Chapter 463 Meeting The Gods
Abaddon watched the flaming haired woman lunge at him from atop the stairs to the greek temple.
However, he did not make a single move to defend himself; due to equal parts amusement and curiosity.
'I wonder... which one is going to make a move first this time?'
Out of nowhere, a thundercloud appeared in the sky above and dropped a huge bolt of lightning onto the head of the strife goddess, knocking her right into the ground.
Because he was nothing if not an agent of chaos, Bagheera sat directly onto her head, and allowed her to flail about like a toddler.
Persephone and Demeter on the other hand were stunned silly, and could only stare at Abaddon like he was some kind of modern day messiah.
Most would have needed to replay that scene at least a few times over to understand what had just happened, but as nature goddesses they had a unique amount of insight into it's phenomena.
Nature itself had bent it's unbendable rules for him, and gone out of it's way to protect him from harm; even against the daughter of one of it's original aspects.
"How... did you make it do that?"
"Hm? I didn't make him do anything, Bagheera is just an asshole."
The locust did not even bother to make any noise or growl to defend himself, finding Abaddon's words to be wholly accurate.
Discordia continued to let out muffled screams and curses as from underneath the locust; angered beyond belief and absolutely not amused by her current predicament.
Though Abaddon was, which was why he still hadn't asked his mount to move.
"N-No, not this... animal here. I mean... how did you get nature to do that for you?" Persephone asked.
Briefly, Abaddon smiled somewhat happily as if he were speaking about a member of his family.
"You know... when I was a child, I spent a lot of time outside. Though I cannot say that it was willingly... In that time I... got to be raised by someone who helped me see nature, appreciate it, love it.. and find comfort in it.
It was many years later before I found this place, and I got to spend a lot of time here with my precious eldest. Here, I was able to rediscover my love of nature and all of it's complexities. And surprisingly... that love ended up being reciprocated."
Abaddon held up his hands and the winds within the area became turbulent.
Droplets of water swirled around his being and playfully lifted up his hair, arcs of lightning ran along his exposed arms and abdomen, balls of flame took the form of little children and ran on top of his head like it was a jungle gym.
His eyes became a swirling pink and green color, and a field of the most beautiful flowers ever witnessed erupted into full bloom.
Abaddon suddenly dispelled all of the elements around him and scratched his cheek in mild embarrassment.
"Sorry about that, my friends... I don't know if that answers your question."
Demeter smiled softly as her eyes were filled with profundity.
"No, that.. is more than enough."
"I-Indeed…"
Abaddon didn't like the way that Persephone and her mother were suddenly staring at him.
It was practically the same as the way the nature spirits reacted to him; only this didn't make him feel quite like his chastity was in serious danger.
But it was quickly beginning to get to that point.
"We're just beginning to be friendly, you two. Please try to control your gazes before my wives try to kill you and our friendship is cut short."
Immediately, Persephone and Demeter looked away to preserve their necks.
"Oh. Greetings, Abaddon."
Just at the moment that the dragon god needed a distraction, Alethia emerged from the greek temple.
However, there was a woman in black clothes behind her who seemed a bit troublesome to say the least.
She wore a long black dress that was somewhat racy and eye catching, and her long raven hair was silky and luxurious; more than worth going mad over.
Her face was quite pretty for a goddess; with strong cheekbones and tender olive skin.
The dark violet glow in her eyes seemed to be indicative of a mind that was always scheming, and constantly looking for mischief.
In that respect at least, she wasn't much different from Mira or Thea.
Alethia stopped just in front of Abaddon and the group and looked down at Discordia, who was still thrashing underneath Bagheera's rear end.
"I... see that you have already become acquainted with my mother."
"She insulted my home, you know? If I weren't indebted to you I likely would have taken her head."
"I thank you for your mercy, and apologize for her impetuousness."
"No need to apologize, since I'm currently still deciding whether or not to let Bagheera shit in her hair."
"Groh." (And what I'm holding in, she won't ever be able to wash out.)
For the first time, the rather stone-faced Alethia looked like she was suppressing a snicker. "Yes, well.. I also wanted to introduce you to my sister."
The woman in black stepped forward with movement like a vixen and held out her hand for Abaddon to take.
"At?. Charmed."
Unmoved, Abaddon smirked imperceptibly.
"Give her paw."
Bagheera lifted up one of his monstrous hooves for At? to shake, putting a disapproving look on her face.
She looked past Bagheera's paw to stare up at Abaddon.
"Isn't this a bit too rude for our first meeting? After all that high and mighty talk you don't even see me as worthy enough to shake my hand?"
"Nothing of the sort, but I don't have an interest in shaking the hand of the goddess whose identity lies in leading men into rash action."
"Oh? Afraid of one little minor goddess~?"
"I'm afraid that you will attempt to do something stupid, and I'll be using your skull as a flowerpotthe next time my daughter wants to have tea.
That would make my promise to your sister moot, and tarnish my character. My character just so happens to mean a lot to me."
The calm and lightness with which Abaddon threatened to end her life made At? realize that he wasn't joking and wouldn't hesitate, promptly making her retract her hand.
Fighting the urge to laugh, Abaddon finally gave Bagheera a solid pat on the side.
"Alright, boy. Let her up... preferably unpainted, but I won't complain if she's got a splotch or two."
Bagheera stood up and lifted up the rampaging Discordia.
It's scorpion-like tail wrapped around her arms and midsection to restrain her, and lifted her up so that she could come face to face with Abaddon.
Unsurprisingly, she had a lot to say.
"YOU RED-HAIRED PIECE OF SHIT I SWEAR TO THE MOTHER GODDESS HERSELF THAT I WILL RIP YOUR GOD DAMN HORNS OFF AND SKEWER YOUR BALLS LIKE FUCKING KEBABS AND ROAST THEM OVER THE FLAMES OF HE-"
"Put her back under."
"N-No! Wait, don't you dare! You will not stick me back underneath this smelly beast!"
"Bwa!? Groh!" (Smelly? Bitch, I got something for you!"
"Wait, Bagheera." Abaddon chided.
"Groh!" (Fuck that! Hold her mouth open!)
Abaddon ended up having to use his power over wrath to siphon the anger of both Bagheera and Discordia to prevent them from getting on his nerves.
If meeting the rest of the gods was going to be like this, he was beginning to regret not staying in bed with the girls and Straga.
Or at least having some breakfast for a little extra energy.
"Umm, Abaddon? This might be a strange question but why is my mother so.. tame?"
"Besides the fact that I took away her wrath? I suppressed her powers the moment she jumped off the staircase."
""""You could do that this whole time!?""""
"Yes. Everything in Sheol is subject to my manipulations."
"So why didn't you just do that when we first arrived?" Demeter asked.
"You all came here in good faith. It would be wrong of me not to meet you in the middle somehow... but I also must admit that I did not think any of you would be stupid enough to come into a land full of dragons and pick a fight with their ruler."
Abaddon looked at the bound Discordia with a dry gaze and gave her a hard flick on the forehead. "Clearly, I was mistaken."
"I can't fully express myself because you have made me so calm... but I would like for you to know that it is my deepest wish for you to choke on a steaming bag of dicks."
"Your wish is noted." Abaddon replied; equally as calm.
The dragon crossed his legs on top of Bagheera's back and rested his chin within his hand.
"So? If you have some problems with Sheol then I'm more than willing to listen to any of you... as long as they have merit that is."
"Your people suck."
"I strongly disagree, but I will allow you the chance to elaborate."
"They treat us like garbage. They stare at us like animals in a zoo, and it is clear that they don't want us here."
"And tomake matters even worse, we can't play with their minds and manipulate them for fun." At? added.
"Right, thank you for bringing up that important point, my daughter."
"No problem, mommy."
Immediately, Abaddon rolled his eyes.
If he was honest, he didn't find it hard to believe that the gods were having quite the tough time making friends with the locals.
Dragons can be very distrusting of other races; not just because of the fact that they are not connected, but because they are a walking treasure trove.
Dragons' bodies produce great magical effects and power from the day that they are born, and it is no surprise that some would try to exploit this power.
One need look no further for examples than literature.
There are numerous tales of a hero slaying a dragon and making a weapon from its scales or subjugating it and turning a once proud and noble being into a glorified house pet or bed warmer.
The dragons of Sheol fear and abhor such a fate more than anything; as to them it symbolizes the loss of all that makes them true, divine creatures.
No doubt they believed that the gods must have some ulterior motive for coming here, and were only waiting to see them reveal their 'true' nature.
Honestly, Abaddon couldn't blame them.
But the gods had stepped out onto a limb when they took his side, and he would not reward their faith with a blind eye.
If the gods were going to stay here comfortably, he had to figure out a way to integrate them into society properly.
He could have just turned them all into dragons, but this would only reinforce the thinking that the only trustworthy beings were those who looked like them, and that wouldn't always be the case.
Besides, Abaddon considered becoming a dragon to be a great honor, and it was a privilege that he was unlikely to share with any of them anytime soon.
'Think, Abaddon. Think…'
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