Chapter 11: Gods Of Thunder

Raiden groaned, rolling over and shielding his eyes from the piercing sunlight streaming into the hall. His head throbbed, and he could still taste the remnants of mead on his tongue. Beside him, Zohar lay sprawled out, his hand over his face, while Kaito was half-hanging off the edge of the bench they had collapsed onto the night before.

The loud, boisterous laughter of warriors echoed through Odin's Hall. Several Einherjar walked past, chuckling as they saw the three of them in their hungover state. One of them clapped Raiden on the shoulder, nearly knocking him back down onto the floor.

"Rough night, eh?" one of the warriors joked, his voice way too loud for Raiden's splitting headache.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Kaito muttered from his precarious perch, blinking his tired eyes open. He groaned, lifting himself off the bench.

Zohar sat up next, rubbing his temples. "That was... definitely too much mead."

Just as they were beginning to gather themselves, they felt a massive nudge, almost like a small earthquake. A booming laugh followed. "Wake up, lads. You're late again!"

Raiden, Kaito, and Zohar blinked up, still groggy, to see none other than Thor standing over them, grinning like he was enjoying their misery a little too much. The god of thunder, tall and broad with flowing red hair and a braided beard, towered over them, a massive hammer strapped to his back.

"Late... again?" Raiden muttered, his voice hoarse.

Thor nodded, a smirk on his face. "Aye, late for your training with Zeus. You were supposed to be in Olympus already."

Zohar groaned, his head falling back. "Great. Just what we need, more lectures about being late."

Thor let out a hearty laugh. "Well, you've got two choices: either I throw you there myself with Mjolnir, or you get up on your own and make it to Olympus before Zeus blasts you with a bolt for making him wait."

The three boys looked at each other, clearly not eager for either of those options.

"Alright, alright, we're up," Raiden muttered, slowly rising to his feet.

"Good choice," Thor said, patting him on the back hard enough to nearly knock the wind out of him. "Zeus doesn't take kindly to tardiness."

Kaito rubbed his eyes and stretched. "I'm starting to think these gods just love messing with us. First Odin, now Zeus..."

"You'll get used to it," Thor said, still grinning. "Now hurry up, boys. The realm of Olympus awaits."

With Thor's booming laugh echoing behind them, the three friends stumbled their way out of Odin's Hall. Their heads still pounded, but they knew better than to keep Zeus waiting any longer than they already had. As they left the hall, the cool morning air hit them like a slap in the face, and they realized how sore they still were from yesterday's training.

"Why is it always us that's late?" Kaito grumbled.

"Probably because we drank our body weight in ale," Zohar replied, shaking his head.

Raiden, his own head still swimming, chuckled lightly. "We'll just have to hope Zeus isn't as mad as Odin was yesterday."

The three of them trudged forward, heading toward the portal that would take them to Olympus. As they walked, they tried to shake off the lingering effects of their hangover. They knew that what awaited them in Olympus was far more intense than what they had experienced in Asgard. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

As they stumbled their way out of Odin's Hall, the boys saw their angel chaperone pacing frantically near the portal. His wings fluttered anxiously, and his eyes darted between the sky and the portal, as if waiting for a disaster to unfold.

"Finally!" the angel blurted, rushing toward them. "You're late! Do you know how long Zeus has been waiting? This is bad—very bad. You have no idea what he's like when kept waiting!"

Kaito winced, holding his stomach. "We're already feeling terrible. You don't need to make it worse."

The angel grabbed them by their shoulders, clearly ignoring Kaito's complaint. "We have no time for this. If we don't get there immediately, Zeus will personally ensure your training is... less than pleasant."

Raiden exchanged an uneasy glance with Zohar. "We'll try to keep up."

But the angel shook his head, eyes wide. "No, you're too slow. You'll never make it in time!"

Before they could ask what he meant, the angel pulled a length of rope from his satchel and began tying their hands together around his waist.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Zohar asked, trying to pull his hand free.

"Just hang tight!" the angel snapped, continuing his frantic knot-tying.

The three boys looked at each other, utterly confused, as the angel finished securing them to him. Then, without warning, his wings shot out wide, and he leapt into the air. Before they could react, they were yanked upward by the force of his wings beating against the wind, their feet lifting off the ground as the angel soared into the sky.

The boys felt a sudden rush of nausea as they were pulled through the air, their bodies swaying in the wind. The world around them blurred for a moment as they ascended rapidly, the clouds parting above them.

"I didn't sign up for this!" Kaito yelled, his voice barely audible over the wind.

But before they could protest further, the view around them began to shift, and all three fell silent as they beheld the incredible scenery on their way to Olympus.

The skies above Asgard stretched out before them, endless and blue, with clusters of thick white clouds floating peacefully. Below, the golden plains of Valhalla shimmered like fields of light, and the great halls of the gods stood proud and imposing against the landscape. As they rose higher, they passed floating islands suspended in the air, each one dotted with towering trees and glistening waterfalls that spilled down into nothingness. The air felt lighter up here, the atmosphere almost divine.

The further they flew, the more they began to see the shifting boundaries of the heavens. To their left, they caught glimpses of what could only be the celestial seas of Poseidon's domain—vast, swirling oceans that sparkled under the sunlight, their waters moving in perfect harmony, despite their height in the sky. Every now and then, massive sea creatures could be seen breaching the surface, their forms enormous and majestic against the rolling waves.

To their right, dark clouds hovered ominously over another realm. Jagged peaks and swirling storms dominated the landscape below, their lightning flashes dancing across the horizon. This, they realized, must be the edge of Hades' underworld, where shadows twisted and tormented the souls trapped within.

As they flew even higher, they entered a realm where stars dotted the skies in broad daylight. The constellations hung low, almost close enough to touch, and the air itself shimmered with cosmic energy. It was as if the heavens themselves were breathing with life, and they felt an overwhelming sense of awe in the presence of so many divine forces.

"This is insane!" Zohar shouted, his eyes wide as he stared down at the floating islands beneath them.

Kaito, still trying to keep his stomach in check, groaned. "Can't...look...down."

But Raiden, despite the sick feeling gnawing at his gut, couldn't tear his eyes away from the incredible display around them. "It's beautiful," he muttered, his voice filled with awe. "I've never seen anything like it."

Suddenly, their angel chaperone banked hard to the left, and the three of them lurched sideways, still bound to him by the rope. They soared through the final layer of clouds, and in the distance, a colossal mountain came into view.

Olympus.