Chapter 2.00 - Until Eternity Do Us Part (2)

Olympian Flavors - Live

—Welcome to another edition of Olympian Flavors. Today, we'll discover how the right wine can be the perfect ingredient to achieve absolute harmony on the palate.

The cameras zoomed in on the elegantly decorated table, adorned with golden fruits, nectar-filled goblets, and dishes worthy of the gods. Gastón Acurio, wearing his signature apron, smiled at the audience while holding a glass of divine wine.

Beside him, Dionysus took a long sip before nodding in satisfaction.

—Gastón, my dear friend, I must say… nothing in the mortal world compares to the wine of the gods. This elixir was fermented in the very barrels of eternity, under the blessing of time and patience.

Gastón chuckled, raising his glass.

—Absolutely, Dionysus. But what truly makes any wine special is what it's paired with. Today, we have a selection of the finest food pairings for divine nectar.

The cameras did a dramatic zoom on the table: golden cuts of meat, cheeses from the mountains of Olympus, bread freshly baked by Hestia, and desserts drenched in honey from the fields of Eden.

Dionysus grinned in satisfaction.

—Exactly. A wine like this deserves respect, and that means pairing it with quality ingredients. For example, this red from the vineyards of Asgard—perfect with roasted boar seasoned with—

At that moment, a red light flashed on the teleprompter.

Dionysus squinted at the screen, read the message… and spat out his wine on live television.

—WHAT?!

The cameras froze on him as the scandal of the century appeared in bold red letters on the screen:

"Breaking News: HERA FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM ZEUS. OLYMPUS IN CRISIS."

The studio fell into absolute silence.

Gastón, still holding his glass, raised an eyebrow.

—Uh… Dionysus, are you okay?

Dionysus didn't respond. He remained frozen, staring into the void.

—Hera… wants a divorce… from old Zeus…

A murmur spread through the audience. The broadcast was being watched on every screen in the world.

Dionysus blinked a few times before muttering:

—Olympus is screwed.

The screen cut to black abruptly.

****

Silence.

A deafening void engulfed Olympus.

For a moment, Zeus said nothing. He just stared at me, his face a mixture of disbelief and restrained fury. His eyes pierced through me, as if my words had uttered the impossible.

But then… the dark sky, illuminated only by the moon, shone with a ferocious intensity.

Thunder tore through the clouds, ripping the night apart like golden spears.

—WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, HERA?!

His voice was a thunderous roar.

The palace trembled.

I felt the foundations of Olympus crack beneath my feet. Columns shattered, and between us, a gaping fissure split the ground, as if even the earth itself wanted to separate us.

The clouds swirled violently, as if fleeing from the impending disaster.

But I. I did not move.

—You heard me, Zeus. I want a divorce.

There was no hesitation in my voice. For the first time in millennia, I felt peace.

The air grew heavy, charged with divine energy and tension. I could feel it on my skin, in the stares of every being in the room. Nymphs and goddesses watched me, expectant, terrified, unable to process what they had just heard.

Aigle didn't know what to do. Her breathing was erratic, her hands trembled, yet she did not step back like the others. She stood firm.

I gave her a small wink and turned my gaze back to Zeus.

"No one had ever challenged me like this before."That was surely what was running through his mind.

And the other gods had to be thinking the same:"No one had ever defied the King of Olympus like this."

I smiled.

I was no longer just a queen.

I was no longer someone he could freely trample over.

Now, I was free.

I watched as rage consumed his face. His jaw clenched, his eyes flashed with golden fury.

Then, he raised his hand.

I felt it before I saw it. Electricity crackling in his palm.

A lightning bolt.

But not just any bolt.

This one was different.

A dark yellow glow pulsed in his hand, vibrating with unnatural intensity.

Seriously?

I held his gaze. My body did not flinch.

If Zeus thought he could intimidate me, if he believed he could make me kneel before him with sheer power, then he was a bigger fool than I thought.

Olympus held its breath.

And then…

I unleashed my own power.

A sphere of light appeared in my hand, crackling with golden and crimson brilliance.

The true power of the Queen of Olympus.

Zeus narrowed his eyes. His lightning pulsed violently, and in a flash of golden rage, he hurled it straight at me.

BOOM!

The palace shook violently.

The impact of the lightning shattered the windows, the marble of Olympus split apart beneath my feet. But at the last moment, my energy sphere expanded, absorbing the full force of his attack in a burst of pure divine light.

When the smoke dissipated, I was still standing.

Zeus gritted his teeth. He did not like this.

—Do not dare defy me, Hera.

—And what will you do if I do? —I responded with a mocking smile.

The storm raged above us, but it was no longer his alone.

The winds danced around me, my power wrapped around Olympus like an expanding galaxy.

—Remember, Zeus. Before you reduced me to a mere goddess of marriage, family, and fidelity… —I clenched my hand tightly, fury flowing through my veins— I was the goddess of the sidereal space.

Zeus propelled himself forward, his body surrounded by crackling divine electricity.

I moved at the same time.

We clashed in a collision of pure divine force, the impact shaking Olympus to its core… and echoing across all the realms of the other religions.

Our golden throne cracked.

The sky split in two.

As unbelievable as it seemed… I could see the cosmos above us.

Olympus teetered on the brink of destruction.

But as tragic as it might have seemed…

I no longer cared.

****

The icy wind howled through the entrance of Asgard. From there, the view was majestic—a golden bridge stretching between worlds, reflecting the light of the stars.

Heimdall stood firm, spear in hand, as he had since the dawn of time. His eyes, capable of seeing what no other could, were fixed on the horizon.

But beside him, Loki wouldn't stop talking.

—I swear I dreamed it! I didn't make it up.

Thor, sitting on a rock with his hammer resting on the ground, huffed in annoyance.

—Loki, you're more drunk than a dwarf at a wedding.

—I'm telling you, it wasn't just a random dream! —Loki insisted, exasperated—. I saw a boy… a human… and he had to change his gender to female inside one of the hells to save someone.

Thor raised an eyebrow.

—…Right. And I suppose you also saw unicorns dancing on Yggdrasil?

Loki frowned, ignoring him.

—But he wasn't alone. There was another boy.

Thor and Heimdall fell silent for a second.

—Another boy? —Heimdall repeated with curiosity.

—Yes… but his face… —Loki paused, narrowing his eyes as if trying to remember—. I couldn't see it clearly. It was… distorted, like the universe itself didn't want me to recognize him.

Thor let out a laugh.

—Then you were definitely wasted.

—Listen to me, damn it! —Loki stomped the ground—. They were about to enter a tournament.

—A tournament? —Heimdall asked, suddenly more interested.

—Yes. But not just any tournament… there were demons.

Thor let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his face.

—Loki, of all the nonsense you've spewed in your life, this is, without a doubt, the worst.

But Heimdall crossed his arms, thoughtful.

—A strange dream for a god…

—Right?! —Loki exclaimed, turning to Heimdall with excitement—. Listen, Heimdall. This wasn't just any dream. I felt it. Something was… wrong.

Thor shook his head, looking at Loki with amusement.

—Sure, sure… The only thing wrong here is how much mead you've been drinking.

And then Heimdall burst into laughter.

—By Odin! Loki, I don't know what kind of mead you had this time, but it was definitely from another world!

Thor also began to laugh, slapping his knee.

—Changing gender in hell? Brother, not even a Jotun in an existential crisis would do that!

Loki rolled his eyes.

—Laugh all you want. But when it finally makes sense, don't say I didn't warn you.

—Sure, sure. —Thor clapped Loki on the back with enough force to almost knock him over—. Now tell me, did you also dream that you could beat my hammer in a duel?

Heimdall laughed again, while Loki gritted his teeth in frustration.

The air remained cold, but the laughter of the gods echoed across the golden bridge of Asgard.

Heimdall was still laughing, clutching his stomach.

But his laughter died instantly.

In a flash, his hand gripped his sword, and he plunged it into the ground.

A golden explosion erupted around him, and a barrier of divine energy unfolded at the last second.

BOOOOM!

The shockwave hit brutally.

The ground cracked beneath their feet, the golden bridge shook violently, as if on the verge of collapse.

Heimdall's shield trembled, cracks of light forming along its surface.

—WHAT THE HELLS WAS THAT?! —Thor roared, shielding his eyes.

It was as if an ancient scream had pierced through every realm at once.

A force unimaginable, primal, destructive.

Heimdall gritted his teeth, holding his ground to keep the barrier from breaking.

—If this is Ragnarok, may Odin protect us!

Loki, still dazed, vehemently shook his head.

—NO! This isn't the damn Ragnarok! —he shouted, covering his ears—. But it's definitely something insane!

Thor didn't hesitate.

He pulled out his cell phone from his armor and, with a few taps, opened a live broadcast.

His face tensed.

The screen showed Olympus in chaos.

Thunder and lightning tore through the sky. Golden and crimson energy clashed with impossible intensity. The throne of the gods was collapsing.

And in the center of it all, two figures were rushing toward their final collision.

Zeus and Hera.

On the verge of destroying everything.

Thor lowered the phone slowly, a mix of shock and barely contained excitement in his eyes.

—Loki… —his voice was tense, but there was a hint of thrilled anticipation—. I think this is the greatest fight since we killed that damn Shadow.

Loki swallowed hard.

—Or the last one.

Heimdall, still clutching his sword tightly, closed his eyes for a moment.

—May the gods have mercy on us.

The wind howled, while Olympus trembled on the edge of annihilation.