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I Am Zeus-Chapter 52: The Naming Ceremony 1
Chapter 52: The Naming Ceremony 1
The halls of Gladsheim were alive with flickering torchlight and the low hum of voices as gods gathered for the feast. The long tables had been laid with carved boar tusk platters and polished bronze cups, waiting to be filled with mead brewed from the honey of immortal bees. Servants moved silently between the tables, placing wreaths of fresh pine and ironwood leaves along the carved benches.
Odin and Zeus walked side by side into the hall. As they entered, the Einherjar guards lining the walls stamped their spear-butts once against the stone in silent salute, the echo ringing like distant war drums. Loki slipped past them with a grin, vanishing behind a pillar as Thor followed, his heavy boots shaking the tiled floors with each step.
A low horn sounded from the outer gates.
Odin paused mid-stride, his single eye narrowing as he turned towards the sound. The great iron-bound doors at the end of the feast hall swung open with a groan of ancient hinges, letting in a cold breeze that rustled the braziers and fluttered the wolf-hide banners strung across the high beams.
Frigg stepped forward from where she had been standing near the hearth, her pale hair braided with silver chains that caught the light of the flames. Hera remained at her side, silent and watchful, her dark eyes following Odin as he walked towards the entry hall.
The first to enter were the gods of the Vedic pantheon. Agni came first, flame flickering along his copper-dark skin, his hair burning like a silent torch above his calm, ageless face. He was clad only in a thin white dhoti embroidered with gold thread, his bare chest painted with faint lines of ash. Behind him walked Varuna, robed in deep blue silk patterned with curling silver waves, his eyes dark and vast as the ocean at midnight.
"Agni, Varuna," Odin rumbled, inclining his head faintly as they approached. "Asgard welcomes you."
"May your halls remain bright with victory flames," Agni replied, his deep voice crackling faintly like kindling under heat. Varuna only nodded once, his gaze sweeping calmly across the gathering hall, taking in every flicker of shadow and light.
Behind them came the Egyptian gods. Horus strode in first, clad in bronze scale armour etched with falcon-wing motifs, his head crowned with the double plumes of Upper and Lower Egypt. His eyes were cold and sharp as polished obsidian. Isis followed at his side, her long black hair falling like river silk over robes of lapis blue. A faint golden glow danced around her bare arms and collarbones, her eyes calm and deep with knowing.
"Horus. Isis." Odin’s voice softened slightly as he greeted them. "It has been long since Asgard hosted the children of Ra."
"Too long," Horus replied coolly, his eyes flicking to Zeus for a moment before returning to Odin. "May this gathering bring only wisdom."
Isis inclined her head, her gaze drifting over Hera and Frigg with quiet appraisal before settling back on Odin. "And may your son grow to bring honour to your name."
Next came the gods of the Shinto pantheon. Amaterasu entered first, her pale skin glowing faintly with inner light, her long black hair bound up with crimson silk cords. She wore layered robes of white and gold that rustled softly with each step, her eyes gentle but edged with quiet, unbreakable will. At her side walked Susanoo, robed in dark indigo, his wild hair tied back with a thin hemp cord, his jaw shadowed with unshaven stubble. His eyes burned with restless defiance as he scanned the hall.
"Amaterasu. Susanoo," Odin greeted them with quiet respect. "Asgard welcomes the light of the sun and the storms of the sea."
Amaterasu smiled faintly, bowing her head just enough to honour him. "And may your halls remain bright under that sun, All-Father."
Susanoo grunted softly, his dark eyes flicking to Zeus with faint interest before narrowing as he saw Thor. A crooked smile curved his lips. "Big one, isn’t he?" he muttered under his breath.
Thor scowled, his thick brows knotting, but said nothing. Loki watched from behind a pillar, his sharp green eyes flicking between the Shinto gods and his brother, a faint smile curling his lips as quiet schemes flickered behind his gaze.
Finally, the gods of the Celtic pantheon arrived. Nuada led them, his silver arm gleaming under the torchlight, his long pale hair tied back with black leather cords. His eyes were like winter dawn, grey and silent. Beside him walked Brigid, her robes woven from red-gold threads that shimmered like embers. Her eyes glowed softly with warmth and hidden power, her braided hair falling across her chest like molten copper.
"Nuada. Brigid." Odin’s voice rumbled low as he nodded in greeting. "Asgard stands honoured."
"And may your son wield his fate with honour," Nuada replied, his voice quiet and smooth as cold steel drawn from snow. Brigid inclined her head, her gaze lingering on Frigg with a faint smile before drifting to Hera, reading her silent tension with a knowing flicker of her bright eyes.
The gods gathered near the high tables, murmuring quiet greetings to each other as servants poured dark honey mead into polished bronze cups. Odin turned back to Zeus, his heavy cloak trailing behind him as he gestured towards the tables. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Come," he said. "Let us dine before words of duty return to weigh upon our tongues."
Zeus followed him, his broad shoulders moving with silent grace beneath his indigo robes. His golden hair flickered with stray lightning sparks under the torchlight as he walked, each step echoing faintly through the vast feast hall.
Hera remained near Frigg, her gaze locked on Isis and Amaterasu as they spoke softly together, their voices low and musical. She felt Frigg watching her from the side, reading the cold calculation hidden behind her calm face.
"Many powers gather today," Frigg said softly, her voice low. "Many eyes will see you... but only a few will remember what they saw."
Hera tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes flicking to Frigg with a faint smile. "Let them see what they wish," she whispered. "The truth is only what I allow."
Frigg’s lips curved faintly, though her eyes remained cool. "Be careful, Hera. Truth has teeth."
"Then I will bite back," Hera said softly, turning away to watch Zeus sit beside Odin at the high table as the Skalds began their feast songs, their voices rising and falling like a quiet tide beneath the flickering hall torches.
And far above them, in the cold Asgardian sky, Huginn and Muninn wheeled silently, their dark feathers slicing the dawn winds as they watched gods gather, schemes twist, and the fate of realms shift like pale threads in a weaver’s restless hands.
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