Masters of Playing Dumb
"Alright, you can discuss the specifics yourselves. I'm a bit tired."
Metis lazily rose, waved his hand, and prepared to head to the palace.
"Slow down, be careful of the child."
Zeus, standing nearby, smiled wryly and immediately summoned a loyal Hecatoncheires from behind him to attend to his wife who was about to give birth.
"I don't like this guy, he's too ugly."
The Goddess of Wisdom pointed at the Titan monster beside her with a half-smile, and rolled her eyes coquettishly.
"I'm afraid I'll have to go on a long trip. During this time, as your husband, I need to consider your safety."
"It will protect you from a distance, trying its best not to disturb you."
"Metis, my love, pregnancy will weaken your divine power. For the sake of our child, and for your own sake, try to stay in Olympus and don't go anywhere. Be patient."
The King of Gods approached gently, supporting his wife's arm with deep affection.
"But staying in one place all the time is so boring."
Metis frowned slightly, seemingly displeased and troubled.
"That's easy. You can bring whatever you like or want to Olympus to relieve your boredom."
Zeus was completely obedient to his wife who was about to give birth, responding with a loving smile.
"Then, I want half of this shield for my daughter to play with. Will you give it to me?"
Metis smiled and pointed to the Goatskin Divine Shield in her husband's hand, her expression playful.
How did you know it was a daughter?
"I'm pregnant, of course I know! She kicks my belly every day, she's so naughty."
Zeus touched his nose, raised his hand to feel the baby's movements in his wife's abdomen, while Metis rolled her eyes coquettishly.
The King of Gods, feeling scorned, gave an awkward laugh, then turned around, his expression turning serious. He casually raised his Thunderbolt Scepter and shattered the Goatskin Divine Shield in two.
Then, a Cyclops had heard the news came and took the two broken shields, muttering with a pained expression.
"Go, forge this into two shields, and when my daughter is born, as her father, let me use my authority to protect her."
The gods who remained inside the temple were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances. Even they, as outsiders, began to feel a pang of regret.
The powerful offensive artifact, the Thunderbolt Scepter, and the near-perfect defensive artifact, the Goatskin Divine Shield, together form a perfect combination of offense and defense, making them virtually invincible.
However, this treasure, painstakingly crafted by the Cyclops, was destroyed by Zeus himself because of a single request from Metis, which was tantamount to leaving himself vulnerable.
With such pampering, Jian Qi reached the pinnacle.
"Who asked you to break the shield? That thing can't be looked at, played with, or eaten. I was just joking, and you were stupid enough to take it seriously."
Metis paused slightly, rolled his eyes and glanced disdainfully at the two artifact fragments that the Cyclops had taken to Mount Etna, speaking in a light tone.
"As long as you say so, I'll give you my heart."
Zeus looked at his wife with a serious yet gentle expression.
Metis turned her head away, her purple eyes looking elsewhere, and yawned listlessly.
"Oh, by the way, I saw a fun game at my Themis's place. I just asked her to come over and teach me so we can pass the time together."
"Well, Mount Olympus and Mount Othrys are still locked in a standoff, and if news of my voyage is leaked, it could provoke a counterattack from the other side."
King of Gods Zeus, looked troubled and helpless as he gazed at his wife.
"Then let her serve as a divine attendant. Anyway, the child knows how to play this kind of game."
Metis, Goddess of Wisdom, rubbed her forehead and snorted softly, resigning herself to second best.
"Do whatever makes you happy."
Zeus's brow relaxed, he nodded slightly, and watched his wife return to her palace with tender affection.
Unbeknownst to them, all the gods in the courtyard had already departed, and the King of Gods slowly walked to the center of the throne and sat down comfortably.
Those blue-white eyes gazed down at the empty palace, their fingertips gently caressing the only remaining Thunderbolt Scepter as if touching a lover's skin.
At the foot of a secluded mountain somewhere in Olympus, Prometheus slapped his brother, Kassapa, across the face, veins bulging on his forehead, his expression cold and stern.
"Go back and think about why you got slapped!"
Before his elder brother, he was all obsequious and submissive. The one who knew later nodded aggrievedly, but dared not utter the slightest rebuttal.
If his brother says he's wrong, then he must be wrong, but he doesn't yet know exactly where he went wrong.
"Also, you should avoid dealing with Zeus's family in the future. Don't listen to anything they say, and don't accept anything they offer."
Prometheus looked at his brother, whose eyes still held undiminished admiration and obedience, and sighed helplessly, offering earnest advice.
"Why?"
The person who found out later instinctively asked a question, but immediately felt that it was somewhat rash and foolish, and their face turned embarrassed.
"Asking questions when you don't understand is a form of progress, and it's always better than being self-righteous."
Prometheus did not reprimand the somewhat bewildered brothers. Instead, he looked up at Mount Olympus, which was shrouded in thunderclouds, and murmured meaningfully.
"This family are all masters of feigning ignorance; deep down, each one is ruthless..."
The prophet lowered his head, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light.
Perhaps for a long time to come, this Queen of Gods should step back from the decision-making body and focus on her pregnancy.
"I feel that His Majesty the King of Gods and the Queen of Gods are quite loving. To please his wife, he even personally shattered his most precious Goatskin Divine Shield. Isn't that enough?"
Those who learned later remained confused and bewildered, but since his elder brother had spoken first, he simply voiced his doubts.
How do I get the Goatskin Divine Shield?
Prometheus glanced at his brother and gave a slight snort.
"It looks like the skin Zeus peeled off from the Crete Island, from which it was created by the combined efforts of three Cyclops and Mount Etna."
Those who found out later answered instinctively, still somewhat puzzled.
"That mother goat on Crete Island was his wet nurse who raised him with her milk..."
Prometheus spoke softly, then recalled the two who shared the throne, their clashes, though unseen, were sharp and deadly, each blow aimed at the heart of the other. His voice was low and somber.
"Once, for a defensive artifact, he skinned and gutted his own goat nurse; now, to please Metis, he has shattered the Goatskin Divine Shield in two..."
"In the future, he can use any other reason to stab his wife in the back, understand?"
"Besides, our God -King of Gods has already done it, it's just that this time he used a blunt knife that doesn't hurt too much."
The elder brother spoke so clearly that even the most clueless person, who was slow to understand, would have some idea, and his voice was hoarse.
"Zeus, seizing power?"
The brothers were used as pawns, becoming the spearheads against Metis.
This King of Gods took advantage of his wife's weakened state during her pregnancy to launch a secret attack, and even sent Hecatoncheires under the guise of protection to monitor the Goddess of Wisdom who was about to become a mother.
Similarly, Metis did not provoke Zeus and forced him to discard his defensive artifact.
This is just the surface of the couple's power struggles; behind the scenes, they're constantly countering each other's moves. Who knows how much more they're doing?
The honest man felt a chill run down his spine, only then realizing how the two men on the surface, seemingly smiling, were actually stabbing each other in the back.
Zeus's sinister intentions made him unable to resist speaking up for Queen of Gods Metis had just spoken up to save her and her brother from crisis.
"Isn't Your King of Gods afraid of being exposed?"
"Expose him? Zeus said it all, but it was all the truth."
Prometheus responded calmly, his tone serene, leaving the onlookers bewildered.
"Does he still truly love Metis?"
"Of course I love you, the kind of love that's willing to give my heart and soul, otherwise I wouldn't be able to hide it from Metis's scrutiny."
Amidst the puzzled and questioning gazes of the brothers, Prometheus nodded earnestly, but a cold smile immediately appeared on his lips.
"However, he also loved himself, and loved that supreme power even more!"
"We all have this blood in our veins, a kind of bestial desire to pursue power."
This prophet, who knew Zeus's temperament well, waved listlessly, calling to his brother, who was still immersed in some kind of shock, and they hurried off somewhere.
"Brother, this isn't the way home. Where are we going?"
Those who realized what was happening later instinctively asked a question.
"We haven't seen Aunt Themis for a while, so we just stopped by to pay her a visit."
Prometheus stood on the gentle slope, waiting for his brothers to catch up, gazing wistfully at the lush, endless Chryseis Marsh, his eyes filled with profound meaning.
Some favors must be repaid.
Hopefully, this adventure will be of some help.
Meanwhile, deep in the marshland, Samael, who was squatting on the bank of the river, grilling fish over a campfire, suddenly sneezed.
Hmm, it seems like too much spice was added, but the taste is quite good.
The ancient snake took a bite, nodded slightly, and then began to sway, kicking up dust and shouting through the dense forest.
"Tina, dinner's ready! If you don't come soon, I'm going to eat it all!"
"Aaaa!!! Eat! Eat!"
Immediately, a rapid monosyllabic word came, and the Young Goddess Form, moving swiftly, rushed to the campfire.
However, the moment Tina ran out of the dense forest, Samael's smiling eyes narrowed sharply.
Because, in the hand of this Young Goddess Form, there was also a figure with purple hair and purple eyes, half-human and half-snake, with a cold and aloof demeanor.