All the invading gods took hikapthas from among their belongings and destroyed them in unison. The pieces of those artifacts began to float toward the skies and join together, taking the shape of a small golden sun.
“How did you have so many of those things?” Horus asked, confused, as he saw Hermes smiling with a triumphant grin.
“Human wars have been used as batteries for these artifacts, and we are the only gods who have Lel’s favor to use hikapthas on a massive scale,” Hermes said, just as his body began to shine with a golden light, and his totema began to appear golden in color.
The tower of Aratta then shattered, just as Hippolyta emerged from the ruins, floating and shining with golden energy. And not only her; all the other heroes, heroines, and rank-and-file soldiers of Olympus shone in the same way.
At that moment, the transmission ended.
“That is as far as I was able to see. You already know the rest. Pallas disappeared, and only a cluster of asteroids remains,” Nabu said.
The four goddesses remained silent after seeing this.
“What was that shiny sphere the bad men had?” Tul asked, confused.
“It is a Hikaptha. They are artifacts produced in Lel that absorb the violence around them to generate increases in power within divine beings,” Nabu replied.
“It is terrible that Lel is using wars in the human world to charge those devices,” Tania said, disappointed. “I allowed those stupid wars in Iberia without knowing they were being used deliberately by those clowns.”
“The problem is that even if we can defeat them without those artifacts, we do not know how powerful they may become when using them,” Menrva replied.
“Ares… was very strong with that,” Epona mentioned nervously. “And I do not remember there being a sun like the one those individuals created.”
Nabu then stood.
“It seems no one was able to escape that war on Pallas,” he said, disappointed.
“Yes, at least one person escaped,” Epona replied. “Ninshubur, Ishtar’s assistant, managed to escape.”
Nabu was surprised by those words.
“Where is she now?” he asked.
“She is in Vinland, being protected in the city of Tula,” Tania replied. “She will be safe there.”
“Yes, we found her there, and she also told us about this incident,” Menrva added.
Nabu then approached Tania and looked her in the eyes.
“Tania, tell me one thing. Have they tried to enter your dreams again to steal information from you?” the Babylonian god asked.
“No… I haven’t had another incident like that,” Tania replied, somewhat nervous.
“You see, Tania,” Nabu said. “Within divine worlds, there are chambers where they can communicate through dreams with all members of that kingdom, including humans. It is possible that Lel may enter your mind in that way.”
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Tania was surprised then.
“I did not know that,” she said, embarrassed.
But Menrva then raised her hand.
“Athena told me that some bitch from Lel attacked Tania in her dreams, So I've been sealing her mind every time I saw her sleeping. Although the effects of my blocking take several days, so there was no problem when you were in Cahokia,” the Etruscan goddess replied.
Tania and Epona were surprised by those words.
“I apologize for not telling you this,” Menrva said, ashamed. “Athena told me it was of the utmost importance, and you did not trust me very much at first.”
“No, it was my fault for knowing nothing about this,” Tania replied. “Thank you,” she said, and smiled.
Nabu felt more relieved and sat down again.
“What happened to everyone?” Menrva finally asked, nervous to know whether her teacher Athena was safe.
“Athena is currently a prisoner in Olympus, but the rest of the gods and malakim who lived in Orniskem were thrown into Tartarus,” Nabu replied.
“Tartarus? Where is that?” Epona asked, confused.
“It is the hell of Olympus. The deepest part of the world of the dead in the Greek world,” Menrva replied.
Nabu nodded.
“Indeed. In Olympus, there is an enormous pit where they cast prisoners. It is a world full of pain and suffering from which no one has ever been able to escape.”
Menrva breathed deeply and collapsed into her chair.
“I knew my teacher was still alive,” she said in a voice full of relief.
“But if we want to rescue her, we will have to invade Olympus, and for that, we will need the rest of Orniskem,” Tania said.
When she heard that, Epona nervously shook her head.
“That would be suicide, Tania!” she said, worried.
“But what other option do we have?” Menrva asked, annoyed.
“Epona is correct. Attacking Olympus would be suicide,” Nabu interrupted. “Furthermore, the only way to enter Tartarus is through Olympus, but it is a path of entry only, with no exit.”
The four goddesses remained silent for a moment. However, Menrva stood after meditating on it.
“We became stronger in the New World. I am certain we can defeat the gods of Olympus now,” the Etruscan goddess said.
Tania immediately held the Etruscan goddess’s arm and shook her head.
“Do not let your emotions carry you away, Menrva. We need to draw up a plan first,” the Punic goddess said.
“That is true. Besides, we must wait for Loki and Freyja to return,” Epona added.
“We can go get Rodrigo!” the Etruscan goddess said anxiously, but Epona quickly made a negative gesture.
“No one knows where the Feathered Serpent lives,” Tul interrupted. “Besides, it’s not like we can just cross the barrier all easy-peasy.”
Then Nabu placed his hand on the Etruscan goddess’s shoulder.
“Listen, Menrva. I know you are deeply anxious to enter Olympus, but you must proceed calmly,” the Babylonian god said.
“We do not know how much time my teacher has left to live,” she replied melancholically.
Nabu smiled then.
“Do not worry, Menrva. The news of Anat’s disappearance in the New World has already reached here,” the god said.
The three goddesses were surprised by those words. But besides surprised, they were nervous, since Lel might send a squadron to look for the goddess in the New World.
“I do not know what happened to her, but I know from reliable sources that Astarté cannot execute Athena until Anat returns,” the god said.
The four goddesses looked relieved at that moment.
“Do you know what happened?” Nabu asked.
The goddesses nodded.
Menrva then told Nabu everything they had experienced in the New World. About their encounter with Anat and about the intentions that divine kingdom had there.
“I see,” Nabu replied to all of that. “Then Anat will be indisposed until Lel learns she is in Yggdrasil.”
“That is why Freyja and Loki went there, to make sure Anat remains captured,” Menrva said.
Nabu crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside the bed where Tania usually slept.
“Then we still have time to act,” the Babylonian god said.
“Listen,” the god interrupted. “There is a man who can help you enter Tartarus without having to enter Olympus directly. He is the man most wanted by them, and I know he lives in this world.”
“Even more than my teacher?” Menrva asked.
“Yes, but this man is only wanted by Olympus, since he represents no danger to Lel,” Nabu added. “However, I know where he lives.”
“Who is he?” Tania asked, confused.
“The god who stole fire from the gods and was punished for it. The only being who knows all the weak points of Olympus. The Titan of cunning: Prometheus.”