Honestly speaking, Damon knew he was strong. Stronger than most, even among gods, titans, and beings who had existed in the world for millennia. But that did not mean he was stupid. The cosmos was far too unpredictable for anyone intelligent to believe they were the strongest.
That said, Damon did not consider himself an ant before beings like Great Red, Ophis, or Chaos, but he also was not arrogant enough to deny the difference between them. There were levels of power, rules, existence, and origin. Some beings were simply placed on a part of the board where even reaching them was already an absurd feat.
That was why Damon had always been somewhat careful with them. Great Red and Ophis were already anomalies, but Chaos was something different. The primordial who had claimed him as her champion, even though he had never met her in person. That fact had been eating away at the god's mind for a long time.
So, when he entered the main hall of Olympus and saw Amaterasu, he was not too surprised. The Japanese sun goddess stood there, as beautiful as Damon remembered, with that warm presence that always filled his heart with a calm difficult to explain.
Damon immediately assumed she was here because of Koneko, or perhaps because of the situation with the devils and the yokai. With Amaterasu, both options were possible. Or maybe it had something more to do with her own relationship with him. Knowing her, the last option would not be strange either.
All that said, what did make him stop was the hooded figure beside her. He did not need anyone to say her name. The simple presence of that woman was enough for Damon to know.
Chaos…
Everyone seemed to tense at the same time. Koneko was the first to react. Her ears lowered immediately and, without thinking, she hid behind Damon's legs. Her animal instincts reacted before her mind, telling her that the hooded woman should not be provoked.
The same could be said for Grayfia, though her reaction was much more controlled. She tried to compare what she was feeling to previous experiences, to the Maou, ancient nobles, and monsters from the Underworld, but nothing fit.
The next to react was Rhea. The Titaness tightened her grip on Damon's arm by instinct, becoming serious in an instant. Rhea knew Chaos. She could count on one hand the number of times she had met the primordial, and although they had been few, she would never forget them. Her voice came out serious, carrying a respect that made many swallow hard.
"Lady Chaos."
The simple mention of the name seemed to bring everyone back to reality. The murmurs began immediately, everyone nervous. For most of the gods present, this was the first time they had seen Chaos with their own eyes. The closest thing they had ever seen or felt before were the Moirai, Gaia, and lastly, Damon.
"What is she doing here?"
"I don't know."
"Remember that Lord Damon is her champion."
"Does that mean she came for him?"
"And Lady Amaterasu?"
The murmurs crossed the hall, but none of them dared raise their voices too much. Amaterasu, for her part, did not seem nervous. However, Damon knew her well enough to notice the concern in her eyes. The Japanese sun goddess walked toward him with calm steps, but the moment she got close, she took one of his ears between her fingers and pulled it.
"Can you explain to me what the hell is wrong with you now?" Amaterasu asked, her voice soft but filled with annoyance. "It was only supposed to be a meeting, and the next thing I hear, you went and faced the entire Underworld."
The hall went completely silent. Damon blinked while Amaterasu kept holding his ear. Rhea widened her eyes, turning her head toward Damon along with everyone else. They all seemed shocked. One thing was saying that things had gotten heated. Another very different thing was that he had literally gone to face all of them.
"Brother, what…?" Hestia tried to ask for everyone, but Damon interrupted her.
"Just like you heard, sister," Damon replied as he freed himself from Amaterasu's grip. The god did not even try to sound reasonable. "The simple reality is that they brought it on themselves, and I wasn't going to sit there with my arms crossed."
"But that is… That means we are now at war with the devils," Rhea said.
"Nah, the devils are more dead than alive. Of course, unless they keep bothering us. You don't have to worry. I basically fought the whole war already," Damon replied, crossing his arms, his gaze still fixed on Chaos while answering everyone's questions.
Although Amaterasu was not truly angry, she did not enjoy it when Damon did things like that. It could end badly for him. No one was invincible. Damon, noticing her expression, smiled faintly. "Ama-chan, calm down, woman."
"Do not use that tone with me," the goddess replied, blushing slightly.
Damon let out a low laugh. "If that is what you desire, who am I to deny you?"
Hera watched the scene with narrowed eyes, more interested in finally meeting Amaterasu than angry. After everything Damon had told her, she could not help it. The familiarity in the tone between the king of Olympus and the Shinto queen surprised more than one person, but no one said anything out loud.
Amaterasu turned toward Hera, feeling the woman's piercing gaze. Her expression softened into a polite smile, her eyes carrying confidence. "Lady Hera," Amaterasu said with an elegant incline of her head. "It is a pleasure to finally meet Damon's dear sister."
Hera held her gaze for a second. Then she raised her chin slightly, carrying all the dignity of the queen of the gods. "Lady Amaterasu. Olympus receives you with the respect you deserve."
Damon watched the exchange and already felt the beginning of a headache. The fact that they looked like two women measuring each other while showing their thorns made it harder to handle than simply dealing with two angry women. Precisely because of that, Damon knew that future conversation would be hell in every sense.
Chaos, who had been silently observing everything until that moment, let out a low laugh. It was a small and dry sound. Clearly, the woman was not used to laughing much, but even so, Damon could distinguish some real amusement coming from her.
"You certainly are a box of surprises, Damon," Chaos said, looking at him from beneath her hood. "Although I must admit, I expected a little more. I almost thought you would destroy the entire Underworld."
A deathly silence fell over the hall while Damon carefully thought about how to respond to the primordial. In the end, he let out a small laugh. "I didn't expect my little incursion to reach your ears, Lady Chaos," he said with a light smile.
"I have my eyes on you more than you expect," the primordial replied instantly.
"I hope I don't have to worry about that," the god replied, receiving a mysterious smile from the primordial. The only thing visible beneath the hood was her full lips.
Seeing this, Damon simply continued. "I must admit I didn't expect to meet you so suddenly. Although, honestly, I suppose it makes sense that you would appear in the least convenient way possible."
Amaterasu closed her eyes, asking for a little patience at Damon's lack of tact. Though, why was she even surprised? He had always been like this from the beginning, even from the moment he met Izanagi. It was one of the reasons the Shinto primordial god liked Damon so much.
That said, everyone in the hall was still a little tense. Chaos did not seem offended. If anything, her interest increased, though it was not something visible. She simply kept her deep gaze on Damon.
"Curious," Chaos said.
"Curious in a good way or a bad way?" Damon asked, a little amused by the primordial's closed-off attitude. Honestly, why did the strongest beings always have to be the most antisocial?
"It depends on what you do. I could not tell you exactly." Damon smiled a little more. "That sounds dangerously close to a threat."
"No," Chaos replied in a flat voice. "If I wanted to threaten you, you would have no doubts."
The entire hall seemed to tense twice as much, if that was even possible. Damon did not look away or take back his words. He had no desire to cower right now. If the woman had something to say to him, she only had to say it. Beyond that, he was not going to start carefully deciphering every word that came out of her mouth. But he was not going to be an idiot either. There was a difference between being brave and being too arrogant.
"Then I suppose I should say that it is an honor to finally meet you."
Chaos inclined her head slightly. "Finally," she repeated, savoring the word as if she had been waiting for this for a long time.
Damon clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps forward. "That's right. I must say, when someone claims you as their champion and time passes without a formal introduction, one starts to think the other person is a little shy. Don't you think?"
The silence that followed was immediate. Rhea seemed caught between maternal pride and the urge to cover her son's mouth. Amaterasu let out a small laugh, soft and elegant, enough to break part of the tension. "I told you he would speak like that."
Chaos turned her head slightly toward the Japanese sun goddess. "You mentioned it," the primordial said seriously, though not seriously enough to completely hide a hint of amusement. Damon wondered if that was her way of sounding actually amused. Damon raised an eyebrow, looking at Amaterasu with more attention. "I see you two get along."
Amaterasu smiled calmly. "Chaos is an old friend of my mother. There is some contact."
"Hmmm, yes," Damon said after a few seconds, looking first at Amaterasu and then at Chaos. "Well, my question is what the Moirai have to do with this then."
The hall fell silent again. Everyone looked uncomfortable and confused, not understanding what Damon truly meant. Amaterasu did not seem surprised. Neither did Chaos.
Damon turned his head toward a corner of the hall where there was nothing more than a shadow between two columns. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Look, if you have something to say, just say it."
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, three figures appeared where there had only been empty space before. Three women wrapped in dark robes, with completely serene and wrinkled faces. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. The Moirai.
The murmur crossed the hall with more force than before. The tension was now multiplying by three, if that was even possible. First Chaos, then Amaterasu, and now the goddesses of fate. Honestly, Damon was having déjà vu right now.
The three inclined their heads slightly, acknowledging the presence of Chaos and the other important mythological beings.
Clotho was the first to speak. "The thread moves." Lachesis continued without looking away. "The war that was sown years ago begins to awaken." Atropos held Damon's gaze. "The chained father dreams of his return. His return cannot be avoided."
The atmosphere became serious. More than one person understood what that meant, but the moment they finished, Damon raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"
In an instant, the seriousness in the hall went out the window.
"Damon, it's Kronos. You have to—" Amaterasu tried to say.
"I know," Damon interrupted her. "But if they only came to tell us that, we would have been better off if they hadn't appeared. I mean… I'm the type who prefers that if something has to happen, then let it happen already."
He said it clearly. In everyone's eyes, it was obvious he did not like going around in circles, and that was appreciated by more than one person, especially Chaos.
"That is not all. There is a child," Clotho said calmly.
Damon barely raised an eyebrow. Lachesis continued. "Son of the sea. Marked by the blood of one of the Big Three." Atropos finished seriously. "Percy Jackson is the key."
The name did not surprise Damon. "Percy," he repeated in a low voice, already seeing where this was going, and he did not like it at all.
"The son of Poseidon will have a role no other can occupy," Clotho said. "His decision will open paths," Lachesis added. "If he falls, many threads will be cut with him," Atropos finished.
Damon let out a low laugh, completely incredulous. "Yes, I see. But unfortunately for you, you are wrong," the god said, placing his gaze firmly on Chaos and the Fates.
What Damon said was simple and clear, to everyone's surprise. The Moirai observed him in silence as Damon took a step toward them, hands behind his back. He was clearly a little irritated.
"If you expect me to place my hopes in a child just because a prophecy says he is the key, then you can keep that part to yourselves."
The hall became completely still. Damon continued, his voice controlled. "Percy Jackson is a demigod. One with potential, yes. An important one, apparently. But he is still a child. I would never, in my right mind, let the Greek pantheon fall on his shoulders. Simple as that."
It had to be admitted that the gods understood Damon's point. To them, the Fates implying that everything should fall on a demigod sounded absurd. If they were gods, why should they put all their hopes in a child?
"I will help him become stronger," Damon said. "Him and the other demigods. Not because of a prophecy, but because it is the right thing to do and what a man does when difficult times come," the king of Olympus made clear.
Clotho looked the god in the eyes. "It is fate. You cannot—"
"Yes, I've heard that many times before," Damon interrupted her. "And the truth is, I don't give a damn right now."
Lachesis inclined her head slightly. "Fate does not allow alternate routes."
Damon smiled, but there was no warmth in his expression. "Well, then it will start doing so with me, unless, of course, there is a problem with that."
The Moirai were about to continue arguing, but Chaos's low laugh interrupted them, making everyone turn their attention back to the primordial. "I like you very much, Damon. You are always entertaining to watch," the primordial said.
"Lady Chaos, this will—" Atropos tried to say.
"I believe Damon has already made his point clear. Beyond that, we cannot force anything," Chaos said. "He is not some weakling, and I also remind you that he is my champion. If he decides to do something, I want to see what is born from it."
Chaos's words surprised everyone. After all, Chaos was not known for imposing herself in the affairs of the pantheons, no matter how serious they were. Damon thanked the primordial with his gaze, and she responded with a slight nod.
Damon turned his gaze back to the Moirai, who were left perplexed. "As you can see, I reject fate, and I reject the stupidity of using it as an excuse to do nothing. I already did that once when I left this pantheon because of similar warnings. It was stupid of me, and it is something I do not intend to repeat...."
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