Hecate stood alone by the edge of Olympus. The merryment behind her where various gods, titans, nymphs, Oceanids, and so many more were indulging themselves in the celebration.
To her, all of this was a waste of time.
She knew that, as the new king of the realms, Zeus had to showoff his power as well as the courtesy needed for his allies during the war. If he fails to do so, he would have no respect or authority, even if he did claim the domain of the Sky, the most supreme of all domains, as his own at the sheared off top of Othrys, where the realms were divided between the siblings.
And what a division it was.
Hecate still felt a sense of awe and respect every time she remembered that moment that she witnessed.
At first, after the defeat of Kronos and his banishment into Tartarus with the rest of his allies, everyone was ready for another conflict to arise. This time, within the siblings themselves.
After all, the temptation was too high for any god to claim dominion over the entirety of the realms and to become its undisputed ruler.
However, the Olympians showed their wisdom by deciding to split the three supreme domains of the Sky, the Sea, and the Underworld between the brothers, ensuring that not a single god would have complete control over the realms all by themselves.
To that end, Zeus proposed to draw lots with three completely identical pebbles imbued with a fraction of the three domains embedded within them, completely hidden from their divine senses.
This would ensure fairness and make sure that there would be no complaints from his brothers regarding which domain they got.
However, Hecate was surprised when Poseidon and Hades refused the method. Instead, they once again showed their wisdom that surpassed many of their compatriots.
Their words still ringing in her ears, words that felt eerily similar to what their most powerful brother would say.
'We do not choose the domain we embody. They choose us. And we already know which domains have claimed us as their own from the moment of our birth.'
And so it was chosen by the gods, Hades would rule the Underworld, its shadows, darkness, and riches his to command for all eternity. Poseidon would become one with the seas, its depths and horrors his to rule.
And Zeus would become the new king by taking control of the endless skies. His status elevated above all of his siblings in a single stroke.
'Well, most of his siblings, anyway.'
The goddess thought amusedly as her gaze drifted behind her, sensing the familiar divine signature approaching her steadily.
Brolios Asterion. The sixth son of Rhea and the God of Destruction, as well as his newly gained domain, God of Nature.
It truly was a shocking sight for many of the witnessess on Othrys when the strongest of the siblings, the god that could have ended the whole war in an afternoon if he chose to, but let it drag on for ten years because, in his words, 'his brothers and sisters were too young to handle the responsibilities and power that comes with being rulers of the lands', refused to step up as the King of Olympus.
Truthfully, nearly every ally of Olympus, including the lesser titans, the minor gods, the Nymphs, Oceanids, and other creatures, wanted Brolios to be their new king.
Not because of any of their own ambitions or for any ulterior motive. But because of a single truth that they all knew firsthand.
Brolios is a kind god.
He cares for everyone around him. He cares for every single life, even that of the Mortals, the so-called Golden Race, who have now become Daimones, the newly appointed guardian spirits of justice.
It was this gentle nature of the god that moved many of their allies to join the Olympians in the first place.
Because he refused for even a single innocent life to be lost as collateral in the war. Something he achieved thanks to the help of Hecate and her illusions that he made use of extensively to ambush most of Kronos's more dangerous compatriots while handling the weaker ones himself.
Truly, Hecate was shocked beyond words when she realized that there was not a single casualty on the side of Olympus throughout the war.
By Tartarus, his protection extended even to animals that were displaced during the war. So much so that he took in all the animals that lost their homes, parents, or siblings in the war into his own personal sanctuary in Rhea's Grove of Dodona.
Such a contradictory behaviour for a god whose domain is absolute destruction.
Of course, Brolios did not find any of his actions to be strange.
Hecate chuckled a bit as she remembered his confused look when his sisters and brothers asked him about his actions, as if he was surprised he even needed to explain what he was doing.
Hecate's eyes held a warmth rarely seen as Brolios finally arrived near her and stood by her side, gazing into the distance with her.
"Not going to join us in there?"
"There is no point. They will revel in celebration for a whole month. That much I can tell. So, in the meantime, I should focus on fixing as much of the damage done to the realms in every physical and metaphysical level possible."
Brolios winced a bit at her words.
"Sorry. I did not mean to lose control like that..."
"Brolios. We all know how you feel about your family, so none of us blame you for what happened. By Tartarus, we don't even think you went too far. Because if it were anyone else in your place? We would have done much, much worse."
Hecate's eyes flashed with such murderous intent that anyone who spotted it would have run for their lives on the spot. An intent that arose at the mere thought of Kronos trying to curse her mother.
That is why she understood Brolios's reaction that day.
"That being said, what are you doing here? Brolios? Aren't you going to enjoy your time in there? Entertaining yourself with all those nymphs, oceanids, and titanesses like your brothers?"
Her mischievous look made Brolios sigh in disappointment as his gaze turned back as well, spotting Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus drowining themselves in nectar and surrounding themselves with feminine kin of all kinds.
Well, not just females, but males, androgenous, and all other types as well, but the point still stood.
They were indulging in such copious amounts of pleasure that it would be too much to put into words.
Brolios sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
"So much talent, wasted with such meaningless activities. If only they showed such passion in terms of training...."
This time, Hecate gave the young god a deadpan look. One filled with such exasperation that it made Brolios blush a bit and scratch his head awkwardly.
"....Right. I forgot that I was talking to the biggest training maniac in the realms. To you, training might be what gives pleasure instead of what your brothers crave."
"Hey, now, no need to go that far-"
"Brolios? Please shut up. I am getting irritated just remembering your stupid training sessions that you dragged us all into back then."
That instantly shut up the god who looked a little guilty, remembering how his training regimen had put most of the minor gods and goddesses, and even his own siblings out of commission for a while.
Watching his expressions, Hecate let go of her irritation, unable to stay angry at the man for too long, and spoke softly.
"You still haven't told me why you are not celebrating with the others."
"....I don't feel comfortable in there."
His gaze travelled beyond the present, beyond the realms of the titans, now the realm of the gods, to a place that nobody but he remembers.
"Everyone in there, they have this....ambition in their gaze, in their intent. It feels repulsive. Of course, most of those gazes are directed at Zeus and, to a lesser extent, at my sisters, but I still can't stand them. So, I decided to leave."
Hecate grinned at his words.
"You actually left your sisters in such a state? Under such gazes of ambition as you put it? Where is the overprotective brother that vaporized a battalion of Titans for making a derogatory remark about Hestia?"
Brolios snorted at her words with a smile.
"I did what I did back then as a warning for the other Titans, a warning that worked wonders. But now? They don't need my protection anymore since there is nobody here who can actually threaten them. And, even if, by some miracle, there are such beings present, my sisters can handle them easily. I have ensured that they are trained for such a situation at least."
That sent a chill down Hecate's spine.
'Maybe I should pray for whatever fool tries to mess with the sisters trained by a training demon like him?.....No. If they are foolish enough to mess with the sisters of an unstoppable god like Brolios, they deserve what they have coming for them.'
Shaking her head, she turned back to her friend.
"So? What are you planning to do now?"
"Now? I think I will start by retreating to the Grove and preparing to inspect my new domain. To see to what extent my power extends."
"I see, then, what about your other domain?"
Brolios gave her a confused look, one that Hecate returned with a falt one as she realized the Brolios did not even know what was happening.
'Gaia help me....what did I do to deserve becoming friends with such a troublesome god?'
"You fool. Do you not realize that your actions during the war have already started to condense another domain for you?"
".....Oh."
"Yes. 'Oh!'. Seriously, I am done with you!"
Hecate fumed and disappeared in a rainbow light, leaving behind a dumbfounded Brolios who was still trying to understand why his friend was suddenly angry and why he was starting to condense a new domain.
All in all, a regular day for the poor, young god.
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