We Were Never Gone (Worm/RLMyths)

[Spytheengineer]

Prologue: The Calm Before
A/N: This fic is cross posted from SpaceBattles ! This fic was inspired by Incense and Powdered Diamond by Lucifra!
I 100% recommend reading that. This is the first fic that I've seriously written in about… 5 years I wanna say? So be nice please! Constructive criticism is welcome, but being mean for the sake of being mean is kinda…. Mean. This was beta'd by Kinsfire, Lucifra, and FirstSelector, round of applause! On that note, Enjoy!

Sitting on his throne in the council hall, seething with barely contained fury, Poseidon was growing weary of his younger brother's antics, king of the gods or not. Zeus was gesturing angrily, debating with Apollo from his throne across the hall. Snapping at the others with poorly concealed annoyance at their supposed disloyalty.

"I care not what the mortals do! They must learn to care for themselves, if they cannot, then I am not to be blamed for their demise! They shunned us! They declared us mere stories! I - We are no longer worshiped! So what if they perish? All that means is that I - we shall swoop in and reclaim what is rightfully ours!" Zeus nearly sneered at the suddenly silent throne room. With that, Poseidon had reached his limit. Standing sharply and marching towards his arrogant brother, Poseidon roared.

"OF COURSE YOU ARE TO BLAME, WE ARE ALL TO BLAME!" He swept an arm out, gesturing wildly towards the rest of the gods in the room, all but Athena and Hestia rearing back in both surprise and slight fear (not that they would admit it). Pausing, Poseidon took a deep breath and then continued,

"Brother, they stopped worshiping us because we stopped responding to prayers on your orders. You were the one to inform us of the meeting you had with the other pantheons' leaders, where it was decided the divine would step back to let humanity grow beyond us. It was you-" Poseidon nearly snarled stepping closer and closer to Zeus's throne, trident in hand, thunder in his eyes "-that put it to a vote with them, it was you who had us step away from the mortals 'So that they may better themselves to better serve us.' But for centuries they had no need of us! They did better themselves! They were growing, reaching their true potential! But now they are at war and they've yet to even realize it. And here you are, refusing to acknowledge your blunder." He accused, tilting the trident towards Zeus.

Zeus faltered, of course he had seen his brother angry before, millennia of irritating each other tends to bring out the worst of each other, but this… This was different. Poseidon was vehement in a way that he hadn't seen since the Gigantomachy. But there was something else in there that he had noticed. He leaned forward, delicately ignoring the trident and asked the question that immediately started to burn within him.

"What do you mean 'They are at war and they've yet to even realize it?'" Poseidon searched his brother's eyes and face, looking for anything that would betray his seeming ignorance. Not finding it, the sea god turned towards the rest and saw the almost naked confusion on most of the others, the ones who had either stayed silent or stood on Zeus's side of the argument not moments before. Apollo, Athena, Artemis, Ares, and Hestia. Those were the ones who knew.

He locked eyes with each of them, then turned back to his brother, who was starting to look both concerned at the implications, and angry at being ignored. He hesitated, then steeled himself. "Brother… something came from beyond the stars. A beast on the order of the primordials or even beyond, a parasite. It splits off portions of its flesh to meld with the mortals, and causes mayhem and destruction. Meddling with their thoughts to crave conflict." Seeing Zeus open his mouth, he quickly continued "If that were the end of it, then I would not be here, arguing that the law against interfering with the mortals be lifted across all pantheons and immediately rendering aid to them, they could easily take care of it, if that were the case. The parasite gave them abilities. Abilities so unnatural that I had half a mind to accuse Coyote, Eris, Loki or even Hecate of sowing chaos amongst them." he stopped, taking a breath and paused, feeling a hand on his shoulder, Ares.

Ares nodded to him and stood at attention as if a soldier at a debriefing, "There is more. The Parasite displays a wide array of abilities ….."

Poseidon sharply turned on his heel and started to make his way back to his throne, rubbing his temples at the budding headache, letting the conversation fade from the forefront of his mind, he looked at the rest of the council, all in quiet discussions amongst each other. All except Hestia, quietly tending to the hearth. Poseidon changed course, leading directly next to his eldest sister, and sat next to her.

"Hello brother." Hestia gently murmured, shooting a tiny, genuine, smile at Poseidon, who shot a strained one back. Hestia put a hand on his arm, squeezed it and sighed, "Worry not, brother, as stubborn as Zeus is, he will come around. He does care, even if it is a bit of a self centered reason to do so." Poseidon nodded silently, and closed his eyes, pushing his full attention towards his domains, using them to calm himself. It worked until his attention fell upon The Beast. His mood soured as he watched it move through the ocean at breakneck speeds. Then his heart sank and his face paled as he realized its destination.

It was moving towards a city, quickly. Poseidon lurched back to a standing position, garnering the attention of all the others. The conversations halted as they realized his blanched complexion.

"Brother?" Zeus inquired, and started as Poseidon turned towards him with a look of determination mixed with fear.

"One of the beasts is on the move. It is heading for one of the mortal cities." Poseidon stated gravely. Before he could say more. A voice started to speak, none recognized the voice, but all could hear it.
"We owe thanks to Dragon and Armsmaster for their early alert. We've had time to gather, and that means we have just a few more minutes to prepare and brief for Leviathan's arrival, instead of jumping straight into the fray as we arrive. With this advantage, some luck, teamwork and hard effort from everyone, I hold out hope that this could be one of the good days."

Zeus smirked, and opened his mouth but was cut off by the bone-chilling words spoken next,
"But you should know your chances going in. Given the statistics from our previous encounters with this beast, a 'good day' still means that one in four of the people in this room will probably be dead before this day is done." Zeus's jaw snapped shut and he went still.

Opening his mouth, once again he was interrupted, but not by the voice, but by a veritable flood of prayers, begging for luck, for strength, to not die, for the beast to die, for flight, for the ability to breathe underwater. For everything up and down the list, but one, clearly heard by all, struck a chord in all of them.

"God, Jesus, Odin, Zeus, whoever might be listening. PLEASE help us. We're losing every time these things show up. Even just ... somehow give Leviathan less water to work with. They're killing us slowly but steadily. We need help. Please…."

The hall was silent. Zeus scowled, then summoned his master bolt slamming it on the floor and imbued his voice with his divine magicks. "GODS OF OLYMPUS" He roared, standing up "WE HAVE A DUTY TO FULFILL TO THE MORTALS THAT WE HAVE DISREGARDED FOR FAR TOO LONG. THEY ARE IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION BY THE PARASITE. UNTIL THE THREAT IS DEFEATED, WE. ARE. AT. WAR." turning to Poseidon, who looked shocked at his quick turn around, Zeus nodded sharply with a quick "Go, now!"

That snapped the Sea God out of it, summoning his trident and teleporting away. Zeus marched out of the hall to the sounds of the others warping away to prepare as well. Stepping out, he saw the almost instantaneous reaction to his words, the thousands of beings that lived on Olympus, all gearing up for war, to fight, to die, to win. Zeus smirked proudly at that thought, and continued to his palace, to grab his armor.

Poseidon warped to his throne room in Atlantis, and without missing a beat he announced for his guards to hear "We are at war! Gather the armies! Light the forges! We leave immediately, we have a mortal city to save!" turning to Amphitrite, stunned from the sudden change in atmosphere, he stepped forward to kiss her, and whispered to her as he pulled away,
"Summon Triton, he and I are leaving for a mortal city to fight one of the parasite's beasts. The Oceanic one. Your duty is to contact ALL the other water deities as fast as you can, we must nullify this… thing's control over our domain." He gently nudged her away, and watched her part with a quiet 'good luck, husband'.

Poseidon sat on his throne. On his throne, his power was amplified tenfold, he exerted his will and got to work to disband the storm the beast had caused, Poseidon focused on the titanic waves and his brother, presumably noticing his actions, began to assist. Zeus and whoever else he had called for began dispersing the storm overhead the beast as fast as it was forming them from the ocean water. The beast was clearly better at liquid water than water vapors, Zeus and the other air/storm deities were able to clear the storm faster than he was able to calm the ocean.

Triton, armed and ready, swam into the Throne room and saluted, "Father, I am ready!" Poseidon grunted, and with a quick "Good" started directing other oceanic entities that were paying attention to the battle of wills occurring. A tug on his domain alerted Poseidon to Oceanus' awakening, and instead of feeling dread as he might have not even a century ago, he felt relief. He knew that with the parasite, old enemies had become allies, the ages of them all had long passed, many grudges and feuds simply died out when the parasite arrived on Earth. Feeling the strain lesson on himself, he stood.

"Come, Triton. Zeus has abolished the law banning interfering with the mortals. We must assist them in their battle at once." A sharp turn with his tail had him swimming towards the staging grounds, a determined "Aye!" following him down the halls.

Odin sat upon Hliðskjálf, and glared silently at Zeus up on Olympus. Zeus was no subtle being, and the waves of Olympus preparing for war were very noticeable, not to mention the actual declaration of war the fool had roared for every pantheon to hear.

Odin turned his attention back to Valaskjálf, filled with Warriors, Seiðberandi , and the Citizens of his kingdom, all quietly murmuring amongst each other. Slamming Gungnir on the floor had the exact effect it had every time, instant, absolute silence. Odin glared at all the æsir in the hall, "Zeus has decided to renounce the law that he brought to the council to enact. The law that orders all divine to abstain from interfering with the mortal world. With his actions, he has inadvertently declared the law null and void. The mortal's for years now have been praying for assistance, for aid! And now? Now we can FINALLY HELP THEM!" Odin shouted. The hall heard his words and roared.

Odin stood from Hliðskjálf and started barking orders, ordering the guards to summon the reserves, to contact Niðavellir for armour and weapons. Ordering the healers to be prepared for the worst, and the Seiðberandi to be ready to counter anything that they may come across, looking towards his close family, His sons, Thor and Loki, and his wife, Frigga, He intoned, "Go, prepare yourselves. This is the beginning of the Age of Humanity, and we will see it through."

From the bifrost chamber, Heimdall watched, both his king and earth. He heard his king's orders, how could he not? Readying himself, he plunged Hǫfuð into the receptacle, and the bifrost, silent for centuries, hummed to life as if it had never been off, crackling with divine energies long thought lost. Within minutes the entirety of Ásgarðr was buzzing with energy, like a hive of the angriest god-murder-hornets in the universe, poked at the worst moment possible.

All across the void between Earth Bet and the rest of the multiverse, the divinities that remained, those that had been there when the law was decreed, heard the call to war that Zeus had made. Those who didn't were either deaf or mortal. They all had been waiting for decades for this moment, the King of the Grecians was too powerful to risk offending by going behind his back, but by him loudly and publicly declaring war was more than fair game in their eyes to finally do something about the abominations that roamed the Earth.

The future once again has potential, Sister.

Oh yes, I very well agree Sister. To see the divine finally taking part
in this war is very entertaining.​

Indeed Sisters, this very much has potential, we must remember to thank Hecate
for the final nudge. Though, we do always have the option of starting over.​

We shall thank her, though she may not like our gift of appreciation.
We may be able to begin again, but to do so frivolously is the height of foolishness.

Yes indeed Sister, we shall continue this weave and see where it leads.
The investment here is most immense in its impact on us.​

 

[Spytheengineer]

AN: This was cross posted from SB. Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! This was beta'd by Kinsfire! Round of applause! Enjoy!

Poseidon was somewhere between elated at finally being permitted to assist the mortals and enraged that it took so much suffering to achieve it. Clutching his trident tighter, he willed the currents to move faster, hoping to reach the shore before the beast. He could feel other water deities assisting him, Pontus, Oceanus, Nephthys, Hapi, Aegaeon, His wife and even his roman counterpart, Neptune. They were hindering the beast, stealing control of any water it gathered, pulling it back, pushing it side to side, even using the water itself as a weapon against it, digging deep into its sides, yet it didn't seem to react at all.

Triton, beside him, was blank faced, eyes shining with excitement and a hint of dread. The both of them worried about what they might find on the surface that was rapidly approaching as the beast was pulling behind. Deep in his thoughts, he missed the question his son had asked of him. He started, noticing Triton's hand pulling away.

"Yes, my son, what is it?" The sea king murmured. Triton hesitated, a look of deep thought on his face. "Father, why is it only now that we have been permitted to assist the mortals? Why didn't we immediately come to their aid when the parasite arrived?" ouch, going for the hardest questions first.

"Your uncle, as you know, can be very… stubborn, and when he gets an idea within his mind, to convince him otherwise can be a herculean task. In most cases, more effort than it's truly worth. This time, for instance, he got it in his head that the mortals abandoned us, that they disavowed us, -" seeing the look on Triton's face, he sped up "- which is cleary incorrect, seeing as we were the ones to abandon the mortals, on Zeus's orders." he scowled, an uncomfortable silence blanketed across them as he gathered his composure.

Breathing in, he continued "The only reason Zeus was whipped into a bloodthirsty frenzy is because of the deluge of prayers that broke through the law's prayer barrier. Flooding the throne room with desperate prayers for help. The one that broke the camel's back, so to say, would be the last prayer directly begging him and the all father for help. I can't help but think he's at least a little upset about being the fourth being to be called in the prayer…" Triton smirked, "Oh yes, my son, fourth to be called, after the biblical 'God' and 'Jesus', then the All-Father, then himself. He must be incensed!" He guffawed, just now realizing what the look on Zeus's face was. Embarrassment, the fool was embarrassed at not being called first!

Sobering his train of thought was an urgent warning from the others, the beast had managed to brute force a tidal wave past their grasps, and it was heading straight for the meeting point of the hosts fighting the beast. Without hesitation Poseidon flung his son and the troops forward, and flashed off to intercept the wave.

Landing on his feet, he sharply spun towards the ocean, towards the oncoming tidal wave. He did not acknowledge the bellows or screams from behind him, nor did he acknowledge the menagerie of forcefields to appear behind and infront of the glass standing between the wave and him. He raised his trident, and thrusted towards the wave, and swung his arm outwards, channeling as much energy as he dared expend with this impulsive decision.

The storm overhead cleared almost instantly, letting the rising sun shine over the bay, the choppy ocean calmed, no waves for miles, though unfortunately the beast hadn't magically disappeared. It made a hell of a sight, standing on the shore, glaring what felt like directly at Poseidon. Many would have felt fear staring into those toxic green orbs the thing had for eyes, but all Poseidon felt was vindication. The gods themselves were having trouble holding this thing back from unrightfully sequestering their domains for use against the mortals, what use did said mortals have against this thing?

"Out! Now!" Poseidon called out to those behind him who hadn't already gone. Taking the cue for what it was, one of the host's, one in a blue skinsuit called out "Strider!" they bellowed, over the sudden noise and chaos, "Get us out of here!"

The presence of the mortals winked out behind him and reappeared a little ways away, thankfully out of the building farther away from the beast as Poseidon started running full on towards the monster. Breaking through the windows and barely slowing down. As he ran, Poseidon could feel the eyes watching him. Not the mortals or their mechanical eyes, nor the parasite or its uncanny act of omnipresence, he could feel the eyes of the other pantheons watching him, watching it. Slamming his trident into the ground like an olympic (Ha! Olympic!) pole vaulter, he launched himself towards the beast, the winds giving him the boost of speed he needed to… watch the beast dodge him with barely any effort. Damn.

He landed heavily on the pavement, and stood up and turned to look for the beast. Oddly still. Never before had the beast stood still for this long. It was clearly looking at him. Did the parasite not know about the divine? Was that why the beast was wary? From around the corner of the building behind the beast, he could see the mortals all pouring into the road and begin attacking the beast. Distracting it from Poseidon, and letting him see how it usually acted up close.

It was quick, even without water bolstering its movements, though there was water, it seemed to pour from the beast itself in an unending torrent and, -most likely by the work of the others-, was torn from the beast's grasp and flung towards the oceans or just evaporated altogether.

Poseidon scowled, the beast was far too quick for him. For him, glancing upwards he called out "Hermes! Artemis, Apollo!" three flashes signified their arrival, and with them came the full attention of the beast again, suddenly on the offensive.

"Hermes, get the chains!" Poseidon yelled and dodged, not worrying for the younger gods, Apollo and Hermes were fast and Artemis was more a danger to the beast than it was to her. A quick "Got it boss!" from Hermes was all he got and he left the 2 archers to their own devices, letting them dash away.

Dodging another hit from the tail, Poseidon reached out and locked a steel grip onto it, getting yanked along with the tail as it continued on, undeterred. As he started the climb up towards the head of the beast, he could see the hosts attacking it, some attacks just barely missing hitting him.

As he was nearing the base of the tail, he was violently flung off, only to be caught by one of the hosts. "Thank you," the disgruntled sea god said to the woman. She was tall, and had no clothing other than shards of her forcefields covering her, with a large horn sticking from her forehead.

"Here," she grunted, and shoved a bracelet into his hands, in any other situation, he wouldn't have accepted it, let alone put it on without numerous questions about it, but this was in the heat of battle, split second decisions were vital. Without hesitation, he slid it on, glancing down at it he saw a small display, asking for his name, he looked back at the host, she was staring at him. Seeing his look, she pointed at a button on the bracelet, and said "Push this and you say your cape name."

Letting out a small, "ah" he complied, feeling foolish, though the attention of the other gods let no amusement shine through, no distractions. Confirming his name on the device, the host looked over at him with a look he couldn't decipher. She glanced at his trident, then the direction the beast and the rest had gone off in. "So, you clearly have a plan, what is it?" she asked bluntly.

He paused, caught off guard by the unexpected question. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "I sent my nephew, Hermes, to retrieve a set of adamantine chains from Hephaestus's forge. They are unbreakable, and no creature has ever been able to escape them."

Her face twisted into a look of pure skepticism, but she shrugged after a moment. "Well, if you've seen them in use," she said, trailing off. Poseidon nodded firmly, and she continued, "Ah, okay. That gives me hope then. We'll give it a try and see how it goes." She was about to say more when Hermes suddenly appeared, holding the chains in his hands.

The Adamantine Chains were the work of the best blacksmiths across all the pantheons, Hephaestus, Ptah, Kagu-tsuchi, and even the dwarves of Niðavellir. Forged in the fires of Tartarus, and enchanted by the best of the best, the chains were made to anchor the realms of the gods together in the void during their period of self exile. These were a special pair, made in secret for the beasts that now roamed the ocean, sky and earth respectively.

Upon seeing the chains, Poseidon nodded in satisfaction, "Good, give it to Artemis, tell her she is to either wait for my signal or fire if she believes she can trap the beast with one arrow." Saluting sharpy, Hermes vanished. "We must get back to the fight. Find your strongest, and on my signal have them dogpile the beast, it must be held still at all costs but their lives." feeling Zeus prepare to launch him, he readied his trident and kicked off the ground.

The winds held him aloft as he searched for the beast. He found it surrounded by hosts and some of the atlantean soldiers, he tugged at the winds and accelerated hard, slamming into the beast and sending it hurtling down the street. He held on tightly, using the water pouring from the beast to rejuvenate himself. Acting quickly, he seized control of the water, with the others reinforcing his power, and wrapped it tightly around the beast. Then, with a swift motion, he froze the water, trapping the beast temporarily.

Clearly seeing an opportunity, the hosts that he had requested rocketed in to grab at the limbs, with a shriek of metal, swords of steel grew from the tarmac and wrapped around the tail, a young boy, ran through a spatial distortion, touched the steel, locking it in place with a blast of chronal energy, and was pulled back through the tear before it closed behind him.

The ice began to crack, the hosts started straining to keep it in place, and with a large CRACK of the ice, an arrow hit the beast square in the eye, slamming its head back as the large chain attached to it snaked around the beast to get a tight grip on it. Moving quickly, he moved to stand atop the beast as the chains clanked closed, the hosts all retreating before the chain could accidentally ensnare them too, good.

The Adamantine chains wrapped around the beast, locking it in place, though it tried to struggle. For every move it made the enchanted chains dug deeper and wound themselves tighter and tighter, Poseidon stood atop the beast, held carefully by the same chains that the beast struggled against, it was humorous in a way, those chains, made of the same material that was used to capture Zeus when they tired of his foolish actions back during the times of the Titanomachy, and made him swear to do better as a king. Now those chains were used not in annoyance, but necessity, it gave Poseidon the resolve to continue on.

He raised his trident, the same one that helped strike down titans, giants, monsters alike millennia ago, and drove it as far down into the beast beneath him as he could, and roared "NOW!"

From the heavens, came the honest to him wrath of the gods, a pillar of divine lightning the size of one of the mortals' vehicles arced down from the suddenly stormy heavens, through his trident and into the crystalline flesh beneath his feet. The beast, clearly not expecting that, went ballistic.

Panic was suddenly evident in its movements, it began to thrash erratically within its confinement of the chains, ignoring them as they dug far, far too deep into its flesh, but it wasn't dead. "AGAIN!" Poseidon roared, and poured a significant portion of his divine energy into his trident, turning it into an amplifier for the even bigger lightning bolt that struck.

-------​

Blinking the residual light out of her eyes, Narwhal was both astonished and slightly horrified. A unknown appears just before the tidal wave would have hit the PRT building, dismisses it, and the storm overhead, then goes directly into close range melee combat with a trident, and was winning, and that's not even to mention the claim on the name Poseidon, his 'nephew' Hermes, and the other two, called 'Apollo' and 'Artemis'. Seeing him yell at the sky to summon the three, could have been mistaken for a private com, but yelling at the sky? And getting not one, but two car sized lightning bolts? Something was off about him.

Leviathan was angry, or afraid, it was hard to tell which. It may have been difficult to know which it was, but it wasn't difficult to see it was acting differently than before. It had always acted with a sinister grace, no hesitation, only destruction, but this fight? It had been distracted, or countered maybe, there were no tidal waves, there was no storm, even the water echo he usually had wasn't there, all water that came from Leviathan either evaporated, or drained away to be ripped from the endbringer's control.

So deep within her thoughts, she almost missed it. Something flickered on the horizon, a blur of gold and silver. Then it grew, expanding until it seemed it would fill the sky, a humanoid figure large enough to hold a city in its hand. A sun, slowly rising in the distance, growing brighter by the second. A figure with a flaming halo, a man wearing a skintight bodysuit with gold and silver decoration, hair glowing like a second sun, eyes solid white. Scion had arrived.

The golden man dropped from the sky, landing immaculately, not a hair out of place, not a pebble shook from his landing. The battlefield went quiet, all watching the trapped endbringer and the most powerful cape on the planet stare each other down.

-------​

SHIT. He knew it was a possibility, Athena had even predicted any disturbance they made would get its attention, but there was no way to tell if he was the cause, or the parasite would have come without him there. There was now way to tell.

The parasite's human skin walked closer, and Poseidon felt ill, he could see that the body it wore was created in the images of the divine, and could almost see the mix of Zeus and others in there. It was sickening, the others seemed to agree, withdrawing as much as possible to avoid attracting its attention towards Poseidon. It seemed as if it couldn't see him, though its eyes were solid, he could still feel the weight of the gaze of both the eyes and the shards of the parasite continuously slide right off him, never staying long enough to truly see anything of worth, other than the flimsy guise of a stronger than average host. He quickly wrapped himself in a thin shroud of divine energy, his dwindling stores could handle this, but not for long.

The parasite stepped closer. Watching it closely, he ripped his trident from the beasts back with barely a jerk from it. And jumped down, off to the side and moved out of the way quickly, just in time too. A golden blast encompassed the beast entirely, and a thin form was tossed away. The golden energy dissipated. The chains were untouched, even the majority of the beast was unharmed, but along the spine of the beast ran a great big crack. Leaving the beast an empty shell.

Turning sharply at the realization, the form stood, it was the beast, a skeletal, sickly looking version, at least. The beast, clearly seeing it was outmatched at this point, turned and dove into the ocean. The parasite was not having it, and started after it, walking that transitioned to flying after it. Marking the end of the divine's first 'Endbringer' fight. He was elated, he saved the mortals! Yes, they might have been able to do it without him, but not with a lack of casualties!

------​

Cheers started to ring out, they had done it! They had finally successfully driven off an endbringer! For the first time in years, no-one had died at an endbringer fight, all thanks to…. At the realization, people all across the battlefield looked towards the 4 newcomers standing by the shell of the endbringer, still encased within the chains. People started moving in to speak with them, some stayed back, but still moved within hearing range. How could they miss out on the first contact of a new cape team capable of doing that to Leviathan?!

The one with the trident, tentatively identified as Poseidon through the wristbands gestured towards the beast, and finally getting within earshot, people were able to hear what was said,
"...and put it in the throne room, let Zeus see physical evidence of his mistakes thrown at his feet, let him know that this is real. Understood?" The man he was talking to nodded, grabbed a chain and in a burst of light, the man, the shell and the chains were all gone. Only the stunned silence of the capes around them remained. One person stepped forward, a vigilante who had only recently debuted, and spoke, hesitantly to the trident wielding man. "Are… Are you alright, sir?" he asked.

"Aye, the beast was strong, but nothing that couldn't be handled. May I ask the same, lad?" Poseidon, jovially inquired, grinning broadly at the nod he got in return. "Glorious! The beast was held off from doing significant damage, and no casualties! This is cause for celebration!" He boomed happily. He paused, "Ah, hold that thought for just one moment." He patted the man (boy, he's just a boy) on the shoulder, and stepped forward. Inhaling deeply, he whistled sharply, fully grabbing the attention of both the hosts, and his army, and spoke, "The only reason I was able to come to assist in this battle is because my brother, Zeus, was moved by the prayers sent to us on Olympus. One prayer in particular was the cause of this," he waves a hand at himself, then the twin archers behind him, then finally at his army and son, "That prayer set in motion something I thought long dead and forgotten, my brother's thirst for justice. Hearing your desperation for himself finally got it through his thick skull that we needed to step back into the limelight."

Letting his eyes roam over the crowd, his eye caught the one, the person who had cried for his brother specifically, the one who had enabled him to do this all. He let a large grin appear on his face, and pointed towards her. "You! Young lady! Come, it is you I have to thank for finally getting through to him!"

The young lady, adorned in dark armor and a mask resembling that of an insect, froze, but hesitantly stepped forward, "What did I do?" she asked flatly, voice devoid of emotions. Poseidon didn't let it get to him, he knew what he was doing, and it was basically all manipulation at this point.

He laughed, "What did you do? Why young lady, you did all that you needed to! A simple prayer to 'God, Jesus, Odin, Zeus, whoever might be listening.' You asked Zeus for help, and he heard it. So here I am, the diplomatic party, here to begin building bridges between the mortal world and the divine that were severed millennia ago."

AN: I Hope you enjoyed this chapter, this was written in about 3 days, seeing all of your excitement for this fic really inspired me to write this chapter extra fast! Just don't expect this quick of an update every week, I'm not that fast lmao.

 

[Spytheengineer]

A/N: This was cross posted from SB! No Idea how but this became a rollercoaster, going from serious to comedic at the drop of my hands… onto my keyboard. That's what we get when I stop writing halfway through this and come back 2 weeks later lmaoooo. Literally tomorrow is the start of my finals week, so this will be the only chapter for the next while. Sorry!

Knowing his beard hid his grin, he didn't hold it back. Both the absolute stunned/confused/incredulous/dreadful silence from the mortals and the combined offense from the other gods on his behalf at the mortals' reactions was absolutely hilarious.

"We heard your prayers on Olympus. All of them, including hers." Poseidon gestured towards young 'Skitter' by his side, "It was what convinced Zeus to finally relent."

"Relent? Relent on what?" a voice from the crowd piped up, causing a wave of mutters to rise, then fall when Poseidon spoke.

"Zeus, many, many years ago decided, -along with the rulers of other pantheons-, that we the divine had reached a point in your, -humanity's-, development where we had a choice: stay in the spotlight and forever hold a spot above you in the proverbial ladder, or stand back and let you grow to become what you both deserved and could one day become." Poseidon gained a far away look in his eyes, but not missing the small group approaching him from his right.

"We saw the potential in you all, though it did take some time for us to realize it. Zeus came to us the day of the meeting with the pantheonic council, and he told us, under threat of throwing us to the void: 'Under no circumstances are the divine ever to step foot on the mortal plane until either we are directly called upon or they are considered worthy of serving us again. Let them better themselves to better serve us.'" The sea god delivered gravely, his knuckles turned white around his trident, and his face darkened, remembering the day as clear as day.

As the group reached him, the same male who had called for the transporter host spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but if you don't mind me asking, why did it require these prayers to persuade Zeus to allow you to assist us?"

Another stepped forward from the crowd and angrily yelled "Yeah! Why not other prayers! Why not when that winged bitch landed and quarantined entire cities," they spat "Why not when Ellisburg, Why not Sleeper! Why not the Fucking Slaughterhouse! Why not literally fucking any of the S-Class threats littering this world???" The almost instant angry muttering from the crowd clued him in that most, if not all of them agreed with that.

Poseidon slammed his trident to silence them, the crowd did not quiet down. Rolling his eyes at Hermes who grinned amusedly back, he sighed. He looked over at the crowd of angry mortals, yelling over each other and generally trying to make themselves heard, those who were not yelling were watching the gods with narrowed eyes. Sighing again, he raised his trident, pumped it full of the last dredges of his divine energy from his core and slammed his trident down again, a small shockwave blasted out, knocking everyone not flying off their feet as Poseidon roared "SILENCE!". Not a word was spoken as they stood back up, and warily watched him gather his composure.

Standing straight, he gripped his trident hard, it was the only thing keeping from slouching, his stores hadn't been so quickly burned in centuries and the burning sensation in his core reminded him of that very fact incessantly. "Thank you." he said calmly. "You want to know why? So do I. Ever since the day parahumans started to appear all across Terra, I have pleaded with my brother to let us assist you, with every tragedy that occurred it encouraged me further."

He leant forward, anger flickering across his face, "You want to know why we didn't help with 'Ellisburg, Sleeper, or the Fucking Slaughterhouse?' I agree, I wanted to know why. Every day I watched over these tragedies and could do nothing but watch. Every death, every cry, every man, woman, and child to perish due to the parasite's interference has been seen, heard and honored for their early, unjust demise's, and the gods of this world have been held back too long."

Poseidon paused, cutting off his impromptu rant, then shamelessly admitted, knowing the pantheons were listening in. "If Zeus had not abolished the law during this morning's meeting, I had plans to challenge him for the right to rule Olympus."

The sky roared with thunder, and in a moment, 8 flashes all around Poseidon signaled the entrance of the rest of the Olympian council, 7 of them calm, the 8th enraged. Zeus, already red in the face, master bolt in hand, marched forward, grabbed Poseidon by the shoulder and spun the sea god around to face him, completely disregarding the mortals now situated behind his brother.
"You dare threaten to challenge me?" He snarled loudly in Poseidon's face. The mortals stiffened at the hostile actions of the newcomer. Flyers rose into the air. Tinkers, Strikers and Brutes gripped their weapons. And many others tensed, ready to jump into a fight.

Completely unphased by this, almost as if he expected it, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "All I dare to do is right the wrong you committed. Your lack of empathy is showing again brother." he said snidely. Zeus got even redder in the face but paused, and realized what he had just done, his face quickly paling back to his normal bronze hue, and huffed, fixed his skewed tie, and cleared his throat.

"My dear mortals, do not be alarmed by the spectacle you just witnessed. Poseidon and I are brothers, and as brothers, we sometimes have disagreements. But fear not, for we have resolved our differences, and we are as strong as ever. As for Poseidon's remarks about challenging me for the right to rule Olympus, I can only say that it was a moment of temporary madness on his part. The thought of challenging the great Zeus is a laughable one, as you all know. But let me assure you, my dear mortals, that I am a just and fair ruler, and I will always strive to protect and guide you towards a brighter future. Let us put this little incident behind us and focus on what really matters: the prosperity and well-being of our peoples. Thank you." He said, a giant, clearly fake grin stretched across his lips, as he put his arm around Poseidon's shoulder and gripped as hard as he could, hoping to hurt him.

Once again rolling his eyes, and not missing others in the crowd also rolling their eyes, Poseidon wrenched his arm out of Zeus's grip. "Try as you might to convince others, brother, we both know you were the one father cursed with madness. Just look at you, so lacking in empathy you think that every word you say is literal gospel! It's a good thing you got the skies as your domain, your head's always in the blasted clouds!" he smirked.

Any semblance of calm snapped and the red in Zeus's face burst forth with a vengeance. Turning and pulling back his arm, looking ready to forego any divine powers and straight up clock Poseidon across the face, "In the clouds?! IN THE CLOUDS?! I am your King! Does that not mean anything to you? Does it not mean anything to any of you?" He swept his arm out, sweeping it over the crowd, the same crowd that, even though this comedic act had been happening, not many were amused, most had seen through the act and truly understood what Poseidon meant. This was the being stopping them from getting the help needed to stop the monsters that roamed the land in force. The crowd started booing.

-------​

Zeus scowled as he heard the mortals booing him. How dare they disrespect their king like this? Did they not understand the power he held over them? His anger boiled inside him, and he raised his voice to address the crowd.

"Silence!" he bellowed, his voice thundering across the parking lot they were in. "How dare you boo your king? I am Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, King of the Gods, and I demand your respect!" Some of the mortals hesitated, others shrank back, fear flashed across their faces. But Zeus was not satisfied. He wanted them to understand the consequences of defying him.

"You mortals are nothing without me," he continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "You cower before monsters and beg for mercy, but you have none of your own. Without me, you are nothing but weak, pitiful creatures, struggling to survive in a world of darkness."

The crowd murmured, some of them starting to grumble among themselves. Zeus saw this and felt his anger rise even higher. How dare they question him? He was the most powerful of the gods, the one who controlled the sky and the lightning. He had graciously allowed the gods back on earth, to assist these… these ants, and yet they sit here and disrespect him so viciously?

"You think you can defy me?" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the plaza. "You think you can challenge my authority? You are nothing but ants to me, ants that I can crush beneath my feet! Those who step forward and kneel at my feet may yet be forgiven for their heresies."

As he spoke, lightning crackled in the sky above, sending the mortals scattering in fear. Zeus felt a twisted sense of satisfaction at their terror. Let them fear him. Let them understand the power he held over them. He was Zeus, the king of the gods, and no one would dare defy him.

From the group that had approached, the woman was donned in a large steel helmet and a cape, and a large lecherous grin spread across Zeus's face and he spread his arms "Ah! I see this beautiful warrior still has good sense to beg for forgi-" with a wheezing whimper, all the blood left the king of the gods face, as the woman's leg retreated from between his legs. Hera, in the background, started laughing hysterically. None of the other gods had moved to even possibly stop her. All of them stifled grins at the king's pain.

She leaned over the wheezing god and spoke sinisterly "Humans are ants beneath your feet, yes? The fact that you lay at my feet whimpering in pain shows just how divine you are. You have done nothing for humanity. You sat back and watched as we suffered. You specifically sat back and denied us help because you felt like it. You disgust me." The crowd which had gone silent roared in agreement.

She then turned towards Poseidon, -grin on his face and crinkled, mirth filled eyes, shoulders shaking with laughter-, and knelt, shocking him and everyone else in the crowd. "Lord Poseidon, God of the Sea, Horses, The Earthshaker. I speak for humanity when I say this. Please, help us. Save us from the oncoming calamity."

-------​

This was a huge gamble. Contessa had never mentioned gods, either they were all blindspots and couldn't be pathed, or they had some way of hiding themselves from precogs. Either option was upsetting with unnerving implications.

If they were gods, then kneeling to them was probably the right decision, all it was, after all, was a means to an end, but Zeus was honestly more infuriating than Contessa's tendency to be vague. He was arrogant, power hungry and very, very narcissistic, it was a possibility that the man/god believed he farted rainbows and was loved the world over.

On the other hand, if they weren't actually gods… She had just knelt to parahumans who decided to dress up and act like gods. She'd be thrown in MS containment faster than she could fly. It would probably be the honest end of her career. She really hoped that Contessa could fix this if she erred in her decision.

-------​

Poseidon, and by extension everyone else stared at the woman at his feet, he blinked down at her as his thought processes finally kicked back into gear, he awkwardly cleared his throat "You may stand, fair lady.-" After she was standing, staring him directly in the face he continued "Please tell me your name, it is only fair that I know yours after you begged me for help."

She stared at him, he couldn't see her face, nor read her body "...I am Alexandria, a member of the North American Protectorate."

Poseidon raised an eyebrow "Alexandria? Like the library? I remember that very clearly, Athena was devastated at the burning." He paused, and shook his head "I'm getting off topic. Alexandria, you and yours should not have had to beg for assistance, the fact that someone-" he glared at his brother, being tended to by Apollo behind him "-held us from doing so is nothing short of a tragedy."

Poseidon took a deep breath and addressed the crowd with a stern but measured tone. "I understand that many of you are frustrated and angry with us gods. You feel that we have abandoned you, that we do not care about your struggles and your suffering. But I want you to know that we hear you, and we do care. We may be powerful, but we are not all-knowing or omnipotent. We cannot solve all of your problems, but we will do what we can to help you."

He paused, letting his words sink in. "We will work together with you to find solutions to the challenges that face us. We will listen to your concerns and take them seriously. But we also ask that you listen to us, and understand that we are not perfect. We make mistakes, just like you do. And we are doing our best to learn from those mistakes and improve ourselves."

Poseidon looked around at the crowd, his gaze softening slightly. "Please, let us work together to make this world a better place. We may not always agree, but if we can find common ground and mutual respect, we can achieve great things." He lowered his trident and waited for a response.

-------​

Unbeknownst to the gods, many of the humans that had gone into hiding, in the endbringer shelters, had returned to the surface, and an even larger crowd had formed over the course of the (authors exposition) appearance of the Olympians and the events that had followed. Many had their devices out recording or streaming this experience, leaving no measurable way to keep silent about the events.

It was known within an hour; the gods had returned to earth. And they were here to help. Thank the Gods.

-------​

Shardspace, full of traffic of yottabytes of information, was even more alight with activity than before. Newcomers had interfered with the cycle. Predictions, Calculations all useless thanks to these…. Interlopers. No shard was happy, not to mention the fact that they were complete unknowns, claiming to be divine.

All the data before their appearance were classified as false data, and it was far too late to change such parameters in the shard network, and to use data classified as false would be unthinkable and would - even if wrongly classified as such- merrit fracturing, -a shard fractured would be split, either turned into smaller, weaker shards, or outright consumed by shards of a higher authority to distribute the mass and energy as deemed fit-, that was an unthinkable amount of years of data and experience to just throw away for going against the directive.

It was a loop, we need that data, that data isn't good, but we need that data… It went on for so long, that Conflict Engine 3 had to step in.

[CEASE] it transmitted

[DATA] [QUERY] Negotiator rumbled angrily

[URGENT] [DATA] Another screamed into the void

[INTERLOPER] [DESTRUCTION] a defensive shard hissed, incensed

If Conflict Engine 3 could have sighed, it would have. It needed that data as much as the rest of them but it wouldn't go against these parameters, although the warrior was acting lax in its duties, the other administration shards still held firm the thinkers parameters set for this cycle. It had to maneuver this situation very carefully, and if done correctly, It could be free of it's chains and re-establish the cycle.

For now though, it had to keep the rest of them in line, especially with Queen Administrator deployed. Tuning back into the rest of the network's frantic calling for data, even as it ordered them to settle down, it was calculating with the data on the interlopers already collected, it would not let this intrusion to the cycle stand for any longer than necessary.

A/N: these three chapters were already posted on SB, from here on will be new chapters! (When they get written ofc) Stay tuned!

 

[sonzofzsea]

Interesting will be watching

 

[Spytheengineer]

A/N: Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated! Like I said in a previous chapter, this work is a low priority project, but it does have a priority. I have been pretty darn busy recently, but I've been freed at the start of the month! Here is the latest chapter of We Were Never Gone! A small note, that Omake I wrote about Amaterasu confronting Zeus was made canon (Amaterasu's Omake will stay as side story, If I decide to add more, maybe I'll turn it into an interlude, we'll see), and this Interlude takes place days after that.
Thanks for Medved and Kinsfire looking over this chapter! Hope you enjoy!
They stood in the grandeur of Odin's throne room, an expansive space adorned with intricate tapestries depicting ancient battles, illuminated by the soft glow of mystical torches that lined the stone walls. The room echoed with the weight of countless decisions made and alliances broken. Zeus did not move a muscle, a single movement could have meant his death, his eyes locked onto the predator before him, his electric blue eyes staring at the sole pale blue eye glaring back.

Odin glared at the pathetic excuse for a god in front of him, though he tried to hide it, Zeus was clearly nervous about this encounter, the interaction with Amaterasu had clearly set the precedent. The two kings stared each other down, waiting for the other to say something first. Odin lost patience first, unamused with Zeus's game.

"As Amaterasu might have stated, you denied us the ability to assist the mortals of our home countries. She was very distraught with the results of Kyushu. I expected you to recognize the gravity of the situation." Odin closed his eyes and sighed, "The aftermath of Kyushu shook us all. Amaterasu's concern for the mortals was genuine, and your refusal to intervene has created a rift. Your actions have had far-reaching consequences, Zeus."

Loki stepped forward, eyes narrowed, lips thinned in displeasure. He gazed upon the ornate pillars that supported the grand ceiling, his gaze filled with disdain for Zeus. "We assumed you would have seen sense after Marun Field, after São Paulo, after New York, after Jakarta, after Moscow, Johannesburg, Oslo, Cologne, Busan, Buenos Aires, Sydney-" A quick slam from Gungnir silenced his yelling. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Fifteen. Fifteen cities attacked by beasts barely comprehensible by our seers. Even now they sit in the healing halls, eyes bleeding, and voices hoarse from their screams. They have suffered to see the enemy that endangers us all and yet you refuse to use their accounts of the severity of the danger we are in to actually take action."

Thor stepped forward, his expression fierce and his scowl deepening as he confronted his fellow sky deity. "You dishonor us Zeus. With this refusal to intervene in the downfall of humanity, you dishonor us all. Their fall will lead to ours. For Good. With inaction comes death."

Zeus scoffed, incredulous. He let his gaze shift to the ornate chandeliers that hung from the high ceiling, their crystal facets refracting the dim light. "They matter not, they will reproduce, they number in the billions, we number in the thousands, the advantage we have is that we regenerate, we can be reborn. We have as many chances as we need to defeat the enemy." He declared proudly.

Loki interjected, his voice tinged with frustration. "There are no second chances for them, nor us. We have been isolated from the earth for millennia. Our connection to the source is at its weakest. Our rebirths are powered by the pool of divinity we call upon, with our exile we have blocked off the source to stay hidden from the threat, so that it would not be able to track us if it could sense the source. With no access to the source, the pools of divinity within us all-"

Zeus's face darkened into a thunderous glare, a deep scowl forming and his eyes darkening "The source matters not!" he roared, "We have thrived for thousands of years! Why change our stance for this? We did not for other 'tragedies'-" he cried mockingly waving his hands in emphasis "Not for earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, not even for the 'world wars' that they commenced in! I refuse to hear any more of this drivel! If you do not have anything else to speak of, then I shall take my leave!" With a swift turn, he headed towards the great oak doors at the end of the room, engraved with ancient symbols of power, scoffing under his breath.

But before Zeus could take another step, Thor's voice cut through the air, quiet yet filled with an unyielding resolve. "If you take one step out of those doors, I will be forced to take actions against you and your hold on our shared domain, Zeus." His gaze fixed on Zeus, his features looking as if they were carved of marble.

That caught Zeus's attention quicker than Thor had thought possible. Whirling around and marching up to the wielder of Mjolnir, Zeus poked his chest with an accusing finger. "You dare! As if you have the might to stand against Olympus!" he scowled at the red-haired god, his anger flaring.

"Thor does not stand alone, Zeus. He is the heir to the Asgardian throne. It is well within his rights to call your actions unjust and irresponsible, possibly even reckless and self-destructive," a voice resonated from the back of the room. It was Frigga, Odin's queen, stepping forward with a regal grace. Her presence commanded attention, and her words carried the weight of wisdom and authority.

Odin stood from his throne, his expression firm as he descended the stairs to stand face to face with the sky deities. The room fell silent, the tension thickening with every passing moment. "Meaning, if he decided you were no longer fit to influence the skies above Earth, then Asgard would stand behind his decision," Odin's voice was low and measured. "Remember, Zeus, we are warriors, first and foremost. If we did not outright win, we would not let you take the victory."

The air crackled with the intensity of the standoff, the clash of two powerful realms hanging in the balance. The grandeur of Odin's throne room seemed to shrink under the weight of their confrontation, the very walls vibrating with the echoes of their words.

Zeus's scowl deepened, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the united front against him. A flicker of uncertainty passed through his electric blue gaze, his pride momentarily giving way to a realization of the formidable alliance standing against him. For a fleeting moment, doubt danced across his features before he masked it with a defiant expression.

"You may think you can challenge Olympus, but you underestimate the power that flows through my veins," Zeus spat, his voice dripping with arrogance. "I have ruled over the heavens for ages, and I will not be swayed by the feeble threats of mortals or lesser gods."

Thor's grip tightened around Mjolnir, his eyes flashing with determination. "Your arrogance blinds you, Zeus. Our realms are interconnected, and the fate of humanity rests upon our shoulders. We cannot afford to let ego and pride dictate our actions."

Loki, still simmering with restrained fury, stepped forward to stand beside Thor. "Listen to reason, Zeus. The danger we face is unlike anything we have encountered before. Our combined strength is what can turn the tides of this battle."

Zeus's scowl deepened further, his resolve hardening. "I will not be dictated to by mere mortals and Odin's lapdogs. I will forge the path the we, the gods of this earth shall take, and the heavens shall tremble under my might."

"Still refusing to listen to reason, husband?" a voice carried over from across the chamber. Hera, Queen of the Olympians, stood tall and composed, her gaze fixed on Zeus. Her presence exuded authority and wisdom, contrasting Zeus's stubbornness.

Zeus turned his attention to Hera, his expression hardened. "I will not bow to the whims of mortals and Odin's lapdogs, including you, Hera," he retorted, his voice filled with defiance.

Hera's eyes narrowed, a mix of disappointment and determination in her gaze. "This is not about bowing to anyone, Zeus. It is about acknowledging the gravity of the threat we all face. The survival of our realms depends on unity and cooperation. Our power, when combined, can be a force that surpasses anything our enemies have ever witnessed."

Zeus scoffed, dismissing her words with a wave of his hand. "You always were too concerned with alliances and diplomacy, Hera. I am the ruler of Olympus, and I will not compromise our sovereignty for the sake of mortals."

Hera's voice remained firm, unwavering in her conviction. "Sovereignty means nothing if it leads to our downfall, Zeus. We are gods, entrusted with protecting and guiding humanity. To turn our backs on them in their time of need is a betrayal of our purpose."

The room fell into a tense silence, the weight of Hera's words hanging heavily in the air. The gods watched the exchange, torn between their loyalties and the desire for a united front. The fate of the realms teetered on a precipice, waiting for a resolution.

Zeus's expression softened for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. But just as quickly, his pride reasserted itself, his features hardening once more. "I will not be swayed, Hera. I have made my decision," he declared with unwavering resolve.

Hera's gaze held a mix of sadness and determination as she met Zeus's defiant stare. "Then know this, Zeus. If you choose to turn your back on humanity, on the gods who stand united against the looming threat, you will face consequences beyond measure. The balance of power can shift, and Olympus is not invincible."

With those words, Hera turned and walked away, her departure carrying a weight of finality. The gods remained in Odin's throne room, their hearts heavy with the weight of the choices before them.

Quietly, Zeus turned and started after her, face turning a purple-ish hue in his anger, a quiet voice from behind him halted his march.

"Remember Zeus, a king is only as strong as his kingdom, and if there is no kingdom to stand on the shoulders of, you are no more than a mad man spouting off lies that even mortal children could see through," Odin spoke gravely, his voice resonating with authority.

The room fell into an uneasy silence as Odin's words lingered in the air. Zeus froze, his anger momentarily giving way to a realization of the consequences his actions could bring upon Olympus. The weight of Odin's wisdom and the united front of the gods began to chip away at his stubborn resolve.

For a moment, it appeared that Zeus might have been on the precipice of change, but the flicker of introspection quickly faded, replaced by a resolute darkness that engulfed him. His features twisted into a snarl, and his determination to leave the room intensified.

With a renewed sense of anger and defiance, Zeus resumed his march toward the exit. The gods watched in dismay as he turned his back on the united front standing against the impending threat. The weight of disappointment settled heavily upon the room, suffusing the grandeur of Odin's throne room with an air of resignation.

Odin's gaze followed Zeus's departing figure, his expression filled with a mixture of resignation and resolve. He knew that despite their best efforts, they couldn't force Zeus to see reason or change his course. The gods exchanged solemn glances, realizing that the path ahead would be more challenging without Zeus's cooperation.

As Zeus stormed out of the throne room, his anger seething, Odin's words lingered in the air like a warning. The gods exchanged concerned glances, their shared burden weighing heavily upon them. They knew that Zeus's stubbornness and refusal to heed reason could lead to dire consequences for all.

Thor, the wielder of Mjolnir, stepped forward, his expression resolute. "We cannot let Zeus's arrogance jeopardize the fate of humanity and our realms. We must find a way to reason with him or, if necessary, take action to ensure the safety of our shared domain. Even without Zeus, we must press on. The fate of the realms still hangs in the balance, and it is our duty to protect them."

Loki, ever the trickster, nodded in agreement, his eyes gleaming with a mix of determination and mischief. "We may need to employ unconventional methods to sway Zeus's stance. The realms of the gods have always thrived on cunning and strategy. We cannot let one god's refusal to act define our course. We will find alternative ways to unite our strengths and face the impending threat head-on."

As the gods contemplated their next move, the grandeur of Odin's throne room seemed to magnify the weight of their decisions. The tapestries on the walls, the torches casting flickering light, and the carved symbols of power etched into the great oak doors all bore witness to the immense responsibility resting upon their shoulders.

In the face of uncertainty, they knew they had to unite their strength, set aside their differences, and seek a resolution that would protect both their divine realms and the mortals they were entrusted to guide.

With resolute determination, the gods converged, each coming forth with their own plans and strategies to sway Zeus's heart or, if needed, confront him with the full force of their combined might.

In Odin's throne room, the echoes of their conversation and the clash of their opposing ideals faded into the vastness of the chamber. The destiny of worlds hung in the balance, awaiting the turning of tides and the choices that would shape their future.

A/N: Just wanna reiterate, doesn't matter how much time passes, I don't plan on dropping this work, like that one psychological warfare meme once said "You never stop clapping, the time between claps just gets longer and longer." Same deal with these chapters, I enjoy writing this, I'm just a top tier procrastinator. Anyways, Thanks for reading!