After being bombarded by the unrelenting and rather dishonorable attacks from the father-son trio, the sunglasses-wearing young man was left completely stunned.
As Apollo—the sun god, the embodiment of the sun, and an Olympian walking among mortals—he had never suffered such a humiliating defeat.
Staggering to his feet, Apollo shook his head forcefully and looked at Peter and the others with dazed eyes.
"You… who are you people? No… you can't possibly be mere mortals."
Apollo quickly found a way to justify his own disheveled state—there was no way the trio before him were ordinary humans.
Because mortals couldn't possibly defeat him!
Before Peter and the others could respond, Apollo drew a gleaming, radiant bow and arrow.
"Whether you're mortals or not doesn't matter anymore. Taste the divine power of the gods—the Plague."
(Note: Apollo is not only the god of health and music but also the bringer of plagues and deadly disease.)
Seeing that Apollo still wasn't giving up and was about to use a divine weapon, Peter immediately activated runes, inscribing protection sigils—Guardian Runes—on himself, Star-Lord, and John to shield them from harm.
At the same time, he prepared to counterattack.
"Enough!"
But before Apollo could even notch his arrow, a commanding voice rang out from the distance.
Peter turned his head to see Wonder Woman, who had previously fought him, arriving at the scene.
Clad in her iconic red and blue battle armor, Diana strode forward with fierce grace.
Todd and Zola stood dumbfounded, completely numb from shock.
The battle earlier, which had felt utterly beyond human comprehension, had already shaken them to their core. Now another superhuman had appeared!
Zola snapped out of her stupor and whispered to Todd, "Where did you find all these superheroes?"
"I swear, I only found out they were superheroes today," Todd whispered back helplessly.
Diana shot a sharp glare at Apollo. "Apollo, you have no business interfering in mortal affairs."
Hearing Diana address the man as Apollo, Peter nodded to himself. So, his suspicion was right—this guy really was the sun god Apollo.
Upon learning the man's identity, John grew even more eager for battle.
If he could take down a god, he could truly call himself a god-slayer.
His name would no longer just be "John, son of Peter Padraic," but "John, the God-Slayer."
Star-Lord, however, grew more cautious. If this guy really was the Apollo from Greek mythology, his strength was probably far greater than they had seen so far.
If things spiraled out of control, he was prepared to activate his Celestial powers to help defend his father and John.
As the three of them mulled over their own thoughts, Diana had already approached Apollo.
"This isn't a mortal matter," Apollo said, lowering his bow and frowning. "It's a matter of the gods. That woman—her unborn child—we cannot allow her to survive. Even if I don't act today, the other gods will come for her. Especially..."
He turned to glance meaningfully at the stunned Zola. "Especially my mother."
Diana immediately understood he meant Hera—the notoriously jealous queen of the gods.
"So, Diana," Apollo continued menacingly, "don't try to stop me. Or I'll eliminate you as a threat, too."
Bzzzz—
Just as the tension between them reached its peak, Peter's phone suddenly rang.
The unexpected ringtone drew both Diana and Apollo's attention.
Peter, who had been standing on the sidelines eavesdropping in hopes of gleaning useful information, was caught completely off guard by his phone.
He cleared his throat and turned to take the call.
"Dad?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Peter instantly recognized who it was.
"Loki?"
"Yes, it's me."
"Well, it's about time you called. I was starting to think you ran away from home, Loki."
"No! Of course not!"
Hearing the irritation in Peter's voice, Loki started to panic a little—maybe he had gone a bit overboard this time.
"I, uh… I just wanted to surprise you."
"A surprise? Where are you right now?"
Peter wasn't interested in any surprise at the moment—he just wanted to know where the hell Loki had gone.
"I'm already in Metropolis. Where are you?"
Peter looked around at his surroundings and told Loki his current location.
After giving him a few warnings and reminders, Peter hung up the phone.
Since the little troublemaker hadn't come home yet, he refrained from saying anything threatening like "just wait 'til you get home." Better to lure him back gently—then deal with him belt-in-hand.
After the call, Peter turned back around, coughed again, and said to Diana and Apollo, "Sorry, had to take that—go ahead, you two, carry on."
Apollo: "…"
Diana's eye twitched slightly in irritation.
If not for the fact that Apollo was the bigger threat right now, she might have cut Peter down right then and there to avenge the humiliation he'd caused her the night before.
Taking a deep breath, Diana calmed herself as best as she could. She gripped her sword tightly and glared at Apollo.
"As long as I'm here, I won't let you harm that woman. She and the child are innocent."
"Innocent? That's the funniest joke I've heard," Apollo said coldly. "The child in her womb is Zeus's last bloodline. With Zeus missing, everyone is fighting for his throne. Whether she wants it or not, she's already caught in the maelstrom."
"So, Diana… face reality. In this game, no one is innocent."
"Wait—"
Before Apollo could finish, Diana interrupted, shocked: "Did you just say… Zeus is missing?"
"You still don't know?"
Apollo looked at her in surprise. "It seems you have no idea what's going on, yet you blindly decided to play the good guy and get involved in all this."
Diana forced herself to stay calm. "When did Zeus go missing?"
"You ask too many questions, Diana."
Apollo gripped his bow and coldly stared at her. "Our conversation ends here. Are you still going to try and stop me?"
"No matter what, I have to ensure her safety—both hers and the child's."
Wonder Woman took a step back and slowly raised her sword.
On the sidelines, Peter—just here for the drama—watched the confrontation escalate. He quickly pulled Star-Lord and John back a step, not wanting any blood splatter on himself.
At the same time, his gaze shifted to Zola, who stood stunned not far away.
That woman... she's carrying Zeus's child?
And now Zeus has vanished?
Doesn't that mean—if he could get his hands on the child, raise it properly—he could support the kid to become a puppet ruler of Olympus?
Then he'd have Asgard from Norse mythology and Mount Olympus from Greek mythology?
Stroking his chin, Peter fell into deep thought.
But wasn't thinking of raising a puppet ruler a bit too ambitious?
Shaking his head, Peter quickly pushed the idea out of his mind.
Why frame it so maliciously? Clearly, this was just... helping someone in need.
Peter looked up ahead.
At that moment, the divine siblings had already begun to fight.
Wielding the Sword of Hephaestus, Diana's combat power had clearly increased since the previous night.
Even facing Apollo—who possessed divine power and a sacred weapon—she could now hold her own, even suppressing him at times.
"Haah!"Diana roared, leaping with force and lightning speed, swinging her blade down at Apollo's head.
Seeing this, Apollo quickly dodged backward, and in mid-retreat, he drew his bow and fired a glowing, air-shaking arrow.
Clang!
Diana raised the Sword of Hephaestus to block the arrow, then lunged forward, charging at Apollo with even greater momentum.
Meanwhile—
John looked at the sudden brawl and asked Peter in confusion, "Dad, what do we do now?"
He wasn't sure who they should help.
Or maybe... help no one and just take both gods out?
Peter was just about to reply when he noticed a figure slowly approaching them.
The newcomer wore a strange-looking mask and a black robe, exuding an undeniable, imposing presence.
The figure's arrival quickly drew the attention of the battling Diana and Apollo.
They both stopped mid-action and turned toward the intruder.
They could clearly sense that this person's aura was no ordinary one.
As the masked figure walked toward them, he pulled a small sandbag from his pocket.
With a toss, sand spilled out—and in an instant, the surrounding scenery changed dramatically.
The once bright and sunny environment was replaced by an ominous sky filled with dark clouds.
With each step the stranger took, the sense of pressure intensified.
Apollo, stunned by the transformation, suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness sweep over him.
Though he used his divine power to resist it for a while, the moment the masked man pulled out a shimmering red gemstone, Apollo could no longer fight it off. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.
Startled, Diana glanced at the fallen Apollo, only to feel the same overwhelming sleepiness wash over her.
She tried her best to stay conscious, but couldn't fight the primal urge to sleep. She staggered and collapsed to the ground as well.
Having put both gods to sleep, the masked figure turned to face Peter—and slowly removed his mask.
Peter blinked at the young face beneath it.
"Loki?"
"It's me, Dad."
Loki smiled faintly. "I'm back."
Peter eyed his outfit suspiciously. "Where'd you get all this stuff?"
Was this really his son?
He just took down two Olympian gods?!
"Uh… Dad, this is the surprise I was talking about."
...
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