Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Ever since Hyperion was sealed within the Sun, Helios took his father’s place to drive the great orb, and already thousands of years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The situation in the starry sky settled down, and many deities governed their own territories. Among these vast and serene celestial regions, it was not as turbulent as it was on Earth.

However, unlike other deities in charge of the starry sky, there was one goddess who had always been somewhat inconspicuous and now found herself with abundant leisure time.

The Moon Goddess Selene, Hyperion’s eldest daughter and Helios’s sister, who once ruled over many realms along the white path of the Moon’s orbit, was somewhat idle.

Since the Mother Goddess of Light, Theia, who had once lived with her father atop the Sun, relocated to the Moon, naturally, the God of Stars within these realms followed the commands of this Titan Principal God. As for Selene, nearly ten thousand years had passed since her birth, yet she had not even stepped into the realm of weak divine power.

The Moon’s orbit required no effort from her, after all, as a celestial body it now paled in comparison to the Sun, and even though the godhood didn’t quite fit, Theia could drive it with ease. Thus, Selene found herself with spare time, often wandering between the sky and the ocean.

The Earth was out of bounds for her, given the fearsome Divine King residing there.

Over the years, she had hoped to find a strong deity to rely on, but upon reflection, such a powerful god probably wouldn’t take much interest in a Moon Goddess who lacked everything. So Selene simply let her mind wander and began to appreciate the beauty of various places.

Today was like any other; the morning light shone upon the sea, casting trails of gold. Selene looked up to find her brother driving the Sun Chariot across the sky, bringing light and hope to all things.

Sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder if the concept of the Moon hadn’t been taken by the lord of the Spirit Realm, whether she would also be crafting a Moon Chariot per the Divine King’s order, dutifully fulfilling her responsibilities every night.

‘Perhaps things are not so bad as they stand.’

Her mood lifting, Selene had arranged to meet a friend today and did not want to keep her waiting.

“Excuse me, beautiful Goddess, may I ask, have you heard of the Oceanides, the Goddess of Wisdom, Metis?”

“Ah~”

The sudden voice startled the Moon Goddess. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a blonde, valiant-looking unfamiliar deity standing not far away.

Perhaps she was too engrossed earlier to notice his approach. But now awakened by his voice, the Moon Goddess took a closer look at this uninvited guest.

Even among the gods, this deity’s appearance was exceptional. Yet his aura of divine power was quite feeble, hardly any different from her own.

And more importantly, the intensity in his gaze as he looked at her made Selene feel a bit frightened.

“I know. Metis, daughter of the God of the Ocean, renowned as the Goddess of Wisdom throughout the seas, naturally stays with the other goddesses.”

“She resides in the west, after flying for three sunrises and sunsets, when you see an island rich in vegetation, that will be where she is. She lives there with her sister Eurynome, keeper of the water-meadows. Go and seek her out yourself. If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave.”

With a slight frown, Selene didn’t want to linger any longer. This deity, much like herself, may be good-looking but lacked corresponding strength. But unlike her, he did not seem like the type who would keep to himself.

As to whether he was a new deity born recently, that was even less likely. Apart from the Divine King, there had been no signs of new deities being born over the past millennia.

“Well, thank you for your help, stranger Goddess. My name is Zeus, might I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Although a bit disappointed by the distant demeanor of the goddess before him, Zeus wasn’t yet the ruler who would later ascend to the throne. Lacking the power to do as he pleased, he didn’t impose further but asked politely instead.

“My name is Selene, not a deity of the ocean. You needn’t… wait, what did you say your name was?”

Suddenly realizing who he claimed to be, the Moon Goddess was somewhat disbelieving.

The prominence of a god’s birth sign was determined by the strength of their godhood, and as the world expanded, many new gods were born unnoticed. However, such was not the case with Zeus.

The youngest child of the Divine King, whose birth was marked by Silver Serpents stretching across the sky, Selene could not possibly forget his name.

There was some panic, and the Moon Goddess instinctively wanted to flee. She did not know why the Divine Child, who was supposed to be swallowed by the Divine King, appeared here in good condition, but there were definitely secrets she didn’t know about.

And the years had taught her a lesson, don’t get involved in these things without sufficient strength.

With her divine power in motion, Selene transformed into a seagull and swiftly flew towards the direction of the stars. However, her sudden action evidently aroused Zeus’s suspicions.

“Madam, wait, it seems you are aware of my existence?”

While asking the question, Zeus also turned into a majestic eagle wreathed with thunder. He flew high, quickly catching up to the Moon Goddess.

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know, please leave me be. I am the daughter of Theia, the Mother of Light, and now, I am returning to the stars.”

Selene firmly refused, trying to intimidate the other with Theia’s name. What she didn’t know was that this instead solidified Zeus’s determination to stop her.

The great name of the Mother of Light, he had heard from Goat Amalthea. The powerful Titan Principal God, an existence treated with respect by the Divine King, if he let the goddess before him go, what happened next would be out of Zeus’s control.

So he sped up. Selene exerted all her strength to fly, but still could not escape Zeus’s pursuit.

Even the Moon’s original godhood in mythology was no match for Zeus’s Thunderbolt, let alone now. Although Selene’s divine power was similar to Zeus’s, her strength was far less.

She was trapped by Zeus, in his eagle form, above the sea surface. Whenever she tried to fly high, she was driven back by the thunder that struck her. Fortunately, Zeus didn’t intend to harm her; he just wanted to know what he wanted from the goddess before him.

“I have no intention of hurting you, madam, but I cannot let you leave either. If possible, I’d like to hear about matters concerning myself, given your reaction earlier, my origins seem to be quite unusual?”

Despite his advantage, Zeus remained cautious. He surveyed his surroundings while skillfully coaxing with his words.

In response, Selene remained silent.

She thought of her father, trapped in the Sun, who was so powerful yet locked up there, unable to move. And the deity before her was an existence that the Divine King absolutely could not tolerate.

Anyway, she would not die, and being caught by him was better than being permanently sealed in the Moon like her father. Thus, Selene silently stood off against Zeus in the sky.

Time ticked by, second by second, and Zeus exhausted all kinds of words, but the Moon Goddess still didn’t respond. Eventually, he grew somewhat impatient.

“It seems words cannot sway you, madam. Then, I will have to bring you down and take you away with me.”

Even though he didn’t understand why she was so stubborn, Zeus was no longer willing to wait. In the vast ocean, no one would know if their confrontation was noticed by any passing deity.

The scepter of Thunder was fully activated by Zeus; although his divine power was not strong since he was newly born, the surrounding thousands of miles were still obscured by dark clouds and lightning.

Zeus reverted to human form, holding electric light intermixed with silver and purple in his hand. The dark clouds descended, as if the sky in this area had collapsed. He watched the white gull that Selene had turned into, issuing his final ultimatum.

“Madam, I would still be grateful to you if you’re willing to tell the truth.”

But the result still disappointed him. Selene wrapped her wings over her head, using her meager divine power to enshroud herself. Then Zeus extended his hand, and the Silver Serpent in the sky bore down as well.

The Thunderbolt fell, striking fiercely towards the lone white gull on the sea surface. With this blow, Zeus had used all his strength.

However, just before his eyes, a spherical barrier radiating with rainbow light suddenly appeared out of nowhere, deflecting the plunging thunderbolts to the outside.

The next moment, accompanied by a ripple in space, a red figure slowly emerged.