Lord Shadow

Chapter 2146: Hoping The Tree Did Not Die

"At first....the first moment my memory came back, I thought to back the winner" Odin did not say anything.

A few second passes and then Zeus continues

"but then I am reminded that clearly in this timeline, things did not actually unfolds the way that the other timeline had been"

"So, you are on the same side as me?" Odin ask but Zeus shook his head

Odin frowns and then he shakes his head.

Is Zeus thinking to make a bet at the Destroyer? If it that is so, then he and Zeus would be in different camp

But that should not be it. Zeus might have many personas. But the flaws he have is because of human flaws. Human put that flaws on him and since he took on that persona, he also has to accept the burden of the persona and had to accept the setting of "Zeus"

Philandering deity king, arrogant and prideful, and suspicious.

But Zeus even among these many flaws has one thing that separates him from his brother.

He enjoys life and he knows to enjoy the good thing in life.

Not consume it but living naturally with it

Poseidon did not know this. Poseidon has many virtues but there is also his fickleness, his everchanging mood and his wrath

Where is "life" in his wrath?

There isn’t one.

Then what about Hades?

He sympathizes with the dead but look at life as tiring and pities the living. But the living pities the dead.

Zeus love life. Not in the way a coward love life.

But in a way how one appreciate life.

Those who truly appreciate life could accept death as long as it makes life worth living.

It is not clinging to life but loving what life really meant. So, how could such a deity pick Destroyer side?

It is not that the Destroyer is evil. It is just that the stance is different.

Odin had this thought in just a few moment since Zeus said those words but then he suddenly understood and his eyes rolled back

He could guess now what Zeus is about to do.

"that method?"

And Zeus smiles. But there is annoyance in Odin face. He come personally this time. This is not one of his avatars or clones. It is not even a soul projection but the real Odin.

Even though he is still recovering right now, and it would take around three hundred years for his injuries from the River Keeper to fully healed, he still choose to meet Zeus.

This is because their rank is the same. He did not expect that in the end, Zeus would choose that method

"you wanted to delay"

Zeus nodded

"is there no other way than this? You could choose to side with the child. Are you not tired, Zeus?" Odin ask.

Between Odin and Zeus, their myths is refined over time in the world that have their stories.

But that is mortal myth. Before they uses the name Odin and Zeus, they have other names. But humans in many of their worlds, uses the name Zeus and Odin and so they to adopt such names

There is a point of contention between them.

And that is who is older?

Truth be told whether it be Zeus or Odin, both of them do not know who among them is older.

Counting eons are not that easy and sometimes, even they themselves forgot.

There are hound of years that could pass and felt like time did not move. And at times, it felt like a few days could contain a thousand events that could affect the universe

But one thing is certain.

Odin is tired.

Tired of the same thing.

Of the same...ending.

Not the ending that the Child of the End is facing.

That child ending also means the ending of everything outside of the Wall. But it would not end for him, for his family, for his people

He will have to see Baldur died again.

He will have to see his sworn brother do the same scheme again.

Thor dying, Asgard fall into fire and the entire Eight realms burned and sunk

And then they have to start all over again.

What about Zeus? Ifs he not tired of the Giants and the Titans and the coup and rebellion even among his sons and his family?

Like a script that only changes a few things here and there. He is tired. And he wanted to gamble.

Zeus understood. And he felt that tiredness just like Odin felt it. So, he did not say anything when Odin look at him and said those words

"I am tired. But....I am not certain"

"Hades made his moves. Poseidon even sent his trident to Earth. Probably to favour that Earthshaker."

"I know." Zeus mutters

"And you?"

"They do not rule Olympus. They might not care?"

"And you are so caring?"

"I don’t know if I could win" hearing this Odin shakes his head.

"in the end, the fatal flaw of beings like us....always come from the heart. You are inferior to Hades in this respect." Odin did not have to point out what is his weakness for Zeus to understand what he seems to be saying

He only sighed

Zeus need certainty. This is a side of him that many does not know.

Zeus won every battle. And every war. not because he is the strongest.

But because before he started the war and started the battle, he already knows he would win.

He made himself invincible first and only then he would fight

Of course, in the war around five thousand years ago on Earth Prime, he could not won all of the battle. There is battle he won and there is battle he lost

But in the end, didn’t he also get one of the fragment of the All Source and isn’t the five thousand years he had with it had elevated the civilization of Olympus just like it did his?

"You can’t delay for long. A few hundred years is a short time for a game that have such deadly impact" Zeus nodded.

"Let tomorrow matter be tomorrow matters" Hearing this Odin only chuckles.

"You are here telling me because....." Odin thought for a moment and he nodded

"You want to tell me your intention"

Zeus nodded

He looks at the tree and sighed.

"It is a pity to see the leaves falls and the tree dies. I don’t want that. I would have preferred not to be involved at all. But even with all of my plans, it seems I could not escape it. since I could not escape it, then I could only prepare it. In the end, I could not join the Destroyer side"

"then just join now" Odin said taking a step closer.

Zeus shakes his head.

He then look at one of the leaves and his eyes seems to see through the leaves and sighed

"Who knows whether that child could survive this?" he chuckles bitterly and then said

"This is unlike before. Last time....he never touched this taboo at this point of his life. The taboo of that race...is only discovered by him after he became Sovereign. His foundation at that time was also not this perfect foundation"

"Today that child broke all the taboo and wanted to revive something that is dead. The full force of the Omniverse would be going after him. I don’t know if he could survive. This is his story"

"He is the protagonist of the story that the One had been writing for quite some time. He should not die. At least not when the story is still going on. But that Child is breaking the rule. And who knows.....this protagonist could really die?" he questioned.

Zeus then shakes his head and then said

"You are my first stop. I also need to meet the Three Fates to discuss something with them"

"Then maybe I would call Hades and Poseidon and reveal to him I recover my memories. There is a lot of things I must do now that certain things had been in the open"

Then Zeus look at Odin and there is smirk on the corner edge of his mouth as he tilted his head a bit to the left like he is amused, a glint of mischievousness in his eyes

"As for you, after today, if that child really succeeded in his breakthrough, probably a lot of old friends would come out and meet you"

"The Enneads and the Ogdoad would probably be interested now. The other pantheons probably would change their minds depending on whether that child would succeed or not"

"those who aid you would probably rally around you and those who like the ending would find you to be bothersome and might even reach their hand towards that child. And if they could not reach their hands to that child, they would reach their hands to you"

Odin nodded.

"You seem to be properly thinking about this"

Zeus only sighed.

Zeus take a deep look at the tree in front of him and shakes his head.

"It would truly be a pity if this tree to wilt" He only said this words and then Zeus once again turns himself into a streak of light and disappeared from the area.

The time and space all distorted and then all that is left is his deep step embedded in the ground. Odin look at that streak of light in the distance with a complicated expression

Zeus is reminding him.

That since such a thing happened to him, there would be many other that would also be affected like him.

And people who had made their choice to make sure that the ending is the same would hinder him

Odin only sighed

"Right now, it all depends on you, child" he said this and Odin turns into mist and disappeared from the area

The tree is still there, the leaves are swaying

..