The Path of the Gods Part IV: The Price of Existence
In his colossal form, Zeus held in the palm of his hand what looked like a mountain. Upon it, Miraak stared back at him in open defiance, fully aware that he could be crushed like an ant the moment the god closed his fist.
Zeus fixed his gaze on him, as if that were exactly what he wished to do at any moment. Yet, with every passing second, he could feel something that deeply irritated him. His name was beginning to fade from the minds of people, as though the world itself were slowly forgetting him.
Zeus's face tightened into a clearly annoyed expression as he narrowed his eyes, locking them onto Miraak.
"You are not the first fly to dare stand against me. What makes you think your end will be any different from theirs?" he said, as though allowing him to live were merely another option.
"That I do not care about losing everything, as long as it means making you lose everything as well," Miraak replied calmly, a faintly violent smile forming on his lips.
"Do you think I do not know why you are doing this? It is for that brat, is it not? Poseidon's son," Zeus said, bringing his hand even closer until they were face to face.
Miraak looked at him, utterly unperturbed, his expression cold and his smile barely mocking.
"He is just a piece I used to reach you," he answered.
Zeus let out a laugh filled with mockery.
"Oh, really? Then what if I curse him with eternal torment, or destroy his soul altogether?" he said, looking at him as if none of it truly mattered.
Miraak seemed genuinely indifferent. Still, at one point, one of his fingers moved slightly, almost imperceptibly.
That alone seemed to hasten the erasure of Zeus's name from the world. Even so, the god responded with a contemptuous, arrogant smile.
Then Miraak felt as if all of space violently folded in on itself. In the blink of an eye, Zeus was no longer there. Now he stood beside Mount Olympus, towering over Manhattan in all its imposing glory.
"Brother?" Poseidon asked as he saw Zeus's massive figure appear, his brow furrowing.
"Fine, say it again. If I kill the brat right now, you will not care, will you?" Zeus said, raising his hand above the peak of Olympus, lightning crackling around it.
Poseidon stepped forward and took a defensive stance, his expression darkening as he realized his brother was truly consumed by rage.
Miraak stared directly at Zeus, then cast a quick glance toward Percy. The boy's face trembled slightly, yet he showed no fear. He looked at his master with absolute trust, a blind confidence reflected in every part of his posture.
"I…" Miraak began, as if he were about to say the same thing as before, but suddenly his expression shifted, turning visibly irritated.
Zeus's hand crackled with even greater intensity.
"Repair the damage you caused, and I will let him live. In exchange, you will pay for your crime," Zeus said confidently as he noticed Miraak hesitate.
Miraak's expression hardened further as he thought that, from the very beginning, Percy had only ever been a chess piece, just like countless others in his past. Dragons who had served him only to be devoured. Dragon priests who knelt before him, only to be destroyed once they ceased to be useful.
"Poseidon, do not interfere. This concerns all of Olympus. You will not walk away unscathed if you protect the student of an external being," Zeus said, turning his gaze toward his brother, who showed a faintly troubled expression.
It was true.
One thing was protecting his son. Another entirely was defending someone who had chosen to become the student of a being capable of causing real harm to Olympus. An enemy of Olympus had to be destroyed. This was not like the theft of the Master Bolt. When someone endangered Olympus itself, internal conflicts no longer mattered.
Poseidon looked at Percy with a trace of guilt. However, Percy returned his gaze with simplicity, as if none of it mattered to him. His attention remained fixed on his master, concern evident in his eyes.
Poseidon raised his hand, wanting to say something, but Percy did not even look at him.
"Master, you said that if I died, you would bring me back as a controlled zombie. I think I would look pretty good with a rise of the dead style," Percy said, even as his body trembled slightly and he forced a smile.
Miraak, still held by Zeus, looked toward Percy. His expression became completely serious and resolute.
Then he studied him carefully and smiled with quiet pride.
"Hahahaha," Miraak began to laugh, causing Zeus to look at him with disdain, convinced that he had lost his mind, something that often happened to those who dared to oppose him.
"Destroy me," Miraak said suddenly.
"What?" Zeus asked, confused.
"You only have to destroy me and everything will end. Come on, do it. Destroy me," Miraak repeated, a faintly amused smile on his face.
Zeus frowned with clear suspicion. Then, Miraak moved one of his fingers again.
Lights began to rise from different parts of the world, forming pillars that stretched toward the sky.
Zeus started to feel how people across the entire planet were suddenly falling asleep, while his name was erased from the collective memory at an alarming speed.
"Destroy me!" Miraak shouted.
Percy tried to scream and run toward his master, but Poseidon stopped him, understanding that if Miraak was destroyed, it might be the only way for Percy to remain alive.
"Master, no!" Percy shouted, now completely overtaken by fear.
Miraak did not even look at him. His eyes were fixed solely on Zeus.
"Come on, pathetic being who believes himself divine. Destroy every part of my existence. Erase me!" Miraak shouted.
Zeus watched him as if trying to read his mind. He could not, but his countless years of existence allowed him to understand how many beings thought. And everything about Miraak indicated that he truly wanted this. Absolute destruction.
"Just like that?" Zeus asked, still paranoid.
"It is that, or being erased from the mind of every thinking being," Miraak replied with complete calm.
Zeus could threaten to destroy Percy, but he could clearly see that Miraak was not even looking at him. He was prepared to be destroyed regardless. It was as if he were exchanging his own life for Percy's, ensuring that the boy would continue to live.
Miraak was offering up his existence.
"Very well. If that is what you desire, you will not even have a reincarnation. There will be no soul left to continue existing," Zeus said as he raised his other hand over Miraak, who looked at him with a smile entirely free of fear.
"Master, no, please!" Percy shouted desperately, struggling to break free.
Miraak abandoned his draconic transformation, remaining simply in his weakest form. He closed his eyes calmly, a gentle smile resting on his face.
Then, without seeing it coming, he felt a pain that seemed to fill every part of his existence. It was not physical pain. It was something far deeper. His own weapon was being destroyed along with him.
"Idiot," Miraak managed to mutter, just before the blinding light of absolute destruction consumed him completely.
Zeus, still in his giant form, stared at his palm for several seconds, as if expecting something to happen after Miraak's destruction. When nothing did, he also felt how the anomalies affecting mortals began to fade away. His expression turned faintly mocking.
"I will give you credit for making me a little nervous," he said, as his body began to shrink in size. Even so, he remained enormous as he stood atop Mount Olympus.
Percy was kneeling on the ground. He had just witnessed his master's destruction. His hands trembled beyond his control.
Zeus looked at him with slight contempt as he extended his hand. The Master Bolt flew instantly into his palm, and he aimed it directly at Percy.
"Brother!" Poseidon shouted.
Zeus looked at him coldly. He did not seem to care what Poseidon said. He was determined to destroy Percy right then and there.
Poseidon raised his trident, placing himself in front of Zeus. The two gods stared at each other, tension rising sharply between them.
Then, suddenly, both of them turned their gaze to the side at the same time.
Something strange was happening.
They were not the only ones who felt it. Divine beings all across the world seemed to sense it as well.
It was as if existence itself were suffering.
Odin, standing atop the Valhalla Hotel, looked up at the sky with a relaxed, faintly amused smile.
"So that was what you were seeking from the very beginning, was it not, Miraak?" he said with interest. "To stand above all also means being unable to be destroyed by anyone. Will you be able to reach it? Even in this, you were prepared to protect your student. If you fail and Zero-Sum consumes you, his life will be restored to a point where you never existed."
Thor, standing behind him, smiled with clear amusement.
"Hahaha. It really is very much our style, is it not, father?"
"To die in battle," Odin replied calmly. "Yes."
He paused briefly before adding, "If he were to fail, I would have liked to welcome him into Valhalla. But that will not happen. Even we will forget him, so let us hope he succeeds."