Chapter Text
Grim docked The Asteria at the landing platform as she had been instructed to. She took a deep breath and reached for her necklace, wrapping the kyber crystal in her hands. "There is no emotion, there is peace," she recited closing her eyes. She opened them again as she let her hands fall back into place. She turned to her droid as she got out of the pilot's seat. "Luna, this time I'm going to need you to stay. We can't know for sure if the Empire already beat us here."
"And if the Empire is here then you'll get yourself captured! You still haven't explained what we're doing here in the first place!" Luna beeped in protest.
"Changing things as always," she replied with a smirk. Although she did not feel as confident as she acted. No matter how this went she would be facing Vader again. Grim made her way to the ramp of the ship. "Just stay here. If anything happens you're to go with either Leia or Luke. Although hopefully he shouldn't be here."
"Oracle—"
The droid didn't get a chance to protest further as Grim had already exited the ship.
But she wasn't on Bespin. She was standing in the midst of a battle as smoke and dirt rose into the air. Her eyes were wide as she searched her surroundings, she was in a city with high walls that seemed almost impregnable. As she looked above her she almost fell back. She was standing underneath a massive wooden horse. "No way," she gasped. She knew exactly where she was now and she knew she couldn't be here. This was Troy. As she realized this she reached around her and called the Force to her as she used it to power her speed and flee the doomed city.
Grim did not stop running until she found somewhere far enough from both sides — far enough away from any people. When she reached this place she slowed and began to catch her breath. She could still see the city burning in the distance. This was a universe where Greek Mythology was real. Her use of the Force confirmed it.
"This isn't good," she said aloud. Grim did not look like she belonged in Ancient Greece. Her armor was made of bits a pieces of old clone trooper armor and her old robes from The Clone Wars. Her lightsabers hanging at her sides were far out of place among the normal swords of the time. The technology didn't exist even in her original universe, let alone a version so far in the past. And on top of all of this she couldn't speak nor understand Greek — let alone Ancient Greek. While she had learned to be fluent in a few languages during her time in Star Wars, the languages all belonged to that universe. None would help her here.
She needed to get back to her own war. She was critical to changing how things could be and making things better. Nobody knew as much as she did. But she had no way to get back — she didn't even have a way to leave Troy. She needed to plan, she had to find a way. Hadn't she always? For now, though, Grim needed to set up a camp.
The woman's appearance had not gone unnoticed — at least not by the gods. As the Achaeans took their victory with the long war at last coming to a close, they sat upon Olympus. Who was this mortal that had nothing written of her by the Fates? She wasn't supposed to be here, and that much was clear. And so the gods sat and discussed her and what was to be done. It wasn't often they would be so drawn to a single mortal but she was something else. They didn't know anything about her, and they couldn't stand it. Something had to be done.
Grim had started a small fire as she sat down upon a rock. She held one of her lightsabers in her hands and studied it closely. There was no telling if it would even work in this universe. Certain that nobody was around she ignited the weapon as a purple blade emitted from it. Nothing had changed. She felt relief with this and turned it off, clipping it back to her belt. That was two things she knew she could rely on.
From a pouch on her belt she pulled out a ration bar and began to eat. However as she did she heard footsteps nearby and she could feel a strong presence in the Force unlike anything she ever felt before — even when she had been on Mortis. Her heart leapt to her throat — she could not be seen. She did not look the part.
A tall, fatigued, older man with a few scars emerged from the shadows. It was clear that he was a solider and from the dust and dirt that caked his armor, he looked as if he had just come from Troy. His helmet was striking, with how well decorated it was, on the sides there seemed to be depictions of some past battle. He wore a golden cape that trailed behind him gracefully. Grim did not recognize this stranger from any of the myths she remembered — although it had been many years since she was able to refresh her memory of those stories, and the Trojan War had many heroes. Whoever he was, she knew he had great power, it overwhelmed her in the Force.
She said nothing at first, even if she did it was likely he would not be able to understand her. She studied him silently unsure how to go about this. She could not ignore how he felt. She wondered if the man before her was even mortal.
"Is there room for one more at that fire?" The stranger asked, speaking in clear English.
Her eyes went wide when she heard him and was able to understand his words. Any doubts she had were erased as she knew him at once to be a god in disguise, although which one, she could not yet say. She quickly recovered from her shock and tried to save face. "Of course," Grim replied, giving him a kind smile. "Forgive me, I wasn't expecting to meet anyone out here."
He smiled back and sat down on a nearby rock across from her, setting down his helmet and revealing dark hair that laid too perfectly on his head to have just been underneath the helm. "What is someone like you doing so far out here alone? You don't look like you've come from the war."
She hesitated slightly, thinking on how to answer the god's question. "That's because I haven't come from the battle. Although it seems you have," she answered, before gesturing to his messy armor. As she did so, it came to her attention that only his armor was messy. His skin showed no sign of injury other than clearly healed scars, and she had been fighting long enough to know one never comes from battle unscathed. Yet there was not a scratch on this man.
"Indeed I have," he told her. "Although I took a longer route to clear my head now that it is over."
"I see," she said, then lying she added, "by the way, my name is Rue."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, madam. Thank you for allowing me to rest at your fire."
"Of course. I would offer you something to eat, but I'm afraid I don't have anything," Grim told him.
"That is quite alright, I'm not hungry. I just needed a place to rest."
"Well that I can offer you."
There was silence for a long moment as the two studied each other. Grim considered her options, she knew lying to this god was dangerous. Even if she did not know who exactly she was speaking with, trying to deceive any of them came at great risk. But she also knew the full truth would be dangerous to give away, there was no telling what kind chaos that could bring. She would have to test the waters to get an idea of whom she was speaking with and work on a strategy from there.
The stranger was the one who broke the silence. "If you did not come from the battle, where did you come from? You don't seem to have been from any of the nearby cities."
She bit her tongue. She knew she couldn't claim origin from any place — he would catch her in her lie if she did. "Once again you figure correctly. It may seem strange but I am not of the known world, as for how I am at Troy, I fear I can not tell you, for I do not know." Everything she said was true, although she was careful with how she spoke to not unveil the secret of the multiverse.
"How odd," he commented. "I have never heard of a thing like that."
She laughed nervously. "Well, odd things happen."
"Yes, they do indeed," he agreed, his eyes narrowing.
"What about you, sir?" She asked. She knew she had messed up and quickly tried to turn things around. "I don't believe I even caught your name."
"My name is not relevant. I am no one important."
She narrowed her eyes. He had to be important, this was a god, she was certain of it. "Your helmet seems quite extravagant for a mere foot solider," she pointed out. "I figured you were perhaps one of the kingly heroes that I have heard so many stories about."
"If that were true, then you would have had no need to ask me for my name."
"Perhaps yours is a tale I have not heard yet," she offered. "Troy was only just sacked, after all."
He smiled politely. "I was only doing as the gods had willed."
"Ah, I see," she said. "What was it they guided you to do?" She bit her tongue the moment the words came out. It was too blunt of a question.
"I don't see why that's important," he told her, his face dropping. The air seemed to go still.
Grim froze, but tried to hide her fear. "I was simply curious," she explained quickly, hoping to wave off her mistake.
"Curiosity could very well doom you," he warned her. "You never know who could be watching. And trying to deceive the gods is a foolish endeavor, we always find out the truth."
Her heart dropped, there was no going back now. "You're right that was foolish of me. I'm sorry for my attempted deception, I should have dropped the act the moment I figured out you were a god." She admitted, bowing her head respectfully. "Although I will admit, I do not know which one you are for certain."
The god's eyes flashed pure yellow and in the sky lightning flashed for only a moment. Grim fell from her seat on the rock as her eyes went wide with terror. "No," she gasped.
He stood from his seat and walked over to her. "Answer me this question, but choose your words carefully. How were you able to tell I was immortal?"
She gulped as she stared up at him. She took a moment to regain her composure as she thought about how to answer him. Then she spoke truthfully: "I admit I had my suspicions when I saw you. Your presence is unlike anything I have ever felt in my life — more powerful than anyone I have ever known. Although I knew for certain only when you spoke. I can neither speak nor understand Greek, and yet we both understand each other perfectly. If you were a mortal man that would not have been possible, so I knew then you must have been a god. Though that was not enough to realize I was speaking with the God King himself," When Grim finished speaking she knelt before him.
He studied her for a moment, looking down upon her. "You did not answer me before: where are you from, mortal? You do not belong here. And do not attempt to deceive me again."
He was no longer standing before her as a solider, but he towered over the woman in his real form. His hair was long and black, made of storm clouds with lightning trapped within. His ears were long and pointed, although golden bull horns covered them to some degree. Massive eagle wings sprouted from his back, fanning out to make himself even more imposing and entirely covering the kneeling woman in shadow. His eyes were pure gold and matching freckles were atop his head and ears like a crown. Lightning bolts were formed within his flesh, one marking going fully across his bare chest. He wore a flowing purple cape, and a matching skirt that covered his lower body which seemed to be made of clouds as well. In the Force he felt as if there was a massive crushing storm unlike any she'd ever experienced.
He continued: "You are lucky that I too, am curious. Otherwise you would not still be standing. If you were to be so foolish as to do this a second time the ground beneath you will be charred to ash and you along with it."
Seeing the god in his true form struck further fear into the Jedi Knight. She nodded, and complied with his demands — something she never imagined herself doing. "I am not from this universe. I wasn't from the one I was in previously either, although I call that one my home. I hold some knowledge about these events for in my original universe the stories have gone down in legend. That is the truth of my origin, Lord Zeus."
Storm clouds gathered above her and she looked up with wide eyes as thunder rumbled. "You have not given me the full truth."
"Wait!" She cried. "I'm sorry, I'll tell you! Don't kill me!" She begged, tears falling from her eyes. She hated how weak she felt. But what else could she do in the presence of Zeus? "In my original universe these events are more than just legend but are myths. The gods do not exist there, and I know this for a fact because my magic works here but was something I could never channel there. I always had the potential but such powers did not exist, it wasn't until I arrived in the universe I now claim as my home that I unlocked my abilities." She went on to explain, desperate to prevent the god from smiting her.
The storm vanished as quickly as it came. "That wasn't hard, was it, mortal?"
She was shaking. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
"My forgiveness is something you will have to earn. You have yet to earn my mercy either."
Grim quickly stood, her hands flying to her lightsabers. She took a step back from him, glaring at the god in disgust.
"You flatter yourself if you believe yourself worthy of such things, although few would dare to reject me, especially in such a bold manner."
Her grip tightened although her hands trembled slightly. "How am I supposed to trust you won't do anything? I know your reputation for how you treat women."
"Do not upset me further, mortal. You have pushed farther than most would dare."
She released her weapons and knelt before him. Her heart pounded in her chest — he was right and she had already come close enough to a reminder of what lightning felt like. Grim bowed her head, "how may I earn your mercy and forgiveness, O Zeus?"
"That is to be decided. You have sparked our curiosity, and because of this you live for now."
"Our?" She asked.
But the God King had vanished.
Upon Olympus the gods once again conversed. They discussed what it was to do about the woman not of their universe. She was a curious mortal, and to end her so soon would be a shame — not when she could provide the gods with some entertainment and amusement. At least as it was now.
"As it stands, we know nothing about her. Let us change this, I propose we do a test, Rue comes from a world without us, so let us see how she could serve the gods as all men should." Hermes spoke, a smile upon his face. "Regardless, she's caught my interest, she is the most seasoned traveler I have seen in a long time."
Zeus considered this. "And how will this test be conducted?"
"Send her with Odysseus. He will not be able to return home for many years, that will give us plenty of time to test Rue. When my student returns to Ithaca we can make our final judgment. And I trust she will be in good hands with him." Athena offered. The mortal had impressed her with the wit she had displayed. The woman was clearly a strategist and knew how to plan for things.
"Very well. If she manages to pass this test then perhaps she will have earned the right to return to her home universe. But if she fails then she will have nothing to offer us and will be punished accordingly."
And so it was agreed upon by the gods.