Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Zeus had wanted to communicate with Hecate, and this idea wasn't born just today. In fact, he had planned to have a talk with the Goddess of the Magic Net who controlled witchcraft, after gradually understanding the laws of faith's emergence. Today's events were merely a prelude at best.

Of course, the reason he intended to "have a talk" rather than directly issuing Divine King's decree for Hecate to follow his commands lies in Zeus' subtle dread of her.

As the Divine King, he was never one to repay kindness and return favors, and Metis' fate was the best proof of this. If not because Hecate was so special, how else would Zeus be so generous to her, even personally promising her the privilege to remain independent of the Divine Court? All of this was, after all, an act of courting and soothing the Goddess of the Magic Net.

Early on, before the feast to honor the victors after the epochal turn, the Divine King had initially prepared the control over a swath of starry sky as a reward for Hecate—Zeus had hoped for the Underworld, but the Goddess of the Magic Net didn't have any entitlement related to the Underworld, and there was already the Goddess of the Nether Moon and the River of Vows in existence.

Thus, the Divine King settled for the vastness of the celestial space as a second choice.

On one hand, this could express his intention to co-rule the heavens with the other deities, and on the other, the starry sky wasn't truly under Zeus' control. Even the presence of the Moon Goddess was much more significant than that of the nascent Divine Court.

Allowing Hecate to go there, she could use the Moon as a stepping stone, to create checks and balances with the Ancient Gods in the starry space, preventing any Star God from deciding to follow the example of the ancient God of Sun and attempting to become the master of the entire celestial realm during the formative moments of the Divine Court.

The Lightless celestial deity Coeus was who Zeus was most wary of. Though this Titan Principal God had been reclusive for a while, after all, he briefly united with Cronus in the last epoch and launched a war to unify the starry sky. This ancient Titan conducted his affairs with discretion, but he was indeed a deity no less formidable than Oceanus, the God of the Ocean.

For the then Divine King, the very existence of Coeus was a great threat.

On Earth, the luminous celestial bodies spread Light, but only the deities who had truly set foot there knew that it was the Lightless celestial bodies that made up the majority of the starry sky. The power of the luminous bodies was fragmented. The Star Gods and the Sun and Moon were all part of it, but the sole master of the Lightless celestial bodies was Coeus alone.

Zeus had made many plans for this, and that seemingly unremarkable feast for the victors was actually the art of balance the Divine King had contemplated for a long time, advised by Metis. However, once he had truly taken on the mantle of Divine King and perceived the Chains of the Law that spread across the world, he had adjusted his earlier choices at the first opportunity.

Hecate was conferred extra glory and rights by him, and turning around, the Divine King secretly reached out to the black-robed goddess Leto. Without the Goddess of the Magic Net, he had to stabilize the celestial space in an alternative way. Even though this goddess' beauty was not particularly outstanding among the deities, Zeus still used all his eloquence to ensure Leto stood by his side.

Of course, Zeus was now very thankful for his earlier decision. He himself had not expected that this goddess, whom he had not truly valued, would bring him such an impeccable firstborn.

"Witchcraft... truly a troublesome power. Fortunately, once I take that step, many things will become much simpler,"

Zeus sighed softly, feeling somewhat headache-stricken. Nowadays, the Mortal Realm hardly supported deities in unleashing Divine Power for prolonged battles, and often a single move would be enough to exact a heavy toll, with Poseidon's recent encounter serving as a case in point. But for Hecate, this was actually the greatest benefit.

The Divine King had no doubt that even if her Divine Power was far inferior to his, and [Magic Net] was not as suited for direct combat as [Thunder], if he truly confronted Hecate in the Mortal Realm, the one who would end up losing was none other than himself. Because as long as Zeus couldn't defeat her in a few moves, the scales of Victory would clearly tilt toward the Goddess of the Magic Net.

Of course, there was more than one deity in the Divine Court, and should they rise up to attack together, Hecate would certainly be no match. And once Zeus had completed at least half of the rituals and gained further power, this awkward situation would likewise be alleviated.

But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and for now, the Divine King believed there was no need to take things to that extremity.

"I'll make a visit first, at least I need to understand what exactly she intends to do. In any event, neither Leto nor my eldest son can afford to suffer any mishaps."

Having made his decision, the Divine King immediately stepped out of the palace. He planned to visit the southeast of the Earth, but before leaving, Zeus still waved his hand, summoning his frequently used messenger Zephyrus.

"Your Majesty, what are your commands?"

Zephyrus, the God of West Wind, asked respectfully upon being summoned.

"Keep a close watch on Olympus, and don't let Hera do anything unnecessary. If she sends anyone out, stop them first; if she herself intends to leave, tell her that at this point, she cannot change anything, and everything can wait until my return,"

Zeus spoke gravely, his words not entirely clear in many respects. However, the God of West Wind simply bowed slightly, indicating understanding.

"I will do so, Your Majesty, but if the Heavenly Empress insists on leaving—"

"... Just relay my message. That will suffice." Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr

Massaging his temples, the Divine King didn't want to think about these headache-inducing matters anymore. Seeing that Zephyrus understood his intent, in the next moment, he transformed into Thunder, flying out of Mount Olympus.