AN: Reader discretion is advised for Christians and individuals of other Abrahamic faiths. The universe established in this chapter draws inspiration from the Gospel of Judas and expands upon its themes to a significant degree. This approach also serves to establish a foundation for additional stories set within the same universe in the future.
While Jason was performing the ritual to protect Bell, he was also running back to the car with his family. Hella smiled as she watched him, and the door to the throne room creaked open loudly. "My lady, Sleipnir is ready to take you to your meeting," the handmaiden said with a deep bow. "very well let us be on our way then," she said as she dismissed the illusion used to watch Jason as she made a void black veil appear over the skeletal side of her face, only allowing her green flames to be seen through the veil.
Arriving at the garden where Sleipnir was waiting, I walked up to him and brushed my hand down his mane. "thank you for taking me to the meeting, brother," where he simply acknowledged me with a nod before kicking the dirt with his 4 front hooves. Climbing on his back before reaching down and helping my hand maid in front of me before starting a small gallop around the courtyard before jumping and continuing a full-speed run through the air and opening a portal to Midgard.
"After flying out of the portal where the rainbow light was starting in the snow-covered lands where our old worshipers live, we flew southeast towards the meeting being held in Hades' palace in the underworld down under Mount Olympus as we flew, I saw my maid look around in delight as we passed over where her old village was located. " look my lady, that's my old village; it is lovely to see how well it has developed," she said with a bright smile. "Yes, it is Frida; they are doing quite well, especially as a nation and will be a lot better in the future." I pondered the upcoming conversation.
We then continued to fly for an hour before diving towards the ground, where a black portal opened and allowed us to fly just above the river Styx towards the large archway, where Cerberus was waiting on the bank next to it. Frida decided to wave to Charon as we flew over him, and he returned a simple nod while his boat continued to follow behind us with a couple of people.
As we passed under the archway, Hades' castle came in view, and we made our way to the courtyard in the back of it and over the streets of people wandering around the streets down below as we landed in the courtyard, we where greeted by two of
Hephaestus automatons made from the black iron found down her. "Lady Hella, please follow us; the meeting is just waiting on two more guests to arrive, but Lady Persephone has laid out a feast for all our guests and servants," it said before turning in a stiff motion and leading us down the halls decorated with old weapons of their people's heroes and tapestries made in the gods' honor.
Arriving at the meeting chamber with a large circular marble table, it was covered in traditional dishes of the Greeks along with things only gods had access to, like the golden apples and ambrosia. Looking around the room, I saw that Hades was busy talking to Thanatos and Hephaestus and Quetzalcoatl. As she looked around, Persephone was speaking with a group of several other goddesses, most of whom were from the east. the few I could remember from the few times I had to interact with in the past were the first, Inari, a short woman with ink-black hair up in a bun held with a fox-shaped pin and a fluffy black tail that was glowing a teal blue at the tip. The second was Bastet, a tall, slender, lion-headed goddess.
"Frida, take one of these apples to Sleipnir, then return." I issued that command to her to prevent the old man from harassing her. Zeus just arrived with the goddess Tiamat, a tall, powerful goddess with copper-colored skin, a dark green dress, and a serpentine tail that left a trail of salt water, which it dragged across the floor. "Oh, Hella, it is wonderful to see you after so long; how is my nephew Nidhogg doing?" Tiamat asked as she walked up to me as Zeus walked over to his brother. "He is doing just fine; he has grown to the point that you can see him from anywhere in Helheim," I said as I handed her an apple. We both went to our spots at the tables, and the others did too.
With everyone sitting at the table, Hades began. "Welcome everyone. thank you all for coming to this impromptu meeting," he said as he scanned the room before continuing. "I have called you all here to finally come up with a plan to deal with those two parasites who have come to our world, messed with all our domains, and forced the younger members of each pantheon into the worlds created by the humans of Earth," he explained calmly as two automatons set up a large screen for all of us to see.
With a wave of his hand, the screen flicked on with information on the two parasites. We know they arrived around 2,200 years ago, and from there they spread their roots through the world with fake promises, punishments, and empty prophecies. Any ideas? He said as he sat down and waved for anyone to stand up and take the floor. After a second zeus stood up and walked around the table. "I say we start by starting multiple wars and start to reduce the number of humans on the earth; such actions would reduce the amount of energy these parasites would receive and then we all open up our prisons and allow monsters and other malevolent creatures to draw out all the parasites' forces, weakening their forces before we finally strike and kill these parasites once and for all!" he said, switching the screen between all the monsters and battles from the past.
"That's a viable plan, Zeus, but we need humans for our pantheons, and we would have to deal with everything that was released." Bastet said in a respectful tone that this conversation continued for a while. I just went in circles before I had enough and stood up and walked to the screen.
"Now, if I may interrupt the ongoing discussion, let me elaborate on what we have already agreed upon," I said, getting everyone's attention. "Now allow me to present to you all the key to their demise." I said, as I pulled up the parasite's own text, "we will use their prophecies." "Hela, we all know that the text is a lie because none of those things exist," Thanatos said interrupting me. "Please allow me to finish before you interrupt me."
"I recently chose a champion and dispatched him to the realm where the last remnants of my father and uncles' souls reside." However, he recently made a deal with one of the demons of the parasites' text and will inherit their power. If he succeeds in gaining the power of the other demons, we can use him to fulfill the antichrist role in their prophecy. All we need to do is create the four horsemen, and we will have everything necessary to trigger their end times!" I said, showing Jason's recent adventures and how much he has grown in the short amount of time he has been in that world.
"So what do you all think?" I asked as I looked around the table. A second later, Tiamat said, "I agree this plan would work, and there is nothing they could do to stop us. We could all have a champion, so there would not be any more fighting between us, and the strength of our champions would be up to them. So Thanatos, how about we pick the same champion to be the horseman of pestilence and the dragon? What do you say, dear?? she said, walking behind him and dragging her finger around his chin, leaning over his shoulder.
"Very well, Tiamat, I already know A suitable candidate. I will go and retrieve her and bring her to your temple." He said, trying to hide his embarrassment, then stood up, opened a gray portal, and disappeared into it. And so the meeting continued with each pantheon choosing their roles.