Reborn As Hades In Olympus

Ch. 174: The Altar

The journey to the altar was arduous, every step echoing with a foreboding sense of inevitability. Junghkook clutched his satchel of notes and Jess remained silent, her face pale and unreadable. We had to avoid that panic in the twin due to the destroyed library.

Junghkook went through everything he had with me, the only thing he lacked was the understanding of the language of god's which I had. Together we managed to piece together the coordinates he had and it led us to a path that was carved through the remnants of an ancient forest, overgrown with twisting vines and towering trees that seemed to whisper secrets to the wind. At the heart of this sacred grove lay the alter, hidden for millennia probably.

As we approached, the air grew heavier. My steps faltered, I felt the weight of unseen forces pressing against my body like a tidal wave but I figured it was just the anticipation of what was to come. Jess walked ahead, leading the way with a certainty born from her visions. Junghkook trailed behind, his once-bold demeanor cracking under the suffocating tension.

Finally, the altar came into view. A massive structure of black stone stood before us, etched with glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. The inscriptions were in a language I hadn't seen in ages— one older than Olympus itself. The center of the altar had a basin filled with a swirling, iridescent liquid, and above it hovered a faint orb of light.

"This is it," Jess whispered, her voice trembling. "The altar from my dreams."

Junghkook looked at it in awe, shocked by his discovery. "All this year's looking into the mysteries plaguing me and it's been in my mind this whole time."

As I took a step closer I felt a strange buzzing in the air like some force reacting with my presence, the ground rumbled violently, a low growl reverberating through the air.

"Damn, what now ." Junghkook widened his stance, his eyes darting in every direction ready to react to any sudden mivement. Jess on the other hand simply stared at me, her muscles relaxed because I was there.

Slowly the rumbling grew louder and closer, a moment later the shadows emerged a monstrous figure appeared from the thick woods: a monster I identified to be the Minotaur. It was no ordinary creature— towered over us with its hulking figure, its muscles rippling like steel cables, horns sharp enough to cleave stone. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural rage, and a faint aura of dark energy surrounded it.

Junghkook went before Jess in a guard position, his eyes brave but his legs betraying him and trembling. "Is that the min—"

"It's a guardian," I muttered, gripping my walking stick tightly.

It was probably left behind perhaps to test me, still I had not expected to fight the minotaur myself. Guess it could not be helped.

The Minotaur roared, the sound shaking the very ground beneath us. Without warning, it charged, moving faster than something its size had any right to. I barely had time to shove Jess and Junghkook aside before the beast's massive fist collided with the earth, shattering the ground where we had stood.

"Stay back!" I barked, lunging forward to meet the beast head-on. "And you, I'm your opponent."

The Minotaur was relentless, each strike heavier and faster than the last. Like a weapon perfectly engineered for destruction. I weaved through its blows, channeling every ounce power I had evenly through my body, I poured power into my walking stick, turning it into a makeshift spear. Calling the bident would use up almost all of my reserve so I had to make use of this for now.

I struck it at its side carefully choosing there because of it's less hard skin but the attack barely left a scratch on its thick hide. Its resistance to my attack was apparent and also it's extremely strong body— it shrugged off the blasts of energy I sent at it as if they were mere gusts of wind.

Jess tried to intervene, she must have sensed the depth of the situation. She was always perceptive in that way. Her hands glowed and shout blasts of white light that seemed harmless to be harmless to the beast, the Minotaur turned on her with a loud roar.

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath.

My legs carried me with great speed and I intercepted its attack, slamming my stick into its chest, only to miss it's powerful elbow driving into my small frame. A moment later I was hurled through the air like a ragdoll. My body crashed into a nearby tree, pain exploding in my ribs.

I heard something snap and it wasn't a tree branch, my aged body had its limit. Taking one hit in itself was remarkable.

I noticed Jess about to try her attack again.

"Don't!" I shouted at Jess, blood dripping from my lips. "You'll only make it angier."

Junghkook, trembling but determined, began reciting something from his notes— a chant or incantation— but the Minotaur swatted him aside with a flick of its arm.

"No! You man-cow, I told you I was your opponent didn't I?" I pushed myself to my feet and gritted my teeth, my vision blurring. The beast charged at me again, and this time, I wasn't fast enough. I could see it's movement with ease but my body could not keep up. Its horn tore through my side, sending me sprawling onto the altar steps. Blood pooled beneath me as I gasped for air, my body screaming in agony.

"Urrgh!" I gurgled on my blood feeling the metallic taste filling my mouth.

The Minotaur loomed over me, its shadow casting a pall over the altar. I was out of options, my strength fading fast. Jess screamed my name, but I barely heard her. Her voice fizzled out, this body had hit its limit. My vision tunneled as the beast raised its massive fist, ready to deliver the final blow.

But then, the altar began to glow. The runes flared to life, their light blinding and all-encompassing. The Minotaur hesitated, its roar turning to a pained howl as the energy engulfed it.

"Get him on the altar!" Jess shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Hurry or we'll all die!"

Junghkook and Jess dragged my broken body onto the black stone. The liquid in the basin surged, tendrils of light reaching out to envelop me. I felt a searing pain as the altar's energy began to work, pulling at my very essence.

The Minotaur, now enraged beyond reason, charged at the altar, but it was too late. The swirling light formed a barrier, holding the beast at bay.

"Jess... what's happening?" I managed to choke out.

She knelt beside me, tears streaming down her face. "It's unlocking your memories, Dad. But it's... it's taking something in return."

I screamed as the light tore through me, burning away my damaged flesh and replacing it with something new. The only thing I could hear was the chanting of Jess, I could feel a warmth coming from her, her face shown as light.

My arms, torn to shreds by the Minotaur, began to regenerate, but they weren't the same. My skin shimmered with a faint metallic sheen, and ancient symbols etched themselves into my limbs.

I could feel it, I was awakening.

Memories flooded back, overwhelming my senses. I saw myself in the depths of Tartarus, wielding power that could shatter worlds, I recognised this to be the power of Thanatos the death god. I remembered the things I never knew I had experienced. Over a millennia of memories came to me in a rush.

Then there was a soft sweet voice, not one I had heard before— but I could feel it in my chest. It was the voice of my mother.