Zeus’ gaze returned to .
"Demon brat, quite a ss you made~" His tone carried a faint mockery, light enough to be deniable, sharp enough to sting. "For a prince to fall this much... stripped of his powers, reduced to this state—yet still clinging to the thieves who carry what was once yours. How nostalgic."
His eyes flicked deliberately.
Zeraphira—Wrath—stood rigid, infernal fire restrained to a disciplined simr.
Ravvy—Gluttony—clutched my coat tighter, black hair hiding most of her face, aura trembling like a frightened animal unsure whether to bare its fangs or run.
Valeria—Lust—had gone uncharacteristically quiet, pink hair fluttering faintly as her smile faded into sothing sharper, more dangerous.
Ezravia—Envy—watched Zeus with narrowed purple eyes, envy mana coiled inward like a serpent ready to strike if permitted.
The implication was clear.
And intentional.
I forced air into my lungs. It hurt. Everything hurt. But pain was familiar. Mockery from gods was not new either—only the speaker had changed.
"...You talk a lot for soone who arrived after the city was almost flattened," I rasped.
Zeraphira’s head snapped toward . "Dominic—"
Zeus’ brow rose slightly.
Not in anger.
In interest.
"Oh?" he said mildly. "Still sharp. I was beginning to think Ares had knocked that out of you."
Ares snorted. "I hit harder than that."
Artemis didn’t look at either of them. Her posture was still, bow lowered but not dismissed, shoulders tight with restraint.
Zeus’ gaze drifted back to , stripping again—layer by layer. I could feel it. Not power probing, but history. Bloodlines. Oaths. Old contracts etched into bone and soul.
Exposure.
I hated that feeling.
"You wear the na Morningstar," Zeus continued calmly, "yet your aura is... hollow. Not broken. Emptied. Deliberately."
My jaw tightened.
He knew.
Not the how.
But the what?
"You are not ignorant of what was taken from you," Zeus said. "Nor of who carries it now."
Ezravia stiffened.
Valeria’s fingers twitched.
Ravvy whimpered softly.
Zeraphira took half a step forward, halberd angling just enough to be noticed. "Lord Zeus," she said carefully, "with respect—"
Zeus raised one finger.
The halberd stopped moving.
Not forced.
Commanded.
"Wrath," Zeus said, not looking at her. "You are disciplined. I appreciate that. But this matter predates your oath."
Zeraphira froze, eyes widening a fraction.
He knew her sin.
Of course he did.
Zeus’ attention returned to . "Tell , Dominic Nocturne von Morningstar. What do you believe you are owed?"
The question landed heavier than any threat.
The Curtain humd faintly, as if listening.
Ares’ grin sharpened. Artemis’ jaw tightened. Everyone waited.
I laughed.
It ca out rough, broken by blood and pain, but it was real.
"Owed?" I repeated. "By who?"
Zeus’ eyes narrowed slightly. "By Olympus. By Hell. By fate."
I shook my head slowly. "Then you’re asking the wrong question."
That got Ares’ attention.
Zeus tilted his head. "Enlighten ."
"I don’t believe I’m owed anything," I said. "What was taken from was taken legally—by Hell’s standards. Contracts. Rituals. Seven Satans. All n, all cowards, all very thorough."
A ripple passed through the group at that.
Zeraphira’s grip tightened. Selene sucked in a sharp breath. Gabriel clasped her hands together nervously, eyes wide and confused.
"I was a child," I continued hoarsely. "They stripped because they were afraid of what I might beco. Not because I did anything wrong."
My gaze t Zeus’.
"And I survived."
Silence followed.
Not judgntal.
Evaluative.
Zeus studied for a long mont.
"...You do not ask for recompense," he said.
"No," I replied. "I ask for ti."
Ares barked a laugh. "Ti? You hear that, Father? The brat wants a tiout."
Zeus didn’t react.
"What would you do with it?" he asked.
I glanced down.
"What did you do when Cronos had your siblings in my stomach? How you survived the sa fate—"
Zeus’ gaze sharpened—not in offence, not in anger, but in sothing far older.
Recognition.
The thunder above the Curtain rolled once, slow and contemplative, like the shifting of a massive weight settling more comfortably into place.
I lifted my head despite the pain. My vision swam at the edges, but I forced focus. On him. On the king of gods who had once been a hunted child himself.
"What did you do," I continued hoarsely, "when Cronos swallowed your siblings whole? When prophecy said you would be devoured too?"
The Curtain humd softly, reality attentive.
"You hid," I said. "You were smuggled away. Raised in a cave. Fed by a goat. Protected by nymphs and lies."
Zeus’ expression did not change.
But sothing behind his eyes did.
"You waited," I said. "You grew. You learned restraint before power. You learned patience before vengeance."
Ares’ grin faltered—just a hair.
Artemis’ shoulders eased a fraction, tension bleeding into sothing closer to wary respect.
I swallowed blood again and forced the next words out.
"I would do the sa."
Silence.
Deep.
Total.
Not a courtroom pause.
A mythic one.
Zeus studied for a long ti. Longer than comfort allowed. Longer than arrogance tolerated. His gaze stripped past appearances—past my injuries, past my current weakness—and searched for sothing deeper.
Intent.
Not ambition.
Not resentnt.
Direction.
"...You compare yourself to ," Zeus said at last.
"I compare circumstances," I replied. "Not outcos."
That earned a soft exhale from him. Almost a laugh.
Ares scoffed openly. "Careful, Father. He’s charming you."
Zeus ignored him.
"You were wronged," Zeus said to calmly. "Stripped, sealed, forgotten. Your lineage diminished. Your potential harvested and distributed."
His eyes flicked again—to Ravvy, to Ezravia, to Valeria, to Zeraphira.
"They orbit you still," Zeus observed. "Despite carrying what was once yours."
Valeria’s lips parted, eyes flashing. "Orbit?" she echoed sharply. "We—"
Ezravia lifted one hand slightly, stopping her. Purple eyes never left Zeus.
Zeraphira said nothing, but the infernal fire around her halberd pulsed once in quiet agitation.
"They are not bound," Zeus continued. "Not by compulsion. Not by contract. Not anymore."
Artemis’ gaze snapped to him.
"You noticed that too," she said quietly.
Zeus nodded once. "It is... unusual."
Ares snorted. "Or stupid."
Ravvy whimpered, clutching my coat tighter. I could feel her gluttonous aura trembling, uncertain, frightened—but loyal.
Zeus’ gaze lingered on her a mont longer than the others.
"Gluttony," he murmured. "Still clinging."
Ravvy shrank slightly, hiding her face.
My jaw tightened.
"Enough," I said.
The word ca out sharper than intended.
Zeraphira inhaled sharply. Selene froze mid-breath. Gabriel gasped softly.
Ares’ eyebrows rose in surprise.
Zeus’ gaze snapped back to .
Not offended.
Interested.
"They are not tools," I continued, forcing myself upright another inch despite the pain screaming through my ribs. "Not trophies. Not evidence. Whatever they carry, whatever they are now—that’s their burden, not my leash."
A pause.
Then—
"...Good," Zeus said quietly.
Ares turned his head sharply. "Good?"
Zeus ignored him again.
"You do not demand," Zeus said. "You do not beg. You do not posture. You acknowledge loss without surrendering to it."
He stepped closer.
The pressure shifted—not heavier, but more focused.
"You ask for ti," Zeus repeated. "Not power. Not restoration. Not judgnt."
"Yes," I said. "Ti to grow into whatever I’m ant to beco. Without gods deciding it for ."
Ares laughed derisively. "You hear that? He wants a training arc."
Selene, despite everything, let out a small, strangled giggle. She clapped her hands over her mouth imdiately. "S–Sorry."
Zeus’ lips twitched.
Just slightly.
"You are audacious," Zeus said to . "To speak this way in my presence."
"I learned that from your family," I replied.
That—
That actually earned a low chuckle from him.
Artemis stared.
Ares blinked.
Even the thunder seed... amused.
Zeus straightened, clasping his hands behind his back, posture formal once more.
"Very well," he said. "Let us address the matter that brought us here."
His gaze shifted to Ares.
"Ares, son of mine. Your claim stands. A fragnt of your divinity was consud."
Ares’ grin returned. "Finally."
"However," Zeus continued, unperturbed, "said fragnt does not constitute core essence. Nor was its consumption intentional theft."
Ares’ smile thinned.
"It was a byproduct," Zeus said. "Of avatar destruction under contested circumstances."
Artemis inclined her head slightly.
"I will not grant execution," Zeus continued. "Nor equivalent divinity. Nor arbitration."
Ares’ eyes widened. "You can’t—"
"I can," Zeus said calmly. "And I have."
The thunder rolled once, decisive.
"The Old Accords recognize discretion," Zeus continued. "And I am that discretion."
Ares’ war-mist churned violently, offended, compressed rage clawing at its restraints.
"So what?" Ares snarled. "I get nothing?"
Zeus looked at him evenly.
"You get warning," he said. "And precedent."
Ares’ teeth clenched.
"You will not pursue recompense against Dominic Nocturne von Morningstar," Zeus said. "Nor any under his imdiate protection. Not directly. Not indirectly. Not through proxies."
Artemis’ breath eased out slowly.
Ares laughed sharply. "You’re shielding him."
"No," Zeus replied. "I am postponing you."
That... hit harder.
Ares’ grin returned—slow, dangerous. "For how long?"
Zeus’ gaze slid back to .
"That depends," he said. "On him."
The Curtain humd again.
"Dominic Nocturne von Morningstar," Zeus intoned. "You are hereby granted a provisional reprieve under Olympian observation."
Observation.
Not protection.
"Your existence will not be erased," Zeus continued. "Nor accelerated. Nor interfered with—so long as you do not provoke divine escalation."
Ares scoffed. "And if he does?"
Zeus’ eyes flicked back to him. "Then you may finish what you started."
That shut Ares up.
Completely.
Zeus turned back to Artemis.
"Daughter," he said. "Your violation stands."
Artemis straightened, shoulders squared. "I accept the consequences."
"You will be censured," Zeus said. "Restricted from unilateral intervention under the Old Accords for a ti."
Ares’ grin sharpened again.
"But," Zeus added, "your actions prevented mass casualty violation."
Artemis’ eyes flickered.
"Your punishnt will reflect that," Zeus continued. "You are confined to boundary jurisdictions. Thresholds. Hunt, patrol, observe."
A pause.
"You will not leave the mortal-adjacent realms until further notice."
Artemis exhaled slowly.
"...Understood."
Ares clicked his tongue. "Always so lenient."
Zeus finally looked at him fully.
"And you," Zeus said. "Will stand down."
Ares’ war-mist churned.
Then—
It receded.
Not gone.
Disciplined.
"...Fine," Ares muttered. "I’ll wait."
His gaze slid back to , sharp and eager.
"But don’t mistake this for rcy, brat."
I t his eyes steadily.
"I won’t," I said. "And I won’t waste it."
Ares grinned. "Good."
Zeus turned away from him.
The thunder softened.
"The Curtain will dissolve," Zeus announced. "mory alteration will follow. Mortals will rember nothing beyond an anomalous event."
Selene perked up. "Ooo, free cover-up patch."
Gabriel nodded frantically. "T–Thank goodness...!"
Zeraphira finally allowed herself a slow exhale, infernal fire dimming.
Zeus’ gaze returned to one last ti.
"You walk a narrow path," he said. "Between Hell and Olympus. Between past and potential."
"I know," I replied.
"Then walk carefully," Zeus said. "Eyes forward. Mouth closed."
A beat.
"...You have your grandfather’s stubbornness."
My heart skipped.
He knew.
Not everything.
But enough.
Zeus stepped back.
The sealed sky began to unfold, the Curtain thinning, reality reasserting itself with gentle inevitability.
Thunder rolled—not as a threat.
In conclusion.
As the world slid back into place, Artemis remained still, watching from across the battlefield.
Our eyes t.
She said nothing.
But the look she gave —
...full of longing, loneliness, and love.
Tti-ring!
[Rewards are successfully calculated!]
[...]
***
Stone , I can take it!
Please leave a review; it really helps.
Comnts are almost nonexistent. Which, in turn, demotivates the authors. Please have so compassion.
Reviews
All reviews (0)