As soon as Odin said that,
his sister Athena looked at him with clear interest and asked:
— Did we succeed, Odin?
Has our father taken control of that troublesome child's mind?
Odin waved his hand tiredly, still trying to catch his breath, then said:
— It's impossible to control one of the giants so easily… even if he's just a child.
When Athena heard that, she wanted to ask more,
but Odin quickly clarified, cutting off any question before it could be spoken:
— We succeeded in carrying out the orders our father, Asgard, gave us.
As for controlling that child… it will take time.
Then he continued in a more serious tone:
— This is an extremely dangerous process.
After all this effort, we do not want the child to become a useless puppet that merely obeys our commands.
We want him to be a bridge between us and the rest of his giant kin.
Silence fell for a moment after his words.
Then Odin, trying to stand despite his visible exhaustion, said:
— Come now… let's build ourselves a new home.
Poseidon looked at him with clear frustration and confusion.
— What is it, brother?
Why should we build a new house? We already built one on the mountain—have you forgotten?
Before Odin could respond,
Hades struck Poseidon on the head angrily with his fist and said:
— How are we supposed to live with the children on a mountain where a giant child could be born at any moment?
Are you a fool or what?
Then he added sharply:
— We must be careful regarding these children.
Yes, they are already stronger than any ordinary human,
but if they face real danger… they will die,
and everything we have done will be wasted.
As soon as he said that,
Athena nodded in agreement.
— Yes, we must protect them well.
The mountain was excellent in terms of location and peace,
and no truly dangerous creature ever tried to approach our homes at its peak…
Then she looked at Odin seriously and asked:
— Do you have a place where we can build our homes, Odin?
Odin smiled faintly, as if recalling an old idea.
— Do you remember the place I told you would one day be the site where we build our kingdom?
His words immediately caught his brothers' attention.
He continued with a smile:
— Yes… we will build our home there.
It will be the first house we build on that land—
the land that will one day become the site of that terrifying… and powerful kingdom.
As soon as Odin finished speaking,
Poseidon quickly stood up, excitement suddenly lighting his face.
— Are we really going to build our home there, Odin?
Then he fell silent for a moment, stroking his chin as he paced the cave thoughtfully.
— But we're not very good at building houses, brother…
What if we build a bad one?
It might tarnish the kingdom we plan to establish in the future.
As soon as Poseidon said that,
Odin let out a slow sigh, then looked at him and the rest of his brothers.
— The first step in building a kingdom is not constructing grand houses and magnificent castles, my brothers.
Poseidon stopped walking immediately
and turned to Odin, listening with full focus, as did the others.
They knew that when Odin spoke in this tone, he did not speak lightly.
Odin continued steadily:
— The first step… is the people, my brothers.
The people.
The word echoed through the cave.
— If there are no people in that kingdom—no matter how splendid its palaces and castles are—it will not be a kingdom.
It will become ruins… and a mockery to other kingdoms and nations.
Then he looked at them one by one and asked seriously:
— Do you understand me?
As soon as he finished,
Athena completed his thought:
— Are you saying we must focus on expanding our lineage more quickly, brother?
But how? The children are still young. They cannot continue the bloodline yet.
Odin looked at her calmly.
— I am not saying we must expand our lineage now.
I know the children are still young.
He stepped closer, his voice growing firmer.
— But we must prepare them…
We must plant within them the understanding that lineage has nothing to do with emotions or love.
A heavy silence filled the cave.
— It is more important than gold,
more important than silver,
more important than glory,
and even more important than the kingdom itself.
His expression hardened as he continued:
— Lineage is the artery we lack if this race we rule is to become one of the strongest races in the world, my brothers.
Our father has already given birth to us and created a new powerful race that did not exist before.
Our mission… is to make that race grow,
and to make it known throughout the world as the race that seeks glory… and war.
Then he said in a tone that allowed no argument:
— And we cannot do that with so few people.
We must teach these children that this matter is more important than feelings…
and more important than foolish love.
— Do you understand?
Poseidon looked at him with an unfamiliar seriousness.
— You're right, brother.
We have made these children proud… but not yet true warriors.
Hades continued where Poseidon left off:
— Exactly.
We must teach them to take this matter seriously,
and we should begin choosing partners for them from now on.
As soon as he said that,
Odin turned to Athena, his gaze heavy with responsibility.
— This matter is entrusted to you, sister.
You must choose the right partner for the right person.
Then he added in a low but decisive voice:
— Can you do that?