Chapter 176: Chapter 21
The overworld was in chaos.
Fishermen dropped their nets as the sea rose unnaturally high, waves towering like living beasts ready to devour the coast.
Farmers abandoned their fields as the earth quaked beneath their feet, splitting open with every strike of Poseidon’s trident.
Women clutched their children, rushing to the temples, crying out for salvation.
"Oh great Zeus, save us!"
"Lady Athena, shield your faithful!"
Even those who normally worshipped Poseidon now wept and begged him to show mercy, fearing the wrath of both deities.
The sky flickered with gold and deep blue, as if the heavens were split in two. The air itself felt heavy, pressing on their chests until breathing became difficult.
In the agora, the priests of Athena fell to their knees, chanting prayers to strengthen their goddess.
The priests of Poseidon did the same, calling for their lord to restrain his fury.
But no answer came.
Each clash of spear and trident sent shockwaves that shattered windows and toppled statues.
Dust filled the air. Fires started where lightning struck, and the smell of saltwater mingled with smoke.
Many mortals began preparing for the worst, gathering offerings and sacrifices, desperate to appease whichever god would listen first.
And through it all, the people could not stop staring at the sky, where two divine figures clashed like stars colliding, their light almost too blinding to look at.
Athena’s spear struck like a falling star, each thrust tearing apart the clouds and shaking the sea below.
Poseidon countered with his trident, every swing summoning tidal waves and fissures across the earth.
Mountains shuddered. Entire cliffsides crumbled into the ocean. The mortals in the nearby city fell to their knees in terror, praying desperately as temples cracked and statues toppled.
Athena’s fury was blinding. Her golden aura flared so intensely that the land itself seemed to glow.
The air around her shimmered with divine pressure, making even the strongest winds scatter like frightened animals.
"I will make you pay! You barnacle sucker!" she screamed, her voice loud enough to rattle Olympus itself.
Poseidon grinned, though his body dripped with seawater and blood where her spear had grazed him, though it healed as quickly as it appeared. "She struck me first. Mortals must know their place. They cannot, and must not, insult the dignity of a god."
"Your dignity is pathetic!" Athena lunged forward, and the sky screamed as her spear pierced through space itself, leaving a trail of golden fire.
Poseidon slammed his trident into the ground, summoning a wall of water as tall as a mountain to block the attack.
The collision vaporized the sea in an instant, filling the air with steam and raining scalding droplets over miles of coastline.
Ships were tossed like toys, entire groves of trees ripped out of the ground. Mortals fled as the battle raged, their prayers reaching every god willing to listen.
Even Poseidon’s grin began to fade as Athena pressed harder, her attacks relentless, her aura now burning bright enough to make him squint.
He had not expected her to be this strong, nor this furious.
After all, Medusa was one priestess. She has countless more. Is it really worth it to fight him to death for one mortal priestess?
If this continued, the entire continent would be wiped from the map.
And Poseidon knew that Hades would intervene if this fight were to drag on.
*
*
*
In a secluded garden, the air was still, the scent of blooming flowers mixing with the earthy smell of ripened grain.
Demeter was preparing to pack all necessities to move to underworld, her hair catching the last rays of the sun.
She was humming peacefully, ignoring the fight between the two divines happening on the other side of the world.
When suddenly, a flicker of light appeared behind her.
The light then formed into Hera’s regal figure, tall and imperious, though Demeter immediately noticed the faint transparency of her form.
"A projection," Demeter murmured, turning to face her sister. She gave a polite nod, though her tone was curt. "What is it, Hera? I assume you didn’t come to chat."
Hera’s eyes were serious. "Hades orders that you ensure the mortals’ safety before you leave, and if possible, stop their fight. The clash in the overworld is worsening."
Demeter groaned and tilted her head back, her hand massaging her temple. "Of course he would ask that."
She had felt it, Athena and Poseidon, throwing tantrums like children, tearing the sky apart.
She was thinking of slipping away before she was asked to deal with it, but it was too late.
Her shoulders sagged in reluctant acceptance. "Fine. I’ll deal with it."
Hera’s projection inclined her head, then dissolved into faint light, leaving Demeter alone in the quiet garden.
Demeter sighed, running her hand through her hair in frustration. Then she called out sharply, "Naiad!"
From the nearby fountain, a young nymph rose, water trailing from her hair. She bowed respectfully. "Yes, Lady Demeter?"
"I’ll be leaving to clean up this mess before the mortals panic themselves into oblivion," Demeter said, gesturing vaguely at the sky, "See to the rest of the preparations here. I won’t be long."
"Yes, my lady." The nymph bowed again before vanishing back into the water.
Demeter straightened, her expression hardening as she spread her arms.
The ground beneath her feet bloomed with golden light, her divine power surging.
Then, with a single beat of energy, she shot upward, leaving a trail of glowing motes in the air before disappearing into the horizon.
*
*
*
As Demeter reached the battlefield, the once-blue sky was split by violent streaks of divine power.
Lightning crackled in the distance, and waves from a nearby sea rose unnaturally high, threatening to swallow coastal villages.
She flew towards the place where the two gods are currently clashing, a completely devastated plane.
Athena stood amidst the ruin, her spear glowing like a shard of the sun. Her aura radiated pure wrath, the ground beneath her feet cracking as if scorched by her fury.
Poseidon loomed on the other side, trident in hand, his ocean-blue aura swirling around him like a hurricane.
Behind him, the air shimmered with the sound of roaring waves, as though the sea itself was ready to crash down at his command.
Each strike between them sent shockwaves tearing through the landscape, trees uprooted, mountains shattered, rivers redirected.
Demeter hovered above the destruction, her face grim.
She could feel mortals nearby, their prayers rising to the heavens in terror.
She clenched her fist. If this keeps going, there will be nothing left for them to rebuild.
Then Athena struck, faster than lightning, her spear slamming against Poseidon’s trident. The collision sent out a massive pulse of divine energy that flattened an entire hillside.
Demeter had enough.
She descended like a falling star, landing between them with such force that flowers bloomed in a perfect circle around her feet, even in this devastated land.
"Enough!" she thundered, her voice carrying the weight of every harvest, every fertile field, every grain of wheat in the world.
The ground shook, and for a moment, both combatants paused.
Athena’s blazing eyes turned to her. "Stay out of this, Demeter. He has to pay for what he’s done!"
Poseidon merely sneered, twirling his trident. "Pay? I have done nothing wrong. Mortals should be honored to offer themselves to a god such as I."
Athena’s divinity flared up, pointing her spear at him. "Say that again and I’ll stab my spear through your throat."
"Try it, bitch."
Demeter’s expression hardened, her power flaring.
Golden vines sprouted from the earth, snaking toward both of them as a warning. "You will stop now. Hades has been made aware of this fight, and I will not be the one to tell him the mortals were wiped out because you two couldn’t control yourselves."
The two flinched, their movements halted.
A tense silence followed.
Athena grit her teeth, but eventually lowered her spear just slightly, though her glare never left Poseidon.
Poseidon simply scoffed, spinning his weapon once before resting it against his shoulder.
Demeter exhaled slowly, her shoulders sagging. The battlefield was still smoldering, rivers displaced, the very air heavy with leftover divine energy.
She turned her gaze on the two deities, who now stood in tense silence.
Children, Demeter thought bitterly, the word ringing in her mind like a judgment.
"Enough posturing," she said aloud, her tone like a mother scolding unruly offspring. "Follow me. Both of you."
Neither argued, though Athena’s jaw clenched visibly and Poseidon’s smirk never left his face.
Demeter’s eyes then dropped to the figure still crouched on the ground.
Medusa trembled violently, her newly-formed snake hair hissing in distress, her hands still covering her face as if trying to hold onto her last shred of humanity.
Demeter’s expression softened just slightly. "Bring her along as well."
Athena immediately moved to Medusa’s side, helping her stand. The once-proud priestess clung to Athena’s arm as though it was the only thing keeping her sane.
Without another word, the four of them ascended into the skies, leaving the scarred land behind.
Their destination, Olympus.