Hunter

Chapter Forty Six - Climax

When I imagined seeing Zeus, I didn't imagine him being surrounded by nine other gods with glares and scowls on their faces. I didn't imagine being terrified and wanting to hide behind the goddess of Love for protection. Unlike Aphrodite, who was our height at that point, the rest of the Olympians were monstrous, well over twelve feet. They were all dressed leisurely enough, but I was sure that no matter how casually they were dressed, the damage that they could do would be colossal. When someone cleared their throat, I realized that I was the only one standing. Quickly, I dropped to my knees, bowing my head in submissions.

"Why are you on Olympus." It didn't sound like a question. It sounded like an order, a command, like it was my sole duty in life to respond to whatever Zeus said to the best of my ability, but I couldn't think straight, so I glared at Jasper, urging him to respond to the best of his ability. He shook his head quickly, and my glare hardened, eyes wide. Biting his lip, he stood up to address the gods.

"I summoned them," Aphrodite announced, and Jasper almost fell to the ground from relief. "I am innocent, and I needed a way to prove it."

"Where is your proof, and what is your verdict?"

"There are eleven Olympians presents, including myself. Where is the twelfth? Why, when ordered, did Hephaestus have my binds already made? Who possesses the ability to create automatons endlessly and flawlessly. Which god has the power to remove their mark from a piece of evidence? Who other than Hephaestus possesses these abilities? Who--" A piercing sound cut her off. It rang throughout Olympus, silencing every single sound. Not a single person moved, but I recognized that sound, and I knew all too well what it was. Grabbing my necklace from Aphrodite, I clasped it on.

"What are you doing?" She raged, her eyes fiery. I pulled off my bracelet and changed it into a sword as I spoke.

"That sound. That's the same sound of the dragon that attacked my school." Surely enough, we heard loud flapping, and a metal monstrosity perched itself on the highest point of Olympus. The gods prepared to attack, but a force field surrounded the throne room. They all dropped to the ground, shrinking down to Aphrodite's size.

"What's going on?" I demanded frantically.

"The field possesses the same power as the chains. It's absorbing our power." I walked up to the field, and I was able to walk past it. "You need the Phoenix," she took a moment to breathe, her voice barely noticeable, "you need the Phoenix to destroy the force." The Phoenix? Fire.

"Aiden, I need you to stay here and work on shutting this thing off! Dee and Jasper, come with me--" My voice trailed off as I looked down from the top of the throne room. Not only were we dealing with an enormous piece of flying metal, but thousands upon thousands of metal soldiers were mounting their way to the top. The fire-breathing dragon was wreaking havoc on Olympus, destroying buildings and setting the place ablaze. My chest heaved up and down as I took in the sight before me. A loud cackle resonated throughout Olympus.

"Congratulations, Hunter. You have solved the mystery."

"Come out and fight you coward!" I yelled into the air, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My whole body was on high alert.

"He who knows when to fight, and when to retreat, will always win. My plan is falling out perfectly, and I'm not going to ruin it over somethings as worthless as honor."

"Right, because you have none," I quipped, livid. Hephaestus chuckled.

"It's all thanks to you, Hunter. I managed to duplicate the abilities of your necklace and modify them so that I can absorb godly power. Once I have the power of the twelve, or eleven, Olympians, I'm going to collapse the portals and retreat. With all that power for myself, I will be the absolute ruler! I WILL REIGN FOREVER!"