HEYYYYYY, EVERYBODY! :D
Wow it's been a while since I last uploaded anything here. Things had been busy, hectic, and overall, I did not have any finished story, sorry for that. :( BUT! Recently I got introduced to that sweet amazing gaming masterpiece known as Kid Icarus Uprising, and while I cannot play it any way (you have no idea how much that fact hurts me), the story and the characters sucked me in and won't let go of me.
Since I am also into drawing, I created a design for the only missing god from that game, Zeus, and soon I found myself thinking about stories involving the infamous trio of godly brothers. This is the first one of them, currently a oneshot, though I don't have any idea whether it will grow into something more. We shall see!

So, the first half is set during the time when Pit was trapped inside the Ring of Chaos. Poseidon-centric! The poor guy didn't got enough spotlight in my opinion.

R&R please! Enjoy! :D

Days of War

Everyone was at war. It was maddening. Skyworld, the Forces of Nature the entire Underworld, the humans… Poseidon wouldn't have been surprised anymore, if Sir Dyntos decided to waltz in with his own army. Everything was drowning in war. The humans, at least those who were still alive even after two years of the massacre, courtesy of Palutena, Hades and Viridi, kept on fighting with each other, the Centurions and the monsters of Nature and the Underworld. Before long, that race would become extinct. Hades kept using up the souls of the dead to create more monsters. That little angel disappeared. Palutena had gone mad.

What would you think of us now? … I cannot blame you for leaving…

Only the sea remained calm. The sea, which on any other day would be the most temperamental, unpredictable part of the world, now was the totem of calmness and peace. Many humans actually fled to its shores, seeking its protection. And Poseidon gave shelter to them. He helped however he could. He stayed put in his own realm and did not deploy any troops or monsters (oh, he did have his own share, he sired the most fearsome monsters in this world) unless the humans who were under his protection were attacked. Then he would unleash his full wrath onto anyone, being it Palutena, Viridi or Hades.

Palutena once ordered him to choose sides already and stop being a coward, hiding in the deep sea. Viridi challenged him (that meddling child!). Hades taunted him, tried to provoke him to come out. Poseidon ignored them, he did not even bother to react to their messages in any way. His counterattacks, however, were vicious and surprisingly powerful every time, making it quite clear for the three other gods that he did not wish to pick sides.

Poseidon, the Earth-shaker, Destroyer of Cities, now became the only hope and protector of humankind. Amazing, how ironic life can be sometimes. But the Sea God accepted this new rule and tried his best to fulfill it. The deity destined for this was long gone… someone had to take his place, at least in these most dire times.

If you can hear me… And sometimes I wish you could… Stay wherever you are. Don't come back. Just trust me on this…

The sea was calm. However, its ruler did not escape war. He was at war… with himself. Poseidon stayed in his underwater palace, battling his own horrible conflicts. Long-past, dark days filled with screaming, with the curses of the dead came back to haunt him. A time when nothing made sense, when hope did not exist for him, when he was trapped in his own prison, his misery, his mind… But he wasn't alone. Someone, a single person was with him all the time, fighting against his darkness, trying to pierce through his misery to reach him. When Poseidon was strangled by all those corpses (it wasn't real. Now he knew. Back then, that was reality for him.), that someone would drag him out of their cold hands, to safety. And Poseidon repaid him by thinking he was an enemy too and almost tore his wings out many times, before realizing what he was doing. Yet his caretaker did not fight back or abandon him. He should have. He should have imprisoned Poseidon somewhere, like they did with their cursed father long ago, sealing him away from this world, leaving him to his own darkness. He should have done so because Poseidon did not deserve his care, for the Sea God was nothing more than a two-faced freak who took advantage out of everyone.

The humans are dying… Dear heavens, the humans are dying and I can't do anything against it… Can you hear me? Do not come back!

Yet Poseidon wished he would come back. Such a two-sided nature he had. Disgusting. He justified it, of course, he always did: the Earth needed its Protector more than anything. The Keeper of Peace had to come back, or else all was lost. True, but weak excuses. Come back… so I can be at peace finally, so you can take all the hits and I can finally relax, so I can ditch all the responsibilities and chaos onto you. Your heart will be shattered even more, but I will get some rest at last.

Poseidon was at war with himself, and he forged ahead… somehow. He kept up the counterattacks, he kept hearing the pleas and begs of the humans, he did everything to keep them alive. He would not rest until they were through these dark years, he would not call for help. Not because of his pride. Poseidon simply did not deserve His help. Not after all of that.

Do not come back! You'll only find pain.

For decades, Poseidon was hurting Him in every possible way while choking in his own madness. He had been falling and he had been dragging Him along the way. Yet He stayed by his side. He stayed and eventually defeated Poseidon's darkness and saved the Sea God. It was a long and horrible battle with the mind, but they… no, He had won. Poseidon had just happened to be at the right place, at the right time. It was His merit that Poseidon could go back to being normal, to be the usual moody, tantrum-throwing bitch that he was, sinking cities just because he had a bad day. He wasn't a god worth fighting for, yet he was saved. And he repaid Him… how exactly? Oh right.

By abandoning him.

Poseidon winced as a powerful dark pulse crashed against his force field. It was Hades' enjoyment to test the defenses in the downtime of battles. Just a hobby, nothing more. Poseidon did not make a big fuss about it either. He didn't react to the taunts of the God of the Dead. Why would he? Hades would give up soon enough.

In fact, they hadn't talked in centuries, now that he recalled.

The humans keep begging me to save them. But how can I save them? What would you do?

It was a dark, stormy day, the sky mirrored its ruler's mood. In the meeting He asked them, begged them to stop fighting. The stress was too much for Him, the gods needed to be at peace so the world itself would be at peace also. But did they listen? No. Of course not. Viridi kept on screaming that humans were destroying Nature, that they were selfish monsters taking advantage out of everything. She did not hear, did not want to hear His suggestion that maybe she should teach them how to live alongside Nature. Hades, who did not even bother to show up in person, just through a mirror image, roared with laughter, saying that peace would be very bad for his Underworld business. "People would still die", He had said. "Where's the fun in that, brother dear?", Hades grinned. Palutena, seemingly on His side, tried to back Him up… until Medusa let go of a snappy remark. Then the two goddesses were throwing a death glare contests. Dyntos wasn't there (he had never been to any meeting). Lastly, He had turned to Poseidon. For help. For back-up. For a stupid sign of acknowledgment. Poseidon looked across the room full of arguing gods… and shook his head slowly. "It's pointless", he had said, "they will never stop fighting. Why do you bother?". The Sea God sure didn't even bother giving it a try.

Poseidon knew what kind of hell He had been in then. The signs were all there for everyone to see it: He was tired, worn out, His hands shook madly and bags formed under His eyes. His strong aura dimmed in the effort. The bickering of the gods caused conflicts between the humans. Conflicts that had to be solved by Him. As the First Protector, the Guardian of Humankind, He was responsible for peace. All these battles drained Him from His powers. Yet, He kept on going. He was so weak, all He could do was begging for mercy from the other gods. They had been killing Him, yet He kept on going for… a century, maybe. For a hundred years He heroically stood His ground, sacrificing everything for a peace that could never be born.

You would fight on, huh? Keeping the humans safe. They are our source of life, you always said… Are you still out there somewhere?

Poseidon stayed down then, decimating a city or two in the process when he felt like it. Such a great help he was. He could do no more, he had told himself then. Yes. He could do no more, otherwise he might have had to strain himself a bit, express a bit more effort than usual. It was so much more easier to lean back in his throne and watch the land… and Him being torn apart. After all, he had just been to a trip through sheer madness back and forth. It wasn't advisable to strain himself, especially not for the sake of the god who saved him from his misery in the first place. Of course not.

Finally, He snapped. Cutting off every connection He ever had with the world, He cursed all of them one last time before leaving, His painful screams echoing across the skies. He cursed them, saying that all of them will die a horrible death, that all of them were selfish lunatics, that they shall pay the price for all the pain they had caused. Then He was gone. He ran away, to the only place safe: outer space. He ran away, leaving behind a void. Without His guidance, without His presence, peace, unity and understanding became even less of a reality, more of a mirage.

Your curse has finally reached us. This may be the end of our days. Who knows, we might not even see the new year.

...

Poseidon slightly opened his tired eyes as a human's voice reached him.

- Great, noble and vigilant God of the Seas - it was a man. - I, a mere mortal, thank you for your protection and guidance.

Poseidon knitted his eyebrows. When was the last time that a praise has reached his ears? He couldn't recall. He was a feared god. Not a loved one.

- I truly wish I could repay your kindness and generosity.

Yeah, so?

- My wife is now pregnant and soon our child will be born… I shall offer this new life to you.

Poseidon's eyes snapped open. Wait what?!

- I want him to grow up to become your follower, your priest. It is all I can offer, as a token of my thankfulness. Please accept it.

The Sea God leaned forward in his throne, staring at a wall in bewilderment. He never… received an offering before. Not even food offerings. The humans feared him. They hardly dared to utter his name, just called him by his titles, mostly "Earth-shaker" (he did earn this infamousness, did he not?). The following days he battled with his tiredness, opening his mind up more, listening to the humans. They praised him. They thanked him. Some of them even did small offerings from the little food they had. Every day, the gratefulness of the humans reached him. He did not receive gifts, it was not a luxury they could afford at a time like this, but the emotions, the hopeful prayers kept on coming.

It felt amazing.

This kept you going on too, right? Back then… when everyone else would have already collapsed in your place. These prayers…

Every day he would sit on his throne for hours, listening to the humans' voices with great contentment. He felt as if his powers were renewed a little by every thanks they had uttered. His defense became stronger, the attacks started to become easier and easier to repel. At first Poseidon thought it was due to his wild emotions. After all, it was so strange to receive word of kindness and hopefulness instead of dread. But before long, he realized.

Our source of life… That's what you meant, wasn't it? The humans' prayers… they give us strength.

So that's why He had been the strongest of them all. He was the only one actively dealing with the humans, thus receiving the most praise in return. It fueled His powers.

Poseidon pushed forward. The three gods attacking expected him to tire out and give up. They did not expect an unexplainable sudden surge of strength and determination from the Sea God, and so they were pushed back even more into the main land. Poseidon could spread his protection over more settlements that were not too far from the sea. He could not take the entire country under his influence, even with this newfound power, he was limited to his domain and its proximity. But he did what he could, pushed himself to his limits. It was his time to save the mortals.

Dyntos once contacted him, demanding an explanation to all of this. Poseidon simply told him to buzz off. "You'd never guess", he grinned. And it was true. That old god who had never had to do anything with the humans to begin with, wouldn't have the slightest idea. And Poseidon planned on keeping this secret to himself. It was an advantage none of the gods possessed but him.

We might all be dead by the end of the year… but in the end, the humans are worth fighting for… Can you hear me?

...

Poseidon sat on his throne motionlessly, but hearing, feeling, sensing everything. The gunfire ripped at his body, then at his very essence, and in that moment, Hades simply gave up the fight. The great Lord of the Underworld, God of the Dead and Souls was defeated by a flightless angel with a hardly functional mechanism, and his body quickly dissolved into nothing. And Poseidon just sat on his throne, hands folded as if he was praying for his brother. Yes, Hades was family. But the crimes he had committed against the entire world were unforgivable and he had to pay a price. This was the price.

What followed was silence. Then the human city that Pit was defending burst out in cheers, followed by the two goddesses as Pit took a victory lap in the sky. Poseidon remained silent. He did not know what to say. But then…

He took a deep breath, gathered all of his willpower and sent out this one message into the endless space:

Hades is dead. He's dead and the world is safe… for now. It's more peaceful. You can come back now. We still need you. Please, come back.

Poseidon sent this message, hoping that it will reach its destination. If that destination still existed, that is.

Please come home!

...

Out in the vast cold dark space a little star shimmered. Its light had been fading for centuries now, since the very moment it had cut itself off from its home world. With every passing second it got closer to expiring, however the immense power it held was not so easy to snuff out. It had lasted for so long, even in these conditions, hovering in nothing.

Then the star beamed as it received an invisible but existing signature from somewhere far away.

"We still need you. Please come back. Please come, home!"

The star's light shimmered, from its core long-since-used pure white wings extended slowly as the being woke up from a barely conscious state. The god moved drowsily, uncurling himself from the ball he was reduced to. He stretched and then he remained motionless, maybe lost in thought. He was tremendously slow, countless years spent in space made him a barely living creature. Time no longer had any meaning for him, why would he rush anywhere? Why was he even bothering with this?

… Because it was a familiar voice saying that message. His memories were foggy but he knew he had known that voice once. Much was connected to it: pain and joy, misery and love, anger, hatred and… forgiveness. These emotions… he once knew these too. They were powerful, a part of life… Life? Was he still alive at all? Could he be still considered a living being at all or just a piece of debris floating in space? Well… he was thinking… fighting this thick fog to remember. He… he had two brothers, yes. Back at home… One of them had this voice. He winced as something came back crushing on him: pain, exhaustion, hopelessness, choking sadness. For so long, too long these were part of his old life too.

If you go back, if you react, these will come back. They will tear you apart. Stay here, become an emotionless, cold star again… until you fade away.

He slowly opened his eyes a little, for the first time in who knows how long. They were dim and colorless, but once they had been piercing like lightning, grey like storm clouds. Colorful patterns of faraway stars and galaxies greeted him. Space could be so beautiful, despite being a cruel place. The endless silence enveloped him a like a cold blanket. Can he even speak anymore? Did he even have a voice? There was no way to tell. Faces flashed up in his mind. He couldn't recall their names but he knew they had lived with him, back home. They brought him all that sadness… but also much happiness and joy in his life. Were they his family? His friends?

Stay here and fade away in peace. Go back and suffer.

No… not necessarily suffer. Things can get better, problems can be solved. He… he had a home where someone was waiting for him. They waited for him to return. It meant they loved him. And, even though now he couldn't really remember, he was almost certain he had loved them too.

Stay here. Fade, like the little nothing that you are.

No. No, he was not a little nothing. He was… he was Zeus, the First Protector of Planet Earth and the Guardian of Humankind, God of the Air and Lightning. He had a job to do.

The white wings moved. Slowly but steadily they started to flap. What energy he still had, Zeus channeled it all into setting himself to the course leading back to Earth. His home.

I'm coming. Wait for me.

Let me know if there is any mistakes!
As to what caused that madness of Poseidon... well, that's a story for another time. :) Take care!