The Empress couldn’t help but frown as she stared down at the scrolls in front of her. The numbers displayed might not have meant much to a casual observer, but she couldn’t have been more aware of what they entailed.

"We don’t have room nor supplies to take in anyone else mom," Artemis said as she frowned. Eris, Athena, and Aphrodite all had the same looks. They knew the numbers just as well as their mother.

Hera could only sigh.

"This was never meant as a long term solution. As long as we solve the problem soon, the supplies will hold," she said.

"The hunters and gathers have less and less room to move as the scouts retreat from the north. The capital has fallen and even the tide no longer resides there. It’s making it’s way here as though it knows exactly where we are," Athena mentioned, having gotten the report recently.

"So even he failed with his mad plans..." Hera said, putting down the paper and looking out the window. They knew what had happened in the palace as Athena and a few of her closest sisters had made their way south after seeing the situation escalate.

As for their brothers, they foolishly followed their father and refused to believe the news they were told. She wouldn’t be surprised if they were all dead now, something that pained her, but not nearly as much as she thought it would.

"Are there any reports from the legions outside the country?" Hera asked, looking to her daughters.

"Nothing."

"I’ve not received anything from the east either."

"Everything south of us was ordered to come north by the Emperor before the first battle took place. As far as we know, everyone in that fortress was wiped out within two days."

"There are reports of some mercenary companies retreating in the middle of the night after the first successful defense, but as to where they ended up... we don’t know." Artemis reported and sighed.

They had all heard about the ’trash’ legion and the madman who lead it along with it’s successful defense of the fortress. When the Empress had heard about how they had been treated and what had happened afterwards, she personally tortured the commander of the fortress herself since he, like all of his subordinates ended up running away as the fortress was falling. She had even locked up his family and close friends, but hadn’t had any time to ’see’ to them yet.

"So he is still missing, hmm?" Hera said, almost under her breath.

"Yes mother. Although we know they made their way south, they would have been over run by the tide long before they made it to the capital," Aphrodite responded. Her task had been to fine him or any information she could about him, but there was little in the way of survivors from the region and none of them had even caught sight of the trash legion.

"Prepare everything we can. Once they enter the range of the mountains, we must prevent them from advancing up the passages. If they get into the fortress here.... we won’t have a future anymore," Hera said with a grave face.

"My Empress. We have just received word of... something coming this way quickly," a guard said as he rushed in and dropped to his knee.

"Is it more of their flying beasts? We can’t do much other than keeping our heads down and leaving it up to the long range troops," Hera said with a sigh, wondering how many they would lose this time.

"No mam. It’s not... a beast. It... well..." The man stuttered, not sure how to explain it.

"Just spit it out already. We do not have time for games," Athena demanded.

"Yes mam. It’s a large, black floating castle that looks like it’s coming right for us," the man finally manages to get out.

There was a brief silence in the room before everyone reacted at once.

Shouting and questions began flowing everywhere before Hera raised her hand to call for silence.

"What do you mean a black flying castle?"

"Ex... Exactly what I said mam. It looks... like..."

"Like that castle? The one my... husband... was so obsessed with?" Hera questioned.

"Uh... I don’t know about that mam, but yes. The one in the village between here and the fortress. While we can’t be sure as it’s still quite a ways away, we can see it maintaining a steady pace in this direction."

"Which direction is it coming from?" Hera asked.

"It seems to be coming from the direction of the capital mam." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Alright. Heed my orders. Get every anti air preparation ready to intercept if need be and get the armies prepared at the gate and along the roads. Make ready for conflict but do not engaged until the order is given. How long do we have before it reaches the foot of the mountain?"

"Two hours your highness. Three hours max."

"You heard him. I want everyone on the wall in an hour and a half in full battle gear. No excuses."

"YES MOTHER!" They responded all at once and departed to get prepared.

In an hour and a half, all of the goddess under the Empress had gathered on the wall. While their battle power might not be high, it would still be a stronger front than having the god seeds stand there like Athena who had broken through yet.

She was still amazingly bitter about that as well.

As the Castle got closer and closer, it’s large black frame seem to almost block out the sun as it cast it’s shadow all over the fortress. For those underneath it’s massive frame, they felt like just the pressure alone was enough to wipe them out if they weren’t careful.

Showing no hostile intention, the castle held in place, hovering just a few feet off the ground in the courtyard. Despite this, hundreds of warriors surrounded the massive structure with all weapons pointed at it. Had it not been for the huge courtyard thanks to the natural formation of the mountain fortress, this wouldn’t have been possible.

As they looked on, someone appeared at the rampart wall, standing tall despite the obvious hostility he was being shown.

"Permission to land, Empress?" Laz called down from the top of the black stone wall, sending shockwaves through the gathered goddesses and even Hera herself.

"How are you still alive?" Was the first question that left Hera’s lips, even though it wasn’t what she had meant to say.

"I’m rather lucky if I were to be honest. But I think that’s something that can be discussed later. I’ve got a few hundred villagers and the remaining two hundred of my legion here to offer you our services. I’ll just need to find a better place to park this thing for now and I’ll be right down. Sorry about the delay," Laz said with a deep bow.

"That’s... yes. Yes. Please clear the courtyard if you would. Although I’m not sure where a good spot might be..."

"No need to worry your highness. I’ve already got a spot picked out. Once we are settled, I hope to be able to meet with you to discuss some important information I have gathered," Laz said, keeping up the manner of a good subject while so many were still looking on.

"That is acceptable. I shall send out some guides to bring you in after you have found a secured spot." And with that, the Empress turned around and retreated back inside while all the guards took several steps back.

Laz, still standing on the wall, laughed as the black castle rose into the sky and moved a bit more southward before heading a hair to the east.

Hera rushed back to her rooms followed closely by her daughters.

"Mother... he’s...."

"I thought he had died..."

"I told you. All of you said it was impossible, but I fucking told you he wouldn’t just die," Eris said, a look of smug triumph on her face.

"Yes. I know... I know. But you understand how impossible it seemed, don’t you?" Aphrodite said, responding to her sister.

"Hmph. For the goddess of love to no have faith in her man... how poetic..." Eris shot back but even while doing so, she had tears running down her face, revealing just how affected she had been.

"Enough!" Hera said, turning to her daughters.

"I’m not sure how much of a difference he can make, but I feel... I feel as though he is the best chance we have. So all of you should return and ’prepare’ to welcome him here. Am I understood?"

"YES MOM!"

"Good. Go." Hera said with a sigh as most of her daughters filed out to go get themselves dressed up for Laz. The only ones remaining in the room were Athena and her few sisters who had no idea who Laz actually was.

"Mother. While I admit his arrival was rather impressive, I don’t see how five hundred more mouths to feed is a good thing when only around two hundred of them are fighters," Athena said, voicing her confusion.

"While I doubt they will offer much to the defense of the fortress... He is a different matter. After all, you wondered just how so many of your sisters broke into the god state when it had been a long time since anyone else had done so, right?"

"Well... yes. Obviously."

"The answer is him. He was personally responsible for each of their breakthroughs.... and even my own," Hera said, although the last bit was a bit quieter.

"So is that why you never told me? Because it was because of this one man?" Athena responded, a bit angry at being denied something so simple.

"Even knowing.... We had thought he was dead. But now that it’s not the case, I have given you the answer. The real question is whether or not you’d be willing to pay the price for it? Artemis wasn’t willing to pay the full price and her growth was stunted because of that. While she is back on track now, she will never catch up to those sisters who went all the way through with it. Unless you’re willing to give up everything, I don’t recommend you follow this path. That is my final warning," Hera said before shooing them all out of her room to prepare.

"I will pay any price Mother. Do anything. Come girls. Let us go prepare as well!"