24 A Clash at Othrys...

Hades POV

The air was filled with tension, for all our power and pride as Gods, even we had to admit to being afraid. And toppling a rule that had lasted thousands of years, led by one of the most powerful beings in all creation, wielding one of the most dangerous weapons, was undoubtedly one of those times when fear filled even the bravest of Gods. And while, as immortal beings, we couldn't be killed, there were fates far worse than death that awaited us if we lost.

Having first-hand experience of the cruelty and depravity that existed in the dark mind of The Cannibal King, I knew our torment would be particularly foul...

Fortunately, the chances of defeat were small; even without my ability to divine various outcomes, I knew the odds were stacked heavily in our favor. Not only did we have a prophecy stated in the last breath of the Sky-Father, but we vastly overpowered the defending Titans; if not for the fearsome power of Kronos, it wouldn't have been a fight.

Unfortunately, no matter how great the odds were in our favor when dealing with a mind like Kronos, you had always to expect the worst that way; you were never caught off guard when he suddenly pulled a power up out of thin air.

As one of The Big Three and a figurehead of our rebellion, I couldn't be seen apprehensive about facing our father. After all, if I showed fear, most of our army would probably fold, so despite my grievances, I had to keep a stern face.

Not that I was alone in my fears; My brothers made striking figures in their respective armors wielding their symbols of power, but I had spent enough time around my siblings to get a good read on them, so when I could see flickers of fear in the eyes of my usually arrogant and boisterous brothers, I felt slightly more justified.

After all, we would be going into battle, knowing full well that, at some point, it would be up to us to take Kronos off the field. No one else would be capable of even challenging the Titan King, nevermind defeating him, so at some point, we'd have to face a being even the Protogenoi feared, and for some reason, I think us being his sons won't stop him from cutting us to ribbons.

But we'd come too far now to start having second thoughts. After over ten years of constant conflict, the elements and concepts that make up the cosmos warring against one another all built up into a final battle to determine the future of all creation.

This war ran far more profound than our grievances against Kronos. Helios, Prometheus, and all our allies weren't fighting alongside us because we had daddy issues. They were fighting to create a better future to overthrow a tyrant and had pinned all their hope on us being capable enough to defeat our father. We could not afford to let them down.

So, allowing myself to become one with my domains, a sense of calmness flowed through me, causing my erratic power to calm back down into a steady storm that was building with each step closer we got to Othrys.

Once my nerves were gone, I braved a gaze up toward our destination. Despite having spent time on Mount Othrys before, the view wasn't too great from inside Kronos' stomach, so being able to finally greet the great hold from which the Titan King ruled for the first time was awe-inspiring.

Whereas Mount Ida had been a beautiful mountain of great height and filled with wildlife, mount Orthys was a gigantic mountain that dwarfed the mountain of Crete, decorated with jagged peaks that gave it a crown-like appearance and devoid of all natural life. The Mount made an appropriate base for a tyrant to rule from. The top, of the largest of the sharp peaks, was an obsidian castle that appeared to be made all from one stone with grotesque statues showing the Titans slaying their father. It wasn't what could be considered a typical beauty, but it was still a marvel of architecture.

At the base of the mountain was a grand army of various monsters and lesser Titans; the army was separated into five smaller armies with banners representing each of the five Titan generals: Hyperion, Krios, Koios, Iapeteus, and Atlas, respectively: the flag of Kronos however was noticeably absent.

This was in contrast to our army, united under one banner, the sigil of the Olympians, a gold omega symbol surrounded by blue engravings. Our army of various nature spirits, lesser Gods, and our monstrous uncles halted upon seeing the Titan army.

Before any orders could be given, a banner of truce was quickly raised above the Titan army; my cousin Atlas and four uncles teleported into the center of the field, close enough to their army to retreat if attacked but still a far distance away that we'd be safe heading over.

My initial thoughts were to damn the banner of truce and order an attack but doing so would set a bad precedent for the future, so with an exchange of reluctant nods between us brothers, we teleported to the meeting point.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a glaring Atlas and disgruntled uncles. Only Koios appeared to be natural towards our arrival, and considering the false smile that was on his lips, I assumed he was the one who would be doing the negotiating.

I was proven correct when, with a few confident steps, he made his way just short of what would be considered appropriate. "Beloved nephews, you have no idea how great it is to meet you finally; your mother, Rhea, has spoken fondly of you, and your father has been very proud of your growth. However, the time for war is over, and your act of childhood rebellion can finally come to an end; your honored father has decided that due to your strength, it is only right that you take your places as his heirs with only a few minor punishments due to your disrespect." The words were spoken with condescension that made me question what they were trying to achieve, as there was no way they thought we'd agree to those terms.

Zeus, of course, ever the drama queen, responded in a voice filled with mocking and fury. "An act of childhood rebellion is it! Forgive my impudence, uncle, but it didn't feel very childlike when I dragged your face across the fields of Μικρὰ Ἀσία(Anatolia)." 

Koios's false smile dropped for a second before returning in full force and spoke words filled with mocking, "Apologies, nephew, but I was speaking to your elder brother Hades; after, as the eldest son of Kronos, he would be the one who would become heir to the Titan throne not you..." As soon as the words left his lips, I realized their purpose was never to make peace but to sow discord between our ranks.

So before he could manage to cause any further damage, I intervened, "Uncle, I would sooner rot in Tartarus for eternity than spend my time ruling over a group of tyrannical hedonists so far down the pecking order, the only peace that will be made between us will be at the end of our blades."

My words had caused Atlas to become so enraged that he disregarded the sanctioned peace and charged me spear first; unfortunately for him, Zeus had become a raging storm at Koios words and needed only an outlet to take it out on as with a thunderous roar he swung the master bolt straight at Atlas chest blasting him so far back that he wiped out an entire section of the Titan army.

This act, of course, made all hell break lose as in response, Iapetus charged Zeus in an attempt to defend his son only to find himself pierced at the end of my bident, ironic considering his nickname calling upon the river Acheron to flood the Titans now open wound causing the Titan of pain to scream in agony. Of course, Poseidon wouldn't let us have all the fun and charged Hyperion trident first; light and water clashed, releasing steam that obscured most of our vision as fighting rang heavily across the new battlefield.

In response to our sudden clash, the armies charged one another as the base of Mount Orthys became a war zone, the elements warring at the base of the mountain.

Of course, I didn't have time to focus on my brothers, never mind the status of our army, as I now had one of the Elder Titans impaled on the end of my bident. Wasting no time, Iapetus used my power against me, calling upon Erebus to shadow travel off the back of my blades before quickly rushing forward with what would have been a devastating blow for any immortal. Unfortunately for the piercer, I could temporarily call upon the power of the Styx, causing Iapetus's spear to ring like a bell on my now invulnerable skin.

Thus began our battle. I was superior in every way, but Iapetus's extensive experience could not be underestimated. While his spear couldn't hold a candle to my bident, it was in the hands of a far more capable wielder; fortunately, power does overcome experience at a certain point, and as the fight progressed, I had barely even used much power. Meanwhile, Iapetus's form had begun to age, a sign of his energy running low, trying to keep us with the constant stream of injuries my bident left behind.

I had no wish to see what the edge of the Titan of Pain's spear could do, so deciding to end this fight quickly, I coated the end of my bident in hell fire, calling upon the magma beneath the earth to harden beneath Iapetus feet acting like shackles so my now blazing bident could pierce entirely through Iapteus torso. The shock and pain caused Iapetus's essence to distort, so I quickly started to sever his essence using the sealed jars we were given before the battle to temporarily seal Iapetus until he could be punished after the fight.

With my short battle over with, I began to search for my brothers, being calmed by the view of them dealing with their opponents handily; deciding that they didn't need my help, I decided to throw myself into the clash between armies in an attempt to steer the battle in our favor...