This divine Hammer of Creation was far larger than an ordinary star.
But the God-King merely beckoned, and as he withdrew his colossal divine body, the hammer shrank rapidly along with it.
Even after the God-King resumed his normal divine form, the hammer kept shrinking.
It did not stop until it was just small enough for a child to hold.
Turning the now-tiny divine hammer in his palm, the God-King sauntered into the temple.
In that brief span, the newborn Hephaestus now looked the size of a three-year-old child, sitting properly within the temple.
Nine beautiful goddesses encircled him, teasing and cooing, while he remained quiet, gentle, and reserved.
The newly delivered Goddess Hera looked as if nothing had happened, not a single strand of hair out of place.
She sat with dignity upon her divine seat, gazing with boundless affection at her beloved child.
It would be wrong to say nothing had changed.
Within, the transformation of her divinity was immense.
This supreme Great Mother Goddess of "Procreation" and "Fertility," upon truly becoming a mature woman and giving birth to her own child today, had fully unleashed all the divinity she had suppressed and amassed.
The might equal to a tenth of the former God-King's peak power, together with her own vast power as the Great Mother, flowed docilely through her graceful, willowy form.
She might appear merely a gentle, demure goddess, but in truth, across the cosmos, anyone who could survive a single slap from her would count among the notable strong.
Her greatest law-origin had fully blossomed, the radiance of motherhood naturally shining upon all directions.
She was even more beautiful.
Or rather, she now truly revealed the splendor she had once suppressed and concealed.
She revealed at last the breathtaking beauty that belonged solely to the future "Heavenly Queen."
Zeus merely looked, and his heart went soft and hot.
Forcing himself to tamp down his thoughts, he looked at the son encircled by the nine goddesses and nodded in deep satisfaction.
The child had perfectly inherited his and Hera's peerless looks.
Though he only looked the size of a three-year-old, he was exquisitely carved like jade, handsome and adorable to the extreme; anyone who saw him would feel genuine fondness.
He had soft short hair of pure gold inherited from his parents, and the same source's dazzling golden eyes.
His gaze was clear and gentle, and even at such a young age one could see the extraordinary resilience and warmth in his eyes.
Without a doubt, Hestia's warmth had, through the "Fire of Creation," completely fused into the child's very origin.
This child was unlikely to become, like his father, an incorrigibly promiscuous god.
He would be a great deity who could warm his kin and all living beings.
Seeing Zeus enter the temple, the goddesses who, for the child's birth, had set aside old grievances and were chattering around the newborn about childrearing, fell silent almost in the same instant.
The entire temple fell quiet.
Every gaze turned to Zeus.
And to the seemingly small divine hammer in his hand, which, as if alive, coiled meekly around his palm and slowly rotated.
The patterns upon the hammer were like fine rain tapping on gold. Small as it was now, not one deity thought it a trivial toy to amuse a child.
Moments ago, the grand disturbance outside the temple had been enough to shake the entire universe, and every god within had felt it clearly.
Under the God-King's absolutely invincible, near-transdimensional might, even though he had only been forging a divine artifact for his firstborn and had not meant to press his godly power upon the cosmos,
the absolute "presence" borne by "Creation" still made all the gods in the universe tremble in their divinity by instinct; the stars shuddered, and the laws themselves echoed and swayed.
Even Gaia, the Mother of All far in the depths of the earth, merely casting her gaze upon Zeus's indescribably majestic God-King body,
felt her eyes stabbed by endless brilliance.
Having kept exceedingly low profile of late, she only grew firmer in her principle of "can't afford to provoke, can still afford to avoid."
She had to stay away from this overly powerful grandson of hers—farther, and farther still!
With the God-King already this formidable, what could he possibly still need from her?
Let alone talk of offending her…
Heaven knows what, in Zeus's mouth, that so‑called "little offense" was relative to.
She had to keep her distance!
Hephaestus, this adorable child, upon seeing his greatest father-god for the first time, had a smile instantly bloom across his exquisitely carved little face.
"Father-God!" Saying so, he hopped down from his seat of divinity, stretched his little short legs, and rushed into Zeus's arms.
Zeus laughed aloud, thunder revealing gentleness within his mirth, spread his arms, and swept him up high.
"My dear son! Olympus rejoices at your birth; all beings in the universe will be the more fortunate for your coming!"
As he spoke, he turned his hand, lifted the divine hammer in his palm, and offered it to the child with a smile: "This is my gift to you. Take it. Its name is Sphilaktiseos."
"From today on, I hope you will use it to bring the cosmos endless miracles of "Creation," making the whole universe more flourishing and bountiful."
Hephaestus was overjoyed, his eyes full of love for the artifact.
Yet he did not reach out at once; instead he leaned his little head in and planted a loud kiss on his father-god's cheek.
Only then did he reply, in a still-childish yet utterly solemn voice: "Honored Father-God, thank you for your great bestowal. As your son, I will surely uphold your most sacred justice, order, and merciful guidance, and with all my strength make this universe more prosperous and peaceful!"
Seeing his child's prim, earnest manner at such a tender age, Zeus found him all the more adorable.
Hearing him say this, Zeus grew even more delighted and gratified, and could not help but laugh heartily:
"My son, I have never doubted it. This is inevitable."
With that, he placed the divine hammer into the child's hands.
Hephaestus was a child after all, with a child's heart.
Facing a gift he loved from the heart, he eagerly reached out his small hands to receive it.
Yet the instant the hammer touched his hands, it suddenly dropped downward!
His little body sank with the abrupt weight and he nearly failed to hold it steady.
This was not because Hephaestus was weak.
Though young, his divine power was absolutely top-tier, possessing without question the peak-level might of a Major God.
Ordinary deities and fairies—he could slap several of them to death at once.
He was the firstborn of the God-King Zeus and Hera, the Great Mother of Procreation; his origin was the former God-King Kronos's most core law of "Creation," further sublimated a second time by Zeus's thunder.
After that, he had been gestated in Hera's womb for a full additional year.
He might look like a three-year-old now, but in truth he was, without question, a top-tier great god!
And the kind who could really fight.
After all, how could a god too weak even speak of "Creation"?
Even so, when he first took the seemingly small divine hammer, he had still nearly failed to hold on.
He hurried to use both hands and, with effort, held the hammer up steadily.
Though it took some strain, no displeasure crossed Hephaestus's face; rather, he was all the more delighted.
How could he not know that an artifact so burdensome even for him to hold would possess unspeakably terrifying power?
Zeus took it all in and was even more satisfied.
Struggling, Hephaestus hugged the small hammer tightly to his chest and, brimming with delight, said again, "Thank you, Father-God!"
Zeus laughed heartily, sat down with him in his arms, glanced around at the beautiful goddesses with their varied expressions, and could not help but sigh, "My son, look how fortunate you are."
"At the very dawn of your life, so many great and loving goddesses are tending to you together. Even your Father-God never enjoyed such top-tier treatment."
At that, quite a few goddesses in the hall could not help rolling their eyes at him in unison.
Hera looked at the goddesses around her, her heart melting completely.
She spoke softly: "My revered sisters, I sincerely thank you for all your care for me; and even more for the regard and concern you show my child."
"What more is there to say? Nothing needs to be belabored. From now on, I will repay you all with the same heart. Thank you, my dear sisters."
Metis smiled like a blossom, gazing with endless affection at the child in Zeus's arms.
Unconsciously, her jade-like hand gently stroked her flat belly.
There, the God-King's second son was soon to be born.
She said softly, "Dear Hera, my dearest friend, my sister. Our hearts will be bound together forever."
"Because we share the same, eternal love. We are one family of gods. And a family of gods ought to be this way."
"I believe that no matter which of us it might be, we would all be as close and supportive as we are today."
Hestia's smile was warm as a hearth.
She looked to Hera, then to the surrounding goddesses, and said gently, "We are all close friends. Because of Zeus, we are an even more loving family of gods."
"A family of gods' happiness and peace are what matter most. Only by cherishing and loving one another can we attain true happiness and peace."
"We came through that brutal and dark age together. Now we have arrived at this age of Zeus, filled with justice and mercy."
"We have already gained all that we once dreamed of. What else could be worth damaging our feelings for one another to fight over?"
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