Chapter 67: Necessity
"I wanted to retreat and continue the task as soon as they finished their battle. I was circumspect. However…." Artemis came to a halt, her gaze fixed on her brother. He was just staring at her, his expression blank. She then went on, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Laufey found me. He saw right through the night's concealment—I'm not certain how he did it—and immediately attacked me..."
"And you went up against him, didn't you?" As the air around them blazed and scorched, Apollo interpreted, his molten golden eyes glowing with cosmic fire.
"What else was I supposed to do, brother!?" Artemis yelled in disbelief, pounding the table with her hands. The glass next to her shattered, splattering nectar all over the table.
"Calm your horses, my dear siblings." Hermes immediately interpreted, pressing his hands on both of their shoulders. He also swept his gaze across the spilled wine, causing it to vanish in the breeze. "The world may not be able to bear it."
They calmed down. Nonetheless, Apollo chastised his sister. "You are so reckless, Artemis. After Night's concealment failed, you should have immediately used my pendant to teleport back to Earth."
"Don't you understand?" he scowled. "Someone is manipulating everything in the shadows. They wanted Laufey to find you!"
"I didn't have the luxury to think it through." Artemis spoke quietly. "He was already on me, brother, and I needed to make a move, so I attacked him..."
Apollo sighed exasperatedly, his hands on his temples.
Artemis went on, her gaze fixed on her brother. "I fought Laufey, and he was stronger than me, albeit by a small margin. I summoned a small cosmic storm with my nature divinity for my first blow..."
"You did what?" Hermes felt like he heard it wrong.
"I told you," Artemis boasted, her gaze fixed on Apollo. "I wasn't just scouting in the universe; I also tried to connect with the nature of the universe."
"I was somewhat successful in my endeavour." Her brother was simply staring at her, not with the proud expression he always had when she showed him her accomplishments. She then huffed and continued, "I summoned the cosmic storm at Lauefy, but he froze it with his ice and shattered it into ice particles. Then he raised his sword in preparation for his attack, and I nocked an arrow in my bow."
"However, before we could continue to fight, Hela interpreted us. I was afraid she'd team up with Laufey to deal with me, the intruder. However, much to my relief and surprise, she sided with me." Artemis took note that her brother's shoulders sagged with her last words. "And we went all out right away. I didn't want to hold back anymore, and Hela reciprocated my feelings. Hela dispatched her ride, Fenrir, to keep Laufey occupied while we decided to combine our powers."
"We took on our divine forms. And I summoned the moon on Jotunheim, and Hela spread her death divinity into infinity of space, connecting with all the star systems surrounding Jotunheim. And she brought death to the stars, causing everything to explode in a supernova all at once."
Hermes sat on the edge of his seat, holding his breath.
Artemis said this with a slight sense of awe. "I'm not sure how many stars exploded—a hundred thousand, a million, ten million, or even a hundred million?—but it was enough to shake the entire galaxy adjacent to Jotunheim. She then harvested the entire energies from the supernovas and held them out to me in her hand. I could tell she was reaching her limits by suppressing the volatile stellar energy, so I immediately brought the moon I summoned above her hand."
"Then, I began purifying the energy of supernovas, curbing its volatility, increasing its stellar essence, increasing its power, and increasing its might as much as I could."
"Meanwhile, the King of Frost Giants finally managed to get rid of Fenrir. The wolf was thrown at us by him. It was in its last breath. Hela managed to spare some of her attention and teleported her wolf back to her army."
"At the same time, our attack was ready, and without hesitation, we blasted the purified energy of millions of supernovas at the face of Lauefy. The Giant King did not appear surprised. He even had a smile on his face as he faced our attack with confidence."
"Our attack hit him and hurled him to the other side of the galaxy, oblivionizing everything in its path—a large part of the galaxy, billions of planets, millions of stars, and tens of thousands of fledgling civilisations—all melted into nothingness...…." Artemis flattered, her words catching in the throat. Apollo took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Hermes poured another glass for Artemis, who drank it in one gulp.
"Don't try to blame yourself, sister." Apollo said, his voice softening slightly. "There has never been a bloodless war."
Artemis nodded tiredly and continued, but her voice was hard. "The galaxy was almost torn apart under our attack. In the midst of the cosmic upheaval, Hela and I remained vigilant. Despite our all-out assault, I had an instinct that he wasn't dead."
"My fears were immediately confirmed—Laufey appeared in front of us, unscathed, with a viscous smile." she paused. "I couldn't believe my eyes. I then noticed he had something in his hands."
She rested her hand on her temples. "It was an artifact—a blue casket—and the mere sight of it sent chills down my spine. Hela also paled at the sight of the artefact, her eyes wide as if she didn't anticipate that Laufey would have the casket."
"I quickly realised what that casket was; Laufey barraged it at us with complete confidence. He claimed it was the Casket of Ancient Winters that contained the divine essence of Ymir, the Primordial God of Ice. The artefact was said to have been lost in time, but Lauefy somehow discovered it. He didn't elaborate on that detail…."
Artemis took a deep breath to rest. "I didn't wait until he finished his monologue. I knew that once the artefact was activated, I and Hela would perish. Our power meant a little against such a primal force of the universe."
"So I grabbed the pendant you gave me, brother," she said as she looked at Apollo. "and activated your protection."
"The pendent hurled a fusillade of golden chains at Laufey. He was taken off guard and bound by it. Laufey's divinity was completely suppressed by the chains, rendering him powerless. However, the casket began to activate on its own after noticing his predicament. As the ice coated it, the chains began to break."
"But, my goal had already been met. I wanted to buy some time so that we could safely return to Earth. I asked Hela to accompany me, but the Goddess of Death shook her head and pointed above. When I looked up, I saw a rainbow beam hurling towards us, and in it, I glimpsed the silhouette of a god wielding a golden spear and riding a white, eight-winged Pegasus—it was All-Father, Odin."
"Hela told me to go. She said it would be foolish to face her father, especially when he is enraged, and that she would vouch for me with her father. I didn't dither any longer. I activated the pendant and returned to Earth."
Artemis completed. "Then I immediately went to Olympus and informed Father about everything that had happened. He had left for the Omnipotence City to meet with Odin to deal with the fallout of the broken non-interference agreement."
A heavy silence fell over all of them. Hermes fidgeted with his cup, swirling it; Artemis shifted in her seat; and Apollo continued to stare at his sister.
"Say something." Artemis demanded at Apollo, as his fixed stare was beginning to unnerve her.
"Well," Apollo said, his voice sharpening with such force that both Hermes and Artemis were taken aback. "Laufey is going to die, and I'm going to tell our mother, sister, about your recklessness, word by word."
"No…" Artemis and Hermes spoke in unison for different reasons.
"Please, brother.." The Goddess of the Moon begged. "Don't tell mother.."
"Brother." The God of Deceit pointed this out logically. "Consider the consequences and danger. The situation is already bad. If you try to kill Laufey, things will spiral even deeper into chaos and war."
"I've made my decision." Apollo spoke in a tone that left no room for discussion.
Hermes tensed. Despite his brother's expressionless face, he could practically feel the rage emanating from him. He was afraid Apollo would simply decide to disregard the consequences and dangers. He knew his brother was powerful, far more powerful than him, but Lauefy possessed a primordial artefact.
Do something, Hermes. He chastised himself. Think something, Hermes.
A sudden thought passed through his head, and he immediately brought it up.
"Brother, we can make Laufey pay in time." Hermes spoke slowly observing his brother's reaction. "There's a bigger issue: the manipulator."
"I understand your rage. But calm yourself, brother," Artemis added, gently taking her brother's hands in hers. "I don't want you to be as reckless as I was."
Apollo took a deep breath and closed his molten eyes. Hermes and Artemis sighed with relief. They wouldn't be able to stop him if they gave in to his rage. The sun will also resonate with his emotions, and the entire world will burn with him.
"So?" Hermes shifted his weight in his seat. "Anyone have an idea who the manipulator in the shadows might be?"
"You know it?" Artemis inquired, her gaze fixed on Apollo. "Don't you, brother?"
Apollo blinked his golden eyes open. "Fates," he said gravely, "It is the Kindly Ones." He went into great detail without allowing them to interrupt him. He revealed how he was fate-less and how his existence tore the fabric of necessity, weakening fate itself.
He claimed that their fates were on the verge of unravelling as well and that the Kindly Ones were out for his blood for merely escaping their control and binding them to their knees. The Fates even have a pawn in their pantheon, and they were plotting his demise through that pawn.
He then stated that the Fates most likely desired chaos so that they could weave without being bound by the rules of Destiny. Artemis, who is almost fate-less, will cause chaos with every action she takes. That's why they should have revealed her existence to Lauefy and perhaps manipulated him into fighting her. The non-interference agreement between Asgard and Olympus would have been broken in the end, and if worse came to worst, there would be an inter-pantheon war.
Apollo concluded by saying that these were just his guesses, but even if he was wrong about some of them, they should be closer to the truth.
"Oh, Gaia." Hermes' hands flew to his chest. "That was a lot to take in."
Artemis was frozen in her seat, rooted in her place. She was re-examining and questioning her entire existence. She was the harbinger of what?
"Don't be too worried." Apollo soothed. "They cannot directly interfere. They are too constrained by their own set of rules, and even if they managed to break free, our universe is home to cosmic beings far more powerful than them."
"Are the Kindly Ones truly cosmic beings?" Hermes inquired, then confusedly waved his hands. "First and foremost, what exactly is a cosmic being?"
Artemis somehow gathered herself from existential shock and leaned forward in her seat solemnly.
"You remember what I said about the multiverse?" Apollo brought up past topics. "About how infinite and boundless it is."
"Yes." Hermes jested. "The time you made our existence feel so unspecial. How could I possibly forget that, brother..?"
Artemis threw him a glare, and he wisely went silent, complaining under his breath.
"We do." She corrected him. "Brother."
"To put it simply, a cosmic being is an entity that embodies a concept of the infinite multiverse. Morpheus, the Dream of the Endless, for example, embodies the concept of Dream." Apollo said as slowly as possible, letting the information sink into their minds. They listened with rapt attention. "The Kindly Ones embody the concept of Necessity—an aspect of Destiny—of the infinite multiverse."
"Under the cosmic entities, the Fates control the fates of all beings in the multiverse."
A beat of heavy silence passed.
Artemis breathed out. "You have carried this heavy burden all alone; for Gaea knows for how long. You could have said something.."
"You don't get it, Artemis." Apollo shook his head. "The Kindly Ones are far more powerful than you can fathom. In terms of power and status, I am nothing more than an ant in contrast to them."
Artemis flinched, and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe the words that her ever-narcissistic and ever-arrogant brother had just uttered.
Apollo took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "They are beyond me. But I'm still fighting them with hope, and it's costing me dearly every time."
He took a deep breath and looked at Hermes and Artemis. "I didn't mean to tell you both this. I don't want you to suffer because of me. But everything changed now, and it is better if you know the enemy that I am going to face."
"Not I," Artemis corrected. "We."
"Oh.." Apollo said, "Artemis…"
"Brother," Hermes cut in sharply. "Stop trying to push us out. We are your family."
"Well," A relieved yet restrained smile crept onto the lips of Apollo. "For the time being, there is no dealing with Fates. They are far too powerful for us to handle. We should concentrate on their pawn in our pantheon."
"How powerful are the Kindly Ones?" Hermes inquired, his voice quivering slightly in fear.
"The Kindly Ones can," Apollo described. "weave the fate of apocalypse for the cosmos if it is a necessity, thus bringing an end to the infinite multiverse. Though they, too, will perish with the cosmos."
"How can the apocalypse of the multiverse be a necessity?!" Hermes asked.
"Hermes," sighed Apollo. "Every beginning has an ending."
Hermes was lost for words. He leaned back, his face pale and bloodless.
Artemis managed to recover from the shock yet again. "Let's forget about the Kindly Ones." – she brought the subject back to their level – "and focus on their pawn in our pantheon."
"So..." she went on. "Who is it, brother?"
"Our father." Apollo answered. "Zeus."
That name sank into existence. The expressions of Artemis and Hermes were graver than ever, but there wasn't much surprise in their eyes.
"How do we deal with our fate-protected father?" Hermes spoke up immediately, as if he couldn't wait to be done with their wretched father, though his still-pale face betrayed his tone.
"You expected it?" Apollo raised his brows as he watched their reactions.
"Brother," said Artemis. "It was always said the Fates favoured our father. Even once you yourself mentioned that."
Apollo nodded and looked at Hermes, answering his question. "There is no we, only I. Father is too powerful. He can simply slap you into oblivion." - Hermes looked hurt at that, but he didn't protest - "As for the fates' protection, I'm still trying to figure out how to go around it and even find out what their true plan is with our father."
"What do you want us to do?" After a brief pause, Artemis inquired.
"If you have an opinion, or if you have anything on the protections of fates, you can share it with me." Apollo paused, looking at her with solemn eyes. "And when the time finally comes, you both can deal with Hera."
"Hera?!" Hermes asked.
"Don't underestimate Hera." Apollo chastised. "She may be a bitch, but still, she is one of the most powerful gods in the divine realms." He admitted it begrudgingly. "Father didn't make her the Queen of Olympus just out of love."
"We will face her, brother." Artemis accepted it confidently for both of them, her hatred visible in her eyes.
Hermes nodded vehemently in agreement, then asked quietly. "But what about our aunts and uncles? Will they side with us?"
"About them..." Apollo furrowed his brows.
However, before he could continue, someone interpreted them.
Knock!
"It's Aunt Demeter." Artemis peered at the door.
Apollo nodded and exchanged glances with them. The meaning is clear: we will continue afterwards.
Artemis and Hermes leaned on their seats, some relief washing over their heaviness. They had truly had enough of this for today.
"Come in, Aunt," Apollo said.
Demeter entered with a solemn countenance that she rarely had.
She came to a halt, sensing the heaviness in the air, and frowned at them. "Am I interpreting something?"
"Brother," Hermes smiled, "was just talking about carrying on our family tradition by himself."
Artemis rolled her eyes, but her lips rose lightly to form a suppressed smile.
"Which Family Tradition?" Demeter asked quizzically.
"Nothing important, Aunt." Apollo glared at Hermes, then turned to Demeter. "What happened?"
Demeter thankfully didn't press and revealed the information gravely. "Zeus called for the council. We could be facing a war."
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