A gentle smile finally touched the usually stern, expressionless face of Crius: "Honored son of the Queen of the Gods, great rebel—welcome. Because of you, the universe is filled with hope."
After the Titans expressed their respectful welcome to Zeus, they also paid lofty homage to Rhea behind him. Hyperion then invited the gods to his radiant palace, wreathed in endless stars.
Once all were seated, Crius spoke bluntly: "Honored son of the Queen—after you toppled that towering god-mountain and buried the God-King's palace beneath the rocks, the God-King came to the cosmos hunting for you. His rage swept the entire sky."
Zeus nodded and said, "That is precisely one reason I've come today."
"I know it was you two great gods who shielded us. Your kindness is as eternal as the stars. Here, I must express my sincerest thanks. I will remember your aid forever and never forget."
"In the near future, I will repay your protection with a new order—repaying what you have done."
Hyperion replied, "Honored guest, we did not help you for repayment."
"It is because we once swore allegiance to the God-King that we are likewise loyal to the sacred Queen—and all the more do we respect her, our beloved sister."
"Though we are loyal to the God-King, we cannot stand by while the noble and sacred Queen is treated unjustly."
"Some of the God-King's actions we cannot stomach. What we have done is both out of admiration for your brave resistance and for the Queen's sacred honor—and for our deepest, truest affection."
Rhea smiled and said, "Dear Crius, dear Hyperion—my dear elder brothers—your care and help I will always be grateful for. Your support will be richly rewarded, beyond your imagination."
"Once, we fought side by side as the closest of family, and Kronos was my husband. Under his leadership, we overthrew our father's brutal tyranny and received the honors we were due."
The holy Queen sighed softly: "But Kronos's ambition only grew. He became ever more violent. He lost the noble virtues that once enabled his great deeds."
"He has done much that violates the gods' honor. The beautiful world has grown lifeless. He is walking the same road as our father, wounding the Mother's heart and even eroding the gods' honors."
"The world's order has gone down a dreadful, mistaken path. Our poor children—they should not be bound by a flawed order. They, too, should enjoy this beautiful world and let their light shine free!"
Rhea looked with tender love upon the younger generation of gods, and finally let her gaze rest on Crius and Hyperion. Her tone was gentle yet firm: "Dear Crius, Hyperion—our children ought to enjoy this world, should they not? That right is theirs by birth!"
"This is the world the great Mother of All created for us. Our children have the right to share in that glory. They should not live stifled, with their talents suppressed and their honors stripped away."
"Please—just as before, as when we overthrew our father's wrongful rule—help my child now!"
"Zeus, my proudest child—he will not disappoint you. He will bring a brand-new future to the universe!"
"He possesses courage and breadth far beyond Kronos—wisdom and mercy as well. He will treat every noble god with justice and grant every god the honor they deserve."
Zeus looked to Crius and Hyperion, his manner deadly serious, and declared in a ringing voice: "Honored great gods, in the name of the son of Rhea, I promise you this: I will establish a new order in which the gods share the world together."
"In this beautiful world, every god will have their share of honor—there will be no more oppression or deprivation!"
"What you already possess, I shall let you keep—and magnify it. What you have not possessed, I shall grant—so you, too, may share the world's gifts!"
Zeus turned to Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses, and said loudly: "Sons of Crius—you are the offspring of the cosmic framework and the world's might. By birth, you should hold the glory of mastering the stars!"
"I promise you: the starry sky of the future world shall be your honor—your eternal domain!"
"The universe is bright because of you—you shall radiate everlasting brilliance. I promise you shall become the weavers of the cosmos, turning endless stars into an eternal tapestry of light."
"I promise you shall embody the cosmos's vast strength and primordial foundation; I promise you shall become the inevitability of the universe's cycles—the indispensable impetus between all birth and death!"
He looked to the Sun, Helios, and the Moon, Selene, and proclaimed: "Children of Hyperion—you shall be lords of the world's radiance and sovereigns of sacred splendor. Your light shall illuminate the world!"
"The world shall be divided into day and night; you shall share day and night between you, bringing brilliance and splendor to the world so that all things may thrive unceasingly!"
"Helios—the world is warm because of you, it grows because of you. You shall be the sky's warden. Your light shall ever abide with the world, dispersing all darkness and gloom, spreading warmth and hope across the vast earth."
"Selene—you shall be the gentle sovereign of the night! With cool light you shall illumine the dark, guiding the lost traveler. Each waxing and waning is the rhythm of all beings' cycles. Tides will rise and fall with you; all creatures sleep and wake with you. You shall be the night's eternal guardian!"
Zeus looked again to the two Titan couples, Crius and Hyperion, and said in a loud voice: "As for you, noble primordial Titans—I promise that you will forever be the embodiment of the universe's grand order, the omnipresent power of the cosmos! Your status shall never be shaken!"
Zeus unhesitatingly wrote out a stack of grand, heart-stirring blank checks.
After all, the universe wasn't his yet—promises could be given freely.
If you wish to take, you must first give.
He could always claw power back later.
The subtlety of rhetoric lies in leaving room. Words and promises are forever ripe with reversal.
What promise has no loophole?
I said I would grant you honor—but I never said it couldn't be reclaimed, nor that it couldn't be shared or held in common.
The mastery lies in a single intent.
Crius and Hyperion could still keep their composure—they were Titans of the elder generation, deep-hearted and seasoned.
But their children, under Zeus's pledges, were already moved to the core.
Under Kronos's oppression they truly had nothing. With Zeus promising so much, how could they not be tempted?
As second-generation Titans, who among them did not wish to enjoy the world? Who wanted to be pressed down forever in the empty cosmos, without an ounce of honor?
In the gods' endless lives, to have power shackled and honor stripped away is worse than death.
Even Theia and Eurybia were now greatly surprised—and deeply stirred.
A single exchanged glance between them carried countless thoughts. Their understanding needed no words.
What mother does not consider her children's future?
Dear readers, please take note: in this book, not everything spoken by the characters is necessarily true. Only the narrator's voice is true—but even the narration may be incomplete. Do not fully trust what the characters say! They each have their own thoughts and their own stance.
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