Kuro settled into her new life rather easily. After all, she now had a beautiful, sunny island all to herself—so much better than the cold, lifeless surface of her former dark moon.She could visit any of the worlds within Tet's multiverse whenever she pleased, and her only duty was to patrol her section of the dimensional gap for intrusions or tears in space.
Her closest neighbor, Great Red, turned out to be surprisingly friendly. In fact, he seemed to look for any excuse to visit. Kuro suspected he was simply lonely, so she indulged him whenever he came around, the two of them sharing long and pleasant conversations.
As they spoke one day, Great Red rumbled in his deep voice, his eyes gleaming. "I'm truly thankful the boss kept his word and brought me some help. Though, I hope he brings more—just the two of us is hardly enough."
Kuro, lounging comfortably on a large boulder, crossed one leg over the other and nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Especially if he intends to continue expanding the multiverse. We'll need more help—and they can't be small fry either."
Great Red's tail flicked lazily through the air, sending a ripple of energy across the sky. "I'm sure he's hard at work looking for more even as we speak."
—
Meanwhile, in Tet's realm…
Apollo crouched low in the tall grass, wearing nothing but a pair of golden swim trunks and war paint streaked across his cheeks. In his hands, he gripped a shining golden Super Soaker like it was a divine weapon. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning for movement. Somewhere out there, his enemies lurked.
A faint rustle behind him made him whirl around instantly—only to find another Super Soaker aimed right at him. Standing there with a smug grin was Hermes.
The two stared each other down, eyes narrowed in mock intensity.
"Easy there, Herm," Apollo said slowly, his voice tense. "Drop the gun. No one has to get hurt."
"You drop your gun," Hermes shot back, raising an eyebrow.
Before either could act, a calm but amused voice called out, "Both of you, drop your guns."
They turned their heads to see Tet standing a few feet away in his adult form—wearing swim trunks, aviator sunglasses, and holding a water gun in each hand, both aimed squarely at them.
Apollo gave a sheepish grin. "Looks like you got us, boss. Guess there's nothing we can do."
He and Hermes slowly began to kneel, pretending to set their weapons down… only to suddenly pull second Super Soakers from out of nowhere. In an instant, they had one gun trained on Tet and the other on each other.
"Well," Apollo said with a smirk, "looks like we've got ourselves a standoff."
Tet chuckled, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "Looks like it, alright. On the count of three, everyone put your gun down."
He started counting. "One… two…"
But before he could reach three, a silver blur burst out of the trees. Artemis, wearing a sleek silver one-piece swimsuit and dual-wielding Super Soakers, spun gracefully through the air. With a swift series of movements, she blasted all three men with precision shots before landing lightly on her feet.
Droplets sparkled off her hair as she smirked proudly. "Ha! I am victorious!"
Her victory was short-lived. A sudden splash of cold water hit her from behind. Gasping, Artemis turned, brushing her soaked hair from her eyes—only to see Hestia standing there in her adult form, wearing a chocolate-colored bikini. In one hand, she held a Super Soaker. In the other, a plate of neatly cut watermelon.
Hestia giggled softly, her voice warm and teasing. "Pride cometh before the fall, dear niece. Now, everyone take a break for a snack."
As they all relaxed by the pool in the indoor water park, the air was filled with the sounds of splashing water and laughter. Artemis sat with a noticeable pout, her silver eyes narrowed as she stabbed a piece of watermelon with her fork. "It's not fair," she grumbled between bites, her tone sharp but sulky. "Aunt Hestia wasn't playing originally. I should still be the winner."
Apollo leaned back in his chair, sunlight glinting off his golden hair as he smirked at her frustration. "So, boss," he said casually, turning his gaze toward Tet, "how's the system going?"
Tet reclined comfortably, his expression thoughtful but relaxed. "Well," he began with a faint smile, "me and Hades have pretty much got it up and running. Not much left to do now except turn it on and sever the threads of fate." His mismatched eyes glimmered mischievously. "I'll also be changing just about everything. But I'll be keeping Camp Half-Blood open—because, let's be honest, I don't expect any of you to stop having kids all of a sudden."
Apollo chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You would be correct."
Hermes, lounging nearby with a drink in hand, added with a grin, "Yep, absolutely. I have no plans to stop."
Artemis sighed deeply, setting down her plate and pinching the bridge of her nose. "As much as I hate to say this," she muttered, "I actually wish you two would settle down with someone nice. Then maybe you'd stop going after all those poor maidens—and leaving them with your kids."
Apollo looked half-offended, half-amused. "Hey, at least I try to make sure my kids survive," he said defensively. "That's more than some of the others do for theirs."
Tet chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway," he continued, "I'll be not only keeping the camp open but probably expanding it and upgrading it. I'll be taking care of Zeus and Hera soon, so Dionysus will be getting the boot." He glanced at the twins curiously. "After that, I'll need a new camp director. You two think your mom might want the job?"
Apollo looked up thoughtfully, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Well, Mom loves kids, and I'm sure she'd take her job seriously," he admitted. "But combat training won't be much of a thing with her in charge."
Artemis nodded in agreement, her expression softening slightly. "Indeed. Mother doesn't like the idea of children suffering so much as a scraped knee, much less actually fighting."
Tet exhaled through his nose, his smile turning sly. "Well then," he said, sitting forward with a glint of amusement in his eyes, "I have no choice but to go with the backup plan."
Apollo tilted his head curiously, his golden eyes glinting in the pool's soft lighting. "And what's that?" he asked, clearly intrigued.
Tet chuckled, stretching lazily before replying, "Oh, you'll see later. But for now, I've gotta focus on finding a few more dragons to guard the Dimensional Gap." With a relaxed sigh, he rested his head in Hestia's lap, her gentle fingers absentmindedly brushing through his hair. "I've got two already," he murmured contentedly. "I want at least four more."
Artemis, who had been sipping from her drink, set it down with a faint frown. "But for what purpose?" she asked, her tone curious.
"So we don't suddenly get invaded by Cthulhu," Tet answered casually, as if talking about the weather.
The room went silent. Hermes froze mid-bite, his watermelon halfway to his mouth, before lowering it slowly and staring wide-eyed at Tet. "Please tell me he's not real," he said, his voice almost pleading.
Tet smirked faintly without opening his eyes. "I can't," he said simply, "because he is—and so are many other eldritch beings."
Artemis stiffened, her expression tightening with genuine unease. "Please make getting those dragons a priority," she said firmly, her voice low but serious. "And make sure they're powerful."
Tet opened one eye, smiling reassuringly. "Well, honestly, Great Red and Kuro were already universal in strength," he explained. "Now that they're linked to the multiverse, they're multiversal—and they'll only grow stronger as the multiverse grows. So we're safe enough for now."
Apollo gave a low whistle and stood, ruffling his hair. "On that happy note," he said with a nervous laugh, "I'm gonna go do something to take my mind off the frightening things I just learned."
"Same," Hermes muttered, quickly standing to follow him.
"I need to check on the Hunt," Artemis added quietly before disappearing in a flash of silver light.
Tet finally sat up, watching the others leave with a faint smirk. "Finally," he muttered with relief, "I thought they'd never leave."
Without hesitation, he pulled Hestia into his arms, holding her close. She giggled softly, warmth and affection lighting her features.
Then Tet said, "We should go on another date soon. I want to spend more time with my favorite goddess."
Hestia smiled, a radiant expression of pure happiness lighting up her features. "I'd love to go out with you," she replied, her voice warm. "Shall we go to a new world, or one we've already been to?"
Tet leaned in and kissed her softly, a tender gesture full of affection. "Anywhere is fine, my dear," he murmured against her lips, "as long as you're happy."
"In that case," Hestia said, her eyes sparkling with playful excitement, "let's go somewhere fun! I want us to enjoy ourselves as much as possible before we return and deal with... you know who."
Tet gasped, his eyes widening in feigned shock. "Voldemort?"
Hestia let out a light laugh and playfully whacked him on the forehead. "No! Zeus! It's time he retired permanently. You're the real top God, and it's time everyone knew it."
A thoughtful look crossed Tet's face. "If I'm the top God," he mused, a sly grin forming, "does that make you the top goddess, since you're my girlfriend?"
Hestia answered him with a deep, affirming kiss. When they parted, she whispered, "Some things don't need to be said, darling." She gave him a final, soft smile before declaring, "Alright, let's go!"
In one fluid motion, she stood up and snapped her fingers. Her bikini vanished, replaced by a crisp white shirt, brown pants, a stylish brown jacket, and a gold necklace. The charm—a king piece nestled inside a hearth—rested against her collarbone.
Tet smiled warmly at the sight of the necklace. He had given it to Hestia as a gift. Not only did it look beautiful on her, but it also granted her the authority to render any god at or below her level powerless. And since she benefited more than the other gods in their pantheon whenever they gained new worlds, her power had skyrocketed, quickly making her the most powerful deity in this multiverse, aside from Tet himself.
"Staying in your adult form, I see," Tet observed, his gaze appreciative.
Hestia smirked, a knowing and alluring look in her eyes. "I figured you'd want to keep looking."
In an instant, Tet closed the distance between them, his hands firmly grasping her hips to pull her close. He captured her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, their tongues engaging in a heated dance that lasted several minutes. When he finally pulled back, both were breathless. His voice was playful,as he said. "I'm gonna do more than look."
Hestia blushed a furious crimson, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. "I can see that," she managed to say, gently pushing against his chest. "Let's get going before we end up... all over each other."