Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Trust

Olympus.

After an extensive conversation, after finally meeting Chaos, and after every god in the pantheon came to understand more clearly the kind of king they had before them, Olympus had entered a new era of surprises.

The Greek gods could be arrogant. No one could deny that. However, even they understood that confronting the Biblical factions was no simple matter. That was a reality they had known since the moment Zeus became king. It was also something most factions and pantheons knew well: getting involved with the Biblical side was almost a death sentence. The power shown by those winged beings had kept many gods in constant caution, especially because, at the center of it all, there was only one God.

And yet, their king, Damon, had entered the Biblical Underworld, faced its leaders, and come out victorious. That placed Damon under an entirely different light. It was one thing to show great power against the Greeks. It was another thing entirely to use that power to defend them. In a pantheon where strength ruled, that made it much easier to earn the loyalty of many once the news began to spread.

For her part, Chaos had already left. Clearly, the primordial had only come to meet Damon and show that she supported him. She had already done so before by claiming him as her champion, but appearing in front of everyone and openly backing him carried a different weight. When the important conversations ended, she simply disappeared, leaving behind her overwhelming presence and the deep interest she had shown in the decisions of Olympus’s king.

The Fates did not argue much either. They had delivered their warning; there was nothing else to do. They left as quickly as they had arrived, though with an obvious bitterness toward the refusal of the new King of Olympus. Zeus had been similar in some aspects, except everyone knew Zeus was all talk. Even if he disliked the words of the Fates, in the end, he always obeyed those orders disguised as prophecy. Damon, on the other hand, was different. At the very least, his refusals had more coherence. Beyond that, the Fates would not dare test their luck with a Greek god whose level was already touching the primordial.

That said, a few hours later, the formal meeting of the pantheon had finally ended. If it had to be put in one way, it was very heated.

All the major gods had been present: Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaestus, Ares, and several others. Everyone was more attentive than before. Ares, for his part, was a little nervous at Damon’s obvious lack of fear or hesitation when the news of Kronos’s return was mentioned. The god of war had not been present during the initial warning and, to be honest, Chaos’s presence did not really matter much to him either. In his view, she was just a woman who had spread her legs and given birth to the universe, though he would not dare say that out loud at that moment.

After the meeting ended, Amaterasu watched Damon from one side of the hall with a mixture of pride and reflection. Honestly, she still found it difficult to believe how much the redhead had grown. She remembered the young man who barely knew how to wield a katana properly. And now, she had just seen that same man, with her own eyes, preside over a meeting of the Greek pantheon as the true King of Olympus. It was a refreshing truth. One thing was hearing about it. Another was seeing it, especially when she had also been an important part of the path that brought him there.

The Greeks, for their part, were a strange case for the Shinto queen. They were still proud and impulsive. Even so, during the meeting, they had shown something Amaterasu could not deny: they knew how to adapt when the situation demanded it. They had been respectful toward her and, above all, attentive when Damon explained what had happened in the Underworld.

Of course, that attention did not last long before turning into fury.

When Damon explained in more detail what the devils had tried to do to a demigod under Greek protection, along with the way the leaders of the Underworld had treated him, the hall nearly exploded. The Greeks called for blood like the Greeks they were. Ares was the first to say they should have marched on the entire Underworld. That surprised some because of the sudden support he showed toward Damon, though the god of war undoubtedly had his own reasons, both good and bad.

The others were not far behind. Even Hades showed his support, and that was no small thing. In the grand scheme of things, Hades was a powerful god and highly respected among several underworld deities across different pantheons. Amaterasu had even heard shinigami speak well of the Greek God of the Underworld. For someone like him to show loyalty toward Damon was important.

Amaterasu had to admit that the idea unsettled her somewhat. Not because she doubted Greek power, but precisely because she did not. If all of Olympus had attacked the Underworld alongside Damon, the result would have been a catastrophe difficult to imagine.

That, by itself, was interesting.

Amaterasu was not naive. She knew words spoken in a room full of gods did not always hold up under the weight of a real war. Support was easy when the threat was far away or when victory already seemed within reach. True loyalty was tested when decisions required real sacrifice. And since Damon had already done the difficult work, it was easy to say yes now. The reality was that whether the Greek gods would truly stand by Damon when the moment became difficult, only time would tell.

”What an interesting day, don’t you think?” Amaterasu heard in the great hall, pulling the goddess from her thoughts. ”Full of surprises, despite the fact that a certain goddess knows perfectly well that I don’t like surprises.”

Amaterasu turned her gaze toward Damon. The hall was already empty, leaving only the two of them. The redhead was leaning near one of the pillars, arms crossed, with that smile of his that seemed to mix mockery and peace at the same time. The sun goddess rolled her eyes. ”And what did you expect? I didn’t have time to warn you. Chaos simply came, and that was it. Besides, don’t act as if you haven’t done your own things.”

Damon let out a small laugh at the half-lethal look she gave him. ”Well, I suppose you’re right.”

Amaterasu walked toward him with calm steps, responding with a certain irony. ”Hmp. In the end, I wasn’t the one who ended up surprising the supernatural world with my actions. I would say you lost the right to complain about surprises for a while.”

A drop of sweat fell down the back of Damon’s neck at her words. ”When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right.”

Amaterasu raised her chin, looking at him with an expression that clearly said she knew she was right. ”You suppose?”

Damon smiled a little more. ”Fine, fine. You win.”

”You saved yourself,” she murmured.

”How grateful I am!” Damon immediately replied.

Damon, amused by his woman’s attitude, softened his expression slightly when silence returned to the hall. He truly enjoyed moments like this with the goddess. There was no need to complicate things. The simplicity and compatibility between them were relaxing in a way few things in his life could manage.

Amaterasu noticed it too, though she said nothing. Instead, her eyes moved toward the door through which Rhea, Grayfia, and Koneko had left earlier. ”What will you do with Koneko?”

Damon followed her gaze for a moment. ”The girl has already grown quite attached. If it weren’t for the fact that she still has her sister, I would say I could consider her a daughter, don’t you think?”

Amaterasu smiled with immediate warmth, feeling her heart beat stronger because of how naturally Damon said that. ”I accept her. I like cats very much.”

Damon looked at her from the corner of his eye, blinking. ”I didn’t expect you to accept so quickly.”

”Well, obviously I’m going to accept. She’s adorable, she has cat ears, and she seems to trust you. I don’t see the problem,” the goddess replied in an almost dreamy tone, her eyes shining for a moment at the simple thought. Then her expression became a little calmer. ”Speaking seriously, Yasaka has already contacted Kuroka. The poor girl is most likely desperate to see her sister. I think it would be good for you to take Koneko to her soon.”

Damon slowly nodded. ”That was what I planned to do. I don’t like dragging out that kind of thing.”

”Good,” Amaterasu said, crossing her hands inside the sleeves of her divine clothing. ”You should also speak with Yasaka about Kuoh. On our side, we have no problem with that territory knowing it is now under your control. On the contrary, it could be useful.”

Damon tilted his head slightly. ”Useful how?”

Amaterasu smiled thoughtfully. ”A clear display of cooperation between Olympus and the Yokai faction. A Shinto-Greek alliance does not sound bad, don’t you think?”

Damon let out a low laugh. ”I thought you would never say it.”

”So you had already thought about it?”

”Of course,” Damon replied, separating himself from the pillar and walking slowly beside her. ”It would be good for both sides. Olympus gains a direct connection to Japan, and the Yokai receive clearer backing against anyone who tries to take advantage of them. Besides, perhaps it would be a good idea for some demigods to interact with Yokai in Japan. It would be a good way to show them how large the world truly is.”

Amaterasu nodded, clearly agreeing. ”I think so too. But you will have to discuss that more with Yasaka. She is a good woman, intelligent and careful with her people. She also has a rather capable daughter. Perhaps you will get along.”

Damon nodded, taking her words into account, though he could not help looking at her with some suspicion. ”The last time you told me something similar was about Serafall.” Amaterasu blinked, and Damon raised an eyebrow. ”And look how that ended.”

The sun goddess closed her eyes for a second, trying not to laugh. ”In my defense, Serafall did have more common sense than the rest of the devils.”

”Hmm, I don’t know. That wasn’t a very high bar,” Damon replied, rolling his eyes.

”It truly wasn’t,” Amaterasu admitted, covering part of her face with the sleeve of her kimono to avoid laughing directly in his face.

Damon sighed, but then his gaze took on an expectant glint. ”Either way, Yasaka will probably hear from me soon. I asked the devils for a gift. It should reach her in a short time.”

Amaterasu raised one of her perfect eyebrows. ”I hope you are not doing something crazy again, Damon.”

Damon let out a light laugh. ”No, of course not, Ama-chan. How could you think that?”

Amaterasu’s gaze became flat. Damon kept his smile. The goddess observed him for a few seconds before asking suspiciously, ”What gift?”

”One she will really like,” Damon assured her.

”That does not reassure me,” the sun goddess replied with a small pout. ”Do not worry. You will find out soon. It is a good surprise.”

Amaterasu sighed. ”By the heavens.” Damon shrugged shamelessly. ”You just surprised me with Chaos. I don’t see why I can’t do the same.”

Amaterasu looked at him for a few seconds, and the goddess’s lips slowly curved upward. ”We shall see.”

The silence that followed was comfortable, the kind that only existed between two people happy simply to share each other’s presence. Amaterasu looked around the throne room, observing the empty space that, only a few hours earlier, had been filled with arguing gods. ”Your mother and Hera did not stop looking at me during the meeting.”

Damon slowly closed his eyes. ”Yes, I noticed.”

”It would probably be a good idea for me to spend sometime with them. Something that has nothing to do with you.”

Damon opened one eye and looked at her. ”A girls’ moment between my mother, my sister, and you? That sounds like madness.”

Amaterasu placed a finger on her lower lip, thoughtful. ”When you put it like that, it does sound problematic.”

”That’s because it is,” Damon said quietly.

Damon crossed his arms behind his back. ”Perhaps Mother wants to know you better. Hera...” He stopped for a moment, searching for a coherent way to say it. ”Hera will be Hera.”

”I know,” Amaterasu replied calmly. ”I’m not worried. Between women, and especially between two queens, we will understand each other better than you can imagine.”

”Hmm, I hope so,” Damon murmured.

The sun goddess let out a soft laugh and gave the redhead a small tap on the chest with her hand. ”I am not going to fight with your sister, Damon.”

Damon did not respond for a moment, letting the words settle. ”I am just being realistic.”

Amaterasu shook her head at her man’s pessimism. ”I think it would be very fun.”

Leaving that topic aside, Damon thought about Grayfia. Part of him hoped everything was going well. ”I hope they are getting along with Grayfia,” he murmured. Amaterasu tilted her head. ”Are you worried?”

”Not really. My mother has a habit of emotionally adopting anyone who looks like they need affection.”

Amaterasu smiled faintly, but her expression changed when she noticed the slight tension in his shoulders. The goddess moved a little closer. ”What is it? You know you have me for your worries.”

Damon hesitated a little. He did not want to place his worries on Amaterasu’s shoulders; the queen already had concerns of her own. ”You say that now. But when I start dumping problems on you, do not complain,” the god said, trying to change the subject.

Amaterasu did not answer. She only kept her expectant gaze on him while wrapping her arms around his neck, making it clear she had no intention of accepting such a cheap evasion. Damon held her gaze for a few seconds before letting out a sigh.

”It’s Kronos,” he finally admitted. ”At this point, he must already know I’m back. I don’t see how he can believe he has any chance of beating us, so my only conclusion is that he must be receiving help from someone else.”

Amaterasu thought about his words and had to agree. The only way Kronos could truly free himself, especially now that Damon was present, was with outside help. Her expression became more serious. ”Do you have any idea who?”

Damon shook his head at first, though his gaze grew sharper. ”I thought about Luke. I felt something of Kronos in him when I arrived here, but with the recent changes in the camp, I suppose he may have given up. Or maybe not. I don’t know. The boy has not approached me to say anything, but I also won’t pressure him.”

Amaterasu listened in silence, letting him continue.

”There is also Ares,” Damon said, making Zeus’s Master Bolt appear in his hand. The divine weapon released a dangerous glow inside the empty hall, briefly illuminating the serious face of the King of Olympus. ”Though with him, it is hard to say. His personality is always the same, but the fact that he had Zeus’s Master Bolt along with the Helm of Hades makes him a suspect to me.”

Damon observed the weapon in his hand, his fingers closing more firmly around it. ”The problem is knowing whether he acted on his own or whether Kronos pushed him. Naturally, Ares likes causing these kinds of problems. He believes that because he is the god of war, he needs to provoke as many wars as possible. I would not be surprised if all of it had only been an attempt to cause a war between Hades and Olympus.”

Amaterasu remained silent, listening carefully to every word. The sun goddess tightened her arms a little more around his neck. ”I would say you should not worry too much. Sooner or later, it will come to light, and when that happens, I will be by your side,” she assured him, showing Damon her unconditional support.

Damon looked at her, his eyes shining with appreciation and love. Then he lowered his face and kissed her on the lips. Amaterasu accepted the kiss gladly, closing her eyes with pleasure while her arms remained around his neck.

”Thank you, Ama-chan,” Damon murmured against her lips.

And for a moment, between worries and problems yet to come, the King of Olympus and the Queen of Takamagahara shared their burdens in a way only the two of them fully trusted.

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