The Lord of Nature

Chapter 4: Rebellion

I stood in a small clearing on the island of Crete, watching over the combat training of my nephew. He was 18 tomorrow and will begin the first phase of our rebellion against his father.

He growled in frustration, as he continued to get beaten by his opponent. His opponent on the other hand, a stone golem, wasn't even tired from the battle, staring at the young God in disappointment.

"Again," I commanded, pinching the bridge of my nose. His training hasn't improved past the basics for the last 2 years. Statistically, he should've been much farther ahead.

"I've been doing it again and again for hours! I need something better than this to defeat Kronos!" Zeus roared back, punching the golem in anger, causing his opponent to crumble into dust.

"If you can't beat the easy practices, how do you expect to beat the advanced ones?" I challenged, ignoring his infantile anger. "It doesn't matter, does it? Mother and Hestia have completed my training, and I can get in and out without any suspicion. You are just too stubborn with your training!" Zeus complained.

"If you want stubborn, I can send you to my father. This is 100 times better than if you were trained by him," I explained evenly, gesturing for him to get into the stance.

He grumbled but complied. I shrunk down to the regular height of a titan, around 20 feet (5 feet taller than the gods), and summoned a scythe.

"Kronos is limber and lengthy, much skinnier than the rest of his brothers. While he doesn't have similar physical might as his subjects, his mind makes up for it. He is as calculating, paranoid, and cunning as our mother, but far crueler. You need to be wary around him, for he's far more agile and far quicker than the rest of your enemies, and will try to encircle you to your blind spots," I explained, and Zeus paid attention pretty intensively.

"What you really need to be careful of is his scythe. Originally in the possession of our father, Kronos made some modifications to the blade. It has been soaked for weeks on end in the waters of the Acheron. A single prick from the blade can severe the soul and body. As immortals, this is very dangerous, as being severed from our soul could cause us to fade, or at the very least, be placed in a long-lasting comatose state. To prevent this, you will begin training to either manage to sever his connection from his weapon, to block the weapon before it cuts you or destroy the weapon," I explained, readying my stance how Kronos would.

Zeus nodded and readied his spear, patiently waiting for me to charge. Playing my part, I immediately charged towards Zeus, swinging my scythe in a large arc to get him in the side.

"Kronos, like you, is very impatient in battle. He will not fight fairly, he will not wait for you to be ready. As much as he is intelligent, he is overly confident in his ability. You need to play with this flaw, boost his ego to make him prone to mistakes. Blind him by your flattery and praise," I instructed, ruthlessly attacking him, barely giving him time to defend.

I got in close, and he kicked me away. "When you manage to hit him, he will become wary. He will start practicing caution, and begin to heavily rely on his powers to beat you. To break his hold, you first need to break his concentration. His mind becomes split from trying to attack and hold you in place at once. Taunt him. His anger will make him lose focus, allowing you to escape," I ordered, simultaneously holding Zeus in a bubble of solidified air.

We kept up this battle until the sun began to set. Zeus was very proficient in his abilities, able to learn best when confronting the problem head-on. A useful skill when preparing for war.

He harnessed his defensive techniques perfectly, causing me to be unable to land a hit on him. Meanwhile, he managed to land many cuts on me, practicing my teachings to perfection. Of course, I let him land those hits. Kronos and I fight very differently, so I have to play his role to perfection. Otherwise, Zeus would never have touched me.

Finally, as the last droplets of light disappeared over the horizon, Zeus's spear penetrated me straight through the heart. "Nicely...done. You are...ready for your...mission. Excuse me while...I reform," I stuttered, coughing up ichor.

Zeus had a face of fear and horror as I disappeared, returning to Tartarus to reform my damaged body.

Time Skip:

Didn't take nearly as long as I thought, but the hike back to the surface was the annoying part. Thankfully, I assume because of my relation to Tartarus, the Pit was not as painful as I feared it would be. The acidic air was more of mild spice, the scorching heat was more of a basking warmth, and the monsters that ran amuck weren't all that aggressive. Then again, would anyone be aggressive to another being that's more than 10 times their size? I don't think so.

Anyways, I emerged from Tartarus as the sun began to rise on a new day. Though, which day it was, I couldn't tell. Time works differently in my father's realm. Sometimes, you could stay for centuries and only a day would go by on the surface. Other times, you could go in and right back out and have been gone for millennia.

I caught sight of a naiad washing some clothing in her river and walked over to her quietly, trying not to startle or disturb her.

"Pardon me, miss," I greeted, taking a seat on her shore. She glanced up at me, jumping in surprise and fear. "Could you please inform me on how long I've been away? I have only recently reformed, and time is not an ally for the Pit," I questioned kindly.

"Lord Perseus? Oh, well...fortunately for you, milord, you have not been gone too long. You have been gone for just a decade," she explained, fumbling over her words.

I grumbled in disappointed interest. "And what of the war? Who was victorious?" I inquired, turning towards her sternly. "I have not been informed if the war has ended yet, milord," she answered quickly, backing away fearfully.

I hummed. "Where has Zeus formed his base?" I pressed. "Mount Olympus," she replied instantly. Good, he remembered my battle plans.

"That will be all, thank you," I returned, standing up. I transformed into a wind current and soared to Olympus.