Greece: I am Zeus!

Chapter 134 The Poor Mother Goddesses (5K long chapter, bonus chapter including monthly votes)

Asteria nodded slightly. These things sound simple, but in reality, they are not so easy to do.

But it's already good that there's a solution, that there's a feasible path, all that's left is to work hard!

Her resolute gaze hardened, and she said in a deep voice, "Dear Aunt, thank you for your guidance. I know what to do now."

Leto finally managed to stop her tears. Through her teary eyes, she looked at Monemosene and pleaded earnestly, "Dear Aunt, thank you for your help. We will always remember your kindness."

“I beg you, please take me to the side of Merciful Hera. I am willing to serve her, to be her most humble handmaiden, and to do my utmost to beg for her forgiveness until she is satisfied.”

"If the goddess of fertility is truly so kind and forgiving, then I will definitely use my most sincere heart and most devout attitude to move her and make her forgive my parents!"

Upon hearing this, Asteria's clear eyes flashed with shock, and she whispered, "Sister."

But in an instant, she understood her sister's sacrifice, and she said resolutely, "Dear Aunt, my sister is right! What could better prove our sincere intentions and determination to atone than us personally serving the Goddess of Fertility?!"

"Please take us to Hera, the goddess of fertility. We will serve her with all our hearts and pray for her forgiveness with our actions until she forgives our parents!"

Mnemosyne sighed softly and nodded slightly.

She knew that this was the only way for her and her sisters to survive, and all they could do for their parents.

The intellectual couple, isolated and with a simple relationship, had no other hope but to rely on their two remaining daughters.

And these two poor children will have to shoulder everything.

Meanwhile, the beautiful, gentle, and kind river goddess Elinia, along with her virtuous and graceful daughter Hesperis, born to the reckless Menotius, arrived.

And the three Hesperides, daughters of her daughter and Atlas, this group of wives and daughters of losers, now all rushed before the good god Nereus, tearfully begging for his help.

This group of goddesses, truly made of water, wept like pear blossoms in the rain, tears streaming down their faces, crystal teardrops rolling down their cheeks, each one sobbing uncontrollably.

If this temple weren't in the middle of the sea, the area outside would be flooded long ago.

Nereus, the god of the deep sea born from the union of the inner sea and the earth, was the eldest son of Pontus.

Unlike Poseidon, the lord of the outer sea, who was short-tempered and unruly, He was a sea god with a very good temper, great wisdom, and a strong sense of justice.

He is the eternal symbol of the sea’s generosity, love, order, and mercy.

His wife was Doris, the beautiful and kind sea nymph, and together they gave birth to fifty Nereids, who were beautiful and gentle sea nymphs.

He and His wife represent the gentle and kind side of water. If they treat outsiders this way, they will naturally love and cherish their children even more, treating each one as a precious treasure.

At this moment, looking at the children who had collapsed in front of him, crying uncontrollably, this kind and benevolent old god was now overwhelmed and exhausted. Helplessness and heartache filled His once gentle face with sorrow.

He is an ancient and noble deity. His mother is Gaia, the mother of all things, and his father is Pontus, the deep sea.

He himself possesses considerable power and authority, and He also has fifty beautiful daughters, many of whom married renowned gods, establishing extensive marriage alliances.

To put it bluntly, given His reputation and connections, everyone in the universe would be willing to give Him face.

However, none of this includes Zeus.

Zeus, the king of the gods.

His origins, wisdom, power, and connections all seemed so insignificant and unworthy of mention before the new God-King.

Faced with the supreme God-King, He had only the hope of praying for blessings; everything else He possessed was meaningless.

The kind and gentle face of the old man was now filled with sadness and helplessness.

He knew perfectly well that the gods of the inner sea had made no contribution whatsoever to this war that would determine the future of the universe.

Under the rule of the Celestial Family, the cautious Inner Sea God dared not get involved in this terrible war, which meant he would have no merit whatsoever.

Out of respect for the mother goddess Gaia, and because the father god Pontus treated the new god-king with deference, the sea gods were able to retain their former glory and were not subject to purgation.

However, without a doubt, the sea gods were not qualified to make excessive requests to the God-King, otherwise they would be humiliating themselves.

The fact that the new God-King is not pursuing the families of the defeated is already a testament to his great mercy and magnanimity.

Nereus sighed deeply, his brow furrowed, and said in a sorrowful voice, "My dear children, please do not weep anymore. Every tear you shed breaks my heart."

Nereus's words were full of apology: "I can probably help you with anything, but there's nothing I can do about this."

"It's not that I have a cold heart, nor that I don't want smiles to bloom on your pretty faces again, so that you can regain your former joy."

"But this matter concerns the majesty of the new God-King, and only a handful of all the gods in the universe can participate in it."

"But I am not among them."

Poor Elinia, gentle and graceful Elinia, this daughter of the sea, the peaceful and serene goddess of the winding river, she is heartbroken and weeping bitterly. Her long weeping has made her clear voice hoarse. Who could not be moved by such a scene?
She was a faithful and gentle goddess who remained deeply in love and loyal to her husband, an arrogant and reckless Titan.

And she also has lovely children!
In this new order, where is there a place for her children?
If the God-King does not forgive them, then these children will probably never be able to live in the sunlight again.

At this moment, in front of her beloved father, she wept and cried in a trembling voice, “Dear Father God, my most merciful and wise Father God, I did not want you to be in such a helpless predicament, to make you grieve for your daughter and children. This was not my intention, and I am guilty beyond redemption.”

“But, my beloved Father God, you have taught me and my sisters since childhood to uphold goodness and justice, to be faithful to our husbands and to love our children. I, Eleanor, have never forgotten your teachings and always keep them in my heart.”

“Now my husband, He has finally reached the end of the wrong path. He is a mindless and reckless Titan. He does not know what the right path is.”

“But, Mingrui’s father, I firmly believe that it is no fault for a god to be faithful to the god-king who bestows honor upon Him.”

"Now that the war is over, I will persuade Him to be loyal to the new divine order, and to be loyal to the great, benevolent, and tolerant Emperor Zeus."

"He was loyal to the old God-King, and he will be equally loyal to the new God-King. He just needs an opportunity."

The pure and gentle Eleanor's tears flowed like a gentle stream, unstoppable from her eyes, her heartbreaking grief was truly devastating.

She pleaded desperately, her voice hoarse: "Father God, I beg you, I implore you to ask the revered Mother Goddess Gaia, and the grandfather of the vast Salt Sea Pontus, to plead with the great King of Gods for a chance at life for Menotius and the like."

"His Majesty the God-King is a magnanimous and majestic god-king, whose benevolence is boundless. Menotius, on the other hand, is just a brainless, reckless man with a simple mind."

"In this war, He was so small, so insignificant; He was merely following orders. If Mother Goddess and Grandfather plead for Him, His Majesty the Merciful God-King will surely forgive Him. I beg you, Father God!"

Her sorrowful gaze turned to her children, who were weeping with their heads in their hands. The maternal pain tore at her heart: "Father God, look at my poor children, these poor granddaughters of yours. If they cannot obtain the forgiveness of His Majesty the King of Gods, where will they find refuge in the new divine order? Where will they go?"

Eleanor wept even more bitterly, saying in utter despair, "Father God, the children are innocent! They never dared to participate in this terrible war, nor would they dare to show the slightest disrespect to His Majesty the God-King. They have never shown any disrespect to His Majesty the God-King or to the Holy Queen!"

"Father God, how can I bear to see these innocent children forever confined to the cold depths of the water, never again able to live under the bright sunshine and enjoy the beauty of the world?!"

Nereus's furrowed brows did not relax at his daughter's heart-wrenching words; instead, they furrowed even more.

His daughters and children are all gentle, refined, pure, and virtuous children; they tend to think too simply.

In this war that determined the fate of the universe, the Iapetus family were the most loyal and staunch supporters of the Old Gods. They followed the Old Gods to the very end, resolutely fighting against the New Gods. Loyalty is not wrong, but loyalty given to the wrong god is the greatest mistake.

If such stubborn opponents can be easily forgiven, how much of the new God-King's authority can be preserved?
Yes, Atlas and his brother were just minor figures in the eyes of the King of Gods.

However, in the eyes of the rest of the gods in the universe, they are still formidable gods, powerful Titans.

The new god Zeus was indeed a generous and tolerant god; his benevolence was evident to all.

However, the God-King was by no means a merciful god.

The terrifying thunder that shook the universe showed no mercy when it cast His father, Cronus, into the endless abyss of nothingness.

Before even entering Tartarus, the two remaining survivors—Atlas and Menotius—are now trapped in the dark depths of the earth.

They haven't been punished yet, not because the God-King has forgiven them, but because the God-King has been too busy lately, busy establishing a new order, and has no time to bother with such insignificant little characters as them.

However, this does not mean that you can make excessive requests to the God-King.

Especially gods like them who have no achievements, are not qualified at all.

Perhaps this plea will only remind the King of Gods of them, causing him to casually banish them to Tartarus, which would be even more disheartening.

Nereus wanted to discuss the matter further, but seeing the children crying their hearts out, he couldn't bear it in the end. How could this old sea god, who was always soft-hearted, just watch his children suffer?
He eventually took the children to find the father god Pontus.

The Lord of the Inner Sea, the flowing abyss, knew the reason for their visit the moment he saw Elinia and the others.

He also sighed deeply, a bitter smile on his face.

He now deeply regrets why he hesitated and wavered when Zeus was seeking allies, and why he did not fully support Zeus and give his all when Zeus approached him.
While some of the honors have been reserved for now, that's all there is to it.

Moreover, there are hidden dangers.

The new God-King is tolerant and benevolent enough, but his brother Poseidon is not!
That Poseidon was stirring up trouble all day long!
He's short-tempered, moody, and arrogant—he's a scourge to the ocean!
Compared to the God-King, they are completely different!
They don't look like brothers at all!

However, a neutral god has no right to speak before those deities who shed blood and gave their all on the battlefield, let alone make any demands on the god-king.

In particular, this god was the younger brother of the God-King who was favored by him.

He was personally appointed as the Sea King by the God-King.

Oceanus may not care about Neptune, but the Inland Sea cannot.

We can't compare to them at all!

Although King Zeus fulfilled his promise and preserved the former honor of the Pontus family, this was only temporary.

It goes without saying that the new, greedy, and ambitious Poseidon, the sea king, will inevitably erode the honor and authority enjoyed by the inner sea step by step.

Before the divine family that now completely rules the universe, He is a pure Outer God, and the only one He can rely on is Gaia, the Mother Goddess of all things.

However, the mother goddess Gaia was very unhappy that the new god-king had imprisoned her four children. Although the relationship had improved a lot, there were still some differences and grudges between her and the new god-king.

To be honest, this is really dangerous!

Of course, it's not Mother Goddess Gaia who's in danger, it's Her family of the Aral Sea who's in danger! It's Her Pontus who's in danger!
If the new God-King wants to make an example of the Mother Goddess, then who is the most suitable "chicken" to kill?
Looking around the entire universe, isn't it only myself who is most suitable?!
Given the current situation, it's too late to keep a low profile and act like a god, so how could we possibly do something that might displease the God King?
But Pontus could only sigh deeply as he looked at the children kneeling on the ground.

Pontus could not be hard-hearted and cold-blooded, even though he was capable of teaching a god like Nereus.

In the end, He didn't say much, didn't offer any uncertain guarantees, and didn't mention any difficulties.

He told the children to wait in his own temple, and then he went to find the mother goddess Gaia and asked for her help.

Faced with Pontus's request, the mother goddess Gaia was torn.

She disliked the two Atlas brothers, those reckless and arrogant fools, especially since she had always wanted Zeus to release the four children.

If we were to beg Zeus to release those two fools now, how could we possibly ask for the rescue of the children?!
Pontus pleaded and begged, and finally managed to persuade Gaia, after all, the Great Mother Goddess was also soft-hearted.

Pontus told her that perhaps they could use Atlas and the like to test the possibility of Zeus releasing Cronus and the like.

Gaia thought this made sense; it was indeed a good way to test whether Zeus was truly sincere in releasing the children.

If even these two minor characters cannot be forgiven, then releasing Cronus and the others is absolutely impossible.

Pontus earnestly and gently advised her against being assertive in front of Zeus, or against going against him.

Gaia remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly and finally agreed.

And on Pontus's advice, they went to the ocean together to find Oceanus and plead for mercy, since Oceanus had two daughters who were married into the Iapetus family!

Ocean God can't stay out of this!
In the magnificent new palace of the Oceanus God, all the Oceanus Gods now joyfully enjoy the living ocean.

After the grand ceremony of the gods ended, the ocean gods immediately and impatiently moved to the new outer sea, not wanting to delay for even a moment.

Now they are in their new home, where they are filled with love for everything.

Serving Zeus was the most fortunate decision they ever made!
However, while the many ocean gods were building their own palaces, the temple of Oceanus was also shrouded in gloom and despair.

Although it wasn't as filled with weeping as the other two places, there was a sense of oppression, with some low sobs and occasional whimpers, which were quite mournful.

Oceanus, the ocean god, and Thetis, the goddess who nourishes the world, looked down at the group of children with heavy and helpless expressions.

Clymene was their beloved daughter; she was strong and wise, gentle yet resilient.

Originally, marrying Iapetus was a good marriage. Oceanus disregarded past grievances and wanted to improve relations with Cronus's side for the sake of his children.

Later, even through Clymene's matchmaking, Atlas married one of their daughters, the dignified and elegant Pleone.

However, due to Cronus's increasingly deceitful and scheming ways, both marriages became less desirable and instead a burden on their children.

Iapetus was truly a die-hard fan of Cronus!
The couple felt deep guilt towards their two daughters. Now, their daughters and children were all sad and worried. How could these usually gentle and loving parents bear to see this?

Clymene's husband, eldest son, and second son are now all deeply sinful traitors, and the most stubborn of all.

The beautiful and wise Clymene did not even consider saving her husband, not because she was unwilling, but because she knew it was impossible.

But there is still a possibility of salvation for His two sons.

As a gentle daughter of the ocean and a mother, she could not possibly turn a blind eye to the tragic fate that her child was about to face.

She would do everything in her power to save her child, even at the cost of everything.

(End of this chapter)