And we're finally back with another chapter! Sorry to all of you for the lack of updates in August, I had to do a project for college that I wasn't able to do previously and sufficed to say a lot of issues cropped up that really stressed me out. Much as I love my fics, fanfiction was the last thing on my mind as I got that project out of the way.
Thankfully, it is done and out of the way, which frees me up to start writing again! Also, it appears that I made an omission in the last chapter without realizing it. I thought I wrote in the Cyclopes also being in Tartarus with the Hekatonchires, but upon a recent read-over, I realized that I hadn't done so. That will be fixed shortly after this chapter is up.
Now, without further ado, on with the chapter!
The Olympian God of Destruction:
Chapter 3: Escape approaches.
Within Kronos's stomach… around four weeks later…
Not far off now… Beerus thought to himself, once again back into his near meditative state with his eyes closed, as he felt the divine power that coursed throughout his entire being rising further and further to the surface with his calls. Responding much better to him than it had initially, which was a good sign. At most, I'd say in about three weeks or less, I'll have this power fully grasped and under my control. Just you wait, Kronos… your time is nearing its end…
Beerus still wasn't entirely certain how long had passed precisely, but for some reason, he could tell that roughly a month or so had gone by since he and Hestia had been swallowed now. Beerus had just put that down to his new divinity allowing him to be able to roughly tell how much time had passed despite the lack of a clock or something to tell him.
Regardless, within that timeframe, he had grown up completely. Now no longer a toddler or a child, Beerus was aware that he had become a fully grown man in that time since then. Had he been on flat ground, he would've stood around six-foot-two inches tall, which was significantly greater than his original height back when he was an anthropomorphic cat. His hair had grown out significantly, and even within his meditative-like position floating above the stomach acid, he could feel his longer, dark purple hair flowing down into the fluid around his upper back. His facial features were far more rugged and defined than they had been weeks ago after his first 'growth spurt', giving him a much more masculine appearance. If one were to have looked at him now, he would've appeared to be somewhere between his early and late twenties in terms of age, even though he was barely five-weeks old in this reality.
As for the rest of his body? Well, despite the fact he hadn't really done any harsh physical training, it had somehow still grown out to being surprisingly muscular. He'd always had a rather skinny build back when he was the god of destruction in universe seven, but now in his new body he held a much more muscled physique. His shoulders were broad and muscly around his neck, his biceps and triceps were nothing grotesquely huge, but were still quite large, especially if he were to compare them to what they looked like in his previous life. While the cloth that his mother had given him had grown out yet again and covered him like a tunic, he could feel it wrap around his toned body, particularly around his mid-section, which held fully defined six-pack abs. His once tiny legs now almost the size of tree trunks as they sifted about within the acidic fluid, full of hard, dense muscle.
At this point, Beerus was past the point of questioning the oddities his new body had and underwent compared to his old one, as thinking about them just gave him a headache for how little sense they made to him. Best to just roll with it and take it in stride, even if it was utterly nonsensical.
Finishing up his meditation, Beerus swivelled around towards the stomach wall, his body close enough to land attacks on it, and he grinned as his eyes opened. His body tensing up in anticipation for his only pastime outside of talking to the gut's other inhabitants, which doubled as his only form of workout. Pounding away at the inside of the Titan lord's stomach like he was working a heavy bag, which was his way of flexing his growing control over his divine power, similarly enough to how he'd done it with his Ki back in the day. He could already feel his fingers clenching into his hands, balling them up into fists by his sides before he raised them up in a mock-boxing stance, just without the feet being grounded on a surface. Not that that mattered of course, he'd grown so used to being in here now, that launching attacks with his legs proved easy as well. Once I'm out of this disgusting pit, I can then turn my assault on the rest of the bastard…
The longer he had to wait for that day to come when he could finally pulverise his 'dear old pops', the more focused he became on making it a reality. By the time he was done with him, if he got his way, that prick would be little more than a bloody smear upon this earth when he reduced his body to dust in the wind. And if he ended up having regeneration? That just made it all the sweeter, because it meant he could make him suffer even longer and he wouldn't have to hold back!
Not that he would hold back on him anyway, of course. Mercy was but a word to him now, and it wasn't in his vocabulary.
"Back to that again, dear brother?" A regal, feminine voice cut in, sounding far from impressed.
Beerus could already feel the groan rising through his throat at the somewhat condescending tone that was being levelled at him, and it certainly wasn't from Hestia. Such a tone was not something his twin was capable of, as she was far too kind for that. "Yes, I am. Is there a problem, dear sister?" One could practically feel the sarcasm oozing out of his tone, as his head turned to the side, and his gaze floated over to the owner of the voice.
"Honestly, I don't know why you bother…" Remarked a near-indescribably beautiful, pale-skinned woman with long-flowing chestnut-brown hair that would've gone done to the middle of her back had it not been for the stomach acid she was floating in. Her face perfectly symmetrical in a way most women from his previous universe – heck, even multiverse – couldn't hope to rival. Her eyes a sharp hazel and wide-set below her high forehead, she had a small, cute button nose to go along with a small chin, short and narrow jaw, high, sharp cheeks and full, pinkish-red lips. Outside of her facial features, she had been given the same magical cloth that he and Hestia had been given, which had grown out with her into a purple and white tunic, and though it couldn't be seen beneath the acidic depths, it travelled all the way down to her feet. Her only choice of clothing did little to hide her slender, curvaceous physique surprisingly, with her tunic being parted close between her neck and chest area, allowing for some of her bountiful E-cup cleavage to be seen if one was daring enough to look. "Your efforts are wasted, Beerus. They're not getting you anywhere."
"Oh, be quiet, Hera." Beerus rolled his eyes as he turned his gaze back to the stomach wall, ready to begin his latest session beating the crap out of it. "I told you already, I know what I'm doing."
Hera scoffed back at him, crossing her arms as she turned her nose up at him. "Oh yes, quite a few times. For all your talk though, I have yet to see you back any of it up."
"Patience, Hera. I'm working on it." Even as Beerus said this, he could already feel his left eye beginning to twitch in agitation at his younger sister's attitude.
Yep. That's right. Younger sister. Because, as it turned out, Kronos, despite a prophecy apparently being put against him, one that involved his own children being detrimental to him in some way, was undeterred from having even more sexual relations with their mother Rhea. And for some other reason he couldn't explain other than his divinity somehow tipping him off, he just knew it was her and not anyone else. Which, of course, had led to even more children being born and subsequently swallowed by him. Beerus already thought the god a bastard for doing that to him and Hestia, but with one addition after another to the 'humble residency' of his rancid gut, Beerus had quickly come to the realisation that he wasn't just any foolish bastard. He just had to be a horny one as well.
As far as the former god of destruction of the seventh universe was concerned, that just gave him even more reason to ensure that Kronos would never breed again after he got out of here. He and Hestia were bad enough, but now that he'd decided to add four more to that roster in the time that had passed, there was no question about an incoming castration for his so-called father after a satisfactory beatdown. It was beyond well-deserved at this point.
"You've been 'working' on it since I was dumped in here!" Hera clipped back in aggravation. In truth, it had been a little longer than that, as Hera had only showed up here around three weeks ago, and had already gone from the tiny baby she'd dropped in as, to the gorgeous goddess she was now in that time. That slight discrepancy in time hardly mattered though to her overall point. "And as far as I can see, you haven't made any progress since you started!"
"Hey, hey, now. There's no reason to be getting upset at him, Hera." Another feminine voice chimed in before Beerus's agitation could fester any more with his recent sibling. Said goddess's gaze flickered over to the owner on her right several inches away from her. "He said he'd break us all out of here eventually. He just needs more time, is all."
The woman's facial features were similarly immaculate like that of Hera's with a near unprecedented beauty, only her cheeks were slightly less high and sharp than the aforementioned woman's, as were her olive-brown eyes which were a tad bit less wide-set. Her hair was just as long and flowing as Hera's was, only it was a straw-blonde colour, and she also had on a similar tunic to her as well, only hers was a grassy green, and was a little more open near the top than Hera's own, thus exposing a small bit more of her D-cup cleavage. Her figure just as curvaceous outside of that, but with slightly wider hips, and her skin was a creamy white in colour.
This woman was the first of his and Hestia's younger siblings to be swallowed after them, and if it wasn't obvious enough, she had fully grown out just like they had in that short period of time into a gorgeous goddess.
Hera only snorted at her older sister. "No reason, hmm? Don't be so absent-minded Demeter. You've been around here longer than I have, and have no doubt seen him fail to yield any results by mindlessly hammering away at our father's stomach after doing, what was it called, meditating?" Her question was clearly rhetorical, as her tone made it apparent, she didn't care for the answer either way. "I'd understand if this was something he'd only just started trying out, but he's been at this same tired routine for at least as long as I've been here. If it hasn't become apparent to you by now, as it has for me, that our dearest brother is running a fool's errand trying to break his way out of our father's stomach, then I don't know what to say to you."
"Perhaps it'd be best if you didn't say anything then, Hera." A deep-sounding voice commented to Hera's left aggravatedly. "At least our eldest brother is actually doing something to help us all get out of here. Remind me what you've been doing this whole time whilst he's trying to free us, other than impatiently floating about behind him and berating him for something you think he can't accomplish?"
"Thank you, Hades!"Beerus said appreciatively with a pleased grin, as he took a quick glance back at the second most recent addition to their little sibling group, and his younger brother who looked back at him with his own small smile.
Hades appeared as a young man in his mid-to-late teens with ghostly pale skin and raven-black hair that travelled down near his shoulders and eyes as black as a deep abyss. The beginnings of a beard showing around his strong jawline, as well as a moustache around his lips. His facial features, like Beerus's own, were rugged and well defined. His tunic was a deep, dark purple colour, but left his arms exposed for the most part, showing off that Beerus wasn't the only one, who despite having no harsh physical training in the short time he'd been alive, had impressively muscular arms and an incredibly toned body beneath his clothing. The attire, like his older brother's, reaching down to his knees. "A good younger brother should always have faith in their elder brother!" Champa could've learned something from you!
Speaking of a younger brother…
"Well, she does have a point, though." A somewhat squeaky, boyish voice cut in in Hera's defence, going against the deeper voice of Hades directly from the teen-looking god's left. "For as much as Beerus has been trying and keeps telling us he'll break us out sooner or later, he hasn't actually made any progress. No offence, Beerus, but I don't think I've ever even seen you put even a scratch on father's stomach with all the times you've struck it."
Beerus's smile was immediately wiped out at the words of his new family's latest addition and youngest sibling. His other brother Poseidon who was in the same boat as Hera pretty much. He appeared as a young boy around the age of ten with tanned skin and the same colour hair as Hades, only his was much wavier than his elder brother's, almost like the waves of an ocean stopping just above his shoulders. His eyes were a deep green and full of doubt as he cast a look his way. His tunic much the same colour as Beerus's own, reaching down to his knees.
Damn brat. Haven't even been here for more than a week and you're already doubting me almost as much as Hera. Beerus wasn't above picking favourites, and as of now, he'd already decided that he liked Hades as a brother far more than Poseidon. Little twerp should've been taking notes from his wise older brother rather than his annoying older sister. It was never wise to go against him no matter what the situation was.
Hera's gaze shifted over to Poseidon briefly, giving him a nod of approval. "Well, it appears at least one of us, other than me, has started to see the futility in Beerus's efforts. Thank you, Poseidon. At least you have some sense. Shame the same can't be said for you." She said with a look of disappointment and partial disdain as she turned her sights on to Hades, who looked back over at her with a stony expression. "Honestly Hades, you need to wake up and see the bigger picture."
"I need to wake up and see the bigger picture?" Hades repeated incredulously. His stony visage cracking. Just what kind of nonsense was she spouting now?
"Yes, you do." Hera affirmed rudely, before setting her sights back on Beerus. Either ignorant, or uncaring about how Hades took some offence to her less than stellar attitude. "And the same goes for you, elder brother. Whilst I appreciate your efforts to get us out of here, really, I do, you haven't come any closer to succeeding than when you started."
"Ugh…" This time, Beerus genuinely groaned, as his face scrunched up in ever growing annoyance. Had they been back in universe seven, and Hera wasn't his sister like she was now, there was no way he wasn't at least smacking her to the ground for the level of disrespect she was currently giving him. Actually, in all honesty, he was beginning to wonder why, even with them being family, he hadn't done that already. Seeing as this wasn't the first time they'd had a conversation similar to this in the last two weeks. It hadn't taken her long to run out of faith in him, believing his efforts wasted despite his true attempt at busting out having not even come yet. "And for the last time Hera, I told you to be patient. It may not seem like it to you, woman, but I know what I'm doing, so why don't you just shut up and wait!" the former destroyer of the seventh universe finished hotly, feeling his own infamously short temper rising as a deep, toothy scowl formed on his face.
The fact alone that him of all people, had to tell someone to be patient… That was something even Whis would've had a hard time believing.
Rather than back down however, which would've been the sensible thing to do. His younger sister did the precise opposite. Seeing his anger rising, Hera pushed herself forward and got right up in her older brother's face. Her teeth grit down as her luscious lips formed into a deep, angry scowl to match Beerus's as her own short temper flared not for the first time since she'd been trapped in here with him. Her hazel eyes glaring right into his amber gold pools. "Don't you dare tell me to shut up and wait, brother! I've been waiting for you to do as you promised since I got here! When are you just going to admit that you're all talk, Beerus? When are you going to admit to me, to all of us, that you can't actually get us out of here!?" Hera all but screamed with a level of impatience that rivalled his own during his worst of times in his once tenure as a G.O.D in universe seven, in a demanding tone that made it clear she believed what she said to be matter-of-fact rather than just her own opinion.
Sufficed to say, as usual, Beerus didn't take that well. "Oh, how about never, you ungrateful cow!" He yelled right back, pressing his forehead into hers, his temper flaring higher as he started to push her back. "I told you and everyone else here that I'd get us out, and I intend to do that! If you just gave me some more time instead of impatiently badgering me-"
"Badgering you!?" Hera cut back in, her anger having risen to greater heights as she somehow managed to push him back slightly with her own forehead, though not as much as Beerus had done to her. "As far as I see it, I'm merely telling you the truth, you foolish oaf! You just don't want to admit it!" She damn near screeched, forcing a cringe out of Beerus despite his own growing temper, as she jabbed one of her index fingers into his chest. "If anyone is being ungrateful here, it's you for not being able to realise with that thick skull of yours that I'm only saying this for your benefit!"
"My benefit!?" Beerus almost choked out an involuntary laugh at such a ludicrous statement despite his rising ire. "You must've hit your head on something hard on the way down here, Hera! How in the world would I benefit from listening to you? All you've been doing for the most part is bitching and moaning like a spoiled brat!" Which was humorous in and of itself considering she was anything but spoiled given their circumstances. If this was how bad she was in an abysmal situation like this, he didn't even want to imagine what she'd be like when he inevitably got them all out of here and she went off to do her own thing whilst he dealt with Kronos.
If marriage was a thing in this universe, then he honestly pitied whoever possibly ended up with her in the future.
Hera's cheeks practically turned a molten red at that last comment, teeth gritting down so hard that if she were a regular human likely would've splintered from the amount of pressure being exerted. Her hair fraying on end as her hands balled into fists by her sides as her rage got ready to boil over. And Hera had no intention of stopping it as she prepared to lash out, something that Beerus was nearing the cusp of as well.
"Oh boy… I think they might actually start fighting this time…" Poseidon muttered with concern, not really wanting to see the two getting physical with the other, as it didn't help matters.
"Trust me, little brother. If they do come to blows, it's not going to be a fight… it's going to be a massacre." Hades remarked astutely. Though he was in much the same camp as Poseidon in not wanting to see them turn to physicality, even if he'd personally like to see Hera get shut up at the moment. However, from what he'd seen of both in the short time he'd been around them, he knew they were both too stubborn to back down from their positions.
"Oh no… Beerus… Hera… please calm down…" A worried expression overtook Demeter as she too watched on, stress quickly beginning to mount as she didn't want to see her two siblings get violent with each other, but at the same time, didn't quite have the courage to get in-between them when they were this mad with one another.
However, before the altercation could become physical, something that would undoubtedly not end well for the younger of the two parties, a gentle but firm hand was placed on the shoulders of both deities. And as soon as this occurred, both Beerus and Hera could feel their anger swiftly withering away like the dying flame of a candle against a reasonably strong wind, as they were both lightly pushed away from the other.
"Brother, sister, please… this is not the time to be bickering and at each other's throats like this…" The soft but stern voice of the eldest of the six siblings cut in, drawing both Beerus and Hera's attention to the former's twin. The glowing eyes of Hestia wrought with her own concern and worry for where the altercation had been leading.
Like her brother and her younger sisters, the eldest daughter of Kronos had fully matured into the appearance of a near incomprehensibly beautiful woman. Just like her younger sisters, she had nigh-impossibly immaculate feminine facial features, with the only difference between herself and Hera being a slightly bigger nose and a marginally lower forehead, with her black hair now long enough to reach the middle of her back had it not been for the harmless acid she was forced to float in. Her slim, yet bodacious figure was wrapped up in her own blanket-turned-tunic courtesy of her mother, which was brown in colour. Unlike her two sisters however, her tunic for some reason didn't have even the tiniest of openings near her chest area, as it was fully covered up quite conservatively. Though, this still did little to hide her impressive bust pushing out through the magical fabric, that even hidden beneath her clothing, rivalled that of Hera's in size.
Her presence up close, as it had done before, having a calming effect on those around her.
This was far from the first time they'd been in each other's faces in the short time they'd been with one another, and up to now, she hadn't gotten involved as they usually passed by pretty quick with both turning the other way annoyed with the other, and that was about it. Now though, as much as she disliked having to do this, she had to get in-between them and quell their spirits down before it went too far south.
Seeing such a look on Hestia's face, now that the two of them had had their fiery tempers drowned out, managed to bring out a feeling of regret in both parties. Quite the feat even for just doing it to Beerus alone considering how sparsely he regretted anything he did in the past with his previous life. Not that any of his new siblings would ever know about that.
"Sorry, Hestia. It appears that I… allowed my emotions to get the best of me…" Hera apologised sincerely. A far cry from the hot ball of fire that her temperament had been not even a moment prior.
"Yes… I suppose I… may have gotten a little too heated as well…" Beerus ground out his own sort of apology with a bit more difficulty, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly not too dissimilarly to a certain Saiyan he used to be acquainted with. Like his sister, only to a far greater extent, apologising wasn't something he was all that used to doing, unless it had involved the Omni-King or the Grand Priest back in the day.
The other three deities in the background just stared in awe at what Hestia had just done. They had all come to know how kind Hestia was in the short times they'd been alive and down in their father's stomach, enough to where she was universally liked by all of them. Even still, to see her so easily quash both Beerus and Hera's tempers with but her presence alone, while all they had done was sit back and watch who they'd come to know as the two most stubborn siblings quarrel was nothing short of impressive in its own right.
A sigh cut through the eldest goddess, before a small, tender smile graced her lips. "I'm glad to hear that. But perhaps, so long as it's not too much trouble, you could both refrain from turning to violence? We're all family here, are we not?"
"Well… I wasn't really going to resort to violence…" Hera replied with a blatant lie to absolve herself but couldn't even meet her elder sister's eyes as she said it. Hestia didn't bother to call her out on it, as she was just glad nothing had happened between the two.
My ass you weren't… Was the collective thought of both Beerus and Hades, but neither chose to voice it. Even 'absent-minded' Demeter, as Hera had so rudely called her sister, saw through her younger sibling's lie in a heartbeat, as did Poseidon, who looked on with deadpan expressions.
"Well, even still, it's not a good idea to antagonise our brother, Hera. He's only doing what he can to help us be free from our father. You know that." Hestia warned kindly, with some firmness in her tone.
You tell her, Hestia. Maybe this stubborn, annoying sister of ours will listen to you, if she won't heed what her wiser, older brother is saying. Beerus thought with a small smirk, seeing his favourite sibling defend him.
"I'm aware of that." Hera affirmed, almost pouting childishly as she folded her arms together under her breasts. "It's not that I don't appreciate what he's trying to do for us, because like everyone else here, I definitely don't want to spend the rest of eternity stuck inside of our bastard father's stomach. It's just…" Her hazel eyes met with Beerus's golden pools, showing him the doubt and uncertainty rolling around within her, minus her other annoying personality traits.
Beerus didn't even need to hear what she was going to say next, as it was pretty obvious where she was going with it. The whole 'lack of results' thing, from her point of view. "Alright already, I get it." Turning back towards the stomach wall, and knowing he had all eyes on him, Beerus rolled his shoulders as he floated above the acidic depths, just as Hestia let go of him. "You're worried because I haven't shown you anything substantial, is that right?"
"Beerus, please-"
"Don't even bother saying it." Beerus cut Hera off, noting idly that for once she'd actually been polite rather than abrasive. Hestia's presence truly did work wonders. "You want to see some results?" An almost feral grin came over him, as he balled one of his hands into a fist, torqueing his body slightly as he pulled his arm back and readied his punch. An incredible amount of pressure building up around his fist in a vaguely similar way to how his god ki had once done, as he pulled in far more strength from the divine power emanating through him than he had any time previous. "How about this!"
In that instant, Beerus launched his fist forward and smashed it straight into the inward front-side of Kronos's stomach just like he'd been doing since shortly after Demeter arrived. Only this time, instead of nothing appearing to happen, a shockwave blazed out around where he'd struck, and not even a second later, the entire stomach that had stood as their prison shook violently. The acid at first rippling, before rumbling and splashing about like miniature, harsh waves.
Other than Beerus, just about every other god present briefly lost any semblance of balance they had floating in their father's disgusting stomach acid. Hestia and Hera did what they could to steady themselves against the aggressive quaking that their brother had started by instinctively gripping on to the other's shoulder for support. Demeter only just managed to right herself without falling back fully into the putrid liquid, whereas Hades, being the closest to the encompassing walls of the stomach on the other side from his older brother, had a relatively easy time dealing with the sudden quaking with his back propped up against aforementioned stomach wall. Poseidon was the one to get the worst of it, being the youngest in both age and appearance, found the acid constantly splashing into his face before swiftly becoming submerged by one of the waves created from Beerus's punch despite his best effort to remain above the acid, forcing him to get some of the revolting stomach juices in his mouth.
When the shaking finally calmed down, the youngest sibling managed to bring himself back above the acidic liquid, hacking and spluttering everywhere. Thankfully for him, none of it got swallowed as he coughed and spat it out in time. His eyes wide with shock just like everyone else present at their brother's act.
As Beerus pulled away from where he'd struck and lowered his arm, just about everyone was able to make out, past their wide-eyed stares at him, that a rather sizeable dent had been formed in the stomach where he'd struck. The divine flesh somewhat caved in like a crater on the ground, before quickly fixing itself up in a flash. Even still, that didn't change the fact that they'd seen actual damage being placed on their prison.
"How's that for a start?" Beerus asked rather smugly as he turned around with an equally smug grin, soaking in the amusing looks of surprise he got from his fellow siblings, especially Hera after how much she'd annoyed him lately. "Any of you still doubt me now?" He asked, rather pointedly at Hera and somewhat at Poseidon.
"You… you actually damaged it…" Hera was still in disbelief, holding on to Hestia, who by now had shirked off her own surprise and held a warm, beatific smile seeing what her brother had just done. Something Beerus quickly noticed.
No words were exchanged verbally, but Beerus could get the gist of what she was feeling almost immediately. It was written all over her face: I never doubted you for a second.
His smile softened from its previous smugness upon seeing his twin's mood. Her happiness seemed to be rather infectious on him as well, it seemed.
Briefly, his gaze swam over his other three siblings a little further away from him, and he made out Hades grinning like a madman after getting over his own shock, no doubt from having his own faith rewarded and knowing it was only a matter of time before they got out. Demeter still looked rather surprised, but it wasn't hard to see the elation in her eyes from seeing proof that he wasn't 'all talk' as his nuisance of a little sister had put it. Poseidon, when he found his gaze, was like a deer caught in the headlights gawking at him. His expression so comical that Beerus almost let out a bark of laughter at his baby brother's expense.
Hopefully the most important lesson in life had been imparted on his youngest family member in this moment and wouldn't need to be demonstrated again.
The lesson being: Don't ever doubt the word of Lord Beerus. Especially if he was gracious enough to promise you something.
"In case you were wondering," Beerus started, turning his attention back to Hera more than anyone else. "the reason why I hadn't 'made any progress' in getting us out until now, was because I was merely getting used to my own power. Something I'm still doing at the moment." He explained, breaking Hera somewhat out of her own stupor.
"Getting used to your power…?" Said goddess mumbled, unsure of what to think right now.
"That's right." Beerus could only smirk seeing and hearing her muted response as she began to connect the dotes in her head. Her now quietened demeanour being a marked improvement in his mind over her more abrasive, bitchy attitude earlier. "All this time, I haven't actually made an attempt to get out. What I've really been doing, is testing what I'm working with, and I'm almost done."
"So, does that mean you'll be getting us out soon, brother?" Hades asked him with his arms crossed, his teeth showing through his growing grin. One that Demeter mirrored close by, minus the teeth, and even Poseidon smiled at nervously.
"What do you think?" Beerus replied back with an amused look, knowing that his brother was well aware of the answer already. Then, making sure he was looking over all of them, the former destroyer god of universe seven allowed one of the most savage smiles he'd ever had to form on his face as he continued. "Listen up! I'm only going to say this once, so don't make me repeat it."
Seeing that he had everyone's rapt attention, particularly Hera's after seeing that she'd been proved wrong, he pressed on. "I made you all a promise that I'd get us out of here, and as I've said before, I intend to do just that. All I need is a bit more time, that's all. Rest assured, I'll let you all know when the time is right, and you can believe me when I say this…" Bringing his arm up in front of him, he closed his hand into a fist once again and allowed the pressure from before to build up over it again, something that was felt by all those present this time without him having to strike the stomach. Like a foreboding, ominous force that made it clear everything he was saying was inflexibly true, as his golden eyes seemed to glow similarly to Hestia's, only with overwhelming raw power just waiting to be tapped into.
Rather than any of them be intimidated however, all that could be seen across all of their faces, including Poseidon and Hera especially this time, was hope and excitement, as they heard his final words.
"Our days trapped inside of this bastard's gut are numbered!"
Meanwhile… near the summit of Mount Lykaios…
The time is coming. He'll be here soon… Thought Rhea, as she lay out on the very same rock-slab she'd put herself on when birthing all of her previous children. And today was no different, as just a few seconds ago, she'd given birth once more, and for the last time.
Cradled in her arms, wrapped up already in a soft, white, magical cloth that she'd materialised just the same she'd done six times prior, was the last child she would ever have. A baby boy with a small head of silver hair and deep, almost electric-blue eyes, who was already in the process of taking his first nap after birth. Not of his own will though, but of hers, as she used a sliver of her divine power to cast him quickly to sleep, before he could even make a sound.
It wasn't as though she didn't want to hear her youngest born, whether it be him crying or speaking for the first time. Or even just giggling at her as she looked over him lovingly. The fact of the matter was, she couldn't allow her precious, seventh child to make even a peep up here with her, because then that would only make his father arrive faster, and she didn't want that.
Rest now, my son. While I wish I could savour the moment of your birth further, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this occasion short, much as it pains me to do. She didn't have much of a choice in the matter, if she wanted him to live without being swallowed by Kronos. Something that after the last six times she'd had to witness such an appalling display, she was utterly sick of having to bare witness to, and refused to witness again.
"Is the child ready?" She heard a voice speak softly to her from beneath her. One she recognised immediately, garnering a small smile from the Titaness.
"He is mother." As she replied in a soft, almost whispering voice, the ground beneath the stone slab in front of her began to give way, before something started to quickly rise out of the rocky surface. Forming the humanoid shape of a woman with long-flowing hair the colour of soil, and kind eyes holding the same colour and vibrancy of the healthiest greenery. Her skin holding the same shade as the most healthy roots within the earth, her face held a level of natural, feminine beauty that looked to have been moulded immaculately by nature itself, which wasn't far from the truth considering she essentially was nature itself. Her body held no cloth to cover itself, instead having certain areas of her divine, primordial body covered in lusciously saturated, bright green moss, such as her chest, upper arms, waist, hips and thighs. All of which were well-proportioned, with large, round, G-cup breasts and pert, brownish nipples, sublimely slim waist, wide birthing hips, firm, round ass, supplely thicc thighs and slim legs. Moss and soil dotted around where her womanhood laid between her two pillars of nature-covered femininity.
The naked primordial goddess of the earth, Gaea, looked down at her daughter and grandson laying in her arms with a tender smile of her own, as she raised her arms out towards the recently born god. "Give him here, Rhea. I shall ensure he makes it to Amaltheia in Crete, away from his father."
"Thank you, mother." Rhea said earnestly with a growing, somewhat sad smile, as she handed her baby boy over to her mother's waiting arms. "Words cannot express my gratitude for you doing this for me, and for him especially."
"It is alright, my dear child. I'm more than happy to give you both some assistance." Gaea replied with a motherly smile full of affection for her daughter. "I simply could not allow things to stand as they were. Kronos has allowed himself to sink to the same lows as his father Ouranos. First with the re-imprisoning of the Cyclopes and the Hekatonchires, and as of late, the horrendous act of devouring his own progeny." A deep frown painted its way over nature's lips. "As his mother, and the giver of all life, I have been truly revolted by his actions of late and could not allow them to stand anymore without some intervention."
And indeed, she was. For shortly after Rhea had realized she was pregnant for the seventh time, she had come to her for help in protecting her now born baby from her husband and the same fate that beheld his siblings. Something which Gaea had gladly accepted doing, tired of her son's antics.
"Before I leave for Crete, would you mind telling me his name?" Gaea asked curiously as her body began to faintly glow, as she sensed her son drawing nearer.
"Zeus." Rhea said warmly, brushing one of her fingers against her little man's pudgy cheek just below one of his closed eyes. "That is to be his name."
The glow around Gaea began to intensify as she nestled the new-born god against her naked bosom, something that even in slumber, he seemed to take quite nicely to, and flashed a maternal smile down at him. "Zeus… a fine name indeed." She nodded appraisingly, before casting one final glance down at her daughter, as her and Zeus began to de-materialise down into the rocky surface itself, which was her way of getting back to Crete undetected by her son. "Good luck with your other children, Rhea. I have no doubt that you'll find a way to free them as well."
Rhea nodded affirmatively with a determined look in her eyes as her mother and son vanished before her eyes barely a second later. Then, without missing a beat, Rhea reached out behind her grabbed hold of a nice, smooth slab of rock that was about the size of one of her new-borns, and used her magic to form an identical blanket around it to that of what she'd put Zeus in. She then held it close and with care, to make it truly look like this was one of her children, as she waited for Kronos to arrive.
What she was about to do was risky, she'd freely admit, but she had faith that this little bait and switch of hers would work. For outside of her own feelings of disgust and anger at Kronos that had only increased each time he swallowed one of her precious babies, she had noticed something. With each subsequent swallowing, Kronos seemed to pay less and less attention to what he was being handed to devour. Her most recent offspring before Zeus, Poseidon, had proved that to her, when he hadn't even bothered to look at him at any point as she handed him over and he swallowed him.
That kind of negligence was what she was banking on, and once that was out of the way, she would get to communing with another deity that had agreed to help her. A minor ocean goddess that was the daughter of her eldest brother Oceanus and eldest sister Tethys. Someone she'd befriended quite recently mainly for the use of her intelligence to help her come up with a plan to free the rest of her children.
She didn't worry about Helios exposing what she was about to do to Kronos, as she knew him to be someone who didn't seek to get involved in such matters. A neutral force if you would, which she inwardly thanked him for being, as otherwise there wasn't a chance in Tartarus that this would actually work.
As she saw her husband come into view before her, already in his normal Titan size, weirdly clutching his stomach for some reason, she prepped herself for the deception she was about to pull. And as he got close to her and outstretched his hand without a word, and once again didn't even bother to look at what she was handing him, Rhea couldn't help the smirk that briefly crossed her features out of his sight, knowing that her risk had just been rewarded.
Just then… back inside Kronos's stomach…
I think that's about enough, for now. Beerus thought to himself with satisfaction as he finished his latest striking session with the inside of Kronos's stomach and floated back. Now, after his little demonstration earlier, no longer having to worry about Hera annoying the shit out of him with her nagging. Heh, feels good to finish up my practise like this and not have her trying to yap my ear off. Yes, instead, at the moment no one was saying a word. Everything was peaceful in a way, with the only sounds that reached his perked ears being that of the swishing acid beneath him, which would soon be a thing of the past, and the whistling sound from something above him dropping down at high speed.
Wait… wha-
"Guh!" Beerus bent over suddenly, his head snapping down as a loud bang! sound permeated throughout the stomach nearly like a gunshot going off, before he was quickly dropped face-first into the acidic depths he floated in like an anvil. A relatively large splash following this, as all of his brothers and sisters heads snapped in his direction with varying expressions of surprise, some even flinching just from the sudden sounds that were made by whatever crashed on top of their brother and had him crashing all the way into the gastric fluid.
"Oh, my word… are you okay, brother?" Hestia called out with concern, already making her way over to her twin.
"What in the… was that another sibling of ours?" Hera couldn't help but ask in disbelief.
"If it is, they must've been pretty heavy to make an impact like that…" Poseidon remarked observantly, something that Hera, Demeter and Hades all wholeheartedly agreed with, as a sweat drop formed over all their heads.
"Grrrrrr!… What the fuck!?" Beerus roared angrily as he jolted back to the surface, a large lump having formed on his head that was already shrinking thanks to his divine healing factor. Eyes red with veins like shattered glass and irises glowing with wrathful vengeance, lips stretched out into a tooth-baring, primal scowl as his hands held up the object that had slammed down on him. The blanket having come away from it and floated into Hestia by the time she'd made it over. A look of both curiosity and confusion marring her beatific features as she picked the fabric up and stared at it, before chancing a glance at her brother, who held what had to be the most comically enraged expression she'd ever seen on him to date.
"A fucking rock!?" Beerus yelled, all but spitting fire and brimstone as his teeth ground down hard enough to turn even the hardest of metal into paste. His hands shaking as they gripped on to the offending object, like it had just given the most grave of insults imaginable to the former G.O.D, before he pulled his arm back with it firmly held in his tightened grip, and threw it with all the force he could muster. Upon impact with Kronos's stomach, the already dissolving rock shattered into innumerable pieces that fell back into the acids depths and quickly started to dissolve into nothing. "Is this a joke!? Is that bastard trying to mock me!?"
How could it not be? Kronos didn't seem the type to do something like eating a rock without a purpose. He'd no doubt felt his attack earlier, and that had probably been his way of getting back at him. Yeah, that made sense. He'd swallowed that just now with the intention of hitting him with it, the son of a bitch! He'd even wrapped it up in the same cloth Rhea put each of them in after birth, just to drive home the mockery!
"Damn him!" Just for that, he was going to enjoy making him suffer even more once he got out!
Go ahead and enjoy yourself for now, Kronos… but just you wait, you arrogant prick! Once I'm out of here, I'll make you regret the day you were ever born!
AND CUT!
Well, that's the end of this one, and shoutout to the reviewer Bahamut13 for the rock idea. Hope it was a funny scene like you expected, as while writing it, in my head, I found it rather humorous.
Now I know this chapter isn't as long as I said it would be, and its out a little later than intended, but that's fine, as I plan to hopefully have another chapter of this out by the end of this month, so look forward to that!
As for those who may have been looking forward to seeing the other gods as babies, tell me in your reviews if you'd actually like to see that, and I'll probably include it as its own little omake in a later chapter for fun.
We're getting pretty close to the fateful moment now, which I can guarantee is coming next chapter. The question is, will Beerus and the other escape Kronos's gut the same way it happened in myth, for those that know, or will Beerus flip the script and basically go "Ain't nobody got time for that!" and punch his way out? No matter what, I can't imagine it'll be a pleasant experience for Kronos either way, lol. I may just put up a poll in a day or so and leave it up to you guys, whether it should stick to mythology or go the substantially more brutal route of Beerus giving his dear old dad a nice, wide stomach cavity.
Either way, I'll see you all in the next chapter, and on my other story Noah's Hitman in a few days, if anyone's interested.