KAVA MENGE
Sorry for the delay.
***
"This is the place, isn't it?", Zeus muttered, looking down at a fairly disconcerting sight.
He was in his usual pinstriped suit, floating in the middle of an unfathomably gargantuan crater that stretched out for a monstrously large distance and extended equally deep into the earth. In fact, the end of the crater could not be seen by the mortal eye, the edges blurring into a blueish-brown horizon. Part of the North Pacific ocean had flooded most of the crater, forming a large water body, drastically decreasing sea levels and at the same time reducing the threat of climate change.
It had been merely three months since the Fall but the humans, after somewhat stabilising themselves from the aftershocks, had already named the aforementioned water body the 'Kratiras Expanse'. Their adaptability was truly astounding.
"It is. You are currently directly standing above the grave of Mount Othrys", the Moirai responded, still sealed deep within the Khaos seed.
"Good. It's about time I got rid of that annoying weight. We have enough on our shoulders as it is", Zeus said and cracked his neck before taking in a deep breath.
He raised his arms which were now wreathed in bright blue lightning towards the sky as he tapped into his enormous reserves of Divinity. He closed his eyes, focusing on the grey spirals that emerged from the twelve thrones back on Mount Olympus, before beginning to slowly drag them toward his position. He had done this twice before. The first time was just after the first Titanomanchy and the second was three months ago when the Fall occurred. This would be his third time manipulating the weight of the sky, and he hoped that it would be his last.
The twelve spirals slowly exited the Olympus space pocket and snaked their way toward Zeus' position. The lightning God's expression was one of focus as he carefully threaded the twelve spirals together. It went from twelve to ten.
Eight to six.
Six to four.
Four to two.
Zeus' electric-blue eyes shot open, his left pupil briefly taking the form of a purple wilted lotus. The previously clear sky was nothing like how it was before. Grey clouds suffused the heavens, extending well beyond the horizon as lightning faintly flickered in their midst.
"FUSE!", Zeus boomed and the two large tendrils of grey clouds plunged downward, straight toward him, intertwining on the way.
His eyes glowed bright blue for the second time as he stretched out his two hands to receive the cloud funnel.
BOOM!
"ARGHRRRRR!!!!", he let out a growl as he pushed back against the weight of the Sky. The weight was as psychological as it was physical thus even he, a Cosmos King, had to struggle underneath it.
'It's time' he thought and just when the Sky was about to push him into the Kratiras Expanse, his figure shimmered, getting replaced by a small black pillar that began to grow - pushing back against the weight of the sky.
Zeus appeared a few kilometres away, sweat pouring down his forehead but his expression of focus was the same. It was not over.
"Rise!", he said, curling his fingers into a fist and at the same time, burning through a staggering amount of Divinity. A large island, around ten kilometres in length and width burst out of the seawater below the pillar.
BOOM!
The bottom of the pillar slammed into the landmass, almost pulverising it but he poured even more Divinity into it, stabilising the structure. Meanwhile, the top half of the pillar rammed into the Sky, pushing against it with such force that it went past the grey clouds and into the stratosphere before stopping.
"Fuck....my back!", Zeus groaned, stretching his muscles and cracking his spine. His face was sweaty but healthy even after spending enough Divinity to put any minor God in a coma. After all, his title of Cosmos King was not for show. "Finally, the Sky situation is resolved."
"You have incoming. The truce path is playing out", the Moirai suddenly said, interrupting Zeus' warm-down.
"Who is it? How far?", Zeus answered, continuing to stretch, completely unperturbed.
"Enceladus and Bia. Two days from here."
His eyes flashed with an unrecognizable emotion. "Bia....hasn't she grown..."
Meanwhile, the Kava Menge stabilised itself, rooting itself into the landmass and the Sky. Its vantablack body glimmered and the Sky dulled, as though it was absorbing its essence. Patterns of numerous colours, predominantly white shimmered into existence on its body. They were in constant motion - moving up and down the pillar. It exuded a faint pressure that locked the space around it. Even an Olympian would have a harder time teleporting around it and this was but a replica of the original pillar with a fair bit of its origin essence so once it took root, it was almost impossible to move once more.
Zeus flew closer and landed on the landmass he'd created, before the now gigantic pillar. It now had a width of over two kilometres and was tall enough to cut into the sky. He walked closer and his eyes widened. The patterns on the pillar were in fact reflections of the universe.
He could see superclusters, galaxies, event horizons, solar systems and planets.
His breath hitched.
He could see the stars.
He stretched out his hand toward the pillar but froze just before he could touch it. He frowned, examining the pillar multiple times before finally realising something. What he was seeing was not a reflection of the universe, but a reflection of what humans believed was the universe.
It was a sham.
It was fake.
It was all an illusion.
It was not the stars he wished to reach.
Thunderclouds covered the sky as the air around Zeus began to charge, beginning to smell like ozone. Waves began to form in the Kratris Expanse, moving away from
"The Alliance has acquired Osiris' sarcophagus. The Kronos resurrection path has been opened. The Great prophecy still has a chance to be fulfilled", the Moirai suddenly spoke, halting Zeus' outburst.
Zeus slowly lowered his hand, "So it has begun. Warn me of any interference done by the Anamoly."
Silence.
"Is that understood?!", Zeus boomed and the Moirai cried out in pain.
"We do..."
***
Two days later.
Zeus sat cross-legged on the island, pretending as though he were refilling his reserves of Divinity. This had been going on for two days, and he hadn't moved a muscle. They should be here any moment now.
"Greetings, your Majesty~", said a raspy voice, dripping with sarcasm.
'Here they are', Zeus internally sighed. 'Time to get in character.'
His eyes shot open, resembling glowing blue orbs and a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade Celestial Bronze capped on both ends with god-level electrical explosives materialized in his hands, forming giant lightning storms in the distance.
"YOU DARE SHOW YOURSELF BEFORE ME!!!", he roared.