"He'll come to see me," Theron said with a smile. "In the not-too-distant future."
"And I should consider what kind of sincerity I'll need to see before I'm willing to meet him."
Prometheus didn't think there was anything wrong with that at all. In fact, he thought it was only natural. How could anyone Theron wished to see possibly fail to meet him?
Zeus had wandered the Ocean for more than a decade without finding a single clue about Metis.
Along the way, he had found ways to approach a few Oceanids. Relying on his handsome, sun-bronzed looks and smooth talk, he had managed to coax some information out of them.
When he learned that Oceanus had personally ordered all the Oceanids to be wary of male gods from the land, Zeus didn't know why, but he understood clearly that he wouldn't find Metis on his own.
There were too few gods he could approach at the moment, and his status made it unwise to draw too much attention. Even fewer were willing to help him.
Apart from Queen of Gods Rhea and Gaia, the Mother of Earth, there was almost no one who could help him.
Yet the advice these two gave him was remarkably consistent: Zeus should go visit Theron.
Zeus was somewhat reluctant. He even found a way to ask Rhea to consult other gods for him. Of course, he wanted to know why Oceanus had issued such a strange order.
Rhea got no answer. Oceanus didn't dare tell anyone that the suggestion had come from Theron. Wouldn't that reveal his connection to Theron?
With no luck through Rhea, Zeus secretly concealed his identity and questioned a few gods himself. But whenever he spoke to an experienced elder god about something they couldn't answer, they all had just one thing to say:
"Perhaps you could ask Prince Theron."
Zeus felt as though he was surrounded by Theron. There was no way around him. It seemed that every plan Zeus wanted to carry out required him to meet Theron first.
The feeling left him helpless, but it also made him realize all the more that Theron's influence was immense. Every ancient god took his opinion seriously.
Zeus realized there was a problem. If he couldn't bring Theron over to his side, the elder gods might be swayed by him and become even more cautious about choosing sides.
The younger gods didn't know Theron and weren't influenced by him, but Zeus had always needed to win over the ancient gods.
Zeus even suspected that if he offended Theron, the elder gods he had struggled so hard to win over might switch sides at a single word from him.
"What a nuisance I can't avoid," Zeus sighed, realizing how serious the situation was.
Zeus had never been one to hesitate. Once he realized the root of the problem, he stopped agonizing over it and immediately revised his plans.
He even postponed his goal of finding Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom. For now, the most important thing was—
To visit that God of Fate and find a way to gain his support.
But before long, a new problem emerged: he discovered that Theron wasn't accepting any visitors!
Chapter 39: A Heap of Debts
"Prince Theron hasn't seen any other gods for a long time. Some have tried to visit him and ask for guidance about fate, but none of them got to see him."
Only after leaving the empty Void did Zeus learn that the so-called God of Fate wasn't someone he could simply choose to meet.
It was ridiculous that he hadn't even wanted to see him before.
Still, he had received some good news: King of Gods Kronos seemed rather wary of Theron, and the two weren't on particularly good terms.
That made Zeus think he might have a chance to win Theron over.
But first, he had to at least meet the man.
On Queen of Gods Rhea's advice, Zeus went to see Prometheus, the God of Foresight.
It was said that, over the past few hundred years, this God of Foresight was the only one who could still see Theron. That had even led many elder gods to believe that Prometheus's views, to some extent, represented Theron's own.
This had raised Prometheus's standing among the gods considerably, and his prophecies carried more and more weight.
In the eyes of the elder gods, Prometheus was a Third Generation God of modest power, at most a subordinate or lesser god of Theron's.
But that was already enough. Anyone connected with fate was not someone they could casually dismiss or manipulate.
After Rhea explained the situation, Zeus understood the state of affairs. Even so, he spent a long time wavering over whether to visit Prometheus.
Prometheus's father was Iapetus, a Titan who strongly supported King of Gods Kronos.
If Prometheus also supported Kronos, going to see him now would be no different from walking straight into a trap.
But in the end, Zeus chose to go. He had no other options left, so he could only take a chance.
What he hadn't expected was that, the moment Prometheus saw him, he would say, "Son of the King of Gods, you've finally come."
Zeus's heart tightened. Prometheus seemed to have known he would come, and even known of his existence long ago.
And since King of Gods Kronos hadn't come after him yet, Prometheus could only be without ill will toward him.
Or rather, the God of Fate behind Prometheus had no ill will toward him.
That realization put Zeus at ease. He became even more polite and respectful. "Respected God of Foresight, you are so perceptive. I was too slow to come and pay my respects sooner."
"No. Everything is arranged by fate," Prometheus said softly. After spending so long around Theron, he was starting to sound more and more like a mystic himself.
"Respected Prophet, do you have any guidance for me?" Zeus grew even more serious. He had a feeling that something important was about to happen.
"You know your mission. That is good," Prometheus said with a smile. "You are so young, brave, and clever. These fine qualities will stay with you and help you achieve all that you wish to accomplish."
Then he changed course. "But you must understand that one person's strength is not enough. You need the support and help of others."
Zeus nodded gravely to show that he understood, then waited for Prometheus to continue.
"Before you, the other two Kings of the Gods also received Fate's support before they could become Kings of the Gods."
The implication was unmistakable. Zeus didn't know whether Prometheus meant it as his own opinion or whether it came from the one behind him, but he immediately made his position clear.
"Of course. What must I do to visit Prince Theron? I went to the Void, but he wasn't there."
"Prince Theron won't see you for now," Prometheus said. "King of Gods Kronos has been keeping a close eye on him. If he meets you now, the King of Gods will learn of you too."
"That would be disadvantageous for you."
Zeus nodded with a solemn expression. Only then did Prometheus continue. "But sooner or later, you will find yourself on the opposing side of the King of Gods. When that time comes, you won't have to worry about being discovered by him, and you'll be able to go see Prince Theron."
"But have you thought about what you'll offer to persuade him? Or why he should meet you?"
Prometheus's meaning was clear: what could Zeus offer, and why should Theron choose to support him instead of Kronos?
At least for now, on the surface, Kronos had a far greater chance of winning than Zeus did.
Zeus frowned. He had nothing, and he already owed Theron two favors. What could he offer?
Yet Theron's support was crucial. It was no exaggeration to say it could affect the outcome of the war.
Zeus had already realized that the ancient gods trusted Theron to an almost blind degree.
He even suspected that once he and Kronos openly clashed, Theron would only need to step forward and say:
"Fate is on King of Gods Kronos's side."
The ancient elder gods who had been able to remain neutral would probably go support Kronos on the spot.
How could that happen?
He had to bring Theron over to his side, no matter what. Theron might not be among the strongest in battle, but his role was more like a weathervane, a spiritual leader.
Everyone believed that whichever side Theron supported was destined to win.
That mattered far more than the strength of even the mightiest gods.
Zeus thought it over and over, then finally gritted his teeth. "If Prince Theron is willing to meet with me, I'll agree to one reasonable condition of his."
Along with the two he had already promised, that made three favors. The conditions might be significant or trivial. If he were only Zeus, they would mean little.
But if he became King of the Gods one day, those three favors could be very useful.
The problem was, Zeus had nothing else to promise. He had nothing at all right now.
All he could offer was what he might do in the future.
But the problem was, he hadn't even met Theron yet, and he already owed him three favors!
When he thought about how much more he might have to give up to persuade Theron to take his side, Zeus felt bitter to his core. But he had no choice. There was no way back.
"You are truly sincere."
Prometheus smiled at that and said gently, "I'll pass your words on to Prince Theron. When the time is right, I believe he'll meet with you, in recognition of your sincerity."
"Until then, I suggest you think about how to show even greater sincerity and persuade him to help you. Opposing the King of the Gods is a one-way road. No one likes taking risks."
Zeus smiled and nodded, though his smile was bitter.
He had a feeling that if he wanted to defeat the King of the Gods, he would have to run up quite a debt to Prince Theron. Yet there was nothing he could do about it.
The only good news, perhaps, was that he had finally learned from Prometheus where to find Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom.
He didn't know that Theron was the reason he hadn't been able to find Metis. He was simply glad to learn where the goddess was.
Prince Theron was quite generous after all. Perhaps he truly had refused to meet Zeus for his own good.
Still young and unaware of the dangers of the divine realm, Zeus thought this and grew even more determined to win Theron over.
Chapter 40: Forever Immortal
Zeus returned to the Ocean once more.
This time, he had an exact location, so he didn't spend long searching. Deep in the Ocean, he found Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom.
She was a true goddess.
Zeus had never seen a goddess so beautiful. The Oceanids were famous for their beauty, but this one stood out all the same, with a beauty unlike any other.
She was wisdom made manifest. Her divine nature held an irresistible allure for every intelligent being.
Wisdom had always been an immensely important law—perhaps the most important of all. It represented life's pursuit of truth.
The moment Zeus saw her, he was already deeply captivated, and he needed no reason for it.
He instinctively wanted to approach her, but reason held him back. He remained where he was, keeping a respectful distance from the goddess.
Metis saw Zeus too. She felt a little curious about this handsome, cheerful god who was clearly from the land.
Ever since her birth, Metis had been dearly cherished by Oceanus and his wife. They had protected her so well that she had never once visited the land.
On top of that, Theron had warned Oceanus, who had deliberately stayed on guard against such a thing. As a result, Metis had never even met a male god from the land.
Now, with bright eyes full of insight and wisdom, Metis looked at Zeus with curiosity.
She neither fled nor approached him, and she didn't speak.
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