Mount Othrys.
A place so steeped in history and time that the very land has darkened beyond words.
A place that was shaped by the very hands of the Earth's children, giving birth to the black marble fortress that seemed as if it had formed naturally.
The very seat of power for the current so-called Golden Age.
And upon this obsidian throne, encrested with gold and diamonds, sat he who is known as the 'Crooked One' for the many schemes and dirty tactics he used growing up with his siblings.
He who ended the life of his own father, not out of duty as his mother once believed, but for his own cruel ambitions.
He who wields the scythe that is the only weapon in existence that has ever wounded a primordial.
He who devours his own children to escape a mere prophecy, earning him the name 'King Cannibal'.
He whose domain is time itself.
Cronos.
The Titan of Time, Harvest, and, most recently gained domain, Evil.
The famed, or infamous, King of Titans leaned back lazily upon his throne, having just returned from his latest excursion into the realm that he commands and having had fun watching various lifeforms perish under accelerated time, delighting him and reassuring him with the mere thought that he was immune to the flow of time, unlike the 'lesser' life forms.
Yet, his good mood vanished as a Nymph appeared in his throne room with a swirl of power.
An Oread. A nymph of the very mountain that they stood upon. A child of Orthys himself.
The moment the child of Orthys materialized from the very stone of the floor, she fell to her knees in front of the Crooked One.
"Great King....I...."
She swallowed as her throat bobbed in anxiety. Her heart, which was loyal to her beloved queen, fighting desperately against her mind, which was absolutely terrified of her king.
All the while, said king watched with amusement and a sadistic glee in his gaze.
"Is it that hard to decide where your loyalties lie? Psithurossa? Daughter of Orthys?"
He leaned back into his throne as his divine authority came to life.
Yet, unlike the various authorities of his brothers and sisters that manifested in blazing displays of power and authority, his manifested in a more sinister, invisible way.
After all, Time is felt, not seen.
And feel it she did.
The moment his words fell, so did her struggles of loyalty.
Time, ever flowing, started to slow.
No. It was not that time slowed. It was that her own essence was moving faster through time.
Her very existence was being accelerated by many millennia a minute.
And much to her horror, she watched helplessly as her very body, born of the stone and life of the mountain beneath her feet, started to calcify, signifying that the evil king was pushing her to the end of her long, long, lifespan.
An end worse than death, where she would be completely turned to unmoving, unfeeling stone. Trapped forever in darkness, where she would never know the touch of warmth, the delightful noise of her sisters' laughter, or the feeling of her body swaying as she dances under Helios and Selene.
Worse yet, she knew that her father, the mountain himself, would do nothing to save her. For despite being the primordial personification of the mountain itself, Orthys and his kin rarely interact with the world at large, not even willing to move, much less defend the various beings that claim birthright to their essence.
And so, her mind finally won over her heart as she spoke words that were the greatest of betrayals that would forever be immortalized in the very essence of the world.
"Mercy! My King! I bring you news as you tasked me to."
Cronus simply chuckled and waved his hand, dismissing his power and letting the nymph collapse into a weeping mess.
"Now, speak, before I decide that you are of no more use."
"...It was as you suspected, my king. The queen hides another child. A boy with long black hair and a tail like a monkey."
'A tail? None of our five children was born with such a trait. They were born far too perfect and beautiful....'
For a split second, the realms of the Titans held their breath as the King's building, apocalyptic rage at the very thought of betrayal from his beloved wife manifested as an oppressive power that held the world in a chokehold.
Yet, his rationality reaffirmed itself alongside his twisted love for his wife.
He stared down coldly at the nymph who went quite under his gaze.
"The boy's essence?"
"....Hers....and yours, my king."
For a fraction of a second, the king sported a relieved smile, reassured that his wife did not cheat on him. Despite knowing that she would never do something like that, just like he himself never did to this day.
Granted, it might partly be because of his fear of the prophecy and partly beccause of his obsession with maintaining the status quo along with his love for his wife, but the point still stands.
Then, his face tightened again, as did his grip on his scythe.
"Another one, huh? You really do know how to keep things hidden from me, Rhea."
Without another word, the Titan King vanished from his spot, leaving behind a sobbing nymph who had just committed the greatest form of betrayal to her beloved queen for fear of her own life.
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Rhea felt his arrival before her son did.
That familiar stench of divinity that has been increasingly turning dark as the days go by.
How could she not recognize the power of the very titan that was once closest to her heart, only to betray her very nature after their children were born?
At once, her two ever loyal lions sprang to life and stood by her side, protectively circling her and her son.
Just in time for the Titan of Time himself to manifest in her chambers.
His eyes filled with malice as his mouth turned to a crooked grin as he eyed her son.
The lions waited for no command and pounced, intending on attacking a being that could vaporize them in an instant, showing their fierce loyalty that overrode their very instincts.
Yet, the King made no move to kill them. Instead, he merely froze them in time. Letting them float there in suspended animation as his gaze never left the boy who was taking on a combat stance already.
Somewhere deep in what would pass for a heart, he felt a slight glint of pride for the boy who looked ready to fight him to death, if only to protect his mother.
Yet, the darkness of a prophecy and the fear born of it would smother that spark just as swiftly.
"Did you really think you could hide a child of ours from me? On my own mountain?"
Rhea said nothing and only shielded Brolios with her body.
As for the boy? He was having completely different thoughts on the situation. His Ki rising by the second, reaching levels that would have given even a lesser Titan pause.
Yet, once again, the King made no move despite feeling the power building up within the boy's body.
"Leave, Cronos. Please. At least, let this one live. I will make sure to raise him so that he will never raise a hand against you or your rule."
Rhea felt like she would break any moment now as she pleaded with her husband. One last attempt to reach his heart that she knew was there, buried under all of his paranoia and fears.
And, for a split second, it did seem like he would listen as the great Titan King hesitated. His eyes unable to bear the look of fear on his beloved's face.
Yet, the sinister whispers of his father's prophecy once again rang out in his mind, reinforcing his will.
Watching this change, Rhea knew that her final attempt had been for nothing.
And so did the queen prepare herself to shield her youngest, even if it would cost her very body to do so.
Unfortunately for the queen, her son had other plans.
The moment the young boy saw his mother's expression, something in him snapped.
Emerald power, alien to the Titans' understanding, yet interlaced with the unmistakable divinity of both Rhea and Cronos, erupted from the boy who lost his control the moment he saw his mother's vulnerable expression.
A sight that had once haunted his own face in lives long past. A sight that he had vowed to never see again on either his face or that of his mother's.
For a split second, the child's inky black eyes flashed pale yellow, the power of Ikari, or pure rage manifesting as his will merged with that of his inner beast. A Great Ape that was now calling for blood as it beheld the despair of their mother.
Yet, before the child could even react, the Titan of Time made his move.
Recognizing the threat the boy posed, the titan distorted time around himself and the boy, allowing him to close the distance in a flash.
For a single, horrifying instant, Rhea let out a silent scream as her husband's jaw unhinged and elongated like a malicious serpent, devouring her son whole.
And then, there was only silence as the King stared at his beloved coldly before vanishing back to his throne.
That night, the queen once again wept bitterly, as once again, her child was taken from her.
Yet, this time, this would be different as her parents would finally deign to intervene.
And so, the fates once again tried to weave their tapestry.
However, will said tapestry hold for what the future has in store for this world? Or will their efforts be all in vain?
Only time will tell.
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Cronos: (Click for Image)
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