All the children froze in place, their bodies stiff with sheer shock.
No one—absolutely no one—had expected the fourth daughter of Poseidon to speak that way… let alone defend the three twins with such blind ferocity.
A heavy silence fell, until Poseidon's eldest son was the first to recover his senses.
He stepped toward his sister with tense strides, worry etched clearly on his face, his voice rising as he shouted:
"What's wrong with you, sister?!
What have those twins done to you?!"
He shot them a dangerous, hostile glare—one that hinted at anger boiling deep inside him.
And when he reached out to grab his sister's hand… he never expected what came next.
She yanked her hand away violently, then suddenly raised it and slapped him across the face—
a loud, dramatic slap that stole the breath from everyone around them.
Poseidon's eldest son slowly raised his hand and touched the cheek that had been struck.
He didn't speak.
He didn't get angry.
He simply stared at his sister for a long moment, his eyes steady.
And when he saw the harsh determination in her gaze, he let out a deep sigh… then stepped forward, stood beside her, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"If anyone here thinks about getting close to the three twins or bothering them…
they'll have to step over my dead body first, you rabble!"
Everyone's minds went blank.
The children stared at him and his sister in stunned fear, unable to comprehend what was unfolding before their eyes.
Hades' sixth son murmured in a faint voice, his face pale:
"Are… are those twins controlling minds?"
But the moment those words left his mouth, he suddenly realized the truth.
His eyes widened, as if a puzzle piece had snapped into place.
He dashed forward, stood beside Poseidon's eldest son and his fourth sister, and shouted in turn:
"And if anyone dares to move forward… they'll have to face me too!"
Athena's eldest daughter looked at the children, shock clearly etched on her face, fear creeping into her eyes.
Her thoughts raced wildly:
What in Asgard is happening?
How did the three twins manage to influence the children like this?
And the instant that thought settled in her mind, she suddenly turned and ran away, searching for her mother—to tell her what she had seen… and what those wicked twins were doing.
It never crossed her mind, not even for a moment, that the children weren't acting under mind control.
They were acting purely out of self-interest.
To befriend prophetesses who could foresee the future
meant a better life,
preparedness for every coming danger,
and the ability to face fate itself… perhaps even change it.
When the children saw Athena's eldest daughter flee like that, they didn't understand what was happening.
Even if they all confronted her together—with the twins' help—victory would not have been easy.
That was why her reaction… and her escape… baffled them.
After a short while, Poseidon's fourth daughter smiled faintly as she looked behind her, then said confidently to the twins:
"There's no need to worry, noble ladies.
We've driven the danger away… my brother, myself, and that idiot."
She pointed happily at herself and her brother,
then cast a contemptuous glance at Hades' sixth son.
She felt he had stolen the twins' attention from her.
She wanted all of their focus to be on her and her brother alone.
But his intervention ruined her plan—he stole the spotlight and shared in the success.
And she didn't like that at all.
The three twins were unaware of what was going on in Poseidon's fourth daughter's mind.
They simply looked at the children standing before them with a mysterious satisfaction.
Now…
they had people eager to win their favor.
And that alone was enough to satisfy the arrogance dwelling deep within them.
So the twins spoke in lofty voices, barely hiding their delight:
"Well done, all of you.
You have driven that rude girl away.
You truly are examples of powerful warriors, children."
No sooner had the three twins finished speaking than Hades' sixth son responded swiftly, without hesitation:
"There's no need to thank us, O three prophetesses.
It is our duty.
What if that rude girl had ruined your mood?
How could we have slept at night carrying such a grave disgrace, my ladies?"
Poseidon's eldest son and his fourth sister stared at him in obvious astonishment.
They hadn't expected the speed of his reply—or the sharpness of his words.
Deep in their minds, they scolded themselves repeatedly for reacting too slowly,
and cursed his cunning, deception, and irritating opportunism.
The three twins smiled faintly as they listened to him.
His words had clearly pleased them.
They were about to reply—but suddenly stopped.
Their expressions changed.
They all looked in the same direction, then exchanged glances among themselves in surprise.
One of them spoke, genuinely puzzled:
"What just happened, sisters?"
Neither of the other two answered.
Instead, their expressions darkened,
their focus sharpening with every passing second.
None of the other children understood what was going on.
So Poseidon's eldest son spoke in confusion:
"What's happening, prophetesses?
Is something wrong?"
The twins looked at him with slightly grim faces,
then pointed toward the opposite direction and said:
"Come.
Something is happening over there."
The three twins began walking toward Hades' weapons storage,
and the three children followed them.
None of them knew what was happening there.
Inside the weapons storage,
the four brothers were staring at Hades' eldest daughter,
as the dark sphere that had surrounded her had vanished.
With that energy gone, they could finally see her clearly,
and observe her with intense focus.
After a short while,
Hades' eldest daughter awakened from her slumber.
She opened her eyes,
and saw her father standing before her,
with Odin and all her uncles at his side.
She didn't ask what had happened.
Instead, she straightened slightly,
then greeted Odin first, calmly saying:
"Greetings, ruler of Asgard… Odin."
Odin smiled faintly and waved his hand.
"There's no need for such formality now.
What matters is that you tell us…
what kind of power you awakened, little one."
At his words,
the other three brothers focused their gazes intently on Hades' eldest daughter.
They had a rough idea of the nature of her power,
but they wanted confirmation…
to hear the truth from the child herself.
And when Hades' eldest daughter noticed that Odin didn't care about titles at this moment,
she smiled softly,
then said—