The journey to Mount Ida was silent.
My siblings were still trying to understand what had just happened.
Just hours before, they had been trapped inside Kronos, and now they were flying over the world for the first time.
When the enormous mountain appeared on the horizon, we descended slowly to the entrance of a vast cave.
The moment I touched the ground, a figure rushed toward us.
“Zeus!”
Amalthea.
Without pausing, she hugged me tightly.
“I thought it had gone wrong… I thought…”
“I smiled as I stroked her head.
“I made you a promise.”
“To come back alive.”
“And I always keep my promises.”
Her eyes began to well up before she nodded slowly.
Only then did she look at the rest of the group.
Five gods, completely bewildered.
And a dark-haired woman who stood a few steps behind them.
Metis.
She smiled when she saw me.
“I knew you could do it.” “You never doubted it.”
“No.” Her answer was as simple as it was sincere.
My brothers glanced between us.
Finally, I stepped forward.
“I think it’s time for introductions.” I pointed first to the goat-woman.
“This is Amalthea.”
“She raised me from birth and risked her life to hide me from Cronus.”
The five gods bowed their heads slightly in respect.
Amalthea smiled shyly.
Then I pointed to the Titaness.
“This is Metis.”
“The goddess of wisdom.”
“My first ally.”
Metis gave a small bow.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Hades observed the Titaness attentively.
“A Titan helping the children of Cronus…”
“That sounds strange.”
Metis replied calmly.
“Not all Titans follow Cronus.” I nodded.
“Without her, you’d still be inside our father’s stomach.” That was enough to end any doubt.
I took a deep breath.
The moment had arrived.
“Listen carefully.”
All six of them fixed their eyes on me.
“Cronus already knows I exist.”
“He knows you’re alive.”
“And he knows that one day I’ll return to defeat him.”
Silence reigned in the cave.
“That means we’re out of time.”
Hera frowned.
“What do you propose?” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
I extended a hand outside.
“Training.”
“All of you possess immense potential.”
“But you’ve never used your divinity.”
“You’ve never fought.”
“You’ve never learned to control your power.”
I looked at each of my siblings, one by one.
“That will change starting today.”
Poseidon crossed his arms.
“And who decided you would give the orders?” Hades stepped forward.
“We just met you.”
“You saved us.”
“Thank you.”
“But you’re not our king.” The temperature in the cave seemed to drop.
Demeter watched with concern.
Hestia remained silent.
Hera simply waited for my response.
I smiled.
It was exactly the reaction I expected.
“You’re right.” That surprised them both.
“I’m not your king.”
“Yet.”
“And I don’t intend to force you.” I observed them calmly.
“You’re free.”
“If you want to leave, you can.”
Neither of them replied.
“But listen to this.” My voice turned more serious.
“If you leave this mountain, Cronus will find you.”
“And next time, you won’t be able to escape his stomach.” They were both silent.
“So you have two options.”
“Train with me.” “Or try to survive on their own.” Poseidon gritted his teeth.
Hades looked away.
Finally, they both turned around.
“We’ll train on our own.” Without waiting for a reply, they left the cave.
Amalthea looked worried.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” I shook my head.
“No.” Metis understood immediately.
“They need to discover for themselves how far they are from reaching your level.” I nodded.
“When that happens…”
“They’ll come back.” I had no doubt.
I turned my attention to the three goddesses.
“Then we’ll begin.” Hestia raised a hand.
“What will we do?” I smiled.
“The same thing I’ve done for years.”
________________________________________
The first destination was the Moon.
The three of them gazed at the immense blue planet suspended before us.
“It’s… beautiful…” Demeter whispered.
“We flew all the way here?”
“Yes.” I looked at the edge of the enormous crater where we stood.
“Now we’ll jump.” The three of them stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Pardon?”
“We’ll jump into the ocean.” Hestia’s eyes widened.
“We’ll die!” I shook my head.
“No.”
“I’ll absorb almost all the impact.”
“I’ll only leave enough force for your divine bodies to strengthen.” The three of them swallowed hard.
I knew that training perfectly.
I remembered every broken bone.
Every torn muscle.
Every moment of agony I had endured for months while my regeneration rebuilt my body again and again.
I would never allow them to suffer anything like that.
I approached.
I took Hera by the waist.
“Trust me.” She took a deep breath.
Then he nodded.
I also embraced Hestia and Demeter, using my divinity to envelop them in a barrier of golden rays.
“I won’t let go. Never.”
I took a step into the void.
The moon disappeared beneath our feet.
We fell like a comet.
The atmosphere began to burn.
Flames engulfed us
Our bodies collapsed as we descended at an impossible speed.
The three of them screamed in shock.
I remained completely calm.
When the ocean appeared beneath us, I unleashed my full divinity.
An immense electric field enveloped their bodies.
I absorbed almost the entire force of the impact.
The sea exploded.
A column of water rose several kilometers into the sky.
The seabed trembled.
When it was all over, the three of them were still alive.
They were breathing heavily.
They had some fractured bones and torn muscles, but nothing comparable to the hell I had endured years before.
I smiled.
“Welcome to the training of the gods.”
From that day forward, they would repeat that process again and again.
Moon.
Ocean.
Deep sea.
Pressures capable of crushing mountains.
Control of divinity.
Regeneration.
And throughout all that time, he would never leave them alone.
Because a true king doesn’t just make himself strong.
He also makes strong those who will fight alongside him.