Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The characterization of the past had thus drawn to a close, and no one would be held accountable for their errors.

Just as Zeus had never 'failed', the gods had never fled; they had merely 'avoided the sharp edge' and cooperated with the 'Divine King's plan'.

This information would be incorporated into the mortal teachings as an explanation for this disaster, and after a thousand years, it naturally became the truth. Of course, no matter how much the gods might embellish, only one point remained unchanged.

That was about the true origin of this disaster, the presence of the Outer God, Blood Mother Tree.

Its name was not directly mentioned, and any content that could point to it was not laid down in text, yet no god attempted to deny the existence of such a creature. And all lateral descriptions of It inevitably revolved around the concepts of terror and might.

The latter, of course, was to prove that the gods were not powerless—after all, no matter the reason, countless lives were lost in this disaster; to belittle the enemy was to belittle oneself.

As for the former...it was naturally because the gods themselves were in fear.

Not because of Typhon, but because of the sun. Unnoticed by anyone, Helios, who had previously laughed and talked with them, had transformed into an evil god corrupted by the Outer God, which had brought the gods a tremendous shock.

No one knew how It had achieved this, regardless of whether Helios did so willingly or was compelled; they all wished to prevent such an incident from happening again. And to stop a behavior, fear was far more effective than any prohibition.

"The fall of the sun took all of us by surprise. It was a disaster, and my daughter Athena is still dealing with this matter, and has not yet returned."

"But whether she is here or not, the merits she has established are undeniable. The mortal realm should spread her name, just as her forebears did."

The disaster had ended, and naturally, it was time for rewards. But just as Zeus said, Athena was still in the starry sky and had not returned.

Sealing the sun was no easy task; it was a rather difficult and complex process. The Ritual Track laid out in the Zodiacal Star Domain was just the beginning, and there was still much left for her to do.

"Apollo."

Another deity who was not present.

Upon uttering his son's name, Zeus felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he was somewhat pleased that Apollo had resolved a problem for him; on the other, he was somewhat discontent with Apollo and Atropos for taking matters into their own hands.

However, the Three Fates were not his subordinates, and the relationship between Zeus and Atropos was not even as close as that between the Heavenly Father and Mother Earth. As for Apollo... Zezus was not yet upset enough over this matter to create a rift with a progeny who posed no threat to him.

"Like Athena, as a Principal God of Olympus, a presence that arises anew for the mortal realm, Apollo rightfully deserves worship in the city-states that believe in him. At the same time, those who were followers of Helios must now turn to the new sun god or submit to the sun goddess, and those temples belonging to him should be dismantled and rebuilt."

"Anyone, any life that dares to worship Helios, is an enemy of Olympus."

No one objected, for this corrupted God of Sun, nobody spoke on his behalf. After all, as Helios himself had once realized, he was an outsider to the Olympian Pantheon.

"And third, is my most loyal arm." Explore more adventures at empire

With a smile, the Divine King looked at his most faithful servant, the God of West Wind.

"Zephyrus, my friend, please forgive me for mentioning you third—but I must maintain the dignity of the Principal God's position, after all, it is a right I personally bestowed upon them, a proof of their superiority over all gods."

"It is only right, Your Majesty."

Bowing slightly, Zephyrus was as docile as ever.

"Thank you for your understanding, haha, but soon this issue will no longer exist."

"Zephyrus, in the name of the Divine King, you will become another Principal God of Olympus, and following this, I will also grant you the authority over meteorology, a reward you rightly deserve."

Since Crius was confined in the Abyss, to prevent any insurrection of the laws relating to the present age, Zeus, Poseidon, and other godly authorities with similar powers had been exercising the Divine Powers over meteorology, and now, Zeus had formally handed this duty over to Zephyrus in the name of the Divine King.

This was not an innate godhood and thus would not increase the amount of Divine Power Zephyrus received; it was more akin to his position as 'Leader of Wind Gods', just something established under the Divine Authority. Yet even so, the God of West Wind was greatly pleased.

"You always make distinctions clear in rewards and punishments, Your Majesty."

With a wave of his hand, another Principal God was in place, although he was not yet a powerhouse, it was only a matter of time.

The three deities who had truly established merits during this disaster had received their rewards. Zeus looked around; the rest were minor, consolatory rewards.

The gods needed something presentable to prove their efforts. Thus, he granted Ares a battle helmet to commend him for being the first to intervene in the fight between him and Typhon—although the outcome was not splendid, it was nonetheless a symbol of courage. He also gave his sister Demeter a garland of flowers.