Zeus's gaze swept the room, his expression unreadable but his presence commanding silence. When he finally spoke, his voice was like rolling thunder. "The mortal carries the Flame of Vitality, a divine essence that does not belong in a mortal vessel. This much, we all know. What we must decide is what to do with him now."
A low murmur rippled through the room, a dangerous undercurrent of divine judgment.
"Kill him," Ares suggested bluntly, his voice sharp and unforgiving. He leaned forward, his crimson eyes glinting with malice. "End him here and now. The flame will return to the Torch of Eternity where it belongs."
Aphrodite's head snapped up, her lips parting to protest, but Zeus silenced her with a raised hand.