[b]Portland, Maine [/b] [b]Earlier [/b] The mansion of Hephaestus, the god smith of Olympus, is something to behold. While it's no Mount Olympia, the mansion has some of the most ornate furniture in North America, with such masterful craftsmanship that one would not guess that the creators of such beauty were heartless automatons. The entire mansion was built from the ground up by Hephaestus' personal work force of machines he constructed with his own two hands. The cavernous ceilings, gorgeous statues, tall pillars, and the supersaturation of marble in the structure gave it the appearance similar to the famous Parthenon. Beneath the empty halls of the mansion lies a secret factory, where Hephaestus' robots toiled away without tire creating whatever their master required of them. At the heart of the twisting tunnels that made up the god smith's underground workshop lied a carved out expanse of emptiness. If one turned the Empire State Building on its side, it would fit inside the space without much difficulty. Yet no one had discovered the space; Hephaestus' billions had seen that no one dug too deep past the city's sewer system. Inside this massive hole sat the main assembly room. Endless rows of assembly lines covered the expansive floor. Huge furnaces sat at one end of the room. On the other, a group of strange wheeled chariots that had the appearance of semi-trucks transported goods and raw material between the assembly room and the various other facilities. Currently, most of what was being transported consisted of building materials, religious icons, and ancient Greek weapons and armor. Chike stopped briefly next to a pile of weapons being moved onto the trucks. He stooped down, grabbing one of the spears out of one of the many racks present. He held the weapon above his head, examining it. He than spun it around with the skill and grace that one would expect from a veteran warrior. He then chucked the spear at one of the walls; the spear dug into the stone past the spearhead. Chike nodded his head in approval before moving on. [color=aba000][i]These weapons will do justice to the cause of Ares[/i][/color]. He thought as he strode down the long halls of the underground sanctum. After approximately ten minutes of walking, Chike found his destination; a twelve foot high door. Upon entering the room, Chike was greeted by Hephaestus. The old god was hunched over an anvil, battering away with a hammer at a piece of metal."Welcome, my friend!" The cripple said cheerfully, his throaty and deep voice echoing in the large room. Chike nodded, smiling up at the eleven foot tall giant. Hephaestus and Polemos had grown close over the years they had been living together. While most of the gods looked on the ugly and crippled god smith with disdain, Chike looked past his physical deformities and saw the smith for who he really was. [color=aba000]"Hello, Hephaestus. You told me you wanted to see me?"[/color] Chike asked, curious as to why he was being called for. [b]"Ah, yes. Well, Ares wanted to speak with you in person."[/b] Hephaestus gestured to his right. The wall had a semi-circle carved out, and a raise platform installed in front of said semi-circle. Upon the wall was what appeared to be a bronze shower curtain. Chike glanced at his friend, raising an eyebrow. The smith merely chuckled and snapped his fingers. A wave of red light entered the room, blinding the pair temporarily. When the light died down, Ares was standing on the raised platform.[b]"The God of War walks the earth, restored to his former glory once more!"[/b] Ares practically shouts, raising his hands into the air. Chike shook his head and chuckled quietly, walking up to his master. Upon reaching the foot of the platform, he removed his helmet and bowed. [b]"Rise, my Avatar."[/b] Ares said. [b]"Today is the day you begin your duties as my avatar."[/b] Chike stood, looking up at Ares into his blood red eyes.[color=aba000]"What do you require of me, Ares?"[/color] Polemos asked, adjusting the leather strap that held his spear and shield on his back.[b]"There is a city nearby called Lost Haven. There are many worthy foes there: you are to conquer that city by whatever means you see fit, and do so in the name of Ares."[/b] Chike visibly recoiled.[color=aba000]"You want me to declare war on the United States of America?"[/color] Ares chuckled.[b]"No, you fool. Not yet, at least. I want you to declare war on its underbelly first. Your main opposition will be the organization known as the Shroud Syndicate. If my sources are correct, they control most of the scum of this city. You are to conquer them and bring the heads of their leaders before me."[/b] Chike exhaled, looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Ares, determination in his eyes. [color=aba000]"I will need you stronger if I am to rely on your powers to take this city. I will convert as many people as I can to worship you. Then I shall raise an army from among them, and we shall bath in the blood of your enemies."[/color] Polemos squeezes his hand into a fist as he says this, trying to make his point. Ares nodded in agreement.[b]"I will need a shrine in Lost Haven for my followers to meet and pray to me." [/b] At this, Hephaestus limped over to join the two of them.[b]"I can do that. Just show my automatons where, and they can build you a grand structure in a week or two."[/b] Ares looked to Chike."[b]Go to Lost Haven. Find a place for this shrine, and begin your recruitment."[/b] Chike nodded, and turned away from the two gods. [color=aba000]"None shall stand in my way."[/color] [b]Lost Haven, Maine - Little Ulster [/b] [b]Present[/b] One would think that the people of Lost Haven would be used to strange sightings by now. After all, Lost Haven is the city where the metahumans first appeared, and where a portal to Hell itself opened and a daemonic army invaded the earth. You'd think that nothing you did could turn the heads of the people of Lost Haven. But you would be wrong in assuming such a thing. After all, most of the people in Lost Haven are only human; most of them. So when a man dressed as if he's going cosplaying as a Spartan walks down the middle of the street in thirty degree weather, flanked by two ten foot tall metal automatons, heads turn, and people make notice. [b]"Who's that?" [/b] [b]"Why's he dressed like that?" [/b] [b]"Gotta be a meta, I'd reckon."[/b] [b]"Mommy, is he gonna hurt us?"[/b] [b]"Hey!"[/b] Someone shouted, as a car horn went off. [b]"Get outta the road, ya hippie!"[/b] Chike turned to look away from the pedestrians on the side walk, and looked at the man in the car shaking his fist. Chike stepped forward, and jumped on top of the old man's car.[b]"What th-"[/b] Before the man could react, one of the robots had grabbed him and ripped him out of the car door's window.[color=aba000]"I am Chike Baatul, Polemos, servant of the God of War, Ares! Hear me, people of this besieged city!"[/color] Chike yelled out in a command voice, and a number of the people walking down the roads stopped to listen. Chike raised his fist into the air.[color=aba000]"How long must you endure the hardships that you suffer before the government bats an eye?"[/color] He began, his eyes tinted an ever so slight red.[color=aba000]"This city has been the epicenter of superhuman activity; and yet, it seems ever other day a new villain appears to wreck havoc upon your city, upon your houses, and upon your families. But it isn't the military who's there to stop them, is it? No. These villains are brought to justice by men and women, just like you and me, who have been gifted with incredible power."[/color] A few more people seemed to be stopping to listen as Chike continued. Ares, from Hephaestus' mansion, began to put his influence over their minds. [color=aba000] "When the demons came, and massacred your children and husbands and wives, who was there to stop it all? The people. Sure, the government showed up. But they weren't here to protect you and me - oh no, they were here to catch all of those upstanding citizens that were doing their duty in a trap. The truth is, America is afraid of us! The president hates metahumans! They call us weapons. Monsters. They'll only let us run around saving lives for so long. Eventually, the military'll come in here with their guns and their super soldiers, and they'll force us out. They'll take down all of the metahumans, hero or villain."[/color] Just then, an older man with a scraggly beard and dirty clothes stepped forward.[b]"So what? If you're all gone, we might finally get some peace n' quiet around here!"[/b] There appeared to be some sentiment for the fool's statement. This angered Ares. [color=aba000] "After we're all gone, they'll leave you to the gangs. The armies of bloodthirsty thugs who used to own this city will take to its streets again; do you know what the government will do then? NOTHING! They'll sit back in their leather chairs and watch as this city burns. Without heroes, there won't be anyone to protect you. The police are corrupt and useless. The National Guard will not act until it is too late. The only people you will be able to rely on then are yourselves." [/color] That smelly old man interrupted Polemos' speech again.[b]"What are we suppos'ta do about it?"[/b] This was it. This is the moment Ares had been waiting for. The God of War began to strain himself as Polemos continued. [color=aba000] "That is why I have come before you. I can teach you to defend yourselves. I can give you armor and weapons; I can train you in the art of war. The punks who used to own these streets won't be able to touch you."[/color] Someone else spoke up from the growing crowd.[b]"What's the catch?"[/b] A young woman with a Boston accent asked. [color=aba000]"Merely show my master, Ares, the respect and worship he deserves."[/color] It was obvious from their reactions that many in the crowd thought Chike was crazy when he said that. A pillar of green and black fire suddenly shot up behind the car Chike was standing on. The Avatar of War jumped down and stood in the fire, grinning.[color=aba000] "Ares has granted me great power, in exchange for my loyalty. He can do the same for you, if only you follow him into battle!"[/color] Polemos turned around, picking up the car he was standing on with one hand and effortlessly tossing it into the air and out of sight. There were some gasps and "ooos" and "aaahs" from the crowd. There was also one old man yelling about his poor car. [color=aba000]"People of Lost Haven, are you sick of not being able to protect your families? Your homes?"[/color] Chike cried loudly, to which they responded with a resounding yes. Ares' magic was definitely working.[color=aba000]"Raise up your fist if you're sick of it! Raise your fist if you will take a stand against the evil that resides in this city, and join Ares!"[/color] The first man to raise his fist was covered in piercing, and had a purple Mohawk. Not exactly the crowd Ares was looking for, but manpower was manpower. A number of people like the man joined him, raising their fists.[b]"I'm sick o' these metas wreckin' my streets! I want powers too!"[/b] Someone yelled. In less than a minute, almost a hundred people had their fists raised. Ares, meanwhile, felt power surging into him. As his power grew from their commitment, so grew his ability to persuade them to his cause. [color=aba000]"Follow me, brothers and sisters! We have history to make!"[/color] Meanwhile inside Chike's mind... [color=aba000][i]What are you doing, Ares?! Give me my body back! me control again![/i][/color] [i][b]You are a weak speaker, Chike. You couldn't convince a crowd that you were from Africa, let alone to die for me. Sit back and watch the master of war at work. [/b][/i] Polemos led the crowd of increasingly loud people down the streets and into an abandoned sector of the city, dominated by run down apartments and warehouses. The only residents were the homeless, and the occasional gang. They would all join Ares' fold, in time. It was like a mini-Little Ulster, but in Little Sicily; old Little Ulster, that is.[color=aba000]"This place will do quite nicely."[/color] Chike said, standing in front of an empty sand lot. He turned back to the crowd.[color=aba000]"To prove yourselves loyal to Ares, he wishes for you to assist him in creating a shrine to his name. We shall build it right here, and we shall populate the nearby buildings. We will turn this useless ruined block into a district devoted to the God of War!"[/color] With that, Ares and Hephaestus began coordinating the transportation of buildings materials and supplies from the mansion to Lost Haven. Chike's first true mission as Polemos had finally begun.