Orb of the Protogenoi

The Island II

"But Dad!"

"Enough Hermes! Haven't I told you a thousand times? My-"

He was cut off by Ares. "word is law, we get it, we get it!"

Apollo nodded. "Yeah, we have beaten a lot of monsters, especially when we're together! I don't see why you need to keep us here when we could be out there with you three to help with whatever we need to find in there, which by the way you still haven't told us yet."

"And, if you weren't watching, Pops, we just helped you defeat Scylla and Charybdis a while ago,"

"Yes, I did see it, and if I remember, two of your brothers almost turned into snacks!" He looked at Apollo "And you're still not fully recovered, you've even sprained your shoulder!" argued Zeus.

The boy bit his lip. He wouldn't deny that he felt a pang of pain from his injured shoulder from time to time.

Ares countered "We could take on anything!"

At exactly the same time, they heard a cry of a beast deep within the forests of the island.

Hermes coughed a few times before saying "You know what? I think I have a fever," He put his hand on his forehead. "Yup, I'm hot alright, burning hot! I think I'll stay at the nice, warm, comfy cabin downstairs." He felt a hand slide to his forehead and heard Dionysus say "But you're cold, li'l bro." He took it off and glared at him.

"Alright, I won't deny that you've done many great things, but remember, you all did that when you were gods. In this form, we could die at any moment. Our decision is final, besides, there's another reason why you need to stay here,"

Ares scoffed "Which is?"

Zeus sighed before he said "By tomorrow, if we haven't made any contact with you after noon, you will turn this boat, follow the map until you return to the mainland."

"What?!" exclaimed the boys.

"Father, is it really that dangerous?" asked Apollo.

"From what we've encountered, and heard, yes,"

"Then it is crucial for us to come along!"

"Look, if anything happens to the three of us, at least we're certain we have you boys to take care of everything,"

Ares rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "So you're saying we'll clean all your shit, that about right, Dad?"

"Exactly, as for who will ascend the throne…"

They huddled together and eagerly awaited his name to be called.

"…I'll leave that to Hera," They groaned. "Of course, if you defeat them. By the way, don't ever go back to Olympus without your brother."

They just nodded.

"Zeus, we're ready," called Poseidon.

The blond boy turned to his sons and said "Wish us luck," he looked at Hermes, "especially you,"

He put his hands behind him and gave the older boy a cheeky grin. "Does this mean I can come with you?"

"If you want to get sappy, then yes, come with us in spirit." He went to the inflatable boat and they rode away.

Minutes later, the boys found themselves watching the boat land on the coast, and a while later, they saw them trudging into the forest.

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"Do you even know where we're going?" asked Poseidon as they journey through the jungle, flashing his flashlight and surveying their surroundings from time to time to make sure that they were not circling around…or lost.