I Became a Prophet in Greece: Part 27

But while she and Zeus were delighted, the other five gods were rather bewildered.

They had only just been born and knew little about the world. They did not know Theron, much less understand what this meant.

Because of his temperament, the somewhat impatient Poseidon took the initiative to ask, "Who is this Theron? Is he that important?"

"Extremely important," Rhea said firmly. "He is a very ancient deity. Without his support back then, I would not have been able to secretly give birth to Zeus, nor would I have had the power to save all of you."

"If he says we will fail, then we will certainly fail. Conversely, if he supports us, then we will surely succeed."

As soon as Rhea said this, astonishment appeared on Poseidon and the others' faces.

Yet Rhea did not explain further. Instead, she looked at Zeus and asked, "Now that everyone has thoughts about this matter, we need to secure the support of more great gods."

Zeus nodded and decisively said, "I will immediately head to the Ocean to seek an audience with Oceanus, Lord of the Ocean."

He had clearly considered this long ago. Oceanus was not only an exceptionally powerful Titan, but also held some old grievances against Kronos.

More importantly, he was one of the Titan gods who trusted Theron the most.

With all those conditions in place, Zeus felt that persuading the Lord of the Ocean should not be difficult.

Rhea nodded at his words. She shared Zeus's thoughts and also believed Oceanus was the most worthwhile ally to win over.

Time was pressing. Having reached an agreement, the two immediately decided to head for the Ocean, leaving the other five gods behind to continue recovering their strength.

The instant Rhea and Zeus stepped into the Ocean, Oceanus sensed their arrival.

Oceanus chose to personally come out and welcome them, which undoubtedly represented an attitude—a friendly one.

The King of Gods was too powerful. None of the Twelve Titans wanted to offend him. Even Oceanus, the mighty Lord of the Ocean, had originally considered this conflict a family affair of the King of Gods and only wished to watch from the sidelines.

But Theron's involvement made him realize that perhaps Zeus was the one Theron had spoken of over the past several hundred years—the one who could usher in a new age.

Zeus alone was not enough to make the powerful Lord of the Ocean declare his stance.

But Zeus, who had received Theron's recognition, was.

Persuading Oceanus

Within the Ocean, Rhea and Zeus soon met Oceanus.

In human form, Oceanus was an exceptionally strong and rugged man. The scent of tides surrounded him, making him appear powerful and majestic.

The beautiful Goddess of Wisdom, Metis, followed behind him. She had bright eyes and pearly teeth, but when her gaze met Zeus's, she hurriedly looked away and lowered her head shyly.

"Great Lord of the Ocean, Oceanus, you are so wise and mighty. Beautiful Goddess of Wisdom, Lady Metis, your wisdom is truly admirable. Please forgive our uninvited visit."

Zeus took the initiative to greet them. He had always been an eloquent god, and when he was polite, no one could find fault with him.

"Oh, handsome Son of the King of Gods, you are far too courteous." Oceanus did not put on airs because of Zeus's youth. He laughed heartily. "Rhea, my sister, it has been many years since we last met. You are as beautiful as ever."

Rhea smiled and nodded as well. After exchanging greetings, they soon arrived at Oceanus's divine palace in the depths of the Ocean.

After dismissing the children, Oceanus cleared his throat once only the four of them remained in the palace, then took the initiative to praise Zeus.

"Zeus, Son of the King of Gods, you have accomplished something nearly impossible. The gods marvel at your courage. In all these years, you are the first to dare stand against Kronos."

"That King of Gods is no longer the man he once was. In recent years, he has oppressed the gods and thrown the world into chaos. It is not as though we have no objections, but we lack the strength to resist."

"Because even I must admit that King of Gods Kronos is too powerful—powerful enough to drive one into despair. What you have done has undoubtedly allowed the gods to vent their resentment."

"This was thanks to the Ocean's help, and to the beautiful Goddess of Wisdom's counsel," Zeus quickly said. "It was also thanks to the tacit approval of all the great gods. Otherwise, I would never have had the opportunity."

Zeus displayed not the slightest arrogance. His exceptional humility made Oceanus like him even more. Oceanus nodded, the smile fading from his face as his expression gradually turned solemn and serious.

"Then, Son of the King of Gods, what do you intend to do next?"

"Defeat Kronos, of course." Zeus answered with the same seriousness. "This world has been in chaos for far too long. I want to establish a new order, free the suffering gods from their restraints, and return freedom to this world."

"The gods should not always be fighting among themselves. We should develop the world together, make the universe more beautiful, and let every god enjoy that beauty."

Zeus spoke with complete sincerity. Oceanus was gradually moved by the vision he described, but he quickly composed himself and asked solemnly.

"Have you considered how to deal with King of Gods Kronos?"

"Gods cannot be killed. Even if we somehow defeat him, how will you handle him?"

The previously eager atmosphere in the palace instantly froze. The gods began to ponder the matter, and for a time, no one spoke.

"Imprison the King of Gods' divinity within his body, then cast that body into Tartarus, just like the six giants before him." Zeus quickly came up with an idea—the old method Uranus had invented.

Gods could not be killed, after all. Other than imprisonment, there was no better solution.

Oceanus nodded, approving of the plan. "In that case, without another god's aid, he should be unable to escape."

The method did not need to be new as long as it worked. But another problem soon arose: how were they supposed to imprison Kronos's divinity?

Kronos would not obediently wait for them to imprison him. If he discovered their intentions and fled without regard for anything else, then with their current strength, it would be unlikely that they could forcibly keep him there.

After all, he was still the King of Gods. The power of creation was right there.

Zeus looked toward Rhea. The moment he moved, everyone else turned to look at her as well.

As Kronos's Queen of Gods, Rhea was likely the person in this world who knew Kronos best. They had once lived side by side for thousands of years.

Rhea took a deep breath. She knew this was not the time to dwell on old feelings. Besides, there were no old feelings left between her and Kronos anyway.

"We can only do this when he is completely unable to resist. After we defeat him, I will freeze his time. But I alone will not be enough. We also need Lady of the Night's help."

"Only endless night can block Kronos's senses. Only then will we have a chance to imprison him."

"Lady Nyx?" Oceanus nodded thoughtfully. "If we can obtain her help, our chances of success will increase greatly."

"But how are we to persuade her to help us?"

Nyx, the Goddess of Night, was an ancient primordial god like Gaia. Her power surpassed that of the Twelve Titans, but she was far too mysterious. She had remained in the Land of Eternal Night for so long that she had not concerned herself with worldly affairs in ages.

"It is not impossible. Lady Nyx has helped us before." Rhea took the initiative to speak. Meeting everyone's gazes, she explained, "Without Lady of the Night concealing me, I could not have given birth to Zeus without Kronos knowing."

Everyone immediately understood. Zeus also recalled the two conditions Gaia had promised in his place, which seemed to have been in gratitude for this very matter.

He simply did not understand why Nyx had helped him, yet the one he was supposed to thank was Theron.

But this was clearly not the time to think about that. He composed himself and continued listening to Rhea.

Regarding this matter, Oceanus was even more proactive than Zeus. After all, the strength of Zeus's side would determine how much assistance he would provide.

Even if Theron thought highly of Zeus, Oceanus could not gamble everything on him. He was, after all, the Lord of the Ocean, and he needed to leave a way out for the lives within it.

He certainly would not personally step in unless every other Titan god joined the conflict, but that was nearly impossible.

Because that would turn into an all-out war among the gods, causing immense devastation to this world and destroying the efforts the gods had made over thousands of years.

At the end of the day, the struggle for the throne of the King of Gods was merely the King of Gods' family affair. These Titan gods would at most vaguely express their stance. Most would not personally take action.

And what that stance would be depended on the strength of Zeus's side.

Oceanus ultimately received a fairly satisfactory answer. Upon learning that Nyx would very likely offer her help as well, he directly laughed and said, "Son of the King of Gods, although I cannot help you personally, my daughter Metis can. That is, if you do not find her foolish."

Zeus smiled bitterly. "If Lady Metis, peerless in wisdom, is foolish, then what am I? A brainless spirit?"

Everyone immediately burst into laughter, while Metis shyly lowered her head. Her flawless, beautiful face quietly turned red.

You Owe Me Twice

As everyone knew, Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom, was Oceanus's favorite daughter, without question.

Oceanus's willingness to send Metis to aid Zeus undoubtedly represented an attitude—an attitude of wholehearted support.

Under such circumstances, even if he did not personally enter the conflict, if the battle later reached its fiercest point and Zeus's side truly approached defeat, or if Metis faced grave danger, it would be hard to say whether he would step in.

Oceanus and Tethys were husband and wife. If he entered the battle, it would mean that two Titan gods had entered it.

This was already the greatest support Oceanus, God of the Ocean, could offer. Zeus and Rhea understood that perfectly and were very satisfied.

Before long, they left the Ocean and headed for the Land of Eternal Night. They had decided that the second ancient god they would visit would be Lady Nyx.

Zeus treated this Lady of the Night with even greater solemnity than he had Oceanus, for she was a primordial god whose status even surpassed that of the Twelve Titans.

The Land of Eternal Night was a place of complete darkness. Not a trace of light existed there. Any god who entered would become lost, and it all depended on whether Nyx wished to see them.

If Nyx did not wish to see them, they would never be able to find Lady of the Night.

But Rhea believed that since Nyx had already shown goodwill and been willing to help conceal Zeus, she had already revealed some of her stance. Their visit should not encounter any problems.

With that thought in mind, they directly entered the Land of Eternal Night.

While they searched for Nyx amid the endless darkness, King of Gods Kronos was making his own moves elsewhere.

He visited every Titan god in turn. Aside from receiving a gentle refusal from Oceanus, God of the Ocean, the other Titan gods all stated that they would help if necessary.

It was just that this "necessary" was rather ambiguous.

Their thinking was that if it was merely a dispute over the throne of the King of Gods, then it was a family matter. But if the war later threatened the honor of the Titans, they would still choose to support Kronos.

The only one who clearly declared his participation was Kronos's confidant, the Titan god Iapetus.

At Kronos's summons, the ancient Titan god brought his cleverest child, Prometheus, and headed directly for Mount Olympus.

Mount Olympus was still covered in traces of battle, but amusingly, most of those traces had been caused by Kronos himself.

In his fury, he had nearly destroyed the entire mountain. Even though he had patiently repaired it afterward, he could not restore it to its original state.

It was like the majesty of his throne as King of Gods. The instant Theron appeared after breaking through the barrier he had set, it could no longer command complete belief.

At that moment, Kronos had just returned from the Three Fates and was still deep in thought.

He wanted to know whether he could resist this curse and swallow all those rebellious children again, so he had questioned the three goddesses.

But the answer the goddesses gave was rather intriguing. They said that they could no longer see the future fate of the King of Gods clearly.

This answer disappointed Kronos, but did not drive him to despair.

If they could not see it clearly, then at least it proved fate had not yet been decided. He still had a chance to resist, still had the ability to change things. Everything was not too late.

Thus, he immediately returned to Mount Olympus and summoned Iapetus.

"Great King of Gods, when will we go and wipe out those traitors?"

Iapetus was a Titan god with a rather fiery temper. From the moment he entered the divine palace, his expression had been filled with rage. He believed the honor of the Titans had been challenged.

Prometheus quietly followed behind his father god, remaining silent.

"Iapetus, my brother, we do not know where those traitors are hiding now. They are not the priority. The real priority is Theron."

Before his confidant, Kronos finally revealed the truth. "Those traitors must have received Theron's help. Otherwise, they could never have been born in secret without escaping my notice."