Chapter 115 - Resolution
Since Hermes had fainted, the boundary he had erected vanished, and movement between the previously separate realms was now open.
Alex hastily ran up inside and found Hermes buried by a pile of ash.
With a swift swing of his hand, the fine particles withered away, and the heavily injured Hermes came into his sight.
His skin had turned dry and scaly from the heat, and no sign of life was visible on the charred skin.
Alex immediately Incarnated into Hermes and grabbed the fallen Caduceus.
He inserted his Faith Energy into the staff and began healing his friend.
Fortunately, the healing process was quick and effective, and the burned outer layer of his skin simply shed away, revealing a completely unharmed body.
However, his clothes had also burned away, and Alex covered his body with a part of his own toga.
Meanwhile, Indra bowed deeply to the woman they all called 'Lady Parvati'.
She looked around at the mess and coldly said, "Chandra informed me of the irrational disturbances you have caused due to the loss of your mortal disciple."
Indra shook profusely, but he sternly replied, "I have but tried to balance the dharma of our land, Lady Parvati."
"Preposterous! This land, is free land, under the decree of Sir Siddartha Gautama! It is not part of your kingly duties to antagonize potential allies, as far I know, Indra, do correct me if I am wrong," Parvati scolded the god, and while she did ask him to correct her, it didn't seem like she actually meant it from her icy expression.
However, she then sighed and turned her sights in another direction.
Earlier, Indra had warned Ayush not to escape, and the mortal prince obliged and stayed in the very same seat.
Parvati had a look of pity on her face when she saw him, and she remarked, "I can't believe you were stupid enough to fall into the Asura's trap..."
When Durga heard the term 'Asura', she jerked intensely and glared at Ayush.
Parvati continued, "You thought you could become immortal by transfusing Asura blood into your bone marrow, didn't you?"
Ayush listlessly shook his head.
"Immortal blood seeps away at the longevity of mortals, especially if you transfuse it into your body..."
"You're not going to live longer than a year, mortal, you'll start aging rapidly and then die in unbearable pain."
Ayush's red eyes widened and he exclaimed, "That's not what they sa-
"Lady Parvati, shall I end his life?" Durga interjected as spiteful eyes glared at the prince.
Parvati nodded and said, "Put him out of his misery."
"Bu-
*Slash*
Ayush tried to object to his sudden death sentence, but the war goddess' weapons were ruthless, and her sword beheaded him before he could even finish his sentence.
Aadityapal stood on the opposite side of the venue with Ranya, and his eyes flashed with a strange satisfaction when he saw the retribution of the gods upon Ayush.
"Durga?" Parvati turned to the goddess.
"Yes, milady?"
"The Asuras have become more proactive, as it seems, we need to resume our raids on the malevolent clans."
"As you wish, Lady Parvati."
While the two goddesses engaged in discussion and ignored his presence, cold sweat spilled down like buckets on Indra's body.
Ashoka went down and greeted the two, "I apologize for the mess, Lady Parvati and Lady Durga."
Parvati smiled and replied, "I'm the one who needs to apologize for the actions of the king I appointed, speaking of that..."
She looked at Hermes, who had just regained consciousness, and Alex, who sighed in relief.
"Indra,"
When Indra heard the goddess pronounce his name, his body bolted instinctively, and he raised his head.
"You'll be going for some meditation in Himalaya, Chandra will be ruling the Devas temporarily."
"Bu-
Indra met the eyes of the goddess, and a chill went down his spine at the calm fury those eyes held.
He ultimately nodded.
"Hermes, and Alex, I believe?"
Hermes wished to reply, but Alex interjected and exclaimed, "What do you want?"
Vexation spread across Parvati's face, and she simply bowed down and stated, "We deeply apologize for the ordeal Indra has put you through, and we wish to sign official dealings to avoid such future conflicts."
When Hermes heard the words 'official dealings', his weak body instantly gained energy, and he swiftly unfolded his wings and flew next to the two goddesses.
"Dealings? I'd like to hear the details." His eyes glowed.
Hermes' excitement lightened the atmosphere, and Alex burst out into laughter.
After that, everybody left the venue and a group composed of Parvati, Durga, Ashoka, Alex, and Hermes made their way to the Imperial Palace.
There was a large meeting hall in the palace, and the deities gathered around a round table.
"I believe we haven't formed any official ties with the western pantheon, have we?" Parvati asked Hermes.
Hermes shook his head and added, "There hasn't been any need for that, as no territory belonging to Olympus encroaches upon the lands ruled by the Devas."
Parvati nodded and proposed, "I think a negotiation consolidating the security of western gods passing through will be necessary to avoid such conflicts as today."
Hermes cleared his throat and proclaimed, "I am the official voice of Olympus, I represent Queen Athena and will inform her of the dealings on our return back."
'Queen Athena?!' Alex was dumbfounded and stared at Hermes.
Hermes simply winked at him, and Alex's jaw formed an 'Oh' shape.
Parvati remarked, "Queen? Has your throne changed hands? I believe a man used to rule the western gods."
Hermes stoically answered, "Yes, that is in fact, the case."
"On that, to further apologize, would you recommend any gifts for us to send to Lady Athena, your Queen?" Durga interjected and proposed.
Hermes fell into deep thought, but Alex felt that this was his chance, and swiftly replied.
"Books, any books concerning history, astronomy, politics, science."
Parvati nodded and said, "That will be easy, I will immediately send some men to deliver our best literary masterpieces to Yunan."