The Sovereign of the Four Seasons

Justice is everywhere, even though the goddess of justice, Themis, has retreated deep into the underworld; she can still hear the words conveyed by Hebe. In the dim underworld, seated on her divine throne, draped in a white robe and wearing a golden crown, the blindfolded goddess, holding a scale in her left hand and a sword in her right, paused for a moment before sighing. The golden sword of justice shone brightly, and her serious and just words resonated throughout Mount Olympus. 'In the name of the goddess of justice, the arrival of winter is not a mistake." 'Mother Goddess!" cried Eonomiya, the goddess of spring, unwillingly, 'But because of the actions of Her Highness Hebe, our divine power has decreased. Shouldn't she be held accountable? Is this justice?" 'You are mistaken, Your Highness." Hebe shook her head. 'The fundamental reason for your diminished divine power is not winter. Order, justice, peace—you only see that your seasonal divine authority has been diluted, but do you not see that your aspect of justice has become tainted?" Hebe's words caused the three sisters, the goddesses of the seasons, to change their expressions drastically. They hurriedly examined their divine authority and found that their originally pure and flawless divine essence had indeed been stained with spots of corruption at some unknown time. The three goddesses turned pale, nearly fainting. This was retribution, the world's retaliation for their failure to timely dissuade Helios. At this moment, the three goddesses had nothing more to say, their faces filled with sorrow as they pondered how to restore the brilliance of their tainted divine authority. Seeing that Hebe's few words had left the three goddesses of the seasons speechless, Hera felt a sense of satisfaction and pride. The goddess with white arms turned to her formidable husband, openly advocating for her daughter's interests: 'Zeus, Hebe now possesses the divine authority of winter and has gained the world's recognition along with the source artifact. Since that is the case, there must be a leader for the four seasons. The blossoming of spring, the lushness of summer, and the harvest of autumn all require the consumption of the world's primal energy. During winter, the ice and snow cover everything, allowing the world to rest and rejuvenate. I believe winter should serve as the leader of the four seasons, with Hebe overseeing the three goddesses in managing them." '…" Zeus pondered Hera's words seriously and found them reasonable. 'What do the other gods think?" 'The Mother Goddess is right; it is most appropriate for Hebe to lead the four seasons. I support it!" Ares was the first to step forward in support of his mother and sister. 'I support it too." The honest blacksmith Hephaestus also stepped forward to support Hebe. 'I support it." 'Agreed." The matter of the seasonal leadership faced no opposition from the gods present, as it did not infringe upon their interests; it was better to give Hera a favor. The vast majority of the gods voted in favor, and Zeus no longer hesitated. He raised his thunderous scepter and declared loudly, 'In the name of the King of the Gods, I acknowledge the winter goddess Hebe as the leader of the four seasons, appointing the three goddesses of time as her aides to assist in managing the seasons." The words of the King of the Gods invoked the laws, and the three goddesses of time felt an invisible chain imposed upon them, making them involuntarily harbor thoughts of submission to Hebe. The crown of the winter goddess above Hebe's head radiated brilliant divine light, and from the ice and snow crown, a brown vine extended, adorned with green leaves, flowers, and fruits. The laws recognized her status as the master of the four seasons. Hebe's eyes sparkled with brilliance; although she had passively taken on a few not-so-bright burdens, her position as the master of the four seasons undoubtedly provided her with immense assistance. The golden-haired goddess knelt on one knee amidst the envious and resentful gazes of the other gods, her expression filled with gratitude and reverence. 'Thank you, great King of the Gods. May the glory of the gods be with you." 'Yes, rise, my dear daughter." Hebe's obedience greatly pleased Zeus, and his affection for her increased. Who wouldn't like a powerful and obedient child? 'Now, there is another matter. Has Helios been brought in?" After rewarding Hebe, Zeus's handsome face returned to seriousness. This was the crux of the meeting: the judgment of Helios, the sun god, who had borrowed the solar chariot, causing the devastating fire from the heavens. 'Great King of the Gods, Helios has been brought in, but he is still unconscious and unable to awaken." Apollo, radiating brilliance, entered the temple, followed by several nymphs carrying the unconscious sun god Helios on a stretcher. 'Oh? Have you found out the reason for his unconsciousness?" Zeus asked. Before Apollo could respond, a commotion erupted outside the hall. 'Let us in!" 'You can't treat my brother this way; he is the sun god!" Two beautiful goddesses burst into the temple. One wore a crimson long dress, shimmering with rose-colored light, while the other was draped in a long robe with a moon crown atop her head. They were Helios's two sisters: Eos, the goddess of dawn, and Selene, the goddess of the full moon. 'Two goddesses, please calm down." Hermes stepped in front of them with his caduceus. 'Even if the King of the Gods does not judge Helios, we must find a way to wake him up first." 'Stop with the pretty words; you don't understand…" Eos, the goddess of dawn, was proud and impulsive. Since the birth of the light gods, they had held a superior position among the gods because the earth needed light, and all things required light. Moreover, Eos's siblings controlled the two most important sources of light in the world: the sun and the moon. As the goddess of dawn, who ushers in the sun while sending away the moon, Eos herself possessed considerable divine power, and very few gods dared to provoke her on Mount Olympus. This also contributed to her arrogant personality, and sometimes she even looked down on Zeus, the King of the Gods. 'Eos!" Selene quickly grabbed her sister, shaking her head to signal her not to continue. The current situation of Helios was indeed dire, and they could only think of ways to preserve his position after waking him up. 'Great King of the Gods, please forgive our rudeness. Our concern for our brother has made us anxious and caused us to lose our composure." Selene, with her moon crown, had an elegant and ethereal face reminiscent of the bright moon, and her voice was soft and delicate. The male gods present couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for her. This appeal was naturally effective on the lustful king of the gods. His gaze shifted slightly, subtly gliding over Selene's beautiful face, and his dissatisfaction with Eos's rudeness diminished somewhat. 'Well, Apollo, check on Helios's condition." While it was certainly nice to have a fleeting moment with the beautiful goddess of spring, Zeus knew that the most important thing was to consolidate the power of Olympus in his own hands. Selene was indeed beautiful, but her identity was too sensitive, and Zeus was well aware of this. 'Yes, great Father God." Apollo stepped forward, placing his slender hand on Helios's broad chest. The divine light power that originated from the same source enveloped Helios's body. A faint solar radiance emanated from Apollo, his golden eyes shimmering as he opened his all-seeing eye to examine Helios's condition. Selene watched the solar divine light on Apollo, her expression momentarily twisting. Her gaze subtly swept across the hall, landing on Artemis, who was standing beside Athena. She understood that it was unlikely to preserve Helios's solar throne today, so she could not afford to lose her lunar authority! Otherwise, there would be no place for her and her siblings on Olympus. Apollo's eyes focused on the location of Helios's divine essence. Such probing into a deity's divine essence was generally considered taboo among the gods, but Helios was currently unconscious and a sinner; he had no right to resist. Apollo saw the golden, blazing solar essence within Helios, and a flicker of greed and desire crossed his eyes. This was the solar authority he had long yearned for, something that was rightfully his! Suddenly, Apollo furrowed his brows. He noticed that the solar essence, which should have remained eternally pure and flawless, had become somewhat dimmed, and at some point, inky black spots had wrapped around the divine essence, exuding a sinister and ominous aura. Helios's divine essence had also been tainted! This revelation shocked Apollo. 'Your Majesty, the King of the Gods, Helios's divine essence has been tainted just like that of the goddesses of time, but his situation is worse. The backlash on his divine essence is what caused his unconsciousness." Apollo withdrew his divine power and reported his findings to Zeus, his expression somewhat grim. A tainted solar essence would be a hot potato, even if he managed to obtain it. 'Oh? What is the reason?" Zeus's original plan had been to have Apollo replace Helios as the new sun god, but now that the divine essence was tainted, it had become a troublesome issue. 'Great Father God, the reason Helios's divine essence has been tainted is due to a curse from the world's primal energy," Hebe explained to Zeus. 'Helios had privately lent the solar chariot to Phaethon, which led to the devastating fire from the heavens. They are the direct creators of this disaster. Phaethon has already perished beneath your divine thunder, so the target of the world's retribution has only remained Helios. This is a curse from the souls who died unjustly."