At this moment, Ares secretly planned that, since it was a realm that worshipped him and the Goddess of Beauty, it naturally had to embody characteristics of both, to magnify his reputation.
As for what characteristics those were... they naturally belonged to his slaughter and battle, as well as the female beauty represented by Aphrodite.
"Very well, since the matter is settled, let's wait for my valiant offspring. Afterwards, I'll announce the final matter."
Seated back in his place, Zeus picked up his goblet and sipped lightly from it.
Any of his sons would do... Ares's proposal might even cause less trouble. However, it had to be said that today's proceedings were going smoothly.
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Meanwhile, outside the Temple of Delphi.
At this time, Apollo was clearly unaware that the Goddess of Beauty, originally designated for himself by Zeus, had been snatched away by his brother. Of course, even if he knew, it's likely he wouldn't care given his temperament.
And in a certain sense, this matter could not quite be considered good or bad for him.
Now, standing in front of the great doors of the Temple, Apollo was acquainting himself with his newfound power, experiencing the sudden change in his divine strength. Perhaps due to the Sacred Stone's uniqueness, he even felt an emerging connection with the Sun, though it was still night, and he could not fully grasp that link just yet.
However, this was merely an initial exploration and without lingering too long, Apollo opened his eyes and looked towards the half-empty sky. There, an unmistakable presence was circling and dancing.
The visitor had been there for a while, evidently waiting for him.
"Apollo, son of Leto, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
He bowed slightly, yet his back remained straight. The young god immediately noticed the Divine King and Queen of Gods seated at the highest place, their swaying Golden Crowns and thrones displaying their status. However, Apollo remained silent because, being new to the place, he was not yet familiar with the affairs of Mount Olympus and was not ready to make any rash decisions.
Besides, mere words held no meaning; it wasn't with words that the Heavenly Empress had hunted him, but with a brute release of a monstrous beast.
"Alright, my child, no need for such formality. In time, you will take pride in being a member of Olympus."
"Next, we have the final matter for today."
Noticing Apollo's self-introduction, Zeus simply ignored it. This minor issue could be left for Hera to handle.
Perhaps even fate was aware of the impending changes; at this moment, Zeus felt his spirit clearer than ever before.
The Divine King's authority trembled slightly upon him, as if instinctively sensing that something was about to alter it. After Apollo had taken his reserved seat, under the gaze of all the gods, Zeus finally spoke of the day's most important matter.
"Honored deities, ever since the world begun, we have witnessed the reign of three Divine Kings. I often ponder what it was exactly that caused the first two to lose their thrones."
Zeus's gaze swept across the crowd, and the airborne thrones lit up slightly.
The gods were somewhat surprised; they didn't understand why Zeus would bring up this topic. Weren't the reasons for the downfall of the first two Divine Kings due to fate and power?
However, seated on the throne without expecting an answer from others, Zeus immediately expressed his own perspective.
"Some say it was a result predestined by fate; others feel they lacked truly invincible power, but in my view, it was because they were unwilling to share their authority with the other gods."
"Oh, those ancient and proud deities, they who received the grace of the world, believed themselves to be the rulers of all, thinking they could govern all with their sole strength. They couldn't even tolerate their own progeny, thus tormented them, imprisoned them, but I am different, I would never do such a thing."