“You lied to us, and because of that, you have made us your enemies instead of protecting us,” Artemis said, her eyes filled with rage.
“Enough,” Hades growled from beside her. “Why would stopping the Gods’ Gambit result in that outcome?”
Zeus fixed his gaze upon him, and with a weighty sigh escaping his lips, he realized that he had no choice but to reveal the truth to them. Fear flashed in his white eyes, not related to his words but to the potential consequences his words might bring to all those who were there.
“Every time an error is born, it rips a fragment of our power, as you all already know. The Earth cannot hold on to magic, and if we do not retrieve it back, a disturbance between realms would ensue. The remaining power on Earth would be drawn to its origin, resulting in a collision between the human world and Elythra, which would lead to the annihilation of all known existence.”
“I am at a loss. I don’t understand why this information was not disclosed sooner and why we were instead deceived,” Athena spoke, her eyes betraying the hint of pity she felt, mixed with a slight anger. “We deserved to know, Zeus. They are our errors as well.Weare part of this as well.”
“I sought to protect you, although in light of the current situation and the threats we face, my efforts may have been in vain.”
“Sometimes, the most protective thing you can do is to be truthful.”
The moment Artemis spoke, Eros roared, and as he inched closer to Zeus, he thrust Poseidon’s trident deep into his back. The three razor-sharp prongs, each meticulously sharpened to perfect points, pierced the god’s muscular torso. Zeus’s guts were now positioned outside of his body as he fell onto his knees.
My dear god, it’s unsurprising that you did that, but I admit, I completely missed you picking up the trident. It’s possible I was too absorbed in the heated argument and I overlooked your actions.
Shadow felt himself nearing the god; however, his focus immediately went to the words he had spoken.
“You shall listen to your daughter, Zeus. It is indeed time to be truthful,” Eros snarled. He moved toward his ear and continued to drive the trident farther into his flesh, eventually reaching for the transparent floor. “Where. Is. She?”
Shadow was aware that his stillness signified the quiet before a storm, although what was unfolding was not a storm at all, but a lethal hurricane.
As the trident continued to slice through his flesh, Zeus leaned down and gripped at the razor-shape prongs, attempting to force them out of his body. It was then that Eros raised his leg, positioned himself straddling Zeus’s back, and gradually removed the weapon only to sink it more forcefully inside his torso.
“Where is she?!”
His jaw shuddered, betraying the barely contained fury within, and a small bit of spittle made its way through his tightly clenched teeth. A deep red color of violence, which started at his ears and went down to his cheeks and neck completely consumed his face, as if the tremendous heat from his anger was literally carving its way into his skin.
I see you. Surrender to the darkness and reveal your seething inner rage to the world, my beloved god.
There was no attempt by the other gods to intervene in the situation, possibly because of fear or possibly because they found pleasure in witnessing Zeus at the mercy of Eros.
Zeus let his hands fall to the floor, his fingers now soaked in his own blood. When he slowly lifted his head to observe the gods who were watching him, his laughter swelled, becoming both louder and more difficult to control as he remained in the same spot.
“For this reason, a man should refrain from displaying vulnerability, even toward his family,” he stated with a gravelly voice, making a brief pause as he gripped the trident between his fingers. “Because his family isalwaysgoing to be the source of betrayal.”
At that precise moment, he rose to his feet, still keeping the weapon inside his body. He tensed his abdomen, as thoughattempting to regain control of his pierced flesh. After turning his back and moving deliberately, he threw Eros down to the floor, the thudding impact resonating through the room. Zeus turned on his feet and pivoted to face him.
“The offer of allowing her to live has been completely dismissed,” he snarled, leaning above him with the trident still piercing through his body as he grabbed Eros by his neck, strangling him and raising him into the air.
“Take your hands off him,” Artemis warned, drawing her bow. Hades’ grabbed her shoulder, trying to convince the goddess to stand down, but no one could control Artemis when it came to her friend. Her best friend.
When Zeus made no move to comply, Artemis shot an arrow in his back and then began immediately loading another one. Her father scarcely made a sound. Before she could shoot the second, Hades dragged her away and threw her weapons on the ground.
“This, gods and goddesses, is a display of genuine friendship,” Zeus stated, slowly turning his gaze toward Hades. “Thank you, friend.”
Without uttering a word, Hades maintained his gaze upon him, appearing to be patiently considering whether preventing Artemis from continuing was the appropriate course of action. Although there was no evidence of any emotion displayed on Hades’ face, Shadow saw a flicker of fear stemming in his eyes from the possibility of Zeus causing Eros any harm.
The crimson anger on Eros’s face darkened almost to purple, his breathing obstructed by Zeus’s hold. Despite his attempts to move his body and escape, his efforts were in vain.
“Let go of me,” Artemis spat in Hades’ face, teeth gritted. It wasn’t until Hades transmitted something with his expression that the goddess stopped her resistance.
“Now,” Zeus spoke again, hissing the words out as he clenched his fingers tighter around Eros’s neck. “I suggest you not spend your time worrying about me and instead find a way to prevent the world from collapsing after the mortal’s death. The decision to bond her to the only god with the power to obliterate us all was a terrible mistake.”
As Eros opened his mouth and attempted to reach for Zeus in a desperate effort to inflict harm, he suddenly collapsed onto the floor.
He reached down to immerse his hands in the spilled blood of Zeus that was pooling on the floor. Once his fingers were drenched with the liquid, he began to hit the floor with his fists. Soon enough his blood mingled with that of his enemy.
