The obsidian gates groaned open, and a flood of light engulfed the chamber. Salt winds swept past, carrying with them the weight of the ocean's breath. For a heartbeat, all was still. Then the light became a current, wrapping around Luna, Adrian, Seraphina, Dorian, Achradina, and Kratos, pulling them forward.
The sensation was unlike falling or walking—it was sinking. Water embraced them, yet none of them drowned. The necklaces of Seraphina and Luna's gauntlets glowed faintly, as if some divine magic shielded their lungs from the crushing deep.
When the light faded, they stood not in ruins, but in a vast kingdom beneath the sea.
The ocean spread endlessly in every direction, a twilight world of blue and green. Towers of coral and pearl rose high, crowned with glowing shells. Bridges of crystal arched between them, shimmering as shoals of silver fish darted past. Enormous statues of Poseidon loomed over every street, their eyes carved with such detail that they seemed alive, watching intruders trespass.
"By the gods…" Adrian muttered, his claymore heavy at his side. "This is no city. This is a throne room stretched across the sea itself."
Seraphina's emerald eyes narrowed as she scanned the streets below. Strange figures moved among the coral halls—warriors clad in scaled armor, creatures with the faces of men but tails of serpents, and monstrous guardians shaped like living whirlpools. None of them looked kind.
"They've seen us," Dorian said, his hand tightening on his sword.
Indeed, ripples spread outward. From the spires of coral and the caves of pearl, eyes turned upward toward the six intruders. Whispers echoed through the water, low and guttural, carried by the current.
Achradina raised her spear, silver hair drifting like moonlight. "This place is his heart. Every drop of water here belongs to him. Every shadow hides his wrath."
Kratos stepped forward, the chains of his blades rattling. "Good. Let him come."
But even he paused, for the sight was overwhelming. The palace itself lay ahead—a fortress of obsidian coral, crowned with a trident of gold so massive it pierced the surface above. It pulsed faintly, like a living thing, radiating Poseidon's power.
Luna clenched her fists, the gauntlets glowing faintly in response to the sea's energy. She felt small against the vastness of it all, yet something stirred inside her. Elias' memory. Seraphina's sorrow. The fire of rebellion they carried.
"We're not here to marvel," she whispered. "We're here to end him."
A shadow passed overhead. A colossal shape drifted above the city—a leviathan, its body longer than mountains, eyes glowing like suns. It swam past, unhurried, as though Poseidon's kingdom itself was alive and aware.
The six stood together on the coral bridge, gazing at the palace ahead. Every step would bring battle. Every breath here was defiance.
Kratos broke the silence. "Our war begins now."
And with that, the companions descended into Poseidon's kingdom, their presence sending ripples across the deep—ripples that would soon crash into a storm against Olympus itself.