The Perfect Run

The entire Augusti high command had gathered around a table near the villa, and none of its members dared to speak.

Allowed to sit between Vulcan and Livia at the mafia princess’ behest, Ryan kept his arms crossed as he observed the scene. The various ‘Olympians’ formed a circle, all of them eyeing their leader warily. Mercury’s mummified head had been placed at the edge near Pluto, while Narcinia sat with her parents. Mars kept an arm behind his chair, clearly the most relaxed of all people present.

And Bacchus...

The man made Ryan curious. The priest never blinked or betrayed any facial micro-expression. And instead of looking at Augustus like the rest, his focus remained entirely on Livia.

Augustus listened to his brother Neptune retelling him the events of last night, his body shrouded in a halo of lightning. It made it impossible to clearly distinguish his face, and the man radiated power in more ways than one. Ryan couldn’t shake the pervading aura of dread around the table, as if everyone worried they might get punished for a minor offense.

Even Ryan didn’t crack a joke. He didn’t know the limits of Augustus’ invulnerability except that most powers failed to work on him. For all he knew, the lightning emperor might be a White interfering with other abilities the way Cancel did; and unlike Vulcan, Augustus struck the courier as someone who killed at the slightest provocation.

Mob Zeus joined his hands, once the tale finished. Obviously, Neptune had presented the attack as an irresponsible prank instead of a carefully prepared suit-rescue mission, but his brother didn’t seem to care. “You summoned me for something this trivial?”

“Dynamis will retaliate,” Neptune pointed out. “The incident was public.”

“They dared to take our son,” Venus spoke up, her wiser husband immediately putting a hand on her arm to dissuade her to speak; all in vain. “This is simply retaliati—”

“His parentage is the only reason Felix’s head isn’t in a bag right now.” The cold certainty in Augustus’ voice made Atom Cat’s entire family flinch. Narcinia, in particular, looked at her feet to avoid facing Mob Zeus. “Abandoning his duties is one thing, but I cannot stand rats.”

“He is your godson, Janus,” Mars said with the familiarity of a trusted lieutenant. He alone didn’t seem to fear Augustus, with the exception of the mob boss’ close family members; enough to use the man's real name.

“He is a traitor who broke my daughter’s heart,” the lightning emperor of Italy replied, Livia’s face a stone mask. “To think I once expected to call him my son-in-law one day…”

“Just give us time,” Mars argued, unabated. “We will reason with him.”

“I shall show mercy to Felix, due to the strong bond between our respective families,” Augustus replied. “But I never want to see him again, and if he takes arms against us, there will be consequences.”

A tense silence fell on the table, Mob Zeus turning his head towards Ryan and Vulcan. While she remained outwardly strong, the courier sensed the Genius clench her fists below the table. The courier took her hand with his own, helping her relax a little.

“You,” Augustus told Ryan, suddenly noticing the Genome’s existence. “Who are you?”

“Quicksave, sir,” the courier said. “I’m immortal, but don’t tell anyone.”

“Gods and men are only equal in one thing, and that is death.” Mob Zeus examined Ryan closely. “You do not fear me as much as you should.”

Ryan waited briefly, in case it was rhetorical, before realizing that Lightning Butt wanted an answer. Augustus did sound a lot less threatening when the courier called him that in his head. “Well, sir, with all due respect,” the Genome said, “I’ve seen far worse than you.”

Augustus observed him without a word, and it started to hurt just looking at this thunder elemental. The silence grew more and more oppressive until Lightning Butt turned his deadly attention to Vulcan, as Ryan’s superior. “What is his power?”

“Alternate reality jumping,” Vulcan lied.

“Lies.”

Augustus said that without raising his tone, but the electrical tension in the air increased tenfold. All gazes turned at Vulcan, while Pluto eyed Ryan sharply.

“What is his power?” Augustus repeated, the crimson aura around him growing in intensity.

“I don’t know,” Vulcan admitted. “I don’t understand it yet.”

Augustus let the silence set in, until Jasmine had to look away to avoid eye damage from the light. The mere unspoken threat of violence cowed the proud Genius. “The wise woman admits her own ignorance, Vulcan,” Lightning Butt said while trying to sound profound, before asking the other Capos, “Who is he?”

“Ryan Romano, real name Cesare Sabino,” Mercury said through the mummified skull. “Son of Freddie Sabino, alias Bloodstream. A blood-controlling Psycho killed by the Carnival four years ago.”

It took everything for Ryan not to make a face of pure disgust, cursing all the times Bloodstream had introduced him to strangers using that name. He had believed in that delusion so much, that he convinced everyone else it was the truth.

Strangely though, he did notice Livia’s face softening when Mercury mentioned the Carnival. She glanced at Ryan with what the courier took for a look of sympathy. Augustus’ halo, meanwhile, flashed brighter for a second before returning to normal.

“Bloodstream…” Mars spoke up, remembering something. “Yeah, I remember him. That body-jacking maniac whacked a few of our guys back in the day.”

Jasmine’s eyes widened as if she reached a eureka moment. “Wait, she’s your sister?”

talk about it,” Ryan

all that time I thought you wanted

kept his attention focused on Ryan. “What is

sir,” the courier

usually to avoid death,” Livia

fingers together. “You

“Yes.”

before turning to his sister. “I marked him,” Pluto said, smoking her cigarette. “He provided valuable services so far, but

the courier, Augustus dropped the subject and turned

I did,” Livia

we

Neptune cleared his throat. “This

heir and speaks with my voice,” Lightning Butt replied with disdain. “Your

“Then what, we prepare for war? Even if we win, it won’t be without heavy

sons before things degenerate. He is just as afraid of a prolonged conflict as you are, Uncle. Which is why he hired

proof of that?” Mercury spoke up. “I could not find any evidence, and from what Vulcan told us, Dynamis tried

that either Adam double-crossed his corporate masters to pursue his own agenda,

do we do about the Meta-Gang, brother?” Pluto asked,

Augustus declared. “I want them all

it worth it?” Venus asked. “They

chilling. “I will not take the risk. No man, no problem. Don’t care about the resources

her niece and Vulcan, and Ryan could tell that they had already decided to

Augustus asked

Mercury spoke through the

said, a hint of emotion breaking through his unflappable demeanor. “Your departure diminishes

I pass the torch too,” Mercury replied. “I

Mars guessed, Ryan immediately glancing at him. “Zanbato. Good

but loyal and competent since we introduced him into our organization,” Mercury said with pride. “Men respect him, he’s trustworthy, and

the first time, his soothing voice somehow cutting through the noisy discussion. “His opinions on Bliss worry me, and my division

against selling narcotics too at first,” Mercury said with what appeared to be a shrug. “But I knew my place, and so will the

made him who he is in more ways than one, and he will never forget that. I

take your place as the new Mercury, and you shall be released from service. My

though,” Pluto mused out loud with an amused smile. “Perhaps he should

Dynamis,” Venus said with a smirk,

the name stays,” Augustus quickly decided. “But he will change his

quickly spoke

will build Zanbato equipment worthy of his new divine station,” Lightning

eager to make

else?” Augustus asked, immediately

to a breakthrough with Bliss,” Bacchus spoke up, Narcinia shifting on her seat.

with refining this product worries me,” Venus said, glancing

replied with a bright

priest said with a sharp nod. Ryan realized that he only participated when it impacted the matter of Bliss, and ignored everything else. “This tribulation will soon reach

Pluto asked with a frown. “The

full gratitude if

a frustrated face. “The defenses I set are already

not so certain, unfortunately,” Livia said. “The odds of an attack on Ischia have been

that island all they want,” Vulcan

we review them together,” Livia said with a calm smile. The princess voiced it like a request, but Jasmine knew it was anything but. The

spoke up, his wife stiffening at his side. “If anything

stage,” the mafia princess said, a smile on her

the subject, and the discussion moved on to a boring

more about which Capo oversaw which part of the organization. Bacchus controlled the drug division, which involved Narcinia in its production; Vulcan managed the weapon trafficking, while Mercury handled gambling, casinos,

Livia discussed the Bliss production, the organization’s revenues, where to invest, and so on. All in all, Mob Zeus seemed completely uninterested in the logistics

was a warlord, not a

finished,” Neptune