Chapter 116: The Prophecy of the Gods' Fall
Following behind Hephaestus, Orin Vale looked left and right as he passed through the workshop, his scanner never stopping for a second.
It had to be said, Hephaestus was truly worthy of being the number one master craftsman of Olympus; he really knew his stuff when it came to weapons. Just the equipment displayed in this room contained many parts that Orin Vale found interesting.
He went ahead and scanned everything first, recording it all. If he got the chance later, he could even ask Hephaestus if he could take a few equipment samples back with him.
Orin Vale wasn't interested in the weapons themselves; what truly attracted him was the knowledge they contained.
Hephaestus likely represented the pinnacle of magical craftsmanship. His development and innovations were all based on magic. Many of his ideas and designs were worth referencing and could help Orin Vale further understand the principles of magic in this universe.
As his gaze swept over the area, Orin Vale noticed a large, conspicuous empty space that had suddenly appeared among the various pieces of equipment, looking a bit out of place. With a thought, he activated his Ultra Vision for a scan and was surprised to discover a plane parked there.
An invisible plane, its outer layer visually shielded by magical means. If Orin Vale hadn't specifically analyzed and researched DC's magic a while back, his eyes might have been deceived when he first arrived.
"Oh, this. It's for Diana," Hephaestus said, walking over to its side.
"For me?" Diana was surprised.
"Yes, an aircraft with a concealed form," Hephaestus said proudly. "Another of Hephaestus's great works."
Orin Vale recalled it. In the early comics, Wonder Woman couldn't fly, and this invisible plane was once an equally iconic piece of equipment as her Lasso of Truth. The movie *Wonder Woman 1984* even had a specific scene designed to pay homage to it.
"Looks like I owe you again, Hephaestus."
Diana leaped onto the plane, got into the cockpit, and sat down, feeling around for a moment. She seemed quite satisfied.
However, Orin Vale blinked hard, feeling a bit baffled by the scene before him.
Because the plane was invisible, but Diana was not.
So, from an observer's perspective, it looked as if Diana was suspended in mid-air, sitting on some unseen object while looking around and feeling the empty air.
He looked at Hephaestus, somewhat puzzled. "What about the pilot?"
"The pilot?" Hephaestus also looked at him strangely, as if he didn't understand the question.
"The pilot. I can see her from here," Orin Vale said.
"Isn't that obvious?" Hephaestus replied with a completely straight face. "The plane becomes invisible, but Diana doesn't. What are you talking about?"
Orin Vale: "..."
Wait, so this invisible plane only makes the plane itself invisible?
Doesn't that mean when it's flying, it will look like Diana is just floating by, sitting on thin air?
Not only is the image ridiculous, but the invisibility is also completely pointless...
"It's wonderful craftsmanship, Hephaestus. Thank you."
At that moment, Diana also poked her head out of the plane. At least, her posture made it look like she was poking her head out, as if she were leaning against the cockpit's windshield.
"There's just one problem..."
"Any problem, my princess," Hephaestus smiled.
"It's just that... besides me, the entire plane is invisible. Even I can't see it," Diana said with an awkward expression. "How am I supposed to see the dashboard?"
"...Huh?"
Hephaestus's smile froze.
"The dashboard?"
Orin Vale: "..."
It seemed this master craftsman of Olympus had the skills, but sometimes his design philosophy wasn't very clear, and the equipment he designed could occasionally turn out to be a bit... nonsensical.
"You know what? Never mind, don't worry about it. Let's just forget it. We came here for something else."
Diana jumped down from the plane and pushed Hephaestus aside.
"I remember, you said you had some questions."
Hephaestus shook his large, dwarf-like head.
"Then ask away, Diana. What do you want to know?"
"About the Prophecy," Diana said in a low voice. "You should know about it, the recent rumors on Olympus. About Zeus's offspring, and the fall of the gods... I know something has put all of Olympus on edge lately. I just need to know what it is."
"Ah, that."
Hephaestus scratched his head.
"About that... well, I can't say I don't know, but I'm not very clear on it either. Or perhaps, I think everyone is just really scared, but no one truly knows what the situation is..."
"Tell me what you know," Diana said.
"Alright, if we're talking about the cause, it would have to be Zeus, the King of the Gods," said Hephaestus.
"I've heard. No one has seen him for a while," Diana nodded. "But that's not strange, is it? Zeus has always been elusive, absorbed in his debauchery..."
"Yes, that would normally be the case. But Apollo was the first to say that Zeus is gone... no, that's not accurate. In Apollo's own words, he consulted a prophet, and according to the prophet, Zeus never existed at all."
Diana frowned. "That sounds a bit strange. Perhaps he was killed?"
"Right? But that's not all," said Hephaestus. "Apollo believes that the person who killed Zeus—assuming Zeus was indeed killed—likely has Zeus's blood running through their veins."
Diana pondered for a moment.
"That's a rather 'small' pool of suspects."
"Yes... we all know Zeus's bloodline is nothing rare, but there aren't many who have that kind of capability."
"That's true," Diana asked, "But how does this Prophecy involve the other gods? What are they afraid of?"
"Ah, that's another part of it. They believe Zeus's death was just the beginning, the start of a new Prophecy that will sweep through all of Olympus, and no god will be spared.
"Demeter said it's not a Prophecy, but Destiny. That all of us will die, and at the hands of a blood relative..."
"Zeus's offspring?" Diana realized. "So that's the Prophecy. One of Zeus's offspring will kill all the gods, and Olympus is about to fall..."
"Yes, and with Zeus gone, the position of God-King is vacant. The heavenly realm is bound to fall into chaos. Someone has to take that seat... and there are quite a few people eyeing that throne.
"As far as I know, Apollo seems very interested."
"Aren't you nervous about it?" Diana asked.
"Afraid of death? Of course. The more immortal a being is, the more nervous they get when they hear they might die... But being afraid is useless. If it is Destiny, then what's meant to happen will happen.
"Who knows? The killer could be anyone. Maybe Apollo, maybe Ares—a lot of people think it might be Ares, he just has the look of a suspect.
"It's even possible that..."
He glanced at Diana and suddenly stopped talking.
Diana froze for a moment, then it dawned on her.
"Are you talking about... me?"
***
Mount Olympus, Hera's temple.
"You seem sad, Mother."
The speaker was a short-haired woman with pale skin and bare feet, sitting lazily on an ornate windowsill.
She was the Goddess of Discord from the myths of Mount Olympus.
The Queen of Heaven, Hera, sat upon her throne, swirling a golden wine glass in her hand as she shot her a cold glance.
"There is always sorrow where you are, isn't there, child?"
"Please don't say that, Mother. I just thought you might need some care."
"Ha!" Hera's voice was tinged with annoyance. "Love? You have no idea what I need."
The Goddess of Discord smiled. "I know. You think you're different. You are the noble Queen of Heaven, not like those others Father carouses with outside."
"Hippolyta," Hera said icily. "She deceived me in the most detestable way. And that Amazon, that bastard child... she has my husband's blood flowing through her body, squandering the power of the gods. Mortals see her as a miracle, calling her 'Wonder Woman'."
"Hah, so it's about that lovely little sister," the Goddess of Discord laughed. "But she's no pushover. Not to be blunt, Mother, but she is an Amazon, and a demigod at that..."
"I won't be entangled with her for much longer," Hera said coldly. "I have already issued a high-priced bounty. The opponent she faces this time will be completely different from her previous ones."
"Oh?"
The moment the Goddess of Discord heard there was fun to be had, her eyes widened.
"Really? Why didn't you do this before?"
Hera raised her wine glass and took a small sip.
"I made a deal, and I paid a considerable price." The corner of the Queen of Heaven's mouth curled into a cold sneer. "That Amazon won't stand a chance."
(end of chapter)