Chapter 76
"What in my name happened here?" the figure who appeared after the lightning strike asked with a stern voice. The figure looked around the wreckage of the battle that had ensued earlier between the huntresses, Diana, and Atalanta versus Dionysus-turned-beast and Odin's Wicker Man. The figure surveyed the huntresses and then the Goddesses before looking at Diana and Hippolyta with a frown and anger in his eyes.
The huntresses looked at the figure with wide eyes in shock before kneeling down to the ground after confirming who the figure in front of them was: none other than the God of Thunder and Lightning, King of Olympus, Zeus. Zeus's muscular physique reflected his status as the king of the gods, with broad shoulders and a strong build that commanded respect. His skin was weathered, showing the strength and endurance that came with ruling the heavens. His long, flowing hair and beard were a striking grey, giving him a wise and ancient appearance. His eyes were intense and glowing, filled with the power of lightning and the weight of countless years. Zeus wore a simple yet regal white cloth draped around his waist, fastened with golden clasps. The cloth was adorned with intricate golden patterns along the edges, adding a touch of divine elegance to his otherwise minimal attire. Golden armor pieces adorned his arms and legs, intricately designed with swirling patterns. (God of War Zeus)
The Goddesses, except for Hera, bowed their heads to Zeus. Diana and Hippolyta, on the other hand, did not bow, much like Hera. Zeus looked at the trio who did not bow to his presence, which made him seethe with anger inwardly. He considered punishing Diana and Hippolyta for their casual disrespect, but he remembered that every time he did something to them, he was punished by being stopped in time for a year. This made his blood boil in anger, so he shook his head to remove the thoughts, knowing the time would come when he could touch them.
Hera broke the tense silence, her voice dripping with mockery, "Oh, mighty Zeus, come to grace us with your presence. How fortunate we are." Diana and Hippolyta giggle at Hera's behavior making the angry Zeus even more angry inwardly "Mark my word bitches, I will rape and kill both you endlessly" he thought to himself as all the resentment of being put to time stop bubble within him even though that was all his fault
Zeus ignore Hera's sarcastic remark, he then looks at Athena with a stern face "Explain, what happened!" he then pick up random stone after he said that.
"Fath..." Athena began to call out, but she noticed the narrow eyes of Zeus burning into her, causing her to stop midway. "Lord Zeus. Gaia and Odin tried to assassinate Artemis using the Beast they created from the corpse of our brother, Dionysus." She bowed her head as she explained this in a serious manner. When she looked up, she saw Zeus holding a stone and fiddling with it, his face confused and frowning. Hera noticed this as well, making a mental note to investigate it further.
"Lord Zeus?" Athena interrupted the musings of the King of Olympus. Zeus looked at Athena, then at Artemis, before asking in a serious tone, "Did the Beast or Dionysus use his ability to turn anything into wine?"
Athena and Artemis thought about the battle they had witnessed. As they remembered it more clearly, they realized they had not seen Dionysus using that specific ability, which struck them as odd. Athena then answered with a frown on her face as she looked at Zeus. "No, the Beast did not use that ability," she said, shaking her head.
"Which is understandable because, you know," Artemis said in a casual tone, pausing for a bit as she looked at the place where the Beast had been absorbed before adding, "The Beast is a beast. It doesn't know how to use its previous abilities." She spoke casually, trying to appear unconcerned.
"The Beast clearly knew what it was doing based on my observation while I was fighting it," Diana interjected with a smug face, challenging the Goddesses. Zeus looked at her with anger, as this conversation was meant for divine beings only, but Diana's casual demeanor in front of Zeus indicated she didn't care. Hera giggled before saying, "Good girl," praising Diana and smirking at Zeus, making him click his tongue in annoyance.
"And the Beast was able to use Dionysus' vine manipulation in battle," Athena added, suggesting that the Beast might not have been acting out of instinct but rather with conscious thought. However, this did not explain why the Beast had not used Dionysus' wine-turning ability if it had its own thoughts.
"Or maybe the Beast was just using its creator's authority over Earth to make vines!" Artemis suggested in a smug tone, implying that Athena might be overthinking the situation. She chose not to voice this directly to avoid embarrassing Athena in front of Zeus.
"Overall, the beast did not use it, Lord Zeus" Athena looked at Zeus curiously after saying their piece about the beast not using Dionysus's staple ability.
"I see," Zeus said after listening to everything. He continued fiddling with the stone in his hand, his face contorted in a frown that soon turned into anger. With a surge of strength, he crushed the stone in his palm. He then fixed his stern gaze on Athena, "Where is the corpse?" he demanded, looking around the vicinity for the Beast's body.
"The earth absorbed it, or Gaia did and used it to revive the huntresses who died in the battle," Athena explained respectfully, maintaining eye contact with Zeus.
"Gaia stealing something... how new," Zeus muttered under his breath, his simmering anger evident. The sky rumbled and lightning crackled above in response to his fury, more intense than Hera's earlier outburst. He started to calm down, considering Gaia's theft trivial at best.
Artemis, the huntresses, Diana, Hippolyta, and Atalanta noticed Zeus's anger and assumed it was due to Gaia and Odin killing Dionysus, turning him into a Beast, and then using his corpse to revive the huntresses. This made the huntresses feel guilty, but Artemis reassured them, saying she was happy to have them back, making them feel more valued.
However, Athena and Hera exchanged knowing looks, understanding that Gaia stealing something held deeper implications. They silently resolved to investigate further on their own.
Athena stepped forward, her curiosity masked as concern. "Is there a problem, Lord Zeus?" she inquired casually.
"You don't need to know," Zeus replied sternly, dismissing Athena's question. He turned to Artemis. "Find Gaia, no matter what. Understood?" He didn't wait for her response, confident that he too would pursue Gaia. With a flash of lightning, he vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.
Silence descended after Zeus's departure, broken by Artemis's smug remark, "It seems Lord Zeus does care about his children, based on his reaction." She looked at everyone, especially Hera, who often claimed Zeus was indifferent to his children's well-being.
"HAHAHA, did he now?" Hera laughed loudly at Artemis's comment. Turning to Athena, she added with a mocking tone, "How about asking her if she shares your opinion, little girl?" After that, a flock of crows started swirling around her before vanishing without a trace.
Artemis frowned and looked at Athena, who wore a helpless smile, confirming that Zeus didn't care as much as Artemis had hoped. "Why did I even expect him to care?" Artemis sighed. She then instructed her huntresses to track Gaia but reminded them to prioritize their safety. Although she had initially planned to go all out after witnessing Zeus's anger at Gaia, Athena's expression made her reconsider, opting for minimal effort instead.
Artemis then turned to Atalanta. "You have to be careful too on your mission, as different pantheons seem to be coveting it," she said with a warm smile, patting Atalanta's shoulder.
"Here take this" Athena showed Atalanta a piece of feather before adding more "This is a familiar that will make us communicate with us" She smiled warmly as she handing it to Atalanta.
"I will do my best to prevent them from getting the dragon," Atalanta said in determine voice while putting her hand to her chest.
Artemis then looked around the group and the huntresses before "I can all of you deserve a feast and party what you did, so go do just that" she shouted to the huntresses with vigor, and the huntresses responded with shouts and cheers as they go to the venue.
Diana walked beside Atalanta before asking "What kind of mission they gave you?" she asked in curiosity as they followed the huntresses and the Goddesses.
"I'm going to attend a school" Diana stopped herself from walking as she heard that making a confused expression. While Atalanta just walks forward as she ignores the standing the Diana.
"HUH?"
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I forgot to mention this, but the MC is 17 years old, the same age as Issei.
This is the last chapter for the week, and there will be no chapter next week. The reason is that I scrapped five chapters about getting the second vocalist from another world in favor of advancing the DxD plot (I will still use this later). Currently, I have four chapters stockpiled, but I need six more, so I need a total of ten chapters to have peace of mind.
Thank you for reading, and peace out!
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