Kingdom of the Gods: Godkiller (Sequel to Mythical Madness)

Chapter 5

What the heck is with the new Wattpad?!?!

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5: Fraternizing Forays

MAX'S POV

"Bye, guys!" I called to Kevin and Alice as they drove away to explore the surroundings.

"Be careful out there!" Piper yelled.

"And don't talk to strangers!" Jack called with a grin and a laugh. I saw Kevin smile and shake his head as they pulled out of the driveway and drove away.

Jack, Piper, and I all headed back inside. A skeleton butler offered us a plate of mini-sandwiches with a "Would you like something to eat?" I shrugged and took one, but Jack and Piper politely refused. The skeleton nodded and strode away.

"Alright, so what are we going to do?" Piper asked.

"What do they have to do here?" Jack asked.

"Probably anything you could want. Hey, you there! Could you come here for a second?" I called to a passing ghost.

The ghost walked over, his coattails flapping. He was tall and muscular, with a short mustache and a pair of glasses.

"What do you need, sir?" he asked me.

"Yeah...what types of entertainment do you have?" Piper asked.

"Well, here on the first floor, we have a pool in the back of the chateau, the arcade next to it, and our indoor gardens. On the second floor, we have a very large and spacious library, a sampling kitchen where you'd be welcome to try some of our fine cuisine, and the rock wall. On the third floor, we have the music studios in case any of you are interested in that. We also have a nice longue on each floor, in case the young couple here wants to have some time alone," the ghost said.

"What are the music studios?" Piper asked.

"Of course! In case you wanted to make or record your own music, or just play for fun. We have rooms for each genre, and each of them is equipped with instruments and recording equipment for your usage. The rooms are in alphabetical order, starting with alternative on the very left. Our songs that are availabe update every minute, so if you wanted to hear a song, then it should be available," the ghost said, bowing and striding off.

"Alright, I'm going to the arcade. I don't know about you, but -" Jack started, striding off before Piper caught him by the arm.

"No, you're coming with me to the classical music room. I've always said that I'm going to teach you how to play the piano, but we've never gotten around to it. Come on," Piper said, dragging Jack away.

"No! No piano, no violin, no flute, or any other instrument you've wanted me to play in the past!" Jack cried, struggling against Piper. I started laughing at this.

"We can go to the longue afterwards," Piper said. Instantly, Jack stopped struggling and followed along obediently.

"Ok, if you need me, I'll be in the library!" I yelled back.

Piper gave me a thumbs-up and Jack nodded as they went over to the elevator. I headed up the stairs and followed the signs to the library. I walked in. The library was huge, filled with shelves from wall to wall. Big comfy armchairs were scattered around. I didn't exactly have an idea of what I wanted to read, so I just picked the biggest book that I could find and looked at its cover.

An Encyclopedia of Mythology: Creatures, Deities, and Places

By Sir Arnold Jackson

it sounded alright, and it seemed like some good information was inside. Maybe I could find something on Herne. I sat down in one of the arm chairs and flipped to the H section, randomly going through to find Herne. Humbabwa, Horus, Hydra, Hapi, Hakoah, Huitzilopochti, Hephaestus, Hera, aha! Herne.

Herne the Huntsman

Herne the Huntsman is a spirit who roams around Cornwall, England (and the rest of England occassionally too). Accounts of people who have seen him describe him as a huge mn in black armor or animal skins wearing a black helmet. His eyes are yellow or red, and two massive antlers sprout from his head. He rides atop a massive black steed and is followed by a group of massive black hounds wearing golden armor. Some think he is the same as the Gallic or Celtic god [Cernunnos], but this is inaccurate, as Cernunnos is an entirely different god.

Herne's story is as follows: Herne was King Richard II's best hunter. One day, the king and Herne were out hunting in Windsor Forest. Herne left the king's side for several minutes, and aas he did so, the king was attacked by a massive white stag. Herne came back just in time, and as the stag was about to gore the king, herne jumped in between them, taking the blow himself. The king brought him to a healer mage, who restored Herne's health by tying the stag's antlers to the hunter's head and performing some spells. Herne was back, but in return for his healing, he had to give up his hunting skills. Herne couldn't stand this, and he hung himself out of sadness.

I gave a shudder. Herne was one traumatized guy. I composed myself and kept reading.

Herne's ghost (see decription above) now roams England, followed by the ghostly hounds that served him in life. Some place him as the leader of the [Wild Hunt], but this is inaccurate, as Herne is a solitary spirit that works on its own.

That was the end of the Herne article, and I decided to go to the bracketed Wild Hunt article to see if I could get any more information. I turned to the W section. Wendigo, Will-o-the-wisp, Witch, Wraiths, there it was, Wild Hunt.

Wild Hunt, The

The Wild Hunt is a procession of ghostly, undead, or spirit hunters that fly across the sky or above the ground at breakneck speed. The hunters often precede a battle, war, or a natural disaster or plague. Mortals who stand in its way are often sucked up into the hunt and become one of the hunters. The hunters are often accompanied by dogs or hunting hounds, and they always ride spectral horses.

The Wild Hunt have no particular appearance or hunt schedule, and they seemingly appear wherever they want, although areas of Europe and Northern Africa are frequented. The Wild Hunt are reported to be led by two figures: the king of the Norse gods, [Odin], or the Welsh ruler god of the [Otherworld/Underworld], [Gwyn ap Nudd]. When Odin goes out to hunt, he is accompanied by his twin wolves, [Geri and Freki], who run alongside him, and his two ravens, [Huginn and Muninn], who scout out ahead for him. When Gywn ap Nudd goes out to hunt, he is accompanied by his Otherworld dogs, the [Cwn Annwn].

And that was the end of the Wild Hunt article. I closed the book. I hadn't learned too much today, but the reading had been pretty fun. I was so tired now, though, so I gave a yawn and pretty much passed out in the library chair.

And of course, that's when the creepy dream hit me.