Aphrodite let out a soft hum, surprised, and said, “I know, but what does that have to do with me? It wasn’t me who killed the gods.”
Tartarus gazed deeply at Aphrodite, his handsome brows flowing with a casual, radiant light. His pale pink lips were straight, and his indifference was evident.
Aphrodite genuinely didn’t care about Metis’s fate.
Tartarus spoke in a deep voice, “As you said, if you had revealed Rhea’s conspiracy to Metis, I think she would have been willing to grant you the divine essence of wisdom, thus avoiding the death of a god.”
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow lightly, “What position does His Highness Tartarus hold in asking me this question? You have listened to the entire exchange between Rhea and me. If His Highness Tartarus cares about Metis’s plight, you could have told Metis directly instead of questioning me here.”
Tartarus fell silent for a moment before saying, “I do not sympathize with Metis’s situation; I simply wish to understand your thoughts.”
Aphrodite’s smile slowly widened. He walked in front of the seated Tartarus, leaned down slightly, and let his silver hair brush against Tartarus’s cheek, leaving a faint, delicate fragrance.
Looking down from his elevated position, Aphrodite’s tone was icy and superior, “His Highness Tartarus, here’s a piece of advice: you may indulge in mere beauty, but do not attempt to probe a god’s thoughts, or else—”
Aphrodite paused. Tartarus, looking at him calmly, asked, “Or else what?”
Aphrodite remained silent, gently gripping Tartarus’s chin, and whispered, “Or else, you will find yourself inevitably falling in love with him.”
Tartarus’s eyes deepened significantly. His sensual Adam’s apple moved as his hand lightly rested on Aphrodite’s slender waist.
He spoke, his voice low and husky with desire, “You are the god of love and the embodiment of the world’s greatest beauty. It is only natural for any god to fall in love with you.”
Aphrodite’s lips curled slightly, his eyes cold, “His Highness Tartarus should know the difference.”
Love based merely on beauty can be easily escaped, but when one’s heart and mind are wholly immersed, it becomes inescapable.
Tartarus only stared at him, silent, seemingly not taking Aphrodite’s words to heart.
Aphrodite smirked inwardly, finding Tartarus’s confidence amusing. He was evidently self-assured in his power and status, believing he could not be swayed by love.
But he did not understand; love was the most capricious thing in the world.
Even the gods who governed it were cautious and reluctant to engage with it.
Aphrodite sat down opposite Tartarus. The quiet Areinte quickly came over to pour him a cup of tea.
Aphrodite toyed with the teacup, speaking casually, “If His Highness Tartarus really wants to know why I am unwilling to save Lady Metis, I can also tell you the reason.”
He then remained in place, seemingly waiting for Tartarus to refuse.
However—
Tartarus leaned back slightly, resting on his chair. He said calmly, “Go ahead and explain your reason.”
“Excessive curiosity is truly not a good thing,” Aphrodite said coldly.
He then explained his reasons for watching Rhea and her son plot against Metis without offering aid.
“First and foremost, Metis has no relation to me. I believe intervening in others’ disputes is quite impolite and irrational. Don’t you think so, Your Highness?”
Tartarus nodded slightly, his expression softening, showing agreement with Aphrodite’s words.
Aphrodite looked away from him and continued, “Leaving aside the most subjective emotional factors, the subsequent actions are purely the result of a benefit analysis.”
“Compared to power, Rhea is the daughter of Gaia, the Earth Mother, and once the queen of the gods. Zeus, as the god of thunder, is incredibly powerful, and he also has several older siblings.
While Metis is a wise goddess, unmatched in wisdom, she is limited in her ability to turn the tide in the face of absolute power held by a clever god. Her chances of success are very slim.”
“Thus, she is likely to be overpowered by Zeus and his family. Especially after observing her actions, I am even more convinced of this.”
“True wisdom not only employs strategy but also understands the minds of gods. Metis, representing the sea realm, abandoned her position as sea queen. Such actions would undoubtedly anger the sea faction led by her parents. In this situation, even if she suffers, the sea realm might turn a blind eye and not demand an explanation from Olympus.”
“So, if I let Metis die, I will gain a divine essence with no losses.”
“But if I help Metis, first, I will offend the currently dominant Rhea and her son. Second, Metis might not win. Even if she does win and becomes the new mother of the gods, how can I be sure she won’t hold a grudge against me for taking her divine essence of wisdom?”
“At that point, if the new queen of the gods seeks to punish me, I would have no means to resist or show disrespect to her.”
Tartarus raised an eyebrow, “I think if Metis agreed to your deal, she probably wouldn’t hold a grudge against you afterward.”
Aphrodite replied coldly, “Perhaps, but I do not trust a god who betrays their parents.”
“Moreover, as long as Metis lives, the divine essence of wisdom I possess will always be just a branch of the true essence. Only with her death can I fully control the divine essence of wisdom.”
Aphrodite’s eyes were as cold as ever, and his words were starkly clear.
In simple terms, Metis’s existence was a hindrance to him.
Tartarus smirked, “Actually, that last reason is probably why you stand by and watch.”
Aphrodite did not deny it, “I have no responsibility toward her. If Your Highness insists on branding me as a malicious god, then I cannot help it.”
Tartarus murmured, “I do not think you are malicious, only—”
Aphrodite glanced at him, raising an eyebrow, “Only what?”
Tartarus said quietly, “Your cold demeanor seems even more beautiful…”
Aphrodite was moved internally but remained silent, merely casting a cold and disdainful glance at him.
Though Tartarus did not speak, Aphrodite could hear his heart beating rapidly.
Aphrodite found it curious, surprised that Tartarus, the epitome of arrogance, was affected by his own coldness…
But it was fine; Aphrodite was not keen on sacrificing his beauty, and such an attitude helped maintain the distance between him and Tartarus.
In the temple of love, a cold fragrance flowed, contrasting sharply with the outside world, where gods celebrated and sang, rejoicing in the emergence of the new king of gods.
Aphrodite sat in the temple, observing the gods’ king being surrounded by the other gods from a detached and aloof position.
Unintentionally, his gaze met Zeus’s.
Zeus stared intently at Aphrodite and then slowly revealed a smile.
That smile was filled with arrogance and greed, making Aphrodite feel uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart.
Subsequently, the gods did not linger in the temple of love but were led by Zeus to the Hall of the Gods.
Naturally, Tartarus and Aphrodite also followed.
On the way, Areinte closely followed Aphrodite. Aphrodite remarked, “Zeus, having obtained the divine essence of the king of Gods, seems to be treating Tartarus with considerably more disdain compared to before.”
Tartarus calmly replied, “The king of gods and the primordial gods are of equivalent status.”
Aphrodite turned his head to look at the unchanging expression of the abyssal god and raised an eyebrow, “What about power?”
Tartarus rolled his eyes slightly, his disdain evident. Zeus was indeed powerful, but the distance between him and this enigmatic abyssal god was still considerable. The gap was bridged by the control over the world’s essence and the time span of the gods’ dominance.
These differences cannot be smoothed over by the mere title of King of the Gods.
Aphrodite smiled faintly and asked, “Since that’s the case, why did Your Highness accept Zeus’s order to accompany me to the Hall of the Gods?”
Tartarus replied, “Simply to accompany you.”
Aphrodite said no more and continued walking quietly, lost in thought.
It seemed that Tartarus didn’t take Zeus’s authority to heart. However, his actions were always perfectly timed, giving the impression that he supported Zeus.
Perhaps Zeus thought the same, but only Aphrodite knew that what the Abyssal God truly cared about was himself…
Aphrodite’s lips curved slightly. This wasn’t bad, actually. The thought of the gods misjudging the Abyssal God’s stance, only for him to betray them at a critical moment—that scene would be quite entertaining.
Soon, Aphrodite and Tartarus arrived outside the Hall of the Gods.
The hall was vast, and the first part they entered was a long, straight corridor, with a crimson carpet laid out along its length.
The carpet extended inward, leading into a grand hall.
There was no dome in the hall, but when looking up, what one saw wasn’t a clear blue sky, but a wondrous, resplendent night sky. The sky was filled with countless mysterious stars, some large, some small, some clustered, some scattered, all forming a cryptic constellation.
Standing beneath this constellation, it felt as if one were stepping into the cosmos itself. Even the gods seemed insignificant in such a moment.
At this time, Zeus sat on the grandest and most luxurious throne in the Hall of the Gods. The throne was adorned with a crown pattern, positioned far above the other treasures, symbolizing the King of the Gods and the untouchable pride associated with it.
Next to the throne of the King of the Gods was a slightly lower throne for the Queen of the Gods, upon which Metis was seated. Her gaze was gentle and serene, her smile gracious and elegant, like a beautiful painting. Even the King of the Gods could not overshadow her brilliance.
Aphrodite’s chest rose and fell slightly as he cast his gaze across the twelve thrones arranged on either side of the thrones of the King and Queen of the Gods, his eyes filled with determination.
These twelve thrones symbolized the positions of the Twelve Olympian Gods, the most powerful beings right after the Primordial Gods, the King of the Gods, and the Queen of the Gods.
The goddess of love occupied one of these seats, and Aphrodite would soon take a seat there as well.
But for now, he, along with the other gods, had to stand in the hall, awaiting Zeus’s command.
It wasn’t just him—Rhea, the former Queen of the Gods, and Tartarus were also standing.
Aphrodite glanced briefly at the Abyssal God beside him. Before entering the hall, the Abyssal God had remained calm.
However, after seeing that there was no seat prepared for him in the hall, Tartarus became enshrouded in a dense, impenetrable mist, his entire being exuding an aura of unfathomable danger.
Aphrodite thought, “Is he angry because Zeus didn’t prepare a seat for him?”
Yet aside from Aphrodite, no one else seemed to notice. To them, the Abyssal God shrouded in mist was his usual state.
Zeus sat majestically on the throne of the King of the Gods, his every movement radiating authority. He glanced at the gods and resumed the previous discussion: “According to the draw, I won over my two brothers to become King of the Gods. Now, as for the Sea and the Underworld, where should my brothers go?”
Both the Underworld and the Sea were tough territories. The gods of the Underworld were few, but they were all descendants of the Night Goddess and the God of Darkness.
The Sea had no particularly prominent figures, but Oceanus and Tethys had so many children that they almost entirely controlled the divine roles of the ocean. Whoever became the Sea King would find themselves largely powerless.
Even so, the titles of King of the Underworld and Sea King were far more prestigious than those of ordinary gods, and Hades and Poseidon had no complaints about it.
The only dilemma now was deciding who would go to the Underworld and who would go to the Sea. Zeus couldn’t help but look at Tartarus, hoping he could offer some assistance.
For example—
helping Hades and Poseidon settle the affairs of the Underworld and the Sea.
Zeus’s hopeful gaze was obvious, and Tartarus certainly didn’t miss it.
Aphrodite narrowed his eyes, thinking, “It seems like Tartarus is still holding a grudge against Zeus for not preparing a seat for him. Will he help Zeus and the others?”
The answer was yes.
But he only helped one of them.
As Zeus stared at Tartarus for a moment, the deep and distant voice of Tartarus emerged from the surrounding mist: “Hades, come with me to the Underworld. I will help you gather the gods of the Underworld, establish the Underworld, and become the true King of the Underworld!”
He emphasized the last two words heavily.
As for Poseidon, that was it.
The gods stood in stunned silence for a while, and when they realized that Tartarus had nothing more to say, they finally understood—Tartarus had no intention of helping Poseidon.
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow, glanced at the now fuming Poseidon, the slightly frowning Zeus, and the ever-calm Hades, then smiled slightly.
Tartarus is quite cunning, Aphrodite thought.
In the eyes of the gods, it seemed like Zeus stared at Tartarus for a long time, then Tartarus began to subtly negotiate with him, finally making a decision and giving a response.
No one knew what kind of deal the two had struck, but in the end, Tartarus completely ignored Poseidon and went directly with Hades. The other gods, not understanding the situation, might have thought Zeus had some issue with Poseidon.
Or perhaps, considering that the Sea was Metis’s domain, Zeus might have wanted to maintain some peace there and decided to sacrifice the Sea’s interests, leaving Poseidon with just a title, while fully focusing on the development of the Underworld.
Poseidon, whose personality seemed much more volatile compared to the more steady Hades, nearly exploded like a bomb in the very next second after making this assumption.
He looked at Zeus with eyes full of anger and accusation.
But Zeus himself was also uncomfortable. He knew perfectly well that he hadn’t made any deal with Tartarus. Even if he had, he would never have requested Tartarus to fully support Hades.
Zeus’s ideal scenario was for Tartarus to step in, knock some sense into the gods of the Sea and the Underworld, and have them give some of their power to his brothers.
That way, his two brothers would be too busy dealing with the gods of the Underworld and the Sea to have the energy to focus on his throne.
But Tartarus did the opposite, shifting Poseidon’s anger entirely onto Zeus, while also helping Hades smooth out the aftermath and directly aiding him in gaining power.
Zeus thought with a headache that if he didn’t know better, he might have believed Tartarus was deliberately targeting him, especially since he hadn’t wronged the god of the Abyss, who seemed quite supportive of him.
