Fanfic / Helltaker - Pantheons

Helltaker - Pantheons is a Helltaker fanfiction created by UltimateDemonBeast65 on April 2nd, 2021. It serves as a Spiritual Successor to the author's discontinued fanfiction Infernal Tales: A Helltaker Story, having a more Lighter and Softer take on the story while having some serious or dark moments.

The story takes place after the game and has the Helltaker and Harem encounter figures and creatures from different mythologies, allying themselves with them to take down greater threats. Some of these allies include Apollo, the Greek god of archery and light and Susano'o, the Japanese god of summer and storms.

The fanfiction is co-written by Som3bode and is available on both Fanfiction.net and Wattpad.

---

Helltaker - Pantheons contains examples of:

• Adaptational Badass: Like the author's other fic, the canon and mythological characters' abilities are expanded upon or given some more depth or context to them.
  • Lucifer is implied to be a very powerful sorcerer in the game but doesn't show off her mastery, but here is clearly The Archmage of the main characters, knowing various powerful demonic spells and incantations.
  • The Helltaker however is a very notable example as after the prologue of the story he receives magic sigils on one of his arms which can allow him to absorb and empower himself with malefic energy, though without a good degree of control it could corrupt his body.
  • Susano'o in Shinto mythology was known as more of a Trickster God who used deception and magic over actual combat. Here however his style of combat reflects a samurai or ronin, wielding a katana in combination with wind and lightning. Susano'o does use a sword in the mythology but it was primarily only against Yamata-no-Orochi.
  • Loki in Norse mythology was of course a master of deception and trickery but not very good in direct confrontations and was always the punching bag of the Aesir. Here however he is shown to be strong enough to fight against Thor, the strongest of the Aesir, and match Mjolnir with his sword Laevateinn as well as fight alongside Odin, the king of Asgard and god of wisdom, war and death, to fend off Nidhogg.
• Adaptational Expansion: This fic brings in various mythologies, including Greek, Japanese, Norse, Chinese, Celtic, Mesopotamian, Arthurian and Philippines to name a few, and not just being based on Christian and Jewish folklore like the game. Because of this, multiple pantheons and deities exists though the Abrahamic God is also real and seen as the supreme being among the gods.
• Adaptational Jerkass:
  • The Olympians are a downplayed example. They are Jerkass Gods like their mythological counterparts, however they are shown to be more disrespectful to their relatives within Tartarus.
    • Zeus in mythology considered Hades his equal, listened to one another and allowed him to come back and forth to Olympus as he pleased. Zeus here however acts like a bully to Hades, discovering his secret love of video games and "rewarding" him with a headset to embarrass him in front of the Olympians.
  • Hela in mythology was a lawful and strict goddess when it came to ruling Hel, but here she has the mentality of a teenaged girl who hates it when people interrupt her jam sessions, gets angry over one of her posters being torn in half and forces the heroes to perform to her in order to escape Helheim.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Like above, the Olympians are a downplayed example. They are still Jerkass Gods who abuse their power, look down upon humans and ostracise their Chthonic relatives in Tartarus, but there is no mention of any of them committing rape or much more severe actions.
    • Apollo lacks his more vain and philandering nature, being a more heroic figure in this story and clearly fallen for Justice.
    • Artemis is also downplayed, as she still is known for killing men who see her naked, but she is far more reasonable and altruistic than her mythological counterpart who was more concerned with hunting.
    • Hera of all people, known for being one of the most vengeful and petty deities within the pantheon, was appalled by Zeus embarrassing Hades.
  • The Aesir to an extent. Their more barbaric and bloodthirsty nature is less present in the story and while in mythology the Aesir never acknowledged how badly they treated Loki, they actually are remorseful once the trickster god calls them out on it.
    • Thor is less violent, similar to his Marvel Comics incarnation.
    • Odin has far less paranoia than in Norse mythology, as he will eat and drink food served by other people and ultimately allows Fenrir to stay free despite the threat of Ragnarok.
  • Loki in Norse mythology he isn't much of a father/mother, created chaos for the fun or it as well as to protect himself and could go from being charming and friendly to violent and spiteful in mere moments. Loki here is not only a better father who loves his children, but also a greater manipulator who hid behind the facade of revenge, something mythological Loki would do, to draw out Nidhogg. He is shown to be still distrustful of the Aesir and doesn't believe that they will change.
• Adaptational Personality Change:
  • Susano'o in Shinto mythology was a Jerkass God before finally redeeming himself on Earth, and though he had some noble traits was still quite deceitful and a mischief maker. Here Susano'o is far more honourable and stoic in personality, though he himself states that he was much more like his mythological counterpart back then. Susano'o does show a more playful side sometimes, as he makes a quip when Queen Umbraris attempts to stab him with a sword.
  • Hades is still an example of Dark Is Not Evil and doesn't abuse his power like the Olympians, however he is portrayed as being a socially awkward gamer with his and Persephone's relationship being likened to a couple of teenagers.
  • Hela is quite the contrast from her mythological counterpart, who was a cold and spiteful goddess that hated her father for being born an undead freak. Here however she's a bratty and arrogant girl who adores her father and enjoys performing and listening to genres of metal.
• Adaptational Villainy: The Dark Elves were never truly evil in Norse mythology and were simply a sub-species of elves (Though some accounts re-contextualise them as dwarves). Here they are at war with the Light Elves, acting sadistic and violent towards their enemies and captives, even committing torture and rape. They however pull a Heel–Face Turn after Susano'o convinces their queen to help stop the Father of Wolves/Loki.
• Big Bad:
  • The Evils of Pandora's Box itself during the prologue, which seems to house some intelligence or sentience in what it does.
  • The Father of Wolves for the Norse Arc, revealed to be Loki in Revenge.
• Chivalrous Pervert: Apollo makes no effort to prevent himself from eyeing woman, unafraid to tell the Light Elf Lys how sexy she is right to her face. Despite this, he is still a heroic god and does not force his advances on others.
• Dirty Old Man: Zeus and Poseidon, both being thousands of years old, comment on how attractive Lucifer is like a bunch of perverted men hitting on a young woman. What's interesting though is technically Lucifer is older than both of them combined.
• Eldritch Abomination:
  • The Evils of Pandora's Box is portrayed as such. It is a dark living pool of malefic energy represented the collective evil and malice of humanity, which can manifest into a horde of monstrous entities that want nothing more than to destroy and devour everything.
  • Nidhogg the Black Dragon is an example of a Draconic Abomination. He is a black colossal dragon larger than entire worlds capable of wrapping its body around Yggdrasil's roots, with the chapter it appears in describing how only its head can fit on Asgard due to how impossibly huge he is. What's more is that Nidhogg is virtually unkillable, with not even Surtur, a Jotnar capable of destroying planets, being able to put the Black Dragon down. It takes Apollo leading Nidhogg away with sap from Yggdrasil to save Asgard. Loki also reveals how it has basically become a Botanical Abomination due to feeding off Yggdrasil so long, mutating to the point where his body can form seeds capable of growing World Trees.
• Greater-Scope Villain: The unknown assailant who somehow stole Pandora's Box and placed it in Hell, ensuring that Lucifer and the harem would take it with them to Earth and open it out of curiosity, sparking the overall plot and crisis during the prologue.
• Hero of Another Story: The Chimeran Guard, a group composed of mythological heroes who formed during the crisis involving Pandora's Box. They will sometimes be the focus of the story when perspectives change.
• Lighter and Softer: Compared to the author's other fanfic, Pantheons is meant to be more comedic and focuses on the fantasy elements introduced over the more cynical, violent and downright grimdark themes shown in Infernal Tales. Though this fic does have violence and sex, the author has stated that they will not doing so excessively.
• Manipulative Bastard:
  • The Father of Wolves who used the Jotnar and Dark Elves to collect remnants of the evils of Pandora's Box, allowing him to fashion a set of armour that can counter Nordic magic. Makes sense given that he's actually Loki, who was trying to get revenge on the Aesir for what they did to his family, but ultimately ends up allying with Odin and the others to stop Nidhogg. However it's revealed that this revenge plan was an act, and used the negativity created by the Jotnar and Dark Elves' actions alongside his own to draw Nidhogg to Asgard so he could steal one of its seeds for future plans. Him freeing Fenrir however was always part of the plan.
  • The assailant behind Pandora's Box ending up in the Helltaker's house is clearly being set up as one, ensuring that one of them opened the box and unleashed its evils upon the Earth, creating tension between the pantheons that could spark an all-out war. Loki seems to be aware of this assailant's presence though not their identity and his plan during the Norse Arc was to create countermeasure for whatever this unknown enemy is planning.
• Mr. Fanservice:
  • The Helltaker of course, being a tall and muscular dark haired man wearing a suit and shades.
  • Apollo much like in mythology is an attractive and youthful man that has courted various women across the centuries with his blonde skin and golden tan skin.
  • Susano'o is an interesting case. In mythology he's not exactly ugly but he is a scruffy and burly man who is quite vulgar and unappealing in terms of personality. Here he is basically built like a young samurai, having long black hair and a beard alongside a well-built body that not even the Dark Elf Queen could resist.
  • Loki like his mythological counterpart when revealed is described as being youthful and handsome.
• Ms. Fanservice:
  • The Harem are this by default, being attractive demon girls in business suits and attire, with Modeus and Judgement being more prominent due to their fashion sense or flirtatious actions.
  • Artemis definitely counts being a physically fit and very attractive goddess, not to mention her introduction in the story is her in the middle of skinny-dipping.
  • Persephone, though not as prominent as the first two examples, most definitely is a very beautiful and stunning goddess who Hades is madly in love with.
  • Female Elves by default are this trope, with almost any of the elven women seen being described as nothing but attractive.
    • On the Light Elf side there's Lys, one of Frey's Council members, who is a blonde bombshell with large breasts and a revealing dress that not even Apollo can't help comment on.
    • On the Dark Elf side we have Queen Umbraris, who has wonderful dark skin, a revealing outfit and great bust and curves. Susano'o, who is normally calm and collected, can't help but feel aroused and flustered by her and is given to Umbraris as an offering for safe passage where the two have sex for a day and night.
• Spiritual Successor: To Infernal Tales: A Helltaker Story. While the author's previous work was Darker and Edgier than the source material and dealt with very heavy themes to the point where it could be considered grimdark, this fic is Lighter and Softer and utilize more comedic and fantastical elements. Both are the author's attempts at trying to create a continuation of the Helltaker story using mythological tales and folklore.
• Story Arc: Like the author's previous fic, the story is divided into story arcs, with the currently finished one being called the Norse Arc, involving the Norse deities and monsters.