Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Night.

The destruction of the fantasy world did not affect the mortal realm, for the winter brought about by Demeter continued unabated.

The cold wind came from the north, and disputes and killings became more frequent. In order to fight for the limited food, the conflicts between man and beast, man and man, intensified, and only during such deep nights could a semblance of peace from days past be restored.

However, this was just the mortal realm; Olympus saw no such change. The deities were not bound by day and night, nor did they suffer from lack of clothing or food due to the winter. Therefore, at this moment on Mount of the Gods, the power that shrouded each divine palace lit up the night sky, much like the scattered stars upon the earth.

As always, the immortal deities reveled in all they had... but this night, the pantheon was doomed to restlessness.

...

Boom—

In the depths of the night, the normally tranquil sky was suddenly shattered by a clap of thunder, startling all the creatures within and beyond Mount Olympus.

The thick clouds gathered, seemingly signaling a heavy rain to come. However, the climate on Mount Olympus was never naturally occurring; everything here was a reflection of the will of the deities. So for a time, figures flew out from all corners of Mount Olympus.

Some were still not fully dressed, some had been pondering trinkets brought back from the mortal realm, and a very few had been awakened from sleep—although they were the minority.

A deity could sleep, but it was not a necessity, and only a very few chose to do so. This night, on Mount Olympus, not a single powerful deity had spent their time in slumber.

This made their reactions swift, but as a consequence, they missed much, for when the fantasy world shattered, much like Hades’s dreams, a certain intangible fluctuation spread out.

The imaginary needed an imaginary vessel to bear it, and sleep was the finest recipient, but this clearly was not meant for deities who were always awake... Of course, this wasn’t such a great loss.

After all, they neither had a special status and power like Zeus, nor did they have the kind of opportunity some deities possessed; even if they could see something in their dreams, it likely would be but a fleeting image.

They may not have known what had happened, only that all things were destroyed, everything ended, and then nothing more.

Swish—

"What’s happened, Hera, were you with Zeus earlier?"

A flash of red light streaked by, and Hestia’s figure appeared in midair. She glanced at the dark clouds above and then at the palace atop Mount Olympus.

These days, the Goddess of Hearthfire had been in a rather foul mood. Hades had stolen Demeter’s daughter, but it was compensation given by Zeus in the presence of the goddess, when the latter relinquished her place as Divine King.

Hestia had once been happy about this, asking for just one condition to avoid strife among her brothers. But to her surprise, a millennia later, that condition was invoked here.

For a moment, the goddess could find no reason to stop him; compared to Zeus’s actions, what Hades did seemed insignificant. Furthermore, the disasters stirred up by an enraged Demeter had left the mortal realm without a harvest, and in her pity, she felt even more troubled. If the problem couldn’t be solved fundamentally, then all this would never end.

Thus, amidst the contradictions, Hestia couldn’t help feeling annoyed. Everything was linked to Zeus, and now he wasn’t just failing to make an effort for resolution, he was even summoning thunder in the middle of the night.

"That I do not know. I haven’t been spending much time with Zeus recently. He doesn’t seem to want me around."

Arriving in haste as well, facing her elder sister’s inquiry, Hera said expressionlessly:

"You know what kind of person he is. When he’s enjoying life, why would he want someone like me, who’s an eyesore, to be around him?"

At a loss for words, Hestia found herself even more troubled.

Apart from not knowing why Zeus had always seemed uninterested in the Goddess of Beauty, his pursuing of pleasures had never ceased. It was just that those who hadn’t borne him offspring were less known.

The deity in charge of marriage had the most failed marriage of all... Hestia shook her head slightly, giving Hera a sympathetic look. However, the Heavenly Empress showed little reaction.

As time passed, she had grown accustomed to it since, after all, most deities were like this. As long as no more bastard children popped up and he didn’t run off to mingle with mortals in the mortal realm, then Hera could only let it be.

As the two conversed, more deities appeared in midair, all alerted by Zeus’s display of power. Yet, regarding the thunder summoned unexpectedly by the Divine King, the deities had no clue.

But soon, as the God of West Wind arrived, the pantheon ceased their discussions.

"It seems Zeus has sent you to call us over, hasn’t he?"

Looking at the newcomer, Hestia asked first.

"Yes, His Majesty has summoned you."

Bowing slightly, Zephyrus replied respectfully.

Even as times had changed, in facing the Goddess of Hearthfire, he remained as reverent as ever.

...

At that same moment, at the summit of Mount Olympus, upon the throne at the center of the grand hall, Zeus sat with furrowed brows.

Having just awoken and inadvertently releasing his power, he had ordered Zephyrus to summon the deities, preparing to explain what had just occurred. But strictly speaking, he himself was not very clear on the particulars of the event.