Chapter 42 Alt POV

Six beings sat in a meeting room high in the tower of Babel. On one side of the meeting table sat three, the goddess Hera, her familia captain Albion, and the goddess Hephaestus. On the other side of the table was the God Zeus who was sitting with his own Familia captain Maxim, a mountain of a man more than seven feet tall and clad in gleaming armor that was covered in a lion pelt that sparked with lightning.

Lastly, acting as the 'unbiased' intermediary was Freya who was all but giddy at seeing the utterly stupid act that Maxim pulled in his desire to suppress the crafting Familias into forces he could order about as he pleased.

To say nothing of how gleeful she was at seeing the Hera Familia drawn into the mess as although Hephaestus had some bad blood from Hera from times back in Tenkai, here on Genkai they had a good working relationship in which the ladies of the Hera Familia would get their gear from Hephaestus.

And with the Hephaestus familia expected to be slashed in half in numbers, to say nothing of Orario's demands for the arms of the one of two best Familia's in Orario, but the Zeus and Hera Familia's contracts were obviously going to be expected to be indefinitely put off with the loss of so many smiths.

Freya elegantly clapped her hands together to break the tense silence that was left as Hephaestus was staring daggers at the unflinching peak level Eight monster that was Maxim. "Now... We are in the Tower of Babel, no smiting the mortal, Hephaestus." She made sure to warn the smithing goddess who slowly nodded at the reminder that Ouranos would give anyone who flickered their divinity here on the seal for the dungeon a swift boot back to Tenkai.

"Why are we even here?" Maxim abruptly spoke and Zeus covered his face as from beneath the hood of the half lion head covering his head Maxim continued coldly. "There is no reparations to be made, there will be no agreements or movements made to punish my Familia and no one can challenge my rule..." His fingers arced with arcane blue lightning as he tapped the marble table and left burnt scars across the table.

"You are weak Hephaestus. Your familia was weak. You don't have the strength nor will to strike me down to avenge this slight and be sent back to Tenkai to face eternal paperwork." The sound of rumbling thunder rang out and for those in the know, they knew it was just Maxim just chuckling in his chest as he shook his head. "Therefore this meeting is utterly a waste of time." He said standing up.

Seeing Maxim standing up Hera softly spoke. "Zeus, what is your stance on this?" 

Maxim actually paused to listen to his god who sighed and shook his head. "I do not direct my children. I simply give them goals to gain strength... I am not the villain of this epic." 

The giant chuckled loudly with lightning forming in his eyes under the shadow of the lion helmet as he retorted. "Heh! I am the villain?! When I crushed kingdoms underfoot, taking their princesses and queens as my concubines while slaying terrible monsters didn't you applaud my actions, calling me a great hero?" Maxim shook his head with clear mirth coming out of his voice as he left the room with one final statement.

"I am going to be the greatest hero in history, it doesn't matter the means used, but once I complete The Three Great Quests I will reach level 10 and become an immortal! Whatever means used in that goal will be forgotten in history!" And with that, the door into the room closed behind the large man leaving the now five to sit there and share a look.

Hera sighed and then spoke bluntly. "Zeus, will you wipe Maxim's Falna clean during an update?" 

There was a moment of tense silence before Zeus shook his head and said with a wry smile. "I took in Maxim as a boy... He has gone off the path, but he can be redeemed once he completes the Great Quests and kills those monsters." He then looked at Hephaestus and spoke sincerely. "Hephaestus, I am sorry, and although that means nothing to you. I promise you I will make sure Maxim and his men stay away from your familia, and Hafrids death will not be mentioned either."

Freya however snorted as she retorted. "Hoh, so you walk off without a bruise while Orario basically loses one of its two first-class adventurer-smithing Familia's."

Zeus simply shrugged as he stood up unable or unwilling to answer while Hera coldly stared between Freya and Zeus as they prepared to leave the meeting room with no true resolution in sight.

After the Norse Goddess of Beauty left just behind Zeus, obviously being unwilling to stay in a room with her enemy Hera. The Queen of the gods spoke slowly. "Albion... Go check on the injured Hephaestus members, use your magic to heal them if possible."

Left unspoken to Albion in front of Hephaestus was the order for Albion to go check on their Familia's investment. The investment that had supposedly been in the hands of Hafrid and had been Charmed by Freya in order to save his life supposedly with Zeus and Hephaestus both agreeing that Hafrid would have snapped his neck should Freya not have mentally shattered Hafrid's mind with her Charm.

'Albion has to make sure that Freya didn't scramble his mind... To say nothing of whether he will even be an adventurer here in Orario after seeing Zeus's rabid dogs attacking civilians and his Familia members.' Hera thought with a frown as she was well aware there were plenty of opportunities for adventurers outside of Orario like Melen which was controlled by the Poseidon Familia which specialized in the subjugation of the side dungeon entrance that opened up in the massive great lake.

And at this point, she wouldn't be surprised if Jake followed the many others who thought the current Orario simply wasn't worth dealing with Zeus and other arrogant Familia's antics. 

That couldn't be allowed. After all, she needed that special elixer for Alfia and Materia... To say nothing of keeping a smith who could smith adamantine armor within Orario for her own Familia's needs.