Greece: I am Zeus!

Chapter 128 Loyalty! (5K-word chapter, bonus chapter for monthly votes~)

Zeus's voice grew more affectionate and more resonant: "My most trustworthy partner, I will always entrust my back to you with complete confidence, for I know that your loyalty is impeccable."

"You are so steadfast and upright in your loyalty to me and your support for me, unwavering and unshakable."

“Stix, I will trust you as steadfastly as you have trusted me, and this trust will never change!”

"I hereby appoint you as the holy witness to the gods in my newly established holy order!"

"You will be the first and most important river in the underworld. You will encircle the entire underworld and become its majestic support!"

"You will guide the ocean currents leading into the underworld, and you will assist Hades in strengthening the netherworld."

"All living beings in the universe, whether gods or mortals, whoever enters the underworld will pass through your river."

"You are both the god of the underworld and the god of the heavens. Mount Olympus will always open its gates for you, and a temple will always be reserved for you on the mountain!"

Zeus's profound voice suddenly became incredibly solemn and grand, and an incomparably loud thunderclap resounded throughout the universe. He proclaimed in a majestic voice:
"All the gods and all living beings in the universe, including myself Zeus, who point to the Styx River and swear in its name, it is the most sacred oath that I bear witness to!"

"You are the eternal witness and final judge of this sacred oath! Oaths made in your name are absolutely binding and must never be broken!"

"Any mortal being who defies will be severely punished! Even the immortal gods who defy will pay a heavy price!"

Zeus's majestic gaze swept over all the gods present. After surveying the entire assembly, he declared clearly and coldly, "We are the masters of the universe, the embodiment of the laws of the universe, the sacred gods!"

"Faith is the cornerstone of all interaction, and the gods should be the role models for all living beings in the universe!"

"God, you must not be unfaithful! God, you must not speak falsely! God, you must not break your oath!"

"Any god who swears an oath in the name of Styx, including myself Zeus, will immediately fall into the underworld if he breaks his oath, sink into the waters of the Styx, remain in a coma for ten years, his consciousness sinking into oblivion, never to see the light of day again!"

"For a hundred years, you are forbidden from attending any feasts held by the gods, and you will be isolated by them! For a hundred years, you are forbidden from setting foot on Mount Olympus, and you will be banished by the mountain! For a hundred years, you are forbidden from drinking mead and celestial delicacies, and you will lose your divine nourishment!"

The gods did not yet know how long this "hundred years" would be, but from Zeus's stern and resolute tone, they knew that the punishment would likely be long and unbearable.

In fact, the punishment that Zeus set was already terrible enough for the gods.

The gods are not afraid of being injured or bleeding; what they fear most is endless loneliness and isolation.

Now, if you don't keep your vows, you will be isolated, deprived of the daily pleasures and social life of being a god, and you will no longer be able to enjoy the lively and beautiful universe. This is too painful!

Zeus added another sentence, making the punishment even more deterrent: "If anyone repeatedly breaks his oath, the duration of the punishment will be extended indefinitely."

Styx was overjoyed at that moment; the immense glory and power thrilled her beyond measure.

The Oceanids were overjoyed, for they knew Zeus would not mistreat the oceans, and indeed he had!

Zeus, what a dignified god! So dignified!

All the gods of the ocean are now certain of one thing: to pledge allegiance to Zeus is their eternally correct decision!
But it's not over yet.

Before Styx could thank him, Zeus continued, “And your children, these lovely and powerful children, who are just like my children, let them stay by my side.”

Zeus continued, "From this day forward, the left, right, front, and back of my throne will symbolize the four cardinal directions, representing the radiance of my power and honor."

He looked at the children behind Styx and said authoritatively:
"Ni Ke, from this day forward, you stand on my right hand, representing my eternal success and victory, invincible!"

"Bia, you stand on my left, representing my eternal, infinite, absolute, and invincible power!"

"Kratos, you stand before me, representing my supreme power and might, shaking the universe!"

"Xeros, you stand behind me, representing my unparalleled courage and glory, invincible!"

Zeus's resounding voice echoed throughout the temple: "From this day forward, you will be with me, standing by my side forever, becoming my close advisors and symbols!"

Styx was overjoyed and almost fainted.

This is giving away far too much power!

It was truly worth coming here to serve as soon as possible!

Sure enough, the first one to join the cause reaps the most benefits!
The children's future has been planned!
Attendant of the God-King!
Moreover, he was a close attendant representing all the power and glory of the God-King—what an honor!

From then on, the children's names will be sung and praised by all living beings in the universe, along with the name of the God-King.

Styx, with her four children, walked excitedly to the center of the temple. Overwhelmed with emotion, she even knelt down, her voice filled with boundless gratitude and submission to the King of Gods:
"Great God-King! Generous God-King! Merciful God-King! Styx thanks you for your gifts, and will forever remember your kindness. I will always be loyal to you! Your will is my will forever!"

Her four children were also incredibly excited. They followed their mother, knelt down respectfully, and once again swore their allegiance to the God-King with complete devotion and unwavering resolve.

A relieved smile appeared on Zeus's majestic face, and he said in a gentle and affectionate tone: "My dearest comrade-in-arms, please sit down. We will always be the most steadfast friends."

Styx thanked her respectfully again before returning to her divine seat.

Her four children, Nyc, Bia, Kratos, and Zeus, had already taken their places behind Zeus's throne.

He became the most loyal and powerful attendant and symbol of the new god-king.

Victory and glory will always stand by Zeus's side.

Because Zeus stands, they can represent all victory and glory.

Zeus, possessing eternal victory and glory!

Then came the sons of Clios—the three brothers Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses, these three majestic celestial giants.

Zeus's majestic face beamed with a hearty smile as he looked at his three loyal allies, his joy genuine.

Since it's inconvenient to order around many of the original gods at will, these second-generation gods will still be needed to handle things in the future.

These three brothers are incredibly loyal, highly capable, and exceptionally reliable. Having such subordinates is truly something to be happy about.

His voice was full of affection and approval: "Sons of Clios, my dear comrades, do I need to say more about your loyalty and strong support for me?"

"Is there anyone in this world who doesn't know that you always bravely charge forward and fight for me?"

Zeus laughed heartily as he spoke, and his three brothers joined in with loud laughter. The other gods in the hall also smiled sincerely, and the atmosphere became relaxed and harmonious.

Especially Crios, who was smiling quite brightly, completely unlike his usual stern and solemn demeanor.

After a long while, Zeus stopped laughing and said, "The old kings of the gods feared the power of the gods and restricted their honor, but I will never do that!"

"All the gods who are loyal to me and who have helped me, I will share their glory forever!" Zeus proclaimed in a sacred voice: "Palas, from this day forward, the vast starry sky south of my throne, including all the stars and constellations within it, will be under your jurisdiction. You will be the supreme ruler of the southern celestial realm!"

"Perses, the boundless starry sky north of my throne, including all the stars and celestial bodies therein, is entrusted to you for governance. You will be the eternal ruler of the northern star region!"

Zeus turned his gaze to Astrius: "Astrius, my loyal comrade! I will never forget that you were the first to kneel and pledge your allegiance to me. I will never betray your loyalty!"

"Because I, Zeus, am a god who never fails the gods around me!"

"From this day forward, you will govern the orbits and laws of all the stars in the night sky. You will be the symbol of the vastness of the night sky, and you will manage the order of all the stars' movements. You will be the weaver and guardian of the star trails!"

"And your lovely children, how lovely and how energetic they are, how much I love them."

"From this day forward, they are the harbingers of my thunder and rain, the wind gods of the four directions! They wield the winds of heaven and earth, bringing life and change to the world!"

An immense joy and glory instantly filled the hearts of the three star gods and their children. The excitement of being recognized and entrusted with important responsibilities left them speechless.

Under the rule of the ancient god-kings, even though they possessed extremely powerful strength, they still had to conceal all their glory.

Only Zeus generously bestowed upon them this supreme honor!
They are not ungrateful gods; their hearts were filled with boundless excitement and emotion.

Only Perseus felt he was at a disadvantage, because he was the only one who did not yet have a wife and children.

He has made up his mind to quickly find a goddess to marry and to respond to His Majesty the God-King's call to have children!

The faster the better, the faster we can seize the best power! Look at my two older brothers' children, they are all His Majesty the God-King's close attendants!

The three star gods, along with their children, knelt down respectfully and solemnly, shouting in unison, their voices filled with absolute loyalty and gratitude to the God-King:

"Great God-King, thank you for your generous gifts. The Astraeus (Palas) (Perses) family will forever be your most loyal subjects. Your will is our eternal direction! We swear to follow you to the death and never betray you!"

Zeus smiled and nodded, his satisfaction evident.

Then, He slowly stood up. Before He stretched out His Thunder God Body, He appeared very small in the temple, but no god would take his eyes off Him, and no god would dare to underestimate Him in the slightest!

He opened his arms and gave a heartfelt embrace to the three enormous figures behind Gaia, the mother goddess of all things, and said in a loud and enthusiastic voice: "Brontes, Stromes, Arges, my dear friends, come forward and receive the glory you deserve!"

The three Cyclopes moved at the sound, their tall bodies moving with a hint of restraint as they walked step by step toward the center of the hall.

They had been standing silently behind Gaia, waiting for the King of Gods to summon them.

In this incredibly important ceremony of the gods, all the gods personally attended and displayed their divine forms to show their respect for the assembly and for the God-King.

Many of the great gods had enormous bodies, and with that in mind, the temple where the gods convened was specially built to be extremely spacious and grand. It was only because Olympus was so magnificent and majestic that it could not have accommodated so many great gods.

Even so, once the three Cyclopes stood inside the temple, the magnificent temple immediately seemed not so big.

Zeus then looked outside the temple, where there were three even larger hundred-armed giants. Their divine bodies were so enormous that they could not enter the temple, so they stood respectfully outside.

Their single hand was several times larger than the entire temple; their extreme size brought with it an extreme sense of oppression.

Even the magnificent cosmic framework of Creus, whose towering divine body could play with stars like marbles, was no different from an insignificant ant in front of these hundred-armed giants, appearing extremely small.

These six giants had been imprisoned for far too long and had always been neglected. Now, as they participated in this supreme ceremony of the gods that would determine the order of the universe, although their divine bodies were incredibly tall and imposing, they were more reserved than any other god.

Zeus opened his arms and laughed, exclaiming, "Briareus, Cortous, Geus, oh my dear friends, you are so enormous and powerful that your bodies could almost support the universe! Please forgive my poor hospitality; I have only asked you to stand outside the temple and listen to my words."

Briareus's booming voice, like the thunder of Zeus, rang out: "Great King of the Gods, illustrious Zeus, we are deeply honored to hear your will!"

"We are extremely grateful for your hospitality. We are deeply thankful that you allowed us to set foot on your sacred Mount Olympus. This is our highest honor!"

Zeus laughed heartily: "My dear friends, although you may not be able to enter this 'small' temple, please remember that Olympus will always welcome you!"

"Though your bodies are enormous, you will always remain in the bosom of Zeus, for you will always be my most loyal and reliable friends!"

Zeus looked at the six giants and laughed heartily, his joy overflowing.

Having six reliable, powerful, humble, and loyal allies would make any god happy.

His high-pitched and powerful voice resounded throughout the world: "My dearest friends, you have made indelible contributions in this war!"

"Here, with all the gods as witnesses, I, Zeus, the ruler of the universe and king of the gods, solemnly declare to the entire universe: You are forever my most loyal friends! Forever the eternal guardians of Olympus! Forever the defenders of my sacred order!"

"Here I solemnly declare that any god who dares to harm or humiliate you is harming or humiliating me, Zeus! And He will suffer the punishment that serves as a testament to our friendship!"

"The testament to our friendship, my most powerful force—thunder, lightning, and thunderbolt—will forever defend our great friendship!"

"Your loyalty to me is sincere and unwavering, and I will repay you with eternal protection, so that you may enjoy peace forever!"

Upon hearing this, the three Cyclopes and the three Hecatoncheires knelt down in unison, causing the council temple and the entire Mount Olympus to tremble.

They cried out in unison, their voices like thunder in the heavens, echoing throughout the world: "Great Zeus, generous and forgiving God! Thank you for your supreme grace and eternal protection!"

"Under the joint witness of all the gods of the universe, we make an eternal vow to you: to be forever loyal to you! To obey all your will, to go through fire and water for you without hesitation! This vow is eternal and unchanging, and will never be broken!"

The giants' shouts echoed throughout the world, and several of the gods in the temple felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

The new God-King is not only invincible in his own right, but also has such powerful and loyal allies. No matter what he wants to do, no god can stop him.

The Mother Goddess was even more exhausted; the loyalty of her six children to Zeus was simply beyond words.

She had no doubt that although they could not fight her, if her commands conflicted with Zeus's commands, they would undoubtedly prioritize obeying Zeus.

Zeus laughed heartily, gestured for the six giants to rise, and said gently, “My dear friends, you are now without laws. Well, in a sense, this is a good thing. You no longer have to bear the toil and burden of maintaining the universe’s operation, like the other great gods.”

"Then I promise you, you will forever be able to nestle in the embrace of Mother Goddess Gaia, freely roam the universe, and fully enjoy every inch of this beautiful world, without any restraint!"

"Wherever you go, the gods will treat you as they would treat me, giving you the highest honors and respect!"

The six giants, with their 153 heads and 153 enormous mouths, all grinned and said in unison, "Benevolent and merciful God-King, it is our greatest wish to be by the Mother Goddess's side. You have generously granted us the right to enjoy the beauty of the world; we will forever remember your kindness!"

Praise be to Zeus!

Zeus shook his head and said earnestly, "My dear friends, please don't speak so formally. All of this is the reward you deserve!"

"However, the Cyclops and the others are alright; although they are enormous, they can still move on the ground. But you..."

Zeus shrugged helplessly, a troubled smile on his face: "You are all too big. The world can't support your carefree play. Even standing on the earth is a burden for Mother Goddess."

(End of this chapter)