The God of Underworld - Chapter 177
177: Chapter 22 177: Chapter 22 Demeter tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed.
The silence of Olympus was deafening, and even Athena was beginning to shift uneasily.
There was no one in Olympus.
Not a single soul.
No gods nor nymphs.
It was as if the whole mountain was abandoned.
“Can I leave now?” Poseidon yawned, “I still have my duties.” “Try it and I’ll castrate you.” Threatened Athena.
Poseidon rolled his eyes, not bothering to dignify her with a response.
He crossed his arms, looking at the sky with boredom.
Athena also went silent, standing beside Medusa in a protective manner while glaring at Poseidon.
The place once again went silent.
Finally, Demeter’s patience snapped.
“ZEUS!” she roared, her voice reverberating through the divine halls like thunder.
“SHOW YOURSELF THIS INSTANT!
I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!” There was no reply.
They waited for a few moments, and all they got was more silence.
Finally, right when Demeter once again wanted to call out to Zeus, a blinding flash of light descended from the sky.
Two figures appeared after the light dissipated.
It was Zeus, leaning heavily against Metis, who gently supported him.
His hair was disheveled, his robes slightly rumpled.
He looked like he was about to fall down any moment, as if cursed by a Primordial.
But if one were to look closely, one would notice the sheer intensity of his divinity burning so brightly that it was almost painful to look at him.
That is definitely not a power someone who look so weak and sickly would be able to have.
Zeus managed a weak smile.
“Ah… my beloved sister.
Forgive me.
I did not notice your arrival.
I have been… unwell, you see.
Too weak to leave my temple.
So I know nothing of what has transpired.” The entire group stood in silence, their collective expression screaming really?
Demeter’s cheek twitched.
She glanced at Athena, whose face was expressionless but whose grip on her spear had whitened her knuckles.
Even Poseidon raised a brow, his lips curling into an amused grin.
“Zeus, drop the act,” Demeter said flatly, “your divinity is so bright right now it’s practically blinding me.
No one who is truly sick would have that kind of presence.
Enough with the games.” Zeus blinked, looking far too innocent.
“Games?
What games?
Sister, I was asleep the whole time, I really have no idea what is happening.” Demeter pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath to keep from blasting him on the spot.
“I have already sent a message to the Underworld on the way here, and they will likely send someone soon to discuss the disaster that just happened.
And frankly, I do not want to be here when that happens.” Zeus tilted his head, still playing dumb and repeated.
“Disaster?
What disaster?
Sister, I was asleep the whole time due to my sickness, I really have no idea what happened.” Demeter’s eye twitched again.
“The fight between Poseidon and Athena.
The one that nearly split the sky in two and terrified half of the mortal world!
Don’t go play dumb with me!” Zeus widened his eyes, gasping dramatically.
“What?!
My brother and my daughter fought?” He turned to Metis, as if seeking confirmation.
“Metis, did you know about this?!” Metis, to her credit, only sighed and shook her head.
“How could this be!?
Why was I not informed!?
This is a matter that concerns the order of Olympus!” Demeter’s patience was hanging by a thread.
Zeus turned towards Poseidon and Athena, looking like an elder disappointed in their junior, “I’m disappointed in you two.
The world just got repaired from that devastation, and you wanted tear it apart once again?
Thankfully Demeter stopped you on time, otherwise…” He paused, turning towards Demeter, “Sister, thank you for stopping them.
I didn’t realize what was happening because I was sick.” “Zeus,” Demeter said slowly, “if you keep this act up, I will blast you so hard Hades will have to dig you out of the Underworld personally.” Even Poseidon chuckled at that.
“You should let her try,” he said under his breath.
Athena said nothing, but the storm raging behind her eyes made it very clear she was ready to deliver her own punishment if Zeus kept pretending.
“Sister, how could you doubt me so?” Zeus looked hurt, “I may be arrogant and self-centred, but I do not lie.” Demeter exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose as the beginnings of a headache throbbed in her temples.
She turned away from Zeus entirely-she’d get no help from him-and focused on the actual problem at hand.
Her gaze shifted to Athena and Poseidon, who stood across from one another like two predators ready to strike.
“Explain,” Demeter said curtly.
Poseidon shrugged casually, though his eyes gleamed with mischief.
“She attacked me first.” Athena’s knuckles whitened as she gripped her spear.
“You cursed my priestess first.” Poseidon smirked.
“She dared to defy me.
Cursing her was mercy.
I could have done worse.” Athena’s divine aura burst forth, shaking the ground beneath them.
“You think turning her into a monster is mercy?!” Poseidon’s own divinity surged in response, a tidal wave of power that made the air thick with pressure.
“I think you should teach your priestesses respect before they start throwing candles at gods.” Their words became venomous, insults flying back and forth as the space around them crackled with raw power.
Mortals across the world likely felt this clash and cowered in fear.
Demeter’s eyes slid to the silent figure of Medusa, who knelt on the marble floor with her hands covering her face.
Her entire body trembled, snakes hissing softly as they slithered across her head.
‘So this should be her priestess,’ Demeter thought grimly.
“What did you say!?
You wanna go!?” The sound of Athena shouting dragged her back to the present, right in time to see both of their auras flare violently again.
“Oh for the love of-” Demeter stepped forward, her own divinity erupting like a blooming field of golden wheat.
It pushed against both of them, forcing their auras back and stilling the rumbling ground.
She may not look like it.
But she’s strong.
She had lived with Hades in Underworld for years.
Her authority was constantly being suppressed there and she was forced to constantly train and refine her power just so she can live normally.
Now within the overworld, where her authority wasn’t being suppressed, her power surged like a tidal wave that far surpasses most gods.
“Enough!” Demeter’s voice boomed like rolling thunder.
She shoved herself between the two deities, glaring at them both.
“You are going to stop before you tear Olympus apart.
Do you want Hades himself to march up here and settle this?
Because that’s what you’re asking for!” The reminder seemed to work.
Athena and Poseidon slowly let their divinity recede, though their eyes remained locked on each other in open hostility.
“Good,” Demeter said firmly, crossing her arms.
“Now you will stay quiet until we decide how to fix this mess.
Understood?” Neither spoke, but both gave reluctant nods.
Just then, the air grew cold.
A creeping purple mist rolled across the marble floor of Olympus, thick and heavy, curling around their feet like living smoke.
From the mist, figures emerged, divine spirits clad in dark silver and obsidian armor, their presence radiating the still, suffocating weight of the Underworld.
At their head was Hera, her expression like carved marble, regal and unreadable.
Demeter let out a long, tired sigh of relief.
“Finally,” she muttered under her breath.
“Someone reliable finally arrived.” Hera’s sharp eyes swept over the gathering.
“Athena.
Poseidon.” Her voice carried authority that made even the air pause.
Athena immediately turned her face away, as though the sight of her aunt’s disapproval was more unbearable than any wound she’d suffered.
Poseidon, on the other hand, crossed his arms and smirked.
“Don’t look at me like that, Hera.
I did nothing wrong.” His confidence was almost mocking, as if daring her to contradict him.
Hera didn’t answer right away, instead, a faint sound caught her ear.
Coughing.
She turned and saw Zeus, leaning on Metis as if he couldn’t stand on his own, and looking like he might topple over if a breeze so much as touched him.
His skin glistened with false sweat, his posture weak, his smile pitiful, yet the overwhelming radiance of his divinity filled the place like a second sun.
Hera’s brow twitched.
Slowly, she turned her head toward Demeter, who simply shrugged and gave a helpless smile.
“There must be something wrong with our brother’s head,” Demeter said under her breath, just loud enough for Hera to hear.
Hera exhaled slowly through her nose, her patience clearly fraying.
“We’ll deal with that later,” she said flatly.
“For now, we are here to resolve this.” Her gaze flicked back to Athena and Poseidon, her presence sharp as a blade as she prepared to demand an explanation from both.
“Now, explain everything.”