(TPD) Chapter 49: Mount Olympus

Chapter 49: Mount Olympus

The Underworld, Lilith. 

Stood firmly in the center of the Underworld’s Capital was a gargantuan, imposing structure in the form of a castle, one that carried a sense of royalty around it potent enough to strike the hearts of every citizen fortunate to dwell within the city’s walls, as well as anyone blessed with the opportunity to gaze upon it. 

It was the place where the pinnacle of Devil existence, The Four Great Satans dwelled, a place that many both young and old hoped that they would one day be worthy enough to experience for themselves. 

However, most of the time the only one of the four utilizing the place would be the Satan Lucifer, since the rest preferred to work from the comfort of their own abodes unless there was an occasion important enough to warrant their presence. 

With the exception of the Satan Beelzebub.

Trying to get him to leave his laboratory would be interpreted as a personal declaration of war, unless the moon he had personally created were to fall out of the Underworld’s sky, he wouldn’t budge an inch. 

“So this is where you work,” an intrigued voice spoke, belonging to an individual who happened to be standing in the most important room within Lilith’s Castle—the throne room.

And to call it glamorous, would be a grave understatement.

The place was linen with only the most pristine range of fabrics one could procure, and each and every intricate design etched into the walls, tables, and decor looked like they had taken centuries to create, each. 

As for the four crests embedded into the thrones representing Lucifer, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Leviathan? Those might as well have taken millennia, one would’ve imagined the person curating them had their family held hostage while working on them. 

It was like the room had its own soul, as if the decisions made within its confines had breathed life into its interior. 

“The fact that you stay here almost 24/7 suddenly isn’t so hard to believe,” the same voice continued—being none other than Avalon, the younger brother of the castle’s owner, Sirzechs Lucifer, who was standing only a few inches beside him. 

“Trust me, if I could do everything from home instead I would, but someone has to keep this place warm don’t they?” Sirzechs replied, glancing out the room’s window and looking down at Lilith’s bustling streets. 

“Can’t you just ask Ajuka to set everything up for you back home?” He raised his brow. 

“You know just as well as I how pointless it is to ask him to do anything he hasn’t taken a personal interest in,” Sirzechs sighed, more than confident that making his life easier wasn’t on the Beelzebub’s agenda. 

Quite the opposite really. 

“I can’t confirm nor deny that,” he wore a coy smile on his face. 

Sirzechs could only let out a disgruntled exhale, knowing full well just how much Ajuka liked to spoil Avalon. 

“Speaking of Ajuka,” the Satan fixed his gaze onto Avalon’s Calculation Assistance Device. “Is that close to being completed yet?” 

“The design has already been completed,” he nodded his confirmation. 

“Then—” A hopeful glint shimmered within Sirzechs’ pupils, only to be shot down by Avalon gesturing for him to stop. 

“The problem is that we haven’t found a suitable power source for the completed version, we need something that can regulate the strength of my eyes pretty much around the clock after all—and the current version I’m using can only do that for a few minutes at most.” 

It was a challenge equivalent to finding a replacement for a person’s need for oxygen, something that would require a significant amount of time even from one of, if not the smartest mind in all existence. 

“What about one of Zekram’s artifacts? Surely one of them would suffice,” she was in possession of objects created from the power of the original Satans after all, alongside items curated by Lilith, the mother of all Devils herself. 

But Avalon simply scoffed at the idea, putting his hand on Sirzechs’ shoulder. 

“Respectfully speaking, I’d rather try to get Ajuka to go on a safari trip with us than try to make my wife give up something from her private vault.” From his facial expression alone, or at least the part that was still visible, it was clear that he wasn’t joking.

“That bad?” His shoulders slumped. 

“That bad,” Avalon affirmed with a grim expression. 

It didn’t matter how close you were to Zekram, nor how grave the stakes were. 

When it came to her private artifacts, she turned into Avalon holding a limited edition Levi-tan figurine. 

“Has she ever even used them before?” Sirzechs wondered what possible reason she could even have for hoarding them, if his memory served him correctly, Zekram hadn’t used a single artifact since she obtained all of them at the end of the Civil War. 

“Nope.”

“Then what does she even keep them all for?” 

“No clue, maybe it’s just an old people thing.” He shrugged.

“What a waste, a lot of those artifacts could be researched to improve our technology.” Sirzechs pinched his nose-bridge. 

Granted, the fact that even Ajuka, who had more reason than anyone to want those artifacts, hadn’t made an attempt to take them from Zekram—made it pretty clear that it was simply too tall of a task for anyone to accomplish. 

Some things were just better left alone, especially if they were Zerkam’s things. Sirzechs ultimately decided to change the subject to something less headache-inducing. 

“How’s Rias doing? You visited her recently didn’t you?” 

“Yeah, she’s doing well, she was a little nervous seeing me and Adaloth at first but warmed up to us in the end.” If only he could say the same for Adaloth’s sentiment about her little sister. 

“That’s good to hear,” he nodded contently, his posture straightening a little. “I imagine Mother had some concerns she discussed with you?” 

He nodded somberly, “Can you blame her? All her concerns are more than warranted, honestly speaking, I don’t think I can predict how her future will be molded as accurately as I hoped.” 

“As good as your eyes are, you shouldn’t try to force them to see the future.” Sirzechs said reassuringly, “Our responsibility as her older siblings is to guide her as best we can, not to try to control the path she chooses to take." 

Whirrrr! 

And while they were conversing, a fierce humming sound entered the room, followed by the sight of a white light quickly spreading throughout the space. 

But neither of them displayed even a faint amount of shock, calmly standing by as the process continued. 

This was precisely what they had been waiting for after all.

A white arch started to form out of thin air, with Greek inscriptions written on the surface of its material, each of them igniting one by one as a bright, portal-like substance formed in between it. 

“Phew, sorry I took so long, the boss can be quite a perfectionist when it comes to having guests over.” 

The person who stepped through the arch was none other than everyone's favorite, or least-favorite aloha-shirt wearing mediator—Oshino Meme.

Today was the day each representative from the three factions were going to convene at the Greek Pantheon, to officialize the alliance. 

And only the representatives, in order to prevent any further unwanted tension from being present at the event, which is why neither Sirzechs nor Avalon were accompanied by their peerage. 

Which meant that for the first time, in a very long time, Avalon was going to have some time away from Adaloth, a blessing he was going to treasure for the rest of his second existence. 

If that wasn’t a sign that he had chosen the right path, then he wasn’t sure what was. 

The Underworld was the only faction that would be sending two representatives, since its government was split between the Four Great Satans and Great King Faction.

Even though Serafall would usually be responsible for any event that was held outside of the Underworld’s borders, the officialization process required the signatures of the highest-ranking figures from both sides. 

Zekram’s influence was definitely stronger within the Great King Faction, but on paper, Avalon’s technically carried more significance. 

“It’s no trouble,” Avalon smiled. “My wife is pretty much the same.” 

Oshino scratched his chin, “Gee, the new generation of leadership certainly is a lot more laid back than the older one. How refreshing.” He appeared to be genuinely relieved, “Oh well, I don’t mean to keep you waiting any longer—shall we?” 

He immediately motioned for them to follow him back through the arc, gladly welcoming them to the residence of the Greek Pantheon. 

The place known as none other than—Mount Olympus. 

“Talk about a sight,” Sirzechs blew an impressive whistle, finding himself standing on a green expanse that had to at least be suspended a few thousand feet in the air, with large, lush, hilly terrain as far as the eye could see. 

Every square inch of scenery before him was nothing if not scenic, like they had been transported into a photographer’s wet dream. 

Of course, with Avalon wearing a blindfold and everything, he would unfortunately have to miss out on the experience of witnessing all the vibrant fauna, intricate architecture, and general splendor that the land of the Greek Gods had to offer. 

Not that he minded, it wasn’t like they had erected a statue of Levi-tan in the center of the mountain, like they should have done. 

“Azazel and Michael have already arrived,” Oshino led them towards what appeared to be a large temple of sorts, constructed with shimmering white marble as it stood tall as the most striking piece of infrastructure within Olympus. 

Guards dressed in spartan-like attire were posted at the front of the building, all of which immediately stood at attention once the sight of Oshino came into their field of view, planting the bottom of their spears into the ground. 

Similar to what the Bael Clan’s Royal Guard did for Avalon.

“Just a mediator, huh?” Avalon said in a knowing tone, earning a playful chuckle from Oshino in return. 

“Well, I am Harmonia’s mediator. A bit of reputation is warranted wouldn’t you agree? Great King-sama.” He smiled, giving nothing away from his body language or facial expression. 

“Reputation is one thing,” he nodded, recalling the sentiment he had felt radiating from the guards. “Respect is another.” 

“There’s no need to be so observative right now, the Goddess will answer everything for you in due time.” Oshino waved off his concerns, continuing to walk down the temple’s hall until he arrived at a colossal, heavily reinforced double door. 

“About time you got here.” Azazel said with a miffed look on his face, reclining back into the cushioned chair that had been prepared for him. 

“Azazel, we’re meeting as allies this time—remember?” Michael’s admonishing voice was heard shortly after. 

“Hmph, I know that.” He crossed his arms, briefly side-eyeing Avalon who had been a little less-than-amiable when they had met in Naoetsu Town. “Now that they’re here, isn’t it about time the person who organized all this finally shows herself?” He looked at Oshino expectantly. 

But instead of replying, he simply pointed behind him, looking at the descending staircase located at the back-end of the room. 

“I’m glad to hear that my presence is so eagerly desired.” A soft, soothing, womanly chime-like voice spoke, followed by the sound of sandals hitting the steps that echoed throughout the room. 

Her hair was a long, flowing blonde that reached all the way down to her thighs—coupled with a gilded wreath that was draped around her forehead, possessing a radiant, almost holy glow to it that demanded the undivided attention of everyone in the room. 

Except for Avalon, who looked like a disgruntled cat with a hot pepper held to its nose for some reason. 

“What’s wrong?” Sirzechs asked, the rest of the company in the room also wondering what was going on with the Great King. 

“Too much energy… Dizzy…” He reeled back, as if he was holding in a sneeze. 

“Ah, my apologies. Most people aren’t able to sense that, so I’ve never made an effort to keep it at bay.” Apparently, the woman did something about her “energy”, causing Avalon to slowly recompose himself. 

He can even sense a God’s divinity? While they’re within their Pantheon? Oshino pressed his lips together, knowing exactly what had just happened. And he’s not even fully grown yet… That mutation is more worrisome than I presumed. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” the woman continued, taking a moment to observe all four of Mount Olympus’ visitors for the day. “My name is Harmonia, as you’re all aware, I’m the one who called for this alliance.” 

The Goddess representing harmony and balance, who was the daughter of the God of War—Ares, and the Goddess of Beauty—Aphrodite, and judging from Harmonia’s features, she most definitely possessed her maternal allure. 

She continued to descend the staircase, the ends of her fairly revealing white dress dragging against the marble floor as she walked up to Avalon, exchanging a nod with Oshino before doing so. 

“I’ve been aware of Michael, Azazel, and your brother for quite some time—but to think you’ve come as far as you have in the short amount of time you’ve been alive for, the new generation is just as talented as I hoped they’d be.” She smiled warmly, looking Avalon up and down. 

“What do you think you’re looking at?” Tomoe decided now was a good time to manifest out of the blue, putting himself right in between Harmonia and Avalon, sizing the Goddess up with an accusatory look on his face. 

“What are you doing?” Avalon asked. 

“Gods are all dickheads Avalon, you can’t trust anything they say.” Tomoe narrowed his eyes, “This one’s got a predatory glint in her eyes, I can tell. If you leave her unchecked, who knows what unspeakable acts she’ll do to you?” 

The fact that Tomoe had never even attempted anything against Adaloth or Zekram, spoke volumes about his perspective on the Divine. 

“Sorry about him,” Avalon sighed, pushing Tomoe’s head down. 

“Hey! I’m being serious! Gods are all good for nothing!” He protested, flailing his arms up in the air. 

Harmonia chuckled, “As hard as you might find it to believe, not all of us are like Wukong.” 

“Eh?” Tomoe furrowed his brow, “How do you know about my relationship with that smelly geezer?” 

“Trade secret,” she smiled wryly, only annoying Tomoe further. “And I assure you that I have nothing nefarious planned for you or your vessel, on the contrary, I’m quite excited to see what kind of strength you two end up obtaining.” 

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Tomoe still refused to be on-board with so much as a single syllable that came out of Harmonia’s mouth. 

Avalon exhaled, “What did Wukong even do to you?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” The Kyuubi returned back into his spirit form, but not before shooting one last threatening glance at Harmonia. 

Suit yourself then. 

“There’s a lot I wish to discuss with you all, but I think it would be for the best that we get the main formality of the day over with beforehand.” Everyone nodded their agreement, following Harmonia as she led them to an odd-looking structure. 

It appeared to be a pillar created entirely out of stone, with a massive slab in the middle that had light-blue, illuminated characters engraved into its material. 

“Myself, Zeus, and most of the Greek Pantheon have already signed the pact, all that’s left to be done is for the signatures of the three factions to be added to the collection.” 

“Hold on a second,” Avalon interjected. “You said most of the Greek Pantheon?” Azazel, Michael, and Sirzechs all looked at Harmonia with a questioning gaze, everyone picking up on the fine print mixed into her sentence. 

She pressed her lips together, “While most of the Gods are on-board with the alliance, there are some who find the idea of working with other groups—unfavorable.” 

“Like who?” Azazel smoldered.

“Yeah, like who, Harmonia?” An unfamiliar voice made its presence known. 

He was a tall, unbelievably toned man wearing full spartan-armor from head to toe, accompanied by a long flowing red cape that effortlessly cascaded from his shoulders onto the ground. 

And since Avalon once again looked like he was about to sneeze, it was pretty easy to guess what the man was, even if his identity had yet to be revealed. 

Harmonia’s posture deflated, her tongue running across her lower lip in an irritated fashion as she turned around to face the man. 

“We’ve been over this, Father.” She said in a spiteful manner, “Zeus has already given his approval, you can be as discontent as you want, it’s not going to change anything.” 

He was Harmonia’s Father, the God of War himself, Ares. 

“Zeus’ choice wasn’t made out of misplaced compassion, it was nothing more than indifference, and disinterest in doing anything himself to handle the Infinity Dragon.” He scowled, looking at Avalon’s somewhat comical expression. “The fact that you believe an unsightly man would be of any use is appalling, I’m ashamed as both your Father and a God.” 

“Achoo!” But Avalon didn’t even register the insult, too preoccupied with his disturbed senses. “Dude, could you like turn whatever it is you’re doing off or something? It feels like I just inhaled a handful of black pepper over here.” 

“Do you find my displeasure humorous? Devil brat.” Ares’ mood worsened. 

Pandorica, help me out here. 

[Understood, Young Lord.] Pandorica immediately weakened his senses, and even though he was in foreign territory, there wasn’t much to worry about with Sirzechs right beside him. 

“Father,” Harmonia’s tone deepened. “That’s enough, we’re here to make friends, not enemies. Zeus knows you already have more than enough of those.” She gestured for him to pay particular attention to Sirzechs, whose normally pleasant smile had completely vanished from his face. 

Do you really want to fight him here? You know just as well as I do that it probably won’t turn out in your favour. 

Ares deliberated for a moment, noticing the slowly transforming posture of the Crimson Satan and clicking his tongue. 

“Damn leeches,” he spat on the ground before making his hasty departure. 

Unless you were Hades or Zeus, there wasn’t a single Greek God qualified to go toe to toe with the fully grown Super Devil. 

And even then, the result would still be debatable. 

“I didn’t think I’d be seeing the God of War get punked today,” Azazel scratched his chin, a bemused smile plastered on his face. “But I’m certainly not complaining.” 

For better or for worse, that little incident had uplifted the Governor’s mood. 

“I apologize for my Father’s behavior, he, like a few others amongst our Pantheon, isn’t the most keen on getting involved with the outside world.” She breathed a fatigued sigh, “They seem to believe that my ‘meddling’, as they so gracefully worded it, is unneeded.” 

“Maintaining the world’s balance is nothing if not noble,” Michael reassured her. 

“Maybe for now,” Avalon said all of a sudden, causing everyone to turn to him in befuddlement, wondering if they had really heard what they had just heard. 

And even Avalon himself seemed taken aback, as if he had blurted it out by accident. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m more than happy to get this alliance going,” he hurriedly walked over to the tablet, putting his hand on it and allowing his signature to be confirmed into the alliance monument. “It was just a slip of the tongue.” 

But at some point, balance equates to stagnation, and the world won’t be able to move on unless something is done about that. 

---

Wowie, suspense. 

Sorry if this chapter wasn’t as long as you hoped, I just got a whole bunch of ideas running around in my head for this story while I was writing this chapter, and now it’s a matter of putting those together cohesively. 

Also, Ares lowkey a bitch. 

Scared ahhh God.