“You should’ve stopped calling us family when you began abusing your powers and ruining everything we’ve built.” Artemis finally spoke, her lips trembling as her anger grew.
Zeus cocked a brow and tilted his head as he approached her, coming to a stop only inches from her face. “I believe you have inherited some of my courage,daughter. Addressing the most powerful god in the Kosmos, despite the familial relationship, is quite bold.”
Using familial vulnerabilities for the sole purpose of manipulation.
Pathetic.
Her fists clenched and eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that.”
“I struck a sensitive chord. Excellent,” Zeus replied without delay, a smirk visible on his face. “In response to your earlier statement, someone needed to abuse their power and authority to assert dominance and instill fear. And who could have executed this better than I?”
“And what did you gain from it? As far as I can see, the only thing you did was push away every living soul around youand make them despise you,” Artemis said, almost bursting with mocking laughter. “But sure, yes,Father, instilling fear in your so-called family is truly a display of the powerful ruler you want to be.”
She was not exactly known for her self-control, and she looked as though she was about to lose it and snap soon. With each word she uttered, her voice trembled and grew louder, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the other gods, particularly Eros, who remained still beside the throne but subtly raised his gaze to her.
As her words settled, Zeus had a moment where he froze completely as if his body momentarily forgot what to do. His brow furrowed in contemplation of her words, but the goddess’s interruption silenced him before he could even begin to respond.
“It seems the courage I inherited from you fires back,Father.”
Finally waking up from the state he had been thrown into, Zeus’s eyes squinted. He rapidly surveyed the gods, using his index finger to point at each of them. “That is what you all think? That I had attempted over the past few decades to instill fear in you and make you all despise me?”
At the moment he delivered the final word, his voice became defensive. Rather than displaying his characteristic defiance and authority, this time his speech now had a slight tremble. It was not the result of fear, but rather, arose from a clear sense of frustration.
Today, not only have I witnessed your transformation into a new god after drinking your brother’s blood, but also you are showing feelings—real feelings, basileús.
Did you lose control of them, or do you actually possess them?
Shadow examined the entire scene, and to him, all the deities were trying to understand his words—except Eros. He was theonly one who continued to clutch his weapon, maintaining the appearance that he might resort to violence at any moment. Suddenly, he felt a stir within his void, drawing him nearer to the god against his will.
This is impossible.
“Per your own statement, Zeus,” Hades’ voice, gravelly and deep, finally resonated as he continued, “You sought to instill fear in us.”
“Au contraire, friend. I never said I wanted to instill fear in you,” he answered, his breath quickening. “However, you morons genuinely thoughtthatand began seeing me as your enemy while our real foe waits for us.”
With a slight widening of his eyes and a darkening of his irises, Hades conveyed his concern at Zeus’s statement. Shadow was quick to observe an odd twitch at the corner of Zeus’s lips—as if he was about to say more—and this brought back memories from the night when he had trailed Zeus and witnessed him visiting Hades right after his encounter with Thalira.
Perhaps you, God of the Underworld, Death, and the Lord of the Dead, are privy to information we are not aware of.
Yet.
Athena’s voice came sharp as a knife, cutting through the tense atmosphere. “Please elaborate on what you mean by real foe.”
“I must ask, before going into further detail, what actions of mine have led you all to the point of trying to kill me?” he said, stepping farther away from them as if trying to keep a better eye on them.
The only voice that had remained silent until that moment made itself clear by finally saying, “The Gods’ Gambit. Your reign was once just as king, but your actions have recently become increasingly dangerous.”
“I suspected I was missing something, but I didn’t realize what until you spoke, lover boy.” Zeus chuckled, revealing his teeth in the moon’s soft glow. “Although I might have demanded your answer so I can hear your reasons, I must be direct and tell you why your accusations are wrong.”
“Explain,” Hades intervened, subtly turning his gaze to him.
He cleared his throat and began. “The Gambit is essential for preserving the balance of all Kosmos’s dimensions, particularly for protecting my family’s power and preventing the merging of our world and Earth. You might argue with that but let me say that without these trials, some of you could have already lost your powers and Elythra might have already begun to fuse with the Earth.”
Referencing them, once more, as your family. I might begin to think that you do have a heart, basileús.
Athena cocked a brow at him, not knowing if she should trust his words or not. “Why didn’t you share this information with us sooner? Why now?”
“I wanted to shield you all from this for as long as I could, even if it might make me seem foolish,” he said. “Because of your actions, I was left with no option but to do it now,” he elaborated, his voice softer this time.
