The halls of Olympus trembled with rage.
Thunder cracked across the heavens, shattering the stillness, as Zeus stord through the marble corridors of his palace.
His footsteps echoed like the marching of a thousand soldiers, his fists clenched so tightly that the veins on his arms bulged like serpents writhing beneath his skin.
"Damn him!" Zeus roared, sending a nearby pillar splintering into dust with a single strike of his hand. "Damn Hades! That corpse-loving worm!"
His divine aura flared wildly, the very air sizzling with bolts of lightning, causing lesser gods and spirits to flee his presence in terror.
He has been greatly humiliated, having his head pressed down to the ’ground’ and couldn’t even raise his head.
As the King of Gods, how dare a re worm who only hides under his sky make him lower his head!?
That too, in front of his council!
Seated around the Grand Hall, the other Olympians watched in silence, the taste of humiliation still fresh on their tongues.
None dared to speak just yet.
At the side of the hall, Ares, god of war, sat stiffly on his throne of bronze. His fingers gripped the edges so tightly that the tal groaned under the pressure.
His crimson cloak was crumpled slightly — a rare blemish for the god of battle — but Ares hardly noticed.
He was too busy feeling the lingering weight of Hades’ oppressive power, still coiled deep inside his chest like a venom that refused to fade.
He had faced many gods. He had marched at the front lines of countless wars. Yet never — never — had he felt so small, so hopeless as he did in the presence of Hades that day.
Like an ant trying to shoulder the sky, he felt so small and helpless. The power and strength he was so proud was so insignificant in front of that ’monster’.
The tales of him defeating and killing the primordial of sky, even being acknowledged by the primordial himself to be worthy to "stand beyond heavens" was certainly not an exaggeration.
He thought that even if Hades was stronger than his father, he shouldn’t be that strong....oh how wrong he was.
Ares gritted his teeth, a drop of sweat trailing down his temple, a testant to his silent, festering sha.
Across the hall, Poseidon, ruler of the seas, sat heavily upon his throne crafted from shells and coral. His normally wild green eyes were dimd, the trident leaning unused at his side.
He said nothing.
Outwardly, Poseidon remained composed — the sea god’s pride would allow no less — but internally, he seethed with frustration.
He had not forgotten how, ages ago, he and Zeus had cast lots to divide the world, with Hades not participating and opted to taking the Underworld.
Though they didn’t show it, they had laughed at him then, pleased to leave their grim elder brother to the land of the dead.
But now...
Poseidon’s jaw tightened.
He thought, with him taking over the sea, he would’ve bridged the gap between him and Hades, but that was far from the truth.
In fact, he even felt that Hades have grown far stronger than before.
No longer just a king of ghosts and silent tombs, but a sovereign whose re presence could bend even mighty Zeus to his knees.
A low rumble vibrated from Poseidon’s throat, like a distant storm gathering over the ocean.
And then, there was Athena.
The goddess of wisdom and war sat gracefully upon her throne of polished olive wood, her silver armor gleaming faintly under the storm-lit ceiling.
Her long hair flowed down her back like a dark river, untouched by the chaos around her.
Her purple eyes — deep, piercing, unblinking — were not filled with rage or fear, but with thought.
While the others wallowed in their wounded pride, Athena’s mind was racing.
She recalled the figure of Hades, standing alone against the assembly, calm as a mountain while all others shook.
The way he spoke, the effortless dominance he exerted — no wild outbursts, no desperation — only pure, unassailable authority.
Athena’s slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of her throne.
That display of confidence and strength was intoxicating.
And as soone who’s interested in knowledge more than anything else, she knew a lot more than the current generation of gods about the Titanomachy of the past.
She even learned from her own mother — tis — that Hades was also the main strategist of the rebel forces that is now the Olympians.
Guerilla warfare, scorched earth tactics, Hades ca up and ’invented’ various strategies that made up for the rebels lack of manpower, allowing them to overwhelm the titans.
Athena closed her eyes briefly. Unlike others, she was far more interested in Hades, one can even say she admires him. That was why she uses a spear as her main weapon.
Not to ntion about the library in underworld said to contain all knowledge in the past and and present.
She wanted to visit the place, but going there is incredibly hard, and leaving is almost impossible.
No overworld gods managed to enter the Underworld and return. Rumor has it that all trespassers were imdiately sent to Tartarus.
That was why she held off heading there, despite her curiosity.
She opened her eyes again, cool and calculating.
Across the hall, Zeus had finally ceased his rampage, panting heavily, his golden beard matted with sweat.
He whirled on the gathered gods, his voice hoarse but fierce.
"We cannot let this stand! We are the Olympians! The rulers of the heavens, the earth, and the seas! We will not be outshone by a specter from the shadows!"
No one answered.
Not imdiately.
Poseidon eventually stirred, his voice low and heavy.
"And what do you propose, brother?" he rumbled. "Another war? A strike against Hades?"
The silence that followed was long and tense.
Even Zeus, reckless though he was, felt the weight of that suggestion.
A war against Hades... it would not be like the war against the Titans. It would not be a simple battle. It would be annihilation — for one side or the other.
And deep down, in the pit of his soul, Zeus feared who would prevail.
"No," Zeus muttered at last, spitting the word like poison. "Not yet."
He straightened, his aura of command slowly stitching itself back together.
"We will bide our ti," Zeus growled. "We will undermine his influence.
Humanity is still young. They are still mortal. Their mories are short, their loyalties weaker than the rivers’ flow."
He clenched his fist.
"We will infiltrate them. Corrupt them. Seduce them."
Ares finally stirred, his voice like a rasped growl, "And if they resist?"
Zeus smiled grimly.
"Then," he said, his voice cold, "we remind them why the gods are to be feared."
He cannot stand this humiliation. Thankfully, not all of the Olympians saw that.
If Hades wanted to protect humanity, then he will corrupt them, and make them believe in the Olympians.
Due to the excessive behaviors of the gods — rape, coercion, depravity — many mortal races such as Nymphs began to lose faith on them, weakening their divinity.
After all, those mortals are powerful on their own and doesn’t need gods to protect them.
But humans are different. They are weak, fragile, stupid, and prone to irrational behaviors.
They can be easily influenced.
Give them a little bit of miracle and they can be a great supply of ’faith’ for the gods.
That’s why, Zeus will absolutely not give them up, even if it ant going against Hades.
He will have them under his control.
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