A Hero Mourns for the Sun

On this day, something momentous happened. It directly led to a change in the Sun God's ruler and altered the balance among the gods.

Today, the sun did not rise as usual, yet the world did not fall into darkness, because fires were breaking out everywhere.

Phaethon,

was the son of Helios, the Sun God. Some legends also claimed that Phaethon was the son of Astraeus and Eos, the goddess of dawn, and one of the star gods. In Greek, "Phaethon" meant "blazing."

Arrogant and conceited, Phaethon tearfully pleaded with his father for the sake of his intangible pride.

Helios, pained for his son, swore upon the Styx that he would grant Phaethon one wish as a gift.

And the overconfident Phaethon made the wish he had long dreamed of—driving the Sun God's winged Sun Chariot alone!

What was so impressive about flying high? Phaethon wanted to become the sun!

Afterward, under Phaethon's repeated pleas, Helios finally agreed.

Originally, as long as Phaethon followed his father Helios's instructions step by step, he could have safely made it through the day.

But like Icarus in another famous tragedy of Ancient Greece, the out-of-control Sun Chariot brought disaster to Greece. An enraged Zeus struck him down with a Thunderbolt.

Poor Phaethon spun down from the sky like a burning fireball. The Sun God's son thus fell into the Eridanus River.

Helios witnessed the tragic scene. He clutched his head and sank into profound grief.

The Naiads, spring goddesses of low divine rank, pitied the unfortunate youth and buried him.

His body had been burned beyond recognition. His despairing mother Clymene and her daughters, the Heliades, embraced one another and wept bitterly.

They cried for four consecutive months. In the end, the gentle sisters became poplar trees, and their tears became gleaming amber.

So in Ancient Greece, one could not casually choose a name, because it might very well hint at one's fate.

Thaumas lit a torch and used its light to see the road around him clearly.

Fire was just that wondrous.

Sometimes, fire could bring light to humanity, drive away darkness, and cook delicious food. But sometimes, fire could also become the culprit behind the destruction of everything.

Perhaps fire itself was not at fault?

Today, Helios's horses did not, as usual, take to the road and race forward, bravely breaking through the mists of dawn.

Thaumas found this puzzling. He had no idea what had happened. He was not a god who was supposed to know everything.

The Griffin beside him followed behind Thaumas. Having just woken up, it was equally confused.

"Hmm—?" The Griffin tilted its head, seemingly lost in thought, then flapped its wings and stirred up clouds of dust.

"Wah—!"

"Fly up and take a look? Good idea!" Thaumas patted the Griffin's wing, then climbed straight onto its back.

A bolt of lightning shot into the sky, rapidly climbing into the heights.

Over the past few days, Thaumas had grown used to high-speed flight and gradually overcome his fear of flying so high. He had even begun to enjoy this stretch of sky.

But he could no longer be happy. Before him lay a scene like the end of the world.

He saw,

the earth scorched until it cracked from the heat, all moisture evaporated away.

Sparks nearly burst from the fields. The grasslands had dried up, the forests had caught fire, and the blaze spread across the vast plains.

Crops were burned away, farmland became deserts, countless cities billowed smoke, villages were reduced to ash, and farmers were roasted black and crisp.

Hills and woods blazed fiercely. Rivers churned with boiling water, terrifyingly flowing backward toward their sources. Even at their sources, the rivers dried up. The sea rapidly shrank, and places that had once been lakes were now nearly dry.

Faced with such a terrifying sight, Thaumas easily connected it to the truth: the Sun Chariot driven by Phaethon had fallen.

The people on the ground were either freezing to death or burning to death. The sky was dim, the earth was dark, and the human world was filled with endless resentment.

Once one had known light, it became impossible to endure darkness!

"Griffin, quickly! Go save people." Thaumas immediately gave the order.

He had no way to stop Phaethon from driving the Sun Chariot, because he did not even know the exact timing of the incident, nor did he know Helios.

Poor Sun Chariot, it had crashed just like that...

But now, saving whoever he could was enough. He would do all he could, but he would not force himself to do what he could not. After all, it was not his fault.

Thus, man and Beast began their rescue operation.

By the way, was the Griffin male or female? Should Thaumas call it Brother Lion or Sister Lion?

He would ask the Griffin later whether Phantasmal Species had genders.

Could it be like the gods, without a fixed gender?

Helios's palace,

had been painstakingly crafted by Hephaestus from countless materials, because Helios held her in great respect.

The palace was supported by magnificent columns, inlaid with shining gold and dazzling gemstones.

Its eaves were set with snow-white ivory. The two silver doors were carved with beautiful patterns and figures, recording countless wonderful and ancient legends of the mortal world.

Inside the great hall,

upon the main seat sat a tall, burly, handsome man without a beard. He wore a purple robe and a golden solar crown that emitted countless rays of light. His entire body radiated dazzling brilliance.

He sat upon a throne adorned with gleaming emeralds, with his civil and martial attendants standing in order to his left and right.

On one side stood the God of Days, God of Months, God of Years, God of Centuries, and others, towering solemnly and motionless as mountains;

on the other side stood the Gods of Seasons:

The God of Spring was young and lovely, wearing a necklace of flowers as all things revived;

the God of Summer had bright, spirited eyes and wore garments woven from golden wheat stalks;

the God of Autumn carried herself with countless charms, holding fragrant and enticing grapes in her hands;

the God of Winter exuded biting cold, his snow-white hair displaying boundless wisdom.

This was the most majestic and imposing retinue in heaven and earth besides Zeus's.

Anyone who came would be unable to resist praising it.

But,

this time was different.

The gods had come to demand an explanation!

The first to attack was Apollo, the God of Light.

After the fleet representing the Olympian Gods defeated the Titan fleet, Zeus began assigning domains among the gods.

Apollo took the opportunity to request that he be allowed to drive the Sun Chariot and possess the Authority of the sun.

At the time, Zeus had forgotten that he had already promised Helios the position of Sun God, so he agreed to Apollo's request.

But afterward, Helios became the Sun God, while Apollo could only settle for the Authority of light.

And now, Helios had made such an enormous mistake. It was difficult for Apollo not to be tempted.

Apollo was a radiant young man.

He had peerlessly handsome features and a beautiful athlete's body. He wore an immaculate white robe and a crown of Laurel Tree leaves.

He stepped forward and spoke with righteous indignation:

"Helios! You have betrayed the trust of the gods! You even disregarded the safety of our shared children—humanity!

Do you truly believe you can still sit in that position? Can you still possess that Authority?

Your favoritism plunged the world into darkness and disaster, even extinguishing the light! The Sun Chariot has been destroyed, announcing your end! Step down from that seat at once!"

"Apollo, you..."

Nierde, the hot-tempered God of Summer in golden wheat-stalk garments, was about to say something when Helios raised a hand and stopped her.

"Nierde! Stand down. We must show these chief gods sufficient respect!" Helios extended a rose-colored finger and lightly tapped Nierde's restless divine power.

"Apollo, this matter was my fault.

I witnessed that tragic scene. Before you arrived, I clutched my head tightly and sank into profound grief.

I grieved for the people upon the earth, and I mourned for my poor Phaethon." Helios stepped down from his throne and apologized to the chief gods in utter sorrow.

"If it is only a verbal apology, how can that be enough? You must show some sincerity!" The speaker was a cunning young man—Hermes.

Apollo had once helped Maia's son Hermes enter Olympus and take up residence there.

For Hermes's sake, Apollo had personally gone to persuade Hera.

To ensure success, he had even transformed Hermes into the likeness of Hera's son Ares, moving Hera's heart until she finally agreed to let Hermes live on Olympus.

Although Hermes and Apollo had once had unpleasantness between them, that was already in the past. Now, they stood on the same side!

"Then... what should I offer as compensation?" Helios asked awkwardly.

"Isn't that obvious? When it comes to the Sun God, it can only be the sun, right?" Artemis said with a cold smile.

She and Apollo were both children of Leto, and they were twin brother and sister.

But sometimes she was the elder sister, and sometimes she could be the younger sister.

Because when she was born, Artemis came out first, but sensing danger, she crawled back into Leto's womb and was ultimately born after Apollo.

As for whether Artemis considered herself the older or younger sibling, that depended on whether she wanted to be the older or younger sibling. She could be flexible about it.

Facing Artemis's deliberate provocation, even the usually calm God of Winter could not endure it any longer and rebuked her:

"Artemis! Do not go too far!"

"Huh? Who are you? Forget it, it is unimportant. Helios, you truly are incompetent! You cannot even control your own subordinates. How embarrassing!" Artemis looked at Helios with contempt.

At the same time, Artemis repeatedly drew a finger across her cheek, expressing her extreme dissatisfaction with Helios's shameless behavior.

"Of course the Moon God does not know a minor god like me. But I have only just learned that the famed Artemis is merely this kind of rude person." The God of Winter calmly retorted.

"Hmph! Say whatever you want. In any case, Helios must give up the position of Sun God today!

He handed the sun over to his son to use and treated the safety of countless people as nothing! He caused such a catastrophe. He is no longer worthy!" Artemis spoke as though it were a matter of no concern.

Lies did not hurt people. The truth was the sharp blade.

The God of Winter fell silent. He could not refute it; it was the truth.

If Helios did not give the gods a result that satisfied them today, these three would not let the matter rest.

"Enough, stop arguing!" Zeus spoke at this moment.

Since the King of Gods had spoken, no god dared act recklessly before him.

"Helios, this matter was indeed your fault. Since that is the case, hand the Authority of the sun to Apollo.

He will retrieve the Sun Chariot that fell into the Eridanus River and seek out the four fire horses scattered across the mortal world.

How does that sound?" Zeus's unquestionable voice rang out.

"I have no objection," Hermes was the first to speak.

"Eh—although those two minor gods who disrespected me will not be punished, fine. I shall be magnanimous and spare them." Artemis put on an affected air.

"This is my honor!" Apollo said happily.

The other gods had no objections either, leaving only the gods under Helios with ugly expressions.

Originally, this redistribution of power should have come to an end just like this.

"Great King of Gods, ruler of the sky and Thunderbolt! I am willing to transfer the Authority to Apollo! But,

at the place where my poor child Phaethon fell, the Sun Chariot can still be found. Yet the four fire horses have scattered into the mortal world. Among them, Pylos, Eos, and Aethon are bold by nature and easy to find.

But Phlegon is the most timid. He must already be hiding somewhere. If he encounters another god, he will surely flee!

Let me retrieve the horses!" This was Helios's attempt to fight for something. He could surrender the Sun Chariot, but he wanted to keep the four fire horses, which would effectively mean sharing the Authority with Apollo.

That was still better than losing everything!

"How could that..." Artenis was just about to say something when Athena pulled her back.

Athena then hurriedly said, "There is no need to worry about that. Apollo has a way to retrieve the Sun Chariot and gather all four fire horses, so Helios, you need not concern yourself with it!"

Apollo wore a puzzled expression. Since when did he have a way? But seeing Athena's resolute tone and the look she gave him, he decided to trust her.

"That is right. I will retrieve the chariot and the fire horses! I am honored to be qualified to drive the sun on its journey!" Apollo nodded.

"This..." Helios immediately found himself in a difficult position.

"What, Helios, do you not wish to? Since Apollo has already said so, what else do you wish to raise? Or are you questioning my decision?"

Zeus spoke impatiently. Hera had rarely been absent lately, and he already wanted to go have fun. No, this was to preserve his rule and avoid being overthrown by his youngest son!

Only by maintaining his rule could humanity and the gods move toward a brighter future! This was a reluctant measure!

Under Zeus's overwhelming pressure, the Sun God lowered his proud head, but he still stubbornly added:

"If the chariot and fire horses are not recovered within one week, the world will fall into eternal darkness.

Therefore, they must be brought back on the sixth day! Otherwise, on the seventh day, I will personally reclaim the sun!"

"No problem. It is settled, then!" Athena firmly declared, holding down Artemis, who was about to flare up.

Meanwhile, Hermes, who saw through everything, was doing his utmost to suppress his laughter. He would not get involved, because Hera's whip frightened him.

But Hermes was always like this—forgetting the pain once the wound had healed. This god's gaze drifted toward someone.

Thus,

Thaumas stood respectfully before the two gods.

The Griffin clearly did not want to get involved. It flew up into the sky to play, leaving Thaumas alone to face the two gods.