I Became a Seer in Greece: Episode 18

Oceanus, god of the great ocean, and Pontus, the primordial sea god, ultimately did not come to blows.

Just as Theron had said, Oceanus had never been a foolish god. Besides, the trap was hardly sophisticated.

With only a little thought, Oceanus keenly sensed that something was wrong. Though he did not know why Pontus would do such a thing for no reason, he restrained himself and did not immediately lash out.

Still, he had ultimately become wary of Pontus.

To prevent Pontus from making another move, Oceanus directly erected a barrier between the Great Ocean and the outer seas. This seemed to signify the split between the two sea gods.

Pontus could only respond with a bitter smile, utterly helpless.

Seeing this, Kronos, far away in the heavens, nodded in satisfaction, the smile in his eyes growing ever clearer.

Though it was somewhat regrettable that the two sea gods had not directly fought, he had expected this, so it was no surprise.

His true purpose had been to drive a wedge between the two sea gods, preventing the divine authority of the sea and water from becoming too dominant. Weakening Oceanus had merely been incidental.

Ever since Pontus had married his daughter to a Titan god a thousand years ago—an alliance by marriage in all but name—Kronos had worried that they might be colluding. Now, that possibility had finally been completely severed.

What Kronos had always wanted was for the major gods to restrain one another. If they were all harmonious and close as one family, then this god-king probably would not be able to sleep peacefully at night.

"Your Majesty, God-King, you have achieved your goal. But from now on, the seas may never again be peaceful and tranquil. Lord Pontus's children and Lord Oceanus's children may even become enemies and struggle against one another. Is this what you wished to see?"

Theron spoke softly. There was no accusation in his voice; he was simply stating the facts.

Hearing this, Kronos merely smiled and said breezily, "This world has been peaceful for a thousand years. A little occasional friction is nothing."

Theron nodded and said no more, merely asking, "Then may I leave?"

"Of course, Lord Theron. That is your freedom," Kronos said with a smile, as though he had never stopped Theron in the first place, and the two had merely happened to meet and exchanged a few words.

Theron turned to leave, but at that moment, Kronos suddenly spoke.

Seemingly casually, he said, "Lord Theron, perhaps this world will progress faster with a little more conflict. Perhaps we should not interfere too much, and letting things take their natural course would be best. What do you think?"

This was a warning, telling Theron not to meddle in matters like today's again.

"You are right." As though he had not heard the hidden meaning in Kronos's words, Theron smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, God-King, everything will go as you wish."

Meanwhile, on Crete, within a hidden cave.

Rhea looked at the infant before her. Tears constantly slid down her haggard yet still beautiful face. They were tears of joy, but also tears of reluctance and sorrow.

These crystalline tears fell upon the earth and transformed into enormous humanoid figures. They carried weapons or shields; they were the Kouretes.

These beings born from tears were powerful demigods from the moment they came into existence. Their sole purpose was to protect the infant Zeus. Whenever Zeus cried, they would wave their shields and sing loudly, concealing cries powerful enough to echo through space.

With a wave of her hand, Rhea summoned a golden female goat, which slowly entered from outside the cave. Gentle and quiet, it lay beside the infant and lightly covered him with its soft fur.

This goat would provide the young child with sacred milk, his primary source of nourishment as he grew.

After casting one more reluctant glance at the child, Rhea knew she had to leave, or the God-King might notice something amiss.

Before leaving, she sought out three nymphs of Crete and entrusted them with caring for the infant Zeus.

These nymphs were ash-tree nymphs, true gods born from the blood that had dripped from the remains of Uranus, the first God-King, when his body tore across the heavens, nurtured by Gaia.

Only such gods could properly care for the newborn Zeus and withstand the divine power he unconsciously radiated.

Zeus had been born incomparably powerful.

When two gods conceived new offspring—new laws, in other words—those laws were usually extensions of their own. Whether a new god was powerful generally depended on the strength of the laws they possessed.

Of course, this was not absolute. It was simply true in most cases.

When Kronos and Rhea conceived Zeus, setting aside the laws they themselves controlled, Kronos had also gained more laws by devouring his first five children. It was the height of his power.

Thus, from the moment Zeus was born, he possessed vast power unimaginable to other gods.

This was because he also carried the power of his five elder brothers and sisters.

Had Kronos not devoured those five children and acquired their corresponding laws, the newly conceived Zeus would not have been able to become so powerful.

However, Kronos still knew nothing of this.

After arranging everything, Rhea finally left and quietly returned to the divine mountain.

With Gaia's help, she transformed a human-shaped stone into the likeness of Zeus, carefully wrapped it in cloth, and placed it on the bed.

As the goddess of childbirth, Gaia could give the stone any aura she wished. Only her power could deceive Kronos, the God-King.

Once everything had been prepared, Rhea waited nervously in the temple for Kronos's return.

She did not have to wait long.

Kronos had been God-King for so many years, but never had he been as happy as he was today. Not only had he dealt with Oceanus, the thorn in his side, but he had also successfully suppressed Theron, the mysterious god of fate.

After a thousand years of repression and endurance, he finally felt the exhilaration of avenging his great grievance. This joy nearly clouded his mind, and he could not wait to share it with Rhea.

When he returned to the temple and discovered that Rhea had given birth to another child, he did not think twice before grabbing it and swallowing it.

Yet he soon discovered in confusion that his divine power had not increased as it had before, nor had he gained any new laws.

Still, he did not dwell on it. Not every god possessed laws; Oceanus had long proven that. Among his three thousand ocean nymphs, many were merely sea nymphs without laws of their own.

In any case, he had already dealt with the great threat in his heart. Whether he gained new power or laws was no longer so important. Kronos quickly put the matter out of his mind and began sharing his joy with Rhea.

Rhea continued to ignore him as she always had, but Kronos did not care in the slightest.

Because he was the noble God-King. He controlled everything. Even if Rhea did not love him, or even hated him, she could only sit quietly and listen to him speak.

This sense of holding everything under his control also delighted him.

God-King Hegemony

After the conflict between the Great Ocean and the outer seas intensified, frictions soon arose among other gods as well.

The Chaos World, once harmonious and developing together, began to fall into disorder because of these changes.

As for why this was happening, the gods may initially have been confused, but before long, nearly all of them understood perfectly well.

Kronos, the God-King, did not even bother concealing his actions. He threatened and tempted gods with similar divine offices into fighting for authority, while secretly fanning the flames, making the conflicts among the gods increasingly irreconcilable.

The more chaotic the world became, the fewer people could resist him. And since he already possessed the mighty power of the God-King, even if the gods were dissatisfied, they could only swallow their resentment.

Kronos had finally become the great God-King of his imagination, possessing absolute and unquestionable control over the entire world.

A thousand years of forbearance had finally led to this moment of triumph. He could hardly wait to show everyone the majesty of the God-King.

At the same time, he maintained close contact with the Three Fates, using the prophecies of these beautiful goddesses to learn what would happen next and whether his schemes would succeed.

And every time, the Three Fates gave the correct answer. Everything they foretold came to pass, causing Kronos to trust their abilities more and more.

He even used these goddesses to monitor Theron's every move. Theron remained someone he was always wary of. Only when he learned that Theron had been quietly staying in the void did Kronos feel at ease.

At the same time, he was seeking a way to pin some charge on Theron and directly imprison him forever in the abyss of Tartarus.

If Theron had merely been an ordinary god unknown to most, then as God-King, Kronos could naturally deal with him however he pleased.

But Theron was known to the Twelve Titans, and he also seemed to have a good relationship with Gaia, the Earth Mother. Under such circumstances, Kronos had to be more cautious in dealing with him, lest it cause undesirable consequences.

Of course, this was also related to Kronos's cautious nature. If it had been Uranus, the first God-King, he would not have cared about any of this nonsense. Displeasing him would have been the greatest crime, and he would have dealt with Theron on the spot.

But Kronos did not think there was anything wrong with being cautious. After all, Uranus had fallen because of his arrogance and conceit. Kronos had no intention of following in his footsteps.

I should proceed gradually. I have plenty of time, so I only hope he knows his place.

With that thought, Kronos temporarily stopped concerning himself with Theron. Naturally, that was on the condition that Theron obediently remained in the void.

What Kronos did not know was that Theron, who according to the Three Fates' prophecies would remain in the void for decades without ever leaving, was currently standing outside Crete.

At his side stood Nyx, enveloped in night adorned with stars.

"This is the child whose traces you need me to conceal with eternal night?"

Nyx's face remained hidden behind the black veil formed by endless night, making her features impossible to discern. As always, her voice held little emotion.

"Yes." Theron nodded. "To completely conceal his whereabouts, only you can do it."

"I can." Nyx said flatly, "But why should I help you?"

"You would not be helping me. You would be helping Gaia." Theron smiled and said casually, "If you want compensation, you should ask her for it."

That was the truth.

Gaia could only protect Rhea as she secretly gave birth to Zeus without Kronos discovering it, then use a stone transformed into Zeus's likeness to deceive Kronos.

But as this child continued to grow, Kronos would one day discover him because of his powerful and immense divine power.

Only Nyx, who controlled the power of eternal night, could conceal the child's traces. Yet Gaia was not close to this primordial god who had been born alongside her, and they had not seen each other for a thousand years.

Thus, she sought Theron's help.

In Gaia's eyes, Theron was the god of fate, so he must have known that this curse would come to pass and might even help bring it about. Furthermore, after their previous interactions and cooperation, their relationship was fairly good.

And since he and Nyx had jointly conceived the Three Fates, Gaia believed that he and Nyx must be quite close. So she asked Theron to invite Nyx.

Theron could indeed use the connection between the Three Fates and their parents to find Nyx in the Land of Eternal Night, but his relationship with Nyx had not reached the point where he could ask her for help.

So he decisively shifted the burden back to Gaia. Nyx gave him a long look but said nothing.

Still, she raised her hand. Endless darkness shrouded the edge of Crete, concealing everything there.

After doing this, Nyx once again glanced at the innocent-looking Theron and said calmly, "Do not let there be a next time."

With that, she turned and left, soon vanishing into the darkness at the end of the world.

Theron did not know what Nyx's long look or her warning meant, but it was enough that she had not asked him for compensation.

Just as he had thought, even for Gaia's sake, Nyx would offer her help. All he had needed to do was bring her here.

And now, he was preparing to seek compensation from the Earth Mother—two shares of it.

Gaia was greatly surprised by Theron's visit and immediately asked worriedly, "Did something happen to that child Zeus?"

"No, nothing happened." Theron shook his head and smiled. "I have already asked Lady Nyx to conceal his traces. No one will discover his whereabouts, not even the God-King."

Only then did Gaia let out a sigh of relief. She was already certain that Zeus was the child from the curse, not only because he had been born powerful, but also because of Theron's clearly unusual concern for him.

But before she could completely relax, Theron's tone shifted, and he suddenly sighed.

"However, in order to ask Lady Nyx to act, I spent no small amount of effort. I should not bring this up, but Lady Nyx seems to..."

He deliberately paused, leaving his words unfinished.

Gaia immediately understood. A smile appeared on her face. "Does Lady Nyx need something?"