Six months had passed since the War on Olympus.
The skies no longer raged with lightning. The divine halls once echoing with the cries of gods and titans now stood still, quiet… even peaceful.
In a secluded valley far from the reach of celestial politics, a cottage nestled between a silver lake and golden fields, cradled by mountains that seemed to hum with dormant magic. Here, Megumi Valentine had found something he once thought forever lost:
Peace.
He stood beneath the soft light of dawn, holding his newborn daughter in his arms.
"Chloe Valentine," he whispered, brushing a lock of dark brown hair from her forehead. "You were born from war… but I swear, you'll live in peace."
Ava stepped beside him, glowing in the early morning light, her smile warm and tired from another sleepless night. "She has your eyes," she whispered.
"And your strength," Megumi replied, kissing her gently.
Behind them, Leonidas, Nyx, and Medusa watched from the porch of the cottage. Leonidas leaned against the railing, arms crossed.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Leonidas said with a half-smile. "The Fallen King, tucking in a baby instead of ripping gods in half."
Megumi chuckled. "I can do both."
Nyx rolled her eyes. "Let's not test that. Chloe's too cute to have a berserker for a dad."
Medusa, now with flowing brown hair and no longer cursed, leaned her head on Nyx's shoulder. "He's changed."
"He's healing," Nyx added softly.
They stayed like that for a moment. A rare and sacred silence. One born not of fear—but of peace hard-earned.
But beneath the soil of the world, something ancient stirred.
Far below the mortal plane—beneath Tartarus, beneath even the realm of forgotten souls—a crack opened in the void.
Something beyond gods, titans, or mortals shifted.
It whispered in languages never heard by gods. A hum older than Olympus and deeper than the Styx began to rise from the dark. In the distance, the stars themselves flickered—as if frightened.
Something… was returning.
⸻
Back at the cottage, Megumi's expression shifted as a cold breeze swept through the valley.
He looked toward the distant horizon—his golden eyes narrowing.
Ava noticed. "What is it?"
Megumi held Chloe tighter. "I'm not sure," he said. "But something just changed."
Leonidas stepped forward. "We're not done yet, are we?"
Megumi shook his head slowly. "No. Not yet."
The sky above remained clear. But somewhere beyond it, the unseen threat had begun to rise.
And peace… was beginning to fray.