Slight change of plans due to some complications. There'll only be 2 updates this month, but I can confirm that there will be the 4 updates I promised in September and 3 more in October. Not sure about after that though, we'll have to see. Hope you guys understand.
The Olympian God of Destruction:
Chapter 14: The Titanomachy VII
Back on Crete…
A strong shockwave billowed out through almost the entire Isle as a ghostly-pale fist coated with a dark aura smashed directly into a feminine cheek full-force, sending the latter flying back as their guard was slipped through. Their body careening through the air before ploughing upper-back and head-first straight into the bottom-side of the Mount Lykaios. The mountain briefly shuddered as a crater six-feet high and wide and several deep formed from the collision, with some chunks of rock and debris falling down to the ground as well.
The figure of Rhea emerged from the crash-site with a trickle of ichor running down the corner of her lips and a bruise on her cheek that healed away as swiftly as it was seen. The mother of seven then launched forward with blurring speed toward the form of Hades, who'd sent her flying in the first place. She was intercepted however, by the more tanned form of Poseidon enveloped in a sea-green aura who flashed right in front of her and Hades as she'd cocked a fist back with a leg already torqued back. The Titaness immediately shape-shifted into a snake to avoid the oncoming kick and bite down on his exposed neck, only to be caught-out as her second-youngest son anticipated this. His hand whizzing out and grabbing her by her serpentine head to halt her forward momentum before slamming his kick directly into her underbelly, sending her serpent-form shunting another good distance away with a booming shockwave just as big as the one before.
She almost collided with the mountain again at a much higher elevation, were it not for her shapeshifting again into an eagle and barrel-rolling through the air to recover her balance and halt her trek back before she spread out her feathery wings. The now avian goddess turning her attention away from the two brothers in a split-second decision as she sought out her three daughters. All of which were grouped around the same area around fifty metres away from the male gods more to Rhea's left and dive-bombed right at them. Her gaze narrowing in on Demeter as Hera and Hestia jumped back right as she came close.
Demeter wasted no time in shapeshifting herself into the same eagle that her mother had become to meet her charge with a focused look. The only two things separating them in appearance being the different colour of their eyes, one dark, the other olive-brown, and their auras, the former being a darker orange than the latter. The transformed fledgling goddess flying up as her mother dove down and swerved to the side at the last second, dodging her mother's initial attack. She flew further up from there as her performed a swift U-turn and chased after her, seemingly gaining on her daughter very quickly, prepping her taloned feet for attack. The younger goddess in avian form suddenly performed an about-face and bared her own taloned feet right at her fast-approaching mother, forcing the older goddess to swerve out of the way this time to avoid getting her face torn up.
"They seem to be doing quite well against mother, I must say." Zeus commented appraisingly from his spot away from the action, sat on a slab of stone with Metis by his side as both watched his parent and siblings latest spar against the other.
Since Beerus and Styx' departure, everyone had simply gone back to doing their own thing as they awaited their return. The children of Styx had elected to sit and chat idly amongst themselves a reasonable distance away from the others whilst waiting for their mother's and Beerus' return, whilst occasionally watching over at the parent-children spar going down away from them. Zeus's siblings were of course training dutifully with their mother to fully master their inner power, whilst he and his consort spectated them improve themselves. The goat-nymph, and his main caretaker following his birth, Amaltheia, having chosen to take a nap just outside the mountain cave's entrance, with Gaea stood next to her. The primordial goddess watching those down below out of the corner of her eye, but mostly keeping her gaze out over the horizon. Her body quivering with anticipation for the return of her baby boys, as she kept her hands clasped down by her crotch.
"Indeed," Metis nodded with an impressed gaze, as she kept up with the action with a calculative eye. Watching on as both mother and daughter began to circle around one another up about twenty metres in the air looking for an opening. "they are all progressing along a good deal faster than Rhea initially anticipated a week ago, it seems." As she said this, Rhea rose up higher, flapping her feathery wings in the air and believed she'd spotted an opening as she quickly drove down again with her talons out front and at the ready. Instead of being caught out however, Demeter remarkably timed her attacking mother well and swayed to the side just in the nick of time to avoid getting ripped up by her avian parent's claws, and while her mother was careening past her, was able to swiftly dive down with her. And before her mother could fully halt her own momentum, Demeter bared her own claws and drove them viciously into Rhea's feathery back, scraping them down hard enough to leave gash wounds from the neck all the way down near the backside.
A pained squawk erupted from Rhea's beak as ichor began to ooze out from the deep cuts inflicted. She made to turn and bare either her beak or talons in defence, only to be caught by several rapid-fire pecks to the front of one of her wings mid-turn that not only mashed it into her side but were deep enough that they also drew ichor that fell in droplets down to the ground. She followed immediately after, plummeting to the ground as the damage made keeping herself airborne impossible for a small moment. She turned back into her humanoid form before she struck the ground with an impressive thud that formed a crater a few feet wide and deep. The Titaness held her now bleeding arm, with her back also dripping blood down her clothed ass and legs as the gash marks began to close up quickly while kneeling on one of her knees. She immediately looked upwards and saw her still eagle-transformed daughter diving straight for her with her clawed-feet primed for another assault.
Standing upright with her arm and back healing over completely, eagle-Demeter was only about a foot away from her when Rhea hopped off the ground, brought both her knees up to her chest, squishing some of her perky D-cup breasts inward in the process as she angled her feet toward the attacking bird. She then shot them forward surprisingly in a blisteringly fast drop-kick aimed directly for the approaching Demeter's beaked bird-face. The latter's eyes widened briefly in panic but managed to keep a grip over herself all the same. Not allowing herself to be taken off-guard, she also turned herself back to her humanoid form with her legs bent up towards her ample bosom, briefly squishing a portion of her own D-cup boobs down within her tunic before snapping them down in a drop-kick to meet her mom's. Their bare feet smashing against one another and forming a decently strong shockwave that cratered the ground beneath them twice as wide and deep as both used the force of their attack and the other's feet to propel themselves away from the other with a backflip.
In Demeter's case, given her typical absent-mindedness, that kind of quick thinking was quite the upgrade from her abysmal start when they'd first begun training.
Both landed rather elegantly on the ground a good number of metres away from the other with a tremendously focused and serious expression aimed at each other. Rhea's was cut short however, as she was confronted with Hera, who like Poseidon, did not wait for her mother to come to her this time, and rather made her way over to her in the blink of an eye. The parent being forced to bring an arm up to block the high kick that was thrown, but still ended up pushing her back a good deal, digging twin trenches in the hard soil with her feet as she was sent back a good few metres. The youngest of her daughters chasing her with graceful swiftness, at least by Rhea's standards, and being right in her face again even before her feet had ground her to a halt. Her body outlined by a fiery red aura.
The Titaness was forced to bring up her arms to protect her face as Hera launched another high kick, with the flat of her foot impacted roughly with the older goddess' forearms, sending her back even further and a little faster this time with the female Titan's feet coming off the trenched ground. As she was flung back, she turned herself into a spry, lithe lioness a healthy shade of tawny brown and flipped herself over, landing on all fours with her paws as she bared her fangs before rushing at her daughter with jaw-dropping speeds.
Hera didn't buckle at this, however. Instead, meeting her mother's charge while taking a different approach to her older sister Demeter. Rather than shapeshifting into the same creature her mother had, she elected to change herself into another type of bird, one that dumbfounded even Rhea as she charged right at her. A peacock of all things, though not like the ones that mortals knew of in other universes. Her tail of feathers for instance, above her blueish, feathered body, not having the 'eyes' that one would associate with the elegant bird adorned on the train, which was bare. She stood now at only ninety-five centimetres in height, and bent her avian body down, beak forward in preparation for her mother's assault.
Both Zeus and Metis especially, given she'd seen and knew of both creatures beforehand, were also taken aback by Hera's out of the box choice. The Oceanid wondering exactly why Hera thought that was a good idea, given that the bird she'd turned into, didn't stack up well at all against a lioness, and put her at a disadvantage. However, the goddess in training proved some sly resourcefulness here by ducking under her mother just as she pounced for her, skilfully running underneath the briefly airborne apex predator, but Rhea was quick to follow her path. The elder deity turning just as she landed and chasing after her daughter, who ran ahead before leaping into the air and casting herself into flight. Something Rhea met by leaping after her and easily catching up to her tail with another brutal pounce seemingly about to land this time, prepping her canines for a bite-down just like a wild lion would've.
Only for Hera to craftily dart to the side, narrowly avoiding her mother's latest attack by a hair, before flapping her wings and dropping down to perch herself on her mother's furry back just before she landed down on the ground with her talons. Rhea roared in a small form of intimidation and made to ward her daughter off as she landed by turning her head back and lashing out to bite her with her sharp teeth, which Hera's bird-head deftly dodged before leaning in and opening her beak by one of the lioness's ears. An ear-piercing shriek followed that had both the spectating Zeus and Metis, along with the rest of Hera's siblings, and even the children of Styx sitting out a way's off on stone slabs of their own cringing as they watched the altercation.
Rhea, meanwhile, felt her eardrum burst the instant that horrible screech passed through her ear, deafening her in that one ear at least for the moment as well as disorienting her. Her large cat body stumbling as her equilibrium was jarringly disrupted, and she let out a small whine of pain. It was only then that Hera leapt off and transformed herself back to her normal appearance. She then thrust a leg out and smashed the front of her bare foot into the side of the lion-transformed Rhea, sending her maternal parent barrelling forward, skipping hard across the ground over a hundred feet away in the blink of an eye. The Titaness coming to a stop on all fours again as she managed to regain her balance soon after, a pained grimace still on her feline features as her eardrum healed over in no time. A bruised rib from Hera's kick also healing away the instant following.
Zeus whistled, thoroughly impressed. By both the plan of attack, and the perfectly shaped, round ass that showed through Hera's tunic for the brief instant she landed in a crouch. "Wow, that was some impressive strategy right there."
"Quite crafty." Metis nodded in agreement. "About a week ago, they were still struggling to a degree to keep up with Rhea, but now they've caught up to her in less than half the time it should've taken. Their reflexes, timing, perception, speed and strength have all seen the most improvement. She said before she thought it would take them three weeks, but seeing this right now, I think they'll need only a week from now at most to fully master their inner power at the rate this is going." And if they were each on their own giving Rhea a run for her money here before they'd fully reached that point, it spoke volumes of how strong they'd all end up being in the future if they ever tapped into their true potential. She then turned to look at Zeus with a grin. "I think you and Beerus truly have lit a fire in them to push themselves that much harder. The spars you two have had seem to have really given them a lot more motivation to better themselves faster, from where I'm sitting."
"That's good. The faster they improve, the better. We're all in this together against Kronos and his allies, after all." Zeus remarked seriously, though there was a bit of a smile on his bearded face knowing he'd been a help to his other siblings indirectly through his spars with his eldest brother. "Speaking of Beerus, I have to say, I'm looking forward to his return with those sons of Gaea trapped in Tartarus. The way Gaea built them up, they sound like game-changers."
"I've personally never met them, but if Lady Gaea vouches for them the way that she has, they'll definitely be an incredible addition to our ranks. I just hope Beerus and sister are able to pull it all off without a hitch."
"You doubting them now?" Zeus asked his consort with some bit of amusement, just as both spotted Rhea setting her sights on Hestia, the last and eldest of Zeus' siblings.
"It's not that I doubt them. I know what both are capable of for the most part, it's just that there're so many things that could still go wrong. You can't fault me for being a little worried at least, even knowing how good both of them are." Metis replied genuinely, letting that bit of worry show on her beatific features while still maintaining her calmness.
"Heh, they'll be fine." Zeus waved her off with a confident grin, as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. His tone full of such belief in what he'd said that Metis couldn't help but have her worries assuaged completely. "In fact, I guarantee you they'll be back within the hour, with everything in order. Hyperion sent off the trail, and the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires with them. Just have a little faith."
Metis smiled back, before leaning in and kissing Zeus a little deeper on the lips. When they separated, she nodded her head in confidence of Zeus' own words. "I will." She then turned to look out fully at the action, as Rhea shapeshifted back to her normal state and made a b-line for the oldest of her seven spawn. "Now, I wonder how Hestia will fare?"
The answer came along quick, as Rhea was upon her instantly, ignoring the guilt that came from going after her. Hestia, following her viewing of Beerus and Zeus' spars, had been motivated like the rest to get better, and had thus asked her to go harder on her in training, even if it meant seriously trying to harm her. Naturally, neither Rhea or anyone else was comfortable with that at all, but her oldest daughter had requested of it in earnest, even if she detested violence, for it was the best way to ensure she'd be ready and able for what was to come. To be there to aid her fellow siblings in any way she could in the coming war. In the end, Rhea had folded and accepted Hestia's wish and given her what she wanted.
Back to the present, rather than go for an attack immediately like her younger sister Hera, Hestia went more for the opposite approach to Hera's aggressive tactics. She did well to block, parry and dodge any blow thrown at her, using mainly her arms to block attacks from both her mother's arms and legs that snapped around with swift, decent combinations of punches and kicks. The eldest daughter taking a far more defensive approach, as Rhea tested her guard and reflexes, not letting up for a second with her attacks, pushing Hestia further back. The mother than changed tactics and, fully recovered from the wounds dealt prior, being shapeshifting into multiple different creatures in quick succession.
Rhea first transformed into a snake after her latest punch was blocked and wrapped around Hestia's arm before attempting to coil around the rest of her body to bind her, something that Hestia easily avoided by quickly turning herself into a snake and quickly slithering away from her mother's coiling body before turning back to normal and facing her serpentine parent. Rhea followed up immediately afterword by lunging towards her as a snake and transforming mid-lunge into an eagle again, gliding through the air with talons prepped to tear into her face, pushing down how awful she felt for trying to at all. She needn't have bothered, for Hestia jumped back while turning into an eagle herself, just as Demeter had done, and entered into a bit of a cat and mouse game with her mother soaring and circling further up into the sky. The latter looking for the perfect opening, while the former seemed to be stalling.
The rest watched on as Rhea dove in upon appearing to find her opening for attack, aiming to spear right into either her daughter's wing or midsection with her sharp beak. Her body flying down as if she'd been shot out of a cannon, looking like a blur as she got within mere inches of her daughter who didn't look like she'd be able to react in time. At the last second though, Hestia transformed her avian body into a small mouse's, hopping right unto the head of the eagle as it shunted down, running along its back with her tiny feet, before jumping right off her tail down about a dozen or two metres to the ground. Her forming shifting back to her normal state as she landed on her feet without a hitch, but Rhea was already hot on her trails, forming back into a lioness as she turned and drove herself down for her akin to a speeding bullet, only far faster. Her claws out and fangs bared as she growled, coming down for a plunging pounce.
Right as she came close however, a homely, golden aura tinged with white fell over her figure before a warm pulse seemed to emit from the stationary Hestia. Although she was forcing herself to do this anyway for her daughter's sake, Rhea found all her will, all her drive to attack being snuffed out in an instant. Her claws retracted, and her maw came close to being closed on instinct as ferocity turned to docility out of nowhere, in a change so whiplashing mentally that Rhea was briefly left totally vulnerable and out of sorts. And as she came within breathing distance of Hestia, the younger goddess-in-training struck out with a palm-strike right into her feline cheek. Spittle mixed with a small bit of ichor flew out of her mouth as she once again sent hurtling away with a sonic BOOM following after that made the entire Isle ring, her body forming back to her humanoid look as she tumbled over the ground almost like a child rolled down a very rough, bumpy hill. Ripping off multiple chunks of ground as she barrelled by. When she eventually brought herself to a stop on her hands and knees, she'd been sent a good several-hundred-feet out, positioned close to a middle point of sorts as each of children were around her in a wide circle.
Despite this though, Zeus and Metis found themselves blinking in some bit of astonishment at what they'd just seen, whilst the former's other siblings stared at Hestia with varying looks of bewilderment at what'd just happened, leaving a very brief, but poignant pause in the air.
This was quickly broken by a small bout of clapping, as Rhea rose to her feet, another small trickle of ichor coming from the corner of her lips along with another nasty, purplish bruise that healed away almost as quickly as it was seen. "Well done, all of you! You all managed to find a good opening and took full advantage of it. I am beyond impressed by your progress! We're not even finished with your inner power training and yet you're all giving me a hard time already. I honestly couldn't be prouder of you all!" The Titaness smiled with pride as she threw out some praise where it was due to her children, who all grinned back at her as the battling was put into a lull period.
"About time I'd say. We've all been watching how you moved and reacted this whole time since our physical training began. It was only a matter of time before we finally got good enough to catch you out." Hades seemed to speak up for everyone, sounding quite happy with himself over his progress, and his mother's honest praise, as his and everyone else's aura faded away. The others nodding at his words.
"And that you all certainly have!" Rhea nodded. "Here I thought I'd made it harder on you all today by throwing up a barrier to stop dematerialisation, but instead, it seems I've only made things harder on myself with how vastly you've all improved. It won't be long now before you've all surpassed your dear mother completely." Of course, she meant just with inner power exclusively for now, and they all knew it. Without True Divine Forms of their own, they would still be overall far below her, but she doubted it would take them any longer than about five-to-ten years at most for them all to achieve that state for themselves.
Well, almost all of them anyway. There was one among them right now she was starting to think would go along in that process quicker than the rest. "Hestia," She called to her eldest child with delight, looking to her with a gaze that spoke volumes of how impressed she was right now. "you especially have truly outdone yourself! You've always had that calming aura to you, one we've all felt before, but this is the first time I've seen, and more importantly felt you weaponize on someone like that! For a moment there, I felt so pacified that I couldn't imagine doing anything offensive in the least. It was as if every fibre of my being had suddenly become totally against the very notion and became utterly subdued near your presence. Truly remarkable, dear!"
Hestia actually blushed a small bit from the praise, smiling brightly and kindly with pinkish cheeks. Her golden, glowing eyes tinged with some bit of embarrassment and humility, a sight that could've melted even the blackest of hearts with how pure and innocent she looked. "I appreciate the praise mother, but surely it wasn't that special. In my opinion, it seems like everyone did just as good a job, if not better."
"Hmph. Well, aren't you the humble one, sister?" Hera said with some bit of bemusement as she propped her hands on her hips, but otherwise smiled at her older sibling just as the others did too, knowing that was just how she was, and none of them were in any mood to change that about her. Or anything about her for that matter.
And here I thought Beerus was the only one with an abnormality. Metis thought to herself critically, as she watched them all chat amongst themselves for a minute before presumably going back to training. Even before he started his True Divine Form training with Gaea, he was able to throw destructive attacks that took far longer to heal from then they should've. It looks like Hestia also has her own unique little quirk as well, in being able to calm someone to the point where they lose the will to fight… If that could be harnessed correctly, that could be insanely hard to deal with, even for Kronos and his strongest allies. And no doubt Rhea had taken note of that as well. It probably wouldn't work if they entered their ascended states, but if or when she eventually got one of her own, all bets were off. There was no telling at that point if anyone would be able to resist it, a fact that was both comforting, and frightening in a way as well, given how helpless she could potentially make someone with it.
"Well, I'd say Beerus'll definitely be quite interested to learn about Hestia's latest development, for sure." Zeus remarked casually, eying his eldest sister with a form of respect as a humoured grin took over his features. "I'd say this could throw even him for a loop. When he and Hestia do spar, it'll sure be interesting to see what he thinks of it." And more importantly, how he handled it, because if his experience with him was any indication, he'd undoubtedly have some way for Hestia to improve it and the rest of her abilities in a way that even their mother simply couldn't. And he didn't mean that to sound disrespectful to her, it just felt like the truth to him, given that Beerus' seemingly natural borne knowledge and ability for combat was second-to-none. Something that was proving invaluable to him with all the strides he'd made over the week following mastering his inner power, given how much sharper he was already.
He was getting a bit ahead of himself now though. Beerus wasn't even back yet with Styx and Gaea's other sons. Best to leave all this until he arrived back, hopefully within the hour.
And then, as if fate itself had been listening, vast amounts of gold particles suddenly converged in an instant close by to all of them, heralding an arrival from what could've only been one party. Everyone suddenly halted in what they were doing then, as a ludicrous pressure flooded through the Isle, followed by three massive shadows that were suddenly cast over all of them. Their senses kicking in instantaneously, as presences both familiar and unfamiliar to some appeared on the Isle. Everyone, even a now awake Amaltheia, found their attentions turning to what had cast the shadows. The collective eyes of all Rhea's children, Zeus included, along with Metis, Amaltheia and Styx's offspring, widening in varying levels of shock and awe, as their gaze laid upon the towering forms of three hundred-armed, fifty-headed, grey-skinned behemoths so gigantic they made the very mountain they slept within look small by comparison. All three of them standing at thousands of metres tall, with dense, thick muscle covering every inch of their ginormous frames, making them look that much more imposing. The three gigantic beings holding on to the arm of another in a sort of semi-circle formation. And held atop one of the open hands of each hundred-armed giant near their chests, were the Titan-sized Cyclopes. One on the hand of the left, and the other two on the hand of the one on the right.
For a moment, no one really said anything. Merely standing or sitting there in awe of the trio of massive multi-limbed and headed giants, not knowing what to make of them. It was brief however, as it didn't take long for a familiar voice to make itself known.
"Well, long time no see, everyone." Beerus shouted amusedly from his own perch beside Styx atop the biggest Hekatonkheire in the middle's hand. A wide smirk across his face as he stepped forward and leaned over the open hand down at them. "Guess who's returned with some new, and might I say, quite powerful allies?"
"Fuck me…" Poseidon blurted out. His jaw wide open as he felt the immense pressure of power exuded from the three gargantuan hundred-handed ones alone, as he and everyone just continued stared up in marvel. "Is that them? Are those… Gaea's sons? The ones that were locked up in that Tartarus place…?"
Rhea, having seen her giant brothers before numerous times in the past, wasn't dumbstruck in the least seeing their enormous forms again. She simply gave another pride-filled smile up at her eldest son, as she affirmed what her younger son had just muttered. "Yes. That's them alright. The Hekatonkheires and Cyclopes in the flesh. Quite the sight to behold, aren't they?"
"They… certainly are, mother…" Demeter stared up just as all her siblings did, quite speechless at the giants before them now. She was pretty sure she wasn't the only one in the camp thinking about how unsightly the bigger sons of Gaea in particular looked, but she chose not to voice her displeasure, as that would've just been rude.
Good grief, those three are beyond hideous… Hera thought inwardly, an expression of disgust painting her face despite her best efforts to hide it. There's no denying however that they're strong though… This pressure they're all putting off just standing there is so immense! Its unlike anything I've felt so far… Even Beerus felt like a bug compared to these three, which cemented home what Gaea had been saying about them to hype them up before they'd even done anything.
It didn't take long for her current expression to shift however once she focused more so on her elder brother perched atop the hand of the middle one looking down at them. Her disgusted look quickly becoming much more sly and devious, something no one noticed given they were far more preoccupied staring up at the humongous entities that Beerus had brought back for them.
"Ah! Fresh air again… I'd forgotten what this felt like…" The Hekatonkheire holding Beerus and Styx rumbled pleasantly, as he felt it graze off his mountainous frame. His head tilting up to the sunny sky as his fellow hundred-handed ones, along with the Cyclopes in their hands nodded in agreement, as they soaked it all in. They'd only been out here for a few seconds now, but already, they were starting to feel the true bliss that came with freedom. Though there was a notable hint of confusion that came over his massive features. "How strange though… I do not recall that chariot and being far up above in the heavens emitting that massive ball of hot light the last time any of us were out here…"
Massive ball of hot light? Is he referring to the sun? Beerus did well to not show utter befuddlement at the middle Hekatonkheire's baffling statement.
"Ah, he's new. Or, well, new compared to the last time you guys were free, I should say." Styx piped up, grabbing all three giant's attention, given they could all easily hear her with their huge ears. "His name's Helios. He's only out during Hemera's day-time, and that huge ball of light and heat he seems to appear as, you can call it the sun, if you'd prefer."
"Ah, I see." The trio of hundred-handed ones nodded in understanding at this, and Beerus had to sweat drop a little. These three had really last been out in a time before the sun was even a thing at all? Jeez, even for him, trying to imagine what a daytime would look like without a sun just sounded downright bizarre. "It looks pretty. Not as nice to look at as all the stars out during Nyx's night-time, but he's definitely a nice addition to the day."
"You should see the night as well." Styx added with a helpful, small smile. "His sister Selene looks absolutely radiant up in the sky with her lunar rays coming down. She's become what some of us like to call the moon, and in my honest opinion, she's just as dazzling, if not more so, than her brother. Although I must say, Eos isn't far behind either of them, and sometimes her dawn can look even more stunning than either of her siblings at their best."
"Moon and dawn, huh…" The Hekatonkheire on the left muttered, though given how massive he was, even that travelled far throughout the island. "Damn… Quite a bit has changed since we were thrown into Tartarus…"
"True, but this means there's new stuff for you to experience now that you're no longer huddled away in that cavern." Styx said sympathetically while looking around at all three Hekatonkheires.
"What she says is correct." Beerus cut in with a small smirk, leaving aside them having been around prior to several things he would've thought would've been present since the early days of this strange world. "You're all free again after all," He continued, having their full attention but not once looking back as he brought his fists behind his waist and touched them together. His gaze instead focused on the mountain where he could make out a certain primordial goddess's presence, as his voice rose loud enough for all to hear. "so alongside helping me, you have all the time in the world to do as you will. And what better way to start that off, than having a little reunion with the very being that wanted me to rescue you all in the first place. Isn't that right, Gaea?"
The three hundred-armed giants, as well as the three Cyclopes stilled. Their gazes shifting over completely to where Beerus was now looking out to, as they heard his exclamation. All of their collective eyes zoning down on two figures perched near the top of a mountain not even half as big as the Hekatonkheires were. One being a naked goat-nymph laid down that they didn't recognise, staring up at them with her mouth open in genuine shock and a bit of revulsion. Something they were all too used to. The other however, was someone they all absolutely recognised, and could never forget. Her practically nude, voluptuous body shaking as she stared up at them. Not with fear, or with any sense of disgust like most did, but with genuine relief and unparalleled joy, as her eyes began to water.
"My boys…" She said softly. So softly that only the Hekatonkheires and Beerus to a much lesser extent could pick it up. Her lips trembling with tears of happiness cascading down her cheeks as she laid eyes on her six sons that she hadn't seen for so, so many years. A sob escaping her as she brought her hands up to her mouth, unable to control the torrent of emotions currently running through her.
It wasn't any better for the six former prisoners of Tartarus. For when they all saw the face of their dear mother again and saw the tears she was shedding for their return, nothing else around them mattered. All other thoughts ceased in their minds, as none of them could help their eyes beginning to water either at her presence before them. All of them looking like they were beginning to choke up at the sight of the crying goddess, as something in their throats hitched, particularly with the trio of hundred-handed ones. Their huge bodies also beginning to shake, something that was felt over the entire island like a small earthquake, making several of those down below nearly stumble from the rumbling earth beneath their feet.
"M-Mother…" The Hekatonkheire holding both Beerus and Styx muttered, his deep voice cracking as he laid eyes on the one being that had ever truly showed him and his brethren kindness. Had ever showed them love, rather than disgust. The only being to have truly cared about them and not look upon them like they were freaks at all, but rather happy additions to her life that she cherished with all her heart. Not to mention was the main reason their rescuers Beerus and Styx had even come to get them at all. The only being that could get their divine hearts to seize up and pang with a waterfall of happy and sad emotions. The former for seeing her again, and the latter for having been separated for so long they had no idea how long had truly passed since they were damned to the pit for the second time.
"Beerus, I think its best we got off now." Styx remarked as she moved close to Beerus, placing a hand on his shoulder as she 'read the room' so to speak, and understood what was about to happen. "And I think you know why." She allowed herself to have a more tender smile as she glanced around at both the faces of Gaea's now free children, and the Earthmother herself.
Beerus simply shrugged, having nothing to say to that as he too sensed the mushy scene about to take place. Without any further deliberation, Beerus with Styx in tow teleported off the middle Hekatonkheire's hand and reappeared down by his own siblings and mother, leaving his new allies to have their proper reunion with their parent.
This turned out to be a good decision, as no sooner had they done this, did everyone below with them witness the primordial goddess leaping right off where she stood, somehow shaking the Isle to its very foundations as she went airborne! And it wasn't any meagre jump either. No, it was more like a sky-bound thrust that sent her a solid kilometre up! And as she was, her size began to undertake a massive increase. Her huge honkers wobbling and jiggling around as they along with the rest of her became drastically bigger in the blink of an eye. Thus, leaving all those beneath other than Rhea, along with Beerus and Styx to a much lesser extent utterly dumbstruck with eyes wide like saucers, as her now towering frame soared overhead. Amaltheia's was the most pronounced, as her eyes all but bugged out of her skull as she felt the Isle shake beneath her and watched Gaea become gargantuan as she launched toward the gigantic musclebound figures. The protogenos of the Earth and life reaching the same size easily as the Hekatonkheires. Her arms opened wide and inviting as she all but flew towards the middle Hekatonkeire.
"Mother!" All three Hekatonkheires shouted out with tears of pure joy falling down their faces, all of their faces, and the Cyclopes weren't any better, as their mother crashed into the middle hundred-hander. Her now truly mind-boggling, titanic breasts squishing against some of the other faces of the tallest hundred-hander with a near deafeningly loud boing as she wrapped her arms around his main head first. Almost knocking the trio of multi-limbed and headed giants over as her feet planted on to the ground, covering over half a kilometre by themselves and quaking Crete even harder than before.
"Briareus, Kottus, Gyges... it's been far too long!" Gaea cried out with an overjoyed, teary expression, gaining the single greatest smile of happiness she'd probably ever had as all three hundred-handers circled their arms around her. Briareus, the middle one, using pretty much all of them save for two to hug his mom back, while Kottus on the left and Gyges on the right closed in and wrapped fifty of their arms around her shapely figure. All of them having similar expressions to their mother as they took part in a group hug, letting the tears flow down freely from all of their humongous, and most would call unsightly faces. To Gaea though, these were her beautiful sons. Always had been. Always would be.
"What, don't tell me you forgot about us, ma. We were stuck in that shithole too!" One of the Cyclopes yelled out, as they all hopped up high unto their mother's shoulders. Tears falling from all their single eyes too, but each holding an unmistakable grin of cheerfulness that they had not felt in a long time now that they were in their maternal parent's presence once more.
Gaea's eyes turned to look at the Cyclops that had spoken on her left shoulder, the other two being on her right. Her teary smile that she afforded being the kind only a proud, loving mother could have when seeing her long-lost sons finally come home. "Oh, I could never forget about any of you, Arges. I'm beside myself right now, seeing you," She turned her head slightly and looked to her other shoulder with glittering pools from all the tears being shed. "Brontes and Steropes again too. Don't you ever think otherwise…" She sniffled, as the three Cyclopes stretched their arms wide and hugged the sides of her neck, chuckling to themselves as their tears stained her sublime skin. "You have no idea howsorry I am that I let you all go through that horrid imprisonment down in Tartarus. For the second time no less. I've been such an awful mother to you all for allowing that to happen…"
"It's okay, ma. You shouldn't blame yourself for that. For either of them. It was dad and Kronos that put us down there, not you." Arges replied soothingly, gaining a nod of agreement from all of her formerly imprisoned sons. "I'll be honest, some of us were losing hope you'd ever do something to help us, but in the end you did. You got some folks to go in and get us out, rather than leave us to rot like other members of our so-called family did." One could literally feel every ounce of bitterness and hate that came through his tone when speaking of two individuals in particular. His cadence quickly shifted back to a more relaxed and happy air, tinged with a bit of sombreness. "You're not awful. Not at all! You're the only one who's ever really been good to us, and I know no one here will argue with me on that."
The black-haired Cyclops was proven correct when no one made to do so. Instead, once again motioning their heads in agreement as they continued to hug her sniffling form. Something that only made Gaea's divine heart flutter with the purest jubilation as she wept over Briareus' shoulder. Soaking in every bit of the embrace her long and wrongfully imprisoned children were giving her. Though she'd never shown it, there had been an inkling in her before that her sons might resent her somewhat for allowing such a fate to befall them and had been ready to bare the brunt of it, so long as they were all free. For that was what truly mattered to her. Instead, she was being given the comfort of none of them holding anything against her, and she could feel just how much they all loved her back by the way they warmly hugged her close, almost as if they were just as much afraid that she'd simply disappear in a snap just as she was to them.
"Oh, my dear, sweet boys… I'm so glad to have you all back!..." She muttered with more conviction than most mothers could ever even dream of mustering up for their own spawn. The weight behind each of those simple words being felt by all present, not just the trio of Hekatonkheires and Cyclopes.
"Good to be back, mother. And this time, we damn sure aren't going to let ourselves be thrown back into the pit. That's a promise!" Briareus spoke from the heart for all of them, as he deepened his hug with her, holding her now gigantic figure about as close as he possibly could into his multi-headed chest, damn near suffocating some of them in copious amounts of her spongy boob-flesh, but he didn't care. His brothers followed suit, giving about the tightest embrace they could to show their immense affection toward the primordial goddess that had birthed them all and stuck up for them when no one else other than themselves would.
"Damn… I knew there'd be some waterworks once they reunited, but this is a bit much…" Hades muttered with a near comical sweat-drop as he and everyone else below heard the wet THUD that each falling tear-drop made from the super-sized Gaea and the Hekatonkheires. His deep black eyes watching as all of them splashed down on the ground, each tear being multiple times larger than any of them currently were and had quickly formed very sizeable puddles on the ground where they fell down on.
"Yeah, at this rate, they may just flood the whole island with their tears alone…" Poseidon semi-joked with a small sweat-drop of his own and a light chuckle as he massaged his beard. Just on this one occasion being a bit more tactful and not taking the easy opportunity to get a nice gander at the now giant-sized goddess' plump ass. Because given the circumstance, even he knew that would've just been in poor taste. No matter wonderful of a sight it may've been for him.
"Come on, guys… Don't be so mean…" Demeter commented in rebuttal as she briefly glanced over at the two, not quite catching on to Poseidon's less than serious cadence, nor the fact that Hades meant no ill behind his words either. The straw-blonde beauty smiling happily for Gaea as she looked back up, and while she was put off by the Hekatonkheires appearance in particular, she couldn't deny what she was witnessing was a rather heart-warming scene. "This is their first time seeing each other in a long time. No doubt way longer than when we were separated from mom. I think it's only natural they'd all be this emotional about it."
"You're absolutely right, Demeter." Rhea agreed with her middle daughter, wiping a few stray tears from her own eyes seeing her own mother so full of emotion and weeping her heart out with joy. She didn't even attempt to scold her two sons though, for she could tell neither meant anything bad by it. "If there's one being who's had to put up with heartache over the treatment of her own children more than I have, it's my mother. She, more than anyone else, really needed this, and watching her right now, I don't think I've ever seen her happier than she is now with those six brothers of mine free again."
Hestia nodded in whole-hearted agreement, her glowing eyes shining with pleasure seeing the Earthmother so ecstatic as she was cuddled by her six sons. All who clearly loved her deeply. Hades and Poseidon merely shrugged, having nothing to disagree with on that front. Zeus and Metis were of similar minds as well as they too came closer to the rest of the group. The former of which being in the same boat as Poseidon and controlling his more perverted urge to ogle the primordial goddess' shapely rear out of respect for the tender moment she was getting. One that was long overdue. Hera was pretty much the only one who'd stopped paying the Earthmother and her released kin any mind. This wasn't to say she didn't feel good for Gaea getting this moment, she was just much more focused on her approaching brother flanked by Styx.
"I'll have to second that, Rhea." Styx remarked with a smaller, but easily noticeable smile of her own, as she and Beerus moved closer to the rest. "Lady Gaea has put up with more grief than most, or probably anyone else in this world. As a mother myself, seeing her like this now with her long-lost children is enough to almost make me tear up as well. I'm glad me and Beerus were able to give her this moment."
"So, I take it that means you both fully succeeded in both ventures, mother?" Nike asked respectfully with a pleasant smile, as she and her other siblings seemingly made their way over to their own maternal parent in a flash. Kratos around her on her left, with Zelus and Bia on her right.
"Hmph. What do you think?" Beerus smirked, answering for the eldest Oceanid. "We sent that buffoon Hyperion and his little mistress on a fruitless chase far away from here before we fished those six out. It was almost too easy making the former do exactly what I wanted them to."
"He's not wrong. Beerus was able to manipulate Hyperion's rage and hate against him to his own advantage and got him to pursue us without going into his True Divine Form. It made the whole affair a whole lot easier than I was expecting it to be." Styx complimented her partner's efforts with an appreciative nod.
"And what of Tartarus? Did you run into any resistance down there that you had to push through in order to get those six out?" Bia asked curiously this time, motioning up at the Hekatonkheires and Cyclopes with her head as she propped her hands on her hips.
"A little. There was indeed a monster named Kampe guarding the pit they were holed up in. But Beerus dealt with her rather swiftly with just a single blow. Blew her head to bits right in front of us all without much effort. Tartarus may have actually been an even easier affair than having Hyperion and Theia pursuing us, truth be told."
"Fascinating." Bia's forceful gaze centred on Beerus with a wide smile at how he'd dealt with the monster by her mother's account. No talk of him having talked this monster down or tried to be more diplomatic, just straight up using force to get what he wanted. Now that, she liked. Serving under him was going to be fun.
"In any case, mission accomplished. Not that it was ever going to be anything else." Beerus shrugged with a somewhat cocky expression, bringing the attention of everyone below to him. "Now once their little reunion is finished, I'm getting back to my training, which'll include checking up on you lot each with those spars I promised. I do hope I'll get to see some good stuff out of all of you."
"I believe you will, dear brother." Hestia said with hopeful cheer in her voice, more than pleased to see her younger twin back with nary a hitch and everything having gone the way they wanted it to. Her form making its way to him quickly, and giving him a tender, welcoming hug back of his own. Her clothed breasts squishing into his front as she wrapped her arms fondly around his waist. Her warm, homely aura blazing over him and making him relax ten-fold and eradicating any awkwardness he would've otherwise felt. His divine body instinctually pulling his fists away from each other and circling his arms around her as well without even a second thought. "It is good to see you back safe and sound, Beerus."
Heh, she made it sound like there was even a chance that he wouldn't come back. Beerus would've rolled his eyes at such a statement had it not been Hestia who was saying it to him. "Good to be back, I suppose." He replied while patting her back. An affectionate act like several others that he seemed to be quite comfortable doing with her now, as opposed to some time back. He barely even felt any awkwardness anymore, at least when it came to reciprocating the favour to his new twin with this wonderfully soothing aura of hers flowing over him.
Whilst in this embrace, Beerus's eyes roamed over the rest of his assembled siblings who were all giving him varying looks of respect and cheerfulness seeing him back as promised. Hades in particular already looking excited about getting to spar with him soon enough. He could see it written all over his face, just how giddy he was to get to that, despite his best efforts to keep himself contained. When his gaze went over his mother Rhea, she had perhaps the most well pleased expression and beaming smile he'd seen so far with his and Styx's work today as she locked eyes with her oldest son, giving him a proud, parental nod for what he'd done as she folded her arms beneath her ample bosom. And given he was in quite the good mood, plus Hestia's influence, he had no qualms giving her a nod back.
Metis likewise looked quite pleased herself that everything had turned out perfectly fine. She caught Zeus's gaze on her for that brief moment, and the knowing smirk he was giving, as if saying without words 'I told you so'. Something she couldn't help but lightly chuckle at as he and she came within ten feet of the returning duo. Her worry over them and what may've happened being completely alleviated by their presence here.
As Beerus finally separated from Hestia however, his gaze landed on the eerily smiling face of Hera, as she closed the distance between. A bit of swagger to her wide hips and gait that Beerus noticed almost immediately, as did most of the others. A quirked eyebrow being raised by the soon-to-be god of destruction as she strode over and stopped less than a foot away from him as Hestia stepped to the side, giving enough room for her to get in front but being close enough to easily reach out. Both curious of their sister's intentions more than a little bit for different reasons.
"Something you need, Hera?" Beerus asked, feeling that something was off.
The beatific fledgling goddess' smile only broadened a tad as she brought her arms up, and for a brief instant, Beerus with a bit of surprise thought she was coming in for a hug as well as her hands came up near his neck. He was proven very wrong however, when instead her hands placed themselves gently, but firmly on his cheeks, something that gave him a feeling of déjà vu, he looked at her even more strangely at her behaviour and was about to ask her what the heck she was even doing.
That small bit of hesitation borne from his confusion over what she was doing might as well have kicked him up the ass, because as fast as the wind, she had risen up almost on her tip toes and fully closed the distance between their two faces. Her soft lips pressing right into his as she tilted her head slightly, stunning everyone and making them widen their eyes as she took a page out of Demeter's book, and kissed him right there and then!
Beerus was perhaps the worst of the lot, as his eyes shot wide open to such a degree one would've thought this was part of a comedic Saturday cartoon, as his throat made a guttural, practically stupefied sound from the sudden lip-lock. His features showing an expression of shock that eclipsed what he'd had when Demeter had done the same, as she deepened the kiss rather than pull away. His own lips, which had been parted partially beforehand, were his undoing as Hera took it a step further than her sister had, and daringly shoved her slippery tongue right inside his mouth without a hint of shame or hesitancy. Her sharp hazel eyes glaring right into his without wavering once as she, while totally unexperienced in this sort of thing, explored his maw for what it was worth with her moist appendage, wrestling a bit with his own immobile pink muscle as well.
The actions were by no means subtle either. They were loud enough for those closest to actually hear what her tongue was doing gliding and sliding about over his gums and morsel of flesh, and just about everyone, even the giants up above, could hear her cheeky moan midway through it all. Gaea and her sons had even separated a little just to look down at what was going on, and watched, in Gaea's case exclusively with the kind of teasing smile that Beerus would've despised as Hera smothered his lips with her own.
She deepened the smooch as far as she could go by pressing into him with her own body for maximum effect, never taking her eyes off his now pinprick-sized pupils as her supple mounds flattened against his chest when she then wrapped one of her arms completely around his head. The other circling round as her dainty hand grabbed his purple locks tightly by the back of his head to keep him locked in place. Going so far as to lift one of her curvy legs, keeping it bent as she placed it against the side of his thigh. The former GOD of Universe 7 being too shellshocked once again to do anything in that moment she'd caught him. One could almost make the case he was spellbound in a sense, as she ran her wet appendage over just about every place she could, grazing around his tonsils damn near with her efforts.
If Beerus had thought Demeter's kiss was inappropriate, then this one blew it right out of the water being about as over-the-top as it could get, and was inflamed with just as much non-familial passion, if not more so, than the blonde's had.
The kiss lasted almost three times as long as her sister's had before she finally relented, pulling away from the shell-shocked Beerus's lips with a string of saliva connecting hers to his. One of – no, the most smug, self-satisfied grin she'd ever held being etched over her gorgeous features, as she stared triumphantly into the purple-haired deity's stunned eyes. "What's with that look, Beerus? Why so surprised?" She asked facetiously with a tone full of amusement at his gobsmacked face, knowing full well what the answer was.
"H-Hah…?"
Everyone around them was speechless for different reasons. Their three brothers just openly stared in shock at what'd just happened, totally not expecting Hera of all people to do what she just did. Demeter's jaw was almost as unhinged as Beerus's own after seeing how aggressively she'd assaulted his mouth, making the one she'd give seem like barely a peck by comparison. Hestia was wide-eyed and didn't know what to think with her sister's actions, while Rhea in the back was smiling ear-to-ear at her daughter's ballsy move and was downright impressed by the fact that she'd gone the whole distance with it. Styx and her four children merely blinked in a small bit of astonishment, having not foreseen that happening, with Metis being much the same.
Seeing the exact reaction that she'd been hoping for, Hera, perhaps a little sexily licked her lips, breaking apart the mixed saliva and tasting it in her mouth. She then purposefully slid her foot behind his legs while he was rooted still and swept one of his feet right out from under him as she brought her arms away and gave him a small shove. The act easily sending him tumbling to the ground on his ass. His eyes still staring up at her even then with his jaw unhinged as he tried, and failed, to come up with any thought in that small period of time. All he could do, was bring one shaky hand up to his still wet lips with amber pools full of almost comical horror, as though he'd been shot, as she leaned down with the front half of her body and gazed at him with pure mirth. Letting out a gratified giggle at his perfectly astounded expression as though that was her trophy for a good job done.
"That makes us even now, Beerus." She remarked, stuck on a total high after what she'd done, almost to the point of pure arousal, as she looked down at the dumbstruck god. "I would say that I hope you liked that little 'reward' for your efforts but…" She glanced down almost mockingly before meeting his dumbfounded eyes again. "I think it's pretty clear to everyone here how much a certain part of you enjoyed that…" She winked with a victorious smirk, placing her hands on her hips as she rose back up to her full height. "Looking forward to that spar of yours, by the way. I'm sure you'll try to bring your A-game. Just try not to disappoint me, okay? As I said before, I have very high standards." She repeated what she'd told him before, only with an added sense of confidence as if she held dominance over him and he was the one who had to show her what he'd learned, not the other way around, as she turned away from him.
Before everyone's eyes, she strutted off satisfactorily with an extra sway to her hips, something that managed to get her perfectly round booty to show more through her tunic right before Beerus's stunned eyes, possibly to mock him further. The fledgling deity shaking as a whirlwind of emotions, most of them volatile, began to war within him as he watched her cockily saunter away from him.
It was only just as his mind was getting his faculties right, and the mental repulsion began to kick in, that her words from earlier replayed in his head. Almost timidly, he tilted his head down and looked at where she'd flicked her eyes to before. And when he saw the huge tent that'd formed from a clear erection, the internal scream that echoed through his inner being almost came out full force in a deafening external one that would've been heard for countless miles over. Hell, it probably could've pierced into different dimensions had it been unleashed. As it were, only a croaked sound came out of Beerus's open maw, as he stared with increasing balefulness at his new accursed body's reaction to Hera's little stunt.
When everyone else's gaze began to shift back to him, not quite knowing what to say, other than perhaps Rhea who was beaming so hard it physically hurt to look at her, Beerus latched on to his lips with a grip so hard he almost tore that part of his face clean off. Only one singular thought running through his mind succinctly and clearly, as the urge to castrate himself shot through the roof and into the stratosphere metaphorically. One that summed up what'd just occurred pretty well.
What. The. Fuuuuuuck!?
AND CUT!
Well, lol, that's the end of that one anyhow. Payback has been served in a rather, uhm… interesting manner to say the least. Soaking in the moment a bit much there, Hera?
As for the other parts in the chapter, hope I did those action sequences well enough. Hades and Poseidon didn't get as much as the others, but that'll be rectified I'd say in the next chapter with the spars, and yes, I'm doing them. Some will be kept pretty short though, ay only just describe briefly what happened, while for others, I'll dedicate a bit more time to. I'll have to see how it goes. Next chapter will also have another Titans moment and a reveal for our future Olympians that's long overdue. Here's a hint: The island of Crete won't be their main hub for much longer.
You can consider this and the next chapter more as buffer chapters in a sense, but believe me, the battles are approaching. And not all may be coming with Beerus and co having their True Divine Forms on-lock. They've dealt with Hyperion for now, but not for good. That's all I'll say on that for now
Regardless, I hope you all got some enjoyment out of that, and I'll see you in the next one at the end of the month. And then four more times in September to really get things rolling!