8 The Strongest Under the Heavens

Goku wasn't sure how to feel about the emergence of this particular Olympian god. As Camp Half-Blood Forest's coniferous trees burned to cinders in a mass sea of flame, he took it upon himself to silently analyze Ares's form. He noted that said God of War had a murderous look of fury etched on his face, both "eyes" glaring into Goku's very soul. The Saiyan could obviously tell Ares had a lot of experience in battle, but, unfortunately, his total power level did not seem all that impressive at first glance. However, recalling the strange nature of Aphrodite and Artemis's ki signatures from before, Goku hoped that Ares could be the first opponent from this universe to give him a challenging, worthwhile fight. After everything he's been through in the past few hours, such a hypothetical battle was something he desperately needed.

"So, I'm guessing you're Ares, right?" Goku questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, the great Son Goku recognizes me, huh? I'm truly honored." Ares sarcastically chuckled with a condescending smirk. Aphrodite nervously darted her eyes from Goku to Ares, already anticipating the vitriolic confrontation that was about to take center stage.

"Don't even think about it, Ares! I've trapped you once and I can do it again." Aphrodite growled defensively. She stood in front of Goku, keeping her new love interest away from harm.

"With what? Those pathetic rosebuds you call thorns? Don't make me laugh. Out of all people, you should know that pyrokinesis is one of my most useful abilities. If my ride can extinguish this forest here, burning your vines was practically a cakewalk." Ares mocked Aphrodite's attempt at acting assertive. Taking a hesitant step back, Aphrodite stood her ground and glared profusely at Ares.

"I admit that was a small… well, big miscalculation on my part, but the meaning behind my previous attack still stands. I am solely responsible for Goku's arrival here and I won't let you, nor any of the other Olympians, lay a finger on him because of it!" Aphrodite promised with the utmost conviction. She furrowed her now-black eyebrows, causing her irises to sport an energized pink hue once again.

"I appreciate the help, Aphrodite, but this situation is my mess to clean up just as much as it is yours. Heck, to be honest, I willingly surrendered myself to Artemis and the girls about a half-hour ago." Goku reiterated Aphrodite's claim whilst placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Said love goddess tilted her head to the side in momentary shock.

"Huh? You did?" Aphrodite exclaimed surprisedly. Artemis then parted from her startled Hunters and stood a few feet apart from Goku's side.

"He's telling the truth, Aphrodite. After a little skirmish involving my Hunters and a hydra, Goku agreed to stand trial on Mount Olympus amongst Zeus and the others. Well, that is, once he woke up from the aftereffects of my specially designed tranquilizer dart." Artemis summarized the events of her first confrontation with Goku. She couldn't help, but smirk at the fact that she managed to incapacitate Goku despite their sizable gap in strength.

"Hey! I was caught off-guard, Artemis. How was I supposed to know that you were going to attack me right as I got done destroying that hydra?" Goku indignantly defended himself. Artemis shook her head and sighed at the aforementioned martial artist's "offended" tone.

"Hunting doesn't always involve a fair fight, Goku. A successful hunter always knows when to take advantage of their prey's most prominent weaknesses." Artemis knowledgably explained the practices indicative of hunting for sport and, under more extreme circumstances, survival. "Shouldn't a fighter of your caliber and experience be aware of that by now?"

Goku thought over Artemis's question for a moment or two, wondering if her claim was valid to the standard conditions of his past battles. Recalling the time when Piccolo blasted him in the shoulder during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament finals, another moment where he blindly left himself open for attack, Goku begrudgingly agreed with said moon goddess's statement.

"Yeah. I guess you've got a good point there." Goku muttered with a small frown. As he gently stroked his chin in contemplative thought, Artemis turned her attention to Ares. She crossed both arms, challengingly looking upon her aggressive half-brother in annoyance.

"Your assistance isn't required here, Ares. I've done as our father instructed and taken Goku under my custody. Simply retrieve Aphrodite, go back to Mount Olympus, and prepare for the upcoming trial with everyone else. My hunters and I can handle the situation just fine." Artemis calmly denied any sort of potential aid from Ares.

"Thee could also deactivate thy flames while thou art at it. The whole forest is about to burn down!" Zoë Nightshade fearfully added from within the large mass of her fellow Hunters. Her gaze was primarily poised on each of the War Chariot's four steeds, noticing that red flame was still continuing to spew from their nostrils and slightly open maws.

Ares side-glanced at the immortal teenager, too preoccupied with his own goals to really care about what she just said. He simply scoffed and put his sunglasses back on.

"Not gonna happen, Ms. Shakespeare. This place will continue burning to cinders until I get what I rightfully came here for." Ares remarked with a thumb lazily pointed at himself.

"S-Shakespeare?" Zoë meekly stammered in a mix of confusion and suppressed anger.

"Then enlighten me, Ares. What exactly did you come here for?" Artemis sharply questioned. In response, Ares detached his spear from the ground and skillfully spun it around.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to put that alien dumbass in his place!" Ares growled determinedly, pointing the arrowhead of his trademark weapon at Goku. Artemis, knowing full-well of Ares and Aphrodite's millennium-long love affair, looked over the daughter of Ouranos as she continued standing close to Goku's side. In conjunction with Ares's infamous anger issues, this so-called challenge seemed fairly inevitable in hindsight.

'Hmph. I should have figured jealousy had a part to play in this mess. No matter how many mortal women he sleeps with, Aphrodite seems to be the one person he truly "desires" more than most. However, it appears that Aphrodite doesn't feel the same way. At least, not anymore.' Artemis astutely thought, shaking her head at Ares's typical misogynism and possessiveness being expressed at the same time. Aphrodite was usually no different with her tendency to sleep around from person to person, but, in the case of Goku, she acted less selfish than normal. The question was: Why exactly? What made Goku so much more special than any of Aphrodite's other lovers, including Adonis or any of her demigod children's parents?

"Woah, really?! Alright!" Goku blindly whooped in excitement at the prospect of another fight. Aphrodite, Artemis, and the Hunters all deadpanned at Goku's childish response, uncertain if he realized the outward seriousness of such an event possibly taking place. He then awkwardly cleared his throat and replaced his toothy, care-free grin with a more concerned expression.

"I mean… uh… you want to fight me? Any specific reason for that?" Goku corrected himself in the form of a more straightforward question.

"There's a lot of reasons, actually. First, you steal my woman without even trying and somehow manage to turn her against me in a single day. If it were any other person, I'd have to give you props, but with her, it makes my blood boil. Second, ever since you arrived here from your backwards-ass universe, the gods have been hyping you up as this world-ending threat that even Kronos would be scared of. And, don't worry, they've seen your alleged "battles" from the past, including the ones with slugman, spiky-haired midget, the living purple and white dildo, the mechanical cockroach, and bubblegum boy." Ares listed off the specific reasons for hating Goku and the circumstances behind his arrival. Goku's face contorted into one of befuddlement, never hearing someone call his previous adversaries such weird names.

"I know you're referencing Frieza there, but I'm still confused. What's a dildo?" Goku questioned with interest, scratching his head to emphasize his obliviousness. Not wanting to explain such an uncomfortable, private topic, everyone looked at Aphrodite as if expecting her to answer without hesitation.

"No comment…" Aphrodite shrieked embarrassingly, her cheeks burning a bright red as she attempted not to share full eye contact with Goku. Ares burst into uproarious laughter at this compromising situation, absolutely baffled by Goku's lack of sexual knowledge and affinity.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA! See?! This is why you piss me off so much. You're touted as this fearless, all-powerful warrior, yet you continue to act like an overgrown man-child. Aphrodite may call it innocence or that stupid "pure-of-heart" bullshit, but the fact of the matter is, you refused to grow up and don't think of the consequences your actions bring upon everyone else. I may be the god of war, but at least I openly acknowledge the fact that widespread violence is something I was born to commit for all eternity. You, on the other hand, claim to train and fight for the sake of protecting your friends and loved ones, yet, in the end, almost every villain that wreaked havoc on your version of Earth has flourished because of your own selfishness and Saiyan instincts. It's no wonder your wife kicked the bucket when she did. She couldn't stand to be neglected by a self-centered, socially retarded husband like you. Hehe." Ares negatively chastised Goku's behavior and overall static development as a person. Aphrodite's eyes widened at this hateful rant, placing a hand over her mouth in response to the implication of Chi-Chi's recent death.

Goku, trying to control his anger, immediately snapped after the utterance of Ares's last syllable. At uncalculatable speeds, Goku quickly teleported in front of Ares and set an open palm in front of the war god's face. His white aura activated in mere seconds, putting enough excess pressure on Ares's body to make him instinctively crouch downward.

"Don't you DARE mention her again!" Goku yelled threateningly, traces of green eyes and golden-yellow hair appearing for a split second to match his heightened fury. A trail of sweat trickled down the side of Ares's forehead, resulting from his surprise at the sheer intractability of Goku's movements.

'The hell? I didn't even see him coming…' Ares muttered in momentary shock and nervousness. He practically froze in place, not wanting to instigate Goku's hostility any further until their battle started.

'Oh dear. Do you have any idea what you've just done, Ares?' Aphrodite inwardly sighed, fearing that the Saiyan side of Goku's personality would be fully unleashed. Artemis, in contrast, was more intrigued by Goku's momentary change of appearance than anything else.

'What was that just now? Another form that he hasn't revealed yet? Does this one exponentially multiply his power like the Kaioken does?' Artemis continually asked herself in growing curiosity. At the same time, she also felt an ounce of resentment towards Goku for not being able to divulge more information about his strength and techniques. However, Ares's sudden arrival most likely prevented this from happening, so it wasn't done on purpose.

"You want to fight me so badly, Ares? Fine then. Name the place and time, and I'll be there. That's a promise." Goku scowled irritably, his teeth bared as if he were ready to lash out if need be. The Saiyan's black hair flowed in the wind produced from his ki, partially standing up to mirror the appearance of his yet-to-be-unveiled transformation.

Ares glared down at the Saiyan in a mix of uncertainty and evident scorn. Attempting to retain his thuggish image, he then smirked pleasurably at Goku's "agreement" to his proposed challenge.

"Feh. Alright. We'll fight in Camp Half-Blood's Combat Arena back there. And, before we start, I want to have an audience full of this camp's brats, including mine. It makes it more gratifying to have direct witnesses for the massacre I'm about to commit on your Asian-looking ass." Ares darkly suggested with a cold sneer. He pointed toward a large, cylindrical stadium that was fairly reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum during its golden age. Goku quirked a brow, noting how figuratively different it was from the World Martial Arts Tournament's battle arena back home.

"That depends. Will these kids be safe sitting on the sidelines? When it comes to my fights, I don't want anyone who's not directly involved to get hurt." Goku questioned in a cautious manner.

Ares rolled his eyes, scowling at Goku's tentative regard for the safety of Camp Half-Blood's inhabitants.

"You really have to be a pussy about it, huh? Tsk. They're part god. Witnessing this sort of thing is like watching TV for them. As long as we fight one-on-one, they'll be fine." Ares rudely eased Goku's worries. The Saiyan male, not entirely convinced with Ares's words, just nodded in reluctant understanding.

"Alright, alright. Let's just get this over with." Goku sighed, crossing both arms behind his head. He slowly spun his body around and examined the emblazoned Camp Half-Blood Forest in its current condition.

"Oh, right. Since I agreed to fight you, do as you promised and stop this forest fire. It's experienced enough damage as is." Goku ordered the war deity. Before Ares could act properly act upon this command, all of the flames suddenly dispersed into thin air. Even stranger was the fact that each tree, while previously burned to a crisp, were now back to normal as if nothing happened at all.

"Already got it covered…" A calm, echoey voice replied from the camp's trail. Goku turned his head around in several directions, attempting to spot the source of this unforeseen speaker. His gaze then closed in on an eight-year-old girl with light brown hair and fiery, glowing orange eyes. She held a tiny fire ball in her hand that seemed to comprise of the forest's prior inferno. She then snapped her fingers, causing the orb to instantaneously dissipate like a flickering lightbulb.

"Woah…a little girl?" Goku asked aloud in confusion. The mysterious girl gracefully walked over to Ares's quartet of flaming horses, petting each one with little fear of being burned.

"Nice to meet you, Son Goku. My name is Hestia, goddess of the hearth, home, and family." Hestia pleasantly greeted.

"Oh, right! I think you were in some of Aphrodite's memories as well. But, how do you know my name anyway? Does news travel that fast on Olympus or something?"

"Not as fast as you'd probably think, actually." Hestia replied with a small chuckle, recalling Hermes' notoriously busy schedule as the messenger god. She slowly shook her head, giving Goku a warm, inviting smile.

"I've been aware of your existence for quite a while, Goku. I suppose you could call me a fan of sorts, considering how many times you've assisted in saving your own "home" from conquest and destruction." Hestia happily complimented with a small twinkle in her eyes. Goku nervously scratched his head, not knowing exactly what to say as a response.

"Seriously? Thanks… I guess." Goku muttered in uncertainty. Hestia's smile struck a small, miniscule nerve in Aphrodite, but she didn't know for what particular reason. She was a virgin goddess, after all, so would being potential competition for Goku even be possible? Aphrodite's green eyes then narrowed into slants at the sight of Artemis, distinctly recalling the amount of time she spent with Goku on campgrounds.

"After all this is over with, I'll need to keep an eye on her. And maybe Hestia as well." Aphrodite promised determinedly. She darted her irises from Artemis to Hestia before standing close to Goku again.

"Humph. Always have to come and ruin my fun, don't ya, Hes?" Ares interrupted in a low snort. Even he, the savage, bloodthirsty god of war, could not help, but calm down when around his aunt, Hestia.

"I'm just keeping you and the other gods out of trouble is all. I can't have you burning all of Camp Half-Blood to the ground, you know? That wouldn't be good for anyone at the moment, considering Olympus's current situation." Hestia answered matter-of-factly, gesturing to Goku as the aforementioned "situation" that needed to be dealt with.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to cause you Olympian guys such a panic. Honest." Goku assured Hestia in a genuinely apologetic tone. Said goddess of the hearth vanished in an expansive torrent of flames, appearing right next to Goku's right pantleg.

"There's no need to apologize, Goku. I know you've been through a lot these past few months. My condolences go out to you and the rest of your remaining family." Hestia expressed her sympathies for Goku's present situation.

"Wait, you know… err… about that?" Goku timidly asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Of course! Aphrodite's not the only one that can view other universes via Iris Message. I know all about Gohan, Goten, and, of course, your late wife, Chi-Chi. Being a family-oriented goddess, admiring millions upon billions of families from afar is one of my most prominent past times. And, to tell you the truth, I was fairly pleased with what I had the opportunity to view." Hestia explained her broad knowledge of his life and loved ones. Goku faintly grinned, looking up at the sky in vivid reflection of his entire life from then until now.

"Yeah. She… they are all great. I couldn't ask for anybody else in the world to spend my life with." Goku pleasantly reminisced about his sons and former wife. The image of Chi-Chi within his subconscious mind steadily began to fade away, causing Goku to sadly grimace. From the sidelines, Aphrodite felt a bit discouraged and hurt by what Goku said, but ultimately didn't put it against him. She knew that he was in a profound state of grief and it would take a fairly long time for Goku to officially move on from the Ox-Princess. In that time, she hoped Goku could develop similar or even stronger feelings for her, but as of now, such an occurrence was null and void in terms of probability.

"But, now…" Goku trailed off as he blankly stared at the ground.

"Ugh. Does anyone have a barf bag?" Ares mumbled impatiently, feeling a bit disgusted by Goku's expression of sadness. Hestia gave the war god a fiery glare before gently tugging on Goku's orange pants.

"I understand, Goku. You don't have to continue." Hestia kindly eased Goku's sadness. Goku nodded, swiftly wiping his eyes and nose before any stray liquid snuck out.

"R-right. Thanks a lot, Hestia. What you said really meant a lot." Goku expressed his gratitude with a wide, much more enthusiastic smile.

"You're welcome. Now, I think you have a battle with Ares to deal with. Olympians gods and goddesses aren't fond of waiting most of the time." Hestia jokingly reminded Goku of his current predicament.

"I think I've personally witnessed that firsthand. Haha." Goku admitted in a pleasant chuckle, referring to Aphrodite's usage of the Mount Olympus elevator to teleport him here. Aphrodite, taking note of this implication, gave Goku the stink eye and placed both hands on her hips.

"What?" Goku absentmindedly wondered with a clueless shrug.

The Hunters of Artemis, seeing that Ares's pyromania was under control, took it upon themselves to reconvene with their mistress. The moon goddess in question was noticeably lost in her own thoughts, all of which centered around Goku and the circumstances behind their earlier confrontation.

'I see. It appears this Chi-Chi, as I've suspected, was the person he lost before coming here. Her death was most likely recent enough to still be on his mind, so Aphrodite's choice to pursue him as a "lover" or whatever she was aiming for could not be more poorly timed.' Artemis gathered observantly, feeling progressively more annoyed with Aphrodite's selfish actions. She, however, was smart enough to realize that while Aphrodite did indeed create the problem in question, she, her hunters, and Zeus all instigated it to even greater heights.

'Even so, violence most likely wasn't the right way to go about this situation. Goku didn't seem angry at all, given his Saiyan heritage, but… I still think it'd be best if I apologized for my and Zoë's prior lapse of judgement. Well, after the impending trial and this whole Ares situation is dealt with. Huh… what a fool…' Artemis recognized her mistake and lack of forethought. The daughter of Zeus then grunted, feeling that Ares would make this already compromising situation much worse than before.

Ares, seeing that every conversation was put to a definitive close, clasped his spear and attempted to approach the Combat Arena.

"Now, with all that mopey, depressing crap out of the way, let's get Dionysus or Chiron and gather everyone—" Ares's instructions were interrupted by the loud stomps of an irate, cranky Mr. D. Following close behind him were the confused forms of Chiron, Clarisse La Rue, and Sherman Yang.

"What in Tartarus's Pit is going on over here?" Dionysus shouted accusatively. He attentively perused Camp Half-Blood Forest's surroundings, identifying, to this chagrin, traces of scorch marks and uprooted plant life.

"Huh. Speak of the devil." Ares commented, addressing the peeved wine god and company in sheer amusement.

"How's it going, Cokehead? Or should I say Diet Cokehead?" Ares mockingly greeted. Dionysus simply snorted at this long-overused insult.

"Oh ha-ha. Bite me, Ares. What are you even doing here? Last time I checked Artemis was handling the Jackie Chan wannabe just fine." Dionysus questioned crabbily, taking a sip of his Diet Coke as he pointed at Goku.

"What do you think? I'm making things easier for Dad by knocking that porcupine-haired idiot down a few pegs." Ares answered gruffly. Dionysus exasperatedly wiped a hand over his face, wondering why he always had to be caught up in his fellow Olympians' drama.

"Wonderful. Knowing you, I have a feeling this will cause tons of collateral damage that I'll be responsible for cleaning up afterwards. Just when I thought this camp couldn't become even more of a dump." Dionysus grumbled sarcastically.

"Glad we're on the same page then." Ares lightly sniggered at Mr. D's expense. Clarisse and Sherman, excited to see their divine parent for the first time in quite a while, hurriedly walked up to him.

"Hey. Long time no see, kids. Been causing any trouble lately?" Ares said, smarmily grinning at his demigod children.

"Are you serious, Dad? You're going to fight that muscle head?" Clarisse inquired in disbelief, not thinking for a second that anyone could stand on equal footing with her dad. Ares, seeing that his already enormous ego was being stroked, nodded with a confident gleam in his fiery eyes.

"Hell yeah. You're going to witness your dad kick some alien ass, Clarisse and… uh…" Ares trailed off, unable to keep proper track of every demigod he previously sired. Sherman's joyful expression soured considerably, contorting into one of hurt and befuddlement.

"It's Sherman, Dad. You had me with Lucy Yang?" Sherman reminded Ares of his mom's identity. Thinking over all the women he's slept with in the past, Ares suddenly snapped his fingers in realization.

"Oh right. Mmmmm Lucy Yang. She was a fine one, alright. Mmhm." Ares hummed pleasurably as perverted thoughts of Lucy Yang's once youthful, voluptuous body came to mind. She couldn't really compare to Aphrodite in terms of beauty, but to Ares, she was easily a 9-10 by mortal standards.

Sherman squirmed in discomfort, not expecting Ares to remember his mom on a purely sexual basis. He folded on arm over the other and gagged.

"Gee. Thanks for putting that image in my head, Dad. Real nice." Sherman deadpanned in minor embarrassment.

"Psh. Whatever, kid. There's nothing wrong with admiring a good body when I see one. Aphrodite should know all about that." Ares defended himself with a careless wave of his hand. He then suggestively leered at Aphrodite's curvaceous form, remembering the countless amount of times he made it his. However, such a gaze, to his reluctance and increasing anger, caused Aphrodite to immediately look away and hide behind the still-oblivious Goku.

Zoë wasn't pleased in the slightest by this perverted attitude, showcasing her revulsion through the emission of a low growl.

"Disgusting pig…" Zoë mumbled under her breath.

"Care to repeat that?" Ares spat threateningly, giving Artemis's lieutenant a side-long glare. Zoë ever-so-slightly shivered at Ares's tone, but was too proud to truly cower in fear.

"No…" Zoë exclaimed in defeat, turning around to share full eye contact with the god of war.

"Heh. That's what I thought… sweetie." Ares denounced Zoë's honor as a warrior. Despite Ares's status as a Greek deity, Zoë cracked under pressure due to the utterance of this fairly demeaning affront. She instinctively reached for her bow and prepared to fire at the ready.

"S-sweetie?! How dare thee! No man, whether thou be mortal or god, can get away with such a—" The hand of Artemis's was cupped over Zoë's mouth, preventing her from saying a comment she wouldn't live long enough to fully regret. At the same time, her fellow hunters forced Zoë's arms down to make certain that any stray arrow could not be deployed.

"Stop, Zoë. This isn't a fight you want to be involved in. I've taught you well enough to realize that." Artemis whispered commandingly in Zoë's ear. Said lieutenant, beginning to realize the error of her judgement, nodded in understanding. Artemis and the other Hunters then released Zoë, allowing her to patiently wait around like everyone else.

Chiron trotted into view, stroking his straggly beard as he took a closer look at Goku and the slightly torn apart Archery Field.

"Are you certain fighting here is wise, Ares? I fear that there won't be a camp left to run if you battle Son Goku at full power. Just look at the damage produced via a simple scream, if, of course, I'm right to assume that was him." Chiron hesitantly pondered, feeling some concern for the safety for his students.

"Yeah. That was me, Mr. Horse Guy. Usually I'm able to keep my ki under control, so sorry if I caused any damage to your camp." Goku added apologetically, trying his best not to gawk at the fact that Chiron was part-horse.

"It's Chiron and cleanup is already underway in the Dining Pavilion, so your concern isn't warranted as of now. Even so, I still appreciate the sentiment." Chiron neutrally turned down Goku's attempt at apologizing.

"Oh. Good to know." Goku said in relief.

"That's why our fight will be held in the Combat Area. It's big enough not to destroy anything and the other campers, including my brats, will be able to watch us beat the knot out of each other to their hearts' content. It's a win-win in my book." Ares definitively proclaimed his plans for the fight. While Sherman and Clarisse were immediately anticipating the idea, Chiron felt somewhat cautious with it.

"Hmmmm that does seem promising. With a few extra precautions, the forest and Thalia's Pine Tree won't have any chance of being permanently devastated. What do you think, Mr. D?" Chiron mused positively, looking over to his fellow counselor for additional support.

"It's not a smart idea by any stretch of the imagination, but what the hell? Me personally, anything to get these ankle-biters out of my hair is a literal godsend. Plus, it's still dark out. They most likely don't have much better to do until it's lights out at 11:00." Mr. D ultimately went through with Ares's deal. He looked up at the sky, noticing that it was now blanketed with starlight and the glowing moon.

Hestia gently cupped her chin, not wanting to choose a particular side in this debacle.

"I don't know about this. I have a feeling Zeus will be displeased with such an event taking place without his approval beforehand. As I recall, Artemis was tasked with bringing Goku to Olympus dead or alive." Hestia solemnly expressed her doubts.

"She's right. Zeus gets particularly livid when things don't go according to his plans." Aphrodite agreed with Hestia's sentiment due to witnessing Zeus concoct said order not too long ago.

"Like I said, it's far from being a good idea. However, this does grant Ares and the rest of us an ample opportunity to observe Ukog's abilities and overall plausibility as a potential threat. Wasn't that what you were doing, Artemis?" Dionysus logically pointed out. Purposely ignoring the fact that Dionysus got Goku's name wrong a third time, Artemis confirmed his assumption.

"I suppose I can't deny that, yes. The Kamehameha is still a technique my girls and I wish to analyze up close." Artemis revealed her interest in learning about the legendary Kamehameha Wave.

"I have no idea what that nonsense you just said is, but the point still stands either way. The fight will be officially taking place here." Dionysus stated as a set-in-stone fact.

"But what about—" Aphrodite attempted to object the occurrence of this potentially catastrophic battle.

"Anymore arguments? No? Good. Then let's get this show on the road." Dionysus ignored Aphrodite's worrisome retort. With Chiron, he then prepared to assemble each of Camp Half-Blood's demigods into the Combat Arena. Ares also followed closely behind them, but took the time to intimidate his eventual opponent a bit more.

"Understand that there's no turning back after this, Son Goku. We'll keep fighting til one of us falls over unconscious or stops breathing. Like for any self-respect warrior, surrender isn't an option by any means. Got that?" Ares darkly glowered, pointing his spear directly at Goku's heart. Goku remained perfectly calm, gently pushing the bloodstained weapon aside.

"The feeling's mutual, Ares. I'll make sure to give you a fight either of us won't soon forget. I can promise you that much." Goku confidently declared with narrowed black eyes. Both fighters took the time to fervently stare each other down, projecting their energies in equal defense of one another's. Ares, not surprisingly, was the first to break this makeshift staring contest.

"Fahaha. We'll see about that, Goku. We'll see." Ares chuckled maniacally. To Goku's amazement, he then magically transformed his spear into an aluminum baseball bat and held it along the right shoulder blade. As he stomped away, Clarisse and Sherman shared their own individual looks of contempt with the original Z-Fighter.

"You better dig yourself a shallow grave, dude. Just by reading his body language, I can already tell my dad won't stop until you're dead." Clarisse cockily advised, drawing a line over her throat to exemplify Goku's fate.

"It was nice knowing ya, pal. Hehehe." Sherman sent his regards, sprinting back to Ares Cabin to personally inform the others of what just happened. Clarisse, after glaring back at Goku with hatred, did the same.

Goku blinked a few times, attempting to comprehend the bad attitude both of Ares's kids seemed to possess. As of now, he was left alone with Aphrodite, Hestia, Artemis, and her archers.

"Sheesh. Those were some scary-looking kids." Goku gulped wearily. The girl, Clarisse, also seemed to exponentially tower over most kids her age. Embarrassingly enough, he couldn't quite tell she was one at first glance.

"They mostly inherit that trait from their dad. Intimidation is a crucial factor to every demi-god claimed by Ares." Hestia explained her knowledge of Ares Cabin's shared characteristics.

"Huh. Guess they won't be hard to spot then." Goku replied with a small scratch of his head. Sighing, he then cracked his neck muscles and outstretched both arms.

"Welp. Wish me luck, guys." Goku called out, tilting his head to directly address Aphrodite, Artemis, Hestia, and everyone else. Before he could leave, Aphrodite speedily grabbed ahold of his arm.

"Goku, think of what you are dealing with for a second! I know you're powerful enough to handle it, but provoking Ares would be a very big mistake for everyone involved. Your reputation amongst the gods could become exponentially worse if he is harmed in any way. Don't you realize that?" The love goddess concernedly warned Goku of the consequences that could result from this potential death match. Goku took a deep breath and frowned at her.

"I know, but what other choice do I have, Aphrodite? Ares will try to fight me no matter what. If I refuse, he could attack me anywhere outside the arena, leaving this forest with a greater possibility of harm. Seeing the destruction his horses and him are capable of causing, I want to avoid that as much as possible. Besides…" Goku addressed the importance of preserving Camp Half-Blood's plant and wildlife among all else. He then hesitated, clenching his fists in remembrance of Ares's hateful rant.

"… he disrespected my wife. I can't just let him get away with something like that! Not a chance." Goku shouted in anger as he tightly ground his teeth. Aphrodite loosened her grip on Goku's arm, realizing that his mind was already made up.

"H-He… he really loves his wife that much, huh?" whispered Aphrodite in newfound sympathy. She then bit her lip and closed her eyelids, fully releasing Goku's arm.

"I-I understand, Goku. Just…" the saddened Aphrodite said as she pecked Goku's cheek. This kiss, however, was considerably less enthusiastic than the one in New York City.

"…don't be reckless, okay?" Aphrodite questioned with a melancholic smile. Goku, caught off-guard by her short display of affection, slightly grinned a similar way.

"I won't." Goku promised wholeheartedly with a thumbs up. The Saiyan male then slowly departed for Camp Half-Blood's Combat Arena as he agreed to.

Aphrodite longingly gazed at Goku's back as he strolled onward, realizing how selfish she was in putting so much excess pressure on his shoulders. The love goddess knew that Chi-Chi recently passed away, but she never once thought how much grief Goku must have been going through up until this point.

Artemis, also particularly surprised by how much admiration Goku held for this "Chi-Chi" woman, squinted her silver eyes at Aphrodite in a fierce, disapproving glare.

"Are you satisfied with what you've done, Aphrodite? Causing a fight between your two supposed "lovers" to see which one is more suitable?" Artemis questioningly chastised her fellow goddess's foolish actions. Aphrodite flinched at Artemis's harsh words, but she had no room to deny the validity of her accusation.

"No… I'm not." Aphrodite replied truthfully in a small, shallow voice. Artemis sniffed with doubt, repositioning her bow and arrows in preparation to move out.

Hestia shook her head in dismay, permeating a calm sense of warmth throughout the entire area. This feeling, usually indicative of the hearth on Mount Olympus, helped ease Aphrodite and Artemis's tension ever so slightly.

"Calm down, girls. Antagonizing one another won't make things any easier. As goddesses, all three of us need to properly adjust to the changes our world will inevitably undergo from Goku's arrival. Like we've always done." Hestia maturely uttered, the orange flames that made up her irises growing more evident and intense.

""Right."" Artemis and Aphrodite both agreed with Hestia's point.

"Now, let's head to the stadium. I'm usually not one to enjoy fights, but this is a noteworthy exception." Hestia pleasantly chirped, rubbing her hands together with intrigue. Artemis, the Hunters of Artemis, and Hestia then all approached the Combat Arena's entrance while Aphrodite momentarily stood behind.

Aphrodite's eyes were primarily fixed on her feet. Small tear droplets began to fall, matching the conflicted feelings she was currently going through. Her appearance changed into one of a long black dress that steadily flowed in the wind. To any random passersby, it would appear as if she were in a state of extensive mourning or guilt.

"Oh, Goku. I'm so sorry…" Aphrodite whispered regretfully as fresh tears trailed down her cheeks. Before her mascara could bleed, she wiped both eyes and attempted to compose herself. The love goddess took one prolonged, deep breath and then walked toward the stadium, solemnly praying that this fight would not be one of the respective combatant's last.

Within the Combat Arena…

Camp Half-Blood's Combat Arena was a building typically designated for dueling and weapon practice. Much like the Roman Colosseum, it housed built-in stands where other campers could view upcoming sparring matches or even sport-related events. Recently, specific sections were designated to each of the 12 main cabins, including the usually vacant Artemis Cabin. These were designated by individually colored tarps and symbols, such as a yellow trident for Poseidon Cabin, a thunderbolt for Zeus Cabin, etc. The actual arena itself offered test dummies made of straw that campers could practice close-quarters combat with, but since they wouldn't need to be required for an official fight like Goku and Ares's, they were all placed in the storage closet. Afterwards, the Combat Arena filled to maximum capacity in a manner of minutes. Every cabin, with the exception of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera (which didn't really count to be fair), Hestia, and Hades, had seats occupied by its half-blood or immortal denizens. While Artemis and the Hunters sat in their specified local, the Hermes Cabin, due to its long-held reputation of including demigods that have yet to be claimed, held the largest portion of the entire audience by a wide margin. Said cabin's campers, most notably the Stoll Brothers, were making bets on who had a better chance of winning this fight. Anyone who dared select Goku as the clear victor were threatened with toilet swirlies or, worse, being anally probed by Clarisse's new spear, Maimer, so mostly everyone just put their money on Ares out of fear.

Meanwhile, Aphrodite joined her own children in the stands. This extensive group of demichildren included the head counselor, Silena Beauregard, Drew Tanaka, Lacy, a boy named Mitchell, nine other girls, and four other boys. Silena Beauregard was a 14, going on 15-year-old girl with curly black hair, sparkling blue eyes, and red lips like her mother. Being the designated leader of this cabin, she was, despite her young age, comparatively the most equal to Aphrodite in terms of sheer beauty. She also seemed to be the first of Aphrodite's daughter to notice her saddened demeanor.

"Mom's here?! Yay!" Lacy gasped in gleeful shock. She quickly jumped out of her seat and hugged Aphrodite's waste as tight as she could. Said girl was about 10-years-old with blonde pigtails and a pair of braces on her teeth.

Aphrodite was almost knocked off her feet due to Lacy's sudden impact, but returned the embrace regardless. She lightly grinned at Lacy whilst brushing her hair.

"O-Oh hi, Lacy. How are you doing, dear?" Aphrodite attentively asked. Lacy closed her eyes and excitedly beamed at the love goddess.

"Good! I'll have to go back to school soon, but still good!" Lucy happily replied. She was personally dreading her return to The Brooklyn Academy of the Gifted, but the newfound presence of her mother helped ease those concerns.

"That's wonderful, sweetie. But… um… I would suggest working on getting those braces removed. They get in the way of your smile." Aphrodite suggested while lifting Lacy's chin up with her thumb. Lacy groaned, nodding her head in agreement.

"Yeah. They're pretty annoying, but Dad says I need them if I want to have teeth as good as yours someday." Lacy told her begrudgingly. Aphrodite just caressed the side of Lacy's face, causing the pre-teen to giggle amusedly.

"Tsk. In your dreams, hon." Drew Tanaka snorted in denouncement of Lacy's potential beauty. Drew was a tall Asian girl around the same age as Silena. She also had pink eyeliner and long, black hair that was curled into ringlets.

Aphrodite sighed, shaking her head in disapproval of Drew's shallow behavior. She wondered if that was a quality inherited from her specifically. Given her recent treatment of Goku, she honestly wouldn't be surprised.

"Be nice to your sister, Drew." Aphrodite lightly scolded her daughter. She then plopped herself down in a seat, exasperatedly cupping both cheeks in her hands.

"You heard her, Drew. Be nice." Lacy sassily mocked.

"Whatever." Drew said, rolling her brown eyes at Lacy's poor attempt to get under her skin. She then took out a file and began polishing her "perfectly" manicured nails with it.

Silena, seated next to Aphrodite, decided to see what was going on with her.

"Is there something bothering you, Mom?" asked Silena in concern. Aphrodite blew out a defeated breath, failing to conceal her inner sense of guilt.

"It's nothing, honey. I've just been… having a few regrets lately." Aphrodite sadly murmured. In that moment, Goku made his way through the stadium entrance, childishly awestruck by the sheer size of this arena's interior. This behavior caused the love goddess to helplessly squirm in a state of conflicted turmoil. One of Aphrodite's other daughters quirked a brow at this admittedly strange reaction, looking from Goku to her in quick succession.

"Uhhhhhh does it have to do with that hottie down there?" The girl asked while jerking her thumb at the battlefield. Aphrodite slumped her shoulders, a bit embarrassed by the fact that she was that easy to read.

"Yes, kids. I'm the reason why he's here in the first place." Aphrodite admitted morosely.

"Really? That one guy who had his face in the mud a few hours ago?" Mitchell chuckled in gleeful surprise. Aphrodite irritably placed a palm over her face.

"Yeah, yeah. He has a fairly goofy side, but Goku isn't just some ordinary man, Mitchell. He's been a hero to his own universe in more ways than one. I know that from firsthand experience…" Aphrodite lovingly reminisced of Goku's greatest feats. Her expression became half-lidded and dreamy, much to Drew's confusion.

"So, like, if that weirdo is from another world or whatever, does that mean you've been… stalking him?" Drew carelessly questioned. Aphrodite felt a bit offended by this comment, especially since it came from her own flesh and blood.

"No! I was only admiring him from afar via Iris Message. It's completely different." Aphrodite sternly argued. Drew set the nail file down and absentmindedly blew on her pink nails.

"So, "cyber stalking", got it. Psh what's the big deal? You're the goddess of love, Mom. What makes him any different from Ares, Adonis, my dad, or any other men you've banged in the past few centuries? Sticking yourself to one guy seems pretty lame, honestly." Drew attempted to point out the flawed logic behind her mother's pursuance of Goku as a lover. Tired of Drew's rudeness, Silena got out of her seat to directly reprimand the Asian prima donna.

"Knock it off, Drew. That's going too far. Love is a complicated emotion to deal with sometimes. We, including you, should be well aware of that as her children." Silena supported Aphrodite's swift change of romantic interest, pointing in said goddess's general direction. Drew glared back, standing up to haughtily brush her hair backward.

"As if. That's rich coming from you, Silena, or should I say, Mrs. Beckendorf." Drew deviously snickered with air quotes. Silena's eyes widened in horror while the other members of Cabin #10 displayed equal astonishment.

"Eep!" Silena squealed, her face beginning to blush like a ripened chili pepper.

In the Hephaestus row, Charles Beckendorf, a 16-year-old African-American teen, lifted his up in sudden curiosity. He had muscles comparable to that of a professional baseball player and short, black hair. His forearms were also concealed by bandages and miniscule scorch marks from working in the camp's Armory all day.

"Did someone say my name?" Charles called out, moving his head around to inspect every row. Silena stood frozen in place, keeping her mouth shut until he sat back down. Assuming he was just hearing things, Charles shrugged and began conversing with his fellow siblings.

"Pardon my language, but what the hell is wrong with you, Drew? I told you that was a secret!" A humiliated Silena quietly hissed.

"Oh boohoo. If you were a real daughter of Aphrodite, he'd be wrapped around your little finger by now! That's what Charmspeak is for, after all." Drew smugly whispered back, mentioning Aphrodite's trademark ability as a good example of how to win her potential love interest's affections.

Aphrodite huffed exhaustedly, placing hands on both of Silena and Drew's shoulders.

"Break it up, girls! Charmspeak should not be mishandled like that, Drew. It's my inherited gift to you both, so treat it as such. And, Silena, I'm afraid your sister has a point in all of this. Bottling up your true feelings won't do you any good in the long run. I should know, this whole battle here took place because of mine. Understand what I'm saying?" Aphrodite gave Silena some helpful advice on pursuing one's object of affection before it was too late. Silena timidly glanced back at Charles Beckendorf's back, ultimately understanding where her mom was coming from.

"Yeah, Mom. I'll work on it." Silena wistfully promised with a faint, red-lipped smile. Aphrodite then pulled Silena and Drew into a forced group hug, much to the latter's reluctance.

"That's my girl. Now, with all that settled, it's time for all you kids to see what makes Son Goku so special." Aphrodite eagerly announced, her past feelings of grief somewhat suppressed at the moment. She gracefully sat herself down alongside Drew, Silena, and Lacy.

"Oh boy. I'm, like, soooo excited." Drew disingenuously shrieked with a grouchy face that didn't match at all.

"Hm. We really need to work on that attitude problem of yours." Aphrodite considered while lightly stroking her chin. Lacy, interesting in knowing what this Goku guy was like, leaned over to whisper in Aphrodite's ear.

"Is he gonna scream some more?" Lacy asked fearfully, not wanting to clean up a mess worse or equal to the Dining Pavilion.

"Well… there's a possibility he will, yes. Hehe." Aphrodite giggled, motherly rubbing the top of Lacy's head.

Outside of the stands, Goku was still preoccupied with taking in the Combat Arena's many sites. He was particularly amazed by how many demigods there were in the audience, noticing that a wide majority were strikingly different from one another age wise. Ares, on the other hand, was impatiently studying the Saiyan's every movement in an attempt to spot any considerable weaknesses or physical ailments he could take advantage of. To his increasing frustration and intrigue, there weren't.

'Gotta admit, I'm impressed. Even when wandering around like a moron, all portions of his body are perfectly defended, as if he's instinctively tracking my every move as well.' Ares mentally observed from reading traces of Goku's energy. His walking patterns, while random at first glance, were also covering ground that a potential sneak attack from Ares could occur in.

The god of war then gazed at his baseball bat with a cold, calculating sneer. His face was reflected in the bat's metallic coat, causing him to bask in the indomitable glory of his appearance.

'No matter. Regardless of skill, he's no match for a god in terms of sheer physicality and endurance. Once I eventually tire him out, it's game over.' Ares astutely figured. Since all gods have regenerative abilities, Goku would never be able to fatally wound him without a Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold weapon in hand.

Goku looked around to admire the colors and designs of each divine cabin. Seeing the continually growing audience brought back vivid memories of his participation in the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai competitions. Fortuneteller Baba's own tournament also came to mind.

"Huh, aside from the look, this isn't all that different from the World Martial Arts Tournament back home." Goku commented, feeling a sense of familiarity with this type of battle-centric setting. However, he didn't expect to view a larger, tightly compact section in the dead center of all twelve Olympian cabins. This portion was elevated near the arena's roof, purposely distanced from the ensuing battle about to take center stage. It possessed an orange banner with the likeness of a black Pegasus, Camp Half-Blood's most recent insignia.

Seated in this V.I.P. location were a cranky Dionysus, Chiron, and a large, blonde guy with hundreds of matching blue eyes that extended all across his entire body. Goku could not help, but be amazed that such a person was standing within the same vicinity as him.

"That is, though. And… uh… whatever that eye guy is." Goku sheepishly proclaimed, trying his best not to simultaneously stare at all of those eyes. He jokingly began to wonder if Tien's own Super Saiyan transformation would be something like that.

Dionysus scratched his back, took one last swig of Diet Coke, and prepared to address the audience.

"They need to start paying me for this crap…" Mr. D yawned glumly with bloodshot, bagged eyes. He then cleared his throat and magically elevated the audibility of his voice.

"Alright, everyone. Shut up for a second while I announce what's going on. That includes you too, Stoll's." The god of wine bellowed authoritatively. He directly set his sights on Connor and Travis Stool, keeping an ever-present watch on them.

In Cabin #11's row, said troublesome duo played dumb, pretending not to know what rowdy behavior Dionysus was implying.

"Yeesh. Talk about discrimination, huh, Travis?" Connor asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know. What did we ever do to him?" Travis responded in played-up offense. The two wrapped arms around their respective shoulders and sniggered mischievously. Dionysus snorted at their equally elvish smirks.

"Okay, so, apparently, this guy, Sun Wukong—"

"It's Son Goku." Artemis corrected him from within the crowd. One of Dionysus's eye lightly twitched at this correction.

"That's what I just said. Anyway, this guy is Public Enemy #1 on Mount Olympus cause someone couldn't keep it in her pants." Dionysus continued informingly, not-so-subtly gesturing to Aphrodite's direction. The demigods chuckled at this description while those in the Aphrodite Cabin peered down in embarrassment.

"Dionysus! Can't you have a filter for once?!" Aphrodite yelled at the wine god in irritation. Dionysus threw his hands up in the air, looking at her with equal levels of annoyance.

"What? You're telling me I'm wrong in saying that?" Dionysus questioningly accused Aphrodite of denying the truth behind her actions. Aphrodite bit her lower lip, unable to refute Dionysus's admittedly honest summarization.

"But, she's not even wearing pants." Goku whispered confoundedly. The audience, including Aphrodite herself, reacted to Goku's airheaded comment with blank stares.

"Oh yeah. I can see what you mean, Mom. He's very special." Drew mocked condescendingly.

"Don't force my hand, young lady. Just be quiet and listen to the drunk ramble on." Aphrodite huffed in a low, authoritative growl. Drew rolled her eyes and threw a piece of gum in her mouth.

"Fine." Drew glowered back, blowing a large, pink bubble as she continued to chew.

Dionysus diverted attention away from the irate goddess and proceeded onward with his introductory speech.

"The point is Ares wants to fight him because of jealous, ego-related nonsense. And yadayadayada, now we're here. Like any typical gladiator match, it will be a fight to the death or brink of exhaustion." Dionysus summarized, purposely glossing over some major details here and there. "Anyone not on board with this?"

"No!" A wide majority of Camp Half-Blood's demigods unanimously denied. There were some notable objections, but they could not be headed.

"Wonderful. Now, you two go knock yourselves out… literally. Oh and there's weapons over there I guess." Dionysus carelessly instructed, jerking his thumb in the direction of a container filled with battle-oriented weaponry. He then kicked back in his chair and drank another can of Diet Coke, patiently waiting for the fight to start.

"Well, that's one way to announce a fight…" Goku weakly chuckled. He was obviously not as passionate as the Tenkaichi Budokai announcer from back in the day.

Chiron, noticing that the credentials of this match weren't fully understood, trotted into view and took over for Dionysus.

"Erm… like Mr. D previously "illustrated", any sort of violence is allowed in this battle, whether that be with a weapon or by one's hand. However, I beg of you to keep damages at a minimum. There are still children in attendance. Demigod children specifically, but still children regardless." Chiron heeded the two with caution.

"Don't worry, Chiron. I'll try my best to keep our fight as far away from the crowd as possible." Goku hesitantly promised with a genuine smile. The aforementioned centaur slightly nodded in understanding.

"I'll have your word on that, Goku. Now, without further ado, you two may begin when ready." Chiron authorized with a wave of his hand. He then stood to Dionysus's left while Argus was still positioned to the right.

"Kick his spiky-haired ass, Dad!" Clarisse loudly cheered, punching her fist in the air.

"Yeah! Send him back to his own world in a body bag!" Sherman Yang shouted out. The rest of the Ares Cabin then roared with pride, giving their father all the auditory support he needed.

"Are Ares's progeny always this barbaric?" Artemis whispered over to Hestia in puzzlement.

"Not necessarily. Their bloodlust only shows when in the heat of battle, much like you and your Hunters honestly. Plus, keep in mind, this is probably one of the only times they'll be able to witness their father participating in a fight. Gods and goddesses are forbidden from interacting with their children for extended periods of time, remember?" Hestia wisely justified the sometimes violent behavior of Ares's children. Artemis placed a hand over her chin, attentively thinking over Hestia's words.

"Hmph. I suppose that's true. However, I fear this will be a difficult experience for Goku all around. While Ares has the given support of his representative cabin, here, with the exception of maybe Aphrodite…" Artemis trailed off, sympathetically studying Goku's expression and mannerisms.

"…Goku has no one." said the moon goddess, pointing out that all of Goku's friends and loved ones were abruptly left behind. Hestia kindly patted Artemis on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Artemis. Goku lives and breathes on any sort of battlefield. He may not be home, but fighting could be seen as a long-standing companion of sorts." Hestia noted Goku's general mindset in combat.

"I see…" Artemis replied in a soft, wondrous murmur.

"Besides, who says you couldn't cheer him on?" Hestia attempted to suggest. Artemis immediately shook her head in refusal.

"That's out of the question. I'm under strict orders from my father, Hestia. As assigned, I'll be taking Goku to Mount Olympus for trial by council. Nothing can change that." Artemis reminded her fellow Olympian of the mission she was strictly ordered to accomplish.

"Understandable decision, but are you certain Goku could really be demonized as an enemy on Kronos's caliber? Even after learning more about his character and past experiences?" Hestia attentively inquired with stern, emblazoned eyes. Artemis tentatively held her breath, looking over everything she's discovered about Goku in the past few hours.

"I… I honestly don't have a definitive answer at the moment. Maybe this upcoming "fight" will rectify that thought." Artemis conflictedly stammered. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at both Ares and Goku as they prepared to charge one another.

"If that's what you think is best." Hestia shrugged resolutely. In that moment, everyone's eyes were now glued to the Combat Arena's battleground.

Ares cracked his knuckles, glaring scornfully at the childish Saiyan as he stood perfectly still. He slowly tipped his shades downward, unveiling a gaze filled to the brim with atomic devastation via mushroom cloud.

"I've got an idea, Goku. How about we skip the trial and…" Ares trailed a hand over his spear, steadily transfiguring into an extremely long broadsword. Much like the spear, this blade was forever scarred with ancient blood stains and had a ruby-encrusted skull as its pommel.

"… go straight to the execution." The war god maliciously sneered, pointing his weapon straight at Goku. Said Saiyan smirked in excitement and adrenaline-filled fearlessness.

"No can do, Ares. I've had my fair share of life-threatening fights in the past and I can tell you, with all honesty…" Goku objected Ares's baseless threat. He fully deployed his ki, producing a more condensed whirlwind around the entire arena.

"…this won't be my last." He coldly stated with conviction. Goku then got into his classic Turtle School battle stance, preparing to defend himself against Ares's first attack.

"Tehehehehe! I'll be judge of that, dumbass!" Ares roared with maniacal laughter. In a flash of blinding light, his biker jacket changed into that of Imperial Gold armor. A Spartan war helmet of the same composition was also adorned atop his head, sporting a red, Mohawk-style frill in in its center. His battle armor was additionally accentuated by a long, shredded cape that was stained red with the blood of his former adversaries.

While certain demigods could not fully look at Ares's current state without feeling extremely unnerved or fearful, Goku was left unaffected and determinedly stood his ground.

"Get a taste of what war really feels like! GRAAAAAA!" Ares cried out angrily, launching himself at Goku with devastating force. The fully armored Olympian, in what appeared to be a speeding flash of golden light, wound up his sword and directly slashed at Goku's body. This attack produced a massive shockwave of energy that sent everyone flying backward into their seats. Some of the arena's stone foundations cracked apart into small pieces as well.

Ares, seeing that his divine blade abruptly stopped in place, assumed that Goku was immediately cleaved in two. He smarmily chuckled with reactionary pride.

"Serves you right for challeng—WHAT?!" Ares yelled in disbelief. Goku, standing completely unscathed, managed to block the sword with only one finger.

"Woah!" Multiple demigods shouted in amazement.

"Awesome!" Lacy gawped from the sidelines in sheer awe.

"I-Impossible! There's no way you were fast enough to react!" Ares growled in absolute lividness, his glowing red eyes exploding with combustible fury. Goku just glared back, completely unimpressed by the power of Ares's first attack.

"This isn't the first time I've dealt with a sword; you know. A weapon like that won't do you much good if enough power isn't put into your slashes." Goku criticized Ares's implementation of his strength. Feeling as if he was being talked down to, Ares clenched down on his lower jaw.

"Grrrgh! You want power? I'll show you power!" Ares fumed ragefully. His body erupted with a blood red aura, causing said deity to slightly levitate off the ground. In split second timing, Ares speed blitzed all around the entire stadium with his weapon at the ready. He sprinted from all cardinal directions, appearing to the foreseeable eye as merely a golden-red blur. Goku, utilizing his complete mastery of ki sensing, darted his eyes from up to down, left to right, and every other direction Ares was currently dashing through.

"Eat this!" Ares screamed in mid-air, preparing to swipe at Goku's head. Unfortunately for him, Goku foresaw this attack and stepped backward. Ares then unceremoniously smashed into the sandy platform below, caking his weapon with small particles.

"Tsk. Damnit!" Ares scoffed with pure hatred. He forward flipped away from Goku and began counterattacking from other areas. First, the war god spun himself around in a makeshift tornado, attempting to mercilessly cleave Goku's back. This technique, however, was maneuvered by Goku through a mix of ducking and multiple sidesteps. Ares slightly lost control of himself in this rapid spin, but managed to successfully recover by bouncing off of the Combat Arena's lower walls. He then went flying towards Goku headfirst, much to said Saiyan's disappointment.

'He's pretty fast, I'll give him that. But, this fight won't get anywhere with what he's doing. It's time to make my move.' Goku sighed with furrowed eyebrows. Taking a deep breath, he bent his knees low to the ground and tightly clenched both fists.

"What an idiot! He's leaving himself wide open." Ares chuckled mid-dash, winding up his sword like the aluminum bat it used to be.

"Alright, Ares! Now, it's time to see what I have to offer!" Goku announced challengingly. The aura surrounding his body greatly expanded in height and width.

"Kaioken!" Goku growled powerfully, causing his body to be enveloped by an orangish-red glow. He disappeared in a highspeed flash, effortlessly evading Ares's charge. This immensely confused the war patriarch as he kept moving forward.

"Kaio-wha—GWAAA!" Ares convulsed painfully as Goku smashed a fist straight into his cheek. He was rendered a spinning bullet in the opposite direction, only being stopped by Goku brutally scissor kicking his backside. In a series of one-man tennis, Goku punched and smacked Ares from one side of the arena to the other. This caused pieces of Ares's seemingly indestructible armor to break apart and fly off, unable to withstand the impact of Goku's powerful, experienced punches. Goku then kicked Ares upward in a perfectly executed handstand, utilizing flight to closely follow after him. The fatigued Ares, unable to properly defend himself, was met half-way by an enraged Goku. The Saiyan fully tilted his arm back and released it, producing a downward haymaker on Ares's chest.

Ares was sent falling toward the stadium below, no longer having the proper ability to slow the speed of his own descent. Overwhelmed with a sense of pain and rage, Ares tilted his head to glare dangerously at Goku's ever-watchful form.

"GRAAAAAAA! YOU SON OF A BIIIIIIITCH!" Ares screamed resentfully. He helplessly plummeted into the sand like a faulty space shuttle, causing a massive implosion of energy and desert sand to shoot out. A haze of smoke also permeated throughout the entire area, causing the audience to be unaware of Ares's fate for a short moment. Up above, Goku deactivated the Kaioken and flew back down to monitor Ares's current condition.

Artemis could not help, but feel starstruck by the spectacle that took place before her. She knew the Kaioken had the potential to be fairly powerful, but seeing it used in combat was truly a fascinating sight to behold.

Ares slowly forced himself up from within the smoke, his glowing, red eyes being the most visible quality in that moment. He took short, shallow breaths, unable to hide the aftereffects of Goku's inflicted blows. The most infuriating of these wounds was the golden Ichor trickling from his nose and open mouth.

"Hehe… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ares laughed uncontrollably at the sight of his own blood. Goku nervously raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so funny about this situation.

"I'll have to give you props, Goku. You did the one thing many a mortal have never been able to: make me bleed. But, I hope you realize by doing that…" Ares spitefully proclaimed. Flames began to encase his entire body, instantaneously burning his armor's red cape to cinders.

"You've made the biggest mistake of your life, punk." Ares disgustedly chuckled. Goku blinked absentmindedly before scratching the back of his head.

"Eh. It wouldn't be the first, really." Goku sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.

"This isn't a joke, you jackass!" Ares aggravatedly fumed. With an extended wave of his hand, Ares created a massive firewall that directly trailed after Goku. This literal heatwave increased in size and speed, preparing to consume Goku within an all-encompassing inferno.

"Goku, look out!" Aphrodite frightfully warned from her seat. Goku, unable to sense the elemental construct's presence, looked around in momentary surprise.

"Huh? Oh shoot!" Goku gasped, performing a sideways cartwheel to dodge the fiery projection. However, he was unable to move fast enough, causing his pants and shirt to spontaneously combust.

"Oooooh! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" Goku shrieked in minor worry, using his hands to douse the building flames. After a few ki-enhanced pants, the fire was successfully dissipated.

"Phew. I think I put it out." Goku sighed in relief, wiping some sweat off his brow. He then looked down to inspect his damaged gi. There were now various holes and tares in the orange fabric, but the whole uniform was still salvageable.

"Oh man. That was my only gi…" Goku whined in disappointment. Unfortunately, this small "inspection" left him wide open for an attack from Ares.

"Think fast!" Ares speedily quipped, smacking against Goku's body with a more up-close-and-personal wall of fire. This attack also damaged some of his own skin, but the armor helped alleviate that flaw in certain aspects.

"Aaaah!" Goku painfully seethed, flying straight into the backwall as a result. His gi was now rendered a pile of smoldering tatters while his skin had multiple scorch marks and burns all across it.

"I'd like to see you dodge this!" Ares shouted mockingly, successfully managing to slice his sword at Goku's chest. The divine blade slashed through Goku's gi and blue undershirt, managing to emit a streak of crimson blood.

"Graaagh!" Goku whimpered, feeling the sting of Ares's enchanted weapon. He tightly clutched his chest, too dazed to utilize instantaneous movement.

"Is that enough power for you?! How about this?!" Ares grunted, jabbing Goku straight in the stomach and then upper cutting him backwards. As Goku limply glided through the air, Ares changed his sword back into an electric spear.

"Oh and take this with you!" Ares sniggered, chucking the spear straight into Goku's back. While unable to pierce any skin due to the added protection of his aura, the Saiyan was successfully electrocuted.

"Gzzzzzt! Gagh!" Goku seemingly glitched out, the electric shock forcefully sending him back to the ground below. He limply fell on his knees, panting like a thirsty desert animal.

"Hurts doesn't it? The thing about gods is that we slowly regenerate from each injury. Meaning that Kaioken crap you just pulled won't do much good for long. I'll still have as much energy as I did when we started." Ares informed mockingly, tapping to his now bloodless mouth and noses.

Despite the electrocution, burning, and stab wound, Goku did not seem seriously injured in the slightest. He spit out some stray blood from his mouth and cracked his neck muscles as if nothing happened at all.

"He only got minor injuries from all of that?! You've got to be shitting me!" Ares pondered in boiling rage.

"That's cool and all, but you should know I'm not using an ounce of my full power just yet. This fight's not even close to being over." Goku bluntly denounced Ares's claims with a care-free smile. He picked himself off the floor, patting his gi down for any sort of debris.

"Don't play that card with me! No matter what "form" you pull out of your ass, I'll still find a way to overcome it. It's only a matter of time." Ares challenged threateningly with a thumb directed at himself.

"Alright then. Mind if I show you an old technique of mine instead then?" Goku pointedly asked whilst stretching.

"Technique? Feh. If it's anything like that Kaioken thing from before, you're just wasting my time." Ares starkly denounced with a dismissive hand gesture.

"Well, it's more like a combination of that and this new one. It won't disappoint, I can tell you that much." Goku cryptically informed with a light smirk. He then squatted down on all fours as if he were a football player ready to hike.

"What? Are you going to beat me with a touchdown?" Ares laughed in confusion, not entirely recognizing Goku's current position. Aphrodite, to her delight, did.

"Here goes. Kaioken x10…" Goku activated a variation of the Kaioken that was stronger and more compromising than before. His feet and arms were buried deeper into the ground due to its excessive pressure.

"…Meteor Combination! HRAAAAAH!" Goku screamed triumphantly. His aura skyrocketed in an instant, managing to literally increase his speed tenfold as he sprinted toward Ares. In a reddish-orange motion blur, Goku profusely slammed his elbow straight into the side of Ares's helmet. This immediately snapped the Imperial Gold helm in large, dented chunks of shrapnel.

"GRAAAAGH! W-what the… h-he—" Ares spat out in a muffled voice. He was then swiftly silenced by Goku performing a speedy, untraceable barrage of kicks at all vital portions of his body. Whether it be the legs, arms, neck, head, or family jewels, no section was safe from Goku's wrathful massacre.

"ATATATATATATATA! WATA!" Goku repeatedly yelled, swiping his legs and feet at Ares in quick succession. Ares's armor, much like its smaller counterpart, was torn to miniscule shreds by each precise hit. Droplets of Ichor also sprayed all over the entire arena, unable to properly heal in time due to Goku's insane agility.

"Ga…hahaga! I'll... kill… you!" Ares mumbled in exhaustion. Blood flowed in between his teeth and mouth as Goku roughly kicked him one last time. Goku then prepared a final windup of his arm.

"HYAAAAH! GAAAH!" Goku screamed, sending an extremely powerful uppercut straight into Ares's abdominal area. The war god's red eyes widened to maximum capacity, popping out of their respective sockets from sheer pain. His armor was also completely destroyed, leaving Ares with a bare, heavily bruised chest.

"DAAAAAAH!" Ares feebly howled in vitriolic agony. He clutched his badly broken form, unable to stop the Ichor from trickling out. It also helplessly oozed from his mouth, rendering him with the inability to speak properly.

"I…I…" Ares stuttered helplessly. In a state of extreme fatigue, Ares was able to be thrown high up into the air by Goku. Seeing that he was at a safe distance away from the demigods, Goku, still maintaining his Kaioken form, looked over to Artemis with a wide smile.

"Hey, Artemis! You want to see the Kamehameha demonstration I promised you?" Goku questioned curiously. Artemis, a bit taken aback by this statement, quirked a brow.

"That depends. How much damage will this technique of yours do to Ares?" Artemis cautiously inquired. Goku stroked his chin in uncertainty.

"I'm not sure. He's a god, so it shouldn't be lethal. I think…" Goku replied back with a slight gulp.

"Alright. Watch and learn everyone. This time you'll be able to see it up close." Goku told the Hunters of Artemis, Hestia, Aphrodite, and everyone else in the audience. With slanted eyes, the Saiyan of Earth then acutely observed Ares as he fell out of the sky.

"Better up the power a bit just to be safe…" Goku figured based on Ares's regenerative physiology. He took a deep, shallow breath and again, calmly cupped one hand over the other.

"Kaioken x20… Kamehameha!" Goku loudly announced. The utterance of this combined move shook the very ground beneath Goku's feet, creating much larger cracks in the Combat Arena's interior design.

"Ka…Me…" Goku uttered in a trance-like state. A massive sphere of blue and white ki was birthed in the center of his palms.

"Ha…Me…" With each syllable of this famous phrase, the energy ball grew bigger and shot out various beams of light.

"…HAAAAAA!" Goku viciously screamed with all his might. A gigantic beam of energy was deployed from Goku's hands, propelling straight toward Ares. The defenseless war god was completely engulfed by the enhanced Kamehameha Wave, putting his descent to a sudden, gravity-defying halt.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ares screeched devastatingly. The mix of his divine energy and Goku's ki created a massive explosion that lit up the entire campgrounds. This small supernova blinded the demigods, mythical creatures, and Olympians attentively watching from below, especially Argus.

"Lggghgh!" Argus expressed his pain in a series of gibberish. There were eyes on his tongue, so any sort of speech was rendered impossible.

"Gaaah! This feels like my last hangover!" Dionysus reminisced in bitter irritation. "Shield my eyes, Chiron!"

"And how does that help me, exactly?" Chiron deadpanned, somewhat offended by Mr. D's attempt at taking advantage of his horse body.

Once the Kamehameha's explosion became nothing, but a vivid smoke stack, everyone uncovered their eyes to see the damage. It appeared that the whole topmost section of the Combat Arena was broken apart. Thankfully, it didn't physically harm any of the people in attendance. Well, again, except for Argus.

"Erggh. I might need to cut back on using Kaioken x20 from now on. The Super Saiyan transformations are just more convenient." Goku winced to himself, feeling a light soreness in his arms and legs.

"Are you alright, Goku?" Aphrodite concernedly asked. Her eyes were especially focused on the deep wound Ares gave him a few minutes ago.

"I'm okay. Just feeling a bit sore from the Kaioken is all. Although, I'm not sure what happened to Ares…" Goku attempted to lighten the extent of Aphrodite's worries. As if by coincidence, Ares's limp, incredibly injured body plopped down onto the floor. Much to the entirety of Cabin #5's aghast horror, Ares was completely naked and burned to a considerable crisp. Part of his once tan skin was melted off as well.

"L-Look… LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY DAD, YOU BASTARD!" Clarisse croaked in a fierce, uncontrollable rage. Attempting to jump into the ring and fight Goku herself, she was forcibly held back by her fellow siblings.

"Let go of me! I want to stake that shithead's head on a pike!" Clarisse scowled in blind fury, displaying her inner bloodlust.

"Calm the hell down, sis! He's not dead yet!" Her brother, Mark, attempted to calm her down. Clarisse, realizing that the battle wasn't over yet, temporarily eased her urge to murder to Goku.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this… for that type of damage to happen." Goku attempted to apologize remorsefully. He's fought to kill many times, but this battle was not one of them, even in spite of Ares's despicable comments.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Goku. Ares will obviously regenerate sooner or later. He's been through far worse than this." Artemis stated factually from her own extensive knowledge of the war god's past. Goku glumly slumped his shoulders.

"I get that, Artemis. Even still, it just doesn't feel right to have him like this, you know?" Goku expressed his disgust with mortally wounding Ares to the point of near-death. Out of nowhere, he sensed a massive spike of energy originating from Ares's unconscious body. It began to glow a bright, cosmic light completely unfathomable by mortal comprehension.

"Uh, should he be recovering that fast?" Goku asked Aphrodite, Artemis, and Hestia in concern. Aphrodite's green immediately shrunk in utter terror.

"Oh gods no…" Aphrodite whispered disbelievingly. In a matter of seconds, Ares was restored to his original self without any sort of previous injury.

"Y-YOU!" Ares temperately addressed Goku. His voice was now much deeper, having a faint echo to it.

"YOU HAVE PISSED ME OFF FOR THE LAST TIME, SON GOKU! NOW, IT'S TIME YOU'VE EXPERIENCED WHAT A REAL GOD IS TRULY CAPABLE OF!" Ares shouted forcefully with an accusatory point at Goku. His whole form began to exponentially grow in size, emitting a bluish, white light that became brighter and brighter by the moment.

Chiron, appalled by Ares's course of action, immediately warned his campers.

"Zeus's beard! Everyone take cover! Ares is unleashing his Divine Form!" Chiron worryingly yelped, ducking for cover behind Mr. D's chair. An incredibly horrified Argus, having more eyes than anyone imaginable, did the same.

The demigods reacted upon command, shielding their eyes and helplessly cowering beneath their seats. Despite being curious about what Ares looked like in that form, death was not something they wanted to experience at their ages. The Hunters of Artemis followed their mistress's orders and also hid themselves.

"Hmmmm. Now, this is getting interesting to watch." Dionysus hummed in amusement. Being a god, Dionysus was practically immune to Ares's alternate form, so he saw no real issue with witnessing it. Regardless, Chiron still deadpanned at him.

"I mean… Damnit, Ares! You're gonna destroy the whole camp!" Dionysus sarcastically scolded Ares's use of his transformation.

"Divine Form? What's that?" Goku asked in a mix of fear and puzzlement. He shielded both eyes away from Ares, the latter of which was close to unleashing his true power.

"It's a god or goddess's true appearance, Goku. Any mortal who sees it will be instantaneously incinerated!" Aphrodite explained in growing despair.

"Incinerated?! What do I do then?" Goku asked in equal levels of fear. Artemis closed her eyes sympathetically.

"I don't know. I just pray that Ares manages to calm down before everything here is erased from existence." Artemis responded in a forlorn whisper. Suddenly, Ares emerged from his godly metamorphosis. He was now a towering humanoid with fiery blue skin and orange eyes. He also sported a larger, more refined copy of the armor Goku previously dismantled.

"Nice knowing ya, Ukog. It's been… well something I guess." Dionysus bade farewell to Goku, already feeling as if he were a goner.

"Ever seen an atomic bomb before? Well, that's what my punch is going to feel like!" Ares stated in a booming voice. He charged energy into his fist, projecting the likeness of a mushroom cloud. With that, Ares speedily punched down on Goku. This created a shockwave of white-blue fire that wrecked the remainder of the Combat Arena's open roof.

"""GOKU!""" Artemis, Aphrodite, and Hestia cried out concernedly. Said Saiyan was laid flat out in a deep crevice, the topmost portion of his gi now completely disintegrated. Ares let loose atomic punch after atomic punch, making certain that Goku was completely broken beyond foreseeable repair.

"Don't worry! You'll see your wife again very soon. Oh wait… you won't! HAHAHAHA!" Ares demonically laughed. With each fist that slammed into Goku's body, he coughed out blood and felt the force of ten atomic bombs being dropped on him simultaneously. His eyes drooped ever so slightly, exhaustion beginning to overwhelm his senses.

"I-I won't die here. I can't…" Goku tiredly whispered to himself. His mind began to think over the friends and family he would never see again. At the reminiscence of Chi-Chi from childhood to their time as eventual time as husband and wife, the life within his very soul resurfaced.

"I WON'T DIEEEEEEEEEEE!" Goku roared determinedly. Storm clouds struck lightning throughout the entire battlefield, appearing in conjunction with Goku's rising ki signature.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku embraced his inner rage in a loud, primal scream. His hair stood on end, changing from black to a golden-yellow. His eyes also narrowed dangerously, glowing with an emerald green hue.

The newly formed Goku's activated his aura, resulting in a draconic surge of golden ki to push Ares's fist away from him. The gigantic god of war, feeling incredibly unsatisfied, stumbled a few feet backward.

"OOF! What gives?" Ares scoffed irritably. He looked below his feet, noticing Goku as he levitated out of the crater and stood in the Combat Arena's centermost area.

"Tsk. So, you finally decided to bring that out, huh? Wouldn't say I'm impressed." Ares recognized Goku's so-called trump card. Goku didn't bother to reply, continuing to glare at the god of war intimidatingly.

Artemis stared at Goku's more angry, serious demeanor in wonder. Was this the extent of Goku's true, underlying potential? Was this why Zeus was so afraid of him?

'His hair and eyes… they've changed like before.' Artemis additionally recognized from the moment Ares first insulted Chi-Chi's honor.

"W-What is that, Aphrodite?" Artemis called over to Aphrodite in fascination. The golden light of Goku's hair and aura illuminated her silver irises.

"You could say it's Goku's ultimate form…" Aphrodite lovingly replied in admiration.

"The Legendary Super Saiyan." Aphrodite fully unveiled the name of Goku's infamous transformation. Now, the real battle was about to begin. The question was: who would claim victory over the other?