Chapter 154: Chapter 9 Reward for Merit

Atop Mount Olympus, the banquet paused abruptly due to sudden changes.

The deities discussed the alterations in the laws, but soon, these changes were publicly announced by the new Divine King.

Although the idea of power being limited seemed hard to accept, the gods only briefly debated it before no one had any particularly strong reactions.

This was because the weakening of divine power affected all gods equally, even those who had not partaken in the divine war. Just as Mother Earth had been continually weakened before for simply being great in the living world, now all deities were equally suppressed.

With everyone limited, it was as if no one was limited. Besides each other, the gods had no real opponents on earth. Thus, aside from causing less destruction, this restriction seemed to have little effect.

Before long, the atmosphere grew lively again, with delightful nectar and exquisite dishes being served at the table, and the banquet was about to officially commence.

However, this was not just a celebration banquet, but also one for the allocation of victories and for dealing with the ‘relics of the former court,’ so before this, the attention of the gods once again converged upon Zeus.

Facing the gazes of the gods, in the name of the Divine King, he first turned his attention to his own family members.

Despite the victory, there were still two enemies to deal with. With the greatest enemy, the Divine King, gone, the only powerful ally who could listen to his command was his sister.

“My sister, Hestia, who commands fire and protection, although the war has ended, there are some remnants that have yet to be dealt with.”

“I hope you can travel to the west of the continent afterward and assist the Hekatonkheires in defeating the resisting Titan god, Atlas.”

“I admire his loyalty and courage,” Zeus said slowly, “so if he is willing to serve me, I will forgive his crimes and allow him to become a member of Olympus.”

“Okay.” She nodded, as this had been discussed the day before, so Hestia asked as prepared, “What if he refuses to surrender?”

“The sky in the west is still falling; that place needs a support.”

“If he is unwilling to serve me, let him stand there in his Titan form, bearing the symbol that split from Mount Othrys, and become the pillar that supports the sky.”

Looking westward, Zeus finally said:

“East and west, I will wait for him to bow to me on Mount Olympus.”

Taking the order, Hestia moved aside. The Olympus pantheon was just established, so as the eldest sister, she had no choice but to go in person.

“Hades, my brother, before you head to the Underworld, please do one thing for me.”

“The son of the Heavenly Father and Mother Earth, Crius, the Ancient God of Meteorology, this sinful Titan once tormented the stars and now has opposed Olympus for ten years.”

“To punish his crimes, please take him down with Poseidon and imprison him at the bottom of Tartarus, so he can never come out again.”

As Zeus’s voice fell, the gods were initially shocked, as apart from former Titans, no True God had ever been locked into the Abyss. But after a brief contemplation, they fell silent.

Imprisoning Crius in the Abyss might theoretically cause chaos in the current world’s meteorology. However, both Zeus and Poseidon had overlapping and conflicting godly duties with him.

If duties are similar, they can be replaced. Conflict means there must be a primary and secondary, difficult to coexist. Besides, the newly born Divine Court indeed needed to establish its reputation by using an Ancient God, and Crius was more than suitable.

“Of course, I will take care of this trouble.”

Hades nodded in agreement, and Poseidon, too, was quite happy to deal with the conflicting Titan god.

However, before that, the future Sea Emperor continued to focus on Zeus, seemingly reminding him not to forget their agreement.

So glancing at his once second brother, although somewhat reluctant, Zeus still sent him aid.

This had also been agreed upon beforehand. After all, on the high seas, Poseidon had yet to establish a foothold.

“Eurybia, daughter of Pontus and the embodiment of the sea’s might, your previous act of rebellion in the face of the enemy is despicable,”

“However, my brother has pleaded on your behalf, and your own brothers have always fought for me.”

As Zeus gazed at the three children of Pontus, he made his decision:

“If you are willing to go and assist Poseidon, then I, in my capacity as Divine King, will pardon your actions and grant you the same rights as other deities.”

“I accept your judgment,”

Below, Eurybia breathed a sigh of relief, as did her elder brother Nereus. This was the best outcome they could have hoped for.

Now, they knew why Pontus chose a life of seclusion. Without his strong backing on the high seas, they could no longer contest the God of the Ocean.

Thus, changing allegiances was the best option.

Aside, the former water goddess Thaesis wanted to say something, but considering her husband who had been severely injured and would not recover for a century, she ultimately remained seated.

She planned to wait and see what Zeus would do next, as well as await her husband’s recovery. This allowed Zeus, who was watching secretly, to breathe a sigh of relief; he certainly did not want to fall out with his nominal foster parents just as he was taking the throne.

“Zephyrus, God of West Wind.”

With the most troublesome part resolved, Zeus became composed. He looked toward the far end of the great hall, where the four Wind Gods stood.

They were originally loyal to the Divine King, but their loyalty was not steadfast, and so, following Eurybia’s lead, they had defected to Olympus.

Unlike the female sea goddess, however, the Wind Gods had not rebelled, and the leader among them even earned extra ‘merit,’ a fact that pleased Zeus and led to their welcoming.

“You wisely chose victory before the battle began, so I forgive your past. And you, Zephyrus, even reclaimed my sister’s birthright divine artifact, the Wheat-Gold Scepter, from the former Divine King with your wisdom,”

Somewhat satisfied, Zeus felt that his new divine court needed gods who were not particularly powerful but had no lack of capabilities.

“I mercifully retain your position as the Leader of the Wind Gods and additionally grant you the opportunity to contribute more to the world’s climate after the God of Meteorology was cast into the Abyss.”

“Of course, beyond this, you must also serve as my messenger to gather news from the mortal world,”

Since the power of the gods was restricted, they could no longer easily see through all the mysteries of the mortal realm. Therefore, Zeus also needed a deity to do this for him, even now when he had little concern for it.

“Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty; I will do my utmost,”

Bowing slightly, the God of West Wind felt a renewed sense of his own shrewd and resolute nature.

Upon realizing that the former Divine King was in a disadvantageous position, he expressed his loyalty to Zeus in secret. Regarding the Wheat-Gold Scepter, when Demeter was rescued from Cronus’s belly, the power of this companion divine artifact changed day by day, ultimately falling silent like a dead object.

To exchange a useless thing for a chance at advancement, Zephyrus felt the trade was quite worthwhile. Apart from feeling terror when the former Divine King went on a killing spree, the God of West Wind felt his path had always been smooth-sailing.

Monitoring powerful deities and making choices at critical moments, each time was fraught with danger yet without mishap, as if fate itself were on his side.

‘Thank you, fate, for your favor.’

With silent gratitude in his heart, Zephyrus was already looking forward to contributing to the current world’s climate after his grandfather Crius was cast into Tartarus.