After the event was over and most of the guests had left. Only Hades, Persephone and Thanatos remained. They sat at together at a oval table. Poseidon, Amphitrite, Kymopoleia, Anteros and Triton sat around the table.

They were all silent.

Corla swam in and took a seat beside Kym.

All was silent yet again.

"A week," Thanatos said, breaking the silence. He lifted his eyes from his hands to Hades. "How do you plan to make a plan within a week?"

Hades put his hands up in defence, "We need-"

He was interrupted by Kym, "A week is not enough time to create a plan."

"Need to avoid major mortal casualties too," Persephone said, twirling a flower between her fingers.

Triton sat there in silence, hugging Andy to himself. A week wasn't enough time. If they wanted equality, they would need a plan with no faults. A week wasn't enough time to come up with one. A week is barely enough time to spread the word across all the seas.

Corla rested her hand on the table, "I am all for beginning this as quickly as possible, as are the rest of the Octoleí. But for a plan, we would need time."

Amphitrite looked at Posiedon, "Why didn't you tell us that you wanted only one week for planning? Why didn't you consult me?"

"I would also like an answer to that," Persephone said, shooting Hades a look.

"Look, this wasn't some idea to show the might of our combined forces. It's to heighten moral, many of our subjects would share the same thoughts as you. However if we get a rough plan in this week, it will inspire the belief that we have a chance."

Anteros tapped out the tune to a song on the table, "One problem, getting a plan. Also Persephone could I please have a flower?"

Persephone smiled softly, "Yes of course." She handed the love god a blue flower.

"Allies," Thanatos said.

"What?"

"Allies, if this is a war then both sides will have allies. Who is ours?"

Kym dropped her head to the table causing Andy to yelp and snuggle against Triton.

"We have the combined might of the Sea and Underworld. Which is control over water, currents, shadows, darkness and all that jazz. Then the opposition has everything else, sky, wind, love, hunting oh and war." Kym tapped the table with each domain mentioned. "We are the outnumbered variable, a fishing boat in a hurricane."

Thanatos ran a hand down his face, "This is hopeless."

"Well do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, make a plan and gather allies. That would take time which we don't have because of someone who doesn't know the meaning of patience," Thanatos said making eye-contact with the wall opposite.

"Not all of us have a job that consists of waiting for people to die," Hades shot back.

"Well some of us can think ahead," Thanatos said.

Amphitrite slammed her hands on the table, "So allies, Anteros in a guess which cause would Eros support?"

"Ours, Aphrodite too possibly."

The Queen of the Seas, suddenly had a notebook in her hands and wrote down something. "Persephone, your mother?"

"Would support whatever I'm doing."

Amphitrite wrote down something else. "Thanatos, your siblings?"

Thanatos thought for a moment, "Whatever side is causing the most chaos, so us."

She wrote something down again.

By now Triton had figured that his mother was making a list of possible allies. An attempt to control the chaos that was quickly spiraling out of control. Quite smart however she was underestimating Kym's ability to provoke chaos.

"Hades, your oldest sister?"

"Hestia will most likey stay out of all conflict, however she has said to me before that she wishes all were treated equally," Hades said a frown on his face. "Hera might join us too, especially if she is annoyed at Zeus for being unfaithful."

Amphitrite scribbled down two more things, "So thats 5 out of 6 original gods, not including Thanatos or his older siblings. No offence."

"None taken," Thanatos said before spacing out staring at the table in front of him. He didn't react when Persephone nudged his side, or when Kym waved a hand in front of his face.

His eyes snapped upwards, "I have to go." He vanished into a wisp of smoke before anyone could object.

Only those of the sea looked concerned, watching as the small wisp disappeared.

Anteros broke the silence, "Was he ok?"

"Probably a mass death was caused and he had to get there before the souls wandered off," Persephone said simply, she turned to Hades. "Do you know how much?"

"Quite a lot."

Poseidon asked the question that was on all their minds, "Is this going to be a problem? Will you still be able to help or must you return to your kingdom."

"No no, this won't be a problem as we've been expecting this for a while so we had preparations put in place. However if there is a vast multitude of death in this coming war then we will just have to provide minimal support from the side," Hades explained.

The sea deities fell silent. Lost in thought. Thinking over the new information that could greatly impact their plans. If the war caused great death numbers then Hades and Thanatos would most definitely have to leave. Persephone could possibly also have to leave also to manage the kingdom while Hades prepares the underworld for more souls. If Persephone had to leave so would Demeter as nothing would be keeping her to the cause. If the Umderworld rulers had to leave the fight then the rest of the Underworld would only do what would most befit them.

The Sea would be left at a severe disadvantage with only the allies that truly believed in equality and equity for all.

It was really a terrible outcome.

However if they avoided death then most likely Olympus wouldn't even notice that the Sea and Underworld were fighting back after millenia of oppression. They had barely noticed the rise in the number of shipwrecks and the Sea gradually fighting back. The protest obviously wasn't working but to bring war would cause deaths of mortals. Deaths of mortals would mean losing a vast number of allies to deal with the deaths.

The outcomes were too many, the odds of defeat high and the odds of victory slim. But they had to fight.

It was either fight with a chance of failure or continue in the desolate lifestyle.

Victory or failure.

They couldn't fail. If they did then the citizens of the sea would suffer. The families, the children, the young merfolk only just discovering what life is about.

They couldn't fail.

They wouldn't fail.

They can't fail.

Corla finally broke the silence, "How much are the shipwrecks affecting your... domain?"

Persephone answered to save all of them from Hades lecture on the pracrices of the Underworld. "Thanatos is busier, the fields of Apostle are slowly filling up, the queues are getting longer. But the Underworld is prepared for this, we always have spare room incase a god upstairs decides to throw a hissy fit."

"Hypothetically, if you were to prepare your kingdom for vast deaths now, enough space for some decades. Would you be able to support the death that will inevitably be caused and still fight with us?" Anteros asked.

Kym muttered under her breath, "Wow the dumbass can make sense, who would've known."

The rest ignored her.

The two Underworld rulers thought for a moment. Eventually Hades spoke, "I would say we could, Thanatos would be busy but I'm sure the furies would be more than happy to help round up souls with him."

They fell into silence once more, the only noise being Andy who was begging for attention again.

"How long would it take to prepare the Underworld?"

"A few months maybe, up to two mortal years."

Amphitrite looked up from her notebook, "If the Sea works on making weapons and armour from now we could have equal time to prepare and not be short on resources."

"So it's settled then," Triton said, speaking for the first time since Kym had unfortunately found his hiding spot. "We have a plan."

Posiedon nodded, "We will meet occasionally to make a battle-plan, but for now lets get to work."

Or:

Poseidon nodded, "We will meet occasionally to make a battle-plan, but for now lets get this bread."

I'm not sorry for that.