Poseidon glanced at Hera, who was yelling at Zeus from behind, shook his head, and then looked toward Kronos, who had recovered his senses in the distance.
With Poseidon’s sharp senses, Kronos had probably finished recovering back when Poseidon was fighting Hades.
Hades must have noticed as well. And Hera too, clearly, judging by how she was snarling over there.
Although in Hera’s case, she was probably also fuming simply because her despicable father had been standing there watching.
“Hmph, it’s my first time seeing you, Father, but aren’t you a bit too pathetic? Don’t tell me you actually set traps personally for your children the moment they crawled out.”
Even at Poseidon’s taunting words, Kronos only let out a cold sneer and showed no disturbance.
“Hmph. That blue-haired brat must be Poseidon. I know the names Rhea and Gaia gave all of you. That black-haired one is Hades, and the sisters behind you are Hestia and Demeter.”
“And so what. Father.”
“If I know your names, then imagine how well I know the limits of your power. Especially when none of you have even properly awakened your divine names.”
“Ugh, you sound like an old boomer. Screw you.”
Poseidon raised his middle finger and charged straight at Kronos.
“I do not know what that gesture means, but it is thoroughly disrespectful, my son.”
Kronos, who had already recovered and laid his traps, lifted his sickle and charged at Poseidon.
* * *
The battle between Poseidon and Kronos shook the heavens and trembled the earth, unlike the earlier fight with Zeus.
Kronos, who had severed the genitals of his father Uranus—the greatest god of the sky and ruler of the world—and subdued all Titans, now fought a son whose power was said to rival Zeus, one of the three supreme gods who symbolized the sky and the universe.
As Kronos swung his sickle, Poseidon swung his fist.
Poseidon had undergone endless training inside the Stomach of Kronos, and now his fist collided with the Adamantine Sickle, creating a deafening roar.
Boom.
The sound of a mere god’s fist clashing against a sickle forged of adamant—metal said to be able to cut even the strongest gods—rang out in a way that defied belief.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“You are my son, but you are insane. A mere divine body, and yet you cannot be scratched even by the hardest metal Gaia ever created.”
“Hahaha! That’s because gods are weak. A trained body surpasses steel!”
The shockwaves of Poseidon and Kronos’s clash only grew more violent.
As Kronos began properly channeling his divine power, the sickle’s strength finally began cutting shallow wounds into Poseidon’s body—wounds imbued with Kronos’s power as the god of harvest.
He could not move the time of the world itself, but when it came to what he intended to reap, Kronos could move time however he wished. The stronger the target and the greater its resistance, the better.
Harvest was a power applicable to all things; the stronger the object, the more powerful the harvest.
‘Hmm… Kronos is stronger than I expected. He seems to grow more powerful the more he fights.’
Poseidon, who still could not fully control his own divine name, gradually fell into disadvantage as Kronos manipulated his own freely.
No matter how much Poseidon had trained, he had not yet completed his divine name.
Recognition aside, that was a fact.
“Hera. I think it’s time you helped. Are you done yet?”
So Poseidon called out—for backup, just like a Power Ranger.
In the end, what did a hero need most? Shamelessness, of course.
Look at that. The way Kronos’s expression twisted at my words was priceless.
As if I ever said I would fight fair. Tsk-tsk-tsk.
“Haa~ Poseidon, acting like you were going to take him alone earlier.”
“Hera, but I’m still better than that sneaky Hades, aren’t I?”
Urk—
Hiding somewhere and watching for an opening, Hades jumped out and attacked Kronos.
“Shut it. You are the sneakiest one here.”
Now Hades had joined the fight.
And Hades’s fighting style was pure unfairness.
He hid himself and attacked only when it suited him—cowardly and sly.
“Hah, Hades. This isn’t me being sneaky. The problem is that a father is seriously fighting a child whose power isn’t even fully formed yet. And besides, this is a war.”
“Oh my, for once Poseidon is saying something correct. This is nothing more than a fight between an adult and children.”
“Mhm, Poseidon’s right. This was never a fair match to begin with.”
“Hehe. Even Hestia is joining the fight for once. But if you look at the situation, doesn’t it seem like a bunch of trained gods are ganging up on one?”
Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, Hestia—five siblings whose combined force was overwhelming.
Even though Poseidon alone could not defeat Kronos, he could somewhat manage against him.
But once his four siblings joined, Kronos began to be pushed back.
Even with his divine name, Kronos was facing five siblings, each with tremendous power.
Always smiling, Demeter channeled the earth’s tremors directly into Kronos’s body.
Hestia, who always embraced her siblings, restrained Kronos’s power of time with her undying flame.
And Hera—who bore the strongest trace of their mother Rhea’s blood—unleashed magic freely, filling the surroundings with traps and spells that struck at Kronos from all directions.
Unable to endure the coordinated assault of the five siblings any longer, Kronos spat out curses and attempted to flee.
“You brats, do not think this ends here. I shall gather my strength and return!!!”
With Kronos’s cowardly, swift retreat, the battle came to a temporary end.
The palace where they fought had been half-destroyed; the ground was split open, and the sky’s clouds had vanished, leaving it bare and ugly.
Both Hades and Poseidon—who had fought at the front—were covered with wounds from the sickle.
* * *
Zeus and Metis, who had been watching the battle, were stunned into silence, unable to even blink.
Even Rhea was speechless at the sheer, unimaginable power her children displayed.
Regardless, the five siblings had achieved victory.
In original myth, Zeus had led the effort against Kronos. But thanks to Poseidon’s knowledge of the myth, the others had become far too powerful.
“Uh… uhh. With siblings this strong, this Zeus feels reassured indeed. Now, let us combine our strength and prepare for war against Father.”
Zeus was shaken by the power of the five, but stuck to the plan he made with Metis and urged them to prepare for war.
Naturally, during that process, he planned to establish himself as the leader.
This was something both his mother Rhea and Metis agreed upon—they would support him.
No matter how remarkable his siblings’ strength was, Zeus was certain they would easily accept him as leader.
“Huh? So there was someone ruder than Poseidon here. Blondie. Whoever you think you are, why should we prepare for war just because you say so?”
It was Hades who saw through Zeus’s intentions first.
Hades was always a god who wanted to stand above everyone else.
Not among his siblings, but certainly in the world outside.
“Wow, he’s picking a fight with me again. And the brat isn’t wrong, you know. We do have to prepare for war.”
“Right, the coward who ran will probably return soon with other gods in tow.”
“But it looks like that girl over there and Mother want to make the youngest our leader.”
“Tsk, so Hestia, are you planning to go along with that just because they said so?”
To Hades’s final question, Hestia only smiled softly and stayed silent.
Demeter and Hera were the same.
No—Hera looked like she was simply holding back her temper in front of her mother for the first time.
And the magic Rhea showed earlier likely played a part as well.
With Hera’s personality, it was a miracle she hadn’t already flipped the entire place over.
Of course, Hades wasn’t any better.
As for me—Poseidon—maybe because of my past-life memories, I felt the same as Hestia and Demeter. I didn’t particularly care either way.
Perhaps sensing the atmosphere among us, Mother Rhea walked over to Hera and Hades and spoke first.
“Mmm, to see you all grown and unharmed like this… this mother is truly delighted. But before we savor this reunion, how about we move to a different place? Kronos’s soldiers will soon storm this area.”
Like an experienced elder, Rhea gently dissolved the tension in the air and urged everyone to relocate.
She must have already noticed that an argument among Zeus, Hera, and Hades would escalate and never end quickly.
And besides, by moving everyone to the base she and Zeus had prepared beforehand, she would naturally strengthen Zeus’s authority.
* * *
Moments later, Rhea’s magic transported us to a massive tent.
This was the place where Rhea and Zeus had gathered all the anti-Kronos forces so far.
Among those known in myth, the figures present included:
The goddess Styx, known for the Oath of the Styx, and her sons Kratos and Bia.
The clearest prophet, Prometheus, and the foolish Epimetheus.
Helios the sun god, Selene the goddess of the moon, and others.
“Come in, children. This is our command center.”
Introduced by Mother Rhea, we entered the tent, shaking hands and exchanging greetings.
Normally, we would have drunk together and held a festival, but with war against the Titans looming, such a mood was impossible.
Zeus, perhaps feeling like he’d stepped onto his own stage, regained his earlier confidence and addressed us directly.
“I, Zeus, am the leader of this place. My siblings, freshly emerged from Father’s stomach, may not know this, but the Titans who chose to resist Father Kronos, as well as the great and sacred Mother of the Earth, the goddess Gaia, have acknowledged my right to lead.”
Hmm. I get that Zeus is excited now that he’s in his own territory.
But if he really thinks our siblings will back down just because he said that, he’s in for a rude awakening.
Especially with the personalities of Hades and Hera—they would never yield so easily…
Demeter and Hestia seemed to think the same, and whispered into my ear.
“Poseidon, no matter how I think about it, our youngest brother is kind of an idiot. He says that even after seeing their temper earlier.”
“Hmm, even so, Demeter, calling him an idiot is a bit much.”
“Poseidon, what are you going to do? If a fight breaks out, let’s hit our youngest brother from behind first—just like you always do to Hades.”
“Hestia, don’t be so eager to fight. And Hestia, you always hit Hades from behind. I’ve never done that.”
Poseidon was flustered by Demeter and Hestia’s unexpected aggressiveness.
Unlike me—just quietly accepting the myth unfolding—my siblings were all sincerely considering smacking Zeus in the back of the head.
Originally, Demeter and Hestia should have been stopping me.
But now the situation was reversed—I had to stop them.
As the three of us whispered while watching Zeus, Hades, and Hera clash with their glares, the brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus approached.
“We greet the righteous and enlightened god who governs the sea, the earth, and the cycle.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Epimetheus. This is my brother Prometheus.”
Prometheus radiated a subtle, mysterious aura—like a sage who saw through the future—
while Epimetheus radiated the carefree innocence of someone who only lived in the present.
Receiving their very different introductions, Poseidon nodded and accepted the greeting.
“Yeah. Nice to meet you. I’m Poseidon. This is Demeter. And this is Hestia.”
“Yes, greetings to the rightful goddess of the earth and grain, and the goddess of the hearth-fire who brings light to gods and humans.”
Poseidon understood perfectly what Prometheus meant in his greeting.
But the other two goddesses didn’t seem to like it—they both made unimpressed faces.
“Uh… I don’t understand what that means.”
“Me neither. And hearth-fire isn’t really my thing… My fire burns the world.”
Seeing their reactions, Prometheus chuckled and spoke to them with a teasing expression.
“Hahaha, it seems you goddesses have been influenced by the sea too much—you’re quite the warrior women.”
““?!$I%””
Seeing that Prometheus was clearly teasing his sisters, Poseidon hastily waved his hand and changed the subject before things exploded.
His sisters hated nothing more than being told they weren’t ladylike.
Poseidon himself had once said the wrong thing and, despite being a god, had needed a full week of recovery.
If things went wrong, Prometheus might literally die here.
“So anyway, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be over there joining that mess?”
At Poseidon’s urgent question, Prometheus glanced toward Zeus, Hera, and Hades, grabbed Epimetheus firmly, and replied:
“I simply wished to form a bond with the god of the sea. A sea as fierce as yours is something even I cannot predict. And if you have the time, I hoped you might look after my brother Epimetheus.”
With that, Prometheus made Epimetheus bow with a polite nod and returned to his original place, as though he had only come to show his face.
If I hadn’t known the myths from the future, I would’ve wondered what the hell he was doing.
‘He must be hinting at the story of Pandora. And perhaps he already foresees himself giving fire recklessly to humans.’
Demeter and Hestia clearly had no idea what he meant—they tilted their heads, confused, even as their anger faded.
Poseidon simply watched Prometheus walk away, then erased the matter from his mind.
Worrying about something unknown wasn’t Poseidon’s style.
That was more Zeus, Hera, or Hades.
‘Well, the future me will figure it out somehow.’