TGOBITTOTWACBM Chapter 6: Godhead of Conspiracy and Wisdom
Tartarus had a dark face, and with an indifferent voice, scolded Areinte: “Enough is enough, don’t be presumptuous!”
Areinte trembled in Aphrodite’s arms, his eyebrows lowered slightly, covering his sadness.
His Royal Highness Aphrodite is usually very cold, and he finally had the opportunity to be so close to him…
Aphrodite touched Areinte’s seaweed-like long hair and then let go of him. He regained his calm: “Okay, Areinte, make me a pot of herbal tea. His Royal Highness Tartarus came to my temple on purpose, I have to treat him well.”
Areinte quietly raised his head and glances at Tartarus, the eyes of the god of the abyss were also as deep and icy as the abyss. When Areinte peeked over, Tartarus seemed to be aware of it, and then looked over.
In an instant, Areinte felt as if he was also covered by the abyss, his whole body was stiff, and the cold seeped into his bones and blood.
Aphrodite patted his shoulder lightly, and a gentle warmth rose from his heart, then flowed all over his body, warming his limbs.
Areinte’s reliant gaze fell on Aphrodite. Although the silver-haired and purple-eyed handsome deity looked indifferent and inhumane, he always bring infinite power to the believers who stared at him.
Aphrodite let go of his hand and whispered: “His Royal Highness Tartarus is one of the most powerful primitive gods, the condensation of the original will of the world. In front of him, you are as small as gravel, don’t offend him like this again in the future by staring at His Highness, do you know?”
Areinte swallowed nervously, his small Adam’s apple rolled, and he said cautiously, “I understand, Your Highness…”
Aphrodite patted his hand lightly: “Come on, don’t make me and His Highness wait too long.”
Areinte nodded, and hurriedly went down to prepare snacks and tea.
Tartarus looked coldly at Areinte’s back as he leave , and sneered: “Aphrodite, you are too condoning to that god.”
Aphrodite sat on the stone bench in the garden. His back was straight, his neck was beautifully curved, and his hips were very upturned, making him look overall beautiful and elegant.
Aphrodite said calmly: “Areinte is a good child and will not be arrogant because of my favoritism and will always be in awe. I don’t mind being a little more tolerant of such a lovely child.”
“Awe?” Tartarus chewed on that word, glanced at Aphrodite, and mockingly said: “Are you sure he has awe for you? His desire for you is stronger, a normal God will not do such acts of blasphemy in the temple of the main god.”
Aphrodite said casually: “He is just an ordinary inferior god, although the priesthood of sexual desire is not bad, but this power was not given to him by his own comprehension but by me, so his strength is not strong. What’s more, his priesthood has a strong inducement to him and often confuses his mind. And I..”
Aphrodite paused and said with a chuckle: “And my godhead itself is very attractive to the gods, isn’t it? Your Highness, this little guy with weak strength and lack of clarity has already done the best he can do, please don’t criticize him too much.”
As Aphrodite explained, not only did it not dispel Tartarus’ ill feeling towards Areinte, on the contrary, it made Tartarus feel even worse.
In the endless abyss beneath the earth, the black mist full of corrosive aura was boiling and flaming.
Tartarus glanced up as Areinte came with a silver plate.
So he said coldly: “Not strong, not clear-headed? Aphrodite, you don’t actually regard him as a god, but just keep him as your pet, right?”
Areinte happened to hear Tartarus’ words.
He was afraid of Tartarus and dared not look up.
After arranging the snacks and herbal tea, he very obediently knelt and sat down at Aphrodite’s feet.
Aphrodite stretched out his hand, rubbed his fingertips on Areinte’s cheek, and asked with a small smile, “Areinte, do you think you are my pet?”
Areinte: “I am what Your Highness loves the most.”
He doesn’t care whether he is Aphrodite’s god or pet, he only cares about which of the two identities Aphrodite prefers.
Aphrodite withdrew his hand, his cold brows tinged with a smile.
He used his slender and delicate¹ fingers to pinch the handle of the glass teapot, the pink-purple scented tea swayed gently as the teapot was lifted.
Aphrodite poured a cup of tea for Tartarus and said in a leisurely manner: “Your Highness was disappointed, Areinte doesn’t care what he is.”
Tartarus picked up the teacup and sipped it. The sweet tea moistened his throat and calmed his heart.
Tartarus closed his eyes and felt that he was a fool to compare himself with Areinte.
Tartarus commented on the scented tea: “It’s too sweet. If you go to the abyss one day, I can take you to taste the tea made from the flowers in the abyss, which is mellow and faint.”
Aphrodite also felt that the sweetness of this tea was too strong, he doesn’t know if it is contaminated with too much of Areinte’s breath.
As for Tartarus’ words…
Aphrodite couldn’t deny it: “Only those who are guilty of sin will go to the abyss.”
Tartarus’ face turned a little dark, is his territory so despised by Gods?
Aphrodite looked at him with a slight smile, his expression seemed calm, but he never let down his guard. He wanted to test Tartarus’ attitude and judge how much the God could tolerate him. If Tartarus turned his face in rage, he would immediately mobilize the power to protect himself.
No matter how bad it is, you can only go to the Abyss of Tartarus and spend a few days in prison.
Tartarus wouldn’t kill Gods anyway.
However, Tartarus did not express any opinion on Aphrodite’s dislike, because a God broke into his conversation with Aphrodite.
To be more precise, a group of Gods.
The sound of the scepter knocking on the palace gate was dull, but loud.
Aphrodite looked in the direction of the gate of the temple and opened it.
Rhea and Zeus walked in with the gods from outside the temple. They saluted Tartarus, and then smiled at Aphrodite, but the smile was very stiff.
And the eyes of the Gods looking at Aphrodite are not as awed as when Aphrodite just condensed the Godhead of Confusion.
As for why this happened, it was related to the defeat and imprisonment of Kronos…
Zeus and the others were very curious about how Aphrodite hurt Kronos, and they also wanted to know what Aphrodite did that would make Kronos curse him so heartbreakingly.
Although Kronos tried his best to hide his experience, he was unable to escape the deliberate detection of the Gods in the end.
Then the Gods were shocked.
They really can’t imagine Aphrodite, who is so beautiful, elegant and mysterious… with all the gorgeous words in the world piled up; a stunning god who is not obtrusive ,can actually do such a crazy thing.²
The Gods did not think that their ability to bear would be much stronger than that of Kronos, so after the war, they did not dare to provoke Aphrodite, and their behaviors were much restrained.
But Aphrodite knew in his heart that this situation was only temporary. After a while, Kronos will be taken away by Tartarus, and Mount Olympus will also recover. Sooner or later, these Gods will be tempted by his love and beauty.
However, these are things for the future.
Aphrodite took a sip of tea gracefully, stared flatly at the Gods who were crowding into his palace, and asked, “Is there something wrong with you? Why are you all coming to my temple today?”
Zeus grabbed the conversation and said directly: “We are here to find His Royal Highness Tartarus. His Highness came from afar, why don’t you go to the Palace of the King of God?”
Tartarus seemed to remember it after being reminded by Zeus. He frowned and thought for a while, and said, “The rule of Kronos has been overthrown, but there is no new master in the palace of the God-King. Who should I look for when I go?”
Aphrodite looked at Tartarus glanced and tutted lightly. Is Tartarus implying that the gods should choose the next God-King?
Not only Aphrodite, but other Gods also understood what Tartarus meant, and their breathing became chaotic.
As stated before, not all Titan gods are enemies of Zeus. At this time, Rhea’s vigilant and sharp eyes swept across the faces of her brothers and sisters, and then said sternly: “His Royal Highness Tartarus is right, Kronos has been overthrown, it is time to choose the next God-King.”
“But it is my sons and daughters who lead the Gods to overthrow the rule of Kronos, so the throne of the God-King shall be inherited by one of my sons and daughters, do you have any opinions?”
The Titan Gods who switched to Zeus’ camp were a little dissatisfied with this, but the godhead of the God-Queen was still on Rhea, and what she says still has authority, the gods did not dare to refute her at will.
Tartarus glanced over Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon one by one. He nodded casually and said, “But you have six children. Who are you going to pass on the throne of the God-King to?”
Rhea paused, and Zeus said first: “The position of the King of Gods has always been inherited by males, so let’s exclude my sisters first.”
Hera was still in the sea and was not here at this time. Hestia and Demeter frowned and were a little dissatisfied with this. Unfortunately, the two of them were not very strong, and Rhea was not very fond of them, so she ignored their opinions and directly agreed with Zeus’ statement.
So the contenders for the throne of the God-King were only Zeus, Hades and Poseidon.
Only one of the three brothers is destined to become the King of Gods, and the two who cannot become King of Gods may have an embarrassing position later. Fortunately, Rhea was already prepared, she said: “The era of Kronos’ rule has passed, many Titan Gods followed Kronos to fight stubbornly, and their destination must be the endless abyss of Tartarus. And many of these Gods are the main gods.
They were responsible for the operation of heaven and earth. After they are imprisoned, the vacant positions of the Main Gods will be re-appointed by the new God-King. Since the Main Gods have to be re-selected…
The leaders of the sea world and the underworld should also be re-selected, right? They should all be the allies of the new God-King.”
Well, most of the gods of the underworld are descendants of Nyx, the Goddess of the Night, and Erebus, the God of Darkness. They wander in the underworld and have no leader yet. Tartarus takes care of them when he is free.
Therefore, the choice of the King of the Underworld only needs to be agreed upon by Tartarus, but the sea world is different…
The current gods of the sea world, the Goddess of the sea, Tethys, and the God of the ocean,Okeanos, are brothers and sisters of Rhea, and they are also strong supporters of the Zeus camp.
The wife of Zeus, Metis, is also their daughter.
Although Tethys and Okeanos were absent, they sent their daughter, Styx, and Styx’s sons and daughters to help.
Among the children of Styx, there is a goddess whose priesthood is victory. It can be said that it has a lot to do with the support of the sea world that Zeus and the others can successfully overthrow the rule of Kronos.
It would be fine even if they didn’t benefit the sea world, but Styx didn’t expect that after Rhea and the others won, the first thing they would do was to deprive their right to rule the sea world. Styx’s face immediately stinks, and Metis frowned, seemingly uneasy.
After listening to Rhea’s words, Tartarus also expressed his attitude: “The underworld can be managed by the new God-King, but the sea world…”
Styx looked indifferent, looking coldly at the eyes of Rhea and other gods.
Aphrodite watched the changes in the expressions of the Gods in a leisurely manner, his eyes fell on Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom.
At this time, the goddess was standing beside Zeus, and on the other side of Zeus was Rhea.
Aphrodite’s special attention made him notice the little movements of Rhea and Metis. After Rhea tugged Metis’ sleeve, Metis stopped for a while and then stood up; and on behalf of Tethys and Okeanos, as their daughter, accepted Rhea’s proposal.
The faces of Styx and her children immediately turned cold, and Zeus quickly appeased the Gods: “I know that there are still some very powerful godheads that have no masters, such as the Godhead of Oath, I think it will suit you very well, Styx.”
Styx was about to get angry, but the angry expression on her face froze when she heard the words, and then slowly subsided and turned into being moved.
Zeus looked at her sons and daughters again: “Speaking of which, Nike’s priesthood of ‘victory’ is really special, and such a special priesthood should be left in the prosperous and noble sacred mountain of Olympus to enjoy worship. The sea world will always be so calm and boring, don’t you think so?”
Zeus’s bribe came almost brightly, and Aphrodite’s naked eyes could see that the expressions of Styx and the others gradually became emotional.
The corner of Aphrodite’s mouth twitched with contempt.
It seems that Tethys and Okeanos have bad eyesight, and they were stabbed in the back by several children.
However, so what if Metis, Styx, and the others agreed to Zeus’ order to send a new King to the sea world? Most of the Gods in the sea world were conceived by Tethys and Okeanos, the Ocean God couple can be said to control the origin of most of the oceans.
There is only one existence who can surpass them and become the veritable king of the ocean, and that is the third son of Gaia, who is also the younger brother of the god of the sky, Uranus, – the incarnation of the ocean, Pontus³.
If you think that as long as the King of Gods sends an imperial decree and sends a leader casually, the sea world will be obedient and will let the sacred mountain of Olympus drive them away, then you’re thinking too beautifully.
But maybe Zeus didn’t care about that either? Aphrodite thought to himself, after all, he is the future God-King with an iron-clad Tintin⁴, isn’t he?
Aphrodite glanced at Rhea and Metis, and thought sarcastically that Zeus was the only child Rhea rescued, who stayed by Rhea the longest and was most loved by Rhea. And Metis is the wife of Zeus, this wise goddess will definitely find a way to help Zeus get the throne of the God-King.
However, Metis’ behavior of betraying the sea world was somewhat beyond Aphrodite’s expectations. Although the position of the Queen of Gods is very good, the sea world is still her backing.
This kind of action really doesn’t look like what a goddess of wisdom can do, or is it that clever is mistaken for cleverness⁵, and it seems very clever to calculate with all their strength, but in the end, they calculated their own life.⁶?
It’s no wonder that after she became pregnant and was eaten by Zeus, there was no movement in the sea world.
Aphrodite’s eyes trembled slightly, he put down the cup in his hand, and his fingertips reached his ear.
He stroked the azure blue earring, thinking that if Metis was going to die, then let her do it. It just so happened that he liked Metis’ wisdom godhead very much.
So, under this rather comical pull, the sea world and the underworld are about to usher in their new king.
Tartarus’ attitude is actually a bit strange. He followed the words of Rhea and Zeus, and met almost all their requirements.
Aphrodite guessed that there might be a special reason for it. Perhaps before coming to the Olympus Mountain, Tartarus had communicated with Rhea and the others?
Aphrodite doesn’t know, and Tartarus has asked again: “In this case, among the three brothers, who will become the King of Gods, and who will be the king of the underworld and the king of the sea?”
So far, It was Zeus who was always active, and Hades and Poseidon barely spoke.
In the memory of another goddess of love, Hades also seems to be a relatively taciturn existence, but Poseidon should not be so quiet.
Rhea calmly took out three bamboo sticks. The part of the bamboo sticks that exposed the head was the same length, and the other part was hidden in Rhea’s palm.
Rhea looked at her three sons, looked at Tartarus again, and said, “They are all my children, and I should be fair to them… So I decided to draw lots to determine the ownership of the position of the King of Gods.”
“Two of the three bamboo sticks in my hand are short, and only one is long. Whoever can draw the long stick will be the future King of Gods. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, do you have any opinions on this arrangement?”
Rhea seemed to be asking the three brothers’ opinions, but in fact the attitude was compelling.
The goddess in Aphrodite’s memory will not appear until a long time later, so there is no memory of this part of the battle of the God-King.
And even if there is no memory, Aphrodite can see what kind of trick Rhea is playing.
The bamboo sticks were held in Rhea’s hands, maybe they were originally long.
Rhea lets her three sons draw lots, and she can break the stick when the son she doesn’t like draws the lottery, making the stick shorter.
Until her favorite son got the long stick.
And just as Aphrodite had guessed, the lottery drawn by Hades and Poseidon had obvious fracture marks.
And in the end, the one who drew the long stick was naturally Zeus.
Zeus held the long stick with obvious excitement and joy in his eyes.
Holding the long stick, he rushed out of the Temple of Love, holding the thunder scepter high and cheering excitedly: “In the future, I will be the controller of the world, my name is Zeus, the King of the Gods.”
The dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the thunder roared. Kronos, who was imprisoned in the Temple of the King of God, twitched, and the golden square godhead rushed out of his body and flew into Zeus.
In the next second, Rhea’s God-Queen godhead was also pulled by the God-King godhead and flew into the body of Metis, who ran out with Zeus.
Aphrodite looked at the figure of Metis, who was guarded by the gods outside the hall, and narrowed his eyes when he saw the light slowly shining on her abdomen.
Feeling the departure of the God-Queen godhead, a strong sense of loss and emptiness emerged in Rhea’s heart.
The gods in the temple ran out to watch Zeus absorb the God-King, including Hades and Poseidon.
There are only four gods left in the temple today: Aphrodite, Rhea, Tartarus and Areinte.
Aphrodite got up and walked gracefully beside Rhea. Rhea looked up at him in confusion, Aphrodite smiled at her, then took Rhea’s hand and gently opened her fingers.
Two broken bamboo sticks lay quietly in her palm.
Aphrodite fixedly looked at the two bamboo sticks, Rhea’s expression was not flustered, but unexpectedly calm.
Aphrodite looked at her thoughtfully, pondered for a few seconds and said: “In fact, the ownership of the King of Gods should not be so troublesome. It was Zeus who first led the gods to rebel against Kronos, it was Zeus who helped Hades and the others get out of trouble. In terms of merit, it is normal for Zeus to obtain the throne of the God-King.
I think so, Hades and Poseidon should think so too. They will not fail to see the abnormality of the bamboo sticks. But they behaved very calmly. They never expressed dissatisfaction with your proposal from the beginning to the end. Your two sons are so considerate, why do you have to come up with a clumsy layout? “
Rhea drew back her hand and casually shattered the bamboo sticks into dust, then she smiled lightly: “You misunderstood, Aphrodite, these sticks were cut off by me before.”
She really admired the handsome Aphrodite, and to him, her attitude is always inclusive and peaceful.
Aphrodite closed his eyes, got a little closer to Rhea, and sniffed. The next second, Aphrodite smiled and said, “It’s not that simple, Goddess Rhea. You must have forgotten, I am the god of conspiracy. Just now, I smelled the breath of conspiracy on you.”
Rhea frowned slightly: “What conspiracy?”
Tartarus showed an interested expression and asked: “Aphrodite, what did you think of?”
Aphrodite casually flipped his silver hair, and he looked up at the dome covered with gilt patterns, showing a thoughtful look.
“Actually, Metis’ behavior makes me feel very strange. Why does she want to help you fight for the position of the King of the Sea? If there is no accident, Zeus will be the King of Gods, and Metis, as his wife, is also a well-deserved God-Queen. She has absolutely no need to cooperate with you to seize the position of the King of the Sea World, and then betray and offend the entire sea world.”
“Unless… someone dares to suggest that Zeus cannot become the King of Gods. If Zeus can’t be the King of Gods, then Metis has no way to use the position of being Zeus’ wife to improve her status.
In order to protect her own interests, Metis can only help you to plunder the kingship of the underworld and the sea. As an alternative to Zeus who can’t be the King of Gods.”
Rhea’s face changed a little, but she was still calm, she explained: “Well, to actually let Aphrodite see through our layout. I did take advantage of Metis a little. But I can’t help it. Hades and Poseidon are also my sons. They are also Zeus’ brothers. Zeus and I have to arrange a future for them too, right?”
“Although Zeus and I calculated a little on his wife, but Metis got the position of the Queen of Gods as she wished, and she is not at a loss, is she?”
Aphrodite raised his eyebrows and shook her head: “No loss? How could it not be a loss? After Metis’ actions today were passed back to the sea world, I’m afraid her parents and siblings are going to hate her…”
Aphrodite paused, and suddenly remembered a story in the memory of the goddess of love.
According to legend, Metis was the first wife of the God-King Zeus. Gaia, the mother of the earth, predicted that after Metis gave birth to a daughter, the second son born would overthrow Zeus’ rule.
Zeus was very afraid of this, and when Metis gave birth to his first daughter, he found an opportunity to swallow Metis.
Thinking of the fact that Metis offended the sea world, Aphrodite asked with interest: “Or, that’s what you actually planned? Metis helped you to seize the position of the King of the Sea World. The Sea World hates her betrayal, and whatever happens to Metis in the future, they will definitely not care about it anymore. At that time, you will be able to start with her, right?”
Rhea’s face immediately became ugly, she was a little bit Looking at Aphrodite in horror, she forced a smile: “Aphrodite, what are you talking about… How could we possibly hurt Metis?”
Aphrodite said amusingly: “Why not? Your Highness Rhea, I’ve already said this, don’t you still refuse to tell me your real plans?”
Rhea didn’t speak, Aphrodite stared at her for a while, then said with a concerned smile: “Okay, Her Royal Highness Rhea really doesn’t want to say it. Let’s pretend that what I said just now is just a random guess.”
“But…I have one thing to congratulate Her Royal Highness Rhea and God-King Zeus.”
Rhea asked: “What’s the matter?”
Aphrodite blinked and said with a smile: “Congratulations to Her Royal Highness and the King of God, you two are going to be a grandmother and a father.”
Rhea was stunned at first when she heard the words, but her face changed suddenly after she reacted. She covered her mouth and exclaimed: “Metis is pregnant?!”
Notes:
- Delicate- so this is not the literal translation, the exact words in English is ‘Green onions’ [葱指是 / 葱指] which is used to describe delicate, white, and slender fingers like shallots. Generally used to praise (a woman’s) beautiful hands. It doesn’t make any sense if directly translated so I just used a word synonymous to it.
- They really can’t imagine Aphrodite, who is so beautiful, elegant and mysterious… with all the gorgeous words in the world piled up; a stunning god who is not obtrusive ,can actually do such a crazy thing- [他们实在无法想象，阿佛洛狄忒那么美貌优雅神秘……哪怕堆砌了世界上所有华丽词藻也不显突兀的绝色神明，居然能做出这样丧心病狂的事情] please correct me if I’m wrong ಠಿ_ಠಿ
- Pontus- I feel like the author made a mistake, because instead of Pontus, they wrote [彭透斯] which means Pentheus, which is the King of Thebes, not Gaia’s son.
- Tintin- P*nis
- clever is mistaken for cleverness- [聪明反被聪明误] a Chinese idiom. The main idea is being killed/harmed by your own cleverness/ideas. I’m sorry, this is the best I can translate it into English(●´⌓`●)
- it seems very clever to calculate with all their strength, but in the end, they calculated their own life.-[机关算尽太聪明，反误了卿卿性命] the literal translation is ‘the agency is too clever and mistaken for Qingqing’s life’ from Cao Xueqin’s 《红楼梦》. I used the meaning for this just because it makes more sense.
