April 8th before 6am

Hemera goes to Helios' former temple. Apollo is already in the helm of the chariot. They nod to each other and ride out to start the day. They know what to do with the plan.

Athena's forces are camped outside of Nemea and from her aura are able to see Spartan forces of a similar size. Her divine hearing picks up some quick footsteps and the fluttering of wings. Hermes is there with Dionysus holding onto his staff for transport.


The god of wine lets go of it to be on solid ground while Hermes descends. Artemis gets there second in her normal form. Athena's forces and the Spartans are surprised to see them.

Both armies quickly bow to them out of respect. Athena's servants do the same.

"You came to help me, siblings?", the goddess of wisdom asked.

"Yes. I heard that Eris can be unpredictable. I came to make sure she doesn't hurt your side", Artemis bluffed.

"Much appreciated, but I should be fine."

The goddess of wisdom notices that Artemis isn't pulling her silver bow and arrows out. She only takes out her hunting knife.

"Projectiles don't work against her?", she assumed.

"Not willing to risk losing an arrow against her."

"I think brute force will be appropriate for what she did to Mina. She deserves nothing less than that", the god of wine asserted while doing shoulder circles.

"Mina? Oh, you mean the previous Oracle. I'm surprised you remembered her name."

The god of wine holds himself back from attacking her right away for that awful comment. His serious glare almost makes Athena's heart tremble. She internally wished that he was drunk and far away from her.

"I do apologize. She was a sweet girl. We will begin the ceremony once the sun rises. Will you fight too, Hermes? Shouldn't you be mourning right now?"

The messenger god resists looking her in the eyes for what she said. He pulls out a scroll and has an ink set ready to write down today's events.


"I'm here to do my job. If you all fail, I will put Eris down in honor of Aphrodite."

"You doubt my power to stop her?"

The god of thieves is quiet as a response. Athena dismisses the silence.

"I just want to say I'm deeply sorry about her. Ares was-"

"I know she wasn't the target. She told me what happened. Will Ares be taken care of after Eris?"

"Certainly. Takashi will join him to be punished as well for running away from me. Will that be okay, sister?", she asked Artemis.

"Let's focus on Eris first before we get ahead of ourselves."

"The wisest thing you ever said to me."

Dionysus quickly steps in front of Artemis as he sees her knife hand is trembling. She wants to kill her for everything she put her through. He warms up in front of her as a distraction. She later taps him on the shoulder and turns his head down to her. Her eyes have softened to hide the fury deep within her. He steps away from her.


Athena looks overhead and sees rays of the sun lighting up the area near Nemea.

"Because Apollo will be busy, I will conduct the ceremony on his behalf. I remember what to do", Dionysus instructed. The goddess of wisdom nods. Hermes is writing the events as it happens.

Athena summons a goat for her servants to perform the ceremony. The servants start praying while one has a knife to the goat's neck. The other has a hand on it to keep it calm.

"May this battle turn in our favor to expose Eris. May Athena's judgment rain on her."

"May we have a good omen, Apollo and Dionysus."

The man quickly slits the goat's throat, ending its life. He then cuts into it to pull out the liver. He lays it in front of Dionysus who puts his hands into a prayer pose. His golden aura reaches out and burns the liver. A brief smile cracks on his face before it disappears.

"So what did you receive?", Athena asks.

"Eris will be defeated today", he announces to everyone. The soldiers smile from the excellent news.

"Does it say who will defeat her?"

"That's not how the ceremony works. She will still be defeated", the deity assures.

"Then I will take what I can get. Thank you, manteis (Greek for diviner). May justice reign today."

The god of wine walks back as Artemis goes to light the creature on fire with a flaming arrow. Dionysus taps Hermes on the shoulder who keeps himself still. His hands tremble, but he shakes the feeling off as he keeps recording. The god of wine also received a terrible omen that he's hiding from Athena.

Artemis gets out the red plumed arrow and applies aura to it. She fires it off and contains the explosion with her aura to prevent any harm. The fire is contained as it detonates. Dionysus applies some aura by putting his hands on the ground. A large goblet appears as a torch to signal the start of the battle.

Athena turns to her forces.

"Mighty army of Athens! Fight an honorable fight so we can expose the truth! Your names will live on forever for this!"

Her army raises their javelin spears in support of the goddess.

"A-the-na! A-the-na!"

"Bless the goddess!"

"May her justice reign forever!", the soldiers praise.

The commander of the Spartans turns to his men. "Remember your purpose, Spartans! No retreat, no surrender! Eris will be brought to justice!"

His soldiers do a battle cry in unison. The armies start marching towards each other as Athena watches from the middle of them. Soldiers on both sides of the frontline perform a phalanx position by lowering their javelins. The cavalries come out in front to confront each other.


Their long going hatred for each other is reflected in their eyes. Although it was a ruse, they wanted to kill each other until one side was left as the victor.

Before swords could clash, a spike in aura brings every soldier down to their knees. Athena glares at the one who disrupted her masterplan.

Ares has arrived in full battle armor. Eros and Harmonia have accompanied him along with two other beings. These twin men with unkempt hair and dressed in red long sleeve tunics are youthful in appearance, but their very presence prevents the soldiers from moving forward.


To them, taking a step forward would be their final step. One of them is smiling widely, revealing a row of sharp white teeth while the other is stoic.

Through the flames, Hestia and Taki tremble from seeing them. Heracles places calming hands to comfort them.

"Phobos! Deimos! That is enough!", Ares instructs his sons.

The twins stop their auras. The soldiers feel like they can move freely now, but they don't continue marching to meet their enemies.


"Sorry, father", the stoic Deimos apologizes.

"I'm sorry, too", as Phobos keeps his frozen smile. "It's been a while since.....

His eyes shift up and to the left to a memory........that makes tears flood his smiling face. Deimos comforts him by wiping his face with his sleeve. Phobos looks up at Athena and he gives her a menacing smile full of rage. His twin holds him back despite wanting to avenge their fallen mother.

"What is the meaning of this?!", Athena questions.

"No one on this battlefield will die except for Eris and you! You both will pay for what you did!", Ares shouts. Athena's army is left breathless from the deity's words.

"You dare challenge me, brother?! So be it!"

She throws her spear near light speed, but he catches it and throws it back at her. It comes close to her face and a slight fear is in her eyes as she catches it. Ares then appears right in front of her with longsword thrusting straight ahead. The impact of their clashing weapons almost tears the ground apart as Ares' hatred for Athena is overflowing.

Eros, Harmonia, Artemis, Hermes, and Dionysus then do their parts of the job. They combine their overall auras as a large barrier that encloses Ares, Phobos, Deimos, and Athena into one space. She pushes back against Ares as she pieces it together. Her servants are still piecing it together, but betrayal wasn't the first option.

"You dare betray me?!", Athena's anger slips out.

"Focus on me, sister", Ares speaks with malice.

Phobos and Deimos touch their father's helmet as they pass their respective auras into him.

"Avenge mother for us!", the twins speak as one.

Ares absorbs their auras and the Greek word for warmonger fully appears on his helmet. The twins vanish from sight so their father can go all out without worry. Athena goes to quickly put him down with a light beam at his chest, but it disintegrates.....


This massive amount of energy makes everyone cower in fear. Ares' red aura is even leaking outside the large barrier.


He raises and lowers his blade within one quick motion. Several energy strikes come out like last time, but they are too fast for Athena's eyes. She summons a shield, but it breaks upon contact with the strikes. One of them tears through and she sidesteps. Ares is right behind her as he pushes her into the slash.


The slash cuts across her breastplate and her divine golden blood spills onto the ground.

Athena heals from the damage as her servants and army cheer for her.

"Cheer on for the goddess! May her justice reign!"

"A-the-na! A-the-na!", her army chants.

Ares goes to plunge his sword right through Athena's head, but she thrusts several strikes into his chest with her spear. Although he's bleeding, it doesn't stop him from kicking Athena in the abdomen with full force. She hits the barrier hard, but he isn't done. He then drags her face along the barrier before plunging several swords and spears through different parts of her body!


He then hits her across the face with the blunt side of his longsword. She hits the ground several times as the weapons drive deeper into her. She raises her aura to its peak and the weapons come out from her. She heals from the damage, but she is furious about what he did to her. Now in her top form, she is able to block Ares' next swing of his sword. Her helmet shines to get a read on her enemy, but nothing can be read about him.

He hits her in the head with a shield which makes her recoil backwards. He throws his shield like a discus to tear her apart, but she catches it. She fires off several light beams to paralyze his aura channels. She sees they all hit their respective marks, but to her fear...Ares' aura is still present.


He swings several times and energy slashes come out. Athena brings out her most powerful shield to deflect the attacks back at him. Although the strikes landed on him, he isn't hindered in any way from rushing at her.

She summons her twin swords and fires them off like rockets. Ares blocks off the swords, but they come back around and lay multiple cuts on his armor. They continue their barbaric fight. Athena isn't too worried as a smile comes across her face. Hera will arrive and she remembered her true trump card. She just has to wait him out, no matter how long it takes.

Takashi's face is sweating from seeing Ares' warmonger form. This is unlike his kind and heroic nature that he knows. He prays that Harmonia will bring that man back to them.

Harmonia is paying close attention so she can fulfill her role once it's done. Phobos and Deimos reappear behind her. They lay a hand on her shoulders to be there for her during this difficult time.

Artemis, Hermes, Eros, and Dionysus scan for Eris's presence. She wouldn't resist watching the gods fight each other again.

The earth shakes. Not just from the fight between Ares and Athena. The deities feel another presence, but Ares doesn't stop attacking Athena. The earth gets manipulated and the river water rises.

ROAAAARR!

To everyone's surprise, Cetus comes out of the river with Poseidon on the top of his head. He's wearing his cerulean ocean armor with trident ready. His soldiers with self-spraying devices march out of the water. The armies of Athens and Sparta are now wary of their new foe. Takashi is worried of what the monster can do based on what Perseus had told him before.

"Uncle?! What are you doing here?", Hermes asks him.

Poseidon doesn't respond to him. His attention is on the battle between Athena and Ares. His seafoam white eyes are watching the full brutality of Ares as he tries to take Athena out of the equation. He holds a hand up to keep his army at bay.

Athena puts her brother in her strongest barrier prison that wraps around his body. The god of war can't move a single step forward. She is upset that he's pushing her this far. She closes her hands together to crush him.

Ares grunts for the first time in their fight. He feels the immense pressure of Athena's power. He feels like he's not only fighting her, but the entirety of Athens as a landmass. He cries out not in pain, but from anger. This battle shout shakes the land and the sea warriors are secretly trembling.

"Uncle! They betrayed me! They are working along with Eris!", Athena lies to Poseidon.

"That's a damn lie! Athena has worked with Eris before at the end of the Trojan War. This is her punishment", Dionysus stands up for his brother.

"Father, don't give up! It's almost over!", Harmonia touches the barrier.

"Put Athena down for mother!", Eros shouts.

"SHOW HER NO MERCY!", Phobos screams at the top of his lungs.

"She doesn't deserve it!", Deimos' voice rise an octave.

Hearing his children's voices pushes him beyond his limits. Another battle shout forces Athena's prison barrier open. She is bewildered and speechless. Ares runs at her and she puts barriers up to distance themselves. Ares summons a javelin spear and throws it. The spear tears through the barriers and Athena catches it.


Ares rushes in during that moment and tackles her to the ground. He begins brutally beating her down with fists, elbows, and scratches on her face. Golden blood is being spilled all over the place as she puts a guard up. She shoots several light beams through his body, but he keeps going. It was too much for the humans there to take in.


Even Harmonia is sick to her stomach about what her father can do. Deimos holds her hand to calm his sibling.

"Finish it, father!", Eros urgs.

Athena's servants begin to pray out of fear.

"D-Don't give up, Athena!"

"We believe in you! Show this monster what a goddess can do!"

Her army does the same thing with chants and praises for her name.

Athena's healing factor acts quickly to undo the damage, but she is surprised to see that Ares has stopped. He didn't stop out of volition as Poseidon grabbed his arm. The trident plunging through his chest brings Harmonia to tears.

Ares' scarlet eyes are more visible as he rips out the trident to self-heal. Poseidon offers his hand to his niece who takes it up.

"After Ares, we will go after Eris", the sea god tells her.

"I have this under control, uncle. Where is Hera?"

"So you allied yourself with her? Hmm."

"She's backup just in case things go wrong."

Poseidon displays his tidal wave aura that cracks the barrier walls. Artemis and the other deities hold the barrier up with their collective aura. They can't risk Warmonger Ares to escape. Ares throws the trident back at Poseidon. The earth shaker sidesteps and...puts it through Athena's chest!

Everyone is left speechless.