Divine Weapons and A Helping Hand
The Hecatoncheires left after Zeus gave them instructions. The Cyclopses were conversing with Poseidon while I studied Campe’s corpse. During the war, there were countless corpses to clear away, but in the Underworld, death felt—different. We were Gods and immortal beings. I would never taste this endless slumber. To live for all eternity didn't appeal to me at this moment.
“Hades,” Zeus called, breaking me away from my trance.
I closed Campe’s lifeless eyes before I stood up.
Arges, Brontes and Steropes stood silently as I approached them. They were large and looked destructive, but their energy flow was gentle. I glanced at their bulky hands and knew how they had the patience to work with metals to craft such fine weapons.
One of them opened their palm and there was a crackling light in it. He handed it to Zeus, and it lengthened to resemble a bolt of lightning that should have been in the sky. I thought of the destruction when lighting hit the earth during a storm. This was indeed a mighty weapon.
Poseidon frowned at the lightning bolt. My brother would never stop his competitiveness, and Zeus ’ s ego encouraged it. His eyes lit up and sparkled with excitement when he received his Trident. He grabbed it and pointed it in the air before twirling it around with the palm of his hand.
Zeus was testing the lightning bolt out, causing it to flash rays of light as the crackling lightning hit the corner of the cavern. I ignored the crashing of broken rocks falling from the ceiling and walls.
Brontes held out a black helmet. The craftsmanship was exquisite, as it had tiny grooves decorated the edges with fine lines of gold. Black and gold, the colours were perfect. I lifted it from his hand.
“The Helm of Darkness,” he said. “This will give you invisibility. Unlike the shadows you work with, this helmet will shield you entirely from all beings.”
The possibilities were endless. I could use this in many different ways on the battlefield. Poseidon suddenly slammed the end of his trident on the ground, causing us to stumble away from the pit as the earth shuddered.
Between our weapons and the brothers, we were sure to win .
◆◆◆
After much planning and training, Zeus called for a battle to end all battles. We worked almost every day to train the Cyclopses and the Hecatoncheires. They improved their fighting skills, and we used our weapons. Each side gained more knowledge. Time flew past, making the two years seem like a few months.
My mission before we began the final battle had been crucial to our success. With my Helm of Darkness, I infiltrated Mount Othrys and destroyed the Titans' weapons. The satisfaction of returning to my place of birth and imprisonment to destroy Cronus’s chances of winning against his children was cathartic. I left Mount Othrys in a state of chaos, and it was enough to shake the Titan's confidence.
I no longer feared the monster who sired me. We were ready for him and his army.
◆◆◆
The fight was like no other. The mighty Hecatoncheires threw the stockpiled projectiles at our enemy's heads. It took strategic planning to position our attacks until the Titans were surrounded by every one of us. The Cyclopses had forged Demeter a golden sword, which she used fiercely. Poseidon ripped the earth and sea apart with his Trident and ushered the Titans to the dedicated area.
The air was full of smoke and dust. The scent of rotting and ancient blood surrounded me as I used my helmet to launch further attacks on the Titans, but Zeus signalled for us to stand down as Hecatoncheires moved in for the kill.
“Noooooooo! You will not best me, Zeus,” Cronus roared, but the Hecatoncheires became incensed at their captor and bombarded him with trees, boulders and anything else their combined force of three hundred hands could reach.
Zeus flew up into the air as the skies groaned and rumbled. He held his lightning bolt in the air to light up the dark, ominous clouds.
“Your time is over, Cronus. You are banished to Tartarus,” Zeus roared, but his face was twisted with such intense fury it created a wicked look in his eyes and face.
His energy lit up with an aura so dark that our siblings and allies moved back. I was too fascinated to move. When he threw his bolt, I watched it land on Cronus with so much force that the ground ripped open. We were coughing as the dust and fragments of the earth hit us. When I looked at where Cronus stood, to my surprise, he was gone.
The Hecatoncheires took off running away from the battlefield, and I realised what happened. A hint of a smile curled my lips upward for the first time in my existence.
Was I happy? Who knew?
Zeus had banished Cronus to Tartarus, and the Hecatoncheires went to ensure he didn't escape until a new seal was in place.