Chapter 32: The Twelve Olympian Gods (6)
Gasp!
Unlike the other gods in the Committee chamber, who froze in shock, Poseidon felt a spark of amusement.
Since his role in the war with Pontus and acting as guarantor for Zeus and Hera’s marriage vows, no one—god, monster, or otherwise—had dared to confront him so boldly.
Yet here was Ares, a child of Zeus and Hera, giving Poseidon his first taste of such audacity in Olympus, where he’d been invited under Zeus’ name.
While Poseidon found it refreshing, the surrounding gods were petrified, barely daring to breathe.
Despite his casual appearance—shorts and a floral shirt, looking like a carefree wanderer—no one in Olympus was unaware of Poseidon’s power and fearsome reputation.
Well, except for one god, apparently.
Truth be told, Ares wasn’t the only one who’d been disciplined by Poseidon for harassing lesser sea or river gods.
— “He’s lost it. I knew Ares was reckless, but this…”
— “Someone fetch Zeus or Hera! If this goes wrong, the world could be split in two—or three!”
— “Where are Ares’ followers? What are they doing?”
— “They’re all drunk and out of their minds after carousing with him!”
“…”
The tragedy for the gods already in the chamber was that Zeus’ more prominent and powerful children weren’t present.
In other words, there was no one to rein Ares in.
“Apologize, you fool! Do you know whose woman you’ve dared to covet? I’m Ares, son and heir of Zeus, eldest son of Hera. Coveting my woman is a crime worthy of death! But since you’re my father’s brother and my mother’s sibling, I’ll forgive you if you beg.”
Ares’ follow-up left the chamber in an even deeper chill.
Yet no one was more flustered, embarrassed, or stuck than Aphrodite.
‘I just played along because he’s handsome and well-built…’
From Aphrodite’s perspective, Ares was just a young, well-bred god chasing her, someone she’d kept in her “pond” as the goddess of love and beauty.
But now things had escalated disastrously.
If this went wrong, she could be dragged into Ares’ mess.
***
As everyone stood frozen, unsure of what to do, Poseidon’s sisters and Zeus’ children entered the chamber, catching Ares’ bold words.
— “Apologize, you fool! Do you know whose woman you’ve dared to covet? I’m Ares, son and heir of Zeus, eldest son of Hera. Coveting my woman is a crime worthy of death! But since you’re my father’s brother and my mother’s sibling, I’ll forgive you if you beg.”
Apollo and Artemis, chatting with Demeter, halted in disbelief.
Hermes, showing off a hat gifted by Hestia, was so shocked he fell from midair.
Hestia’s face crumpled in exasperation.
Ares’ voice was so loud it reached Hades, Zeus, Hera, and Athena, who was trying to mediate their fight outside.
— “What the…”
— “…”
— “Ares!”
The chamber fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Even the sounds of the chief gods’ battle outside ceased abruptly.
Ares, mistaking the silence for awe at his authority, grew even more smug.
“Hmph, I understand your fear. Even if you’re Poseidon, one of the three chief gods, trembling before me, Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, is only natural. I’m merciful, so leave the chamber now, and I’ll forgive you for speaking to my woman, Aphrodite.”
“…”
“Or kiss my feet in reverence. Be grateful for my generosity. Hahaha!”
The Olympus council chamber felt like a frozen tundra, an icy chill sweeping through despite no wind.
Amid it all, Poseidon nodded calmly, listening to Ares’ rant.
To him, Ares was like a naïve pup unaware of the trouble awaiting him.
Ares’ prattling only grew more enthusiastic under Poseidon’s gaze, but to Poseidon, it was like watching a bug boast about its greatness—hardly worth getting worked up over.
Ares was barely more than an insect in his eyes.
Among Zeus’ children, Athena had inherited his essence most strongly, while Hebe carried Hera’s traits most vividly.
Ares, frankly, was a failure in comparison.
Of course, Zeus and Hera might feel differently.
“Hmm… So, to summarize, I’m beneath Zeus and Hera, practically a lesser god, and I should bow to you, their son, because I committed the grave sin of speaking to your woman. Is that right?”
“Exactly. Not bad for a sea god. I heard you’re violent, hot-tempered, and dim-witted,” Ares sneered.
“Zeus, Hera, what do you think? I’m not particularly angry, but being insulted by a young god like this… Should I hold back for the sake of your authority?”
Poseidon directed his question to Zeus and Hera, who had just rushed in.
Hades’ gleeful smirk behind them betrayed their shock.
“Uh…”
Zeus faltered, unable to respond.
Hera, staring at her son—who still held his head high as if he’d done something admirable—closed her eyes and approached him.
“Lady Hera, he’s your son. Even so, handling this here…”
Athena, arriving late to defuse the situation, cautiously stepped in front of Hera.
The insult to Poseidon warranted a punishment as severe as Prometheus’, but a parent directly disciplining their child, even a god, would tarnish their reputation.
“Step aside, Athena. Isn’t it better for me to deal with him than to let him suffer at Poseidon’s hands or those of my sisters? It might even be merciful to tear him limb from limb and toss him to the dogs myself,” Hera said coldly.
Her chilling words and the menacing aura she exuded suggested she was ready to do far worse than she described.
The onlookers gasped in horror at her reaction, matched only by the equally intense responses from Demeter and Hestia.
Ares, hearing his mother’s words, tapped his ears in disbelief.
“Mother?”
“Ares, my child, I’m sorry. This may be the last time we see you. But know this: your mother’s love for you was always true,” Hera said softly.
“W-What? Mother, why are you saying this?”
“Be still. I’ll make it painless. What you’ve done has shattered the peace and balance of the gods. If Poseidon and that grim Hades join forces, the world will face another great war, and we gods may not survive it.”
“…”
“Ares, your actions have caused this. You insulted Poseidon, one of the three chief gods, equal to your father, Zeus. His domain, the sea, is beyond even Zeus’ interference. And this was the moment we needed to ask him for a crucial favor for our plans…”
Hera trailed off, calmly approaching Ares and Poseidon.
She bowed deeply to Poseidon, an unprecedented act of humility for her.
“I’m sorry, Lord of the Sea. This is my failure as a mother who raised her son poorly. Please show what mercy you can and let me handle this.”
Her gesture and words were utterly humiliating, casting aside all her authority as queen.
Yet it was also the most effective move.
It was a mother’s plea to spare her son from a fate like Pontus’ and a queen’s desperate effort to prevent a catastrophic war among the gods.
Zeus, her husband and king of the gods, could not lower himself to bow to Poseidon.
“Hera… you’re as cunning as ever. If I don’t accept this, I’ll be the dishonorable one, won’t I? Tsk, we fought plenty over that sharpness of yours in the past. That thunderous fool’s antics don’t bother me much, but…”
Poseidon recognized Hera’s move as one that cornered him into compliance.
It also quelled the anger of Hestia, Demeter, and the sea gods, who were livid at Ares’ actions.
He could see Hestia and Demeter, too shocked to even express their rage, staring at the scene.
Had Hera not intervened, regardless of Poseidon’s personal feelings, Ares would likely have faced eternal torment, imprisoned in Tartarus or the depths of Oceanus.
A war would have been inevitable.
“I’m offended. You know me well enough to understand how much this insult stings,” Poseidon said.
“Yes, but you also know this is the best I can do,” Hera replied.
Poseidon summoned his trident and, in a swift motion, severed Hera’s arm.
“Let’s call this settled. Deal with Ares as you see fit.”
Hera didn’t flinch or groan as her arm fell, golden blood dripping onto the floor.
She merely smiled, tapping Poseidon’s shoulder.
“Thank you for your consideration, as always.”
“Tch.”
“I’ll live with one arm for a year.”
“Whatever. Everyone here saw it.”
Hera tapped Poseidon’s chest with her remaining hand, smiling gratefully.
“Tsk, so this is how it ends. Lower your aura, Zeus, unless you really want a war,” Poseidon warned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zeus asked.
“It’s a rule from our days in Kronos’ stomach.”
Back when the five siblings were trapped in Kronos’ belly, the stress they endured was unimaginable.
They fought countless times, sometimes with deadly intent.
To avoid truly killing each other, they created a rule: the one at fault, decided by vote, would sacrifice a body part for a year.
Barbaric, perhaps, but it was the best solution they had to restrain themselves in that dark, timeless void where decades or centuries blurred together.
Even for mighty gods, such confinement was unbearable.
And since they were gods, a missing limb was inconsequential.
Zeus, hearing the explanation from Hades, clutched his head and groaned.
“Ugh, I still can’t keep up with you five siblings.”
“Still… I’m glad that even after all this time, Brother Poseidon still cares about the family.” Hades said.
“Wait, why is Poseidon ‘brother’ to you?” Zeus asked.
“Because I made a promise,” Poseidon replied.
“Then shouldn’t you call me, the eldest son, ‘big brother’ too?”
“No chance, Hades. That’s never happening,”
“You little…!”
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