A/N: Wooooooo that was a hard one.
I'm back in Lebanon with my parents for two weeks and barely wrote this in my free time.
Anyway, the next chapter might take some time!
Enjoy!
"Is that it? The fabled 'Home of the Gallant'?" The Jade Emperor muttered, unimpressed with the sight below him.
He floated in the sky alongside another man, this one noticeably happier.
"HAH! Well, I didn't choose the name! But I can't help but blush when I hear it hehe!" A blond man rubbed his head while his cheeks colored in embarrassment. His dear followers had decided to honor him that way.
"..." the red-haired deity remained silent.
"Well do you like it? Look how hard everyone is working" the blond urged and waved his hand at the hustle and bustle of various creatures, all going about their daily lives.
The city itself was not glamorous, it could even be called a large village. The houses, however, all had their unique style and architecture, showcasing both the diversity of the residents and their creativity.
"..." the god opted to stare at the city emotionlessly.
"Okhwang! I'd like to formally welcome you to my city, this is a place in which everyone is welcome! Human! Spirit! Yokai! And even you guys! All are welcome to sit and dine on the same table!" The man continued, heedless of the god's thoughts, even as he detected a steadily rising amount of negativity within him.
"..."
"Oh! Speaking of dinner, would you like to join us for tonight? We're having a banquet to celebrate the news of the alliance!"
"..."
"Eh? Okhwang? You okay there?" the sage poked the redhead with a finger, only for his hand to be slapped by the deity.
"I was wrong about you" Okwang said, his voice cold.
"Huh?" Naruto was genuinely confused but before he could ask for clarification, his guest continued.
"You might have been born mortal, but I was willing to give you a chance to become one of us. I was even going to extend the same courtesy to these 'siblings' of yours" the man's third eye opened itself as he spoke to the Sage, his gaze never turning away from the city, even as his lips curled in disgust.
"But this? A city that equates maggots to gods? Are you really that willing to insult us?" the Jade Emperor finally shifted his gaze towards the Sage, his third eye glowing.
Naruto's eyes widened at the accusation, and he began waving his hands in front of him in panic.
"Oi oi oi! Okhwang calm down! This isn't what I wan-"
"NO! THIS CITY HAS NO RIGHT TO EXIST! IT GOES AGAINST ALL WE STAND FOR!" The deity shouted as his body began to glow along with his eye.
"PURITY! POWER! PRESTIGE! ALL OF THESE BELONG TO THOSE CHOSEN TO STAND ABOVE THE REST LIKE US! FRATERNIZING WITH LOWER INSECTS?! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH" The redhead was flailing his arms whilst giving his speech, the man's words bordering on fanaticism.
Naruto's eyes widened at the sight before he hurriedly floated between his guest and the city.
"OKHWANG DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?" His shout attracted the attention of the various creatures below, who all started to wave excitedly.
"I DO! IF YOU ARE SO WILLING TO MAKE A FOOL OF US, THEN I WILL SHOW YOU THE ERROR OF YOUR WAYS!" The Jade Emperor yelled before he raised a hand to the sky and brought it down.
Suddenly, Day became Night.
Naruto's eyes widened in alarm, for rocketing towards the earth, was a gigantic meteor.
"CONSIDER THIS! A DECLARATION OF WAR!" The Jade Emperor shouted.
~~Prologue to War~~
Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, 2nd of September 2000
"Can I really change?" Medusa's lips quivered as she uttered the question meekly.
She was still draped in Naruto's arms, with the man soothingly rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down. After a few minutes of silence, the Sage finally spoke up.
"Medusa, do you understand how many lives you've taken?" The woman flinched. His tone, although gentle, did not carry any warmth within it.
"These people… Each and every single one of them was an individual with dreams and aspirations of their own." Medusa gripped the man's back at his words.
"They each had either families or loved ones. Loved ones that will probably never forgive you and carry their hatred for you even when they've left this world" The woman's tears were dripping down her cheeks as she hiccuped.
Naruto had expected this reaction. Although his words were harsh, it was a truth that the woman needed to hear.
"I'm telling you this so you understand," he continued.
"I will not help you to look for the forgiveness of others, as that is something I cannot influence. But I can help you to forgive yourself." the man separated from her and looked her in the eyes with his hands on her shoulders.
"Only when you understand the size of the weight you're carrying will you be able to finally live with it on your shoulders. You will likely never truly be free from it… But I can help you, by making sure you live the rest of your life, whether you choose to spend it as a mortal or an immortal, in peace and tranquility" Naruto's speech seemed to have worked as he could feel her negative emotions dwindle.
"Medusa, will you embark on this journey with me? To rediscover what it means to be yourself?" Naruto finished his piece by presenting her with his hand.
The woman's snake hair was in disarray, her slitted eyes were a puffy red, and tear tracks rand down her cheeks. But even with that appearance, a shy smile adorned her face.
Slowly, she raised her hand and grasped his own.
"Thank you" she muttered.
...
"Where will we go? There's nowhere I can escape their sight" the woman was understandably nervous the Olympians would end up finding her again.
"Ahaha! Don't worry about that!" Naruto waved her worries away "No one's gonna be bothering you where I'm taking you. In fact..." the blond grinned with a certain glint in his eyes.
"One could say you'll be… gor-gone" he winked at her.
...
Snort
Medusa held her hands to her mouth to stifle her giggles, but when Naruto wiggled his eyebrows at her she completely lost it and exploded in laughter. So much so that her eyes watered.
"That was terrible" she said after calming down and wiping her tears away.
Naruto grinned at her and squeezed her hand before they disappeared in a flash.
Moments later, the Sage reappeared in the kitchen, looking quite pleased with himself. His face fell when he looked at the mess around him and the unfinished patties left on the counter. With a poof of smoke, a few shadow clones appeared around him and started cleaning up while he went to the counter to finish the food.
Even thousands of years later, the [Shadow Clone] technique would remain his favorite.
The door leading to the Emporium's kitchen was pushed open by Naruto's back. He was balancing two large trays, each with two plates on them. A scrumptious-looking Hamburger sat on each plate with a side of fries and a can of soda to accompany the meal.
As he walked towards the table, he could see the kids were half asleep, Luke had his head to the table, and Annabeth, adorably enough, was using Thalia's lap like a pillow. Zetsu for some reason seemed to be in some sort of trance.
The raven-haired girl, upon seeing him threw her hands up in exasperation.
"FINALLY!" she exclaimed, jolting Annabeth and Luke awake. "We've been waiting forever! Were you guys making out or something?"
Zetsu started coughing suddenly, having apparently swallowed his own spit after hearing that.
Naruto blinked owlishly at Thalia.
"Err...nooo? Why would you think that?"
"We heard a lot of noise, we wanted to go inside but Zetsu told us not to. Said you did this kind of thing often." The girl clarified.
"So we thought you two were, you know… doing adult stuff" Luke added with a teasing smirk.
Naruto opened his mouth to answer but Annabeth interjected.
"What's adult stuff?" the little girl asked with a head tilt.
Thalia and Luke blanched while Naruto looked at them accusingly, his expression twitching.
'Ah...poop' the man forced a grin on your face.
"Umm… err…" he stammered "I'll tell you when your older?" the man hoped Annabeth would accept the answer. The girl frowned in response, but then shrugged and turned to look at some of the displays around them.
Naruto sighed in relief. Best Father Ever™ or not, that question was something any dad dreaded to hear from their daughters… Or pseudo-daughters in this case, since the little minx insisted on calling him 'Mister'.
'Haaaaah… if only' the man despaired. It's been a long time since he last had a little girl to spoil damnit!
"Anyway! About that…" the father chuckled nervously and proceeded to explain the encounter with Medusa. He took great care to alter the story and present it as him 'taking care of her'. Needless to say, the three demigods were all surprised and awed. Zetsu on the other hand had shifted back to his trance-like state.
The Sage recognized that look on his son's face, it was the same one he sported whenever he had a conversation with one of his duplicates. Naruto frowned at that, internally wondering when his son had even split himself since he hadn't done so in years.
'Could he be?...nah' the sage thought, dismissing any doubt he had about his boy.
Zetsu wasn't like him. He wouldn't be rash enough to do anything that could expose them.
Right?
Olympus, Main Road, a little earlier
The golden city of Olympus was among the greatest sights that anyone could witness. A veritable Eldorado floating in the sky. Enriched with sublime architecture and peppered with various temples that housed the many deities of the Greek pantheon, it floated above the Empire State Building in New York City, invisible and untouchable to the mortals living below.
Similar to the Big Apple, Olympus was quite a busy city, with various spirits, minor deities, and even a few mortals always out and about on the golden paved streets, either enjoying themselves or working tirelessly to serve their patrons.
On the main road leading to the central plaza, residents held onto their togas as they felt a breeze blow past them. They looked around curiously, probably attempting to see what caused it.
Was it Lord Zeus passing through again in an attempt to escape his wife?
Was it Lord Hermes running hurriedly to another job?
Perhaps a mischievous wind god wanting to cause some chaos?
As it turns out, the culprit was not what any of them would expect. A shadowy figure moved at almost imperceptible speed, bouncing between shadows and darker spots erratically.
A few miles later, the figure stopped and landed in a darker alley, between two golden buildings, and dropped to the ground, away from prying eyes. The figure stood on its feet and pressed against the wall, its inky black complexion allowing it to disappear within the building's shadow.
'Shit shit shit shit' the figure thought frantically.
A pair of yellow eyes opened in the darkness. More akin to a pair of dots, they moved left and right to scout the entrances of the alley. Judging itself to be safe, the figure detached from the wall, finally revealing itself to any outside observer.
A Zetsu clone.
Or more accurately, the same part that Zetsu had split from himself about a month ago, had hitched a ride on Artemis, without the latter noticing the small worm-like creature sticking to the bottom of her sandal. When the goddess had eventually teleported to Olympus, the clone separated from the huntress and moved into hiding. He crept through the corners of the city, looking for anything to eat to gain some biomass and grow bigger. He couldn't eat anyone and there weren't any vermin for him to consume.
That is, before he found Heaven.
Or more accurately, Demeter's private potager, which the goddess seems to put as much care in as a mother would in her child, as evidenced by the abundance of unearthly healthy-looking fruits, vegetables, legumes, and even fungi.
Three guesses as to what the clone did next.
While Zetsu himself liked meat, in general, more than anything, the younger Uzumaki was very partial to greens. With Demeter's potager being as good as it was, and the clone being the same as his creator in terms of personality?
The temptation was too great.
So the clone started raiding the garden. Lightly at first, as he still had a mission to follow and could not blow his cover. Something which seemed to work for him as the weeks passed and he managed to learn a great deal of information from his prowls around the city.
For one, it seemed like Artemis reported her findings to Athena, and the latter seemed satisfied with what the Huntress told her. Seems like even if they attracted attention, Naruto and the original Zetsu still managed to pass as a non-threat. Either that or Athena truly believed in that Shinto theory of hers and opted not to risk a pantheonic war.
For two, the clone decided to stay the hell away from the pink monstrosity that was the Love goddess's temple. Not only did it smell like perfume all the time and was, in his opinion, somehow a worse color than neon orange, but the spy also kept hearing the unmistakable sounds of intercourse emanating from the temple.
Day in and day out.
Yeah no, he was keeping a good distance away from that menagerie.
And for three, it seemed like the security was pretty lax here, compared to the Taoists at least. No one could out-paranoid those bastards, not even the Olympian King. The only way in for mortals was through the Empire State Building while immortals could get in with a variety of methods, and that was something the original Zetsu and his clones knew their way around.
The clone would then continue his mission while occasionally visiting Demeter's garden to raid it. He would be the first to admit that he'd made a mistake by slowly growing bolder with his intrusions to the blonde goddess's property.
If one were to ask the spy if it was worth it, he'd nod and say definitely.
If one were to ask the Harvest goddess about her view, however?
Well… Let's just say Zetsu had gained an enemy on Olympus already. That is if the deity ever got to know who was responsible. The last time the clone saw her, Demeter had let an inhuman screech of rage before conjuring a very pointy pitchfork and marching to the council room.
This brings us to where the clone's problem began. Evidently, a pissed-off Demeter could very well put the fear of herself into her youngest brother, enough for him to call a meeting over her complaints to find out who was responsible.
Seeing an opportunity to observe the Olympians more closely, he took the chance. Something that in hindsight, he should have been more careful about. Looking back, he might have been too rash, having hidden at the top of one of the columns, out of any of the gods' sight.
Or so he had thought.
Halfway into the Harvest goddesses' rant and demands to storm the Underworld, since she suspected Hades was somehow behind this, the duplicate felt someone's gaze on him. Something that understandably surprised him since he was sure to be out of sight and was suppressing himself nigh perfectly. Taking a gander, the spy peeked from their perch in the direction he felt the gaze from.
The second his yellow eyes met a pair of orange flames that acted as his observer's eyes, the spy made the wise decision to, as the original Zetsu would put it, 'get the fuck out of dodge'. So he ran, and now he would have to tell the original he messed up and quite possibly compromised both Naruto and Zetsu because he got careless.
'Fuuuuuuuuuck' thought the clone, before he went ramrod straight as he detected something approaching. Hurriedly shifting his hands into spikes, he turned and pointed them where he sensed the presence coming from.
A swirl of fire appeared in front of him as a figure manifested from it. Said figure seemed to be a child, veiled in brown robes and possessing a very warm presence. A child that, funnily enough, was only a foot taller than the clone's 3-foot tall height. The child's eyes were the very same orange flames that the spy had seen before. Those same eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement as the girl raised a hand in a placating gesture.
"Calm yourself little one, I mean you no harm and I know you don't want to make a scene" her voice was kind but authoritative.
The clone being Zetsu in essence took offense to the last part.
"Who are you calling little? No scratch that, who the fuck are you?" The little creature shifted its glasgow-like mouth in a snarl and summoned more spikes from its body to threaten the stranger. He suddenly felt a great amount of pressure as the girl's flame-like eyes seemed to glow white and the temperature dramatically increased. The fire seemed to grow stronger around her as it burned the pointed ends of the spikes off.
"Now now, watch that tongue of yours before I rinse it with soap" she waved a threatening finger.
The duplicate internally debated on whether to book it, to fight, or to use its last resort and blow himself up, before remembering the girl's first words.
"What do you mean you know? How did you find out about me?" The clone did not retract its spikes, if anything, it grew more to replace the burned ones.
"I just felt you that's all, I've sensed a lot of curiosity directed at my siblings, but you seem to have a lot of anger and condescension for someone so little" the girl's power, similarly to the clone, did not wane and only rose in challenge.
"Oi! What did I say about-wait. You felt me? Impossible. My energy was completely suppressed, I might as well have passed for a house plant" the spy was in denial of its failure. The original Zetsu was an expert information gatherer and could appear and disappear without a trace, naturally, his duplicates would inherit the same talents for espionage.
The girl smiled in amusement at the soy's denial "But your emotions were not" she stated matter-of-factly.
…
"You...shi-" the clone stammered before stopping himself when the girl narrowed her eyes at them "You're an empath. A passive one" he continued, knowing but dreading the answer.
Empaths were already rare enough. Passive empaths, as in those that did not need to actively focus to use that ability, on the other hand? The odds of meeting one were astronomically low. Even Naruto, while being able to detect negative emotions nigh-passively, was at most an active empath who could only read someone's complete range of emotion when he was in physical contact with them. Passive empaths were dangerous, especially to spies like Zetsu, who had no way to completely erase their emotions without becoming a literal vegetable.
The child's eyes twinkled in delight at his deduction and she nodded.
"Mmm mmm, and now that I've answered your question how about an introduction?" she smiled disarmingly at the spy.
"Huh? Aren't you here to kill me? Or capture me?" the clone was honestly baffled at the stranger's nonchalant attitude. That could be excused as his power was suppressed, but there was no arrogance in her voice, only kindness.
"Oh no, no little one!" the child waved an arm "I sensed someone observing us and was very curious to know who it was. We rarely get new faces around here nowadays. And while I do not tolerate breaching people's privacy, especially that of my family, I could also tell you did not have any nefarious intentions, if you were you would have done a lot more than raid my little sister's garden" the girl threw the clone a pointed look.
His cheeks, surprisingly enough, colored a shade of green in embarrassment at being called out for his actions. He did not even bother protesting her use of the adjective 'little'.
"You… I… err" he stammered, unable to formulate a defense before slumping.
"Fine…" He wished the original was here, he'd have known what to do… better yet, Zetsu might not have been caught.
"Name's Ze-Two" the spy muttered in a defeated tone. He really could not do anything else in this situation. Escaping would have prompted the girl/goddess/whatever to report her findings to Olympus and put them on high alert. Fighting would have accomplished nothing but attract attention. Same with the Kamikaze option.
"Zetoo?" the girl patted her cheek in surprise, unaware she misspelled the name "What a peculiar name," she said.
"I am Hestia and it's a pleasure to meet you" her next statement froze Ze-Two.
'Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth and...the eldest Olympian...shiiiiiiit' he internally swore. He could not have messed up more badly than he did.
Screw his gluttonous stomach
Screw his original and Naruto for passing down that weakness to him.
And while he was at it screw his luck for coming across the one person who could blow his cover.
Ze-Two's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a bar of soap get shoved into his mouth.
"You thought of something rude didn't you" Hestia narrowed her eyes at him, now inches away from the gagging clone.
Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, present time
The original Zetsu sat with the rest of the kids at the table, waiting for the meal to arrive. Or more likely, just for Naruto to finish off Medusa and come back with the delicious burgers. Yes, Zetsu knew who the monster was from the second he saw her and the statues. Unlike his dad, he did his homework properly before coming here.
He had a reputation to keep after all.
Master Sage, Master Meat Connoisseur, and Master Spy.
Please recognize.
Suddenly, he felt something akin to a mental prod in his mind. Knowing it was his clone, he opened the link to receive the report.
'Original' the clone greeted.
'Ze-two' the younger Uzumaki gave the equivalent of a mental nod before asking 'Anything to report?'
'I… might have fuc-err fricked up' the clone uncharacteristically stammered, making the Zetsu narrow his eyes dangerously. After all, they had a set protocol for this type of situation.
Silence passed between them before the original spoke again.
'Explain' he ordered.
'I umm… well you know how we usually need to-damnit... I'll just… I'll just let her explain' the clone once again stammered, further worrying Zetsu.
'Huh? Her? Who do you mean? Ze-Two! What have you done?!' the original mentally shouted. Had their cover been blown already? What the fuck was his damn copy doing? He had one job!
'Hellloooooo' a feminine voice suddenly interjected.
'Who the fuck are you?' Zetsu said, unknowingly repeating his clone's rude greeting.
'Hmm? Do I need to come over here and clean your tongue too?' there was a certain threatening undertone in her voice.
'She'll do it original! be careful!' Ze-two threw in his two cents.
'Screw this! Who are you? How did you find this idiot?' the original was quickly reaching the end of his patience and did not have time for games.
'Hey!' the clone yelled offended.
'You shut up! You're lucky I don't explode you remotely on principle!' Zetsu mentally shouted at his clone.
'Now now, there's no need for any violence here. Let me re-introduce myself. I am Hestia' the feminine voice interrupted the dispute.
…
At this moment, Zetsu truly knew he fucked up. His pops was never going to let him live this down.
So he gave the most appropriate answer to the situation.
'Fuck me sideways'
A/N: Doneeeee, and because I like y'all, here's a canon OMAKE! Basically, a scene that I could not insert smoothly in the chapter.
Leave me some reviews to tell me what you think!
:)
OMAKE
Demeter was having a good day so far. She and her darling Persephone had just come back from a shopping trip together, to both spend time with one another and prepare for her daughter's inevitable return to that wretched place.
People thought Hades could keep a grudge? Her little brat of a brother had nothing on her spite. Even after many millennia, she had never forgiven her brother for his crime. Regardless of how much Persephone tried to defend him, she should never have to be forced into any union like that. Zeus too, her even bigger brat of a brother had just as much of a hand in their situation as the Lord of the Underworld.
Shaking off the darker train of thought, the blonde goddess marched towards her temple, intending to check on her precious garden to make sure all her other babies were growing well. She had charmed her produce to routinely grow and make a varied batch throughout the year. So even though it was September, Demeter fully expected even winter fruits like oranges to be available today.
She had just come to the potager's entrance when she felt something off about it. She stood to attention and marched through the various fields of green, looking for anything missing.
Her head suddenly turned sharply in the direction of her legume section. She moved fast enough to become a blur to the naked eye and passed.
Someone had taken the mature batch.
Someone had taken her precious babies.
The goddess clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, the corn cobs weaved into her hair popped up from her anger.
'Oh this is on'
...
[Week 1: Traps]
Demeter swept some dirt onto a tarp covering a pit she'd dug up. A large assortment of traps was laid around each field of produce, some even laid between the crops with enough care as to not harm them.
The goddess smirked to herself, whoever was foolish enough to cross her would certainly be caught. And then?
Well… she could always curse them.
Mwahahahahahhaaaaa
...
The next morning, Demeter woke up refreshed and with an eager grin on her face. Oh, she could not wait to catch that rapscallion! She could already imagine his terrified expression, trying in vain to escape one of her traps.
But alas! His or her fate would be sealed! For they had done a terrible deed, a crime so horrible she might just have toooo…
Her thoughts trailed off as she came upon her garden.
Not only were the traps untouched, this time, but the mysterious thief had also taken her precious fruits.
'Us Damnit' she clenched her fist.
...
[Week 2: Technical Support]
Demeter looked into a series of monitors set up in her temple, just as her nephew finished the wiring on the latest screen and limped up to her with a notepad.
"Surveillance automatons, Surveillance cameras with over twenty different kinds of vision, a laser grid, electric fences, sleeping gas, knockout gas and even laughing gas, there's a lot more to the site but I'll save my breath and just say this should take care of your problem," Hephaestus said gruffly.
"Yes, yes, thank you nephew" the goddess waved a dismissive hand to the god, not moving her eyes away from the monitors.
Hephaestus' beard let out a few sparks at the dismissal before huffing a "Whatever" and teleporting out.
Demeter rubbed her hands together and chuckled.
…
A few days later, the goddess became confident she had chased off the thief. While she would have preferred to catch them, and possibly torture them, she'd take what she would get.
Oh, she should have thought about this before, why work harder when she could work smarter.
Sometimes her genius was so massive, it generated gravity.
Ohohohoooooo she could not wait, why she bet that fool was off crying at missing the divine flavor of her beautiful-
Apparently, the tech was useless when the thief could just suck the carrots underground.
'Us Damnit'
...
[Week 3: Stakeout]
"Is this really how you want our last day together to be?" Persephone stood with her arms crossed, dressed in a flowing black dress and looking radiant even in the dark color.
"Shhhhh, dear! You'll alert the thief to our position!" Demeter knelt behind a fake bush, dressed in military gear, with her hair tied beneath a helmet and her face painted green, black, and brown.
She even had a pair of night-vision goggles she had wrestled from her more violent nephew.
Meh, he'll get over it.
"I just think this is a little over the top" Persephone said exasperated with her mother's antics.
"Oh relax my little Kore-"
"Don't call me that name! I'm not a child anymore mother!" the Queen of the Underworld cut her mother off with a shout of embarrassment.
"Oh don't be like that dear! Now settle down, I still need to find that little pest" Demeter waved a hand to her daughter, all too used to her childish tantrums, and attempted to put her focus back on her task.
"Oh, I'm settling down alright. I'll settle back to the Underworld." the younger goddess huffed as she made to leave. That last statement had apparently been enough to snap Demeter's attention to her.
"Oh come on! Do you have to return now?" The blonde goddess whined at her daughter, her attention turned back to her.
Her little Kore could be so mean sometimes!
"We've had the same discussion hundreds of times mother! I need to go back to my husband!" Persephone stomped her foot as she raised her voice.
"Oh suuuuuure! It's always Hades this! Hades that! Why is it you never care so much about me anymore?" Demeter despaired.
"Oh us! Mother, you know full well that's not what I mean!" the younger goddess said, holding her head in frustration.
"Oh I know what you meant-"
SCHLOPP
"What was that?!" Demeter screeched in surprise and brought the goggles to her eyes, frantically looking around the potager. She had been so distracted arguing with her daughter she had forgone her task, could the thief really have used such a small window to strike?
The lack of tomatoes answered her question.
A series of pops were heard before her helmet blew from her head in a shower of popcorn.
'US DAMNIT!'
...
[Week 4: Last resort]
This was it, Demeter was going to pull her trump card for this. As much as it pained her to do so, she had magically altered many of her babies into what can only be described as 'carnivorous plants on steroids'. If the thief could evade detection, she'd make sure they wouldn't be able to eat anything by simply having their meals become too dangerous to consume.
She didn't even care about her batch anymore, she just wanted to kill the little shit disrespecting her.
At this point the goddess was unrecognizable, her hair was a mess, her toga was in disarray and her eyes had bags from sleep deprivation. It had gotten so bad that her servants had started giving her a wide berth. Let them be scared! She had half a mind to start interrogating them too if she hadn't already done so in the third week of this charade.
She had gotten hysterical, to the level where she had forgone sleep, rest, and her duties for this task. Persephone had left for her stupid brother's domain and she was left alone to deal with this nonsense.
Tonight would mark day 24 since that crime spree started. She sat on a chair overlooking her garden and looked at the monstrosities she had created, all of them moving and seemingly feeling out for any prey around them.
Heh...this time… she'd get him…
By Gaea, her eyelids were getting heavy…
...
Ah, maybe a minute of rest would do no harm…
Just a minute…
…
As sunlight hit her eyes, Demeter jolted awake, looking around like a madwoman. Surely nothing could have happened!
Her worries were answered in the worst way possible when she noticed most of her newest plants lying limp on the ground and missing large chunks of their stems and whatever remained of their fruits.
Demeter's face grew purple from rage as she manifested a pitchfork.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF US! WHO THE HELL IS DOING THIS? WHO'S THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH A DEATH WISH?!"