Rhea’s panicked look seemed to reveal something. She quickly reacted and stared at Aphrodite with an unprecedented ferocity, “Are you deceiving me?!”
Aphrodite gently stroked her chin and then lifted it, smiling as he said, “If Princess Rhea is referring to Metis being pregnant, I’m sorry, but I didn’t lie to you. She really is pregnant.”
Aphrodite pointed to his own eyes, hinting, “Princess Rhea, I am the deity of reproduction. No new birth can escape my observation.”
It can’t escape my observation, but it can escape yours.
Before Aphrodite finished speaking, Rhea seemed to understand his meaning. Metis might be aware of her fate after becoming pregnant and might be trying to guard against them.
Rhea looked towards the direction outside the temple. Her usually gentle and docile eyes were now icy and cold, glaring at Metis with clear cruelty.
Aphrodite never considered the gods to be kind. They were high above, and their occasional kindness was simply due to their indifference. However, when they did care, their cruelty was shockingly terrible.
Rhea helped her own child overthrow Kronos, but that doesn’t mean she would watch her son be overthrown in the same way.
Aphrodite thought Metis, as a wise goddess, should be very smart. But wisdom does not mean that she can play with conspiracies and tricks.
Otherwise, why would there be a term like “bookworm”?
Rhea only stared at Metis for a short while before quickly looking away.
Rhea lowered her voice and asked Aphrodite, “Alright, Aphrodite, I admit everything you said is our plan. But what about you? What is your purpose in questioning me?”
Aphrodite calmly replied, “I want Metis’s divine power.”
The divine power of wisdom. Although its effects in Metis might not seem significant, Aphrodite wouldn’t underestimate its power.
Rhea frowned, “That might not be possible. Zeus wants to keep the godhood for himself. As you know, although Hyperion, Iapetus, and the others were cast into Tartarus with Kronos, their children were not. Zeus needs the godhood of wisdom to handle many gods and balance their relationships.”
Aphrodite thought for a while and said, “I think Metis’s wisdom godhood is composed of two parts: the godhood of intelligence and the godhood of wisdom. Since the king of gods needs the godhood of wisdom, then give me the godhood of intelligence.”
“The godhood of intelligence and the godhood of wisdom?” Rhea showed a trace of confusion on her face. Obviously, she was not so clear about the specific classification and involvement of the godhood.
But this is normal for her. Most of the gods in the Greek God Realm do not cultivate their minds. They are very satisfied with the superficial application of the power of the godhood.
As for the difference between intelligence and wisdom… Aphrodite thought that wisdom leans more towards acquired knowledge and experience, while intelligence is more about innate mental sharpness.
Of course, this was just Aphrodite’s own guess and understanding. Until he actually obtained the godhood, he couldn’t fully determine its true nature.
Aphrodite didn’t want to give Rhea too much time to think. He pressed on, “Princess Rhea, if you give me the intelligence part of the godhood, I’ll stay silent. Are you willing to make this deal?”
Rhea hesitated. Aphrodite’s eyes sparkled with a bright light, silently tempting Rhea: “Princess, I could have shared these speculations with Metis. To protect herself and seek favors, Metis would surely be willing to offer me the intelligence part in exchange. If I dealt directly with Metis, I might have obtained the godhood even sooner… but I didn’t do that. Do you know why?”
Rhea instinctively asked, “Why?”
Aphrodite slightly pursed his lips. His calm, beautiful eyes now seemed like a clear spring in the night, appearing serene on the surface, but with countless emotions quietly swirling inside, as if about to burst and overwhelm the person before him.
Aphrodite said, “Of course, it’s because of you… and the God-King.”
He lowered his eyes, and his delicate, ethereal voice carried a sense of melancholy: “Although Metis is also innocent, Princess Rhea, you have endured so much suffering. The thought of you falling back into the vortex of power struggles makes me feel a bit sorry for you.”
After a moment, as if realizing his words were too direct, Aphrodite added with a touch of awkwardness: “And as a loyal servant to you and the God-King, I will, of course, do everything I can to help you.”
Rhea couldn’t help but say, “Aphrodite, you…”
Aphrodite avoided her gaze, seemingly afraid she might reject him.
Tartarus coldly interrupted their exchange and asked Rhea, “Stop your pretentiousness. Rhea, do you agree to Aphrodite’s terms? To exchange Metis’s intelligence part of the godhood for Aphrodite’s silence?”
Rhea looked at Aphrodite deeply and said calmly, “Yes, I agree.”
Aphrodite turned to look at her, touched, and said, “Princess, I’m sorry. I…”
Rhea smiled gently and asked, “Why are you saying sorry?”
Aphrodite’s gaze darkened. After a moment of silence, he said quietly, “I had planned to stay silent, but as you know, my original godhood would put me in a dire situation… I need a powerful and wise godhood to protect myself.”
Rhea took his hand and said softly, “I understand and sympathize, Aphrodite, because I also feel pity for you…”
She glanced at Tartarus instinctively, sensing that he might have ill intentions.
Offended by her look, Tartarus coldly said, “Rhea, perhaps you should go outside and celebrate the God-King’s ascent with your children.”
Rhea opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She looked at Aphrodite with sympathy. Aphrodite, with a confused look, raised his hand, twisting a strand of his silver hair around his finger before letting it go, leaving a fluffy ring. He appeared utterly lost.
To Rhea, Aphrodite looked like a pitiful creature being exploited by Tartarus.
Rhea said softly, “Aphrodite, let’s go outside together.”
Tartarus replied lightly, “No, I have matters to discuss with Aphrodite.”
Rhea, fearful of the enigmatic primordial deity, wanted to protect the beautiful youth before her but didn’t dare defy the authority of the God of the abyss. Torn between these conflicting emotions, she felt awkward standing there.
Aphrodite quickly said, “Princess, the God-King is still waiting for you. Go and witness his glory. Don’t keep him waiting.”
Rhea looked at him with concern, pursed her lips, and said earnestly, “Aphrodite, I will leave the intelligence part of the Godhood to you!”
As if feeling that wasn’t enough, Rhea moved closer and whispered, “…The sky Godhood is a gift from Uranus. It’s a reward you truly deserve.”
Aphrodite’s eyes flickered, a dangerous light flashing briefly. What did Rhea mean? Was someone planning to interfere with his sky Godhood?
Kronos or Metis?
Aphrodite wasn’t surprised that the gods knew about his acquisition of the sky Godhood, since Kronos had witnessed him offering Kronos’s genitals to Uranus.
Kronos probably spread this news just to see Aphrodite and the gods turn against each other.
However, Aphrodite’s voice carried a hint of confusion. He responded, somewhat dazed, “Ah…? Well, thank you, Princess Rhea.”
Rhea gave him a deep look, then walked out of the temple to stand beside Zeus, accepting the worship of the gods together.
Aphrodite’s gentle smile had faded, replaced by calm and indifference.
Tartarus walked up to him and gave him a meaningful look. “It’s strange. Rhea seems to have been turned into a fool by you.”
Aphrodite smiled slightly and replied, “Love can indeed make gods lose their minds.”
After a moment, he raised his hand and said earnestly, “Love is filled with bewildering and unknown powers. It can cause gods to experience illusions, lose vigilance, and lose judgment…”
“Love confuses feelings, it is the six senses. The six senses can be confused by love, and I should control them.”
Aphrodite wanted to condense the six senses of Godhead. If he could directly control the six senses of gods and people, then his strength would usher in a leap forward.
However, it was clear that the laws had their own judgment and would not grant him anything simply because he asked.
The influence of love is significant but not unchanging. It was difficult to use it to condense the Godhood of the senses. In the end, Aphrodite only obtained a ‘Godhood of Illusions.’
The Godhood of Illusions was a colorless, transparent polyhedron, but its different faces refracted various hues, dazzling and brilliant like a diamond’s fire.
Aphrodite fashioned a silver bracelet, setting the Godhood of Illusions as a diamond ornament.
Tartarus was surprised at how easily Aphrodite seemed to grasp divine abilities, but he had a deeper question.
Tartarus asked, “Are you saying Rhea loves you?”
Aphrodite casually responded, “Not really. She’s just been enchanted and influenced by my honeyed words, creating the illusion of loving me.”
At this point, Aphrodite paused, touching his chin. Tartarus had a strange premonition—
The next moment, Aphrodite continued, “Love originates from the senses, such as sight, feeling, and speech. Sight made me the God of Beauty, feeling made me the God of Illusions, and speech should make me the God of Honeyed Words.”
With his words, Aphrodite effortlessly condensed another Godhood, similar to the Godhood of Illusions but smaller, the Godhood of Honeyed Words.
Aphrodite was overjoyed, having condensed two Godhoods at once. His usually cool demeanor became more lively as he embedded the Godhood of Honeyed Words in the bracelet next to the Godhood of Illusions.
Aphrodite lifted his left hand for Tartarus to see, his voice as sweet as flowing honey, deeply enchanting and mesmerizing: “From now on, my words will bring joy to all living beings.”
Tartarus looked at him somewhat dazed, feeling that Aphrodite exuded a captivating allure and irresistible charm.
After a long while, Tartarus finally came back to his senses.
He gently lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes trembling. Changing the subject, Tartarus asked, “Why choose to help Rhea? Don’t you know, Rhea and her kin might resort to God-slaying?”
