The morning sun broke gently over the village, spilling light across the streets where laughter had returned only recently. Yet behind those bright smiles, whispers of fear lingered like ghosts. The revelation of Zeus's disappearance—and the chilling possibility that he had been possessed—had begun to spread quietly among the people.
Hercules walked through the crowded market square with Selina and Lykos by his side. To everyone, he was just Dion—the mysterious warrior who had saved them from the monstrous Chimera. But deep inside, his thoughts wrestled with truths far too heavy for the world to bear.
If Zeus has truly fallen… what then? What becomes of Olympus? Of us?
Imagine telling them… telling the villagers that their god of thunder now serves darkness. They'd crumble in fear. They'd lose hope. Damn… I can't do that. Not yet.
I'll tell them. No, I can't. Ah, damn it… This is too much to think about right now.
"Dion, are you okay?" Selina's voice cut through his storm of thoughts. She offered him a soft, worried smile. "You've been quiet all morning."
He forced a grin. "Just… thinking about breakfast."
She raised an eyebrow. "Right. Because saving the world apparently doesn't fill you up."
Lykos chuckled beside them, adjusting the stack of scrolls in his hands. "If you two are done flirting, maybe we can focus on these clues. According to these records, something strange happened in Olympus decades ago—before the gods went silent."
Selina elbowed him playfully. "Oh, hush. You love the drama more than I do."
But Lykos's eyes carried a weight that no joke could hide. His obsession with uncovering the truth wasn't born from curiosity—it came from pain.
⸻
Lykos's Memory
He remembered being a child—sitting beside his father under a broken roof, the rain seeping through cracks in the ceiling. His father had been a scholar, a man who devoted his life to studying the gods. But when famine came, and the gods offered no aid, the villagers turned on them both. They burned his father's scrolls, calling him cursed.
That night, Lykos watched the fire consume everything he loved.
And in that burning glow, he swore he'd uncover the truth behind the gods—why they allowed mortals to suffer.
I won't let blind faith decide who lives or dies again.
⸻
Now, as he walked beside Hercules, the old pain stirred. "You know," Lykos said, eyes still on the path ahead, "my father used to tell me that when gods fall, they take their believers down with them. Maybe that's what's happening now. Maybe Zeus… isn't the god we thought he was."
Hercules stopped for a moment, his heart tightening.
If only you knew how right you are.
But he simply nodded. "Maybe. But if that's true, then someone needs to stand up and protect what's left."
Selina smiled faintly. "Then let's make sure we're ready for whatever's coming. Even if it's… a war among gods."
The word war hung in the air like thunder.
⸻
A Storm Approaches
Later that afternoon, the trio stood near the cliffs beyond the village, where the winds howled and the clouds gathered unnaturally dark.
Lykos unrolled another scroll. "There's something else. Ancient texts speak of a god of the underworld—Hades—who once coveted Olympus. If Zeus truly is possessed… then—"
A sudden chill swept through the air. The ground trembled. Birds scattered into the sky.
A voice—low, guttural, and seething with malice—echoed from beyond the fog.
"Hades… possesses Zeus?" the voice snarled. "You mortals speak truths you were never meant to know."
The trio turned sharply. Out of the mist emerged a towering figure—half-man, half-beast. Its skin was charred black, veins glowing faintly red like molten rock.
Selina drew back, whispering, "What… what is that?"
The creature smiled, revealing jagged fangs. "They call me Theron the Forsaken. Once, I was a man—just like you." His monstrous claws flexed, the earth cracking beneath him. "But no one cared for me. No one listened. They called me a thief, a beggar, a pest. I starved while the gods turned their gaze away."
He slammed a claw into the ground. "Then one night, as I lay dying, an unseen voice whispered to me—'Rise, and serve me.' And when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn. Reincarnated. Not as a man… but as this."
Lykos's face turned pale. "Reincarnated… like Dion," he whispered.
Theron sneered. "Oh, you know of him, don't you? The little scholar digging too deep. That's why I'm here. My master grows tired of your curiosity, boy. He says it's time I tear your heart out before you find out who truly sits upon the throne."
Hercules stepped forward, his eyes cold, hiding the storm raging inside him.
He's reincarnated too. Another soul dragged into this cursed cycle… just like me.
Out loud, he said firmly, "You don't have to do this, Theron. You were given another chance at life. Don't waste it on vengeance."
Theron's laughter shook the ground. "Spare me your pity, mortal. I've waited long enough to taste the fear of those who mocked me. And I'll start… with him."
He pointed one claw at Lykos.
Selina stepped protectively in front of him. "You'll have to go through us first!"
Theron grinned—a smile that was more beast than man. "Gladly."
The wind howled, thunder cracked, and dust swirled violently around them as the beast's eyes glowed crimson.
Hercules's hand clenched at his side.
No more running. No more hiding.
If Hades wants war… he'll get one.
The ground split beneath them as the monster lunged forward—
and the chapter ends.