Pain tore through the body of the titaness Leto as she ran.
Behind her, the monstrous serpent hissed through the wilderness, its massive body crushing trees and stone alike.
The creature had been sent by the jealous queen of the gods, Hera, who could not tolerate the existence of Zeus's children growing within Leto's womb.
Leto clutched her stomach as she fled.
Originally, she believed she carried twins.
But moments earlier she had scanned her womb with her divine senses.
And what she felt had shocked her.
There were three presences.
Three divine sparks of life growing within her.
Two were familiar.
But the third…
The third radiated power far beyond what she expected from a newborn god.
Finally, after days of fleeing, Leto reached sanctuary.
The sacred island of Delos.
The moment her feet touched the island's soil, she collapsed.
The time had come.
The first child was born quickly.
A girl.
Silver light surrounded the newborn as divine power surged through her body.
Within moments she began to grow rapidly, her body aging before Leto's eyes until she took the form of a young woman.
The girl looked down at herself calmly, then concentrated. Her form shifted again, settling into the shape of a prepubescent girl.
Leto smiled softly.
"Artemis," she whispered.
The second child followed shortly after.
A boy.
Golden light radiated from him as he emerged into the world.
Like his sister, he aged rapidly, divine power shaping his body until he appeared as a young man in his late teens.
His golden eyes burned with pride and confidence.
"Apollo," Leto said gently.
But then came the third child.
And the moment he was born…
The air changed.
A heavy pressure spread across the island.
Divine energy surged outward like a shockwave.
Even Leto froze in surprise.
The child slowly opened his eyes.
Unlike the others, he did not immediately age.
He simply observed the world around him.
Calm.
Silent.
Analytical.
Then his divine power finally moved.
His body began to grow until he reached the appearance of a young man in his late teens.
He had deep purple hair and an almost androgynous beauty, though his features leaned more toward male.
Yet what truly stunned Leto…
Was his power.
Despite being only minutes old, the divine energy radiating from him surpassed any minor god she had ever encountered.
It was overwhelming.
"A strange child indeed…" Leto murmured.
After a moment of thought, she spoke the name she felt resonating within her heart.
"Verethragna."
Despite their divine nature, it took a few minutes for the newborn gods to fully awaken their minds.
When they did, Leto gently explained the truth of their birth.
All three listened silently.
Their father was Zeus.
And the serpent hunting them had been sent by Hera.
Apollo's eyes immediately burned with anger.
"I will kill the serpent," he declared.
His voice carried the confidence of a future god.
Beside him, Artemis stood calmly.
"I will never belong to any man," she said firmly. "I vow eternal virginity."
Leto nodded, accepting the oath.
Then all eyes turned toward the youngest.
Verethragna.
For a moment, the purple-haired god said nothing.
But inside his mind…
Rage surged.
He had been reborn into this world only moments ago, yet he already understood the situation.
Zeus.
The king of the gods.
The reason their mother had suffered.
For a brief moment, Verethragna considered something drastic.
Killing him.
But Leto stepped forward quickly, sensing the dangerous thoughts forming in her youngest child.
"Please," she said softly. "Let it go."
Verethragna looked at her.
The anger slowly faded.
Finally, he nodded.
"…Very well."
His voice was calm.
Emotionless.
"But I will protect this family."
Verethragna — POV
It had been a few days since my reincarnation.
Honestly, the whole situation was still surreal.
I had expected to be reborn somewhere in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians universe.
What I didn't expect…
Was becoming the third child of Leto.
Which meant I was now the younger brother of Artemis and Apollo.
Talk about a massive timeline change.
Still, I had bigger things to think about.
Divine energy.
Or godly power.
Whatever name it had in this world.
The moment I focused on it, I realized something incredible.
Gods could shape their appearance freely.
So naturally, I recreated the appearance of Verethragna from Campione.
Purple hair.
Sharp features.
A body built for battle.
If I was going to have his powers, I might as well have his look too.
It didn't take long to sense the strength of my siblings.
Artemis was powerful.
Apollo was powerful.
But compared to me…
There was a clear gap.
Even as a newborn god, my divine energy dwarfed theirs.
Not that I said that out loud.
After spending two days getting used to my new family, I made a decision.
Training.
If divine energy was the foundation of a god's strength, then mastering it would give me a massive advantage.
So I sat down and began focusing inward.
Every drop of power flowing through my body.
Every spark of divine energy.
I began compressing it.
Controlling it.
Refining it.
Perfect control.
That was my goal.
Because if I could control my divine energy perfectly…
Then every attack.
Every ability.
Every movement in battle would become infinitely more efficient.
I suppose it made sense.
After all…
I was the god of victory and war.
And victory belonged to those who mastered their power first.