Chapter 623: Greek Goddesses. 2
After they heard the roar of the Beast, the Gods began to act like headless chickens and lost their minds... They went crazy.
Immediately the minor battles going on in places on Mount Olympus stopped as if a superior entity had said that it was not the time for fighting now.
The Gods, led by Zeus, went to an emergency meeting to figure out their next steps.
The Titans, led by Kronos, were partying and drinking, though they also had their eyes on the outcome as well.
There was no stage for civil war in a place where the Beast of The Apocalypse, known as Typhon, fights.
Because as far as the Titans knew, Gaia was a vengeful whore, and though she wanted revenge on Zeus, the crazy bitch would have no qualms about getting revenge on Kronos, too.
Even though Gaia's hatred of Zeus was greater, the Titan of Time knew that it was only a matter of time before the woman turned her sights to him.
Kronos's allies were making plans after Zeus died to contain the Beast or even flee Mount Olympus if there was no other option.
Whatever happened, Kronos' allied Titans knew one thing.
Right now, Zeus was so fucked. So fucked that he must be shitting his pants in fear right now.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Celebrate! Celebrate! Today we will watch my foolish nephew's reign fall." Atlas shouted with a big savage smile and eyes full of hatred and amusement. Of the Titans, he was the one who wanted to see the color of Zeus's blood the most; he didn't want to kill him... Ahh~, far from it. He wanted to torture him with every possible form of torture.
He wasn't satisfied with this result. He wanted revenge, but... He wouldn't throw a tantrum about it. After all, there were always those close to Zeus, right? Even Poseidon becoming a eunuch would serve as some form of mental relief.
He would break these Gods so severely that the word 'God' would no longer be able to describe them. He wanted to make all of them his personal toys, toys that he would break with all the mental and physical torture he knew.
"OHHHH!" The gathered Titans screamed as they raised the mugs; they all had the same hateful look on Atlas' face.
...
'I'm fucked.' That was Zeus's thought when he heard the Beast's roar. He felt a primal fear for his existence, a fear he knew all too well.
"What do we do? This time we have no Heroes or 'Fate' to stop this Beast just like last time." Athena was a woman with silver hair styled into a ponytail with braids. She had dark green eyes, a nice body that was neither too full nor lacking in anything, a body that was very similar to Nike's.
She was tall for a woman, something common to all Gods. However, height was meaningless to them since they could be both in a form that was 10 meters tall or the height of a human, so they chose the height that suited them best; currently, the Goddess was 180 cm.
The Goddess of Wisdom felt out of ideas right now. In the civil war that was going on, she was confident enough that her group would win in due time, but against a Beast like Typhon, there were no 'strategies' to fight him. And there were also no Beings capable of facing him now that he was stronger.
Only Original Primordials could fight it, and it was worth adding that Zeus didn't have a good relationship with any of them, so the probability that someone would help him was 0%.
After going over the entire current scenario and possible futures in a fraction of a few seconds...
She reached a conclusion... Zeus must die.
This was something even a 10-year-old who knew Greek history could figure out.
Gaia and Tartarus created Typhon to destroy Mount Olympus; specifically, he was designed to kill Zeus and end his reign.
For being born of Gaia's existence and Tartarus, two Primordials in their own right, Typhon was a second-generation Primordial, as were Hypnos, the God of Sleep, and Thanatos, the God of Death.
But unlike the two Gods, he was created only to destroy, and his 'END' Concept made him a formidable opponent for most, if not all, Gods.
In the past, when Typhon acted, it was all revenge orchestrated by Gaia because Zeus didn't fulfill the 'agreement' they'd made.
Athena fully believed that if Zeus died, Mount Olympus would still exist. Gaia may be one of the most vengeful bitches ever to live, but she was still a Mount Olympus Goddess. As a Primordial, she knew leaving the Pantheon very weak was just asking for other Pantheons to invade their territory.
And with how the Primordials were linked to the Greek Pantheon, Gaia and Tartarus wouldn't want that.
Following this line of thought, the probability that Gaia would be able to control her son after he fulfilled his purpose of existence was more than 90%
Being only 10% uncertainties that Athena herself had.
"We must flee." Hermes, the God of Thieves, said.
Athena awoke from her thoughts that lasted only a few seconds and looked at the group around her.
"It is impossible to run away. We must fight!" Poseidon, the God of The Seas, shouted.
"You don't fight an adult Beast of The Apocalypse, Poseidon. You run away from them." Apollo, the Sun God, spoke.
"We managed to defeat him last time!" Poseidon screamed.
Apollo just shook his head, "We only won for three reasons," he held up a finger and continued, "First, this monster was a 'weak' newborn, something he isn't now."
"Second, Fate was on our side."
"Third, we Gods were united, and we had competent Heroes."
"And even under those favorable conditions, we lost many Gods at that time."
A hush fell over the place when Apollo finished speaking.
Zeus, who was sitting on the throne, just looked at Athena and Ares.
Feeling their father's gaze, without even looking at each other, the two spoke at the same time:
"It's impossible to beat Typhon."
If the two Gods responsible for one of the Aspects of War, Gods who never got along, said that in unison as if they were agreeing with each other, it was because they had similar thoughts.
And the situation was precarious... Perhaps, it could be even worse than they imagined.
Zeus' face darkened.
Athena and Ares looked at each other in a rare moment of understanding, but right after, they snorted at each other and rolled their eyes; they still didn't like each other.
"So what are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to stay here waiting for our 'End'?"
'Well, the only person who will die here is you if it's up to me.' That's what all the Gods in this room thought simultaneously. They all thought about running away the moment shit hit the fan.
For the people here, if Zeus died, they wouldn't even shed a single tear for him. They'd just piss on his dead body and use it as a garbage dump.
Yes, Zeus was not very 'loved'.
When Artemis, who had been silent, was going to say something, everyone heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
Suddenly the door opened, and Dionysus appeared... He looked pretty battered; he even had a missing arm.
"Zeus, something happened!" He spoke with difficulty but with force in his words.
"Report!"
"Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty, along with Nike, Hestia, Demeter, and Rhea, gathered several Lesser Goddesses and Goddesses like Tyche and stole all the treasures contained in the vault of Mount Olympus! Then, they fled somewhere with all the wealth of the Pantheon!"
"..." A deafening, shocked silence fell into place.
Absolutely no one expected such a move, not even Hera, who was sitting on the throne next to Zeus.
"WHAT!?" Zeus's thunderous scream of disbelief echoed across Mount Olympus.
'Well, now the certainty is real. We are fucked, 'Luck' is not on our side anymore.' Athena, who recovered faster than everyone else, thought as she looked sideways at Ares and saw that the God shared her opinion.
Athena nodded internally and thought: 'Yes, I'm out of here. I'm sure the other Pantheons will appreciate my services as a Goddess of Wisdom... It's time to run away and hide somewhere for a while.'
Unaware that all the Gods in this room were thinking something similar to her, Athena remained with the neutral, calculating face she always had.
She went through several scenarios to 'escape' from this mess, but... Zeus' following words decided the fate of everyone present.
"Mount Olympus is closed! No one leaves or enters without my permission!" The God King's voice resounded throughout Mount Olympus, and as the one who held dominion over this dimension, his order was heeded, and the entire dimension was shut down.
The Gods looked with empty eyes at the sky, as they could feel the 'exit' they had closing right in front of them.
'Fuck.' For a moment, everyone had the same thought in their minds.
"Quickly find out if there are more traitors! And account for everything they stole!"
"Yes!"
...
Palace of Hades, a woman with long black hair was on a bed, different from usual her whole body was severely injured, both her arms were missing, one eye was missing, and scars covered her otherwise beautiful skin. It was apparent she had been through a lot.
"Ugh... Healing this damage will take centuries..." She got up and sat on the bed with a lot of pain in her body, "I need to find a Goddess of Medicine or Healing, but I can't go to Mount Olympus..."
She coughed up golden blood a few times and saw that her blood was 'Corrupted'. She didn't know what attacked her, but it definitely wasn't from that Pantheon.
As a Goddess who took over the Underworld, which was a literal Hell, she had resistance to Corruption, and because of that small fact, she hadn't yet died from the 'poison' in her veins.
"The Furies were correct. This is not a civil war like in the past; someone outside the Pantheon is interfering… If only I could get the message out to everyone."
Persephone's current situation was precarious. As the first on the front line, she and her subordinates suffered the most, they held out for a long time, but just as expected, without Hades, the Ruler of The Underworld, they couldn't defend themselves for long.
As a Second-Generation Primordial Entity, Thanatos was strong, extremely strong; he could grant True Death even to a God.
But when faced with other Primordials like Kronos, Atlas, and an unknown enemy, even Death itself cannot fight them alone.
He could handle it if it were one or three opponents; Death was that strong. But a whole group of Titans? A group of Titans that were born from Gaia and Uranus? Beings who were also Second-Generation Primordial Beings like him?
Even Death cannot handle all that alone.
Yes, he was the son of Erebus and Nyx, he was strong and feared by all as the 'Death' of the Greek Pantheon, but even that has limits.
"Fufufufu~, you seem to be having a hard time, Queen of the Underworld."
Suddenly, as if the starry night itself had fallen, the whole place became dark, but not like the total darkness of Erebus, but rather a smooth and peaceful 'night'.
A beautiful night.
Persephone turned her head with difficulty and saw Nyx, Night Incarnate in all her immortal glory, the woman from whom nothing could be 'hidden'.
Even though she was hurt and defeated, the glow in Persephone's eyes didn't die. The loss of war taught even the most arrogant humility, and that was something Persephone had to learn if she wanted to survive in this 'prison' she called home.
Because if it weren't for her inability to leave this place, she wouldn't even have fought through this hell.
"What do you want, Nyx?"
The smile of the Night Incarnate only grew seductively.
"Hades betrayed Mount Olympus and joined a group of Beings who became the Leaders of the Seven Hells."
"And soon, he will return with an entourage of Demons from another Hell and will 'claim' this Hell for his plans."
"… Let's just say I believe that bullshit; it doesn't explain what you're doing here."
"It is simple, Queen of the Underworld~."
"I don't want foreigners acting as Rulers in my land." She still had a seductive look on her face, but her voice came out a lot heavier than usual.
"Your land?" Persephone raised her eyebrow.
"Mount Olympus, and all that is part of it, is my land, as well as that of Gaia, my husband Erebus, and Tartarus."
"As the Firstborn here, this land is ours. It is our birthright, a trait in common with all First Primordials born in every Pantheon."
"And we will not tolerate foreigners acting as owners of this place."
"Mount Olympus may burn, the Gods may die for all I care, but the land is still ours, and foreigners will not claim this place."
Nyx's words sent shivers down Persephone's spine, "You talk about foreigners claiming the place, but you don't care about the dwindling Gods on Mount Olympus."
"As long as the Primordials exist, the Gods can be made again. You were, after all, born of our 'breeding' and our children."
"So some dying isn't a bad thing. At least the garbage will be taken out."
"…Is that why you haven't stopped that Beast from going out and wreaking havoc?"
"..." Nyx's smile only grew. She didn't say anything, but Persephone understood the meaning of Nyx's silence.
"…what do you want, Nyx?"
"Become the True Queen of The Underworld." Nyx stopped smiling and spoke with a serious expression.
"Inherit the position Hades left empty, usurp his power and dominion, and make it yours."
"… Become the True Ruler of Greek Hell." A power that seemed to be made of the starry night appeared in Nyx's hand.
And what appeared in her hand caused Persephone's single eye to open wide.
"The Helm of Hades..."
"It's the Original. I managed to get it before it left the Greek Pantheon."
"With this Divine Artifact, you will become the Second Ruler of The Underworld. This place will be your backyard, and as the Mistress of your backyard, you can restructure this dimension as you see fit; your power will grow, and you will be able to take revenge."
Persephone was silent; the deal was too good to be legitimate. One thing in common with dealing with Original Primordials was that nothing is what it seems, there was always a reason behind it, and that's when a thought crossed her mind, and she understood.
"…I didn't have a choice from the start, huh." She realized why Nyx hadn't interfered sooner, she wanted the Queen of the Underworld at her weakest, and Nyx knew Persephone couldn't refuse.
"..." Nyx's smile grew wider.
Persephone looked at the Entity of The Night with a fixed gaze and spoke:
"I refuse."
"... Huh?"
"I will not become your pawn."
"… Would you rather be a slave to foreign Beings?" Nyx asked in an unnaturally calm voice.
"If I see things will come to that point…." Thanatos's scythe appeared in her hand, "I will kill myself. I'd rather have True Death than be bound."
"Would you say that if you knew what Aphrodite did?"
"..." Persephone narrowed her eyes. Why was Aphrodite's name mentioned here?
Nyx's smile grew a little, and she spoke sympathetically, "Aphrodite, along with several Lesser Goddesses and your mother, broke into Mount Olympus' treasury, stole everything of value, and fled Mount Olympus. I presume they went to her Husband's Faction."
"... Husband...?"
"Hmm…? Oh, you don't know about the news, huh? You stayed here too long. Too bad." Nyx spoke in a sad tone and continued:
"Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty, performed a Soul Marriage with the man named Victor Alucard. She even gave all of her Blessings to him and actively protects his Soul so that no God can bestow their Blessings on the man."
"Talk about being overprotective."
"... I see. It's good that she found someone she can love."
"... Eh? That was not the reaction I was hoping for." Nyx muttered at the end.
"I will not be your slave, Nyx. The subject of this man does not bother me. He is my enemy, an enemy that will come after my head in the not-too-distant future."
"… The line between enemy and ally is thin, my dear Persephone. Look at Aphrodite; until some time ago, she was Alucard's enemy. Now she lies in the same bed as him while her insides are filled with the energetic seeds of that man."
"..." Persephone's body trembled visibly.
And that wasn't lost on Nyx.
"Think about it, Persephone. Who knows? Perhaps, in the future, you too can acquire what you so desire." Nyx rose from where she was.
Persephone spoke with narrowed eyes, "… You know something, don't you? Why is an Entity like you interested in that man?"
"Let's just say... He carries in his Soul something that could be the start of a new Pantheon." She spoke with a sweet smile as she thought of the 'delicious' Energy circulating throughout the man's body.
"... Don't tell me..." Persephone's eyes opened wide.
"Fufufu~, Aphrodite is definitely very lucky, even I'm jealous of her right now~."
"That man is a New Beginning, something I want very much. I don't mind sacrificing anything to that end, even my own ex-husband or the entire Greek Pantheon itself."
"Unfortunately, I can't do the last one because I'm still bound to this place." She spoke in disgust.
Persephone snapped out of her stupor and left the subject aside for now, "... You're being very honest, Nyx." But then, she realized something. Nyx omitted many things, but she never lied from the beginning when she arrived.
Nyx looked blankly at Persephone, "If I wanted you as a slave, or my pawn, Persephone... You wouldn't even feel like you were dancing in my hands."
Nyx's smile turned seductive again, "I am the Mother of Concealment for a reason. Nothing can be hidden from me, while everything I want to can be hidden~."
"I'll be back in three days. Prepare a response by then." Just as she came so suddenly, she also left abruptly, leaving a Goddess with a lot of frustration in her heart and inner thoughts to absorb.
.....
