Greece: I am Zeus!

Chapter 296 Offering a Sacrificial Dance to the God-King!
Humanity did not keep the gods in the heavens waiting for long.

Under Prometheus's personal guidance, they quickly made all the preparations.

The sacrificial site was orderly and the rituals were clearly defined. The sounds of singing and prayers echoed endlessly, carried by the wind to the clouds.

Prometheus took a deep breath, flew up to the clouds again, and reported to the King of the Gods.

At this moment, the gods were engaged in a heated discussion about the genealogy.

When Prometheus appeared, Zeus waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop talking for the time being.

Prometheus stepped forward and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, humanity is ready. Please, Your Majesty, and the gods will receive this tribute."

Zeus nodded with a smile and simply said, "Let's begin."

His words fell, but his body remained motionless.

Still seated atop the highest divine throne in the clouds, it was clear that they intended to observe the ceremony from heaven.

Mortal beings are not worthy of His condescension to descend upon the mortal realm.

How could a divine position created by mortals with mortal hands be worthy of inviting Him, the supreme God-King, to sit in peace?

This symbolism is extremely serious.

Moreover, the further mortals are from God, the more awe they will feel.

The closer one gets to God, the easier it is to develop a disrespectful heart.

The current distance is the correct symbol of divine authority.

Prometheus hesitated for only a moment before bowing and saying "Yes."

In His heart, He felt both regret and sorrow that the exquisite divine tablet He had painstakingly created for His children was ultimately left without a god to stand upon it; and He also felt a secret sense of relief.

Since the gods reside high in the heavens, perhaps... they cannot see some of the "details" on the ground.

However, despite standing bowing the whole time, He ultimately failed to see the meaningful smile that flashed across the eyes of the high and mighty God-King.

What will humanity gain, and what will it lose?

What will nourish the seeds that secretly grow in the heart?

It all depends on how their most important teachers set an example.

After Prometheus descended to the mortal realm again, he looked down at the humans who were waiting for him, took a deep breath, and used his divine power to spread his solemn voice throughout the entire area:

"Your Majesty's divine power is supreme, and your virtue is perfect! Out of compassion for mortal beings, and to prevent them from being harmed by gazing upon Your Majesty's true form, Your Majesty has bestowed this special favor, allowing them to receive Your Majesty's homage in the heavens!"

"Begin! Offer your most devout faith to the supreme, all-good and all-perfect eternal Sovereign!"

Prometheus, unable to bear seeing the divine throne the children had painstakingly built ignored and their hard work and expectations wasted, gave them a reason that was enough to comfort them.

He cleverly found the perfect reason for Zeus's high and mighty behavior.

This both soothed the lost hearts of humanity and subtly flattered the God-King.

Thinking about the crucial step ahead, He still felt somewhat apprehensive.

However, once He has made up His mind about something, He will never give up easily.

The more than three thousand human representatives, standing in neat rows, responded with a resounding "Yes!"

Then, they took their places, thus beginning the first and most historic and sacred sacrificial ceremony between humans and gods.

In terms of scale, this sacrificial ceremony was by no means the most grand in history; in terms of value, it was not necessarily the most important.

But it must be the most unforgettable sacrifice in all of human memory.

The towering ash trees surrounding the temple were set ablaze, their branches igniting a sacred flame bestowed by the gods.

One hundred and sixty-eight of the purest maidens, dressed in pure white gauze dresses woven from white clouds and wearing flower crowns, emerged one after another like flowing light and gracefully ascended the giant twelve-story altar.

From the first to the eleventh floor, each floor is occupied by twelve girls occupying four sides.

The highest and closest top floor to the deity was occupied by thirty-six young girls.

They stood solemnly, each in the specific orientation and sacred posture taught by Prometheus.

These girls are the most intelligent and beautiful essence among the second generation of humans.

They were all pure and healthy, without any flaws or imperfections, and their natures were pure, kind, simple, charming, and lovely.

The dresses they wore were made by Prometheus himself, who "violated the rules" and collected clouds from the heavens.

Humanity needs to use the presentation of beauty to touch the hearts of the gods.

After all, it would be quite an eyesore to see someone wearing rough animal clothing to perform a sacred ritual dance.

To ensure the sanctity and beauty of this ritual, we prepared some beautiful clothes to cover the bodies of these lovely girls. This shouldn't be considered cheating, right?

After all, if it looks too bad, it's better not to wear it at all.

But if I don't wear it... that would be even more inappropriate! You must know, it's not only His Majesty the God-King who receives rites in heaven!
Although the second generation of humans was physically inferior to the first generation, they were still worlds apart from ordinary mortals.

Their bodies are pure and ethereal, their figures are light and graceful, their skin is as delicate as porcelain, and their complexion is as white as snow.

What's even more remarkable is their eyes.

Those were pairs of clear, pure eyes, untouched by any worldly pollution.

There, there is only innocence and romance, only the most sincere reverence and awe for the gods.

And that sense of pride and determination from undertaking one's sacred mission.

Such eyes will likely be hard to find again in a generation or two.

Along with these 168 pure and holy maidens emerged 168 of the bravest and strongest warriors, selected from the first generation of humans.

They were shirtless, revealing their weathered and muscular bodies, with animal hides around their waists, each holding a heavy cowhide shield in one hand and a sharp obsidian battle axe in the other.

With the utmost reverence, perseverance, and high spirits, they stood solemnly at the four corners of the altar, according to their specific positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by a deep and awe-inspiring drumbeat, the sacrificial dance dedicated to the God-King officially began.

This giant drum was created by the Muses, modeled after the majestic thunderous power of their father.

They bestowed the method of creation upon humankind, using this sacred sound to shake the hearts of mortals.

Prometheus, based on this sacred drumbeat, created this solemn set of sacrificial drum music for humankind.

Nothing could be more suitable as accompaniment to the sacrificial dance dedicated to the Lord of Thunder than the majestic drumbeats that resemble the heartbeat of a god-king.

Around the altar, valiant warriors performed a fierce war dance.

They stomped their feet on the ground, brandished their stone axes, and roared with "hum" and "ha," which coalesced into a primitive and powerful war song.

On the altar, pure and lovely young girls danced a gentle sacrificial dance.

They stretched out their flowing sleeves, their figures swaying, and from their red lips, they softly sang sacred hymns to the gods.

Iron will and tenderness, violence and gentleness, masculinity and femininity...

These two distinct yet perfectly blended dances were, at this moment, jointly offered to His Majesty the Supreme God-King.

This is the warriors declaring to the gods through their actions: the power in their hands exists to protect something better; they will use their strength to defend the purity and order of humanity!
They did this to prove that they would always steadfastly uphold His Majesty the God-King's most beautiful, virtuous, sacred, and just order!
As the grand dance began, sixty innocent, adorable, and clever children entered neatly on each of the east and west sides of the altar.

The oldest of these children is no more than ten years old.

They stood in six neat rows on each side, chanting in unison the tune of the "Hymn to the King of Gods," which Prometheus had taught them, in their still-childish yet incredibly earnest voices.

Although their musical skills were not yet mature, their sincerity was as pure as a clear spring.

High in the heavens, even the supreme god-king Zeus, upon witnessing this sacrificial ceremony—involving three generations of humanity—offering themselves to him with utmost reverence and dedication, couldn't help but let a satisfied smile grace his majestic face.

These adorable children are innocent, pure, clever, and intelligent; anyone who sees them will love them.

The innocence and naivety of those young girls truly moved the gods; the bravery and valor of the warriors also pleased the gods.

Prometheus, though he always liked to use his clever tricks, did have real abilities and was genuinely dedicated to his work.

Although... He did indeed use his little tricks a bit too much.

Watching all this, Zeus secretly decided: 'Fine, considering this 'performance' was rather entertaining, I might let Prometheus off the hook for his next little trick.'

It wasn't just Zeus who felt joy as he watched this sacrificial ceremony.

Many of the gods in the heavens also watched with great interest and were quite fond of it.

At first, some deities looked down on mortal actions.

As the sounds of drums and songs echoed in the clouds, and one could see the warriors' passion, the girls' innocence, and the children's chants, the faces of many gods involuntarily softened.

Although human actions were still clumsy, their sincerity was enough to make up for everything, genuinely touching the long-dormant emotions deep within some of the gods.

The gods' perception of humanity is becoming increasingly positive.

This newly born intelligent race can indeed make the eternal and monotonous lives of the gods more lively and cheerful.

Among the current Olympian gods, although the vast majority of gods have their own shortcomings and different hobbies.

However, on the whole, the vast majority still belong to the gods of lawful justice.

There are currently no gods who love destruction and slaughter, and who are violent and tyrannical.

Therefore, when they see such respectful and devout humans, they naturally feel a sense of goodwill.

In particular, the human form is extremely similar to the divine bodies of the gods in their normal state.

This physical resemblance makes them appear more intimate from the outset.

(End of this chapter)