“What you said makes so much sense—I’m speechless.”
Looking at the self-righteous Hephaestus, the gods couldn’t help but gain a new understanding of the God of Fire.
In their hearts, they solidified the impression that they shouldn’t joke around with him.
Who knew if this simpleton would take their casual jokes seriously?
If he really attacked them then—being caught off guard and made to look foolish—that would be too embarrassing.
The most important thing was that they couldn’t fall out with him.
After all, his craftsmanship was something the gods truly couldn’t do without.
However, while grumbling inwardly, several of the chief gods subtly narrowed their eyes, feeling a hint of doubt and curiosity about the skill Hephaestus had just displayed.
Because it was truly fast—so fast that before they could react, Zeus had been hit in the head.
Although this injury was not even a minor one for the gods, the instantaneous divine speed caused a sense of apprehension in their hearts.
It seemed the God of Fire was not as harmless as he had previously appeared.
Poseidon stroked the beard on his chin—the beard, which had been growing for some time, made him look full of wildness.
He narrowed his sea-blue eyes, looking at Hephaestus with a hint of deep thought, his eyes occasionally darting around—clearly plotting something.
A certain Queen of the Gods’ expression was even more unpredictable.
She looked at Zeus, then at Hephaestus, who stood beside Zeus with an indifferent expression, wondering what she was thinking.
And among the gods—the one universally acknowledged as having the most schemes—a certain God of Forethought always wore a slight smile, and no one could tell what he was truly thinking.
“Oh!”
Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly strange, Hestia suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
Only then did the gods notice a golden light suddenly appearing within the dark hole in Zeus’s head.
The light grew brighter and brighter—so much so that even the gods had to shield their eyes, temporarily avoiding the radiance.
Swish—Swish—Swish—
Suddenly, the sound of armor rustling echoed in the gods’ ears.
The gods quickly lowered their hands—only to see a majestic goddess, armed and armored, stepping out from the hole in Zeus’s head with elegant strides.
Golden armor encased the goddess’s body; the gods could only admire her beautiful figure from the outline of the armor.
Two strands of purple hair naturally fell from beneath her helmet onto her chest, and her beautiful face—unmasked and fully exposed—made the gods gasp in cold air.
Metis?!
Zeus?!
This goddess seemed like a combination of the King of the Gods Zeus and the Queen of the Gods Metis.
Her face was seventy percent like Metis, but the majesty in her brows was identical to Zeus’s.
Is this the daughter of the King of the Gods and the Queen of the Gods?!
The gods instantly understood—and their gazes toward this goddess couldn’t help but carry a hint of sympathy and pity.
Only Hera’s gaze was slightly more negative.
“Ah~~”
The moment the goddess leaped out, Zeus’s head instantly returned to its original state.
He let out a comfortable sigh, feeling refreshed and invigorated—the pain that had tormented him to madness now like a dream of yesterday.
He looked at the goddess who appeared beside him, his eyes flickering slightly, then a kind and gentle smile appeared on his face.
“My child—tell me your name.”
“Athena.
My name is Athena, my great father.”
The goddess named Athena also revealed a warm smile.
“Athena, my child!
I bestow upon you the title of Wisdom and War Goddess!
From now on, you shall inherit your mother’s position and become one of the Twelve Chief Gods of Olympus!”
Zeus happily announced his plans for his newly born daughter in front of everyone.
His joyful demeanor made the gods feel his deep fatherly love for his daughter.
“Yes, I obey your will.
Your will is the law I shall follow.”
Athena gracefully bowed, accepting Zeus’s reward with elegance and poise.
The father and daughter exchanged smiles, and the aura of filial piety and paternal love emanated from them—causing the gods to shiver involuntarily.
Goodness—they exclaimed with surprise.
The level of this father-daughter duo was truly high.
“Hahahahaha~~~~”
Zeus laughed heartily.
He suddenly stood up and declared loudly, “Rejoice!
This is Athena—the daughter who combines my strength and Metis’s wisdom!”
“Cheer for the birth of my daughter!!”
Zeus’s voice directly enveloped the entire Olympus, and all the gods understood that the King of the Gods’ eldest daughter had been born today.
“OH!
OH!
OH!
OH!
OH!!!”
Wave after wave of cheers soared into the sky, almost overturning the heavens above Olympus.
The gods cheered joyfully, bringing out wine and food, and began another sleepless night of revelry.
“Come, my daughter—today you are the protagonist.”
Zeus smiled and extended his hand to Athena, saying, “All the gods will witness your radiant presence.”
Facing her father’s invitation, Athena smiled sweetly—then walked over to Hephaestus, who was eating melon seeds and watching the show, almost recording it—and hugged his arm, shaking her head apologetically to Zeus.
“Forgive me, my father—I still have many, many things I wish to tell my brother.”
“Huh?!”
Hephaestus was stunned.
He looked at Zeus, then at Athena, and instantly felt terrible.
Oh, mother!
You little brat—why are you dragging me, an innocent bystander, into this mess?
Feeling Zeus’s meaningful gaze surveying him, Hephaestus immediately pulled a long face and unceremoniously reached out to press down on Athena’s helmet.
“What are you doing?!
Let go of me!”
Ignoring Athena’s resistance, Hephaestus bowed slightly to Zeus and said calmly and indifferently, “Great Zeus—since Athena says she has something to tell me, please allow me to take her down.”
“Oh?
Oh!
No problem, no problem.”
Zeus waved his hand upon hearing this, his smile still benevolent.
He looked at Hephaestus and Athena kindly and said with a smile, “Metis loved you so much.
If she could see you and Athena so close, she would surely be very happy.”
Yes—she’s probably rolling on the floor with joy right now.
Thanks to his mask, Hephaestus’s deadpan expression went unnoticed by the gods.
He bowed to Zeus once more, then led Athena away under the gaze of the gods.
When the great doors closed, completely cutting off their retreating figures—a cold light flashed in Zeus’s eyes.
And this scene was noticed by Prometheus, by Hera, by Poseidon—and by all the gods.