Chapter 7: Titanomachy (3)
The battle ended swiftly.
Campe's numerous animal and monster heads were torn off, her dragon-like lower body bled from scales ripped away, and the snakes that formed her hair had all their heads severed.
"Hades, stop. Killing Campe isn't the goal," Zeus urged.
"Since when do you give me orders, Zeus?" Hades snapped.
"It's not about that—it's what the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes requested."
"Hmph. That doesn't mean I'll forgive this giantess who insulted and underestimated me."
Despite Zeus' protests, Hades proceeded to cut off the heads of Campe's snake hair, weaving them into a grotesque necklace that he draped around his neck.
Zeus and Poseidon grimaced at the sight but said nothing.
With time pressing, they had no desire to argue with Hades.
"Zeus, let's hurry and get them back to our base. It seems Kronos hasn't noticed our absence yet, since no messenger has arrived," Poseidon suggested.
Zeus nodded in agreement, and they quickly led the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes back to their stronghold.
They returned just as Kronos, having received Campe's message, was launching a fierce assault.
"They've already arrived?!"
Unexpectedly, this allowed them to witness the Hecatoncheires' overwhelming power firsthand.
With the strength of their hundred arms, they seized and hurled Titans away, sending most flying with ease.
"These damned family members keep getting in my way until the end," Kronos muttered, scowling at his brothers, the Hecatoncheires, before retreating.
When Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades safely reached the stronghold, the camp erupted in cheers.
With Gaia's prophecy, their victory was all but assured.
***
As the front lines were reorganized, both Titans and gods knew the final battle was approaching.
"Zeus, even though Gaia's prophecy is coming true, we can't be certain," Metis cautioned.
"True, we still haven't fully subdued Father Kronos," Zeus admitted.
"Hmph! Father? He's just an enemy. And with the Hecatoncheires buying us a little time, we can take Kronos down," Hera declared.
Both Metis' concern and Hera's words had merit.
With an anomaly like me existing, the prophecy's outcome was uncertain.
That said, it wasn't as if our current strength couldn't overpower Kronos.
"Hera, we can't focus solely on Kronos," Poseidon pointed out.
"Poseidon's right. Even Demeter and I are busy protecting the goddesses who follow us," Hestia added.
Hera fell silent at Hestia's words.
Given our situation, our siblings' strength was compensating for our lack of numbers.
At that moment, the Cyclopes entered our tent.
"We overheard your conversation," one said.
"You can make up for numbers with weapons."
"Overwhelming firepower solves all problems."
With those words, the Cyclopes bestowed the siblings with weapons of immense power.
Brontes, the thunderer, crafted Zeus' lightning bolt.
Steropes, the lightning-maker, forged Poseidon's trident.
Arges, the shining one, created Hades' helm.
They also made 150 cannons for the Hecatoncheires to wield, refined Hera's crown, and crafted a magical scepter for her.
Additionally, they produced a veil infused with Gaia's divine power for Demeter and a fire poker and portable altar for Hestia—items that didn't exist in the original myth.
"Firepower is always the answer."
"Overwhelming firepower makes anything possible."
"We need explosions!"
Like gods obsessed with firepower, the Cyclopes tirelessly churned out bombers and cannons for the gods to use.
Naturally, the gods couldn't possibly use all the excessive weaponry, and Poseidon shook his head as he watched the surplus pile up in storage.
'What are you, the United States from my past life?'
***
The Hecatoncheires dominated the battlefield, wielding 150 cannons—two in each hand—unleashing devastating firepower from a distance.
With the Cyclopes' weapons, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon fully awakened their divine names, and Kronos could no longer handle them alone.
This meant no Titan could stand against the three brothers.
Hades' helm, which seemed underwhelming for the Cyclopes' standards, transformed into a black beam saber.
Hera, officially recognized by Rhea and Gaia, received a crown and magical scepter, fully awakening her divine name.
Demeter accepted Gaia's veil, and Hestia embraced her blazing fire poker and altar, each awakening their divine names as well.
With the six siblings fully realizing their powers through the long war, and with the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes joining the fray, the Titans were pushed to the brink.
Only a handful of Titans remained in Kronos' vast kingdom.
The rest had been captured and were now under guard.
"Oh… Gaia's prophecy has come to pass. I couldn't overcome her. I was merely a pawn in the hands of the Protogenoi," Kronos lamented.
Having overthrown his father to usher in a Golden Age, he now realized he'd been manipulated by the primordial gods, leaving him with no strength to resist.
"Atlas, open the gates. We've lost, so I must play into Gaia's hands."
Kronos opened the gates himself and stood before the six siblings, admitting defeat.
"You've won. In the end, I couldn't escape Gaia's grasp. This is my defeat. The Golden Age is over, and now the Silver Age you'll rule will begin…"
With Kronos' admission of defeat, everyone shouted at the top of their lungs:
"Waaaaah!!!"
"We've won!!!"
"Long live Zeus! Long live Poseidon! Long live Hades! Long live Hera! Long live Demeter! Long live Hestia!"
***
After a decade-long war, the six siblings captured all the Titans and imprisoned them in Kronos' palace.
They then gathered the Titans and gods who had aided them to discuss the fate of the captives and distribute rewards for their contributions.
"What should we do with them?" Zeus asked.
"First, we all agree they can't be left on the surface," Hera stated.
"But Hera, you know we can't just lock them up anywhere," Demeter countered.
"We can't force them into labor either. Even though we're stronger now, their power is still a hassle," Hestia added.
"I agree with Poseidon. Other than us, there's hardly anyone who can keep them in check," Hades said.
"Then how about placing them in the underworld?" Styx suggested.
"That's a good idea, Styx, but someone would have to constantly monitor and restrain them," Zeus responded.
"Plus, they're Gaia's children," Demeter pointed out.
"What are you getting at, Zeus?" Hera asked.
"I mean… we lock them all in Tartarus. That way, minimal supervision is needed, and even Gaia won't be able to control them."
Zeus' final words shocked everyone.
Poseidon, knowing this followed the myth, wasn't too surprised.
But the others, aware of Tartarus' horrors, were stunned by Zeus' proposal.
"Why are you all so shocked? It's the only place they can go," Zeus pressed.
"But Zeus, they're your kin," Styx argued.
"Kin or not, they're also our enemies," Zeus retorted.
"Zeus, Gaia won't stay quiet," Demeter warned.
"Demeter, we all heard Father's final words. To truly usher in our era, we can't keep dancing in the Protogenoi's hands," Zeus insisted.
Hera and Hades, agreeing with Zeus, remained silent, and Poseidon had to acknowledge the truth in his words.
After all, the true era of the Olympian gods began only after defeating Gaia's final gambit—Typhon and the Gigantomachy.
"I'm in favor. We have no choice but to completely eliminate them as threats," Hera said.
"I agree too. They'd be a nuisance if left on the surface," Hades added.
"I abstain," Demeter declared.
"I'll abstain too," Hestia echoed.
With Hera and Hades in favor and Demeter and Hestia abstaining, the decision rested with Poseidon.
If he opposed, locking the Titans in Tartarus would be vetoed, as the gods adhered to a policy where even a single dissent could halt major decisions.
All eyes turned to Poseidon.
"I'm in favor too. But if Gaia comes up with a solid alternative for handling the Titans in the future, we should consider releasing them from Tartarus."
Everyone nodded at Poseidon's words.
If a better solution arose, there was no need to cling to Tartarus.
"Then it's decided," Zeus concluded.
Bang, bang, bang.
***
Thus, the gods imprisoned the Titans in Tartarus, entrusting their guard to the Hecatoncheires, who took on the role with glee.
"Haha, taste the hell we endured!"
"You damned monsters!"
Among the Titans, Atlas, second only to Kronos in strength, was sentenced to hold up the sky.
"I'm sorry, Tethys. I couldn't spare your sister's son, Atlas, from his punishment," Poseidon said.
"Don't feel too bad, Poseidon. We knew this was coming. At least Prometheus and Epimetheus will be rewarded, which is a relief for my sister. Besides, Atlas and Menoetius were never the obedient types," Tethys replied.
"I'm glad you see it that way."
Next came the distribution of rewards.
The biggest issue was dividing the spoils among Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, and Hera, who had made the greatest contributions.
The gods feared another war might break out among them, given their immense power and the tensions from a decade ago.
What they didn't account for was how the ten-year war had matured the six siblings, enabling them to think more deeply.
As an example, Hera declared her withdrawal.
"I abstain. My authority is already well-established, and I don't want to spark another big fight here."
With Hera, the most powerful goddess, stepping back, only the three brothers remained.
Zeus, who had rapidly grown to wield the mightiest lightning; Hades, the most aggressive and authoritative god, whose qualities somehow appeared glorious; and Poseidon, already the master of all seas.
In truth, Zeus and Hades didn't see Poseidon as a competitor.
Loved by the primordial sea, Oceanus, Poseidon was a ruler of the seas beyond even Pontus or Oceanus' control.
The most telling proof was the ever-present droplets of Oceanus' water orbiting him—the core of the primordial sea that encircled the world.
Here, Zeus devised a plan.
Since Poseidon was the flawless ruler of the seas, only the sky and the underworld remained.
If he could relegate Hades to the underworld, Zeus would effectively become the king of the gods, as the king was always the ruler of the sky.
"How about we three draw lots fairly, brothers? If one of us claims everything like Father did, we'd just be repeating history."
Poseidon, uninterested, agreed, and though Hades had reservations, with both Zeus and Poseidon in favor, he had little choice.
"Fine. Let's use Gaia's leaves for fairness."
After the draw, as expected, Zeus claimed the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld.
"You damned Zeus… You played me!"
"What, Hades, are you going to question Gaia's choice?"
"You bastard, I'll make you pay for this one day!"
"Pfft, whatever!"
Despite their growth, the two still had a childish streak, and Poseidon shook his head as he approached his sisters.
"Don't we need to stop them? With Hades' temper, he won't let this slide," Poseidon said.
"Eh, even Hades can't defy Gaia's choice," Hera replied.
"But he'll probably plot some big revenge, maybe a rebellion at a critical moment," Demeter added.
"Hades was too careless. He assumed Poseidon would naturally take the sea and didn't expect Zeus to pull a trick. Plus, Zeus has that redheaded goddess of wisdom by his side," Hestia pointed out.
Hera, Demeter, and Hestia scolded Hades instead.
'Well, with the goddess of wisdom acting as Zeus' strategist, Hades got played too easily.'
'Once the rest of the rewards are distributed, the true era of the Olympian gods will begin. The war was fun from birth to now, but it was also tedious.'
As for the Titans who fought on the siblings' side, Kratos and Bia, as in the myths, earned the privilege of standing closest to Zeus, the new king of the gods.
Tethys was tasked with overseeing all the gods' oaths and promises.
Thus, the true era of the Olympian gods finally began.