Royal Palace, Athens City;
The dawn sun gleamed off marble and gold as the courtyard filled with chatter.
Banners snapped in the breeze, each one bearing the crest of a grateful kingdom.
Meanwhile, in the throne hall/King's court, several independent kings and vassal lords stood shoulder to shoulder, their armor glinting.
Some of them came to pay their respects after accepting the invitation from the palace, while some of them were here in anticipation of making some kind of new trade deal with Athens, thereby forming tight relations on this special occasion—the day of coronation.
At the center, Alector knelt before the throne, his two queens at his side, ready to rise as Queen of Athens.
Queen Callidora raised her scepter. "After two decades, today, on this auspicious day, the throne of Athens is going to get its rightful master. By the right of conquest and the will of Olympus," she began, voice clear, "We crown Alector, once prince, now King of Athens! May Lord Zeus bless you with strength and valor to protect your lands from any kind of misfortune."
A cheer rolled out across the crowd. Trumpets blared.
"All Hail King Alector" "All Hail King Alector" "All Hail King Alector"
Amidst the cheers, Prince Alector rose, smiling—but his eyes flicked to the ceiling as though unsettled.
He walks to the throne and takes his seat, his hands on the armrest of the throne, his gaze fell to everyone in the grand hall/court, all of them were sitting at a sight where they can only look up to him, including the mighty Lycandros. A smile of his delight naturally came to his face.
The chants died down, and the room became silent, everyone waiting for their new King to speak some words.
"Everyone, I…" And just as Alector was about to speak, suddenly, a roar split the air—not of beasts, but of one voice: deep, commanding, echoing in the throne hall. "Lycandros!"
Shields clattered as men reached for swords. The drums of ceremony thundered to a halt.
"Lycandros!" the voice called again, louder, more insistent. A rumble of thunder in the sky was followed, startling everyone.
Gasps spread through the spectators around. They couldn't help but wonder who was here to cause trouble for the demigod.
Lycandros, standing nearby to Callidora, paled—but he did not hesitate.
"I apologize, Queen Mother. I have to leave to answer my master's summons." He stepped forward, his pace seemed quite hurried.
Watching him leave in a hurry, King Alector looked at Callidora. "Mother. Elder Brother's Master was Lord Hercules, right?"
Callidora nodded, her gaze fixated on the exit, which Lycandros had just walked out of. Worry was creeping into her head. "Why did Lord Hercules seem angry with Lycandros? Is trouble coming to Athens? Not on this auspicious day when my son finally ascends to the throne. He is not unhappy with my son, right?"
Meanwhile, Lycandros vaulted over low hedges and raced uphill, breath steeling in his chest. He didn't even use his Pegasus to go to the top of the hill. He just rushed by his feet.
At the crest, he skidded to a halt, at last.
There, bathed in golden morning light, stood an angry Hercules, and beside him, the Baltica princess, standing tall despite her travel-worn robes. As soon as his eyes fell on the princess, Lycandros' eyes widened in realization.
"Master," Lycandros breathed, bowing deeply.
Hercules' gaze was grave. "You know this woman?" he pointed at the princess.
Lycandros straightened his back and nodded. "Yes, I do remember." He looked at the Princess and then said in a soft tone. "Princess Vesna, I heard about your situation. You have my condolences that Dracorian Prince has refused to marry you, and other kingdoms have refused your plea, but revenge is never the right path. Nevertheless, Athens wishes you well. You can still be one of the Queens of Athens, alongside Queen Brynhilde and Queen Tamaya. I promise you that you will be treated with respect and given the honor a Queen deserves."
Hercules cast a sidelong glance at her. "You heard my disciple, Child. What do you wish to do?"
To which Princess Vesna almost growled in rage. "You want to give me Justice, Lycandros? How about this? Since you rightfully defeated my father and my father's forces and brought me to Athens as a prize of war on your strength, you shall marry me."
Hercules couldn't help but stare at her in surprise, while Lycandros also involuntarily took a step back, not expecting this. Looking down at the ground, he shook his head. "That is impossible, Princess. I vowed Celibacy."
"Everyone in the world knows that, Lycandros." Princess Vesna sneered. She further said. "It is only a befitting punishment to you if you have your oath gets broken and you live in regret for the rest of your life."
Before Lycandros reacted to her statement, Hercules took a deep breath and spoke. "An oath must be kept, but an oath must also be just, my disciple. However, today, one of your vows will be broken: either you marry her, breaking your oath of celibacy, or you die under my hands, shattering your promise to protect the throne."
"Master!" Lycandros' face went pale, stunned by his words. He felt betrayed by his master, the one known to be the most righteous individual on the planet, speaking such words to him, asking him to break an oath he had made to the heavens. It was the same as telling him to walk into Tartarus Prison.
A silence fell, heavy as stone on the top of the hill.
With his grip tightening on the bow in his hand, Lycandros's jaw clamped tight. "I will not marry her and break my vow," he said, voice low but unshakable. "And I will not kill her. I swore to protect Athens—and I swore to the heavens."
Hercules's eyes hardened, his fists tightening. "Then, you made your choice, Lycandros. Prepare to die."
Princess Vesna couldn't help but widen her smile as she saw Hercules taking a stand on her matter, a decision that would surely end in Lycandros' death.
As she backed away, Hercules charged forward and punched his chest without giving him any time to defend himself.
Lycandros blasted away tens of meters and crashed into a rock.
The ground trembled as Hercules jumped high and stomped onto the ground, as Lycandros rolled away just in time. But Hercules was still fast enough not to give him any time to even stand. His foot was firmly planted in Lycandro's abdomen, blasting him away hundreds of meters this time, far away from Princess Vesna's sight.
The Baltica princess retreated a few steps and grabbed a nearby rock for support, her heart pounding as she watched Lycandros return to the hill on Pegasus.
He got down and let Pegasus fly away, and without a word, Lycandros drew his bow, hands steady, face cold as mountain stone, ready to battle the one who trained him to be the best.
Hercules cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and dry, like twigs snapping underfoot. "You cannot win," Hercules said firmly. "Accept your defeat and marry her."
"And would my master be proud of me if I bow down without a fight, accepting a fault that I don't agree with, just because my opponent is stronger?" Lycandros replied, notching three energy arrows at once. The arrows tore through the air, gleaming with destructive spells in them.
Each of these arrows is capable of giving an instant death to hundreds of soldiers at once, and three of such arrows are fired at Hercules.
However, Zeus' Champion caught them mid-flight with a single hand.
He snapped the shafts like brittle straw and charged forward with thunderous steps.
Lycandros fired again, faster this time—ten divine arrows in a blink, each aimed for weak points: the wrists, the knees, the throat.
Hercules swatted them aside or let them shatter harmlessly against his skin, harder than steel. One arrow brushed his shoulder, cutting a thin line across his cloak, and then struck a rock behind, causing a great explosion that razed everything in a hundred-meter radius to nothing.
When Hercules closed the gap, Lycandros vaulted backwards, landing atop a low ridge.
His hand blurred once more; a silver-tipped arrow laced with ice magic struck the earth at Hercules's feet. "Absolute Freeze."