chapters 171-175

–A bit Earlier–

Heather and I were sitting on Yasaka's porch while the three Fox Women were inside preparing a meal for everyone.

"You smell a lot better, Layla. How many baths did you need?"

"Five." I answered begrudgingly.

"Maybe next time don't stand directly under the demon when you pop him like a balloon," Heather said cheekily.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So what did you want to talk about that was so important?" Heather asked me.

I was dreading having this conversation with her, but I figured it was about time. "It's about your friends, Heather. Hermione, Ron, and pretty much the entire Weasley family," I said.

"What about them?" Heather asked. "Are they all right? You told me that they were doing fine the last time we talked."

I let out a sigh. "That's not exactly the case. The truth is, the majority of the Weasleys are actually in prison right now."

"What!?" Heather exclaimed. "Why are they in jail?"

"They were conspiring against you, Heather. All of them were. I'm sorry, but they weren't your friends," Layla said. She then began to explain what exactly happened when she went to visit them on Heather's request. She mentioned how Hermione was only after Heather's library, and the Weasley family was only after her properties and bank vaults.

Heather broke down into tears when she heard the truth. I reached over and gave her a big hug as she cried into my shoulder. She sat there and cried for a long while as I held her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"You know, part of me always knew. I always knew that they weren't really my friends. Real friends wouldn't have cared whenever I tried to hang out with anyone else, but Ron and Hermione would always go out of their way to stop other people from talking to me. Now I know why," Heather trailed off.

"I'm really sorry, Heather," I responded. "But pretty soon, you'll have a new life, and you'll be able to go to a school and make real friends who really will care about you." I gently rubbed her back.

"That sounds amazing. I'm really looking forward to it," Heather said as she let go of me. She had a small smile on her face, and she was wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"What's it like being older? What's it like having boobs? Do I grow up to like boys, or will I like girls like mama does?" The younger Kunou rambled off.

I snickered when Yasaka did a spit-take at her daughter's inappropriate questions. "That is not a polite conversation topic, young lady!" She scolded her.

Dinner with everyone was a very strange experience. The younger Kunou was doing her best to keep a conversation going with her older counterpart who was going to be very traumatized for a while. She did respond to each one of little Kunou's questions though with a smile I could tell was a bit forced.

Heather was sitting quietly next to me eating slowly. I could tell that finding out the truth about her friends, who she'd been worrying over for months, had hurt her. I know that she's strong enough to get past it though.

…

The next morning I slipped the tight black dress Lady Death gave me over my head as I prepared to transverse dimensions again. I conjured some basic sandals under my feet before stepping out of the guest room and heading towards Yasaka's courtyard.

Heather was waiting for me there. She looked like she was also ready to go. After a night of self reflection, I could already tell that she was doing much better. She greeted me with a smile. "This was definitely the weirdest adventure I've ever been on, and I killed a 60 foot long snake with a sword!"

"Ready to head back then?" I asked and she nodded.

"Are you sure you have to go so soon, Lady Layla?" Kunou Alter asked me. She was standing next to Yasaka and her younger counterpart. They were all there to see us off.

"I'm sorry, Kunou. But I really do have to get Heather back." I said to the teenage fox girl. Her ears drooped down and she looked to be on the verge of tears.

Kunou Alter–as I had taken to calling her–had understandably become a bit clingy with me after I saved her life.

Thankfully, Yasaka was here and she was kind enough to adopt the older Kunou as a second daughter of sorts.

That was good. Kunou Alter got to be in Kyoto around other Yokai and I wasn't stuck with her on top of Asia and Akeno. Not that either of those girls were much of a burden anyway. An emotionally damaged fox girl that needs tons of therapy would be, though…

'Damn Mephisto!' I cursed him in my mind. I wasn't even sure what his plan was after he wiped out all the supernatural from that world. Did he somehow think all the humans would suddenly start worshiping him next? I shook my head. I couldn't understand his plans at all…

[That's probably for the better, anyway. Evil deities like him are almost always insane. Trying to understand his plans wouldn't be healthy.]

The system's words held some truth to them.

"Come on, Heather." I said as a portal to Earth Marvel opened up in Yasaka's courtyard.

"Bye Miss Yasaka! Bye Kunou and Kunou Alter!" Heather called out.

"Take care, Layla. Next time you visit, I'll be sure to make some time for us to be alone together." Yasaka said as she gave me a final small wave while licking her lips suggestively.

I gulped as I stepped through the portal. …If only I didn't stink so badly last night!

XXX

"Welcome back, Heather. And how was your little adventure?" The Ancient One asked while preparing some tea for all three of us.

"It was boring at first, but then it picked up. I got to fight an evil dragon guy, and I was winning until he summoned this crazy magic armor." Heather said, and the Ancient One nodded. I found it funny that Heather didn't even bother remembering Issei's name.

The Ancient One nodded to Heather. She turned to me and gave me a scrutinizing look as she sipped her tea. She set her cup back down. "I trust you kept Heather out of danger other than that?" She asked the Fallen Angel who was doing her best to not look nervous. She went to take another sip.

My eyes did their best to avoid her own so she couldn't see my expression. I didn't think Acting Level 4 was enough to work on her yet. She'd dealt with hundreds of years of bullshit. "Of course I did. I promised I would!"

The Ancient One nodded, glad that I acted responsibly and didn't put Heather into much danger. "That's good, then—"

I sighed in relief when she bought my lie.

"Layla fought Mephisto and killed his avatar!" Heather blurted out! "I got to watch the whole fight UP CLOSE! It was wicked!"

"Pfffffff!" The Ancient One spat out her tea all over and started coughing! She quickly wiped her face and gave me one of the most judgmental glares I'd ever received before! "MEPHISTO!?" She shouted indignantly!

Heather then started to recount the entire experience in very accurate detail. She gave me a mischievous grin as she did so.

I looked at my wrist, where I currently wasn't wearing a watch. "Oh, would you look at the time? I'm afraid I'm late…for a thing. Bye, Heather!" Before the Ancient One could stop me for what would surely be a long interrogation session, I opened a portal directly underneath myself and fell through.

…

"Ooof!" I landed directly on my butt in the middle of my living room. A quick glance outside told me that it was nighttime.

Ugh…I'd just woken up! I didn't want to go back to sleep already! I hate time zones sometimes.

I guess I'd just pull an all-nighter. I didn't really need sleep anyways. I was deciding on what show I'd be marathoning tonight when I heard some sniffling from nearby.

Asia was sitting on the couch nearby, crying, and a female SHIELD agent looked like she was doing her best to comfort her.

"What's wrong, Asia?" I asked in concern.

Neither girl had noticed my sudden arrival and were startled.

"Eeeep!"

The SHIELD agent went for her sidearm before she recognized me and stopped herself. "Please don't sneak up on people who are armed, Miss Layla." Agent Carter asked with a sigh. "As for why Asia is crying, someone is throwing lightning around the city like it's going out of style! Akeno went out to check it out, and Asia is worried for her."

Asia sniffled and wiped her tears. "I just want to know if Akeno is okay… The last time the city had a thunderstorm, some people died, and I couldn't help them…"

I realized the problem here. Asia was somehow feeling responsible for those deaths. As a girl who was granted miraculous healing powers, Asia seemed to feel that any life not saved was her fault, especially when she was located in the same city as all the hospitals that had power failures from the storms.

I walked over to Asia and sat down right next to her on the couch. I gave her a big comforting hug. "None of those deaths were your fault, Asia. The only one to blame was whichever mean God caused all the thunder and lightning. When we find out who it was, they will be punished…"

...

–Present–

I had sensed my niece's ascension to High Class across the city. That was followed by me feeling her fighting against a God. I rushed over as quickly as possible to make sure she was alright. I could tell that Akeno was more powerful than the God she was facing, but I still wanted to make sure she was alright. It was a good thing I did, because another God soon appeared to save the first one. They were about to team up against Akeno and her new friends right when I arrived.

'Are those the X-Men?' I thought in surprise. What were they doing here? The black and Yellow outfits they were wearing were very iconic. They also looked to be very tight and form fitting. I approved.

I descended towards the ground. My black wings and my aura of power, blanketing the area, didn't retract as my sandals made contact with the soil. Both were a show of my power, and that's what I needed to project right now. I was dealing with two gods after all. While it was true that they were both only in High Class, I was certain that wasn't always the case. Back when the Greek Pantheon had millions of believers in this world, these Gods were far more powerful. As their followers dwindled, so too did their powers.

[Idiots who could never find another source of power.]

And there really wasn't any changing that for the Greeks, in the end. Even if humans knew the Greek Gods really existed, no one would pray to them anymore.

[And why would they? Pretty much every single story about them involves the Greek Gods being incredibly cruel to their mortal followers.]

XXX

I decided to heal Steve Rogers before dealing with everything else. He needed immediate attention.

With all eyes on me, I casually strolled over towards Steve. He needed immediate attention. His breathing sounded faint. I was surprised to see Percy Jackson, of all people, crying over the injured Captain America. I hadn't been aware the Greeks in this world were from the Percy Jackson universe. I hadn't seen any disguised monsters in New York, nor had I ever sensed anything resembling "The Mist." I'd have to ask the Ancient One about them later.

"Can you help him?" Percy asked me with tears in his eyes. "Ares hurt him badly." Percy was heartbroken at seeing his favorite hero almost die because of his stupid family drama.

I smiled at the boy gently. My Sacred Gear manifested around my wrists. "Of course, I can help him. He and I are friends—er—work acquaintances." I corrected myself. I realized that I hadn't spent much time with Steve actually. And yet he was nice enough to come out to try and help my niece…

Purple light enveloped his form. It took about 120 MP to completely heal him. Ares had severely damaged some of Steve's internal organs. If Steve wasn't enhanced, he would have died for sure.

Steve's eyes opened, and he shot upright in surprise! "What happened!?" He asked as he assumed a fighting stance. He quickly noticed someone he recognized was next to him and calmed down. "Uh…welcome back, Miss. Some crazy guy in armor attacking your niece and her friends." Steve recounted quickly.

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. "Yes, I know. He and his sister are right over there." I turned back towards the two Greek Gods that hadn't moved much since I had arrived on the scene. Not that I had allowed them to. My aura had been blanketing the area and suppressing them the whole time. I didn't want them teleporting away when I was distracted.

"Who the hell are you, Mortal? How are you so powerful?" Ares shouted out angrily as I approached them. He was on his hands and knees kneeling in the dirt before me. Artemis wasn't much better off.

"Mortal?" I questioned. "Do I look like a mortal to you?" I said while gesturing to my 10 black wings.

"Of course you are! Before us eternal Gods, all beings are mere mortals!" He responded.

"Huh?" I said, almost stumped. For some reason, Ares could not recognize me as an Angel. Ancient Greece had been around for over 3000 years, so Ares should have been old enough to recognize an Angel when one stood before him. My kind had only been gone from Earth Marvel for around 1000 years.

[Clearly, some mind fuckery is once again at play.]

I agreed with the System. Odin had screwed with all of his people's minds. Who's to say that Zeus or someone else hadn't done the same to the Greeks?

Akeno walked over to me and gave me a quick hug. "Thanks for coming." She said.

"Are you alright, Akeno?" I asked. "Congratulations on reaching High Class…this time on your own."

"Thank you." Akeno replied. "Although it wasn't exactly on my own. An artifact ended up fusing to me and boosting my power." she explained.

"Yes, we watched it happen. The Lightning Bolt faded into motes of Light as soon as she touched it." Ororo Munroe said as she also walked over accompanied by Jean Grey.

"They all shot into her chest, and then she grew another pair of beautiful wings!" The redhead said excitedly.

"Ara, to think you were both staring so intently at my chest earlier." Akeno said to both Jean and Ororo with a mischievous grin.

Was Akeno…flirting? With two beautiful women at once, even!? I was so proud of her! Jean Grey's face turned red at her niece's innuendo. Ororo merely gave Akeno a faint smile. I wasn't sure what had happened before I arrived, but clearly my niece wasn't doing half bad for herself.

"You stupid mutant freaks! That was Zeus's Master Bolt that the bitch took away! She's going to pay for that!" Ares shouted angrily. His muscles bulged to their maximum as he tried to stand despite the pressure I was focusing on him. His face was red as he glared at me with hatred in his eyes.

I narrowed my eyes on him. He'd just threatened Akeno in front of me…again.

[He's screwed…]

XXX

My aura that was keeping him pinned down vanished suddenly. He almost hopped to his feet with an evil smirk! "Hah? I knew you couldn't keep that pressure up for long without–"

"Almighty Push." I cut him off while raising my palm towards Ares. The purple rings of the Rinnegan had replaced my normal violet eyes.

WHAM!

An invincible force tore through the air and slammed into him. The snapping of bones could be heard as Ares flew backward at high speed. Before he could fly too far away, a dark portal materialized behind him, and he flew through it. The other side of the portal manifested directly in front of me.

Ares's broken body flew towards me, and I caught him by the neck violently! I then slammed him into the dirt with all of my strength, causing the ground to crater.

My black dress fluttered around me as all the air kicked up from the force I'd just used. I took a deep breath.

That was very cathartic.

Ares was also correct. I couldn't keep my aura out indefinitely. Keeping two high class beings pinned down, with seemingly no effort, did drain my MP quite a bit.

But it was worth it because it looked really cool…

"Holy shit…" Percy mumbled nearby. "She just instantly took out Ares!"

"Language." Steve instinctively responded.

If he was a sad sight to look at before, now the God of War looked downright pathetic. He was curled up inside the crater feebly whimpering in pain. I had broken so many of his bones there that he probably couldn't even move.

"That's twice now that you've threatened my niece in front of me. There will not be a third time." I said domineeringly.

"I shhry…" Ares did his best to apologize with his broken jaw. Even with divine healing, it would take him hours to heal from all the damage I just inflicted upon him.

With Ares sorted for the time being, my gaze turned towards Artemis next. The beautiful Silver Goddess of the Moon who had supposedly sworn off all relationships until the end of time. I scoffed at that. That was a mindset I could not understand. What was even the point of living?

[Believe it or not, most people are not deviants like you.]

'You're the one who stuck me with the Sin of Lust in the first place!' I retorted in my head before focusing back on the Moon Goddess.

…

"So, Artemis, I take it you're here to retrieve Zeus's master bolt? I'm afraid you're going to have to leave empty-handed. Since it chose to fuse with my niece, Akeno, then that's the end of that." I said.

Artemis gulped. She slowly stood up and started dusting herself off. "Zeus isn't going to be happy about that. He had that weapon crafted over a thousand years ago, and it drastically amplifies his powers over lightning. He'll do almost anything to get it back." She explained with a grimace.

"He crafted it?" I asked. From what?

My Rinnegan was still active, and I turned towards Akeno and inspected her more closely. I could see a new type of energy swirling inside of her, but it looked and actually felt familiar. I could recognize it.

"Baraquiel…" I muttered. It was his power that I now felt fused with my niece. I must have been a hefty part of it too, because it directly jumped her from Mid class to High class.

Akeno's eyes widened before she grimaced. "Great, now I have even more of my father's power flowing through me." She touched her chest and judging by her expression I knew that I was correct.

"How did Zeus even get a hold of the power of heavenly lightning in the first place?" I asked Artemis.

"I'm not sure what Heavenly lightning is." Artemis responded. "What I do know is that Zeus had his master bolt crafted from a large wing from some mysterious creature he found over a thousand years ago."

I think I know what happened now. It looked like Zeus was a little rat in the past. While it was rare for angels or fallen angels to have their wings cut off mid-battle, it did happen occasionally, thankfully growing back. Zeus must have arrived at one of those battlefields long after the fight had occurred and scurried around collecting what he could. He must have just happened to have stumbled upon one of Baraqiel's severed wings before any angels or fallen angels could return to clear away the battlefield themselves.

XXX

I explained my thoughts out loud and took pleasure in Artemis's grimace when I called her father Zeus 'a little rat.'

"My father is not like that. He is The Honorable King of all the gods!" Artemis bellowed out. Her eyes looked at me fiercely, and I have a feeling that she might have even tried to attack me if I wasn't so much more powerful. The Greek gods were very quick to jump to violence, it seemed.

"Really?" Jean hesitantly asked Artemis. "You know we all have history textbooks, and in them, they don't depict Zeus as a very good guy. In fact, most of the time, he's causing trouble for humans, women especially…"

"I admit that he has done wrong, by some women in the past—" Artemis started to say, but I cut her off.

"If by some, you mean thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, then sure." I said sarcastically. Since these were the Greek gods of Percy Jackson, then I knew for sure that the Zeus here could absolutely not keep it in his pants and did not take no for an answer.

"Disgusting." I commented and all the women, besides Artemis, agreed with me.

Artemis frowned. "It seems that we're not at an impasse then."

I shook my head at her. "An impasse implies that both of us are standing on equal ground." I pointed towards Ares' pathetic form sitting in the crater I left him in. "As you can see, we are not in an impasse. Isn't that right, Steve?"

Captain America walked over after retrieving his shield. I snickered as he scowled at Ares as well before he turned and spoke to Artemis. "That's right, ma'am. You and he tried to commit murder on American soil. I'm afraid that you're going to have to be going away for a while. You can be rest assured that you will receive a fair trial." He said with confidence.

Artemis looked absolutely gobsmacked at what Steve just said. The two X-Men looked surprised as well.

"A trial?" Jean questioned. "You're going to give a Goddess an actual trial?" She asked while looking at Ororo as if to confirm what she'd just heard. The other woman just shrugged.

He nodded. "Of course we are. This is America." He said proudly. "You, Ares, and Luke over there will all be taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, and afterwards, you'll receive a fair trial." Steve said to Artemis while holding his finger to his ear. I suspected that Fury had been listening in this entire time. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was probably getting a real kick out of this situation…

I know I was!

"Hoh?" Artemis gave Steve a challenging look and conjured her silver bow. She seemed to temporarily forget that I was here. "You think I will allow a man to challenge me. TO ARREST ME!? I am the goddess of the moon and the hunt!" Her silver hair and eyes started to glow with power.

Next to me, Akeno, Jean, and Ororo all readied themselves for a fight.

I held my hand up and tried out another one of my Rinnegan's abilities. A chunk of black metal materialized in my palm. I warped the black metal with my power until it took on the shape I desired…

"If you're not going to come quietly, then I'll have to take you in!" Steve declared while holding his shield in front of himself. He looked ready to block and arrows she'd soon be firing. If i wasn't here that is…

"Universal Pull!"

"Eeeep!" Artemis let out a cute squeak and dropped her bow as she flew towards me quickly. When she got close, I grabbed hold of her and clamped the object I had just created around her neck. It was a black collar–made of chakra, or magic, disrupting metal. Her abilities would be much more limited with it on.

As proof of that, her silver glow faded away and she slumped back to the ground with an expression of shock. "The Moon…I can't feel the Moon anymore." She muttered to herself.

I crafted another two sets of black collars and handed them two Steve. "Here, these are for Ares and Luke. They won't be able to easily access their powers with these on them." I said.

"Ufufu. Layla is collaring yet another beautiful woman." Akeno commented. "Another girl for your harem, dear Aunt?"

"Harem!?" Jean squeaked and Ororo raised an eyebrow at me. Steve and Percy were both looking at me with blushing faces.

"That was not why I collared her!" I responded indignantly.

Artemis stopped her panic and looked at me in shock. "You wish to court me and add me to a Harem, even!? Try as you might! I will not be seduced so easily!" She declared proudly.

I facepalmed.

XXX