TIME SKIP
'What can I do? I can't let the same thing happen again. I don't want to see that monster eat another one of my children,' Rhea thought, looking at her last child in her arms.
The years passed as if they were days—the worst years of Rhea's life. She had to witness Kronos swallowing his sons and daughters out of pure paranoia. They suffered constant cruelty at Kronos' hands. After he swallowed her first child, the last thing she wanted was to have another with the same monster who wouldn't hesitate to devour them the moment they were born.
All the Titans knew about these actions. Some didn't approve; others supported it, believing it was the best way to stop the prophecy.
But no one could do anything to stop their paranoid king. Even those who tried were beaten by Kronos, because his word was law: a dictator more than a king. He even imprisoned some for thinking they were trying to convince him to let one of his children live—and take his throne.
Rhea would not let it happen again. Even if she ended up imprisoned for the rest of her life, she couldn't keep suffering the same way.
"Calm down… nothing will happen to you. I won't let that bastard eat you," she whispered to her newborn while smiling to soothe him, as the ground began to tremble.
Kronos was approaching the place where Rhea had just given birth to another child, completely calm, unaware of what she was planning.
"Rhea, give him to me," Kronos said, waiting for her to hand over her seventh child.
Rhea stepped out from inside a cave with tears in her eyes, holding a blanket that covered something. She stood in front of her paranoid husband.
"Kronos, please… stop this madness. I can't live like this," Rhea said, desperation in her voice and tears in her eyes.
A growl came from the king's throat.
"Shut up. I won't let anyone take what's mine," Kronos said with rage—he didn't want to hear that again. "Give him to me, Rhea. Don't make me take him from you. It won't end well for you."
Then Rhea kissed the blanket, crying and begging for forgiveness, and handed it to him with something inside. Kronos didn't even think—he quickly swallowed his child without a shred of remorse, and left the place, leaving Rhea alone, more nervous than ever.
INSIDE KRONOS
Something fell, catching everyone's attention. They quickly rushed toward the "object" that had just landed.
A figure—clearly a man—approached it first, followed by five more figures: three women and two men.
He picked it up and lifted it. It was a bundle—sheets wrapped around something. He pulled them back a little to see what they were hiding, and he smiled when he saw what was inside.
"Did we just get another brother or sister?" one of the three men asked, seeing their oldest brother smile as he uncovered what the sheets hid—something that looked like a baby.
"Seems like it," replied the figure holding the sheets in his arms.
One of the women stepped closer as soon as she heard her brother's words.
"Let me hold it," she said with a smile, walking up to the man with the "baby" in his arms.
"Sure." He stretched out his arms to hand it to her. "Careful—it's kind of heavy," he added, with a small smile that sounded like he was joking—something that felt strange to everyone.
When the woman held the "baby" in her arms, she realized her brother was right: it weighed more than normal.
Seeing the confused look on her face as she gripped the fabric covering whatever it was, the older brother burst out laughing—he couldn't hold it in anymore—making everyone step closer to see what the sheets were really hiding.
The woman holding the "baby" began to uncover it more to see better, and noticed her sisters moving to both sides to look as well, while her other two brothers stepped in front. She was still confused by her older brother's reaction.
"W-WHAT!?" the three sisters shouted when they saw what the sheets were hiding.
"What is it, Hestia? Let me see—I can't from here," the youngest brother said, leaning forward to get a better view.
The woman—now called Hestia—pulled the sheets away completely, shocking two of the brothers, while the other brother laughed at his younger siblings' reactions.
"Do we have a brother made of rock?" one of the three brothers asked.
"Poseidon, I knew you were an idiot… but not that much," said the woman standing to Hestia's right, making everyone laugh.
"Then what do you suggest, Hera?" Poseidon said, his eyebrow twitching from the insult.
"I don't know," Hera said simply.
An awkward silence filled the place. They were all confused, not knowing what to think. The last man stepped closer with a hand on his chin, lost in thought.
'Looks like we won't be staying here much longer… I hope,' Damon thought as he approached the group.
"Do you know what it could mean, brother?" one of the men asked.
"I think so, Hades. It's just a guess, but…" he was interrupted by one of the women.
"There's something written on the rock," the woman said quickly, cutting him off.
"What does it say, Demeter?" Hades asked his sister.
"I'm sorry," Demeter said with a sad expression. "It says: 'I'm sorry,'" she repeated as a tear slipped from her eye.
A heavy sadness settled over them at the words carved into the rock. They knew exactly who had written them. Damon spoke quickly so the momentary despair wouldn't linger.
"That means what I've been thinking is correct," he said with a smile, leaving them confused. "We won't be staying here much longer. Mother tricked Father into thinking he swallowed our new 'brother or sister,'" he finished, anger rising when he said the word father.
Everyone looked at their oldest brother with relief at his words, then watched him as he walked away.
"Where are you going?" Hades asked his older brother, confused by his actions.
"To train… I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be swallowed a second time by a paranoid maniac," the oldest brother said as he walked away, followed by all the others who already shared the same thought.