Fallen Gods

  FALLEN GODS

  By Nick S. Thomas

  Copyright © 2019 by Nick S. Thomas

  Published by Swordworks Books

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Prologue

  Zeus, the allfather, the chief of the gods. The king of all gods and men, a single ruler once loved and worshipped by all. But the golden age of his rule is coming to an end. Centuries of tyrannical rule have turned many against the once all-powerful god. Rebels now fight to overthrow him and seize the sacred crown from his head. Thanatos, the lesser God of Death, leads them.

  A war that started in Olympus is soon to spread across Earth, where humans will become embroiled in a war of gods and demi-gods. Sides must be chosen, for the gods are about to fall.

  Chapter 1

  The vast bronze gates of Olympus creaked as they were driven open by a single figure. Thanatos. His gleaming muscled cuirass was stained with the blood of those he had killed. Just his angry eyes and gritted teeth were visible through the gaps in his Corinthian helmet. A tall white plume stretching up half a meter over his head shone as if it was electrified and lit, except where it too was also now soiled with blood. He was panting from the exertion but looked focused and ready to fulfill his mission. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, but physical appearance gave little indicator as to the age of the gods. He was fit and strong, a striking figure of the perfect athlete. In his hand he carried a glistening spear, and on his shoulder was slung a mighty shield.

  “Father, this ends today. Your rule over these lands is over!”

  Thanatos roared out from the gateway as he looked out across the courtyard and up to the grand stone structure of Olympus. A palace and paradise the likes of which could not be rivaled. The sheer rock edge rose up ahead of where he stood, to cascading columns and towers, and Thanatos’ ultimate target, the Pantheon, the meeting hall of the gods. His voice carried far and wide. Standing before it was the Allfather, Zeus. The god he had worshipped and followed since the beginning of his time. A god he once admired as the most incredible being to have ever lived. Those days were long in the past. He seemed to finally be in reach now, and yet was still so far away, towering a hundred meters above him. Thanatos knew how hard a fight lay between them, but he’d been waiting for this day for what felt like an age.

  Like Thanatos, Zeus never aged like mortal beings, but perpetually remained as he appeared now. Gray haired and bearded, yet youthful in body, his muscular and strong frame far greater than Thanatos and most of the inhabitants of Olympus.

  “There he is. You see, Thana, how close we are now?” Hades rushed through the gateway to his side, “Just a little further, and we can take the skies from him!”

  He spoke with bitterness and resentment of his brother, who he looked like a youthful and dark-haired version of. A striking and powerful figure, but still pale compared to the Allfather. The one most had worshipped and followed for as long as they could remember. He wore no helmet, as if he had no care in a world, or at least no fear of harm. Though Thanatos could see why; he was breathing heavily as his helmet stifled him. He lifted it from his head and cast it aside. It was all or nothing now. He’d waited and worked his entire life for this moment. Life and death, something few of them every considered, for few things could hurt a god, but another god.

  A light breeze swept over them, for it was perpetually temperate and calm in the paradise of Olympus. Perfect blue skies overhead appeared as though they were painted on, with just the slightest wisp of clouds that didn’t even move in the sky. Thanatos took in a deep breath of air as he calmed his breathing. He had some idea of the mammoth task that lay ahead of them. The sun was shining, but it was mild. The perfect conditions for what was always the perfect place. Thanatos couldn’t help but feel shame for spilling blood in Olympus, and yet there was no turning back now.

  “Look at him, the arrogant old man,” spat Hades.

  Thanatos hated him, but he still couldn’t bear to hear such hollow insults leveled at the father he once admired and adored.

  “Remember, remember what he has done to us,” added Hades.

  He didn’t need to be reminded.

  “Put an end to this. Step down, and relinquish your power!” Thanatos yelled up to the mightiest of the gods.

  More of their army were pouring in through the gates as they awaited an answer. Zeus took a deep breath. There was a scornful and bitter look in his eyes.

  “I will relinquish nothing!”

  His thunderous voice echoed far and wide as he lifted the Aegis, his mighty shield adorned with the head of a gorgon, “Nothing!” Zeus roared once more.

  He shook the shield violently, and black clouds closed quickly over the sky. Finally, he knelt forward and smashed the shield edge into the ground. Sparks flashed from the shield as lightning bolts flashed overhead, and thunder roared so violently the ground shook beneath them. It was a terrifying display of his power, or it would be to a mere mortal. Doubt filled the minds of the soldiers at their backs. But Thanatos knew Zeus’ tricks well enough now. They did not scare him. Thunder rang out once more before rain hammered down on them.

  Thanatos was standing tall and proud as he looked up at his father defiantly. Zeus glared back, as if expecting he could intimate those who had come to overthrow him. But finally Zeus growled in anger, turning in disgust to let his minions fight for him.

  “It’s going to be a long day,” said Thanatos, who was already well worked from the struggle it had taken to get this far.

  Thunder roared and crashed around them like a mighty hammer smashing down on the sky. Lightning bolts lashed out at the buildings and hit the ground around them. A column of soldiers began to pour out from the archway on the far side of the courtyard, demi-gods and their mortal followers. Many of them were sons and daughters of the Olympians themselves, but with no power beyond that of a common man. Slaves in all but name. Yet Thanatos led an army that was no different. An army that followed because they were ordered to. He looked back to see them quaking in fear and trembling with every clap of thunder and surge of lightning.

  A flash of light caught Thanatos’ eye as he looked up to see a single figure leap from the edge where Zeus had stood. Lightning flashed against the shield of a god as he descended and struck the ground between the two armies. A landing that would have killed any mere mortal. The daring figure arose to show his face, but Thanatos already knew who to expect. One of the great challenges they knew they must face. Ares, the God of War, the perfect soldier.

  “This is a foolish endeavor!” Ares shouted.

  “Step aside, or you’ll fall beside the Allfather!” Thanatos yelled.

  Ares smiled, his bright white teeth gleaming from between the gap in his helmet.

  Hades let out a roar as he pushed past Thanatos and charged toward Ares furiously and without fear. Thanatos felt doubt, but he didn’t know why. He wasn’t scared, even though he had every right to be. But he had to cast those thoughts to the back of his mind and follow Hades, who had just reached the God of War. He leap
t into the air and smashed his shield down against Ares, who staggered back a few paces as sparks flew from their shields. Ares’ feet slid across the stone beneath his feet until he finally came to a stop. He didn’t look fazed by the assault at all as Thanatos arrived to join the fight. They squared off against one another as the armies clashed at high speed. Bodies were tossed in the air and shields bent around those who had charged the hardest. Cries of pain rang out as blood was spilled all around them, but nobody dared interrupt their fight.

  “You can’t stop us. There are too few of you, too few of the Olympians to stand against us!” Hades hollered.

  “You cowards,” he hissed, knowing that Hades was right.

  “This has to be done, and you know it. My brother, your father. He must be stopped!”

  “The only thing I know is that you have betrayed us all,” he snarled, turning to Thanatos.

  “And you? You were fooled by this deceiver? Shame on you!”

  “I only want what’s right, for us all!”

  “And you think with him in power things will be better?” He pointed to Hades.

  Thanatos had no answers, for there was no precedent for it.

  “You know nothing, you foolish boy,” he snapped.

  Thanatos was far from a boy. He’d lived longer than most living things, but Ares was his elder and his superior in every way, and he knew it.

  “Enough of this. Join us, or fight us!” Hades yelled.

  Ares smiled, and they had their answer as he ran at them. He thrust his spear with incredible precision and speed toward Thanatos’ head. He lifted his huge bronze shield at the last moment. The speed of Ares’ movement had surprised him, and yet he knew it shouldn’t have. He’d just never had to fight such a champion for real. He recomposed himself and quickly returned a counter thrust as to not be seen to have been shaken by the speed and intensity of Ares’ attack.

  He thrust back with his spear, but it was easily brushed aside as Ares fought them both simultaneously. He thrust and spun his spear around as if it were as light as a feather. In one swing the tip caught Thanatos’ cheek and slashed a deep cut. He cried out in pain as he was rocked. These were no mortal weapons. They were the weapons of the gods. Some of the only weapons in existence that could end their kind.

  Another thrust came for him, and he quickly leapt aside, lifted his shield to block the swing that followed it, the same strike that had cut him before. Ares looked angry that he had learned from the first combination and smashed Hades aside, turning his attention entirely on to Thanatos. He rushed forward and crushed Thanatos’ shield about his own body, lifting him up on the edge of his own shield and tossing him through the air like a ragdoll.

  Thanatos crashed onto two of Zeus’ foot soldiers. He got back up to see one of their spears darting toward his face. His spear had fallen from his hand, so he reached up, grasping the shaft to stop it dead before it reached him. Not that the mortal weapon could kill him, but it could certainly do him harm, and he had to be at his very best if he were to survive the fury of the God of War. He reached forward with his shield and smashed down the edge, snapped the spear in half, and pushed a kick into the cuirass of his attacker. It launched him back two meters until he landed on the spear of one of his own. Like all the gods, Thanatos was strong, stronger than the mortals fighting around them, but not overwhelmingly so, not the Titans of old. The Titans that Zeus had humbled.

  He spun about and ducked under another spear thrust, plunging the edge of his shield into the lead leg of his attacker. They let out a cry of pain as the leg broke, and they collapsed to the floor.

  “Thanatos!” a concerned voice yelled.

  He quickly turned back. Ares was leaping through air toward him, with murderous intent in his eyes. He’d seen this look before, but he’d never been on the receiving end of it. He kept wondering how he’d got to this place, but right now he had to keep telling himself he had to just survive, a concept alien to him in most times of his life. They were the gods and did not die easily. He braced against his shield with both hands as Ares’ spear struck it and pierced through. The weight of his body landing against the shield caused Thanatos to drop to one knee. The spear pierced his shield and struck the stone beside his foot, penetrating thirty centimeters into the slab. It was a thrust that could have skewered and killed any being that had ever lived.

  He grasped the edge of his shield with his right hand and snapped it quickly, wrenching the weapon from Ares’ hand. He tossed the shield aside with the spear embedded in it. Standing tall, he would not be intimidated by the God of War. Ares didn’t even look bothered or concerned. He let his shield slide from his grasp, and it struck the stone like a dead weight, ringing out for all to hear. A shield that would never have been pierced like Thanatos’ had. Ares strode furiously toward him, both of them now empty-handed.

  Thanatos lifted his hands to fight, but just before they clashed, Hades soared in from the flank. He struck Ares with the full weight of his shield and body, tossing him off into the crowd of soldiers behind them and flattening two ranks. He was back on his feet in no time, just as two other gods stepped up beside Hades to assist. One was Eris, the goddess of discord, and brother to Ares.

  For a moment the God of War could not understand what he was seeing.

  “You, too?” Ares scowled.

  “Join us,” she declared sincerely.

  He put his foot on Thanatos’ shield, wrenched his spear out, and lifted his massive shield.

  “Zeus rules here!”

  “It’s time for a change, and you know it.”

  “That is not your choice to make, Hades.”

  “I’m not asking.”

  He looked past Ares to where Thanatos was recovering his spear from someone he’d impaled.

  “Go on, this is what you came for. You started this, and it’s for you to end it. We’ve got this.”

  Thanatos breathed a sigh of relief. He looked exhausted, knowing a greater challenge lay ahead. He picked up a bloody shield from his most recent victim and slipped it onto his arm.

  “Not far to go now. We’ve come this far. We can do this. You can do this!” Hades called out to him.

  Thanatos appreciated the sentiment. He left them to it and turned back toward the door that would lead him to Zeus. Two Horae guarded the steps. Lesser gods who were sworn to protect Olympus. There would be no reasoning with them. He took a deep breath, readying himself for the inevitable challenge. They were the most heavily armored of all he had to face. Thick bronze armor covered most of their skin, but he’d come too far to hold back now. He gritted his teeth and went forward fiercely at a sprint. He crouched low, coming up under a thrust from one of them. But his return thrust glanced off the thick cuirass, and he soared past them as the second one tried to strike.

  He didn’t slow as he came face-to-face with a stone wall and leapt onto it. He ran a few paces and kicked away so that he flipped up and over the spear thrust coming for him. As he flew over his initial opponent, he spotted his opening and thrust his spear down into the gap between the helmet and cuirass. It penetrated deeply into the collar, before retracting as quickly as it had gone in. He landed nimbly on his feet once more and turned to face his two opponents. They were both still standing, but the one he had hit began to topple like a felled timber. The other looked over in astonishment as his ally crashed to the ground.

  Thanatos felt no pity for them. They were merely obstacles in his way. He’d killed so many to get this far, what difference would two more make? These were formidable fighters, and if he wasn’t fighting at his peak, they could easily get the better of him. He was more determined than he’d ever been in his life. He quickly glanced back. Sparks were flying as spears and swords clashed against shields. Ares was lashing out at his attackers like a possessed berserker. He heard the clang of metal and looked back in time to see a spear plunging toward his face. He leapt aside and struck his attacker with his shield. The impact knocked them a few paces to one side, but
the heavily armored juggernaut would not be thrown over.

  The Horae came right back at him. He threw a short thrust low to feint, to bring the shield down, quickly redirecting for a fast strike toward the narrow opening in the front of his opponent’s helmet. But the blade was millimeters off target and scraped down the side of the bronze. The godly weapon fizzling with sparks as it made contact. Yet the Horae returned his own point, a weapon not less powerful than his own. The Horae’s duty was to guard Olympus from all manner of beings. He parried the blow off, leapt to one side, and thrust again. But his spear glanced from shield. He traversed and stabbed repeatedly to every opening he could find, but the only strike that got through was glanced by the body armor of the mighty soldier.

  Neither could find an opening, and finally the armor cladded warrior stormed toward him, as if to flatten him with sheer weight alone. He quickly traversed off past its shield, and it lumbered past. He saw his opening at the armpit and drove his weapon home. The Horae cried out in pain and dropped its weapon, but it was not done. It rushed him once more, and he was taken off guard, having thought he’d finished the fight. He was struck by a vicious swing from the Horae’s shield and thrown through the air. He landed hard on his back and felt the wind come out from him. As he regained consciousness, he could see his attacker towering over him, shield held in both hands ready to crush down against his head.

  His hand stretched out in hope of finding something to defend himself with, and to his relief found a most familiar object, his Dory spear. He yanked it from the ground beside him while he still lay flat, lifting it as the Horae descended onto him with all its power and weight. The blade pierced its cuirass with white-hot sparks until finally it slumped dead, suspended above him. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he was not out of danger yet. The shield slipped from the dead Horae’s hands and came at him like an anvil dropped from high. He rolled out quickly, letting go of his weapon. The mighty shield crashed into the stone where his head had been with such force the edge cut into the ground and stayed there, sticking out almost vertically.