Chapter 32: Trial of the Gods Part 2.
"A trial by combat!?" roared Ares, "This is my fight you little bastard!"
Poseidon chuckled a bit at Ares. Anyone with two brain cells would know by now that insults did little to Hepahestus. Even now, the bastard comment did nothing to irk his nephew.
A spew of other profanities left Ares' mouth before he tried to leave the cliff side. He got about a jump's height before a lightning bolt slammed into him.
"The trial cannot be intruded on, my son."
Ares looked upon his father, pity flickering amidst his rage. Bound to his throne, Zeus made an imposing but solemn figure. The greatest strength of the Olympians, made to play by Poseidon's rules.
Though…that wasn't entirely true. As Ares settled in, his rage waning to concern, Zeus focused on the reality of the situation.
It was fucked. Pure and simple. He should have realized it. The idea of using divine law to empower the laws of Olympus was a key strategy in overthrowing the Titans.
It had taken some doing to figure it out, mostly learning to adjust his domain of justice really, but he should have figured that others would emulate what he did. He never thought they'd be successful.
"My own arrogance," smirked Zeus internally. "Hera always warned me about it. Just makes it sting worse."
He may have been smirking, but internally he was fuming. His own brother, marred as their bond may have been, used Olympus' trump card against them. And the worst part of it all?
He would have done the same if it was his child. Perhaps that was why he was not drowning in his own hate. Zeus stroked his beard, lost in his thoughts. Poseidon had used his authority as a King to alter the laws that were implemented for the trial. Zeus had never considered checking it, the precedence for it not existing until now.
He was a judge in this instance, before he was a king.
"At least for the future, we can mitigate this annoyance," grumbled Zeus in his thoughts, "but that does nothing to help us now."
Their original plan had been to crush Poseidon's case right from the start. An Olympic trial used circumstances and evidence to enforce their ruling. Combine that with their collective authority, and Poseidon would have simply been ignored, his case never developing far enough to even smudge his son's divinity.
Instead, the trial went unimpeded. Poseidon had rerouted them all and the only thing stopping his brother was a trial of combat.
It pissed him off, suffice to say.
This was the old way. They were supposed to be better than this.
Zeus eyed Hephaestus for a moment, before turning his gaze to Poseidon. His brother, reckless as he was, was always at the forefront of the more imaginative strategies of their war with the Titans.
"Crafty sort," thought Zeus. "Always easy to forget he's clever."
It was little wonder his daughter hated the sea god, well hated, what with the whole dead emotion thing.
…he should talk to her about that right? He turned to Athena. Her cold eyes locked onto his and a shiver went up his spine.
"I'll leave that for another day," he thought, "when she won't twist me with her words or curse me."
For all that she was emotionless, she was oddly vindictive. He had pointed that out to her, the fallacy of her state. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He was tempted to ask Athena her advice. She was the smartest in the room, having been deciphering divine law day in and day out.
But…perhaps it was too late. He grimaced as he eyed Poseidon. The arrogant sea god was smirking, as if he owned the very room. But, there was a hint of anger to him as well. Hidden, but to those that knew him, Poseidon was far from amused.
"Not so fun when your laws are the one being twisted around, is it," thought Zeus sarcastically.
His authority was slim at the moment. His divinity interlocked with divine law in a way that left him little action. The truth was…it was likely too late to stop any of this.
The two gods were apart from each other, studying, waiting. Zeus' finger twitched, the urge to start the trial becoming harder to push aside. He had to admit it, his brother got him good.
He kept reviewing everything that happened, but he kept drawing a blank. What could he do? Was there anything that could avert or at least change this? Hephaestus was young. Strong, of course, but still a developing God compared to Poseidon.
None of them were at the apex of their power, but Poseidon had centuries on his youngest. Zeus stiffened at Hera's touch on his arm. She remained where she was, but their connection allowed this sort of familiarity.
"Calm yourself," she whispered in his mind. "He has the advantage currently. Stall for time."
"I think that problem was solved for us," snarked Zeus.
He eyed his son, the one born anew with his blood. The spark between them still laid untouched, but that was alright. He could feel him even now, the steadfast state.
The stubborn little bastard didn't even budge at the thought of fighting a God that had reached his maturity. A spark of jealousy gnawed at Zeus though, at the way the brothers stood together. Ares looked ready to intervene regardless of Hephaestus' intent, still berating his brother for being an idiot, still fighting against the barrier that barred the other gods from the trial grounds.
Poseidon noted it too. The sky and the oceans shared a look…one neither could maintain.
"...The time for that sort of bond has passed," thought Zeus.
He looked to the sky, grumbling. He would have laughed at Poseidon's twitch if he didn't need to focus. It was always the same thing. Gods, major and minor, would invoke his domain, intent on manipulating the law to their own ends.
Poseidon wasn't the first and he would not be the last to learn this lesson either.
In Zeus' courtroom… he had the last say.
"The method of trial has been accepted." Zeus rose, his voice echoing through Olympus. He held a smirk as his gaze lingered on Poseidon. The bitterness of his brother's cleverness clashed with the sweetness of his surprise. "It will be a trial of combat. Poseidon bears his grievance to Ares for the murder of his son. Hephaestus stands as Ares' proxy."
Zeus' arms spread, as if trying to encompass the entirety of the space Poseidon had created. Lightning curled at the very edges of the oceans in the distance, creating a ring, with the Olympians at the top.
"Through Ares' proxy, all matters and grievances between the Poseidon, Ares, and Hephaestus shall be settled at the conclusion of this bout, as the ancient laws dictate."
Zeus smirked internally, divine law shuddering to adjust to his specific wording. Zeus turned to Hephaestus.
"Poseidon and Hephaestus shall fight to incapacitate their opponent or render them outside the field of battle."
The domain around the thrones shuddered for a moment, starting to expand to create a ring. Poseidon's own authority intervened, reducing it to the circumference of the cliff face.
Hephaestus stood there, completely unaware. So, Zeus continued on unimpeded.
"The first to fall or be removed…shall lose."
Poseidon glowered. It was typically done until one died. Not that it mattered.
Zeus stiffened, Hera's voice whispering in his ear. He wasn't her biggest fan, but in the field of Politics, Hera was a devastating card. He adjusted her wording and spoke again, even louder.
"As Poseidon had not notified the court of the change in…jurisdiction, a penalty will be imposed."
Poseidon chuckled. Dark and twisted as he eyed Zeus.
"...fine, brother. Have your little tantrum."
The sky itself seemed to furrow its brow right alongside Zeus, the lightning becoming more erratic as it danced above them. The king of the gods made to speak, but his thoughts wandered.
Since the start of this whole debacle, Hephaestus stood tall. Gone was the slight trepidation in his son's steps. His arms were crossed, his gaze locked to Poseidon. Resignation was nowhere to be seen in that boy. In the boon that he shared with Hephaestus, all he felt was a surety.
Even if he didn't win…he would make it hurt.
Zeus' smirk grew almost ludicrous. If everything was going to hell anyway, might as well go out with a bang. Hera's eyes widened as he stood.
"Let your father set the stage," he thought.
The lightning struck down, curling around Zeus in a show of power. While Hephaestus thought of it as boasting, Poseidon saw it for what it was.
"What are you up to brother?" he thought.
"Typically, such a bout carries the transgressions of each party. Is that correct, brother?"
Poseidon begrudgingly nodded.
"Invoking this type of trial also has a cost associated with it," smirked Zeus.
He already knew the answer, feeling Poseidon's gaze sharpen.
A nudge of authority here. Another nudge there. The sky darkened, the shadows of the clouds shuddering as something clicked in place. If Zeus knew his son…then the best move was this.
"For your transgressions Poseidon, such a cost cannot be extracted from Hephaestus."
Poseidon didn't seem to care, but the small smirk that grew on his son's face was more than enough to assure him this was the best action to take. The sky rumbled, Poseidon's own laws bending to Zeus' will.
"Is that all?" thought Poseidon, "annoying but–"
"When Hephaestus wins, he can extract a retribution of his own choosing, as the old ways dictate."
The sun blared through the sky, the arrangement accepted and enforced by both the laws of the gods and that of Chaos.
The sea stilled into a tranquil state. The slow craning of the sea god's head would have killed a lesser god. Apocalyptic was a disservice to the utter desecration that wrought from his gaze.
"...you dare assume I would lose?"
Hephaestus rolled his eyes. You could hear the metal of Poseidon's trident groaning, the sea beneath their feet churning in his anger. Poseidon inched forward, intent on getting it over with.
"Let's get this over with! Start the damn thing already," growled Poseidon. His goatee bristled, his eyes taking a more murderous glow. His bruised ego wouldn't let such a comment slide.
He grew even angrier as his nephew raised his hand.
"This again, just speak son," muttered Zeus.
"I would like to make a request before we begin."
The Olympians grew weary. It wouldn't be out there for a younger god to request at least some restrictions against an older, more powerful foe. The issue was the insult it would bring.
"Oh?" grinned Zeus.
He prepped the master bolt, ready to hurl it right at his brother's face if need be.
"Could you at least pretend to be concerned by his request?" muttered Hera.
Even Poseidon was curious enough to remain silent. Hephaestus turned to Hestia, the quiet goddess sitting at the flames in front of Zeus' throne.
"Well, it is more of a request for Aunt Hestia, if you will allow it."
The laws that bound Zeus did not impede him at this moment. He didn't hesitate, allowing Hestia to appear before her nephew. She was veiled as she always was, the glow of her eyes beneath the cloth like embers.
"Nephew?" she said, craning her neck to look at him. "You know that I cannot interfere?"
"I know, Aunt Hestia. It is not your interference I am requesting. Rather, I would ask that you would, temporarily, play the role of Parakletos."
CRACK!
Hestia stiffened a bit, the sound of Hera's throne breaking beneath her hand echoing madly across the open "ocean". Poseidon blinked, almost sinking about a foot into the water before he leveled out.
Hestia had to concentrate, hundreds of questions coming to the forefront. She settled on only one.
"Nephew…why would you ask me such a thing?"
He lifted his hand between them, his hand igniting with flames. It danced softly from his palm, flickering softly like a heartbeat.
"From my understanding, the gods need to share a similarity for a Parakletos bond. I worry that, if I exert myself, it would have undue effects below."
Considering that the last time he tried to go full out, Lemnos had almost erupted, he had a right to be concerned.
Zeus slapped his hand on his face, shaking his head. Of course his son was worried about that.
"This isn't something that you can just do! It's… wait," mumbled Zeus.
The lord of lightning faltered as he came to a startling realization. He didn't explain shit.
"...Oh," thought Zeus, gripping his head in shame. He knew he forgot something the last time they spent time together.
In his defense, he had a blast, but still.
Poseidon was already chuckling. The absurdity crashing over his rage. He shook his head, smirking as he leaned against his trident, the water beneath his feet not buckling under his weight.
"Adorable–"
She lifted her hand over his, the veil burning away in a soft glow of fire. She was as beautiful as Poseidon remembered, nay even more so. The warmth of home echoed from her as her other hand came to embrace the fire between them. Her hair seemed to flicker like the flames she tended to.
The request was more than just words, the echo between them would shudder either in acceptance or rejection. Either way, it required her focus. Despite her instincts to reject this, she slowed as she eyed her nephew. She was always a passive Goddess, quiet. Without the veil, her gaze felt like stone.
He had grown, somewhat. There was a refinement to him now, a glow of surety that had been absent in his younger days. The hesitation that lingered in his stride was simply gone.
His steady gaze assured her of what she already knew.
"...he doesn't know," she thought.
The role of a Parakletos ran deep. A connection that was akin to parent and child. A bond that would shape the younger god, as they learned from the synergistic domains of their mentor. It wasn't unusual for them to change as a result, being so closely connected to their Parakletos.
It was not a bond to be taken lightly. But, it was also not a bond a child should initiate. It was a bond that should have already been done for him.
Hestia studied him, mulling his request for a time. Hephaestus on the other hand, was not as calm. Rather, his tenants were not. After the tenth-thousandth hammer in the back of his head, Hephaestus finally relented to Styx's clambering.
He almost fell over from her yelling.
"Hephaestus, wait! You don't understand!"
"What's wrong?" he thought, "It's only for the coming conflict–"
"It's–"
And then, Hephaestus knew beauty.
In the second that had followed, his aunt revealed her core, full and true.
The sea god's jealousy churned at the sight of Hephaestus' eyes glowing. While it was visible only to Hephaestus, the others could see what she had done.
She had revealed her core to Poseidon once in their father's stomach, and he had been smitten ever since. Her warmth was…addicting. She had refused such a bond to every single god, even his own child. Yet…she was considering it here for… for that thing!?
For Hephaestus, the world had eased into a sea of black. He thought he had passed out for a moment, only for the ground beneath him to erupt in fire. Color and lights danced from the flames and he realized what this was.
A core, shown freely and utterly. This… was Hestia.
She was older than he was, yet her core was softer than his own.
"Warm too," he thought.
The motherly warmth surrounded him, his eyes closing as he basked in her grace. This was the master of the hearth. A more gentle power than his own, yet one that dwarfed him by orders of magnitude. He was a pebble to a mountain compared to her.
Yet, for all that her divinity was imposing, she seemed so frail and small. The eldest of the Olympians. The Strongest. The warmest of her kin, her colors like a flickering fire. A soft crackle echoed in his ear.
"Is this what others saw, when I revealed my own core?" he thought.
But it was not just her virtues that he beheld but her follies as well. She was resilient but was a bit of a coward. For all her love and warmth, she was hesitant to get more involved. Always saying but never doing. Yet, she was also disciplined. Taking the burden of the flames of Olympus rather than taking leadership of the others.
There was a fear there, within her, that she ultimately didn't care for her family. That her lack of effort was more apathy than exhaustion. That she wasn't enough. The self-doubt was near crippling.
She had been a proud goddess once, a slayer of Titans! That pride had withered into a husk and now? Now she was this. Just a quiet voyeur who did nothing.
The world shed away once more to the waking realms. He looked at his aunt. Her eyes seemed heavy, as if looking at him was difficult.
"Are you sure of this?" she whispered, some shame in her voice.
He nodded immediately.
She held his gaze, before staring at his hand. Her hands hovered over the flame between them. She hesitated only for a moment, before slowly clasping their hands together. "Very well nephew," she whispered, her decision made.
Her hands tightened around the flame, the bond finally initiating…and she knew pain.
Hephaestus had been eased into her core, but she was thrown into it. A jagged journey that felt as if her skin was being cut by a thousand little blades. There was no sea of calm, no vibrantly soft fires. No, for his core was a circular slab of metal, with cracks that spewed flame. Everything around her was a detonation of force, as if the core itself was ready to fight.
She eyed the core, her eyes growing more and more distraught the longer she eyed it, eyed him. She had felt a fraction of this when she had assisted him long ago. She had assumed that was the peak of it.
She was wrong.
There was more than just cracked lines. The metal that melded with his fire was covered in scratches, dents, and strangely enough…swords. Stabbed into the core were countless blades, arrows, and what looked like claw marks all twisting around the surface.
It was a war beaten core. Hestia wouldn't be surprised if this was why Ares felt so close to his brother. Both touched by battle in some way.
Hestia bit her lip, eyeing the molten slag of wrought iron. Magma bled from the cracks of his core, a searing red, only to ignite and flow back into the core. At her back was her own core, the flow of her energy impeded only by her will.
She hesitantly reached her hand out. Her fingers barely ghosted the shell of his core, and a blade jutted out. It pierced through her hand, the crimson metal uncaring of what stood before it.
A subconscious defense.
The blade slowly eased from her hand. There was no blood, as she had yet to fully connect. Pity bloomed as she eyed his core, her fingers ghosting just near it. It truly was a broken thing, held together between his mortal and divine shards. The full divinity of a god, intertwined with the essence of man.
Broken yet still living. It was beautiful, in a twisted sense.
Perhaps for other gods, all they would see was an ugly broken thing. But for her… his entire core screamed of a will that would never buckle, hardened by time and experience.
Seeing it before her, it only cemented her decision. No child deserved to be alone, no matter their origin. If she must be the hearth, then so be it. She doubted anyone but an Olympian could handle it.
His power was too coarse for anyone else, too diverse. Across the entirety of the pantheon, only two could shoulder his power.
Hestia… and Prometheus. The Titan of fire was kind, true, but there was a venom within that kindness. One she would not subject her nephew to.
Cementing her resolve, her divinity surged out. She placed her hand on his core, in full this time, and was shocked to somehow feel the metal.
SHUNK!
She bit her lip as the jagged sword pierced her hand, the subconscious defense acting up again. From her wound, fire seeped and spread across the core before her. A moment later, the perspective changed. The once gargantuan core now fit in the palm of her hand.
She brought the core to her chest, as if to embrace all that he was. If even for a moment, she would grant some respite. She smiled as the core slowly opened, the cracks expanding slightly. Her power flowed in, cementing the bond. She would know all that he was, as he knew her.
Then her neck was snapped by a rope.
Crack!
She jolted back from Hephaestus in the waking world, her nephew grabbing her by the arms. The experiences still played in her mind. Hanging by a rope, a knife slitting her throat, crushed ribs from a jagged blow.
"Aunt Hestia?"
A blade pierced her heart, her body ripped in half, a monstrous jaw dug into her abdomen. Jagged stones pierced her body. It was too much, too fast. She couldn't make sense of it at all.
She adjusted the bond, catching her breath. Her nephew's words fell on deaf ears as she finalized it all.
She recalled the unyielding will of the core she had just seen. She wouldn't shy away… not this time. The pain eased as their bond finalized, the phantom horrors dispersing quickly as the last of the bond cemented. But she wouldn't forget. She couldn't.
SNAP!
The bond cemented in full and her divinity flowed to a strange… crevice? There was a depth to his core that shouldn't exist. She followed it, a shard of her forming to investigate… and she bore witness to the unimaginable.
"...that's impossible," she thought.
It was a world. An actual world filled with life. The sky was home to strange objects and weapons of all makes were stabbed into the ground. Some were normal, human grade weapons. But many?
Many were a wonder.
SHOVE
Hestia was sent tumbling forward, turning to eye the fuming Nymph that stood over her now.
"Get out!" growled Styx.
Hestia eyed the spirit before her. Even though she had never met her, she knew her.
"You must be Styx," she whispered.
There was jealousy in her almost teary eyes, any god would have retaliated from such a slight, but all Hestia could feel was sympathy. How could she strike back against a woman like this? Who had devoted so much to the godling.
Hestia rose, her smile soft. The nature between Hephaestus and Styx were too divergent for Styx to have taken this role, much as she wanted to.
"I won't say a word," whispered Hestia, her form disappearing from the world. Though, such words meant nothing to the rivers within.
"Aunt Hestia? Are you alright?" It had only been a moment, her arms still held by Hephaestus. To the other gods, it had barely been a few seconds. Her eyes were wide, eyeing the god before her.
He simply raised a brow, becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer she held his hand.
Hestia came to one cemented conclusion.
"My sister is a monster," she thought, "and a fool."
The very apex of weaving stood before her, having eclipsed even the greatest of their most skilled artisans. Not even a half century old and he had achieved the impossible.
A world of his own making, his own rules. Within it, the touch of Chaos simply didn't exist.
It was an achievement that would have shattered all understanding of divine energy…and Hera callously threw it… threw him away. Just as Hestia's power flowed into Hephaestus, the opposite also rang true.
The subconscious desire to help and assist was a powerful one. Strength flooded Hestia's body, the likes of which she hadn't felt since she had taken the burden. She took a sharp breath, puffs of fire eased from her mouth, old strength returning to her limbs.
"What is this?" thought Hephaestus.
He could feel something beneath his fingers. The connection was faint on his end, the thrums of something that flowed counter to Hestia's own divinity. She smiled softly as she eyed him.
It was adorable, the way his gaze narrowed. He didn't know what it was, only that it grinded away at her.
"...how did such a child form from her neglect?" thought Hestia. She wanted to reach for his face, to offer something. Then her breath caught in her throat. His divinity within their bond shuddered. The metallic shell surged forward like a shield, covering what it could of her own core. The flames of the west met the bulwark of Hephaestus… and was found wanting.
For the first time in centuries…she could breath, full and deep. With strength came anger and for once? It felt good.
"Aunt Hestia?"
She almost laughed, a smile growing in fondness.
"He's not even aware," she thought with a chuckle.
It was best that she didn't explain. There would come a time that Hephaestus would outgrow the need for a Paraklatos. Best not to add another burden on his shoulders, much as he would do so willingly.
To the other gods, their mental strength was lacking to freely endure the weight of the west. But, the counter guardian's experiences' eclipsed the gods in its entirety. Hephaestus didn't even notice, his own core uncaring of the supposed "overwhelming" force that assaulted it.
Just as she protected him, he protected her. She took a hesitant step back, as if unsure of her own strength. Hephaestus blinked, noting that she had grown taller.
"Is she…bigger?" he thought.
"I am alright," she said, her voice strong.
The quiet whisper was done away with, leaving Hestia with a warm tenor. It was as soft and sweet as she was, her form shifting to accommodate. In fact, every word grew in volume, her back expanding with muscle. Her frail form filled in somewhat, her eyes alight with power. Even her hair took on a shade deeper, closer to the crimson her nephew had.
"The bond can take some getting used to," explained Hestia, adjusting her clothes. Her nephew, like the others, could only stare. The quiet woman was no more, and that in and of itself was just strange.
Fire seeped from Hestia's arms, coiling around her wrist. "Don't worry," she said, "Volcanos won't be erupting with me here from now on."
Hephaestus stiffened somewhat.
"How did she know?"
Poseidon blinked, a quick blush forming as Hestia turned to him. The demure expression was replaced with one of stone. Her full lips pulled back in the beginning of a sneer.
There was a fire to her as she scowled at him, her delicate features sharp. The light of her eyes brought flickering shadows beneath her gaze. She wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
The motherly rage dispersed almost instantly, Hestia cooling to her usual temperament.
She dispersed, reappearing beside Zeus. Her brother's eyes were wide, along with the others.
"Sister," he whispered.
"...he is young," she muttered. "So...so terribly young. Someone needed to do this. Besides brother," her eyes grew stony, "we will have words. The next time your son comes to you for knowledge, explain it in full detail and with context."
Zeus blinked, the other siblings wilting a bit at the sudden spine Hestia seemed to have grown.
"I mean, to be fair, we were having a good ti–"
"Do. Better."
Zeus swallowed a bit, blatantly ignoring her now.
Hera wanted to speak, but a sharp look rendered even her mute. When was the last time she had seen her sister like this? During the war? In their father's stomach?
How long had it been since she had basked in the warmth the eldest amongst them provided. The one who should have been their queen, only to falter with her burden.
For once… Hera stayed silent. All turned back to the ocean that sprawled in front of them, the sight of Hephaestus standing before Poseidon once more.
The sea god sighed, his angry mood ruined. He rubbed the back of his head, his trident resting on his shoulder.
"So… that was a thing," muttered Poseidon. He looked at Hephaestus and grimaced a bit. The golden eyes were still unnerving to him. "Seriously," thought Poseidon, "They look far too much alike."
He blamed the human element of Hephaestus' design. Human relatives always looked similar to each other, unlike the gods whose appearance can alter drastically.
Another human limitation mired in human arrogance. Poseidon smirked as the pommel of his trident laid against the water. The funny thing about trials of combat.
They started the moment they were initiated. Zeus took a breath and with a mighty bellow, the tension shattered.
"Let the trial commence."
Poseidon yawned, easing off his trident. The divine weapon remained rooted in the water, like a blade in stone. He moved leisurely, rolling his shoulders. The water shuddered with every step.
It was cute, the way Hepheastus squared himself, as if he would be able to fight back.
"I'm reasonable," muttered Poseidon, "must we, nephew?"
They stood a foot across from each other.
"Will you drop all your charges?" asked Hephaestus.
"...you know the answer to that."
"Then we must."
Poseidon raised his hand lazily. He was still leaning against his trident, almost bored. The divinity of the sea god expanded outward, slamming onto the shoulders of Hephaestus.
Poseidon stilled a bit, feeling his power flow off his nephew. Shrouded in his own divinity, Hephaestus had learned from his encounter with Hades.
"Hmm…fair enough nephew," smirked Poseidon. "I'll give you my full attention."
The sea around them rose violently. A copious amount of sea water formed above Hephaestus' head. With a quick gesture, it slammed into Hephaestus with a thunderous echo.
Spatters of water fell like rain from the impact, the last of the torrent still falling.
"I don't see why you thought this would go any other way," grumbled Poseidon. His eyes narrowed, furrowing as he noticed Hepahestus simply stood there. The water dispersed, reforming above him in even greater quantity.
The blank stare just made Poseidon hit him harder. He could see through his waters… his nephew didn't even buckle. Which wasn't that unusual actually. He knew of Hephaestus' immense strength.
It was the fact he wasn't sinking that was odd.
As a god of fire, standing atop his domain was not an easy task. Before the fight, it made sense. Ares or someone was helping him. Now though? He should have just sunk.
Yet, the divinity he felt from Hepahestus never focused on his feet. Instead, it was two distinct signatures. One, the more powerful of the two, he didn't recognize, but the other?
She was part of his court.
"Thetis?" he muttered, the realization steadily growing. "How did you convince that sea wi–"
Hephaestus erupted from the torrent of water, steam screaming off as he aimed his fist, "-tch to grant you a blessing?"
Hephaestus socked his uncle in the kidney. The blow made the water around them ripple and Poseidon unmoved. Yet, for all of Poseidon's inaction, Hephaestus was unfettered. His feet glowed with divinity, the blessings giving him a semblance of a foot hold.
His balance was off, but nothing he couldn't compensate for. He subtly tested his weight, feeling the way the water lulled and lapped at his ankles.
"Interesting," he thought.
"Now–"
Hephaestus lunged again, blades formed in his hands. The pair of iron short swords were of grecian design. He kept eyeing Poseidon's body, noting the sparks that flew as the metal clashed against his skin. The robes were cut easily enough though, the fabric not very well made.
Hephaestus tossed the warped blades, the weapons dispersing into particles.
Poseidon's garb shimmered, doing away with the upper cloth, leaving him only with a long sash around his waist.
"Come now, my poor wife made me that. Have some mercy," he mocked.
Steel blades formed in Hephaestus' hands, with Poseidon noting the strangeness of the metal.
"Been keeping yourself busy, nephew. I doubt humans have anything of this make."
He slashed again, his eyes glowing. Rushing in was stupid. So, best to analyze as much as he could whenever Poseidon was mocking him.
"His skin…"
It was unnatural, just like his own strength. The sparks of his blade showed a shimmering divinity to his heightened eyes. They were layered, not unlike fish scales.
"You're resilient," muttered Hephaestus.
"I'm more than that," smirked his uncle. With a gesture, the water beneath him swirled, throwing him off balance. He was falling hard, face first from the force of water. Landing on his hands, Hephaestus twisted his body to land a blow on Poseidon's chin.
The clanging sound of metal rang across the world, jarring even his uncle. He rubbed his jaw, only for his fingers and nose to be slammed into by a metal knee. Again, his skin absorbed the blow readily.
"This is more than just resilience," thought Hephaestus.
He struck a few more times, the apprehension growing as he realized what was happening. Every strike…it was flowing over Poseidon's entire body. Like a stone dropped into a lake, the energy rippled across, reducing the impact immensely.
His uncle tried to grapple with him, only for Hepahestus to use Poseidon like a spring board, pushing against the stalwart god for some distance.
Hephaestus landed on his feet, hopping back even further as he assessed his uncle.
The sea god yawned, undamaged.
"I expected more," he said again, trying to aggravate him.
"...so this is Poseidon's power," thought Hephaestus.
Zeus could amplify, Hades had fine control, and even Hera had a strange level of perception alongside her strength. A god's divinity held strange properties in their manifested forms. It was this that gave the Gods the edge against the titans. For while Titans could employ their authority and domains, the Gods' physical forms were augmented by their divinity's peculiarities.
Suffice to say, Hephaestus was… unimpressed. Picking up on that, Poseidon scowled.
"They say you're polite," he muttered, "but really, you're just arrogant!"
Hephaestus already dodged the rush from Poseidon, the tip of his trident passing harmlessly where he once was. The exchange was brief, with powerful strikes that found no purchase. The wide arc was better for war than it was a singular enemy and even then that was giving too much credit.
"You have your mother's eyes. I'll give you that much!"
Hephaestus rolled said eyes.
"ARROGANT BRAT!"
Poseidon heaved the ocean to his command, the water swirling around them. Hephaestus hummed, jumping to the other side of his uncle.
"TRYING TO ESCAPE!?"
The water swirled like a prison, slamming into the younger god with no mercy. Poseidon raised his arm, slamming his palm downwards at his waist. The ocean swirled to his command, creating a funnel. The water above slammed Hephaestus into the makeshift ocean, right into the bottom. It wasn't as deep as any natural ocean, but the pressure was almost as exacting.
Poseidon's hands shook, the divinity of his nephew becoming harder to contain. The water beneath his feet bubbled. Deep in the water, Hephaestus shouldered the pressure.
His eyes closed, cracks appearing through-out his body. The water bubbled around him viciously as it grew hotter and hotter.
Funny, in a natural ocean, doing this would be suicide. The amount of divine entities that would swarm him was uncountable. Within Olympus though, there was only one god he had to be concerned about.
The water around him was, for all intents and purposes, the liquid essence of Poseidon's power. For all that it held the properties of water, it was not naturally made.
A fact he took full advantage of. He spread his divinity, and as he did so, he eased on his mental restraints. For once, he fought without concern…and promptly exploded.
Literally.
His entire body detonated with volcanic power, the center of his domains finally in full use. He still felt there was something more, so he delved even further, heedless of the concerns that once shackled his power.
Hestia's body glowed, fine tuning her divinity to filter Hephaestus' power. No one noticed the way her hands lightly shook.
"Fire doesn't–"
Poseidon had to lurch back as fire erupted from the surface of the ocean, slamming into the storm clouds above them. The fire spread, burning everything it came into contact with, spreading across the horizon, a sea to match Poseidon's own.
The flames dropped from the sky like rain, lapped like rabid jaws, sizzling at Poseidon's skin. What started as just a few bubbles quickly spread, the ocean boiling away as the flames kept burning.
There was little point in keeping his nephew contained. Nothing would change like this. He had hoped to avoid the more brutal aspects of Atlantean law, but so be it.
Ruthlessness was its own kind of mercy. He closed his fist, the pressure crushing his nephew. His fingers never closed into a proper fist, his strength struggling against an invisible resistance.
Poseidon sweated a bit, feeling his nephew explode upward, fighting against him. Hephaestus' divinity was strangely adaptable, mingling with his own. Poseidon grunted, his divinity shuddering, too much for him to control.
Hephaestus' glow was concentrated a ways away from Poseidon himself, the orange hue of the flames moving further and further away.
"Trying to get some distance," smirked Poseidon. His focus shifted to the bulk of the power that tried to escape. His power zeroed in like a bull seeing red, heedless of any obstacle.
Or danger.
Hephaestus erupted from the ocean just beneath Poseidon's gaze. There was not a waft of divinity on him, his focus forcing it inward, as his fist sundered his uncle's jaw. It had to be the shock, that was what Poseidon justified as the reason he was flung back.
As his uncle recovered, slamming into the water on his back, Hephaestus opened and closed his fist.
"Just a bit more," he thought.
He started running, a new weapon forming in his hand. The entire pantheon felt the difference immediately. A weapon that wasn't formed entirely of mundane materials, or even that of the divine.
A weapon that couldn't naturally exist in this world.
A noble phantasm.
It was a standard spear, a nameless D-rank weapon that had been shoved in Gilgamesh's vault. Archer had scanned it in his confrontation with the ancient king, among countless other weapons.
It had the ability to increase its piercing power. Poseidon stood, the smirk gone as Hephaestus thrust forward.
The head of the blade sparked against Poseidon's resilient hide, but the blade never faltered, bouncing off harmlessly. Hephaestus struck a few more times, each blow slightly stronger than the other.
A strong swipe at Poseidon's neck finally dented the weapon. It dispersed into flickering embers, Hephaestus closing in.
"It's futile," grunted Poseidon, taking the hits, "why even bother…but fine. We'll play it your way."
The trident floated to the left, and Poseidon struck a blow of his own. Hephaestus' demeanor shifted instantly, batting the straight jab. A strong step forward as he parried the blow allowed him to strike with his elbow into his uncle's chest.
It was stronger than the others, the shock putting Poseidon off for a moment. It was this exact opening Hephaestus wanted. He closed the gap, clinching his uncle's striking arm.
He twisted his body, slamming his back into his uncle's chest. A strong heave, and he flipped his uncle over his shoulder. Poseidon slammed into the water like it was concrete.
"Thought as much. He can't submerge himself in these waters, can he? No, too soon to tell."
"GAH!"
He didn't hesitate, taking his uncle's arm slamming it in the opposite direction. He knelt on his back, one hand on the shoulder, the other with a strong grip at his uncle's wrist.
The sea god laughed.
"A fighter are you! Using your brother's tricks? How sweet. I'm invulnerable, boy! My very flesh is impervious to–"
POP.
Poseidon stilled. Hephaestus had dug his fingers into the joint of Poseidon's shoulder. With more strength than his uncle had felt so far…he popped the joint out.
"AH!"
Hephaestus pulled the dislocated arm back, and slammed his open palm into the extended elbow.
POP!
"FUCK!"
"Your skin may be resilient and capable of dispersing attacks. But that does not mean you are invulnerable," muttered the fire god.
He had assumed this from the start, having seen his uncle bleed some years ago. But mostly? It was Styx ranting in his mind that cemented it.
"Invulnerable? Invulnerable!? You arrogant little brat! You don't even know the meaning of the word! My blessing cannot be replicated so easily, Olympian or not! Do the other arm of Hephaestus, then this fish's legs! Snap his brittle little spine like a twig!"
It was admittedly difficult to focus with her ranting. But, he persevered. He went to adjust his grip, only for a torrent of water to slam into his chest. Before he could be launched, he reared his leg back, driving it into his uncle's gut as he flew away.
The moment he landed, he was already jetting for Poseidon. The sea god's arm snapped back into place, a surge of divinity sending the water exploding outward. Hephaestus covered his face, forcing his way through.
Poseidon began laughing, a hand in his hair as his trident returned to his grip.
"I'll give you this, nephew, you fight better than I thought!"
The anger was mixed in with pity as Hephaestus emerged from the deluge of ocean water. There was something to his uncle now, Hephaestus skidding to a stop with narrowed eyes.
He swayed a bit with the water, Poseidon tapping his chin with his fist.
"Right here," smirked Poseidon, "I'll give you a free one. Out of respect, you see."
"...what is he trying to do? Show off or something?" muttered Styx.
Hephaestus looked at the crowd. Hestia's face was, for once, not covered with the veil. It was pulled back, framing her face not unlike a nun's habit. In a moment, they shared a gaze and he felt, for a brief second, her disgust and annoyance.
"...by the ancient titans, is he that stupid?"
"Of course not," thought Hephaestus, "he just believes he's that much stronger. My bond with Hestia is making him hesitate. He hasn't noticed yet anyway, so might as well take full advantage."
He said nothing, slowly walking towards Poseidon. His divinity shifted, streamlining into his body. Hera leaned forward, along with the others.
Reinforcement.
Ares stilled, every second that passed was being seared into his mind. His brother had somehow just enhanced his mortal form. Ares instinctively mimicked it for a moment, the feeling having to be adjusted.
Athena already catalogued the skill, using Hephaestus as a template.
"Hmm?" muttered Poseidon, "did you do something? What little tricks do you have up your sleeve, nephew."
The cracks on his body erupted, like vents. From the back of his right hand, a jagged crevice formed, spiraling around his arm up to the elbow. He stopped a few feet away, eyeing his uncle.
"You asked for this," he muttered.
The veins bulged on his arms and neck. The muscles across his hips and back all snapped to exert all the force he was capable of. The force of pulling his arm back was enough for air to be sucked in around his fist. As he lunged forward, Poseidon realized something.
Hephaestus had never exerted himself.
The realization came far too late. Suddenly, the divinity within Hepahestus' body detonated, bursting his body forward at extreme speeds. The cracks along his arm, now shaped in a spiral pattern, burned hot. Like an after burner, the thrust of the mana burst was enhanced even further.
He struck with force beyond even Hera, if only for a moment. The heat of his body ignited the air with rapid pops. While his fist did not breach the skin, it pulverized the bone that lay beneath his uncle's resilient body.
For all that the sea god could mitigate damage, that was all that it was, a mitigation.
Poseidon was already in the air when he realized what happened. He was coughing up blood, his bones snapping into place, his instincts roaring at him. The ocean surged to its master, trying to catch him mid air. Poseidon tore through the water from the force he was launched with.
He could feel each layer of water breaking under him, only to slow him down right at the very edge. Poseidon was breathing heavily, staring down at his feet in the cushion of water he was suspended in.
He shakingly turned his head…his family not a few feet away. While the barrier could not be seen, he was barely a hand's distance away from being thrown out of the "ring" he had made.
"He was holding back," thought Poseidon. "No…he was luring me here!"
Every conflict, every annoying gesture, it was all to bring him closer to the one edge that existed in this demented battle. The thrones. His nephew was no worse for wear. He simply shook his fist, embers popping as the cracks sealed up.
Hephaestus blinked as he stared at his uncle. The same calm expression, the same utter indifference. Holding said gaze, he lifted a hand, curling his fingers back twice.
Bring it.
"...you…actually think…you can win," whispered Poseidon.
The sea churned violently beneath Hepahestus' feet. Poseidon's divinity surged like a tsunami, flooding the area around him with an invisible force.
"I had hoped that would end this," thought Hephaestus, sighing as the pressure spread.
"You almost had him," muttered Styx. There was a mix of pride and worry in her voice. Her frigid divinity flowed through his body. It cooled around his legs and his chest. Nothing more than a sensation, but he got the gist of it. The poor goddess was trying to keep him calm. Though, it was more her that needed that than him. "Be ready," she warned. "I can only adjust Thetis' decayed blessing so much."
Hephaestus adjusted his footing, Poseidon still focusing on his recovery for a moment. The water was violent, but it was not the ocean that he was technically standing on.
Ironically, for something that seemed so simple, standing on water freely was a genuine miracle. Natural water was a purifying element that eroded both mana and divinity in equal measure.
For larger structures and creatures, it was doable, but for a space as small as a human's foot, it simply couldn't be done. God or otherwise. But, that was the benefit of Olympus. For all that this area was akin to an ocean, it was ultimately made purely from divinity.
A divinity that had just become even more agitated. Hephaestus tried to focus his own divinity to enhance his footing, the control more difficult than he would like.
"The hard way it is then," muttered Hephaestus.
Poseidon launched himself from the thrones with the force of a nuke. Tsunamis
erupted from his impact in the oceans, the waves taller than any modern building as they came crashing down.
"So he can enter his own manufactured waters," thought Hephaestus. "This will be… troublesome."
It was erratic, but Hephaestus managed to weave between the waves, keeping his body above water.
He dodged the many hands that formed from the ocean, all attempting to drag him to the depths.
"GET IN THE WATER!"
"What a strange battle cry," muttered Styx.
Hephaestus, with the help of the fragmented blessing of Thetis and the divinity of Styx, was able to stand above this divine infused water. Unfortunately, it made jumping a bit of a problem. Using the waves, he was able to slide with the current. He could see his uncle's face, shimmering around. Bullets of water tried to strike him, all smashed apart by the weapons in his hand.
Lightning pulsed erratically above him, all careening away from Poseidon. He couldn't direct it, supposedly, but Hephaestus wasn't leaving that to chance. His first plan had failed, which sucked. Yet, the second plan was far easier to implement.
"You had a plan of attack after that?" muttered Styx.
"Yes. Attack."
Poseidon emerged from his waters, Hephaestus ducking from the trident that tried to skewer him. He focused divinity in his hands, pushing against the water for distance.
The two warring gods locked eyes, and Hephaestus' divinity pulsed even further.
Countless weapons formed in the sky, all of mundane make. His first instinct was to launch as many high ranking noble phantasms as he could. However, there was something he wanted to check.
Poseidon blinked, eyeing the countless blades that formed around Hephaestus. "What?" he muttered.
"Trace on."
The weapons tripled in number and surrounded Poseidon entirely. Hephaestus' voice echoing clearly despite the echoing storm. In unison, the swords all pointed at Poseidon, the sea god scowling at their number.
"Fire."
The screeching of metal cascaded into the thundering waters. Launched with extreme force, they were able to punch through most of the water, slamming into Poseidon. They shattered harmlessly, but the sheer number overwhelmed his senses.
"Where are you–URK!"
A mace, another nameless noble phantasm, cracked into Poseidon's cheek. He turned to face it, only for Hephaestus to emerge from the water wielding a different, albeit similar, weapon.
It resounded like a gong, striking Poseidon's ribs.
The sea god tried his best, but Hephaestus would simply retreat in the twisting water and falling steel. The clamoring noise assaulted Poseidon on all fronts, his vision constantly shifting as he tried to keep track of every moving thing.
GONG!
Hephaestus had once again retreated his divinity inward, and was indistinguishable from all the other weapons to his divine sense.
GONG!
The next weapon struck harder. In the moment it hit his back, Poseidon could feel that it was denser in a way. That its existence carried greater strength than the others that had struck him.
GONG!
"Are you… still holding back!?"
Poseidon slammed his trident into the ocean, the water spinning around him in a massive riptide. Poseidon stood above it all, unfettered. For even as the blades fell upon his body, he could see his nephew in the distance now. He was struggling, losing his footing as often as he got it back.
Poseidon raised his fist, a spiteful glare piercing into Hephaestus. "That ring out was your only chance! This…is how gods fight, nephew!"
The air shuddered as Poseidon's authority ripped everything in its path. The savagery of it was rough, but its wavelength was something Hephaestus was familiar with.
He exerted his own divinity. His relative youth was crushed by Poseidon's greater power. The swords that had formed crumbled apart, the divinity that kept them together having been disturbed.
While it was a setback, it had confirmed something Hephaestus had been wondering about when it came to his tracing.
"Later," thought Hephaestus.
He kept his cool, rushing forward. For all that this was similar to his bout with Hades, Hephaestus was not the same god he was then. Flowing from his hands, his divinity took the shape of a nameless C-rank mace.
No matter the storm Poseidon brought to bear on it, Hephaestus' divine energy would not falter in a single, stable weapon, especially in such close proximity.
"I don't allow your little tricks, now face me as a God should!" bellowed Poseidon.
Hephaestus scoffed, dodging as the sea fought against him.
"As a god should? If you were as dignified as you claim, you wouldn't be raping women as you please."
Poseidon stilled for a moment, blocking the mace with his arm.
"INSOLENT BRAT!"
Poseidon blocked the metal knee with his other arm. He threw his nephew off, thrusting the trident forward. The water flowed beneath Poseidon as he surged forward, the blade screaming towards Hephaestus' abdomen.
As he landed, water surged behind Hepahestus' back. An ornate shield formed behind him, a noble phantasm that radiated immense Greek divinity. The shield that had once been used by the Achilles of another world.
Aptly named, Achilles Cosmos. When fully deployed, there was almost no attack it could not defend from.
CRUNCH!
Hephaestus' eyes widened, staring at the prongs of Poseidon's trident that had speared through his back.
"What?" he thought.
Poseidon smirked, the water acting as a gateway for him to thrust his trident from any surface.
"Well–"
With Poseidon directly under him, Hephaestus summoned Harpe, slamming the anti-divine blade into his uncle's collar bone. To his annoyance, the blade found no purchase.
Poseidon tore his trident from the water, the shield at Hephaestus' back crumbling as the divine weapon was ripped out of his shield and body.
"I had a feeling," thought Hephaestus, his hand grabbing at his wound.
For all the defenses the great shield had, its defenses were only at their peak once properly deployed. Still, even without the invokement, it was an A rank shield. An A rank shield that crumbled under the might of a god.
"No more of this farce!" growled Poseidon.
The trident lifted Hephaestus off the ground, the water's tendrils gripped into the small crevices of his legs. Within moments, it ripped his prosthetics right from the stump. Hephaestus landed, his blood pooling as Poseidon ripped his trident out.
He ignored Ares' rabid threats. Though, Artemis' glare was a bit unnerving. Actually, now that Poseidon gave them a glance, every single Olympian was giving him the eye.
"Even you, brother?" thought Poseidon, eyeing Hades.
It didn't matter. Victory was victory, no matter how unpleasant it may have been. For this was the truth of the world. The strong devoured the weak.
Poseidon felt a smidge of respect from the way Hephaestus held himself. Not even a grimace. Blood pooled from Hephaestus' mouth, the internal damage remaining.
"Put a strong face all you like, nephew," muttered Posiedon, "you will find your wounds will not heal."
Poseidon stabbed his shoulder.
"In a conflict with Gods, our divinities cannot intermix. It will take you days to recover."
Poseidon's divinity interacted with his own, its presence reducing his body's ability to heal. It was similar to Typhon, though nowhere near as caustic. Hephaestus studied the blood in his hands, adjusting his divinity inward.
"Hepahestus!"
He ignored Styx, focusing his divinity.
"I'll admit it…you are strong nephew."
Poseidon pushed his trident forward, the metal drawing some blood from his neck.
"Give up. End this."
"Uncle," rasped Hephaestus. He gripped the trident with his bloody hand, calm as ever. "You talk too much."
Poseidon had felt fire before. He could not be burned, not by any flame. Yet, for once, the heat was distinctly uncomfortable. He could bear it, if need be, but he still flinched back from the pillar of flames that erupted from Hepahestus.
Unimpeded by the water, everything was washed in a cleansing fire. The flames parted, revealing a light glowing from Hepahestus' legs. Metal prosthetics spun to life, latching onto his legs. Freshly created, they would not last nearly as long. But for a single bout, they were more than enough.
The wounds glowed. Hephaestus' own power latching onto the remnants of Poseidon's grace.
The sea god's eyes widened as fire vented from the wounds, ejecting the gods divinity. The entire room grew silent.
"...what did you just do?"
Hephaestus said nothing, inspecting himself amidst Poseidon's shock.
"My divinity isn't recovering as quickly," he thought. Hephaestus could feel the way it had been reduced. He had hoped simply venting the wound of the ambient power would allow him to recover quickly. Yet, as his wound slowly closed, his divinity seeped from him.
It would seem that wounds inflicted by other gods did not heal as simply as he would like, lingering divinity or not.
"That would explain Apollo's domain then," thought Hephaestus.
Poseidon was reeling from the idea that a god just purged themselves of ambient divinity. The core of the gods were perfect, but their inability to latch onto each other's power made recovery an annoying, time consuming process.
This one just shoved it out without a thought.
Still, if that was the only thing that reduced a god's recovery, wars would never end.
"...Choosing to lose standing on your feet." Poseidon gave a good hearted chuckle. "I can respect that… Hephaestus… what is that?"
From his reality marble came an orange hued flask. It was a large vessel, sitting comfortably in Hephaestus' hand. It looked as if it was formed by a crystal of some form, a strange fire-hued quartz.
He lifted the topper…and the utterly caustic divinity that seeped from it made everyone, especially Poseidon as the closest one, reel back. Of all the rivers of the underworld, there was only one that could be recognized by sheer presence.
The river of flames that flowed through Tartarus.
Phelegetheon.
"What in the hells are you doing, boy!"
The gods turned to Hades, his gaze threatening to undo even Hephaestus.
Without even blinking, he just drank from the flask.
"ARE YOU INSANE!?"
His wounds screamed, laughter echoed from his body as the gods cringed. To them, it was if someone was pinching the wound closed, burning them shut. His body shuddered with scars. He didn't care if it was permanent, but considering his nature as a God, it was unlikely.
"Look at their faces!" laughed Phlegethon, "Hit 'em where it hurts!"
The flask of Phlegethon, or simply the Estus flask as he dubbed it. It was her divinity distilled and stored within a quartz/glass like flask held within the underworld. It took some doing, but he had managed to separate a portion of her power within the bottle.
"About two charges left," he thought.
The flask couldn't be traced and it would break after all the uses had been used. The material needed was slow to form.
But they didn't need to know that, now did they?
"...you're insane," muttered Poseidon.
He didn't even blink before Hephaestus was on him. Both legs were reared back from his jump, slamming into the sea god with the force of a meteor. As he careened into the distance, Hephaestus cracked his neck, ignoring the baleful spite from his other Uncle. Though, the concern on the other god's faces was, admittedly, a bit offputting. It was merely him healing himself.
"I hate it when you use her power," growled Styx, "What did I tell you about that!"
"Not to."
"And you did it anyway!"
"Yes."
"YOU!"
"Busy, talk later."
The ocean swirled above them, Poseidon at the apex of its ascent.
"...I realize now, nephew…that there can be no room for mercy. You won't stop. Not if you're willing to go that far."
The sea attempted to drown Hephaestus, even more so with the divinity at his heels. Poseidon was adapting, adjusting his power to rip the sole means of staying above water away from him.
"I had heard that you pillaged the spirits of the underworld from Hades himself," grumbled Poseidon, "but I thought that as mere rumor. The boasting of a youthful brat."
Hades felt his veins throb, his wife the sole solace for his rage. Though she wasn't angry, she wasn't exactly calm either. Watching someone drink hell fire was… well it was just wrong.
Poseidon spat into the ocean, surging forward.
"No more, it ends here and now!"
The water collapsed on Hephaestus, but once again he merely rode the waves, adjusting to the currents that tried to befall him.
"What's wrong, uncle?"
The sea god shivered, Hephaestus only a few feet from him now.
"Are you afraid?"
Poseidon calmed himself. He wouldn't fall for it again. The water tried to slam into his legs again, but Hepahestus' divinity was even thicker now, shrouding his legs in a protective layer.
While a god's power regenerated almost instantly, the wound he had suffered made that regeneration slower. Hephaestus looked up, the lightning curling ominously in the clouds.
"Not yet," he thought.
Instead, he jumped.
"Don't run from me!" yelled Posiedon.
Yet, Hephaestus kept climbing, his ascent almost to the clouds. Sure enough, Poseidon's domain could not reach here. Rather…it wouldn't.
Hephaestus pulled deep within himself, the air shuddering as he called forth his next weapon. The sight of which made Hades almost try to kill him. The name uttered through the fight ran a chill down Poseidon's spine.
"Cocytus."
A jagged spear, entirely made of ice, was gripped in Hephaestus' right hand. Steam seeped from his fingers, but the weapon held strong. He hurled it, Poseidon scoffing as he tilted his body ahead of time.
"That's too obvious, nephew! I don't care if you summon all those infernal rivers, you will still fall!"
The spear flew harmlessly by Poseidon. The jagged spikes of ice however, did not. The spear impacted Poseidon's divinity, freezing the essence in place. The jagged pieces struck him in the back, breaking on his skin. The ice crumbled from the movement of the water. Poseidon laughed.
"Are you trying to freeze my waters!? What kind of fire god are…you…"
The sky was blotted out, countless copies of the spear spreading around Hephaestus as he slowly fell.
"Fire," he muttered.
They each tore across the skies, leaving streaks of freezing mist in their wake. Each spear slammed into the ocean, freezing everything around it. Within seconds, the entire ocean was frozen.
The mist seeped from the now frozen ground, Hephaestus' eyes glowing with an idea.
"You–you!"
The ice shone from the light above him. Hephaestus was still falling, about halfway there, with a massive ball of fire above his head. Poseidon's first instinct was to ignore it.
The damn fireball, regardless of its immense size, could not harm him. Poseidon busied himself with trying to unfreeze his own power. He looked into the ice, cringing at the smirking woman that hid within it.
She gave a viscous grin, her horns only adding to the malicious intent. The image shimmered away as the ball of flames finally came near.
It collided with an explosion, the rupture of steam coating even Poseidon's gaze with a heavy fog. He could hear Hephaestus' feet clanging onto the ice. Yet…there was not a sound after that.
In fact…there was nothing. No fire, no heat, no divinity. It was like he disappeared off the face of Olympus. The divinity that was infused in the fog didn't help matters either.
"Where d–"
THUNK!
Poseidon had turned, a blow sending him falling.
THUNK!
Another one, hitting him in the ribs. He roared, slamming his trident into the ice. It cracked, only for new spears to collide and seal it back up.
"What is happening!" he thought.
THUNK! THUNK!
The ribs, the shoulder, the back of his legs. Every few seconds another heavy blow would strike the god. Each left little embers of Hephaestus power. It wasn't a problem, at first.
But the blows came faster and faster, each leaving their little marks. Each reducing him, bit by bit.
"ENOUGH!"
Poseidon reached deep within and, as much as his pride detested it, emulated Hephaestus. The way his divinity detonated within himself, what if he applied that outwardly?
The storm beckoned within Poseidon, the winds exploding with a ravenous bite. The fog dispersed, revealing… nothing?
"You…crafty bastard," muttered Poseidon, eyeing the scratch marks across the ice. "Invisiblity. No…"
Poseidon lulled for a moment, closing his eyes. He got hit a few times, but nothing he couldn't endure. He knew this trick, though his brother was far greater at it.
His divinity swirled around, condensed enough to form a soft blue light. It looked like a lazy whirlpool, softly flowing around him. A space quickly moved out of the range, but it was too late. Poseidon lifted his hands, new water forming to grab at the body.
He pulled, revealing a hooded garment of some kind. Having leapt a distance away, Hephaestus scoffed, already summoning a bow.
"You would even mimic my brother. Your audacity knows no bounds!"
A strange arrow was knocked and Hephaestus pulled. The bow was almost as large as him, shining an onyx black. The polymer substance it was composed of had been enhanced using divine wood, but it was far from a finished product.
But, for launching arrows, it would do. It groaned, holding strong. The arrow shuddered, countless runes forming along its spiraled edge.
"Twist in madness."
Dionysus perked up.
"CALADBOLG!"
"That's not Greek," was Hera's first thought.
It ruptured space entirely, twisting anything it came into contact with. It was like a rainbow, streaking over the ice. Poseidon attempted to parry with his trident, but had to grip the arrow with his free hand due to the speed. It kept spinning, even after the god caught it.
It was relentless, carrying Poseidon further and further away. Poseidon's feet dragged with the ice, but it was the blood pouring from his hand that set him off. Like a shark, his eyes turned black, his teeth growing sharper.
"No," he thought. His divinity stopped swelling. Regardless, he wouldn't suffer the indignity of it.
The features disappeared, but his thoughts cut off when the arrow pierced his chest. He could feel the energy bubbling up.
"You fucking bastard!"
BOOOOM!
The ice shattered, the ocean water splurging upwards as Caladbolg detonated with extreme force. Hephaestus' eyes shone as he enhanced his vision. From the steam, he could see that Poseidon was injured but not by much.
The skin of his hand was twisted, and there was a slight scorch to the god's right pectoral. Poseidon stared at his bleeding hand. His form shifted only for a moment, but he controlled himself.
Still, the insult would not stand. Eyeing his nephew, he uttered a single word.
"...Lotan."
Hephaestus jumped back as far as he could, the massive head of a serpent smashing upwards from the ice below him. Hephaestus hardened his body, pulling back on Ifrit.
Unlike himself, she was purely divine. Facing such a monster, one with domains that worked against her, was just stupid. The beast was gargantuan, certainly, but nothing equal to something of Typhon's stature. With the width of eight men, the sea wyrm was a sight to behold.
If Ifrit was the majesty and beauty of fire, then this Lotan was the savagery of the oceans personified. Thick scales, a massive row of teeth, and two eyes that screamed murder. It held no limbs, instead having large slits that jet out pressurized water.
It was a creature of the depths, brought forth for battle.
It lunged, diving back under the water. Within moments, it slammed into him, breaking most of his bones. Poseidon's power was vented out, the flask appearing in his hands.
A quick swig, and his wounds steamed as everything popped into place.
"One left," warned Phlegethon. "Don't have enough reserves to just make another."
"I'm aware," grunted Hephaestus.
Not that she actually cared. For all her warning, Phlegethon was having the time of her life. Feeding off his pain as he used her so called "waters".
"Aw, you do know me," she teased.
"Not the time," he thought.
The beast lunged back into the waters, the massive leviathan a beast of almost biblical proportions.
"Where's your pretty bird," growled Poseidon, his voice echoing even at this distance. "Or is it too afraid to face me and Lotan?"
Hephaestus immediately grabbed his right shoulder, catching Ifrit's beak in his grip. She struggled only for a moment, before relenting and returning within him, disappearing into his chest. Poseidon blinked, eyeing his own chest before he turned to look at Lotan.
The beast eyed his God like the idiot he was, smashing back into the ocean. The ice under his feet rumbled, the massive leviathan surging forward once more. Hephaestus raised his hand.
"You think a puny sword will–"
"Come, Ig-Alima."
The word made every god freeze. The use of names on a weapon were always deemed a bit childish sometimes. But the words invoked here were not of Grecian origin. No… it was older. Stronger.
Ancient.
From the sky came a massive blade, aimed perfectly as Lotan came crashing out the ice.
"LOTAN WAIT!" yelled Poseidon.
A divine construct shuddered into existence. It was launched with incredible force, tearing through everything in front of it. The mountain cutter slammed into Lotan's massive head, drawing golden blood immediately. Within seconds, the divine beast's head was pierced into the ice, its body shaking as it struggled to recover.
"LOTAN!"
Poseidon eyed the massive sword, his scowl receding. Even he knew of the swords held by the War God Zababa. A pantheon that made Mesopotamia its home. The gods within it were ancient. While having long since retreated from the mortal realms, they were still whispered with respect.
The sky shuddered, the lightning pulsating with three quick raps. Zeus' head snapped to the clouds.
"...you don't even know what you've done, do you?" grumbled Poseidon, ignoring the erratic lightning. "You think just because you give it a name, that it…"
He stilled as he realized what Hephaestus was doing. For Ig-Alima was only of a pair owned by the God Zababa. One was the Mountain Cutter Ig-Alima, and the other.
"Come, Sul-Sugana."
The sky parted as a massive sword, unlike Ig-Alima appeared. As if forged from molten rock, the massive jagged weapon floated downwards, slowly revealing its full splendor.
Lightning struck the weapon, steam screaming to the world the might of its fire. Hephaestus' hand remained raised, but unlike Ig-Alima, the blade was slow moving.
"Now is not the time to show off!" said Styx anxiously, "You saw his face, he knows exactly what that is! You need to strike now! Hepahestus! …Hephaestus, what's wrong?"
His arm struggled, shaking as he tried to exert his influence over the blade. Hephaestus began to actually sweat, but thankfully Poseidon was distracted, looking up. Finally having enough, Hephaestus did the same. His calm expression faltered at the sight of the massive hand that held the grip of Sul-Sugana.
The clouds were pulled back by the other hand, revealing a giant God. He had an eastern complexion, with dark hair that framed his face like a lion's mane. Within his eyes were constellations, the roar of a lion announcing his arrival. He wore gold around his neck and had bands around his arm.
A crown was worn on his head.
"So," grumbled the god above them, turning its starry gaze to Hephaestus. "It is you that called my blades by name."
"....Shit," thought Hephaestus.