Beyond The Impossible

Olympus, 28.000 light-years from Earth

A Nullbot is walking towards the former throne room, carrying a cup of coffee.

The room has been converted into a relatively unassuming office, made notable just from the holographic frames adorning its walls.

Most of them only show nebulas and opulent palaces, with just one truly selling the majesty of this place. It’s a picture of the coronation of Noriko Null as the first Mortal Empress, surrounded by most of the gods of the Greek pantheon kneeling before her.

Noriko Null is now sitting at the desk in front of that picture, although she has ditched the crown and the fancy clothes for her regular green leather jacket.

Once the Nullbot hands over the cup of coffee, she takes the time to study her guests while she drinks it.

Aphrodite is the only goddess present this time. Sitting next to her are two demigods, Helen of Troy and Herakles, as well as two mortals: the Lar Kylon and the human Liosthenes.

Despite the limited crowd and everyone being in ordinary clothes… even though defining “clothes” the satin pink sheets that barely cover Aphrodite’s privates would be a stretch… this is a momentous occasion on par with the coronation.

<Are we doing this or what?> Kylon asks impatiently.

<Oh, I’m also down to do it!> Aphrodite exclaims.

<He speaketh of the vow, my fair sister.> Herakles clarifies.

<Yes, I am ready. I was just thinking about how historic this is. But yes, we can proceed.> Noriko replies, adjusting the paper document on her desk so that it can properly be signed.

Of course that’s not just regular paper; the pen she provides for the signatures will actually record the quantum state of the people signing and mark it on the sheet, making it an official document.

Helen takes the pen first, but instead of proceeding with her signature she starts talking:

<This is effectively the end of hundreds of millennia of monarchical rule. It requires at least a modicum of the appropriate grandeur.> she protests.

<C’mon, after all the time it took to write the damn thing, don’t make me read it out loud…> Noriko pleads, but Helen ignores her and reads out loud:

<First Amendment. Point A, the office of Mortal Sovereign and Prime Minister are hereby abolished. Point B, the office of Divine Sovereign is hereby replaced by the office of Empress of Olympus. Point C, Noriko Null of Earth is the Empress of Olympus and all other claims to the throne are void for eternity”… are you really okay with this, Herakles?>

<If thou believe this dishonors the memory of my beloved wife…>

<This dishonors the very concept of monarchy! “First Amendment, Point E, the Empress shall be removed from office provided that the Senate unanimously concurs. Seventh Amendment, Point E: each Vassal State shall decide its leader, but the Empress can veto the leader of a Vassal State and choose a new leader. If the Empress is deceased, the Senate inherits this power by a three-fourths majority vote”. Mortals get to decide who rules Olympus now!?>

<About time.> Kylon comments.

<I knew someone was bound to make a fuss about the Seventh Amendment. Anyone else have a problem with the other ones?> Noriko asks.

Helen looks around, looking for an ally. But Aphrodite is lost in her fantasies, Herakles is unreadable, and Kylon is just here as a representative of the Winter King… not worth her time.

<Okay, I won’t read the whole thing, but let me summarize the main points to make sure you all understand what you’re about to sign. The First Amendment makes me the only Empress, and the Second makes the position vacant after my death, after which the Senate will become the supreme authority of the Empire. The Third Amendment establishes the position of President of Olympus, replacing the Prime Minister. As per Point A.1, I get to appoint the first President… congratulations are in order, Liosthenes.> she tells the former Athenian officer.

<It is an honor. I wish it didn’t require the devastation caused by Athena’s war.> he comments.

<No consent from the Senate on this? Or the citizens?> Kylon asks.

<Just for one year. As per the rest of the Third Amendment, future Presidents will require a simple majority from the citizens and will serve for four years, with a maximum of 2 consecutive or 4 total terms. And the President must be a mortal, as per the Fourth Amendment.> Noriko reminds them.

<So in essence, after your death the Empire will be an empire in name only.> Liosthenes notes.

<It kind of already is… the Fifth Amendment gives me the power to remove the President at any time, but it can be repealed by the Senate. Even treaties must be ratified by the Senate now.>

<This Senate of yours is quite powerful.> Helen notes.

<By design, although you will notice that most of the powers that are currently under my direct authority will require either a two-third majority or unanimous vote. Including the First Amendment that I know you’ll have something to say about… the Sixth.> Noriko replies.

<“No god can serve in the government of the Empire unless given express consent by three-fourths of the Senate”. I have no qualms against it, if it means avoiding another mess like Athena.> Helen surprisingly agrees.

<Great. The Seventh Amendment defines the Vassal States as being the Aphrodite Queendom, the Helen Kingdom, the Winter Kingdom and the Athenian Federation. You all get to keep your own laws, provided they’re not against the human rights detailed in Article Three, but you cannot secede and…>

<You’re keeping the name?> Aphrodite asks Herakles, showing interest for the first time.

<I shall assume the role of Protector until the citizens of the Federation decide what they wish to become in this new era.> Herakles answers.

<To be honest, I wasn’t so sure you’d go along with this.> Noriko admits.

<My beloved Hebe believed in you. If thou besmirch her memory, the God of Strength shall take his vengeance upon thee.> the demigod vows.

<Good enough for me. Now, as per the Seventh Amendment… I know none of you is probably happy that I get veto powers about who rules each Vassal State, but it’s for your own good in case of a rebellion. And as per Point F any leader chosen by me, or by the Senate upon my death, can only serve for a maximum of 10 years without possibility of a second term. And finally, the Eight Amendment clarifies the rules for how to add new Amendments… but clarifies how nearly all the provisions of the first seven Amendments cannot be changed in any way.>

<Well, you seem to have thought of everything. If I refuse to sign, you can simply choose my replacement.> Helen notes, scoffing at the idea.

<Yes, I can. Any objections?> Noriko asks, her silver eyes shining for several seconds.

Nobody objects, but Aphrodite is very quick to snatch the pen from Helen’s hand.

<Are we done talking? I have people I need to have sex with!> she protests, being the first to sign.

One after the other they proceed, leading to the page to finally show:

 

The undersigned pledge their eternal loyalty as Vassals of the Olympian Empire and agree to follow the Olympian Constitution including all of its Amendments.

♥Aphrodite♥, daughter of Zeus, Queen of the Aphrodite Queendom

Helen of Troy, daughter of Zeus, Queen of the Helen Kingdom

Herakles, son of Zeus, Protector of the Athenian Federation

Winter King MMMMCXXXVIII of the Winter Kingdom, represented by Kylon of Megacles

Ratified in the year 30 AN under the reign of Noriko Null, Empress of Olympus

 

Some time later, gardens of the Imperial Palace

The first meeting with Liosthenes in his new position of President took longer than expected: there is still the matter of repairing the damages to the Empire, plus decisions to be made about which gods and demigods should remain in the government… provided that the Senate agrees, given that after Athena most gods are not exactly held in high regard at the moment.

Perhaps that’s the reason why Noriko didn’t ask to give a formal position to Prometheus, who is currently happy to just relax in the garden.

<I assume the meeting went well.> the blind god tells Noriko even before she can sit on the bench right next to him.

<As well as I could expect. You know, Prometheus, I probably just set some kind of record of how much power can be relinquished by a signature. Well, the Amendments still need to be ratified by the Senate, but I highly doubt they will object to just how much power I’m handing over to them. They won’t even complain that I unilaterally decided to do the Amendments just because, with Hebe dead and Athena de-throned, the Empire was basically leaderless. And yet…>

<And yet you wish you renounced all of your powers.> Prometheus realizes.

<I was tempted. I’ve always hated politics and I hate being royalty. But I also know the Universal Council wouldn’t trust anyone else but me in any kind of negotiation. It had to be me, you know? Someone else might’ve gotten it wrong.>

<Are you asking for my approval?> the god asks.

<Not about that: I think I fixed most of weak points of the previous Empire… now we finally have rules for succession, minimizing the risk of another tyrant taking over. But the war of Athena had more costs than just a political realignment. I had to cash in a lot of favors to win.>

<And you want my opinion on how to navigate divine favor.>

<Right. Prosecuting Nike is a no-brainer: with Athena locked away with Typhon, she’s the highest-ranking enemy. I have no chance but execute her.>

<I agree. But to facilitate healing the Athenians, they should hold the trial.>

<Hmm, not a bad idea. Enyo should also be prosecuted: she sided with Athena, plus I really should have prosecuted her for her previous crimes… I shouldn’t have recruited her in the government.>

<You do seem to have the tendency to employ gods who have done great harm to mortals. Just because Hermes keeps helping you, under no circumstances you should ever trust him.>

<You don’t have to tell me twice, Prometheus. I did promise I wouldn’t kill him… but I will keep a very close eye on him. I mean… sorry about the poor choice of words.> Noriko excuses herself, remembering she’s talking to a god without eyes.

<No offense. I understand you did not recover my eyes from Mundus?>

<I didn’t. I have a hunch that Rei stole those… adding that to the ever-growing pile of problems that are definitely coming back to bite me. You wouldn’t happen to have some kind of premonition about that, wouldn’t you?>

<I’m sorry, but without my eyes my precognitive abilities are next to nothing.>

<Figures. I have one last person who asked for something in return for their help… Roxiana. I hate to admit it, but I couldn’t have built the Genesis Armor without her. And in return, she wants the knowledge about the Drylon that I recovered.>

<That mortal is dangerous, almost as much as you. If her obsession about discovering the past is as deep as I sense, perhaps I could be of assistance.>

<How so?>

<I may not have access to the Nexus or have read into the mind of a Primordial, but I do know things that most gods have forgotten. I could entice her by providing her information that she would find fascinating but that she could hardly use to do harm.>

<Don’t underestimate her ability to manipulate people, but yes, that could buy me some time until I’ve put some plans into motion.> Noriko admits.

<Plans? You are now the undisputed ruler of Olympus and beaten Athena at her own game. What else is there to achieve?> Prometheus wonders.

<This was a milestone, yes, but being at the top only means I have a bigger target on my back. I will make sure that nobody ever backstabs me like Athena did… ever again.>

 

The Empyrean, outside the universe

The last remnant of Heaven is a wall of white-hot pure energy surrounding a glass structure.

There is only one inhabitant of this dimension: a female humanoid with bronze skin and no face. Or at least that’s the shape that this Celestial Being decided to take.

<Null; you have completed your quest of vengeance, yes?> Siduri asks.

<You can say that.> Noriko replies, placing an object on a pedestal.

At first glance it’s just a stone cylinder, but Siduri can sense it is much more.

<Another Usurper weapon, yes? Why do you keep bringing them here?>

<With the Null Zone no longer secure, this is the best place where I can keep the most dangerous weapons that I absolutely must make sure nobody ever finds.>

The Infinity Abyss now sits right next to the only other object Noriko keeps here… a lantern where a single flame is constantly agitated.

<The Soul of Kronos seems agitated, yes?> Siduri says.

<I wonder if he senses that both Typhon and Athena are trapped in there.> Noriko wonders, looking straight at the lantern.

She can sense the Soul inside trying to contact her. Her hand moves slowly towards it, until she catches herself and quickly retracts.

<There will be no more intrusions, yes?> Siduri asks.

<Baal was able to get here and steal both the Twilight Mirror and the Tablet Of Destinies through a unique loophole; I don’t think other gods, or even Rei, can duplicate it anytime soon.>

<That is good, yes? Now you are free to help us. The Celestial Galaxy has grown impatient.>

<Yes, I still have a lot on my plate, but… recent events made me realize that I need more powerful allies. And if I’m right, the Celestial Galaxy could be my best shot at protecting my empire from any future war. In other words, Siduri… let me talk to your boss. I have a proposition.>

The Celestial Being leads Noriko towards the wall of energy, ready to initiate communication with something far beyond anyone else’s reach.

Concentrating on the task, Noriko can’t sense the Soul of Kronos calming down.

“Enjoy your triumph, Null. You just signed your doom.” the soul inside rejoices.