On Mount Olympus, the storm finally subsided.
The deafening thunder gradually faded away, and the coercion that weighed on the hearts of the gods slowly dissipated. The temple door was still closed, but the
breathless feeling was finally gone. Apollo finally drank the glass of wine that had been served for a long time. Ares
crawled out of the corner and moved his stiff body. 1r5Rp The other gods also poked their heads out one after another, confirming that the
crisis had passed, and then what to do. And the center of the storm, the main temple where Hera and Zeus were located,
finally fell silent at this moment.
Hera stood in the center of the temple, her chest rising and falling violently. Her clothes were messy and her hair was scattered, but the anger in her eyes was no
longer as fierce as it was just now. I'm tired of arguing. 1r5Rp
Tired.
Couples for tens of millions of years, this kind of thing has happened too many times. She knows when to put it away, and he knows when to lie down.
At this moment, Hera lowered her head and looked at Zeus lying on the ground.
The God King, the king of the gods, and the lord of thunder, was ragged at the
moment, his beard was torn to pieces, and his hair was messy like a weed. He just lay there, motionless, his eyes closed, as if he had given up his struggle and was ready to rest in place. 1r5Rp
"Hmph."
She snorted, bent down, and tidied up her slipped clothes. Fingers picked up the belt, fastened it, and moved calmly as if nothing had happened.
Then she straightened up and looked condescendingly at Zeus on the ground.
Zeus' eyelids moved. He felt the change in mood in the hum and knew that the storm had passed. But he didn't move, continued to lie down, and continued to
pretend to be dead. This is an instinct that has been cultivated for thousands of years, let Hera walk away first, let herself breathe a sigh of relief first, and then
get up. 1r5Rp
Hera didn't look at him again. She turned and walked to the edge of the temple. The footsteps stepped on the marble ground, one sound after another, crisp and
slow.
She stood on the edge of the temple, overlooking the world below. Mount
Olympus towers into the clouds, and under her feet is a sea of clouds, and under the sea of clouds is the land she has just been. Thebes, Alcmene, that baby -
Her gaze pierced the clouds, through the mountains, through the walls of the
palace, and landed on a small cradle.
The baby was still asleep, unaware of anything, indifferent to everything, just sleeping soundly.
Hera's eyes narrowed slightly. A soft, rustling sound came from behind her.
Zeus rose from the ground. He dusted himself off, waved his hand, and a faint light flashed, instantly restoring his tattered clothes and straightening his disheveled hair. The majesty of the god-king was truly awe-inspiring.
They were back in the blink of an eye.
He walked to Hera's side and stood still.
The two stood side by side at the edge of the temple, looking down at the earth below.
silence.
After a long silence, Hera spoke calmly:
"I'm going to kill that child."
Zeus didn't move; he just stood there, his gaze fixed on something below.
"You can't kill that child," he said calmly.
Hera turned her head and looked at him.
"Why?"
Zeus did not avoid her gaze. He turned his head and met her eyes.
"That child will become a great hero someday," he said. "The gods need him."
Hera frowned slightly. She understood; Zeus might have seen something again through fate. The child's body...
With the blood of a god-king flowing through their veins, they are destined to accomplish feats that mortals cannot, and destined to leave their mark on mythology.
The name. Such an existence may indeed hold irreplaceable significance for the gods.
But... 1r5Rp
"Even the birth of this child," Hera's voice turned cold, "would it tarnish my glory?" Zeus looked at her.
He looked at his wife, at this woman who had been deceived by him for thousands of years yet still sat in the position of goddess.
A person. Hera stood there, her profile somewhat obscured by the remaining dark clouds.
Zeus gazed at her for a long time.
Then he said:
"His life hasn't even begun yet, so how could he tarnish your glory?"
The wind ruffled Hera's hair, brushing against her cheek. She stood there at the edge of the temple, beside Zeus.
Listen to this.
"Besides," Zeus's voice softened, "when you were holding that child, weren't you also very happy?"
"Is that right?" 1r5Rp
Hera did not speak, refute, or explain.
After a long time, she finally spoke.
"Did you see it?"
Zeus nodded.
"I saw you pick up that child, breastfeed him, and even throw him a galaxy of stars." His voice held a hint of...
A faint smile played on her lips. "Hera, I've known you for thousands of years. When have you ever been so affectionate towards other children?"
Are you sad?"
"That's different," Hera's voice was much lower than before. "Back then… I didn't know who he was." "I do," Zeus said.
"You know?" 1r5Rp
"Of course I know." Zeus nodded. "I've known from the beginning."
He continued:
"Hera, you are the Queen of the Gods, the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Your embrace is naturally meant to receive new life."
Fate. You didn't know whose child it was, so you held him, fed him, and were gentle with him. That wasn't anything...
wrong.
Hera remained silent.
"I am the one who is wrong," Zeus's voice was even lower. "I couldn't control myself, I was the one who had affairs everywhere, I was the one who made you…"
Time and again, it was embarrassing. But this child is innocent.
Hera remained silent. She simply stood at the edge of the temple, gazing at the distant clouds, lost in thought.
What?
Zeus stood beside her without saying another word.
He simply reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulder.
Hera did not break free.
She just stood there, letting that hand rest on her shoulder.
It's been a long time.
"The hatred in my heart is still hard to quell," she suddenly said.
Zeus's hand tightened slightly.
"I don't know what you see in fate, nor what effect it has on the gods. But since..."
You said he was destined to be a hero...
Hera's voice was calm, so calm that no emotion could be detected.
"Since he's destined to be a hero, let him be the most tormented hero. Let him experience the most difficult trials."
He was tempered, forced to endure the cruelest fate. Every success he achieved came at a price, every victory left him scarred.
Trace. "1r5Rp
She paused.
"In this way, it won't be considered a disgrace to my name."
Zeus breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing these words.
He could sense that Hera's anger wasn't as intense as before. Although she said she would let the child...
The child suffered, but at least she accepted the reality that the child was alive.
That's enough. We'll talk about the future later.
He put his arm around Hera's shoulder and stood with her at the edge of the temple, watching the sea of clouds surge and the sunlight gradually pierce through the remaining light.
Clouds are scattered across the earth.
However, at that very moment—
Zeus's pupils suddenly contracted. In his vision, in the room of the infant, two snakes suddenly appeared.
1r5Rp
They appeared from the void, silently and without warning. Two jet-black venomous snakes, their scales...
Gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the candlelight, it was slowly swimming toward the cradle.
And that baby, that tiny baby who knew nothing, was still sleeping soundly in the cradle.
Zeus's body suddenly lurched forward.
But the next instant, a hand blocked his way.
Hera's hand.
Zeus suddenly turned his head and looked at Hera.
Hera remained standing there, gazing into the distance, her expression unchanged.
"Hera!" Zeus's voice was low but urgent. "What have you done?"
Hera didn't look at him; she simply gazed at the clouds below, at the land she had just traversed, at...
At this moment, two venomous snakes are silently approaching the room.
"When the arguments started," she said calmly, "I had already let them go."
Zeus's eyes widened.
"Hera! He's just a baby!"
"I know."
"You know?! You know and yet—"
"Zeus." Hera finally turned her head and met his eyes. "Are you going to disgrace my name?"
Zeus's words caught in his throat.
Hera looked at him and said, word by word:
"You just said that his life hasn't even begun yet, and he won't tarnish my glory. But if I just give up like this..."
"Let him go, let that child grow up safely—what will people say in the future?"
Her voice remained calm, a calmness that sent shivers down one's spine.
"They would say, Hera is nothing special. Betrayed by her husband so many times, she couldn't even handle a bastard child."
No. They'll say, that child grew up on my milk, yet lives a life of luxury—and what am I then?
What does the title of "Goddess Empress" even mean?
Zeus opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that he could not say anything.
"You say he's destined to be a hero." Hera turned her gaze back to the distance. "Then let him prove it to me."
look.
"If fate calls him a hero, then he will surely overcome this hardship."
Zeus stood still, motionless. 1r5Rp
He looked at Hera's profile, at the face that had been familiar for thousands of
years, and then he lowered his head, his eyes once again penetrating the clouds, through the mountains and rivers, and landed in the small room.
Two snakes have swam to the edge of the cradle.
They raised their heads, spat out letters, and stared at the sleeping baby.
And that baby, who didn't know anything. 1r5Rp
Zeus' fist clenched.
But he didn't move. For Hera's hand was still in front of him.
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