Chapter Summaries

Samael proved he was the returned King of Athens by taming the Sacred Serpent and reclaiming the Divine Constructs, then seized control of the city. He sealed Mount of the God of War and began purging the Divine Blood Aristocrats to uncover a traitor who had aided Persia.

• The Sacred Serpent swallowed the Pandion Family head, armed itself with the Sagittarius Gold Cloth and other Divine Constructs, and submitted to Samael as Athens's royal authority passed to him.
• Samael reminded the kneeling nobles that divine blood did not make them worthy of worship and condemned them for forgetting their duties.
• Samael summoned the Valkyries and received Sigurd, Beowulf, and other Norse heroes, who reported that their forces had reached Icarus Port without resistance.
• Samael accused a council member of taking Persian Gold Coins to betray the route of his party and the Spartan envoys, then imposed martial law and sealed the council hall.
• The Norse heroes took over Athens's defenses and searched the inner city while Samael promised the detained nobles they would be released after the investigation; Queen Gogo wondered about the Persian coins.

Samael reviewed Athens’s institutions and found its military weakened by corruption and aristocratic nepotism, so he prepared to purge the officials responsible. He reassured Gogo and Helen that help was already on the way to Hot Spring Pass, then waited for an expected visitor to arrive.

• Samael condemned Athens’s depleted Divine Blood Warriors, unqualified Constellation Saints, aristocratic control of the Star Palaces, and closure of Athens Academy.
• Samael decided to kill or arrest corrupt officials, fabricated charges of Persian collusion, and drew up purge lists for the berserkers and Norse heroes.
• Gogo worried that purging Athens’s leadership before the battle could endanger Hot Spring Pass, but Samael promised the fleet would depart by the day after tomorrow.
• Samael told Gogo and Helen that two friends were already assisting Leonidas at Hot Spring Pass and sent the Spartan messengers to rest.
• After Bloodaxe King Eric and Warrior King Sigurd left with another purge list, the person Samael had awaited entered the hall.

Samael organized Athens’s forces and sought Odysseus’s help for the coming war against Persia. After sending Themistocles to Ithaca, he discovered Athena’s hidden snacks and reflected on the safeguards she had left to help him reform the council.

• Themistocles and Miltiades reported that Athens’s navy and infantry were assembling, while supplies and potions still needed at least a day to gather.
• Samael ordered Miltiades to organize land forces from the Greek city-states and told Themistocles that Sigurd’s Viking Warships would help transport them.
• Themistocles warned that a large land force could hinder the fleet, so Samael decided to seek Odysseus as a strategic reinforcement and sent Themistocles to Ithaca Island.
• Samael explained that Odysseus had stayed away to protect Athens and keep the council from endangering Greece, then dismissed the two commanders to prepare for war.
• Samael found and confiscated Athena’s hidden salted olives, then concluded that she had left him safeguards to help him clean up the council’s corruption.

Samael performed a summoning ritual at the Temple of the Three Goddesses, and Anna descended ahead of the other spirits by winning a contest among them. Anna told him Athena and the others would return in ten days, but warned that the world would then head toward sunset and the gods would face their twilight.

• Samael used divine blood to create a Magic Formation and chanted a ritual to summon the spirits.
• Thunder, stars, a bow and gunwheel, a Valkyrie, and azure waves clashed above Athens as the spirits competed to descend.
• Anna emerged from the serpent’s shedding skin and embraced Samael, welcoming him back.
• Anna explained that she had descended first by using their shared nature as serpents, while the summoning door could admit only one more target.
• Anna told Samael that Athena and the others would return when the door fully opened in ten days, then warned him that the gods would welcome their twilight.

Samael told Anna that the Third Iliad War had begun and that Leonidas was defending Hot Spring Pass, then reassured her that allies were going to support him. At the pass, Quetzalcoatl and Smoking Mirror faced Vritra and Vishnu, leaving the battle’s outcome uncertain.

• Anna told Samael that the world would face a crisis in ten days, though she could not recall its details.
• Samael told Anna that Leonidas was guarding Hot Spring Pass and that the Third Iliad War had begun.
• Samael reassured Anna that Quetzalcoatl and Smoking Mirror had gone to support Leonidas, and said they would leave for the pass with a fleet by the day after tomorrow.
• Anna worried that Leonidas might die as he had in his original fate, and Samael comforted her while privately wondering about a pink-haired fox.
• At Tempe Valley, Vritra and Vishnu confronted Quetzalcoatl and Smoking Mirror, whose evenly matched opponents threatened the defense of Hot Spring Pass.

Leonidas and Alexander assessed the Greeks’ catastrophic losses at Hot Spring Pass as the Persian army prepared to renew its assault. With the Persians gathering their full strength and a golden-red spear nearing its limit, the defenders faced another overwhelming attack.

• Alexander reported the allied Greek forces’ severe casualties to Leonidas, including the destruction of Mycenae’s warriors and the near-annihilation of the spellcasters by Karna.
• Alexander argued that a disturbance behind Persian lines had forced the enemy to retreat, while Leonidas doubted that Athens would send reinforcements.
• Leonidas spotted the Persians burning their dead in a Zoroastrian rite and realized they were preparing to go all out.
• The Immortals advanced in formation as spell-covered war elephants carrying mystics, archers, Arash, and Scheherazade approached Hot Spring Pass.
• A little girl sat atop the largest elephant while a golden-red spear rose above the Persian formation, gathering immense power.

The Greek defenders at Hot Spring Pass suffered devastating losses as Karna and the Persian forces overwhelmed their positions. Just as Karna prepared a final strike against the Greeks, reinforcements arrived from the sea and blocked it.

• Alexander organized Arcadian archers to fire volleys at the Persian army, but war elephants and enemy projectiles devastated the Greek formations.
• Leonidas and the Spartan Royal Guards formed a shield wall and hurled spears, killing elephants and briefly easing the pressure on the defenders.
• Karna unleashed his divine solar power, blasting a huge crater into Hot Spring Pass and reducing the Greek defenders to fewer than two thousand.
• Leonidas rallied the battered Greek soldiers, who refused Karna's offer to surrender and dared him to take the pass.
• Karna prepared a devastating spear strike, but RhoAias and AkhilleusKosmos appeared and shielded the Greeks as a three-horse chariot charged in from the sea.
• Leonidas and Alexander collapsed in relief and laughed as the long-awaited reinforcements arrived.

After the Saint King’s crackdown brought order to Athens, Nero, Brunhilde, and Attila arrived at Icarus Port, where Nero tried to buy desserts but had no money and decided to perform for the crowd. At Mount of the God of War, Samael was suddenly tormented by a shrill, destructive scream.

• The Saint King arrested many Divine Blood Aristocrats, and Athens’s streets grew more orderly as residents began their day.
• Nero, Brunhilde, and Attila reached Icarus Port, where Attila followed the scent of food to a dessert stall.
• Nero offered to treat Attila to desserts, but learned that she and Brunhilde had brought no money.
• Nero announced that she would sing for the gathered crowd to earn enough money to pay for the food.
• At Mount of the God of War, Samael struggled with his paperwork until a piercing scream shook the area and nearly overwhelmed him.

Samael tried to stop Nero’s drunken, disastrous street performance, but she outmaneuvered him in an argument until Tamamo no Mae silenced her. Back at Mount of the God of War, Samael comforted Brunhilde, only for Hildr, Thrud, and Ortlinde to walk in on an embarrassing misunderstanding.

• Samael sent Hildr, Thrud, and Ortlinde to stop the noise, but Thrud reported that Nero had diplomatic protection and had defeated the judicial officers’ case against her.
• Samael confronted Nero’s amplified performance, but she got him to debate her and won by shifting between morality, human rights, law, politics, and shamelessness.
• Tamamo no Mae knocked Nero out, bound and gagged her, restored the audience’s sanity, and took her reward in the form of a promise from Samael.
• Attila received a basket of pastries from the frightened shop owner, and Samael promised Mount of the God of War would cover the businesses’ losses.
• Samael excused Brunhilde’s role in the incident and gave her the tea-stained table to clean, but she accidentally spilled tea on his trousers as she hurried to help.
• Hildr, Thrud, and Ortlinde entered as Brunhilde bent beneath the desk to clean Samael’s trousers, mistook the scene for something intimate, and hurried out without hearing his explanation.

Samael discussed his plans for securing the north and stabilizing Athens with Anna over lunch. He prepared to march north while appointing Helen and Gog to govern Athens, though he remained worried about the dangers awaiting when the Sea of Stars opened.

• After finishing urgent paperwork, Samael shared lunch with Anna and discussed Odin's uncertain loyalty to Greece.
• Samael revealed that he had embellished a prophecy of the Twilight of the Gods and sent it to Odin through Scathach to draw the north into Greece's cause.
• Samael and Anna discussed the lack of suitable leaders in Athens while Greece's gods and earlier generations of heroes remained trapped in the Sea of Stars.
• Anna proposed appointing Helen and Gog as regents of Athens, and explained their influence, experience, and willingness to support Samael's expedition.
• Samael agreed that Helen and Gog could stabilize Athens, but he remained concerned that the Sea of Stars' opening would unleash dangerous powers across the world.

Samael reflected on how Athens had betrayed Theseus despite benefiting from his achievements, and he saw the same ingratitude in the Athenians’ treatment of him. He assigned Helen and Gogo to handle state affairs while Anna prepared for the expedition, but his quiet evening ended when the Tyrant began another loud performance.

• Samael recalled Theseus’ accomplishments and the Athenians’ betrayal of him, comparing their ingratitude to their treatment of Samael.
• Samael told Anna that Helen and Gogo would handle state affairs and asked her to prepare the expedition procedures for the Spartans.
• Anna eagerly ran from the hall to make the preparations, while Samael finished his work before sunset.
• Samael settled down with tea, but the Tyrant’s singing shook the surroundings and shattered his cup.
• Samael rushed to the source of the noise and found the Tyrant performing on a projected stage as Attila ate pastries and scattered rose petals.

Samael stopped Nero’s disruptive singing and took her to Scathach’s residence to find somewhere to leave her. With Scathach absent, he made Tamamo no Mae watch Nero and brought Horo back to Mount of the God of War, leaving Horo to accept caring for the child.

• Nero declared that she would pursue singing and dancing as a career, so Samael punished her for disturbing everyone and decided to take her away from Mount of the God of War.
• Samael arrived at Scathach’s residence and stopped Horo and Tamamo no Mae from fighting.
• Horo told Samael that Scathach had gone out and had not said when she would return.
• Samael assigned Nero to Tamamo no Mae and ordered Horo to come live on Mount of the God of War.
• Tamamo no Mae left with Samael, while Horo decided that looking after Nero might be an acceptable trade.

Samael found Attila transformed into a small child after her power surged and injured him, then discovered that Star Core Fragments seemed connected to her regression. He left Little Attila in the Valkyries’ care and returned to the administrative hall, where Tamamo no Mae was waiting and teasing him.

• Samael sent Tamamo no Mae up Mount of the God of War to find a house, then went to look for Attila.
• Samael found Little Attila asleep beneath a blanket, and her surging aether badly injured him when he touched her.
• Little Attila called Samael "Mommy," crushed his Space Node, ate two Star Core Fragments, and fell asleep as the star patterns on her skin brightened.
• Samael decided to have Brunhilde and other Valkyries care for Little Attila while he investigated her regression and focused on the Iliad War.
• Several figures entered Attila’s bedroom after Samael left and lamented that their plan had failed, though they noted that he had been injured.
• Samael found Tamamo no Mae waiting in the administrative hall, where she claimed they were close friends and he denied having an affair with her.

Samael returned to the administrative hall bloodied, where Tamamo no Mae grew jealous of another woman’s scent and tried to strip him. He hid Tamamo no Mae and Scathach from Anna, but learned Skadi had gone to Mount of the God of War to surprise him, leaving him afraid his secrets would be exposed.

• Tamamo no Mae noticed blood and Attila’s scent on Samael, then accused him of attracting other women and tried to remove his clothes.
• Samael hid Tamamo no Mae in a Concealment Magic Formation when Scathach arrived, then let Scathach believe his injury had flared up.
• Scathach comforted Samael with a kiss, but Anna’s shout interrupted them before they could grow closer.
• Samael hid Scathach and Tamamo no Mae in the formation when Anna entered to report that the Great Sacrifice preparations were complete.
• Brunhilde entered and said Skadi had arrived and gone to Mount of the God of War to surprise Samael, leaving him fearing the formation would break and expose everyone.

Samael fled Mount of the God of War after realizing Skadi had discovered his affair with Scathach, while a shadowy faction plotted to shift its attack to other targets. Brunhilde sensed something amiss and rushed to the mountain path, but found no one there.

• Skadi appeared in the hall, discovered Samael was missing, and roared his name as Anna and Scathach realized he had run away.
• Samael hid in the woods, worked out how the identity-swapping misunderstanding had exposed his affair, and blamed Tamamo no Mae before heading for a safe house.
• A black-robed man confronted an elegant figure after their attempt to awaken the Scourge of God failed, and the figure urged him to target two other key figures instead.
• The elegant figure gave the man three strands of light and promised Greece would be in his hands if the group succeeded.
• Brunhilde sensed something while soothing the sleeping girl, flew to the mountain path, and found only silence.

Helen and Samael discussed the plans to protect Greece before Samael, exhausted from his journey and battles, fell asleep in her room. Helen let him rest with his head in her lap, while black figures began slipping into the temple that night.

• Helen explored the Gemini Temple with Gog and said she expected Pollux and Castor to return after the Iliad War.
• Samael appeared in Helen’s bath, explaining that he was borrowing a place to hide, and she invited him to sit and have tea.
• Samael confirmed the plans for the next day’s Great Sacrifice, and Helen agreed to help preserve Athens and unite the Greek states.
• Helen offered to let Samael sleep in her room, and he fell asleep from exhaustion before he could settle onto the floor.
• Helen gently arranged Samael’s head on her lap and covered him with a quilt as black figures entered from the star temples.

Helen watched Samael sleep in the Gemini Side Hall until temple agents attacked them, but Samael stopped the assassins and turned their own sacred flames against them. He defeated a six-winged phantom with Laevateinn, while an elegant woman far from Athens reflected on the attackers’ purification.

• Helen watched the sleeping Samael and leaned toward his forehead before an aether barrier sealed the Gemini Side Hall.
• Black-robed temple agents attacked Helen, but Samael awakened and froze the intruders and their spellcasters with his power.
• Samael recognized the Gorgon emblem and forced the attackers to kneel, but his injuries weakened his hold over them.
• The leader ordered his followers to attack, and their feathers of light ignited them and nearby agents instead.
• Samael summoned Laevateinn and destroyed the six-winged phantom and its blazing torrent.
• A hooded woman a hundred miles from Athens sensed the outcome and considered the attackers purified.

Samael captured and interrogated a Pandion Family noble who had conspired with Persia to awaken the Scourge of God and attack him. After executing the noble, Samael ordered a citywide purge of the conspirators, leaving Gogo to carry out his commands as another bloody storm loomed over Athens.

• Gogo entered the Gemini Side Hall and found Helen unharmed beside Samael, who noticed a hidden intruder behind a courtyard pillar.
• Gogo knocked the fleeing intruder back, and Samael seized the middle-aged Pandion Family noble, whose cracked Gorgon-patterned shield fell to the floor.
• The noble revealed that a mysterious Persian contact had used him in a plot to awaken the Scourge of God and force Samael to submit.
• Samael pretended to forgive the noble, then burned him to ashes and ordered Gogo to report the rebellion and place Athens under martial law.
• Samael directed Scathach and Anna to hunt the conspirators and declared that the nobles would be sacrificed at the Great Sacrifice the next morning.

Samael concluded that Jehovah was directing Persia’s schemes and had likely sent a powerful angel to intervene in the Iliad War. He reassured Helen that Greek reinforcements were gathering and suggested Athena had a hidden trump card beyond Odysseus and Achilles.

• Samael told Helen that Persian gods had entered the conflict and suspected the Lord of Hosts was behind the careful schemes targeting Greece.
• Samael identified the mysterious Persian agent as likely an angel serving Jehovah and predicted they would encounter Jehovah during the coming expedition.
• Samael explained that Jehovah would probably wait until his preparations were complete before confronting the Greeks directly.
• Samael assured Helen that the expedition would proceed as planned and listed the Assassins' Order, Egypt, Rome, and the Valkyrie legion among the forces gathering to support them.
• Samael hinted that Athena had a trump card beyond Odysseus and Achilles, and Helen realized there might be another ally.

Helen warned Samael that the planned executions could lead to contamination and an epidemic, prompting him to uncover a Persian plot to unleash the Great Plague of Athens. He and Helen planned to use Artemis’s purification power to destroy the hidden parasites beneath Athens.

• Helen advised Samael to have the executed Divine Blood Aristocrats’ corpses purified and cremated to prevent an epidemic.
• Samael remembered the Great Plague of Athens and suspected Persia had planted it to devastate Greece.
• Samael searched beneath Athens and found black-mist parasites spreading through the Ley Lines from Piraeus Outer Port.
• Samael explained his discovery to Helen and reassured her that they could turn the threat against Persia.
• Helen agreed to help purify the parasites, and she and Samael planned a public demonstration using Artemis’s authority and a spell-inscribed bow.