Dylan King and His New Roommate Called Goddess Athena [1st Book]

Spin Off: The Birth of Athena - Chapter 5

Hestia' POV.

"What did you just say?" Rhea responded with a flat face; her right-hand still grasped the silver wine cup.

"Zeus swallowed Metis," Hera said. "The way he did it was similar to how father did it."

"How did you know that?" Rhea asked, clearly she still did not believe the news brought by Hestia's second younger sister.

"I was arranging the corals with Aunt Tethys when one of Oceanus' guards came to give this report," Hera said. "This guard was the private bodyguard Uncle Oceanus assigned to protect Metis."

Rhea released the cup and leaned against the backrest. "I couldn't believe it," she said. "How come Zeus ended up like Cronus?"

"Rather than wondering about it, it's better if you go to Zeus' palace now," Hera said. "Uncle Oceanus is furious and is now heading to Zeus with his soldiers."

Rhea did not give any response; it was clear she was still processing this tragedy. Feeling that this could actually wait, Hestia grabbed Rhea's right-hand.

"Mother, we should go now, otherwise there will be an unnecessary conflict between Uncle Oceanus and Zeus."

"Hestia is right. I even left Aunt Tethys because this is an urgent matter that might shake nature."

"How is she now?" Rhea asked.

"She passed out when she heard the news, and she hadn't regained her consciousness when I left."

"I'll visit her soon after we settle this matter," Rhea said as she got up. "I will have to apologize on Zeus' behalf."

Hestia, Hera and Rhea headed straight to the area where the sun chariots, built by Titan Helios, were kept. When the rider was attaching the fiery horses to the chariot, Rhea asked Hera.

"Have you told your other siblings about this?"

"Demeter was traveling to other countries to study their unique plants, while Poseidon didn't care about the commotion that would happen. He even said that he wished the palace would be terribly damaged and Zeus would be terribly hurt, that he will become the next King of the gods if that really happens."

While Rhea sighed in disappointment, Hestia was not surprised if Poseidon was not willing to help. The god of the sea always believed that it was pure luck that Zeus was born as the youngest; hence, it could be him to set everyone free and to kill Cronus. As Poseidon himself was the strongest god after Zeus, no one dared to debate against him, not even Rhea, their own mother.

"How about Hades?" Rhea asked.

"Hades was still busy reorganizing The Underworld and reeducating its inhabitants. Especially for the one residing in Tartarus and Asphodel," Hera said.

Once again, Rhea sighed. "Let's go now."

*****

The moment Hestia and the others arrived at Zeus' palace, water had blanketed the entire building. Astonishingly, there were a few soldiers trapped and floating inside the water wall; their eyes widened and their mouths formed a circle. Some of the soldiers standing outside the palace stared at their fellow comrades with terror and disbelief, while the rest of them attempted to discuss on how to go through the wall. Hestia immediately approached one soldier who was sitting on the ground and hugging his knees.

"Can you elaborate in detail what's happening here?" Hestia asked with a soft tone.

"I...I...," the soldier stuttered. "He... he... water..."

Hestia touched the soldier's right shoulder, making him gasp. The soldier then turned to the goddess.

"I feel calmer now."

"Good then," Hestia smiled. "Can you now please elaborate in detail what's happening here?"

"Titan Oceanus came with his soldiers. At first, we thought he came only to visit King Zeus and Queen Metis, his daughter. To our surprise, the moment he stepped into the palace, he summoned a water wall that blanketed the entire palace."

Hestia sighed, then she looked at the soldiers that were dead and trapped inside the water wall. "Mother, Hera," she said. "We should combine our inner power and break the wall."

"I agree," Rhea said, placing her right-palm on the water wall, followed by Hestia and Hera. The three of them shut their eyes and channeled their power out, immediately making a hole on the wall.

"Let's go before the wall regenerates," Hera said.

*****

While heading to the throne wall, the hallway was filled by either the soldiers' corpses or the soldiers who were barely alive. All these soldiers belonged to Zeus, showing that the winning side, at least until that moment, was Oceanus.

As everyone got closer to the throne hall, they heard the sound of a river flowing rapidly. It turned out this sound also mixed with the sound of lightning crackles. Without waiting any longer, Rhea placed her palms on the gates and pushed them.

Everyone's jaws dropped as soon as they saw what was happening inside the hall.

Zeus was floating inside a pillar of water on the left, with his neck being squeezed by a water rope from Oceanus' right-hand; the king of the gods attempted to pull it away with his right-hand, while his left-hand was for channeling a rope of yellow lightning that squeezed the Titan's neck. Both grimaced, and it seemed they could not free themselves from each other's ropes. It was obvious that Oceanus' power had increased much higher; the Titan's wrath must have known no limit, to the point he was able to pin Zeus down. In this state, no one could assess who would come out as the victor.

"Zeus! Oceanus! Stopped this at once!" Rhea exclaimed; worry flashed across her face.

Because none listened to Rhea's order, she opened both her palms to the floor; two cracks soon appeared on the floor, going straight to Zeus and Oceanus. Two trees then instantly grew from the cracks; they destroyed the floors, dispersed the water pillar, causing Zeus and Oceanus to stop squeezing each other with their ropes, and tossing them away before finally falling and hitting the floor hard. To Hestia's surprise, Oceanus was still able to get up; he was more than ready to lurch to Zeus. If only Rhea did not channel the power that made Oceanus chained by tree branches growing from the floor, the Ocean Titan might have choked Zeus with his own hands.