Nowhere safe

As his eyes widened in comprehension, tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Using his Eyes of Fate to decipher the meaning, he found the following message:

[fate]: Destined to bear an eternal grudge against Zeus, always working to thwart his plans. Eventually, she will align with him and provide assistance.

The situation's implausibility weighed heavily on him. Even his mother had now joined Olympus, erasing his last flicker of hope and forcing him to confront the severity of his circumstances.

In recent months, the power and influence of the Awakened individuals had surged. Even those with mid-level Awakening abilities could commit major crimes without consequences. This was particularly true for the so called deities: the top 100 most powerful Awakened figures globally. Even if they committed terrible acts, as long as they could come up with a reasonable excuse, the worst they faced was a few months of criticism before the rumors died down.

Unfortunately for him, his father had climbed the ranks and was now one of the most formidable deities.

Realizing he was utterly alone and helpless, a shiver of fear ran down his spine.

Shaking off the unsettling feeling, he hugged his mother. It wasn't just a gesture; he knew he had to escape within hours to a remote place where he'd remain unseen.

With that heartfelt hug, he spoke with a tinge of sadness, trying to sound casual: "I'm really tired, Mom. I need some rest. Go ahead and eat without me; I can't muster the energy to sit up right now."

Her eyes shimmered briefly, and she smiled with a hint of joy. She responded kindly: "Of course, dear. You have a test tomorrow, so get a good night's sleep. Sleep well."

With those words, he left the room and headed slowly to his own. In that moment, he almost reconsidered his plan.

Initially, he had wanted to escape that very night, embarking on a global journey to gather knowledge and perhaps find a new home.

While his parents didn't currently intend to harm him, this was his last chance to leave unnoticed.

His mother , now possessing Hera's abilities, likely had Hera's most feared power, mind control.

With such a power, she could quickly gather followers and grow in influence. In the not-so-distant future, she might even place spies all over the world,whether it was in the White House or a hidden village.

Torn between regret and necessity, he slipped out of the house through his window. He lived on the sixth floor, and even with his low-level physical abilities, jumping from there would be disastrous.

Thankfully, he had spent the past six months preparing for this. He had withdrawn all his money and invested in supplies, including a sturdy beige rope.

After securing the rope to his desk and making sure it wouldn't break, he tied it around himself and began to descend. Using the elevator wasn't an option due to the cameras.

As he lowered himself down the white building, bathed in golden light from the setting sun, he felt the wind on his face and his hair tousled gently. He took a moment to enjoy the view, realizing that he might never see it again.

From that day on, he traveled the world, collecting books on religion and mythology. He spent most of his money on books and eventually bought a house. Choosing Russia for its vastness, harsh conditions, and affordability, he sought refuge where his parents would never think to find him.

Russia's challenges stemmed from its huge size and sparse population. Adding to its struggles was its limited ancient mythology.

Unlike the Roman and Greek civilizations with rich pantheons, Slavic mythology was relatively small.

Despite its vastness, Russia had only three deities.

During the early stages of the demon war, they used their powerful military, which proved effective initially. However, demons above rank 5 made their weapons useless unless they hit directly.

Though they fired missiles at the demons, it mostly resulted in damaging their own land. External help came to save Moscow, fearing that revealing a nuclear depot could cause a catastrophe.

Today, Russia stands independent with help from the remaining two deities, working to reclaim lost territory. Yet, their recovery is distant as they struggle with their own challenges.