Helios sat within his tent meditating. He did not leave his tent or receive any other visitors. Even if he did receive visitors, no one else on the front line did anything suspicious. They all went about their day as if nothing is different which to most of them, it might as well be. Most of them didn't know about the Celestial Supreme's declaration.
The Celestial Supreme can say with uttermost certainty that the leak did not occur because of anyone on the front lines. This means that the gods are the ones that leaked the information to the ant. One of them is in contact with the ants. He can't monitor what the gods do in their divine kingdoms so he doesn't know which god betrayed him.
There is some good that came out of the leakage though. He has confirmed that the god of fate was right and that there really is a betrayer among the gods. Now, he will be extra cautious and careful around the gods.
"Should we go ahead with the negotiation?" One of the seven gods asked him.
He already made a declaration of war against the ants. So they are asking him for permission to negotiate with those that can be considered terrorists right now.
He replied quickly. "Sure go ahead. There's no reason not to do everything to try and get your demigods. But this negotiation must not be dragged on because I will still do what I want when the Colossus comes. This opportunity for negotiation won't delay me."
He gave them the go-ahead. Refusing will be counterproductive to his aim of informing the gods beforehand. He wants to show them he doesn't have any ulterior motives and he also wants to see how the ants react. Either way, he will get to the bottom of this conundrum one way or another.
This opportunity for negotiation hasn't changed his mind at all. His Colossus is still on the way and it will burst this entire thing wide open. He doesn't want to endanger the demigods but he will do it if he has to. If this is a ploy to delay him, then it won't work. Nothing can delay the retribution of justice.
Helios was called to do his duty as the negotiator. He was accompanied by nine priests. 7 from the other gods, 1 from the church of order, and another 1 from the church of the sun. There is no representative of the church of the storm among their procession.
One of the priests belonging to the 7 gods spoke to him as they were on their way.
"Thank you for doing this for us. We have taken so much of your time. My God says that he will owe you a divine favor if he is able to get his demigod back and a normal favor if not. You deserve something for your efforts regardless of the outcome."
Helios bowed. "I thank the god of mercy for his generosity. It is my duty to help my fellows when I can but your generosity has made it my privilege."
The priest nodded contently and withdrew. The other priests approached him one by one to express their thanks for his duty and promised him different types of favors. A normal favor from a god can be used to get the god to do something for you but the god can choose not to, offer you a worse alternative or delay doing it.
A divine favor on the other hand is a very important favor in which the god will be compelled by his Godhood as a god to fulfill the favor to the best of their abilities. It is not a must for the god to do what you asked for but it is a must for them to try their best. They might not be able to do some things for you if it is not in their power no matter how much they want to but they have to try their best before offering you an alternative.
He thanked them for their generosity and said words that stroked their ego. The priests of the church of justice and the church of the sun didn't offer him anything. So they returned to silence after the seven priests were done delivering the message of their respective gods.
Helios smiled when he saw what is waiting for them in front of the ant mound.
He said to them, "It seems we will have some good news. We might be able to get the demigods."
The other priests were ecstatic when they saw all the demigods placed outside the ant mound. They were bound, gagged, and emaciated but it is a good sight. It indicated an increase in the possibility of their release.
Helios and his entourage reached the waiting royal guards. One of the royal guards spoke to them.
"We are willing to let all the demigods go but we want two things. If we don't get both of them, then we won't release any of the demigods. Do you understand? It's all or nothing."
Helios spoke. "We understand and we are willing to work towards satisfying the two requirements as long as they are reasonable."
"Don't worry it is reasonable. First, we want 50 pieces of divine items for each of the 7 demigods."
Helios consulted with the priests before replying. "That is reasonable and we are willing to fulfill that requirement. What is the second requirement?"
50 pieces of divine items are too much for a single demigod but the gods agreed to it because they don't have much use for it apart from battering with other gods. The Celestial Supreme has also placed a limit on the time they have to bail their kids.
So they are in a rush to finish this negotiation and they don't want to be the ones to delay. The Colossus can get here anytime. Plus the price of 50 looks like a bargain when compared to the amount Harkam had to pay for his and they are sure they will be able to retrieve it once the Colossus finishes its work on the ant colony.
