Meteor Diplomacy

If this had been Artemis's first encounter with Lein, she would probably have thought him a shameless scavenger, drinking in the despair of potential allies and living off their corpses. The sight would have chilled her to the bone!

After spending more time with him, she no longer had that "mistaken" impression.

Compared to Zeus, Lein was measured and reasonable in his actions. He wouldn't escalate matters on a whim, much less casually infringe upon the interests of potential allies.

Seventy percent of Olympus's predicament was Zeus's own doing. The rest was the fault of his dear brothers and children.

Lein was exactly as he had claimed: steadfast enough to wait quietly while the Olympus Gods brought about their own ruin.

Arrogant enemies and furious prey were nothing new to Artemis.

But Lein was the only one she had ever seen remain unfazed as a plane collapsed and its gods fell.

She instinctively clenched her fist, then let it fall slack in defeat.

There was nothing she could do. At that moment, she was merely an "Outer God" exiled by Hera, a bargaining chip meant to soothe the wrath of Lein, the God King.

Unless... she changed sides.

A seed, once planted, would always take root and sprout when the conditions were right.

No one here understood better than she did, one of the Twelve Main Gods of Olympus, what the destruction of Tartarus meant—

Why had no organized rebellion by Zeus's opponents ever challenged him since the Titan Battle? Because Zeus had treated his own father with the cruellest brutality, cowing every dissenter. He hadn't used murder or destruction, but horrific torture that chilled the hearts of his opponents.

The end of Tartarus had freed Zeus, and it could also provide a new stage for Zeus to face Cronus.