Retreat

Everything happened in an instant. A chariot, levitating in the air with no support, suddenly revealed itself hidden beneath the clouds. The gods didn't even have time to react, as they couldn't sense it and its speed was unimaginable.

On top of the chariot stood a familiar figure. It was a man of small height and bulky stature, with a rugged, bearded face. He wore a simple tunic and held a huge hammer in his hand. Zeus, upon seeing him, smiled, painting his exhausted expression. His eyes, which had been blurry before, started to regain clarity.

Finally, the gods noticed the arrival of another, but it was too late. Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, fire, and volcanoes, had arrived at the battle. He didn't waste this moment of surprise and suddenly lifted his hammer, bringing it down.

The hammer hit nothing but pure air, but the aftermath was shocking. An overbearing sound echoed throughout the battlefield, causing all the gods to grab their ears in distress. Cracks suddenly spread on the ground beneath their feet. Zeus tilted his head, smiling through the blood in his mouth.

Fire erupted from the cracks, turning into lava and burning everything in its path. The gods were forced to evade it, knowing its deadly nature, as they continued to try to escape. Only Apollo, with his incredible speed, was having an easier time.

The cracks continued to spread, plunging the entire village into a natural disaster. Meanwhile, Hephaestus appeared in front of Zeus with his carriage. Zeus forced his dying body to rise onto its feet and without glancing back, jumped on top of the carriage, which took off immediately.

"To think that such a useless attack would deplete my entire power. I swear, that's why I never go to another world. Too much trouble," Zeus heard Hephaestus's somewhat old voice reach his ears, smearing a smile on his face. However, before saying anything, Zeus glanced down at the ground below, which grew smaller as they ascended into the air.

"Hey, my son, would you mind transferring whatever power you have left inside of you to me?" Zeus asked absentmindedly. "When Apollo shoots, he doesn't miss."

Hephaestus frowned as he also glanced down, where the volcano had ceased its eruption. His deep voice reached Zeus's ears. "Fuck." With that, Hephaestus placed his hand on top of Zeus's bloody shoulder and channeled divine energy into Zeus's body. The intensity of it caused Zeus inexplicable pain.

It was foreign, full of fire attributes, but Zeus held on. As expected, an arrow appeared from the clouds an instant later. It was small, yet Zeus felt the impending threat. Pushing his hands forward, Zeus created a shield. Instead of pure lightning, it now mixed with fire and had an orange gleam. It felt strange to utilize something that wasn't his, but Zeus had to admit it was the strongest shield he had ever created in this world.

The arrow collided with the shield, creating a shockwave that sent the carriage hurtling away. But it held on in the air, thanks to the mysterious hand of Hephaestus. Zeus extended his hand, veins spreading and popping, and more blood rushed out of him under the pressure of utilizing a foreign divinity.

The arrow continued its advance, becoming like the scorching sun, relentlessly approaching. Yet, Zeus had had enough. He pushed everything that remained within him into the shield, feeling darkness engulf his vision. And in the end, he successfully deflected the arrow, shattering the shield.

It was the first time in this world that Apollo's arrow had missed.

Zeus fell back, his back colliding with the floor of the carriage, while Hephaestus's small frame hung over him, still frowning. They promptly flew further away from the scene.

"You moron," Hephaestus exclaimed, hitting the nearly unconscious Zeus in the head with his hammer, fire burning in his eyes. "I was absent from the palace for a few years, and when I return, I suddenly hear stories that Zeus abandoned his post as the supreme leader and became a mortal. Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It was my fate," Zeus said, placing his hand on his head, attempting to ease the pain. Another hit from the hammer landed on his head, sending him to the floor.

"You don't believe in fate, you fucker!" Hephaestus continued to hit Zeus, ignoring the fact that he was bleeding profusely and had holes in his chest.

"Hey, is it alright to be hitting your father who is on the verge of death?" Zeus grabbed the hammer in the air, somehow stopping it. Mainly because Hephaestus had had enough, the little man took a step back and sat across Zeus, leaning against the carriage wall.

"As if you ever cared about that father and son stuff," Hephaestus cursed under his breath. "Do you even know what happened to Heaven because of you? It's in disarray. The order has waned. Poseidon is enslaved. Hades is bribed."

"What do you mean? I really have no idea what is going on there," Zeus tried to ignore the exhaustion in his mind, as this topic was of utmost interest to him.

Hephaestus sighed, looking both agitated and exhausted. "I will start from the beginning then. When you disappeared, all the gods didn't know what to do, but they understood that they needed a new ruler. However, Hera quickly realized her opportunity. She formed a group of gods who deeply hated you and your way of ruling, and they successfully rebelled."

Hephaestus continued, "They imprisoned the souls of all gods who were in favor of waiting for you. Hades helped them with that. Poseidon was not spared, and I was the only one who remained. I hid myself and eventually heard rumors about them trying to find you."

Hephaestus glanced at his hammer. "So, I found you first and created a portal. Initially, they had a team of four because this world could only hold such a number of gods without being completely destroyed. I intercepted their travel through the portal and became the fourth one to descend here."

"So, my disappearance has basically destroyed Heaven?" Zeus sighed. During his time as a ruler, he made a bunch of mistakes. Yet, now, when he stepped down, he made an even bigger mistake. Was he destined for failure?

"Yes," Hephaestus answered bluntly. "And now we are in deep shit. I have no idea how you can defeat them with such little divinity. You are extremely weak, and I am even weaker. My power isn't meant for battles."

Zeus glanced at the sky, his face growing more serious. "I will have to become much stronger."

Hephaestus rose to his feet. "Don't worry, even though we are in deep shit, it's still not a hopeless situation. During the time I was here, I have thought of some interesting ways to turn this situation around, especially with Ares, for he is immortal."

Hephaestus glanced at Zeus, realizing he was already in a deep slumber, his face devoid of worry. Hephaestus frowned. The situation was truly bad, yet for some reason, with someone like Zeus, he felt that everything would turn out for the better.

"At least Hades is busy with keeping all those souls imprisoned and didn't descend here, or we would be done." Hephaestus sighed, leaning back onto the wall of the carriage.