Unlike our side, which had calmed down a little after Prometheus went back, the side with Hera and Hades was starting to have a full-blown problem.
“Oh my! Poseidon, look over there. It seems like Hera and Hades are about to go all in.”
When I looked where Demeter was pointing with her hand, I saw Hera, Hades, and Zeus all releasing their divine power at one another.
And the goddess standing beside Zeus, confronting Hera and Hades together with him, was probably Metis, and the one pacing and stamping her feet nervously next to her was Mother Rhea.
The rest of the Titan gods and Zeus’s supporters looked as if they were simply enjoying watching the fight.
Poseidon shook his head when he saw that scene. But he had no intention of getting involved.
In the end, it was certain that before the war they needed to decide on a leader.
It felt like Zeus doing it would be better, but… Hera and Hades would never accept that.
Anyone could see that, at present, Hera and Hades were slightly stronger than Zeus.
Of course, leaving out the ancient Titans, the strongest in a one-on-one here would be Poseidon himself, but that didn’t mean much.
In the end, the one who gathered everyone here was Rhea, and the leader she had marked out was Zeus.
Just as Poseidon predicted, Rhea thought of Zeus as the next king.
Prometheus’s prophecy, the daughters of Oceanus, and Gaia’s prophecy all pointed to Zeus as the one who would subdue Kronos.
What none of them had foreseen, however, was Poseidon’s existence, and because of him, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and even Hestia had all become far too strong, which was the real problem.
* * *
‘Ah, our prophecy was wrong. No, the prophecy was correct. It is simply that my child Poseidon is the variable for everything.’
The moment Rhea saw Poseidon for the first time, she knew. She knew that one of her children was someone deeply loved by the sea.
She knew that he was practically the sea itself, receiving even more love than Oceanus, who ruled over the primordial sea.
‘With a child like that here, the prophecy was bound to go off-course. The Oceanus sea is always unpredictable. And on top of that, Prometheus has sensed something and is trying to stay close to him.’
Rhea’s worries grew deeper.
Since Zeus, Hades, and Hera were all her children, she could take no one’s side.
But if things continued like this, the collapse of the group seemed inevitable.
‘What should I do? It would be good if Gaia could offer help in a moment like this.’
Separate from Rhea’s anxiety, the fight between the three gods had moved past intimidation and was now rising to shouting so loud it felt like they would soon be exchanging blows, and the other Titan gods were happily giving them more room.
Rhea, distressed about how she should stop her children from worsening their fight, suddenly heard Gaia’s voice in her ear.
—My daughter Rhea. Do not worry so much. If you persuade your child Poseidon over there, everything will be resolved. He is a child loved by the sea that even I cannot interfere with, so ultimately our victory will depend on that child’s choice.
“Ah! I understand, Lady Gaia.”
Hearing Gaia’s sudden voice, Rhea felt a flash of realization and went toward Poseidon.
It was her first time seeing him this close, but her child Poseidon was overflowing with a refreshing scent of the sea.
It was such a strong scent that she had never even smelled it from Oceanus.
‘This child will become the ruler of all seas in existence.’
Rhea suppressed her impression of Poseidon deep in her heart and, as a mother, spoke calmly.
“Poseidon, my child. I know my request may displease you, since I have never been able to do anything for you. But your mother asks you. Please stop your siblings’ fight. You know that fight has no meaning. With the war against Kronos imminent, we must combine our strength into one.”
Poseidon had a general sense of what Rhea would say as she approached him.
Sure enough, her request did not deviate from his expectations.
‘I understand, but getting in the middle of that is so annoying….’
He would have to get nagged by Hera, he would have to deal with Hades’s shady attacks, and even if he didn’t know how the Zeus here behaved, he might have to put up with the pettiness of the original Zeus.
Those thoughts immediately showed on Poseidon’s face, which made Rhea even more desperate.
Hestia, who had been watching Rhea with pity, supported Rhea’s opinion from beside Poseidon.
Hestia always planned to stab Zeus in the back if necessary, but she wasn’t cold-blooded enough to ignore the earnestness of the mother she was seeing for the first time.
“Poseidon, Mother isn’t wrong. If needed, I’ll talk to Hera myself.”
When Hestia stepped in, Demeter, who had been folding her arms beside Poseidon, also spoke.
“If Hestia is stepping in, then I’ll take care of Hades. You know I can easily subdue Hades. And well, if it really can’t be helped, we can bash Hades and Zeus both on the back of the head. We’d need to negotiate with Hera beforehand though.”
Seeing Demeter’s words make Rhea recoil in horror, Poseidon sighed.
“Ugh, don’t worry. I’m not planning to do anything like that.”
“…Huh? You’re not?”
Poseidon looked at Demeter, who had been ready from the moment Rhea asked for help, and at Hestia, who had secretly been creating flames. He sighed and finally moved himself.
He had no obligation to step in for Zeus, but Demeter and Hestia seemed to genuinely want to answer Rhea’s request.
‘Seeing how enthusiastic they are, it might just be because listening to Rhea is fun for them….’
“Hoo… then I have one condition. From what I see, that jerk Zeus is going to be pretty petty about this. Beating him up is easy, but guys like that become annoying when they start obsessing. So I want you to block that for me, Mother.”
At Poseidon’s words, Rhea’s face brightened with relief.
Someone like Zeus could easily be restrained by her and Metis.
And Zeus would understand once things were explained.
Poseidon ran his hand through his blue hair as he watched Rhea nod happily, then slowly walked toward the place where the fight was happening.
* * *
“Hey, let’s stop here. We’re not some common street thugs. We can’t be doing this to decide on a leader, right?”
“What nonsense are you spouting barging in like this, you idiot.”
“I don’t know what street thugs are, but Poseidon, are you trying to get involved in this fight too?”
At the sharp words of Hades and Hera, Poseidon waved his hand lazily.
“Have you ever seen me get involved in things like this? I like being free. Stiff formal situations like this are what you and Hera like, Hades.”
“Well, you were like that ever since the Stomach of Kronos, Poseidon. Even though you smacked us in the back of the head there.”
“Just stay quiet. This big sister will take care of everything anyway.”
“Hera. If you’re smart, you know, right? Even if you win this fight, that blond brat of a youngest brother over there will definitely build a faction. From the start, Mother supported that youngest brat, and that red-haired one beside him doesn’t look normal either.”
“Poseidon… are you telling me to be under that lacking, mackerel-brained idiot? Me, Hera?!”
Hera had already sensed the truth hidden inside Poseidon’s words.
But Hera’s towering pride simply couldn’t accept such a situation.
After all, she had been born as the Queen of the Gods.
She saw her siblings as her equals in strength and power—but not that blond Zeus.
And as if to echo Hera’s anger, Hades also exploded with divine power, sending it sharply toward Poseidon.
Poseidon brushed off their pressure and continued speaking.
“If a god is talking, listen until the end. Seriously, both of you are more hot-headed than me. What I mean is: everyone here—these Titans and even the gods gathered outside—should form their own factions. Each one gathers a faction with their own skill, and whichever faction becomes strongest will lead us first. How about it?”
Hades and Hera fell into thought at Poseidon’s words.
Even from their own perspective, Poseidon’s opinion was the best way to exert their power without being unreasonable.
Of course, Zeus was very advantageous, but that wouldn’t change even if they beat Zeus here.
After all, the gods gathered here did so because of Rhea and Zeus.
As Hera and Hades nodded at Poseidon’s not-bad idea, Zeus looked stunned.
There was nothing here that benefited him.
This whole fight was supposed to be his win alone, but now his siblings had barged in and made things like this.
“This is….”
When Zeus was about to object, Metis hurried to stop him.
“Metis, what are you doing? This is just my older brother and older sister blatantly trying to keep me in check. This is unfair.”
Metis hugged the fuming Zeus tightly and patted his back to calm him. Then she spoke to Poseidon.
“Brother-in-law, does this mean everyone here, including you, will compete against Zeus?”
“Hm… it’ll probably end up that way. Annoying, but.”
“Yes. Then we agree.”
“What?! Metis!!!”
“Shh, Zeus. This is a fight that works in our favor. In fact, Brother-in-law Poseidon is giving us an opportunity.”
* * *
Metis bowed to Poseidon, then dragged Zeus away, who still hadn’t understood anything.
Reaching their tent with Zeus in tow, Metis calmed him in her arms and spoke.
“Zeus, don’t get angry. Think calmly. Your older brother and older sister aren’t weaker than you. You’ve seen that.”
“That’s true.”
“Yes. So even if Mother Rhea and the Titans gathered because of you, it’s natural that the unity will shake. Titans worship strength. Your father Kronos also pushed aside mighty Uranus through strength and earned the Titans’ acknowledgment. Can you overpower your older brother and sister overwhelmingly in a fight?”
Zeus’s pride was wounded by Metis’s words, but he couldn’t deny them. His siblings were indeed all strong—worthy of being his own blood.
“No, I wouldn’t overpower them.”
“Right. Then because of you, unity will shake, and trust in you will also shake. But just as Brother-in-law Poseidon said, if it becomes a faction battle to win the gods’ hearts, you can very rationally combine your siblings’ and the Titans’ strength into one.”
Zeus had no choice but to nod at Metis’s words.
In the end, he would be the one to build the biggest faction. Then naturally he would become the one who led the gods here.
And he already knew how powerful his siblings were from the fight with Kronos.
Gods that strong would not listen to anyone lightly, so Poseidon’s words were practically giving him an opportunity.
“You’re right. Metis, you’re right. This is advantageous for me. And older brother Hades and older sister Hera, who are openly checking me, will also have no choice but to accept this.”
“Good. Now your head is finally working, Zeus.”
“Metis, my head was always working!”
Once Zeus’s mind cleared, he threw Metis from his arms onto the bed and pounced on her.
It was the thing he always did when stressed.
“Kyaa!!”
That night, in a tent where only the two of them were present, there was only one thing young lovers could end up doing.
And considering how much stress Zeus had built up today, it was something that did not even need to be said.
The sound of their bodies coming together echoed inside the tent all night.