Perhaps Zeus had overlooked one thing—or rather, based on his past experiences, he had made an overly arrogant assumption.
He actually believed those few words alone would be enough to make his powerful older siblings submit.
He clearly underestimated Hades’s almost instinctive obsession with authority, as well as Hera’s pride and rebellious nature, which might not yield even to their own mother.
As for Poseidon, Demeter, and Hestia, they were hardly easy to manipulate either.
Almost the moment Zeus finished speaking, Demeter and Hestia quietly drifted closer to Poseidon.
“Poseidon, why do I get the feeling our little brother is a bit of a dimwit?
After seeing Hades and Hera’s reaction, he still dares to speak as if he’s already the one in charge?” Demeter’s voice echoed directly in Poseidon’s mind through divine transmission.
As gentle as ever, her tone made the content all the more jarring, causing the corner of Poseidon’s mouth to twitch.
“Hey, Demeter, isn’t calling him a ‘dimwit’ a bit much?
He’s still the brother who got us out.” Hestia also joined the divine transmission, though her voice carried a clear note of helplessness.
“Poseidon, you decide.” Demeter continued calmly.
“Looking at the situation, a fight is probably unavoidable.
If it really comes to that… should we stab our little brother first?
Just like how you usually ‘persuade’ Hades—quick and decisive.” “Hey, hey, Hestia!
Demeter!” Poseidon couldn’t help protesting through the mental link.
“What happened to you two?
Aren’t you always the ones stopping me from fighting Hades?
Why are you both acting even more aggressive than I am now?
And when have I ever ‘persuaded’ Hades?
You’re the one who’s always scheming against him behind the scenes.
I’ve never done anything like that.” Poseidon was completely speechless at the unexpectedly warlike attitudes of the two goddesses.
In the original myths, these two were supposed to be gentle goddesses who always looked at the bigger picture.
Why was one casually suggesting they stab Zeus in the back while the other silently approved and left the decision to him?
This script was completely wrong!
Logically, it should have been Poseidon itching to start trouble while Demeter and Hestia worked together to hold him back.
How had their roles somehow been reversed?
While Poseidon and the two goddesses silently complained among themselves, watching the tense standoff between Zeus, Hades, and Hera, two figures took the initiative to approach them.
It was Prometheus, gently leading along his younger brother, Epimetheus.
Prometheus carried a faint aura of prophecy and wisdom, while his younger brother gave off the impression of an innocent child who lived entirely in the present.
“Greetings, Great God who commands the raging seas, shakes the very foundations of the earth, and guides the eternal cycle of power.” Prometheus bowed respectfully before Poseidon, his greeting carrying an unmistakable layer of deeper meaning beneath its courtesy.
“Hello!
I’m Epimetheus, and this is my brother, Prometheus.” Epimetheus greeted them with a cheerful grin, curiously looking over Poseidon and the two goddesses beside him.
Faced with the unexpected greeting, Poseidon composed himself and nodded.
“A pleasure to meet you.
I am Poseidon.” He gestured toward his companions.
“These two are Demeter and Hestia.” Prometheus turned toward the two goddesses and bowed with equal respect.
“It is an honor to meet the rightful Goddess who governs the growth of all things and the abundance of grain, and the Goddess of the Eternal Hearth, whose flames illuminate both the divine realm and the mortal world, bringing warmth and order.” His words overflowed with praise while subtly revealing a sense of certainty.
Poseidon immediately understood the hidden implications beneath the flattery.
Demeter and Hestia, however, were clearly unimpressed by compliments wrapped in grand “divine definitions.” “Um… I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.” “And I don’t like the title ‘Goddess of the Hearth’ either.
It sounds far too narrow-minded.
If I wished, my flames could burn away the falsehoods of the entire world and forge a new order.” Demeter frowned slightly, openly voicing her confusion.
Hestia’s response was even more direct.
She gently shook her head, a trace of dissatisfaction appearing on her normally gentle face.
Rather than looking embarrassed, Prometheus simply laughed.
“Hahaha, then I must apologize for misspeaking.
It seems the two goddesses have been deeply influenced by the Lord of the Sea.
Your personalities are so bold and forthright that you possess the spirit of true heroines—quite different from what I had imagined.” As he spoke, his gaze casually drifted toward Poseidon.
“…?!
What did you just say?!” The expressions of Demeter and Hestia changed instantly.
Calling them “true heroines” sounded complimentary on the surface, but paired with Prometheus’s teasing tone, it sounded suspiciously like he was saying they weren’t elegant enough… or not ladylike enough to resemble proper goddesses.
And that happened to be exactly the kind of comment they hated most.
Poseidon knew all too well that once these two sisters lost their tempers, dealing with them was far more troublesome than enduring one of Hera’s magical bombardments.
He still remembered the time he’d casually remarked that Hestia was “starting to feel more and more like the boss of the family.” The seemingly gentle goddess had then “accidentally” scorched him with her Sacred Fire for three straight days, leaving even his divine body carrying the lingering smell of burnt smoke.
“Ahem!” Poseidon quickly stepped forward, cutting himself between Prometheus and the two goddesses before forcefully changing the subject.
“So, you two didn’t come all the way over just to compliment us, did you?” He pointed toward the center of the camp, where the atmosphere surrounding Zeus, Hera, and Hades had grown increasingly oppressive.
“The main event is about to begin over there.
Aren’t you going to join them?” Prometheus restrained his smile.
Resting a hand atop Epimetheus’s head—preventing his younger brother, who seemed eager to say something else, from speaking—he looked at Poseidon and answered solemnly.
“I merely wished to become acquainted with the future Lord of the Sea.” “The depths of the ocean are vast, ever-changing, and impossible to predict.
Even I, who bear the name Foresight, cannot see through every wave of its future.” “If, someday, when the Great God possesses the strength to watch over the mortal world, you could spare a hand to protect this simple-minded younger brother of mine…” “…I would be eternally grateful.” With that, he gently pressed the still-confused Epimetheus into a respectful bow.
Without saying another word, the brothers returned to their original place, as though Prometheus had truly come only to introduce himself.
Had Poseidon not possessed the memories of his previous life—and known Prometheus’s famous future of stealing fire for mankind, as well as the stories of Epimetheus and Pandora’s Box—he probably would have found the entire encounter utterly baffling.
Is he… hinting at Pandora?
Or perhaps even the theft of fire?
Has he already foreseen his own future calamity and is preparing a way out for his brother in advance?
Poseidon watched Prometheus’s retreating figure, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Demeter and Hestia, meanwhile, completely failed to understand the conversation, which had sounded more like a series of riddles than a normal exchange.
Although they were still slightly annoyed by the “true heroines” remark, Prometheus’s strange request left them even more confused, both tilting their heads in puzzlement.
Poseidon withdrew his gaze and pushed Prometheus’s cryptic words to the back of his mind.
Obsessing over things that hadn’t happened yet wasn’t his style.
That sort of dead end was more suited to Zeus, Hades, Hera… or the prophet who had just walked away.
As for Poseidon— Whatever.
I’ll leave tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow’s me.