Danmachi Familia from Hell

4

- No change - the red-haired man replied to the god who stood in front of him. - At the first attempt to use, everything that came from the hand of me or my relatives turns into dust.

- The longer we don't have them, the more other countries start to suspect something. They see that our expansion has slowed down, and the offensive strategy of our troops has changed a lot - the extremely richly dressed blonde man interjected.

- Don't panic! - Ares finally shouted.

The god and two of his highest-ranking followers were debating in a closed room over a table that took up most of the space. On the tabletop were a dozen or so different maps showing only Rakia and its most important cities, the entire continent with the currently existing states separated from each other by a different palette of colors, individual parts of the world with clearly marked mountains, highlands, lowlands and basins, and another map of the entire continent with thousands of symbols drawn on it, these showing the emblems of the familias and the locations of all the gods that the Rakians had managed to learn about. On some of the parchments rested wooden figurines in the shape of warriors with a spear and shield to indicate the current location of their troops, and various counterparts representing the forces of other nations, or as Ares called them: "future conquests".
The most trusted guards were placed at the entrance to the room. No information from the current conversation was allowed to leave these four walls. Almost every topic was considered a state secret.

- Our fame gained in previous years, combined with the numbers of our men, is more than enough for no one to dare try their hand against us! - he shouted with confidence evident in every word. - If we wanted to, we could move today to conquer Orario itself!

- Have you lost your mind, you idiot?! - his servants shouted in synchrony.

- Orario has a hundred times more gods on its side than we do - the frowning blond said.

- We have a numerical advantage, that's true. But what good does it do when the monsters living behind those walls can kill thousands with a single attack? - asked the red-haired man.

Both of them sometimes wondered if their god had muscles instead of brain.
Ares was an excellent warrior. He knew how to lead conflicts better than any mortal. He could deliver speeches that could raise the morale of a recently defeated army to the very skies. Despite all these skills, he was simply a brainless man with an overly high opinion of his army, incapable of correctly estimating the strength of the enemy.
A hundred years ago, blessing thousands of man with falna was enough to defeat other nations. Sometimes there was no battle, because the opponents themselves surrendered upon hearing that the enemy forces were led by a god.
However, that was a long time ago. Now the sight of the deity surprised no one, and although people usually gave them the respect they deserved, they were definitely more afraid of their children than of the beings from the Upper World themselves.
Ares managed to defeat several other, small familias and force them to join him as subject families to the king of Rakia. Thus, the organization of the ever-growing state was easier, because although Ares himself blessed most people so as not to overly strengthen internal factions, the gods acting as overseers, generals and governors made organizing all this much easier. The defeated did not accept the new authorities if strangers who did not know their customs or culture were chosen as the lord of their lands. But who dared to question the authority of the heavenly beings?

- If we are to even begin to think about resuming our campaigns, we must first eliminate the problems within our borders! - the blond roared, jabbing his finger into one of the maps on the table.

The parchment showed a large red skull, and around it lay several wooden figures symbolizing the defeated troops in the area. Their size varied depending on the number of soldiers depicted. The smallest, symbolizing a hundred, could disappear in a child's hands. The slightly bigger five hundred took up most of an adult's hand. The largest figure referring to thousands of soldiers was already the size of two hands. It was these latter that lay fallen around the skull symbol.

- I asked Hermes to pass on our mission to the guild in Orario. But that old man Uranos doesn't want to get involved in matters outside his area. There's not even any information posted on the notice board - Ares said contemptuously before banging his fist on the table. - Zeus and Hera don't intend to help us either. Maybe if we told them what actually...

- No way! - the redhead denied firmly. - We can't spread the word that our army can't handle such... such... - he couldn't find the right word.

- Such a small thing- the blond finished for his friend. - It would be humiliating and a sign of weakness that we can't afford.

- Damn it! Do you have to be so stubbo...

The god of war was about to start yelling at his children for arguing with him and his "infinite wisdom." Instead, the three of them turned to the sound of the doors bursting open and the young soldier nearly trampling the guards standing in his way. The private, though out of breath and drenched in sweat, did not forget about proper behavior and fell to one knee before addressing his patron.

- Great... Ares - he said between deep breaths. - I report... the arrival... of... Lord Pluto... to our city... in accordance with your... request... Lord Pluto... requests an audience with you.

Ares, enraged by the course of the unfinished conversation and the fact that he was interrupted in the middle of the meeting, although he had clearly stated not to come in to the room under any circumstances, did not pay much attention to his servant's words. Instead of taking his frustration out on the blond or the red-haired, he did it with the poor private.

- I don't know any Pluto! - he roared, spitting saliva. - I didn't invite anyone like that. Lock him in a dark cell for falsely using my name! And you! - he pointed at the guards who were not to let anyone into this place. - Prepare for night patrols until the end of the year!

The guards bowed at the waist apologetically, while fixing their younger friend with icy stares. The brat will get such a beating from them that his own mother won't recognize him.

- What are you waiting for? - he asked, speaking from between clenched teeth. -Go AAAAAAWAAAAAAAAAY!!!

All the soldiers left the room faster than the god could blink.
At least they carried out orders quickly, the still angry son of Zeus thought.

- Pluto? - asked the surprised blond. - I've never heard a name like that.

- Because it's not a name - Ares replied with a vein pulsing in his forehead. - My family and I on Olympus called one of the planets in your universe that - he explained, realizing something.

Wait, wait, wait! The patron of Rakia shouted in his thoughts.
Maybe it was because of anger, or maybe because that day he tried to drink Dionysus away, but he forgot that at one of the feasts thrown by Zeus for all the Olympians, the drunken gods had come up with a certain game. Each guest was to point out one of the celestial bodies in the mortal universe that best suited them.
The completely drunk Ares liked the idea very much and was the first to tell himself to call himself Mars because of the scarlet color of that planet, matching his armor. Then he began to ask his relatives one by one what planet suited them. Aphrodite casually chose Venus. Poseidon liked the blue color of Neptune, which reminded him of his beloved oceans. But who the hell chose Pluto? Zeus? No, his father compared himself to Jupiter, who was supposed to be as big as his... heart.
Apollo? No. Hermes? No. Hephaestus? No! Hera? Demeter? Artemis? No! No! No!
Ares ignored the blonde and red-haired man talking to him, trying to remember the event from eons ago. When he finally somehow managed to enter the recesses of his own memory, he immediately paled and narrowed his pupils, realizing that this god did not live on Olympus at all, but deep beneath it.

- Sir, has illness overcome you? - asked the red-haired man, seeing his patron sweating profusely and shaking.

- Send soldiers to escorte this man.

- Excuse me? - the blond didn't hear Ares' whispers.

- Send for him, now! - the god of war shouted, nearly tearing his throat as he did so.

- But you said, sir, that you didn't know him. - The red-haired man didn't understand the change that had come over Ares.

- Not under the name Pluto. But I figured it out who it is. Bring him in. Now!

- Wait, sir, first tell me who this man is - asked the blonde.

Both mortals were confused. Their god was always in hot water and acted first, only then thought. Except that it always worked one way. He never reversed his decisions, considering himself infallible.

- The solution to our problem - Ares replied confidently.