16 16: You are Weak! (II)

And as if she had devoured his pride, Metis stood unarmed, a faint, enigmatic smile on her face. She looked so demonically beautiful as she spoke her next words filled with the first sin, pride. "Come at me all together, I'll show an end to your arrogance." 

–

'What?!" one single thought echoed in the gods' minds. None of them moved, too stunned to respond to her provocation. Not only did their brother lose in an absolutely humiliating way, but Metis also boldly declared that she would fight the seven siblings simultaneously.

This was too much for a day that was supposed to go by like any other. 

A palpable silence hung in the air, only punctuated by the arrhythmic labored breath escaping Zeus' mouth. An eerie grin etched itself on his mind; sweat of terror slowly dribbled on the miry ground. Everywhere he looked, shadowy figures spoke mocking words. 

The once dark sky, cloaked by ominous clouds, was now of a pure azure blue color. The change was almost too strange for what was happening, or maybe it was just the sky acknowledging Metis' pride. The sun, however, was but a distant dream. 

Second passed in an unusual, slow manner, widened eyes stared at the Titaness as if questioning her sanity. And maybe, they were right, she was not sane. 

"So, are you coming?" she asked, her crystal eyes locking onto Hades' pale blue orbs. Their lights seemed to merge together, in hope of creating something of a chaotic nature. A pure disaster. 

A splashing sound tore the silence asunder. Hades' obsidian shoes left imprints in the mire behind him as if paving the way for his siblings to follow. He walked at a slow tempo, stretching mere moments to what seemed almost infinite. 

They stood face to face before Hades rested his hand upon Zeus' shoulder. He spoke with an apathetic voice, only humbling Zeus further. "Stand up" There was no intonation in his voice, yet unbeknownst to him why, Zeus stood up. He seemed like a puppet following its strings.

The thunder behind his verdant eyes rekindled by the second. It was a revelation for Zeus, though he soon put this thought at the back of his mind, concentrating on the Titaness before his eyes.

Trailing behind Hades as if inspired, Poseidon Halios stood on Zeus' right side. His deep blue eyes gave off a reposing calmness. And again, trailing behind him were his three sisters. 

"Good," pronounced Metis, before stepping a few meters back. Her lips still wore a grin, as if she harbored no doubts about her ability to vanquish the seven gods.

Hera stood bewildered, almost frightened by the strange Titaness. 

This couldn't be right. The gods were supposedly, inherently more powerful than Titans, so why? 

What gave her such confidence?

Or maybe, it was just hubris. 

This thought helped Hera regain her calm, only for it to vanish again, as soon as a loud *boom* was heard.

The siblings did not get the time to plan something together as Metis rushed toward them, no hesitation in her eyes. Her feet shattered the ground under her, a testament of her divine self. She advanced in such a swift manner, the gods could not react. 

And before they knew it, Metis had already made a strange choice. She took out the goddess of marriage, not even letting her prove any importance. 

'So fast' thought Hades, taken aback. 

Yet once again, before he could react, another earth-shattering sound rang. Fortunately for him, it was Poseidon who struck the ground with one of his legs. He had been the only one not frozen by her speed. 

It was clear to Metis that for now, he was the most promising one. 

Poseidon's powerful blow, imbued with his divinity, tore the earth apart. The earth in a radius of fifty meters easily shattered, almost pulverized. It was Poseidon's first true earthquake. However, it did not do anything to Metis who only had to slightly dodge. 

She was fast, very fast. 

This thought rang in the siblings' minds, except for Hestia and Hera who were either unconscious or not vigilant enough. 

'We need to restrict her movements' thought Hades, while blinking at Poseidon. His brother flashed an almost imperceptible downward movement of his head to Hades, agreeing that they were on the same wavelength. 

Unperturbed, Metis gazed at the siblings for a few seconds, before her eyes fixed her next prey: blond locks fluttering in the air. 

Her long white hair swayed in the eerie atmosphere with every step she took. Every time her feet made contact with the ground, booming sounds rang coming closer to Zeus. In response, the god mimicked Poseidon's movement, summoning a raging torrent of lightning. Unlike before, however, he had assistance.

A shrouding sphere of darkness manifested around them. It was a protective barrier which if she wanted to escape, Metis would need a few seconds to break through. Those were, however, enough to restrain her from creating too much distance between them.

The gods understood they needed to confront Metis together, thwarting her from taking them one at a time.

Demeters' hands went to the ground as she whispered enigmatic words akin to an incantation. Following her will, a dense field of crops grew in the restrained domain where sunlight was non-present. Those crops, however, were anything but normal; they were constantly growing and regrowing while trying to ensnare Metis.

Hestia seized that moment when Metis' vision was limited to slip away and tend to her unconscious sister. She had no idea how exactly she would do that, but for some reason, her divinity seemed to scream at her that she could heal her sister. 

This was exactly what she wanted. To heal rather than fight.

Metis exhaled and conjured dual earthen blades before swiftly cleaving through the relentless crops. Due to her brain being partly occupied by the crops, and her arms slashing the swords, she was slower than before.

Yet, this was still faster than the gods. They could only look at her rushing at Hades without having the possibility to stop her advance. 

The King of the Underworld made a subtle movement with his index finger. Tearing the earth apart, skeletons arose from the dead. They went toward her, in hope of slowing Metis down, yet they were too feeble.

The skeletons of weak mortals were akin to ants against the Titaness.

With a swift vertical movement she dispatched one skeleton while simultaneously, her other sword was searching for a flaw in Hades' defenses. Fortunately for him, Poseidon neared. Every time the god of the sea threw a punch, the earth under them rumbled.

From several meters away, a cascade of constant lightning arced toward Metis, presenting her with another attack to defend with. 

The siblings had done it, they had put a halt to her course. 

It was now a true four against one. 

Demeters' hand orchestrated the crop orchestra, directly manipulating the terrain to her will. 

Yet, Metis announced the beginning of the second stage. "We're only beginning" she uttered in an ominous voice to Poseidon and Hades, before quickly changing her weapons. The looming atmosphere from before was back, however, it now seemed even greater. Her wider opened eyes seemed able to see through their fighting style. 

[Calculation] 

Magic flickered in her eyes, resembling tiny, ephemeral bubbles. Her hands seemed to follow a script. Every time Poseidon summoned waves, lightning crackled in the air; when lightning bolts fell from the sky, shields of air protected her; when the crops grazed her body, fire danced alongside it; and when darkness corroded her surroundings, light came to her rescue.

Metis seemed to wave a dance with the elements, swapping between the gods' weaknesses. She was showing off her surprising mastery over magic. 

Their intense, elemental dance reached a climax as Metis kicked Hades aside and occupied Poseidon to rush at Demeter whom she considered the most troublesome one in this fight. 

This time, she unleashed her full abilities. One single punch was all it took to send Demeter sprawling on the ground, unconscious.

Metis didn't halt there, she swiftly rushed at Hera who had just been healed. A few seconds were enough for her to knock down both Hestia and Hera, who unfortunately did not even get the chance to prove themselves. 

They had been downgraded to the weakest ones of the seven gods. 

Metis had already ranked the gods by their power, but little did she know, those rankings would soon change. 

For now, she considered Poseidon as the most powerful one in a fight. 

Zeus lunged at her, his form outlined by a blue radiance, while lightning cascaded from his hair. Yet Metis had already anticipated his actions. She showed him a big smile, before leaping backward. 

A split second before her, a massive earthen wall arose before her crystal gaze, taking Zeus by surprise. His body collided with it, halting his track. Ichor dripped from his forehead as he fell. 

'I am falling?' his eyes opened wide as he noticed the hole under him. 

When did she make this hole, he thought, and how had she made it unnoticeably? 

'Wait…An illusion?' he quickly discerned her trick, however, it was too late, he was already falling uncontrollably. 

*Splash* Zeus jolted awake as pain seared through his back. A strange water surrounded him. It had been so hard he felt like he had fallen into a deep cave of iron. 

He clenched his fists, refusing to give up. Water was weak against lightning, so everything would be alright, right?

It was not. This water was different, it seemed to disperse the lightning, rendering it utterly weak. 

'I just have to use a stronger lightning bolt then' thought Zeus, yet his plan couldn't come to blossom, for suddenly, before his eyes, there was a colossal fist.

Darkness was the last thing he saw.

A moment later, a few moments too late, Poseidon raised his hand, causing the water to erupt. Once again, Metis dodged it by a hair's breadth, as if it were child's play. 

'Maybe' the god of the sea took a deep breath before raising both his arms to the sky as if forcing his will onto something out of his domain.

Rain fell. It did not come from the clouds, unlike normal ones, and held a salty undertone. However, for something manifested by a god such as Poseidon, it was weak. Aberrantly weak. The droplets were big, yet held no special strength.

It had no chance to hurt a Titan. 

'Why' questioned Metis, her brain trying to come up with a reason for his actions. 'Oh…Smart, I guess? But not enough'

Hades sighed, his breath forming a frigid mist. The Underworld was a cold place, and he could bring out this infernal cold. He waved his hand, freezing the rain into deadly spears, holding both the hidden divinity of Poseidon and the cold of the Underworld. 

It was a terrifying attack, both undodgeable and powerful. 

It was akin to a rain of spears all capable of piercing through the crust of the earth. 

Yet, once more, it proved insufficient. Metis smiled. She looked up, her eyes foreseeing where each frozen drop would fall and evading it. The Titaness moved forward as if the rain posed no threat.

It was over. After that, she took on the two gods with nothing but pure skills. It was a dawning revelation for the two siblings who now knew what they were missing.

Skills, control, and experience. 

Metis had won, once again.

…Or had she?

A supposedly unconscious Hades opened his eyes. Their pale blue tone shimmered like stars during the night. The color was so overwhelming that even the world itself seemed to be dominated. 

A grin crept across his face. The corners of his lips rose as if he were Ouranos1 himself. While his white teeth glistened with the sapphire array of his eyes.

'This is so much fun~'

***

What do you guys think of calling the Underworld of Hades Pluto as a reference to his roman self, as there will be no roman myths in this story. 

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