Work Text:
The assassin's steps rang very clear within and against the walls of Olympus. The only way was forward. His lifelong training, his mission to enter Heaven through the cosmic stairway, the massacre of Hera's bodyguards: all the events in his life had one purpose. He had murdered all his enemies, but not without reason - for he had one final entity to kill.
Stars moved in accordance with Hera's cycle, breeding life from one galaxy to another, all intertwined by the mechanical superstructure of clockwork.
It had to be destroyed.
"Any particular reason you've stopped?"
The assassin looked up at her, beaten and battered, but most importantly: filled to the brim with rage. "Just... just to pity you before I murder you."
"Oh? Go ahead. Do your best."
Approximately 322 trillion knives were thrown in the assassin's direction - the hands of the clock of the universe kept turning and turning for an eternity in rhythm. The assassin's armour was only enough to deflect and dodge as he weaved and weaved, the blades getting bigger and bigger, being produced from the same infinite source. Eventually, they were as big as mountains. Planets. Stars. But nothing could stop him now. With every shot from his rifle, another galaxy-sized knife was destroyed, until eventually, he pointed and cocked his gun at the dead centre of the clock.
Hera scoffed, her delicate movements enough to catch every single bullet within her telekinetic range, and her range was large. No amount of resistance would lead to the destruction of a superstructure many times larger than the universe itself. It relied on the harvesting of the world's energy; its destruction could only occur by destroying its energy source.
The spirals of clockwork kept spinning and spinning for eternity. The endless battle would never be over.
For that was how Hera’s Domain was designed.
For that was how Gods ruled over men-
The assassin suddenly stopped his advances and defences, standing on one of the many rings of the gyropherical structure. He lowered his head, and laughed darkly. "You are no God. You are a mere authoritarian dictator, about to be deposed, just like every other one in history has been."
His mocking tone, how dare he talk to her in such a way?! Hera glared at him and fired a single planet-sized knife in his direction. "You spout utter nonsense, mongrel. You will kneel before me."
He simply laughed again, catching the knife's handle with his bare hand. He had been training his entire life, after all - he was simply an experiment, a robot, an automaton, programmed for a single task. His inhuman strength, like that of Hercules, was no work of the Gods, but merely the technological singularity.
"No matter what you say, I know that in the end, you're just a little girl."
Her eyes went wide, surprise and shock coating her features - only to be replaced by anger and indignation. The momentary stagnation of her attacks was enough to almost get her killed, as the assassin threw the knife back at her, distances and speeds that would surpass the rules within the universe. She had only barely dodged being decapitated, but when she moved her head to focus on what was before her, she was met with a hard punch in the stomach, and a grinning assassin looking down at her.
He promptly grabbed her head before she could react, and kicked his knee straight to her face, before getting out his knife and slashing at her.
This was bad. This was very bad.
That millisecond-window she had given him had allowed him to enter her territory?! And at such close range, it wasn't like she could easily kill him with massive projectiles.
She kept dodging his dagger with her inhuman speeds, but with every quick kick and punch and elbow she threw, she was blocked - but the same was true for him. Hera was no amateur in one-to-one combat. Their fight escalated, until she finally managed to land a hit on his chin, causing him to lose blood. Immediately beginning her next assault, she conjured a sword and swung it many times in his direction, pushing him back as he dodged, her heels clacking as she walked.
"You. Will. Obey me. Rat."
It was then that the assassin lunged under her faster than she could blink, and swiftly propelled himself upward, punching and twisting her arm, making it snap and break, dropping the sword. Instead of pain, divine rage filled her body as she swiftly kicked his midsection, the sharp tip of her heel drawing blood from his stomach. She kept kicking him back, but it was as if he was a stone statue, merely thrusting his dagger at her, causing her to block it with her unbroken arm. She kept blocking, making her skin as tough as steel as he tore at it at immense speeds.
SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!
The assassin's stern expression then twitched, as if he was hurt emotionally by attacking her.
Why…?
Why did he look so sympathetic, when he was so cold before?
"I wonder what your Calvin would think, seeing you in this state."
The world stopped.
It had been on a dark day, the day she was left alone and abandoned. It wasn't his fault. He was… Always a kind one. He always campaigned and fought for equal rights across all alien species.
Until he was assassinated.
He loved her more than anything, yet he left her alone for something else. She loved him, always clinging to him, and he always cared for her. He was the best big brother anyone could ask for.
She was disillusioned of any notion that the world had purpose right then and there. It was all chaos, all indifferent cruelty. She was right on the verge of killing herself, her only reason for living and happiness gone from her life, the despair consuming her whole, when she heard a voice.
"Perhaps you would like to bring purpose to this universe. Perhaps you would like everything to change and go according to your will. Perhaps you want to create order out of chaos."
"Perhaps… You'd like to become God."
The current God of the universe was offering for her to replace him. Who was she to refuse?
She immediately began the mechanical changes to her body. She now finally had the body she always wanted, the body that matched her soul. That male body was absolutely suffocating , she wished she had never been born in it. With her new changes she was more of a robot than a human, but she was more than suitable to be a Goddess.
Ownership of the superstructure, and of the capital city of the universe, had been transferred to her. She was in charge. She could do anything she wanted. The capital city was changed into the central trading city that connected together every galaxy and civilization of the universe. It was easily the biggest city ever created, with its sole purpose to amass money, from businesses all controlled by her . The biggest monopoly ever amassed, and it was by a Queen, the Queen of the city and its economic empire. The city's culture became one with only one gender, where one's character was judged more than their social category.
Millenia passed, the implants in her body changing every single way she had functioned. She was no longer the same soul, at least, not on the outside. She still existed deep inside, but it was hidden, forgotten, as it had ceased to be useful. What became useful instead was law enforcement with an iron first, not allowing any freedom within the police state, and only servitude to her, although no one had ever seen her, and thought she was the genderless God that created the universe. Money was needed. Technological advancements were needed. It was simply the best way for everyone to have purpose.
She had forgotten everything else, until the moment the assassin had mentioned her dear brother.
"I…"
Oh no.
Her pause had given him an advantage-!
In a chaotic, blurry series of motions, she lifted her arm swiftly up to block as she twisted her body and blocked more of his attacks, but every block she tried was broken right through, and every twist of hers brought her closer and closer to the blade. With a final burst of energy, she tried to launch a counter attack.
But when she lunged forward, her free arm was grabbed and twisted, and she found that his dagger was already lodged deeply in her chest, right into her heart.
It was too late. The delay in her thoughts was too long.
She slumped down, but instead of letting her fall to the ground, the assassin held her, solemnly and sorrowfully looking down at her.
"I'm sorry… I… It's not that I dislike you. You don't deserve this end. But the universe cannot have a God. Not ever again."
His research into the Goddess had led them to find paths he had never expected. Paths that made him doubt his mission, doubt his orders.
"P-please," Hera croaked out. "I still have a chance. Let me live. Serve me instead."
"..."
He held her hand, tempted, so, so tempted.
"Hera, my answer is…"
The clockwork encasing the universe stagnated and fell apart, destroying itself as it came crashing down, allowing the universe to expand and inflate infinitely.