The roulette humd as Parker selected six spins. A faint glow surrounded the wheel, brighter than usual, as if the system itself was reacting to the number.
"This is interesting," Apollo said, leaning forward. "Six isn't just a number. It's symbolic of... If the system recognizes that…"
"It's a gamble," Hades murmured, his deep voice sending a chill through the room. "And the system, I don't think it recognises that number but the universe definitely does."
Ares, his blood-red armor glinting in the divine light, grinned wickedly. "Let's hope the boy crashes and burns. It'll be more entertaining that way than "that" happening."
Even Dionysus set his goblet down, his usual playfulness replaced with genuine curiosity. "If this backfires, he's getting sothing worse than those invisible glasses. Like a cursed banana peel or sothing."
Hera, her gaze fixed on the wheel, ignored the banter. "The system doesn't usually take this long," she muttered.
Parker, oblivious to the divine audience, clenched his fists as the wheel spun faster and faster. The hum turned into a deep growl, as if the system itself was straining under the weight of the choice.
"Co on," he whispered, leaning closer. "Don't screw over. Not this ti."
The wheel slowed. The glow around it intensified, shifting through a spectrum of colors before finally dimming. The gods leaned forward, their breaths collectively held, as the pointer clicked into place with an echoing thud.
Parker barely had ti to register the words flashing across the system's interface before it hit him.
[Ding! Host has received: Celestial Threads.
Description: Celestial Threads are invisible threads connecting the host to higher planes of energy. These threads allow him to "pull" all magical energies directly from the universe without needing a dium!]
The next thing he knew, his legs buckled, and he fell back onto his bed.
At first, it was a dull ache, like pins and needles spreading across his skin.
But then it hit—a sharp, burning pain that shot through his entire body, so intense he couldn't even scream. His jaw locked shut, his muscles seized, and his body convulsed violently against the mattress.
"Fuck... what the hell—" The words were trapped in his throat.
Glowing lines appeared all over his body, streaking across his skin like soone had lit his veins on fire. They were black and white, pulsating, shifting, like they were alive—hungry snakes coiling and writhing beneath his skin.
They started from everywhere—his hands, his legs, his chest—and all of them raced toward his heart, converging in a fiery explosion of pain that nearly made him pass out.
But it wasn't over.
From his heart, the threads burst outward, surging back into every corner of his body. It was like sothing had taken control of him, carving a new network into his very being. His body was no longer his own—it was being rewritten, reshaped, turned into sothing... more powerful.
It was agony. His fingers clawed at the sheets, his back arched, and his eyes rolled back, but no sound escaped him. It was like the universe had decided to shove all its power into him at once, and he wasn't allowed to fight back.
The glowing veins spread across his skin like a second set of blood vessels, until, finally, his body couldn't take it anymore. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was the system's cold, chanical voice.
[Ding! Spirit Channels ford successfully!]
While Parker lay unconscious, his body didn't stop changing.
Particles—tiny, glowing, almost electric—drifted through the air toward him. They looked like they'd been called from another dinsion, swirling around his still form before sinking into his skin.
Each one sent a ripple of energy through him, like sparks dancing on the surface of water.
The process was slow at first, then faster, until the particles disappeared entirely. When it was done, Parker's body seed... different.
There was no visible transformation, but the air around him felt heavier, charged, like he was a walking storm waiting to unleash itself. Even unconscious, he radiated sothing impossible to describe—a presence, an inevitability.
Far above, in Olympus, the gods watched in stunned silence.
Hestia was the first to break it, fists clenched, lips pulled back in frustration and suprise. "I knew it." voice was low, dangerous. "I knew this would happen."
"Damn," Hers muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I an, I thought SIX would be lucky, but this? Who the hell is this kid?"
Hades ignored him, his eyes locked on the projection of Parker. "Celestial Threads," he spat, like the words tasted bitter. "I expected the system might throw sothing big after SIX... but this? This is... insane."
Hera's gaze was sharp, her voice calm but dripping with unease. "Not even demigods, immortals, demons or gods can fully harness even a fraction of those threads. You're telling that... he—" she motioned toward Parker's unconscious figure—"managed to sync with them perfectly?"
Apollo leaned forward, his usual smirk replaced with sothing closer to fear. "That's not just rare. That's impossible. Even we can't pull that off without..." His voice trailed off.
"Without a slumber of at least one hundred years," Athena finished grimly. "The threads rip apart anyone who's not... compatible."
"Compatible," Dionysus snorted, though his laugh was nervous. "You're all thinking it, right? This kid isn't normal. He's gotta be one of... "THEM""
The room fell silent again.
No one wanted to say it out loud, but the thought lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Hera finally said, her voice strained. "We don't know what he is. Not yet. I don't think THEY've left him behind..."
"But if he is..." Ares started, grinning darkly. "Oh, this just got a whole lot more interesting."
Zeus who had been silent slamd his fist against his throne, his teeth gnashing together. "I pray he isn't. For all our sakes. Hers! Call Hades and Poseidon "
The gods didn't say anything and Hers disappeared, but their eyes remained fixed on Parker.
Whatever he was, whoever he was, the Celestial Threads had chosen him.
****
Across the world, gods from other pantheons froze mid-drink, mid-battle, mid-whatever-the-hell-they-were-doing.
"What the actual fuck was that?"
One by one, they bolted toward Olympus, yelling, "Yo, Zeus, you better have answers for this monster!"
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