Prometheus was the sort of god anyone could recognize at a glance as confident and optimistic, clever and keen, a deity brimming with wisdom.
Epimetheus, on the other hand, plainly looked a bit wooden and slow. There was a trace of innocence and rashness in his expression—clearly not the sharpest god.
That Zeus entrusted the immeasurably important task of creating life to Prometheus was something all gods could understand; after all, everyone knew of Prometheus's renown for wisdom.
But to entrust it at the same time to the obscure—no, the famously "foolish" Epimetheus—this the gods truly could not make sense of.
Menoetius had just committed an act of outright treason!
It didn't seem fitting to grant such great honors to both his younger brothers at once, did it?
Think as they might, the gods could only conclude that this was a boon given to Prometheus, the God-King's supreme favor bestowed upon the brothers.
The God-King truly judged only the matter and never vented anger upon others! And he truly valued those at his side!
Zeus's bright golden eyes, unfathomably deep, looked with meaning upon the kneeling pair. He said slowly, "Rise, both of you. Go take a good journey before you begin creating life. Whatever the universe lacks, that you shall create. Let the universe become truly and thoroughly prosperous."
The two brothers "Forethought" and "Afterthought" offered loud thanks before rising at last.
Prometheus still stood beneath Zeus's right hand; Epimetheus once again melted silently back into the host of gods.
The "Creation" authority of the former God-King Kronos was, for now, unclaimed. After the establishment of the Divine Order, the God-King Zeus was the highest controller of this authority.
Though the law of "Creation" still had its true Lord, that Lord was currently "idle," which meant that, in practice, what Zeus said went.
Moreover, under the brand-new Divine Order, the law of "Creation" already gathered the authorities of many great gods. Properly used, it could shine with colors even more splendid than it had in the hands of the old God-King.
In addition, Zeus would now truly reclaim these laws of the universe's origin.
Zeus once more swept his gaze over the gods in the hall. With a light tap of the thunder-scepter in his hand upon the floor, a crisp sound rang out, and the god-wine and ambrosia drifted down like rain—one portion to each divine hand.
The gods all lifted their hands carefully to receive them, and cried in unison, "Thank you for Your Majesty's grace! Boundless thanks, Your Majesty!"
Smiling, Zeus said slowly, "Gods, remember well your duties and strictly obey the Sacred Just Order. Go now, go! Make this universe fully flourish!"
"Paradise shall forever keep its gates open to all meritorious souls!"
"By your command, Your Majesty the Eternal, Undying God-King!" the gods cried.
Then the many lower deities and nymphs who had come to pay homage began to bow and withdraw, one after another.
Soon, in that grand temple, only the Olympian great gods and their vassals remained.
Naturally, they would leave only after the other deities withdrew; they could not depart together with those worldly gods.
And once the gods had retreated, the gentleness in Zeus's eyes turned in an instant to icy severity!
He cast his gaze upon Poseidon, who had been excessively low-key the whole time!
Without a word, he lifted the thunder-scepter high. A vast golden bolt of lightning brimming with the God-King's endless might and wrath—like a spear of heavenly judgment—hurled Poseidon, anxious at heart, straight off his divine seat!
"Ah—!" Poseidon let out a scream, and then the screaming did not stop.
For straightaway, tens of thousands of lightning bolts rose and fell like a howling storm, lashing his divine body without respite!
Bolts strong enough to tear the firmament remorselessly shattered his fully unfurled, towering divine form to pieces!
Poseidon, who had been secretly rejoicing that he'd gotten off lightly with the assembly ending well, had no time to react before the sudden, violent lightning struck him into continual shrieks!
Of course, even if he did react, it would be useless. There was no escaping this beating.
Even with his divine body smashed to bits, Zeus upon the throne had no intention of stopping.
Still fiercer thunder-dragons and electric serpents roared out one after another, biting, ramming, and scourging Poseidon's already broken divine body, driving him from the grand temple atop Olympus all the way down under an unrelenting barrage!
At a speed beyond light, Poseidon was whipped by even swifter lightning, tumbling as he fell, until he crashed to the vast earth like a meteor!
The entire land shuddered three times! His rolling, ruined form reshaped mountains and rivers without end!
But even that was not the end!
Still more ferocious thunderbolts pursued mercilessly, crashing down upon Poseidon's nearly lifeless form!
Until his shattered divine body split the boundless earth into a bottomless abyss; he dropped weakly into the Underworld and was beaten all the way down into the cold River Styx.
Only then did the grim-faced God-King draw back the thunder that still flickered around him.
Poseidon lay sunken at the frigid riverbed, his divine body destroyed and his divinity dimmed, like a ragdoll utterly ravaged and broken.
Zeus said coldly, "Let Poseidon soak well in these sacred waters of the Styx for ten thousand years. That foolish head of his needs the cold river to clear it thoroughly."
The gods were startled by the sudden turn, but the great gods present quickly grasped what it meant.
Poseidon had certainly committed some offense!
Most likely it had to do with Menoetius.
The Sea King had surely had a hand in it!
Within the temple, the thunder's aftershock had not fully faded; its destructive aura still clung to every corner.
Oceanus and Pontus were now utterly clear in their hearts, without the slightest doubt.
Though His Majesty the God-King said nothing, seeing that thunderous, overwhelming wrath—and recalling what had happened before—this miserable state of Poseidon's could not be unrelated to Menoetius!
Indeed, very likely Poseidon had instigated it!
Otherwise, one could not fathom why, with the God-King's magnanimous and loving nature, he would deal so harshly with his own brother.
Now it all made sense!
How would a fool like Menoetius have known about Amalthea, let alone thought to use her to threaten His Majesty?!
"Detestable Poseidon!"
In that instant, both great gods bore Poseidon a grudge.
Gaia, Mother of All, also secretly ground her silver teeth—two incurable fools!
Her slender, delicate hands clenched within her sleeves as she cursed inwardly: Those two bastards—if you want to court death yourself, fine, but you've also ruined what I've laid long in place in a single day!
This, I will remember!
The sacred, loving Mother Rhea watched Poseidon pummeled into the Underworld, wretched and pitiful, with no hope of emerging for ten thousand years. As Mother, she felt both helpless and heartsore.
Yet wise as she was, she could guess the reason with a thought. Beyond a deep sigh, she ultimately said nothing.
Among her many children, it was Poseidon who troubled her the most.
Her three daughters made her often fret over their romantic destinies, but their dispositions reassured her, and their mutual bonds had always been intimate.
After all, there were too many enemies without.
Among the three sons, Zeus was the child who filled her with the deepest pride and trust, the family's indisputable core.
Hades, though taciturn, was steady and dependable—always thorough in his deeds—also a god worthy of trust and charge.
But Poseidon alone truly gave her no peace of mind.
Like his essences "Sea" and "Quake," he was quick-tempered, capricious, and prone to eruption.
Worse, he had inherited the arrogance born of Kronos's suppression of the Mother of All—innately proud and unwilling to bend beneath any god, he had always chafed under Zeus.
Even knowing he was inferior to Zeus, he would not submit.
This stubbornness had long given his mother headaches.
Yet he was not without merit. Among the few praiseworthy qualities he had were his unflinching courage to act at once and his unparalleled power of execution.
He also knew to stay close to his kin and always held great respect for his Mother.
Though he loved to make trouble and rarely listened.
Watching the brothers clash, Mother Rhea could only sigh deeply.
But she knew as well that Zeus's handling had been extremely lenient.
Throughout this universe, whoever it was, if they had committed such a great offense, violating the God-King's absolute taboo—
The only outcome now would be to accompany Menoetius into the eternal nothingness of Tartarus.
Only those very few deities tied to the God-King by blood, like Poseidon, merely suffered a savage beating and a period of confinement.
In treating it thus, Zeus was already striving to favor and protect this foolish brother.
After dealing with Poseidon, a frost still lay upon Zeus's grand and majestic face. He offered no explanation for the gods' shock and speculation.
Instead, his golden thunder-lit eyes turned directly to the first seat at the right hand of the throne—the great Mother of All.
Swept by Zeus's sudden gaze, Gaia felt her divinity tremble without cause, as if laid bare to the bone.
Even so, upon her dignified, peerlessly lovely face, she forced herself to remain impassive.
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