The mont Hades and Nyx departed from the Fates, the entity—the intruder lodged deep within Porphyrion’s soul—stirred violently.
It was a sensation akin to dread, though it had long since transcended such mortal terms.
But this... this was close.
They had noticed it.
Not just the faint ripples it caused across the cosmos or the whispers in mortal dreams.
They saw it.
And that changed everything.
For too long, it had remained buried in shadows, burrowed deep in the psyche of a war-mad giant.
It had acted with care, subtly whispering to Porphyrion and, through him, guiding the rebirth of Gigantomachy.
And further still, it had extended faint tendrils toward Gaia, the Earth Mother, nudging her thoughts.
It never tried to control her outright though, Gaia was far too powerful for it to work.
But influence? Suggestion? That it could do.
And it had worked.
Gaia’s resentnt of Olympus was a wide-open wound, and the entity rely added salt to it.
With each passing day, she grew more hostile to divine interference.
Now, it is ti to use this pawn.
It reached again, gently but urgently, into Gaia’s vast consciousness.
The Earth trembled as Gaia’s thoughts shifted, pushing her into a protective, possessive stance.
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Gaia stirred in her domain, and imdiately felt Hades and Nyx attempting to go to the overworld.
Normally, she wouldn’t care about this.
However, for so reason, she had the need to stop them.
So without a second thought, she sent her consciousness to the gate that connects the underworld and the overworld.
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Hades and Nyx stood silently before the Gate, a colossal portal of obsidian and luminous marble that separated the Underworld from the Overworld.
"So we’re heading to et the giants?" Asked Nyx.
"What else should we do? Interfere in that war? I have no interest in that."
Hades had just raised his hand when a voice, deep and feminine, resonated through the very bones of the gate.
"You shall not pass."
The command struck with all the weight of tectonic plates grinding together.
Hades narrowed his eyes. "That voice... Gaia?"
A swirl of green mist gathered above the gate, forming the spectral face of the Primordial Mother. Her expression was as firm as stone.
"You took an oath, Lord of the Dead. You would not interfere in this war."
"I do not intend to interfere," Hades replied, voice calm but edged with irritation. "I only wish to observe the current state of the world, this I swear."
Gaia’s voice echoed like the groan of a thousand forests. "Sight begets thought. Thought begets actions. Hades, I will not allow your presence in the overworld."
Hades folded his arms. "Gaia, you cannot stop . Let pass now, or we will have problems."
"Your threats ans nothing to , Hades. Turn back now, I do not wish for things to escalate."
Nyx’s expression remained unreadable. "If I try to pass through, would you stop as well?"
"I will, not even you can pass Nyx." Gaia snapped. "Your presence completely delayed Olympus’ destruction. If you did not appear last ti, my children would’ve already won."
Hades sighed, before his eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. "Alright, I’ll force my way in."
"Do not test my patience, Lord of the Dead! Halt your steps and turn around!"
For a mont, the atmosphere tensed. Power surged silently between the three ancient forces.
Hades’ fingertips curled, divinity brimming under his skin.
However, before things get heated up, Nyx gently placed a hand on his arm.
"Let it go."
Hades turned toward her. "We can force our way through."
"Don’t." Nyx stared straight at his eyes.
...Fine," he growled.
Nyx gave the floating visage of Gaia a nod. "We will not cross the threshold."
The face of Gaia faded, but not before saying, "See that you do not."
Hades stared at the place where Gaia faded for a few monts before turning towards Nyx.
"Explain, now." he said finally.
Nyx nodded. "You are strong, Hades. Stronger than even Gaia, but strength alone is completely aningless against Primordials."
Hades raised a brow, "It worked perfectly fine against Uranus."
"He lost his domain over the Primordial Sky, and although he can still access parts of his authority, he is far from being at his pri. But I’m not talking about that."
She pointed at the spot where Gaia used to be, "Primordials are the personification of their own domain, unless you destroy that, then they are effectively invincible. In Gaia’s case, the only way to defeat her is by destroying the earth and killing all living things, and even then it only gives you a chance since it would just take away her immortality."
Hades frowned. He wasn’t expecting Primordials to be this troubleso to deal with.
So even if he’s stronger than them, unless he’d destroy the domain they are tied with, they are completely unbeatable?
That’s so unfair.
Nyx crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Don’t say that, you are tied with the Primordial Sky and the Underworld too, so you are not that different from a Primordial. In fact, you’re even better than so."
"Oh?" Hades raised a brow. "Really? I don’t feel that different...oh, now that you ntion it, I can easily draw more power from the Underworld to power this thing temporarily."
He glanced at the Breakdown Sphere in his palm, then set it aside.
"Yes, there’s more to it than just that, but let’s talk about the more important matters. How to observe the giants?"
Hades turned slowly. "Deter is in the overworld, I can contact her."
She nodded. "My brother’s there as well, still searching for the entity. I can contact him as well."
Hades exhaled. "If only Gaia wasn’t being troubleso."
Nyx smirked. "I think you ant being a bitch. That girl has always been temperantal. I don’t know why you think it’s a good idea to stick your dick into her."
Hades snorted, ignoring her as he slowly floated from the ground and flew away, leaving behind the primordial goddess.
Nyx chuckled before following after him.
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anwhile, a deep cave under the world.
The entity fud within the deep shadows of Porphyrion’s soul.
It knew Hades and even that Nyx would not relent.
They will surely find another way to reach It. And It is still not ready for a confrontation against the two strongest beings of this universe
It needed more ti.
It can only use Gaia for the ti being, because for now, It needs to deal with another problem.
That Azure Lotus... That weapon used by the goddess of the hearth, Hestia...
It was dangerous. It burned through the entity’s corruption and It is sure it can burn It as well
The entity shuddered as the mory flared.
It could threaten .
It could erase .
It felt pressured and wanted to rush its plans.
It didn’t matter anymore. Hades, Nyx, the Lotus... they all had to be removed from the board.
No more half-asures.
It will thoroughly eat this universe and return even if its way too young and unripened.
The entity slithered further into the cracks of Porphyrion’s soul, whispering suggestions even the King of Giants would mistake for his own thoughts.
"Find Hestia. Destroy her."
"The Lotus is your enemy."
"Burn the fire to claim the cosmos."
And so, in the far dark caverns where the Giants gathered once more, Porphyrion’s third eye twitched open, and a low, feral voice echoed.
"Find the goddess of the hearth. Now."
The hunt had begun.
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