Chapter 57 - The Magic of Fantasy

The first time she met Zeus, he was the brother who had escaped the fate of being devoured by their father under the protection of their mother. With his help, she and several of their siblings successfully broke free and escaped from their father's dark and endless belly. At that time, Zeus was wholly focused on rescuing his kin and overthrowing Cronus's brutal rule. He set aside the prejudices of their lineage and tirelessly gathered all available forces. He was indeed wise during that period; under his leadership, Cronus's faction began to show signs of decline, and ultimately, they were successfully overthrown. Unsurprisingly, he became the new king of the gods. However, just before Cronus was overthrown, he, like his father, the starry Uranus, cast down the curse that the king of the gods would inevitably be overthrown by his descendants. Since then, Zeus had changed. Like their father, the supreme power of the king of the gods caused him to lose himself. In order to maintain his rule, he began to emulate their father, even more ruthlessly; he consumed the very womb that could give rise to threats. Such madness sent chills down Hestia's spine. She repeatedly spoke out against Zeus's reckless and tyrannical actions, hoping to prevent her brother from making further mistakes. But now, it seemed that her efforts had not been very effective. Zeus was still about to destroy the entire new humanity due to his grievances with Prometheus. While Hebe was surprised by Hestia's selfless thoughts, she held a deep respect for this goddess. It was unlikely to find another like her on the entire divine mountain. After expressing her gratitude to Hestia once more, Hebe privately met with her two brothers and Hera to inform them of her upcoming journey to the underworld to assist in establishing the cycle of reincarnation. Hera nodded in agreement after hearing this. Zeus was quite displeased with his daughter's brilliance, and spending some time in the underworld could help her avoid his retaliation. Once the cycle of reincarnation was formally established, she believed that under the pressure of the primordial gods, Zeus would not dare to make any further moves. That said, Hera felt an immense reluctance at the thought of her daughter, who had always been by her side, leaving—even if it was only temporary. She held Hebe's hand tightly and earnestly cautioned her, especially emphasizing that she must never eat the food of the underworld. Hebe listened quietly, enjoying Hera's heartfelt motherly love. Then, Hebe voiced another concern that weighed on her heart. With their mother and two brothers openly supporting her in the main temple, she worried that this would offend Zeus. She feared that once she left the divine mountain, the petty god king would vent his anger on their mother and her brothers. To her surprise, the goddess simply smiled and shook her head. 'My wise daughter, you need not worry. Both your brothers and I are indispensable forces in Zeus's maintenance of the divine mountain's rule. Even if he wishes to take revenge on us, he won't go too far. Rest assured." Although Hebe still felt a bit uneasy, she did not abandon her plan to head to the underworld. After all, there was no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Once the cycle of reincarnation was formally established and she received the world's favor, her strength would surely advance further. At that point, she could attempt to take that step, and if successful, Zeus's retaliation would no longer be so troublesome. However, before heading to the underworld, she had not forgotten that she still had the duties of the Winter Goddess to fulfill in the mortal realm. Therefore, before setting out, Hebe decided to create a few subordinate deities to carry out her winter tasks. In the Temple of Life, the goddess with golden hair and purple eyes reached into her chest and took out a pure white divine core, which emanated a chilling aura. Within it, scenes of winter winds, snowstorms, frost, and auroras constantly flickered. Even more intriguingly, with Hera's help in the past, Hebe had established her position as the ruler of the four seasons in winter, overseeing spring, summer, and autumn. The divine core of winter subtly revealed the faint silhouettes of the other three seasons; although they were faint, they indeed existed and possessed a certain degree of power. This was another of Hebe's ambitions. In the future, she would seek opportunities to obtain the origins of the other three seasons, forming a complete divine core of the four seasons. The cyclical nature of the seasons, like the journey of humanity from life to death and then rebirth, contained the profound meaning of reincarnation, which was obviously beneficial to her. Hebe closed her eyes and summoned the omnipresent laws, expressing her will to the laws through divine words. As she continually clarified the source of winter, the pure white winter divine core emitted a dazzling brilliance. It shook and split off a divine core from within. A delicate and small gray-white divine core appeared, and as soon as it emerged, a flurry of goose-feather snow swept through the hall under its divine power. The divine core freely evolved, and before long, it transformed into a young goddess. She had bright, large black eyes, silver-white long hair, and wore a long dress made of clouds, looking both pure and ethereal. 'The God of Wind and Snow, Chione, a second-tier lower deity, governs the snowfall of winter." The newly born deity instinctively knew her role from the moment of her birth. She knelt on one knee, offering her loyalty and respect to the goddess before her, and then stood to the side, quietly awaiting the birth of her companions. Another divine core was extracted, radiating ice-blue power that instantly covered the eternally blooming flowers in the temple with a layer of white frost. A young male deity emerged from the divine core, his expression displaying a gentleness that contrasted with the coldness of winter. Everything about him, from his white curly hair and water-blue eyes to his fluffy, wool-like coat, amplified this characteristic. 'The God of Frost, Glymon, a second-tier lower deity, governs the frost of winter. His divine power can cover plants with a layer of frost, providing warmth and protecting them from the harshness of the cold climate; he embodies the gentleness of winter." Hebe then extracted the divine core of the aurora. From the dazzling and magnificent light, a beautiful goddess with wings emerged. Her eyes sparkled like the auroras, possessing a magical allure that could draw one into a dream. 'The Goddess of the Aurora, Aurora, a second-tier middle deity, governs the auroras, mystery, and dreams; she is a miracle of winter." Lastly, there was one more deity, the most important one. A divine core shrouded in pink-purple mist separated from the winter divine core, continuously evolving in mid-air to give birth to a tall goddess. With platinum long hair and pink-purple eyes, she was surrounded by a drowsy divine power. Hebe looked at her in surprise, realizing that this goddess bore a striking resemblance to Hypnos. Aside from lacking his pure white wings, she was almost a female version of the God of Sleep. And indeed, that was the case. 'The God of Hibernation, Selimos, a second-tier upper deity, is responsible for causing animals to fall into a long sleep during winter to conserve energy and survive the cold season; she embodies the slumber of winter." With these four subordinate deities, the basic functions of winter could now operate normally. Hebe ceased the creation of more subordinate deities, as she felt this was sufficient. Continuing to split her essence further would diminish her divine power tier. 'Greetings to my mistress, Chione/Glymon/Aurora/Selimos offer you their loyalty until the ends of the world, becoming your arms and wings, sharing your burdens." Hebe nodded in satisfaction. The divine tiers of these four subordinate deities were not low, and since they were created by her, they would be utterly loyal to her. She felt reassured leaving winter in their care. 'I have already sensed your loyalty. As the ruler of winter, I will also provide you with protection. Soon, I will be heading to the underworld for a while, and the winter in the mortal realm will be entrusted to you. Among the four of you, Selimos has the most stable personality, so she will be your leader." As Hebe spoke, she conjured a snowflake-shaped necklace in her hand and personally placed it around Selimos's slender, snowy neck. She instructed her, 'In addition to your duties for winter, I need you to keep a close watch on any movements on the divine mountain. If anything urgent arises, grasp this necklace and call my divine name; it will help you connect with me." Selimos gently caressed the necklace around her neck and nodded slightly, indicating that she understood the goddess's instructions. Having completed all of this, Hebe did not linger on the divine mountain any longer, fearing that if she stayed too long, the divine king might take some action against her. She casually used the divine power of growth to catalyze a pure daffodil, holding it in her hand while silently reciting Hades's divine name. The surrounding space trembled, and a crack appeared in the void, from which wisps of gray death energy flowed out, looking particularly incongruous in the vibrant Temple of Life. This was the portal to the underworld. The golden-haired, purple-eyed goddess stepped into the portal, watched by her subordinate deities. As the scenery around her shifted, she soon found herself in a desolate and dim plain. Looking up, she saw a purplish-red underworld sun emitting an eerie glow.