Chapter 600: Stars in the “Night”
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"What are you doing, Poseidon?"
The voice came from behind him. Turning, Poseidon met the cold gaze of his elder brother, Hades, who wore an expression of unamused curiosity.
From the moment Cerberus began growling, he had sent word to Hades that Poseidon had intruded into Persephone’s garden.
If Poseidon had merely entered the Underworld, Hades might have chosen to prioritize whatever task he had at hand before addressing his brother.
Even if he kept him waiting for a few decades or so.
But in the garden of his Queen, Hades dropped everything and rushed to confront Poseidon.
"It’s important. I need to discuss something crucial with you."
"Could you not have, I don’t know, properly sent a message first?"
Hades responded to Poseidon, his displeasure evident in his tone.
"It’s about Zeus; there was no time for that."
"Isn’t it always?"
Hades rolled his eyes, yet Poseidon pressed on, urgency colouring his voice.
"Zeus has broken the pact."
Clicking his tongue, the eldest of the three brothers shook his head.
"Which pact, Poseidon? You gotta be more specific there. Zeus has broken so many even a god of Numbers would lose count."
"It’s about the forbidden law."
"..."
A heavy silence fell between them.
The mere mention of The Forbidden Law shifted the atmosphere, and Hades’s demeanour changed dramatically.
The entire Underworld trembled in that instant and Poseidon instantly knew that he had gotten Hades full attention now.
|Do not toy with me. Choose your words very carefully, little brother. |
Hades warned, his eyes igniting with an unsettling glow. His aura erupted, a pressure that could suffocate even the most powerful High-Tier deity, yet Poseidon held his ground.
"I’m completely serious. It pertains to the forbidden law."
More silence followed after Poseidon’s assertion, and then Hades waved his hand, conjuring a wave of darkness that enveloped them both, transporting them to a secluded space where no prying ears could intrude.
When the light returned to Poseidon’s vision, he found himself in a shadowy realm.
Hades moved forward, and as he did, rows of green Olympian flames flickered to life along the walls, illuminating the hallway that stretched before them.
"Speak! I don’t have much time to waste on you."
Hades commanded, his tone now urgent and Poseidon did not waste any moment.
"Zeus has been dabbling in the forbidden law. No, he’s been associating with those who dabble with it."
The Forbidden Law.
What was The Forbidden Law? The universal law that the three brothers of Olympus had forbidden.
Time.
The influence of time, prophecies, and foresight on the family of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades often led to dire consequences for both the gods and the rest of the Olympus Universe.
The most well-known example involved Kronos, their father. He devoured five of his children due to a prophecy foretelling that one of his offspring would overthrow him. In an effort to prevent this, Kronos swallowed each child as they were born. Rhea, his wife, managed to save the sixth, Zeus, who eventually fulfilled the prophecy and led the revolt that dethroned Kronos.
Zeus himself experienced a similar fear when he learned through a prophecy that his child with Metis would surpass him in strength. In response, Zeus swallowed Metis whole to prevent the birth of this powerful child. However, Athena was born anyway, springing forth fully grown from Zeus’s head, and became one of the most powerful Olympians.
Time and prophecy again intervened when Zeus, upon learning the prophecy that Troy could only be taken through the will of fate, reluctantly allowed the Fates to control the outcome. Despite his desire to protect his son Sarpedon, Zeus had to witness his death, powerless against the dictates of time.
King Acrisius of Argos learned from an oracle that his grandson would kill him. As a result, he locked his daughter, Danaë, in a bronze chamber to prevent her from conceiving.
However, Zeus visited Danaë in the form of golden rain, and Perseus was born. Later, through a twist of fate, Perseus accidentally killed Acrisius with a discus, fulfilling the prophecy.
There was Zeus and Prometheus again. Zeus’s treatment of Prometheus, who prophesied that the offspring of a certain nymph would surpass Zeus, led to the Titan’s punishment for thousands of years.
Because of these events and many more, the three brothers—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—made a pact forbidding the use of time’s power among themselves, knowing full well the chaos that could arise from meddling with time.
ESPECIALLY when it involved their family.
While they could craft countermeasures for potential enemies with powers related to it, they had vowed never to comprehend it themselves, or interfere with the law or its practitioners.
It was a precautionary agreement they made with themselves in order to prevent bullshit situations like Kronos from happening to themselves.
But, clearly, one of them had thought breaking it was a good decision.
"I recently discovered that Zeus has been in contact with Alkosh, the god-king of the Oblivion Universe."
Poseidon spoke and recognition flashed in Hades’ eyes. He recognized the name.
The last time they had crossed paths was shortly after Hades had become a Sub-Cosmic Being.
But thanks to his ability to perceive Cosmic Energy, Hades sensed that Alkosh had surpassed even the Monarch Realm.
He did not know the name of the realm beyond Monarchy, but he was sure that’s where Alkosh was. This realization made Hades exceptionally wary of the god-king of Time.
Poseidon, though unaware of the full extent of Alkosh’s power, recognized that the brothers’ history with time had rarely ended well.
Each instance had rippled out to affect all of Olympus, making it imperative for him to raise the alarm.
Yet, to his surprise, Hades did not seem as perturbed as Poseidon had anticipated.
Instead, Hades appeared exasperated with his younger brother for once again flirting with a danger that had consistently wreaked havoc on their family.
Facepalming, Hades sighed heavily.
"Whatever Zeus intends to do, he can do it. Any consequences he faces will be his to bear alone. I’ll focus on protecting my Underworld while he suffers the fallout.
I can’t be bothered to deal with him as I have far more pressing matters at hand—things that you twelve somehow manage to ignore."
Hades was alluding to the Twelve Olympians, the Main Entities of the Universe.
"What are you talking about?"
Poseidon asked, confusion etched across his face but Hades only snapped his fingers and teleported them to a new location.
They found themselves standing in a black sandy desert, the roar of a nearby sea of black tar contrasting against a breath-taking night sky filled with stars.
Poseidon squinted against the darkness, puzzled by Hades’s choice of setting.
"?!"
But as he looked up, his eyes widened in realization. This night sky, though beautiful, was not supposed to hold any stars.
After all, this ’night’ was meant to be asleep.
"No... way."
Poseidon muttered, his voice filled with dread and his expression contorting. Seeing this, Hades began speaking.
"She’s not the only one, you know? I warned you and Zeus years ago when we met in Hestia’s domain. What began as a simple reaction has started to spread.
Gaia. Tartarus. Erebus. And now..."
Hades pointed to the "night sky" above them—the sealed Primordial goddess of the Night who was as old as the Olympus Universe itself.
Nyx.
The stars shimmering in the dark sky above them were a foreboding sign; they indicated that Nyx was awakening.
The more complete the night sky became, the closer she was to breaking free from her slumber, and the seals they had placed upon her were weakening.
Hades had been using cosmic energy to force her back into her dreamless state, but that was losing effectiveness.
The primordial gods of Olympus were not entities to be trifled with.
Many harboured deep grievances against the current twelve Olympians, and their awakening could spell disaster.
Yet Gaia had shown signs of stirring, while Erebus, initially a concept more than a being, had temporarily gained consciousness and free will.
Now, Nyx was following suit, revealing signs of awakening despite the heavy seals binding her.
The thought of this sent a shiver down Poseidon’s spine.
Hades then turned to him, his voice as calm as ever.
"You see, brother, I don’t have the luxury of time to waste on Zeus’s foolish schemes and conspiracies when I am faced with serious matters at hand.
If you value your well-being and that of the entire universe, I suggest you take it upon yourself to speak with Zeus directly. Inform him of what’s going on since the idiot doesn’t seem to want to listen to Hestia and me."
Hades’ eyes then turned cold as he continued.
|If you twelve continue to misbehave, fully aware of the impending danger, I will withdraw every ounce of effort I’ve invested in keeping the Primordials at bay.
Let them run rampant; perhaps that will teach you a lesson. |
While many tales often highlighted the madness and less-than-stellar attitudes of the twelve Olympians, it was important to remember that Hades wasn’t exactly a saint himself.
Though he wasn’t as crazy as the others, he still allowed Typhon to beat the living daylights out of Zeus and obliterate entire galaxies, offering no assistance whatsoever during the chaos.
He even sat in the Underworld and laughed at Zeus.
His words now were laced with a clear threat directed at the twelve Olympians.
|I’m sure Gaia would relish the opportunity to have a word with all of you. Especially with Zeus. |
Saying those words, Hades rolled his eyes and vanished from the dark expanse, leaving Poseidon in the shadowed section below Tartarus where Nyx remained sealed.
