"What have you done!" Apollimi, Goddess of Life, Death, and Wisdom, the leader of the Atlantean Pantheon, known as the Destroyer, screamed in outrage. The concussive force of her anger lashed across the council chambers as an opening in space allowed the rest of the room to see events occurring on the mortal plane.
Even the strongest of Gods were affected by that release of her Primal destruction, only the intervention of [Justice] keeping her powers from killing the weakest of Gods and starting a war among Gods that would lead to Ragnarok.
The portal she had opened for all to see expanded as each God focused on the events that were transpiring on Urd. Each God allowed the smallest spark of their [Domain] to connect to that portal to see what had so angered Apollimi.
Nyx's gloating and warning had been true.
The Titans, long trapped beneath Tartarus, had been freed, and they were destroying everything in their way to reach the planet's surface. Their escape resulted in titanic changes to the planet as they broke free.
Mount Vesuvius was erupting with such ferocity that the city of Pompeii had already been buried under mounds of ash. The population had been given no warning and had no time to try to escape. Their faces were frozen in a rictus of agony and despair as the volcano released torrents of ash, smoke, and lava to bury them and their city, encasing them in tombs of ash left for the future to be rediscovered.
That alone was bad enough, but it had nothing to do with Apollimi's despair. The Titans had managed to reach the surface by destroying and shifting the tectonic plates beneath Atlantis. Those changes unleashed cascading catastrophic changes as the ocean waters rebelled at the sudden changes. Tidal waves greater than any had ever before formed and crashed against the shores of Atlantis as the ground opened up to swallow the continent.
Even for Gods, watching as an entire people, an entire civilization be destroyed was horrifying. Young, old, rich, poor. The earth, Gaea's [Domain], capitulated and encouraged the Titans' rampage. Gaea was a Titan herself, and while she had never taken steps to free her husband, brothers, and sisters, she refused to intercede now that their freedom was at hand.
The death of so many was troubling; watching an entire people perish when they had no hand in the treatment the Titans had suffered under Zeus's command. The release of so many souls at once was enough to shake the very foundation of the Atlantean Pantheon. Apollimi, who probably ranked higher than Zeus of Odin when it came to power level, was diminished as the souls of the dead entered their version of the afterlife.
With their lives ended, their civilization destroyed, and their worship forever silenced, the loss of faith cut off the Atlantean Pantheon from the pool of Divine energy the people of Atlantis had provided.
Apollimi wasn't the only God to be diminished. The entire Atlantean Pantheon was reduced in strength. Their power slowly failed them as the people that they claimed as theirs suffered a mass extinction. With no worshipers, it would not be long before the Apollimi and her brethren faded.
They would enter their own version of [Sleep], except, unlike the Tuatha de Danann, it was a [Sleep] that would siphon the last vestiges of their Divine nature from them until they were nothing but whispers in the cosmic winds that buffeted and drove the cycle of universal expansion.
[Order] moved to intercede, removing the Titans from the planet's surface and bringing them to the council chamber. While sealed, they had been excluded from the call Quetzalcoatl had issued, the summons to attend the Conclave of Gods. But now that they were free, they had the same right to voice their opinions as Zeus and his ilk.
[Chaos] took obvious delight at the Titans' return as the destruction of Atlantis had played havoc within two different Pantheons. The Atlanteans would fade, but just as important, Olympus would be forced to wage a new war within the Heavens.
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The Olympians were stunned for the moment, but it wouldn't take long before they began gearing up for war. A war that Zeus would have to fight on two fronts. One against the Titans, one against Athena and her allies. There was no turning back for Athena, I had revealed too much, and the System would force her to abide by her agreement.
She may have liked to wait, to deal with the Titans first, but she had given a System witnessed [Oath]. And I would call upon Gwyn ap Nudd if she tried to skirt the terms of that [Oath]. It mattered little to me who eventually won the battle for supremacy of Olympus. The battle to decide the matter would weaken the Pantheon, and that was all I cared about.
[Justice] acted to restrain all parties as Gods besides Apollimi began to respond to the events they were witnessing. "There will be a time and place for you to resolve your conflicts," she said, addressing Zeus and Chronos, the King of Titans, "but this is not that place.
"You have been called to this Conclave to address specific charges of abuse and future abuse of the Divine nature of specific Gods. Does anyone have a resolution to put forward, or should we adjourn this Conclave, dismissing all charges with prejudice?"
Most of the Gods were still coming to terms with what had happened. A new God had ascended. The release of a Pantheon of Gods, long imprisoned, had wreaked havoc. And an entire Pantheon was fading, already beginning to lose cohesion and purpose.
"I have recommendations for this assemble to consider," I said, once again drawing the room's attention.
"First, I would point out that we have been witness to destruction on a planetary level. What some of you may have missed with the Titans' escape is that the ley-lines of the planet have shifted.
"The barrier that protected the continents from each other has fallen. I would suggest that this Conclave work in concert and re-establish the ley-lines that have been destroyed. They may no longer be able to divide the world, but you can still heal and restore enough to use the ley lines as boundaries. A way to restore the safety of land and people already claimed by each Pantheon.
"Second, I suggest that Zeus and Odin be sanctioned. The [Eye of Odin] that Athena has claimed and the [Thunder Bolt] that Loki has claimed are to be allowed to remain with each individual. Actions have consequences, and their scheming has crossed the bounds that can be accepted.
"Let the Hierarchy for their Pantheons be reshuffled, and fresh blood and ideas shape their future. They can do no worse than Zeus or Odin.
"Finally, I would advise that this Conclave be made permanent. A Senate that meets to discuss issues between Pantheons, solve disputes, and decide how the future expansion of people, territories, and worlds should be handled."
There was whispering across the chambers, but I wasn't worried. Everyone here, except the Tuatha de Danann, had a splinter of themselves in divergent Universes. They only needed a second to share the ideas I had presented with their mirrored selves to understand that the Conclave I was suggesting had already been accomplished elsewhere.
And that it had worked well to distribute resources and worlds across Pantheons.
The Senate would form, and that would happen without question. The only question was whether the ley lines would be established to serve as boundaries and if Zeus and Odin would be sanctioned.
"Why would we agree to limit our expansion?" Thor asked. His confusion was evident, today's events leaving him lost and floundering. To discover his father was not the benevolent person he'd imagined and to find his brother embroiled in a scheme to usurp his father's throne was heartbreaking. Thor's view of the Universe and his place in it had been destroyed.
"I am not suggesting you limit expansion," I replied, "expansion will still occur, but that expansion will take place on other worlds, in other solar systems. It is only on this planet that areas claimed remain sacrosanct."
"That might work," Thoth, the Egyptian God of Wisdom, interjected, "but without conflict, without the specter of war, how will the technology or magic needed to reach the stars be earned?"
"Perhaps you could institute a system of tournaments. A place where might and innovation can be contested between each Pantheon," Shiva suggested. "We could set resources as wagers, the winner of a tournament gaining favor with the losing Pantheon awarding a boon to creativity or productivity that lasts until the next tournament takes place."
"An Olympic contest that has real-world implications," Hercules mused, "it would be good to test our strength of arms and restrain that future that we all saw."
"And if we ask [Justice] to serve as judge, there would be no point in trying to cheat or scheme for an advantage. [Justice] will remain blind, the scales will remain balanced."