The beginning of an epic tale of gods and monsters

Agrippa's POV

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa watched on as his best friend and imperator looked at him with even wider eyes after his last proclamation. And he couldn't blame him. He was sure that he would have reacted with shock, if not sheer disbelief, at such a remark just last month.

But that was before he saw the gods themselves fighting across the sky...and he shuddered again as he remembered the booming voice of that horrific monster that called himself Trigon.

He must have gotten lost in his memories for a moment because he almost didn't hear Augustus respond.

"...hope you are planning to elaborate," He remarked, his voice insistent.

Agrippa took a deep breath and nodded, gently moving the infant he had been caring for these past few weeks back on the large table. Then he turned back to his oldest friend and decided to get on with it.

"Shortly after you sent for me once Marcellus had perished, I realized I couldn't head back to Rome immediately much as I wanted to because the Parthian delegation was about to arrive, and as you know, my secret mission to begin negotiations with their empire was most important," He stressed. "And I am pleased to report the first stage of negotiations went well, I feel. They will still need some reassurance and compensation, and it could take a few more years before they are willing to come to terms, but I am feeling more optimistic about the return of the Eagle Standards they took from the defeated Legions of Crassus and Marcus Antonius than ever before."

Augustus smiled. "I knew I could count on you for that. It will be a great cause for celebration once our lost eagles are back in the Urbs Aeterna (Eternal City, one of Rome's titles back then), and I assure you that you will have a place of honor in those festivities for starting the diplomatic discussions. But please, do go on."

Agrippa nodded slowly. "Well, I was getting ready to leave after the delegation left. But as I was heading towards the port, another ship arrived. At first, I thought nothing of it, so imagine my surprise when a woman came to me and then realized it was the Oracle of Delphi herself. Deciding to go back to the fort for a more private discussion, I expressed my respect but soon asked her what exactly she was doing there, given how uncommon it was for the Oracle herself to leave Delphi."

"And what exactly did she say?" He asked, his tone urgent and curious in equal measure.

The former consul of Rome interlocked his fingers before responding. "At first, only that Apollo had spoken to her and urged her to seek me out while I was still in Greek territory since she knew that I, as your right-hand man, have your ear. But when I then asked what was the will of your patron god, my friend, she looked at me with unease and said, "At best, to reward the Imperator for his faithful support by resolving his succession crisis with a splendid candidate. But that should worse come to worse, to raise the hope for the future against the darkness ahead."

Augustus was silent for a long moment, taking his time to digest the statements from the oracle. Then he turned his head to look at the baby he had brought to Rome. He looked awed and more than a little overwhelmed. A combination he had seldom seen on his oldest friend's face.

"Are you telling me that Apollo decided to answer my prayers by honoring me with one of the demigod sons that he had with a mortal woman?" The Pontifex Maximus asked for clarification, his voice thick with emotion.

"That was the conclusion we came to after analyzing the signs that the Oracle of Delphi and I witnessed," Agrippa replied slowly. "Including one unusually vivid vision that the prophetess claimed to have had about the infant as a man grown, handsome, wise, popular, and capable of gaining immense power from the sun itself. With such omens, the direct message from Apollo, and the way we found him falling unharmed from the heavens themselves, I have to agree with her that if this child is indeed a demigod, then Apollo is most likely his parent. And that as he gets older, his connection to the yellow sun that is his father's domain would likely make him gain powers greater than those of mere mortals."

Augustus turned to stare at the statue he had made on his temple to Apollo Palatinus with immense gratitude, bowing his head as he muttered a long stream of heartfelt thanks. Agrippa let him do so without interruption, feeling solemn at the situation since he knew what was coming next in his tale. Eventually, his childhood friend turned back to face him with the widest smile he had seen in years.

"How wonderful! The gods are well and truly with us, Marcus! I will have to travel to Delphi to deliver my thanks in person at the holiest site of Apollo, but this is incredible news! My prayers were answered yet again, and this time to help secure my legacy of growth and stability. This calls for a celebration as soon as we are able to make the necessary arrangements!"

The Roman general remained solemn and quiet, which made Augustus' smile falter. "What else do you know, friend?"

"More than I would like to know," He said grimly. "You see, the Oracle of Delphi insisted that I accompany her to the mountain's summit, north of the city. Knowing better than to completely ignore the will of Apollo's chosen voice in the mortal world, I followed. By the time we arrived, right about an hour before dusk, the clouds had darkened heavily. However, I could tell immediately that there was something strange going on in that storm. There was way too much lightning concentrated on the clouds themselves without actually falling down to the ground, and it was going on without stopping for minutes on end. Yet Jupiter was clearly busy, so I asked the Oracle what was happening. She replied with a small voice, barely heard above the howling of the wind:

"The gods of Olympus and Rome are battling other gods from distant lands. And their future is far from certain."

Augustus' jaw dropped to the floor at that declaration. He couldn't blame him, and he hadn't even gotten to the worst part yet.

"Then, she told me to take her hand, saying that as one of Apollo's chosen, she can see through the mists that gods can use to shroud themselves from mortal sight and that she was going to grant me the ability to use it for a few minutes so that I could truly see the evidence before me," Agrippa said, his voice shaking slightly as the memories returned to the forefront.

His friend didn't bother asking if that worked. He just looked at his expression and read the truth on his face. So, he sighed as the shocking images resonated in his mind again.

"I did as I was asked, and just then I could see the droplets falling from the clouds. Except...it wasn't water, Gaius," He said, using his emperor's birthname to convey how serious he was. "It was ichor, the golden blood of the gods. And it was falling like a downpour from the sky."

Augustus gaped at that revelation, staring at him in shock. It was then that Agrippa closed his eyes before delivering the hammer blow.

"I fear, unbelievable as it may sound, that Apollo may have been imprisoned or killed, Gaius. And unfortunately, I doubt he was alone in that among our gods."

A/N: Well...that happened. I had to rework the chapter when I changed my mind about the POV shift, which is why it's a bit slower than I originally wanted, but I will be posting the next part within the next 3 days if I can. Until then, I hope you liked it, and feel free to leave your thoughts and comments before you go.

Also, I hope you liked the twist of the Romans misinterpreting the signs and thinking that Kal-El is a son of Apollo. But to be fair, Superman does get his powers from a yellow sun, so I suppose it could be an easy mistake to make in this era and without the idea of aliens fully ingrained in your worldview.

Thanks for reading, and until next time.