Chapter 599: All According to Plan
"Why can’t you just handle it yourself?"
Zeus demanded with a hint of impatience flickering in his eyes and Alkosh sighed, folding his arms as he replied.
"Zeus, really? I explained this already. I’ve seen what he can do. As long as he’s within Olympus, he’s essentially covered.
Any competent Time Manipulator would first synchronize themselves with the temporal flow of a new universe upon their initial arrival, and calling him competent is an understatement.
For a considerable time after synchronizing himself, he’d remain finely attuned to Olympian ’Time.’
He’s not foolish, and neither is his father. When he comes to Olympus, it will only be for a brief visit, insufficient to diminish that attunement.
As the powers I wield are not native to Olympus; the moment I bring them in, he’ll sense it, even from a light-year away."
Zeus scowled, clearly unsatisfied with Alkosh’s response.
"Are you trying to say he has some absurd Authority over time? He hasn’t even begun to comprehend the laws of it yet. How could he possibly detect you?"
Alkosh sighed once more, exasperation in his tone as he shook his head.
"When Grade 7 Singularities are in play, common sense is a flimsy shield at best.
What’s more, he’s one of those rare exceptions across the Cosmos. My presence would alert him instantly, and he’d retreat, leaving Olympus before we could take action.
That’s why I need the power of an Olympian—to obscure the anomaly, to cloak it within the natural energies of Olympus.
If it’s an Olympian’s power, he’s far less likely to notice anything out of the ordinary. He’d just be as confused as Prometheus here was, not even realising his Authority has been sealed until it’s too late."
Zeus clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated but seemingly convinced. Alkosh then turned his brown eyes towards Prometheus and spoke.
"It’s been quite a while, Prometheus. You’ve grown weaker than I expected.
But that’s probably for the best. Makes this whole endeavour easier."
Alkosh extended his hand toward Prometheus, and immediately, the seal on Prometheus’s time powers dissolved.
Yet, Prometheus didn’t move, didn’t even attempt to wield them.
Alkosh had sealed them without him even realising they had been sealed, and it was obvious he could do it again.
But as Prometheus’ powers surged back, his foresight stirred to life, unbidden, and his eyes glazed over. His vision blurred, images flashing before him in a chaotic swirl, showing him fragments of what lay ahead.
His eyes widened as he snapped back to the present, his breath shallow.
"You!"
Prometheus spat, his gaze fixed on Zeus. In an instant, he had understood what these two god Kings were plotting.
Zeus’s intentions were clear, but it was Alkosh who radiated the true threat as far as Prometheus was concerned.
A bitter laugh escaped Prometheus as he sized up the two of them and then spoke in a voice dripping with contempt.
"You’re still the same, Zeus.
First, it was your father, then you. You even tried to prevent Achilles and Athena’s birth in the same way.
And now, you’re doing it again, aren’t you?"
His voice dropped, becoming almost ominous as he fixed Zeus with a chilling stare.
"Let me share something with you, a prophecy, if you will."
|The day that the blood of the King of the Underworld is spilt...that day will mark the beginning of the end for the Twelve Olympians. |
Zeus narrowed his eyes, lightning sparking to life around him as if it sensed his rage. But Prometheus turned his back on him, ignoring the threat, and faced Alkosh instead.
"You’re a two-faced bastard, Alkosh."
He declared with a scornful expression and Alkosh laughed, almost seeming amused.
"Oh, I know I am."
Prometheus’s words had struck their mark, and he could see in Alkosh’s eyes that the god-king knew exactly what the prophecy meant.
Alkosh knew exactly why Prometheus had called him two-faced, but he did not care.
Everything was all going according to plan—"the script" would unfold as intended, and nothing Prometheus could say would alter its course.
Alkosh extended his hand, and Prometheus felt a searing pain as his all the power within his Time Origin core was ripped from him.
Zeus moved right after he did, beginning to craft an impenetrable prison of lightning around Prometheus, a cage that would keep him bound until after they had concluded their plans.
Alkosh held Prometheus’s stolen power in his palm, studying it with inquisitive eyes to make sure that Prometheus didn’t do anything funny.
When he saw that all was fine, he floated up into space and glanced in the direction of the Second Multiverse, his gaze piercing across space-time.
"Now then, let’s see if you’ll follow the script, Arthur."
◇ ◇ ◇
Poseidon.
The god of the seas.
Standing second only to Zeus among the twelve Olympians, the second-born of Kronos’s three sons.
Known for his power over the ocean, many can assume his power might be limited if he found himself away from an aquatic domain.
If Poseidon wasn’t on a planet where there were seas, then wasn’t going to be weakened?
Such assumptions could not be any more horrifically wrong.
As the god of the seas, Poseidon’s Authority was The Sea. Just like how Zeus had The Sky and Hades had The Underworld.
Just as Hades could temporarily transform a target area into his "Underworld", Poseidon held the ability to declare any place his own watery kingdom of Atlantis.
And even without the grand gesture of using his Domain Declaration, Poseidon could conjure a sea wherever he went.
If there was no ocean? He would make one.
He was in space? Never seen a sea of stars before?
Being called the number two Olympian wasn’t an exaggeration. If Zeus weren’t crowned as ’King of Olympus’ and ’Master of the Universe’, Poseidon would stand on equal footing with him.
This, however, was a truth concealed from nearly everyone.
To the outside world, Zeus was seen as a Monarch Realm existence, while his elder brothers were merely High-tier deities.
Even within Olympus, this belief persisted—most of the universe assumed Zeus alone had reached Monarchy.
But the reality was far different.
Poseidon and Hades, too, had reached the Monarch Realm long ago, masking their true powers from each other and the rest of the Universe.
The brothers had always held a tenuous, volatile relationship, so it was no surprise they chose to keep their strengths hidden.
Hades, for instance, had secretly attained the same Sub-Cosmic Superiority their father Kronos wielded and had kept this hidden for tens of millennia. Meanwhile, Poseidon had achieved his own ascension into the Monarch Realm even before Hades did but remained silent all the same.
And Zeus? He kept secrets of his own. A LOT.
Most notably, why Poseidon was now within the Underworld Galactic Cluster.
◇ ◇ ◇
Garden of Spring
Apex Planet Khthonia
Nexarion Galaxy
Underworld Supercluster
February 1st
Year 718
Poseidon emerged from a Spatial Gate, stepping foot on Khthonia. This planet was effectively the capital of the underworld, where the ’Palace of Hades’ was located.
He found himself in a garden adorned with vibrant flowers, a stark contrast to the snow blanketing the rest of the planet.
Here, spring lingered in perpetual bloom—a fitting tribute to Persephone, the goddess of spring, whose divine territory this garden was.
Poseidon’s arrival here naturally alerted her.
As Poseidon looked around the surroundings, a low growl reached his ears. Turning around, he spotted Cerberus, the fearsome three-headed hellhound, glaring menacingly in his direction.
The sight of Cerberus with Persephone and not in his rightful post— guarding the gates to the dimension of souls and the reincarnation path of the Universe—made Poseidon sigh.
It was clear Hades had ordered Cerberus to guard her instead.
As for Why? It was rather simple. Hades liked Persephone.
She was his Queen, after all.
On Persephone’s side of things, her feelings for Hades were a tangled web of complexity. It wasn’t the kind that could be explained with simple words.
However, her feelings were NOT on the negative side of the spectrum. It was all positive.
But when it came to Poseidon, her sentiments were starkly different.
If you asked her what she felt towards Poseidon, then she would answer without hesitation.
Disgust, Dislike, Displeasure.
Her disdain was rooted in history. Over a hundred thousand years ago, when she had been ensnared in the underworld by Hades’s design and her mother had been left frantic in her search, Poseidon had seized the opportunity to take advantage of Demeter’s distress.
This incident forged a deep-seated animosity in Persephone’s heart, and Poseidon’s actions over the years had only made it worse.
There was no question—Poseidon was not welcome in her realm and though they appeared to be silently staring at each other, there was a serious divinity tug-of-war happening.
If Poseidon let his guard drop for even a second, forget Persephone’s garden, he’d be instantly expelled from the entire Underworld.
But before that, Cerberus would probably take the chance to get a few bites in. Even though he was stronger than it, Poseidon could NOT easily heal from wounds caused by Cerberus.
It was a Beast of the END, after all. An existence on par with Typhoon, the King of Monsters.
Despite being called ’beast’, Cerberus was a perfectly sentient being, capable of speech and keen perception. He was acutely aware of Persephone’s disdain for Poseidon, and the moment the sea god appeared, the creature immediately went on high alert.
Even though he knew this, Poseidon still appeared here intentionally; it was the most effective way to draw the attention of the one he truly sought.
"What are you doing, Poseidon?"
