I Became a Prophet in Greece: Part 43

He suddenly felt that he had been far too naive. He had actually fantasized about winning the goddesses' support by currying favor with them. He should have been like Zeus and pursued them directly!

Unfortunately, he had realized it too late. Everything had already been settled.

Still, Zeus's move left a deep impression on Poseidon, making him understand that currying favor with goddesses was inferior to pursuing them.

If he wanted a goddess's support, what could be simpler and more direct than becoming the person closest to her?

Poseidon felt that he had learned his lesson and that he had not truly lost. This was merely a temporary setback.

Just as Poseidon silently encouraged himself, Zeus mocked his foolish brother inwardly, and the gods each harbored their own schemes, Olympus suddenly shook violently.

The next instant, an extremely furious voice rang out from beyond the divine hall:

"Zeus! Come out and face me at once!"

It was the voice of Gaia, the Mother of Earth. Judging by her furious tone, this great primordial goddess was not in a pleasant mood.

She seemed to have come to demand an explanation.

The gods looked at one another. Zeus, who had already become the King of Gods, stepped forward and said, "Then this assembly of the gods shall end here. I will go receive that great Mother Goddess."

Once the gods nodded, he looked toward Theron and said with utmost courtesy, "Lord Theron, there will always be a place for you on Mount Olympus. Please do not return to that desolate void. Come live on the divine mountain with us!"

They had just decided to establish the Twelve Chief Gods, and Zeus's invitation to Theron made his intentions obvious.

It was a gesture of goodwill. For this, he was even willing to offer a position as one of the chief gods.

But Theron merely shook his head. Smiling, he said, "Great King of Gods, thank you for your generous invitation, but no. I do not enjoy lively places."

Zeus was clearly somewhat disappointed by Theron's refusal, but he said nothing. He turned to leave and meet Gaia when Theron spoke again.

"Never underestimate any goddess. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it."

Zeus's heart tightened at those words. Instinctively, he wanted to ask what Theron meant, but Theron only smiled at him, with no intention of explaining.

In truth, Zeus had never thought much of goddesses. In his eyes, they were merely beings who could be easily sweet-talked and deceived.

Even Metis, the goddess who symbolized wisdom, had been easily won over by him, had she not?

Gaia, Rhea, and those former queens of the gods had all complied with his every wish beneath his honeyed words.

This left Zeus with a deep impression: goddesses were easy to handle. As long as he spoke sweetly enough, he could easily keep them in his grasp.

At its core, this mindset was one of disdain. He did not regard them as being on the same level as himself. Even the goddesses he liked were no exception.

Because Zeus's affection was condescending, and much of it was born from exploitation.

When Theron suddenly said such words, Zeus instinctively panicked, thinking that the deepest thoughts in his heart had been seen through.

But upon thinking it over, he felt that was impossible.

Outside the divine hall, Gaia's voice grew even angrier.

Zeus had no choice but to deal with Gaia first. He did not even have time to consider what Theron's words meant and could only cast them aside for the moment.

The moment the great Mother of Earth, Gaia, saw Zeus, she immediately demanded furiously, "Zeus, what have you done?!"

"You actually imprisoned those children of mine in the abyss of Tartarus! How are you any different from your grandfather, Uranus, the previous King of Gods?!"

"Do you know that those children of mine are even noisier than the Hecatoncheires and the Cyclopes? Their cries of hatred have denied me peace for even a single day!"

"Zeus, release your father. Being cast down from the throne of gods is punishment enough. I do not wish to see him imprisoned for eternity."

Zeus, now the King of Gods, held the Thunder Staff in his hand. Facing the enraged Mother of Earth, he maintained a respectful expression, though inwardly he felt some disdain.

Gaia should have been immensely powerful as a primordial goddess, but she did not excel in battle, which was why she had not appeared in the final war.

The help Gaia could offer had only been useful in the early stages. Now that Zeus had become the King of Gods, he no longer needed the Mother of Earth's assistance.

Besides, how could he possibly release Kronos? He had gone through so much trouble to imprison him.

Release him and let Kronos contend for divine authority again? Zeus was not that foolish.

He could only brush Gaia off, with no intention whatsoever of freeing the Titans.

"Zeus, will you not even listen to me anymore?!" Gaia was both furious and disappointed. "Have you forgotten how you came to possess the throne of the King of Gods?"

"Without my help, you would not even have been born!"

"Great Mother of Earth, you are so worthy of respect. I, Zeus, will forever remember your kindness, but I cannot grant your request."

Zeus showed no softness at all. In a firm voice, he said, "The cruel King of Gods, Kronos, deserves such punishment. Eternal imprisonment is the fate he deserves."

"Please do not disregard justice because of personal feelings."

His words sounded lofty and righteous, but their core meaning was simple: he would not release them, no matter what anyone said or who came to plead.

He was even subtly accusing Gaia of being unable to distinguish right from wrong.

This heartless turn of face nearly infuriated Gaia to death.

But although she was extremely angry, she could do nothing to Zeus. Zeus had now obtained divine authority, and Gaia no longer had anything with which to threaten him.

Gaia could only leave in anger. She went to Tartarus, intending to comfort the children who had been cast down from godhood and imprisoned in the dark abyss, at least to make them stop their clamor.

Under the gentle soothing of the Mother of Earth, Kronos and the other Titans sank into silent sleep. They would not die, but neither would they awaken easily.

Only then did Gaia let out a breath of relief. Just as she was preparing to leave, filled with fury and resentment toward Zeus, a low voice full of temptation suddenly came from behind her.

"Gaia, I can feel your anger. You are so furious. They dared to treat you this way. Have you never thought of—"

"Taking revenge on them?"

Subduing the Goddess of Night

After sending Gaia away, Zeus returned to Olympus. By then, the gods had already left, including Theron.

This left Zeus, who had wanted to ask Theron what he meant by "Never underestimate any goddess," with nothing.

Zeus thought it over and over but still could not understand what counted as underestimating goddesses, or what those beautiful yet seemingly frail goddesses could possibly do.

In the end, he treated it as nothing more than an offhand reminder from Theron and stopped dwelling on it.

Just as he was preparing to find Demeter, he suddenly discovered a graceful figure standing outside the divine hall. Her bright, wisdom-filled eyes were fixed on him.

It was Metis, the goddess of wisdom and Zeus's only wife at present.

The moment Zeus saw her, a smile immediately spread across his face. He took the initiative to approach her. "Metis, my love, were you waiting for me?"

Metis nodded and asked, "How did the assembly end? Why did the great Mother of Earth come to find you? She looked very angry."

That assembly of the gods had been an internal meeting among Zeus and his siblings, so Metis had not attended and did not yet know the outcome.

Smiling, Zeus told Metis in detail that he had gained the gods' support, become the King of Gods, and rejected Gaia's unreasonable demand.

The only thing he concealed from Metis was how he had gained Hera and Demeter's support.

However, he felt that the goddess of wisdom could not possibly have failed to notice the hidden details.

He had spent all his time with Demeter lately and often played around with Hera as well. It was impossible that Metis had not noticed.

But Zeus believed that, as the goddess of wisdom, she should understand that he could not have only one wife. He needed support and more divine authority, and that meant he would inevitably need the help of other goddesses.

The smartest thing to do was pretend that nothing had happened. At least in his heart, there would always be a place for her.

Just as he had expected, Metis did not ask how he had gained Hera and Demeter's help. In tacit understanding, she ignored the matter and merely spoke of Gaia.

"The Mother of Earth looked very angry. Perhaps we should go comfort her."

"There is no need." Zeus merely waved a hand and said indifferently, "She will eventually understand how foolish her thoughts are. When those six giants were imprisoned before, she was unwilling then as well, yet did she not ultimately accept it?"

"This time will be no exception."

After saying that, he casually came up with an excuse and bid Metis farewell. He was going to find Demeter and Hera, thank them for their help, and hope that they would continue helping him from now on.

Metis did not stop him. She merely watched Zeus's departing back in silence, refusing to look away even after he had vanished from sight.

After an unknown amount of time, she lowered her eyes. Her long lashes fell, concealing the expression in them.

At the same time, Theron had returned to the void.

There, he encountered the Goddess of Night, who had been waiting for a long time.

"You truly did it. You changed destiny."

Ananke's voice carried surprise, but even more amusement.

Theron knew she was referring to how he had split the authority and power of the King of Gods. Zeus had gained the authority of the King of Gods, but Theron had intercepted its power.

Originally, both had belonged to Zeus. That was the destiny that had been changed.

"Yes, Lady Ananke. You lost this wager." Theron smiled.

"Then have you decided what you want me to do? According to our agreement, you may have me do anything for you."

Ananke showed no displeasure at losing the wager. Instead, she looked at Theron with great interest.

Perhaps it was merely an illusion, but Theron even felt that she seemed to be somewhat expectant?

No, that had to be an illusion.

Theron cast aside that absurd feeling and maintained a proper smile. As he observed Ananke's reaction, he cautiously tested the waters.

"Then let us proceed as we agreed. You will become my subordinate deity. I simply do not know whether Lady Nyx would be willing."

Theron spoke with great care.

The relationship between a subordinate deity and a chief deity was extremely close. The chief deity could borrow the subordinate deity's power, while the subordinate deity would receive the chief deity's protection.

Generally speaking, this arrangement was more suited to a powerful god and a weak one, because the hierarchy between them was clear.

Nyx was obviously not weak. She was a noble primordial goddess, on the same level as Gaia, the Mother of Earth.

This wager was ultimately between Theron and Ananke, yet Ananke and Nyx were one and the same. Theron worried that even if Ananke agreed, Nyx might not.

Therefore, Theron's request was more of a test.

If Ananke showed even the slightest displeasure, he would immediately change his condition. After all, this was indeed somewhat disrespectful toward a primordial goddess.

But unexpectedly, Ananke did show some emotion, though it was not displeasure. It was... disappointment?

Theron froze. He had never expected her to feel disappointed. What kind of condition had she been hoping he would propose?

But before he could think further, Ananke spoke. "Sure, but before I become your subordinate deity, you must answer one question for me."

"What?"