Defiance: Meeting of the Gods Part 2

The next chapter of the divine meeting, the start of the discussion to see who will take the blame, and who will become the villain.

Yay.

Enjoy.

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'Time passed, and almost all of the invited Gods had arrived.'

'This was probably one of the busiest days this room has ever seen, comparable to the times when Ares invaded Orario.'

'Or in the past when... Chaos spread all around.'

/Tense.../

'Though, given the mood floating in the air, most weren't satisfied with waiting anymore.'

'It was time to start… But how?'

'Who would be the first to start?'

/Silence…/

'People were getting impatient, yet no words were pronounced.'

'And this time, people would certainly not appreciate if Ganesha screamed again, and even he knew that.'

'Despite his looks, Ganesha was much more considerate and intelligent than most.'

"COUGH!"

'To save the day, Hermes got up from his seat, drawing in the gazes of dozens of Gods and mortals alike, his forehead sweating very slightly as he said:'

"Everyone, I believe we have waited enough… It's time to start this meeting."

/Whispers…/

'Some agreed, others were in between… But in the end, they all accepted.'

"Even if that's the case, what's there to talk about?" A God with light, blackish-blue hair spoke tiredly

'He didn't look tired, he merely spoke in a slow way as if he was about to fall asleep... But somehow, it was still fast enough to compare to a normal person talking...'

'It was a very strange way of talking.'

"You don't know anything, and the Guild doesn't seem to know much either…"

'A very skeptical person, though he forgot to consider one thing...'

'And this sort of question was exactly what Hermes was waiting for…'

"That's where you're wrong, Hypnos."

"We just need to ask the one that was there, right?…" Hermes said in a low tone

'He turned to Ishtar, who frowned.'

"Ishtar."

'Nevertheless, she got up from her seat, making her way to the center of the room, swaying her hips as she walked.'

'She had done this so many times it became natural to her, and the male simps in the room made sure to follow.'

'Hestia even took a few glances at Silver, making sure he wasn't like those low-lives, but there was no need to worry, he wasn't like them in the slightest.'

'Silver was much more interested in memorizing the faces of everyone in the room and playing a game of guess rather than watching that secondhand ass.'

'Her Captain, Tammuz, followed her as she walked, silent, wearing his metal collar.'

'Her most loyal dog.'

"You sure have a sly tongue Hermes…" Ishtar said with a small smile as her hand passed through the central table of the room

'Her expression sharpened a little.'

"But you should know when to stop messing around, I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"..."

So feisty…

'Hermes preferred not to argue, this wasn't the place nor the time to do so, much less with that girl...'

'So he just sat on his seat again, waiting for the party to start, focusing on his own thoughts...'

This is just the beginning.

Will it go as predicted?...

Though nothing can be done in regard to his statement, I just have to make sure he makes it there first.

I came this far, might as well commit myself to the end.

'With a silent sharp gaze, Hermes pulled his hat a little.'

…

/It was silence once more/

"Spill the beans Ishtar, what happened yesterday?" Loki asked with a sharp gaze

'Out of everyone here, Loki was one of the people with the least patience in concerning this matter.'

'She had already realized something was wrong with the private investigations she conducted during the night pointing at the fact the Guild was hiding something…'

'She didn't know what they were trying to do so, and why the Ishtar Familia was keeping a tight seal on this as well…'

'Loki could understand why the latter was doing so, it was mostly out of embarrassment and in order to settle things on their side.'

'But not the Guild.'

'Being neutral as they were, there was no reason for them to remain silent…'

'Why keep silent? To protect the integrity of both parties? The Guild doesn't care about that... It shouldn't.'

'Though that was all speculation, as the Guild could be hiding nothing and merely keeping their mouth closed to make sure things didn't descend into madness.'

'Yet, her intuition was rarely wrong, so this amused her greatly… Just who was worth their protection so much?'

'To Loki's words, Ishtar said:'

"I was planning on doing that already, with or without your call."

"Heh…"

Bitch.

'Loki smiled with her eyes half closed, perhaps mocking her…'

'Though her attitude bothered the prideful Ishtar, she had other things to attend to.'

"I'll be blunt then."

'Ishtar slowly put on a very sad face as she started to talk, looking very hurt and remorseful:'

"It is simple… Yet embarrassing, and extremely regretful."

"Yesterday in the middle of the night, someone made their way to the entrance of my humble Familia, took down brutally my trusty guards, taking one of them hostage."

/Gasps…/

'The Gods were stunned.'

"Look at her go…" Loki mumbled with a sly smile

She doesn't seem to be lying, but is this a straight truth?...

Or one that has been heavily distorted?

"..."

'Each had their own reactions to her story, this included Silver, who was emotionless.'

"After forcing the other guard, a pretty and young Amazon to do his bidding, he tricked Androctonus, my Familia Captain, into barging into my room in the middle of my calm sleep due to worry…"

'A small tear fell from her eyes…'

"At that moment, he managed to ambush her viciously, casting a ferocious magic…"

"Because his target wasn't her… It was me!"

/Gasp.../

'To attack a God....'

'She then became desperate.'

"Forced with a cruel choice, Phryne lunged forward, using her unprotected and defenseless body to resist the brunt of his attack!"

"The result of this were the two beams of light atop the skies as she used her body to protect me, diverging the initial blast."

"And that's why she's greatly injured right now… Sniff…"

/Silence…/

'Everyone looked at each other in silence, shock written on their faces.'

'They couldn't believe just who would have the courage of doing such a thing… So it didn't take them long to ask.'

"Who did it?"

'Eager to understand who would have tried to assassinate her in the middle of the night, they were at the edge of their seats.'

'Ishtar raised her head, looking at the stone benches.'

"Th..."

'She was about to say something when Silver rose from his seat…'

"Me, I did it."

""?!?!""

/Gasps!/

'The Gods opened their eyes wide in surprise, almost having them pop out of their sockets, even some of the more calculating ones.'

'Out of all possible choices, they had never considered him!'

'Some considered it to be some sort of outside attack, Ares had done so several times before… Others thought it was a Familia conflict… And although this was still it, they hadn't expected it to be…'

'The Hestia Familia of all things!'

'Of course, there were also some Gods that didn't quite recognize him, but upon seeing Hestia, they kind of understood why everyone was so shell-shocked.'

"GAHGH?!?!"

'Hestia seemed to have a heart attack as her soul momentarily returned to heaven, her brain shutting down.'

"BUWAHAHAHAHA!"

'Loki started to laugh, though her eyes flashed with light from time to time.'

"This…"

So that was why he made me that request…

'Hephaestus shook her head in silence, finally piecing together his actions so far.'

(N1)

"..."

'Many others, including Artemis, Miach, Takemikazuchi, Leto, people that were close to him and his Familia reacted in similar somber ways, trying to understand just why he would do such a thing…'

'Why enter a conflict with one of the biggest Familias in Orario?'

'The Hestia Familia was growing so well, why go out of their way for this?'

'Of course, they understood there was something behind the scenes, considering the personality of the man in question, he wouldn't set this dumpster on fire just for the sake of it.'

'They just had to wait and see.'

"Humph." Ishtar grunted as she looked at him

What is he planning?

Regardless... It's over.

Hah, War game... You're very much mistaken that I would allow such a thing to pass in the first place.

To soil my name this much... I'll punish you accordingly later.

"So you've decided to admit to your crimes? That was simpler than I thought, have him jailed and deliver to my tower by tonight, I'll…"

'Ishtar started talking, something she had planned for the entirety of the night, from the moment she woke up and saw the destruction in her yard.'

'But Silver wasn't having any of it.'

"My crimes? Please, elaborate." He said as he walked to the center of the room

/Thug.../

'Hestia held onto his shirt, trying to seek answers...'

"S-Silver?"

"Shhh... I'll be back."

'Turning his back to his Goddess and many others, he said:'

"Just let me act as the Captain I wish to be."

"..."

'Silent, her expression slowly changed into one of resolution.'

I'll give you my support then...

...

"What? Are you pulling my leg?" Ishtar asked with a frown

"You attacked me!"

'Pointing her finger at him, Ishtar angrily voiced her complaints.'

'Silver, however, calmly descended the stony steps leading to the center of the room.'

"And how is that, in itself, a crime?"

"For, as far as I know, attacking another Familia isn't against the law"

"Conflicts between Familias are not to be intervened by the Guild."

'He looked straight at Ishtar as if knowing she would say that.'

'She was so predictable in some ways…'

"You… Do you think Orario is a lawless place?!" She asked, grinding her teeth

He's trying to turn this into a Familia problem...

Dammit, if we get into a War game, my reputation will take yet another hit.

This problem has to be resolved right here, right now...

Especially when he's the one that knows where Haruhime is!

ALL THIS TIME, IT WAS IN HIS POSSESSION!!

'Ishtar almost lost it, but she managed to regain her composure while Silver spoke.'

"Me?... Certainly not… But you?... Isn't that right, queen of the entertainment district?"

'Her eyebrows twitch, but she soon smiled.'

"No matter how sly your tongue is, that doesn't remove the fact you attacked me and involved the city in your senseless bravado!"

"..."

"That is true, I won't deny it." Silver replied slowly

"!"

'The Gods didn't expect him to agree, neither did Ishtar in fact.'

"As you said, Orario isn't a lawless place."

"That came as a result of many years of hard work, sweat, blood, and deaths."

'He looked at her, but he did not smile.'

"Many people suffered so that others could move around freely without having to worry about a crazy Level 4 adventurer spreading chaos all around."

'Silver then smiled mysteriously.'

"So many died so your Deep floors leather carpet could reach you..."

"Though… Forget it."

Those that once sought to protect the people have slowly vanished, either mysteriously, or through a series of unfortunate events…

It's ironic actually.

"With that in mind, I am here to admit to my mistakes, I did wrong and involved more people in this than I should've, and for that, I apologize."

"You think apologizing will be enough?" Someone said in the background

'It was an elderly voice, probably from an old God.'

'Silver didn't turn around.'

"No, I don't think so, that's why I'm here."

'He then raised his head to look at Ishtar once more.'

"However, I refuse to admit I am guilty of the crime of attacking your sorry ass."

/Gasp!/

"You… Do you even listen to your own words?! They don't make any sense." Ishtar exclaimed in anger

"Of course they do, you just need to understand the context..."

"Although I found your story really interesting, you forgot to tell them a few key details didn't you?"

She didn't lie, instead, she distorted her words severely.

Everything she said can be considered to be true depending on the context, from how I stormed into her home and took one of the Amazons "hostage" to Phryne's injuries.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Ishtar replied with a calm and collected gaze

There is no way for him to prove his innocence, even if he were to convince some of my Children to speak.

Though... The Gods would still be able to access his words and know if he's lying or not.

But even then, without concrete evidence, the Guild won't move, and I'll win regardless.

"You don't? Perhaps you have forgotten…" He said as he stepped down onto the center of the room

'As he did so, Tammuz steeped in front of Ishtar to make sure she would be okay.'

'Though nothing would happen, Silver wouldn't touch her here, nor never... Never may be an exaggeration.'

"Allow me to refresh your mind in case you've forgotten."

'Silver turned to the audience in the room, and said:'

"If I'm Guilty of attacking the Ishtar Familia, so should they."

"After all, didn't you guys attack me first?"

/Gasp!/

'What an interesting change of pace!'

'If that was true, then indeed, the Ishtar Familia would be in the wrong, and considering they don't know anything, this would've meant the Ishtar and Hestia's Familia have been facing each other in the dark for a while now.'

'And this conflict would turn from a direct attack to a justified retaliation, and albeit his charges for causing mayhem in the city wouldn't be removed, the other ones would.'

"You sure like to talk! Do you even have the evidence to sustain such a serious claim?!"

Dammit, he knows where to strike!

But what evidence can he pull off?!

"... So you have no interest in admitting it?" Silver asked

"There is nothing to admit here boy!" She said as she turned her eyes to Tammuz

I need to end this here... Now.

/Step…/

'Tammuz started to walk towards Silver, and the situation in the room became a bit heavier.'

"Are you sure you want to end it like this? This isn't the sort of place to…"

"Shut up! You destroyed my home!" She exclaimed in anger

Even if I do this, as long as I continue to act like this, the other Gods won't act as my anger is justified, this included Freya, if she moves now, things may sour from her side.

Then, I would just need to bring him to my home and deal with him there, no one will care for him after that.

"..."

'Silver closed his eyes, letting Tammuz approach him.'

'And when he did so, Tammuz raised his fist…'

/Thud!/

'But instead of Silver falling on the ground, Tammuz hit his head on the stony floor.'

'Silver never moved or uttered a single word, his hands were behind his back and his eyes were closed.'

"Ta-Tammuz?!" Ishtar exclaimed in confusion

What happened?!

'Silver crouched, looking at the man with a tinge of concern...'

"Looks like your Captain is a bit tired, make sure to give him some proper rest."

"Don't touch him!"

'Silver ignored her, using his Plasmids to move Tammuz to the side of the room, putting him against the wall gently.'

'His hands seemed to be twitching, he would wake up soon.'

"Let's continue from where we stopped…"

You can try to stop me, but without Phryne, you're nothing.

You may think this Denatus is your performing stage, but it will, instead, be your coffin.

And now, I'll start hammering down the nails...

"You talked about evidence, is that correct?"

'He smiled.'

"I have more than enough of that."

'Silver raised his hand towards the air, and something similar to Hermes screen during the War-games appeared in the sky…'

'The air vibrated and mist gathered, slowly parting way into a long and wide mirror.'

'The mirror flashed, it showed an image, and then another in quick succession… And over time, a memory.'

'From his POV, they were…'

"These are my memories."

"What better way to prove my innocence than showing you all something that I saw?"

'He turned to Ishtar, her expression now severely tense.'

"You don't look so good, what is it? If you need some air, I can help you move outside in a jiffy…"

"..."

'She remained silent, biting her lips.'

'Smiling internally, Silver started his show.'

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Notes

N1

I'll make a side chapter on Hephaestus soon, probably after this small meeting is over, so you can understand her side of the story and what exactly he discussed with her.

PS: It's already done, I just have to find a time to post it.