He looked at the members of his team that have arrived. All 9 of them avoided eye contact with him. They are supposed to be his babysitters. It is the unspoken arrangement but the bishop tore down the veil of civility and called it for what it is. She called him weak.
He finally spoke. "Okay then. You're right. Everyone can do whatever they want. It is not my place to order you around. Strength speaks for itself. You are strong and you think your plan is good. You can go ahead with the plan."
Her face eased up a little. "I am glad you think so. The plan will go as it should. Don't worry. Everything will go right. Your team will protect you."
Helios smiled. "I have nothing to worry about."
Their short argument became a thing of the past. She felt impressed by his maturity and her opinion of him improved.
'He is so much better than other demigods. He is level-headed and not too proud.' She thought to herself.
The truth is that he could have changed the plan by making a fuss and getting the other demigods on his side. But he didn't behave like a child who would throw a tantrum when they don't get their way because he will get his way eventually. It is just a matter of time.
He would have liked to have a more important role in deciding their plans so that his purpose here will work out better but it is what it is. He is above all else amendable and quick to adapt. It is easy to let go when he knows that the outcome is set.
The final briefing was called before the strike team will send out. The representatives of the churches involved in the heroic quest called for it to inform the demigods of their plan as a whole.
The 9 demigods arrived and introduced themselves. Helios took note of them and their power. In his opinion, the strongest of them and the youngest is Tanya, the demigod of the church of the sky. The rest are pretty average except for 3 that stood out somewhat.
The first is the one that calls himself AMS. He is the demigod of the church of mercy. He is dressed like a monk and has his hands together in constant prayer. Pretty quiet and keeps to himself. He looks ordinary for a giant but Helios can sense a hidden strength. The other 9 members of his team are also monks. Together, they form a very quiet bunch.
The second one is KROMBOPULOS the demigod of the church of the hunt. He speaks a lot more than AMS and looks more eager to be here than all of them. He is practically hopping about because of the excitement of the hunt. Helios could feel a buzz coming from him and he noticed that the buzz gets stronger the closer this KROMBOPULOS is to the ant mound. It seems he gets stronger the closer he is to his target.
The third one is BLAZE_DRACONYTE the demigod of the church of fire. He looks to be very dangerous and crazy because of his scattered hair and rapidly moving eyes. Adding the tongs of flames just dancing in his hair will make you realize he is a fire hazard. All in all, he looks like a trigger-happy pyromaniac just waiting to go ballistic. You certainly do not want to be in the same room with him.
Helios introduced himself last. He was the last to arrive and he is the youngest. Only time will tell if he is the strongest.
The briefing continued after the introduction. Helios complimented their plans and agreed with everything they said. He remained on good behavior when the final briefing was going on. The bishops sent from the 9 churches explained the plan to the 9 demigods and their teams. He didn't criticize the plan at all. He stood with his two muscular arms folded on his chest without interfering.
He didn't even taunt Tanya when she came for the briefing. She also didn't attempt to attack him. She was just like him, they have both seen the errors of their ways. There are things they would both like to do but they are not in the right situation to do it.
On another unrelated note, all nine of her team members had her surrounded and were keeping an eye on her every movement while she stared daggers at Helios. Maybe she hasn't fully seen the error of her ways.
"If there are no more questions, then the heroic quest will start now." A bishop announced after the briefing.
The headquarters began to bustle with a little more activity. Giants rushed about to get things started for the plan. Helios followed the strike team out of the headquarters. Then he continued walking with them to the front lines. They passed ranks of soldiers busy holding back the ants.
The sounds of explosions rocked the ground but they couldn't overwhelm the drone of insect wings. The guts of the resilient ants could be seen spilled all over the place. The wind brought with it the smell of dead insects which made the nose tingle. The fight had been going on for hours but the tide of ants hadn't ceased. The ant hoard resembled a tsunami wave threatening to destroy the giants.
Then the strike team began to form. The 9 teams combined and distributed themselves according to the format in the plan. Helios stood aside watching it all happen without joining them.
One of his team members summoned the courage to ask, "Exalted demigod, it is time to deploy."
"I know." He answered calmly.
He asked again. "Are we not joining them?"
"I don't know about you. You can do whatever you want but I'm not joining them."
"But it is according to the plan."
"Now you're just wasting my time by stating the obvious."
His answer made his team members confused. They went to tell the bishop of the church of the sun. The priest marched up to him with a very bad frown and an air of importance. It seemed to those watching that something bad is about to happen.
