Aetherion looked around as he noticed everyone's expressions.
They were stunned by what Metis had said, but he couldn't quite understand why.
He himself had thought the same—they needed to take out some of the Twelve Great Titans.
Either convince them to join their side or completely capture them and make sure they could no longer participate in this war.
After all, they were outnumbered when it came to powerful deities, especially those on the same level as the Twelve Great Titans.
Aetherion looked around the room and could only count a few who matched that level.
Prometheus and his brother, Epimetheus, weren't really that impressive, to be honest.
Aetherion had thought they'd be as strong as the Twelve Great Titans, but Themis had told him they were on the weaker side.
They were more useful for their insight and intellect—smart enough to outplay enemies—but they lacked raw power.
As for others in the room, his mother Rhea was one of the major forces.
After all the training she had undergone, Aetherion believed she now stood on the level of Kronos' top generals—Hyperion, Atlas, and the other two.
Themis too was on that level.
He believed he himself was probably on that level, though he wasn't completely sure.
After all, when battling Themis, he had lost a few times and won a few, but they had never fought to the death.
So he couldn't be certain.
Helios was likely also on the Twelve Great Titans' level, and Thanatos as well.
As for Hecate, he wasn't sure.
He hadn't seen her in battle or watched her progress, but he knew she was a major card.
Aetherion wasn't quite sure if he had forgotten anyone.
The only two others he could think of who might be on the level of the Twelve Great Titans were Metis and Asteria.
Metis, though powerful, was more focused on crafting and strategy, while Asteria usually remained by Hera's side, so he hadn't seen her fight often.
Because of that, he couldn't properly gauge her strength, but he believed she was formidable.
Now that he thought about it… she wasn't even present at this meeting.
Still, he didn't want his thoughts to dwell on it. He shrugged it off.
'I'll think about her another time,'
he thought to himself.
That was it.
Among the others in the room—excluding Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus—very few were at the same level.
Even though those three brothers had potential, they were still developing.
Their forces, overall, weren't enough.
He knew they needed to take out some of Kronos' strongest allies—his "big guns."
He looked at Metis and asked,
"But how? Did you not hear what Mother said? Kronos would simply appear the moment we launch an attack."
Metis, hearing that, smiled slightly and shook her head.
"No—not if we appear weak."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Elaborate, will you?"
"Of course," she replied, standing up and pacing slowly around the room. "What I mean is—sometimes you must appear weak when you are strong. Instead of launching a coordinated assault on multiple fronts, targeting several locations at once, we use a decoy."
The others in the room raised their brows, curious, waiting for her to continue.
"We begin by sending a force that doesn't seem threatening. A group of what they consider 'minor gods.' For example—Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon."
The three brothers, upon hearing that, frowned.
They weren't stupid—they understood the implication.
In the eyes of the enemy, they were still seen as inexperienced and unproven.
Before any of them could protest, Metis continued,
"As you know, the enemy may not think much of that kind of force. And even if they do, they may only send one of their major gods to deal with it. But in case a Great Titan does appear, we will have Helios, Selene, and Eos on standby—ready to intervene the moment things escalate."
She paused, and all eyes turned toward Aetherion, waiting for his input.
He listened silently, considering the plan.
But after thinking about it, Aetherion felt there had to be more to Metis' plan.
It couldn't just be a decoy.
There had to be something more—after all, she had said they were going after one of the Twelve Great Titans.
Surely, they weren't just going to sit around and wait for a Great Titan to show up.
And even worse, if they did wait, Kronos—the Titan of Time—would certainly appear on time to intervene and save his companion.
Aetherion looked at Metis seriously.
"There must be more to it, isn't there? It's not just one decoy, is it? That alone won't be enough. What's the real goal?"
he asked.
He truly couldn't tell what she had in mind.
"Yes, everything sounds good so far," Hera chimed in with a slight frown, "but what else? This can't be all of the plan, right?"
Metis simply continued, conjuring multiple divine pieces onto the table, forming a model of the battlefield.
"It's simple. We divide the enemy's forces and split Kronos' attention across multiple fronts—like we said before."
"Yes," Hera replied, "but didn't you hear what Mother said? Kronos could simply—"
Before she could finish, Metis cut in.
"We won't attack simultaneously. That's the key. The attacks will be staggered. One after the other."
She went on,
"We start by sending a relatively weak force—Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. They will lead the opening strike. Once the enemy focuses on them, then stronger forces will begin their attacks."
She turned toward Themis.
"Themis, you'll lead one of the next attack with some of our best forces. You'll choose which Great Titan you wish to target."
"But wouldn't Kronos simply appear there?"
Aetherion asked.
"Yes, he might—but not if another attack happens right after, drawing his attention away again."
Aetherion blinked, surprised by the layers of the plan.
Metis continued confidently.
"Next, Rhea will launch a strike against another Great Titan in their territory, again with major gods at her side."
Rhea looked briefly startled, but Metis didn't stop.
"With these waves of attacks, we keep Kronos unsure of our true objective. And then, the final wave will be a different kind of decoy."
She turned to Thanatos, who met her gaze with calm composure.
"Thanatos will attack another one of the Twelve using his avatars. His presence alone will be enough to disrupt, confuse and divide."
"But still," Aetherion interrupted, "wouldn't Kronos just appear in each battlefield as fast as possible?"
Metis shook her head.
"No. Kronos wouldn't move immediately. The first decoy is too weak to concern him. The others will confuse him. And remember, Kronos is cautious—he's the Crooked One. He'll suspect something deeper is at play. That hesitation is exactly what we want."
Finally, she turned toward Aetherion, and he instinctively straightened in his seat.
"This all leads to the true move—and that's you,"
she said.
Aetherion froze.
"You will strike another one of the Twelve Great Titans and pull them into your Parallel Expansion. That is where the real battle will take place. And that is where you will defeat and capture the target."
The room fell quiet for a moment as her words sank in.
Metis continued,
"Of course, you'll take a few trusted allies with you—but only a few. You must remain discreet. And you have an advantage—your clones."
Aetherion's expression hardened with focus.
'This might actually work,'
he thought.
His clones were unlike the others.
While most deities could form minor, weak projections of themselves, his clones could act with power on the level of a minor god—a feat no one else but Thanatos avatars had achieved.
It made him unique.
His eyes moved around the room, settling on Hera, Nike, and Kratos.
'They'd be ideal for this,'
he thought.
He muttered aloud,
"This might work… yes, this is actually pretty good."
He looked at Metis with admiration, a small grin forming.
"Truly wise and knowledgeable, Metis—you never disappoint."
Metis raised her chin with a proud smirk, her chest lifting slightly with confidence.
"Of course," she said. "It's me you're talking about."
——
Author note:
Ah, Writing a war strategy meeting was harder than i thought. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.😁
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