Marduk took some time to awaken from his trance and sighed heavily as he stared at Alex.

Shamash softly told the former, "Marduk, as we have promised. Let's go to Samu to visit Sky Father."

Marduk reluctantly nodded and asked Alex and Hermes, "Do you want to come with us?"

Alex was still not in his best state, so Hermes replied in his stead, "I think Alexei-boy would accept."

Shamash nodded and said, "Samu is our paradise, where our Father lives. There's an entrance from the palace, follow me."

Hermes obliged and helped Alex walk as Shamash led them back into the corridors of the palace.

As they strolled around, Hermes suddenly asked, "Sir Shamash, why is that you did not resolve the conflict through your Father earlier, if I may ask?"

Shamash avoided Hermes' gaze and spoke, embarrassed, "Sky Father An has left the mortal realm and given us all authority over it because he trusted Marduk and Enlil would be able to maintain order and prosperity. If we did go, it would be admitting that we, gods, are not fit to rule Babylon and Mesopotamia."

Hermes nodded and they resumed their silent walk.

Unexpectedly, Shamash praised, "I don't think this boy was wrong by any means, I just couldn't admit that we have fallen to the point that mortals living in a city directly under our jurisdiction are dying of factors like famine and thirst...."

He was referring to Alex, who still felt a little light-headed.

Hermes objected, "But you still put him in a lot of danger."

Shamash chuckled, "He is definitely very strong, however. I still cannot comprehend how he was able to render Marduk's mastery over vegetation essentially useless."

Meanwhile, Alex focused most of his energy on a hasty recovery, and he could only hear their muffled voices.

Marduk, who wasn't in any better state, listened shamefully to this conversation as he held on to Shamash's shoulder.

After a while, Shamash halted in front of a golden gate.

The gate had sculptures of snakes and dragons.

There were also engravings of winged creatures with the bodies of bulls and human faces.

When they approached the golden gate, the same engravings suddenly propped up from the frame of the gate and two of the winged monsters blocked their passage.

"Shamash, why do you wish to enter Samu?" The voices of the monsters seemed to come from all directions in a very eerie manner.

"Kerubim of Samu, we need the guidance of Sky Father Anu. If you would please to let us enter." Shamash spoke politely and referred to the monsters as the Kerubim.

The Kerubim looked at each other, then eerily returned to the gate, going back to their inconspicuous state as engravings.

Alex recovered most of his forces by now and thought that it was quite scary that someone would lower their guard upon seeing these engravings, only for them to turn into monsters that belonged to the end of times.

The golden gate then opened and the interior unraveled.

The group of four entered the gate and found themselves in a small garden. The only structure around here was a gazebo and small plantations of various fruit and vegetables surrounded the gazebo.

A man sat in the shade of the gazebo, and as he noticed their presence, he flew towards them.

The man wore a brown robe that covered the entirety of his body, and he had long black hair reaching his waist.

The man's eyes had a certain clarity to them like they reflected the cosmos.

When Marduk and Shamash saw the man, they bowed and greeted, "Good day, Sky Father Anu."

Hermes hinted at Alex to bow too. He obliged.

Anu looked at the two, and then said, "Marduk and Shamash, my children, what brings you here?"

Marduk looked at Shamash and the latter did the same.

They stared at each other for a dozen seconds or so before they seemed to come to a tacit understanding.

Shamash declared, "We have failed in keeping the order of our land, Father."

Anu told them, "You can tell me everything under the shade of the gazebo."

The god then looked at Hermes and Alex and asked, "You two are under Zeus, right?"

Hermes nodded.

Anu laughed and said, "I've met him in the past. Though, granted, it was back when he was accumulating forces to vanquish his father, the titan."

'He knows Zeus from that far back? Surprising.' Alex remarked.

The god then invited all of them to his gazebo.

As they sat under the lovely shade, Shamash recounted the events that led to their visit.

"Mesopotamia has split between Marduk and Enlil."

"They took the northern city of Assur as their land and Ea blocked the flow of the sacred rivers to Babylon. In return, I burned their farmland with the rays of the sun."

He continued, "Today, these two Olympians visited us and Marduk fought with one of them, and the condition for our loss was to resolve the conflict the best we could, and that's why we're here."

Anu rubbed his chin and listened attentively.

Then, he stated, "Shamash, I am disappointed. However, I am not disappointed in your ability to maintain our image, but in the fact that all of my children were fighting amongst each other, and if these gents from Olympus hadn't intervened, the conflict would have only resulted in an unfavorable outcome."

Marduk exclaimed, "We are ready for any punishments, Sky Father!"

Anu giggled and objected, "I'm not looking to punish anybody. I'm going back down to the mortal realm to speak to Enlil."

"Wait for me here." Anu then flew and a golden gate appeared out of thin air.

The gates opened and Anu left through those gates.

Alex remarked, "He seems like a pretty reasonable god."

He left the latter part of the sentence in his mind, however.

'Unlike a certain other sky god I know.'

Marduk and Shamash nodded in unison.

Hermes then whispered to him, "You've done a really good job today."

Alex nodded and said, "Thank you, Hermes."

Suddenly, the golden gate from earlier appeared again, and the god Anu entered back into the garden through it. He came back to the gazebo and proclaimed, "The problem has been solved, none of you two shall remain as head of the pantheon."

"Shamash has been the child who acted the most responsibly. I crown you head of Mesopotamia, my child."

Shamash's eyes widened and he was shaking profusely. Marduk told him, "Congratulations, King Shamash. I think you always deserved it better than I did."

Hermes coughed and said, "Sir Anu, perhaps, I see this as an opportunity to further the connection between Olympus and your land."

'Shameless...' Alex thought.

Anu laughed loudly and said, "Of course, Olympus, from this day on, shall have a deeper alliance with our land!"

Hermes murmured to him, "This is what I call, an unexpectedly successful trip. All, thanks to you."