God save the Queen (Part 1)

Once Demeter accepted the agreement, things calmed down considerably. To begin with, my wound closed on its own after a few minutes thanks to my regeneration, one of my passive abilities, so I had no problem there. In addition, I received this notification:

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🔔 Ding!

🔴 [Epic Quest: Echoes of the Underworld] – COMPLETED

Objective:

✅ Track down Persephone's whereabouts and restore the natural balance.

🎁 Mission Rewards:

🧱 +100 Authority

🧠 +65 Will

💨 +50 Agility/Speed

🌌 Domain Access Unlocked: [🕳️ Underworld – Outer Frontier]

🌘 Divine Trait Unlocked: [Life and Death]

Secret Ability (???) - Unlocked

✨ +10,000 Divine EXP

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✨ [NEW ABILITY (???) UNLOCKED]

💪 Passive Divine Skill: Strength of Heracles (🌟Legendary)

"Forged in the crucible of divine wrath, your body now carries the legacy of the one who will challenge the gods on the future."

Effect: Permanently increases ⚔️ Strength x10. This bonus is always active.

⚔️ Strength 159  1590

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🌓 [NEW DIVINE TRAIT OR ACTIVE ABILITY UNLOCKED]

🌘 Life and Death (Divine Trait – Unique)

"Between the twilight of endings and the dawn of beginnings, your essence now camina en ambos reinos."

Effect:

Grants the unique ability to revive one being, mortal or divine, once.

Can be activated post-mortem or in immediate proximity to the soul's departure.

Ignores death caused by curses, divine seals, or annihilation.

Once used, this trait becomes dormant permanently.

⚠️ This trait can only be triggered once. Use it wisely.

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The best about the rewards was that now my stats looked like this:

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🌌[⟦ DIVINE SYSTEM ⟧]🌌

🧿 Divine Name: Akhon

📜 Class: D — Divine Initiate

💠 Domain: Power (Awakened — 35%)

👑 Title: Guardian of Kaeron

❤️‍🔥 DIVINE VITALITY

🩸 HP: 12,500 / 12,500

🔥 Energy: 2,600 / 2,600

🌟 Divine EXP: 750 / 25,000

🧱 Authority: 126

📊 BASE STATS

🧬 Attribute        Value

⚔️ Strength          1590

💨 Agility            139

🛡️ Endurance          108

🧠 Willpower          134

🎯 Accuracy           93

Click here to see list of [Active Skills]

- Current Number of [Active Skills]: 6

Click here to see list of [Passive Skills]

- Current Number of [Passive Skills]: 9

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I don't know why, but seeing my stats like that filled me with pride (apart from how much it bothered me how unbalanced my strength was now compared to the others), probably because I still remembered how just a few months ago I was class F and now I had made it all the way to level D. What I did know was that from here on out, everything would probably get harder.

Not that it bothered me either, I was always up for new challenges.

Anyway, enough about me, back to the facts, Demeter and Hades had reached an agreement, so in six months Persephone would return to Demeter, but in the meantime she would stay with Hades in the Underworld.

Despite everything, it seemed like a fair deal to me, especially considering everything that had happened and all the problems we had caused. So, to be honest, even though I had been soundly defeated, I was still happy to leave the Underworld, unlike Demeter, who looked like she wanted to die, at least that's what I could gather from the expression on her face.

After all, the two of us were with Hecate, waiting outside Hades' palace for Hermes to come for us, after Hades had notified him. Apparently, the god was guiding several souls to the Underworld due to the tremors caused by the fight in the mortal world, which made me a little worried about my followers in Kaeron. However, I checked the domain interface and my number of followers hadn't decreased by one, so I guess they must be fine.

The truth is... I didn't know whether to say something or stay quiet.

I mean, what can you say to a goddess of thousands of years who has just "lost" her daughter for the second time? Nothing would sound enough, and on top of that, if I said something out of place, I might become a scarecrow for all eternity. But still... seeing her there, staring at the ground and clutching the fabric of her robe as if that could hold her up, hurt me a little more than I would like to admit.

I scratched the back of my neck, uncomfortable, kicking a pebble near me to buy some time. Hecate had sat down to one side, saying nothing. Silent. I wasn't very used to silence among gods, to be honest. So in the end, I moved a little closer to Demeter. Not too close. Just a couple of steps. Just enough.

"Hey... I'm no one to butt in, I know," I said quietly, and when she looked up at me, I continued. "But... Persephone didn't choose to leave because she doesn't love you."

The goddess said nothing. She just looked at me. That was better than turning into wheat.

"I just... I think that sometimes, when you love someone very much, it's hard to let them be free, right? And maybe that's what happened. It wasn't a lack of love, but... it was a lot. Maybe too much."

I didn't know if I was talking about her or my own mother. Maybe a little bit of both.

Demeter looked down again, but this time not in despair. She seemed... thoughtful. As if my words, simple as they were, had pushed a loose strand in that immense web of emotions that hung over her.

"I don't know if this helps," I muttered at last, shrugging my shoulders. "But I think Persephone still needs you. Just in a different way now."

And I fell silent. I had risked enough for one day.

The sound came before the figure. A faint tinkling, like bells floating on a river of wind. Then a golden breeze that smelled of laurel and something... electric. Hermes appeared suddenly, as if he had always been there and we had only just noticed him. He held his winged staff in one hand, while his cape fluttered as if it did not obey the laws of the Underworld.

"What a sentimental scene," he said with a crooked smile, looking at each of us. "Are you done looking miserable, or do you need another ten minutes?"

Hecate snorted, while Demeter didn't even look at him.

I... laughed a little, nervous and somewhat uncomfortable with the situation.

Hermes snapped his fingers, and in that instant, golden circles appeared at our feet. Runic, elegant, floating just above the blackened ground. They were transport portals, the kind only Hermes knew how to use properly without making you throw up your guts.

Before we separated, Hecate took a step toward Demeter.

"I'm staying here," she said calmly. "Someone has to make sure Persephone has someone around who understands her and keep her safe, I still don't trust Hades. And, well... you asked me for help, and as I already told you, I'm doing this because you're my friend, even though you called me a witch in a derogatory way."

Demeter raised her head abruptly. And for a moment, it looked like she was going to respond with the same fury as before. But no. This time she lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. 'I shouldn't have called you that."

"You should have,' said Hecate with a slight smile, "because I am. But I appreciate the apology anyway."

The two goddesses looked at each other for another second. It wasn't an emotional moment like that between a mother and daughter, but there was a silent understanding between them. Then Hermes raised his staff.

"You first, Demeter," he said.

The goddess of the harvest took one last look at Hades' palace and then disappeared in a shower of green and gold sparks.

Then it was my turn.

Hermes looked at me. "Ready to return to your enchanted garden full of golden orange trees and temperamental nymphs?"

"Was that a description or sarcasm?" I asked.

He just smiled and tapped his staff on the ground. The portal opened like a flower, and before I could change my mind, I stepped through it.

The transition was smooth, for which I was deeply grateful. The last thing I needed after nearly dying twice was to get dizzy on top of a bush. I smelled the scent of intense flowers, felt the warm heat of the sun, and breathed in the fresh air.

I was in the Garden of the Hesperides again.

And to my surprise, not a second passed before I heard footsteps running toward me.

"AKHON!" shouted a voice I would recognize among a thousand.

Aegle, my dear Aegle. Always the most enthusiastic. She threw her arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

"You're back, silly," she said, pulling away just a little. "Did you know I almost pulled my own hair out from the stress?"

"No, but it sounds like something you'd do," I replied with a smile.

Then the other two arrived. Erytheia, with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. Although her eyes sparkled a little. 'I told you you wouldn't last a week down there. I wasn't wrong."

"Hey, I was there for quite a while,' I said, a little offended.

"It doesn't count if you were half dead for three days." She replied jokingly, but this time without harshness.

Hesperia arrived last. Calmer, more serene. She gave me a soft smile. "We're glad you're back. And... well, in case you're wondering, I hoped you'd die. It would have been an interesting dramatic ending to your adventure."

"Hesperia!" Aegle scolded her.

"Thanks for the support, Hes. I missed you too," I said, while I put my arm around Aegle's waist.

Just as I was about to relax and enjoy the moment, I felt a different energy. Strong and imposing.

I turned around, and there she was.

Hera.

The Queen of the Gods.

Her golden eyes inspected me with a mixture of curiosity and authority. She wore an immaculate purple robe, decorated with little golden threads, and a subtle but majestic crown on her head.

The Hesperides tensed instantly.

I just swallowed hard and cursed silently. It seemed like I could never have a moment of peace lately.