Scene 1
Juris POV
"Yes, Aunt Hestia. My destined partner is the Queen of the Afterlife before the Ending," I replied, keeping my eyes on the throne my Father had summoned for his sister.
"This plan to have me take over ownership of the forgotten is a big plan, Jur."
Ignoring the way she said my name, I could already imagine Ten receiving an even worse one. Her purposeful decision to ignore any of my names and nicknames in favor of her own variant was something I had long since accepted.
"Once Fate started making destructive decisions like bringing 666 or the Satans here, she signed her own death warrant to Zeus and Gaia. The Four Satans alone are more than enough of a concern. Their influence intermingling could force the Nether Realms to never fully develop."
I let the words settle between us before continuing.
"So your Domain will act as the glue to appease the spirits of the dead and, more importantly, the innocent who await their place in the Cycle. This won't take effect for another 3 million years due to the Golden Cycle War coming in 1.5 million. So if an alternative method is found by then, you won't have to do it."
For once, Aunt Hestia went speechless.
Watching her reaction, I had to admit Poseidon's tips for handling his sisters worked wonders.
Assign them responsibilities as the fence-sitters of the family. They need a little motivation to truly see themselves as one of us, the same way Hera views Olympus.
Hestia wasn't weak. None of Father's sisters were. The issue was that some of them preferred comfort over commitment until responsibility was placed directly into their hands. Once that happened, neutrality became far harder to maintain.
And in a matter concerning the forgotten, the innocent dead, and the future shape of the Afterlife itself… someone had to hold the center together.
That someone would be her.
Scene 2
Hestia POV
"Hestia, why did you call for me from the Underwo—"
Raising my finger, I pointed for her to look up.
Demeter paused, glanced upward, then slowly stood and took my hand.
In the next instant, we were gone.
I brought her to my home, located within the realm left to me by Father and Hades—Mount Othrys. The only place shielded by the Domains of Death and Time. Two of the strongest divinities in existence woven together into a shelter that hid itself from the world.
The air here was still. Ancient. Untouched by the noise of Olympus or the hunger of the lower realms.
"It's pointless to play dumb, Demeter. We both know Persephone's heir is coming. What will it take for you to leave her be and not try to take her from the Underworld?"
I watched the smirk fall from her face.
Bloodlust began to spill from her in waves.
"Who are you to decide if I will have my bloodline or not? Persephone wasn't Hades's to sacrifice, and neither of you have authority over my Fate!"
Sighing, I felt the bitter certainty of Hades's prediction settle over me.
He had already known this was how she would react.
"Demeter, please. If you gave it half a thought, you'd realize Hades and Persephone made a decision just as our parents once did. We both understand Hades better than the rest after he gave us shelter from Zeus's hostility."
My voice softened, though my resolve did not.
"You saw what I saw when you met him with Mother. I doubt Mother would explain the truth to you, but that's not important anymore. Your relationship with the Underworld isn't a part of this cycle."
That made her expression twist, but I continued before she could cut in.
"Persephone was born as a Natural God from the Underworld, bearing the title of Queen. A goddess of Fertility has no claims over a Queen of the Underworld. Even less over her successor of the Afterlife."
The words fell heavy.
Not because they were cruel.
Because they were true.
And Demeter knew it.
At the edge of my senses, another divine presence formed. Calm. Silent. Watching.
Mother's energy materialized off to the side as she observed us without interruption.
Of course she came.
When it involved Hades, Persephone, and the inheritance of the Underworld, she always came to watch.
Scene 3
"Hecate, calm down. It'll ruin our reputation if you slaughter these two. After all, we're cousins, aren't we?" I said, holding my hand up to stop Hecate from starting a skirmish.
"Give Apollo his Sun back and we can be cousins."
Catching the arrow of moonlight, I grinned at my cousin Artemis while Apollo stood off to the side wearing a warm smile, as if this weren't one insult away from turning into a family incident.
"No. Give him your moon then, Artemis."
Blocking her moon energy with pure Sun energy, we forced each other into a standstill. Silver and gold pushed against one another, splitting the air between us with flickering pressure.
"And how are you, Apollo? You seem less hostile than I imagined."
Glancing toward him, I watched him wave back with that same almost irritating calm.
"Pretty good, actually. Losing something that large is also a way toward seeing more of Fate."
Watching his pupils double inside his eyes, I nodded at the advancement.
So that was the trade he had made.
"You gave up the music and poems for clarity, I see. The first and last God of Prophecies. Welcome to the group, cousin."
I grinned as I felt his connection to the Sun and Light in general had become almost nonexistent, even though he still could've claimed the Sun as a part of his Divinity if he truly wished to force the matter.
Instead, he had chosen sight over possession.
That alone made him more dangerous than most in Father's court.
"We're all born before our time, so some things must be forsaken for us to gain a seat at the table as Kings. Our own father's court is steeped in deceit and backstabbing. Regardless of my sister's desire for me to retake the Sun mantle, I've seen more without it than I ever would have with it.
So a truce from the Gods of the Three Kings is in order before we truly begin our competition for the Emperor's mantle."
I stepped forward and gripped his forearm as he gripped mine, sealing the loose pact with the sort of understanding only people born into poisoned thrones could have.
Not trust.
But recognition.
Watching as the two vanished into moon rays, I stared out into the horizon.
"Hecate, you can head back. I'll handle this guest myself."
The air changed a moment later.
I felt a rush of pressure heading straight for me, as if the wind itself had tracked the twins across the sea and come here in a fury.
Letting it come unimpeded, a blast of wind tore the island apart. Trees ripped from their roots. Mountains cracked and were hurled into the sea. The shoreline folded inward under the force of rage given form.
"Where are they, Hades?!"
Materializing above me in the form of a mortal made from True Wind, the Titan of Air, Aether, had clearly come in pursuit of his young lords.
"You aren't Had—"
"Nope, but you don't get a prize."
Even before he moved, I could feel eyes turning toward us. The Primals themselves were paying attention from within their Domains. The sea, the sky, and the edges between them all went taut with interest.
"Insolent brat! I am the loyal servant of Zeus. Your disrespect is a disrespect to my Lord!"
He swung his hand down, only for it to be blocked by a wave of Darkness.
I let my body align back to its natural state.
My skin tone darkened. My presence deepened. All three Domains answered at once, rising behind me in a pressure that pushed back against the Low Titan-ranked enemy.
"If you take it that way, then I can see why both the Sea and the Underworld would rather ignore you guys."
Compressing my Darkness into a spear, I enlarged myself, barely reaching half the height of the Titan before me.
"Insolent!"
I struck before he could.
The arm he tried to raise again came off cleanly.
His eyes lost focus for a brief second before a new wave of True Wind surged into the limb. His mouth opened, and a tornado screamed into existence from within him, spiraling down in a crushing pillar of force.
I answered with fire.
The tornado was redirected upward as flames exploded over it like a burning shield against the sky.
Then I threw the spear.
It enlarged mid-flight into a towering pillar of Darkness and flame, driving straight through Aether's torso and launching him out of his own storm. Before he could stabilize, I twisted the spear into Dark Flames and let it devour him into the forming edge of my True Domain.
"Rhettos."
Standing calmly upon the water, he admired the spear that had devoured Wind itself. He nodded once, appreciating the short exchange for what it was.
"Clean and efficient. Hades would be proud. Prometheus, you can come out. The area is already sealed from the Sky's eyes."
Waving my hand, I dismissed the spear, though part of it remained solidified around the wind laws it had devoured.
"Rhettos… and does Hades suffice, or—"
"Ten is fine. Same with you, Rhettos. Thank you for the barrier, by the way. And what are you here for, Prometheus?"
Focusing on him, I could also feel Thanatos hovering over the sea not far from here, silent as ever.
"Just verifying who interfered in the Four Vessels project in both realms. Although both Nether Realms are sealed away by Nyx, the Four Endings were something only me and Chronos knew of."
I glanced at Rhettos, who seemed just as curious as I was, though he gave little away beyond a slight tilt of the head.
"I'm not old enough to even be a King yet, and everyone keeps bringing me issues. Let's go check then. It's probably my dad and Zeus at play."
I played dumb.
Probably the worst possible idea when dealing with a Wisdom God, but at this point it was either that or admit to knowing too much too early.
"That's pointless. I've already seen Lord Hades, so I'll consider this another reason to trust his words. Be careful traveling under the Sky, Young Lord of Stars."
I watched him melt into the air as if only Will had been left behind, while Rhettos vanished back into the sea just as easily.
And just like that, the island was mine again.
Broken.
Burning.
Watching.
Scene 4
"Hahaha, we've really been conned by Hades. Hera's warnings held some truths!"
I floated in the middle of the fifth and final realm of Earth's Nether Realms, unable to keep the amusement from my voice.
Below me, two budding realms continued taking shape—Hell and Netherworld.
Farther beyond them, the Underworld's core region held its place, maintaining a loose connection to hidden regions through Lady Styx. The structure was still incomplete, but now that I could see it from above, the truth was obvious.
This had never been an empty kingdom.
It had been a growing one.
Aunt Hestia had already begun working on her own Realm of Peace for those who chose eternal rest, adding another layer to a structure I was only now starting to appreciate in full.
Then I glanced back at our guest.
Aether remained suspended and constantly burning, the flames eating away at his resistance each time True Wind tried to gather again around him.
Using my brother's Domain of All Things Evil, I forced a contract onto him.
Bit by bit, I stripped away his element and Domain, carving them free while seeding his mind with the Pride attached to 666—the Sin that would bind him into something useful.
I let him fold inside the Sun while he continued mumbling, half in rage and half in disbelief, about the twins ruining both sides of the world.
That only made me laugh harder.
Because for once, someone had managed to describe it perfectly.