greek gods in new york

02

A year ago, Zeus knocked on my door.

The reason why I didn't call the police directly was because my father who was a bit out of his mind, John Hawke, happened to be at home at the time.

When he saw Zeus, he got up straight away, called his father in a low voice, and then swung the one-kilogram wrench in his hand towards Zeus's head.

Since then, Zeus has often avoided my dad to eat, and each time he looked like he hadn't eaten for a few days.

"Ares isn't home?"

After following me through the door, Zeus showed a vigilant look on his wrinkled face due to time and wind and frost.

——Yes, my idiot father who has a problem with his brain and can only do long-distance transportation now is named John Hawke, who is actually the famous Ares, the god of war in Greek mythology.

So Zeus is indeed my real grandfather.

"I'll be back next week."

I opened the fridge and pulled out the instant pasta and tomato sauce.

This kind of food brought Zeus a disgusted expression: "Is there anything else?"

I rolled my eyes: "I like to eat or not."

Zeus was wearing a European-style custom-made suit, and the extremely well-fitting fabric could not tolerate rough treatment, so after he pulled out the chair, like all rich and luxurious men, he first unbuttoned the handmade metal buttons on the suit, and then opened his eyes. Sit politely at my family's $35 dining table.

It's so cheap because the dining table was built by my dad himself, and the wood boards were bought from the second-hand market.

"What did you mean," I asked, "about saving the world or something?"

"Can't we talk about it after I finish eating?"

I took the pasta from the table to my side.

Zeus sighed heavily, muttering something like I don't love him, I don't respect my elders, and took out a few photos from his suit pocket.

"look at this."

"what?"

He pushed the photo in front of me.

I took a closer look, and the palm-sized photo recorded my dad's face.

In my memory, my father's image can't be said to be sloppy, but he is definitely not neat: he always wears an old shirt that doesn't fit well, baggy, and under his trousers, he tends to go out directly with slippers instead of leather shoes.The graying hair at the temples is messy, and so is the beard. I remind him to take care of it every day, but the effect is minimal.

Because his brain is not working well, he doesn't like to talk, and he is silent like a mute most of the time.

Only the strong arm lines, the tall figure, and the pair of eyes that flashed sharply from time to time reminded me that when he was sober, he was once the old god of war, killing and violence () Zeus, the king of gods Ares, the biological son of the queen Hera.

But my dad in the photo is different.

There is no chaotic and dazed expression, no slovenliness like a bachelor, his back is straight, his black hair is neat, his eyes are piercing, and more importantly, he is wearing a gray-green camouflage uniform with extremely complete combat equipment, with a gun belt around his waist Shoulder, assault () rifle () dropped on the chest.

This is the mercenary image I have only seen in the game.

The background of the photo is a boundless yellow sand.

"Eight years ago."

Zeus pointed to the date in the lower right corner of the photo: "You were born two years ago, on the US-Mexico border."

I looked at other photos, all on the same date, all fully armed, and my dad was completely different from now.

This is my dad? !

Even though the man in the photo has the same face as my father, his murderous and stern temperament makes it difficult for me to connect the image with my father who is silent and dull in reality.

I flipped through the photos several times and then—

The last photo is a group photo of five big men in a dark room. They are sitting in a circle, seeming to be discussing something in secret. The man suspected of my father Ares is standing on the far left.

He is strong and tall enough, and the comrades standing beside him are even taller than him, and they also have a familiar face.

That was my godfather, Fernando.

Now, I can no longer doubt it.

"So before I was born, my dad was a normal person," I held the photo, "and then?"

"Do you know why Ares became what it is now?" Zeus asked.

"He was devastated when my mother died," I shrugged, "and that's what happened after that."

Zeus sneered: "Who told you?"

Me: "That's all."

Zeus: "Wrong, ordinary humans say that."

I was taken aback.

Opposite Zeus, with the demeanor of eating ( ) exquisite ( ) French food, slowly tore open the package of instant pasta.

"Nicole," he said, "you know what it's like for us old gods?"

I know.

I watched Zeus get up, pour the pasta onto a plate, and pop the plate into the microwave.

"You have lost your powers," I replied.

At least as far as I know, this is true of Zeus in front of me, my father Ares, Athena, Apollo, and other old gods whose true identities I know are often on TV.

The gods came into being because of human beliefs. Humans believed that the gods had the power to move mountains and fill the seas, so they prayed and offered sacrifices to the gods.

"Mankind today no longer believes in the old gods, and the gods have lost their faith and believers," Zeus continued, "and they have lost their power."

"so what?"

"Actually we've lost more than divine power, Nicole."

The microwave was activated, buzzing behind Zeus' back.

My home is located in the old city of New York. The house is very old and the decoration is also very old.The neglected restaurant looked a little dilapidated, and the handsome old Zeus, who was well-dressed and handsome, looked out of place here.

I have a subtle sense of space-time confusion.

"I am immortal, and there will be no more believers," Zeus said. "In fact, we old gods are not far from extinction. The Greek gods are immortal because humans still remember us. The day they forget us, we disappear That day."

I frowned.

What is he trying to say?

Zeus, standing in front of the microwave, smiled.

"The harbinger of a species' impending demise is not loss of power, Nicole."

With a ding, the instant pasta is ready in the microwave.

"It's just that no new offspring are produced."

As Zeus said, he turned to open the microwave oven and took out the pasta.

"Before the old gods lose their divine power, the first thing they lose is their fertility. Thousands of years have passed, and no old gods have given birth to new offspring."

"..."

what?

I blinked.

Wait a minute.

"If I hadn't found out that your father had activities on the US-Mexico border, I wouldn't have told you about it," Zeus sat back at the dining table with the pasta in his hand, "otherwise, you see, I haven't had an illegitimate child for so many years."

ah? ? ? ?

Although this sounds strange, it is extremely credible when it comes from Zeus's mouth.

Don't you, you old swindler.

According to Greek mythology, the illegitimate son of Zeus can circle the Aegean Sea three times.According to the speed of his derailment, from the time when the Greek pantheon was replaced by the Christian church to 2018, there should be a lot of hybrids of human and god.

But no, not one.

"That--"

I froze for a moment, and quickly recovered: "No, what about me?"

My dad is Ares, the god of war!He is a god, but he gave birth to offspring, and the offspring is me.

Zeus nodded: "Yes, for thousands of years, you are the only descendant of a god."

I instinctively hold my breath.

"Ares met your mother 17 years ago, shortly after the date in the photo," he said, "then they got married and Ares quit his job and moved back to New York from Mexico. A year later your mother was pregnant A year later, when you were born and your mother died in childbirth, Ares seemed to have lost his soul."

Zeus picked up the fork.

"Nicole, don't you think everything is too coincidental?"

This……

I blinked and touched my ears again, I couldn't believe Zeus was telling the truth.

But with his serious and dignified expression, he was clearly telling the truth!

am i the only one?

What does my dad being a fool have to do with me?

My heart started pounding.

The only child of a god for thousands of years, does it mean that I, I am the same as the protagonists in those novels, animations, games, movies and TV dramas——

"So, I am..." I stammered.

"That's right," Zeus pointed at me with a fork, "If the future of the gods can still be saved, Nicole, then you are the chosen daughter who can save all the old gods!"

Me, I'm really at a loss for words.

It's kind of comical to say that over instant pasta at the dinner table.But this matter is related to me, and Zeus is not joking, saying that I have no response, it must be false.

"Then, will my dad be able to return to normal?" I asked eagerly.

That's what I care most about.

"can."

Zeus gave an affirmative answer: "And it's very simple."

I stare.

Zeus took another carefully folded document out of his pocket.

"I also found this, your father and godfather, from the US-Mexico border was involved in a project code-named 'Lazarus,'" he handed me the document, "After the project was over, they came back. This Everything about the project is a mystery, and I only found two clues: one, your mother is also a person in the project, and two, several professors of religion and folklore from Ivy League universities participated in the project."

"And then?" I asked.

"Seventeen years have passed, and the project has been sealed up. Only the professors of that year are eligible to unblock it, and only their students can understand the details," Zeus said, "so according to my current ability, I can't continue to check it. gone."

"Then what should I do?"

When I came back to my senses, my palms were already sweating: "What can I do to, uh, save my dad?"

Zeus smiled brightly: "It's very simple! You have to be admitted to an Ivy League university and be a student of those professors, so you can figure out the situation back then."

I:"……"

Zeus: "As a grandfather, I don't have high requirements, just Harvard University."

I:"…………"

Zeus: "Isn't it easy?"

I took a deep breath: "Spit out the pasta, get out!"