The Olympian God of Destruction:
Chapter 21: The Titanomachy XIV
When Hyperion's blood-curdling scream of agony resonated out over the mountain's peak, many of the lesser deities, both those who'd managed to remain unharmed and those recovering from being turned into paste earlier by said Titan's assault, couldn't help but shiver involuntarily. The stronger gods who'd been fighting previously simply stared at the sight that they beheld, as the sickening sound of bone and artery both being shredded through reached their divine eyes and ears just as quick. All as Beerus' body barrelled into Hyperion's, driving his recently crafted blade out the other end through the Titan's back as the sword ploughed in through his sternum right down to the hilt. The momentum shoving them both forward, as the last vestiges of her Beerus' divine form fled. His long-haired, more humanoid form returning fully, donning his tunic as both he and the gored Titan ground to a halt on their feet a dozen metres away from their last spot.
"Kuhk!..." Golden blood shot out and pooled down from the Titan of heavenly light's lips, drizzling over Beerus' head as a maelstrom of pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before enveloped him. His divine muscles, his mind, and even his very soul feeling like they were being torn asunder and ripped apart over and over again, as a purple glow and those damnable particles fled from his grievous wound, stemming from the glowing blade now piercing right through his chest and back. And then, to the surprise of pretty much everyone watching, just like Beerus' had done, Hyperion's previously majestic, blindingly glowing form steadily ebbed away, soon leaving him back in his base state devoid of his aura with an expression of shocked horror and suffering.
His eyes were wide and unfocused as they returned to what should've been their usual metallic gold, but were noticeably much dimmer than they'd been before. Appearing almost glass-like with the receding glow of a fizzling flame, with his once milky-white skin before everyone's gaze slowly bleaching into a more chalk-white colour, making his visage look more and more hauntingly ghost-like as opposed to the godly one he'd had not a moment prior.
"Muh-my… power…" The increasingly pale Titan muttered, both in disbelief and severe perturbation as his words came out in a pained whisper. The light that had protruded from his stumps and had been gathered in his mouth having vanished just as quickly as he'd made them appear, as though they were controlled by a switch that had been unceremoniously flicked off in his impalement. And no matter his attempts to call upon his power in that moment, to his even graver shock, failed to give him anything other than a brief flicker of his aura, which therein immediately sputtered out.
Despite the soul-shearing torment he was undertaking, Hyperion was able to somewhat turn his shaky gaze down at his most hated enemy since his own father. His once perfect sight now blurred, showing him three of the deity he so despised beneath him as a dizzying feeling began to take root in his mind. The next words he spoke coming with a stuttering difficulty, as though even his own voice was getting ready to leave him. "Wh-What have… you done… to me?"
"Put an end to your nonsense. That's what." Beerus remarked coldly, before grabbing on to the Titan's quivery shoulder, and taking a wide step back as he brutally wrenched his divine blade back from Hyperion's shredded spine and out from his mangled guts with a sprinkle of ichor. A shockingly low amount dribbling to the ground from his open, garish wound as the Titan groaned and stumbled back, barely even able to keep himself on his feet as he stood on unsteady legs that threatened to tip over if he tried to exercise any more strength than what it took for him to remain standing.
And that was what was beginning to terrify him. Something was very, very wrong here. Not only were his wounds refusing to heal, but… everything felt so… cold all of a sudden. In the fleeting moment he'd been removed from that sword, an unnatural chill had fallen over the disfigured Titan. One that like his injuries, refused to go away, and if anything, only seemed to worsen as he desperately tried to keep himself upright, but it wasn't long before his posture drooped forward, with him hunching his back as though the mere act of standing tall at this point was becoming too taxing.
All this compounded was enough to spur Hyperion to action. Without thinking on it any further, with a monumental amount of effort for something that should've been simple, he was able to take a step back without falling down on shaky legs and turn his head towards a certain section of the barrier. Then, pooling what little he could from his domain that was beginning to become increasingly more unresponsive, his eyes lit up and fired a highly concentrated, if extremely weak, set of heavenly light lasers towards the magical barrier. They struck home unimpeded, and briefly illuminated that section in a somewhat similar manner to how it'd been when he first passed through into the closed off peak of Olympus, but obviously in a much smaller and dimmer way than before.
"Hmph. I presume that was you sending a signal of retreat to your ally on the other side?" Beerus spoke up again, recognising the futility of such an action taken unless it was meant to act as a message for his cohort outside the barrier to flee. One that while fighting the Titan of heavenly light, he'd been able to sense hanging around mere feet away from it on the opposite side, whom he could recognise as the Titaness that'd been with him earlier, when he and Styx had gotten the now defeated Titan to chase them far away from their previous place of residence before it could be compromised. "Not that it makes much of a difference, but I suppose that was the smartest move you've made thus far. As I'm sure you're well aware at this point what a mistake you made by challenging the god of destruction, and not to mention everyone else here, to a battle by yourself."
"Ngh… shut your damn mouth!..." Hyperion spat, forcing his blurry vision to focus and return to normal, even if only briefly, as he glared at Beerus venomously. "You think… you're so great… just because you managed to attain your own divine form somehow and… get a lucky win against me…?"
"Lucky?" Beerus rose a brow. "Are you actually so delusional that you'd call such an utter defeat luck?"
"Hngh!... I'm not the one who's delusional here…" Pushing down the terror that crawled over him, the Titan managed to step forward again to face Beerus with his front, albeit shakily. His legs quivering like leaves during a breeze as every holy muscle in his body felt numb and consumed with a level of exhaustion unlike anything he'd ever felt before. "You may have… managed to defeat me… but I promise you… my brothers and dear nephew will avenge me!... They will crush you all for this little rebellion… even without me there to aid them!..."
"Oh really?" Beerus brought a hand up near his mouth and yawned. A sudden wave of tiredness beginning to flow over him, which he ignored for the moment in favour of addressing his defeated foe's lunacy. "Somehow I doubt that. If your performance is anything to go by, then I shouldn't have too much trouble taking them out in the future either."
"Hehehehe…" Hyperion chuckled weakly, feeling himself get colder and weaker by the second, as the pure air passed over and through his grievous wounds. "Is that… what you think… little fledgling…?" The Titan's weak chuckling faded, as it was replaced by a deep scowl filled with burning hatred as he met the destroyer's gaze. "It seems to me… that you're the one who's truly delusional here…" His eyes then swept out across the area at the other gathered gods, his and his brethren's enemies. "You and your allies both… Nrgh!... It's truly beyond pathetic, how little clue you have as to what's to come…"
What is this moron yapping on about? The GOD thought to himself, beginning to grow weary of his bested opponent's chatter. Which only added to the tiredness he was already feeling.
"When Theia… my sister-wife returns to Othrys… there won't be any more hiding for you." The Titan took a deep breath in and out to steady himself, before what remained of his teeth were bared in a snarl as he kept the lingering dread in his heart under control. The one brought on from Beerus somehow shutting off his healing ability as well as drastically weakening his power with that final blow he'd dealt with that blade.
Actually… no. That wasn't quite accurate. It was more like… the very bond he maintained with his divine domain had somehow been wounded. Cut into just like his physical body was right now. Not totally severed, as he could still feel it bound with him, but damaged enough to the point where calling upon it in any capacity had gone from being natural for him, to suddenly feeling foreign. Like the metaphorical bridge that connected him with his domain and made them one and the same had been almost totally destroyed, causing a backlash effect that was being felt by his entire being because of it.
Hyperion knew of only one other weapon in this world capable of something like that, and the fact that this punk now had his own version of it made him even more fearful of what the new god before him would be capable of if allowed to reach his full potential. He didn't allow this to show on his face though. What remained of his pride could never allow this bastard to know of the fear he'd struck into him with his terrifying potential. He'd instead put his faith in his brethren, particularly his king, and youngest brother Kronos to put this upstart down before he achieved that potential and became too powerful for any of them to deal with.
"Theia will tell them… where you're all hiding… and when she does… it'll only be a matter of time… before they lay siege to your little sanctuary!..." The Titan proclaimed, a hoarse laugh rising out as he had to force his numb legs not to buckle, doing his best to muster as much confidence as he could in his words. "And when they do… if you think your little barrier can keep you safe… then you're in for a rude awakening once Kronos brings out his scythe!..." Vision beginning to blur again despite his best efforts to keep it focused, the once mighty Titan became hysterical, convincing himself of what he was envisioning being how things would play out. "He'll cut through this little barrier of yours… and when he does, him and our allies will take all of you down for daring to stand against us!..."
Hyperion cast a brief glance past a now scowling Beerus, his vision becoming blurrier as he looked to where he knew the god's sisters to be in particular. His now horrible sight not enabling him to notice that at that moment, that one of the three sisters was absent from where she'd been, before he moved his fading sight back to the destroyer god. "He'll tear you, your supporters, and your most especially your worthless siblings apart… and cast your remains down into the deepest pits of Tartarus for your transgressions… No one will be spared… Not even those whores you call-"
CRRRUUUUNNNNCH!
"Nrngh!?..." Hyperion's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks as his dialogue was cut off, his hoarse voice rising up to a squeaky pitch as a brief, but horrendous pain flooded back into his system. His feet rising up to where his toes barely touched the ground as his disfigured body stilled up.
Those who saw what had happened, either cringed or smiled viciously as Hyperion was finally shut up, and in Beerus' case, the growingly tired god blinked bemusedly as the front of a pale foot was smashed up in a brutal kick to the Titan's groin from behind. The blow strong enough to send out a small shockwave as it partially lifted him from the ground, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the crunching sound was from the mouthy god's balls being utterly crushed from the force of the kick.
Barely a second later, the Titan slowly, like a tree that'd been repeatedly cut into by an axe, tipped over to the side until his body impacted against the ground on his hip with a thud. Eyes rolled back into his skull with a fixed expression of pure, unadulterated agony on his chalk-white, unconscious features as his face looked out towards his gathered adversaries without seeing.
Behind where he'd been, the nude, superbly bodacious form of Hera stood, lowering her foot back to the ground with a hand still firmly covering her sex, while the arm of her other wrapped over and covered as much of her bubbling, jiggling boob-flesh as it could. Her expression a mixture of disgust as she glared down at the felled, effectively castrated Titan alongside savage satisfaction at what she'd just done to him.
"That was for humiliating me and for having the gall to suggest me and my sisters become your glorified sex trophies, you repulsive pervert." The beautiful goddess sneered contemptuously, unable to hold back the upward curl of her lips at the abhorrent Titan's current state after all the crap he'd just given them. "You deserve nothing less after all the hassle you just gave us."
"Ahhh-hhaaaa… " Beerus exhaled in an even deeper yawn, briefly closing his eyes as he was hit with a sudden bout of lethargy, as his attention shifted fully to his buxom sister. "You certainly didn't waste time getting over here to get your lick in once he'd essentially become harmless… I didn't even see you-haaaa… coming…" The GOD let off with another rumbling yawn, while throwing a vaguely intrigued look her way.
"Hmph. That barrier he put up preventing us from shapeshifting and dematerialising crumbled shortly after you stabbed him." The goddess explained, glancing over to him before looking back down at the downed Titan, upturning her regal nose at him in derision as she continued on. "I felt it happen, and after getting a little too sick and tired of listening to him ramble and throw his hollow threats at us, I materialised over here and shut him up. Preferably for good." She added at the end, able to see with her angle above him beneath the scarf that fell over his motionless body at his crushed sack, which like the other wounds over his body, refused to heal. "It appears whatever you did to him has made this cretin unable to heal himself anymore. Hopefully that sticks, as I think this new shredded, ball-less visage suits such a pathetic, perverted joke of a god like him."
Demeter and Hestia, seeing their younger sister do what she did, and sensing the breaking of Hyperion's barrier also, were quick to teleport from their position away from the battle to join up with her and Beerus. The latter being greeted by a big hug from his side as the straw-blonde beauty damn near barrelled into him, making him partially stumble as the goddess' clothed breasts squished into his arm whilst hers circled around his waist.
"Oh brother, you never cease to amaze, do you?" The young deity said excitedly with a wide, beaming smile as she deepened her one-sided embrace with a now somewhat flustered Beerus, flattening her soft, perky mounds against his dense arm even more. "You've managed to achieve a True Divine Form of your own so soon, and claimed victory in battle against such a ferocious enemy. And all to keep us protected from harm once more. You truly are one of a kind!"
A part of the GOD wanted to tell the overly-excited goddess to calm it down with the affectionate gesture, but found himself too tired at the moment to bother, so he just let her get away with it. Plus, he did appreciate the compliments all the same, what with how they rubbed his ego the right way.
"I'm glad you were able to finish it." Hestia remarked softly, catching Beerus' attention as she placed a hand on Hera's shoulder to calm her down. The latter having looked ready to start stomping on the fallen Titan for added spite before she felt her oldest sister's presence, simmering her remaining temper down enough to where she left the defeated Hyperion be. "Though I would much prefer if everything could be solved without such violence, it is still good to see this battle finally concluded." Her glowing eyes were full of care and love as she met her twin's gaze. "And even more so to see you safe and victorious over one of our shared enemies."
The god of destruction chuckled lowly, knowing she'd played her role well at the eleventh hour. "Probably wouldn't have been without your last-minute intervention." Something he perhaps wouldn't have needed if he'd gone in for the kill a little earlier than he had, but that was on him for wasting time messing with Hyperion in the first place. Call him spiteful, but after all the annoyance the Titan had caused, he'd say the time had been well spent watching his foe's hope for victory get steadily crushed, if only for his own pleasure.
Beerus continued. "Don't think I didn't catch you using your power on him to give me the advantage at the last second." And without him giving a signal, he might add. She'd just judged correctly when to bust it out on her own, which had proved invaluable in this situation. "Normally, I'd be quite annoyed at someone stepping in during one of my battles, but this occasion I most definitely consider an exception. You have my thanks for the assist, Hestia."
"And you mine, dear brother, for defending us once again from the harm that Hyperion intended to bring on us all." She replied warmly. Her comforting aura, as always, cascading over him and everyone else to make them feel even more soothed, as she stepped closer to him. Her arms encircling around him from his other side as she hugged him fondly, which didn't really surprise him. If anything, given how her aura was blanketing over him, he even somewhat welcomed her doing so, as he ignored the feeling of her larger, pillowy boobs pressing into the arm holding his sword, bulging their voluminous flesh out around it from within her tunic.
"Heh. Don't go forgetting about us now." Zeus piped up with some amusement, as he and the others came toward them, some bit of relief on their faces knowing well at this point that the battle was over. Hades reappearing as his helm vanished on his command, while those who'd been in their True Divine Forms up to that point powered down back into their normal forms, tunics intact. "We all played a part in this battle today, after all."
"True." Beerus nodded lazily, as he regarded their approach. Though not out of a lack of appreciation for their efforts, but more so for just how fatigued he felt at the moment. "You all did good keeping him distracted. Much as it pains me to say, without your help there keeping him occupied, I'd never have been able to pull off what I just did."
"Hah! 'Much as it pains me to say'? Good grief, brother, of all the ways you could've phrased that, you just had to pick the begrudging one, didn't you?" Zeus quipped back with a light-hearted laugh, obviously taking no real offence to it, and finding his brother's wording more humorous than anything. A sentiment shared by most of their allies, with those that weren't simply being unphased by it as they all came to a stop in somewhat of a semi-circle around the four siblings and their fallen foe. "Regardless though, I'm quite glad that ordeal is over with."
"And speaking of ordeals," Zeus grinned. "Talk about being ruthless there, dear sister." The silver-haired deity remarked, looking between his older sister and the downed Titan. The youngest of the seven siblings ignoring the stirring beneath his waist from seeing his beautiful sister nude like this, as he continued with a chuckle. "Then again, I can hardly say I blame you for being vindictive, Hera, especially after everything he said and did. Even in his own defeat, he seemed incapable of anything other than antagonization towards us."
"Hmph. I don't care what he was incapable of or not." Hera sneered with contempt, feeling the urge to spit on the fallen Titan for good measure as she upturned her regal nose at him again. Like she was a queen looking down on the dirtiest filth society had to offer. "What I do care about, is hopefully not having to deal with this disgusting fool again. If I can be granted that, I'll be all the merrier for it."
"I'm just glad the battle is finally over." Demeter sighed in relief at their victory, which got a nod from Hestia in agreement. Both seemed to have the same idea then, funnily enough. The two pushing themselves up on their tip-toes, rolling and sliding their mashed cleavage up the purple-haired god's arms to give the fatigued Beerus an added dose of affection by planting their lips on either of his cheeks. The latter's soft, gentle and wholesome, while the former was a bit more passionate and forceful pressing into his skin before they both pulled away. Their breasts giving a light bobble inside their clothing as they puffed back into their normal shape upon disengaging from their embrace of him.
"Indeed." Metis nodded in agreement, silently and amusedly noting the lack of a cringe on Beerus' features as he rather lethargically rolled his eyes at the gesture, along with the brief flicker of annoyance in Hera's eyes aimed solely at Demeter for hers. However, such light-hearted thoughts went to the background in her mind quick, as her own expression turned pensive. "Although, I hate to ruin the mood, but I fear there's a chance that Hyperion's last threat may not be so hollow. The destructive power of the scythe Kronos wields cannot be underestimated."
"Are you serious?" Poseidon groaned while stabbing the butt of his trident into the ground, standing next to Zeus as he looked over him to his consort. "Hyperion could've very well just been bluffing to make himself feel better after being defeated. Lying to himself so that he can take solace in his delusion that his allies will come and avenge him forthright, instead of wallowing in the misery of his loss. And speaking of that…"
The second youngest of the seven children of Rhea turned his gaze to the downed, unmoving Titan. The god perceptive enough to notice right away that even now, the fallen foe showed no sign of healing in any capacity from the wounds inflicted by his older brother and the most recent one done by his elder sister. His expression conflicted, with a mix of pleasure at the battle's end and their victory, but also bafflement at what had been done by Beerus. "I must say, brother, that symbol of power granted to you is quite the fearsome weapon indeed! Not only did it enable you to achieve your True Divine Form from what I saw, but if my eyes aren't deceiving me, has also managed to shut off the healing ability intrinsic to us all!"
"Poseidon speaks the truth." Hades nodded, intrigue and awe in equal measure mixing over his features as his gaze fixed on Beerus. "I've personally witnessed you be able to slow down the healing process before, somehow, but now, thanks to that blade, you're at a point now where it seems you can stop it full on, and deal some brutal damage along with it." Hades' grin was positively savage for a brief moment as he glanced down at the dismembered Titan, whom had caused them such hassle up to now. "I have to admit, brother. I think I might be a bit jealous of what that sword of yours is capable of. To reduce such a powerful adversary to this kind of pitiful state, it truly is a marvellous weapon indeed."
That's certainly one way to put it, Hades. The Oceanid consort of Zeus thought to herself as her eyes flicked over to the pale deity, in no way disagreeing with his assessment, as she too was quite fascinated by the sword's power in particular. She pushed her curiousness over it to the side for the moment though, to get back to what she believed was the more pressing matter.
"We'll need to start preparing for a siege right away." She vocalised with a dead serious tone. "What I spoke before was no bluff, contrary to what Poseidon may want to think, and as much as I wish he was right. Now that they'll know exactly where we are, I can virtually guarantee you all that Kronos will make a move. He'd have to be downright foolish to not at least attempt to breach our defences and invade us once he knows where we are. And given the weapon he wields, that is absolutely something he and his forces can do."
"Shit. That scythe of his is really capable of that?" Poseidon frowned deeply, seeing how unwavering the intelligent Titaness in backing up Hyperion's final claims.
"Ya. I'm sorry to say, but its indeed capable of it, Poseidon." Everybody, outside those who'd been little more than collateral by the barrier walls turned, as it was not Metis who spoke back, but the one-eyed giant Arges. The Cyclops having materialized just a few feet behind the assembled gods with a rather grim look etched unto his features. "If it could reduce the former ruler of the universe, my father Ouranos, a primordial of equal power to mother into but a shell of his former self, unable to take physical form and with little influence on the world even to this day, it's entirely possible that it could allow them to breach the barrier. In fact, it's a certainty that it can."
Poseidon cursed under his breath again. "Damn. We only just managed one of those assholes just now, and you're telling me we'll have to get ready for a full-on confrontation with the rest of them?"
"Hyperion was a special case due to his divine domain. The biggest reason he caused so much trouble was because of his heavenly light allowing for near perfect elusiveness, which I can tell you right now cannot be said for the other Elder Titans." Styx was swift to reply cooly while placing a hand on Poseidon's shoulder, somewhat calming the younger deity down. "And leaving that aside, while I understand your grievance, such a confrontation with them was inevitable, given we're at war."
"I'm aware of that, Styx." Poseidon sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I just didn't think we'd be having to deal with something like that so soon. I'd hoped it'd be a while before we'd have to concern ourselves with a grand battle on that scale…"
"Well, it would appear we're not going to be that lucky, so no use crying about it…" Beerus yawned loudly again, his vision beginning to blur somewhat as everyone's attention went to him. His tone holding more tiredness to it than annoyance at the prospective invasion Metis was predicting. "In any case," He went on, glancing up at the one-eyed giant, rubbing at his eyes with one of his hands when the Cyclops appeared much blurrier than he'd like. "what I'm more concerned with is that this barrier you and your brothers set up doesn't seem to be as protective as you'd let on, given how a certain pest managed to get in."
"Ahh… yes. It would seem we may not have accounted for all variables when it came to him." Arges rubbed his head a little embarrassedly while giving Beerus an apologetic look. "We felt him push through the instant he did, and honestly felt silly when we realized how he'd done it." The one-eyed behemoth shook his head, as though in disbelief he and his brothers hadn't actually thought of the now defeated Titan doing whatever he was thinking of.
Turning his single eye down to look at Hyperion, Arges grumbled. "I'll give him credit for using his head, at least, even if all it got him was a resounding defeat, which I suppose is the silver lining in him being able to breach our barrier." Raising his head up, Arges single eye seemed to point towards a specific section of the barrier, which to any other observer, would've looked untouched. "It was over there, I can see it clear as day with my eye, even if the rest of you can't. A hole on the outer layer of the barrier. One far too tiny to be seen by your naked eyes. The kind that would get him nowhere if her were simply trying to brute force his way in, but he was a bit more clever in this instance."
Putting his hands on his hips, the Cyclops' only eye narrowed. "He used his rather unique domain, his heavenly light, and funnelled it inside that small perforation he made on the outer shell. From there, given the residual magic I can still make out, he must've steadily worked it through the rest of the barrier, slowly peeling his light through, until he'd gotten just enough of it out on our side to force himself to materialize inside. A neat trick that only he could've done," He coldly complimented, while glancing down one more time at his fallen brother without a lick of sympathy. "and a fat load of good it did him."
Letting his sword finally disappear from his hand, Beerus' eyes felt heavier than ever as he let out a long, drawn out sigh. Feeling too drained to muster up any real annoyance at the oversight. "Fat load of good it did him, indeed." Beerus turned away then, looking at no one in particular as he continued. "In any case, our current situation is as Metis said. Follow whatever she says needs to be done in order to prepare for those buffoons' future siege."
Metis blinked. A little surprised at how willingly he'd just put her in charge. "You want them to follow my instructions instead of yours?"
"You have a good head on your shoulders, and seem to have everything figured out, so why not?" Beerus turned a lazy, but acknowledging eye toward her, trying to ignore just how badly her figure was blurred out of focus. "Zeus has complimented your intellect quite extensively, and so far, you've given me little reason to doubt what he's said. I'd say you'll be more than wise enough to handle it. That is, of course, unless someone thinks I'm wrong and would like to-haaaa-ahhh… step up instead?"
Nobody dared do so. In fact, they all seemed to look towards the Oceanid with confidence, which was probably down to a mixture of what she'd done to help thus far, and the fact that Beerus had so openly vouched for her.
Metis' lips quirked up proudly, unexpectant of such naked praise from Beerus, but highly appreciative of it nonetheless. "Well, when you say it like that, how could I refuse?" Her eyes flicked affectionately over to her consort Zeus for a split second, and noted the bemused look back he gave her, clearly having not expected Beerus to throw out such a compliment for her like that, but like her, was far from displeased by the gesture. "I'll be sure to reward such trust in me with the greatest results I can muster. I swear it." She proclaimed with conviction, as she stuck her hand out for Beerus to take.
"Good. That'll do…" Beerus didn't hesitate to take it with his, symbolically sealing the deal between them, as it were. And once they released, a great weight of drowsiness pressed down on him like never before, and suddenly even just standing up felt like such a chore to do. "Now then, if you'll all excuse me.." His eyelids flickered. "I'm gonna… take a… nnnngh…"
And then, Beerus' body suddenly tipped forward, taking everyone by surprise as it went limp and began to fall. His eyes closing as his face looked to be on a collision course with the ground.
Rather than meet hard soil like his opponent had though, he was saved from such an undignified fall when Hera, alarmed and without even thinking, launched forward. The arm that'd been holding and covering her breasts coming unglued, as did the hand guarding her sex, as both of her lithe arms instinctively wrapped around the god's falling head. Both cradling it into her bosom and pressing his face comfortably into her deep ravine of soft, pale cleavage, as she dropped to a knee and allowed him to sag down to his to better support him.
"Brother!" Hestia was the first to react outside of Hera, immediately kneeling by her brother's motionless side with instant worry, as was Demeter on his other side. Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, who'd been initially stunned by this sudden turn of events, snapped out of their stupor when they heard their eldest sister's cry, and were quick to fan out around in equal worry for their sibling. Hades being quick to crouch down by the front right behind his limp brother, while Zeus and Poseidon crouched by the spaces near him forming another sort of semi-circle around their sibling.
"Beerus! What's the matter? Are you okay, brother!?" Hades spewed forth with his own level of worry, which only got compounded further when no response came from his favoured brother. His frame without motion like a marionette that'd had its strings severed and collapsed to the floor.
"W-What's going on here!?" Zeus exclaimed his question to no one in particular, echoing all of his fellow siblings' thoughts at Beerus' unexpected fall. Inwardly crushing any envy he may have felt for his brother in that moment his face was in their sister's bountiful globes, as his hand outstretched in the air with uncertainty. Hesitating as though he wasn't sure if grabbing his immobile brother was a good idea, even if he was currently being held up by their sister. "What's wrong with him?"
"I-I don't know…" Hera was the one to reply, looking none the wiser herself, as her face was alight with perturbance. The usual attitude she normally carried, even just a minute ago, alongside any distress over her state of undress having vanished in a heartbeat in place of genuine worriment for her brother. "One moment he looked fine, if a bit tired, and now he's… well, I'm not sure…"
"He looks so… pale." Demeter noticed right away, as she grabbed on softly to one of his dangling hands with hers and held it up in an attempt to show comfort. He looked much paler now than Hades did, like most of the colour of his body had been seemingly drained out in the last second or so. Not as bad as Hyperion, who'd gone chalk-white, but it didn't look good, that was for sure.
"I-I can still feel his breath on me…" Hera remarked with a light blush to go with her worry, as she felt the god's incredibly shallow, but warm breaths upon her soft, perky flesh. "It's weak, but it's there." Which was something, at least, given the fact that the Titan laid out near them hadn't so much as made a peep since his fall. "He's still fairly warm too." She noted further. Not entirely sure why she had, but assuming it was a good thing, given the brief instant where she'd had contact with Hyperion last, his body had been so stone-cold it'd almost felt chilling on her divine skin.
Having finally broken out of their own stunned stupor at Beerus' fall, Metis and Styx were quick to manoeuvre their way over and crouch down by Hera's side while the rest watched on. Their eyes getting a good look at the deity's paled features sunken over with an extreme level of exhaustion.
"It looks like… he's somehow lost consciousness." Metis was the first to speak with a brief, but astute observation, as she brushed some stray hair of his out of the way to get a better look at him.
"Indeed." Styx nodded in agreement, as she checked up on the god that she'd personally allied herself with for a better regime. The knuckles of her dainty hand coming to rest lightly upon the only portion of his face not pressed down mostly into Hera's breasts, his forehead. Her senses kicking up just as she did to try and analyse his condition and it didn't take long for her to discover something quite troubling. "It's not just that though. His power has dropped dramatically compared to what it normally is in his base state…"
"How badly, exactly?" Hestia asked worryingly, barely sparing a glance at her fellow goddess before turning her sights to her twin's unconscious form, as her hand moved to caress his back. Her aura pulsing out in full effect, primarily on him for support as she did so, but for the first time seemingly to little effect.
"To put it simply, if it weren't for me being in contact with him right now, I don't think I would even be able to feel his power at all…" Which said a lot, given once she was able to identify his power upon reaching the Isle of Crete, she'd never been able to lose track of him, no matter how far away he'd been from her on the island. Such was how easy it was to sense out his impressive power dwelling within him. "This is quite the disconcerting predicament"
"Damn…" Zeus cursed under his breath. Not understanding why this was happening now of all times, when they'd have to start preparing for their bastard father's highly probable invasion as soon as possible. "Why is that, though?" He asked, more of his consort than anyone else. "How come he's suddenly like this now? I don't recall Hyperion having done any real damage to him while he was in his True Divine Form that could warrant something like this occurring."
"That's because Beerus' current state has nothing to do with anything my son did during their battle."
Zeus, and indeed pretty much every one of the gods' heads turned to their right, where the body of Hyperion lay, as a familiar feminine voice for many of them rang out. All eyes focusing in on the arriving form of the primordial goddess of the Earth herself, as she appeared before them all. Her arms crossed beneath her large breasts, pushing their mushrooming, voluminous flesh upward as they were propped on her forearms. Her lips set in neither a smile nor a frown, as her vibrant green pools fell upon her student with a look that told everyone she suspected something like this might happen.
"M-Mother, you're here…" Arges briefly stuttered at his mother's sudden appearance, having not expected her to just appear in her physical form like this without notice. He wasn't alone there either, as most of the others seemed to be somewhat taken aback at her appearing without warning and without anyone noticing until she'd spoken up. "Why-no…" He shook his head. Cutting himself off from asking such a trivial question as 'why are you here', as the answer to that wasn't nearly as important as the more pressing one at hand.
Before he could adjust and ask the proper question that needed answering though, Hera of all people beat him to it. "Gaea, what do you mean by that? Do you know what's causing this to happen to Beerus?"
"Yes child, I do." The powerful primordial stepped forward, mounds jiggling around atop her forearms as she was careful not to step on her son's unmoving body. And as she did, both Metis and Styx were respectful enough of the ancient, gorgeous goddess to move away and make room for her, as she too crouched down by the still form of Beerus in Hera's arms. Her look changing the moment she was closer to her pupil into a solemn, but caring one as she gazed upon his unconscious features that weren't obscured. "The reason for his current state is simpler than you know. It's actually because of his True Divine Form that he's like this now."
"Because of his… True Divine Form…?" Hestia parroted, face full of confusion as her eyes now flicked between the Earth Mother and her brother. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean, young one, is that your brother took a shortcut to achieve his ascended state in order to aid you all and win the battle. Because of which, just as I'd told him during my last visit could happen with his use of the sword, he is now paying one of the consequences for doing so."
"The sword?" Hades blinked, catching on to her mentioning of his brother's symbol instantly. "Are you saying his symbol of power had a hand to play in this?"
"It had everything to do with this, dear Hades. For it was the very catalyst that allowed for Beerus to leap over what should've been years of work and dedication in the first place and reach the level of power that I was able to feel from my place upon Crete." She replied calmly, her knockers wobbling as she moved one arm out and placed a tender hand over Beerus' head and stroked his hair with a similar affection to what Hestia did for his back. An act which he most certainly would've been annoyed by had he been conscious.
"Do you have any idea what she's talking about, Arges?" Themis turned to ask her one-eyed sibling, who glanced down to meet her gaze. "You and your brothers were the ones who forged the blade she's talking about, so I have to assume you at least have some idea of what could be going on here."
"Hmm… Honestly, I'm just as clueless as the rest of you." The Cyclops shrugged. "We may have made it, and were aware of certain ways it could aid Beerus, but not a single one of us had the idea in our heads he could actually use it to ascend like he did. As soon as we felt him do that down in our forge, I must say we were quite shocked." He explained, not bothering to hide how genuinely baffled he was by it. "We knew it could be used to harness his domain's power more easily, I can tell you that much, but even we didn't foresee that he could push that to a point of ascension."
"Then I suppose one of your latest creations has done a good job at exceeding your expectations, my son." Gaea complimented with a light smile in the Cyclops direction, proud of her boy's achievement, before she turned her sights back to her unconscious student. "In any case, you all needn't worry too much about Beerus. From what I can see, his body has gone into a comatose state similar to the one any one of you knocked out of your True Divine Form would have to go through for recovery."
"Are you certain about that, Gaea?" Zeus asked politely, not wanting to come across rude to the Earth Mother after all the help she'd given them thus far, whilst ignoring his more perverted urge to ogle. "Not that I seek to doubt your words, but from what Metis has bequeathed to me about how they function, this case seems a good deal different, given what you've just told us."
"I'll have to agree with Zeus." Metis nodded, keeping her eyes centred on the primordial. "I mean no disrespect, Lady Gaea, but this doesn't seem all that similar to me. I can personally attest to having seen one of my sisters knocked out of her ascended state before, and the comatose state she entered into didn't incur this kind of rough power drop like his has. Not to mention Beerus wasn't even forced out of his ascended state for this to occur. He fell out of it on his own, if I'm understanding this right."
"You are, my dear." Gaea nodded affirmatively, confirming the Oceanid's words. "That's why I said it was similar, not the same. In particular, for Beerus, he ended up running into an issue none of you who achieved the True Divine Form the usual way ever had to deal with. At least nowhere close to the same level, anyway. And that's strain." She revealed, giving one last stroke of the god's long, purple hair before she stood up. Her ginormous globes jiggling profusely as she folded her arms by her waist. "He pushed himself to a level of power that neither his body, mind or soul were quite ready for, given he hadn't done the prerequisite training, and simply put, the effort has sapped him completely."
Could that be another reason he handed the responsibility of being in charge of our defence against a coming siege to me? Metis immediately thought to herself, eyes drifting to the slumbering deity. Was he aware of just how drained he truly was before he fell unconscious, and knew that he might not be able to lead because of it? It was hard to say, given she couldn't see his thoughts, but it sounded plausible.
"Think of his current state like a flame." Gaea continued, giving them all an analogy. "Before, it burned bright and hot like an all-consuming fire. And now, for the moment, it's been reduced to little more than a smouldering whisp. The blaze will kick up again in time, but only when his being is properly rested after having so much strain put on it."
She then turned her attention more so to Hera, who still held his head closely to her bosom. A smile coming over her lips as she saw how the goddess had seemingly thrown her normal attitude to the side, as she unapologetically hugged her slumbering sibling – and in her mind, potential future consort – close to her chest. "I'd advise you to bring him to his bed for some proper rest now. Be prepared for him to be down for a while. An hour is much too short and generous for his case. I'd say he'll be out for at least a day, possibly even a week or more after what he just subjected himself to."
Possibly a week or more!? Zeus' eyes widened, as did quite a number of their allies and siblings. If that's true, then… Then they'd have to hold down the fort without him. Something they hadn't done the best with when it was just one of the Titans, even if he had a unique ability to be wherever he wanted so long as it was covered by his heavenly light. If they managed to fully breach and invade Olympus with their full forces, there was a strong chance they might not be able to hold out with their current strength.
Wait, no! this isn't our full strength either! Zeus almost slapped himself for forgetting the other allies they had which hadn't been on Olympus during Hyperion's attack. We still have those other gods we could call upon for backup, not to mention the Hekatonkheires that are settled down right now on Crete! If we get all of their help, then repelling Kronos' probable invasion should be more than possible! The latter especially, given the strength he'd felt from them while they were just lounging around was truly monstrous. Beyond anything he'd ever felt up to that point, and perhaps even now still, seeing as he'd yet to see them get into a fight.
"I'll be sure to let Briareus, Kottus and Gyges know of what is most likely to happen soon. I'm sure you all will be needing their aid when Kronos makes his move." Gaea remarked, as she brought her hand up and clicked her fingers. A vibrant green and brown spark lighting up when she did, before an invisible wave passed over everyone.
The ground beneath their feet that'd been torn to shreds and riddled with craters upon craters was swiftly fixed up, good as new, as though an intense battle had never taken place over and on the courtyard's grounds. And it wasn't just the ground either, as everyone heard the rapid sounds of stone and bronze CLUNKING and CLACKING behind them. And by the time they'd all glanced back in the direction of the palace, it'd been fully mended of all damage done to it during the battle as well. Looking as spotless and magnificent as it had when they'd first been shown it.
"Now then, if you'll all excuse me…" The Earth goddess turned, mountainous pair wobbling like jelly almost in the pure air of Olympus, as her gaze turned down to her fallen child. A far more sombre expression overtaking her, as she looked down at the pitiful state her wayward child had been put in. "It's about time I take my son off your hands."
Falling to her knees again, producing a hefty bounce from her melons, the saddened goddess slinked her arms beneath the legs and neck of her ravaged son. Her eyes showing grief for how things had unfortunately ended up for him, as she gently lifted his near lifeless body up and brought him close to her chest. Her bouncy boobs squishing and bulging out around Hyperion's waist as she came to a stand, holding him bridal style with his head softly resting near the crook of her neck.
A part of Hera who watched her do that wanted to ask the Earth Mother why she could still hold such emotion for a piece of shit like Hyperion, and she certainly wasn't the only one either. She, like them though, held her tongue out of respect. She wasn't a mother herself. At least, not yet anyway. So, it was hard for her to conceptualise what kind of effect seeing him like that was having on her, as the one who'd given him life in the first place.
Though she held nothing but contempt for the Titan, seeing Gaea's current mood over what'd happened to him was almost enough to make her regret smashing him in his genitals after he'd already lost. For she truly looked to be hurting emotionally the more she looked at his unmoving body crumpled in her arms.
"Oh, my dear child. It truly does pain me to see you like this…" A doleful smile fell over the protogenos' face. Tears almost welling up in her eyes the longer she looked down at his chalk-white form as she held her boy close, and felt just how cold his body truly was, along with his barely traceable spirit. Being so close, she could tell that his wounds ran deep, and without her aid could take centuries, perhaps even millenniums to truly heal.
For as much damage as she'd known would be dealt in the war between the two groups, while she'd all but disowned Kronos for his heinous actions, the same could not be said just yet for the rest of her children that followed him. She just didn't have the heart to close off her emotions like that for the rest of them like she had her youngest Titan.
Regardless of how bad they may have ended up as well, and she was by no means blind to that fact, she just couldn't bring herself to not be sad seeing one of her precious children reduced to such a state. For while he'd brought it upon himself with his actions, she couldn't help but wonder, as his mother, if, in a way, things were turning out like this because she'd failed him as a parent.
No, not just him, but the rest of her Titan spawn as well. Even young Kronos, for as much as his actions of late had driven her strongly against him. Could all of this have been avoided if she'd been more attentive? If she'd tried to give them all much more of a guiding hand, especially after the travesty that was her former consort, Ouranos' betrayal by trying to lock them away. If after she'd aided her sons in taking down their father, she'd taken a more hands-on approach on raring them just a little more. Would it have even made a difference, or were things doomed to turn out like this the moment Ouranos had cursed Kronos on that fateful day millennia ago? Or perhaps, even before she'd chosen to act back then?
She didn't know. The only thing she did know though, was that when this was all over, she hoped she could convince Beerus to show some degree of mercy to his uncles and aunts that were led by Kronos. She could deal with whatever harsh punishment was coming that son of hers way when all was set and done, but for the rest of her children on the opposing side of this war?
No. She didn't think she could bare something like them being tossed into Tartarus again, even if objectively they might deserve it. Or worse, given the potential Beerus' symbol showed, being reduced to a similar state as their father, where their presence was barely even existent anymore, and might as well have been their equivalent of death. Something Hyperion was only one step away from now, following his defeat.
With those thoughts in mind, Gaea vanished from Olympus with her near-dead son cradled in her arms, much like how he'd been when he was but a new-born. Back before Ouranos had cruelly decided he hated the sight of their children and tried to get rid of them. Back when things had seemingly been much simpler than they were now. The goddess hopeful that things would get better once this conflict was finally over.
Just as soon as she'd left, it was Arges who broke the small silence that'd fallen over everyone, as he let out a sigh while turning around. "I'll be down in the forge." He said, as one large hand of his began rubbing the back of his head. He hated seeing his mother in grief like that, but there wasn't much that could be done on that end, and he knew he had responsibilities to fulfil over here. "Not sure if there's much else that can be done for it now, but me and my brothers will see if we can't go about making some improvements to the barrier. Doubt it'd be worth much against Kronos' scythe, but it's worth a shot."
"Okay." Metis nodded, her features setting into a much more determined visage as she stood up. "Whatever you think could help Arges. Your efforts are very much appreciated." She got a nod back from the Cyclops before his form vanished, and with that, she turned her attention to everyone else there. "Alright then, you all heard Beerus. For this task, I'm on charge and will do whatever I can to ensure that we repel the siege that is sure to come our way, and I expect much the same from the rest of you. Are we in agreement on that?"
"Definitely!" They all answered strongly in unison, confident and determined expressions littering throughout the throng of rebels, including Beerus' brothers especially, as the trio rose to their feet as well, with Styx doing the same not long after. All of them feeling more than prepared to do what needed to be done.
"Good! Then it's time to get to work!" The Oceanid declared loudly, almost as if to hype herself up for this as much as everyone else, as she immediately launched into allocating what she wanted everyone to do. Knowing there could be no more time to waste.
"Do not worry, brother. We shall carry on in your stead and have everything under control by the time you wake and get on your feet again. I promise you that." Hades spoke assuredly while looking down to his elder brother, even knowing he most likely didn't even hear him. His sentiment shared by both Zeus and Poseidon who uttered similar pledges to their respected kin, before turning and beginning to move out with the rest of their allies as Metis was instructing. Willing to pull out all the stops just as he had done, in their own way, to hold this place down and quash any attempt to stop what Beerus and they had gotten rolling.
"Be sure to rest well, Beerus." Styx commented calmly as she too strode by, passing one last, respectful glance and nod at the god she saw as their de-facto leader, before turning her attention over to her sister, and what role she'd be given in their defence.
With that, that only left the unconscious god and his three sisters rooted down on that spot.
Before either of her sisters could say anything though, Hera was quick to speak up. "Hestia. Demeter. You two should go as well, be part of the defensive effort. I'll make sure to give Beerus a proper place of rest and keep an eye on him for when he wakes."
"You?" Demeter blinked, before narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "And just why should that responsibility –" Before the blonde could even finish, both Hera's and Beerus' forms shimmered gold, before dematerialising right there and then, without another word. The youngest sister seemingly paying little mind to what her older sibling's response was going to be, leaving the straw-blond haired goddess floored. "fall… on you…"
"Snrk. Well, it would appear someone was in a bit of a rush…" Surprisingly enough, this little moment got a snicker out of the eldest sister, as she saw how her younger sibling was left open-mouthed and essentially out of the proceedings. Then again, she wasn't much different, seeing as her youngest sister hadn't even waited for her response either.
Unlike Demeter however, she was more amused than anything else, now that she knew her twin would be alright. That latter fact alone was enough to ease her worries, so she didn't really mind if Hera wanted to be the one looking after him in this instance.
"She… She did not just snub me like that…" Demeter's eye twitched in agitation. Her mouth closing shut in an ever-deepening scowl as her head snapped over to the palace. "The absolute nerve of her…"
"Hehe. Come along now, dear sister. I think it's about time we joined the others." Hestia's glowing eyes shined with even more amusement, as she rose to her feet. "You and I can check in on our brother later, once we've helped the others in whatever way we can in the defence effort."
"B-But she… I… Ugh, fine!" Demeter sighed in annoyance, as she rose to her feet as well. Not looking pleased in the slightest with this arrangement, as she walked off towards the rest with a huff.
Meanwhile, Hestia had to control herself from laughing, as her brighter mood returned. Glowing pools watching her younger sibling's reluctant retreat with growing humour, even despite the dire situation they were no doubt in.
Those two really were just too obvious…
Meanwhile… Atop Mount Othrys…
"You what!?" Kronos bellowed angrily through the Titans throne-room, rising from his throne with space and time crackling around him as his scythe materialised in hand. His face set in a snarl as his eyes glowed a deep, menacing, red hue. His sights set squarely on Theia, who under her little brother's furious gaze wilted and flinched after having relayed what'd occurred over at Mount Olympus.
Her other brothers and nephew looked both equally stunned and pissed off at the same time around her, upon hearing the news of what'd happened. She couldn't blame them, really.
"You mean to tell me, that upon finding their hiding place, instead of racing right back here as you should have to get our support, so we could press down on them together, you let Hyperion go in there alone!?" Kronos' teeth gnashed hard with fury. "And not only that, but now our greatest scout, and one of our strongest, our fucking brother, has already been defeated and captured by the enemy!?"
"Yes… I'm afraid so, brother…" Theia bowed her head in shame. "In retrospect, I should've tried to talk him out of it, but I too was blinded by my own desire to see our opposition taken out, just as much as he was. I allowed my brother-husband's and my own emotion to get the better of us, when I should've been trying to get us both to think more critically on our situation. Had I done that…"
"Grrr. Excuses." Kronos growled as he tried to calm himself down. Already able to feel how whitened his knuckles had become from clenching the shaft of his scythe so hard. "The fact remains that both of you let your feelings get in the way of the task at hand, and because of that incompetence on both your parts, that damned brother of ours has now been taken out of commission!"
Theia deflated further, having no real response to that biting truth. At least none that Kronos wasn't already aware of after she'd shared the tale.
"Atlas!" The current king of the universe shouted authoritatively towards his designated general, who was quick to snap his gaze and attention to his liege on call. His expression giving away that he could already tell what their Lord was about to order, as his massive muscles bulged in anticipation.
"Yes, Lord Kronos!"
"Get all of our forces ready." The Titan Lord commanded, his voice booming through not just the room, but the entire fortress itself at this point, as his reddish aura layered itself thickly over his frame. "We now finally know where those pests have holed up, thanks to my brother. His sacrifice, no matter how stupid it may have been, will not be in vain. We shall storm that haven of theirs as early as the dawn of tomorrow, and we shall crush them there and then. Is that understood?"
"Loud and clear, my Lord!" Atlas bellowed back passionately, affirmatively slamming his closed fist upon his sturdy chest with a resounding CLAP! "I will ensure everyone is fit and ready to lay siege to those cowardly bastards' residence and rend it to the ground if necessary!"
"Krios, Koios, Iapetus! What say you?"
"What else is there to say, brother?" Iapetus replied with a dark expression as his aura flared. An action mirrored by Krios and Koios as they all gazed over fiercely to their king. "You and we both know what must be done. Those traitorous fellows and rebellious children of yours will be stamped out for their insolence. There will be no quarter given, especially not after them bringing about our dear brother's fall. Retribution shall be swift and as painful as possible for this added slight against us."
"Indeed, it shall, brother." Kronos nodded in satisfaction at this response, before his burning gaze returned to Theia. "And as for you, sister…"
"Yes, brother…?"
"You will join in on the frontlines of the siege." He declared, leaving no room for argument. "Think of it as a way for you to redeem yourself after your utter failure today. Do not mess up again, understand?"
"Understood, brother." Her eyes narrowed as she looked up, a cold fury now replacing the shame that'd been on her face prior, as her hands balled into fists by her sides. "I'll be sure to make them regret whatever they've done to my brother-husband. I swear it!"
"For your sake, I hope you'll keep to that vow, because I will not tolerate another disgrace." The butt of his scythe smashed down upon the magic-enforced stone floor beneath him, causing a quake to be felt throughout the massive mountain, as the glow of his eyes grew stronger. "All of you, dismissed! Now is the time to prepare for our siege. Do not waste it!"
"Yes, Lord Kronos!" His subordinates cried out in unison, before their forms all dematerialised to go ready themselves for what was to come, and in Atlas' case, to ready the rest of the troops.
Left alone to himself then, Kronos turned his fiery gaze up to the ceiling, peering past the stony wall as his mind focused more on the heavens beyond. "I hope you're watching, father. It won't be long now before I demonstrate to you that your little curse means nothing to me."
His eyes then fixed themselves in front of him, or more specifically, in the direction he knew Mount Olympus to be in. His eyes glow intensifying when he did.
"And as for you, Beerus? I hope you and your siblings have prepared yourselves. Because come tomorrow, this irksome rebellion of yours will come to an end, and I shall deal with you and your siblings in much the same way I dealt with your grandfather. Cut to pieces and thrown to the wind!"
AND CUT!
Well, we're back with this fic, and with a sort of downtime/filler chapter which sets up what is soon to happen. A literal full-scale invasion!
What? Did y'all think I would just meander about for several chapters more before getting to any good stuff like this? Nah. There'd be no good reason to do that now that the setup is all there, so we're just heading straight into it. There'll still be downtime moments and such, of course, but the action is certainly going to get heavier from here on.
The real question is, how will Beerus' family and allies handle it now that he looks to be out of commission with how drained using his Divine Form like that has made him? We'll have to see. This'll be the point where the other characters will start to get some more time to shine in the conflict, so I hope I do it well enough.
One chapter down this month, and two to go. Hope you all enjoyed it!
Oh, and before I forget, happy very belated New Year everybody! Hope you had a great Christmas like I managed to with my family, and hopefully 2022 will be better than 2021.