Reborn As Hades In Olympus

Ch. 184: The Fall of Poseidon

The murmurs of agreement echoed through the hall.

"You always feared me, Zeus," Poseidon spat. "Feared that I might rise above you, that I might wield power greater than yours." His gaze swept over the assembly. "And the rest of you? You would stand idle, cowed by his rule, while Olympus crumbles?"

Athena stepped forward, her tone icy. "Your actions were not born of nobility, Poseidon. They were driven by your arrogance and your thirst for power. You sought to destroy, not to build."

I leaned against a pillar in the shadows, watched the proceedings with a quiet intensity. Though I had no love for Olympus's politics, I had come at Zeus's request. The others feared Poseidon's retribution even in defeat, and they wanted me present to ensure his brother's punishment was final. After all I was the saviour of Olympus.

Zeus stood, his voice rising above the murmurs. "Poseidon, for your crimes against Olympus and the balance of the realms, I hereby strip you of your title and power. From this day forward, you shall no longer be counted among the Olympians."

The air grew thick with divine energy as Zeus raised his hand, summoning a blazing lightning bolt. I stepped out of the darkness and spoke stopping him from carrying whatever he had in mind. "No! As punishment let Poseidon be confined to his realm of the seas and forbidden from leaving.

Poseidon fell to his knees. His defiance wavered, replaced by a flicker of something else— perhaps regret, or perhaps a realization of his new reality.

"You would do this to your own brother," he said hoarsely. His voice weak.

"You ceased to be my brother the moment you turned against us," Zeus replied, his voice cold.

A portal opened behind Poseidon, leading to his realm. Two celestial guards stepped forward and escorted him away.

The hall was silent for a long moment after the portal closed. Then, Hera broke the stillness. "And what of the people? They will seek answers."

"Let them believe what they must," Zeus said, his tone dismissive. "Hades has already ensured that the truth is hidden where it needs to be."

All eyes turned to me, as I took another step forward, my expression unreadable. "The world knows only that Poseidon was stopped. They will look to Olympus for stability now. Do not squander it."

Zeus nodded. "You have done well, brother. Perhaps too well."

I smirked faintly. "Don't mistake my actions for loyalty, Zeus. I acted for the sake of balance, not for you."

As the gods began to disperse, the weight of Poseidon's absence settled over the hall. Despite their differences, the loss of one of their own was a sobering reminder of their fragility, even as immortals.

I lingered a moment longer, my mind already on the challenges that lay ahead. The Watcher. The underworld. The fragile alliances he had forged.

But for now, Olympus was quiet. And that, at least, was something.

I left the gathering a little while after my sights set back on my underworld.

The gates of the Underworld loomed before me, their shadowed expanse radiating an ancient, familiar power. As I crossed the threshold, the air grew cooler, the oppressive weight of the mortal and celestial realms lifting. This was my domain— a kingdom of ash, bone, and eternal stillness.

Cerberus greeted me first, his three heads nudging me with a mixture of affection and impatience. I placed a hand on his central head, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "You've kept the realm in check, I trust?" He let out a low growl, his tails wagging in approval.

Walter, my enigmatic butler, appeared next, his expression as composed as ever. "Welcome back, my lord," he said, bowing slightly. "Lady Hecate awaits you in the chamber of elixirs."

"Good," I replied, striding past him toward the inner sanctum.

The chamber of elixirs was one of the newer additions to the Underworld, a place where ancient magic and alchemical knowledge converged. Hecate had insisted on its creation, and I had granted her the freedom to build it as she saw fit. Now, the room was a labyrinth of shelves stacked with glowing vials, steaming cauldrons, and spellbound ingredients that hummed with latent power.

Hecate stood at the center, her hands deftly working over a bubbling cauldron. She looked up as I entered, her expression a mixture of relief and weariness. "You took your time."

"Let's not forget I was stopping Olympus from imploding," I said dryly.

"And how did it turn out?" She asked with deep concern.

I sighed heavily letting a burden off my chest. "Poseidon has been condemned to his realm, their world is quite shaken but I'm sure they can adjust."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She looked at me with a look of worry and said. "Well, you did what you had to and I admire you for that."

I chuckled. "Well, thanks for the admiration then."

She smirked but quickly grew serious. "The antidote is ready."

I raised an eyebrow and asked. "You don't mean for the black amber."

She nodded. "Yes, we developed it quite recently."

I stepped closer, watching as she carefully poured the shimmering liquid from the cauldron into a crystalline vial. It glowed faintly, a pale blue light that pulsed like a heartbeat.

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"This will counteract the black amber poison," she said. "It wasn't easy to make. The venom was designed to bind with the victim's very essence, corrupting them from the inside out. Breaking that bond required more than just alchemy. It required…" She hesitated, her voice lowering. "A fragment of your power."

I raised an eyebrow. "You used my power without asking?" How did she even get that? That was a question that bothered me more. But I pushed it away and greeted the good new with an open mind.

"It was necessary," she said firmly, meeting my gaze. "And I knew you'd agree once you saw the results."

I took the vial from her, its cold surface thrumming against my palm. "Who was the test subject?"

"Arman's wife, Rashak," Hecate replied. "She volunteered. The poison had taken root in her deeper than we realized, but the antidote worked. She's recovering now."

For a moment, I allowed myself a flicker of relief. The black amber poison had been a scourge, one that had taken too many lives already. If this antidote could truly reverse its effects, it would be a turning point in our fight. Since there were a number of people who were still affected by the poison release a few days ago.

"What's the next step?" I asked, slipping the vial into the folds of my cloak.

Hecate crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "We'll need to mass-produce it, but that will require resources we don't have here. The ingredients are rare, and some of them can only be found in the mortal world. Hermes has already volunteered to acquire them."

I smirked faintly. "Of course, he has. The thrill of it will be irresistible to him."

Hecate's lips quirked in amusement, but her tone remained serious. "We'll also need to distribute it carefully."

I nodded. "For once something good is happening."

She stepped closer, her voice softening. "Hades… this could save countless lives. The whole of Olympus would be grateful to you the ruler of underworld and death for saving their lives. Sounds ironic to me, if I say so."

I met her gaze, unflinching. "That is good, I suppose."

For a moment, the weight of the past weeks seemed to settle between us. The battles, the betrayals, the losses— they had brought us to this moment, where hope and danger balanced on a knife's edge.

"Thank you," I said finally, my voice quieter. "For this. For everything."

She tilted her head, her expression softening. "You don't need to thank me, Hades. I've always been on your side."

As I left the chamber, the antidote safely tucked away, a sense of purpose settled over me. The Underworld was mine to protect, and now, with Hecate's creation, we had a weapon to fight back against the darkness that had threatened all realms for a long time. Somehow the underworld had become the torch for a new era.

But the Watcher still loomed, an enigma wrapped in chaos, and I knew this victory was only the beginning. Somehow I felt my journey would be uncertain in future.