We had not been as isolated within the protection of System’s barrier as I’d thought, or the Administrator had dropped that barrier when Apollimi had severed the Karmic bonds that had blanketed her and tied her into her role as Destroyer.
That decision had consequences, consequences that reverberated across the cosmos. This conclave of Gods served as the epicenter of the ever-widening storm of divine energies that raged. The Titans, long weakened and reviled, were infused with the power of prophecy, and their long-emptied Divine pools of energy swelled with the fresh infusion of Apollimi’s gift.
The Fates and Norns were caught up in that storm, each battered with the weight of changes. Apollimi’s gift and curse had made enough changes to the tapestry of life that both groups wove that it would take thousands of years to unsnarl. They were forced to spend enough personal energy, enough that would destroy entire solar systems to keep the tapestry from unraveling. Furious and exhausted that they had been left with a snarled weft and weave that needed to be repaired.
If they couldn’t untangle that mess and take back control, events would move forward in a chaotic free for all. Free of [Fate’s] influence, guidance, and boundaries, mortals and immortals alike would be granted free will. An outcome that neither the Fates nor the Norns could or would allow. Without the tapestry of fate, they would find themselves in the same position as the Atlantis Pantheon, powerless and doomed to fade.
What was just as interesting as the impact Apollimi’s decision would have on this universe was [Justice’s] response. She began to glow in response to Apollimi’s proclamation, the [Scales of Justice] teetering as [Justice] weighed the ramification of the Titan’s being bound by the Karmic weight that had assailed Apollimi.
The scales didn’t take long to reach balance, and with the scales in balance, those Gods gathered and witnessing events knew that the ramification of today’s event would stand. [Justice] may be blind, and she could be cruel and merciless, but she was fair. And in this instance, she exerted her influence as a [Universal Cosmic Entity] to allow the geas of destruction to settle as a mantle for the Titans.
“So let it be written, so let it be done,” [Justice] intoned, her voice resonating with and joining the tsunami of divine currents that were spreading across the cosmos.
“Witnessed,” [Order] and [Chaos] added, their voices and influence joining with [Justice] to cement the changes in the firmament of Heaven. “So mote it be done.”
Words had power, and the ritual utterances of words by [Justice], [Order], and [Chaos] added weight and heft to the changes that had been made. Fate and the Norns would never be able to change the Karmic ties that now bound the Titans.
The cosmic storm stilled with those words, the threads of Fate coalescing and centering around the Titans. Chronos, not to be confused with [Time], was the leader of the Titans and became the fulcrum for those threads. A spinning vortex of Karma that encapsulated him and his people.
As the cocoon of Karmic destiny formed and the Titans were forced to accept the mantle of destruction Apollimi had surrendered, the Heavens rang, clashes of thunder pealing like trumpets to herald the re-establishment of the Titan Pantheon of Gods and the changes to this new world order.
Imprisoned and cast down as they had been by Zeus, they had been isolated, their powers and divinity chained. Their energies had been siphoned by Olympus, and even Gaea was forced to act as nothing more than a divine battery to enhance Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon’s power.
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It was as much the siphoning of those energies as Zeus’s [Thunderbolt] that had allowed him to maintain his rule. With the loss of both symbols of power, he was reduced, his [Authority] no greater than those of Athena, Apollo, Nyx, or Hecate.
For the first time since the inception of Olympus, the Pantheon was comprised of a body of equals. The three Gods that had ruled the world diminished. Hades and Poseidon were the least affected, their dominion over the ocean and underworld still uncontested, but even they were weakened, losing the power they stole from the Titans.
Or they would have been a Pantheon of equals if Athena hadn’t been gifted with the [Eye of Odin]. That artifact ushered in a new Queen of Olympus. And as Olympus responded to the changes, so too did Asgard.
The loss of Odin’s eye and the claiming of Zeus’s [Thunderbolt] by Loki saw the opportunities each had gained, making it possible for them to overthrow each Pantheon. And because Power abhors a vacuum, that vacuum must be filled.
Divine power was bound by that same rule. It was a constant, and the demotion of Odin and Zeus was instantly balanced by the advancement of Athena and Loki.
I doubted either Pantheon would be content to let the changes stand, but that was something for them to deal with after this conclave of Pantheons concluded. They would have to fight to retain their positions, but for the moment, they had risen and claimed the throne. What happened after was something to be dealt with internally.
And with so many changes taking place within sight of so many other Pantheons, I was confident that other Gods would attempt to stoke the fire of discontent these changes portended. And even more worrisome was how Jupiter and the Roman Pantheon might respond. It would be the perfect excuse to attempt to merge both Pantheons. A move that might see Jupiter as Supreme God for both.
“Is there anything left to do?” Danu asked me now that Apollimi had made her choice, and that choice had been witnessed.
“Only as far as the purpose of this conclave was created,” I said. What happened here might not matter since we would be leaving, but the manner in which the Tuatha de Danann spread their [Influence] across the multi-verse meant that we would return at some point in the future.
When we returned to my place and time, the machinations of [Time] and [Space] would sever the remnants of [Paradox] that would have existed if our Pantheon was allowed to wake here in this time and place.
The Tuatha de Danann were still trapped in [Sleep] in my universe, and until I returned, they would remain both in [Sleep] and awake. They were present at this moment, but that was an incongruity that could only exist because of the System.
It had created a bubble of reality that encapsulated us, including me, now that I had ascended and joined the Pantheon. This bubble of reality allowed [Time] and [Paradox] to be ignored. The [Laws] of the Universe suspended until we stepped upon the path betwixt and between that Gwyn ap Nudd would open.
“Quetzalcoatl’s reason for calling this assembly of Pantheons is valid. I would submit that a reasonable response might be never to adjourn this conclave. Create an institution similar to the one in my home Universe.
“A Senate of Gods, each Pantheon claiming one seat that can join in executive session to discuss grievances, create protocols that every Pantheon must abide by, and when those mortals from the planet below do expand and conquer the Universe, find a fair and equitable method of sharing the spoils and worlds they discover.”
“And who would you have to serve our interests since we cannot ignore [Paradox],” Danu asked. “There are too many Sidhe living in this world for them to have no representation.”
“I would think that is obvious,” I said as a smile crossed my face. “Who do we know that serves [Time]? A person who fights [Paradox]? A person who rules her own realm. Whom do we know who has access to Sithern and Summerlands alike?
“There has only ever been one [Cait Sith] until now. Why would Tybalt, the [King of Cait Sith], send his daughter to this place and time to create another if not for this chance?
“The [Oracle] asked that Tia join me for a reason; I believe this is that reason.
“I think that Tia [Queen of Cait Sith] was brought here, empowered to create her own realm, because of this moment and this responsibility. I am not sure what the [Oracle] that serves Tybalt foresaw, but I am sure that [Prophecy] is in play and that Tia was destined to protect our interests until the timelines between this universe and our own sync.”