Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: The Weight of Destiny

While Damon thought about everything that had happened, the pantheons and the supernatural world had already acknowledged the gods’ victory over the Titans. Many celebrated the end of the war.

They were relieved that their responsibilities as gods might finally become easier. The war between the Titans and the gods had not been easy on the cosmos. It had affected the natural order so severely that gods like Indra had even considered intervening, as the conflict had caused natural disasters to spread across other pantheons.

Others, however, saw that outcome as a missed opportunity...

In the depths of Tartarus...

”Did you hear the news?” Erebus said, his voice filled with mockery. ”Those little gods defeated the Titans. That boy, Damon... turned out to be far more capable than I expected.”

”Disappointing...” Moros replied, his tone cold and dark. ”I expected more from Kronos. If he had at least managed to take the life of that little god, it would have been a good start.”

A heavy silence spread through the abyss before another presence spoke. Its voice did not come from a mouth, but from the void itself.

”For thousands of years, I have tried to capture Chaos’s attention... and she never granted me a single glance,” Tartarus said, his tone dense, almost venomous. ”And now this boy appears... this insect... and suddenly Chaos has taken an interest in watching him.”

The abyss trembled slightly.

”I do not like it. A mere god, only ten years old, who barely knows how to use his domains...”

”There is not much we can do about it right now,” Moros said. ”Zeus could have been useful in getting rid of him, but as we speak, Ananke is pushing him to leave the pantheon.”

”Khahaha...” Erebus laughed, his voice echoing through the abyss. ”One would think he would stay and fight Zeus, but he is still too naively attached to the idea of keeping his family from falling apart, even if his brothers and sisters support him.”

His laughter slowly faded.

”By the time such a war ended, there might be no Olympus left to rule. All it would take is a slight push... and someone from the outside would intervene.”

Silence fell again, heavy and absolute.

”That may be true,” Tartarus said at last, his voice slithering through the abyss. ”But in the end, it does not matter what path he chooses. Sooner or later, I will have to deal with him. No matter how powerful he becomes.”

»»»»»»»»»

Damon, unaware of any of this, was carefully thinking about Amaterasu’s words. Achieving peace in a completely unknown realm should not be that difficult, especially if it was peace among humans...

Little did he know.

”I accept. I do not really have another choice,” Damon said confidently. ”But you will have to keep teaching me. In other words, you will continue to be my Sensei so that when I return here, I will be strong enough not to involve anyone else in my problems.”

Amaterasu nodded. ”I met you in this realm. You do not need to make that a condition. I was planning to teach you anyway... and who knows, maybe one of my brothers will want to join as well. I will not restrict you from growing stronger, so long as you bring about the peace I am asking for,” she said with a smile while looking at Damon.

Damon did not return the smile. At that moment, he was not in the mood. His peaceful life had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and he would have to leave his brothers without even saying goodbye.

”At least tell them I am fine and that one day I will return... so they do not worry too much... and so they do not kill me the moment they see me again,” Damon muttered, the last part quietly to himself.

”It is done, Damon. Now go. This realm will await your return,” Uranus said with a smile.

Damon simply nodded before saying goodbye to the other primordials.

As soon as the farewells were over, a portal opened out of nowhere, and Amaterasu signaled for Damon to enter. It was the gateway to the Shinto palace.

Before stepping through, Damon looked back at the primordials and said, ”When I return, I will not hear this again. I promise you, not even you will be able to stop me. I do not care if you govern fate itself.”

The silence and shock that followed made it clear that everyone had been left speechless by Damon’s words.

Those are some enormous balls, Susanoo thought as he stared at Damon.

After that, Damon stepped through the portal, quickly followed by a surprised Amaterasu, Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, Izanagi, and Izanami, all of whom remained silent as they reflected on the exchange.

Shinto Pantheon

As soon as Damon crossed the portal, his mood shifted. He looked around in amazement at where he now stood. It was a palace that seemed to exist among the clouds themselves. The architecture was strange to him; he had never seen anything like it before.

”Wow... this is incredibly beautiful. I never thought I would see structures like this,” Damon said aloud so the others following him could hear.

”Welcome to our realm, Damon,” Amaterasu said with a smile. He looked like a child who had just been given a new toy. ”You will have time to explore the palace later. For now, come,” she added, gesturing with her hand.

They walked toward the edge of a massive cliff. What Damon saw next surprised him even more.

Below them stretched an enormous landmass, surrounded by vegetation and islands scattered across the great continent. From there, he could clearly see what Amaterasu had meant about the wars.

From that height, it was as if he could almost smell the blood of countless battles. Thousands upon thousands of wars for territory. Humans with no divine power fought with brute strength and all kinds of weapons, without any truce.

”Yeah... this is worse than I expected,” Damon said with a grimace, as if the scent of blood itself had reached him.

”What happened to the power you told me about? I can feel it, but I do not see them using it the way you described,” Damon asked, still watching the battles below.

”The power I told you of once belonged to humanity,” Amaterasu said, pointing toward the great tree in the distance. ”We call it the Shinju. It now holds the chakra of the human world. Long ago, we allowed humans to wield that power in the hope that it would bring lasting peace. It did not. It has long since been forgotten. Even after that power was taken back, they continued to wage war.”

She remained silent for a moment before continuing.

”I did not tell you much about it because it is not something I am proud of. But I truly believe that with you, we can stop this madness,” Amaterasu said while staring at the countless battles unfolding across the continent.

Damon continued observing the land in silence when suddenly something unexpected happened.

A meteor fell from the sky... and from it emerged a strange woman, pale as snow, with unusual features. (if you know, you know)

”And what is that?” Damon asked Amaterasu, his curiosity immediately rising.

”A new attempt to achieve peace,” Amaterasu replied. ”She belongs to another race, one I allowed to pass through in the hope that they might put an end to this madness. If she succeeds, you will have to help her. If she fails, you will have to find another way yourself.”

”And how do I do that? I mean... do I just go down there and that is it?” Damon asked.

”No. There are things I cannot allow you to do, such as revealing your current appearance or using your full domain. If you did, you would achieve peace through fear of your power, and that kind of peace never lasts. It would only lead to more wars, all for the sake of defeating you.”

She looked directly at him.

”You will be reborn in a new mortal body. You may keep your memories if you wish, but your divine power will be limited to what your mortal body can withstand. How you bring peace will be entirely up to you.”

She paused briefly before adding:

”Also, everything you learn there, your immortal body will retain. So how you choose to grow stronger is up to you as well.”

”I see... that’s fine..., I don’t mind being born again either, it’s a little strange, but it sounds fun,” Damon replied almost immediately.

Damon stood up from the edge of the cliff and looked directly at Amaterasu.

”So... when can I start?” Damon asked with a confident smile, causing everyone present to smile as well.

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