In a large chamber sat several members of Atlantis's high council. At the northern end of the round table sat a woman with hair so blond it was almost silver. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, but Zeus was actually well over one hundred and fifty years old. Her sharp eyes and stoic demeanor spoke of wisdom beyond her age that surely played an integral part in her being awarded her position on the council thirty five years ago.

However, since then the world had gone to ruins, and she had been suffering from a continuous headache ever since that night thirty years ago when everything changed. Since then, she had dedicated herself to restoring the peace that existed before, even if it meant sacrificing some of her own power in order to do so.

"Mars reports sightings in North America," said Odin in a booming voice, his stature and large frame attesting to some giant blood that ran through his veins. The council was having another briefing, and of the nine chairs at the round table, five sat empty.

Neptune had left the week before to make her way to the giant citadel Azgul, while Rift had traveled to meet with the elves at Yggdrasil. Gia should have been on her way back from her meeting with the dwarves at Vlonoq; she had left on the dwarven underway just that morning. Ratri's chair was also empty, but everyone knew she likely lurked in the shadows somewhere close by.

The chair across from Zeus had remained empty for over thirty years. She felt a heavy weight of emotions when she looked at it - betrayal, abandonment, and sorrow.

“God Damn it, Zeus!” Kojin roared from across the table. His voice brought her back to the task at hand. His appearance was as impertinent as ever - red sleeveless robes draping his toned body, black hair cut short and a clean-shaven face that seemed almost charming - all traits of someone who had seen two centuries of life. But for Zeus, he was just another example of an arrogant immortal; a trait common among those who have become too powerful for their own good.

"Yes, Kojin," Zeus said, trying to mask her irritation and press her lips into a thin line. Odin was not hiding his anger at having Kojin interrupt his report, and his icy stare could have frozen the flames of any lesser being, but the arrogant fire god didn't seem to care or even notice.

"The number of Flamorians is increasing by the day," Kojin said, emphasizing each word with a raised eyebrow. "What are we going to do about it?" She knew he only asked these questions trying to stir up a scene.

"You know as well as I do," Zeus said, preferring to speak plainly and remove any possibility of misinterpretation, "that our fellow council members have left to meet with the leaders of the primary magical races, in search of aid and allies that can help us combat this expanding threat. Until they return with their reports, there is nothing we can do."

A loud boom echoed throughout the room as Kojin slammed his fist down onto the table. His fiery crimson tattoos glimmered in the light and his eyes widened in anger over the suggestion of relying on other races to help combat the Flamorians.

"Don't give me that bullshit," Kojin said, raising himself up from his seat and arching an eyebrow. "You are actually considering trusting cowards, rats, and hippies with the fate of our world? I find that hard to believe."

The worst part was that Zeus could not disagree with him entirely. The giants had taken up refuge inside their citadel, refusing to venture out amongst their enemies. The dwarves who lived in the heart of most mountain ranges refused to dare face the harsh sunlight above ground. And then there were elves, living a tribal and volatile lifestyle which made it difficult to assemble them into a proper military force. Not to mention many of them had become more attuned with nature than warfare, choosing instead to devote themselves to singing praises for their primal spirits.

It was easy for anyone to doubt whether any of these races would be able to provide aid in battle against Flamorians.

Calm down, Kojin. We are all doing what we can to fight this threat,” Ra said, his black eyes shining with wisdom. This was likely the case considering he was the oldest council member at an age of three hundred and fifty-three.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“It is Kojin! And I told you to stop calling me that,'' Kojin growled at Ra, who for a split second smirked before returning to his usual impassive face.

Shifting her attention back to Odin, Zeus asked, “Did you have anything else to add to your report?”

“Yes,” Odin boomed and continued from where he had left off as if interruption had never occurred. “Athena reports from Europe. She has killed six Famorians since her arrival and states that villagers from the area report sightings of a creature rising from the sea. The villagers attribute the destruction of several settlements to this creature; Athena has yet to confirm these reports…”

Hearing his wife's name set Kojin off all over again, “She shouldn't be out there alone—I should be out there with her.” He growled.

"I told you last time," Odin said in an increasingly dismissive tone. "The elves control most of Europe and you know that entering their territory is forbidden for you."

Zeus was only half listening as doubt filled her heart. Her enemies had grown bolder, and she was left to wonder why she was the one dealing with this crisis. Compared to previous council members, Zeus had endured many more trials since the dimensional rift was broken - all because of 'her'. That girl had been a problem from the start, and ever since the rift opened, nothing had gone right.

The door to the chamber swung open abruptly, and in strode Gia. Her almond skin was offset by her white cloak, which was trimmed with gold and hung over her silver armor. A curved sword and a dagger hung at her waist.

"Welcome back Gia," Ratri's childlike voice chimed from her chair. Zeus was left wondering when she had gotten there - something she always hated when the youngest council member did that. Ratri looked no older than thirteen, but was actually fifty-two years old. Her brown hair hung in a braid down over her shoulder, the hood of her dark cloak pulled over her face, obscuring it from view save for a small smile that shone through.

"Helloooo Ree my dear," Gia began in a pure stream of consciousness as usual. "You should have seen it, Vlonoq was beautiful! I brought back souvenirs - they're amazing! The underway is so convenient; it held me and all my bags."

"Awesome! When do I get to see them?" Ratri said excitedly.

"After they unload my luggage, we can go see them okay?" Gia said smiling lovingly at Ratri.

"Luggage?! You've been gone for less than a day! How could you possibly have bought enough souvenirs that they were still unloading them?!" Kojin fumed in disbelief.

"No silly Koji," Gia replied completely oblivious to his growing fury, "most of it is what I brought with me." She said this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world as she continued: "A woman needs her things - plus, my dad always said to be prepared!" Odin almost fell from his chair in laughter at this statement while even Ra had a smirk flash across his usually composed face. Zeus began to worry that this situation was deteriorating quickly and inquired cautiously: "Gia, do you have a report?" She hoped that this would lead to something more productive - but soon regretted the question

"I sure do, Zusy," Gia said joyfully.

‘Ugh... Not this again, dear creator,’ Zeus thought to herself as Gia continued. "Once I arrived, I immediately met with the representatives of the twelve clans and King Motnis himself. Due to our long history of friendship and mutual respect with the dwarves, I had their full and undivided attention.

I told them that we have reached a new age where our old alliances must band together once again to face our eternal foes - that now is a time of heroes, a time of trial, a time when legends are born and a time for prophecy to rise. With my unrivaled charm, I had the whole assembly on the edge of their seats as I spoke of the glory of our fore-bearers..."

Zeus decided to put a stop to this before it got any further out of hand.

"They said no did they not?" she interrupted. Gia's smile sank and she said meekly, "Yeah."

"What, they didn't fall for your womanly charms?" Odin bellowed in laughter.

"My charm always works," she exclaimed perking back up, "I got three dozen dwarven hand cannons for free!"

"Three dozen!" Kojin raged. "We have a thousand in the armory already. You should have got at least three dozen custom weapons! What is wrong with you?" Kojin was back on his feet and flames raced up his arm, once again.

"But, then I wouldn't have gotten back today," Gia explained.

Zeus wasn't sure if he had heard or not, because he stormed out of the council chamber, a string of curses flowing him and fading as the door closed behind him. It had all occurred exactly how Zeus had expected.

"Thank you, Gia your work is always appreciated," Zeus said.

Gia beamed "I'd do anything for you Zusy."

"I think that's enough excitement for today, meeting adorned." Zeus said but she remained seated. Ratri bound out of her chair, grabbed Gia by her hand and both of them rushed from the room excitedly. Odin exited shortly behind them still chuckling at the excited girls.

When the others had exited the room, Ra looked to Zeus and asked: "You do not expect the others to succeed, do you?"

"No, we are alone in this fight. There is no one else." Zeus's eyes were fixed on the chair across the table from her as thoughts of the girl, the mentor, and the friend filled her mind.