Chapter 66 Leaders

The proud king of the gods may not yet realize that his daughter might already know the secrets surrounding the primordial divine position and is a formidable contender for it. "Hermes!" Zeus called out to his son, the messenger of the gods. "Great King of the Gods, what can I do for you?" The young god, holding his caduceus, appeared before Zeus with a respectful and humble smile. His eyes were filled with admiration and reverence, which always satisfied Zeus's vanity, making him feel like the greatest and most omnipotent deity in the world. "Hermes, my dear son, your sister, the master of the supreme mysteries of life, the goddess Hebe, has been in the Underworld for far too long. Both her mother, Hera, and I have been overwhelmed with longing for her. Coincidentally, a banquet will soon be held on Mount Olympus in honor of Artemis receiving her lunar authority. Now that the cycle has been established, as one of the Twelve Olympians, Hebe should also be present." As Zeus spoke, he resembled a caring father, his heartfelt paternal love bringing tears to one's eyes. "Hermes, you will personally drive my thunderous chariot, bringing along a gown woven with pearls, gems, and golden threads to welcome my glorious daughter back to Olympus." Zeus's words astonished Hermes. He never expected the king of the gods to treat the daughter who had once openly opposed him and undermined his authority with such kindness and honor. Why was Zeus making such an effort to bring Hebe back for a banquet held in honor of Artemis? This was clearly an attempt to appease and reconcile, and the cunning young god immediately sensed that something was amiss. But who was he? Just a second-rate deity, relying on his father's favor to survive among the gods. Hermes displayed just the right amount of surprise before unquestioningly rising to carry out Zeus's command. Zeus was very pleased with Hermes's reaction. This was one of the reasons he favored Hermes; among his many children, this one, due to his weaker divine power, had to depend on him, making him the least rebellious and most obedient. This made Zeus feel very reassured. Soon, Hermes drove the king of the gods' thunderous chariot out of Olympus, guided by the divine office of the guide of the dead, arriving at Mount Acheron. Unlike Hebe, he did not receive any privileges from Hades, and due to Zeus's orders, he had to take the most formal route. Meanwhile, in the love temple adorned in shades of pink and gold, blooming white roses—the sacred flower of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty—were everywhere. The golden-haired, blue-eyed goddess, possessing the most perfect face and body in the world, was now reclining on her bed, slightly weak as she consumed the divine fruit sent by her husband, the god of fire and forging, in the company of her three handmaidens, the Graces. Aphrodite's face lacked her usual seductive allure, instead showing signs of paleness and sorrow. She had finally come to understand the reason for her recent fatigue and excessive drowsiness. She was pregnant, a divine child growing within her. This was her first child, and the goddess who had always indulged in pleasure and lost herself in love now felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness and panic for the first time. The unfamiliar feeling of motherhood blossomed within her, filling her with affection and anticipation for the little life inside her. She even sought the counsel of Hera, the goddess who had always been at odds with her, and who had once conspired against her, forcing the most beautiful goddess to marry the ugliest of the gods, Hephaestus. Hera, as the goddess of marriage and childbirth, had the most authority on such matters. Although Hera disapproved of Aphrodite's usual flirtatious demeanor, she could not ignore the fact that Aphrodite was pregnant. As the goddess of childbirth, she felt compelled to offer her concern. After Aphrodite came to the temple of marriage seeking help, Hera used her divine power to investigate the condition of the divine child. The results of the investigation made Hera's expression serious. She told Aphrodite that the child she was carrying had immense potential. For a goddess, having a child with such great potential was both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, a child with such potential would undoubtedly bring great glory and status to his mother upon his birth. Just as Hera, with her three divine children by her side, commanded respect on Mount Olympus—who would dare to speak disrespectfully to her? On the negative side, the immense potential of the child also meant that the divine power and essence required for his gestation would be substantial. If Aphrodite's divine power could not sustain the child, then, to be born, the child would unconsciously drain her essence to aid in his own birth. This could lead to Aphrodite's divine power falling from her position as a major goddess. Aphrodite felt an overwhelming fear at this revelation. The thought of her divine power diminishing was terrifying. She already lacked combat strength, and if her power were to drop further, even if she still held the title of a major goddess, she would be unable to withstand the humiliation from other deities. This delicate and seemingly weak goddess found herself harboring a horrifying thought that she could not suppress: Destroy him! Destroy him before he is born! Only this way could she protect herself. However, every time this thought arose, an inexplicable dread surged from deep within her, as if an indescribable terror was watching her. If she dared to do anything out of line to the child in her womb, she would be destroyed by an invisible force, stripped of all her essence, and the goddess of love and beauty would cease to exist. In the end, Aphrodite decided to give birth to the divine child. Hera, unaware of the reasons behind this decision, was surprised. She never expected this irresponsible and frivolous goddess to take on such responsibility, willingly risking the loss of her essence to nurture the child. This changed Hera's perception of her significantly. Hera admired Aphrodite's selflessness and sacrifice, which were natural aspects of motherhood. She kindly persuaded Aphrodite and even had divine fruits, capable of replenishing divine power, gathered from the earth and sent to her, doing everything possible to help her bring the child into the world. Hephaestus, of course, was aware that his wife was pregnant. He took the news of his first "biological offspring" very seriously. Hearing that the child required immense divine power for gestation, he personally went to the ocean to seek help from his earthly foster mother, the gentle sea nymph Thetis, to obtain some oceanic essence. Since Aphrodite was born from the waves, the essence of the ocean could help replenish her loss in nurturing the child. Ares, too, knew about his secret lover Aphrodite's pregnancy. He firmly believed that this child was of his bloodline. The god of war had slain many beasts with divine blood on the earth, extracting their divine essence and secretly sending it to the Temple of Love to support Aphrodite in nurturing the child. Thus, under the watchful eyes of many, the reincarnation of the primordial god Eros, the little love god who came to collect debts from the king of the gods, was being successfully nurtured in the chosen maternal body by the laws of fate. The promotion of a new world seemed to brew a storm for the Chaos realm, an attempt to stir up a bloody turmoil in the near future. Princess Hebe returned to Olympus, with Zeus sending Hermes personally to welcome her from the Underworld. The gods whispered among themselves, speculating why the relationship between the king of the gods and his rebellious daughter had suddenly softened. However, after much discussion, they could not come to a conclusion, ultimately attributing it to the king's fickle nature and the goddess's now transcendent status, which had finally compelled him to lower his noble head. For a time, Hebe's status among the gods rose even higher; being able to make the king of the gods bow his head was an achievement that anyone else would boast about for a hundred years. To celebrate Artemis's acquisition of the lunar authority, a banquet was held as scheduled, gathering the gods together. As the new deities of the sun and moon, and future leaders of the light divine faction, they would certainly receive respect from the other gods, especially those of the light faction. The long-reclusive goddess of radiance, prophecy, and the new moon, Phoebe, one of the twelve Titans, along with her husband, Coeus, the Titan of darkness and intellect, personally came to Mount Olympus to celebrate for their granddaughter. The goddess of the night, Leto, and the goddess of the starry night, Asteria, stood by their parents, warmly welcoming the arriving guests. Although the banquet was officially hosted by Zeus, everyone understood that the true protagonists of the day were the family of the light gods. Leto, the goddess of the night, had a gentle disposition; otherwise, she would not have been forced by Hera to give birth in such dire circumstances that there was no place for her to do so in the heavens or on earth. Ultimately, with the help of her sister Asteria, who transformed her essence into the island of Delos, Leto was able to successfully give birth to her two divine children. Therefore, the light twins held a deep respect and affection for their aunt.