(Cubed Cinder)
NOTE from author: This story contains part of the ending to God of War II, so if you haven't beaten the game yet and don't want to spoil yourself, stop reading where it says *SPOILER*.
Zeus waded his way through the bloody mess created by the Blade of Olympus. Only
a couple minutes ago, he seemingly killed Kratos after he had threatened the
safety of the Gods by replacing Ares as the God of War. Of course, you probably
know what Kratos was really up to, but that was of no consequence to Zeus, for
he carried the godly power that the Ghost of Sparta once held in the blade. He
had used that same blade to wipe out nearly all of Kratos' Spartan army, and
eventually he would wander into their home turf to kill them all. But for now,
he watched as Athena, his favorite daughter, came down from the heavens.
"Father?" Athena said.
"It is over, Athena. Kratos will be no bother to us any longer, and his Spartan
army shall soon answer to the Gods." Zeus said. Athena held her head down. She
felt guilt for what just happened. Perhaps if she hadn't convinced Kratos to
become a God, none of this would be happening.
"Father, please... you must forgive me. I thought I could change the Ghost of
Sparta. I thought he could be the answer to..." Athena said, but Zeus cut her
off.
"Ares was destined to be slaughtered, my dearest. Our mistakes of the past do
not matter now. The safety of Olympus is of most importance. Come, we must
return." Zeus said before both he and Athena teleported back to the heavens.
Much later, as Zeus and some of the other gods and goddesses were watching the
world from high atop the mountains, Zeus was about to receive some fantastic
news. He sat on his throne and watched as one of his brothers, Poseidon,
approached. Poseidon got down on one knee.
"My brother, Zeus, I come with news you may wish to hear." Poseidon said.
"Rise, Poseidon. You are always welcome to my chambers as a fellow god. What
news do you wish to deliver?" Zeus said.
"Your wife, Hera... she is expected to return today from her travels of
enlightenment." Poseidon said. Zeus leaned forward on his throne... he has not
heard the name of his beloved wife, Hera, since she left many years ago on a
journey to find her inner powers.
"Do you speak the truth!?" Zeus said.
"Yes, I have communicated with her. She cannot wait to see you, my lord."
Poseidon said.
"Very well, Poseidon. See to it that her welcome is not unnoticed by the gods."
Zeus said.
"As you wish." Poseidon said as he teleported out through a pool of water,
naturally being the king of the seas. Athena overheard that conversation and
approached Zeus.
"Hera is coming back?" Athena said.
"Yes... I had almost forgotten about her. It's been nine years since I have last
seen her." Zeus said, just showing a smile on his face. Athena had mixed
feelings right now. She despised Hera, as she was not her true mother. That
title belonged to Metis, who was killed a long time ago
by Zeus before Athena was born. Despite knowing the truth, Athena didn't
dare try to go against Zeus. He was more of a father than any other god could
dream of, and so she stuck with him, instead taking any anger she had out on the
'wrong mother' Hera.
On the other hand, she looked at Zeus's face and could see him trying to show
happiness. If having Hera by his side made him the happiest ruler of all
Olympus, then so be it, she thought.
"That's great, Father. I'm also glad Hera is coming back." Athena said.
"Thank you, my daughter. Yes, it will be celebratory occasion when my equal
returns." Zeus said.
Meanwhile, Kratos was outside the Temple of Lahkesis, just beginning his quest
for vengeance against Zeus. He had already been revived by the titaness, Gaia,
and been told of the Sisters of Fate; how he could alter his past by defeating
them and taking in their power. Gaia, however, took the time to make Kratos
known of one other trump card he could play against
"It seems that Hera is making her return to Olympus." Gaia said from inside
Kratos' head.
"Hera? I have heard the names of all the gods at least once per year, except for
that one." Kratos said.
"Yes, she has been on what she calls a spiritual journey. I believe she has been
trying to build her power, to rule alongside Zeus." Gaia said.
"I have no concern for one goddess. It is Zeus that I seek to destroy!" Kratos
shouted.
"Zeus cares deeply for Hera. I would imagine Hera to be Zeus's heart. I would
imagine him to be happy to see her, to break the mold of hatred that built when
you defeated Ares." Gaia said. Kratos was thinking about Gaia's words, but
didn't want to shed any shred of his godly warrior mentality.
"You are only to guide me to the Sisters of Fate. Only then will I continue to
listen." Kratos said.
"Understood, Ghost of Sparta." Gaia said. But Gaia knew... Kratos was thinking
about it. And if she was thinking right, fate would help steer Kratos towards
Hera.
Back atop Mount Olympus, Zeus watched as a peacock suddenly flew its way in
front of him. But he knew right away this wasn't any ordinary peacock. He could
tell from the brighter-than-usual rainbow glitter that eminated from its wings.
Eventually, the peacock landed on the ground and formed itself into something
else. That something else, prompting a wide smile from Zeus, was Hera. Her long
curly brown hair and bright white goddesses' dress were still a sight for his
sore eyes.
"What? No great big welcoming back party?" Hera said.
"Hahahahaha!!!" Zeus said as he got up from his throne and embraced his wife.
"It's good to see you, honey." Hera said.
"And I missed you so, my love. It's been nine long years." Zeus said.
"Yes, well... if it takes that long to increase my powers, then so be it. Is it
true what happened to our son, Ares?" Hera said.
"I am afraid so, but he left us no choice. His behavior was unworthy of the
gods." Zeus said.
"But who has taken his place as the God of War?" Hera said.
"It was our servant, Kratos... but he too betrayed us after staining my hands
with Ares' blood. But he is no more as well." Zeus said.
"I see... that must be the unlucky spot, the God of War." Hera said.
"We cannot worry about that now. Soon, the Ghost of Sparta's Spartan army will
be wiped out, and once more we will prove Olympus's might over the mortals!"
Zeus said.
"So you intend on going to Sparta, to finish the job?" Hera asked.
"Yes, but in due time. I must prepare myself for the long battle ahead... and
besides, you have returned. We have so much catching up to do." Zeus said.
"Yes... but my love, it is important that we as the gods and goddesses of this
world put our foot down and show those puny mortals that we will not tolerate
their defiance, or any uprising." Hera said.
"And we will, but what are you suggesting?" Zeus said.
"Send me down to Sparta! I will show those mortals a thing or two!" Hera said.
"No, I forbid it! You may be a goddess, but you are still vulnerable! All it
would take is a sword to your heart... that is how Ares met his fate." Zeus
said.
"Not even if you could lend your power to me?" Hera said, showing a rather
confident smile.
"What? Is it even possible?" Zeus asked.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you aid Poseidon many years ago in
defeating the sea monster? That's what allowed him to rise to power. With all my
spiritual training, I can take in more godly powers than ever before." Hera
said. Zeus then thought back to what Hera said when she first arrived. If she
wanted to have a welcome back party for Sparta, and perhaps eventually the whole
world, then she shall have it.
"Hmmm... and correct me if I'm wrong, but you were expecting a welcoming back
party?" Zeus said. Hera smiled.
"I will be fine. Nothing can stop us now if Kratos is dead, as you say." Hera
said.
"It is settled then. Prepare yourself for transport to Sparta, with my power by
your side." Zeus said. Summoning one of his lightning bolts, he fired it at
Hera, and the bolt swirled around her body. Eventually, she was teleported out
of the area.
When Hera opened her eyes, feeling that the transport was over... there was an
entire city ahead of her. And it was at her feet as well.
"Hmmhmmhmm... just what I was hoping Zeus would do. Now, to finish what he
started!" Hera said as she took her first steps at just over 200 feet tall,
making her just as big as the Colossus of Rhodes (before it was destroyed by
Kratos, at least).
Moments later, in Sparta, the clear skies were quickly covered up by dark clouds
and booming thunder nearly every second that passed. Kratos' second-in-command,
whose name has been kept secret for as long as he has served under his master,
did not like the looks of the skies. Of course, neither did the two Spartan
warriors nearby.
"Sir, this does not look good!" one warrior said.
"We are Spartan warriors, men. We will stand guard no matter how dangerous the
threat. Keep a close watch!" the right-hand man said. Soon, they all could hear
a humming sound that slowly increased in volume. They looked behind as the
humming seemed to come in that direction, and before they knew what could hit
them... a huge ball of energy came crashing down on the tower they were standing
on. The tower exploded immediately. While the second-in-command was able to make
a last-minute leap, the other two warriors were reduced to a bloody mess. The
second-in-command crashed hard to the ground, his body bleeding as fast as it
could, but he still stood up holding his sword and shield. At least until he
looked behind again.
"By the..." he said, as a giant sandaled foot came crashing down. The force of
the impact threw him many yards backwards.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" he screamed in pain. If the hard landing didn't injure him,
the rocks that landed on his legs and head certainly did.
Hera, meanwhile, was already having a field day, laughing as she watched the
puny citizens of Sparta run around in fear.
"Hahahahaha!!! That's right, mortals! Fear the wrath of Mount Olympus!" Hera
shouted after she stepped on another building, crumbling it to pieces. She then
reached down and picked up a tower with just one hand, ripping it from its base.
Using just that one hand, she hurled the tower out in the distance, watching as
it crashed against a larger building, likely the capital of the Spartan army.
Everyone around the destruction site, including everyone inside the towers, was
killed instantly. Hera took a couple more steps, summoning another energy ball
and firing it down by her feet, bursting the whole area into flames. She did the
same thing on her opposite side. Much of Sparta was already covered in flames
from the powerful nature of her energy strikes.
The second-in-command pushed aside all the rubble, in pain, and watched as the
giant threat walked by. Her evil laugh drained out all other sound around him.
"My god..." he faintly said.
Hera took great pleasure in watching all the people run away from her, and in
fact added to the chaos by hurling another tower as far as it would go, causing
it to explode.
"Hmmm... Zeus's spell really did the trick." Hera said to herself. She looked
down by her feet and could see two warriors. One of them was trying to pull the
other out who was trapped underneath Hera's right foot.
"Come on, you can do it!" he said to the trapped person. Just then, Hera very
slightly lifted her foot, only to very quickly grab this person and lift him
into the air.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Hera asked.
"Please, leave me alone! I'll do anything! Anything!" the man shouted.
"Really? How about you be a part of my lunch for today?" Hera said. And with
that, she slowly dangled him over her wide open mouth.
"No... no... noooooo!!!" the man screamed as he was let go and he fell into her
mouth. Hera licked her lips as she closed them again.
"Kinda tasted like... well, a mortal!" Hera said.
"You bitch!!! You killed my brother in battle!" the man shouted.
"You dare to shout at me!?" Hera shouted down at the man. She pulled her foot
back and gave the man a swift kick, sending him many yards down the pavement.
Gulping down the man she had swallowed, Hera walked towards the bleeding man,
who clearly had too many broken bones to even try and escape the giantess.
"I am a goddess, and you will suffer!!!" Hera shouted. She lifted her foot high
up in the air and brought it down on the man, causing him to go splat and
leaving nothing but a mess of blood and guts. Hera decided to go down an even
meaner route, picking up a nearby woman.
"Please... don't hurt me! I have children!" the woman shouted.
"So do I, little lady! My husband... we really rock worlds when we make love!"
Hera shouted. She placed half of this woman's body inside her mouth and then
closed it tight, chomping off the entire lower half of the woman's body,
effectively splitting her in two.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" the woman screamed in pain as she fell down, but Hera catched
the rest of this lady while she swallowed what she could of the woman.
"N...no...noooo..." the woman faintly said on her dying breath. Hera did nothing
but smile and pop the rest of the woman into her mouth.
"She'll be happy to have her whole body back. Nobody can defy me now!" Hera
said, laughing once again to the panicking crowd.
Hera continued her stroll down the road, stepping on whatever she could that was
in her path. She eventually caught up to a group of about four people, all
Sparta warriors who weren't able to run fast enough to get away from the
goddess. Needless to say, they were unable to avoid being swept up by Hera's
huge hand.
"Let's see, I have an idea. How about a race to see who can get down to my feet
the fastest?" Hera said. She held her hand high in the air, well above her own
head in fact.
"Ready... go!" Hera shouted. As soon as she said go, she tilted her hand
downwards, causing all four men to fall from top to bottom. They all tried in
vain to grab any part they could of Hera's magnificent dress, but they were too
far away. One by one, they all crashed down on the pavement, some already dead
from the forceful impact while others were trying to crawl away, but too heavily
injured to do so. It didn't matter to them as Hera crushed each of them flat.
"That was fun. I guess mortal blood turns me on as much as Zeus does!" Hera
said. Soon she kicked away a group of Spartan warriors who tried in vein to
fight back. All that was left was a huge pile of blood and broken bones, all of
which eventually getting mixed with the fires the goddess started. The last of
the Spartan warriors made one final cry before his death.
"Lord Kratos!" he shouted as Hera grabbed him. She then opened up her mouth,
this time biting down on the man little by little until he was completely
devoured. With blood all over her lips, she spat out some of that blood, with
most of it landing on a nearby building and definitely grossing out anyone that
got a good look at the gruesome scenery.
"Messy, yes. But that's part of the job description!" Hera said as she wiped off
the blood on her lips with the back of her hands.
Pretty much all of Sparta, by this point in time, was a total mess, like it was wiped out by a clash between a God and a Titan. Yet Hera stayed around for a little bit longer to finish the job. Meanwhile, the lone Sparta warrior left standing, Kratos' second-in-command, slowly snuck out, knowing full well his last mission was to seek the Sisters of Fate and change history...
We fast-forward in time to when Kratos is just outside the Phoenix Chamber. He
looks out a nearby large window to see the Phoenix resting there. He had to get
to the legendary bird, as it was his only ticket to the Sisters of Fate. When he
enters the room, however, he sees the silhouette of someone else apparantly
seeking the Sisters of Fate.
"I have come... too far to fail!!!" the man said, sounding like he was out of
breath. Kratos would have none of it though, immediately engaging this warrior
in combat. Using all sorts of weapons he now possessed over his long journey,
Kratos was coming out on top. Eventually, both combatants threw themselves out
the window, crashing down on the pedestal not too far from Phoenix itself. With
the brightness of the daylight, Kratos was about to finish his opponent when he
recognized him to be none other than his second-in-command!
"You!?" Kratos shouted. He pulled his blades out from the man's chest, despite
him leaking blood everywhere in his body at a rapid pace. He, however, showed
just as much surprise when he saw his own opponent to be his master... his God.
"My lord!?" he said. Kratos grabbed the man by his warrior's outfit and clearly
looked angry.
"I told you to return to Sparta! Why do you leave Sparta unprotected!?" Kratos
shouted.
"Sparta... is no more." the man said.
"What treachery is this!?" Kratos shouted.
"H...H..." the man said as he struggled to pick up his voice with his dying
body.
"Is it the work of Zeus!?" Kratos shouted.
"Hera... my lord." the man said. Kratos wiped away some of the angry look on his
face with more of a confused look. But he kept a stern face as he listened to
his general tell the story.
"She came under the cloak of darkness... into Sparta. Clearly she was aided by
Zeus. The people cried out for you... they begged for their God to save them...
but you did not come." the man said. Kratos pictured it in his head... he found
it hard to imagine Hera would be the source of Sparta's fall, yet he wasn't
surprised considering how loyal she was to Zeus.
"I was left with no choice. I had to seek out the Sisters to change the fate of
our beloved Sparta... for I am all that is left. *cough cough cough*" the man
said as he began to cough up blood. Kratos picked him up after his coughing, and
listened to his last words.
"Now you... are all that is left. I have faith... that our brothers of Sparta...
will live on... through the true... God... of... War... *COUGH*" the man said.
And with that final cough of blood, he fainted to the ground. Kratos knew right
away he was dead. And so was all of Sparta, except for him. Although Hera was
responsible for their deaths, he immediately cast blame on his true enemy.
"Zeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!!!! Is this how you face me, coward!? I am through
doing the bidding of the Gods!!! Come down here and face me NOW, Zeus!!!" Kratos
shouted. But instead of Zeus, he looked behind to see a most vicious monster,
known as Kraken. Of course, this being a giantess story, we'll skip this part
and fast forward once again...
After defeating the Lahkesis, Atropos, and the horrendous Clotho inside the Loom
Chamber, Kratos now possessed the power to weave the Strands of Fate. Kratos was
busy wheeling around each strand, finding the period of time and space when Zeus
betrayed him. Eventually, he cast his sights on the mirror when he saw the
moving image of Hera stomping all over Sparta. He had to stop turning the
strands to watch this horrible scene play out. Gaia was watching too, and she
projected her voice into the mind of Kratos.
"Kratos... Zeus cares deeply for Hera. If she were to be eliminated, it would
strike a blow into the heart of Zeus." Gaia said.
"The only blow to the heart I desire is directly to Zeus... by taking the Blade
of Olympus back and driving it through his heart!" Kratos said.
"Perhaps so, but Zeus is not to be taken lightly. It was with one swift blow
that he banished all the Titans to the Underworld. He may lose a battle, but as
long as he possesses the will to win the war, he cannot be defeated." Gaia said.
"..." Kratos didn't have an answer. What Gaia said next helped steer him down
the right path.
"Zeus will torment you for many millennia even after you both die. But shatter
his spirits by taking what he values most from him... just as Ares took your
most precious gifts. Seek out the weapon you value most, and then return to send
Hera to her grave." Gaia said. As much as he hated to think it, she was right.
He could have the best of both worlds by first going back to the time when Zeus
took the Blade of Olympus from him. Then, with all of his godly power, he could
stand up to the giant Hera... perhaps even salvaging what was left of Sparta in
the process.
He continued to wheel the strands around. Eventually, he saw the ugly video in
the mirror of being stabbed by Zeus by the blade. With the mirror set for
teleportation, he quickly ran up to the mirror and jumped through, covering
himself in bright blue light.
Eventually, he walked out from
the light and saw Zeus stabbing the Kratos of that time.
"Even now as you draw your last breath, you continue to defy me!?" Zeus shouted.
Kratos ran over and pushed the preoccupied Zeus away. Zeus looked up and saw the
new Kratos standing right next to his Blade of Olympus.
"What!? How can this be? The Sisters of Fate have aided you. Unexpected." Zeus
said as he got back on his feet.
"The sisters... are dead." Kratos said as he pulled the blade out from the
lifeless and bloody corpse of himself, which eventually faded out because of the
unbalancing of time and space.
"Mmmmmm... I underestimated you. A mistake I do not intend to repeat!" Zeus
said.
"Your defeat will come soon enough. But first... you will feel the pain and
suffering I have endured for the last ten years!" Kratos said, pointing the
blade at Zeus. Then, using his newly gained power, he turned around and blasted
open another blue portal. He ran on through to return to the Loom Chamber. Zeus
just stood there, a bit confused on what Kratos is planning. He shrugged it off,
though, feeling he was a god and Kratos was a broken mortal and nothing more.
Big mistake, of course...
Back at the Loom Chamber, Kratos put away the Blade of Olympus for the time being. He would need both his hands to wield the Strands of Fate once more. This time, the mirror was back to playing the moment of time when Hera was about to destroy the last of Sparta. That would be Kratos' destination as he made his way to the mirror.
When Kratos arrived in Sparta,
there was almost nothing left. Nearly every building was either crushed flat,
reduced to a big pile of stone and rock, or burst into flames. Only a few men,
women, and children remained as they tried to escape the wrath of the giant
Hera. And Kratos certainly didn't have to look far to find the giantess. She was
as plain in view as Mount Olympus was. Kratos ran several yards, getting as
close to Hera as he could, before making his presence known.
"Heraaaaaaaa!!!" Kratos shouted with as loud a war cry as he could allow. Hera
heard it, because she turned around and looked at the base of her dress to see
the former God of War standing by her feet.
"Well, well... if it isn't little Kratos. Zeus warned me of your arrival after
he lost the blade! You're pretty naive to come and stand by my feet." Hera
shouted.
"I may not walk with the gods any longer, but I can still fight like one!"
Kratos said.
"Hahahaha!!! Pathetic mortal! I have despied you ever since you killed my son,
Ares! I will show you the true power of a goddess!!" Hera shouted.
She lifted her foot high in the air, but Kratos jumped out of the way, merely
getting thrown into the air from the huge shockwave. He landed at the top of one
of the few untouched buildings in Sparta, a rather large fortress of some sort
that was half the height of Hera. Kratos could tell as he watched Hera approach
him. Hera quickly tried to grab the Ghost of Sparta, but Kratos made a high leap
into the air and struck the back of her hand with the blade. Hera quickly pulled
the hand back and tried to flatten Kratos by pounding her hand on the structure,
but Kratos merely jumped between her fingers on top of the hand, stabbing it and
definitely hurting Hera. Blood came spilling out of the back of Hera's right
hand as she tried brushing it off.
"Ouch! Damn you!!!" Hera shouted. She lifted her foot to try and crush him, but
Kratos jumped aside just as the building exploded to pieces. He landed on a
nearby canopy, allowing him to bounce up into the air, up to Hera's waist. He
clutched onto Hera's dress.
"Insect!!!" Hera shouted as she tried to grab Kratos, but he made a timely leap
onto her wrist, quickly running up her arm with great speed. After making it on
top of Hera's shoulder, he made another quick jump to avoid another crushing
slap from Hera. Landing on top of the hand, it moved away, causing Kratos to fly
high into the air. He made a quick dash to his left, avoiding being crushed in
between Hera's hands as she slapped them together. Landing again on her arm, he
made another bold leap (avoiding being grabbed by Hera's other hand in the
process), this time onto her face. He pulled out Athena's Blades and stabbed
Hera right in her right eye.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Hera shouted as she clutched her eye in pain. Kratos was lightly
slapped by the other hand with its quick movement, causing him to go flying back
towards the ground, but he landed safely on his two feet.
Kratos watched as the blood
dripped down from both her right eye and the back of her right hand. But Kratos
knew she wasn't done yet, as all Gods were taught to see through the stain of
blood no matter what, especially since Hera was still able to maintain her
immense size. And Hera came charging after the tiny Kratos.
"Alright, if you want to play rough, that's fine with me!" Hera said. Kratos ran
away as Hera came walking after him, trying to find more higher ground to fight
the giantess. But Hera made a big stomp that caused Kratos to lose his footing.
As soon as he stood up again and turned around, he looked to see Hera's huge
foot charging down towards him. He only had a fraction of a second to react, so
he held his arms up and was able to stop Hera's momentum. Eventually, after a
few seconds of exerting powerful strength he previously showcased as the God of
War, he pushed Hera right off her feet, causing her to fall backwards and crush
several buildings (and unfortunately, innocent Spartans) behind her. That didn't
bother Kratos, as he scaled another building half the height of Hera.
"Do you see, goddess of Olympus!? Do you need more proof that I am more powerful
than any God!?" Kratos shouted. Hera heard that as she got up... and she was
losing all her cool.
"Arrrrrrgh! Die, Ghost of Sparta!!!" Hera shouted as she pounded her fists on
the heavily enforced building, with Kratos sidestepping the attack and casting
one of his most powerful magic spells, Zeus' Fury. The intense lightning bolts
greatly stunned Hera, enough to cause her to rest her arm on the building and
catch her breath. Big mistake, Kratos thought to himself. He climbed up on her
arm, easily dodging her other hand, then he threw Athena's Blades as he leapt at
her face again. The blades latched on her right cheek, just underneath the eye
he had previous damaged. Kratos used all his strength to drag the blades
downward, leaving a deep cut on her face.
"AHHHHHH!!!" Hera screamed in pain. On top of that, Kratos swung over to her
left eye and took that out too, also slicing her cheek on the way down before he
finally got thrown out of frustration from the goddess. Landing back on the
structure, Kratos looked as more blood seeped out of the giant woman.
But seemingly from gloating over his work on the goddess, Kratos did not
anticipate Hera quickly recovering from his punishment, and could not dodge her
hand as it reached down to grab him. Kratos, with his arms free, tried to
wrestle himself out of Hera's tight grip.
"I am through playing with you, Kratos! Now I will make YOU suffer by sending
you to the depths of Tartarus!!!" Hera shouted. But fortunately for Kratos
(after mashing the L1 and R1 buttons for a few seconds; just had to throw that
in :p), he was able to break free of Hera's grip. This time, pulling out the
Blade of Olympus itself, he sliced up Hera's thumb and one of her fingers. Hera
had to let go because of the pain being inflicted, but she would take another
bad hit after Kratos slashed her wrist.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" Hera shouted, angrier and hurting more than ever. It
didn't help that she was bleeding more than ever as well. And to make matters
worse, Kratos charged up the Blade of Olympus with its maximum energy, firing a
bolt at her chest and leaving a hole that poured out nothing but her blood.
It was finally too much for
Hera to take... she began to shrink in size. Kratos jumped to ground level and
waited for Hera to return to her normal size. After being back to normal, Hera
struggled to stay on her feet, and of course struggled to contain all her blood.
She watched as Kratos slowly approached her.
"Please, Kratos... it does not have to be this way! *COUGH*" Hera said, now
coughing up blood.
"I don't need your mercy... I already know what it's like to kill a God!" Kratos
said.
"Please... *cough cough* You don't need to kill me... think of your family! You
will only stir up the bad memories of your past by killing me!" Hera said.
Kratos paused for a moment... it was like watching his wife and daughter die by
his own hands. But he shrugged it off, and in fact looked very pissed
off.
"Do... not... bring my family... into this!" Kratos said. He lunged forward and
drove the Blade of Olympus right through the center of her body.
"Zeus has betrayed me, and this is his price to pay!" Kratos said. Just as he
mentioned that name, Zeus came roaring down with a huge thunderbolt. Kratos
quickly pulled out the blade and backed away as Zeus ran towards Hera.
"Hera!!!" Zeus shouted. He caught Hera as she was falling to the ground. He had
to cringe just looking at the blood and guts staining her beautiful outfit.
"Z...Zeus...." Hera said faintly. Green orbs of energy soon start to float out
of Hera's body, the same kinds that Ares showed when he died. Kratos immediately
knew this was the sign of a God dying and losing all of his or her powers.
"Hera, please stay with me! Olympus will heal your wounds!" Zeus said.
"No... it is too late. Save yourself... Kratos is... *cough cough*" Hera said.
"Hera... please!!!" Zeus shouted, showing tears out of his glowing white eyes.
Gaia was right, Kratos thought... Hera was indeed a weak spot for Zeus.
"Promise me... that Olympus... will thrive... in the end..." Hera said as her
eyes started to close.
"In the end, my love." Zeus said. Finally, the end had come for Hera. Her body
exploded in a flash of green energy that flew into the sky. Soon, there was
nothing but her lifeless corpse. Zeus couldn't bear to watch this, and
immediately turned his eyes on Kratos.
"Kratos... you incompetent child! I swear when I kill you... you will be
tormented even beyond your afterlife! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Zeus said as he
charged blindly after Kratos, with lightning bolts in his hands. Kratos was
taken aback... not because Zeus was suddenly trying to attack him. Well,
actually, that was the reason! Kratos had always known Zeus to be more of a
strategist, building up his power before exerting it with such force. Clearly
the death of his true love has clouded his judgment, and Kratos wasted no time
in taking advantage. He stabbed the blade into Zeus's heart, then throwing him
against the remnants of one of Sparta's most famous locations before it was
destroyed. He flung Athena's Blades into his wrists, trapping him against the
building, and then he once more thrust the Blade of Olympus forward. Zeus tried
to fight it off after freeing one of his wrists, but Kratos strength was too
much as he now dug deeper into Zeus's chest with the blade. Zeus cried out in
pain as the blood gushed out of his defenseless body.
*SPOILER*
While this was going on,
Athena teleported onto the scene. She only looked briefly at Hera's lifeless
body before she ran forward towards Kratos, trying to save her father and... as
Kratos would eventually learn, something more.
"You cannot do this, Kratos!" Athena shouted as she drew out a pair of swords.
Kratos could sense her arrival and he pulled the blade out from Zeus and blocked
Athena's attack.
"You dare stand against me, Athena!?" Kratos shouted, clearly angry that the
goddess who promoted him to the position of God of War was now standing in his
way of vengeance.
"I do not wish to fight you, Kratos! But I WILL DEFEND OLYMPUS!!!" Athena
shouted with all that her vocal chord could handle. Zeus, meanwhile, limped away
with blood still pouring out from his wrists and chest.
"Know this, my son. You have started a war you cannot possibly win. The fates
have already deemed me victorious!" Zeus said. Kratos looked to see Zeus trying
to sneak away, but he would have none of it.
"Prepare to join your wife, Zeus!!!" Kratos shouted as he lunged forward with
the blade.
"No, Kratos! Stop!!!" Athena shouted. She ended up taking the sword through her
body instead of Zeus. Kratos couldn't believe what he just did.
"Athena... no!!!" Kratos shouted. Zeus, who had just witnessed the deaths of
both his wife and his favorite daughter... merely teleported away, retreating to
plot his own bit of revenge against Kratos.
Athena, meanwhile, watched as
her green energy began to flow out of her body. Kratos, for the first time in a
long while, had a concerned look on his face. It didn't matter that Zeus had
gotten away. He was concerned with the one woman who helped make his living,
starting with his serving of the Gods over ten years ago.
"Why do you sacrifice yourself?" Kratos asked as he pulled the blade out of
Athena's body. Athena, meanwhile, weakly clutched onto Kratos after falling on
both knees.
"To save Olympus..." Athena said.
"I do not seek to destroy Olympus. Only Zeus." Kratos said.
"Zeus is Olympus! *cough cough*" Athena said.
"He brought this to himself." Kratos said coldly.
"Because of fear Kratos. A fear felt by his father, Cronos. A fear that brought
the Great War. A fear that drove Zeus to kill you... his own son." Athena said.
"His son!?" Kratos said.
"Just as Zeus was compelled to destroy his father, Cronos. You are compelled to
do the same. No son should destroy his own father." Athena said. Kratos was
conflicted, to say the least. Athena really didn't just say that Zeus was his
father. Did that mean he just killed his own mother? He stayed in denial, like
the true Spartan warrior he always was.
"No! I have no father." Kratos said. Athena was no longer able to keep her
balace with her knees, eventually collapsing down to the ground. She relayed the
last words she could to Kratos.
"God after god will deny you, Kratos. They will protect Zeus. Zeus must live...
so that Olympus... will prevail." Athena said. And with that, Athena was dead.
Kratos stood back on his feet, looking around what was left of Sparta.
"If all on Olympus will deny my vengeance, then all on Olympus will die. I have
lived in the shadow of the Gods for long enough. The time of the Gods has come
to an end!!!" Kratos shouted. After that, Athena's body exploded with green
energy ascending to the heavens, similar to Hera with her body laying several
yards away from Athena's. Just like that, two goddesses were killed by Kratos.
Gaia, having witnessed Kratos'
triumph, encouraged him to continue, especially with his new powers of time
travel.
"Remember, Kratos. You have the power to control time itself." Gaia said. As
Kratos heard Gaia's voice in his head, he suddenly came up with an idea, one
that would indeed help with the overthrowing of the Gods. Concentrating with his
new powers, Kratos disappeared from Sparta and found himself back in the Loom
Chamber.
After weaving more threads of
fate, Kratos soon teleported back in time once more. He found himself right in
the middle of the Great War, at the same place where Zeus would soon annihilate
all of the Titans from creating the Blade of Olympus. Kratos looked up and saw a
familiar Titan.
"Gaia!!!" Kratos shouted. Gaia picked up the voice and lowers herself to examine
the Spartan warrior. Naturally, Kratos looked quite small compared to Gaia. Even
Gods like Zeus or Hera couldn't grow that big.
"We have been expecting you, Ghost of Sparta. The Gods are far too powerful for
us to defeat now." Gaia said.
"All of Olympus tremble at my name! Zeus is weak! Ares, Athena, and Hera are
dead and I wield the Blade! We can win the Great War... but not in this time!
Together, we will destroy the petty Gods, and we will see Olympus crumble before
us! Come with me, Gaia! Return to my time! Victory... awaits!" Kratos shouted.
Summoning the powers he gained from killing the Sisters of Fate, Kratos soon
covers not just himself, but ALL the Titans in his time-traveling grasp. They
all made it just before the energy of the Blade of Olympus wiped them all out.
Gaia, just before she was teleported, smiled knowing that Kratos had a plan and executed the start of it perfectly. Now it was up to her and the other Titans, spared from lifelong imprisonment, to finish it.
The Great War was about to commence once again... and so, The End Begins...
END