"Well, did you come to face me too, Hades?"
Damon's question lingered in the air while everyone present tensed again. After everything that had happened, another one of the Big Three entering Olympus did not exactly sound like good news.
Hades did not answer immediately, taking a second to look around. He had to admit that not feeling Zeus's presence anywhere was rather pleasant. He certainly would not miss him after what he had done to his wife. The relationship, already broken between Hades and the king of Olympus, had become irreparable a long time ago.
Hades turned his gaze back to his older brother. The seconds passed, and the silence became more uncomfortable.
Hades placed one hand over his chest and bowed his head seriously.
The gesture surprised everyone. Hades was not exactly an expressive god, at least not in public, and even less when it came to showing respect. This gesture was clearly the display of a younger brother greeting the eldest after he had returned from being gone for far too long.
"Welcome back, older brother," Hades said with a firm voice.
Damon only looked at him. Hades had always been different in his own way. There were many jokes Damon could make, many questions he could ask, but seeing him bow his head before him, he could not help being a little surprised. Although, being honest, he had always known that Hades held him in high regard. Since they were inside Kronos's stomach, Hades had always been on his side and defended him when he needed it most.
He was not as loud as Zeus, nor as impulsive as Poseidon. Hades had always been quiet, someone you could have a conversation with even if all he did was listen and nod his head. And Damon would always appreciate that about him.
"I see you've grown strong, Hades," the redhead said with a clearly happy smile.
Hades raised his gaze, his expressionless eyes meeting his brother's blue ones.
"What can I say? I learned it from you, didn't I?" the god said with his usual firm voice. "Although I'm far from ever reaching your heels, brother. And seeing what you've caused here, I have no doubt I'm right."
The god's serious, dead voice echoed, making the hairs of many stand on end. Everyone was listening to the conversation.
Hades released a small exhale through his nose, almost a laugh, although his face remained serious.
"And I see you didn't lose the habit of making problematic entrances."
Damon let out a small laugh, looking around and seeing the disaster covering Olympus.
"What can I say? I'm a little explosive when I see something I don't like," the redhead said with a half-smile.
For a brief second, Hades smiled slightly, but the moment did not last long. His expression became serious again, catching Damon's attention. The redhead immediately understood that the lord of the Underworld had not come only for a family reunion.
"I am happy to see you, brother," Hades said, his voice firm as always. "But I think we both know there is a problem that needs to be fixed quickly."
Damon looked at him for a moment and then released a small sigh.
"I know."
Hades nodded.
"This little disturbance has caused many problems in the mortal world."
Damon's face became serious. "How bad?"
Hades stayed silent for a second before answering. "Well, with the amount of human souls that have arrived in my realm in the last few minutes, I would say pretty bad."
Damon did not answer immediately. He knew Hades was right. A disturbance of the magnitude that had just occurred would bring many problems because of the instability it caused.
Letting out a sigh, Damon looked at everyone.
"Now listen well, because I'm not going to repeat myself. And I'm not going to do everything for you either. First, we're going to stabilize Olympus. I'm sure you can do that."
His gaze went first toward Hephaestus and Athena.
"Hephaestus, Athena, inspect the damage. I want clear routes and the cracks in the dimension sealed. I don't want any more disturbances or unnecessary surges of power."
Then he looked at Hera, Hestia, and Demeter.
"You three, calm the nymphs, spirits, and servants. Answer whatever questions you can and fix the gardens; all this ugliness is hurting my eyes. Lastly, Hestia, calm the mortal homes across the West Coast."
His gaze lowered toward Amphitrite.
"Amphitrite, in Poseidon's absence, control the sea. Use the minor gods in Atlantis. I want everyone calming the marine life and the ocean as much as they can. The Nereids and Oceanids will help you."
Then he looked at Hermes and Iris.
"Hermes and Iris, keep communications open. Alerts, emergency calls, evacuation routes. Make sure the messages get where they need to go. I don't want any more unnecessary deaths."
Finally, Damon looked at Aeolus, Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus.
"As you know, I am the true god of the sky, recognized by Uranus. I could intervene easily, but I want you to do it. You work under my domain, so start fulfilling your responsibilities properly. I want the winds under control. Move the storms away from the cities and break apart any formation that keeps growing. I don't want hurricanes or tornadoes anywhere on the West Coast."
"Is that clear?"
The minor gods nodded quickly, moving to carry out their tasks.
"When this is under control, I'll call you. And I want absolutely everyone gathered in the throne room. It's time we talk about rules and how we're going to get this pantheon running seriously," the redhead finished seriously.
West Coast of the United States
"Breaking news…"
The television showed images of a completely destroyed coastline. The sea had swallowed several streets near the beach, overturned cars floated among debris, fallen electric poles, and pieces of buildings dragged away by the water. Waves struck the city again and again, while the sky was covered by black clouds spinning around themselves as if a storm had been born directly over the coast.
The reporter could barely stay on her feet against the wind.
"Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of victims, but emergency teams are reporting massive damage in several coastal areas. The strangest thing is that this storm appeared suddenly, without any previous signal in the meteorological systems."
The image changed to a recording taken from a tall building. The sea rose in an unnatural way, retreating for a second before returning with even more force. A huge wave struck the pier and split it apart, dragging boats, wood, and metal as if they weighed nothing. Then the screen returned to the reporter, who continued speaking with difficulty while the wind hit the microphone.
The television remained on inside the Big House.
Percy Jackson stood in front of the screen, his face pale and his fists clenched. Annabeth was beside him, watching the images with concern. Several campers had gathered around, some murmuring among themselves, others completely silent.
Chiron did not take his eyes off the screen. The trainer of demigods knew something big was happening. Of course, it was not the first time something like this had happened. Small storms could appear when Zeus argued with another Olympian, and the weather almost always reacted when the gods became too agitated. But this was different. This scale was something else, and the truth was that he did not know what to do.
Percy turned toward him.
"Mr. Chiron, what's happening?"
Chiron did not answer immediately. He knew he had to stay calm to avoid making the situation worse. Many of the campers still had families in some of the cities shown on the news, and if they panicked, some might try to leave camp to look for them.
"Don't worry, Percy. This must only be a discussion between the gods. I'm sure it will end soon," he assured in a loud voice, making sure the other demigods around him heard clearly.
The reality was that Chiron did not know when it would end. He had tried to contact Lord Dionysus several times, but he had received no response. Not one. In fact, none of the gods were answering. Not even Hestia, and that was the most concerning part. Normally, the goddess of the hearth made sure to offer her help whenever he needed it, if it was possible.
He did not even know where the champion of Chaos was.
Only Athena would know if that boy is out there, Chiron thought, worried.
"Pfff. It's clear the gods have abandoned us," Luke said, his bitter voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
Chiron gave him a serious look.
"Luke, I warn you not to challenge the gods. It can end badly for you."
Luke stared back at him.
"Oh, believe me, Chiron, I know that perfectly well. After all, it was my friend who ended up turned into a tree by her father," the boy said with venom in his voice before leaving the Big House, anger clear on his face and in every one of his steps.
Silence ruled the room.
"What's wrong with him?" Percy asked Annabeth, who was standing beside him.
Annabeth did not dare answer.
"That is a story for another day, Perseus," Chiron answered seriously. "For now, the important thing is keeping ourselves safe in camp."
Percy only nodded, not wanting to dig any further.
For their part, Luke's words had an effect on the campers around him. The campers could understand monsters, quests, and gods being difficult as always. But the gods abandoning them was another story, and the fact that many already felt abandoned in that camp because their parents had not claimed them did not make the situation any better for anyone.
Not even Dionysus, who was literally supposed to be at camp, was there.
That was the last thought that crossed the minds of some of the campers.
As for Percy, he looked back at the television while the camera showed another wave striking the coast.
>>>>>>>>
Stones boys
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P@treon: Brotato up to chapter 107