I slowly limped up to the once pristine main halls of Olympus, where many immortals once walked. The golden ichor of those very immortals dripped down my hammer and soaked the malformed, dented armor covering my body.

Approaching the entrance to the Main Temple, I pushed through the massive doors and entered the Hallway of History. I gazed at the ornate carvings, bringing my hand to feel the smooth groves running across the walls, the carvings telling the stories and conquests of the gods and heroes.

The depictions began with the battles of Zeus, Mother, and the rest of their siblings destroying and banishing Kronos, the Titan of time, to the depths of Tartarus. Continuing along the wall shows the many adventures of the Gods, displaying the benevolence and power of Posiden, the creation and management of the Underworld, and huge storms and rains brought along by Zeus. Walking farther along, the wall continues to show the many ‘wonderful’ actions and gifts the gods did in order to fix the world and help the many mortals below, granting gifts and power beyond mortal imagination.

Looking at them with disdain, I mutter, “What absolute bullshit.” Every last one of them was a lie created by the gods to hide their weaknesses and reliance on the mortals who worshiped them. After fighting dozens of them and slaying almost all of the Olympians, I learned that they were nothing too special. Other than a few exceptions, I had been able to take out the Olympians Hopefully, one more will be on that list after I finish off Step Father.

I let out a mirthless laugh. Who am I kidding? I have long since broken all my other weapons and tools, not to mention almost completely out of divinity. I am nothing more than a bug to him. Still, I kept walking down the hallway to the throne room; if I stopped now, all the bloodshed and sacrifices my allies and I had made would have been for nothing.

Finally, the carvings end, ending only with a picture of a few strings and a wheel. Leaving only the blank marble wall and a huge door at the end of the hallway.

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I pause with my arm touching the doorway, taking a deep breath to stabilize and calm myself. Here goes nothing, and quickly pushed open the door to the throne room.

Awaiting me is the King of the Gods himself, Zeus, standing before his great throne. He looks dispassionately at me, coldly stating, “It took you long enough. I was afraid you would die before you got here.” I do not say a word and instead launch my hammer at him; he snaps his fingers and vaporizes the hammer when it’s about to slam into him. He sneered and launched toward me, instantly traveling the distance between us, and lifted me off my feet. “Pathetic, I expected a bit more.” I shiver slightly as he searches for my core. His eyes momentarily widened, incredulously asking, “You came to me. The king of gods, with that small trickle of divinity?! You’re more of a fool than I thought.” I spit in his eyes “No more of one than you.” With that remark, Zeus angrily tossed me to the side, slamming my body into a nearby pillar, rendering me immobile.

I lay against the cold pillar. My body was motionless, but my mind was still whirling.

Well… that was a pitiful attempt, but at least I gave it a shot.

My eyes flicked down to my damaged self, and mentally laughed.

Who am I fooling? There were so many things I could have done to make this easier, so many people that could have been saved.

As Zeus slowly walks out to the Hall of History, likely to repair the damage my allies and I caused to Olympus, I have one last thought as my eyes close.

Releasing a breath, I remark to myself, If only I could relive my life, just one more time. Maybe that would be enough. Maybe I would have crushed him.

My eyes closed, and drew in my last breath before Ether took me.

***

As the young god was dying, a figure covered in a cloak appeared alongside a mystical wheel in the center of the throne room; Zeus, feeling the power emanating from both, turned around in shock, his eyes widening. Releasing his strength, he leaps toward the wheel in panic, attempting to stop the figure from spinning the wheel.

Allas, Zeus was too late as the wheel began to spin. The universe froze and then began to flow backward, time-reversed. The quicker the wheel spun, the quicker the reversal was.

Watching this take place. The being walks to the pillar and crouches to see the dying god. “Here is your chance, grandson. I trust you will take it.”

As abruptly as the wheel and being appeared, they vanished into the Ether.

And the crumpled god faded from existence.