The grand hall filled with deities from every corner of the world. The Sky Realm and Ocean Realm were well-represented, their numbers buzzing with conversation.
In stark contrast, the Underworld's presence was small and formidable: only Hades, Hecate, and the feline Nixi stood together. They were joined by their sisters and Rhea.
Prometheus entered, carrying three glass containers, each sealed with a massive golden orb. The names Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus shimmered upon them in gold leaf.
Poseidon and Zeus tensed, their eyes narrowing, ready to protest the inclusion of a third candidate. But before a word could leave their lips, Hades spoke, his voice calm and clear, cutting through the murmurs. "Prometheus. I forfeit my candidacy in this election."
A wave of astonished whispers rippled through the hall. Prometheus's brows rose slightly. "Forgive me, Lord Hades, but the announcement has been made across all realms. To forfeit now would disrespect the tradition and the ritual itself." He paused, considering. "However, you may formally decline the title after the results are in, should your name be called."
Hades turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Zeus and Poseidon. "Now, do you have a problem?"
The two brothers exchanged a fleeting, calculating glance. Their faces were impassive masks, but a new wariness entered their eyes. "No problem," Zeus replied, his voice carefully neutral. "Just be solid on your words."
A faint smile touched Hades's lips. "I will."
Prometheus gave a curt nod and began the ceremony. He placed a heavy golden ring around his neck, which began to glow, amplifying his voice as he addressed the crowd.
"I am Prometheus, chancellor of the former King Cronus. Today, I preside over the selection of the next Celestial King." As he spoke, the golden ring pulsed, and his voice echoed not just through the hall, but across every realm. From the highest peaks of the sky to the deepest trenches of the ocean, in every divine court and sacred grove, his words rang clear. "The candidates are Hades, King of the Underworld; Poseidon, King of the Ocean Realm; and Zeus, King of the Sky Realm." He turned a massive hourglass. "From this moment, you have one hour. Every divine being shall choose its king by pricking a finger and letting a single drop of blood fall into the vessel of your choice. Remember, you may vote for only one."
He then approached Hades's group. "This will take some time. I suggest you distribute the royal treasury among yourselves, as is your right."
Rhea nodded. "Hmm." She led them from the hall to a secluded corner of the new island.
"§∆¶ΩμΠ×°æåç"
Whispering an ancient incantation, she gestured, and a shimmering portal tore open in the air. "In my time, the treasury was stored in a secure dimension. Its location and key are known only to the king and queen."
As per their agreement, Hades and Hecate entered first.
The treasury was an ocean of wealth: mountains of gold and silver, rivers of diamonds, shelves of rare minerals, swirling essences, and racks of legendary weapons and artifacts.
They walked through the aisles, observing everything, but few items caught their interest. Hecate tugged on Hades's long coat. "Hades," she requested, "use your secret divinity to find the most unique items here."
"As you wish, my queen," Hades said, bowing with theatrical obedience. His eyes flashed with a deep amethyst light, scanning the vast hoard in minutes. He soon gathered a small collection: a crown, a chest, a gold coin, and several artifacts.
"These possess unique qualities," he explained, pulling a specific chest from the pile. "This contains the Seed of Life Jewel, from the Giant Chasm. No one knows what it does or how it grows, as none have dared try. But I know. So, I will take it."
Hecate continued her own search, gasping when she opened a chest to find three Sky Pearls. "Hades! Look! Sky Pearls!"
Hades didn't even need to look. "The two on the sides are clever forgeries. The one in the middle is cursed. I advise you to leave it."
"Cursed or not, shouldn't we take it? If Zeus absorbs its power—"
"He has already absorbed twenty," Hades interrupted calmly. "He possesses twenty more. Losing these ten will be no significant loss to him. Once a god absorbs more than fifty, the power gain from each additional pearl diminishes drastically. I conducted my own experiments. I even used one in the construction of the Labyrinth."
Hecate closed the chest and tossed it back into the pile. Just then, Nixi pawed insistently at a different chest.
"Meow!"
Hecate opened it to find a giant egg covered in black, shimmering scales. "This is the egg of an ancient dragon," Hades explained. "In a forgotten age, it absorbed a fragment of a Primordial's essence. It has remained in this dormant state ever since."
Nixi purred loudly, pushing the chest toward Hecate with her head. Hecate smiled and lifted the chest. "If my little guardian insists, then I will take this."
Their time up, they exited the portal.
Poseidon and Zeus entered and returned shortly after. Zeus emerged with the chest of three Sky Pearls, a triumphant glint in his eye. Poseidon had followed his instincts, choosing a Tidal Ring that could manipulate tidal gates and open them anywhere, at any time.
Next, it was the sisters' turn. Hera, Demeter, and Metis entered the portal, but Hestia remained behind.
"What is wrong? Why do you not go?" Rhea asked.
Hestia smiled serenely. "Mother, I already have everything I need." A simple basket and a warm, glowing lamp appeared in her hands. "You and Father have already given me these. What more could I want?"
Rhea's breath caught. She looked at her eldest daughter. A profound wave of love and pride washed over Rhea's face, making her eyes glisten. She stepped forward and took Hestia's hands in her own, her voice thick with genuine emotion. "You… you are truly the most virtuous of my children. Your heart is purer than any treasure in that vault." She turned, her voice ringing with formal declaration yet full of maternal warmth. "From this moment, I decree that all mine and Cronus's treasure belongs solely to Hestia."
For a heartbeat, there was absolute silence. Zeus and Poseidon stared, bewildered. Hestia's mind went blank, struggling to process the magnitude of the gift.
Hestia flustered, "No, Mother! No! I—"
Hades gently interjected, "Sister, do not refuse. Mother is not just giving you treasure. She is declaring you the most worthy of all of us to hold our family's legacy."
"But—" Hestia tried again.
Rhea's face became stern, but the love in her eyes was undimmed. "Hestia, that is my final order."
Hestia bowed her head, accepting. "Yes, Mother." Rhea's expression softened, and she gently patted her daughter's head.
The other goddesses returned: Metis with a Chrono Potion that showed the user a glimpse of their future death, Hera with a dress that held a powerful alluring charm, and Demeter with a Cornucopia that provided an endless supply of food and drink.
Prometheus approached and bowed. "Your Highness, only three minutes remain."
Rhea nodded, and they all returned to the tense atmosphere of the hall.
---
The hall was a cacophony of debate, split into two clear factions for Zeus and Poseidon. As Rhea and her children entered, a hush fell. All eyes went to the containers. Zeus and Poseidon were in a dead heat, their vessels nearly full and identical. Hades's container was only a quarter full.
Prometheus bowed. "Your Highness, please cast your vote."
Rhea walked forward, pricked her finger, and let a single drop of her blood fall into Hades's container. Hades, Hecate, and Hestia watched with an air of detached calm, but for others, the tension was unbearable.
Metis gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her temple. Zeus's jaw was clenched, his prosthetic fist tight. Poseidon stood like a statue, his gaze locked on the vessels. Then, two drops fell in quick succession into Poseidon's container. A smile broke through his stoic expression, echoed by his supporters.
Zeus's eyes narrowed to slits. Then Hestia stepped forward and voted for Hades. Hera followed, placing her vote for Zeus, making his shoulders slump in relief. Demeter voted next, for Zeus, putting him ahead. But another drop immediately landed in Poseidon's, tying them once more.
The atmosphere was thick enough to choke on. Prometheus himself stepped forward and, to the surprise of everyone—especially Hades and Hecate, who had not expected it—cast his vote for Hades.
Zeus's glare promised future retribution. A dog that bites its master can never be trusted.
Finally, Metis stepped forward. She pricked her finger, her eyes meeting Zeus's before flicking to where Orcanon was hidden in the crowd. A subtle, determined smile touched her lips. Forgive me, Father, but my dreams outweigh your ambitions. She let her blood fall into Zeus's container, putting him ahead by one.
Prometheus's eyes were fixed on the hourglass. The golden ring around his neck glowed brighter as he counted down, his voice now echoing across the world once more. "Twelve seconds remain! Ten! Nine!..." The countdown echoed in the silent hall and in every corner of creation. "...Three! Two! One!"
As the last grain of sand fell, a final, solitary drop of blood materialized and splashed into Zeus's container.
"Voting is ended!" Prometheus's amplified voice boomed across the realms. "By a single vote, Lord Zeus is victorious!"
"YEEEAAAHHH!" A thunderous roar of triumph erupted. Zeus threw his head back and shouted, thrusting his fists to the sky. Across the hall, Poseidon's face darkened into a stormy grimace, his supporters groaning in despair.
The golden orb from Zeus's container rose and shot into his chest. His body swelled with power, veins glowing with trapped lightning. A corona of raw divine energy erupted from him, so intense the pillars of the hall seemed to bend toward him. When the light faded, he stood radiating the unmistakable aura of a Mid-Level God King, his posture now one of inherent majesty.
At once, the entire assembly knelt except Hades, Hecate, and Rhea, who watched from their corner, unmoved.
Zeus stomped his foot. But instead of destruction, the hall answered with creation. It expanded, the walls shifting, the ceiling soaring higher, until a true throne room had formed around them. From golden dust, a colossal throne assembled itself at the far end.
Zeus strode to it and sat, the very air crackling with his authority. The golden ring on Prometheus's neck glowed, ready to carry his words. "I," his voice thundered, echoing through the hall and across the world, "am Zeus, the Celestial King." The world itself seemed to acknowledge the claim. "From this moment, Metis shall be the Celestial Queen!"
A golden wisp spiraled up from the floor, weaving around Metis before sinking into her being. She surged with new power, the divinities of Motherhood and Royal Authority settling upon her. She moved to stand beside his throne, a queen in fact as well as name.
His voice rang out once more, broadcast to all. "From now on, this mountain shall be known as Olympus!" His smirk was triumphant as his gaze swept over the kneeling Poseidon. But his mood soured as a voice cut through his glory.
"Don't forget our promise, Zeus." Hades's calm tone was a splash of cold water. All heads turned to where he leaned casually against a pillar, Hecate at his side.
Zeus gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening. "I haven't." The words were forced out. He turned to a goddess with a stern, just face. "Themis! Inscribe this upon a divine stele: From this day, no god of the Upper Realms can command any being native to the Underworld."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Themis bowed, producing a stone tablet and beginning to write with a pen of pure light.
Metis placed a soothing hand on Zeus's shoulder, whispering, "Do not let this sour your victory. We have won the battle and achieved our main objective. The Underworld and its king... can be dealt with in due time."
Zeus nodded, the tension easing from his shoulders. He raised his voice one last time, the golden ring ensuring his invitation reached every divine ear. "Tonight, a grand celebration will be held upon Olympus! All are invited to this feast." His eyes locked with Hades's across the hall. "...Even those from the Underworld."
Hades and Hecate responded with identical, knowing smiles.
Nixi raised a paw into the air. "Meow!"