the rest of the holes. He then nodded his head almost all the holes, then smiled when he felt Eris slide into the last spot.

Finally, Ephus thought, one way or another it ended today, though he was hoping for the best outcome.

With a look at Ares, Ephus started to smile wider. “What in the hell are you smiling about, I have you on the ropes now. It shouldn’t be too long before I end you, then this uprising to my power!”

This of course made Ephus smile even wider, “you really are far more stupid than I thought you were. You are so intent on the battle you haven’t even felt the Osiris ring that is around us, though you might call it a death ring.”

This time it was Ares that was laughing. “That is a myth perpetrated by mother goddesses to keep their children in line. What little child time they have.”

A smirk crossed Ephus’s mouth as he shook his head no. “I met someone who knew how to make it. It seems they learned it from the Titans, they were more than happy to share it with me. Much like BOTH of your sisters were.”

This last had Ares’s face going blood red with anger. “Again, you lie! Neither of my sisters would do anything for you. They are loyal only to me.”

“Well,” Ephus started as he deflected several strikes from Ares. “They were once, now though? I do believe that they really want nothing to do with you. If you remember right, Enyo doesn’t take betrayal very well at all. Eris, she was a slave so long she wasn’t really loyal just a slave.”

Ares eyes were as big as saucers when Ephus brought out these points.

“She herself gave me the bond that I had on her ‘til you interfered and broke them. Not to worry, she will soon be mine again.” Ares snidely stated

This time a look of anger dominated Ephus features. “I highly doubt that, as I said we are surrounded by a death ring. You know what that means?” Ares slowly shook his head no. “Ah! Well allow me to explain. It means this is between the two of us, no one in, no one out.”

A large smirk appeared on Ares’s face. “As I said that is nothing but a tale told by mothers to frighten children. It does not exist; I would think you would think of something more original.”

Ephus stopped looking at Ares, sweeping his hand toward all the gods and goddess. “I guess you’re just going to have to learn the hard way, as I guess you always do. I was told you were stubborn, I knew you were a dunce, though this? This just seems to be pure stupidity. I know you can feel the power that emanating from all of them yet you still refuse to see. Be my guest.”

Ares looked as he was about to attack his anger rising to new heights. “Fine,” Ares sneered to Ephus taking off toward Eris. Ephus could only shake his head as he made a chair to sit in.

Still sneering, Ares stopped a few feet before Eris. A swing of the black sword had absolutely no effect at all. Growling, Ares swung the sword directly at Eris. To his utter amazement, the sword stopped well away from Eris as he was flung away.

Ares then went to each god and goddess meeting with the same results.

Ephus could only shake his head after each time was flung back then to the ground. Finally, Ares looked up at Ephus sitting comfortably.

“This is impossible, I know it does not exist! What trickery is this? I have never been defeated in battle; I am not about to start!” Ares shouted as he swung as hard as he could.

Ephus barely deflected not expecting as much power as Ares put into it. Well, Ephus thought, looks like I finally have him to the point that I was trying to get him to.

His reaction to Ares’s strike, was met with almost as much strength. Ephus drew back meeting Ares’s sword again. That’s when the world froze again.

“Hail Ephus,” Aniketos said as he bowed to the ground. Amaunet was also bowing. “I am truly sorry that things have to end as they are. We had thought you might have had another idea for the first problem. Alas, as we can see that is not to be. They have all formed the ring exactly as we instructed you. As you said it ends today no matter what.”

“It will be quick dear friend, neither will feel a thing when it happens.” Amaunet said. “We will be forever thankful to you for what you are about to do.” With a few tears Amaunet passionately kissed Ephus, while her brother nodded his assent. Then the brother grasp Ephus hand in a friendly shake.

“I am also sorry that there was no other way to free the two of you. Be well the both of you, wherever you both end up.” A sad Ephus said.

Brother and sister both bowed again as they nodded. Both disappeared then the battle was going again.

An hour later Ares was shocked that Ephus was still matching him blow for blow. It was about that time that Ephus made his first apparent mistake, this drawing gasps behind them. Ephus nodded he knew that all his Egyptian wives were her also.

He then noticed that all their brothers were behind them. Good Ephus thought the time is right.

Bleeding from a gash on his arm, Ephus nodded. He could feel the weakening effect of the cut.

Ares was smiling, the godling had made the most beginner type of mistake. A wide smile broke out on his face, as he understood his sword was already drawing life from Ephus.

For a few more moments they fought, then Ares found an opening. Striking a death blow, Ares could swear that Ephus vanished just as the sword went home passing through Ephus chest.

There were more than a few screams when Ephus vanished. This overshadowing Ares sick sadistic laugh as he held the sword high.

Screaming Bast was thrown back as she tried to get to Ares. “I am the victor! The greatest god of war, the greatest swordsman. I cannot be ... what is happening?” Ares said as he suddenly sunk to the ground. A shimmering beside him cleared revealing a rather tall, well-muscled male with dark hair, wearing dark clothes. Ares’s hand was around the male’s wrist, even as all watched Ares couldn’t let go of the male.

Where Ephus had been, a tall, long dark-haired woman of what appeared to be Egyptian lineage was standing. She was dressed in green colored clothing.

“Let go of me, I demand...” Ares was shouting.

“You demand nothing you pathetic weakling god. You know nothing of power, real power. Long before any of you weaklings, the Titans ruled this world. This one,” here Aniketos indicated Zeus, “was the only one that was smarter than the Titans though, he too lost much when he defeated them. You all may release, it is done.” Each nodded as the took a step back breaking the circle contact.

Ares was feeling so weak, by the realm he felt almost as weak as a pathetic human. “What have you done to me,” Ares weakly demanded.

“For a long time, I have watched you. I have seen evil expressed in many ways though, you seem to glorify yourself in it. It was the wish of Ephus that you be banished to a lone world in a lonely, empty dimension.” Aniketos said.

“I won; I should gain his power.” Ares gasp out.

Aniketos tsked, “you should have learned more about the weapon you wielded. You won because of ME! In order to do that I took almost all your power to acheive this. Don’t worry, a few thousand years, you might have enough power to make it back.”

“No, it isn’t fair!” Ares whined.

“As the god of war, you should be more than familiar with it!” Aniketos said causing Ares to cringe at the words he spoken to his sister. “You have emerged victorious, you are the greatest, though really? To quote a human saying?? No-one really gives a shit! Goodbye,” Aniketos said as he and his sister waved a hand over Ares who screamed as he vanished.

They both held up a hand freezing an almost frenzied Bast as she flew at them. “I am sorry Bast, that we had to meet under these circumstances.” Here Amaunet addressed all Ephus’s wives. “This was Ephus wish we did not ask him to do this. We have languished as the swords for a very long time. We are past ready to die, thanks to Ephus we finally can.”

“We used all the power that we had to keep all of you alive as was Ephus’s wish. Cherish your sisters, the children he has given all of you.” Here Aniketos looked at Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena. Waving his hand Enyo appeared, “ I am sorry it took as long as it did,” Aniketos waved his hand over Enyo.

Amaunet looked to Serket, “yours will be a special one I can see.”

Aniketos turned to his sister, “I can finally feel it, I have waited so long.”

“Yes brother, I can feel it also.” Amaunet said as she took her brother’s hand. “Finally, it is over.”

With that both were suddenly dust that was gently blown away.