"I knew I heard some gorgeous harmonies from somewhere," Lord Mercury said as he appeared, with Venus walking up behind him. "But tell me, why are you two up here on this mountain?"

"Um, well..." Jupiter hesitated.

Mars quickly jumped in. "I was teaching Jupiter how to play the violin."

"Really? Jupiter, let me hear it!" Venus said excitedly.

Jupiter began to play, but the sound was harsh and off-key. Mercury winced. "By the heavens, that sounds dreadful."

"Sorry, Lord Mercury," Jupiter apologized. "I’ve never played before."

Mercury sighed. "Let me see that." He took the violin from Jupiter and, to everyone’s surprise, played with grace and elegance. The notes flowed effortlessly, as if he had been playing for centuries.

Mars watched in awe. "Lord Mercury, you're incredible! How can you play so well?"

Mercury shrugged casually. "Eh... must be natural talent," he said, tossing the violin back to Jupiter with a smirk.

"Well, that was lovely," Mercury said with a satisfied smile, "but I do have a request for you two."

Mars tilted her head curiously. "What is it?"

"It's about Aerolios," Mercury explained. "He hasn’t been seen for a while, and I need him to return here."

Mars immediately bowed. "Yes, Lord Mercury."

However, Jupiter hesitated before speaking. "I mean no disrespect, my lord, but... why can’t you go and do it yourself?"

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Jupiter?"

"You’re incredibly powerful, Lord Mercury," Jupiter continued. "I just thought... well, wouldn’t it be easier for you to find him than for us?"

Mercury nodded thoughtfully. "You’re right about that, Jupiter. But I’m far too busy trying to collect the shards. I can’t waste my time on a meaningless task like this. That’s why I’m asking you two."

"Right, my lord," Jupiter said, bowing respectfully.

"Good," Mercury replied with a satisfied smile. "Now then, let’s go, Venus." She took his hand, and in an instant, they vanished in a flash of light.

Mars walked over to Jupiter, wrapping him in a gentle hug and patting his head twice. "It's okay, Jupiter. You’ll get better at playing music," she said with a warm smile.

Jupiter sighed but couldn’t help a small smile. "Thanks, sister."

Inside the palace, a steaming hot spring bubbled peacefully. The Goddess of the Sun, Ritika, was enjoying a much-needed break.

"Ah, this is perfect," she sighed, sinking deeper into the warm water. "No Lord Mercury giving me tasks—I can finally relax and have some time to myself."

She closed her eyes, letting the heat soothe her muscles. But as she reopened them, she was startled to see Vatrolius, the God of Fire, standing over her with a mischievous grin.

"Vatrolius! My brother, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed, quickly floating to the other side of the hot spring, her cheeks flushing.

"Sorry, sister," Vatrolius said with a shrug. "I just wanted some peaceful relaxation too. I was hoping to join you in the hot spring."

Ritika glared at him, waving her hands dismissively. "No way! You can’t be in here—I'm a girl, so shoo!"

"But why not?" Vatrolius asked, his expression genuinely puzzled. "We’re siblings, after all. It’s not like it’s anything strange. We used to bathe together when we were young mortals."

Ritika looked at him and sighed. "Fine, you can get in. But you're staying on that side, okay?"

"Deal," Vatrolius agreed, removing his light armor. He slipped into the hot spring, letting out a satisfied sigh as the warmth enveloped him.

For the next five minutes, they floated in silence, simply enjoying the soothing heat of the spring.

After a few moments of silence, Vatrolius broke the calm. "Sister..."

Ritika opened one eye lazily. "What is it?"

"I’ve been thinking a lot lately," he said quietly.

"Thinking? About what?"

Vatrolius sighed deeply. "Our past... before we became gods. What life was like. And... our parents."

Ritika's expression softened, though she tried to keep it neutral. "Yeah, our parents had it rough. I try not to dwell on those memories."

"I miss them," Vatrolius confessed, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Brother... I miss them too. But it’s been thousands of years since they died," she said softly.

"I know," Vatrolius replied, staring into the steaming water. "But it still hurts... the fire that destroyed our village, the day we lost everything. And our younger brother..."

Ritika nodded, her voice catching. "I miss him too..." She paused, then asked, "But why bring this up now?"

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Vatrolius looked down. "I don’t know. It’s just been weighing on my mind. I’ve wanted to talk to you about it for so long, but... I never found the right moment. I miss our family."

Ritika's expression softened even more. She floated closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. "I miss them too. But we’re still a family, Vatrolius. You have me, and as long as we’re together, that bond hasn’t been broken."

Vatrolius looked at her, eyes glistening. "Sister..."

"Yeah?" she replied softly.

A mischievous grin broke through his serious expression. "You do realize we’re both nearly naked... and you're way too close."

Ritika's eyes widened in sudden realization. She squeaked in embarrassment, immediately jumping out of the hot spring. "Alright, I’m done! That’s enough bonding time!" she yelled, her face flushed bright red as she grabbed her towel.

Vatrolius couldn’t help but laugh.

Outside, in a lush green field, the atmosphere was far from peaceful. The half-lion, half-man warrior, Leonidrax, was in the midst of intense training with the Divine troops. With a single swing of his colossal sword, he sent half of them flying, their bodies tumbling through the air. As they scrambled back to their feet, he effortlessly picked up two soldiers and hurled them into a group of their comrades.

The Divine troops, despite their divine origins, couldn’t hide their fear. They exchanged wary glances, intimidated by the sheer power and presence of the massive, menacing beast before them.

Leonidrax’s booming laughter filled the field. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Come now, all of you! No need to tremble!” he roared, his voice like rolling thunder. “Show me your strength! Challenge me if you dare!”

He dropped his enormous sword with a ground-shaking thud, the earth beneath it trembling slightly. Then, with a wild grin, he spread his muscular arms wide.

“I’ll give every one of you a free shot," he declared. "Make it count!”

Some of the Divine troops were too fearful to even move, their knees trembling at the sight of the fearsome Leonidrax. But a handful of braver souls mustered the courage to charge at him, weapons raised high.

The instant their blades and spears collided with his iron-like skin, they shattered into pieces, fragments clattering to the ground. The soldiers stared in disbelief at the broken remnants in their hands.

Leonidrax let out a booming laugh. “Oh no, it seems I’ve broken all your weapons!” he roared with a mischievous grin. “Looks like you’ll have to face me hand-to-hand now!”

He cracked his knuckles and slammed his fists together, sending a shockwave through the air. “Come on! Show me the strength of your fists!”

"Hey, Leonidrax!"

Leonidrax turned, his eyes narrowing as he recognized Kamaria, the goddess of the moon, ranked third in the Mercury rankings.

"Kamaria," he greeted flatly. "What are you doing here? I'm training, so I'm very busy."

“Mercury commanded me to check in. Have you seen Aerolios?” Kamaria asked.

Leonidrax let out a scoff. “I haven't seen that weakling yet, nor do I care where he’s hiding.”

“Mercury commands you to notify him if you find Aerolios,” Kamaria insisted.

Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Leonidrax muttered dismissively. “Now leave. I’ve got more pathetic insects to crush under my heel.”

"Be careful, Leonidrax. You know you shouldn’t ignore Mercury’s orders," Kamaria warned.

“I’m not ignoring them,” he grunted. “I’m just not in the mood to chase after some lower-ranking god.”

Without another word, Kamaria spread her shimmering wings and took off, flying into the depths of space. In moments, she landed gracefully on the surface of the moon. Then, suddenly, Gengnar appeared on the moon beside her, his massive frame casting a shadow over the moon’s surface.

“Gengnar? How did—?” Kamaria started, her eyes wide with surprise.

Gengnar smirked, standing tall next to her and said. “I’m strong enough to withstand space itself,”

“But I thought only I could endure this void,” Kamaria replied, perplexed. “After all, I command the night cycle, and Ritika controls the day.”

Gengnar smirked and said “You underestimate me, Kamaria. I’m Mercury’s strongest right-hand man. If I could die just by stepping into space, then I guess I was never strong enough in the first place.”

So, what are you doing here, Gengnar?” Kamaria asked.

“I came to tell you that Aerolios is missing. Have you seen him recently?” Gengnar responded.

“No,” Kamaria replied. “I even asked Leonidrax, but he said he hasn’t seen him either—nor does he really care.”

Gengnar let out a gruff chuckle. “He never cares about anything but fighting,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s a wonder he bothers to listen to Mercury’s orders at all.”

But you’re the God of War, so fighting should also be your thing,” Kamaria remarked, her tone slightly mocking.

“Yeah, it is,” Gengnar responded with a shrug, “but sometimes I get bored. I never have someone to challenge me because most are too weak.”

Kamaria raised an eyebrow, her silver eyes narrowing. “Maybe I could fight you,” she said, her voice carrying a challenge.

Gengnar let out a deep laugh and said. “You? You’re strong, Kamaria, but I doubt you’re ready for a fight with me.”

“I’ve got more than enough power to hold my own,” she retorted, stepping closer, her moonlit aura flickering around her. “Care to find out?”

“Oh, I like this,” Gengnar said, his grin widening. He summoned a spear into his hand, the weapon’s head glowing a brilliant gold, the shaft exuding an aura of intense power.

Kamaria responded by summoning her own weapon, a long polearm that gleamed with moonlight. As she raised it, three mini moons materialized behind her, each glowing with a soft, ethereal light. The first moon was named Apus, the second Antila, and the third, the smallest, was called Ara. Each moon orbited her

“Let’s see if you can keep up, Kamaria,” Gengnar growled, taking a stance with his golden spear raised, ready for the battle ahead.

“All right then,” Kamaria replied, her eyes narrowing as the two gods charged at each other, their weapons clashing with earth-shattering force. The vacuum of space trembled from the impact, sparks flying as Kamaria’s polearm met Gengnar’s golden spear.

Kamaria sent her three moons hurtling toward Gengnar. He swiftly sliced through them, only to realize too late that each one transformed into a massive explosion, collapsing into three neutron stars. The shockwave echoed through the vast emptiness of space, sending tremors rippling through the universe itself.

On Earth, far below, Zander sat casually on the edge of a tall building with Leo by his side. The city stretched out before them, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

“It’s nice to kick back and relax sometimes,” Zander remarked, leaning back with a sigh.

“I agree,” Leo rumbled, his massive tiger form stretched out lazily. Then, after a moment, he turned to Zander. “Zander, I have a question.”

“Yeah, what is it, Leo?”

“Why do you need a camel when you can fly?” Leo asked, his whiskers twitching in amusement.

Zander paused, caught off guard. “I... Look, I wanted one because they looked cool! I heard about them, but I wanted to see one myself, you know?” He crossed his arms defensively.

Leo let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. “Sometimes, you’re stranger than I thought.”

Before Zander could respond, a deafening roar erupted from the sky above. The ground beneath them trembled, buildings quaked, and a shockwave rippled through the air, shaking the entire city. The two looked up to see the sky split with a blinding light, the aftershock of Kamaria and Gengnar’s cosmic battle reaching Earth.

“What the hell was that?” Zander muttered, leaping to his feet, his eyes scanning the heavens.

Leo said “ Whatever that was, it can't be good.”