Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 318 Hera's Glory
High in the sky, the black eagle, like a shadow, spreads its wings and soars thousands of miles. With another flap of its wings, it has already flown over thousands of mountains and countries.

Being chosen by the Serpent's Daughter is itself proof of the giant eagle's stealth and flight speed.

This eagle, which comes from the Yin Mountain in the underworld, flies from the underworld to the earth when the moon rises, and then flies from the earth back to the underworld when the sun rises. It flies more than tens of thousands of miles in a day and night.

Every night, it hides in the shadows of mortals. When no one is looking, it spreads its wings and flies out from the shadows, disemboweling mortals and devouring their intestines and hearts.

No one could see its appearance, so mortals said that those who mysteriously disappeared were eaten by the shadow.

It moves incredibly fast, but there are things in this universe that are even faster.

With its claws gripping the infant, the eagle's eyes surveyed the high sky, when it suddenly saw a radiant deity blocking its path.

"Violent!"

A terrified scream rang out.

The giant eagle wanted to escape, so it flapped its wings and headed west. But shortly after flapping its wings, it saw the luminous deity standing with its arms crossed, waiting for it in the air.

No matter how the giant eagle changed its direction, it would only find that the god was already waiting ahead with a half-smile.

Fear appeared in the eagle's eyes.

This is the first time such a situation has occurred since its inception.

"Fly, why aren't you flying?"

Between heaven and earth, the fastest deity, the one who moves the fastest, raised his head and spoke.

He wore a hat with a pair of wings on either side. The same pair of wings also grew from the back of his sandals. The symbolism of wings was ubiquitous, even on the scepter he held and behind his shoulders.

These wings are a tribute to the fastest god, symbolizing the fastest speed in the universe.

The wind cannot reach it, nor can the light.

Apart from thought, nothing in the universe moves faster than this deity.

The giant eagle was already terrified, but it still hoped to escape. It abandoned the baby and fled in the opposite direction without regard for anything else.

But the winged deity simply picked up the baby, took another step, and with a flap of his small wings at his ankles, he had already caught up with the giant eagle.

"Well……"

The giant eagle tried to struggle again, but the god had already grabbed its neck and with a slight exertion, the giant eagle died.

Just as it was born, the dead giant eagle turned back into smoke and dissipated.

In the deity's arms, the baby remained silent and slept soundly, seemingly unaware of any danger.

Holding the baby, Hermes examined it and felt that this must be his brother in the human world.

“My little brother on earth, you were snatched away by a giant eagle right after you were born. It seems that your life is destined to be full of disasters.”

While joking, Hermes had a vague feeling that this little baby was destined for an extraordinary life.

Watching the dissipating smoke, Hermes knew nothing of the giant eagle's origins, nor who wanted to abduct the newborn infant. But considering the baby's background, Hermes had a vague guess in his mind.

"Could it be..."

"Wow……"

As I was wondering what was going on, I suddenly heard the sound of a baby crying.

Looking down, the previously quiet baby in Hermes' arms suddenly burst into tears. He cried and struggled.

Why did you suddenly start crying?

Hermes scratched his head. He had no experience with babies and really didn't know why the baby was crying.

This is troublesome. Let's send him back first.

……

On the earth, the two goddesses are traveling together.

"There are always many strange things on earth."

The noble goddess held the little bird in her palm, looked at it, and spoke softly.

The bird wasn't afraid of people; it chirped in the goddess's palm, flapping its wings and pecking at the seeds.

Such earthly birds would not exist on the sacred mountain.

The loyal servants of the gods devoted themselves to decorating Mount Olympus, but as a result, the mountain became excessively beautiful. Solemn, sacred, and magnificent, it was beautiful, but it lacked any sense of human warmth.

In contrast, the ubiquitous suburban scenery makes one feel relaxed and at ease.

Beside this goddess, the bright-eyed girl smiled.

"Hera, the scenery on earth must be quite interesting."

After the bird in her palm finished pecking at its food, it flew away. The Empress lowered her hand, looked at the surrounding scenery, and nodded.

"Coming to the surface occasionally is a nice game. Athena, I like it here."

Looking at the girl, the Empress smiled lightly.

Hera was Zeus's sister and wife; while Athena was the daughter of Zeus and his first wife, Metis.

Therefore, Hera is actually Athena's stepmother.

However, as two of the most revered goddesses in the universe, their similar status, shared identity as goddesses, and harmonious personalities led to a rare friendship between them.

The two noble goddesses carefully maintained their friendship and would occasionally go on outings together.

Just like now, Hera put aside her divinity and didn't wear her peacock-patterned coat, but instead went out in just white like an ordinary person.

Athena no longer donned armor and carried a spear; instead, she let her thick hair down and dressed like an ordinary human girl for her outing.

The two goddesses were enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

And at this time...

"Tritogenia".

Calling out the nickname of her female companion, the elegant goddess stretched out her hand, her snow-white arm pointing to a certain spot ahead, indicating something.

The goddess with bright eyes turned around, her gray eyes looking in the direction the Queen of Heaven was pointing.

"Hmm? Is it Hermes?"

Not far away, Hermes was holding the baby and constantly comforting it.

This god, known for his eloquence, also ran into trouble. He could trick people into willingly selling themselves, but even so, he didn't know how to calm a crying baby.

"Hermes!"

Upon hearing a familiar female voice, Hermes, who was being driven crazy by the baby, looked up and, upon seeing who it was, was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

The voice came from Athena, who was not far away.

Athena was one thing, but the problem was that standing next to her was Hera, the Queen of the Gods. Was that elegant and noble goddess staring at her?

If Hermes had encountered Hera at any other time, he would not have felt any pressure, but it was precisely at this moment.

Who is he holding in his arms?
He was Zeus's illegitimate son. And who was the person standing before him?
She was Zeus's wife, the mistress of the sky.

Hermes had a vague suspicion that the giant eagle might have been sent by Hera because she had discovered her husband's infidelity.

Previously, Hermes had only harbored suspicions, but he was already somewhat uneasy, fearing that Hera would later discover that he had helped Zeus conceal his illegitimate child. Now, caught red-handed, Hermes felt…

I felt very panicked.

If Hera were to discover the truth...

Hermes felt a chill run down his spine, but a bright smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, two noble goddesses, what a coincidence that we meet you! It is truly my honor."

The deity's handsome appearance, coupled with his radiant smile, would undoubtedly have captivated the hearts of many young women at any other time.

If it weren't for the crying baby in my arms.

Seeing Hermes' sincere smile, Athena remained unmoved, but instead vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

"Hermes, whose baby is this in your arms?"

Stepping forward, Athena glanced at the crying baby and asked again, puzzled.

Hermes still wore that bright smile, but his mind was racing.

What to answer?
The answer was that he was Zeus's illegitimate son?

It must have been hung on the sacred mountain by the furious Hera, right?

The answer was that they found the human child by accident.

How could that be? The gods know his preferences perfectly well. How could he possibly be so kind as to pick up an abandoned human baby? Even Hermes himself didn't believe that.

Think quickly...

You can definitely think of that...

"actually……"

Hermes hesitated, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't, as if he had some unspeakable secret. In reality, Hermes was frantically thinking about what lie he could fabricate so that he wouldn't be seen through.

What kind of lie could be neither exposed nor discovered by Hera afterward, thus deceiving herself?

As he pondered this, Hermes felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead, especially with the incessantly crying baby in his arms.

"Hermes, the child is hungry."

The diva, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

Unlike the wise but still virgin Athena, Hera had experience in nursing children. After only a few glances, she realized that the child's incessant crying was simply because he was hungry.

Hera took the baby from Hermes' arms and comforted the infant, already having a guess in her mind.

He raised his head slightly, his emerald green eyes fixed on the deity before him.

"You cunning and amorous traveler, you habitual thief, have you stolen another young girl's heart, leaving only this newborn child for that poor girl?"

Clearly, Hera believed the child was born to Hermes and some mortal woman, and now she didn't know what to do with it.

Hera's deep abhorrence of adultery left Hermes with no room for leniency, and Hermes dared not refute her.

However, amidst his fear, Hermes felt a surge of hope and ecstasy.

It seems Hera didn't discover the truth, which is good.

I felt a sense of relief, as if I had survived a catastrophe.

Since you're the one who thinks this is my child, then it's no wonder. I didn't say anything, and I didn't lie to you.

Hoping that he could find an excuse to absolve himself if things were investigated later, Hermes gave vague and perfunctory answers.

"Look, the traces of the theft are right in front of the thief, yet he dares not utter a sound."

Hera had no suspicions, but Athena glanced at Hermes, as if she had noticed something. Hermes dared not say anything, and simply pretended not to have noticed.

Hera, holding the baby, softened her expression and gently coaxed it.

But the baby was hungry, and no amount of coaxing could help. So Hera glanced at Hermes, who wisely retreated.

Unbuttoning his clothes, the breast milk gave the newborn baby strength and relieved his hunger.

Hera gently held the baby in her arms, and the baby, who had been crying incessantly, gradually quieted down and began to suckle.

After the baby was full, he fell asleep again.

Hera silently gazed at the baby in her arms. Watching him wriggle in her embrace, cling tightly to her arms, and finally fall into a deep sleep, a smile crept onto her lips as an idea began to form in her mind.

After the Queen of the Goddess straightened her clothes, Hermes silently appeared before her as she called out to him.

Does he have a name?

Hera spoke.

Hermes shook his head.

This little guy was snatched away by a giant eagle right after he was born, and he didn't even have time to be named.

"Then he has it now."

This most noble woman in the universe, wife of the king of gods, mistress of the sky, addressed Hermes.

"From now on, his name is Hercules."

Hera is the name of this noble goddess, while Cress means glory and achievement.

Hercules is the glory of Hera.

Hera took pity on the infant and nursed him with her milk, and in doing so, promised glory to the newborn child.

Regardless of his past background, whether noble or humble, he was destined to achieve great things, because this was the promise made by the diva herself.

Athena looked on in surprise, but then a smile appeared in her eyes, as if she saw the beginnings of a hero.

This war queen admired heroes and had helped many of them. This was the first time she had ever witnessed the birth of a great hero, and she found it very interesting.

Perhaps, in the future, we can try to give this destined hero some tests?

The goddess with bright eyes thought happily to herself.

However, unlike the compassionate Queen of the Goddess and the appreciative and amusing Athena, Hermes, upon learning the truth, felt his mouth go dry and his face stiffen from smiling.

Hercules?
To make a son of Zeus a source of pride for Hera?

This... has gone too far with the joke.

Hermes clenched his teeth and made his decision without saying another word.

I know nothing, I didn't say anything, so please don't come looking for me if anything happens...

(End of this chapter)