The gods turned their attention to the ant mound immediately after they found out something is going on. They saw a royal guard approach the front line and speak to the soldiers. They heard what the royal guard asked for. Then they all turned their attention towards Stelios.
Stelios was in thought for a while before he spoke. "I agree. There doesn't seem to be anything out of place. They want a demigod to be the intermediary between the gods and them. They chose him because he is the only demigod around. But the colossus must escort him for his safety."
Harkam and the other 7 gods sighed in relief. Stelios had the right to refuse but he didn't. They appreciate it and have to admit that he truly is reliable.
Harkam chose that point to speak up. He grinned smugly and said, "You have me to thank for this. Now there's progress because of me. If I hadn't done something, we would have been here for many years to come."
His 7 opponents were about to start another argument but Stelios stopped them before it could start.
He said to them, "Ignore him. It is more productive to find someone to inform Helios and bring him here."
So someone went to inform Helios.
He was in his tent waiting when he was told.
A priest from the church of the sun informed him. "The ant queen has finally decided to start the negotiation. She has chosen you to be the negotiator for the gods and the gods have decided that you will take this position."
"I will do as the gods of Zargoth have commanded."
He nodded and accepted the responsibility like a true naive hero who is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He was taken to the temple where he was informed of everything that happened, their plans, and their bottom lines in the negotiation. Then he was escorted to the ant mound by the colossus and 9 other priests. The Colossus is a priest representing Harkam's Will while the other 9 represent the other 7 gods, Stelios and the Celestial Supreme.
The priest of the church of order and justice is here to make sure that order is maintained but he is just here for the Celestial Supreme to snoop and monitor the negotiation. Even in a situation that doesn't concern the Celestial Supreme, he still has to oversee the proceedings.
The Colossus was carefree as she walked beside him. She was checking everything they passed by. Since they are in a desert and there's not much to see, she might just be seeing things that are not there. The two of them are of the same height now, 40 meters tall. Helios has grown stronger and taller after absorbing the three sun cores.
She suddenly whirled on him and said, "I have a feeling that you will be sacrificed."
"Sacrificed for what?" Helios asked calmly as they walked towards the ant mound.
"Sacrificed for the negotiations. Negotiations like this can't end well for you. It is a dangerous position for you to be in. When you add in the fact that you're a pawn of the gods, then it becomes almost certain that it won't end well for you." She replied with her face very close to his.
His position as a negotiator is dangerous. It is a position that can make him offend a god especially the ones with stakes in this negotiation. Offending a god means a difficult time if not death.
"I see," Helios said without much inflection.
Her eyes twinkled, "Are you not concerned at all?"
"I am a hero, a demigod and as such I must fulfill the purpose of my divine father. He has permitted me to do this and I have faith in him that he won't send me to my death."
Most of what Helios said is crap but there is some truth to it. He is certain that Stelios will not send him to his death. The Stigmata on his back is proof of it. He is more important to the sun god than Tanya is to the sky god even though the sun god has a lot of divine lords.
"You're impressive. I admire your courage. I will say nice things about you when you die."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
His reply made her laugh.
"Why aren't you worried about your safety? I heard a god is helping the ants." He asked her.
"That's no reason to worry. A god can only manifest an avatar that is a mana entity at most." She replied.
"That is unless the god is using a vessel." He said to her.
"I am a vessel."
Helios nodded in realization. Now he knows why she is so confident. She has almost nothing to fear.
"What if the god is a true God?"
She laughed again. "There's only one Celestial God in the entire plane. You sound like the sky god. He still suspects the Celestial Supreme of having something to do with this. He says that he knows what he sensed and it is a superior divine power, not a similar divine power with obscuring properties. He doesn't like the Celestial Supreme lying to them about his game, that's why he brought me in. To muddle things up and make him fumble."
She spoke freely without caring about the gods eavesdropping on her.
Helio nodded. "What if the hidden god is a Celestial?"
His words cracked her up even more. Helios got the feeling that it doesn't take much to amuse her. Either that or she is hearing funny things that he did not say.
"That's hilarious. Where could you have gotten that idea?"
Helios replied. "Since his excellency, the sky god believes it is a Celestial that did it, does it have to be the Celestial Supreme?"
She nodded. "That's what your father the sun god said. He believes that if a Celestial did it, it is not the Celestial Supreme. You two are very much alike."
Helios' face twitched when he heard her last statement.