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The ruined throne hall lay quiet now.
Cracked marble stretched like spiderwebs beneath Arthur's boots, the air still carrying the faint residue of violet lightning and extinguished divinity. Shadow Zeus stood immobile nearby, a silent executioner awaiting no further orders.
Arthur asked. "Diana left Olympus, didn't she?"
Raven glanced at him, then nodded slowly. "I spoke to her before she did." Her voice softened, touched with something close to respect. "She didn't want to be part of this. She focused on getting her people out, the Amazons who were still here, trying to defend the place from him."
Arthur let out a quiet breath. "I didn't expect that." His gaze drifted toward the shattered columns. "With her sense of justice, I thought she'd stand with Zeus regardless. Fight to the end."
Raven tilted her head slightly. "Or maybe," she said, carefully, "she knew someone else would fight the enemy for her."
Arthur turned to her then, eyes narrowing just a fraction. "Raven... are you trying to say something?"
Raven looked away almost immediately, her expression tightening. Not embarrassed or defensive. Almost… pouty. "Nothing," she said quickly. "Don't twist it. I'm just saying, I'm glad we helped. That's all."
Arthur studied her for a moment longer than necessary.
"…Right," he said.
Kara, who had been surveying the devastation with a faint frown, finally spoke. "There wasn't much left for us to do anyway." She gestured vaguely at the broken heavens above. "Wasn't this supposed to be some majestic divine dimension? Because right now it looks like a demolition site."
Arthur glanced around, taking in the ruined throne, the flesh-like remnants of Olympus still slowly decaying back into stone.
"Not anymore," he replied flatly.
With a thought, the air beside him folded inward. Shadows curved and twisted, forming a smooth, oval portal glowing faintly with violet light.
"You can go home," Arthur said. "I'll be there shortly."
Raven hesitated.
Her eyes lingered on the throne… on the corpse… For just a moment, it looked like she sensed something else, something just beyond perception.
Then she nodded. "Alright."
Kara gave Arthur a quick smile. "Don't take too long."
They stepped through the portal, one after the other. The opening collapsed in on itself without a sound, leaving Arthur alone once more.
Almost.
Arthur didn't turn as he spoke. "You can show yourself now."
The shadows behind the throne shifted, simply deciding to be something else.
She was suddenly there.
Didi appeared, dressed in black that was neither cloth nor shadow, her expression calm, amused, eternal.
"My, my, Arthur," she said lightly. "To sense me so clearly now."
Arthur faced her, unbothered. "I know where your siblings are too. It's not exactly difficult anymore."
Her smile widened, just a little. "Of course you do. Full control suits you. No chains. No limits." She studied him with open curiosity. "It does make me wonder…"
"What?" Arthur asked.
She laughed softly. "I'll tell you some other time."
Didi stepped past him and knelt before the Firstborn's corpse, resting one hand on her knee as she regarded the fallen god with detached gentleness.
"This one," she said. "I'll take him."
Arthur crossed his arms. "Do you pity him?"
She didn't look up. "A victim of the universe," she replied calmly. "Like millions of others. His story isn't unique."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Then why?"
Didi finally turned her head to face him. "When you claim someone fully, Arthur, you break their cycle. Zeus's first child won't be reborn as this." She gestured vaguely at the corpse. "He could be someone else. A human. A normal life. A family. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere forgotten."
Arthur smiled faintly. "So you do pity him."
Didi rose smoothly to her feet. "Death maintains balance," she said simply. "Pity is not part of the equation. This is just… procedure."
Arthur exhaled slowly. "So be it." His gaze hardened. "But the other Olympians are fair game."
Didi chuckled. "You already have them. The rest still breathe."
Arthur frowned. "So their time didn't end the way you said it would."
She met his eyes, her smile soft but absolute. "Zeus was Olympus."
Her gaze drifted to Shadow Zeus standing nearby, then back to Arthur.
"And he is dead."
She stepped closer, voice dropping into something almost fond. "You did get involved, Arthur. You fulfilled the prophecy." Her eyes gleamed. "I said they wouldn't die by your hand. That death would claim them."
She tilted her head.
"And you did claim them."
Didi stood now beside Arthur, "Zeus's fear," she said softly, almost thoughtfully, "was entirely justified." Her eyes flicked toward the ruined hall, the corpse. "His mistake was believing you were the threat he needed to prepare for."
Arthur exhaled, rubbing a hand across his jaw. "If I'm being honest," he said, "I didn't enjoy being dragged into this."
She smiled at that warm and knowing.
Before he could react, she stepped closer. Both of her hands rested flat against his chest, right over where his heart should have been. The contact was gentle, grounding. Then she leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
Arthur stiffened, just slightly.
"I understand," Didi said calmly. "But you also need to know that.."
She looked up at him, her voice softening without losing its weight. "Considering what you are now, Arthur, you will be involved in many things. Even matters where you believe you have no part to play." Her fingers pressed lightly, as if reminding him something was still there. "This is the responsibility of one who wields death, not as a tool, but as a principle."
Before Arthur could respond
The sky exploded.
Stone shattered as something slammed into the throne hall, smoke and debris rolling outward in a violent wave.
Ares crashed to one knee, armor scorched, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to breathe.
A moment later, a shadow landed beside him.
Igris.
The Shadow Marshal's blade was already at Ares's throat.
Ares coughed hard, crimson staining the floor. "Cursed… creature," he spat, glaring up at Igris.
The shadow knight did not react.
Ares's gaze shifted, slowly, painfully taking in the ruined hall, the absence where the Firstborn had been… and then Arthur.
And then he saw her.
His eyes widened.
"…Teleute."
Didi turned her head just enough to acknowledge him, her lips curling into a faint, amused smile.
Arthur raised one hand.
"Igris."
The shadow marshal inclined his head once, then stepped back, dissolving into shadow along with shadow Zeus, returning silently to Arthur's dominion.
Ares pushed himself to his feet, leaning on his double axe. His breathing steadied as realization set in. He looked around again no Firstborn, no throne-bound abomination, no war left to fight.
"I see now," he said slowly. A rough laugh escaped him. "It all makes sense." His gaze flicked between Arthur and Didi. "Is this your… consort?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Didi didn't correct him and laughed openly this time, the sound light. She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "Is that how you address me, son of Zeus?"
Ares stiffened instantly.
He bowed his head, axe still clenched in his hand. "No. Of course not." His voice dropped, stripped of arrogance. "Had I known… I would never have dared stand in either of your paths."
Arthur glanced sideways at Didi.
She winked.
He sighed. "The matter is settled," Arthur said. "Olympus is… whatever remains of it." His eyes settled on Ares. "Given everything that's happened... do you intend to rule it?"
Ares snorted softly. "Ruling Olympus was never my ambition." He looked toward the broken ceiling, the ruined sky. "Beating my family? That was always the goal." A pause. "But my half-sister is better suited for the throne. I prefer my freedom."
He gestured around them. "…Besides. There's not much left to rule."
Arthur closed his eyes briefly. "Then do what you must." He opened them again, gaze sharp. "Just don't repeat Zeus's mistakes, mistakes that we have to clean after."
Didi slipped her fingers into Arthur's hand. "Well," she said pleasantly, "shall we leave, dear?"
Arthur looked at her. Really looked, then spoke directly inside her head.
"You are enjoying this far too much, aren't you."
She smiled, unapologetic.
He coughed lightly, then nodded. "Yeah, lets."
The shadows folded inward.
Arthur and Death vanished without sound, no flash, no wind only absence, leaving Ares standing alone amid the ruins of Olympus, staring at a throne that no longer mattered.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want