Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Atop Mount Othrys, within the palace of the Divine King.

The gods were seated in a circle, the atmosphere tinged with oppression. The just-born infant lay on the long table at the center, with relatives from both sides present, save for the Goddess of Meteor and her sister.

From the seat of honor, Cronus cast a glance over the deities assembled before him and could not help but curse his own luck internally.

His throne’s power would have surged within a hundred years, at most two or three hundred, after Crius had secured his reign over the majority of the celestial space and the God of Stars had sorted out the energy tides brought about by the divine wars. But the problem had to arise precisely now, between the God of Meteorology and his greatest supporter.

Coeus had no interest in the strife for the stars, true to his godhood as a deity of lightless celestial bodies. He sought no brilliance, but Phoebe, his wife, thought otherwise.

Persuaded by the deity of bright bodies, he joined the war in the name of the relationship between his second daughter and Crius’s son, Perse.

Though they did not exert their full strength and only confronted Theia, the goddess of light and sight, without truly clashing, it was this standoff that held the key to victory or defeat in the war.

But all was coming to an end. If the current problem could not be resolved, even Phoebe would set aside her scheming and sever her ties with the lineage of the Divine King completely.

“…Her name is Hecate, correct?”

Feeling the heavy atmosphere and her husband’s mood, Rhea, the Heavenly Empress, spoke up to break the silence.

“She looks very cute, she will certainly be a beautiful goddess when she grows up.”

As the Heavenly Empress’s words fell, no one took up the conversation. Cronus’s heart sank gradually; he knew that even Crius might be regretting his actions at this moment.

After all, the gods are immortal, and divine authority is eternal, but these were laughable concepts in the face of Chaos.

While no deity had been heard of as killed by the world, the sight of a new god tearing apart a godhood had been personally witnessed by many.

Even now, Cronus himself couldn’t help but feel a trace of apprehension toward the female infant before him.

A deity without godhood, this was a first since Chaos created the world.

Even those called ‘territorial gods’ with a Divine Power Level of ‘0’ by Laine, at least had a river, a spring, a small celestial body, or a mountain mound as their domain.

These objectively existing things might not be as eternally indestructible as natural rules, but they were sufficient to provide them with divine power, to maintain the existence of their form. But this infant was different.

Even as Divine King, Cronus could not sense any connection between her and anything else.

A deity without a source of Divine Power meant that for every bit of power she used, she lost just as much. It would only take a bit of ‘minor’ damage for her to potentially fall into an eternal slumber much like the ‘death’ of a mortal being.

True Gods did not concern themselves with territorial gods precisely because of this. Once their ‘territory’ was destroyed and the remaining Divine Power exhausted, they might continue to ‘live’ in concept, but it would be no different from death. And Hecate before them was even worse off, for apart from her immortal essence, she was no different from the humans upon the earth.

“Coeus, she may not have godhood, but I can attempt to give her one,” Cronus said, with a vacillating tone, looking at the God of Stars.

“While such godhood may only rely on the power of the Divine King, at least—”

“It’s not a matter of godhood, Your Majesty, it is a warning from the world.”

Perseus suddenly spoke up.

The atmosphere in the room instantly solidified. Although everyone had been thinking it, no one had voiced it until Perseus disregarded all caution.

As the God of Material Destruction and the father of Hecate, even though he was now weak, he had been expected to belong to a domain of great Divine Power.

But by his father’s and the Divine King’s design, he was forced to unite with a Goddess of Meteor, who was only a level 2 in Divine Power. He did not know that in the original mythology, he would have been moved by her over a long period of time. However, perhaps due to rebellion under oppression, he had grown to loathe Asteria instead.

“Divine King Your Majesty, forgive my frankness,” he said, seemingly respectful as he looked at Cronus, but his words were aimed to wound, “Perhaps the world does not wish for a ruler who governs all.”

“Just like the once Heavenly Father, absolute power only brings pain; thus, He sent this child, to tell us that all of this was a mistake—”

Boom—

An invisible pressure descended upon him. It was not the power of the Divine King but rather from his ‘father-in-law.’

The typically reticent God of Stars showed his power for the first time in front of the second-generation Titans, leaving Perse’s words stuck in his throat, unable to speak any further.Y0u can read sh0rt, t0uching, and r0mantic st0ries ab0ut c0uples, as well as children’s st0ries f0r free 0n sitest0rys(.)c0m

In Chaos, aside from Life and Death, the forces of the dark are always stronger than those of the light. Even Cronus suddenly realized that his silent brother had surreptitiously reached this stage.

“Perseus, I know you have always disdained Asteria,”

Coeus’s voice was not loud, but it was serious and powerful.

“Since you’re so opposed to your ‘oppressive’ wife, let’s end it here. However, from today on, the starry sky will no longer welcome you.”

“Heh—”

The pressure disappeared, and Perseus gasped for air. He looked at his father, but the God of Meteorology remained silent.

Not to mention his recent rants in front of the Divine King, even Crius himself was no match for Coeus.

In terms of battle, Meteorology also only relied on some of Wind’s power. Thunderbolts in later times would expand its domain, but from the day of its birth, it had its master.

As one of the rare Titans to be imprisoned in Tartarus, Crius’s downfall was not without reason.

“—All right, I misspoke just now, Prince Coeus, and Divine King, but—”

Looking around and finding no support, Perseus wasn’t surprised. He took a moment to compose himself and said indifferently:

“However, as the father of such a ‘God of Punishment’, I am deeply unsettled. From now on, the matters of the Divine Court will have nothing to do with me.”

“I intend to visit the Underworld, or perhaps, the sea.”

The God of Destruction was fearless. After speaking, he turned and walked away, without a care for the expressions of the other deities behind him.

Narrowing his eyes, with space itself seeming to stagnate around him, Cronus was somewhat enraged by the arrogance of the deity before him. But until the other left The Temple, he made no additional moves.

If it were another time, he would never have allowed such insolence. But at this moment, as the orchestrator of the relationship between the other and the Goddess of Meteor, he tolerated Perseus.