Disclaimer: I do not own anything from DC Comics or Marvel Comics. The only thing I own is my OC Iros.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

'Telepathic'

Review Response:

Master of Dragons God (Chapter 3): Thank you.

Matthew Gemm (Chapter 3): Hm, sure I can add her. Thanks for the suggestion.

Zer0the0mega108 (Chapter 3): I figured you'd be anticipating the Iros/Ghia'ta scenes lol, glad you enjoyed that. There are plenty of powerful being in the DC/Marvel verses lol, you might be surprised of what might happen X).

Silver crow (Chapter 3): Hm, you seem to really like Grail XD. And given Iros' mission since the second chapter, he wouldn't disagree with her desire to kill Darkseid but he would probably try to do it himself since he'll demonstrate that pride of his power (and he partially demonstrated his concern with Ghia'ta coming with him to Aga'po in the last chapter) plus there is the strong possibility that either Thanos or Darkseid (Thanos more than likely) will discover Grail's allegiance to the Anti-Monitor, which is a whole other kettle of problems lol.

… Maybe… Eros, Iros… Dunno, who knows knowing me lol…

I'm glad you enjoyed Iros and Ghia'ta's interaction in the last chapter, I was kinda worried that I might've been rushing their romance somewhat, but I dunno lol; besides Aga'po won't take long either lol. In Iros' case, he wasn't raise by the standards of the regular New Gods so his reactions are gonna be a bit different, plus he kinda has more important things to worry about.

What, no love for Darkseid? Lol. We'll see what kind of fight Iros will get himself into against Thanos, since you're a HUGE fan of the Mad Titan then you might recall a certain event with Thanos and a certain All-Father… I don't think Thanos would actually hate Iros because of the Alpha Effect, keep in mind what Darkseid and Iros represent (and how Thanos would benefit the most of this).

Glad you enjoyed the introduction to Gali, I wanted to end a chapter with a rather big bang, and what bigger bang… than with… Gali… (huh, sounded a bit more sexual than I was expecting lol).

Hm, I actually haven't thought of all the tiny details yet, mainly on the big ideas for the arcs, you know? Man, it's been so long for this story, I'm actually worried about all my other DC/Marvel stories and trying to keep pace with that especially since I churn more Star Wars stories and chapters than the comic stories I got right now.

Eh, I don't see Iros getting a pet, Krypto makes sense as it was Superman's dog… Don't know what to say about Ace the dog lol… Then again, who wouldn't want a napalm spitting rage fueled cat?

Again, I haven't thought of the tiny details yet; Ghia'ta would obviously be the best candidate to tag along with Iros. We'll have to see how Supergirl will react once Iros lands on Earth.

xhanti.m70 (Chapter 3): Thank you.

As for Iros becoming a Herald of Galacta, so the only real advantage he gets is having more power at the cost of him being enslaved to her? Kinda of a backfire on the New God since Iros couldn't really break free from her control without getting into a conflict with Galactus, nor would she let him go willingly since she wants a powerful herald by her side. It's a cool idea though.

Pain Nagato Uzumaki (Chapter 3): I appreciate the compliment, and as for your concern with the harem, I did downsize it from the previous numbers. Plus in case of other concerns, Iros has the same power set as Darkseid, so once Iros becomes more comfortable with his power and garners more ladies, he could create other Avatars to maintain status quo whenever he has to travel across the universe or travel to other universes.

Strike the Blood (Chapter 3): Thank you.

OmniPlanckInstant (Chapters 1, 2 & 3): Once Iros begins to use his powers more actively and with time and experience, then yeah he'll be a pretty cool badass XD. And we'll see if Iros accepts the daughter of Galactus' answer.

HarryB178 (Chapter 3): I did downsize a fair amount of characters if that helps, plus most of my ideas are going to be long chapters and long stories so I will have plenty of time to flesh them out.

-Alpha New God-

The soft, sensual embrace from the daughter of Galactus was not one the Avatar of the Alpha Effect had expected. He figured his power might act as a beacon and attract those who would seek his power, but never in this fashion. Swallowing the thick lump in his throat, Iros forced himself away from Galacta. Upon the New God's flimsy actions caused by her being Gali smirked, casting a glance at the troubled Zamaron and her flustered tears.

She smacked her lips in realization. "You love him." A simple statement, one that wove a raw truth. "Or you just don't like to share."

"Enough," Iros said, his voice quiet. He cleared his throat before continuing. Or rather he tried to continue. The rush of such power coursing in his being, he never felt anything like it.

"It's a lot to take in I know," Galacta started, taking a step towards the New God. "But you will adjust to its immeasurable depth in time. I'll ask one last time: will you accept my offer?"

Ice blue eyes focused on the pained expression of Ghia'ta, a sharp unbridled ache stabbed in his heart. Iros frowned deeply towards her, though not at her… "No," he said. "I did not come here to be your slave, child of Galactus. I am here to stop the Dark God."

The cosmic entity stared with a furrowed brow. "There are many Dark Gods amongst the vast seas of the stars. But only one that matters to you: Darkseid."

"What of the Zamoran's and their fate?" demanded Iros, standing in front of Ghia'ta and Aga'po.

Seeing the New God's tense body language, Galacta merely turned away from them. "As we agreed: if you allowed me to siphon your energy then I would leave." The ice blue eyes of Iros kept steady on the female entity. "Though if your mission is to defeat or kill Darkseid, then you'll need help."

Noticing that Galacta had not moved after she finished, Iros walked over to her. "I wield the antithesis of Darkseid's power, I won't need any help."

"Pride cometh before the fall as they say," Galacta commented. "Darkseid is not someone you can overpower or out-think, it's not in his nature to lose easily. Or at all, save for one."

The All-Father.

"He probably knows I'm here. In either case, it would be… safer for myself to go on alone," said Iros. The words of the Sapphire Queen called to him…

"I expected a more noble answer," Galacta said, eyeing the New God. "Considering your apparent affections for the Sapphire."

Iros kept quiet, although the lingering guilt and anger boiled in his soul. "What I'm curious to know is if Darkseid is this big threat to the universe, then why haven't you and your father stopped him?"

"You'd have no reason to exist," the daughter of Galactus answered simply. "But it's not our purpose to destroy Darkseid, only to keep life and death in the cosmic balance. Like you said: you are the anti-thesis to Darkseid. I'm only offering help."

The New God took Galacta's words in stride, and began to walk away. Knowing the goal that you were destined to get to and walking it were two different experiences, the kind the New God had no idea the consequences of.

The desperation in Ghia'ta's eyes only made his guilt worse, his insecurities all the more apparent. All he knew was that he felt a bond with her… perhaps that's all he needed to know. All he needed to understand…

Perhaps…

Standing in front of the Alpha wielder, Ghia'ta held her head high, displaying the inner strength that was wavering when he took every step forward towards her. Her heart quaked when the New God rested his hands on her cheeks; his soft yet firm grip rubbing her soft skin with his thumbs, ice blue eyes watching her tenderly.

Before she could say anything, Iros embraced the Zamaron Sapphire into a sensual and passionate kiss; desperate for a sign to leave her or for him to take her by his side. His journey would be a long, tired trial, filled with horrors that he didn't want to subjugate Ghia'ta with; she was… pure and innocent.

Ghia'ta rested her head against the New God's chest, wrapping her slender arms around him, not wanting to leave his side again. "You don't have to do this alone. Darkseid will fall, that's why you're here, but if you go alone you'll fall in the same way the Dark God has."

Holding Ghia'ta tightly to him, Iros rested his head on top of hers. "Maybe you're right. I just don't know if I'm strong enough to handle… this. All of this."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you had someone to share that burden with? I'm willing to stand by you to hell and back, no one else will," Ghia'ta affirmed, strongly grasping Iros by his face. "What more do you want from me? How far will I have to go to prove myself to you?"

"You already have!" declared Iros loudly, his nose twitching in rising anger. "I haven't proven myself to you! You have no reason to risk your life for me!"

The New God widened his eyes partially in shock as the Sapphire slapped him, her angry gaze surprising him. "Don't make this only about yourself. What I do with my life is my own choice, I appreciate that you want to protect me but you can't control everything." She kissed him gently on the corner of his mouth, stroking his cheek tenderly. "Just do what you have to, and I'll stand by you. Let me do that."

Iros sighed through gritted teeth, his own mixture of logic and emotion battling in his soul. "We'll leave in the morning, with your Queen's permission."

Aga'po smiled serenely, nodding her head approvingly. "For hearts long lost and full of fright. For those alone in the blackest night. Accept our ring and join our fight. Love conquers all with violet light."

-Alpha New God-

"The Black Order has already infiltrated and awaits our orders," the Mad Titan reported, ending the holographic transmission. "Asgard will fall with no problem, save for a few potential anomalies," Thanos activated a set of holograms: one of Highfather and New Genesis, the Tenth Realm and…"

"The Alpha Wielder," Darkseid's crimson eyes observing his opposite and possible equal. Equal in power, little else. "Leave him to me brother, I will send a message to him that he will understand."

"I'm not one to deny you what you want," Thanos teased, smirking ever so fondly.

The Dark God's gaze lingered to the second hologram. "A frontal assault on Asgard will be bloody, one of which I'm not afraid of but it will alert the Asgardians ahead of time. We need an opening they won't see coming." Nodding towards the hologram, Darkseid continued, "We can use him to enter into the forbidden realm and when the All-Father is preoccupied, we can take control of Asgard with only his child to combat against."

"An easy win," Thanos praised, folding his arms. "And with a majority of the Asgardians dead, the All-Father's power will decrease sufficiently. He won't be able to rely on the Destroyer Armor anymore as well."

"Same with Highfather, the Alpha Wielder will be returning home it appears and he will be distracted which will buy us additional time," Darkseid continued. "We now need to leave a trail for the boy to follow and the rest will play into our hands."

The Mad Titan's grin grew wider, chuckling in delight. "Worry not, the Angels of Heven will be very willing to step aside for our cause. For the right price of course." Thanos stepped away from the throne table, pacing away into the shadows. "However I warn you brother: the Avatar of the Alpha Effect is tied to your destiny, you may not be able to kill him."

"Then he will break all the same," Darkseid declared. "Whatever I can't control I must destroy."

-Alpha New Gods-

Lights of bluish-white and sapphire blurred against the endless cosmic sea, flying thousands upon thousands of times the speed of light. Quickly traveling beyond the current galaxy they resided in, and beyond the surrounding galaxies, the New God and Sapphire halted suddenly.

'Are you nervous about returning home?' Ghia'ta asked mentally. Reaching for her lover's hand, she grasped firmly.

Iros nodded half-heartedly, casting a glance towards the Sapphire. 'I'm not sure if I can call New Genesis my home. I've lived outside of the universe my entire life with Metron, I guess he is my home.' Ice blue eyes began to glaze when a brief memory flashed before him. 'I don't even remember my mother's face or my father's.'

Rubbing the New God's arm soothingly, Ghia'ta rested her head against Iros' shoulder. 'You could ask Highfather about them.'

'What would I even say to them?'

'Just say what you feel. You don't have to prepare ahead of time.' soothed Ghia'ta. 'Enjoy this time together, that's all that truly matters.' Brushing his lips against the Sapphire's, the New God felt the mounting tension melt. He was glad he listened to her, it might've worked in either case but this just felt right. Natural, like it was meant to be.

'You really must care about me,' teased Iros, a warm smile blossoming.

Ghia'ta nudged the New God playfully, tugging on his hand briefly. 'What's not to love of a God? One especially as handsome and strong and powerful, with the ability to create new life.' Iros' smile widened, floating closer to Ghia'ta, and rested his hands on her waist. 'That's what I wanted. That smile. To see you as you were meant to be. I saw that twinkle of life deep within you, and I suppose I'm here to stir that into a burning inferno.'

'Such poetry,' Iros continued with his teasing. 'I am glad you were stubborn enough to be with me. Once this over, we can…' Observing the angelic beauty of her grey-silver skin, the thin, athletic frame of her body and sparkling cerulean orbs, Iros embraced the softness of her body against his. 'It can be just us. Together to travel across the universe with nary a care, enjoy our lives to its fullest. Or whatever we want.'

'Sounds perfect,' Ghia'ta beamed lovingly. 'Better than perfect really.'

Pulling the Sapphire close to him, the New God's ice blue orbs began to glow brighter than any living star, and a portal opened before them. 'I wanted to make sure we were a safe distance away from any living star system, in case this didn't work properly. I've never tried this before.'

'Beginner's luck,' Ghia'ta teased, floating inside the portal as Iros followed afterward. Iros' gaze lingered down her ample backside.

-Alpha New God-

New Genesis

Digging up the earth with his bare hands, feeling the coarse texture breaking apart under his grip, the Highfather grabbed a rare beauteous flower and lowered it into the newly dug hole. The flower itself sang a soft, heavenly ballad, it's red-purple hue adding to its rhythm and harmony. The warmth of the star high above in the sky reminded the Highfather of when he was younger. Or perhaps it was his tired body making its call.

Chortling in spite, the Highfather grabbed his staff and lifted himself up. "I am surprised you have returned home, Alpha Wielder. Not unwelcomed however." Having heard the familiar sound of a Boom Tube earlier, the ruler of New Genesis felt that familiar warmth arose in his body; the feeling of peace and prosperity that protected his world and his people. "Ah, and you have brought someone. A Lantern at that."

The Alpha Wielder observed the new environment which he had transported them into. The high soaring buildings, the grand scale of art that towered everywhere, the subtle fires of the planet beneath his feet. "Highfather," Iros spoke, bowing his head in courtesy. "I apologize for the abrupt entrance. I was not expecting… this."

Striding towards the young wielder of the Alpha Effect, the leader of New Genesis paid little attention to the Sapphire. "Why have you brought her here?"

"I thought of no reason why she shouldn't," Iros countered, his words a tad sharp.

"You are aware of the relationship between the Lanterns and the New Gods," Highfather stated.

"What was brought between the Guardians of Oa and New Genesis has nothing to do with the Star Sapphires," protested Ghia'ta, a light frown creasing upon her brow. Highfather's gaze directed to the young Sapphire, his imposing figure comforted by Iros' presence by her side.

"Apparently so," mused Highfather after a time had passed. A grin curled on his lips as he looked on towards the newly emerged New God. "Still you can understand my hesitance." His smile widened as a passing thought crossed his mind. "Come, the both of you, there is much you have to catch up on."

"I was hoping if I… could see my family first," Iros requested. Halting at the the Alpha Wielder's request, Highfather kept his focus towards his palace and city.

"Very well, it is only fair that you reconnect with your previous life," Highfather agreed, rolling his grip on the staff. "I'll have an escort take you to them, and have you brought back to the palace once you're ready."

-Alpha New God-

Her face…

The gaze of which she observed him. Love and adoration blossomed in her eyes, then glazed with regret and self-riddled guilt.

Could he say the word? The simple word that all children knew? Did she have the right to be called that? Did he have any reason to deny her that right?

Of course not, he knew better. She probably wanted to keep him, to cherish and adore with all of her heart. He could see it in her gaze. Taking the first step into what he could garner as his home, Iros smiled sadly at his mother.

Whimpers of shame spilled from the female New God, tears cascading down her porcelain skin and red-shot eyes. "You've… grown. You're so tall and handsome." Blinking the upcoming tears away, Iros slowly gave his mother a simple hug, letting the moment flow naturally. He could feel his mother's warm tears soak into his armor. "I suffered many nights when you were gone. All I wanted was my baby. But you're not much of a baby anymore."

The faint aroma of sweetness wafted in his nose, whatever his mother was wearing was rather nice. "I came by to see you."

"I'm glad you did," his mother beamed, her face brightening with new life and purpose. "I'm surprised you came at all, but I know you won't be here for long."

"It might be longer than you think," Iros said.

Stepping away from her son, taking a garner at the Alpha Wielder's attire, she squeezed his arms approvingly. "You've made me very proud Iros. I'll always be happy for you and what you'll do for the universe, what more can I ask for?"

"Your happiness?"

His mother scoffed, tapping his chest. "You're sweet. I've waited for 2,000 years, praying to the Source that you would come back to me. And you have. I can die of happiness now if I wished."

"Hopefully you can keep your will to live for a bit longer," said Iros, kissing his mother on the forehead. "I have to go back to Highfather and talk to him, then I'll come back to you. I promise."

Nodding in agreement, wiping away the drying streaks of tears, she continued. "And back to her?" Iros looked over his shoulder to Ghia'ta, who waited patiently outside. Upon seeing the attention directed at her, the Sapphire offered a tiny wave. "Bring her in, I want to meet the woman who's stolen my baby's heart."

The New God's mouth grew dry almost immediately.

"I know when a man is in love. Your father has that same look even to this day."

Smiling with slight hesitance, Iros motioned Ghia'ta to come in. "This is Ghia'ta, she's a member of the Star Sapphire Corps."

"Cepheus," Iros' mother stated. "You're quite beautiful, absolutely stunning."

Ghia'ta blushed humbly, lowering her head in respect. "Thank you, I appreciate the kind words."

"Though I'm surprised that an outsider was allowed on New Genesis," admitted Cepheus. "Highfather must've let it slide on account of you being here."

"It was a bit unusual, but I figure the strain between the Guardians of Oa and the New Gods is the main source of conflict," Iros explained, nodding towards Ghia'ta. "Looked like he was expecting it."

"Many a strange things exist beyond our understanding," Cepheus stated. "How long have you two…"

"Not too long," said Iros.

"The other day," Ghia'ta clarified. "Or it seemed like it." She laughed softly. "That's a story we can share later."

"Where's Dad?" Iros asked.

"He won't be back for days, he's been busy at work since the possibility of Darkseid's return has been prophesied," Cepheus recounted.

"I can probably get a request from Highfather," Iros ventured. "Shouldn't be too hard given the situation."

"Thank you," Cepheus said, hugging her son once more. "I expect the two of you to come back quickly, there's everything to see on New Genesis."

"I promise," agreed Iros.

"I kinda have to stick with him, he's my ticket around here," Ghia'ta teased, squeezing Iros' hand. Taking their leave from the New God's home, Iros and Ghia'ta flew soundly away; the faint trail of sapphire indicating to the mother of the Alpha Wielder that what she had experienced wasn't a self-guilt dream.

"Love is a precious thing, I must admit," a smooth, baritone called from within the home. Soft thuds of boots became clearer with each passing step. "A woman's love is the purest of all, whether lover or mother. Perhaps both even."

Facing the Mad Titan, and his maniacal smirk, Cepheus snarled dangerously. "He will kill you Thanos."

"I'm looking forward to it," Thanos grinned darkly. "However you fail to realize your hand in this; if the Alpha Wielder found out that his own mother conspired with the one trying to kill him…"

"He won't believe you!" she growled.

"He was raised by Metron, not you," The Mad Titan cruelly pointed out. "He'll see the situation for what it is, but the emotion toll that'll follow will be too much. He's merely a boy trying to prove himself a man."

"Leave," Cepheus said faintly, turning away from Thanos. "Iros will stop you. The both of you won't live to see-"

"None of us will live to see what comes next," Thanos stated forebodingly. The ensuing silence forced the female New God to see the sudden disappearance of the Mad Titan.

A/N: Hope my fellow readers enjoyed this chapter!

Plot and plot thickens… the plans of Thanos and Darkseid have begun their countdown: the invasion of Asgard, and the overthrow of Odin.

Other than that, this chapter features some good ol' fashion character growth and development (I think so anyway lol).

Though tell me in the comments below if you guys want to downsize the harem, as of right now there is…. let's see… carry the 3… about 93 women in the harem list. (I swear you guys are gonna kill me lol).

Harem-

(DC)-

New Gods: Big Barda, Beautiful Dreamer, Bekka, Gilotina, Lashina, Grail, Metra, Miss Miracle.

Heroines: Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Raven, Starfire, Supergirl, Powergirl, Wondergirl (Cassie Sandsmark), Zatanna, Mary Marvel, Miss Martian.

Villainess: Tala, Blackfire, Faora Hu-Ul, Circe, Iris, Locus.

Normal Beings: Lois Lane, Shay Veritas, Vicki Vale, Wendy Harris.

Star Sapphire: Ghia'ta, Aga'po, Carol Ferris, Fatality (Yrra Cynril), Nol Anj.

(Marvel)-

Asgardians: Torunn, Sif, Enchantress, Valkeryie, Angela, Idunn, Hela

Greek Gods: Hera Argeia, Aphrodite Ourania, Gaea, Artemis, Athena Parthenos, Hebe Panhellenios, Persephone

Heroines: She-Hulk, Red-She Hulk, Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel, Gamora,Wasp, Invisible Woman.

Mutants: Emma Frost, Jean Grey, Storm, Psylocke, Scarlet Witch, Polaris, Rogue, Rachel Summers, X-23, Hope Summers

Here's the power scale for this story-

Multiverse to Multiverse+:
Anti-Monitor

Mister Mxyzptlk

The Spectre (at his strongest)

Emperor Joker

Bat-Mite

The Monitors

Galactus (with Ultimate Nullifier)

Ultimator

Abraxas

Chaos King (Supposedly destroyed 98.76% of the 616 Marvel multiverse, including higher-dimensional realms, such as that of Nightmare)

Godhead Darkseid

Multi-Universal:
Krona

Superman Prime One Million

Universe to Universe+:
Darkseid (Orion has stated that the regular DC universes are very small compared to the New Gods)

Orion (Shown as much larger than a universe at his true size)

Imperiex

Nekron

Pre-Crisis Superman

Superman Prime (Adult Superboy Prime)

The Time Trapper

Parallax

Trigon

Volthoom

Firestorm (had enough power to initiate a Big Bang)

Eternity

Jean Grey (Phoenix of the White Crown)

Dormammu (outside and within the Dark Dimension)

Apocalypse (after absorbing the power from The Twelve; power to rival or surpass the Celestials)

Odin (Embodiment of the Odin Force; full power)

Multi-Galaxy:

Uatu The Watcher

Zeus

Darkseid (Avatars; Full powered state- The absolute strongest Avatars of Darkseid were capable of fighting against two Doctor Fates at once, and also acted as 1/5 of a power that matched the Anti-Life Entity and destroyed a universe)

Galacta (Should equal to a moderately fed Galactus, who has matched Mehphisto and Odin)

Odin (Normally)

Galactus (Moderately fed)

Galaxy to Galaxy+:

Tyrant (Destroyed galaxies across the universe as a mere side effect of his fight with Galactus)

Superboy Prime

Multi-Solar System to Multi-Solar System+:

Darkseid (Avatars; normally)

Iros

Thanos (Consistently shown as superior to the Silver Surfer. Was able to put up a fight against Tyrant through being greatly boosted by an external power source)
Solar System to Solar System+:

Sentry

Silver Surfer

Jean Grey (Phoenix empowered)

Black Bolt (His voice could power the T-Bomb. Once made a Galaxy collector blink with his scream)

Ms. Marvel (as Binary; Blew up a Brood homeworld, Converted at least 81% of a black hole into energy and kept going)

Thor (The colliding of his Mjolnir and Beta Ray Bill's Stormbreaker destroyed Surtur's dimensional portal)

Hulk (Has been consistently portrayed as comparable to Thor, has matched the full strength of The Sentry, and empowered a force field that temporarily halted the Celestial Exitar, who was much larger than the Earth)

Beta Ray Bill (designed to match Thor)

Superman

Wonder Woman

Hulk

Red Hulk

She-Hulk

Red She-Hulk

Captain Marvel/Shazam

Black Adam

Supergirl

Power Girl

Martian Manhunter

Doomsday

Zod

Faora

Green Lanterns (Kyle Rayner, Hal Jordan, John Smith)

Nova

Star to Star+:

Flash

Zoom

Cable (Said to be able to extinguish stars with little effort)

Apocalypse (Dwarf Star)

Planet to Planet+:
Iron Man (With Extremis virus)

Magneto

Super-Skrull

Life Wiper (capable of destroying life on Earth without destroying the planet):

Professor X

Emma Frost

Jean Grey

Gambit (Was able to destroy all life on the surface of the planet Earth)

Poison Ivy

Storm

Continent to Continent+:
Human Torch (via Supernova)

Country to Country+:

The Thing

Namor

Colossus (Roughly as powerful as the Thing)

War Machine

Island to Island+:

Invisible Woman

Mountain to Mountain+:

Psylocke

City to City+:
Ms. Marvel (Stated to be able to display discharges up to nuclear weapon level)

Town to Town+:

Human Torch

Building to Building+:

Iron Fist

Luke Cage

Wolverine

Gambit

Cable

Venom

Spiderman

Green Goblin

Carnage

Street to Street+:

Red Hood

Harley Quinn

Joker

Batman

Robin

Batgirl

Batwoman

Green Arrow

Red Arrow

Captain America

Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Deadpool

Hawkeye

Black Panther

Daredevil

Elektra