Dick and the others saw that on the outskirts of the sun, a whirlwind suddenly arose among the flame particles, stirring up several whirlpools which resembled teleportation portals in shape.
Soon after, a battle steed clad in flames burst forth, pulling behind it a massive chariot; the sun's patterns began to grow increasingly complex and mysterious.
"That must be the entrance to the Bright Domain, right?" The group was in a room at the Mercury Base, watching those still-undissipated whirlpool teleportation portals.
"Who dares to go over?" Jason said, "That's the sun! If we were to just fly over like that, wouldn't we be burned to ash?"
"Of course, we can't just go over like that." Raven said, "I'll use magic to protect you, but we still need to be careful; those horses don't seem to be in a good mood..."
As the teleportation portal was about to dissipate, Raven quickly covered the group with magic and flew them over. Once they drew near, they realized that the seemingly small portals were actually boundless and colossal.
The outline of the entire Bright Domain was intermittently visible within the sun, a near-circular arc of light much brighter than the sun's other parts. If not for the magic protecting their eyes, just one glance would likely have blinded them.
As they passed through the teleportation portal, Dick said, "I always found it strange, why would one place their own domain's teleportation portal inside the sun?"
"Maybe it's for defense." Jason said, "If you can't enter without magic, it would prevent ordinary people from accidentally wandering in."
This explanation was somewhat plausible, and Dick asked no further questions. After passing through the portal, the torridness and blinding brightness of the sun completely vanished; they found themselves by the lakeside of a vast lake.
As their eyes gradually adjusted to the light, Dick looked around to find verdant hills, beautiful and natural, which didn't seem like the abode for the God of Light.
They walked along the riverbank towards the hills and upon reaching the summit, they saw a temple in the distance. Dick stroked his chin and said, "Faust said that Apollo is good-natured. He could be lying, tricking us into provoking him; but from the looks of it, Apollo doesn't seem like a cruel god."
"In mythological tales, many have praised Apollo." Jason added, "Aside from his handsomeness, most people commend his kindness, melancholy, and artistic aura. Such a person is unlikely to strike out at the slightest disagreement."
Dick felt the same, so they unanimously decided to head towards the temple. The Light Temple Apollo resided in had a style similar to the Pantheon, only slightly smaller but with more exquisite sculptures, and faint music could be heard.
Dick and Jason entered and immediately saw a handsome male figure in a white robe playing the lyre; the music was coming from his instrument.
Surprised by the intruders, he stopped playing and blinked at Dick and Jason.
Dick and Jason swore the man before them was the most handsome they had ever seen, even more so than Superman.
"Uh, hello, we're the Young Avengers, answering the call of crisis on Mount Olympus. We want to know what exactly is going on."
"By Zeus above, are you human?" The man put down the lyre and asked, "How did you find this place?"
"We entered the gates of the Underworld, saw the slain Hades, then proceeded to Mount Olympus via the Netherworld and found Ares's corpse. We suspect the gods have come to your domain..."
On hearing of Hades and Ares's deaths, the man's face was stricken with sorrow, but he nodded and said, "Yes, the Divine King and the gods are indeed in the Bright Domain right now."
"So, you're Apollo?"
"Indeed, I'm surprised humans still know of me. I haven't been to Earth in a while."
"Earth, you mean Earth? Not the Human World?"
"Yes, Earth. Why?" Apollo seemed confused, then revealed a gentle smile, saying, "Don't look at me like that; I'm not that ignorant. You've only been aware for a few hundred years that you're living on a planet. Why wouldn't I know?"
After speaking, Apollo's expression turned nostalgic as he said, "I've spent a long time living on Earth and made quite a few human friends, but your lifespans are so short, they must all be dead by now."
"Ah, wait." Apollo seemed to recall something joyous and continued, "Not all, actually; just the other day, an old human friend came back to see me. We drank, sang, and Hermes even helped him send a few letters back to Earth..."
Dick and Jason were relieved by Apollo's friendly demeanor, but they clearly didn't have time to chat. Dick spoke up, "We want to know the full story. Do you have any clues?"
Apollo thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I've guarded the Bright Domain for a long time and haven't been back to the Pantheon in ages. I'm not sure what exactly happened there."
Then Apollo gestured for a spectral horse to come over, leading it to Dick and saying, "It can take you to meet the King of Gods; you'll only find answers with him. When you visit him, be polite and try not to anger him."
He then pulled out a crystal from his robes and handed it to Dick, "If you do anger him, this will keep you from being reduced to ashes by thunder."
Raven took the crystal from Dick and examined it, realizing it was a defensive divine artifact with no harm, and nodded to Apollo, who returned the gesture with a smile.
Now they all realized the praise Faust and others had lavished on Apollo was not empty; his temper was indeed exceptional in this cosmos, a rare species.
The spectral horse was much larger than normal steeds, easily accommodating several people, and flew swiftly to a temple above the skies.
Thunder surrounded the Sky Island, with the faint figures of goddesses visible in the mist. The abode of the King of Gods had an indescribable majesty as the horse came to a respectful stop outside the island.
Yet Dick and the others, with Apollo's crystal in hand, passed unhindered until they found themselves before the grand throne of the venerable King of Gods, Zeus.
He was an imposing figure with endless thunder swirling around him, his crown twinkling with cosmic light, his white robe billowing gently in the breeze.
"Hello, Your Majesty Zeus, we've come from Earth seeking to understand what has happened on Mount Olympus and whether this calamity will spread to our home."
Following Apollo's advice, Dick approached with his most courteous demeanour. It was clear this King of Gods was not one to be trifled with, and considering the magnitude of the crisis on Mount Olympus, it would be understandable for his mood to be sour.
"Your concern is a bit redundant," Zeus's tone was indeed sharp as he said, "For if the disaster truly occurs, not just Mount Olympus and Earth, but the entire cosmos will be swallowed by darkness."
He rose from his throne, his tall figure becoming even more awe-inspiring. Indifferent to the reverence of gods, Dick spoke directly, "Which is why we're investigating. It might seem insignificant to Your Majesty, but we must do everything in our power to protect our homeland."
"I knew you would come looking," Zeus huffed, "No doubt mocking in your hearts, thinking even the mighty gods would flee in face of disaster, giving you unrealistic fantasies and arrogant courage. It's not mankind's weakness I despise, but your arrogance."
"Then please tell us," Dick said, pulling Jason back to prevent an argument, "If not fleeing, why are you here?"
Zeus appeared to sigh and said, "I've led the gods here not to escape, but to avoid the edge. This isn't just rhetoric; it's because the source of this disaster cannot be killed."
Dick looked puzzled.
Zeus shook his head, "You're still too young and unaware of the source of the ancient gods' power."
"Hecate?" Dick mentioned the name, and Zeus, showing no surprise, continued, "Correct, the legend's Magic Goddess is indeed the source of the gods' power, but what you don't know is that she's not the only source of magic. Something truly terrifying is hidden behind the barrier she created."
Dick felt he had heard something like this before, but couldn't quite remember. Zeus then explained.
"Hecate's greatest achievement, aside from bestowing divine power upon the gods, was stopping the Dark World's source of magic from invading ours. Her barrier is the only effective defense against the dark magic from encroaching. If she dies, the terrifying darkness will return."
"The gods of Olympus aren't entirely without means to deal with Hecate. If she could be sealed once, naturally she could be sealed again. But over time her power has weakened, and if she can't be revived, the barrier's complete dissolution will bring greater disaster, leaving us no choice but to avoid the edge."
They were all surprised, not anticipating that the Olympian gods were indeed not fleeing, and possibly even allowed Hecate's revival, needing her power to resist the dark source.
"What is the source of the Dark Power you fear?" Jason asked with a frown, "Barbados?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but where there is light, there must be darkness. They complement each other, and using one inevitably contaminates with the other. When she was stranded outside, we failed to realize this. But once she returns, she will collect the debt from all of us."
Dick felt his heart sink, understanding the deep-seated enmity between Hecate and the Olympian gods. Yet, despite this, Zeus chose to let it happen, suggesting whatever was kept at bay by Hecate's power was truly fearsome.
"What about the deaths of Hades and Ares; did you arrange them too?"
Zeus first nodded, then shook his head, elaborating, "The Underworld God and Queen were bound to die, for they truly betrayed Hecate. It was a tragedy of emotions."
Though Zeus wasn't explicit, Dick inferred that the Magic Goddess likely had no reason to wage such a vendetta against the gods of Olympus.