Hera stared at her like she'd lost her mind. She couldn't be serious—they were discussing how to resist Hades's army, and Thea was proposing a counterattack? With Poseidon's help?
"You heard correctly. I mean we should gather the gods and fight the decisive battle in the Underworld itself, forcing Hades to sign a surrender treaty."
Thea felt destiny encouraging her to charge forward again. But did she really have to follow the predetermined path?
Letting Hades attack Olympus periodically would force Diana to constantly return for defense, leaving no time for anything else. Defending endlessly would inevitably lead to defeat and the gods fleeing Olympus for the mortal realm.
Your Underworld King has infinite disposable troops? Fine—no war of attrition, no guerrilla tactics. Attack what he must defend. Lead the gods straight to his stronghold and settle everything in one battle.
"Our soldiers can't match his numbers, but we have all the gods. If we add Heracles, our top-tier fighters would completely overwhelm Hades. Poseidon's army would also absorb significant pressure," Thea continued.
Seeing Hera's hesitation, she pressed on. "Between Olympus, Poseidon, and Hades, we're the weakest. Poseidon comes second. Hades is strongest. I've heard the River Styx's ownership has always been disputed between Poseidon and Hades. We can use that as our opening to attack the Underworld."
Hera remained uncertain. This idea seemed too bold. Parts made sense, but she feared one mistake would trigger complete collapse. Her fingers clenched tightly, unable to decide.
"You're planning war? I heard that. I must say, it's an excellent plan." Ares, already ancient and frail, suddenly walked into the room and openly endorsed the strategy.
Thea ignored Ares, continuing to advise Hera. "Diana can search for Heracles—provided you abandon past grievances and accept him again. Meanwhile, I can persuade Poseidon."
For that Fate thread, Thea was going all in. Hera found her proactiveness somewhat surprising.
Wasn't she supposed to be the god-king here? She wasn't even anxious—why was Thea in such a rush?
Unable to figure it out immediately, she recognized this as beneficial and considered carefully.
"As long as he doesn't oppose it, I can accept Heracles back on Olympus's behalf. Regarding our personal feud, if he's willing to compromise, I can pretend nothing happened."
Hera spoke through gritted teeth. Her grudges with Heracles were simply too numerous and complex. Forgive and forget with smiles? Impossible. Both sides could only ease tensions simultaneously. Otherwise, they'd fight on sight.
She took considerably longer deliberating the Poseidon alliance.
After allying came deployment. She couldn't tell Poseidon afterward, "Just kidding—go back where you came from." Without attacking Hades, Poseidon would attack Hera first.
Soon another problem occurred to her. "Can you even find Poseidon? I only know his approximate location—somewhere near the Atlanteans."
Thea obviously knew this intelligence. Otherwise, she wouldn't have suggested it.
"Don't worry. I'm friendly with Atlantis too." Poseidon had always been worshipped by Atlanteans, reportedly dwelling in the ocean's deepest reaches. With Aquaman and Mera's help, locating this deity shouldn't prove difficult.
As for how to "persuade" him afterward, she'd improvise. Chances were she'd have to use her fists. This world didn't reward silver tongues. Whoever's fist hit hardest spoke the truth.
Poseidon and Hades were far weaker than Zeus—in Thea's assessment, roughly the First Born's level. At that power tier, going all-out, she didn't expect to lose.
She even hoped to examine Poseidon's treasury. What if it also contained Fate threads?
"Since you're so proactive... Fine, I agree," Hera finally decided after prolonged deliberation.
Thea found her genuinely frustrating. Quite effective at scheming, but so indecisive about serious matters—such a massive character flaw.
"Additionally, you must conscript Apollo. And those two deserters—order them back. Refuse and strip their divine status," Thea demanded. She still feared Apollo somewhat. Let him watch from the sidelines? Impossible. Drag him into the fight. As a naturally-born Sun God with inherent light properties, anyone might surrender to Hades, but Apollo couldn't—unless he wanted to become a dead sun.
Hera actually resented Apollo's absence too. Among all gods, only he hadn't appeared. But she lacked leverage against him.
"I'll get Kara Danvers. Take her to force Apollo's cooperation," Thea said. She knew Hera's god-king status held little real power. If Zeus still ruled, nobody dared defy a divine summons. Want to keep your position?
Ultimately, strength decided everything.
Thea's plan meant gathering all deities to forcefully engage Hades and beat him into submission. Naturally, if she could loot his treasury along the way, she wouldn't mind.
Accepting Heracles, allying with Poseidon, conscripting Apollo—if all three suggestions succeeded, forcing Hades to sign an oath wouldn't prove particularly difficult. After all, high-end combat power determined the world's trajectory.
Thea even considered recruiting Flash against Hermes, though now wasn't the time to mention it.
Having made her decision, Hera acted decisively. She took Thea's avatar to Earth seeking Supergirl. Martian Manhunter currently focused all his energy on mentoring his niece, leaving no time for Supergirl.
Apollo hid skillfully, but under divine royal authority—even a pseudo-king's—nowhere remained hidden. Unleash Supergirl—this tactic had worked multiple times. Whether the method was old didn't matter; effectiveness was key.
Hera's mission carried no danger. One objective: pin Apollo down and beat him into submission.
Diana would find Heracles—also completely safe. At most, convincing the mighty hero to abandon his grudge against Hera would require some persuasion.
Thea had the hardest task. She needed to "persuade" Poseidon to join the war. Without his army as cannon fodder, the gods trapped in overwhelming numbers would face serious problems.
But "persuading" him required finding him first. Hera's authority didn't extend to Hades or Poseidon—part of the original agreement between Zeus and his brothers. They didn't belong to Olympus. Hera only knew a general location. Thea would need to search herself.
Time was tight, tasks were heavy. Everyone split up. Thea left Olympus, heading first to find Aquaman and Mera. In her recollection, Atlantis kept records and might even maintain some contact.
"Poseidon?" Aquaman, enjoying domestic life with Mera, looked surprised at Thea's visit, especially at the name she mentioned. "Isn't that from mythology?"