Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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They kept flying until the fuel gauge was empty. August found a wide clearing and landed the chopper.

"We're taking a break," August announced over the comms.

When the rotors stopped, August pulled a fully loaded tanker truck out of his spatial inventory. He grabbed the hose and started refueling the aircraft. Carrying a dozen passengers and a flying dragon used up fuel quickly.

The rest of the crew unbuckled and got out. Hestia took the flying dragon's reins and led it around the clearing so it could stretch its wings and not get restless.

As August worked, Hermes walked over.

"Hey, August. Does this thing actually need to eat?" Hermes stared at the hose pumping liquid fuel into the chopper.

"If it didn't need fuel, it would be a perpetual motion machine," August said.

Machines needed energy to move. It was basic physics.

"Fascinating." Hermes stroked his chin. His eyes lit up with interest. He wanted one. The machine was a marvel.

He started to speak, but before he could say anything, Asfi Al Andromeda appeared behind him and grabbed his ear.

"Do not bankrupt our Familia," she hissed.

If Hermes bought something like this, their treasury would be gone in a night. He spent money on a whim.

"Apologies," Asfi said, bowing to August while keeping her iron grip on Hermes. "Please pretend he never said anything."

She was grateful that Ouranos had sent her on this mission. If Hermes had been alone, he probably would have traded their whole headquarters just to get a helicopter.

"Don't worry about it," August said with a grin.

He wouldn't have sold it anyway. He only had one transport chopper.

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"Lord August, dinner is ready."

Liliruca Arde trotted over, handing him a hot plate of food.

The other groups had their own rations. Artemis brought hardtack and dried meat for her team. August, on the other hand, packed plenty. His inventory was full of fresh ingredients from Earth. He wouldn't settle for stale bread when he could have a hot meal.

"Must be nice," one of the Artemis girls muttered, chewing on dry rations. "Lord August's spatial storage is a cheat."

"I would kill for an ability like that."

The huntresses looked at his hot meal with envy. Having a pocket dimension made traveling much easier.

"Keep dreaming," Rethusa replied, ending her squad's daydreams. "Even if the Gods gave us that power, it wouldn't help. Only Mr. August can make it work."

As the oldest and most experienced, she saw things clearly. When people first heard about his 'inventory,' the Gods thought it was just a fancy backpack. But August turned it into something much more. He could switch weapons and bring out artillery in seconds.

Without a huge supply chain and military firepower, the skill was just a fancy bag. Only someone from a world built on heavy industry could turn it into something so powerful.

"Fair point." The girls nodded, admitting she was right.

"..." Lante, a half-elf from the Artemis Familia, rested her chin on her hand and watched August eat.

"What is it, Lante?" Rethusa asked, noticing her intense gaze.

"I just noticed something about him..." Lante said, thinking out loud.

"Noticed what?" The other girls leaned in. Even Hermes and Asfi tuned into the conversation.

"Think about it," Lante said. "Lady Artemis, Loki, even Freya—none of the big Gods paid him any attention. They all treated him like a joke at first. They looked down on him."

She tapped her cheek. It was like the whole world wanted to underestimate him.

"But he never cared. He ignored the gossip and the insults." Lante's eyes lit up. "He just kept moving forward. It's just like the old stories! He's acting just like Argonaut!"

Hermes froze. A cold sweat broke out across his back.

The half-elf was right. August fit the classic hero type—the lone man pushing through a world full of people who couldn't see his worth.

"Oh crap. Asfi, I think I'm the villain." Hermes grabbed his hair, his mind racing. "This is wrong! I'm supposed to be the wise guide! How did I end up holding the antagonist script?"

Hermes was losing it. Except for Hestia, Hephaestus, Miach, and Takemikazuchi, every God in Orario had treated August badly. They thought he was just an ordinary mortal. But now, with his firepower and determination, he was clearly the main character.

And Hermes had made himself into an arrogant bystander—a third-rate obstacle. He couldn't accept that!

"No, no, no! This ruins my master plan! I'm supposed to run the show! I'm the one who moves the pieces!" Hermes muttered, pacing back and forth.

For the first time in centuries, the God of Trickery felt real panic. A mortal had slipped right past his control.

"Lord Hermes, pull yourself together," Asfi said, grabbing his arm. She stared at her Patron as if he had lost his mind.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Artemis took in Lante's words. They hit her hard.

She really had looked down on him. As a virgin Goddess, not liking men was part of who she was. But this felt different. Her dislike for August wasn't just normal bias. It felt like fate.

"She's right," Artemis whispered to herself. "It feels like a myth playing out in real-time. The hero facing down the arrogant Gods."

Was she the villain? The thought made her stomach twist.

"Dammit. I didn't write his legend," Hermes grumbled.

His pride as a god had blinded him. He saw August as just a mortal with a parlor trick. He thought the boy would reach his limit and disappear. He was dead wrong.

August was making his own way in the world, building a legend without asking for a God's permission.

"I can't take over this story!" Hermes sighed, admitting defeat. He had missed his chance. "Pride is a deadly poison."

He shook his head. But he still had a chance. Zeus had told him about Bell Cranel. That white-haired boy had the makings of a true hero. Hermes would focus on him instead.

Asfi rubbed her temples. Her God was an idiot.

Meanwhile, Artemis was having her own quiet crisis.

"Lante is right. I judged him." She watched August work. He never flirted. He never acted predatory. He treated Hestia with respect.

"Why did I hate him?" Artemis asked herself.

Her divine nature had blinded her. She expected the worst just because he was a man.

"I was arrogant." She lowered her head. August had pointed out her pride back in Orario, and he was right. Realizing this left her feeling bitter.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Hestia tied the flying dragon to a tree and gave it some hay. She walked back to camp and stopped.

Hermes and Artemis stared into space, their faces showing guilt and panic.

"What is wrong with you two?" Hestia asked. "Did your brains short-circuit?"

"Nothing," they replied in unison.

Hestia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm eating." She took a plate from Lili. The Hestia Familia never held back when it came to meals.

Rethusa watched the lively Goddess eat her food. Not worrying about everything really was bliss. Living without overthinking was the real luxury of being a god.

"Lady Hestia," Rethusa spoke up. "Can I ask you a question?"

Hestia chewed on a thick slice of steak. "Shoot."

"Is Mr. August considered a special existence in his home?" Rethusa asked. She wanted to know if his stoic, rule-abiding nature made him a legend back home.

Hestia paused. Her anti-NTR radar stayed quiet. The girl wasn't hitting on him—she was just curious.

"He's ordinary," Hestia said bluntly. She didn't bother sugarcoating it.

Was August a top soldier? No. Was he a genius scientist? No. By Earth's standards, August was just an average guy—an ordinary person.

"If you ever meet more people from his home, you'll understand," Hestia added. "Where he comes from, guys like him are a dime a dozen."

"You've got to be kidding me." Hermes's jaw hit the floor.

This ruthless, tactical mastermind who stood up to the Gods without hesitation was just an average guy back home? That completely destroyed his whole 'mythological protagonist' idea.

"Dead serious," Hestia grinned. "You'll see for yourself once we reach the Elsos Ruins. No need to rush."

She knew the Gods were in for a shock. They had no idea what modern human civilization was like.

"Was I wrong again?" Hermes mumbled, clutching his head.

"Eat up! We have a flight to catch!" Hestia ignored his worries and went back to her steak. Any God who skipped a hot meal was a moron.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

An hour later, the camp was packed up.

August got back into the cockpit and looked out the window. The Artemis and Hermes Familias stood around, looking completely stunned.

"What happened to them?" August asked over the comms. They looked like they just had a collective stroke over dinner.

"Who knows," Lili shrugged as she buckled her seatbelt. She didn't care. After cooking and navigating, she was too tired to worry about a bunch of moody gods.

"Don't worry about it! I just blew their minds with some facts," Hestia laughed. "Alright everyone, back in the chopper! We're leaving!"

The dazed group walked up the ramp and buckled in. Hestia led the flying dragon back into the cargo bay. The beast was calm and seemed to accept the giant steel bird as its own ride.

August hit the ignition.

The twin rotors started spinning, kicking up dust as the chopper lifted off the ground.

"Lord August, we are approaching a high-altitude mountain range. We need to alter our heading," Lili reported, checking the flight map.

August grabbed the flight stick and turned the heavy chopper, making a new path through the night sky.

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