The moon was hidden by heavy clouds, a storm that Eron had summoned but kept in suspense, like a promise of destruction. They were on a winding road in the Italian Alps, a convoy of German military trucks struggling through the snow.
Eron stood at the top of a gorge, watching the caravan. He wasn't there to stop the war; he was there to plunder. The blood of Zeus within him would not accept being merely a prince or a mortal king. He wanted ascension. He wanted what Ares protected.
The Plunder of Olympus
The information Eron had extracted from tortured officers in Rome pointed to this convoy. Ares was moving ancient relics, artifacts that fed on the carnage of war to increase the God's power. But Eron had a darker plan. He didn't want to destroy the relics; he wanted to use them to extract the very divine essence of Ares.
— It is a taboo, Eron — Diana said, her voice calm but firm beside him. She adjusted her silver bracers. — Stealing the divinity of another god... that isn't just a declaration of war against Ares. It is a declaration of war against Olympus. Against your father.
Eron let out a short, dry laugh that made the snow around him melt instantly.
— My father abandoned this world to the worms, Diana. And Ares is feasting on the scraps. Olympus is empty, a ruin of marble and arrogance. If I take Ares' power, I become the storm this world needs. And if the other gods don't like it... let them come and try to stop me.
He reached his hand toward the sky. The thunder that followed was not a warning; it was an attack. A massive lightning bolt descended from the clouds, striking the lead truck of the convoy. The explosion of metal and fire illuminated the frozen road, tossing German soldiers like ragdolls into the snow.
The convoy ground to a panicked halt. Soldiers leaped from the vehicles, shouting orders in a tongue Eron despised. Diana jumped from the gorge, landing in the middle of the road with a crash that cracked the frozen asphalt. Wherever she passed, her sword severed limbs and pierced hearts with an icy efficiency. She was the perfect distraction, the beauty that brought death.
Eron descended slowly, levitating over the carnage. He walked toward the central truck, ignoring the bullets that ricocheted off his electric aura. With a flick of his hand, he ripped the metal doors off the vehicle.
Inside, wrapped in chains of sacred bronze, were the artifacts. An ancient amphora pulsing with a sickly red light and a battle helm that seemed to whisper screams of agony. Eron felt the power of Ares emanate from them, an energy of hatred and blood that tried to invade his mind.
But he smiled. It was exactly what he wanted.
Eron touched the amphora, and his electrical energy, blue and white, enveloped the red artifact. He wasn't just taking the relics; he was beginning the ritual of absorption. The red light began to flow into his arm, mixing with his divine blood. He felt a wave of rage and pure power, a force that made him want to destroy everything around him.
He knew that by doing this, he was breaking the most sacred law of the gods. He was becoming a usurper. But he looked at Diana, who had just eliminated the last German soldier, and saw in her his Queen. Together, they would not just rule an island or a mortal continent. With the power of Ares in his hands, they would rule reality itself. And Olympus would be next.
— It is done — Eron said, his voice vibrating with a new, darker power. He secured the relics and looked at Diana, whose light-blue eyes seemed to reflect the storm he was about to unleash upon the heavens. — Now, let the gods come. I am ready.