Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Ares walked into the conclave room he and his brother's, Hades and Zeus, had been using as a hidden base to plan and measure the level of damage that has been occurring after his challenging meeting with Chaos back at the Olympian palace. He just came back from Earth, where he met face to face with Eris, and later, with the terran prince himself who had finally returned after what would be a month since he made a deal with Hades to stay in the underworld in exchange for the princess' freedom and had a brief talk.

"Ares,"

Zeus was the first to notice his brother walking in, looking distraught, "What happened?" He frowned, "Show me a status?"

Ares extended his arm and manipulated the thin air between them, using the high technology of the higher realm to show the god of thunder a hologram of a constellation map showing the position of his army around the strong points of the limits of Olympus and started tracing the titan's current movements as he went to steal his sources and conquests.

"Chaos' presence has extended further away from the limits of Olympus and has started attacking other realms as well as compromising several dimensions in space and time. He took possession of the energy from Omega's black hole and has been using it to manipulate the currents of space creating wormholes and pockets of void, allowing him to move faster and unnoticeable. As of now, Kappa, Omicron, Rho, and Eta are under his full control; Andromeda included. He has taken countless of living souls and converted them into tormented shadows—Abell is next, Carina is heading towards the same route of destruction."

Zeus frowned, "And the celestial army?"

"Already on position and attacking. Centaurus confronted Chaos at Omega but he escaped after he caused a massive explosion with the energy stolen from the black hole. If he had not gotten out, the lives of the inhabitants of Omega and the clusters and dwarf planets and stars around it would have come to an end, including the emperors, guardians, and sailor senshi." Ares knitted his brows, "Alpha is gravely injured, his life hangs on a thread. The polemarchos of Astra, Aeora, Grus, and Alnair, are scanning the red areas but yet cannot locate his whereabouts. I have given a different task to Centaurus, given the gravity of the situation, he is currently on the hunt for Chaos and taking the frontline of the northern points with Delta, Mu, and Tau covering North Eastern and North Western points. Aegeus has taken his position to lead the first quarter to the rim of Andromeda to cover any possible attack on the South with Sirius, Halo, and Meta taking South Eastern and South Western points and have already tackled and contained several on Chaos' minions close to the axis rim but the Nova in Borealis has been targeted as well; Sigma has taken his post and is ready for annihilation." The god of war took a deep breath and exhaled, worry crossed his face "Minos might be needed to step in,"

"Minos is in the Underworld. He is its polemarchos and one of the judges that set the balance of souls, moving him out of his jurisdiction would affect the realm's safety," Zeus frowned and turned to Ares with concern, "Considering the level of damage at the rim of Tartarus and the Underworld, it would give Chaos the advantage,"

"Chaos is a skilled polemarch too, Zeus, do not forget he was born a force of his own and that he was trained by Helios and later by me to excel in battle," Ares waved his hand to disintegrate the hologram and shook his head, "He knows us well, whatever we plan, he has thought of it as well and taken action; the control and fall over so many planets and stars are clear proofs of it. To be able to get some advantage, we have to be as erratic as him to be able to counter-attack."

"Have you had words with other polemarchs?"

"Alpha Centaurus has been compromised and is lacking vitality since Chaos took the galaxy's core with him."

Zeus sighed heavily, "This only complicates matters, that core holds much power and if merged with him it will make of him a living nightmare."

"He already is," Ares muttered dryly, "He always has been..." He sighed, "But at least in the past, he did not know any better, now, he does."

Zeus frowned, "Gaia..." his stared at his brother, Ares nodded, "Without Gaia, Chaos has no safety seal. She was his anchor; so to speak. It is bitter for me to say and admit that Geb and Nut brought Gaia into existence to appease Chaos' abrasive nature."

"Chaos rebelled even while Gaia was still among us, even when she was a sailor senshi and a polemarch," Zeus shook his head, "Earth suffered the consequences of their confrontation, remember what happened. Earth acted in self-destruction."

"No, Zeus," Ares shook his head, "It evolved. It set its course to a new life—a new direction. It made use of its resources and bloomed into what we later knew of it, a self-sustainable planet." The god of war sighed, "And it might be going through the same process again but for different reasons..."

"Which brings us back to where we started."

Both Zeus and Ares turned to Hades who up until now had been quietly listening to Ares' wide and detailed explanation. The god of death looked at the god of war with a taint of curiosity that put his loyalty on the matter to the test. Zeus frowned, "Meaning?"

"Titans are savages with no forgiving nature. It comes naturally to me that at this point they should be brought together until they kill each other, putting an imminent end to them all."

"That is something deeply baleful to say, Hades..." Zeus muttered with a despondent tone in his voice, "Even for you."

"Are my words mistaken, brother?" Hades narrowed his eyes, "Are they at fault?" He arched his brow when he saw Zeus staring at him with a lack for words for debate and turned to Ares who had the same stunned expression in his face, "And you? Are you going to argue my words as you always have?" Ares remained silent, allowing his older brother to step further into the conversation.

"Hades..." Zeus tried to intervene but the god of death quickly interrupted, still with his eyes fixed on Ares' "The hybrid,"

Zeus widened his eyes, "What about him?"

Hades arched his brow with enough authority still staring back at Ares, "The titan hybrid can take Minos' place. After all, he is part of the Underworld now. Its soul belongs to me." He narrowed his gray eyes, "That would have been my first command if the hybrid was actually here,"

Ares' clenched his jaw at his brother's words. Zeus frowned and turned to Hades, "What are you talking about, Hades?"

"The hybrid..." Hades snarled the words with caution, "Is not in the Underworld."

"What?!"

"He left along with his cursed ancestor," Hades ran his tongue over his lower lip to dissimulate his discontent, "Which only aggravates its sentence and that of its dynasty."

"Hades..."

"Titans are a damn curse,"

"Hades!"

"This is what Asteria warned me about when I went to get the contract of her soul. She knew the seal on Chaos was going to break, the plan of his release has been passed from one pawn to another for centuries." Hades squinted his eyes, "Or are you going to argue with me again and say I am lying?"

"This cannot be happening..." Zeus turned to Ares with rage clouding his eyes, "You knew about this and you did not speak a word of it, Ares?!" He frowned, "Is what is Hades saying the truth?"

Hesitant to confess his whereabouts, Ares thought his options carefully but sadly enough, there was not much to prevent, not anymore. With this high level of threat and disbalance happening all over the universe, he knew perfectly well Hades was far from being clueless of the occurrences in his realm and everything that happened in it; including the prince's sudden absence.

"Hades is telling half a truth. Yes, the Prince of Earth is no longer in the depths of the Underworld, but revenge on us is not what he seeks, nor is to pay tribute to Chaos' life, it is—"

"Nonsense. This only proves my point, Ares. Why I always said it was a hazard letting him live in the first place. These are the consequences of your sudden change of heart. For pretending to be something you are not." Hades waved his hand with despicable measure, "I have a binding contract with the Terran; its soul belongs to me and this would not have happened if you—"

"Do not mistake your blind obsession with Helios' dynasty with anything else that has happened to us, Hades. This is nothing but the result of our misguidance and ambitious behavior. Do I need to go over our past to make you remember how we got to this point?" Ares frowned, "Do I really need to dig deeper and scratch the remains of both of your prides to make you understand the gravity of this situation?" The god of war raised his voice in frustration and turned to Zeus, "I warned you this was going to get out of your damn control. I warned you this was something beyond a simple rebellion; this is war. Your wife and family are paying for your egocentrism!" He then turned to Hades, "Your daughter has turned her back on you for betraying her and give preference to your own ambitions." His gray eyes narrowed, "We all carry our sins on our back—even you. You know the truth about the terran prince and you know we need him on our side, you know what he is capable of because you have seen it with your own eyes. Whatever was the deal you made with him—put it aside for now. The Terran prince is on Earth and I, as Commander of the Celestial Army that is where I need him to be; that is his rightful place. I need him to follow his duty and jurisdiction like any other polemarch."

The god of war flicked his hand with pique reflected in his handsome features, "And stop referring to him like it; it is appallingly vulgar and coming from you, it tests my patience."

Hades narrowed his gray eyes and came to accept Ares' words in silence. True, as hard as it was to come to terms with it and be on his brother's side after so many years of constant disagreements and fights, it was irrevocable, the terran prince had to be on their side; right now, the one closest to match Chaos' nature could be her most valuable ally and he had to put his own plans aside.

"If Chaos is free, that only means he knows the meaning behind Gaia's seal,"

"We must rely on Minos, then," Zeus tightened his jaw and swallowed hard, accepting this was the most bitter taste, to hear the truth over and over again and be open to accepting he made terrible mistakes for the sake to protect his pride and ego, "We need him to step in."

"The three judges will take charge," Hades muttered and clenched his jaw when he felt something strange; he turned to Ares with urgency and arched his brow, Ares caught the gesture and frowned, "What is it?"

"He has returned," Hades' continued with alarm in his deep voice, "The gates have been breached,"

"Are you certain?" Zeus turned to his younger brother with a coldness in his eyes but the urgency in his voice was clear enough to prove he was alerted and ready for to face the shadow of their past: war. Ever since Chaos broke from Tartarus and the three high gods escaped the Olympian palace, they had kept a very low profile, hiding their presence as much as possible so they could have more time to plan and wait for any signals from Chaos and the battle with the celestial army that had already begun.

For the time being, they had to focus on the battle ahead with Chaos; their biggest problem at the time.

"A titan's aura is unmistakable and easy to sense, Zeus," Hades muttered dryly but with clear notes of disgust; he looked at the youngest of the three brothers again and frowned, "This only means one thing,"

Ares nodded, "He's looking for something in the Underworld..."

Hades narrowed his gray eyes, "Or better said, someone that has something he wants."

Zeus arched his brow in wonder, "The key of his freedom."

"Lord Hades!"

Ares looked up at the group of soldiers running their way toward them and quickly turned to Hades and Zeus; the lord of the underworld took a step forward, "Location,"

"Thanatos,"

Zeus narrowed his eyes, "The rim—" with a flick of his wrist his ferocious energy surrounded him streams of lighting changing his royal uniform into his silver armor, "We must not let him break what is left of it."

Ares nodded and turned to the soldiers to give them a solid command to block all entrances; Hades clenched his jaw and without a single warning ripped the dark cloak covering his dark armor and turned to Ares with a much more familiar gleam on them, "Lend me your strength, God of War."

Ares gave his older brother a single nod and channeled his power, changing his military uniform into a sleek ochre gold armor with dark cape, "Prepare the army to surround us and wait for my signal to attack. Aegeus is close,"

He rested his hand over the hilt of his claymore sword and in a flash of light, the god of war was gone.

O—o—o—o—O

In the deep hours of the cold nightfall, a light echoing sound slowly brought back the moon princess from her slumber. She slowly opened her crystal blue eyes, lightly disoriented and saw the weak flame of the candle still flickering in the corner, surrounding the room with its dim light. It took her a minute to fall into account that she had fallen asleep once again without noticing but it was the lack of warmth in the futon and the absence of its source what made her grasp reality even quicker. Serenity jolted anxiously but before she could call out her husband's name with a desperate cry, her eyes quickly landed on the silhouette of his back against the light and stayed quiet to catch the sound of his whispering voice.

Endymion was sitting Buddha-style in front of the large window in the room that gave a view of the shrine garden. Guessing by his straight posture and the way his arms rested over his bent knees, Serenity could tell he was meditating—praying even. The princess rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and sat on the futon as quietly as she could so she wouldn't disrupt his concentration and kept staring at him with both curiosity and admiration for a few more minutes.

Meditating wasn't new in his life. Usagi knew it was one of the things Mamoru learned to do from a very young age to keep himself away from depression and other traumas in his life. While she still didn't know the tight details of his childhood, she knew he didn't have it easy when it came to deal with the real world as a lonely boy. To her, it made sense such strict discipline followed him through time since Endymion also did it often to keep himself grounded, back in the day. It wasn't new for Serenity to catch her husband doing this simple exercise early in the morning; she knew he depended much on it because as he would often say, it was to keep himself in check—whatever that meant—she thought. Whether was stretching before or after going for his morning run, another thing he has done religiously for so many years.

Serenity always found it fascinating how he learned to train his mind to enter such a deep state but now, despite being something she has seen him doing countless of times before, she could tell it was different. There was no aura shining through, no golden specks, no shift in the ambiance, but there was clearly something she felt was soothing her spirit too. Serenity heard him mumble a few things she couldn't grasp to understand but she quickly recognized they were spoken in Latin and noticed he had the golden dagger that came attached to his sword in his right hand and that his grip on its onyx haft was unusually tense.

"Non amo te, ego nunquam iens ut exsisto amo te. Desciscendum a me ut esses status."

Serenity widened her eyes when she saw him grab a handful of his uncharacteristic longer hair and glide the sharp blade through it in an act of rebellion. The motion itself was strange for her to see since her husband was not egotistical, nor he cared about appearances. True, it was known and clear fact the man was very careful with his hygiene and how he presented himself to the world but Endymion wasn't a vain person, much less someone that truly care if he missed an appointment to get his hair cut, but this time, it felt more of a necessity than a caprice of vanity, it was something he needed to do to feel better and suddenly now it made sense to her what he was trying to do.

Serenity got off the futon with extreme caution not to take him by surprise while he was still trying to measure the position of the blade on his hair to glide it through it again and slowly sat next to him. She put her hand over his for a brief moment and lightly pulled it back. Endymion widened his eyes and jerked his head to look at her, "Usa..."

Serenity went down on her knees with grace and turned to check the wound on his side that thankfully, while still there, it was healing at a much faster pace than a wound that deep normally would. She leaned closer to him and brushed her lips with his for a brief moment and raised her other arm to take the blade from his hand; her slender fingers curled around the onyx handle, taking full control of the small but intimidating sharp weapon and put it away.

She looked into his eyes and cupped his cheek with her free hand, "If you keep doing this recklessly, you'll really look like if a beaver chewed on your hair."

A low chuckle escaped Endymion and took a deep breath. He gently tugs his dark hair still wrapped in between his fingers and clicked his tongue with disillusion, "Yeah, well... it's still better than this,"

Serenity combed her fingers through his midnight hair a couple of times in silence to loosen the stress in his hold; she looked at him with worry as she leaned closer, "Mamo-chan—"

"We'll get through this, Usako." Endymion sighed softly and nodded, "We will—we have to. I will make sure—" his eyes widened when he saw Serenity pressing a finger on his lips. The hidden desperation tone in Endymion's always calm voice shed light on the internal struggle Motoki had told her earlier. Just like her, he was also surfing through the emotional ripples of past events and even when he was trying his best to deal with it, he still didn't know how. It was something that ran deeper not even meditation or praying could make it easier; less painful, less traumatic.

In the dim lighted room, it became clear to Serenity how he had been focusing on being her anchor to keep her steady and lift her up to her known self without really paying mind to actually invest a moment to work on himself and how sadly, given her current fickle state, she hadn't been the anchor to keep him grounded.

Endymion had been doing his best for the sake of both, but at this point, she couldn't risk his well-kept character and push him to reach his limit, giving the cue to Motoki's words echo in her mind and make sense,

"You need to keep dreaming because it's what will brighten the future for the rest of us, but most importantly, it will set you free."

The princess shook her head and gave her husband a soft smile, "I will take care of you too. We are in this together. We made a promise to be in the good and in the bad times and that is what we are going to do. This is hard... but you are right, we will get through this... together." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close until his head laid on her chest and leaned down to kiss his temple. She smiled when she heard him humming softly and worked her fingers through his hair, gently lulling him as she always did when he was stressed.

"Teach me," She said sweetly. Endymion opened his eyes and frowned confused, "To hum?"

Serenity giggled, "No, silly, to meditate. I saw you doing it just now," her eyes locked with his when he turned to lay on his back, one knee casually bent, and his other leg stretched with his head now resting comfortably on her lap. Endymion sighed as he looked up into her eyes, "Usa, you need to sle—"

Serenity leaned down kissed him, and pouted her lips, "Please?"

"Wait..." Endymion squinted confused, "Are you shutting me up with kisses?"

"...No,"

"Yes, you are."

"... No,"

"Oh my god,"

"I can't believe you," Serenity bit her lower lip with a playful frown, "How much feistier can you be?"

"I don't know... I'm a Leo, what did you expect?"

"Ah, now you believe in astrology!"

"What?"

"You rather argue with me than to teach me, seriously?"

"You're unbelievable," Endymion snorted and shook his head, completely mesmerized by her, "You really are,"

"Me?!" Serenity chuckled, "You're the one—" she was completely taken by surprise when Endymion cupped her face and gently pulled her down to kiss her deeply on the lips, completely surrendering to their most deep feelings and desires. It had been long since they gave themselves a moment to feel the love between them. To be more intimate.

Things have been so hectic and traumatic that it had been long since both gave themselves to a heartfelt, mind-blowing, and stupidly sensual kiss that proved how much they had missed each other; the kind of kiss that made them forget whatever was happening outside their little self-created world.

Serenity felt chills all over her, thinking how much she had missed his lips gently nibbling and enjoying the sweetness of hers. She missed the scent of his skin and the warmth of his arms around her as he slowly pushed himself to sit up again and held her close. Her bond with him was so unique and right; the way he always put one hand at the nape of her neck to support her as she gradually intensified the kiss pushed herself to the very edge of reason. It was inevitable, the attraction between them was too strong to break. The energy between them was always incomparable to any other good feeling in the world. The need to be together becoming much stronger than any other thing that happened to them in the past couple of months and one good kiss was all they needed to pull the thread and unravel all of the desire they had piled up until now. It was taking them a lot of self-control not to rip their clothes off and make the moment their own; it took a lot for them not to let their moans and gasps for air become loud enough for the others to hear from behind closed doors.

Their passionate bliss lasted a couple of more minutes until a heavy wave of guilt washed over Serenity's mood, strong enough to overshadow the strong need to be with her husband. In that very moment, she jolted back, breaking the kiss abruptly. She took a couple of hasty breaths while trying to avoid all visual contact as much as possible with him and without noticing, she had welcomed a horrible void in the pit of her stomach to a point that she felt disgusted and angry with herself. It felt like a crime, to end something so perfect, so intense and beautiful. It felt like a crime to pull herself away from him and yet, she couldn't help it.

Endymion didn't need to ask anything to know what just happened. It pained him to see her struggling, to see the always confident woman he well knows she is crumbling with no self-control was breaking him inside; to see her body shivering and trying her best to stay calm and be in control, was more painful than all the bruise and wounds in his body. It pained him to see her so emotionally fragile given that she is the strongest woman he knows. The one he most admires.

Serenity always carried her heart on her sleeve, she was compassionate and truly believed in second chances. She was always very keen on her emotions but looking at her being so hostile and unforgiving to herself and doing her best to shut all of her feelings was truly heartbreaking. This wasn't like her and it was mortifying, not because she wasn't giving way to intimacy, but because she was not allowing herself to be forgiven for what has happened. She blamed herself of all that has happened ever since Asteria made her grand appearance, the loss of their baby, and later on, for what happened with Athamas, and what was worse, she had started to feel disgusted with herself.

Endymion felt a strong sting in his chest when he heard her take a couple of deep breaths. It was almost as she was struggling to fill her lungs with air; it was forced, panicked, and it was breaking her into anxious sobs. He quickly jolted to her side and pulled her into his arms to calm her down, "It's okay, it's okay... it's okay... breathe,"

"I-I—I can't—"

"Breathe,"

Serenity started shivering and shook her head, "I can't... I can't do this... I can't..."

"It's okay," Endymion closed his eyes and started to rock her back and forth slowly and kissed her head, "Take a deep breath,"

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can,"

"I can't get over this..."

"You will,"

"I—I can't..."

"Grab on to me," Endymion tightened his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "Let it out baby, let it out."

"Don't go..."

"I won't go,"

"Don't leave me..."

"Never,"

Serenity tightened her grip on his sleeves until her knuckles turned as white as his yukata and let another rush of anxiety take over her, breaking her spirit. Endymion kept swaying with her back and forth for as long as she kept crying, never losing his grip on her; allowing her depression also become his. He opened his eyes and silently cursed the chain of events that put his beautiful wife in this agonizing state. It was a war inside of a war, with Serenity being her own worst enemy. Her depression and anxiety had been taken their toll on her to the extent of losing herself into the vicious cycle of self-loath. How things could change in just a matter of seconds and give a 180-degree turn when just moments ago she was giggling and smiling and now she was crying her heart out and cursing her mere existence.

Endymion was deeply hurt, he was angry, he was furious with himself for not be able to do more at the time being, for not being able to snatch away that heavy guilt she wasn't willing to share; for being stuck in the middle of a war instead of devoting himself to his wife and make her feel better. As he looked out the window and up the darkened sky, he made himself a silent oath to put an end to this madness once and for all. Now more than ever, he wanted to burn everything to the ground. He had never been so angry in his entire life.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying his best not to get carried away with the same emotions as his wife. He knew this well, he knew the bitter taste and the haunting feeling of depression like the back of his hand because he had lived through it before. Not in the same way Serenity was doing it now, but he knew what it was to be angry over something that went beyond one's control, he knew what it was like to feel limited, to feel lost. The frustration of being submerged in questions without any answers and the unpredictable twists of fate.

He took another deep breath, and then, another one, and so he repeated one time after the other until he felt more capable of speaking. Without really trying to remember, a faint memory of his childhood came to his mind as he continued to rock Serenity back and forth, who was now much less stressed and tense but still much drowned in sorrow.

That image of him standing in the middle of the long hallway, taking all of his effort and energy to take one step after the other until he reached the therapist's office for another long and strenuous session to deal with the core of his depression; his anger, and anxiety. The more he heard Serenity's misery and frustration manifest in heavy sobs, the more he remembered—the clearer it was. The mint colored curtains blocking half a view from outside, the strong smell of chlorine mixed with the cheap scent of faux leather. The humming sound of a desk fan in the distance doing basically nothing to clear the tension in the air and make the room cooler, more bearable. The sound of the therapist's pen gliding over her notepad and the constant feel of how all of it was pointless. He remembered himself being six-years-old, sitting in that uncomfortable sofa, staring back at the therapist with nothing much to say and nothing else to lose.

He had dealt with desolation one too many times in his life, it killed him to see his always cheerful wife was suffering from its ravages.

"Sometimes you can't help it... to be angry at the world."

Endymion exhaled slowly and putting extra care in the serious tone of his voice to not make her feel more vulnerable, "It boils in the pit of your stomach, it curses you—it follows you everywhere you go like a ghost. You want to find a culprit, you want to aim the blame at something that could justify the vexation blistering your peace of mind. You want everybody to be away from you and you almost—if not already—give up hope."

His haunting words made Serenity open her eyes, but she didn't say anything. She couldn't find words to add to his because she knew exactly what he meant, and she understood. She finally understood the somberness behind her husband's character; the same somberness that was now shadowing her.

"I don't want this for you." Endymion felt a hole in the pit of his stomach; for a moment he felt like that little boy afraid of the overpowering sense of loss, afraid of uncertainty. He tightened his arms around her mortified, afraid of losing her, "I can't let you do this to yourself, Usagi."

Serenity widened her eyes when he heard his deep voice breaking with emotion and quickly responded to his arms, holding on to dear life. Endymion took a deep breath and shook his head, "I know my faults. I am very well aware of the pain I've caused you and how much I have failed you as your husband. I am a shitty husband—the worst there is. I cannot forgive myself for that because this isn't what I promised you, this isn't what you deserve, but I will make up for it, I swear I will... I swear on my life that I will."

"Mamo-chan..." She whispered more to herself than to him to hear and curled her fingers on his hair and sniffed, "I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too, horribly." Endymion kissed her temple, "I was miserable. Being away from you is pure torture, Usagi."

Serenity opened her eyes and couldn't help but smile at the sound of his voice giving sound to her name, making her feel more grounded, more like herself and less like a lost girl. Her arms tightened around him and took a deep breath, slowly closing her eyes. Serenity snuggled her face in the nook on his neck, between his head and shoulder—her favorite place to snuggle like the bunny she was, "You owe me so many pancakes..."

Endymion sniffed and slowly nodded, "I do..."

"Like, so, so many..."

"We can try something new if you want,"

"I don't feel like giving up pancakes just yet. They're too good. They're too buttery and fluffy to give up, it's like eating clouds and I love clouds. We could try something different. Either French toast, or, better yet, crepes. They're like thin pancakes, no?"

The quirky comment and the sudden lightness in her voice warmed his heart; the corner of his lip curved in a sad smile and gently snuggled his face on her head, "Yes, love, they are..."

"Do you know how to make them?"

"I... yeah... I can... I can learn..."

The sudden change of tone and light strain in his voice made Serenity open her eyes, "Mamo-chan?"

Endymion tightened his arms around her and shook his head with frustration, "It angers me, Usako... it angers me we can't move on with our lives just yet," He combed his fingers through her long platinum hair in slow motion, "But I won't let you succumb to misery... I won't let depression get the best of you because we have a life ahead of us waiting to be explored. We still have a lot of things to do, baby, please... don't let go... please stay strong... please stay with me..."

His words and the low yet soothing tone of his voice helped Serenity find the strength she needed to pull herself back up and finally look at him and get lost in his alluring ocean blue eyes, ever changing, ever hauntingly beautiful. It was as if he welcoming her into that part of his life he has kept well hidden from the world and she so much wished to know more about; the story behind the lonely young man that grew up in an orphanage. The story of the boy that went through so much emotional and psychological trauma. The boy that lived between two worlds and who learned how to persevere—that is what she wanted to do, to persevere, and that same person was right there, holding her in his arms to give her the motivation she needed to reach her goal.

She found herself no longer feeling cold; her body wasn't shivering anymore and she knew it was because she was with him. Serenity thought about how much she had wanted to be with him, how much she missed his voice and the way he looked at her and now that he was here, she couldn't betray herself and let bad emotions take the little spark that wants to keep burning in her heart, the same one that had brought him back to her. Serenity took a deep breath and tucked a piece of dark hair behind his ear, "I don't want to... I don't want to fall apart. I don't want to be left alone in this darkness, I don't want to give up... but it's so hard... it's so hard Mamo-chan..."

"I know... I know it's hard..." Endymion leaned down to rest his forehead on hers, his eyes never leaving hers, his lips almost gracing hers ever so sweetly, ever so sensually, "But you won't." His hand reached for her cheek and cupped it softly, "I will bring the sun back up again—I will bring plenty of sunshine so you don't lose your way, my beautiful moon goddess."

Serenity put her hand on top of his hand still resting over her flushed cheek and surrendered to his loving words by closing the tiny gap between them with a tender kiss that went on for several minutes. There was no rush, no unraveling force of desire but it was heavily charged with emotion and love. Their lips danced in a tender, slow rhythm that kept them completely devoted to themselves in their own little world. Serenity slid down her hands and secured them on each side of his neck and inched closer into her husband's arms indulging completely by the cozy warmth of his body. The moon princess was no stranger to the lulling effect of Endymion's caresses on her; she shamelessly enjoyed the unique sense of comfort the prince ever gave her when alone; his breath gracing the soft skin of her neck, his fingers running through her long hair. Always so sweet and gentle, always so warm, like a protective cocoon.

She could not put words to what she was experiencing that very moment as they kissed, she never could. But this time it was somewhat different, it was new; magical. She could feel his aura pulsing life into hers, shedding all of her worries away in the most enchanting of spells.

As if he had opened a magical door that enhanced the mystical link between them, Serenity had a rush of instant emotions. She could feel the ground beneath them pulsing steadily. She could feel the layers and layers of life that protected the very core of Earth beating at the same pace Endymion's heart was beating in his chest. She could feel the ice on the surface, the cold air gushing with force in the remotest parts of the earth; the bass and tremble echoing in the skies at the other side of the world. She could hear the faint sound of prayers and mystic chants of people wishing for everyone's well-being. She felt the fear of the innocent, the rage of the frustrated; the somnolence veil hovering every inch of land. The fierce waves and strong tides of the oceans and the brusque rustle of the trees caught in the middle of a storm. The scents of wet grass and muddy roads, of sweet lavender fields and roses. She could feel the rain falling and later turn to snow, she could feel the sharpness of hail falling somewhere close. The cool breeze on the mountains, the salty moisture of a breeze by the sea; the thick water droplets crashing on the ground. The rushing of water pooling at a river's mouth, and the fiery magma boiling deep underground and bursting out in rivers of lava from volcanos that had grown in remote islands floating in the middle of an ocean far, far away. The unforgiving force of a typhoon and the rage of an earthquake escalating from below. The tingling sound of water creeks and waterfalls, the crashing sound of the waves on a shore. She could feel the planet spinning slowly and the density of its atmosphere; the gravity the moon caused on earth as it went around it like a pearl in space. Serenity felt it all, she could feel Earth the same way Endymion could, she was experiencing what it was like to be one with the planet—what it was like to be its born guardian, and now, he was sharing all this wonder with her.

Can there be something more wonderful than this? The power to be one with Earth itself, she thought with amazement as she continued to enjoy every bit of this precious gift and the sultriness of their wonderful kiss. She understood that beyond just a simple meditation, Endymion was keeping the planet from going berserk, this is what it was to monitor the status of Earth. Not ever could be something that would be as wonderful as this—Serenity silently concluded.

Not long after, Endymion slowly opened his eyes and slowly pulled apart from his beloved's lips and used his thumb to wipe the trails of her tears on her cheeks, "You protect all of this with me," his husky voice sent shivers down Serenity's spine and widened her eyes with allure; Endymion gave his wife a shy smile "...And yet, none of it is still as wonderful as you are."

"Wait, h-how...?" Serenity blinked, still rattled by his enchantment "How did you know...?"

"I read minds after all," Endymion winked an eye at her, making Serenity feel like falling even deeper in love with the man, "I love you," Serenity whispered, "I love you madly..."

"I love you too... madly," He answered lightly, still short for breath. Serenity closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder "I'm so sorry,"

"For what?"

"You know why,"

"There is nothing you should be apologizing for," Endymion kissed her forehead and rubbed her back slowly, "Don't push yourself, love."

"But I don't want you to think—" Serenity opened her eyes when she felt his arm around her waist and looked up at him; Endymion cupped her cheek lovingly, "I understand. One day at a time, all right? One day at a time."

"One day at a time..." Serenity nodded and took a deep breath, "I love you, Mamo-chan,"

"I love you too, Usako." Endymion kissed her head and helped her sit straight, "All right, Princess. Cross your legs," he pressed his hand on her lower back, "Don't slouch—arms extended, palms facing up over your knees."

Serenity blinked a little startled and still feeling under his charming gestures; it took a minute to understand that he was complying to her request in teaching her how to meditate and with much interest, she followed his gentle instructions. She watched him take a similar pose next to her and blinked again, "But... your palms were not facing up a while ago..."

Endymion turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of her and arched his brow, "Were you spying on me, Odango?"

"...No," Serenity felt her cheeks flush slightly, "Just... ugh, who am I kidding? Yes! Yes... I was watching you. I can't help it... I like you... I like you a lot, okay?" She saw the corner of Endymion's lips curving up in a boyish grin. Shy and sincere. He cracked a light chuckle and cleared his throat, "So, palms facing up, don't pay mind as to why I had mine facing down."

"Oh... so there is a reason?"

"Yes, love, there is a reason but that is an explanation for some other time."

"All right," Serenity blushed when she felt his hand touching her neck, "Neck straight, remember not to slouch so you can focus and breathe better,"

"Okay,"

"Close your eyes,"

"Mhm,"

"Don't cheat,"

"I'll try,"

Endymion let out a light chuckle, "What do you mean you'll try? You asked me to teach you and I am trying to do so..."

"I know, I'm sorry... it's just..." Serenity sighed and turned slightly over her shoulder with a shy grin, "With you so close to me, it's kind of hard to stay focused,"

"Ah, well... now you know what it's like to be me," Endymion took notice of the flush on his wife's cheeks, he brushed his lips on her exposed shoulder as he leaned closer "Take a couple of deep breaths with me, okay?" He said in a lower much calmer tone.

Serenity nodded and closed her eyes. She did as she was told but her mind couldn't seem to shut down, she couldn't reach a state of pure calmness. In a weak attempt to focus, she rubbed her teeth over her bottom lip brusquely and felt her heart skip a beat when she felt her husband sitting behind her and sliding one hand under hers and slowly lace his fingers with hers as he held her tight. She fluttered her eyes open and blinked, still very much startled.

"Relax, we will take it one step at a time,"

His warm breath grazed her ear, sending shivers all over her; making her wish they were completely alone and kicking herself mentally for having stopped what they had just moments ago.

"Keep your back straight."

Serenity felt his long hair tickling her cheek, meaning Endymion was leaning close, too close to concentrate on his teaching, "Close your eyes," he interrupted her fleeting thoughts. Serenity closed her eyes again, feeling much more secure and let herself be guided by Endymion's voice, "Take a deep breath... hold it there for a few seconds," she felt his hand gently pressing her abdomen and left it there, strong and secure, "Hold it," his press loosened up a little after a few seconds, "Now, release it slowly, let it out through your mouth,"

Serenity slowly did as she was told and remained with her eyes closed; Endymion tightened his grip on his wife's hand and nodded, "Good. Take another breath as deep as you can," his hand pressed on her belly again, "Hold it there for a few seconds... now let it out,"

After a few attempts, Serenity was finally feeling she was getting somewhere. It was truly incredible how something so basic and simple could make such a big difference; how a couple of breaths could calm her troubled mind and made her feel more at grounded and less afraid. She knew this was barely a scratch of progress but at least it was better than how she felt just mere moments ago. Maybe it had to be because she knew she wasn't alone or maybe because she could feel he was there teaching her how to do it; teaching her exactly what she needed to learn: how to persevere.

Endymion kept repeating the same instructions over and over until he felt Serenity had started to relax and feel much more connected to herself and her surroundings. Her grip on his hand was less tense, it felt less desperate. The anxiety brooding her was slowly backing down and her breathing had started to become slower, much deeper. She had finally reached a much peaceful state. Feeling much relieved for the accomplishment, Endymion let go a deep breath himself and leaned his head on her shoulder from behind and closed his eyes, basking in the peaceful and much clearer aura coming from his wife and synched his energy with hers to make her feel warm and more secure. They stayed in an almost suspended and calm state for the longest time they've been since they reunited and this was surely the most rest Serenity has had ever since she parted ways with him in the underworld. This was as much tranquility he could offer her for the time being until things went back to normal and thankfully, Serenity was willing to take as much of it as she could so she could be prepared for anything.

After a while, a burning twitch pulled Endymion back to reality and opened his eyes. He moved his head from his resting place in Serenity's shoulder and looked out the window with a frown. His jaw tensed when he began to analyze the situation and narrowed his eyes in thought. His focus shifted when he felt his wife moving, also coming back to the moment and turned her head enough to be able to look him in the eye and tightened her grip on his hand, giving him a silent nod of acknowledgment.

O—o—o—o—O

Surrounded by swirls of smoke and debris stood the God of War facing a swarm of long-limbed demon creatures crawling on the ground and sliced his claymore sword through them to make himself way and find Chaos.

By now, he was aware that the judges of the underworld had been sent on the hunt for the titan of void but he knew it would take more than a polemarchos from the underworld to put Chaos under their control again. He knew what he was fighting against, he knew well how strong his once-pupil truly is despite hearing Zeus and Hades' false declarations of victory; he knew he needed more than just an army to stop him because it was not just about fighting a man, but also the invisible force he represented. Chaos had surpassed the myth of his existence; he was a nightmare, and it was more frightening than just the haunting sound of his name.

With Hades' help, Ares was able to create portals of his own and travel to the depths on the underworld with the same liberty as if he was the lord of this realm. As he touched the ground, the god of war was instantly welcomed by decoy and malice, a fog of pulverized bones and mists of demon's gore; he looked around and immediately knew he had reached a point where it was impossible going back, wherever he turned there was infinite penumbra.

"Receperint comis quam Tartaro, Magister."

Ares tightened his grip on his sword and turned to his head slightly to his left. There he was, standing in the middle of a valley of rotten corpses still crawling the remains of their momentary life and hidden in the midst of putrefaction and ruin, stood the man that represented it all.

"Et tandem abiit ex vobis foraminis, in quibus absconditi fuerant," (You finally walked out of the hole you have been hiding in,)

The fog camouflaging the titan's presence soon after dissipated, like a veil opened to his silent command; as if he had allowed himself to be seen. Chaos's amber eyes gleamed as he stared back at Ares through his waist long tresses, hypnotizing and dark as a starless night.

"Tempus est ut expendas in ditionem pertinet divinam, eo magis errore vias vestras et salvos testis assistam." (The more time I spend in the divine realm, the more I witness your dullish ways of survival.)

He turned to the void ahead of them with his profile now hidden from view, "Post milia annorum, et maledic in maledictum: et tu non dimittet et Helios dynastia." (Thousands of years after, curse upon curse, and still, you cannot let go of Helios' dynasty.) Chaos turned and narrowed his striking eyes, "Usque adeo ut cum eo de insidiarum et stantes in Tartaro nisi quemadmodum ad ultimus ligo," (To such extent, that you came out of hiding and are now standing in none other than Tartarus, just to get that final link.)

"I did not come here for any links. I am here to stop you from getting out again." Ares frowned, "This is where you belong, in the rottenness of your own abyss, in the swirls of your own spit and poison."

Chaos sighed and shook his head, "Diuinitas a tincidunt velit, nec tu mihi bene exerceri memoriam qui pugnant contra me. Crevit infirma tu, Deus de Bello, et vos, mox ut eam habere curam. Experiar dissimulare non metus fortiter quantumcumque possum tamen intellexit. Et hoc potest videre, gustare non. Ego tibi longa satis ludere bellatorem, salvatores in universum, sum, sed non re verboque moveatur." (Divinity may have stopped you from aging, but you are not even a memory of the one that trained my own kind to fight against me. You have grown weak, God of War, and you, just like her, have concerns. It does not matter how much you try to disguise your fear with bravery, I can still grasp it. I can see it, taste it. I have let you long enough to play the warrior; the savior of the universe, but, I am no longer amused.) He turned to the void below them again "At illa certe adhuc tenet verum in se verba. Quid me quæritis, non est hic." (At least she still holds true to her words; it is not here.)

Ares clenched his jaw and launched himself at him without preamble. With sword in hand, the god of war clashed his hefty weapon against Chaos' dark blade in an uproarious echo and held position, both men measuring their level of strength. Ares looked up into Chaos' amber eyes and saw them swift from one vivid shade to another, like orbs of liquid gold staring back at him without a single trace of emotion or familiarity, not even in remembrance of their past as master and pupil.

"Nos autem non longe a nostro proposito, deo belli. Volo ego relictus contereret eam rem vobis vocare familiam." Chaos narrowed his alluring eyes, "Omnia ædificata fuerit, et Helios licuit est."

(We are not that far from our ideals, war god. I too want to crush what is left of it, this thing you still want to call a family. Everything Helios built and allowed to exist.)

With a growl Ares pushed his weapon harder against Chaos and clenched his jaw, trying to keep his balance. He was aware of how a false step could result in him falling into the abyss around them. Chaos' movements were calculated—automatic even. Every turn, every hit and clash it was perfectly dodged perfectly counteracted, memorized to perfection and it sent a chill down his spine realizing his great disadvantage; the titan in front of him had him all studied and figured out.

Ares turned to dodge Chaos' long swing just in time before he dug his sword in the already unstable ground and frowned. He was aware of his limitations, going into full battle in this place could break whatever was left of the seal Hades had put to keep Tartarus from filtering into the underworld that not even the army or polemarchos could prevent from going havoc; his gray eyes widened in awareness, what the titan was trying to do.

He was not there to look for answers, he was there to finish what he started thousands of years ago and as Ares bent to evade the sharp blade of Chaos' sword, he felt his blood run cold when he saw the shadows rising around them. Chaos quickly pulled his arm back, giving Ares some leverage but only to give him an opening to turn into his axis and kick the weapon out of his way and aimed his charged palm at him, "Et sigillum potest ab altero omittente rumpatur testamentum tetigit lux sol, id est, Ares?" (The seal can be broken by one of royal blood, touched by the light of the Sun, is it not, Ares?) He arched his brow, "Bene, nos hic esse." (Well, here we are.)

"Chaos!"

A loud rumble interrupted the titan. The man did not need any introduction, Minos, the robust and tall polemarchos and one of the three judges of the underworld stared at him from a fair distance fully disposed of his fine robes, he was now wearing his intimidating titanium armor that contrasted his dark skin and pale silver eyes. Along with him, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus made an appearance wearing similar armors and with the army of shadows from the underworld standing behind and keeping Chaos' demons at bay.

Rhadamanthus, a broad handsome man with tanned skin and long dark-reddish hair turned to the soldiers behind him and pointed his halberd weapon at the void behind Ares and Chaos and stomped the heavy metal on the ground to give the silent command and allow Aeacus take account of the souls that have escaped with his heavy ax and drag their souls back into the bottomless pit.

"Non tamen ante pugnam, Deus Mortem," Chaos fixed his golden eyes on Hades, standing next to Minus who was ready with his weapon in position. The titan of void and dementia shared a quick glance with Ares on his side while still pointing his palm charged with energy while the other held the hilt of his sword that still dug on the ground, "Intellige verba, quae acturus es, Minos. Egressus es in solo tu scis." (Think carefully about what you are going to do, Minos. You know the soil you are stepping on.)

"Intimidation does not work on me, Chaos," Minos frowned his brows and immediately charged at Chaos who quickly turned and responded to his attack by pulling out his sword from the ground and clashing it against the dark polemarchos, giving Ares the liberty to move from position and run toward the dark titan with sword in hand. Chaos engaged in a two-sided battle with Minos and Ares, both aiming at him from both sides and much by their surprise the titan put up a fair fight that not even them could keep if fighting to enemies this strong at the same time. First came Minos swinging his curved blade and clashing it against Chaos' obsidian weapon, then a much more straight-forward slash from Ares' claymore sword. Chaos kicked and jumped back and turned to block the heavier attack with his sword and took his onyx sheath and rotated on his axis just in time before Minos' halberd hit him on the side. With both hands busy, one with his long sword and the other with its sheath, Chaos bent down slightly to absorb the impact and force from both attacks. In a quick movement, the titan spotted Hades summoning his majestic scythe and Zeus charging his thunder blade sword and tilted his head with revelry.

Hades watched the three polemarchos's destructive force manifest with every move and swing of their heavy weapons and felt his brother's words finally set in place, echoing in his mind and then, he noticed it—something was awfully wrong.

More to what he would have liked, it came clear how Ares' prophecy came true: he lost control and doing damage control was going to take more than just pulling a few life strings. Ares usually would be more aggressive—barbaric. He was a born from trauma and he chose battle as his path in life, Ares was a man that completely changed his stance whenever he summoned his godly powers and made use of his sword; that same sword he had in his hand but yet dare not to use on Chaos.

His eyes studied their movements, both, Minos' and Ares' and the more he watched their performance, the more he could tell Ares was containing himself, his movements were erratic, limited, too measured, but not because he did not know how to attack, it was almost as if he did not want to fight the titan.

Ares had said it before, many times. Chaos once was his disciple; and before him, there was Helios, the titan god; his grandfather. The same titan god that helped them escape their hellish prison eons ago. The same titan god that served as political advisor and guardian in the very beginning and that led them to many victories in battle. The same titan god that shaped and formed Ares to what he was now.

It felt like a million-pound weight sinking in the pit of his stomach. Hades wanted to push the facts aside and ignore them, he wanted to deny such part of their history from his mind but things came to a point it was no longer possible; their biggest fear was happening. Their mistakes were rising against them. Olympus was crumbling beneath their feet, he was now losing control over a realm as big as Olympus itself and along with it the fate of the universe, all, to a man who does not even want to take revenge but to appease his boredom and get control just to keep himself amused.

There lies the danger with Chaos. He does not want revenge; he just wants to do whatever he wants and get whatever he thinks is his regardless of any damage he could cause. To him, is all about taking and destroy whatever he doesn't seem useful or worthy as a true titan of void and he could not let that happen. He could not let a tormented deity like him take control of something he has kept intact and has worked on for millions of years.

A strong wave of anger started to peak and take over the always behaved and collected god of death and turned furious at Chaos. He raised his hand and with almost an automatic fashion called for his majestic power and weapon and charged after the beautiful titan.

"I will reap your soul! I will cut your head off you maniac demon!"

"Hades!" Zeus widened his eyes and froze in place just to be a witness of his brother's uncommonly violent and erratic behavior. "Hades no!"

Hades turned on his axis with his scythe in hand and used its centrifugal force to suck the souls of demons around and lower it down, crushing the ground with a deafening echo. He tilted his head to look up and pulled the long blade from the debris and turned it again, repeating the same maniac and unforgiving move; reaping more demons as it glided through the air. Chaos took a step aside and easily dodged Hades' weapon; he drew his weapon quickly to exert force against the curve of his scythe and block the deadly blow and narrowed his golden eyes, showing he was struggling, giving Hades the advantage in battle.

Chaos growled as he tried to keep his weapon steady against the god of death's scythe. Hades gave the titan a cocky grin, one that he barely ever showed to anyone, not even in his best days he would show so much satisfaction over taking someone's soul, not even when he met Endymion and reaped his soul, not even when he took control over the underworld. This went beyond common satisfaction, it was an unmeasured pleasure, the avid desire for power "Not so magnanimous now, demon."

Chaos groused when he felt his feet slid back as Hades kept pushing him closer to the edge where Aeacus was taking more souls into their account.

"Hades!"

Hades' eyes darkened, with a scowl he kicked Chaos weapon and swung his scythe again, cracking the ground beneath their feet. Chaos jumped to avoid falling into the pit but the lord of death moved fast to grab his leg and pulled him down to the ground with rage. The closer he felt to him, the more furious he went, the more insane his moves and gestures went; the more he wanted to see his blood pouring out of him.

"No!" He heard the titan yell again, this time, with an uncharacteristic panic that only fueled Hades' wayward temper even more, "Hades!"

"Suffer, squirm—I've never felt so much pleasure for torturing someone's' soul,"

"Hades!"

"Die!" Hades' pupils dilated and grinned with malevolent nature as he raised his scythe above his head, ready to take Chaos' head, "Die!"

"HADES!"

Chaos raised his sword and struck it with force creating a strong ripple of energy that stumbled their ground and made the lord of death lose his balance for a second. He took a hoarse breath once he regained consciousness from the impact to continue his killing spree.

A slow clap came through the echoes of death.

"Well, that was easy. I did not know high gods could be lured so easily into their own madness."

Hades felt a strong chill going down his spine when he regained focus as he picked his scythe from the ground and gave a side-eye glance at his opponent on the floor and widened his eyes with confusion. Before he could swing his scythe again, Hades turned to find Zeus taking place for Chaos and slowly turned to his side and saw Ares staring at him with panic and raised his hand to stop him from moving any further. Again, there it was, the same hesitation—the same calculated move. It was then when he realized it was none other than Zeus, the one he had been going against and that Chaos was standing at a considerable distance enjoying the whole spectacle with marvel. He quickly spotted his former master's gestures and blinked; Chaos didn't need much to understand what Ares was doing, the excited gleam in his haunting golden eyes compensated the lack of emotion on his face, still hidden underneath his long black hair.

Hades felt his blood freeze in his veins when he realized what just happened. How everything from the moment they reached the rim of Tartarus had been the result of Chaos' manipulation taking over their minds, feeding himself from their fears, making things exactly how he had wanted things to go. They had been toyed, invaded, possessed by the very core of hatred. His mind had been easily bent and taken by the energy Chaos represented, by his mere presence he had become a common pawn—a shadow in his own realm.

With the same calculated move, the god of death turned to Zeus who was almost close to falling into the pit in his attempts to avoid the brutality of his attacks and turned to see all of them had fallen into the same effect with Minos fighting Rhadamanthus and Aeacus after Ares.

One growl and the god of war turned to block Minos' curved sword and quietly kicked both weapon and polemarchos away from him, then came Rhadamanthus swinging down the sharp edges of his halberd but it only ignited Chaos' amusement by using the long and heavy weapon as a medium to leap from one point to the other, breaking monotony and all of the polemarchos' patience.

Sanity is Chaos' playground. This ringed in Hades' mind with deadpan horror as he watched him standing so close to the rim on the other side; his gray eyes quickly scanned the area and arched his brow when he saw Zeus with his charged blade in hand while Aeacus, still under Chaos' influence turned on his axis and aimed his ax at Ares who without much effort cut in half with the sharp blade of his sword to avoid getting hit. The loud echoing sound of metal hitting the ground was enough to freeze everyone in their tracks as reality hit them and turned stunned at Chaos standing with his arms crossed watching with much allure over the edge with Tartarus' energy and putrid matter raging behind him like lava spitting out from a mad volcano.

"Have you seen it, already? How predictable you all are. Time has done nothing for any of you, it only made you shadows rejoicing over past victories that have only lingered in the strings of time because of your own glorified egos." Chaos raised his hand to summon the energy of the black stars he had stolen throughout the universe and let the strong energy flow through him, finally manifesting in all the power Chaos represented.

Strings of dark fire lifted the shadowy cast over Chaos, revealing his impeccable black uniform and armor. With an elegant move, the titan ran his hands through his long hair and combed it back, allowing the energy still flowing through him instantly put it up in its classic high ponytail; regaining its glory of his ancient times as he exposed the beauty of his face to the gods, finally setting the fact of his revival once his famously known doubled bladed spear appeared in his hand.

It felt like time never passed by; looking at him standing with so much pride and effortless beauty. Ares felt his soul and everything they had fought for had been just a curtain of illusion. Common pieces of a strategy game Chaos had been peeling and playing with for thousands of years.

"We are not the same, when will you understand?" Chaos turned to the three high gods and narrowed his golden eyes, "The ghost of a polemarch, an egotistical king, and a reaper, cannot match the ancient nature of a titan, the proof lies below our very feet; Tartarus. You cannot put up a fair fight, so you threw your sins and mistakes into this pit unaware that your secrets would become my allies to destroy you." He tilted his head, "But you know, you cannot cover the Sun with one finger. You can no longer ignore we existed and that our fall plowed the path for you to reign."

Ares felt his throat going dry and shook his head with caution, recognizing Helios' familiar advice, "Chaos..."

"I am part of that war that later became a taboo. I was born from the Titanomachy. A force of nature and of the universe. A secret in whispers in your life, but truly, how much of it was real? You have seen it yourselves, how you can become your own worst enemy. You cannot really condemn me for being a result of your own actions when you created it in the first place." Chaos narrowed his eyes when he saw Hades taking a sharp, hasty breath as he turned to take hold of his scythe and pushed himself off the bloody ground, "You are nothing but a tool hungry for power, Chaos. All you want is to have everything under your command, to gain power and get your revenge."

"Power?" Chaos arched his brow, "Revenge?" He turned to Ares and Zeus and gave them a confused glance "Did you listen to anything I just said? I do not understand you—never have." He tilted his head finding it difficult to express any bafflement. With a careless flick of his hand, he turned to Hades, "We have different concepts of what owing and power is, Olympian. I do not care about such trivial things. What you find valuable bores me without measure. A throne to sit in? Servants? A palace? Praise? Why is that important when you could experience the universe the way it should be? Where you can become one with it? To be absolute—a truth, a law."

"Then what is it Chaos? What is that you want?"

"What is mine. What it should have always been mine without many interceptors, games, spells, and obstacles." Chaos narrowed his golden eyes, "I want everything to revolve the way it should go and see it become into whatever it has to be. Let the universe squirm, let it bend and break—let things die. Whatever does not stand the strain of my presence is because it is not meant to exist. As simple as that." Chaos turned over his shoulder at Ares with his hand still holding the orb of dark matter vibrating with force in his palm, he opened his golden eyes wide, "One touched by the light of the Sun... interesting, you all seem to forget I am of such royal bloodline, which means I was not the only seal that could be broken."

Zeus widened his eyes with horror and felt a strong chill running all over him like a thousand bolt electric shock. Chaos gave the gods a faint smile as he dropped the black hole into the pit, "The seal can be broken by one of royal blood touched by the light of the Sun, well gods, here I am."

A/N: And I am here too! Sorry for taking so long to reappear with a new chapter, my schedules have been very tight recently but the sudden shows of affection and new followings from new readers just prompted me to act and leave a nudge that the story is still going strong. I haven't given up on it just been taking some time to write and edit some good stuff for you to read. Thank you for super warming support and kind words you've given me throughout this (almost forced) hiatus, it's because of your reviews and comments what encourages me to keep the inspiration going and keep posting much faster. Thank you so much.

I promise this is not the end. The next chapter will come very, very soon.

The Divinity Series is rated M. Violence, gore, cursing, and intimacy may occur.

I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.

Fun fact time: Aside from the iconic names known in mythology, all the names mentioned for polemarchos' of Ares' army are actual names of stars, galaxies, and constellations.