Chapter 2: Plan

[3rd POV]

Kratos.

This name may not be globally famous, but Ares firmly believes that anyone who has spent time in the world of video games and anime would definitely know it.

If slaying a god could be considered the greatest feat a human could achieve, then Kratos has made such an achievement part of his daily routine. 

To him, killing a god is no different from eating, drinking, or fighting monsters.

Moreover, if Ares' memory served him correctly, among the Twelve Olympian Gods, he was the first to die at Kratos' hands…

'T-this is a disaster!'

Right now, Ares felt like his mind had just been struck by a massive lightning bolt like ten Zeus' were having a thunderstorm inside his head!

He thought he could rely on his knowledge of mythology from his past life and the intellect of a modern person to live a decent life on Mount Olympus when he realized he had traveled to another world.

But now, Prometheus, who could see the future, had just told him that not only was the Age of the Gods destined to end, but it would end because of that bald guy, Kratos.

Right now, Ares felt like a newborn baby who had just entered the world, only for the nurse to immediately inform him of his exact date and cause of death.

After hearing Prometheus' words, Ares knew one thing for sure his way of living in this world had to change. 

If he didn't want to end up dead at the hands of that terrifying, god-slayer bald, Ares had to come up with a plan to survive.

"Ares, I never thought I'd see that expression on your face." 

Seeing Ares' current reaction, Prometheus sighed, "I always thought that even if the God of War were to die in battle, he would never look like this."

"Hmph. A being that knows no fear has no future." 

Ares replied, releasing Prometheus from his grip.

"Don't worry, Prometheus. I won't tell this secret to anyone. From now on, if you ever need something, come find me. As long as it doesn't go against my principles, I'll help you once."

"So this is the kind of person you really are, Ares." 

After being let go, Prometheus straightened his clothes and gave Ares a long look, "It seems we've all misjudged you until now."

"But you won't tell anyone else this secret either, will you?" 

Ares smiled.

If Prometheus revealed what Ares was truly like now, then Ares could simply tell Zeus everything in return.

As the son of Zeus, Ares could easily make up a few lies to get himself out of trouble. 

But Prometheus? 

He would face the King of Gods' terrifying punishment for hiding such an important prophecy.

Prometheus was a wise god. He knew exactly how dangerous this situation was. That's why Ares wasn't worried about him talking.

The two shared a knowing look for a few seconds before Prometheus broke into a smile.

 Then, both of them burst into laughter. Ares patted Prometheus on the shoulder and personally walked him out of his temple.

However, the moment he turned back and stepped inside, his expression darkened instantly.

Olympus was newly established, which should have been the peak of his glory as the God of War. But Kratos… Kratos was like a massive, crushing mountain pressing down on his shoulders.

"I never thought that even after transmigrating to another world, I still have to fight desperately just to stay alive."

After letting out a weary sigh, Ares quickly tapped into the greatest strength from his past life as an overworked corporate slave. 

He pushed aside his frustration and focused on what mattered—staying alive.

First, he needed to figure out exactly what kind of world this was. 

'Was this a world based purely on Greek mythology?'

'Was this actually the past version of his old world?'

'Or was it truly the Type-Moon universe, where even extraterrestrial entity existed?'

Although there was a formidable extraterrestrial enemy known as the "Velber," Ares recalled that the Greek gods in that world were supposed to be more like "Cybertronians."

However, Ares had a physical body and divine strength, which didn't match his memories. 

That meant he had to figure out exactly which world he was in.

Second, he needed to solidify his position as the God of War without drawing too much attention, especially from Zeus.

Third, this mysterious pendant had traveled with him to this world. If this object was truly the reason behind his transmigration, then understanding it could provide him with a means to escape from this world completely.

Among these three major objectives, Ares decided to focus on the third one first.

He needed a way to escape from this world than anything from this world. 

As for the God of War title? 

Whoever wants it can have it! After all, once that bald menace appeared, this position would have to be handed over to him sooner or later anyway.

Of course, Ares was self-aware enough to know that analyzing the black pendant was far beyond his capabilities as a god of war. 

However, on Mount Olympus, there was one god who might be able to analyze it.

Hephaestus, the God of Fire and Smiths, was the eldest son of Zeus and Hera. 

He was the firstborn of the King and Queen of the Gods, but Hera threw him off Mount Olympus without hesitation because he was born weak and sick.

Fortunately, Hephaestus was lucky and was rescued and raised by Thetis, Goddess of Sea. 

This same Thetis would one day become the mother of Achilles, the legendary Greek hero.

Out of gratitude for the goddess who raised him, Hephaestus later crafted numerous powerful and exquisite weapons for Achilles and equipped him with equipment.

Due to this history, Hephaestus has always been estranged from his parents, Zeus and Hera.

They never cared about their abandoned son until they realized he had a special talent for crafting the most powerful weapons.

When Zeus needed a way to defeat his father, Kronos, he suddenly remembered his abandoned son. Then, Zeus and Hera invited Hephaestus back to Olympus, giving him a place as one of the main gods.

Later, Hephaestus helped forge three legendary weapons, one each for Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, to defeat Kronos.

But deep down, he probably still held a grudge. After all, Zeus wasn't much better than Kronos when it came to treating family.

As for his relationship with his biological brother, Ares… well, it was complicated.

This was precisely why Ares hesitated before heading to Hephaestus'.

He wasn't sure how this would go.

To be continued...