Chapter 58 - The Creation of a God

The troubles did not concern her brother, the former sun god Helios, who had been imprisoned and lost his protection, causing her and her sister's status on the divine mountain to plummet. The source of her troubles was a shepherd named Endymion. He was a charming young shepherd tending his flocks on Mount Latmus in Asia Minor, living a carefree life in a tranquil and beautiful valley. On a night when the full moon hung high in the sky, while Selene drove her chariot across the heavens, she inadvertently caught sight of him—the extraordinarily handsome young man sleeping in the valley. Suddenly, the goddess of the full moon felt her heart flutter, filled with an uncontrollable affection for him. She could not resist gliding down from the sky, hurriedly and passionately planting a kiss on Endymion's face. Realizing she still had her duty to fulfill during the night, she reluctantly withdrew and returned to the heavens. However, from that moment on, she secretly floated down each night to meet her beloved shepherd. Eos, with her rose-colored fingers, listened to her sister's words, the tumult in her heart causing her to grip the golden cup tightly. She looked at her love-struck sister in disbelief. Since losing Helios's protection, the harsh and merciless reality had shattered the pride of this once-mighty goddess. She had awakened from her former glory, understanding her and her sister's plight. She became increasingly cautious in her actions, fearing that Zeus, who had long looked down upon them as the offspring of sinners, would catch them making a mistake. Unexpectedly, it was her usually composed sister who faltered first. Selene, caught up in the throes of love, was frighteningly reckless, daring to sneak down to the mortal realm during her night watch. This act, to put it seriously, was a dereliction of duty! 'Selene, my dear sister, I think you should understand the consequences of your actions. We have lost our brother's protection and are no longer in a position of superiority like before. You must stop this behavior! He is just a humble human; his beauty will eventually fade. Why must you..." For the sake of their future, Eos had to persuade Selene earnestly. 'Enough!" To her surprise, Selene could not comprehend her sister's good intentions. Enchanted by her crazy love, she grew cold at Eos's words about her lover's humble status. She turned to Eos, a cold smile curling on her elegant, ethereal face. 'Dawn, Eos, how much more noble are you compared to Endymion? The goddess of dawn? You are merely a servant guiding Helios's chariot; how dare you teach me how to act?" With that venomous remark, disregarding their sisterly bond, the full moon goddess Selene turned and left, leaving Eos in stunned silence. No god noticed that deep within her eyes lingered a peach-golden divine power, tormenting her heart, which was ensnared in love, and enticing her to meet her beloved… After the 'first meeting" between the goddess of life, Hebe, and the god of the underworld, Phaethon, the two deities had officially crossed paths in the open. Under Phaethon's guidance, Hebe arrived at Hades's throne room. Sure enough, the lord of the dead was still buried in the heavy duties of governance. Hebe couldn't help but wonder if that mountain of parchment scrolls had decreased at all. 'Your Majesty Hades, the ruler of souls and wealth, I have brought the goddess Hebe," said the dark-winged deity as he bowed to Hades. Only then did Hades finally lift his head from the weighty affairs. Even a god couldn't help but show some signs of fatigue. 'Thank you, Phaethon. You may leave now." 'Yes, Your Excellency, the Lord of the Underworld." Phaethon bowed and walked past Hebe without a glance, exiting the throne room. Hades's emerald eyes regarded the radiant golden-haired goddess. The life force emanating from her was so rich that it even caused strange transparent flowers to bloom in the corners of his throne room, which was usually shrouded in death. 'Goddess of Life Hebe, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly," Hades remarked, initially thinking that this goddess would stay on the divine mountain for a while longer. 'Master of the mysteries of life, noble and benevolent Lady Hebe, I am Phaethon, the god of the underworld, and I welcome you on behalf of His Majesty Hades." Hebe turned to look at the dark-haired deity with his dark wings, a smile curving her red lips. '‘First meeting,' the merciful light of the underworld, Lord Phaethon, it is a pleasure to meet you." … On the divine mountain, the banquet was still in progress. The full moon goddess Selene, wearing a crown of moonlight, raised her golden cup and spoke to her sister, the goddess of dawn, Eos. Her elegant and ethereal beauty bore a hint of melancholy as she confided her troubles to her sister. Hebe smiled faintly. 'To meet the expectations of the two primordial gods, I believe we need to establish the cycle as quickly as possible. I trust that His Majesty Hades has heard that the one who entrusted Pandora with a box of misfortunes has made the destruction of this generation of humanity only a matter of time. If the cycle is not established before that, we may have to expend our primordial energy to replenish the souls of the new generation of humanity created by that one." '…" Hades furrowed his brow, feeling quite dissatisfied with his willful brother, the god-king. These gods never consider the consequences of their actions. You're happy to vent your anger by administering punishment, and once the deed is done, you simply walk away, leaving the aftermath to the god of the underworld. Who knows how troublesome it is to deal with those souls all day long? 'The preparations for establishing the cycle are nearly complete. The construction of the minor hells is still ongoing, but it seems that Hecate is quite interested in this. She has already gone to assist, and I believe it will be finished soon. The remaining task is how you, Goddess Hebe, will reignite the flame of life for the souls. I wonder what thoughts you have on this?" Hades pulled out a piece of parchment from the table and handed it to Hebe. It detailed the current progress of the 'cycle" project. The efficiency of the underworld gods was impressive; in such a short time, the underworld bridge over the River Acheron, the Hall of Judgment of the goddess Themis, and the Temple of Forgetfulness of the goddess Mnemosyne had all been established. It seemed that everyone was doing their utmost to reduce the number of souls, hoping to make the underworld a bit quieter. 'I already have some ideas on this matter that I would like to discuss with Your Majesty Hades," Hebe replied, her fingertips glowing with divine light as she conjured a massive stone archway in the air. 'Souls that have completed all processes will pass through this stone archway to the mortal realm, entering into new lives that are being conceived, and thus being reborn. This involves the mysteries of space, but Chronos, the master of spatial origins, is currently imprisoned in Tartarus, so we may need His Excellency Tartarus to assist us with this." Hades nodded; this matter was indeed manageable. 'And how does Your Highness plan to achieve the rebirth of the souls?" Now that the technical issue of soul placement had been resolved, the next crucial step was to ignite the flame of life. Would it involve inscribing divine runes on that archway using the essence of life? 'Your Majesty, please take a look." In the hands of the golden-haired, purple-eyed goddess appeared a golden seed. That strange divine power was something any deity who had encountered it once would not forget; it was the power of resurrection. 'This is a miraculous seed that was born alongside the divine authority of resurrection. It feeds on the essence of death and can grow into a divine herb with the power of resurrection. When the time comes, I will plant it at the Gate of Rebirth, and as the souls prepare to be reincarnated, the divine herb will bestow upon them the great power of resurrection, igniting the flame of life." As long as there is a continuous supply of death energy as nourishment, this resurrection herb can thrive and continuously produce the essence of resurrection. Hebe wouldn't even need to personally ignite the flames for the deceased; she could simply assign a deity to oversee it, making it quite convenient. 'Very well, this plan seems highly feasible. Let's go with it." Hades was very pleased with Hebe's proposal. It appeared that there were indeed capable individuals among the deities of the divine mountain. The dark-haired, emerald-eyed lord of the underworld glanced once more at the captivating goddess before him and felt a stir in his heart. 'Has Your Highness considered residing in the underworld permanently? The glory that the divine mountain can offer you, I can provide as well—perhaps even more. If you are willing to come to the underworld, I can share half of its authority with you." Was he implying that he wanted her to become the queen of the underworld? Hebe's heart raced with alarm. She subtly took a few steps back, a somewhat awkward smile appearing on her face.