Chapter 37: Aphrodites backstory (1/2)

After having a lengthy discussion with Hermes, the sun had moved westwards and cast the shadow of the distant mountains over them.

”Hermes, I'm going to visit Athena.” Alex stated.

”Go on.” Hermes seemed to be enjoying the relaxing atmosphere and laid down on his chair.

Before leaving the mansion, there was one thing he needed to do.

Earlier, before Ares had left, he gave him a glass gourd containing one of the objects he wanted as compensation for traveling to the Underworld.

As he rubbed the glass gourd, an interface appeared on his retina.

_____________________________

(Essence of Ares)

Quality: Divine

State: Great

Notes: An invaluable elixir derived from the god of war, Ares.

______________________________

He wasn't going to let this chance pass. Every time he consumed Essence, he received interesting powers and a well-appreciated boost in strength.

Taking off the lid from the gourd, a metallic smell immediately enveloped the room.

Peeking inside, he could see that the single drop of the liquid inside had the characteristic golden-brown color of Essence and was thick like honey.

Alex proceeded to put the gourd to his mouth and sipped the drop of Essence.

A head-shattering pain abruptly spread from his head to the rest of his body and rendered any kind of movement obsolete.

He was ready for the pain this time, however, as he laid down and cleared his mind, waiting patiently for either the pain or his consciousness to drift off.

Fortunately, the pain went by fast and he didn't feel it anymore.

His body felt a bit lighter but to discern any changes, Alex took out a hand mirror from his bedside cabinet.

As he held the mirror in his hand, he suddenly heard the sound of glass breaking.

Looking down, there were countless fragments of the mirror on the ground and even the steel frame was bent and out of shape.

'??????' Alex was dumbfounded.

'What happened?' Usually, he could control his strength pretty well but the mirror broke as soon as he applied a bit of pressure to it.

To test it out, Alex threw a fist into the air.

*Whoosh*

As his fist passed through the air, it looked not only, extremely fast but also deadly strong.

He wasn't surprised he had gotten stronger, but the degree to which his strength skyrocketed was astonishing.

There was a full-body mirror in the bathhouse, thus he made his way there to verify the changes.

”Whaaat!” Alex exclaimed as he looked at his own reflection.

His previously skinny, albeit muscular body was now buff and toned.

His eyes now had a glint of red in addition to the purple and light blue that formerly occupied his grey irises.

Opening up the system's interface, he analyzed his own information.

_________________________________________

(Alex)

State of Existence: Immortal Deity

Specialties: -Attunement to swiftness, diplomacy, scheming, dream and soul guiding and shepherding.(*1)

-Attunement to beauty, love, aestheticism, and fertility.(*1)

-Attunement to warfare, martial arts, military strength, and weapon mastery.(*1)

___________________________________________

Under the two lines listing the specialties he gained from Hermes and Aphrodite respectively, there was now an additional third one that encompassed the powers of Ares.

They all seemed quite straightforward and explained his earlier mishap, though he'd have to run more tests to concretely understand his gains.

His powers were now a melting pot of traits he had gained from a diverse array of deities.

Putting that aside, he needed to pay a visit to Athena.

Leaving his mansion, Alex looked to the distance.

It was very faint, but on the horizon, Alex perceived a golden palace that glowed brightly from the rays of the sun.

That place was the home of the most elusive and exalted man in Olympus, the King of Gods, Zeus.

No matter how strong he got, that god still remained a subject of mystery and the distant pillar of Olympus, enigmatic and powerful.

'Whatever, we'll have to interact one day or another.' Alex shrugged and promised himself he would try his hardest to avoid any trouble with that powerhouse.

After a few seconds of disorientation, he finally remembered where Athena's tower was and followed his internal GPS.

Soon enough, the blue tower with the architecture that always made him marvel was in sight.

As usual, the doors were open.

He entered the tower and asked some of the anxious dwarf attendants about her location.

She was on the 6th floor, where the historical library was situated.

'That's unusual...' Alex thought to himself, as she was almost never in that specific library.

He shrugged and climbed up the spiral staircase until he was on the 6th floor.

And there she was, studying a scroll attentively.

Athena was dressed in the usual navy blue scholarly robe and had all of her attention on her scroll.

As she detected his presence, she raised her pupils and said, ”Welcome back.”