Gigantomachia - Part 3
I cut down Gigantes as I raced across the plains of Phlegra. It had been ages since I unleashed this level of power.
Not since the war against the Titans or the battle with Typhon had I felt this omnipotent surge coursing through me. The energy of the Underworld wrapped around me like a familiar cloak. To others, it was a terrifying force; to me, it was second nature.
Boom!
“Aaaagh!”
“Damn it, stop the god of the Underworld!”
“Where is King Eurymedon?!”
I wasn’t like Ares, who found joy in war, but I couldn’t deny the exhilaration burning in my chest. As I butchered these Gigantes, who had plagued the gods for so long, a wave of satisfaction surged within me.
Gurgle—Thud!
Another Gigantes fell, gurgling his last breath as my bident pierced his throat. My chariot, my bident, and the spectral horses were drenched in the creatures’ ichor and bodily fluids.
Yet the bodies of the slain Gigantes vanished into the earth. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, they were absorbed into the ground. I should have noticed earlier, but the heat of battle had blinded me. Like moths drawn to a flame, the Gigantes kept rushing toward me, only to meet their end.
Whizz—Splurch!
A staff streaked through the air, impaling another Gigantes through the abdomen. Its twin serpent design left no doubt: the Caduceus of Hermes, the messenger god.
“Something’s wrong!”
Hermes, his body bloodied and dripping ichor, his clothes in tatters, rushed toward me, shouting in alarm.
“Hermes, calm yourself.”
“There’s something strange about the earth! The corpses are being absorbed, and this energy... it’s not normal!”
I had sensed the anomaly in the plains earlier, but I dismissed it as the natural aura of the Gigantes’ stronghold. Now, however, the disappearing bodies and the strange energy converging underfoot hinted at something more sinister.
“An enchantment, a trap, a ritual—it could be any of these. I noticed as much.”
“Then...”
“Earlier, Demeter touched the ground and shook her head in dismay.”
“...!”
“It must be Gaia’s doing. She’s using the corpses, the malice, and even the ichor of gods as fuel for something...”
Everything fallen upon the earth had been absorbed. Thousands of Gigantes’ corpses, their blood, their hatred, and even the gods’ divine ichor—all of it.
If this battle itself was a ritual offering to someone, then—
BOOM!
A massive water column erupted in the distance as Poseidon obliterated his foes with a sweep of his trident. Laughing, the lord of the sea mocked the Gigantes.
“Hah! You couldn’t even approach the ocean, and now this?!”
Poseidon’s trident held the power to cause earthquakes. If he overturned the very earth beneath us, it might disrupt whatever Gaia was attempting. But such a move could also devastate our side. Even without mortal heroes or lesser gods on the battlefield, the damage to our forces would be immense.
Another idea came to mind: I could extend the power of the Underworld into the mortal realm. By turning the plains into an extension of the Underworld, I could sever Gaia’s influence.
Desperate times demanded desperate measures.
Rumble...
It seemed I was already too late.
From the earth, crimson energy surged upward, coalescing in the heart of the plains. Its destination was unmistakable: King Eurymedon, who battled Zeus.
“What is that?!”
“It’s near Lord Zeus! No... could it be...”
“Hecate! What’s happening?!”
“Zeus!”
Flash—CRACK!
Sensing the anomaly, Zeus unleashed a thunderbolt at the rising energy, but it did nothing to stop its progress. In a battle like this, where collateral damage to our allies had to be minimized, even Zeus’s might was constrained.
Eurymedon was a wretched sight. Despite his overwhelming size and power, he was on the verge of death. His body was riddled with wounds, his stomach impaled, and his head partially destroyed. Staring at the crimson energy gathering around him, he let out a twisted laugh.
“Zeus... I’ve lost this battle, but Mother has not been defeated!”
“What?!”
With a final roar, Eurymedon drove his torch into his chest.
The moment he collapsed, a colossal ritual circle spread across the plains. Unlike the invocation of Cronus near Thebes, this wasn’t just a summoning ritual. This was a summoning circle inscribed directly onto the battlefield.
Hecate’s methods of summoning divine beasts paled in comparison to this massive, intricately carved sigil. The amount of divine power and sacrifice it required was staggering. Whatever was being summoned would undoubtedly be formidable.
Who could it be?
.
..
...
No. It couldn’t be.
The sensation was too familiar. It was him.
The one we fought to the brink during the Titanomachy. The strongest and mightiest of the Titans, second only to Cronus.
Flash! Roar!
As the pillar of crimson light dissipated, a towering figure stood where Eurymedon had fallen.
“You... dare return?”
“Zeus. It’s been a while.”
Stretching his neck and rolling his shoulders, the newcomer exuded a calm arrogance. Though his tone was casual, Zeus didn’t dare underestimate him.
Because he was—
“The heavens were heavy, but they’re not so bad now.”
Atlas.
The Titan who bore the heavens. The one whom not even Cronus could match without his powers. The last Titan to resist Zeus during the Titanomachy.
“Atlas! Prepare to return to Tartarus!”
“Perhaps it’ll be you who ends up there.”
The sudden appearance of Atlas, who was supposed to be eternally punished by bearing the heavens, sent shockwaves through the battlefield. I quietly moved to Zeus’s side as Poseidon joined us.
“Atlas.”
“Hades. It’s been a while. How are my brothers in Tartarus?”
“They’re doing well. Perhaps you’d like to join them and find out.”
Atlas grinned, his demeanor exuding confidence.
Even with his immense strength, Atlas couldn’t hope to win against Zeus, Poseidon, and me together. But that was assuming all parties were at full strength.
Ichor dripped from Zeus’s arm. Poseidon’s face betrayed weariness after mowing down countless Gigantes. Even I felt the toll of prolonged combat.
Atlas, however, was rejuvenated.
“Ah, Gaia’s blessings are truly remarkable. Judging by your state, I might not even need help to deal with you.”
“Did devouring countless Gigantes as offerings satisfy you?” Poseidon sneered.
“Of course. And the heavens feel so much lighter now...”
I locked eyes with Atlas and spoke.
“Do you remember the deal you made with us?”
“Ah, yes. But circumstances have changed. Gaia’s offer was far more compelling.”
Frustration surged within me. After slaughtering so many Gigantes, now this.
“Atlas. It’s not too late. Return to your punishment, and your descendants will remain safe.”
During the final days of the Titanomachy, we offered Atlas a choice. Though he resisted us to the bitter end, we proposed a compromise: if he bore the heavens without rebellion, his children would be spared.
It was why Atlas alone was spared from Tartarus, his punishment to hold the heavens instead.
“I swore we would protect the Hesperides and Calypso,” I reminded him.
“Ha! Hades, you truly are merciful. Offering an olive branch to a traitor!”
“I am. Even to those who rebel, I leave a path.”
Atlas’s expression darkened as years of vengeance and ambition burned in his gaze.
“Unfortunately, I must refuse. You’re all weakened, and I’ve grown stronger. The odds are in my favor.”
“Your descendants—”
“If I win, your kin will fall to Tartarus instead. But Zeus, since you married my daughters, I’ll let you bear the heavens in my place.”
He smirked and raised his fist.
No grand powers, no divine weaponry—only a body that rivaled the primordial gods, unyielding as the heavens themselves.
Even Zeus couldn’t fully subdue Atlas during the Titanomachy. And now, with our strength diminished and his augmented...
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The ominous energy beneath the earth gathered again.
I sent a telepathic command to all gods across the battlefield:
“Retreat if you value your lives! The plains of Phlegra will soon cease to exist!”
At this point, there was no time to hold back.