Chapter 39
The entire Augusti highmand had gathered around a table near the vi, and none of its members dared to speak.
Allowed to sit between Vulcan and Livia at the mafia princess’ behest, Ryan kept his arms crossed as he observed the scene.
The various ‘Olympians’ formed a circle, all of them eyeing their leader warily. Mercury''s mummified head had been ced at the
edge near Pluto, while Narcinia sat with her parents. Mars kept an arm behind his chair, clearly the most rxed of all people
present.
And Bhus...
The man made Ryan curious. The priest never blinked or betrayed any facial micro-expression. And instead of looking at
Augustus like the rest, his focus remained entirely on Livia.
Augustus listened to his brother Neptune retelling him the events ofst night, his body shrouded in a halo of lightning. It made it
impossible to clearly distinguish his face, and the man radiated power in more ways than one. Ryan couldn''t shake the pervading
aura of dread around the table, as if everyone worried they might get punished for a minor offense.
Even Ryan didn’t crack a joke. He didn’t know the limits of Augustus’ invulnerability except that most powers failed to work on
him. For all he knew, the lightning emperor might be a White interfering with other abilities the way Cancel did; and unlike Vulcan,
Augustus struck the courier as someone who killed at the slightest provocation.
Mob Zeus joined his hands, once the tale finished. Obviously, Neptune had presented the attack as an irresponsible prank
instead of a carefully prepared suit-rescue mission, but his brother didn’t seem to care. “You summoned me for something this
trivial?”
“Dynamis will retaliate,” Neptune pointed out. “The incident was public.”
“They dared to take our son,” Venus spoke up, her wiser husband immediately putting a hand on her arm to dissuade her to
speak; all in vain. “This is simply retaliati—”
“His parentage is the only reason Felix’s head isn’t in a bag right now.” The cold certainty in Augustus’ voice made Atom Cat''s
entire family flinch. Narcinia, in particr, looked at her feet to avoid facing Mob Zeus. “Abandoning his duties is one thing, but |
cannot stand rats.”
“He is your godson, Janus,” Mars said with the familiarity of a trusted lieutenant. He alone didn’t seem to fear Augustus, with the
exception of the mob boss’ close family members; enough to use the man’s real name.
“He is a traitor who broke my daughter’s heart,” the lightning emperor of Italy replied, Livia’s face a stone mask. “To think | once
expected to call him my son-inw one day...”
“Just give us time,” Mars argued, unabated. “We will reason with him.”
“| shall show mercy to Felix, due to the strong bond between our respective families,” Augustus replied. “But | never want to see
him again, and if he takes arms against us, there will be consequences.”
Atense silence fell on the table, Mob Zeus turning his head towards Ryan and Vulcan. While she remained outwardly strong, the
courier sensed the Genius clench her fists below the table. The courier took her hand with his own, helping her rx a little.
“You,” Augustus told Ryan, suddenly noticing the Genome’s existence. “Who are you?”
“Quicksave, sir,” the courier said. “I’m immortal, but don’t tell anyone.”
“Gods and men are only equal in one thing, and that is death.” Mob Zeus examined Ryan closely. “You do not fear me as much
as you should.”
Ryan waited briefly, in case it was rhetorical, before realizing that Lightning Butt wanted an answer. Augustus did sound a lot less
threatening when the courier called him that in his head. “Well, sir, with all due respect,” the Genome said, “I’ve seen far worse
than you.”
Augustus observed him without a word, and it started to hurt just looking at this thunder elemental. The silence grew more and
more oppressive until Lightning Butt turned his deadly attention to Vulcan, as Ryan’s superior. “What is his power?”
“Alternate reality jumping,” Vulcan lied.
“Lies.”
Augustus said that without raising his tone, but the electrical tension in the air increased tenfold. All gazes turned at Vulcan, while
Pluto eyed Ryan sharply.
“What is his power?” Augustus repeated, the crimson aura around him growing in intensity.
“| don’t know,” Vulcan admitted. “I don’t understand it yet.”
Augustus let the silence set in, until Jasmine had to look away to avoid eye damage from the light. The mere unspoken threat of
violence cowed the proud Genius. “The wise woman admits her own ignorance, Vulcan,” Lightning Butt said while trying to sound
profound, before asking the other Capos, “Who is he?”
“Ryan Romano, real name Cesare Sabino,” Mercury said through the mummified skull. “Son of Freddie Sabino, alias
Bloodstream. A blood-controlling Psycho killed by the Carnival four years ago.”
It took everything for Ryan not to make a face of pure disgust, cursing all the times Bloodstream had introduced him to strangers
using that name. He had believed in that delusion so much, that he convinced everyone else it was the truth.
Strangely though, he did notice Livia''s face softening when Mercury mentioned the Carnival. She nced at Ryan with what the
courier took for a look of sympathy. Augustus’ halo, meanwhile, shed brighter for a second before returning to normal.
“Bloodstream...” Mars spoke up, remembering something. “Yeah, | remember him. That body-jacking maniac whacked a few of
our guys back in the day.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened as if she reached a eureka moment. “Wait, she’s your sister?”
“| don’t want to talk about it,” Ryan replied dryly.
“And all that time | thought you wanted to...” Jasmine caught her breath. “Nevermind.”
Augustus kept his attention focused on Ryan. “What is your power?”
“| told you, sir,” the courier replied. “I’m immortal.”
“Quicksave is a Violet who can affect alternate universes, usually to avoid death,” Livia spoke up on Ryan’s behalf. “His abilities
will help me develop mine.”N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.
The emperor joined his fingers together. “You will vouch for him, my daughter?”
“Yes.”
Lightning Butt nodded to himself, before turning to his sister. “I marked him,” Pluto said, smoking her cigarette. “He provided
valuable services so far, but if he steps out of line, I''ll whack him.”
After onest cursory nce at the courier, Augustus dropped the subject and turned to Livia next. “My daughter, you approved
of this attack?”
“Yes, | did,” Livia replied calmly.
“Then why are we talking about it?”
“Janus,” Neptune cleared his throat. “This is serious.”
“Minerva is my heir and speaks with my voice,” Lightning Butt replied with disdain. “Your role is to advise and mentor her, not to
question her orders.”
Neptune joined his hands, clearly unhappy with this turn of events. “Then what, we prepare for war? Even if we win, it won''t be
without heavy casualties.”
“There will be no war,” Livia said with absolute confidence. “The Manada will retaliate in a public manner, yes, but Hector will rein
in his sons before things degenerate. He is just as afraid of a prolonged conflict as you are, Uncle. Which is why he hired Adam
the Ogre to attack us while maintaining usible deniability.”
“Do you have any proof of that?” Mercury spoke up. “I could not find any evidence, and from what Vulcan told us, Dynamis tried
to wipe out the Psycho trash after she drove them out of Rust Town.”
“Yes, | am certain,” Livia said. “I believe that either Adam double-crossed his corporate masters to pursue his own agenda, or
Hector decided to erase the evidence.”
“What do we do about the Meta-Gang, brother?” Pluto asked, lighting a cigarette.
“Wipe them out,” Augustus dered. “I want them all dead, to thest man.”
“Is it worth it?” Venus asked. “They ran away.”
“You leave your enemies alive, and they will return to torment you,” Augustus replied, his voice chilling. “I will not take the risk. No
man, no problem. Don’t care about the resources needed, don’t care how long it takes, don’t care if it is disproportionate. Kill
them all.”
And like that, Lightning Butt signed the entire Meta-Gang’s death warrant. Pluto exchanged a nce with her niece and Vulcan,
and Ryan could tell that they had already decided to cooperate to make that judgment a reality.
“What next?” Augustus asked abruptly.
“My retirement,” Mercury spoke through the mummified head.
“That’s a shame,” the lightning elemental said, a hint of emotion breaking through his unppable demeanor. “Your departure
diminishes us all.”
“Eh, it''s about time | pass the torch too,” Mercury replied. “I have the perfect candidate to take over my division.”
“Jamie Cutter,” Mars guessed, Ryan immediately ncing at him. “Zanbato. Good soldier.”
“Jamie has been nothing but loyal andpetent since we introduced him into our organization,” Mercury said with pride. “Men
respect him, he’s trustworthy, and he gets results.”
Most Capos around the table voiced their agreements, Vulcan included... though with one lone exception. “I am against his
ascension.” Bhus opened his mouth for the first time, his soothing voice somehow cutting through the noisy discussion. “His
opinions on Bliss worry me, and my division relies on supply runs from Mercury’s.”
“| was against selling narcotics too at first,” Mercury said with what appeared to be a shrug. “But | knew my ce, and so will the
boy.”
“Zanbato’s loyalty to our organization will always trump his personal values,” Livia voiced her opinion. “We made him who he is in
more ways than one, and he will never forget that. | validate his candidacy.”
Augustus listened without a word, before reaching a decision. “Very well, my old friend,” he told the mummified head. “Zanbato
shall take your ce as the new Mercury, and you shall be released from service. My home will always remain open to you.”
“Zanbato’s power does not fit the theme though,” Pluto mused out loud with an amused smile. “Perhaps he should take another
name? Hercules maybe?”
“That will annoy Dynamis,” Venus said with a smirk, both women exchanging a chuckle.
“No, the name stays,” Augustus quickly decided. “But he will change his costume. Vulcan.”
“Yes?” Jasmine quickly spoke up.
“You will build Zanbato equipment worthy of his new divine station,” Lightning Butt ordered. “Costs are not an issue.”
“| will.” She nodded hurriedly, eager to make the invincible man forget the previous incident.
“What else?” Augustus asked, immediately moving on.
“We are close to a breakthrough with Bliss,” Bhus spoke up, Narcinia shifting on her seat. “I can feel it. A strain pure enough
to speak with God.”
“Your obsession with refining this product worries me,” Venus said, ncing at Narcinia. “You overwork my daughter for a pipe
dream.”
“It''s fine, Mom,” Narcinia replied with a bright smile. “We are making something wonderful.”
“Indeed,” the priest said with a sharp nod. Ryan realized that he only participated when it impacted the matter of Bliss, and
ignored everything else. “This tribtion will soon reach its end. However, | worry about theft. Geist sensed strangers testing our
defensestely.”
“Strangers?” Pluto asked with a frown. “The Meta? Dynamis?”
“He couldn’t tell.” Bhus looked at Vulcan. “You would have my full gratitude if you could take time to improve our sanctuary’s
defensive perimeter.”
Jasmine made a frustrated face. “The defenses | set are already perfect.”
m not so certain, unfortunately,” Livia said. “The odds of an attack on Ischia have been increasingtely.”
“Dynamis, the Meta, they can attack that ind all they want,” Vulcan snickered. “They won''t get in.”
“| still wish that we review them together,” Livia said with a calm smile. The princess voiced it like a request, but Jasmine knew it
was anything but. The Genius breathed inwardly and said nothing.
“Do you need our assistance, Minerva?” Mars spoke up, his wife stiffening at his side. “If anything endangers Narcinia...”
“| do not think your presence will be necessary, at least at this stage,” the mafia princess said, a smile on her lips. “We can
handle ourselves.”
Augustus didn’t seem interested in the subject, and the discussion moved on to a boring activity report.
As he listened, Ryan learned more about which Capo oversaw which part of the organization. Bhus controlled the drug
division, which involved Narcinia in its production; Vulcan managed the weapon trafficking, while Mercury handled gambling,
casinos, and moneyundering activities; Mars and Venus managed the prostitution and pornography wing of the organization;
finally, Pluto, meanwhile, handled hits, assassinations, and ‘alternative protection services,’ while Neptune oversaw most of the
organization’s legitimate front businesses.
Augustus didn’t say much during the entire conversation, letting his daughter speak in his ce. Livia discussed the Bliss
production, the organization’s revenues, where to invest, and so on. All in all, Mob Zeus seemedpletely uninterested in the
logistics of his own empire. He only cared about his family’s authority and those who dared challenge it.
He was a warlord, not a king.
“| think we are finished,” Neptune said upon finishing his own report.
“We are.” Augustus rose to his feet once he had heard enough. Clearly, he was not one to waste time with pleasantries. “Livia
will take care of the rest. Do not bother me again.”
The lightning emperor quickly vanished inside the vi without a sound, the crimson halo disappearing with the man himself.
Pluto and Neptune exchanged silent nces with Livia as if exchanging a silent message.
Ryan couldn’t exin why, but he had the intuition something was at work there.
“Narcinia, we’re going home,” Venus told her daughter, as she and her husband left the table. Mercury’s mummified head had
lost all semnce of life, the necromancer behind the line having ended the ‘call.’ “We''ll pick up your sister on the way.”
“| thought she was at Zanbato’s house?” Mars asked, a little surprised.
“No, she stayed at her boyfriend''s ce, and wants to present him to us.” Venus shook her head. “She is moving too fast if you
ask me.”
“| hope he has powers,” Mars said, with the same tone of a racist father saying ‘I hope he’s white.’
“See you soon!” Narcinia waved a hand at Ryan and Livia. The family politely saluted the other people present, before leaving
through the park.
“| will take my leave too,” Bhus dered, turning to Livia. “Will you test the refined strain, Minerva?”
“| doubt so,” the mafia princess replied with a distant gaze. “I cannot see what happens in alternate realities after | take your bliss
strain. The risk is too great.”
“Please give it thought,” the priest argued. “A Blue of your power might be the key to a divine revtion.”
Augustus’ daughter dismissed him without an answer, and the priest responded with a formal bow. “Vulcan, Quicksave,” he
nodded at the two before leaving, “I will see you on Ischia ind.”
Neptune looked at Vulcan and Ryan with a frustrated gaze, before raising his hands in surrender and leaving for the vi. Pluto
moved to her spot near the swimming pool and continued her book where she had left it. “Quicksave,” she said while picking up
her novel.
“Yes, Crue?”
“My niece’s mercy is the only reason you still draw breath,” Pluto replied while flipping her book’s pages. “Never forget that.”
Such nice, friendly people.
“You look adorable together,” Livia told Ryan and Jasmine with a warm smile, once everyone had left the gathering. “It’s another
surprise.”
Once almost everyone had left the gathering, Jasmine realized she hadn’t let Ryan’s hand go, and quickly broke contact. “I don’t
need help,” she told him, ncing away. “It was nice, but | don’t need help.”
“Sure, | will adopt a hands-off policy then.”
The Genius chuckled. “Your jokes aren’t good, Ryan... but you are, | will give you that.”
“My, but thank you.” The courier winked back, before turning to Livia. “Did you know how everything at this meeting would turn
out?”
“Yes, with one exception,” she said with apathy. “When my father turned to look at you. Everything afterward waspletely
unnned.”
So she couldn''t read the time-traveler at all. Good. Ryan didn’t know how he could handle someone capable of predicting his
actions before he even thought of them.
Still, he felt some sympathy for that girl. Her situation was not so different from his own, living in a rehearsed reality while
desperate for new stimuli. And she had probably talked her father out of murdering him on the spot.
“| would appreciate it if you announce to Zanbato the news of his promotion,” Livia said with formal dignity. “I believe he will be
less embarrassed if ites from a friend rather than a direct superior.”
“Sure, that will make more drinks for us when we celebrate,” Ryan replied, though he couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “What did
you mean when you say that you made him?”
“We have a war chest of Elixirs,” Livia exined. “Originals that we collected before they could be used, or knockoffs we
‘requisitioned’ from our corporatepetition. When unpowered foot soldiers prove themselves worthy of ascension through
merit and loyalty, they are granted a potion. Jamie was among them.”
“And about your father? Can | call him Lightning Dad?”
“Not to his face,” Livia chuckled, while Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Rome had co-emperors, one elder Augustus, and a junior
Caesar groomed to take his ce. He is giving me more leeway as time goes on. | apologize for... well, how he treated the both
of you. My father thrived in more violent times.”
“At least he gets shit done,” Vulcan replied, having recovered enough to snicker. “Unlike the suits on the other side of town.”
“1 still don’t get why you spoke on my behalf though,” Ryan admitted.
“Call me a good judge of character, but | can tell you are a great friend if treated with respect,” Livia said, a hint of sadness
breaking through herposure. “And | can tell you are in great pain, deep within.”
Ryan’s mood turned sour. “Do you want it?” he asked Livia, finding the current situation a little too familiar to his liking. “To follow
in your father’s footsteps?”
The mafia princess had an excellent poker face, but the courier had mastered the art of reading micro-expressions over his
endless wandering. She was good, but couldn’t quite hide the unease beneath.
“Careful, Ryan.” Livia gave him a strained smile. “Here be dragons.”