A Grave for You
On the Crete, three goddesses worked together: Medusa and Tina were responsible for shaping pairs of men and women, Athena was responsible for inspiring them with wisdom, and Samael was responsible for ultimately instilling them with sin.
After seven days and seven nights of creation, the human population has grown to nearly ten thousand.
Led by the prophet Prometheus, the newborns carried stones and built a simple altar.
When the last stone was polished and fitted into place, under the excited and eager gaze of the newborn humans, the Three Goddesses, as if by telepathy, stopped creating and walked over with approving eyes.
"You guys are so... awful..."
The newborn humans, hearing the praise, proudly puffed out their chests and looked up at their god, their creator, with burning eyes, like an army being reviewed.
Then, Medusa was on the left, Athena on the right, and Tina was quietly pulled away by Samael, keeping her merits hidden.
Led by the pioneer Prometheus, the humans offered sacrifices such as fruit, prey, pure water, and gems to the altar, and knelt in worship.
When all the elements were complete, a jeweled crown representing the Earth Authority appeared on Medusa's head, and the Scythe of Time she summoned in her hand gently struck the ground, causing a mysterious and obscure tremor to spread outwards through the earth's strata.
Moments later, a harmonious rhythm resonated across the earth, and the runes and Sorcery Array surrounding the altar began to activate.
The vast humanoid figure, formed by the convergence of green vegetation, yellow-black soil, and biological light and shadow, emerged from the pillar of light on the altar. It looked down at its surroundings with satisfaction, nodded in acceptance of the human sacrifice, and, with the divine authority of the earth, acknowledged their existence.
Then, Gaia gently raised her hand to the newly born human species, and specks of light and dust rose from the ground, drifting and enveloping their limbs and bones, freeing them from disease, granting them longevity and strength, and blessing them with the earth.
At the same time, the light patterns emanating from the altar crossed the Aegean Sea and spread across the main landmass of Greece.
Under the influence of the Earth Authority and the spread of human concepts, the "skeleton" of the earth, that is, the stones standing on the riverbank or in the mountains, are gradually softened and reshaped, and given form and life.
Creating humans couldn't possibly be done by sculpting them one by one like figurines, relying entirely on the hands of Medusa, Athena, and Tina.
Now, this new species has received the recognition and blessing of Gaia and has been registered.
Next, the existence of humankind will naturally spread to all parts of the earth in the form of concepts, forming settlements and civilizations.
After the Origin God completed the registration and blessing for humanity, the runes on the altar gradually faded, and Gaia's figure disappeared, continuing to slumber among the mountains.
Seeing that the most crucial step had been successfully completed, Samael breathed a sigh of relief. The gods present then exchanged glances and nodded to each other.
The four gods of Samael quietly disappeared, and humanity, under the command of Prometheus, was reorganized for the next round of sacrifices.
The Divine Authority of Earth resonated and pulsed in response, and humanity on earth simultaneously received this call.
Scattered throughout the world, they built altars on the spot, offered fruits and prey, lit bonfires, and threw spices into them.
As countless humans work together on this, the ether of the world converges and flows through the bodies of these newborns.
The power of the sacrifice resonated, faith overflowed in the hearts of mankind, flowing into the core of the Olympus gods, further increasing their divine power.
In this process, humanity's desires and demands for tools, marriage, knowledge, and so on, also gave rise to the new powers and divine duties of the gods.
This sudden turn of events caused the Olympian Gods to turn their gaze to the earth in surprise, taking in the newborn human species.
The increase in their divine power and divinity made them quite pleased with human sacrifices, and they readily agreed to accept the worship and offerings of these newborn creations.
However, at the same time, King of Gods Zeus, in his bedchamber, suddenly jumped up from his bed with his pupils contracting sharply, his expression one of extreme shock and anger.
"Damn it! Prometheus, look what you've done!"
This majestic and murderous roar, like hundreds of lions raising their heads and howling, resounded Olympus.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and sharp lightning bolts exploded one after another, forming tree-branch-shaped arcs of light that covered the clouds.
Under this terrifying pressure, even the gods dwelling on the Sacred Mountain couldn't help but tremble from the power of the divine.
"My king, why should you be angry? This is just an ordinary creation."
Just as Zeus was enraged, from within the gauze curtain, a beautiful arm, as pure as a lily, emerged and rested on the chest of the King of Gods, gently circling and caressing it.
The voluptuous, with bright and alluring azure eyes, and a head of beautiful golden curls flowing from her jeweled crown, the dignified and elegant goddess Hera lay on her side on the bed, chuckling softly.
Zeus's forehead veins bulged, and he reprimanded Zeus with a sinister gaze.
"What do you know!"
This species called humankind is frantically depleting the world's ether through the growth of its population and the power of its sacrificial beliefs.
The benefits the gods gain from absorbing the power of faith from humanity are nothing more than mortgaging their future, and will inevitably lead to the mysterious fading away!
Besides, haven't you bunch of idiots thought about this?
Humans appear to be pleasing and worshipping the gods through sacrifice, thereby enhancing your divine power.
However, once you've tasted the benefits, you'll want to gain more faith, which will indirectly serve humanity.
Once you take the shortcut, how could you easily give up the convenience of improving your strength through faith?
But when did the duties of the gods need to be assigned by humans?
Do the greatness of the gods need to be acknowledged by humankind?
Is the essence of ether meant to be redistributed by humanity in this way?
The King of Gods, possessing the wisdom of Metis, was exceptionally clear-headed and had long seen through Prometheus's sinister intention to use humanity to co-opt the gods and undermine their authority.
O son of Iapetus! O god of prophecy and foresight!
Zeus's eyes blazed with fury, wishing he could capture his cousin and drag him to Olympus to punish him.
In addition, this unstable factor of blasphemy among humans also needs to be eliminated!
Seeing that the Olympian King of Gods's expression was becoming increasingly gloomy and cold, the armless goddess Hera leaned close to her husband's ear and chuckled as she spoke a reminder.
"Your Majesty, it seems that the existence of humankind has already been recognized and blessed by the goddess Gaia."
"Moreover, it was your divine decree that commanded Prometheus to go to Earth and create things."
Zeus's expression shifted, and the storm brewing on his face instantly dissipated, replaced by a carefree smile.
"Never mind, since it is a new life permitted by the world, King 24 forgives this blasphemy."
Having said that, the King of Gods seemed somewhat weary and rose to walk out of his bedchamber.
The moment the man stepped out the door, Zeus's face turned ashen, and his steel teeth clenched.
Are the gods truly unaware of the potential threats facing humanity?
Not necessarily!
He almost forgot that the power of faith offered by humankind was also a shortcut for the gods to break through their inherent limitations.
As long as they can capture the majority of the faith, the current order may be broken, and it is not impossible for them to even challenge the monarchy!
Therefore, even if the idea of destroying humanity and punishing Prometheus were proposed, his brothers, sisters, and even his sons and daughters would probably unite to obstruct it, both openly and secretly.
From then on, with the appearance of humankind, the absolute authority he had painstakingly established was shaken, and the gods began to divide themselves, each waging war for their faith.
Prometheus, you deserve to die!
Zeus, who had secretly suffered a great loss, gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.
We must find a way to both silence the gods and solve the problems caused by humanity!