Reborn As Hades In Olympus

Ch. 154: The Secret Behind Titanomachy (III) (Poseidon's POV)

The great war had finally come to a close. The clash of gods and titans was over, the earth scarred, the sky heavy with the remnants of a battle that had shook the very foundations of the world. I stood there amidst the ruin, the once-vibrant fields now nothing more than a graveyard of shattered stone, broken weapons, and fallen comrades. The air was thick with the acrid scent of ash and blood. It was a smell that would forever be etched into my mind. But amidst it all, there was something else, something pure. The warmth of the sun.

For the first time since I could remember, I allowed myself to truly breathe. I felt the soft rays of the morning sun on my skin, warming me in ways that had nothing to do with the violence I had left behind. It was a peace I thought I would never know, a peace that felt almost alien after years of unrelenting conflict.

"Ahh." I sighed, my voice quiet in the oppressive silence that had settled over the land. It felt as though the world itself was waiting— waiting for what, I could not say.

And then, I felt it. The weight of eyes upon my back. I turned slowly, my heart skipping a beat as I saw her. Hera, her usually radiant beauty marred by the grime of battle, her face smeared with ash and soot. But despite the disarray, she still looked like a vision to me. I was grateful beyond words that she had survived, that she had made it through the carnage with her life. She was here.

"Hera," I said softly, reaching out instinctively. My fingers brushed against her cheek, gently wiping away the remnants of the battle. The touch was tender, as if I were afraid she might slip away if I held on too tightly.

Her eyes met mine, and there was something in them— something deep, something meaningful. A silent communication passed between us, one that words couldn't quite capture. It was as if we had both been carrying the weight of this war for far too long, and now, we could finally share the relief, the joy, and the uncertainty of what came next.

"It's over now," I murmured, my hand lingering on her face for just a moment longer than necessary.

She took a breath, a soft exhale as she slowly pulled away from me. But she didn't let go of my hand. Instead, she held it, the connection between us unspoken but undeniable.

"Yes, it is." Her voice was quiet, reflective. "It feels like a dream, Poseidon. The titans are gone. After everything we've fought for… it's like the world is still adjusting to the change. It's so… quiet."

Her words struck a chord within me. She was right. The quiet was almost unnatural. The chaos we had lived through for so long had become our norm. But now… now there was nothing but the stillness of a world freed from its chains. What would we do with such peace?

I nodded slowly, not knowing how to answer her. "That it is," I agreed, my gaze drifting across the battlefield, over the ruins of what had once been our battlefield. Now, it was a monument to the struggle we had endured, a testament to the gods who had fought and bled to make this moment possible.

We stood there for a long while, perhaps longer than we should have, simply basking in the quiet, in the fresh breeze that carried with it a sense of new beginnings. Around us, our siblings— those of us who had survived— stood in silence, each of us processing the same thing, but in our own way. Even Hades, the stoic, the lord of the underworld, stood still, his eyes narrowed as if weighing the world's fate in his mind.

It was then that he spoke, breaking the silence with a voice as deep and unyielding as the earth itself.

"A lot of souls have been lost today," Hades said, his gaze sweeping across the field. "But in the end, it was our victory. A hard-won victory."

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Zeus stepped forward then, his usual arrogance on full display. His grin was smug, and his posture that of a conqueror. He had delivered the final blow to Kronos, bringing down the last of the titans with a strike of unimaginable power. While the rest of us had bled, had suffered, Zeus emerged from the battle almost untouched, as though the very blood of the titans had infused him with an unstoppable might.

He was the youngest among us, but in that moment, I could see why many had feared him. There was something about him, something unsettling in the way he seemed to thrive on destruction. It wasn't just the power he wielded— it was the way he reveled in it, the way he seemed to grow stronger with every strike.

Zeus was not like us. He was something else. Something... dangerous.

I couldn't bring myself to speak the words, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he had become more titan than god. I had always wondered if there was something darker growing inside him, something born of his nature as our father's son, as the destroyer of worlds. And now, in the aftermath of this war, I couldn't help but feel that the worst was yet to come.

An eerie stillness descended once more, and I felt a coldness seep into the air. The world around us seemed to grow darker, as though the very skies were holding their breath.

Then, they appeared.

A group of three women, cloaked entirely in black robes, stepped into the clearing. Their faces were obscured by the hoods of their garments, but I could feel their presence, feel their power as they approached. There was no sound as they moved, their steps silent and purposeful. And yet, their arrival sent a chill through me, a sense of inevitability that I could not shake.

The Fates.

Their presence was as foreboding as it was ancient. They were not beings to be trifled with, not in any sense. These three were the weavers of destiny, the architects of the future. They had played their part in the war, nudging us in the right direction, guiding us— whether we wanted their help or not. Now, they had come to deliver a message. Or perhaps a warning.

"The Fates congratulate you on vanquishing the primordial titans from this world," the eldest of the three spoke, her voice cold and ageless. "For those that have sided with you, their fate is now in your hands. But be warned. The course of this world has changed, and the threads of destiny are not so easily unraveled."

Hades, ever the mature one, stepped forward, his voice booming with authority. "We are not bound by you. We will determine our own fate."

But the Fates did not react. They simply stood there, as unmoving as statues, their hoods casting deep shadows over their faces.

"That is what all beings believe," the second Fate spoke, her voice just as cold as the first. "But fate is not so easily escaped. It is set in stone. The threads of destiny are already in motion, and we are here to deliver a warning."

I felt my heart beat faster, the weight of their words settling over me like a dark cloud.

Demeter, the goddess of fertility, suddenly raised her head, her pale face streaked with the blood of battle, her voice low but filled with barely contained rage. "If you continue to speak in riddles, we will be forced to take action. Do not mistake our patience for weakness."

The Fates acknowledged her, nodding in unison, before the eldest spoke again, her voice resonating with an eerie finality.

"Your seed will play a role in this future," she said, her tone unsettling. "It is the prophecy of the Messiah, the one who will bring about a great change and the greatest destroyer of worlds. A force unlike any other, who will either save or doom this world to an eternity of darkness."

A chill ran through me, a sense of foreboding that I could not shake. Hera's grip on my hand tightened. We all stood frozen, each of us feeling the weight of those words, and in that moment, I realized that the war may have ended, but the true battle was only just beginning.