Leon POV

"Wait, Hera's my mom?"

"Yes." Nemesis nodded.

"...I've dated Artemis...oh, god I almost...you got a restroom? I think I'm about to throw up."

"Oh don't worry, Zeus is not your father. You're more like step-siblings, and even if you were blood-related, she's a goddess, you're fine."

"Oh...OH, Hera finally came to her senses. Finally! Took her long enough, but it's finally time to give Zeus a taste of his own medicine."

"She didn't cheat on Zeus, you 2 are like Hephaestus, a goddess of motherhood who willed you 2 into existence...who was also there at your birth to make sure that she didn't throw you out of the window."

"So what are we here for exactly?" Lux asked.

"You're here because this entire system is rotten. And it's about to collapse." Nemesis then leaned forward, "Hera... she's planning to lead a rebellion against the council of gods. Hera approached me first, As the goddess of revenge and balance, I was the obvious choice. She knew what she was doing. Knew I would agree. After all, I've seen the corruption in the council up close. I've seen the way the other gods, especially Zeus, abuse their power, unchecked.

"You think mortals are helpless? You think you're the only ones who suffer under the gods' whims? It's worse for minor gods. We can't challenge them without being destroyed ourselves. Zeus, for example, can't get in trouble, no matter what he does. Anyone who tries to report him or challenge him...minor gods and mortals...suffers. Their words are twisted, and it backfires as the council protects their own. That's where you come in...when Hera and I started planning this rebellion, we needed something...someone...strong enough to challenge them. We knew that we couldn't fight the council directly without being crushed. So, we decided to create you."

"Create us?" Lux repeated in a questioning tone.

"Yes. You and Leon. Initially, we planned to create only one child. A being powerful enough to rival even the council members. But there was a problem. Hera gathered a lot of gods to bless the child in her belly, causing the said child to be too powerful. The power of that child...your power...would have been so immense that it would have drawn attention immediately. The gods would have sensed it before the child was even born, and they would've stopped it. Killed the child before it could ever take a breath."

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"Why?" I asked.

"The council doesn't like being threatened, I've seen many gods have their child killed, if there's a power out there that can oppose them, they will put a stop to it." she answered, "That's why we split the power, We created two of you. Twins. Lux and Leon. Two beings who could grow into their power over time, flying under the council's radar. Individually, you were strong, but not enough to be detected right away. One who's physically gifted, and the other...magically."

"So they'll kill anyone who's power can threaten them? That's stupid, won't it be better to just recruit them?"

"There was that suggestion, but powerful gods like Nyx, Tartarus...they serve as an example of gods that the council can't control, someone who refuses to follow the rules, and so they decided against it. It doesn't matter if you're a mortal, a god, or somewhere in between. If they think you'll disrupt the status quo, they'll remove you. And members of the council...they've gotten away with murder. Corruption. Abuse. And acts like sending people down here with no consequences...you get the idea."

"So, that's it? We were born just to be weapons for the gods? Forced into something we didn't choose? How is that any different from the council's corruption?" Lux responded.

I stayed quiet for a moment, watching her wrestle with the revelation. There was a certain irony to it, one that gnawed at me from the inside. Here she was, furious at being forced into a role she never asked for, and yet, wasn't I in the same boat? Well 2 boats as I was also sent down here, into the underworld, for refusing to do something I never wanted to be part of in the first place. How ironic.

"So, what? We're just...pawns in this game of yours? No, thank you." Lux continued, "Do you seriously think that just because you reveal all of this, and then placing me into a role of heroism will get me to agree with you?"

"Let's calm down now." Evelyn chimed in.

"No." Lux rejected, "I refuse to do this. I refuse to be some weapon the gods can use whenever they want! I didn't ask for any of this. None of us did! We were born into this...this sick game, where all we are is pawns for them to move around, to use as they see fit. And for what? Their war? Their rebellion? I'm supposed to just accept that I was created for the sole purpose of fighting their battles? Of fixing their messes? No. No, I won't do it."

"Lux-" Nemesis was then interrupted.

"Don't tell me what to do. Do you have any idea what that feels like? To be born with no choice? To know that everything you are...every single part of you...was designed, tailored, just for your needs? I'm not even a person. I'm just a weapon. A thing. Something for the gods to toss away once I've served my purpose. What about my life? What about what I want? Have they ever once thought about us? You pretend you're giving us a choice, that we're somehow important in their grand scheme, sure the scheme is good, but we never got that choice.

"Let me guess, you orchestrated this, you turned me mortal and got me treated like a criminal...Why should I fight this rebellion's war? Why should I help a mother who never raised me? Why should I fight at all? They've taken everything from me before I even had a chance to live. And for what? To maintain their grip on the universe? Why should I care about any of that?"

"You should understand the irony, Lux." I responded to her rant, which got on my nerves quite a bit.