Chapter 14

As Jackie woke up, he found himself not on a marble slab or some kinda cot, but instead on an actual bed with actual pillows and shit. That was odd, last thing he remembered he was getting his ass handed to him by a giant-ass snake-thing and trying a last-ditch strategy with some sorta Cyclops sword to pull a win outta his ass. On the one hand, waking up in a bed like this seemed to say that he'd pulled it off. On the other, he had no clue how the rest of the fighting went. As he thought about that, the door to the room he was in opened. Jackie bolted upright, ignoring the ache in his ribs, Chi ready to infuse his body just in case he'd been captured and was some kinda prisoner.

Instead of whatever it was Jackie'd been expecting, though, a Nymph in a maid's outfit entered the room with a silver platter of cheeses, flatbreads, figs, and shit. An Ancient Greek Charcuterie type-thing. She set the platter down on a table next to Jackie's bed before moving to open some sorta bottle of wine. Then she turned to Jackie with a nod. Jackie could only frown at that, causing the Nymph to stifle a giggle. That just ain't gonna do. Jackie hadta know what'd happened and where he was. Before he could barrage the Nymph with questions, though, she shook her head and began to speak.

"Nay. All will be revealed shortly. For now, eat. My master stocks the finest food and drink on Olympus. Were I you, I'd take advantage of that while I can. It is unlikely you will be allowed to stay here past the next few days." Offered the Nymph.

"Who's your master?" Questioned Jackie.

"Dionysus, God of Wine and Revels. I am Myrto, one of my Lord's Maenads." Informed the Nymph, Myrto.

"Maenads? Ain't you supposed to be all raving lunatics?" Queried Jackie.

"Only on festival revels or when otherwise ordered. It is our Master's special wine that makes us so, not an inherent part of us. Without it, we are just like any other Nymph." Answered Myrto.

"This means we won, yeah? No Ares turning into a Titan or anything?" Asked Jackie.

"No. Ares was betrayed by Circe. In his rage at her betrayal, our enemies fell upon each other. Lord Poseidon's strike team returned from Tartarus whole and intact. Even so, I am told you stopped an actual Titan from returning to wreak havoc. Orphion, the Primordial Skyfather?" Questioned Myrto.

"Yeah. I had help, and it wasn't easy, but we managed." Huffed Jackie.

"It wouldn't have been. Orphion had only ever been defeated twice before, once by Cronus to claim the throne of Olympus and once by Zeus during the Titanomachy. That you managed to do so at all, even with the help of two Gods is unprecedented. Zeus has summoned you." Came another voice from the doorway.

Jackie turned to see Princess Diana standing there in actual clothes instead of the sorta armored bustier and high-heeled boots she wore into battle. How she'd always managed to fight in that getup was beyond Jackie, but now she was wearing the same kinda toga-like robes that everybody else on Olympus seemed to wear during downtime. She still had her sword and shield on her though, and that made Jackie grin. It ain't like Princess Diana not to have some kinda weapon on her, after all. He popped a slice of cheese into his mouth and marveled at the rich flavor of it for a moment while he chewed on the fact that Zeus'd summoned him.

"Where's my gear?" He queried.

"You're lucky. Zeus didn't confiscate any of the stuff you took from the Colchian Dragon's hoard. He wanted to, but Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing, and Zhu Baije wouldn't let him. The rest of the expeditionary force backed them on that, but Zeus wasn't happy about it." Informed Princess Diana.

She handed Jackie his Armory bag. Inside was all his gear, from the stuff he'd taken from the Colchian Dragon's Lair to the stuff he'd brought from Mount Meru to gear from his defeated foes like Nemesis' Xiphos or Amanda Lau's Talismans, along with a buncha extra stuff taken from the corpse of the Colchian Dragon. Scales from the Colchian Dragon, enough to make multiple suits of armor, teeth from the Dragon, several vials of blood, the Acid Gland, and enough material components for all sorts of Alchemy. It was as if the Colchian Dragon'd been butchered and enough components found their way to Jackie's Armory bag that he'd be busy for a long while using 'em all.

"This ain't what I remembered taking from the Dragon." Pointed out Jackie.

"Zeus demanded that Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing, and Zhu Baije do the dirty work of butchering the dragon for him in exchange for allowing you to keep your spoils. I believe smuggling as much of the resulting components and body parts to you as they could was their form of revenge." Smirked Princess Diana.

"Right. And the other shit? Nemesis Sword, the Demigod Talismans?" Demanded Jackie.

"Zeus cannot deny you spoils fairly won." Answered Princess Diana.

"Coulda fooled me. Ain't that what he tried to do earlier?" Asked Jackie.

"With the Colchian Dragon, the case could have been made that its corpse and hoard belonged to Olympus and that as it wasn't technically part of the Rebel Forces, it shouldn't apply toward spoils." Admitted Princess Diana.

"So what? He's fucking Zeus, God of Loopholes?" Pressed Jackie.

"It's how the system works, Jackie." Sighed Princess Diana.

"Sure, that fucking figures. The assholes at the top get even more perks while the rest of us scratch out whatever shit living we can down in the muck. Shit like that's why I hadta turn to crime after my Old Man died." Spat Jackie.

"I'd not spew such vitriol when you meet with Zeus. He's like to smite you with a thunderbolt, visiting hero or no." Cautioned Myrto, before taking her leave.

"Truly, don't. The last thing we need is more conflict now." Warned Princess Diana.

"I ain't stupid, you know. It just sucks is all." Grumbled Jackie.

"I know, and yet Zeus will not change. It has been tried before to get him to do so and he has resisted every time. Best to get used to it. Now eat up and suit up. We don't want to keep the King of Olympus waiting any longer than we have to." Responded Princess Diana.

And with that, Jackie simply shrugged and attacked the food on the silver platter. Myrto ain't wrong, this was some serious gourmet shit. The chesses were all flavorful in different ways, from nutty, to creamy, to sharp. While the flatbreads added salt and spice and the figs and wine added a sweetness. About the only flavor that was missing was that Umami shit that folks used to rave about back when Jackie'd been with the Yaks. Jackie found that he didn't really miss it, not when the rest of the shit that was here was this good. By the time Jackie'd polished off the platter, he felt more full than he had in a couple of days.

Jackie nodded to Princess Diana and began pulling costume pieces outta his armory bag to suit up with. First armor, then boots, the blades, and finally the mask. When he was done suiting up in his Black Tiger Getup, he fastened the Armory Bag to his belt. Getting outta the bed, Jackie straightened up and nodded over at Princess Diana, who nodded back at Jackie.

"Are you ready to go?" Questioned Princess Diana.

"As ready as I can be. Lay on, Macduff." Nodded Jackie.

Princess Diana led Jackie outta the room, down a corridor, and out onto a wide sorta plaza-type deal. The palace behind the was all right, but it ain't shit compared to the one ahead. Sure, it was big, but that was pretty much all it had going for it. The one ahead meanwhile was decked out in gold, with a sorta marble facade that showed the kinda clouds that were roiling across the sky. If it was stormy, the marble'd be dark gray and black, if it was light, the marble'd be bright white and cheery. That sorta shit was actively impressive since you'd need a solid grasp of enchantment to pull it off. As Princess Diana led Jackie into that golden, magic, palace, he found the inside was bigger than the outside. Lotsa ultramarine paint, gold accents, and white, polished, marble everywhere.

"I guess the King of Olympus don't play when it comes to decorators. Pretty sure there's enough gold in here to buy a country." Mused Jackie.

"Wait till you see the throne room. Twelve thrones each the size of a small car, all made of gold." Grinned Princess Diana.

"Speaking of which, should I be worried here?" Queried Jackie.

"Your family on Mount Meru will protect you from Zeus' Wrath, as will the invocation of Hospitality. Zeus has sworn to give everyone who fought for him safe passage until the week's end. He cannot harm you or order you to be harmed until that time is over, though I would suggest leaving as soon as you can." Explained Princess Diana.

"Sure. It's just he sounds like he's pretty fucking mad to me." Frowned Jackie.

"Oh, he is. Olympus will take years to recover. Zeus was hoping to sweep in and save Humanity from the New Gods of Apokalips, providing enough critical aid to suddenly gain a new influx of worshippers. That won't happen now because of Ares' Rebellion. To make matters worse, Olympus had to be saved by an expeditionary force from another Pantheon. Not only is this a black eye, but its an insult to his pride as well." Insisted Princess Diana.

"Great. Remind me why we're doing this instead of skipping town again?" Pressed Jackie.

"Don't worry too much, Brother Drinky. Your Sifu and Older Brothers will be right there with you." Came Sun Wukong's Voice.

Jackie turned around to spot his Sworn Brothers and Sifu making their way up the hall toward where he and Princess Diana were. Brother Sandy and Brother Piggsy nodded at Jackie as they arrived, while Sun Wukong simply had the same sorta shit-eating grin he always did on his, though this time it was somehow even more satisfied if that was even possible. Jackie nodded at all three of them, relief flooding through him at the sight. Zeus'd have to be five kindsa crazy to pick a fight with them here.

"Sifu, Brother Sandy, Brother Piggsy. Why do you look even more pleased with yourself than usual?" Greeted Jackie.

"'Cause I'm awesome, that's why. You ever hear of something called a Hekatochires? Cause I just got back from beating one so bad its mother could feel it." Smirked Sun Wukong.

"Huh. Good on you, then, Sifu." I blinked.

"Don't encourage him. Brother Monkey will only get more insufferable if you do." Warned Brother Sandy.

Brother Piggsy, on the other hand, gave a glance over at Sun Wukong, saw his grin widen, then shook his head, saying, "Too late. Now we'll have to hear him repeat the story every night for the next week or so."

"Hey, you two could have come with. You chose to keep an eye on Brother Drinky instead. You don't get to complain!" Exclaimed Sun Wukong.

"And on that note, I think we should head inside." Cut in Princess Diana, forestalling an argument.

As they entered through the double doors of the throne room, Jackie saw the place was just as gilded as Princes Diana'd said, but there was even more gold set into the floor and on the massive marble columns. The colors were white black, and gold with the gold being literal gold, the white being polished marble, and the black being a sorta shiny obsidian tiles set in the walls and floor to make mosaics. Only one of the thrones was currently occupied, the big one in the middle of the twelve with the big-ass golden canopy. On it sat an older, bearded, white-haired, God whose skin crackled with the kinda static you only got normally by wearing feetie pajamas on carpet. Jackie knew that ain't just for show neither. Any moment one of those sparks could flare into a full-on lightning bolt if willed to.

"Lord Zeus, I bring you Jackie Yuen, as promised." Announced Princess Diana, bowing. She nudged Jackie and he bowed too, though neither Sun Wukong nor either of Jackie's Sworn Brothers did likewise.

"I was not expecting him to come as part of a group." Intoned Zeus.

"Yeah well, he's my Student, and these two's Sworn Brother. There's no way were were gonna let him march in here by himself." Spoke up Sun Wukong.

"Do you truly doubt the sincerity of my offer of safe passage?" Asked Zeus.

"For us? No. For someone who's mostly mortal and who you've already tried to deny spoils from? That's another matter." Huffed Sun Wukong.

"And do you two think the same?" Questioned Zeus, looking over at Sha Wujing and Zhu Baije.

"I think that he's our Junior and that we have to look out for him. No matter what." Offered Zhu Baije.

"One could say it's even our duty to do so." Added Sha Wujing.

"I see. And do you feel threatened, young Scion of the Eastern Thunder?" Queried Zeus.

"I know you don't want me here. I'd've preferred to leave instead of coming to meet you, but then you went and summoned me. I ain't the type to snub a host. So long as he deals fair with me. I know you backed down on confiscating the treasure I looted from the Colchian Dragon's Hoard, so I figured I'd play nice." Shrugged Jackie.

"Indeed. And do you think that I require you to play nice?" Pressed Zeus.

"No, you could probably take me out pretty easy. Thing is, then you'd be starting a war with Mount Meru. That ain't something Olympus can win in the state it's in now. I'm playing nice 'cause with the sorta shit coming down the pike, we can't afford to be fucked up beforehand." Shrugged Jackie.

"He means Darkseid and Apokalips, by the way." Informed Sun Wukong.

"I'm aware. Very well. Since you have shown me the respect due by coming here, I will offer you this courtesy. Remove yourself from Olympus in the next twenty-four hours and do not return unless I have allowed you to do so. You are hereby barred from this Holy Mountain." Intoned Zeus.

"He fought and bled for you and this is how you repay him?" Demanded Sha Wujing.

"Some benevolent Skyfather." Scoffed Zhu Baije.

"Is this the Mercy of Zeus? I see now why no one else would answer your calls for aid." Spat Sun Wukong.

"This is indeed a Mercy. I sense components in that Armory Bag that were taken directly from the Corpse of the Colchian Dragon, a corpse that I stated in no uncertain terms belonged to Olympus, and thus myself. Be glad I have chosen banishment instead of execution! This is my final word on the matter and as such is beyond contestation! Make your preparations to leave, Thief, and then do not return." Commanded Zeus.

"Sure. I was getting tired of all the marble and shit anyway." Offered Jackie.

Then he turned on his heel and left. As Jackie made his way down through the levels of Olympus, he couldn't help but scowl at what bullshit this all was. Zeus was a dick who was tossing him out like he'd been the one to sneak the components into his armor bag. That figures, you try to do something good, help folks out instead of being a criminal, and this was what you got for your troubles. Nevermind that he'd been the one to actually slay the fucking thing, nevermind that if Jackie'd not bothered to deal with Orphion, Zeus'd be toast right now, that shit don't matter. No, he had some of its body parts when Zeus hadn't expressly let him take any and that meant he was an asshole. Shit's the same all over, it seemed. The folks at the top of these kindsa government were all only out for themselves, it don't matter if it's a human municipal government or a godly kingdom.

"Least I know where I stand." He grumbled to himself.

About an hour later, Jackie found himself standing at the Gates of Olympus frowning up at them. He knew that they'd take a bit of energy to work, but not what sort and how accurate he could make the portal. He was in the middle of studying the runic diagram when a female voice spoke up from nearby.

"Pulse Mystic Power into that stone there while thinking of where you want to go. It should open a portal there." Spoke the Voice.

Jackie turned to see an Ashen-skinned, dark-haired, Goddess in one of those black kinda toga-looking things. A black greyhound padded outta the shadows at her side. That hadta be Hecate, one of a group of Magic Goddesses that'd also included Circe. Jackie'd remembered hearing that all three of the Magic Goddesses were related, but Hecate was the oldest of 'em.

"Thanks." Nodded Jackie.

"Do not be too harsh on Lord Zeus for his dismissal of you. He has not had an easy rule. Between the Titanomachy, Gigantomachy, this latest Rebellion, and various smaller coups and revolts, he has been forced to deal harshly with perceived slights, lest they breed more attempts to dethrone him." Defended Hecate.

"There's ways to do that sorta thing without being a gigantic asshole." Scoffed Jackie.

"Possibly, but Zeus is a proud God. One might say he suffers from Hubris the same as any mortal." Nodded Hecate.

"Yeah, except when he goes mad with power, the whole damn world feels it." Retorted Jackie.

"Is that not the case for many mortals these days? Do you not know more than one capable of such things? Regardless, that hardly applies here." Returned Hecate.

"Fine. I get it. I'm the asshole. Can I go?" Demanded Jackie.

"Not yet. I am here to give you a warning for the future." Responded Hecate.

"Spit it out, then. I been here too long already." Groused Jackie.

"Beware the Last Daughter. In the battles ahead, I have foreseen a titanic clash between you and her that could well end in your death. Train your newfound abilities as best you can for when Darkseid comes, you will face off against her." Cautioned Hecate.

"Ominous and also fucking useless. What does that even mean, Last Daughter?" Griped Jackie.

"The answer to that lies with Superman." Informed Hecate.

"Great. I hate to break it to you, but Big Blue's dead. He ain't around to answer my questions." Huffed Jackie.

"Not dead, no. He will rise again." Added Hecate.

"What, like a Zombie?" Frowned Jackie.

"In six months, look for him in Metropolis. You have six months after that before Apokalips arrives. Be ready by then." Insisted Hecate.

"That's way sooner than we thought! What the Hell changed?" Demanded Jackie.

"I have said all I can. Now you must leave." Intoned Hecate. After saying that, before Jackie could even begin to press for any sorta answer or get any kinda clarification, Hecate walked into a patch of shadow, greyhound following her, and then both Goddess and Dog disappeared. That left Jackie alone near the Gates of Olympus with his questions.

"Right, thanks for nothing." Sighed Jackie.

Then he put his hand over the spot that Hecate indicated he needed to channel mystic energy into, pulled up mana from his core, and sent it into the Gates while thinking of the rooftop of the Bowery Brewery in Gotham. A portal immediately opened up to reveal that even though it was still daylight in the realm of Olympus, it was nightime in Gotham. Jackie stepped through the Portal, emerging onto the roof of his brewery in the middle of the Gotham night. The portal closed behind him and moments later he heard the sound of boots crunching into gravel from behind him. Turning, he spotted Babs had just landed on the rooftop.

"Babs." Nodded Jackie.

"Jackie. . .look, are you sober? We need to talk." Tried Babs.

And just like that, Jackie knew this was going to be another one of those nights. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the aftermath of Olympus for Jackie. It turns out that his Sworn Brothers trying to do him a Solid wound up with him getting slapped with a banishment from Zeus. Guy's a dick who thought that Jackie 'stealing' from him canceled out the whole saving Olympus thing and gave him twenty-four hours to get the fuck out of dodge and don't come back. Meanwhile, Hecate warned him about Supergirl and Darkseid, though he didn't get it yet. Superman would if he could search for the right stuff on the Kryptonian Computers at the Fortress of Solitude, but he's a bit dead currently.

Meanwhile, no sooner did Jackie return from Olympus than he suddenly got accosted by Babs who sounds like she wants to have the break-up talk. Get out of Olympus with his life, a bunch of magic items, and dragon parts, and get broken up with on your return. I guess it's peaks and valleys for Jackie.

At any rate, the next chapter will be him talking with Babs and the start of a new arc.

Stay tuned. . .