“Huh.” I sat back and thought about that. “You’re probably going to do something about that, I’d wager.”

“Sama told me once that a God of Strength is meant to be a champion, and a champion is meant to defeat all his foes. I faced one mere Elder of the Universe, and could not win on my own. While I did not lose, I was shown once again that Strength was not enough, and it is the ability to use that Strength with power, purpose, and skill which separates true champions from those below them.” He crossed his arms as he huffed. “The Elder is no god, but he has done much, and has earned his name of the Champion of the Universe. It was obvious to any true warrior that his skills are vast, and he has forgotten more about fighting than I have learned... to his cost, or I would not have forced a draw with him.”

“I got a basic Assay through on him.” Hercules glanced at me tellingly, and I brought it up for him. Before he asked, I put his up next to it. He regarded it for a long minute, and exhaled long and slowly.

“Only a 25...” he murmured, shaking his head.

“Legendary Techniques are no joke. I’m assuming he can be or was higher Level at some point, but he hasn’t been able to find worthwhile opponents using melee skills and has fallen somewhat. His method of seeking out challengers actually doesn’t find them,” I pointed out.

“Aye, he is not one to actually challenge things he cannot best, pushing himself to the next level, even if he was to lose. His is the attitude of a Master, refining his ultimate skills, not that of the young, who seek to become more.”

“Did you see enough to become 21?” I asked hopefully.

His smile was thin and hard. “I could have taken that step some time ago.”

I blinked at him, looked away, and thought that over from many angles. “Your father would take it as a threat...” I murmured.

“As would my uncles, and my half-siblings. It is also why I have not advanced my, ah, Outsider Levels. Only Zeus, my uncles, and Hera are allowed to have their Divine basis above Twenty, and even my taking that to Twenty would be seen as a direct challenge to my half-siblings for influence and power. A demigod is also only allowed to advance his skills to Twenty, and a lesser god above that only in their area of expertise.”

“So Ares actually IS a better fighter than you...”

“Yes... with everything but his empty hands.” Hercules curled a mighty fist. “But he is not as strong as I. He is a soldier, a general, and a master of teaching men to fight, but he is not a true champion. Give him any weapon, and he is deadly with it. Give him any who would fight, and he can make soldiers out of them, and then an army out of them, and lead them to conquer.

“He was on the Colosseum, as you know. But he did not go there to fight, he was there to watch.”

“That was some not-an-army the Elder had,” I agreed, “and I’m sure he realized it was actually ten to a hundred times bigger than it seemed.”

Champions might not assemble armies, but they had unique abilities to attract hordes of followers based on their exploits. Tryco Slatterus’ age and influence meant any call he sent out was going to be intergalactic in scope, and he’d get a massive army of combat fanatics ready to show the might of his teachings to his enemies, were any to dare his wrath in such a manner.

“Aye. If Champion’s voice raised the call, the martial enthusiasts from uncounted worlds would rise up to answer him. Among them would be brilliant strategists and generals. He need not even prove any competency in that area, although I doubt he is lacking if he turns his mind to such things.”

“His Brother Elders would likely chip in to help, as well,” I deduced.

“Aye, and the cunning among those is also something of legend.” He shook his head. “It has been millennia since I led normal men in battle, and I am no longer fit to do so, the times have changed so greatly. I can be a Champion, and encourage them to train themselves, aye, but the cunning of the battlemaster is not mine.”

“Aye, things change, but you’ve done a better job adapting than your dad has.” I held up my hand abruptly. “See that pink in the air?”

His eyes switched from looking at the people with idle interest, and he saw it instantly. “One of your little tricks?”

“Yes. ,” I /Sent off, and his purple mohawk halfway across the room jerked around abruptly.

“What did that particular surprise do?”

“The leather of the Consort’s Hoverchair was treated with an organic compound that becomes a virulent flesh-eating oil when activated by a third agent. Someone seems to have released the activation agent a bit early, making sure it is dispersed when the Consort finally arrives.

“We had our own reactant in the air, and now they will follow this back to the emission source, which seems to have come through that doorway over there. They’ll review some surveillance records, do some Aural scans, and see who they come up with.

“It should have started up less than a minute ago.”

There were Imperial Guards in their colorful outfits moving here and there, but most of it was being done out of sight in the surrounding corridors and through the air circulation system.

There was a sweep of light, and a gust of air sped past us all, briefly charged with ozone as the contaminant was identified and cleansed, and added to the list of stuff the sensors should watch for.

“Their dynastic successions are nearly as entertaining as that of my father,” Hercules mused.

“One of the great, great problems of dealing with the long of life is learning to step aside so the kids get their time. It is particularly hard to do for gods.”

“How is it normally dealt with?” Hercules had to ask.

“The kids have to leave and set up their own kingdom. Yet, somehow, inevitably, the old realm wants to absorb the new one, cites seniority, and/or considers them a threat... and then things happen.”

He grimaced despite himself. “Unless they maintain an iron grip over their descendants,” he pointed out.

“Yes.”

“Sama suggested I come to you for some help with a certain matter,” he said, not looking at me.

“`Hercules, you are hereby ordered to do thus and so, and so is she?’” I paraphrased.

“Yes, well, it seems you know Sama rather well,” he half-coughed.

“What’s she want from me?” I had to ask.

“She would like you to help me work on my lightning resistance.”

Oh, wasn’t that a loaded statement. “Oh, just making sure Thor can’t run rampant over you, aye?” I said lightly.

“Yes, Thor. That is certainly the reason. I would have made the request of him, but that might have started an inter-pantheon war.”

I could imagine that. “A storm god wielding the power of called lightning would be quite obvious to any other storm god. A human tossing about electrified plasma, not so much.”

“Can you actually emulate a Divine thunderbolt?” he had to ask.

“Yes.” Sama sent him here, no reason to deny it.

Now he gave me a keen look. “That’s not something a mere alchemist can do,” he said softly.

“Well, an alchemist is not all I am,” I admitted quietly. “If that were not obvious.”

“It is still a lofty claim,” he pointed out.

“Oh, I’m not saying I can imitate the full and utter power of your father. He’s got the equivalent of XV Valences and Legendary Casting on his side, and Hephaestus forging the damn things. But I don’t have to waste a small country or a city. I just have to enable you to resist the power that would be centered on you. That, I can do.”

“Ah!” He was enlightened. “How, if I may ask?”

“I have a base Caster Level of 50.”

His eyes slowly grew quite wide, and then he closed them shut so as not to reveal anything. “That... is about my father’s level with his Thunderbolts,” he admitted slowly.

“I can reach over 70 with Shards.”

He really wanted to jerk his head around to stare at me, but prevented himself from doing so, instead taking a calming breath. “By Olympus!” still escaped his clenched teeth.

“Sama wanted you to come to me because I can easily empower my lightning with Divine, Primal, and Cosmic energies at this point.” I held up a hand, and let silvery-golden electricity dance about it. “Can you feel them?” I asked him.

He stared at the electricity, swore, and to my thundering lack of surprise, the equivalent of a golden helm dropped across his face for a moment as his Mask of Clarity manifested. He only looked at it for a moment before the Mask evaporated and his eyes moved elsewhere.

“Yes.”

“I do not know if Cosmic is important, but she sent you to me, and not to Dealer. Dealer can manifest Divine and Primal, but she does not have a Nova Core.”

A hard smile crossed his face as he glanced at the Xandarans only a few steps away, who were completely unaware that Jewel also held a Core. “If I am correct, Dealer has a more stay-at-home schedule than you do for the foreseeable future?” he asked calmly.

“That is true, although after this she has to go to Asgard and cook a feast for Odin.”

“It has been a long time since an Olympian graced the Halls of the All-Father. Perhaps I shall invite myself along,” the God of Strength mused.

“Make sure your arm-wrestling contest with Thor doesn’t destroy his father’s hall. He might get peeved. And be prepared for the insults. The Aesir love to see how a man defends his pride and honor as a warrior.”

“Such things I am also familiar with.” His smile indicated it would not be a problem.

“Good enough, then. Have you plans for your uncles? I understand neither bears you much goodwill.”

“Uncle Hades is grim and somber, but his children... “He could only sigh. “As for Uncle Poseidon, well, again, his sons have attitudes, and many an Atlantean has as well...”

“Family is a pisser. Do you have things in place to safeguard against the power of the oceans, and thanoptic death magic?”

He paused thoughtfully. “No.”

“Definitely have to work on that. Can’t think where it might be useful...”

“The Mountain has proven to be extraordinarily adept at water combat these last couple of years, and I hear The Rock has improved markedly, too...”

“An amazing coincidence!”

“And Dealer has been fighting vampires and necromancers, and displayed an absolutely extraordinary resistance to dark magic.”

“Also an amazing coincidence!”

“What will it take?”

“Can you procure worked adamant, or a final product of Hephaestus’ forge?”

“Openly? No. Under the table? I get along with Heph better than any other of my siblings.”

“Well, then...”