May 24, 2014

An hour after my confusing trip through magic land, I was piloting a quinjet towards Greece, diving through the clouds. Piloting had become a pretty fun way to pass the time. I was a bit distracted by my friends though. Namely, by Bucky and Steve sharing stories with Jen. Steve and I were in the same costumes we’d worn to the Jon Stewart interview. Jen was wearing her purple and white muscle shirt and a pair of jeans. Bucky wore his full armor, at least three guns, and a knife at his hip.

Once we had gotten through some turbulence, I turned on the autopilot and turned around to hear the next part.

“He’s standing there, getting his butt kicked by a kid five times his size, and he just won’t stop getting up,” Bucky said with a grin at Steve. “I swear, by the time I got there, the kid was going to give up purely because his knuckles were giving out.”

“Hey, that means I was winning,” Steve pointed out with a grin.

“Yeah, if you call getting your nose broken ‘winning’,” Bucky scoffed.

“Wait, the guy broke your nose?” I asked, looked behind me.

Steve shrugged. “Only a little.”

“Knucklehead,” Bucky punched Steve on the shoulder. “I had to lay the kid out because Steve didn’t have enough sense to come find me for help. You always were too dumb to run away from a fight.”

“Aw, but that’s his best feature,” Jen teased.

Bucky laughed. “Damn it, I miss when I was the one girls chased after.”

“You clearly haven’t been reading fanfics based on you,” I said.

“The hell is a fanfic?” Bucky asked, blinking.

“Exactly what it sounds like, fiction fans write. Although yours have you dating Steve a lot.”

“Ooooo,” Jen said, intrigued.

Steve and Bucky blinked. Then they looked at each other. I swear, they just about turned as green as Jen, backing away from each other.

“Oh no, you killed their romance,” Jen grinned at me.

“Nah, you can’t kill what’s eternal,” I said with a smirk.

“I’m going to punch you,” Bucky growled, though he chuckled right after.

“What is with people worrying about my love life?” Steve mumbled.

“I don’t know, but it makes you very easy to make fun of,” I chuckled. “You know, I forgot to ask, how was your walk through the neighborhood? You guys see any familiar haunts?”

Bucky shook his head. “Not really. I mean, we didn’t visit everyone but… The city has changed. A lot more than I expected. Even when HYDRA sent me on missions there, I don’t remember the place being so different.”

Steve nodded. “I was the same way when I first showed up. I remember the first time I saw Times Square after waking up. I felt like my brain was going to explode.”

“I know how you feel. Actually, maybe all of us do,” I said, looking around. “All four of us have had our world rocked a couple of times, huh?”

“More than a couple in my case,” Bucky said. Something dark crossed his face before he could stop it. “Hopefully there’s a lot less of that these days.”

“Agreed. For now, where am I landing this thing?” I said as we came towards Greece.

The skies were clear, the sun shining down on one of the most beautiful areas on Earth. No wonder Greece was a place where so many myths had been birthed. Just looking at the place made me think of those stories.

The water was crystal blue, changing shades as it came up to the coast. The sun glittered onto white and blue rooftops, and people in canoes were placidly fishing. There were tourists with cameras haggling with natives, a couple on a balcony that stared up at us as we sped by. The Quinjet was quieter than most models, so we didn’t cause a ruckus, but I’d chosen to forgo the cloaking mode. They knew we were coming after all.

“On the coast, here,” Steve brought up a map on the screen of my dashboard.

“So who is this guy?” Jen asked me curiously.

“No idea,” I looked at Steve. “All they said was that he was an ancient Greek deity, their version of Thor, right?”

“That was all they gave me,” Steve agreed. “They’re requesting we make him the Greek representative on the Avengers.”

“Hopefully he’s not an asshole,” Jen mumbled. “I swear, if he’s Zeus, I’m going to throw a fit.”

Yeah. Zeus kinda had a reputation as being an all-around terrible dude. Better than the alternatives, sure. But still an asshole in his own right.

“I’m betting on Hercules,” I worked the controls and looked over at the others. “He’s the archetypal superhero after all.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Steve said casually. At our destination, I could see a small encampment near the beach, far from any civilians. There were obstacle courses set up around the place, a big field that looked like it had been blown up about a thousand times, and a small airport.

I turned on our comms and let Steve talk. “Areopagus Base, this is Captain Steve Rogers.”

“Roger Captain, this is Areopagus traffic control. We've been tracking your flight. We have a landing pad prepared for you.”

“Thank you very much, we’ll see you on the ground,” Steve cut off the transmission.

I guided the Quinjet down, slowly coming towards the airport, where I was guided in. Steve and Bucky got up and moved towards the back. Jen looked at them to make sure they were far enough, then leaned over to whisper.

“Seriously, is it going to be Hercules?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered back. “But Nat said she knows who it is, and I’m supposed to ask him about, ya know. The thing.”

“She didn’t tell you?” Jen looked at me incredulously. “Why not?”

“Because my mentor is an evil woman who likes pranking me,” I said with a sigh. “We’ll see if I even ask him.”

------

Once we got the quinjet situated, a general came out to meet us with a contingent of soldiers. She was tall and well built, with blonde hair tucked under her hat.

“Captain America, Nomad, She-Hulk, Dial,” she said to each of us in turn. “I’m General Sophia Gekas, of the Hellenic Armed Forces. I’ve been told to escort you to our asset.”

She had a very severe look about her, and a small scar on her right cheek.

Steve saluted her, getting one in return. “I appreciate it. What can you tell me about him?”

“He’s a soldier,” General Gekas turned and strode quickly away. Steve followed while Jen and I rushed to follow, Bucky looking around with hard eyes. Interestingly, she was headed for the fields instead, where I could hear gunshots going off. “No. He’s the soldier. You’ll understand.”

“That’s really all you can tell us?” Bucky asked with a look at her. I noticed he was keeping just slightly behind, watching our backs for any sudden attacks. The consummate soldier to the end. “Not even a name?”

“He wanted to make introductions himself,” the gunshots were getting louder. We could hear screaming in the distance.

“Should I be worried about that?” Steve asked as an explosion went off, none of the soldiers around us reacting to it.

“Yeah, cause I’m starting to wonder if I should be smashing something,” Jen added casually. One of the soldiers was staring at her ass. He looked over at me. When he realized I’d caught him, he coughed and nervously looked away from me. Bucky chuckled.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” the General looked up at Jen. “The asset has been a boon to us. But the property damage he causes is enough on its own.”

“Shouldn’t have invited four Avengers then,” I whispered to Bucky, who grinned.

We walked to the top of a hill overlooking the training fields I’d noticed earlier. Then, we saw them running around. A group of soldiers, all-around eighteen to twenty-five, leaping over obstacles, helping each other along, while screaming. I couldn’t blame them, because a maniac was shooting at them.

“Oh god, no,” I whispered, realizing I knew exactly who we were here to see.

“What?” Jen asked me.

“Run you maggots!” he called out, carrying a minigun in one hand that was currently unleashing lead onto the poor recruits. “Run until you die, then keep on running! Move!”

One of the recruits, tears falling down his face, screamed in agony while running past us, completely ignoring our group in favor of escaping the bullets hitting the ground around him.

“Is he insane!?” Steve shouted, reaching for his shield. Bucky stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“No, look. He’s avoiding hitting anyone.”

“With a minigun!?” Jen yelled.

“Yeah,” I sighed, patting Steve on the back. “His aim is just that good.”

“Oh?” the man of the hour noticed us. He reached for a cooler at his side and pulled out a beer, opening it with one hand. He chugged it in a single gulp, then tossed the can onto a pile of other ones. He kept on shooting his minigun casually as he walked over to us, finally stopping when he’d gotten close.

“All right, maggots! Take a break!”

“Oh thank god!” one female recruit screamed, falling to her knees in tears. She laid on her side and went immediately into the fetal position.

“Now that’s adorable,” the man said, looking over the screaming and crying recruits. “They really think I’m not going to go twice as hard on them after this.”

“Are you a lunatic?” Jen asked blankly.

The man grinned at her, then looked across the group. I took a good look at him. He was as tall as Thor. He looked like he was wearing Greco-Roman armor designed by a heavy metal fan, all black and silver, with a Punisher-esque skull painted on the chest. He took off his helmet, one of those epic mohawk ones right out of 300, and revealed an older man with blue eyes, a cleanly cut beard, and long hair that fell as he met Steve’s eyes.

He was also a dead ringer for Mark William Calaway. Known by his wrestling name as the Undertaker. Which meant he was up there with some of the most intimidating men I’d ever seen, with the same icy gaze and rough-hewn features. On top of what I already knew about him, I was really wary about all this.

“Captain Steven Grant Rogers. The son of Sarah and Joseph Rogers. I have long been a fan of your work,” he said respectfully. “I am Ares. The God of War. I believe we should speak.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” I mumbled to myself.

------

Mahmoud Schahed/Dial

We were soon sitting in a tent around a table. Well, Steve and I were sitting. Jen and Bucky had taken positions along the wall across from General Gekas and Ares.

Ares. Wow.

Okay, so. The God of War was a complicated subject. For many reasons. First, the Marvel one was different from most versions, but there was a lot to unpack about his presence. I remembered him as a former villain, often dueling with Hercules before he decided to calm down after realizing his life of beating the shit out of anyone who looked at him funny led to nothing but getting hated. So he gave up his position as God of War and became a carpenter. Then had a son. From there, he became an Avenger during the Civil War garbage, then a Dark Avenger, then died at some point?

Whatever the case, that Ares’ story wasn’t necessarily the story of the guy in front of me. I had to keep my mind open. But one thing for sure. He was powerful. Insanely so. And a damn good fighter. He may not have been the strategist that his sister Athena was, but he had the skill to back up his place among the Olympians.

“As I said earlier,” Ares said, his helmet resting on the table. “I am the God of War.”

“And a whole bunch of other stuff,” I noted. Steve looked at me. I nodded to him, and he nodded back. With his approval, I leaned in. “Ares, I’m going to be honest. You have a reputation in mythology. A good and bad one.”

He stared at me with those ice-blue eyes. General Gekas leaned forward as well.

“I know what you’re talking about, Dial. But Ares has proven himself to the people of Greece,” she said stoically, though there was an earnestness to her tone. “When he appeared to offer his services… we were skeptical. As you said, he has a reputation. In our nation, more than most, the name of Ares has often been cursed.”

She looked at him. “But he is a good man. He has fought for us, trained our men-”

“Is that what you call it? Because he looked like he was trying to kill them,” Jen snarked.

“He would never hurt our men without reason,” the General snapped.

“Jen,” I said, looking up at her. “I know how that looked. But Ares is the literal Greek God of War. He’s got mastery of ALL weapons. Right?”

Ares looked between me and General Gekas. For some reason, he seemed befuddled. But he finally nodded. “Yes. And my training methods will not be questioned,” he looked between us. “I have worked our men and women to the bone, all to keep them alive.”

“He’s right,” General Gekas added. “Since he took over training, our success rate for missions has skyrocketed. People we would have considered washing out have become loyal and good soldiers. He’s a miracle worker.”

“Well, he is a god,” Bucky noted.

I sighed in annoyance at that.

“That’s a good point, actually,” Steve looked at the Omnitrix. It shone a bright green. “You aren’t an alien as well, like Thor is?”

“Not at all,” Ares leaned back. “Olympians are a more conceptual existence. We have no DNA, for one.”

“Wait, didn’t your dad… you know, sleep with half of Greece and have a bunch of kids?” Jen asked.

Ares’ face darkened. “Yes. We can have children with mortals. But that is due to the spiritual nature the act of intercourse has on our powers.”

“Still makes Zeus an asshole for raping women and forcing them to have his kids,” I scoffed. Thunder rolled in the distance. Everyone looked around. I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, I’m not taking that back. You’re an asshole.”

Ares grinned. “Heh. I knew I liked you.”

“Let’s get back on topic,” Steve chided me gently.

“Yeah. Well, I imagine you know what we’re looking for in Avengers,” I told Ares. “Men and women who want to help protect the world. That’s going to require a certain amount of moral fiber. As in, not about to turn on us because someone comes along with a better deal.”

“Agreed,” Ares said.

“We also need to know you’ve got the skills to back up your claims that you’re Ares.”

“You believe I’m lying?” Ares asked.

“You could be,” I leaned back. “I mean, you put on armor and have a bit of super strength, who could say otherwise, right?”

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. “It is simple enough to prove. After all, you are all soldiers.”

“Uh, no we aren’t,” Jen said. “Me and Mahmoud aren’t, at least.”

“Of course you are, Jennifer Walters,” Ares smirked at her. “I need not explain to the Captain and Nomad that they are soldiers. Their battles through World War 2 are known to many. But you recently went through a fight of your own, didn’t you? Do you mean to tell me that, in those moments, you did not feel as though you were at war?”

Jen bit her lip.

“And you, Dial. You fought your own war recently. Fighting for freedom against an opponent who had enslaved you, coming from your weakest moment to savage your enemies,” Ares said with no small amount of glee.

“...How do you know about that?” Steve asked. “That’s classified.”

“He’s Ares,” I said, glaring at him.

“Indeed, I am. But what use are words!?” Ares rose to his feet, moving slowly and deliberately. “I tire of them. I am a man of deeds, of action! If I must prove myself, I would have it done on the battlefield!”

He placed his helmet on and smiled. “The General and I know of a monster that has been ravaging the coast near here.”

“A monster?” Steve asked, rising to his feet. “Has it attacked anyone?”

“It has,” General Gekas said. “It’s been killing livestock and villagers that get near it. We traced it to a swamp nearby. Ares was going to attack it once we discovered it’s location.”

“And I invite you along,” Ares waved at us. “I have found that battle is the best way for soldiers to know one another.”

“I don’t care about that,” Steve said honestly. “General, if your people are under attack, that’s our priority.”

“And I commend you for that,” General Gekas said firmly.

“As do I,” Ares grinned a little wider. “This should be fun! I understand you all have experience fighting this enemy. One my nation has not had to contend with in centuries.”

Jen, Bucky, Steve, and I shared a look with each other, confused. When had we fought a Greek monster-

“Oh, don’t tell me,” Bucky groaned.

“It’s a-” Jen began to say.

“Yes,” Ares moved over to a crate, opening it up and pulling out a sword as long as a table and wide as a dinner plate, hefting it and looking over us. Under his helmet, those blue eyes seemed to burn with power.

“Let’s go kill a hydra.”