Python

As the blazing sun rose out of the horizon, the light of dawn illuminated the cloudy sky in palettes of gold.

"Brother, whether you allow me or not, I'm coming." Artemis said obstinately, holding her bow and walking towards Apollo.

"No..." Leto stopped her daughter, placing her hands on Artemis' shoulder.

"But, mother, I am strong!" Artemis interjected, protesting.

"Nobody said you weren't," Leto sighed. "But the serpent is the spawn of an Elder God."

"I can handle this, Artemis," Apollo said, but he offered something else to placate her. "After this, we can go on an adventure if you want, and you know, there was a rumour of an impending alien invasion in Egypt."

Artemis laughed. "Tell me the truth, brother. I am also our mother's daughter. How come you can only go?"

"I have a feeling, sister.." Apollo whispered. "This is something I should do on my own. There is danger, far more than you can handle right now."

"Can you?" Artemis fired back.

"I can." Apollo said, lightly flickering his finger across her brow. "At the very least, trust your brother…"

Artemis finally looked away, sighing in defeat, while rubbing her forehead. "Take my vengeance as well, brother, and slay it for all to see."

"I will." Apollo promised. "My offer is still open. Don't you think it'd be fun to kill some aliens and save the world?"

Artemis japed. "We will see about that."

Apollo nodded, turning his focus towards his mother, who smiled and hugged him.

"Come back with victory, my son." She kissed him on the forehead.

"Obviously." Apollo jested, hoping to reduce her worries "Victory is my forte, after all."

Leto chuckled and let him go. "I will brew your favourite ambrosia for your return."

Apollo smiled and nodded, walking towards Asteria and Hecate.

"Be careful, Apollo." Asteria warned. "Retreat immediately if you can't hold against it. Life is more important than vengeance."

Apollo said briskly, "I will, Aunt. And give it some time; things will turn around for the better."

Asteria nodded heavily, as he turned towards Hecate.

"Give me your hand." The Goddess of Magic asked, and he complied, curious. She took out a silver bracelet from her gown and put it on his hand.

"It's a magical artefact that I created. It constructs a absolute shield around you to protect you from virtually anything. However, this protection lasts only 2 seconds. I know that this is…"

"Thank you, Hecate." Apollo interrupted sincerely, smiling. "2 seconds is actually more than enough."

This bracelet was truly powerful, despite its limitations. If he isn't wrong, the absolute shield should even be able to block some conceptual attacks temporarily.

Hecate said, her voice laced with concern. "Tread cautiously, Apollo. The python is rumoured to have invulnerable skin."

Apollo nodded in acknowledgement, his fingers trailing towards the bracelet. Then, he finally walked towards Demeter and Hestia, who were standing in a shade some distance away from them.

His aunts, well, he didn't hate them, just indifferent towards them in his heart. But no matter what, he needs allies, powerful allies for the upcoming war.

A multi-pantheon war. It is inevitable. He is going to start that war one way or another. And war cannot be fought alone, especially in a war of the gods with so many unknown variables, such as the primordials Nyx and Izanami.

"You do know where it is?" Demeter questioned. "Right?"

"Delphi." Apollo said, his golden eyes gleaming.

As a sun god, the light of the sun is also his eyes. He can see most of what is illuminated under the light. It wasn't all; he could also hear most and teleport to most places in the light. So, yeah, he is almost omnipresent in the light of the sun. But this is only limited to the territories of the Olympian Pantheon temporarily.

"Delphi." Hestia said gently from the side. "It is a sacred place created by Earth Mother herself, and the python stands guard over it. So now tell me, do you still want to go there?"

"Yes." Apollo immediately nodded without any hesitation, even after hearing the history behind it.

Hestia said, without any surprise, as though she already expected such an answer from him.

"We already sent a message to evacuate the pilgrims in Delphi and make sure nothing interferes with your fight."

"Remember, it doesn't matter what happens to the python, but Delphi must remain intact, no matter what." She warned.

Apollo solemnly nodded, guessing about the situation of Delphi. It should be mostly related to Gaia. He doesn't know how different that place is from the mythological one. But he already has some plans for that place. Delphi will be his first step.

Hestia smiled, declaring, "Then, now go forth, Phoebus Apollo, slay the mighty python for all to see."

Demeter added, with her. "You have our blessings, Apollo."

Finally, Apollo looked at all of them one last time, his figure breaking apart into light particles.

"Wait for me…."

His voice lingered in the air as golden particles of light faded away into obscurity.

______________

Delphi, Greece.

It was the most sacred place on earth. It was surrounded by many legends and fables telling of its illustrious origins. However, no matter how different the versions were, they were all tied to the Earth Mother, Gaia, in one way or another.

Delphi was a massive structure perched on Mount Parnassus, overlooking all of Europa and shrouded in a gentle aura.

Under the light of the sun, a teenager with light, wavy brown hair and golden eyes, like the sun, descended on the foot of the mountain. He had bronze-tanned skin and wore a red chiton robe over half of his body, exposing his chiselled frame. On top of his head was a golden laurel crown, which gleamed brightly in the light of the sun.

It was none other than Apollo who directly teleported from Delos to Delphi through the sunlight without making his presence known.

Apollo looked at the structure perched on top of the mountain. It was similar to the Parthenon, supported by colossal columns and emitting a gentle aura.

Just the sight of the structure made him feel refreshed and reinvigorated. The gentle aura emanating from it was filled with boundless vitality.

It was the Delphi.

Apollo simply looked at it silently before shifting his gaze to the surrounding mountains, his expression becoming solemn by the moment. This was not the time to explore that. He was here for a fight, his first fight.

The python. It was the wrath of Hera. She sent it to chase after his mother. The python was created by the Earth Mother, Gaia, and was assigned to guard Delphi. It indeed fulfilled its duties unequivocally, until Hera managed to conquer it in the Titan War and become her fabled pet.

And he is here not because of fate, but of vengeance.

Fate...

Apollo shook his head at that thought, focusing on the python.

He already had a rough estimate of how powerful the python was as he spied on it through the light of the sun a lot of times in preparation for this battle.

Honestly, the python wasn't that strong. Though it could easily destroy a country in the future, its attacking power was far inferior to that of the gods, whose unrestrained battles could raze continents and planets at the turns.

But its near-invulnerable defence, enormous endurance, and unrivalled regeneration, however, made it a formidable foe. It was a nightmare to face in battle, making even the gods skirt clear of it.

Apollo wasted no more time. The surging light in his golden iris calmed down, entering absolute calmness.

He raised his hand high toward the sky as his saddled foot pressed heavily on the ground, cracking it.

The light of the sun in the surroundings immediately converged into his hand, forming a white sword bathed in roaring white flames. A boundless divine aura emanated from him, exposing his presence.

He looked ahead at the mountains. His hold on the hilt of the sword tightened. Streaks of white flames roared out, melting the very fabric of space like a molten candle.

The rocky mountains that surrounded Mount Parnassus suddenly rumbled, cracks spreading out to the ground under his feet. He floated up in the air and looked ahead with narrowed eyes.

Something slithered out of the crumbling mountains, completely shattering it. There it was, a colossal python with white scales and lamp-like yellow eyes. Its slithering caused a tremble that was felt in the farthest immortal idyll on the Greek mainland.

However, the main peak of Parnassus, which held Delphi, stood still without the slightest crack across its uneven ridge.