Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Three Years
Underworld.
"It seems like you have been thoroughly defeated, lord Hades."
"...seems so."
Hades sat on a throne, overlooking the depressing view of the realm of the dead. He had made a small temple for him to temporarily reside in while his mother and sisters, along with others whom he managed to brought with him tried to adjust to this place.
Behind him, a shadowy figure flickered, and the figure of the Goddess of Magic, Hecate, was revealed.
"Lord Cronus was far stronger than you anticipated?" She asked.
"Yeah." Hades nodded, "Although I'm confident on winning against him, it would take too much time that my siblings, our army, and mother would've fallen before I could claim victory."
"Ah, confident as ever." Hecate smiled. "So you escaped because your brothers are far too weak, is that it, lord Hades?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Then wouldn't it be better for them to train for awhile before rallying your troops and start another war?"
Hades thought over it for a moment, and nodded his head. "You're right. Hecate, find the location of Zeus and Poseidon and inform them that we will meet up once again in three years, before that they must quickly learn to properly use their powers and get stronger."
Hecate bowed, "as you wish."
With that, she vanished through the mist.
****
Zeus lay on the soft bed prepared for him by Astraeus, his hands resting behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
Despite the comfort, sleep refused to take him. His mind was restless, replaying the battle over and over—the moment Atlas overpowered him, the crushing weight of his failure, the helplessness he felt when he was struck down.
But more than that, his thoughts kept drifting back to her.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
Astraea.
The daughter of Astraeus and Eos.
The moment she appeared, Zeus had been struck not just by her beauty but by the sheer pressure of her presence.
She had barely spoken a word to him, yet her cold, detached gaze had sent a chill down his spine.
She wasn't like the other goddesses he had met—she was distant, untouchable, a star shining high above the world.
And Zeus had always wanted what was just out of reach.
'I'll make her mine,' he thought with a smirk. 'Eventually.'
Just as he was about to close his eyes, the air shifted.
A thick mist seeped into the room, rolling in like a silent tide. The temperature dropped, the warmth of the room replaced by an eerie chill.
Zeus' instincts flared. His eyes snapped open, and lightning crackled around his arms as he immediately rolled off the bed, his feet touching the ground.
His fingers twitched, ready to summon his lightning bolt.
Then, from within the mist, a figure emerged.
A woman.
She was breathtaking in a dangerous, otherworldly way. Her dark hair cascaded like silk, her piercing gaze filled with knowledge far beyond her years.
Power radiated from her like a storm waiting to break, yet it was contained, refined, unlike his own raw, untamed strength.
Zeus tensed. "You dare appear before me, Zeus, the God of Sky!? Explain yourself before you earn my ire!"
The woman's lips curved slightly, not quite a smile, but something close. "I am Hecate, Goddess of Magic. A subordinate of Lord Hades."
"Hecate?" Zeus narrowed his eyes. "Hades?"
He did remember sometime ago that Hades mentioned about how underworld gods would help them.
Hecate nodded. "I am here to deliver a message."
A message?
"What message?" Zeus asked, before shaking his head. "No, it doesn't matter, I can ask him myself. You can come here, that means Hades knows where am I right? Take me to him."
Hecate shook her head, "I cannot. Lord Hades instructed me to only tell you his message; 'We will meet up again in three years, before that, train yourself. You are far too weak to match any titans."
His pride was immediately stepped on. After all, he hasn't moved on from his lost, and someone he doesn't know claiming to he a subordinate dare to say that to him?
She dares?!
A mere subordinate?!
Zeus clenched his fist hearing that, "What did you say!?"
He grabbed Hecate by the neck, his eyes flashing with lightning sparks as he glared at her.
Hecate remained as stoic as ever, "Unhand me this instant, youngest of Cronus. Or do you not wish to keep your arms?"
"Are you threatening me!?" Zeus tightened his grip on her neck, but the moment he did so, he immediately felt like he was swallowed by the abyss.
He quickly retreated, staring cautiously at the woman who looked frail and harmless.
She took out a lamp, and Zeus immediately took a fighting stance. However, contrary to his beliefs, the woman simply waved her hand as a mist once again enveloped her.
"I have delivered the message. Farewell, oh 'mighty' God of Sky."
With that, she vanished, leaving Zeus alone feeling completely terrified.
****
Poseidon lay on the bed Oceanus had provided for him, staring at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression.
His body had recovered well, but his mind remained restless. The war, his loss to Coeus, and his current situation all weighed on him.
But despite that, his thoughts kept drifting to her.
Amphitrite.
The sea nymph who had found him, cared for him, and treated his wounds.
Her gentleness lingered in his mind like a calming wave, soothing yet impossible to ignore. She was unlike any woman he had met before—kind, patient, and utterly devoted to the sea.
"What a magnificent woman..." he mused, a small smirk playing at his lips. "How great would it be if she were to become my wife?"
Just as that thought settled in his mind, the room shifted.
A dense mist rolled in, unnatural and silent, curling around the room like living tendrils.
The temperature dropped, and the once-serene atmosphere turned heavy with an ominous presence.
Poseidon's instincts flared. His fingers clenched, and with a thought, his trident appeared in his grasp, glowing with divine power.
His eyes darted through the mist as he raised his weapon.
"Who goes there?" he demanded, his voice firm. "Show yourself!"
For a moment, the mist remained still. Then, as if answering his command, a shadow moved within it.
A woman stepped forward, emerging from the swirling fog with an air of quiet authority.
Her beauty was undeniable, but it was not the gentle kind like Amphitrite's—it was something far more dangerous.
Her dark eyes gleamed with knowledge, and the very air around her thrummed with power.
Poseidon tightened his grip on his trident, his divinity flaring up.
"Who are you?" he asked sharply. "And what do you want?"
The woman met his gaze without hesitation, unfazed by his presence. "I am Hecate, Goddess of Magic, a loyal subordinate of Lord Hades."
Poseidon's eyes widened in surprise. "Hades? Are you an underworld god."
Hecate nodded. "I am here to deliver a message."
"Forget that! How is mother? Did Hades saved her?! What about our sisters!? Are they safe?!" Poseidon demanded, his divinity flickering with his emotions.
Hecate remained as calm as ever, simply nodding at his questions. "Yes, Lady Rhea and your sisters are safe and sound. They currently resides within the underworld under the protection of Lord Hades."
"Then take me to them!" Poseidon took a step forward, "You can come to me from the underworld, surely you can take me to the underworld."
Amphitrite can wait. For now, they must quickly reeoup and gather their forces to fight against Cronus and his army.
They can't let Cronus get away with what he's done.
"I cannot do that." Hecate simply replied.
"Why!?" Poseidon asked in frustration.
"My job is merely to deliver a message," saod Hecate. "And I will lord Hades' message for you is; 'We will meet up again in three years, before that, train yourself. You are far too weak to match any titans."
Poseidon almost lashed out. Almost. But Oceanus words rung in his ears and he knew that pride would not help him in this situation.
He was weak. That's a fact.
But still, it frustrated him.
To have Hades tell him to his face about his weakness. It's frustrating.
"I have delivered the message. Farewell, God of the Sea. You are far more composed than your younger brother is."
With that, she vanished, leaving Poseidon wondering if she also came to deliver the same message to Zeus, and what he has done to her.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he sat down.
"Three years... Train... "