Read Percy Jackson: The Firstborn Chapter 126: Calm and happiness before the storm online for free

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Calm and happiness before the storm

A few hours later

The meeting of the Shinto gods was exactly as Damon remembered it: long and boring. That said, the topics were important, or at least important enough that he could not ignore them completely, and besides, it had been a good way to pass the time. Currently, he was sitting on a golden throne that was supposedly his, located near Amaterasu’s main seat and beside Izanami.

He still did not fully understand why he was in that position. The domain of Order was important, yes, but the Shinto pantheon had gods with very concrete responsibilities over the daily life of the country. Inari, Aizen, Shinato, and several others had clearer reasons to be in a central position. Then he looked to his right and saw Izanami smiling at him with far too much happiness. Damon let out a low laugh inside. There was his answer. Denying Izanami something had never been good for anyone’s mental health.

To his left, Amaterasu listened to every intervention with a serious expression. At that moment, she looked nothing like the goddess who, a few hours ago, had been on top of him screaming with happiness at seeing him again. Right now, she was the queen, listening to important matters and speaking only when necessary. Damon had forgotten how much he liked seeing her so serious. That said, the current situation gave him a bit of déjà vu. Maybe this was how the Greek gods felt when they watched him speak.

The first topics were handled with an efficiency that surprised the redhead a little, though knowing the Shinto pantheon, it probably should not have surprised him too much. Even so, comparing that efficiency with the state of the Greek pantheon left a bad taste in his mouth. Even with everything he had already done, there was still much left to fix. Damon rested his fingers on the arm of his throne. He had stopped listening to the conversation a while ago.

"What do you think, Damon?" Susanoo suddenly asked.

The hall fell silent, and every gaze fixed on him. Damon lifted his eyes calmly, though inside he felt the small hit of not having been listening to the conversation. Susanoo was looking at him with a shit-eating grin that was far too obvious, and Damon did not need anything else to understand that the bastard had done it on purpose. Son of a bitch, he thought.

"Small conflicts between humans," Kurama helped him mentally, before the silence became too long. "Family disputes and skirmishes. They’re discussing when they should intervene." Damon did not move a single muscle in his face, but his mental response was immediate. I love you, Kurama. "I know," the fox replied, his chest puffed out with pride.

Without further delay, the redhead adjusted himself in his seat and cleared his throat slightly. "Although Order, and to a lesser extent peace, are some of the concepts I am most remembered for here, peace and war are never as separate as people want to believe," Damon said, letting his voice fill the hall without raising it. "I can feel the tension behind these conflicts. Currently, they are not problems of great magnitude. In my opinion, as long as they remain at that level, intervening directly could cause more problems than it would solve."

The murmurs were low, but no one interrupted him. Damon let them think for a moment before continuing. "But if they go beyond that, then you should act before it is too late." One of the minor gods raised his voice respectfully, though his confusion was evident. "The law does not allow us to interact with the mortal world." Damon did not take even a second to respond. "A law that, if followed without judgment, can allow the world to be consumed by war and hatred."

Damon had no problem with the Shinto rules. He understood why they existed. But he also knew that sometimes a rule that was too rigid could cause more harm than help. Many gods seemed to understand where he was going with this, and noticing that the hall was beginning to listen to him more attentively, the redhead continued.

"A war does not appear out of nowhere. It starts with something small. Maybe a robbery, a murder, or a simple misunderstanding between families. If you let all of that spiral out of control, one day you will wake up with half a country trying to kill each other. And when you finally decide to act, instead of trying to stop a tragedy, you will be burying the dead." A sepulchral silence fell over the hall after the redhead’s final words.

Damon rested one arm on the throne and observed the gathered gods. "I am not saying you should eliminate the law. I understand why it is there in the first place. It would not be good for gods to put their hands into every human problem just because they can. That would be dangerous. But a law that does not allow action when the problem has already slipped out of mortal hands can also end very badly for the pantheon."

Damon made a short pause, letting his words weigh a little more before continuing. "And besides, that law now prevents me from acting too. Indra and Ashura ended their cycle of reincarnation a long time ago. If something abnormal happens in the Elemental Nations, there will be no one capable of stopping it from the human world. Not unless you change the rules." At his words, a chill ran down the back of the god who had spoken before.

The idea that something like what Damon was saying could happen, and that they would be unable to do anything because of a simple rule, gave him chills. "I believe Damon-sama is right," he finally said. "I vote to modify the law." Damon barely blinked when he heard the honorific. Sama? The bijuu’s laughter did not take even a second. "Don’t start," Damon murmured mentally.

Amaterasu raised a hand, and the hall calmed with a speed Damon could not help but respect. "Good," the sun goddess said with an authoritative voice that left no room for doubt. "From today onward, the law is modified. The gods will not interact with mortals unless necessary, but when the stability of the mortal world is in danger, inaction will also be considered a failure of responsibility." The alpha wolf laying down laws, Damon thought with a small smile.

On the other side of the hall, Susanoo was still looking at him with amusement, clearly pleased with having put him at the center of attention. Damon watched him for a few seconds and, taking advantage of the fact that almost no one was looking in his direction, discreetly raised his middle finger. Susanoo burst into laughter so loudly that several gods turned to look at him. Damon looked away as if he had nothing to do with it, though Amaterasu’s gaze made her disapproval of his lack of seriousness clear. In response, Damon winked at the sun goddess, causing her to glare at him while a faint pink tint appeared on her cheeks, almost imperceptible.

And so, the meeting continued for a while longer. Damon intervened a little after that, more attentive than before, though he could not deny that some discussions seemed specifically designed to torture anyone who did not enjoy listening to gods debate the same point for twenty minutes. Even so, there was something valuable in watching it. The Shinto pantheon was not perfect, but at least it functioned. It had order, structure, and gods who discussed how to fulfill their responsibilities, not how to avoid any work that did not personally benefit them.

When the meeting ended, the enormous hall began to empty little by little. Many gods had responsibilities to attend to, while others simply withdrew with respectful bows toward Amaterasu, Izanagi, Izanami, and, to Damon’s amusement, toward him as well. In the end, only those closest to him remained. Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, Inari, and a few other gods who had known him during his years in that pantheon, along with Amaterasu, Izanami, and Izanagi.

It was the latter who broke the calm. "Damon," Izanagi said. The use of his name drew everyone’s attention, but Damon responded immediately, as if he were speaking to someone far less intimidating. "Old man." Several drops of sweat appeared on the faces of those present at the familiarity with which Damon spoke to the primordial god. Izanagi, for his part, did not seem bothered. "I hope things in your pantheon have been going well."

Damon relaxed a little at the primordial’s words. Izanagi had always watched over him in his own way, even if he was not a particularly close god or someone who involved himself much with others. In perspective, he had very little interest in almost everything, to the point that his relationship with Izanami, Amaterasu, and several of his other children had deteriorated too much over time. Even so, Damon had made sure to maintain some kind of relationship with him. It was not much, but it was enough to know that Izanagi had a certain affection for him.

Damon let out a low laugh. "Everything is going well, old man. You don’t have to worry," the redhead assured him. Izanagi watched him for a few seconds before nodding. "Then I will not insist. But listen well. Anything you need, you do not even have to ask." Damon held the primordial god’s gaze without looking away. "I know, old man," he said simply, not giving the matter any more turns, but making his trust clear.

And so, the conversation quickly moved to other topics among the gathered gods. Nothing too important, but enough for them to catch up with one another. Many were surprised to learn that Damon was there to speak soon with the Maou Leviathan, and several wished him luck with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Little by little, the conversations began to fade, and each of them started to leave.

Susanoo came close enough to give Damon a pat on the shoulder. "It was good to see you. Next time, visit us more often, will you? You are also a Shinto god, not just a Greek one," said the god of storms. Damon looked at him with a flat expression. "You don’t have to tell me twice, Susanoo. I’ll come more often to kick your ass." Susanoo burst into laughter and left together with Tsukuyomi.

When the doors closed, the hall fell silent. Only Damon and Amaterasu remained there. Amaterasu approached slowly, leaving behind the queenly tone she had used during the meeting. Now she was only the woman who knew him better than almost anyone. "You did better than I expected," she said softly. Damon let out a low laugh. "What did you expect? For me to collapse or something? I’ll remind you that I am the leader of my pantheon, obviously."

Amaterasu let out a small chuckle. "Not at all. It’s just that when it comes to you, things are not always what they seem. Besides, you tend to be very impulsive sometimes." Damon looked at her with fake offense. "I’m offended that you know me so well." Amaterasu gave him a knowing smile and sat on his lap without asking permission.

Damon wrapped his arms around her waist. "I suppose ruling has a way of ruining impulses." Amaterasu let out a small laugh. "Welcome to my life," the goddess said, resting her head against his shoulder. Damon did not respond. He only closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting on what the goddess had said. The silence between them was perfectly comfortable.

Finally, Damon murmured, "As if the ice queen hadn’t already killed me a thousand times with her death glares during the meeting." At those words, the black-haired woman softly bit his neck. Damon felt the goddess’s teeth mark him enough to draw a smile from him. "Easy, wolf. It was a joke."

Amaterasu would never admit it out loud, but she loved when he called her that. Only he could do it for the simple fact that he knew what wolves meant to Damon, being his sacred animal, and only he could give her that name without it sounding like mockery. The goddess smiled against his skin and left a kiss right where she had bitten him.

"I love you," Damon said bluntly, simply because he wanted to say it. Amaterasu lifted her gaze when she heard those words. They were simple, but coming from Damon, they were never empty. She moved closer to his lips and kissed him. The kiss began slow and soft, but little by little, it gained heat without losing its tenderness.

When the kiss ended, Amaterasu pressed her forehead against his and looked directly into his eyes. For a moment, she said nothing. She only looked at him as if she were making a decision she had kept hidden for far too long. "I want a child with you," she finally said.

The silence that followed was sepulchral. Outside the doors, a dull thud was heard. Izanami and Kaguya were pressed against the great doors, listening to the conversation between the redhead and the black-haired woman. Damon, for his part, remained completely still, though he was not frightened. After all, that was something he had already thought about discussing with the goddess at some point. "Of all the ways I thought this conversation could end," he murmured slowly, looking at Amaterasu, "that was not in the top ten."

The silence that followed was sepulchral. Outside the doors, a dull thud was heard. Izanami and Kaguya were pressed against the great doors, listening to the conversation between the redhead and the black-haired woman. Damon, for his part, remained completely still, though he was not frightened. After all, this topic was something he had already thought about discussing with the goddess at some point. "Of all the ways I thought this conversation could end," he murmured slowly, looking at Amaterasu, "that was not in the top ten."

Amaterasu did not look away. She looked at the redhead with that expression of hers that made it clear she had already made a decision, and nothing he said would make her change her mind. "I want it," the sun goddess said, resting a hand on his chest. "I don’t want to wait anymore."

Damon took a deep breath, looking the goddess in the eyes. "Ama, my life is currently a disaster. It is not that I don’t want to. I am only saying that maybe this is not the calmest moment to bring a child into the world."

"That changes nothing," Amaterasu replied without hesitation. "It is our child, Damon. We can care for and defend them," the goddess said, clearly disagreeing. "I know we both have our responsibilities, but even so, I only want to have a child with you," the goddess finished, wrapping her arms around his neck a little more tightly.

Part of Damon wanted to argue more, not because he did not want the same thing, but because he knew the risks of the matter much better than Amaterasu. But seeing her being so direct, knowing that she was also right, and feeling the certainty she transmitted, he knew no excuse was going to convince the Shinto queen.

"Fine, we will have a child," the redhead said without arguing anymore, embracing the goddess.

Amaterasu smiled in satisfaction and began covering the redhead’s face with kisses. Damon let himself go, ending up with his face covered in red lipstick. "You are impossible."

"Don’t act like you don’t love me or like you don’t agree," the goddess reproached him, biting the redhead’s lower lip.

"Whatever you say, whatever you say," the Greek god resigned himself. "I will only say that I would like to do this and talk about it seriously after the meeting with Serafall," the redhead said, receiving a nod from the goddess.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh, and without two spies behind us, listening to conversations they shouldn’t."

From the other side of the doors, a few thuds were heard. Amaterasu let out a small laugh against the redhead’s lips.

And without anything more, the sun goddess kissed him again, this time with immense happiness. It seemed like she wanted to devour the redhead right then and there, but she had to hold herself back. When the two gods separated from the kiss, they rested their foreheads against each other, their breaths mixing.

Outside the doors, Izanami could not help but whisper with evident emotion, "They will finally do it."

Kaguya quickly nodded, slipping away together with Izanami.

And so, time passed quickly until they reached the current moment. Damon was standing in front of the Ham Halal restaurant, in a city called Kuoh. It was interesting. A nice place, at least at first glance. Without further delay, the redhead entered the restaurant, wanting to finish this quickly.