AN: Before you read this, I feel like I should let you all know that this chapter is on the shorter side, as in, one of the shortest chapters of this fic. It originally had over two-thousand more words to it, but I had them removed, as I realized that I couldn't think of a proper way to conclude that section, which was going to involve the Olympians' celebration, without seeming rushed.
Decided instead to have the entire celebration, from start to finish, as just one chapter, so I can pace it as well as I can, and give it and the character interactions that should happen within it as much attention as I can. Because of that, this chapter suffered a bit, and I feel as though it won't be as worth the wait, however, I'll make it up to you guys in the following chapter, which will absolutely be longer than this and the previous one, potentially even both combined, and become another 20K+ worder. We'll have to see, as I have plenty of its contents bouncing around in my head, as I type this out.
The Olympian God of Destruction:
Chapter 36: Aftermath II.
Upon Mount Othrys…
"A fine undertaking done, dear brother!" Zeus was the first to speak, all smiles, as he, Poseidon and Hades came forward. The youngest and tallest Olympian clapping a hand over his elder brother's shoulder in a friendly manner, as the latter downsized back to his usual size. "And here I thought the three of us and how we handled Atlas was an emphatic display of power, only for you to go ahead and do what most would've thought unthinkable not even a minute ago, in erasing our bastard father from existence!"
"That's Beerus for you. Always overshadowing his little brothers." Poseidon remarked in a good-humoured tone, a lopsided grin etched over his face, as he slid over to his eldest brother's side, his six-foot-four-inch frame leaning in, as he propped his elbow up on his sibling's other shoulder. An action that, some time ago, would've gotten a slightly uncomfortable reaction from the purple-haired deity, but now didn't bother him in the least. "Honestly, big brother, I didn't think you could get any more vicious than what you did to that koprìas Hyperion, but lo and behold, here you've gone and shown he got off easy!"
"You took us all by surprise, with the feat you just accomplished, brother." Hades added, as his six-foot-three-inch frame came to Beerus' other side, and in a rather affectionate manner, slung his arm around the oldest male Olympian's head, grinning even more like a madman, then he had just before his older sibling had bust them out of Kronos' stomach, as he pulled the destroyer closer. "I can't speak for these two, but I'd say it was a welcome one. The kind that'll have anyone who isn't a complete idiot think twice before trying to mess with you, in the future."
"I don't know why any of you were surprised to begin with, as I do recall making it clear I would destroy him." Beerus replied back with a grin of his own, not put off in the slightest by Hades' affectionate hold. "What? Did you think I was just being metaphorical?"
"No. Not at all! We believed you whenever you said you'd destroy him, brother. It's merely the extent of which that caught us off guard." Poseidon was quick to clear up with a wave of his hand.
"Indeed." Zeus nodded, backing his older brother up. "We were expecting something more along the lines of what was done to Ouranos, where he was destroyed physically, but his mind and soul still exist, just in a more limited capacity, as we were under the impression that the life of a major god could never be fully snuffed out. And with how you dealt with Hyperion some time back, that only reinforced such a belief."
"In hindsight, I know it might appear silly, but you must admit brother, with no previous example to go off of, having all aspects of his existence eradicated would hardly have been our first thought to spring to mind, especially given what our youngest brother just said." Hades remarked, before his smile turned savage. "Though again, personally speaking, I am quite pleased it turned out this way. You have once again exceeded my expectations of you, Beerus, and have me feeling prouder than ever to call you my elder brother."
"Alright, alright. That's understandable, I suppose." The purple-haired deity shrugged, mostly because he didn't care either way, seeing as they all knew now, for future reference. And also because they weren't far off in their thinking, given that when he'd taken down Hyperion, the scope of his destructive domain, as to what he could do with it, was more limited than it was now. Something which he knew now was due to him taking a shortcut to ascension, thanks to the Ophiotaurus' boon opening his eyes to said fact. And given how good he was feeling right now, he had no problem sharing this with his brothers.
"Ah. That makes sense." Zeus nodded again at his explanation, with Hades and Poseidon following, as understanding quickly dawned. "Back then, you were not entering your True Divine Form the natural way, like all others before you, and recognising this, your body, mind and soul weren't just on a time limit on that day as to how long your ascended state could be maintained. They also, due to the proper training not being done, were unable to unleash the full potential of your domain."
"Yep. None of that matters now, though, as with the boon that Hades got granted for me, my control and understanding of my domain is complete, just as it is with a few others that came to me at the same time, which I must say, I wasn't expecting." Beerus said, as he pulled his head back and looked toward Hades, who had lessened his grip on him, and now merely had his arm slung around his shoulders. "I won't complain about that, though, as I see it as quite the bonus, from what you wished for, Hades. I presume you asked for our full potential to be realized?"
"Something like that, yes." Hades chuckled. "Although, I wouldn't say full potential, given that any one of us could take on more domains than we currently have, if we wanted to, so It'd be more accurate to say the boon merely granted us the domains we would've had the strongest pulls towards. Well, that's how it appears to be for me, anyway."
"No, it is not just you, Hades. I feel as though that is the case as well." Poseidon piped up, lending credence to his brother's assertion, as he removed his elbow from Beerus' shoulder, while standing straight and massaging his beard thoughtfully. "Prior to the boon going active, I do believe that every domain I currently have, is one that I, at the very least, felt a noticeable pull towards, when I was searching."
"It is the same with me too." Zeus added, while mounting his hands on his hips. "And undoubtedly the same for you, I'd wager as well, Beerus."
"And you'd be correct." Beerus confirmed, as such a perspective seemed quite accurate, given what else he'd been given, and he wasn't just referring to the temporal destruction domain that Kronos had held, which he'd been given, and had come along with time in general. The other domains he now had, honestly felt like they fit him the best, given what they were.
Well, there was one domain which, now that he thought about it, seemed like it should've come to him, given the others that had, but the former cat-god didn't let that irk him even slightly. Not when it ultimately didn't matter, and if he really wanted to, as had been pointed out already, just nab it for himself later.
"Moving on from that, I have to ask, brother. What was our dear old father like in his final moments?" Hades queried with a tone and expression that made it clear how interested he was in finding out. "Until the fortress fell, neither me, Zeus or Poseidon, could see what was going on between you two. Was that sorry excuse of a being stricken with terror, when you approached? Did his foul lips beg you for mercy at the end? Did he attempt to flee from you, when he was forced to recognise that he stood no chance against you? Do tell, for I am quite curious."
"Oh, he was struck with terror, alright." Beerus couldn't help the amusement he felt, at his ghostly-pale brother's enthusiasm. Not that he blamed, given the mood he himself was in, after dealing with Kronos, as he had. "The buffoon did in fact attempt to flee, as well. Was even willing to go as far as sending himself back in time, consequences be damned, just to escape his end."
"Send himself to the past?" Poseidon blinked, showing open disbelief and disdain for their erased parent. "He was willing to go that far, in the end? I'm not even bonded to the concept of time, and even I can tell how utterly foolish such a thing would've been. Had he actually succeeded, there's no telling what kind of damage could've been done to the cosmos, if a more recent version of him had travelled to a place in the past he was not meant to be in!"
"Right you are." Beerus gave his little brother a look of approval. It was good to see that he had the intelligence to figure that out swiftly, on his own. "I, of course, stopped him from doing so, and then as you well know, after the fortress got eviscerated by the Hekatonkheires, I destroyed him, and rid the world of his worthless existence." The destroyer then switched his gaze back to his most favourite brother, whose eyes shone with his own dark amusement at what he'd heard, thus far. "As for if he attempted to beg for mercy, I can't say that he did, on account of the fact his jaw was too mangled at that point to speak."
"Ha! Oh, now I really wish I'd not remained outside of Othrys, and had been there to see it. Even just hearing of it sounds so cathartic." Hades laughed with a kind of glee rarely shown by him, which amused Beerus, if nothing else, given his already great mood. "Then again, I did get to hear the bastard's final scream, and also both saw and felt him get annihilated, so I suppose that helps, given that was easily the best part."
"Heh. I agree. Getting rid of him was the best feeling I've had since…" Beerus managed to catch himself before he blurted out 'ate the most delicious food in the Universe', as such a statement would only confuse the hell out of his brothers of this world, given none of them had really eaten anything, in their entire lives within this reality, thus far. "Well, since ever, really!"
The somewhat awkward finish was caught by all three of his brothers, though thankfully for the former feline, none chose to call him on it. Not only because he hadn't actually told a lie, but also likely because they didn't think it all that noteworthy, or something to that effect, which he was thankful for.
"All that aside…" The god of destruction continued, pushing away from that subject quick, as he allowed his mind to move elsewhere, to what he found to be a safer and more preferred subject. Not to mention more important right now, as he stepped forward and away from Hades' arm, with his fists still pressed together behind his back. His youngest brother of this world politely shifting to the side and out of his way, as he passed him. "Now that I have ended this war, and our side has come out the winners, what say you three to getting ourselves back to Olympus and getting the celebration of our victory started as soon as possible?"
"Heh! You'll hear no arguments from me, on that one, brother!" Poseidon laughed with joy, already on board with it, as Beerus came to a stop a few metres away. "I've been awaiting this day for some time! It'll feel good to finally start getting rewarded for our efforts!"
"Are you trying to say that taking down our enemies isn't a reward in itself? Come now, Poseidon, don't try and tell me you didn't take at least some pleasure in taking down that nuisance, Atlas." Hades snorted amusedly in his younger sibling's direction, as he folded his arms by his chest.
"Oh, I'll freely admit, decimating him felt good, brother, but I'd hardly consider giving him what he deserved to be a reward, at least for me." The god who now held control over the waters of the sea retorted, glancing toward his ghostly-pale elder with a glint in his eyes. "The reward, in my opinion, is what comes now that we've finished this conflict with our father and his allies, and that starts with a celebration of our defeat of our enemies. One where I – where we – are free to indulge in the pleasures we have abstained from until now, on account of needing to be prepared for all our battles!"
"Free to indulge, huh?" Hades rolled his eyes. "Given the way you've been eying some of the Nymphs that have made themselves at home on Olympus, I think I can hazard a guess as to what's going through your head right now."
"You're free to join me, if you wish?" The tanned deity shot back with a cheeky grin, unashamed at what he personally meant by 'pleasures' being exposed. "There's plenty of them, after all, and I'm sure there'll be at least a few that are willing to lay with your pallid behind."
"Tempting, but I think I'll pass, as none have really caught my interest." Hades waved his hand dismissively, before throwing back his own cheeky grin. "Besides, it'll be more entertaining watching you try and fail to woo even a single one. I've seen you try to flirt with one of them before, brother, and I cannot say that either I, or she for that matter, were very impressed."
Poseidon only scoffed back, though it was clearly in a more playful manner, not taking his older brother's words all that seriously. "Hmph! Shows what you know, Hades! Don't worry your silly little head, though. I'll be sure to show you what I'm really made of later today, when I have several of Metis and Styx' sisters hanging unto my every word, whilst hanging unto me at the same time!"
"Unlikely, but I look forward to seeing you try, Poseidon." Hades chuckled, not failing to take note of the fact his younger sibling hadn't even bothered to contest what he'd said about his last attempt at flirting with the fairer sex.
"Hold on, though…" Zeus suddenly spoke up with some concern, drawing Beerus' gaze to him, as he looked over his shoulder, and his other two brothers' as well, who glanced in his direction, as the youngest eyed the eldest questioningly. "What about those that have been defeated? Surely, you do not intend to just leave them where they are, without any precaution, before they can be judged for what they've done, as we celebrate our victory, do you?"
"Hardly." Was all Beerus replied with, at least verbally, before he raised his hand up in the air, well above his hand. His dark-purple aura enveloping him once again, his eyes glowing the same colour, but with a tint of gold, as he suddenly clenched his hand into a fist, as though he were squeezing the life out of something. The aura that surrounded him becoming thicker around his fist in that instant, before a shimmering, omnidirectional wave of miasma-like purple was unleashed from Othrys, and quickly travelled its way throughout the world, beckoned by Beerus' will.
Zeus looked on in fascination, as did Poseidon and Hades, as they felt the wave pass over them, having no tangible effect on their persons, but still brought about a feeling in each that they couldn't quite describe, as their senses fired off at it.
Their eyes then cast off toward the distance, where many of the other battles had taken place, where all of the brothers could see shining lights of purple briefly appear, once again causing their senses to react with a unique feeling, before they all faded away.
"There." Beerus said with a smirk. "That should answer yours and Ouranos' question about them. They won't be a bother to us. Not until I remove my power from them tomorrow, anyway."
"What did you do?" The youngest Olympian asked in clear curiosity, something mirrored by their other brothers too.
"For those who are knocked out, I have temporarily destroyed their ability to regain consciousness." The eldest male Olympian revealed, before pausing for a second, as he let out a small chuckle of his own. "Well, those who didn't end up squashed beneath the earth by the Hekatonkheires' boulders, anyway. Until someone bothers to pull them out from where they're flattened, they're out of commission regardless." Beerus eyed Zeus closely then, with a slight hint of impatience showing in his eyes, given the promise of a delicious banquet that would soon be his to dine on. "Anything else you feel like asking me about, before we depart, Zeus?"
Said god thought to ask right away about those who weren't unconscious, but stopped himself before he could. The youngest of Kronos and Rhea's children recognising that the three who'd avoided such a fate were likely non-issues as well, given one was immobile on Olympus, and even if she wasn't, she could not enter a True Divine Form. Not to mention that, without her father's boon, she could be taken down handily by any of them in their base states. The other two, while they could be a bit of a nuisance if they chose to, it did not seem like either had the will to fight anymore. After all, one had fled the battlefield before any of them had launched into action with the Ophiotaurus' boon empowering them, and the other appeared to have surrendered, if the fact she was no longer ascended and among the company of several of their allies, was anything to go by.
That only left one genuine question – or rather, a topic of discussion, which was the better phrase – on his mind, but now was not the right time to bring it up. Such was better in private, just between himself and his elder brother.
And Zeus said as much to him. "I do have one, but I'd prefer it be asked to you in a more private setting between the two of us later, if you'll allow it?"
Beerus rose a brow, a part of him wondering why he couldn't just ask it now, but otherwise didn't care enough to prod. Not that that stopped him from noticing the weird look Hades gave their younger brother, as the eldest of them simply shrugged once again. "So long as you don't interrupt me in the middle of dining to do so, I'm fine with indulging you for a moment, so long as it's not for something stupid."
"I can assure you it won't be." Was all the silver-haired god said in response. "It is a question that holds great importance, and that's all I can say for now."
"Hmm. Very well then." Beerus gave a nod of acknowledgement, before turning away from his brothers, as he let his excitement over his future chowing down on this 'ambrosia' he'd heard about get to him. The former GOD of Universe 7 already imagining how great it would taste, and how it would measure up to what he'd eaten back in his old world. "Now that that's settled, I think it's about time we made ourselves scarce of this barren mountain, and returned home. As the sooner we do that, the sooner the celebration can begin!"
Well beneath the earth… Sometime after…
Within the depths of an expansive cave of gloom that seemed to go on forever in near-all directions, countless kilometres below what would later be known as the region of Scythia, a feminine hiss rang out. The noise accompanied by the distinctive sound of a serpent slithering on the ground, as a figure took shape through the partial darkness, making their way toward another figure. And while both were covered in darkness, neither were any less visible to the other, as both held the ability to see everything before them perfectly, no matter how dark their surroundings were.
"Mother… I'm afraid this arrangement of yours is not going to work much longer…" The approaching figure hissed again, each syllable pronounced with a factual air, which carried some satisfaction behind it, as they came toward the large-chested, curvaceous figure of none other than Mother Earth herself. The first-born of all protogenoi, and the progenitor of life, from which nearly all gods traced their legacy back to, and would not exist, if not for her.
Gaea sighed somewhat tiredly, as her body, altered in size to be roughly that of her Titan children's natural size, lightly sagged, causing a small jiggle of her bountiful bosom in the process, as she heard these words. Her hands clasped by her pelvis in a way which denoted stress, as she addressed what she'd just been told. "Indeed. That would unfortunately appear to be the situation."
"If you ask me, this was bound to happen eventually." The feminine voice hissed back, as the figure came to a stop next to Gaea, whom took the chance to turn her gaze toward one of her children.
Her daughter took a little more after the former Tartarean prison guard of her sons, the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, known as Kampe, whom just so happened to be another daughter of hers. One that'd unfortunately gone along with Kronos' orders in helping to keep her boys locked away, which she'd seen as unforgiveable, and thus, it had not hurt her much to hear of what Beerus had temporarily done to her, in order to free them.
The difference was in her size and looks, though. For while Kampe had what plenty had rudely called grotesque features on her torso, in the forms of heads of other animals, along with coiling vipers over her tail, and a stinger, this daughter of hers, whom was Kampe's elder, held no such additions.
She was roughly twice the size of her younger sister, with the top half being that of a shapely nymph with pale, almost sickly-looking skin, wide, child-bearing hips, a taut belly and waist, and a pair of big, relative to her size, breasts. Each near the size of her head, and were perky and round without a hint of sag, capped off by near ghastly-pale areolae and nipples that stood erect. Long, silky-smooth, dark hair fell from her head, to the middle of her back, with some strands covering her ears. She had a beautiful face, with full, red lips, sharp cheek-bones, a high fore-head, small chin and jaw, with a small, turned-up nose. Her eyes were completely pitch-black, even more so than the gloom they were both shrouded in, and held the kind of gaze that strike immediate fear into any lesser god or simple creature she came across.
On her bottom half, showing a bit of resemblance to Kampe, was instead of humanoid legs, a serpentine half, with the large tail a poisonous-looking shade of green. Upon closer inspection, an oily substance like that of fetid slime and salt-marshes seemed to glaze the tail in an endlessly secreting amount, leaving behind a trail where she'd slid, which for the moment, was odourless. Gaea knew well, however, that if her daughter wanted it so, the substance secreting from her serpent half would have a smell so putrid, that most deities, whether lesser or major, would've found it downright nauseating.
The primordial of the earth let out another breath. "I will not deny that is the case, but I had been hoping it could last long enough for things above to have reached a state of peace, with everything having transitioned as smoothly as they could, so that I could bring Beerus down here first."
"Kukuku… It seems the only thing he accomplished, is getting his son all riled up instead." Her half-serpentine, giant daughter giggled in a sickeningly sweet way that swiftly made it clear she was far from bothered by him. If anything, she both sounded and looked greatly impressed and immensely pleased. "Not surprising, given what I could feel he did above us, which came as quite the blissful shock. There's no questioning him being the father, alright, with destructive power like that."
"Yes… There's certainly no question of that, Ekhidna…" Gaea replied, as her gaze briefly turned upward, to where the surface was, and where she too had felt her youngest Titan son be utterly obliterated, just like every other being in the Universe, no doubt.
As the one who'd given birth to him, she knew there was a time not too long ago, from her perspective, where such a thing occurring to him would've upset her to an obscene degree. After all that he'd done, though, he had managed to reach a point with her where she didn't care if he disappeared, and never returned. And that was precisely what Beerus had ensured, and what she'd not been shocked in the least to feel, as it happened. For from the very moment that young god had said he intended to destroy Kronos, she had been able to tell the severity by which he meant it, just from the look in his eyes alone. And though she'd never made explicit mention of it, she'd also known, that once he reached his proper potential, he would destroy her foul child and leave nothing behind.
There was no happiness. No sadness. No grief nor pleasure. Other than a sense of pride in the level her grandson and student had reached, she felt nothing but cold indifference toward the annihilation of her son.
The same could not be said, however, about the fates of the rest of her children, mainly those who'd chosen to follow Kronos. She still cared for them, and hoped that Beerus would not be too harsh in his punishment of them, as he'd been with his father. For whilst it would pain her to see it, she could tolerate them being penalized for their actions, so long as it didn't involve them meeting the same fate as Kronos had, or being sent down to Tartarus to rot, just like her precious Hekatonkheires and Cyclopes had been. The former was simply too horrific a destiny to stomach, and the latter, she'd put up with the heartache of enough, with her six sons spending a large chunk of their existence down there unjustly, and would not have a repeat of that again.
"I don't know about you, but what he did above made me shiver with delight." The now named Ekhidna suddenly moaned with a bestial sensuality, breaking Gaea from her thoughts, and pulling her attention back to her daughter.
Sufficed to say, she had quickly turned rather aroused, to put it mildly.
"You know well how much I enjoy destruction, mother. The grander, the greater. And what he did to that lovely brother of mine was grander than any kind of destruction before it, and I regret not being able to see with my own eyes, when he erased him from this world." She crooned, as a long, forked tongue scythed along the serpent-woman's lips, and she hugged herself below her breasts with a shudder. Her mounds of flesh entering into a profuse wobble-fit, swaying from side to side and knocking against one another, as she wiggled her torso left and right in excitement. "On the positive side, though, it made his son all the more aggressive with me, when we were locked in coitus. He nearly ripped me apart, with how wild he got, and it was honestly the best sex I've ever had with him."
Gaea sighed again, this time rolling her eyes at her child's lust and love for destruction. Something that'd pretty much been characteristic of her, since the day she'd been born. Though, thankfully, had never gotten out of hand. "Yes. And were it not for my magic, I'm certain the sounds of your activities, even this far deep below my earthen surface, would've been easily heard all the way from atop Olympus and beyond, if they didn't outright break this cavern I've created apart, along with all the earth above. Though in saying that, I suppose I should be thanking you once more, for being so willing to lay with and keep him as preoccupied as you have."
"And I should be thanking you, mother, for lending me the magic needed to not only grow in size to keep matching his own ascending size, but also be durable enough to withstand him and his growing power, even if just barely." Ekhidna hissed again with an unmistakable tone of gratification, before it turned to one of awe. "I have to say, out of all the children you've birthed, I don't think a single one has ever come out like him, and I've never loved you more, for introducing me to him."
While that last part was likely the most wholesome thing she'd ever heard her daughter say to her, and certainly brought a pleasant, motherly smile to her face, it didn't last long, as she focused more on the part before that. And Gaea was hard pressed to think of truer words that'd ever been spoken, as far as any of her spawn were concerned, in separating hers and Beerus' son from the rest of her progeny.
The simple fact of the matter was, her child by Beerus had been on a level of his own, as far as potential went, from the day she'd birthed him. She'd felt it in her soul since before she'd given birth, that he'd be quite the troublemaker, but also that he'd be special. And she'd been right on both fronts, for on the day of his birth, in the cavern she'd conjured now, she'd had to give birth to him through her earthen state, something she hadn't done with any of her prior children, all of which she'd chosen to birth in her current physical state.
The reason why was simple. For while her baby had come out an infant, like all the others before him, the size of him was the first thing that immediately set him apart.
Before him, the largest babies she'd sprung out were the Hekatonkheires, who'd come out as large as her Titan and one-eyed children were, when they were fully grown.
On the day of her son's birth, it'd surprised even her, when he came out as large as her hundred-handed sons were currently! An utterly monstrous size for a new-born, going off the standards set not only by her prior offspring, but by any other goddess' offspring, including her fellow primordial, and one of the few deities not descended from her, in Nyx.
What'd been even more surprising, and what'd forced her to increase the size of the cavern repeatedly, over the last year or so, was his continuous growth, which even now, had yet to end. And with the added size, came increased power, a very destructive power, not that far removed from Beerus' own functionally, which their son held some grasp on instinctively, despite not training to utilize it for even a second of the time he'd been alive. Something she found to be a good thing, as if he had, with the benefit of hindsight, there was little chance she'd have been able to hold him back down here as long as she had.
And why hold him back? Why bother going through the effort to stop him from leaving and going up to the surface, where like the rest of her children, he could do as he pleased, for the most part?
Well… Therein laid the one major issue, unfortunately, with her and Beerus' spawn. His atrociously wild temperament.
He was full of rage. Full of an unparalleled desire to destroy, as she'd quickly found out, in the weeks following his delivery into the Universe. And try as she might to get him to calm down in general, for she could most definitely see that allowing him out as he was, was a disastrous idea, Gaea had not been successful whatsoever, in that mission.
The only thing that did get him to relax, temporary and short-lasting as it was, as she'd come to discover, was the act of fornication. She'd found that out from personal experience, when on the third week following his delivery, as she was doing her best to keep him from going too far out of control, he'd taken her by surprise, when out of frustration at being stopped from going on a rampage, he'd taken his fury out on the ground beneath him… by fornicating with it, and giving it a ferociously hard battering. One she could've very easily ended, at the time, if she'd wanted to, but she could tell he was enjoying, with his anger soon becoming greatly subdued, in place of pleasure, and thus, feeling as though this was at least a little bit of progress with him, at the time, she'd allowed him to fuck her earthen body. If only to keep him distracted.
After he'd finished, unleashing a load inside her earthen body that was vast in volume, he'd immediately gone into slumber. One which she'd extended with a little helping hand from Nyx' son Hypnos, who'd granted her the boon necessary to keep him asleep longer than he should've been, after he went unconscious, so she had time to think.
That, and also to give birth to their son he'd impregnated her with. A mighty serpent that'd been much more agreeable right away, than his ever-growing father, and thus, Gaea had carved out another cave for him, far away from this one and safe from the war above, which she'd sent him out to live in, until it was over.
Leaving that second part aside, though, it hadn't taken her long to start considering finding him a proper, potential mate, both for his own sake, as well as for hers, in keeping him in a less wrathful state all the time. And when she had, upon being told of his situation, Ekhidna had been more than happy to come along, if only out of curiosity at first, and had been immediately attracted to the aura he gave off. Mere moments later, after Gaea had granted her the boons she'd required, he'd been laying with her in a most rough fashion, one which Ekhidna, being who she is, had encouraged. Such an arrangement had been ongoing and working reasonably enough, up to this point, even with all the times in that period her daughter had fallen pregnant, and given birth to their children. All of whom Gaea had taken care to move to different locations, like her own child by him.
You've been quite the hassle indeed, my dear son… Mother Earth thought, as her gaze went off into the distance, where she could hear the loud, but peaceful breaths of her ever-growing son in the plunging darkness, as he slept. I love you all the same, just as I love the rest of my existing children, but I'd be lying if I said I did not wish I were more aware of your father's antics, the day he spilt his seed unto my earthen body, rather than keeping watch over your wounded brother Hyperion. Not so I could have stopped him, but so that I could've at least engaged in passionate copulation with him, and have such a pleasurable moment to remember, that led to your making.
He'd probably have rejected her, if she had appeared before him, though, in that cute little way of his. Such an odd god he was, for the bizarre way he responded toward the sexual when it came to his sisters who showed interest, or either herself or Rhea teasing him. It was amusing, but she hoped he'd grown out of that peculiar behaviour by now.
"Having said that though…" Ekhidna continued, breaking Gaea from her thoughts yet again. "Knowing what my consort can do, about the only way you could make me love you more, after this, is if you managed to get Beerus down here, so father and son, two bringers of ruination, could take me together." She looked all but ready to swoon at the thought. "I'd very likely indeed be torn apart, when locked between those two forces of destruction, regardless of how strong you make your enchantment on me, but it'd be worth it."
"I don't mean to cast a gloomy air upon your fantasy, Ekhidna, but I'm afraid that most likely won't be happening." Even Gaea couldn't help but sweat-drop at her daughter, but couldn't exactly fault her for what she wanted, even if it was unrealistic. "You're welcome to try and seduce him, when I eventually bring him down here to meet his son, and after he's hopefully helped me put some bit of actual discipline into our spawn, if you want, but I warn you now, your odds of doing so are very low, if my past interactions with him are anything to go by."
"Hmph. Ye of little faith." The half-serpentine lady became slightly indignant, though notably did not deny her mother's words, knowing well her own abysmal track record with male lovers, which had basically been non-existent, up until she'd been introduced to the brother of hers, housed within this cavern.
Her smile remained, however, as her gaze shifted toward the darkness in front of her, ears perking up to the steady breaths she felt resonating throughout the cave. The curl of her lips stretching inhumanely wide, as she focused where she had come from, on the immensely massive shadow easily visible to her, through the dark, laying down quite a ways' away. Its head alone, in terms of size, making most mountains look like tiny grains of sand in comparison.
"You'd better make certain that you bring him down here soon though, mother. Very soon. Because after he felt such destructive power from his father above, I'd wager about seven cycles of day and night at most – presuming, of course, that boon you were granted by Hypnos is still effective – before my consort awakes again and grows irreversibly restless, even with my aid. And that's also assuming Beerus doesn't give the same treatment he gave to Kronos to others above, for having gone against him, which I could definitely see waking him even sooner." The way the snake-woman's eyes glazed over at that hypothetical, and her cheeks turned a rosy hue, made it clear how much such wanton destruction of other deities aroused her even further.
"Beerus wouldn't do that." The protogenos of the earth scowled this time, both at her daughter's delirious joy at such a horrible fate for her remaining children who'd fought against the purple-haired deity, and at the very idea of it even happening.
She didn't believe for a second Beerus would pick such a terrible punishment for them. Heck, she didn't even think he would send her children to Tartarus, knowing that other than Kronos, she still cared for them, and knew she would not want to go through having her spawn imprisoned there again.
"Are you sure he won't? They are his enemies, after all, and given how ruthless he was with his father, it wouldn't be too far a leap to assume he'd consider doing the same to the others." Ekhidna countered, while licking her lips once more.
"I'm certain he will not take it that far. He only did so with Kronos, because my foolish son made things personal with him, by swallowing him whole on the day of his birth. Now that he's gone, and none of them bare any threat to him, with his current power, I see no reason why he'd go for such an option with them." Gaea rebuked a little more heatedly.
Taking note of her mother's change in tone, the half-serpentine lady calmed herself down and suppressed her arousal, before it got the better of her again, as she'd rather not upset her parent any further. "Well, I guess you know him better than I, so I'll concede on that. If you want my advice, though, I'd say it wouldn't hurt to be present up there, when the punishments are being handed out. Just in case." She broached, getting another wobble from her bare breasts, as she lowered herself down enough to lay a hand on her mother's shoulder. "You could even use that as your chance to take him aside, after he's done doing that, and explain to him what's going on down here, so he could, perhaps, give his assistance?"
The scowl vanished from Gaea's features, turning into more of a light frown, as she considered her words. "Hmm… Given the circumstances, I suppose that would be a good time to explain the situation to him…"
After Kronos' destruction, she'd been sure to keep an ear out through her earthen form for what came next, which allowed her to hear things that occurred even within or atop mountains, provided her children, the Ourea, allowed it, or she wasn't blocked by another's magic. Because of this, she knew about the doling out of punishments for her children and their allies coming tomorrow, straight from Beerus' mouth himself, from when he spoke to his brothers. Again, by no means the ideal time she'd have hoped for, but with how their son was bound to get, when he next awoke, it was prudent that he be told of this as soon as could be done.
Today was also an option, but dropping such news on him now, after everything that'd happened today already, and with the celebration of the Olympians victory going on, it just didn't seem fair to drop this on him during such an occasion. Now that their child was slumbering again, under the spell of Hypnos, they had a sliver of time to work with, so she could afford to have him celebrate his triumph with his siblings and allies upon Olympus, and allow him to bask in the moment, before she let him know about their son, and his situation.
"Well, that settles it then." Ekhidna grinned. "Better that such goes well and he comes down here to help, for everyone else, yourself included, other than the alternative, which is my consort waking and, given his growing power, forcing his way out of here to confront him, because should that happen…" Ekhidna shuddered once more, this time attempting to hold back the perverse expression that threatened to overcome her, in place of a more serious one, at the thought. "Well… I don't think you need me to explain to you what'll happen if he's the one to try and engage first, given how he is outside of coitus, now do you?"
Gaea cringed.
No, she most definitely did not.
AND CUT!
That's the end of this one. Hope none of you are too bothered by the length. As I said above, will make up for it in the next one, which I'll have the date window up for on my profile, soon enough.
In any case, as always, hope you all got some enjoyment out of this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one!
