Chapter 161: Who Rules the Throne?
"You have disappointed me greatly, Apollo."
Hera, Queen of Heaven, sat on her throne, her long, fair legs crossed. Wrapped only in a layer of green wings, she held a wine glass.
"I have always known your ambition was great, but I used to think you at least had the ability to match it," Hera said coldly. "If that weren't the case, I would never have signed that contract with you. But now, it seems I might have to reconsider."
"I have not forgotten the contents of the contract." Apollo leaned against the windowsill, flames spilling from his golden eyes. His purplish-black face showed no fluctuation of emotion. "Dealing with the offspring of Zeus, the demigod of the Amazons. This matter is on my to-do list, and the plan is progressing steadily. The plan just needs a little time."
"Time, time... don't tell me your plan is to bore the Amazon to death," Hera said irritably. "I don't think I need to remind you, Apollo."
"Zeus has disappeared, and Olympus is without a leader. You are not the only one interested in the position of God King."
Hera's daughter, the Goddess of Discord, who had been sitting on the sidelines enjoying the show this whole time, widened her eyes upon hearing this. "Wait, Mother... you said before that the bounty was for the Amazon's head... Are you saying the price is the seat of the God King?"
Both Hera and Apollo glanced at her, their faces expressionless. Though no one spoke, their silence said it all.
The Goddess of Discord's expression became even more incredulous. "But... how could you? I mean, that's the seat of the God King! Mother, I'm not interfering with your decision..."
"If you don't want to interfere, then shut your mouth," Hera said flatly. "This deal gives me great peace of mind."
After a pause, she turned her head to look at Apollo. "I believe the price I offered is enough to prove my sincerity. But you have not delivered a matching action."
Apollo was silent.
Of course, he couldn't possibly tell Hera that the last time he met Wonder Woman, he was thrown thousands of meters away by a new friend of hers from some star and had even exploded into a brilliant supernova.
In fact, the incident still baffled him to this day. If possible, he definitely did not want to get into another conflict with that strange creature.
It wasn't that he was afraid. As a god, he was fearless.
He could fight, but it wasn't necessary.
"You are right, of course, I understand. In fact, Hades and Poseidon are also very interested in this position. I just spoke with them not long ago."
A strange smile appeared on Apollo's face.
"They refuse to submit to one another, as you know. They are the brothers of Zeus, and they carved up the world many years ago. The Nine Heavens belonged to Zeus, the Four Seas were Poseidon's domain, and Hades... Hades possessed the Underworld.
"Now that Zeus is gone, they both believe the remaining inheritance is rightfully theirs. They mentioned the possibility of splitting the seat of the God King and its territory, with the daylight of the Mortal Realm belonging to Poseidon, while the night would be incorporated into Hades' domain.
"After that, they even brought up the matter of the Queen."
Hearing herself mentioned, Hera raised an eyebrow. "What did those two say?"
"They said that if the divine authority and territory can be split, so too can the Queen. They are both very interested in the Queen's bed but don't mind sharing with each other. For example, taking turns each night, or perhaps even both of them in one night wouldn't be out of the question..."
CRASH!
The wine glass in Hera's hand was crushed to pieces, splashing wine everywhere.
"Those two are daydreaming!" Hera was livid, her face flushed with anger. "How dare they be so disrespectful to their brother! If Zeus were here, he would surely smash their lecherous dog heads on the spot!"
"Yes, but he is gone now, isn't he, Queen of Heaven," Apollo smiled.
"Wipe that vile smile off your face!" Hera cursed. "Yes, Zeus may have returned to the void. Perhaps one of you is worthy of the God King's throne, but none of you is worthy of my bed!
"So get rid of those wicked thoughts and obediently fulfill your promise to me!"
"Let me be clear, I have no such thoughts as they do. All I have ever wanted from the beginning is the seat of the God King. You should know best where my ambitions lie," said Apollo.
Hera snorted and said no more.
"So, in this competition, I hope to receive a little help from you. You know, otherwise, it will be difficult for me to gain an advantage in the competition against Zeus's brothers."
"What do you want?"
Hera said sullenly, her anger yet to subside. Her magnificent bosom still rose and fell violently with her indignant breaths.
"The Fallen Realm. Something inside it is rumored to be able to grant anyone the divine power of Zeus," Apollo said. "If the God King has truly disappeared, then the Fallen Realm can be opened once more, can't it?"
"The key is not in my hands," Hera said stiffly. "It was lost in the world of mortals many years ago."
"I know that. But you are the Queen of Heaven. I'm sure you must have other means, right? For example... a backdoor?"
Hera narrowed her eyes, staring at him for a long moment.
Then she said icily, "I want the Amazon's head."
"I guarantee it."
A confident smile appeared on Apollo's face.
To be honest, although Orin Vale had guessed that Batman would smoothly take down Poison Ivy the moment his x-ray vision saw the Batmobile outside her greenhouse from miles away, he had only guessed the outcome, not the process.
The tactic of taking a flower hostage was indeed something he hadn't expected.
In theory, it should have been extremely dangerous for the Old Master to charge in alone to fight on Poison Ivy's home turf, which was filled with special plants she had cultivated. Even if he had used a Bat-herbicide developed with advanced Wayne-tech, a tough battle would have been unavoidable.
But that didn't happen. His ultimate trump card wasn't some special anti-plant weapon or any black technology. It was just a pot of roses. Without firing a single shot or even breaking a sweat, he made Poison Ivy willingly kneel before him.
It had to be said, that was very Batman, and very effective.
Afterwards, Swamp Thing released the workers he had abducted under Poison Ivy's mind control—in fact, Poison Ivy's order had been to "dispose of" them. Thanks to Swamp Thing subconsciously being something of a superhero, he didn't kill them, and their lives were spared.
Later, also with the help of Swamp Thing's abilities, the overgrown plants throughout the city were all restored to their original state.
The plant crisis was over, but the shop now had quite a few new holes punched through it by the plants. It looked like it would need to be redecorated.
However, for this part, Orin Vale unexpectedly received reconstruction funds from Wayne Enterprises.
This was a Foundation established last month, led by Wayne Enterprises, specifically to subsidize those who suffered collateral damage during battles between Batman and super-lunatics. Orin Vale had originally thought that even if such a fund existed, it wouldn't have much money, but this time he realized he seemed to have underestimated Batman's unscientifically vast wealth.
In fact, the funds the coffee shop received were quite substantial, and someone had even come to assess the damage in person; Orin Vale hadn't even applied.
This was one of the most significant differences between the representative heroes of Gotham and Metropolis.
In Metropolis, if your house gets flattened during an alien invasion, Superman will build you a new one in minutes in a flash of sparks and lightning. That is his superpower.
But in Gotham, you will be drowned in a huge sum of money that smells faintly of a bat. That is his money power.
Previously, Orin Vale had always thought the saying that Batman could buy Gotham all by himself was an exaggeration. Now, he was beginning to suspect that it might actually be true.
(end of chapter)