Worm: My Great Grandpa Kratos

Prologue: Memories

0.x Interlude (Danny)

My heart thumps loudly in my chest, drowning my ears with the rush of blood and my trembling fingers with a hot burst of adrenaline that skews the aim of my arrow. The old wood creaks ominously and the glistening bowstring that catches the light of the sun loosens slightly as I lose my nerve and relax my aim minutely.

A large hand gently places itself against my shoulder, not obstructing my aim but aiding it as another arm guides my bow with a soft touch.

"Relax. Do not think of it as an animal." Dad whispers in the early morning fog and I find myself gaining both strength and will from the well of confidence he draws into his voice.

"It is simply a target. Clear your mind."

My arms steady and the tremors cease.

"Feet solid. Steady yourself."

I find my balance, once more pulling back the bowstring to my cheek.

"Exhale and release."

I loose and the arrow soars through the air. The buck takes no notice of the projectile until it's already buried deep into its chest.

With nothing more than a startled cry, it leaps forward as my heart does the same to jump into my throat when it collapses with nary a whimper and stills with one final breath-

"I got him Dad! I got him!"

"Great job Danny!" Dad said with a grin. His eyes crinkled kindly as he patted my back, pulling the scars over his cheekbone in the familiar way I've always known. "With a little more work you'll be as good as me with that bow one day!"

In the shade of a tree behind us, a tall and muscled form approaches, amusement dancing in the eyes accompanied by the slightest twinge of a lip hidden by a great brown beard peppered in gray.

"If I recall correctly boy, you missed the first time we went hunting together. Nor did you kill the deer so cleanly." Grandpa walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back, nodding in my direction. "You have talent for this Daniel. It seems your father has taught you well."

"Ugh. Father, please. Don't listen to your grandfather son, he lost his mind ages ago. Go on now. We'll be with you in a minute." Dad rolls his eyes and stands, stretching languidly as the sun catches over his dark hair to turn it red in the light.

"Okay Dad! And thanks Grandpa!" I said, eager to check my first kill and continue the 'boys only' camping trip Dad and I had been going on since I was a little kid.

This year was special. I was too young to remember Grandpa the first time he visited, but this year he invited my family to join him in Alaska for my 'blooding' hunt.

He was crazy old school, but man was he the cool kind of old!-

"Dad?" My daughter mumbled, looking up blearily with the same green eyes I had.

Sitting over the hospital bed I leaned forward to gently place a hand over her gown covered shoulder with a smile I barely had the strength to make.

"Hey Kiddo. It's good to see you." I said softly to Taylor, brushing away wisps of dark curly hair that reminded me so much of Anne's.

I wish you were here Dad. You'd know what to do.

Be strong enough to hold it together unlike me.

"Excuse me? Sir? Sir! You cannot go in there!"

… here we go Danny.

"I will go where I please. Remove yourself lest I do so in your stead."

"H-hey! You can't just-"

Without another word the door to Taylor's hospital room opens just as I'm halfway out of my chair with a weary sigh.

"Daniel." Grandfather greets me with a curt nod, completely disregarding the PRT officer doing their best to physically restrain him from entering the room.

It doesn't do much as he continues to walk forward until we are standing face to face.

"Grandfather… hey." I mumble, barely able to look up into the taller man's eyes without glancing away. "You didn't have to come all the way to Brockton…"

"Daniel." His powerful voice booms and resonates deeply throughout the room even with the softening of his tone and the firm clasp of a scarred hand over my shoulder. "It is fine. In place of your father it is my duty to be here and see to the health of my great granddaughter."

My grandfather, Kratos Tispartis leans forward with narrowed eyes.

To anyone else it would be intimidating, frightening even to be looked down upon by the tattooed, scarred gaze of a man who has seen far too much conflict in his life. Where they would find disapproval and borderline murderous intent, I see the emotion behind a man who has spent countless years carefully shielding himself from the world.

I see warmth. Concern.

And a furiously smoldering ember of anger ready to be lit by a stray spark.

"Go. Refresh yourself and return. I will stand guard in your absence." He commands, walking forward and out of the grasp of the confused orderly who looks at the back of the hulking figure calmly walking towards my daughter's bed and back at me with a bedraggled expression.

"It's fine, we're related." I say with a soft sigh and smiling sardonically at the shorter, smaller cop who stands at a good 6'3.

Looking backwards as I guide the blinking officer back outside, I see that Grandfather has already made himself comfortable in the too small chair next to Taylor's bed.

"Hello Taylor." He says softly, gently placing a hand that I've seen crush boulders to dust over hers and cradling it against the sheets.

"Hey Grandpa. Lookin good." She croaks and coughs as the giant man barely constrained by mortal flesh carefully helps her up and holds a cup of water topped with a straw below her chin.

"Hmph. And you look like a dragon decided to step on you." He replies flatly as Taylor choked on her water. "You are not dead however. I take it you at least remembered one of my lessons?"

"Er… yeah Grandpa. I did my best but it's not like you ever taught me how to kill regenerating dragons like Lung…"

"This… Lung. He is a parahuman yes? Tell me where I can find him so that we may speak-" Grandfather's voice trails off as I close the door behind me.

I move away towards the bathroom and nearby vending machines and leave the PRT agent who had attempted to stop my Grandfather to his partner who had immediately grabbed him by the collar and dragged him down to her level.

"Jameson, what the fuck were you thinking!?" She gasped wide eyed, furiously shaking the taller man like a ragdoll. "Don't you know who that was!? That's was Kratos the motherfucking Behemoth!"

"W-wha-?"

"End bringer of Endbringers! The guy that killed the original Behemoth and took his name and head! The man who bitch slapped Leviathan so hard Kyushu sunk! The monster who made the Simurgh scream and flee in terror with upon his arrival! The-" The woman screamed ever louder, frothing at the mouth until another group of nearby agents barely managed to pry the manic officer off of her partner.

I walked faster, doing my best to hunch lower and get away from the spectacle.

"Danny? What's going on?" Anne is barely able to blink as she turns the corner and I hurriedly marshal her away from Taylor's room. "Danny?"

"Grandfather's here. Dad couldn't keep him away." I grunt, wondering not for the first time if Dad purposefully let work in DC pile up so he didn't have to deal with another city full of villains growing past the bare minimum he needed to keep his job.

Some head of PRT he is.

God of Tricks and Mischief is right.

My wife gulps loudly, leaning her weight against me and patting me comfortingly on the back.

"Oh. Uh. How… is he…?"

"There won't be an ABB anymore after the day is over honey."

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