Chapter 63 Lies and Deception

The moon goddess, crowned with a diadem of moonlight, had a complex expression. From the trembling hands of her lover, she could sense his fear, which filled her heart with an uncontrollable pang of sorrow and sadness. Her own recklessness had brought disaster upon this human lover. Although her heart still ached, Selene's eyes were clearer than ever. With the help of Eos's morning light and the divine essence of the moon within her, she dispelled the fog of love that had clouded her vision and obscured her reason. She regained her clarity. She still loved Endymion, but no longer in the same frantic, obsessive, and irrational way. Now that her reason had returned, she realized that everything happening today was merely a trap, a scheme to force her to relinquish her power. If one were to speak of dereliction of duty, how could the gods on the divine mountain be any less guilty? Yet they chose to target her specifically. It was not hard to understand; the brother among the twin gods had already seized the solar authority from his elder brother Helios, and naturally, his sister had set her sights on her as well. Selene regretted waking up too late. In this situation, if she did not offer something in return, not only would Endymion be in danger, but she herself might also be unable to escape unscathed. "Esteemed Master of Thunder, as a moon goddess, I acknowledge that my dereliction is indeed my fault. As atonement, I am willing to offer one-third of the moon's essence to you. But I implore you, great King of the Gods, to grant me a boon, allowing me to bestow death upon Endymion myself." One-third of the moon's essence!? The gods were immediately in an uproar, and Artemis in the crowd couldn't help but clench her fists, her gray-blue eyes filled with longing. Zeus raised an eyebrow; he could see all the changes in Selene. She had regained much of her reason. Although she still harbored love for Endymion deep in her heart, it was no longer enough for him to willingly give up all his stakes. One-third was acceptable; helping them reach this point was already enough for him as their father god. The rest would depend on their own efforts. "Did you not see the hint of resentment in Hermes's gaze toward me? This son of mine has worked tirelessly to shield me from Hera all these years, and he deserves recognition for his hard work." "Very well, goddess of the moon, since you are willing to atone with your essence, I shall grant you this grace," Zeus nodded in agreement to the deal with Selene. Selene nodded and turned to look at her lover behind her, her expression complex. "Endymion..." "Selene, I understand your concerns. It is all my fault; because of my plea, you have faced punishment. Grant me eternal death, my beautiful goddess of the moon. Under the radiance of your love, death for me would only be a sweet, dark dream." The shepherd from the mortal realm had already learned of his fate, but his soul, untouched by evil, was too pure. He harbored no resentment toward his beloved; for her sake, he willingly embraced death. The shepherd's fervent and unwavering love brought a tear to the moon goddess's eye, a tear that shimmered with moonlight and fell to the ground, transforming into a beautiful, translucent gem. As usual, she pressed a kiss to the side of the shepherd's face, her cool divine power enveloping him. His eyelids grew heavier, and he helplessly collapsed into the goddess's embrace, forever slipping into a sweet, dark dream. As he had said, Endymion would remain eternally youthful in his everlasting slumber, by the side of his beloved. "What a beautiful love..." Aphrodite watched, entranced. She was moved by this wonderful love and felt a twinge of guilt for her earlier scheming against the goddess. Selene used moonlight to return her lover to the valley of his homeland. Then, standing before the gaze of the other gods, she decisively reached into her chest and pulled out a divine essence radiating a cool, pure light. "To the ancient light and the prophetess Phoebe, who holds the power of the new moon, representing the rebirth of the moon; I will divide one-third of the moon's essence into a crescent moon, representing the end of the moon; and I will retain the essence of the full moon, representing the moon's peak period. From now on, there will be three phases of the moon." As Selene spoke, the moon's divine essence trembled, and a downward-facing crescent moon essence was born. Selene's face paled as she retracted the remaining full moon essence and handed the crescent moon essence to Zeus. Zeus toyed with the crescent moon essence in his hands, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips. "Artemis, my daughter." "Great Father God." The silver-haired goddess stepped forward, kneeling before the king of the gods, her face filled with uncontrollable excitement. "You and Apollo are the natural twin gods of light. Since the solar authority belongs to him, I entrust this crescent moon essence to you. From now on, you shall represent the crescent moon, the goddess of the forest and hunting, the pure Artemis." "I praise your mercy, my great Father God!" The crescent moon essence lifted from Zeus's hand and merged into Artemis's body. A surge of lunar divine power emanated from her, and the ethereal images of the crescent moon, forests, and solitary wolves appeared, creating a harmonious scene. She ascended to the rank of a first-tier deity, and with just one opportunity, she could reach the status of a main god. Artemis officially grasping the authority of the moon was reported to her by Hebe, who remained on the divine mountain, as well as by Selimos, who was in hibernation. Hebe nodded after hearing this but didn't dwell on it. It was only a matter of time before Artemis would grasp the essence of the moon. If Zeus wanted to completely control the power on the divine mountain, the authority of the moon could not remain in the hands of Selene. Selene's father and mother, among the ancient twelve Titans, were Hyperion, the father of light, and Theia, the goddess of sight and illumination. They had once supported their brother Cronus's rule and, after their defeat, were imprisoned in Tartarus by both Zeus and Cronus. Compared to the offspring of these fallen Titans, Zeus was certainly more inclined to entrust this important authority to Artemis, who shared his bloodline. Hebe had a neutral relationship with Selene; in fact, her sister, Eos, the goddess of dawn, had once spoken disrespectfully to her. Hebe had no inclination to involve herself in their affairs. That said, in later legends, it was said that, without her as a variable, both Artemis and Hermes held positions among the main gods on the divine mountain. Now that she occupied one of those positions, the final one would be contested between Hermes and Artemis. From the current perspective, Artemis had a significant advantage. The goddess now held the domains of the moon, forests, and hunting—each intimately connected to humanity. Whether it was the moon providing light and guidance at night, the forests offering fruits, herbs, and timber, or the hunters receiving protection as the primary source of meat for humanity, each of these domains could bring considerable faith power to Artemis. With the help of this faith, it was likely that the goddess would only need a decade or so to break through to the level of a main god. But one should not underestimate the potential of Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Not to mention that this son of the rain goddess Maia has been granted the role of guide for the souls of the deceased by Zeus. While this task may seem burdensome, the benefits are evident: for every soul he guides, the world bestows a bit of favor upon Hermes as a benefactor. Though this favor may be minuscule and easily overlooked, the sheer number of souls adds up, much like how grains of sand can accumulate into a tower. Moreover, in addition to being the messenger of the gods, Hermes inherently possesses other intriguing divine aspects. He is the protector of merchants, travelers, tricksters, prostitutes, and those who transgress moral and legal boundaries. He is the god of lies and deception, as well as the god of eloquence. At present, these divine aspects may seem somewhat useless, as the souls of the current generation of humanity, created by Prometheus, are too virtuous for Hermes to gain much faith from them. However, one must not forget that the supreme god-king, Zeus, the master of thunder, has already sown the seeds of calamity among humanity. In the box he gave to Pandora lies the darkness of all human nature. On the day Pandora opens that box, these dark aspects will no longer be restrained. They will spread like a curse, permeating every generation and every individual of humanity. With the release of these dark aspects, Hermes's divine aspects will experience unprecedented growth. Furthermore, as humanity proliferates, the number of those who transgress moral boundaries will only increase. They will begin to worship this god, providing him with a continuous source of faith power. This messenger of the gods may very well break through to the rank of a main god, competing with his half-sister for that last position among the main gods.