"The great titan has escaped imprisonment?" asked one of the men. He was as tall as Wingo and had brown hair.

"Nevadd of Chios," Kronos replied. "I come from the past, moments before I was sent to the pits of Tartarus."

"I thought I was dead," a woman with shoulder-length black hair said, struck by realization.

"Aileyne of Lepreum," Kronos replied. "Your fate was saved by Gaia, who shielded you from Zeus's lightning bolt."

"Wait, I was also struck by lightning?" another woman spoke. She had blonde, curly hair and a physique that rivaled the goddess of beauty.

"Valeria of Tricca," Kronos explained, "all of you here are those who denied the gods and rode the winged horses, set out by Oceanus, towards Olympus."

"There were hundreds of protesters who rode the winged horses and flew towards the Olympians?" another man asked. He was as tall as Orio and bald, but had a goatee.

"Xalus of Sigeum," Kronos replied, growing tired of standing. He knelt before them to answer their questions. "Yes, there were hundreds. But others chose to challenge the gods for amusement only. However, all of you here were angered by their inconsistency as wise and great gods."

"The gods are just abusers of their power!" said one of the men near Kronos. He was shorter than most but had long, white hair reaching his back. "They never had the mind to help us mortals anyway."

"Yisun of Sparta," Kronos replied, "I agree with your frustration. However, the gods believe the current order is better than being involved with mortal affairs."

Another man, taller than Yisun but shorter than Orio, asked, "How were you able to do this while being tortured by your children?" He was a brunette with his left eye bandaged.

"Huber of Ialysus," Kronos answered, "the gods have forgotten that I could move through time before the Fates were involved. Though I could move in time, I could not change fate, nor yours."

"Then how are we saved from death?" another woman questioned. She had short, blonde hair and was as tall as Valeria. "Gaia saving us is impossible."

"Fris of Scione," Kronos replied, "you were saved by the wind that clumped you all together for the next lightning strike. It was with the help of the wind gods that Gaia saved you."

"That's just another way of killing us!" a man exclaimed. He was as tall as Orio and had black hair.

"Nichs of Assus," Kronos chuckled, "if that hadn't happened, you all would have been sent directly to Charon's boat."

"Why are we all here?" a bald man with the same height as Nevadd asked.

"Azaire of Aenus," Kronos replied, "I will answer that after everyone has been introduced."

"Well, if that's the case, my name is—" The man, the same height as Wingo and with only a beard, was cut off by Kronos.

"Diumen of Olympia," Kronos finished, "the man who always wins the Olympian games. Quite a jest, isn't it?" Diumen, upset at being interrupted, simply laughed it off.

Aileyne, curious about Wingo and Orio's silence, asked, "Kronos, who are those two?"

"The man with black hair and a beard is Orio of Kyprus, an orphan raised by the executioner of Thessaly." Orio shrugged off the introduction, remaining silent.

Valeria, smitten by his godly physique, asked, "What about the handsome young man beside him?"

Kronos smirked, relishing the irony of choosing a man who had slain gods before and wasn't even Greek. He planned his introduction, but Wingo's gaze gave him pause. Wingo seemed content to let Kronos reveal his true origins.

"Come on, great titan," Valeria insisted.

Kronos gazed at everyone and sat down, taking a deep breath before speaking. He was ready to reveal Wingo's origin.

"The blonde man here is Wingo of Kyprus," Kronos explained. "However, that's just an alias. His true name is Lugh, the Celtic warrior god from the North."

Everyone was stunned by the news, even Orio. They wanted to express disbelief, but it was the great titan himself who declared Wingo wasn't Greek.

"Wingo, you never told me you were a god?" Orio recalled the time they killed the cyclops and told him not to be treated as a god.

"I'm not a god anymore, brother," Wingo replied sternly.

"That's impossible! A god can't lose their godhood," Aileyne blurted out, confused.

"The blame lies with the meddling Nordic gods," Wingo explained. "They sent Thor to kill me, but he destroyed all of Celtica instead."

"What is a Nord?" Yisun asked. "And a Celt? No foreign god or mortal has any business in Greece!"

"Greece isn't the only land plagued by abusive gods," Wingo retorted angrily. "I renounced my godhood and was reborn as a mortal, thankfully here in Greece. Otherwise, I might have destroyed the entire Nordic region in my rage."

The others fell silent, accepting Wingo's explanation. Kronos burst out laughing, knowing they'd have mistaken him for just another man struck by Zeus's lightning if they hadn't known the truth.

"I wouldn't have chosen him if he was just some god," Kronos said. "It's his righteousness that rivals Heracles and his strength that matches the titans."

"If he could match the titans, why did Zeus's lightning affect him?" Diumen challenged, trying to discredit Wingo's supposed godhood.

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"I'm mortal now," Wingo replied sadly, "stripped of the power to withstand even a strong breeze. I wish I still possessed my godhood, but it wouldn't have allowed me to reach the Greek islands."

"Doesn't that make you just like us?" Nevadd asked.

"If he eats the food of the gods, his godhood will return," Kronos replied. "Then the gods who abuse their power will truly cower in fear. The warrior god's might can shatter the confidence of those who rule unrighteously."

Orio still struggled to accept his brother's non-Greek origin, but he remembered the pillagers kneeling before Wingo. Now seemed like the right time to ask why.

"Wingo, what did you tell the pillagers when we met them?" Orio asked, locking eyes with him. He remembered being scolded for kneeling before him back then. This time, he looked at Wingo as his brother, seeking an explanation.

"I told them Tyr and I were close friends," Wingo explained. "I also spoke of the events unfolding in Midgard. Fimbulwinter has begun."

"What in Hades' name is Fimbulwinter?" Azaire groaned, exasperated by the constant questions. "And Kronos," he added, "why are we all here?"

Kronos grinned, remembering his promise to reveal their purpose on this strange island. "You are all here," he declared, placing his palm over the island, "to fight against the gods who rule Olympus. Climb onto my palm, and I will transport you to the land of your first quest."

They all complied, climbing onto the titan's palm. Kronos then stood, wading through the deep sea until the water reached his knees at its center. Moments later, they arrived at a temple that reached the height of his legs. He placed them at the entrance and stepped back.

"Inside the temple, you'll find the portal leading to the pits of Tartarus," Kronos said. "There, you'll find the temple that hides Pandora's Box."

"Pandora's Box?" Xalus was shocked. "I thought the box was just a legend told by the elders."

"The box is real," Kronos explained. "The reason you don't know about it is because the gods have cursed all mortals and the chained titans, preventing them from knowing the location and reality of the box."

"What does the box hold?" Nichs asked.

"The power to overcome the gods' confidence and true strength," Kronos explained flatly. "It was the power the gods feared. Mortals could potentially break the curse placed upon Pandora, the first mortal woman who walked on Gaia's palm."

"That sounds too promising," Wingo said, raising his voice. "I've heard enough lies about defeating gods in my lifetime, titan. This isn't new to me."

Kronos didn't react to his statement. He knew true victory wouldn't come from some magical power, but from wisdom, brute strength, and the prayers of mortals.

"You got me there, Lugh," Wingo grinned, scratching his head in embarrassment at his outburst. "The box only contains the power to rekindle the flame that all mortals once had. Once you open it, the minds of mortals will be filled with knowledge about the true nature of the gods they worship."

"So that's what's been inside the mysterious box all along," Huber said in realization. "I thought it held the blade Hephaestus forged for the king of Olympus."

"Hephaestus only forged the box," Kronos explained. "What was kept inside was Zeus's own secret, which I saw during my time travel."

"How do we open the box?" Azaire asked.

"By lighting the cauldrons with fire," Kronos answered. "But not just any fire. Only the flames of Olympus can burn the firewood placed inside."

"We have to steal the flame of Olympus to set it on fire?" Huber doubted they could succeed. He knew the story of Prometheus all too well.

"That's why only the twelve of you were chosen to fight the gods," Kronos said, sitting down again. "You all carry within you the flames Prometheus stole from Zeus."

All the mortals in the temple were shocked, except for Orio and Wingo. They still doubted his words, but they tried to piece things together, wondering why they were chosen.

"When Prometheus brought the flames down to Earth, Gaia immediately took a part of the flame and hid it within her," Kronos added. "When Zeus recovered the flames and punished Prometheus for eternity, Gaia secretly passed down the flames to twelve mortals hidden throughout Greece. With Gaia's blessing, they were hidden for over fifty generations. Now, the time has come for you to use the flames to destroy the throne of the abusers."

Wingo grinned at the explanation. He finally felt a sense of purpose, rather than being an errand boy for the gods. The other mortals felt compelled to look at their reflections in the nearby ocean, wondering if the flames were burning all along.

"The flames don't burn that easily," Kronos said, gazing at the sun as he tried to think of how to ignite the flames within them. "To ignite the flames, you need extreme emotion and unwavering resolve. The flame must be strong enough to burn a god's arm."

"Easier said than done," Xalus sighed in self-pity.

"Me and Wingo have done it before," Orio interjected. "It happened when we reached the entrance of Olympus. Our bodies felt like they were boiling, and we felt light as a feather. It was fueled by our anger and frustration against the gods who abandoned our family when we were attacked by roaming spirits sent by the king of the Underworld himself."

"But what about us?" Aileyne asked. "I have no strong feelings about anything, yet I'm still chosen to become a god killer."

"Aileyne of Lepreum, haven't you forgotten?" Kronos tried his best to stir the frustration that ignites the flame within her. "The gods also abandoned you when your town was attacked by a group of rampaging minotaurs."

"We'll figure it out once we reach the temple that holds Pandora's Box," Nevadd interjected, trying to move things along. He was curious about what Tartarus looked like, without being personally sent there by the gods.

"There are a few things you should remember before you enter the portal," Kronos said, stopping them from their rush. "The pits of Tartarus are filled with overwhelming flames and fiery winds that could incinerate any mortal soul in an instant. Whatever happens, do not stray from the path leading to the temple. The land outside the path leads to nothing but unending heat that will peel your skin and set you ablaze for all eternity."

The twelve nodded in acknowledgment of his warnings and walked into the portal. They were immediately met with a powerful gust of wind. It felt like fire, but it quickly subsided. They saw the eternal flames consuming Tartarus, the crimson lighting illuminating the landscape, and the screams of souls burning in eternal fire. Below the cliff they stood on, the fiery river Phlegethon flowed with scorching flames. The twelve pressed on, following the path that led to the temple of Pandora's Box. They trekked for a while, and most of the women began to faint from the strong fiery winds fueled by the eternal screams of the damned.

"This path seems to go on forever," Yisun complained as he carried Valeria on his back. "The woman behind me seems to get heavier with each step I take."

"I agree," Nevadd said, though he still had the strength to carry himself forward. "My body also feels heavier the further we go."

"How come Wingo and Orio aren't affected by the pressure on this path?" Diumenes asked, carrying Fris on his back. "And why didn't the damned titan tell us about this pressure and heat as we crossed this path towards the temple?"

"It's a test by the gods," Orio explained. "Those with the resolve to destroy the Olympians' home can walk this path with ease."

"We haven't truly developed our hatred for the gods yet," Nichs said. "Though I've had encounters with gryphons and daemons that lurked near my village, I thought one of the gods would descend from the heavens and save us from the attack. But alas, they left me alive while the gryphons took the bodies of my fellow villagers and devoured them barbarously."

"We're finally at the temple entrance," Wingo announced.

The eleven stopped and collapsed to the floor. The immense pressure and scorching fire had drained most of their energy. Wingo, however, was unharmed by the fiery wind. He helped his companions to their feet and led them inside the temple.

Kronos grinned maliciously as he watched the portal, waiting for his pawns to return from their quest. "Towards greatness and servitude," he muttered.