Zeus rose from his seat, stepped forward, and clasped Pontus's hands tightly; the strength in his grip conveyed sincerity and power as he continued with utmost earnestness: "The world is vast, the universe is vast—every god can possess his own share of honor. We shall share that honor together, with no more oppression or deprivation!"
Pontus was moved. In endless ages, aside from his own children, no god had ever shown him such respect, nor given him such a clear promise.
"Honored son of the Queen of the Gods, here I pledge to you: the sea will forever be your loyal friend. Even if the sea cannot help a friend, it will never harm a friend."
"This is the sea born of the sacred Mother of All Things, and before the sacred and noble Queen, I make this promise to you."
Zeus nodded heavily and said with thanks, "Honored Lord Pontus, thank you for your support. I will not forget your friendship—it will be one of the cornerstones of the new order."
"Next, I am going to visit the son of Uranus, the noble Lord Crius. Your daughter, the great Eurybia, is Lord Crius's lawful wife. Would you be willing to send her a letter?"
"Your introduction is of utmost importance."
Pontus nodded emphatically and said without hesitation, "Of course. Please allow my son Thaumas to accompany you beyond the world to see his sister. He will be your guide and messenger!"
Zeus smiled with satisfaction. Pontus had made the right choice—a wise decision.
The four gods left the sea together and made for the boundless starry sky.
Upon reaching the heavens, they found a nearby star to settle on for the moment, while Thaumas asked Zeus and the others to wait; he went ahead to find Eurybia.
Zeus understood that Pontus had surely given his son many things to convey to Eurybia first, so he did not interfere, and quietly awaited the arrival of Crius and Eurybia.
In this starry expanse, if Crius wished to find someone, it would be easy—he himself was the embodiment of the cosmic framework, and all things lay within his perception.
What surprised Zeus was that not only did the couple, Crius and Eurybia, come personally to greet them, but Hyperion and Theia also arrived together—and behind them followed their many children, a mighty retinue of impressive presence.
Zeus was taken aback for an instant, then inwardly overjoyed. Such an attitude was as good a sign as any.
One less trip to make—everything could be settled today!
Crius and Eurybia had brought their three sons: Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses.
They were standouts among the second-generation Titans, powerful giants of the starry firmament.
Each ought to have held his own domain of the starry sky, but under Kronos's order they had to keep their heads down—hiding in their parents' shadow, unable to fulfill their ambitions.
Behind Hyperion and Theia were their children: the radiant god of the stars—the Sun, Helios—and the Moon goddess, Selene.
They also had a daughter, Eos, the goddess of dawn, who walked at the side of her husband Astraeus.
Beside Pallas was the ocean goddess, Metis's elder sister, Styx.
Styx was the eldest daughter of Oceanus and an extremely powerful second-generation Titaness, with strength enough to shake the stars with ease.
The union of Styx and Pallas was a major alliance between the oceanic and cosmic pantheons.
Greedy Kronos had failed, and deservedly so—he was petty and avaricious.
His former diehard allies had now been pushed to the opposing side by his own hand.
He had first rigidified honor absolutely, and later used it as a pretext to centralize power.
He encroached upon the gods' authority, expanding his own, and at the same time he even forbade the sun and moon from touring the earth. Such excessive control and repression had long since aroused universal anger.
The gods were no fools. Even if they did not understand at first, there was no way they would fail to understand later.
Yet to make them openly set their pieces on the board for rebellion—they dared not.
The bravest one among them had already become God-King.
Now that Zeus had stood up to oppose him, they were more than happy to lend their support.
After all, they weren't the ones at the very front; they were glad to see Kronos suffer misfortune.
Unity is an invincible force, but first one must find a way to unite a loose group that nevertheless holds overwhelming power.
The one who can accomplish that is the undisputed leader.
In toppling the old order, the first step is the courage to rebel—requiring the resolve to break convention.
Next comes uniting the majority—this demands superb political skill and a grasp of hearts and minds.
And timing is paramount—the times produce the hero. Only when the majority are discontent can success become possible.
Now was not the best time, but it was still a time when success could be won.
Zeus was not starting from nothing. He possessed powerful support and strength—this was the best time for him.
If he delayed until everyone became thoroughly dissatisfied, then as the son of the God-King taking the lead, the effect might actually be worse.
And if someone else stepped forward first—who would claim the prize would be hard to say. He had to seize the initiative.
At present, this was still essentially internal strife, a family quarrel—a "palace coup" within the divine court—rather than a true reset of all things.
Zeus's greatest advantages were his courage to fire the first shot, his ample strength, and the absolute backing of Queen Rhea.
If Oceanus or Crius were the ones to rise and take the lead, then everything thereafter would be uncertain.
Zeus was now the bird whose head protruded, the spearhead—and once the spear charged to the end, those following behind would have no choice but to follow.
Rebellion threatens one's entire family—so rarely does anyone truly stake everything.
Thus, by the principle of greater risk meriting greater reward, those who dare to gamble with their lives should in the end receive the richest fruits of victory.
The process of rebellion is itself a process of growth—tempered through challenge, sublimated in battle, with spoils apportioned through one war after another, until absolute power is secured.
Once a pawn has crossed the river—is it still a pawn?
Courage is the most glorious thing in this world; with courage, one will at last win glory.
Everything begins with courage.
Having courage may not grant you everything.
But without courage, you will inevitably lose everything.
As the great gods came to welcome them, Zeus hurried forward to show respect.
He embraced the Titans one by one, his words expressing full reverence.
At such a critical moment in winning allies, attitude was of utmost importance.
First was the cosmic framework, the mighty pillar of the universe—Crius.
"Great son of Uranus, founder of the cosmos, pillar of the cosmos, father of the stars—honored Titan Lord Crius, I offer you my highest respect."
Second was the Lord of Radiance, father of the heavenly bodies—Hyperion.
"O Lord Hyperion—master of radiance on high, source of light, eternal watchman of the cosmos, father of sun and moon—it is an honor to behold your nobility; the starry sky shines because of you."
Third was the holy goddess of radiance—Theia.
"Sacred and beautiful goddess, mother of radiance, resplendent and shining Theia—more lovely and radiant even than the tales—your brilliance illuminates the entire universe."
Lastly, Eurybia.
Zeus said with a smile, "Honored daughter of the sea, mother of stars and swift winds, vast and boundless Titaness—the son of Rhea greets you. Your brilliance and power likewise amaze the gods."
_____________________________________________________________
If you're enjoying this novel, please consider supporting by voting with Power Stones. ⭐
Every vote helps the story climb the rankings so more readers can discover it.And as a special thank you:👉 For every 50 Power Stones, I'll release one extra chapter!