I Am a Prophet in Greece, Section 17

What he excelled at most was setting tigers against wolves, stirring up disputes, and strategizing from behind the scenes where no one could see him.

That was also the greatest difference between him and Uranus, the first generation of divine kings, who preferred to handle everything personally.

However, when facing the equally mysterious Three Fates, whose true nature he knew nothing about, Kronos remained very courteous. At the very least, he did not immediately resort to threats and inducements as he had with Pontus, the primordial sea god.

After the Three Fates first showed confusion before firmly refusing him outright, Kronos displayed no displeasure. Instead, he asked earnestly,

"Beautiful goddesses, why do you refuse me? Do you feel that my apology is not sincere enough?"

He deliberately put on a troubled expression and said helplessly, "But your divine authority is so mysterious. The only gift I can think of that would be worthy of you is more authority over fate."

"This would make you incomparably powerful and allow you to glimpse more threads of fate. Isn't that what you desire?"

His attitude was so sincere that no fault could be found with it. The Three Fates exchanged glances, their expressions all somewhat strange.

The eldest sister, Clotho, pondered for a moment before speaking. Her gaze at Kronos was filled with complicated emotions.

"Great Divine King, we do not wish to possess more authority, for all things are predetermined by fate. As servants of fate, we must respect fate."

"We also do not wish to involve ourselves in struggles over divine authority. That does not accord with our wishes either. We ask Your Majesty's forgiveness," Lachesis, the second sister, added.

"But we still thank Your Majesty for your goodwill. We will remember your favor," Atropos, the youngest goddess, concluded.

Rejected once more, Kronos still appeared to harbor no dissatisfaction. He nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "I see. I was presumptuous."

"Then may I ask for a prophecy concerning fate?" Kronos thought for a moment before asking.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the three goddesses said in unison. "It is our honor to ease your concerns."

"I wish to know whether Pontus, the primordial sea god, will make a move against Oceanus, the god of the great ocean. After all, their grievances seem to have accumulated for a long time."

As Kronos spoke, worry appeared on his face, as though he truly were a benevolent divine king concerned about conflict.

"Yes. Pontus, the primordial sea god, will act against Oceanus, the god of the great ocean, in the near future."

The goddesses gave an affirmative answer. They cast Kronos a meaningful look, yet said nothing.

"That is truly terrible." Kronos sighed, then asked, "If I have further questions in the future, may I visit again?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Kronos finally took his leave in satisfaction.

Although the Three Fates had rejected him and were unwilling to contend for authority, this had not been beyond his expectations.

Perhaps because they saw more than others, gods connected to fate always had minds of their own and were difficult to persuade.

Thus, his main purpose in coming this time had actually been to test the attitudes of these three goddesses and see whether they could be used by him.

Kronos had always been wary of the mysterious Theron. He needed gods who were likewise involved in the domain of fate to stand on his side and offer him guidance when necessary.

Now, it depended on whether Pontus would act soon. If he did, it would prove that these three goddesses also possessed the ability to foresee the future.

Then he would choose these three goddesses to devise strategies for him in the future, using them to cast off and replace Theron.

But casting him off and replacing him would only be the first step. His true goal was to find a way to seal Theron away completely once he no longer had any use for him, imprisoning him in the abyss of Tartarus.

Only then could he rest easy.

With his thoughts growing ever clearer, Kronos returned to the divine mountain and made his way to Rhea's temple.

With Gaia, the Earth Mother Goddess's help, Kronos discovered no sign that Rhea had ever left. Everything was no different from usual.

Yet as he drew closer, he quickly noticed something unusual about Rhea.

"You are carrying our child again?" he asked in surprise, though he was no longer as flustered as when he had first discovered this before.

He would simply devour the child after it was born. It was no different from never having been born. Kronos believed he had already broken the curse, so naturally he no longer worried.

Rhea gave him a cold glance and said nothing.

Kronos had long since grown accustomed to Rhea's attitude. Instead, he eagerly began guessing what divine office this child would possess, because as long as he devoured the child, he would gain the corresponding law.

To him, that was equivalent to acquiring a new ability, one that would make him stronger.

Thinking of this, he even began to feel delighted.

Looking at Kronos before her, Rhea found him utterly unfamiliar. The greedy gaze with which he examined her lower abdomen made her nearly retch.

I must put an end to all this.

As she spoke in her heart, the resolve hidden in her eyes grew ever firmer.

Zeus Is Born

Above the boundless ocean, Pontus took a deep breath, trying to dispel the hesitation in his heart before acting. Yet he still instinctively looked toward the distant sky.

He could not help recalling his conversation with Theron not long ago.

Today was the day they had agreed to act. Because Pontus was deeply worried about causing dire consequences, he had asked Theron to testify for him.

Pontus could tell that Oceanus still held Theron in high regard. If Theron were willing to mediate as an intermediary and prove that Pontus had no intention of fighting, that everything had been forced upon him by the divine king, Oceanus should believe him.

Theron had agreed.

Only then had Pontus found the courage to act.

Taking another deep breath, Pontus raised both hands. His aged face grew solemn as well. With his movements, the entire sea surface began to churn violently. Something beneath the seabed was collapsing.

As the primordial sea god whom Gaia had conceived alone, Pontus represented the barren saltwater domain of "the bottom of the sea." His authority leaned more toward the ocean itself on a geological level.

He could easily detonate "the bottom of the sea," causing vast quantities of seawater to drain away. That was exactly what he was doing now.

He caused a massive rift to split open in the seabed at the edge of the great ocean. In an instant, countless torrents of seawater poured into it, and a terrifying roar echoed throughout the entire ocean.

The seawater flooded through the rift into the eternal abyss of Tartarus and vanished without a trace. The most immediate consequence was that Oceanus's divine power, which symbolized the great ocean, began to decline.

Oceanus, the god of the great ocean, realized there was a problem almost immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, he rushed out of his temple and headed straight for the source of the disturbance.

The other ocean gods trembled under such terrifying turmoil and hid beneath Tethys's protection in fear.

For a time, the commotion in the ocean was so immense that it drew the curious attention of many gods. However, none acted rashly. They merely watched from afar.

Oceanus, who had followed the sound here, soon saw Pontus in action. He was both shocked and enraged.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. His first reaction was that he had been deceived. Pontus's years of staying out of worldly affairs had all been an act, meant only to lull him into complacency.

But he soon sensed that something was wrong. If Pontus had long harbored ambitions of contending for authority, why had he waited until now to reveal them?

A thousand years ago, when they had just defeated Uranus, had been the best opportunity.

At the time, Oceanus had spent a long period severely wounded and unable to fight as he dissolved Uranus's remains. If Pontus had acted then, Oceanus would certainly have suffered grievously.

Yet Pontus had not. He had even married off his eldest daughter to a Titan god as a gesture of goodwill.

It was precisely because of this that Oceanus had lowered his guard against the primordial sea god, believing that Pontus truly disliked conflict. For all these years, they had kept to their own domains without interfering with one another.

So why had Pontus suddenly provoked a dispute without warning?

At that moment, the doubt in Oceanus's heart outweighed even his anger.

When Pontus saw Oceanus arrive, he too felt uneasy. He did not know how to explain himself. If he spoke frankly, he feared incurring the divine king's displeasure. If he said nothing, he feared Oceanus would attack outright.

He could only look once more toward the distant void, hoping for Theron's arrival.

What he did not know was that at that very moment, a figure abruptly appeared before Theron, blocking his path to the great ocean.

"Lord Theron, it has been many days since we last met. Have you been well?"

Looking at the familiar figure in white robes before him, Kronos spoke with a smile. He remained courteous, yet he no longer possessed the fear he had once shown when facing Theron.

The mighty power of the divine king was what gave him such confidence. That unrivaled strength made him feel that no god in this world could stand against him.

He represented the will of the world itself!

However, his nature dictated that even with such power, he would still fear those worthy of fear and seek ways to suppress them, rather than be blindly arrogant like Uranus, the first divine king, who looked down on everyone.

In this regard, Kronos, the second divine king, had clearly learned many lessons from Uranus.

"Your Majesty, I trust you have been well."

Theron showed a timely hint of surprise at Kronos's appearance, making the smile on Kronos's face grow even broader.

"You seem to be in quite a hurry. Where are you going, Lord Theron?" Kronos asked casually, as though he had merely happened upon Theron and was making idle conversation.

"There seems to be some disturbance in the great ocean. I was preparing to take a look," Theron answered truthfully.

"I have heard a little about this matter as well. However, I believe it would be better to let them resolve it themselves. Lord Theron, would you not agree?"

Theron did not answer immediately. He frowned slightly, as though hesitating.

That expression pleased Kronos even more, and his opinion of the Three Fates rose accordingly.

The Three Fates had told him that Pontus, the primordial sea god, would act today, and that Theron would go to the great ocean to mediate. Thus, he had come here early in order to intercept Theron.

Naturally, he could not allow Theron to ruin his plan. So he would keep watch over Theron here until the outcome at the great ocean was decided.

And when everything unfolded exactly as the three goddesses had foretold, Kronos felt utterly reassured.

So the mysterious Theron could also be foreseen through prophecy.

He was not all that impressive after all.

Kronos was delighted that he had finally found a way to restrain Theron, and his mood brightened with it.

Seeing that Theron seemed to have no way of dealing with him, with helplessness even appearing on his face, gave Kronos an immense sense of satisfaction. The feeling of controlling everything and playing others in the palm of his hand was intoxicating.

Especially since the other party was the god of fate he had once feared so deeply.

It was precisely because he was so immersed in the feeling of finally avenging a great grudge that he failed to notice the faint upward curve at the corner of Theron's lips beneath that troubled expression.

Ignoring the smug divine king, Theron silently began counting down in his heart.

At the very instant the count reached zero, inside a cave on Mount Dicte of Crete, far from here—

Amid Rhea's pained groans, a loud infant's cry suddenly rang out.

The cry was clear and resounding, enough to echo through the surrounding land. Almost at the very moment the infant was born, a thick bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed closely by a deafening peal of thunder.

Concealed by the lightning and thunder, the infant's cries no longer stood out. Other than a very few people, no one knew of his birth.

At this very moment, Kronos was still confronting Theron beneath the distant sky, immersed in the smug satisfaction of holding great power in his hands, completely unaware of any of this.

The exhausted Rhea looked at the infant in her arms and could not help shedding tears of joy. She gave the child a name—

Zeus.

Control Everything