#879 An Ancient Deity’s Monologue

It is I, Cronus.

I am the supreme deity, sovereign over the genesis and cessation of this realm.

From the inception of time...even traversing the ancient past, I was fated to reign supreme over all creation.

Yet, such destiny was thwarted.

Displeased with mine governance, a scheme was concocted by mine own mother Gaia and defiant offspring Zeus, leading to mine own ousting from the exalted seat.

Verily, I did not relinquish the throne without contest.

The transference of power necessitated a conflict of monumental scale.

The unparalleled war, known as the "Titanomachy," ensued between mine own legions, the Titans, and the nascent Olympian gods led by Zeus.

Our defeat marked the conclusion of this strife.

Zeus’ thunderbolts laid waste to all, and the Titans who stood by me were vanquished and subdued.

Thus, I was consigned to the abyss deeper than the underworld, Tartarus.

I alone was not doomed to this ignominy. 

The divine Titans who allied with me...

Crius, Coeus, Atlas, Iapetus, Menoetius... 

Numerous venerable deities were subjected to the indignity of imprisonment.

These afflictions we bear art the result of Zeus' cruelty and that of his Olympian kin.

To defy one's father and usurp the throne by force is an unforgivable abomination in the eyes of any.

In time, the sin of parricide shall wreak its vengeance upon them.

Yet, ere that comes to pass, I, the grand deity Cronus, will call him to account for his treachery.

Though I lie bound in Tartarus, stripped of liberty, I remain Cronus, omniscient and omnipotent.

A day shall come when I shall shatter these chains and wage a war for divine reclamation.

The Olympian gods, nestled in their dominion, have likely lost the art of combat. I am convinced that, unlike the bygone Titanomachy, we Titans shall prevail in an unbroken string of triumphs.

Upon the day of our victory, I shall consign them to the depths of Tartarus, ensuring their eternal confinement...!

Not only Zeus but also his brethren Hades and Poseidon shall endure the ignominy of being cast into the nether depths!

"Hades already resides in the underworld, is yon not redundant?"

Such is the retort of Coeus to mine own monologue, a fellow Titan imprisoned alongside me in Tartarus.

Cease thy boorish speech!

The domain of Hades is the underworld, yet it lies far above Tartarus!

"Lord Hades is certainly a unique deity. Having bested us to rule the surface, he relinquishes it to the mortals and retreats to the netherworld. What could be his aim?"

Hades bears a compassion for the living, a rarity amongst the gods.

As consort to the Mother Earth Goddess, he oversees the cycle of life and death amongst mortals.

Thus, he knows well the sorrow of those whose lives art fated to end.

Such burdens art not alien to me, Cronus, who holds sway over similar realms.

"Ah, the vanquished malevolent deity speaks with such grandeur."

Hush thy impudent tongue.

Remember, thou, too, art cast into these depths alongside me.

"Perchance, but after an eternity in bondage, one loses track of the years. Our fellow prisoners have become habituated to this existence. Is it not vain to dream of escape now?"

Perhaps, yet...

The dilemma lies in the fact that, however debasing the confinement, with sufficient passage of time, it becomes the new normal.

There exists a proverb, 'Home is where one's heart resides.'

We Titans, having adapted to life in Tartarus over eons, even conduct an annual Titan's Talent Show.

The Titans have grown too complacent, no longer harboring thoughts of escape.

Shall this immutable time persist in perpetuity? As I mulled over this...

Rrrrrrrrumbleeeeeeeeee...!

An unprecedented quaking!

What in the cosmos?! Tartarus itself is shaking!

Amidst the tumult, a goddess emerges, bathed in light descending from the heavens...

"Long time no see. Ye all bear such somber faces."

Gaia!

The one who conspired with mine own wife Rhea to protect Zeus! How dare thou show thy face now?!

Nay, if Gaia hath appeared in Tartarus...

Sealed with utmost rigor in layers manifold, from within and without impervious to free ingress or egress, that Gaia, who ought to reside in the external realms, hath manifested here implies...!

The unsealing of Tartarus' bindings?!

“I harbored hope that wisdom might have taken root within thee by now. Let us dwell in harmony, as in days of yore.”

How brazen!

To presume the fervor hath waned?! (Though she mentioned it not.)

We hath not forgotten the resentment for being cast down by the young whelps of Zeus! During our confinement in the depths of this realm, our spite hath but amplified!

Convenient that thou hast undone the seals!

I vow to exact mine own vengeance upon thee forthwith, and therewith, leveraging the vigor, to escape the forsaken Tartarus and overturn the usurpers Zeus, Poseidon, Hades...the unfilial trio!!!

"Oh dear, ever so defiant. To think that after an eternity of confinement, thou hast not exhibited a semblance of remorse. Typical of mine own lineage."

Thou and thy lineage art of the vilest stock, primordial deity!

Suffer greatly under my wrath, Saturn Attack, and realize thou art the root of all evils!!!

"Ufufufu... Didst thou believe that I, Gaia, the mother of all, would not anticipate such follies from a wayward offspring?"

Wh-What doth thou mean?!

"Long have we prepared for thy martial interventions. Hark, Saint! As thou can see, the outcome is most lamentable! Attend to it if thou will."

What be this? Dost thou propose to strike back?

What foolishness.

Vanquished though we art, think ye any deterrent could sway us, the Titans, who stood toe-to-toe with the reigning Olympian gods?

Hast thou hastily assembled the trio of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades?

There be but few in this world who might oppose me, the great god Cronus, and even those three might, at best, match mine own prowess.

To best me once more in battle would not come cheaply.

Even should defeat loom, I would wage a fierce struggle, scorching the earth for millennia!

Is there anyone?

Anyone who could thwart our desperate efforts and smite us with such ease?

"Do it!"

"Rogerrr. Farm Dragon's Breathhhhh...!"

Aaaaaaaargh!

What is going on?!

What manner of colossal beast hath appeared, whose breath of flame scorch with unbearable heat?!

Such that even we, the Titans, cannot withstand for a mere moment?!

What is this, Gaia?!

This giant creature, resembling a lizard, is immensely powerful, not just in size but in strength!

"Behold, this creature is known as a dragon, crafted by me after sealing away thine ilk. Bestowed with might by Zeus and his kin to curb those who, like thee, might run amok. Yet, through the ages, it hath gained power far surpassing the gods themselves."

"Gods are no sweat for meee! Gahaha!”

The great lizard, or should I say dragon, laughs. 

What monstrous creation hast thou wrought, Mother Gaia?! To create a race mightier than the gods to halt their tyranny, but what if this creation itself turns rogue?

"Fear not, for there exist other races capable of contending with the dragon."

Huh?

"The gent is thine to command, Immortal King." 

“If it is the request of the All-Mother, I cannot refuse. Death Ray at full force!"

Uoooooh?!

What now?! What is this?!

That unfathomable aura emanating from that which moves akin to a corpse scatter us Titans to the windssssssss!

"I have lived a thousand years and never before tested my strength directly against the gods. It is a joy to find new experiences in such longevity."

"Amongst mankind, there have emerged beings who surpass even the gods in dreadfulness, with Lifeless Kings being one of them. Sensei here is a peerless force, not easily matched by ordinary deities."

Hath humanity already reached the potential to surpass the gods?!

"We art not done yet. Next is an angel, a combat lifeform created by Zeus for dominion over the earth, yet evolved independently to gain powers surpassing even the gods."

"Here I come. Natto High Mega Mana Cannon Full Burst!"

Ugh, so stickyyyyyy!

"Here comes little Platy, a mermaid born of Poseidon's magic, inheritor of solmization magic."

"Bwehh~"

Aaaaaaargh!

Mine ears, mine earsssssss!

What hath transpired?!

What hath unfolded in the living world shile we were sealed deep within the earth?!

Our divine might is utterly ineffectual?

Hath humanity long since surpassed the godssssssss?!