(Continue from the previous Chapter.)
Zeus and Loki are walking around Olympus as Zeus brought Loki into some kind of place. A place filled with glasses, for whatever purpose.
" I see, the Adler boy happened to have the same intuition? " Zeus asks Loki about the Mortal he mentions, Aidan Adler.
" Yes, he luckily happened to be 'Ragna Kent's childhood friend. "
" I asked him today about the research he executed, simply asking if I could help, and... "
" Also ask him if he and Agni had already worked on the 'Divine Resonance' or not. " Loki mentions as he reminds Zeus that all Humans are allowed to use 'Divine Resonance' per his announcement back then*.
" So we, the gods, must work extra hard to maintain our resonance with the mortals... "
" We should. " Zeus replied.
" I don't know how to say this, but the White Demon's terror had been causing many casualties in the humans lately. "
" I still don't like it of course, but as I see it on the other perspective. " Zeus stops.
" The White Demon actually helps us, by decreasing the Mortals we need to shared our powers with. "
" Depleting them in numbers, leaving the some in our hands, some in fact that were trained and weaponized from the start. "
" Isn't that supposed to be the problem, Uncle? " Loki asks but Zeus ignores it as he walks further.
" We relied on humans long enough... "
" I don't like to say this, but... "
" My wife, Hera..., once told me that we must slowly stop using humans to do our job. "
" She says, if the humans do the job of the gods..., then the humans will think highly of themselves, thinking they could do better. "
" That's why I am so grateful you wanted all of us, the Divine, to participate in this 'Tournament' of yours. "
" For this 'Tournament' is the perfect place for us to end the White Demon problem and restore our torn integrity. "
" While also... "
" The perfect time to use 'alternatives'. " Zeus says as he and Loki approached a Huge Door that exist within the place.
" This is...? " Loki sees it, seeing the large door that has murals he recognized. Asgardian Murals that has the face of Odin, his Father, grinning, accompanied with another mural reliefs.
One of them is like a god with winged helmet and a hammer that sparks Thunder, another is a god with arrows and had his eyes covered, lastly, there's a mural of a god that had an arrow stabbed in his body.
Another mural, shows a god with a horned helmet and holds a scepter, performing some trickery while behind the horned helmet, was shown one eye watching him as well as a gigantic ice figure that looks at him with disgust as well as a shield and a spear in the ground near the very god.
" Keurkh! " Loki sees the Murals in discomfort, as it happened, he sees his reflection in one of the mirrors, moving by itself again, looking at him back with a high chin, twinkling the eyebrows as if the reflection hints him at something, giving Loki a great discomfort.
" The 'Bifrost Door'. " Zeus suddenly says it before looking back at Loki.
" One of Odin's gifts to me before you ascend to the Throne. "
" I love how your Father decided make something artistic to make it more valuable. " Zeus tells as Loki nods.
" He always had a great taste for arts, Uncle Zeus. " Loki says while his sweat began to droll even more.
" What happened? " Zeus asked Loki but Loki brushes it off.
" It's nothing, it's just... "
" Since we're on the place where you hold the 'Bifrost Door'? Then I believe there's some place we need to go outside of Earth, isn't it? "
" Tartarus. " Zeus tells Loki of their destination, immediately giving him more goosebumps inside.
" It seems you're still think about Nyx, didn't you? "* Zeus asked.
" One of the dangerous Deviants I could've think on, we're lucky the Oneiroi didn't follow her footsteps. "
" Even better, I'm happy at most that you killed her while she's too connected with her 'Dark Avatar'. "
" Killing both her and the host as their existences are bind together as one. "
" Yes, I'm so lucky at the time, Uncle. "
" Speaking of luck, I do hope we're going to be lucky during our Tartarus travel. "
" We shall. " Zeus responds as he opened the 'Bifrost Door'.
The 'Bifrost Door' shines like a rainbow when opened, opening a large 'Rainbow Colored' Gate Portal from within.
" This is how you properly enter Tartarus, Loki. " Zeus says as he place his hand in front of him, using his powers, he channels his energy towards that of the 'Bifrost', shifting it into a 'Dark Purple' Gate.
" Unlike the 'Black Cube' stolen by Andrew K. back then, with the 'Bifrost' we could enter Tartarus using the safest road I've prepared with Odin and... "
" The Celestial Pantheon... " Zeus says as he and Loki enters it, entering the Gate as they were taken into the very place itself.
[Location: Tartarus]
" So this is what Tartarus looked like if entered properly. " Loki says the two suddenly enters a dark ground filled with mud.
" It's 'bout time. " Zeus says as Loki sees a huge river in front of him, in that river, a boat comes in, a giant boat with a boatman who rows it.
" Charon. " Zeus calls the boatman as he approaches.
" Loki, meet Charon. "
" The Guide of the Underworld, Son of Nyx, you know his mother. " Zeus says it as Charon, who just came, looked at Loki with his dark face under the dark hood.
Loki sees the Tartarus Boatman, feeling uneasy especially knowing him related to Nyx for that matter.
" Charon... " Zeus calls his name with a heavy tone.
" You better get over it, I mean it. " Zeus tells him while Charon felt a choke on his neck, a glowing necklace.
" Your allegiance belong to Olympus, remember? "
" You already vowed to me and thus separated you from your Mother for good. "
" So, try not to be vengeful towards the one we freed you from, okay. " Zeus tells Charon as he calms down.
" Good, now bring us across the 'Acheron River', This 'River of Woe'. "
" For I don't want this river's atmosphere give the feelings of sorrow and despair. " Zeus tells Charon as he and Loki enters the boat where Charon will row it towards the next river.
Loki sees the river of sorrow, seeing all creatures trapped inside the river as the river sucks those who desires to free themselves from it, like a sucking mud, the mud's version of a quicksand.
On top of them, stands many trees, showing the creatures the things they want, the things that are dear to them but they simply couldn't reach it as the muddy river binds them.
" Demons, Giants, Monsters, even humans will be placed here, if the crime is already fatal. " Zeus says as the boat went to a certain section showing a human struggling to free himself and reach a fruit tree with low branches.
Sadly, whenever he tried to drink or eat, the water and fruit would recede as the branches retracts from his reach. Making him lose hope as the muddy waters absorbs him again.
" Still reaching, Tantalus. " Zeus mentions the human as they went through him for Charon brings them from the River Acheron, the River Cocytus, the River Lethe, the River Phlegethon, and lastly, arriving at the River Styx, entering the land near them.
" Finally! " Zeus says as the two comes out from the boat. Arriving in a huge castle.
" It's been a long time, for I remember building this one with Odin and Poseidon. "
" Odin helped me build the castle whilst Poseidon use his power over water to made this River of Blood. "
" A river meant to drown any prisoners here that are trying to escape. "
" Prisoners that we were here to see, come, Loki! " Zeus calls Loki as the two arrives and prepares to meet some Tartarus Prisoners.
* Meanwhile. *
( Inside the castle. )
" You're here again, it's been some time... "
" Zeus. " said the prisoner, sensing Zeus from afar.
[ #1 Prisoner of Tartarus... ]
[ Crime: Opposing against Olympus Pantheon ]
[ Living Known Relatives: Zeus ]
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Extra:
* Loki mentions as he reminds Zeus that all Humans are allowed to use 'Divine Resonance' per his announcement back then.
See in Chapter 328: Divine Announcement.
* " It seems you're still think about Nyx, didn't you? ".
See in Chapter 274: Dark Avatar Part 9: The Dark End.