Chapter 28 Mount Olympus Land of Gods

After about 5 hours of climbing endlessly, Gabe and Red Hercules finally made it to a Cave and made a fire to make camp for the night. "Alright Gabriel, we've made it halfway up the mountain and should make it there by morning if we get up early." Gabe looked frustrated, he was cold, he was tired, and mad. "I thought you said it would take a day to get up there." Red Hercules looked serious. "It takes me a day to get up there, I was just waiting for you to keep you safe so you wouldn't die." Gabe looked mad and Red Hercules noticed that. "Since we are halfway, I must make a suggestion." Gabe was surprised. "If you give up now, then I will take you to the bottom of the mountain safely in no time at all, then I will take you to your friends safely, and you will not receive my training." Gabe didn't like to hear that. "Oh also, if you thought those mountain heights were bad, tomorrow's mountains are way worse and are extremely dangerous for normal men." Gabe thought about it. "Also if you are wondering, I highly suggest you do quit, for your sake of surviving." This shocked Gabe the most out of everything, he thought about it. 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, if I quit then I won't receive my training, if I keep going then I will risk dying.' Gabe was wondering what he should do. "What do you choose, Gabriel?" Gabe looked away from Red Hercules for a second and was silent, he then spoke. "I wanna keep going." This surprised Red Hercules. Gabe turned to him with a confident smile and thumbs up. "If I'm gonna live my life the way I do, then I'm bound to take risks! Or else life wouldn't be worth living at all!" Red Hercules smiled. 'Thatta boy.' He spoke. "Very well then Gabriel, we shall begin the climb in the morning." Gabe felt both confident and nervous, scared he would die, but also excited about training if he does live. Now, he had to go on in the morning.

Gabe was climbing behind Red Hercules, nervous about falling. Gabe then looked down, only to see the ground, hundreds of feet below. "Be careful of un tight pieces of rock to grab onto, also icicles. Sometimes they can fall and potentially stab you." Gabe was shocked. "WAIT WHAT!?" Red Hercules continued climbing without answering any questions. Gabe continued to climb, getting higher and higher up. Eventually, when he grabbed a rock, the rock had broken off immediately after grabbing it, causing Gabe to slip and hold on to one rock with his hand. Red Hercules noticed this and went to go help him, but Gabe put his hand out implying to stop. "I've got this." This intrigued Red Hercules, he watched Gabe slowly trying his hardest to grab a stable rock, only for an icicle to fall and stab Gabe in his shoulder. "GABRIEL!" He was going to help him again, since this time it got worse. "STOP!" Gabe yelled. Red Hercules stopped, only to see Gabe pull it out of his shoulder and continue to try and grab a rock, he then did so. Red Hercules looked at Gabe with shock. 'He's that dedicated? Even though he'll likely risk infection from an open wound?!' Gabe saw Red Hercules' scared face. "What's the matter? I thought you were the strongest." Red Hercules heard this and smiled. "Well, if you say so." Gabe smiled. "Are you fit to keep going, Gabriel?" Gabe nodded. "Only if you are." Red Hercules then kept going, Gabe followed. After a long climb with loose rocks, dodging icicles, and cold weather, they finally made it.

The two had been underneath clouds now. "It's just over here Gabriel." Gabe was excited and surprised. 'It's this high?!' He thought. "As I told you, this land is the land of gods, only diety's such as them could live in the clouds. Is that not correct?" Gabe had always read in storybooks that the places Gods, angels, and dead people go are all linked to heaven and the clouds. Red Hercules then climbed ahead of Gabe and went into the clouds. "Red Hercules!?" He was afraid since he heard no noises after Red Hercules climbed into the clouds. "Gabriel!" That shocked Gabe to the point where he almost let go of the rocks. "It is just up here! Just keep climbing and you will eventually reach it!" Gabe was scared to move on. 'If I do this, then I could risk falling and dying, do I do it?' Gabe then ultimately decided to keep going. "I'm coming Red Hercules!" Gabe climbed the hardest he had ever climbed, into the clouds, he then kept climbing even while inside the clouds, until he eventually reached the top. Gabe then grabbed on the ledge and fully climbed up, he then walked forward on the land he now was standing on. Gabe had been extremely tired and was most likely going to pass out, also probably from the blood loss in his shoulder. Just before Gabe passed out, however, he thought that he had truly seen heaven itself. It had been a large piece of land with grass greener than any kind he had ever seen, a waterfall that was completely untouched by man and looked purified of germs, a giant temple that looked to be made from greek columns, another mountain that the waterfall came from, and some trees that looked more beautiful than any kind he had ever seen. Gabe then couldn't stay awake any longer, he then passed out. Red Hercules noticed this as he had been standing by him, he proceeded to grab him behind his collar and carry him inside the temple.

Gabe slowly began to open his eyes and wake up, he had been wearing no shirt, his pants were on, but no boots, he also had bandages on his shoulder that were stabbed. He proceeded to get up and wonder where he was, looking around. Gabe had been in a dark room most likely made of stone, there had been torches attached to the walls, along with greek writing. Gabe also noticed a hallway in front of him, he proceeded to walk down the hallway, eventually coming across 12 statues with 6 on either side of him. All the statues had been of people wearing different outfits with different names engraved on them. Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Hestina. Gabe also came across one statue that shocked him beyond the others as he read the name, it had been a statue of a tall muscular man with long white hair, a long white beard, a toga, the mount Olympus logo on the toga that was used to attach his toga together, and he also had a serious expression on his face that made him look like a true god. Gabe then said the name out loud. "Zeus...God of Thunder and Lightning...and Ruler of all Gods…"

As soon as Gabe saw Zeus's statue, he had been extremely shocked. "So!? The Gods were real!? Including Zeus!?" A voice answered. "That's correct." Gabe was startled by the voice, but as it turns out Red Hercules had been in there with him, he proceeded to walk up to Gabe and look at Zeus's statue with him. "But how? How were the Gods in this world real?! In fairy tales it says that most mythical deities can be seen when you die." Red Hercules looked at the statue with a smile. "Then your fairy tales were wrong." He said, making Gabe confused but surprised. "But how?" Red Hercules smiled. "I'll explain everything to you right now, just come with me." Red Hercules then went down a Hallway, to which Gabe followed. Eventually they made it to a room that looked to be a circle, it had columns around the room in a circle, the ceiling had been like the state capital with the ceiling that sort of went upward, it also had art of the greek gods battling against what looked to be red muscular demons. "Woah." Gabe said as he looked up. "Now you're probably wondering what that thing on the ceiling is, correct?" Gabe nodded. "Well, let me explain." Red Hercules and Gabe both sat down criss cross in front of each other. "I must warn you, this is quite a long tale. So be patient like I taught you." Gabe nodded, he thought he wouldn't drift off since he had been completely interested in this story. "Thousands of years ago, the West had been inhabited by 2 races. One of them was a peaceful race of humans like us, known as the Natives. The only thing different between us and Natives was that they had different skin colors and spoke different languages, but they were mostly the same as us." Gabe was confused, he never saw people like that before for his entire life. Red Hercules noticed he looked confused, so he simplified it. "Basically Natives were the first kinds of people like us in the West. Also keep in mind that they were a peaceful kind who hated the idea of fighting." Gabe understood that and nodded. "But, The Natives weren't the only ones who occupied the West. There had also been another race known as the Titans." Gabe was shocked from hearing that. "The Titans were like us, but, they had been much stronger and were born with the ability to move from human form to muscular form." Gabe had never heard of such a creature. "The Titans were not a peaceful race and thrived on conflict and battling. One Titan could easily take out an entire squad of the government's army today." That surprised Gabe, someone with that type of power would be unstoppable. "Because of this unstoppable power, the Titans decided to use it to take over the West and control all Natives." This scared Gabe. "They destroyed villages, slaughtered people who didn't fall in line, enslaved people and forced them to do back breaking labor, and because of their god-like power they could not be stopped." Gabe thought that there had been no hope for humanity in this story. "But, after years of being attacked. One village had not endured the Titans reign, that village had been below the mountain we just climbed." Gabe's jaw dropped. "So you're telling me that there was once a village below the mountain!?" Red Hercules nodded. "This village had one leader, a strong one, someone who risked his own life countlessly for the sake of his people, a truly great man with nothing but honor. This man's name was Zeus." Gabe's jaw dropped again. "So, Zeus was a normal guy before he became a god!?" Red Hercules nodded. "Zeus feared for his village and that the Titans would soon attack and humiliate them. So, Zeus decided that he would protect his village by any means necessary." Gabe kept listening intently. "He traveled throughout the land to find an answer, a way to defeat the titans, a way to gain power. Eventually, he came across this mountain and climbed it." Gabe was surprised that he was now walking in the footsteps of Zeus himself. "It is said that it was a glorious sight to see him be countlessly stabbed by icicles, falling from high distances and getting back up like it was nothing, like a god truly would." Red Hercules seemed to enjoy telling this part, as he did admire Zeus very much. "Finally, Zeus made it to the top and discovered something that could potentially change everything." Gabe wondered what it was. "A rare ancient liquid that has only ever been found twice in the world's history." Gabe was still waiting. "It is called Angel Blood." That confused Gabe. "What's so significant about Angel Blood? Also why is it called that?" Red Hercules explained. "The reason it is called Angel Blood is because it has only ever been found in high places in the world, like mountains, ancient towers, and other high places. Also it is the color red, so people assume it is the blood of those who are already dead, something powerful and holy." Gabe still had a question. "What about its importance?" Red Hercules explained. "What Zeus discovered from Angel Blood was that if it is consumed, then it will grant the user any Witchcraft power that they wish." This shocked Gabe. "So you're telling me that Angel Blood has like Witch magic in it!?" Red Hercules nodded. "No, it has completely different properties that are still unknown to this day. But what is known is that a single witchcraft ability can never measure up to one Angel Blood ability." Gabe was shocked by this. "What did Zeus do with the Angel Blood?" Red Hercules explained. "Once he discovered it, by the smell he could tell it wasn't poison. So, he decided to consume it because of it's strange nature. At the time, he had been thinking that if he ever could find a way to defeat the titans, then he would smite them with the power of lightning. Then, all of a sudden, Zeus had the power to command Lightning!" This shocked Gabe. "Zeus decided that this would be his way of defeating the Titans, that he would do as he intended to, Smite them down and free the Natives from their tyranny." Gabe was shocked. "He collected all the Angel Blood he could find and brought it down with him to the bottom of the mountain where his village was. From there, he decided the best way to find people he could entrust with god-like power is by using the people he trusted this most, his own family." It all started to make sense to Gabe now that he was hearing it. "From there, Zeus's siblings all gained Angel Blood powers and prepared to defend their village when the time came." Gabe got more and more invested as he heard the story. "It is said that Zeus himself trained in this very place thousands of years ago, becoming the strongest of his siblings in both physical strength and power control." Red Hercules explained more. "After a long time of preparing, the Titans finally found their village, and attacked." Gabe got excited to hear about the fight. "Zeus's family had successfully defended the Village from the titans, and with that, the family had been given a name because of the land's name at the time and because of their power and victory. They were given the name, The Greek Gods." It all started to make sense to Gabe. 'So that's where the name came from.' Red Hercules smiled as he saw Gabe liked the story. "Though this was a successful battle, the war had only begun. Gods Vs Titans." Gabe listened intently. "Many great battles ensued, Zeus was seen as a deity, it is said that he was one of if not the greatest leader that ever lived." Gabe thought of Zeus now not as a god, but a hero. "Finally, after a long war. Victory had been at the hands of the Gods." Gabe cheered, he then realized after hearing that story what was on the ceiling. "Oh I see, that art is supposed to be showing the war between the gods and the titans!" Red Hercules nodded. "Though the war was over, the story wasn't." Gabe was confused, so he kept listening. "Many years after the Battle, most of the gods died due to old age and had their children take over. Zeus on the other hand did not want to die, he ended up living to be 220." This made Gabe's jaw drop. "HOW DID HE EVEN DO THAT!?" Red Hercules looked serious. "Nobody knows to this day. Some say it was because of his intense training that nobody witnessed at Mount Olympus, others say it was because of the Angel Blood, some even believed he was a true immortal god. But nobody truly knew the answer." Gabe looked sad, because he knew what was coming next based on the way Red Hercules was telling the story. "Zeus had a child, you may know his name, Hercules." Gabe knew who Hercules was, the strong hero of Greece that must have battled monsters and protected Natives. "You may know him as a hero right?" Gabe nodded yes, very excited to hear more. "Well, he wasn't…" This shocked Gabe. "Zeus made Hercules the heir to Greece, but Hercules seemed to not possess his father's great judgement, excellent leadership skills, or anything amazing really." This began to disappoint Gabe a bit. "Before Zeus's death, he told Hercules that while he had been training many years ago at mount Olympus, he had a vision near the waterfall." Gabe was confused. "Like telling the future?" Red Hercules nodded. "Zeus said that though he didn't understand everything he saw at the time, he did see that after a long war with the titans, one survivor would remain and get revenge on Greece by attempting to kill Hercules." Gabe was excited now. "So Hercules trained and got ready for a badass fight with this titan? Becoming a true hero of all?" Red Hercules nodded no. 'What?' Gabe made a confused face. "In fact, Hercules outright called his father crazy and decided to ignore his warning, like the idiot that he was…" This made Gabe even more disappointed in Hercules. "Eventually, Zeus did pass on and Hercules ruled Greece, having the citizens make him out as a god…just for recognition..." Gabe was now outright angry at Hercules. "Eventually, the Titan did come into the city as Zeus foretold and killed Hercules." Gabe was now upset at the end of the story. "You must be sad, aren't you?" Gabe nodded with sadness. "Well, this story, believe it or not, does have a Happy ending." Gabe was surprised to hear that. "What the Titan didn't know was that Hercules had impregnated several Women in Greece that lived on and went to live on her own. Leaving descendants to the Gods." Gabe was confused. "But wait, weren't the people of Greece Natives? Where are they today?" Red Hercules didn't answer that question, he just looked at the floor below him with a depressed look in his eyes. "That's a story that I could never have all the strength in the world to tell a child like you…" Gabe was confused, but he didn't ask since it was clearly a difficult thing to talk about for Red Hercules. "Anyways, some people of the West have Native blood today, but because of what happened, it is very few." Gabe was still confused. "Those include the descendants of Hercules." Gabe was confused. "Why are you telling me this?" Gabe asked. "Because Gabe, I believe you are one of those Descendants of Hercules." This information made Gabe's jaw drop. "Wait a minute, how would you know that? Do you know my parents!?" Red Hercules nodded. "No, I do not." This disappointed Gabe. He never had parents, he even had the mindset that he believed he never had parents and he was just created out of nothing. "Well, how would you know I have the blood?" Red Hercules explained. "When we fought each other, you used that move of yours that you called Zeus Gauntlet." Gabe was confused. "So you think that I'm the descendant of Zeus because of the attack name?" Red Hercules nodded. "No, I believe that you are because of how you used that move in the first place." Gabe was confused. "I know that you used purified energy to make that attack, the Blue Terror must have taught you that since he is one of the best energy controllers that ever lived." Gabe nodded. "When you created that electrical static from the energy, I saw that you had full control of the electricity that you created, like you were manipulating it." Now that Red Hercules mentioned this, he began to realize that it took a shorter amount of time to create moves like the Zeus Gauntlet and the Lightning Shard then it took Mark to make them. "It is only a guess right now, so I will not make any big judgements." Gabe nodded as he understood. "If this is true though, then you have access to great power, and that is why I brought you here Gabriel." Red Hercules stood up and walked toward the entrance. "Come, we must go outside." Gabe followed Red Hercules outside, and to his surprise the heavenly place that he envisioned was actually real. "Gabriel, I want to welcome you to the place that Zeus became the god that he was known as, the place I trained to become as strong as I am today, and the birth of divine power. Mount Olympus." Gabe thought this land was beautiful, and that it is perfect to train in. "Well then Gabriel, let's get started."