Chapter 24 - Chessboard Moves and Camp Half-Blood (Patreon)

"As known in the West, she is the demon prince of murder, sex, and secrets. All of these themes contain subtle aspects and violent ones (assassination/genocide, courtship/orgy, tact/poetic truths); she is understood paradoxically to contain and integrate these contradictory themes."

- Vivec

***

Draconic Deus, Dimensional Gap

The Dimensional Gap was the most peculiar thing because it was blocking all outside and inside interference to the Earth, as it was acting like a shell. Even if something from the rest of the Draconic Deus wanted to enter the Earth, it would be impossible to bypass the Dimensional Gap.

Or at least that was something that Great Red and Ophis were thinking as they were staring at a tiny crack that had formed in the Dimensional Gap and...

Piercing through the dimensional layers of the entire Draconic Deus straight to the Void.

This was...

It is a most unprecedented situation and also the most complicated one.

Great Red was a massive red western Dragon with a horn on its snout and had two sets of wings. His overall length measures around several hundred meters, as he was truly an enormous creature.

The sheer power that radiated from the Dragon was overwhelming to the point where it would destroy smaller celestial bodies, such as asteroids or entire moons, with its sheer aura and power.

Compared to the Ophis, he preferred staying in his Dragon form, as he looked at the Ophis that was standing next to him.

Ophis's current appearance is that of a cute young girl with long black hair down to her hips and gray eyes. Her ears differ from a normal human's as they have pointed tips, although her long black hair makes this feature difficult to notice.

Her dark grey eyes have reptilian slitted pupils, and her attire consists of a black Gothic Lolita fashion.

Country to the Great Red, she was genderless even though she was using the female form for most of the time to the point where she identified as female. The reason behind this was her own birth, as she was born directly from the concept of infinity itself.

"You felt it?"

Great Red asked as he looked at the shapeshifted Ophis next to him. Even though neither of them had the best relationship, as Ophis considered the Great Red a source of all of her problems since he made his home in the Dimensional Gap, both of them understood the gravity of the situation.

"Yes... What was that, Baka Red?"

Ophis asked as she looked at the tiny crack in the Dimensional Gap from which both Dragon Gods could sense... 

Tremors of sheer power.

Both she and Great Red were among the strongest beings in the Draconic Deus, and they could destroy an entire Galaxy as easily as lifting their fingers. Yet... when they sensed the tremors from the clash, both of them instinctively realized that this was far above their capabilities.

Ophis, with her neutral expression that for the first time in many, many millennia had changed in it, asked her arch-rival because she knew that the Great Red was much older than she was, and he traversed through most of the Draconic Deus.

Before he arrived at the Dimensional Gap, he made his home here.

Much to her dismay.

Yet the might of the Great Red was even higher than her own, albeit due to her concept, Ophis had more potential to reach the realms of power.

"That's... that is a shift in the Dimensional Laws of the Dimension... our world... is being invaded by something far more powerful and far more malicious than even those two beings in the Evie Etoulde."

Great Red knew of the Evie Etoulde, and he knew that even he was no match for their Chief Gods, Resetoras and Melvazoa...

Yet the power that he just felt was something that was far above what he thought was possible...

It was certainly power that belonged to the higher beings.

This was something of the Higher Dimensional Lifeform.

Draconic Deus was a universe that didn't give birth to the Higher Dimensional Lifeform, though there were some Gods and Dragons, dragons like him and Ophis, that stood a good chance at the ascendance.

"What's happening, Baka Red? Why am I feeling... weird?"

Ophis asked because she could feel like something was affecting her very own being... it was a very weird feeling because she wasn't getting weaker per se... she was just feeling very different in a way that she couldn't describe.

"That's the Dimensional Suppression... It's a phenomenon when a stronger Dimension starts assimialting the weaker one. Each Dimension operates under a certain set of rules, and one could say that these rules decide everything. Rules are different in every dimension... I don't know what is happening in the depths of Gap... but I can safely say that the Draconic Deus is currently being connected to a much stronger Dimension, and the Laws of our world are being adjusted to the Laws of the stronger world."

Great Red explained to Ophis, and this time, he was being truthful and explained everything that he knew because the situation was very serious and their own survival was on the table.

Especially Great Red, who was more insightful into the Dimensional Collision than Ophis, and he recognized that what was happening in the heart of the Draconic Deus Dimension. Not to mention, Great Red was also aware of the Evies and Etoulde, the two strongest races in the entire Dimension.

Their strongest beings were powerful enough to kill him in a few hits, whereas it would take him millions of years to reform. And that wasn't even talked about, their leaders, whose powers were already reaching the gates to the Higher Dimensional Lifeform Level.

Great Red didn't hold any fondness for either of them, as he found both races equally troublesome and problematic. Evies were genocidal maniacs, and in his personal opinion, the Etoudles were even worse with the hypocrisy.

"Speak plainly, Bakared."

Ophis said unhappily as the Great Red was once again speaking in the mixture of riddles and facts, giving no precise answer on anything, which was greatly irritating her.

***

Camp Half-Blood, Hospital

Like everything in Camp Half-Blood, even the hospital was built in the ancient Greek architectural style.

It rose like a temple of healing, open to the sky and wrapped in the serenity of classical Greek design. Instead of a closed, sterile building, it stretches outward in a series of interconnected pavilions, each framed by graceful marble columns and shaded by terracotta-tiled roofs. Sunlight filters in from every angle, bathing the space in warm, golden light.

At the center lies a tranquil courtyard filled with medicinal herbs planted in precise, geometric patterns. A fountain carved from white marble bubbles gently, its sound calming the air. Pathways of smooth stone branch off from the courtyard, leading to open treatment alcoves and rest areas, separated by light curtains or climbing vines for privacy without confinement.

There were no harsh fluorescent lights or sterile white walls here. Instead, the space felt alive. Beds were made of polished wood and cushioned with soft linen and were spaced under the colonnades, where patients could lie and look out at the open sky. Bronze and ceramic bowls hold oils and healing salves, while staff in flowing robes move quietly through the space like temple attendants.

In one of the wooden beds, there was a patient of very high importance, as it wasn't every day that there was a literal God slumbering there. It had been really three days since he was in the hospital, and his condition was as stable as it could get.

However, for the entire time, Valiana refused to leave even an inch from his bed as she was sleeping on the chair and observing his condition every moment. She was like a hawk that was observing everything in her vicinity, and even though Albion assured her that nothing would happen to him, she still remained on guard.

Yhwach was tended by the best healers in the camp, but there was nothing that they could really do about his condition, but at the same time, the good news was that he was slowly recovering at a steady pace.

According to the Heavenly Dragon Emperor that was sealed in her soul, Yhwach used too much of his Celestial Force and overused his Divine Authority to push himself to the power of the "continental destroyer" so that he could obliterate the Asterion from existence to protect her.

That was another reason behind her foul mood.

When she fought against the Minotaur Primogenitor, she realized how outmatched she was because Asterion bulldozed everything that was in front of him, and his physical might eclipsed that of hers.

Coupled with his semi-conceptual status, it was extremely hard for her to contain the Ancestor of the Minotaurs with her current strength.

Asterion was a being that was solely dependent on its physical might, and even the Minotaur Primogenitor couldn't unleash abilities that would destroy an entire smaller continent; he would be able to withstand them with extreme ease.

Not to mention, his own physical strength was frightening, as he would most probably be able to break a mountain in half with a single strike or two. While she could stall the opponent for some time, at least it was enough for Bikou to grab Percy and Grover and bring them to the Camp safely and cross the Camp Borders.

Camp Half-Blood has magical borders that cover the entire camp. The border acted as a shield from mortal eyes, making any mortal who looked upon it see nothing more than a strawberry field because of the Mist. The border also acts as a barrier from the weather; the Gods decide what the weather is like in camp, avoiding storms and high winds. 

The camp border's primary use, however, is to keep out intruders. As monsters are drawn to the smell of Demigods, the magical borders were used to keep the camp safe from monsters. 

The Camp Borders were obviously not omnipotent, but according to Albion, they were strong enough to withstand a few of his strikes if he were at full power. Considering the fact that Albion at his peak would be able to destroy a smaller planet if he disregarded everything, then they were certainly very strong.

Or they would be able to witness a prolonged siege of someone like peak Dragon Kings or Evil Dragons for a few hours until they broke down. Even though the Greek Gods cared a little for the Demigods, one had to admit that the Barrier that they created around the Camp was...

Really extremely powerful.

Though...

That also served their purse as well.

The Barrier itself wasn't just powered by the Mist, but it was also connected to the Divine Realm of Olympus itself, meaning that it could draw the power of the entire Divine Realm if necessary, and the God-King of Olympus could strengthen the barrier to withstand even greater power if there was a need for such action.

"When would he wake up?"

Valiana asked Albion as she was growing visibly concerned about Yhwach's state of well-being because he was unconscious for three days, and there were no signs of waking up, while at the same time, she refused to leave until he woke up.

She was beginning to grow rather tired from being here for several days straight, not physically but mentally.

[I have already told you that he is suffering from Energy Exhaustion, Overload, Divine Authority Overuse, and Rebound. However, due to the Ambrosia that they are feeding him, he should wake up in a few hours and stop asking.]

Ambrosia was the food eaten by the Gods, usually presented in small cubes. It gave Immortality to whoever ate it. Though it was not true immortality, it was just agelessness, even though that was far more than valuable for countless people.

It is closely related to Nectar.

Nectar is a drink consumed by the gods. In Greek mythology, it is sometimes said to grant immortality to whoever drinks it, although in the myth of the Trojan horse, they were given Ambrosia and Nectar from the Goddess Athena, but it did not grant them immortality. 

Ambrosia and Nectar were both fed to wounded Demigods to heal their injuries.

Yet it was fed to them in very limited dosages, as large dosages could even kill them, but in small quantities, it was an extremely potent and powerful medicine. For Yhwach, who was God, he could take a lot of it.

Like, really, really a lot, as his constitution was already super strong, even if compared to other Gods, so due to that, his recuperation process was relatively fast. If not for the Ambrosia and Nectar, then he would be recuperating much, much longer. 

The symptoms of what Albion spoke about were very severe, and Valiana was blaming herself for letting Asterion push her into the dangerous situation where she was injured, as without it, he wouldn't need to release all of the limitations on his power and overuse his Divine Authority.

Which then resulted in his current state.

[You know that this is not your fault... statistically speaking, nobody could have predicted that Hades would send some of his strongest subjects after that water pipsquake.]

The White Dragon Emperor of Supremancy wasn't really good at consoling people; one could say that it was one of the worst qualities that he had. So the best thing that he could do was to state the sheer facts and nothing else.

Still, he wasn't really pleased seeing that Valiana was really, really sad from everything that happened because the negative thoughts were still popping here and there all around her head as she was thinking about the worst.

Yet, there was also a certain kind of truth to Albion's words because nobody could have really predicted what would happen and that Hades would send his heavy hitters with him.

Even when Yhwach was using Almighty to predict the future, the number of futures in which Hades sent someone more powerful than the Ultimate-Class could be counted on one hand. 

Thus, they proceeded as they could, and once he started fighting Orcus, one of the Executive-Class Grim Reapers. That was the moment when he realized that one of the most improbable futures that he foresaw was being fulfilled, but it was already too late for that.

"Ts... I am still weak... if I wasn't so weak, then I wouldn't be pushed back by the Minotaur Primogenitor into such a pitiful state and pushed into..."

Valiana spoke with what could be comibnation of sadness and humilitaition

***

Underworld, Realm of the Dead, Palace of Hades

The enormous palace was modeled after Olympus, as Hades isn't welcomed there except on the Winter Solstice. It was made of glittering black obsidian, with a black marble portico, and the entry hall has a polished bronze floor.

The palace is run by skeleton servants and guarded by the skeletons of dead soldiers from different wars that have been around the world, either from the mortal wars or even the Great Wars of the Supernatural that happened in the past.

In front of the palace is Persephone's Garden, which is said to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Draconic Deus. A dark veranda overlooks the garden with a silver throne, a table, and a shadow fountain in the corner.

A pair of thrones, one bone and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view of the Fields of Asphodel. A breakfast table with flower arrangements also sat on the balcony. 

"My Lord, the mission has failed. We have been intercepted by the son of Shiva, and the boy is as monstrous as his father."

Behind the table, a very tall, imposing, and muscular man was sitting, who was observing the Fields of Ashodel. He had albino white skin and intense black eyes that glittered like frozen tar.

"Ts... annoying bastard. Whatever... at least we got to see how the union between those two turned out, and it seems that he inherited from his parents that anyone could have anticipated..."

Hades, the God of the Dead and Lord of the Underworld, muttered as he was rather disturbed by the developments of the events. If it wasn't enough that the bats were constantly stirring up problems for him and stealing his souls, now someone managed to steal one of his Symbols of Power.

Helm of Darkness.

Fortunately, the Bident of Underworld remained safe with him, or else he would be much more engaged, and that wouldn't be nice. If the Helm was stolen, it wasn't that much of a problem for Hades, because it wasn't his primary means of combat and power.

In this regard, the Bident was a much more important and powerful weapon that was at his side for all the time. Yet it was also very troubling that someone managed to steal the Helm of Darkness and he noticed it only after it was gone.

Which was...

Unprecedented.

Hades wasn't just any God.

He was God who had direct control over the part of the Underworld and was Realm Lord, albeit only a partial one in his Domain, yet even that was far more than enough to prevent anything like this from happening. 

"So, what are my idiotic brothers doing?"

The God of the Dead asked his loyal Grim Reaper, Executive Orcus, who was tasked with the retrieval of Percy Jackson.

Poseidon's son and his nephew.

Hades sent one of the stronger Grim Reapers to carry out the task, because he really wanted to get his hands on his nephew.

"As usual, My Lord. Zeus is throwing a temper tantrum, and Poseidon has too much pride to clarify everything with the King of Olympus. It seems that if the Masterbolt isn't found and the truth is not uncovered, they would really start a war. Both of them have already mobilized their armies, and Atlantis has declared Martial Law; meanwhile, Olympus is gathering the troops in the Divine Realm."

Retrieval of Percy Jackson wasn't the single mission that Orcus was assigned by his lord; he was also tasked with the reconnaissance of the situation, and it didn't look good.

"Tighten our borders more. And increase the security around the Tartarus. And..."

Just as he was about to issue another command, Hades stopped for a moment before he calmed himself down.

"Send a message to Lucifer and Beelzebub about the unusual moves in Tartarus. Even though the bats are annoying, those two could still have their uses. If the Titans are stirring up trouble, then their Domain would also be impacted by it."

As much as Hades hated Devils and their entire race, like most if not all Gods of Death and the Dead did, he wasn't arrogant to the point where he would disregard their power. 

He also knew that the chances that someone like Percy Jackson, who, according to his intel, wasn't even aware of the Supernatural, stole the Masterbolt of Zeus and his Helm of Darkness were exactly zero.

It was just Zeus's paranoia that was dragging all of them down to their doom. He wasn't as stupid or paranoid as his brother to actually believe that someone like Percy Jackson would be able to steal his Helm of Darkness.

Yet, unfortunately, it was Zeus who was calling the shots, much to his dismay.

Hades was aware that if the two idiots started fighting, it would only be a matter of time before they started fighting in North America, and once that happened, the other factions wouldn't stay silent and join the fray. 

Too many factions were present in North America.

Other Pantheons, Bats, Fallen Angels, and Heaven were only the most notable ones.

Then there were some minor factions that had their own heavy hitters, some of them were very powerful, like the Vampire Race that gave birth to one of the strongest Vampires, Krul Tepes.

"You can already go Orcus."

Hades dismissed Orcus as the Executive-Class Grim Reaper vanished from the place, leaving Hades alone with his thoughts. 

"I know that you are watching me."

Some time after Orcus left, Hades said to practically nowhere.

As he said that, suddenly a crimson spectral serpent materialized in front of him, it was the size of an adult human male, and it wasn't too big, but Hades could feel something that he had never felt before.

Fear.

Restriction.

Chaos.

Death.

Even though this was most probably just an Avatar, he felt even greater danger from the red spectral serpent than when he met Yahweh or Great Red many, many years ago.

"Lesser Divine Being... I see a great Death in you..."

The red serpent hissed as it spoke to Hades with a powerful voice, as every single fiber in Hades's being shivered in absolute submission. The God of Death isn't stylized as being related to the concept of Death and the Dead.

And in terms of hierarchy was far, far above what Hades had achieved or most probably would ever achieve. It was something that Hades was feeling on the instinct level, like it was deeply ingrained into his very own being.

"What can I do for His Excellency?"

Hades asked carefully because he could feel the connection between Death and the Dead being usurped from him during the moment when the red spectact serpent hissed at him, which could mean only one thing.

Something that neither God of Death wanted to think of, because it would mean that they were not truly in control of their Divine Authority, yet it seemed that the specific theory was indeed right.

When he tried, he couldn't even acess a bit of his Divine Authority over Death. Nor he could acess the ones related ot the Dead and Souls. Which means that whatever the being in front of them was, it was unimaginably powerful and was connected to the aspects of Death, the Dead, and Souls.

The only Divine Authority that was left unchecked was the one related to the Underworld, but at the same time, he couldn't even acess it, due to the suppression he was feeling right now. 

Even though the Greek God of the Underworld didn't know the being and what it was, he knew it was something above their own Dimension. Because... not even the Great Red or Ophis were giving off a similar feeling.

This wasn't just suppression of the weaker being by the stronger one.

His entire being was being suppressed to the point where he felt like he was some small, insignificant mortal.

"We shall see... soon enough, my Speaker will come and tell you the mission. And with the mission, the rewards would be given. Do not disappoint me, little Demigod."

The red spectral serpent suddenly dispersed into countless particles in front of Hades as time started flowing normally, and everything returned to the previous state.

As soon as that happened, soon enough, Magic Circle appeared in front of Hades with a spider emblem in the middle, releasing a very evil aura from it.

Soon enough, a figure stepped out of the Magic Circle with the spider emblem, as the entire chamber lit up by ethereal blue and red hues. At the same time, Hades, despite being one of the strongest Gods on Earth, was paralyzed by something that he didn't think was possible.

Fear.

Pure, raw, and unrestrained primal fear.

The newcomer was a woman... clearly.

Her skin is a deep, rich shade of bluish-indigo, smooth yet otherworldly, as if sculpted from twilight itself. Her torso was clad in a form-fitting bodice made from what appears to be hardened carapace, textured like the exoskeleton of a giant insect. It curved around her chest and shoulders like armor, but it was also ritualistic, adorned with chitinous spikes and fang-like ridges.

Her waist is cinched tightly with a wide, organic belt, from which a long skirt of dark, web-like fabric descended, intricately patterned to resemble spider silk spun into ceremonial robes. 

Erupting from her back were eight massive appendages—sickle-like limbs that arc and reach in a halo of menace. Each was blood-red, tapering into wicked points, resembling the curved legs or fangs of some immense demonic spider.

Her arms and hands were elongated and clawed, the fingers tapering into sharp nails or talons. These hands are both delicate and deadly, suited to weave webs of lies or rip through flesh.

Her eyes are glowing red orbs, devoid of pupils, shining with a cold, penetrating intelligence. They radiated both malice and cunning, but first and foremost, they radiated tremendous power, something that was far above even the limits of what was thought to be possible.

Crowning her head was a spectacular, spiked headdress that fans out like the legs of a spider or the barbs of a venomous flower. It's made of a dark, metallic-looking material with an organic shape, twisted and sinister, as if it were grown rather than forged.

'Higher Dimensional Being...'

Hades thought as he took a look at the being that materialized in front of him with a good amount of caution. Hades knew that Draconic Deus didn't have even a single Higher Dimensional Lifeform, as the God of the Dead was very well informed. 

Sometimes when he wandered to the Dimensional Gap, he managed to harvest souls of the people from the other worlds and read their memories. Through that, he learned that the strongest being that the Draconic Deus ever gave birth to could be maximally classified as a Half-Step Higher Dimensional Being. 

Earth had two of such beings...

Great Red and Ophis.

And apparently there were more...

In the distant past, leaders of the Evie Race and the Etoulde Race were rumored to have reached this level as well. 

And as should have Trihexa.

The Beast of Apocalypse.

And Yahweh, the Biblical God, also reached this level... before he perished.

Though Hades didn't know this for certain, he was pretty smart to notice some things, and one of the most eye-catching was the malfunctions in Heaven's System, the appearance of the Balance Breakers in the Sacred Gears, and similar things.

He was rather surprised that not many people, aside from him, noticed this.

But most of his fellow Gods were too arrogant to pay attention to such a small detail.

"What an interesting new world... even though it's weak and... what do we have here, mortals with Divinity? Interesting..."

The spider-like woman looked at Hades with great interest as she scrutinized every single part of his being, and he could see that she was also looking through his soul like it was an open book...

Which was...

Very disturbing fact.

"Tell me, little Demigod... what are you?"

The woman asked as she stepped forward with certain grace, but with each movement that she made, concealing a lot of power. 

"I see... the Laws of this Dimension allow you, Mortals, to grasp Divinity, despite the fact that you are still just Lower Dimensional Lifeforms... what a curious development."

Hearing that made Hades stiffen a bit, but seeing that nothing really happened, he relaxed a bit, but not by much.

"Nevertheless, it seems that this world will provide me a lot of entertainment..."

The spider woman said with amusement as she started expanding her senses to the entire Underworld, the whole plane. But that was that... she was just scanning the entire plane and collecting the information while Hades observed in the silence.

The God of the Dead knew very well to stay out of things that were above his league.

Soon her senses were expanded to the rest of the Earth and its adjacent planes and dimensions, and then beyond it ot the Dimensional Gap. Until she reached something that caught her attention, as her aura suddenly changed, and the entire Underworld started shaking in one violent earthquake.

"Ts... it seems that those two idiots are already here... You there, Demigod. Step closer."

Suddenly, her aura disappeared completely as the earthquake stopped, and Hades unknowingly stepped forward as his body listened to her command.

"Tell me everything about this realm. My Master sent me here for a reason, and I want information."

She commanded as Hades began telling her everything that he knew. 

Deep inside, Hades knew that these were the Otherworlders...

From mcuhb powerful Dimension than the Draconic Deus, which was more than evident by the fact that their Dimension had several Higher Dimensional Lifeforms. 

Hades was an ancient God, and the ancient people had access to information that was already forgotten by the world en masse. Not to mention, due to his hobby of collecting souls from the Dimensional Gap, he was once lucky.

He found an injured Otherworlder in the Draconic Deus on an abandoned planet. 

Even though the Otherworlder was injured, he still put up very stiff resistance and managed to fight Hades for some time, before the Lord of the Underworld emerged as a victor and repaid the soul of the Otherworlder.

And much to his luck, the Otherworlder came from Cardinal World.

Hades heard that term before...

A few times spoken by his father, who wanted to reach the Cardinal Word, because those worlds were the strongest in existence, and in them, he wanted to attain power like any other.

If Kronos managed to enter the Cardinal World and become much stronger in that place and return to the Draconic Deus, then he would be able to rule over the entire realm.

Yeah, a plan suitable of his mad father.

From the memories of the Otherworlder, he learned many things, and also that if he wanted to grow stronger, the best thing that he could do was to enter the stronger world.

The Otherworlder that he killed was fortunately very educated and had a lot of useful knowledge in his head. Everything that Hades extracted and learned most obviously.

And he also learned the fate of the weaker dimension when it's invaded by the stronger one, and it wasn't pretty.

Hades was playing the long game.

He could see that if the beings from a much stronger Dimension started popping here and there around the Draconic Deus, then this world was doomed.

It was better to switch sides and make some profit out of it.

Even though he had his pride as God and had his own Godly Arrogance, he was also very pragmatic towards it.