Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 873: Amidst The Tides Of Chaos

June’s hissing cries echoed throughout Mansion ’Phordite. They hadn’t stopped ever since her daughter was taken away by the goddess of calamities. Much like her, the soldiers, and many amongst the guests were lamenting what had transpired before them just a few hours ago. Alas, their future that marched towards destruction now felt profoundly more real than before.

Amidst that silence, however, lingered the quiet hum of the gods. Gathered inside the mansion, in the meeting hall of all places, they sat across from each other, and for once, being present in the flesh, they had anointed Erika as their door guard. Standing inside the room with her back to the doors, the priestess could hear the guests from Inktaus, Eclanor, and Elenaris talking not far away from there.

They all wanted an audience with the gods since Raven wouldn’t grant them one with himself. The hero had confined himself in a room with Helga and the rest of his group, comprising his closest associates, for in this dark time, where his name was dragged through the mud by Nerva, he didn’t want to add any fuel to the rumors with his presence or dark aura.

”It is done now,” placing the spear of war at the centre of the table, Raguel stared at the weapon while his voice echoed inside the hall. ”Gods fighting against gods, this may be the last holy war for better or for worse.”

”If my sister here can claim absolute authority over this world as she claims, then we won’t have anything to worry about.” Reaching out for Gungnir, Fortuna’s hand was slapped away by Elenaria. The two exchanged narrow glances but refrained from escalating the situation.

”That weapon can kill gods,” lifting her gaze to Raguel, Athenia leaned forward and rested her chin on the back of her other hand. ”Ideally, I would’ve sent it back to heaven’s arsenal, but the other gods might get tempted. Not to mention, Helga has already proven that she can borrow anything from that treasury from the authority granted to her by my wretched mother.”

”How perilous it is that a single woman can ruin a world...” Speaking her mind, Mesmerazia reached for the weapon; however, unlike Fortuna, nobody stopped her. Holding it firmly in her hand, she admired the artistry along its length, a grand depiction of countless war scorched into its handle. ”Aphrodite–an insecure woman whose hunger for power consumed her own children. And now, it will consume us all.”

”If I may interrupt,” being the only other male god besides Razor present in the council, the prince of Nile nervously drummed his fingers on the table. ”None of this talk, this back and forth, seems helpful. I know that we–or rather you are struggling to hold the people’s faith, but shouldn’t this be the exact moment for us to help them see a path? To inspire courage and valor? Instead, we are–”

Feeling a heavy hand on his shoulder, the prince stopped mid-sentence. Looking to his right, he noticed Razor staring at the desk with his eyes boring into nothing at all. Lost in his own musing, the god of time needed a moment to gather himself. And as he did, he lifted his head and shared his thoughts about the Prince’s approach towards the whole thing.

”You reign of music and art, Prince. Your talents can guide in the stream of wars, but diplomacy I would leave in the hands of these women.” Pointing at Fortuna, Mesmerazia, and the other two, he added. ”We have Lady Luck, the lady of commerce, the goddess of life and death itself, and the greatest army at her beck and call.”

”You’re right but–”

Feeling a squeeze on his shoulder, the Prince stopped again and stared at Razor.

”A gathering of women, trust me–the last thing you want to do is tell them to calm down and apply rationale instead of airing their feelings.” At first, the Prince was confused, but then he remembered how, even with Elana, there were times when offering advice instead of being a supportive shoulder was seen as being argumentative. Thus, with a nod, he recoiled for it wasn’t yet time to spring into action, but to say what needed to be said before actually working towards a cure to this ordeal.

”Now that you two are done interrupting,” as if not realizing how perfectly she’d played into the stereotype, Athenia turned her attention to the women once more. ”We must find out what Nerva was blabbing about with regards to Raven and the elven girl she took.”

Hearing of the kidnapped girl, Elanaria’s eyes turned downcast. A great deal of agony resurfaced on freshly healed scars. The king of crows, a son of sorts–he was gone, and to a degree she felt that Aurora’s mother must’ve been feeling the same sorrow, just a thousand times more intense since hers was her own flesh and blood.

Squeezing her fist, she lifted her head, and though she tried to seem calm, bitter words took over.

”I will rain the wrath of the astral sea on that bitch the moment she shows her face again.” The gods and goddesses froze at her crude words. It was unlike Elenaria to lose her temper. If anything, her restraint has allowed her to command such an immense army without being seen as a greater threat than Athenia.

”First things first,” breaking the silence, the goddess of life decided to change the trajectory of the conversation. ”I need a better body for this.”

Placing a hand on her chest, she could feel Mono’s core being stressed quite a bit. The ironcore was capable of holding a great deal of power, but holding two consciousnesses, both just as deranged and clashing, was stressing it to the extreme.

Lifting her head, Athenia looked around at everyone and concluded the meeting with one final string of words.

”Prepare for retaliation from the council gods, and watch over your flock. In the meantime, I will talk to the hero and assess the situation down here. After which, we can come up with a plan for the future and how we wish to handle the goddess of calamity.” Taking a brief pause, she closed her eyes and squeezed her fist by her chest. ”Do not linger in the mortal world more than you have to. Return to your realms, and we will meet again when and only when it’s absolutely necessary.”

With that, the council concluded, and although much remained to be said and discussed–with Mono’s body flopping against the table, it was time for the rest of the goddesses to return to their realms and stay away from the eyes of the council gods. Unfortunately, however, their urgency would serve no one, as already the rest of the gods knew of Fortuna and Mesmerazia’s presence in Athenia, but they were simply far too busy preparing for the war and to defend themselves to care, at least for now.

A week or a month, who knows how long it will be. But sooner or later, the holy war shall draw first blood on mortal soil.