Chapter Summaries

Hera opened up to Heisenberg about her loveless marriage to Zeus and the dignity she preserved by remaining faithful, while Heisenberg confessed his desire to heal her wounded heart. Hera feared Zeus would hurt him and begged him to keep his distance, then fell asleep wondering whether their closeness was only a dream.

• Hera and Heisenberg drank together, and she admitted that she accepted his feelings only as a friend because she was still Zeus's wife.
• Hera explained that Zeus had deceived and forced his way into marrying her, and that she had never loved him but refused to betray her marriage.
• Heisenberg held Hera's hand and asked whether he could mend her wounded heart, but she pulled away and urged him not to pursue her.
• Hera warned Heisenberg that Zeus was too powerful to challenge, while Heisenberg promised that Olympus now had someone willing to face Zeus.
• Hera begged Heisenberg to stay away because she feared he would be hurt or killed for her sake, then cried and fell asleep on the couch.

Heisenberg slept beside Hera in her palace, while Hera privately wrestled with her feelings and her commitment to her marriage. Elsewhere, Artemis watched Ares and Aphrodite, spoke with Hestia about marriage and Zeus, and panicked when Zeus arrived at her palace.

• Heisenberg fell asleep holding Hera's hand, and Hera woke to find him beside her before covering them both with peacock feathers.
• Hera admitted to herself that she loved Heisenberg but would never betray her marriage, then fell asleep beside him.
• Ares met Aphrodite in an apple orchard, and the two slept together while discussing Zeus's new daughter and Ares's coming fight.
• Artemis watched Ares and Aphrodite through the moonlight and accidentally intensified coastal floods after venting her irritation with an arrow.
• Hestia explained her and Athena's reasons for remaining unmarried and advised Artemis to find a husband before Zeus took an interest in her.
• Zeus called out for Artemis, leaving her frightened and wishing she had a husband to help her avoid him.

Zeus confronted Hestia and Artemis over Diana’s mysterious blessings, but Hestia sent them to Hera first by invoking Hera’s earlier order. They reached Hera’s palace and found her asleep beside Heisenberg, surrounded by peacocks; Hestia drove the birds away, leaving Hera horrified.

• Zeus visited Artemis and demanded answers about Diana’s blessings, while Hestia accused him of secretly stealing divine power.
• Zeus summoned Artemis and Hestia to confront the other goddesses, but Hestia said Hera had ordered them to explain themselves first.
• After Zeus left, Hestia persuaded a reluctant Artemis to go with her to Hera’s palace and discuss Diana’s situation.
• Hestia and Artemis arrived at Hera’s palace, where they found a powerful unfamiliar alcohol scent and a hall crowded with peacocks.
• Hera woke beside Heisenberg when Hestia called out, then watched in despair as Hestia’s holy fire drove the peacocks away.

Hera and Heisenberg captured Hestia, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Athena after they discovered the pair together. As Demeter arrived and threatened to expose Hera to Zeus, Hera and Heisenberg decided to capture her too.

• Hera sealed her palace and demanded that Hestia and Artemis swear to keep her relationship with Heisenberg secret, then joined Heisenberg in fighting them when they resisted.
• Heisenberg defeated Artemis with Gungnir and bound Hestia with lava chains, leaving both goddesses captured.
• Aphrodite entered the palace, saw the captured goddesses, and tried to flee, but Heisenberg beat and bound her as well.
• Athena arrived to discuss Zeus's questions about Diana's blessings, and Heisenberg knocked her unconscious and captured her.
• Demeter entered, found the four captured goddesses and Hera holding Heisenberg's arm, and threatened to tell Zeus; Hera and Heisenberg agreed to capture her too.

Hera and Heisenberg captured Demeter, bringing the number of bound Olympian goddesses to five, then prepared to summon the God of Oaths so they would swear not to reveal Hera’s relationship with the foreign King of Gods. Athena learned that Hera had no plan to overthrow Olympus, while Artemis began to admire Heisenberg; the chapter ended with Hermes arriving to discuss his blessing on Diana.

• Hera and Heisenberg defeated Demeter and bound her beside the other captured goddesses.
• Heisenberg revealed that he was Asgard’s King of Gods and that his spear was Gungnir, which he had taken after defeating Odin.
• Athena accused Hera of scheming against Olympus, but Hera denied it and explained that she only intended to keep her relationship with Heisenberg secret.
• Artemis grew attracted to Heisenberg, while Hera called upon Heracles to witness an oath of secrecy.
• Hermes arrived at Hera’s palace and asked why she had not summoned him to discuss his blessing on Diana.

Hermes barged into Hera’s sealed palace and surrendered to Heisenberg after seeing the bound goddesses. Aphrodite revealed that Hermes had raped her and asked Heisenberg to kill him, but Hera warned that doing so would provoke Olympus; Heisenberg spared Hermes’s life while letting Aphrodite castrate him.

• Hermes entered Hera’s palace, saw the bound goddesses, and quickly tied himself up and knelt before Heisenberg.
• Hera identified Hermes as Zeus’s son and messenger, and warned Heisenberg that Hermes could expose their plans.
• Aphrodite kissed Hera, then asked Heisenberg to kill Hermes and described how Hermes had raped and imprisoned her.
• Hera opposed killing Hermes because he was a principal god trusted by Zeus and his death could start a war.
• Heisenberg refused to kill Hermes but offered Aphrodite a chance to punish him, then pinned Hermes with Gungnir.
• Aphrodite castrated Hermes with a dagger, and Heisenberg stopped his scream by stomping on his head.

Heisenberg and Hera secured a secrecy oath from six Principal Gods after Hermes was healed enough to swear, and Cronus and Ananke invited Heisenberg to visit. Hera struggled with her feelings for Heisenberg and sent him to find Diana while she stayed to handle Olympus.

• Hestia reluctantly used her hearthfire to heal Hermes, and Heisenberg forced him to swear the oath while deciding he would kill him someday.
• Hera invoked Heracles to bind six Principal Gods to secrecy about what happened in her palace, and all six agreed to the oath.
• Heracles told Heisenberg that Cronus and Ananke welcomed him and invited him to their temple; Heisenberg accepted the invitation for a future visit.
• Hera questioned whether Heisenberg was truly only a King of Gods, and he comforted her by embracing her and telling her time would reveal more about him.
• Hera ended the meeting, said Diana was in Ares's territory under the guard of Sparta's berserkers, and urged Heisenberg to go to her while Hera stayed to manage Olympus.

Heisenberg left Hera’s palace after warning the gods to keep his relationship with her secret, and Hera dismissed the others while granting favors to Athena, Poseidon, and Hestia. He then arrived in Sparta, where he observed the city’s warrior culture and a young trainee preparing to steal from a stall under the watch of Spartan women.

• Heisenberg embraced Hera, promised to give her time to accept him, and left for Sparta after warning the gods not to reveal what had happened.
• Aphrodite kissed Hera and declared that she would make Hera her goal, then fled the palace.
• Hera ordered Hermes and Demeter to leave and offered Athena, Poseidon, and Hestia concessions in exchange for keeping her secret.
• Heisenberg returned to Athens and used the Bifrost to travel to Sparta, where he surveyed its settlement and rigorous warrior training customs.
• Heisenberg watched a young boy circle a salted-fish stall to practice stealing as three Spartan women took over the stalls and prepared to test him.

Heisenberg reached the Spartan Colosseum to find Diana, who revealed that the Olympian gods had taken her communicator and that Leonidas and Kratos had repeatedly defeated her. Leonidas challenged Heisenberg to prove he was a god by fighting him, and the Spartans cleared the arena as their duel was about to begin.

• A Spartan captain stopped Heisenberg from entering the Colosseum, but let him proceed after learning he had come for Diana.
• Leonidas met Heisenberg, and Heisenberg transported them and the soldiers directly to Diana.
• Diana greeted Heisenberg and explained that Helios had subdued her and the Olympian gods had taken her communicator with its Solar Runes.
• Diana told Heisenberg that Leonidas and Kratos had defeated her, while Leonidas insisted that women did not belong on the battlefield.
• Leonidas armed himself and challenged Heisenberg to prove he was a god; Kratos also asked for a chance to fight, but Leonidas claimed the first match.
• Diana left the arena as the Spartan warriors cleared the fighting circle and focused on Heisenberg and Leonidas.

Heisenberg defeated Leonidas in the Spartan arena and accepted Kratos’s invitation to stay at his home, where Kratos asked him to bless his unborn child. Kratos then revealed to Lysandra that he hated Ares because the god had taken his younger brother Deimos.

• Leonidas charged Heisenberg, but their clash shattered Leonidas’s spear and Heisenberg’s shield; Heisenberg later subdued Leonidas in a wrestling match.
• Leonidas welcomed Heisenberg and Diana as guests, but Kratos insisted Heisenberg stay at his home so he could bless Kratos’s unborn child.
• Kratos explained that Ares’s attention kept Diana confined to the colosseum, while Diana entertained the Spartan Warriors with stories.
• At Kratos’s home, Heisenberg met Kratos’s pregnant wife Lysandra, and Kratos asked for a divine blessing for their child.
• Kratos told Lysandra and Heisenberg that he hated Ares because Ares and Athena had taken his younger brother, Deimos, and left Kratos with a scar.

Kratos and Lysandra learned that Ares had cursed their unborn child, and Kratos vowed to kill him. Heisenberg summoned Hera, who recognized the curse and agreed to lift it, though Kratos’s familiar appearance left her puzzled.

• Kratos told Lysandra that his red tattoo honored his brother Deimos, and they discussed names for their unborn child: Atreus or Calliope.
• Heisenberg joined Kratos and the Spartan Warriors in a lengthy drinking feast, then asked Lysandra to bring Kratos to him for an important conversation.
• Heisenberg revealed that a god had cursed the unborn child with festering sores, and Kratos and Lysandra insisted their child would not be abandoned.
• Heisenberg summoned Hera, who examined Lysandra and identified the curse as Ares’s work.
• Kratos erupted in hatred of Ares and vowed to kill him, while Hera promised to lift the curse and wondered where she had seen Kratos before.

Hera confirmed Kratos was Zeus’s illegitimate son and removed Ares’s curse from Lysandra’s unborn daughter, Kallianbi. After Hera left to investigate Ares, Kratos insisted on killing him, and Heisenberg told him to grow strong enough first and promised him a fitting weapon.

• Hera recognized Kratos as Zeus’s illegitimate son, while Kratos and Lysandra realized that their daughter was Zeus’s granddaughter.
• Heisenberg asked Hera to help Lysandra, and Hera removed Ares’s curse from the unborn child with the help of a small green snake.
• Hera told Kratos she disliked him but had helped at Heisenberg’s request, then returned to Olympus to investigate why Ares had cursed the child.
• Kratos declared his loyalty to Heisenberg and demanded permission to kill Ares before Diana’s duel.
• Heisenberg told Kratos to train and surpass Heracles’s achievements before challenging Ares, promising him a suitable weapon when he was ready.

Kratos and Lysandra welcomed Heisenberg’s help and pledged to spread his glory as Kratos prepared to kill Ares. Hera told Heisenberg that Ares had cursed Kratos’s daughter to rig a wager, then left after warning him that Diana’s fight against Ares could put their friendship at risk.

• Kratos told Lysandra he cared little about being Zeus’s son and credited her and Heisenberg for helping their family.
• Kratos vowed to kill Ares and spread Heisenberg’s glory, grateful that Heisenberg had brought Queen Hera to lift their daughter’s curse.
• Hera told Heisenberg that Ares had cursed Kratos’s daughter to make Kratos fight in a wager among six gods, and said the curse had been lifted.
• Hera rejected Heisenberg’s advances, took wine, and warned him that she would not forgive him if he turned against her over Diana’s fight with Ares.
• Heisenberg asked Hera whether she would turn against him if Diana killed Ares, and they reaffirmed their friendship before she left Sparta.

After Kratos overwhelmed Diana in training, Heisenberg raised her bloodline to the level of the Greek Twelve Principal Gods and equipped her for her coming fight with Ares. Diana received Heisenberg’s armor and Gungnir, leaving her prepared to test her new power and face Ares.

• Kratos defeated the exhausted Diana in the arena, and Leonidas praised her tenacity while Heisenberg warned that she still could not overcome Ares.
• Kratos explained that Diana had been an excellent sparring partner, leaving her frustrated by how quickly he had surpassed her.
• Diana decided to spend all her Glory Points on improving her bloodline, and Heisenberg upgraded it to the level of the Greek Twelve Principal Gods despite the shortfall.
• Diana’s new power awakened amid lightning, and Kratos watched enviously as she grew stronger.
• Heisenberg lent Diana his armor and gave her the flame-charged Gungnir, telling her to use it against Ares if necessary.

Diana adapted to Heisenberg’s power and defeated Kratos, while Ares discovered Hera had removed the curse from Kratos’s unborn daughter and began seeking another pawn. In Athens, Heisenberg approached Athena’s temple and was welcomed by its high priestess, Medusa.

• Heisenberg lent Diana Gungnir and his armor, and Diana fought Kratos with magma Chain Blades until she defeated him after hours of combat.
• Kratos decided to have a set of Chain Blades forged after seeing how effective Diana’s weapons were.
• Ares discovered that Hera had removed his curse from Kratos’s unborn daughter, so he abandoned his plan against Kratos’s family and sought a new pawn.
• Heisenberg arrived in Athens ahead of Diana and toured the arena being prepared for her duel with Ares.
• Heisenberg approached the Parthenon Temple and introduced himself to its guards, and Medusa came out to welcome him on Athena’s behalf.

Heisenberg met Athena in her temple and learned that Medusa feared him because she mistook him for Zeus. Athena revealed that she had arranged Medusa’s welcome in hopes Heisenberg would protect her from Poseidon, and Heisenberg challenged Athena over the risk of entrusting Medusa to another powerful god.

• Medusa welcomed Heisenberg at Athena’s temple, and Athena’s guards knelt before him after hearing her praise.
• Athena greeted Heisenberg through an incarnation and called him Your Majesty, causing Medusa to mistake him for Zeus.
• Heisenberg corrected Medusa’s misunderstanding, and Athena and Heisenberg reassured the frightened priestess before sending her away.
• Athena’s true body arrived, dismissed her duplicate, and invited Heisenberg to walk through the temple with her.
• Athena explained that Poseidon had become interested in Medusa and asked Heisenberg to save her, prompting him to ask what would happen if he wanted to possess her too.

Athena explained why she brought Medusa to Heisenberg and arranged for him to stay in her olive grove, while Athens prepared for the coming divine battle. Leonidas and Diana arrived amid the crowds, where Heracles joined them and offered to help Diana prepare to face Ares.

• Athena told Heisenberg that she had brought Medusa as one possible way to protect her from Poseidon, then invited him to stay in her olive grove and gave him two doves as a discreet identity and means of contacting her.
• Heisenberg accepted Athena's arrangements, and the doves settled on his shoulders as he petted them.
• A day later, Athens struggled to house the huge crowds arriving for the divine battle, while officials arranged lodging for Leonidas's Spartan party and noted the unusually generous aid sent by Aphrodite and other gods.
• Leonidas, Diana, and their party were trapped in a crowd near the harbor until Heracles pushed through and cleared a path for them.
• Heracles greeted Leonidas, teased Diana, and offered to spar with her and share his experience fighting Ares.

Diana escaped the Spartan crowd while Ares returned to Olympus and learned that his daughter Harmonia had left with Poseidon's son Butes. Ares rescued Harmonia from Butes, killed him, and took her home, leaving her warned against associating with Poseidon's illegitimate children.

• Diana flew away from the Spartan crowd, and Heracles and Leonidas eventually made their way to the Spartan camp.
• A disheveled man who could not communicate with the tourists made his way toward Athens from beneath Mount Kelmora.
• Ares returned to Olympus, discovered Harmonia was missing, and rushed toward the Aegean Sea after Enyo told him where she had gone.
• Butes tried to force himself on Harmonia, but Ares arrived and pinned him to the beach with his spear.
• Ares killed Butes and ordered Harmonia to return home with him, warning her not to associate with Poseidon's illegitimate children.

Zeus visited Hera to calm her anger over Diana's upcoming duel with Ares, but he took the laurel circlet she had made and wore it himself. After he left, Hera decided to make the barbarian a mantle from her own hair as a gift for the duel.

• Zeus went to Hera's palace to persuade her not to disrupt Diana and Ares's public duel.
• Hera tried to keep Zeus from embracing her, but Zeus took her laurel circlet and completed it himself.
• Zeus wore the circlet, warned Hera not to cause trouble at the duel, and left after Hera promised to behave.
• Hera regretted losing the circlet she had planned to give the barbarian and considered making him a gift from her own body.
• Hera cut and wove her hair into a mantle for the barbarian, then urged herself to finish it before the duel.

Poseidon learned that Ares had killed his son Butes and attacked Ares over it, while Zeus left Hera’s palace and rushed to investigate the explosion. Poseidon and Ares fought across the world, splitting the sea and leaving Zeus furious at the devastation.

• Poseidon returned to his palace, where Amphitrite told him the seawater carried the scent of demigod blood and death.
• Poseidon discovered that his son Butes had died and learned from nearby fish and shrimp that Ares had killed him after he flirted with one of Ares’s daughters.
• Poseidon destroyed the trophy walkway outside Ares’s temple and attacked him, while Ares argued that his daughter had nearly lost her chastity.
• Poseidon and Ares put away their weapons and grappled, fighting from Olympus down into the mortal world.
• Zeus left Hera’s palace, hurried to Ares’s temple, and learned from Enyo that Poseidon and Ares had gone off to fight.
• The battle’s force split the sea between Athens and Poseidon’s palace, leaving Zeus furious as he watched the destruction.