Divine Ascension: Reborn as a God of Power-Chapter 46: The Schism of Olympus (Part 6)

(4 days till the start of the War...)

The sun rose slowly over the mountains, as if unsure whether to illuminate the world for another day. From the hill where I stood, I could still see Kaeron in the distance, still shrouded in the soft mist of dawn. The cool wind brushed my face and ruffled my cloak, but I didn’t move. Beside me, Aegle was silent. I could feel her discomfort in the air, as if she were carefully choosing her words.

"They keep sending emissaries," she said suddenly. Her tone was dry, laden with annoyance. "Today Apollo stopped by the Garden to ask if we would support Olympus in these times of crisis. Two days ago it was Hermes on behalf of Zeus. What’s next? Athena offering us a theater with golden statues?"

I didn’t answer her right away. I just kept looking at the valley. It was early, but there was already movement in the village. I could see some figures coming out of their houses, others carrying tools on their shoulders. And my only thought was: How nice a life like this would be, far away from all the fights and dramas of the gods, but... things turned out this way for a reason, after all, I am the reason that those people can now live a peaceful life.

"What do you think?" she insisted. ’Are we going to continue ignoring them? Even though I don’t really like either of them very much, Nemesis has a better proposal: to restore balance to Olympus with new faces..."

"Zeus also talks about balance," I muttered. "But when he says it, it sounds more like control."

Aegle frowned. "And Nemesis wants justice at any price. She wants Olympus to pay for its mistakes. Does that make them better?"

I turned to look at her. The light of dawn caressed her features, and although her beauty was still there, there was something dull in her gaze. It wasn’t the usual confidence, but rather uncertainty. Aegle was conflicted.

"What’s really worrying you?" I asked.

She took a deep breath. "We serve Hera, the Hesperides, I mean. Although we’re not technically bound by Hera’s decisions... it’s complicated. It is known that Hera has already made her choice, and Zeus is her inevitable ally. We are technically free to decide, but... what if going against him is going against her too?" She looked away. "And the worst part is that I don’t even approve of how Zeus rules. He is arrogant, capricious, and his idea of order is simply that everyone obeys him."

"So you’re not sure which side you’re on."

"Exactly." Her voice broke slightly. "I don’t know whether to support Zeus because it’s what’s expected of me... or to distance myself from him because I can’t pretend that his policies don’t disgust me. But I don’t fully trust Nemesis either. They talk about justice, but their vision scares me. It’s too radical in some ways. It’s as if they’re willing to destroy everything in order to rebuild from scratch."

"All I care about is that you’re okay," I said calmly. ’Whether it’s with Zeus or Nemesis, I’ll be where I can protect you. The rest doesn’t matter to me."

She blinked, surprised. ’Are you telling me that you don’t care about any of this? That you’re indifferent to the war between the factions?"

"Not indifferent," I clarified. "But it’s not my biggest concern right now. Besides, Hermes already said it, Olympus is broken. Everyone knows it. Zeus just wants to maintain order as he knows it, and Nemesis wants to destroy that order to impose a new one. I wasn’t born to play god with them, I was born, or awakened, to protect something real, my people, you."

Aegle lowered her gaze. The wind blew her hair like a golden curtain, and for a moment I wanted to caress her cheek and ask her to forget all about it. To just leave, to escape from all this and never look back.

"What if I decided to join Nemesis?" she asked in a low voice, with a note of doubt rather than conviction.

"I don’t doubt it," I replied. "And I would follow you."

She looked at me with a mixture of tenderness and frustration. ’That simple?"

"That simple. I have no interest in thrones or the glory of defending my ’king’ for validation. I already have a people who believe in me, and I already have something to protect... and someone I care about more than any system or flag."

I saw her eyes moisten a little, but she didn’t cry. Aegle was strong. She always had been, even if she sometimes doubted herself.

"But you need to choose, my love," she said more softly. "Soon it won’t be possible to stay on the sidelines."

I nodded slowly. ’I know. And that’s why I want us to do this together."

For a moment, everything was silent. The birdsong, the rustling of the trees, even the sounds of the village faded away. There was only her. And the choice that awaited us.

"Hermes said that Zeus wants you as a symbol," she said at last. "He stopped by the garden again today and we had a conversation. He said that his father needed new gods who were rapidly growing in influence to support him, as that would legitimize his throne. You would be like a standard-bearer."

"And Nemesis wants me as a weapon. I know what I’m talking about; I have my sources. I’m sure they’re doing this to prove that the old days are coming to an end." I shrugged. "I’m not getting my hopes up."

"So what do we do?"

I looked at her, then looked at the valley. The sun was already shining on Kaeron, and I saw a group of children running through the streets, laughing. In the fields, some farmers looked up at the sky, as if giving thanks for a new day. That was what I was protecting. That was what made me strong.

"You are the most important thing to me. Decide with your sisters who to support, and I will follow you. I’m tired of being indecisive. We have to do what we can."

"What if that’s not enough? What if it doesn’t matter which side we choose and it all ends in tragedy?"

"That won’t happen, because I’ll be fighting, and I won’t let anything happen to you."

She laughed, a soft, almost incredulous sound. "You’re so stubborn..."

"I’ve been told that."

Suddenly, she came closer, slowly, and hugged me without warning. I felt her arms around me, her breath against my chest. I closed my eyes for a moment, as if I could record that moment forever.

"I don’t want to lose you if we choose different paths," she whispered.

"You won’t lose me," I said firmly. "Even if the world splits in two, I’ll stay by your side."

Meanwhile, unknown to us, I sensed a pair of eyes who had seen and heard all the conversation, but as soon as they were there, they were now gone.

(Meanwhile, elsewhere...)

Hecate’s underground sanctuary, carved out of black rock and bathed in a violet glow, seemed suspended between time and matter. In the center, a circular altar held a floating orb, enveloped in rings of ethereal smoke that swirled slowly. From the obsidian walls, ancient faces emerged and dissolved into the stone, as if the temple breathed with every divine thought.

Aphrodite stood alone, facing the orb. She wore a light, almost translucent robe that did not seem to touch the ground. Around her, the blue flames of the torches crackled, but cast no shadow on her figure. Only her reflection floated in the glass of the orb, alongside another silhouette that did not belong to this world.

The voice came first, low and firm, like an echo forming before the sound.

"Did you observe him, then?"

Aphrodite nodded, without taking her eyes off the orb. The figure on the other side was indistinct: a silhouette surrounded by darkness, with no visible face. Only an unmistakable presence: the leader of Nemesis. No one knew his true name, not even the gods who believed themselves to be above everything.

"It’s growing faster than we expected," said Aphrodite. ’I can feel it getting stronger every day, not to mention the faith it inspires. It’s not just another god... it’s becoming one of the core gods."

"A core is a threat if it doesn’t beat for our cause,’ replied the voice through the orb. "What is its inclination?"

"Ambiguous," Aphrodite said softly. ’He’s not interested in Olympus, and he’s not interested in rebellion. All he cares about is protecting the Hesperides... and his people."

"Then it will be easy."

"Not so easy," Aphrodite replied, and for a moment something in her face hardened. "He has convictions, and besides, Aegle is a dangerous variable. She belongs to Hera’s entourage. Her loyalty is not complete, but it exists. If Zeus calls her, she can drag him with her."

The orb trembled subtly, as if the figure on the other side was moving impatiently. "That cannot be allowed."

"No," Aphrodite confirmed. "That is why I propose to act now. He is in a transitional stage. Between doubt and decision."

"And how would you convince him, through seduction?"

Aphrodite let out a faint and cold laugh. "I can try, but his real weakness is that Hesperid, Aegle."

"Are you willing to use her?"

Aphrodite did not answer right away. She walked around the altar, her figure reflected on the black walls, her silhouette multiplied like a constellation of mirrors. "Using her would be effective. But unnecessarily cruel, for now."

"Propose an alliance," said the figure in the orb. "A direct deal: if he supports us, we will provide security for the Hesperides and power and authority for him... under our terms, of course."

"And if that’s not enough?"

The voice lowered, like a whisper piercing the soul. "Then break him, but bring him to me. Akhon must be ours. Before Zeus uses him as a banner."

Aphrodite stopped in front of the orb, her hands clasped over her chest. Her expression was inscrutable.

"What if he won’t let himself be broken?"

The figure on the other side was silent for a few seconds. Then it spoke, without emotion:

"Then destroy him. It is too dangerous to leave him alive if he does not join us."

The orb went out with a bang and the torchlight flickered, a gust of icy wind swept through the chamber, as if Hades himself had exhaled.

Aphrodite stood alone in the shadows. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t sure what she was feeling.

"What a waste..." she murmured, more to herself than to the world. Then she turned on her heel and disappeared into the corridors of the sanctuary.

Behind her, the orb lit up again briefly, as if something—or someone—was still watching her.

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