[3rd Person POV: General]
In the grand hall of Olympus, where the regular assembly of the Gods once took place, now lay barren as silence lingered inside the hall.
Apollo, the god of the Sun, resplendent in his golden robes, sat upon the throne at the head of the great chamber, his eyes closed and a small frown upon his otherworldly face.
The God of the Sun had been asleep for unknown millennia; the gods, who were supposed to watch over the world, safeguarding its balance and harmony, had been in a deep slumber since the events of the ’demise of deities’.
The frown on Apollo’s face deepened as he slowly opened his eyes.
"A ripple?"
A deep, calm voice, tinged with confusion, spoke as Apollo sensed changes in the threads of fate.
Closing his eyes, he tried to sense the reason for the disturbance, only for his eyes to snap open abruptly, a furrow forming on his brow as he realized the absence of the World Serpent.
*Buzz..*
Suddenly, the tranquil stillness of the hall was shattered as three goddesses materialized before the assembly, their presence accompanied by a shimmering glow of golden light.
Apollo looked at the unknown goddess who arrived at his palace without announcing herself.
"Hello, brother~," the first to speak was the otherworldly beautiful woman with long pinkish hair that cascaded down her waist. Her revealing clothes didn’t try to hide much of her curves.
And despite her messed-up relation with the God Apollo, she opted to call him brother, as ’great-aunt’ made her sound too old.
"When you see the God of Olympus, you bow," he said threateningly, which brought a frown to the faces of the other two goddesses, while Aphrodite smiled lightly.
"We don’t have time for your childish behavior, Apollo," the goddess of wisdom and warfare spoke as she made a throne of iron spears, taking her seat.
"..." The God Apollo stared at her in silence, not replying.
"Stop staring at her, brother. The only reason you became the God of Olympus was that no one else wanted that title," the goddess of the hunt Artemis said as she also made a throne out of natural wood and took her seat.
"I should do this as well; it looks fun," the goddess of beauty mumbled as she also did the same, making a throne.
Now all three gods sat down, waiting for Apollo to begin.
"You should sense it as well and I know it’s important," he conceded, his voice measured and controlled, "but that does not excuse your lack of respect for the traditions of Olympus."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes, seemingly unperturbed by Apollo’s words. "Oh, lighten up, brother~. We’re not here to engage in your petty power plays."
The goddess of wisdom and warfare, Athena, inclined her head in agreement. "Indeed. We have things to do unlike you, who lives in delusion."
"Why should I?" Aphrodite asked in confusion. "Unlike Athena here, who helps her descendants but takes away their ability to love, I am not like her. They can love as many people as they want."
"Both of you should not involve too much in your descendants’ lives; it will never end well," the goddess of the hunt replied, looking at both of them.
"Yeah, you also have a descendant. How is she doing?" Aphrodite asked with interest, looking at Artemis.
"She is doing well, and unlike your descendants, she doesn’t try to hide her lover from me," Artemis replied with a proud smile.
"Good for you. You are a lot better than Athena, even when both of you are virgin goddesses. You don’t try to hinder the love lives of your descendants," Aphrodite replied, looking at Athena.
Athena looked at Aphrodite, and without saying anything, she stood up before disappearing from her place.
"Looks like she is not in the mood to talk now," Artemis mumbled as she also disappeared from her place, followed by Aphrodite.
"..."
Apollo, who had been ignored for a while, looked at the place where the three goddesses disappeared in silence.
"Death... Everyone who belittles me... They will be punished by death... They forget your death, father... But I will always remember..."
He mumbled in a glum voice before closing his eyes.
And when he opened his eyes again, a boy with red hair stood in front of him, looking around in confusion.
"How have you been, Aron?" The God Apollo asked, smiling as he looked at Aron.
"Ahhh, God Apollo," Aron replied as he bowed down a little, earning a satisfied nod from Apollo.
"We were on the trip, and things don’t look good as of now," Aron replied, looking down.
"I saw all that through your eyes. You did well," Apollo replied, nodding his head.
"But still, I couldn’t get close to anyone you told me to... Aeloria has gone missing, while Emily tried to avoid me, and the princess is out of my reach," Aron said in a regretful tone. Your next chapter is on novelhall.Côm
"Don’t worry; you have a few years ahead. You can become close to them. Do not rush yourself," Apollo counseled him like his own child. "You will also awaken your bloodline fully soon enough, so don’t worry about it as well."
"I will keep that in mind," Aron bowed his head again.
"But remember, Aron. Threat Aeloria and Emily as your lovers if you must, but the princess— pretend to love her but never actually fall in love with her." Apollo’s voice turned serious as he spoke to Aron.
Aron nodded his head in response. "She has the bloodline of the madman; I understand that, she doesn’t deserve my love."
"Good, she can only be your slave nothing else, Aron."