While the Imperium of Man under Neoth was growing stronger and sending probe units to the other planets in the solar system, the Earth experienced a time of war. The Titanomachy was in full swing. The Titans, who had ruled for millennia, were opposed by the children of Cronus, the Olympians. But it wasn't going well for the Olympians, as they were outnumbered. However, they managed to stay in the war and win just enough battles to avoid outright defeat. The reason for this was the simple fact that Cronus hadn't shown up on the battlefield once during the war yet. The King of the Titans and god of Time was not fighting against his children. Naturally, it was thought that they weren't worth his time, that they wouldn't stand a chance against him if he arrived. But the truth was different.
After Zeus had tricked his father and freed his siblings, one among them chose not to be freed, but to free himself. Neoth clawed his way out of his father's stomach after he had absorbed his strength and power for years before. The enormous strain almost killed the god of Time. That's right, the King of the Titans, the lord of time and the wielder of the powerful Scythe, which he used to cut his father Uranus into millions of pieces, was lying in bed, because he had nearly died. His immortal nature and great resistance were all that allowed him to survive by a thread. He was gradually growing healthier over time. The only problem was that the Titans' side of the war couldn't quite end the war themselves. As the war dragged on, the Olympians grew in power and experience.
The fact that the Titanomachy had started far earlier than intended was a big problem for the Olympians. However, this fact was somewhat balanced out by Cronus' absence due to his injury and slow recovery. What Neoth started, fate tried to change again, so they made sure that Cronus wouldn't heal fully until the young gods were truly ready to take him on.
Oceanus was scouring the seas, searching for his daughter Metis, the goddess of Wisdom, who had chosen to remain at Zeus' side and become his woman. The result of this was a strong strategic foundation for the Olympians, enabling them to strike where needed and keep the Titans guessing. But it wasn't enough. Gaia, their grandmother, and Rhea, their mother, weren't instrumental in the war. Gaia couldn't involve herself directly, and Rhea was not a warrior.
"We need to do something, otherwise we won't win this war," Poseidon says as he storms into their war tent.
He has had another encounter with Oceanus, and it didn't go well. When he says encounter, he means that he tried to do something, which is to impress an Oceanid, one of Oceanus' many children, and that wasn't something the Titan enjoyed. However, the young gods Zeus and Poseidon had the problem that they constantly sought to have their urges met. While Zeus was 'working' on getting Metis, Poseidon just went with the flow, as was his nature.
"No luck this time either, brother?" Hades asks.
"Ugh, darn Oceanus. Is there nothing we can do to eliminate that one?" Poseidon groans.
"I am working on a strategy to get my father out of the war. I hope to have him join our side," Metis declares.
"Which you have been saying for several years now. And we still haven't seen any success in the matter," Hera says from the side.
"I fail to see how just because he's your father, we need to make sure not to harm him," Poseidon says.
"Enough! Metis is doing her best to ensure we emerge victorious in this war. And Poseidon, don't act as though you could defeat Oceanus," Zeus interrupts them and takes Metis' side for very obvious reasons.
"I don't like fighting. All this violence hurts my crops," Demeter adds her two cents.
"No one cares about that, sister. What we should care about is how we win this damned war. And we haven't even faced our father on the battlefield. How are we supposed to stand a chance once he chooses to end it all?" Poseidon argues.
Demeter is sad about the lack of attention she gets from her family. Zeus only has eyes for Metis, whom he desires to lie with, and the battlefield, as he seeks to punish his father and claim his power for himself. Poseidon also thinks with his penis and is as unpredictable as the sea. Hades is responsible, but far too cold to express his emotions and care for Demeter. Hera is jealous of any other woman who is remotely beautiful and uses every chance she gets to pull Demeter down. Rhea, although she is the goddess of Motherhood, has favourites, and Demeter is not one of them. Gaia, her grandmother, was never around and also seemed to give Zeus most of her attention, since it was Zeus who had that great destiny. The only one who gave Demeter attention and cared about her interests was Hestia.
"Don't worry about it, Demeter. They are only stressed because such a heavy burden rests upon their shoulders. I'd love to see the crops you've created. Would you show me?" Hestia says.
"Yes," Demeter says in a small voice.
They move out of the war tent, where the discussions are going on and meet Themis, the goddess of justice, law and order.
"Themis, good to see you. Are you on your way to the war tent?" Hestia asks.
"Hmm? Oh, greetings, Lady Hestia and Lady Demeter. I was just lost in thought," Themis says.
"What were you thinking about?" Demeter asks.
"It's... a feeling I have. There was something that changed. I am unsure what it is," Themis tries to explain.
"What do you mean? A premonition?"
"No. Ever since Lord Zeus has gone to save you all, I have felt a change in the universal law of order. I'm unable to explain what it is. I have less authority over it. There is something about the new moon in the sky that seems to connect to order in some way. Very peculiar."
"The object in the sky? It appeared the day Zeus freed us. Rhea told me," Hestia says.
"Yes, that's correct. However, I'm unsure what it is. I can't connect to it or reach it, no matter what I try," Themis says.
"Do you think..." Demeter says.
"What?"
"... that has something to do with our brother?" she asks.
"Your brother? I haven't seen him yet. What is he like?" Themis asks.
"We don't know," Demeter says. "He appeared only briefly and then left. Ignoring us the entire time we were trapped in our father's stomach."
"He's busy," Hestia says, looking at the Phalanx in the sky.
"Busy? Doing what?"
"Who knows?"
.
The plan was set. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades went to the Underworld to free the Cyclops and Hecatonchires. This was Gaia's suggestion, who told them that they would need powerful weapons to face the Titans and win this war. The Scythe in the hands of Cronus was one such weapon they had to face, and only with the power of equally powerful ones could they win. Zeus, naturally, was all for it, and so was Poseidon. Hades was as well, but he saw the problem of freeing them. They had to go to Tartarus to do that.
The three brothers made their way through the dark and malevolent Tartarus until they reached the prison where the Cyclops and Hecatonchires were imprisoned. But there was another problem. After making it through the terror that was Tartarus, they met a guard, the dragon Kampe.
"How are we going to do that?" Poseidon asks.
"I suggest we approach her furtively and-"
"DIE MONSTER!!"
*BOOOOOOOOM*
Zeus attacks Kampe without listening to another word. He fires a massive lightning bolt at the monster and alerts her to his presence. The damage is relatively minor and is already healing. The beast, however, is angry.
"You minor godlings!! Cronus warned me about your arrival," Kampe shouts.
She unleashes her monstrous presence and attacks the three brothers. Seeing the element of surprise ruined, Poseidon and Hades move out of the way, dodging the attacks coming from the deranged creature. Poseidon is feeling terrible at the moment. The Tartarus is not helping him create anything of a fluid nature, and that makes him almost useless in this fight. Hades, who felt strengthened as they passed through the Underworld, also didn't feel healthy. But the atmosphere was more in tune with his nature than it was with Poseidon's.
Zeus, meanwhile, couldn't care less and attacked the monster using his strongest attacks. He saw this as another step in his path to killing his father. He zooms through the air and fills his fist with all his strength. Using his divinity of lightning, he pumps massive amounts of energy into the attack and punches Kame right on the nose.
*ZZZZ--BOOOOOOOOOMM*
"AARRRRHHHH"
Hades arrives and punches her as well, using skeletons that are lying around to hold her in place. Poseidon attacks, but is swatted away like a fly by Kampe. She opens her mouth and charges up a massive attack of malevolent energy. She fires it at Zeus, whom she views as the biggest threat.
*VVROOOOOMM*
The purple energy, having corrosive properties, hits Zeus, who was still in the air, and smashes him against the wall. The corrosive energy has melted parts of Zeus' body, and his position has him embedded into the living wall of Tartarus. Tartarus is where monsters are born, creatures anathema to the Olympians. The living wall, tasting the ichor of Zeus, reacts and starts to suck in the blood rich in divine energy.
Hades tries to attack again, using the few bones lying around, stemming from the bodies of Kampe's dinners. But it's useless, the attack carries no weight at all, and the powerful monstrosity only sneers at the pathetic attempt. Several fire breaths fly towards Hades, forcing him to block and have his arms scorched. A tentacle hits Poseidon and shoots through the air once more.
The fight doesn't go well for the three Olympians.
Poseidon's body is broken in several places. Hades is not achieving anything, and Zeus is in the process of healing while being drained by Tartarus, which uses his divine blood to spawn new monsters. However, at that moment, light appears in the dark cave and illuminates the entire area. A second later, three men stand there clad in powerful armour, hiding their faces and bodies thoroughly.
Grey Knight Paladins
[Picture]
There is power hidden in their forms. Be it their armour or their bodies, their presence permeates the surroundings and pushes back the filth of Tartarus. They look around and take everything in. One of them moves towards Zeus, who is still embedded in the wall and has his strength drained. The heavy steps of the Paladin sound through the cave as he moves towards the future 'king' of Olympus.
"You are Zeus, son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, yes?"
A complex and deep voice is heard through the armour.
"Wh-at? Who are you?"
"Answer the question," the Paladin says.
"... yes..." Zeus groans in pain.
"We were told to offer you help, should you sign this contract," the Paladin says, holding out a parchment for Zeus to read.
...
"N-no... Never!" Zeus growls.
"Very well. We're leaving, brothers!" the Paladin says and walks away.
"W-wait!" Zeus calls out to them, but they don't listen.
"Wait, please!"
The Paladins stop and look at him.
"I... I'll sign..." Zeus says weakly.
The Paladin moves forward again and holds out the parchment. Zeus uses his strength to reach out and places his bloody hand on the parchment, sealing the deal. Seeing this, the Paladin rolls it up and a second later, it disappears, teleporting out of this dimension.
"RRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! DIEEE!!!" Kampe roars angrily at being ignored.
She gathers malevolent energy in front of her jaw again. She uses more power than she did when attacking Zeus.
"Dvorik," one of the Paladins says.
"Aye."
The Paladin raises his left hand and points his Storm Bolter forward. A second later...
*BOOOM BOOOM*
The Storm Bolter is a compact, double-barreled version of the Boltgun, capable of withering fire without hindering manoeuvrability, granting the wielder enormous individual firepower. The bolts shoot through the air and hit the large monster. The Bolter couldn't damage the Burning Martians, so what could it do against a divine monster like Kampe?
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Turns out, a lot. The Grey Knights and Custodes' armoury was improved by Neoth and is now connected to the Sage Force through Neoth. That means that a fundamental force of the Universe powers them. Needless to say, they do massive damage. The bolts explode inside the monster's form and rip giant holes into its body. The Paladins get to work and rush forward. They swing their Nemesis Force Halberds through the air.
*VRROOOM*
*SHIING*
*VROOOM*
"AAAAAHHHH!" Kampe screams in pain as its lower body is cut apart by the massively powerful weapons of the Paladins.
Trying to retaliate, the monster swings its hundreds of appendages at the three 'men'. But she has no luck. With brutal efficiency and practised ease, the Paladins are overkill for this task. Kampe's body is cut apart until only her head remains. Her healing has been disabled, and she can't even hope to respawn in Tartarus. That's the Grey Knight's job after all.
Dvorik raises his Nemesis Force Halberd and stabs her head, killing Kampe for good.