Although Zeus, with the help of The Goddess of Wisdom Metis, united his brothers, won over the giants, divided the Titans, and ultimately emerged victorious in the Titanomachy to overthrow Cronus and become The King of the Gods, he knew well that his position was far from secure.
When Cronus reigned as The King of the Gods, he had the support of Mother Earth Gaia and the help of his eleven siblings, enough to suppress any rebellious Divine Beings and monsters.
But Zeus was different. Hades and Poseidon also coveted the divine throne, their alliance with him only surface-deep.
Of the Twelve Titans, only a few had been locked away in the abyss of Tartarus, guarded by the Hecatoncheires.
Many were still at large. Who knew if they were secretly plotting to overthrow Olympus Divine Realm?
So, all along, Zeus had used his charm to seduce various goddesses in hopes of gaining more allies.
Unfortunately, Hera never understood his intentions.
Zeus sighed softly and sent his messenger to inform Hera that he was heading to the sea to bring back Leto's two poor children.
Hera, however, indeed could not understand. As she neared childbirth and heard that Zeus was retrieving Leto's children, a storm of fury, resentment, and sorrow surged in her heart.
The emotional upheaval caused sharp pain in her abdomen—the child was suddenly ready to be born.
As Queen of the Gods, Hera's Divine Office included marriage and childbirth, so giving birth was no great challenge for her.
Soon, something was delivered from her womb.
"What kind of monster have I given birth to?"
Hera was startled. It was a baby, but its skin was so wrinkled it looked worse than the oldest mortal.
One eye was abnormally large, even bigger than its nose, while the other was merely a slit.
The top of its head caved inward, as if someone had struck it with a hammer.
Hera had never seen such an ugly child and could hardly believe something like that had come from her own body.
"This must be Zeus's fault!"
The thought that Zeus was fetching Leto's beautiful children while she gave birth to this hideous creature made her worry that their relationship might suffer—and even her position as Queen of the Gods might be usurped by Leto.
Judging Zeus by her own shallow standards, Hera believed he loved beauty and loathed ugliness even more than she did. Surely he would resent this child.
But she didn't know that Zeus didn't care how his sons looked—he only cared whether they could help him.
Resolute, Hera made her decision and tossed the baby down Mount Olympus.
She wasn't worried the "thing" would die.
As a Divine Being with innate Divine Power, even away from Mount Olympus, he would survive just fine.
Sure enough, the baby didn't cry or scream as it rolled through the air, flying toward the sea.
Though still immature, Divine Beings were born conscious. The child already knew he had been abandoned by his own mother.
"But when Zeus comes back, how will I explain this to him?"
After discarding her ugly son, Hera began to worry about what she'd say to Zeus.
After all, the Fates had once foretold that her son would become one of the key pillars of Mount Olympus in the future.
"Should I go and find him again?"
The idea of nursing such an ugly thing was unbearable to Hera.
Suddenly, she remembered the foreign god she'd met during the Titanomachy—back when she hadn't yet become Zeus's wife.
That Divine Being had told her she would bear an extremely ugly child, one she would loathe from the bottom of her heart.
At the time, Hera had dismissed the prophecy and even driven the stranger away.
She hadn't expected the prophecy to come true.
Now, holding the withered tree branch that god had left behind, she was lost in thought.
"Water it with divine blood, chant the divine incantation, and you shall have a more beautiful child."
The words echoed in her ears like a curse.
"Zeus must never know that I gave birth to such a hideous child."
At last, Hera made up her mind. She poured her own blood onto the dried tree branch and began to chant the strange incantation.
"O wandering soul beyond the bounds of fate, you are the supreme sovereign. Grant me a perfect offspring, and in the name of the Queen of the Gods, I shall bestow upon him the honor he deserves."
...
On the floating island over the sea, Bolos was watching Artemis and Apollo compete in archery.
To be honest, he felt a bit embarrassed.
Though only three months old, the children already looked five or six years old, and their talent for archery was astonishing.
At this point, Bolos's own archery skills probably didn't compare to theirs.
The two kids happily shot down birds flying overhead with wooden bows handmade by Bolos.
Every time they hit one, they would call him over to see.
In the end, Artemis shot one more than Apollo. She cheerfully ran to Bolos and shouted, "Father, I won!"
"Yes, you won."
Bolos gently pinched her cheek, preparing to reward her by teaching her the Grand Blessing Art from the Ten Arts of Fate.
Even though Apollo lost, Bolos decided to teach him the Grand Light Art.
He had recently discovered that he could use his own Divine Power to perform the Ten Arts of Fate even without the Faith System—though the effects were weaker.
Just as he was about to begin teaching his Divine Magic, a cold voice descended from the sky.
"Father? You dare call yourself their father? Are you truly not afraid of death?"
Zeus appeared above them, gazing down at the "family of four."
The Leto he had once pursued for so long now looked at this black-haired, black-eyed stranger with a tenderness he had never seen from her.
His children, Artemis and Apollo, gazed at this stranger with admiration and longing.
And out at sea, several other Divine Beings were watching the scene unfold.
Zeus's fury nearly set the sky ablaze.
Without a word, he summoned the power of his Divine Artifact—Lightning.
"No!"
Leto, realizing what was happening, threw herself forward, trying to shield Bolos.
But how could her speed compare to the divine thunder of Zeus's Lightning?
To the gods, this Divine Artifact was known to be forged for Zeus by the Cyclopes.
But only Zeus and Hera knew: the lightning spears made by the Cyclopes were nothing compared to the true "Lightning" Zeus now wielded.
This Divine Artifact, birthed naturally from Mount Olympus shortly after Zeus became The King of the Gods, had fallen into his possession.
A terrifying thunderbolt descended from the heavens—a punishment from heaven, a chain of fate, a strike of supreme judgment.
Faced with such overwhelming might, Bolos couldn't resist at all. He stood frozen, as if paralyzed.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]