Aphrodite accompanied Asterios back to the foot of the mountain before finally releasing her arm.
However, Asterios felt no resistance as he walked with her; Aphrodite’s four crimson wings were certainly more than just for show.
“But the thing I found most interesting this time was that you actually fell for that little girl.
Sigh~ Is she really that good?
You didn’t show such intense emotion toward me, and as for Athena…
you certainly hide it well.” Aphrodite felt a lot of emotions regarding this matter.
This brat Asterios hid his feelings so deeply—she didn’t know who he had learned it from—making it quite difficult for her to see through his emotional fluctuations.
Unless he had a major emotional outburst, Aphrodite was mostly left in the dark.
“She really is wonderful—lively, cute, and possessed of a somewhat clumsy persistence.
How should I put it…
Sigh, even I can’t properly describe this feeling in my heart.” Asterios expressed his truest feelings, prompting Aphrodite to reach out and pinch his face.
His skin had become somewhat rough due to the intense heat in Hephaestus’s temple.
But it didn’t really matter; after all, for people like them, there were far too many ways to restore one’s appearance.
With just a thought, Aphrodite could return Asterios’s looks to their peak condition.
All she had to do was give him a bit of her Aphrodite Heritage; it was no big deal.
In any case, her Heritage wasn’t meant for direct combat, and so far, no one had ever come to her seeking a blessing for that.
It simply wasn’t useful for that, truly not useful at all.
“The interest of the Goddess of Beauty and the favor of the God of War are both upon you, yet you yearn for a human girl~ It truly makes me unhappy.
But fine~ I forgive you, Asterios, you lovely boy~” Aphrodite’s figure once again vanished before Asterios.
The gods were like this, coming and going without a trace.
Asterios didn’t have much to say about these capricious beings; after all, the values of gods and humans…
they were simply two different operating logics, and one couldn’t expect too much.
“However, even I am curious.
My daughter shows you so much favor, and the Goddess of Beauty is so biased toward you, yet you don’t take it to heart at all.
Asterios, must I be the one to elevate you to godhood before you’re willing to accept their feelings?” Zeus appeared by his side.
Asterios immediately waved his hand, saying that being elevated to godhood was far too distant for him and unnecessary.
“I am still young and have yet to experience many interesting things in this world, yet you would elevate me to godhood now.
Merciful All-Father, are you not depriving me of my right to choose?” His words made Zeus laugh.
It was truly delightful that this child could still argue his case even when facing him.
“In a while, my son will also be coming to this Pelion Cave.
Asterios, you must guide him well.
Along with Chiron, I believe that child’s growth will not be a problem.” The son of the King of the Gods was destined to arrive, but this was the first time Asterios had heard of it.
However, he didn’t feel anything special about it.
Sigh~ It wasn’t the first time; the cave already had the siblings Castor and Pollux, so one more wouldn’t hurt.
“Which son of yours is this?” Asterios asked, his interest suddenly piqued.
“Alcmene, the granddaughter of Perseus.” Zeus’s words silenced Asterios.
Perseus was Zeus’s son, wasn’t he?
Asterios couldn’t forget the story of the Golden Rain.
He was beginning to understand more and more that one couldn’t discuss human ethics and social order with these gods; their ways of thinking were truly different.
“That child carries the destiny of fighting in the Gigantomachy.
My intention was for him to lead all the bloodlines of Perseus and the entirety of Mycenae.
However, in a moment of carelessness, Hera found a loophole, sigh…” Zeus sighed; it had been a lapse in his attention.
Hera, using her authority as Queen of the Gods, had commanded her daughter, Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, to secretly entangle Heracles with his umbilical cord.
This caused Heracles to be born late.
Zeus hadn’t expected such a move, and in the end, Heracles was screwed over by Zeus’s own oath.
The first son born of Alcmene’s line was to be supremely noble and rule over all the divine bloodlines born of Perseus.
At the time, under Hera’s trickery, Zeus had sworn this oath upon the River Styx, controlled by the goddess of oaths, Styx, in front of all the gods.
It became a situation where what was done could not be undone.
So later, when Eileithyia went even further and tried to use the umbilical cord to strangle Heracles, Zeus, whose temper could no longer be contained, threw his Great Thunderbolt directly to the ground.
In that situation, if Eileithyia hadn’t stopped, Zeus wouldn’t have minded striking her dead.
“So, what exactly is the Gigantomachy?
Is it something even you must worry about?” Asterios asked.
Zeus could only shake his head, replying that he himself did not know.
“According to the hints from the Three Fates, the gods will achieve victory with the help of a hero possessing human blood.
Ten thousand years ago, I already suffered from the mistake of underestimating the enemy.
I do not want to suffer a second time.
To protect humanity, I must make preparations in advance.
This is the responsibility I shoulder as the King of the Gods who leads mankind.” Zeus showed his sense of duty at this moment; he was not joking.
Ten thousand years ago, the super-ancient civilization of Atlantis was utterly destroyed because of their battle with the white destruction.
The Olympian Gods had failed to protect humanity.
This was a pain in his heart that he had been unable to forget even now.
After that, the desperate wishes of humanity gave birth to the Holy Sword that defeated the white destruction.
The first wielder of the Holy Sword achieved what they, the gods, could not.
But that truly made Zeus feel he had lost face; it was too humiliating.
He, the King of the Gods, had truly lost all dignity.
Therefore, history must not repeat itself, especially now when the Olympian Gods had lost their True Body Mecha and become weakened.
The moment he received that hint, he immediately began making preparations to ensure the victory of the Gigantomachy was firmly in his hands.
Since even the King of the Gods didn’t know what it was, Asterios didn’t dwell on it.
It was enough to know that Zeus’s son would soon be coming to the Pelion Cave to be their junior disciple.
“Asterios, you must work hard.
One day in the future, you too will play a role in the Gigantomachy.
That you can protect the mortal world and safeguard those who are kind and innocent is absolutely and unquestionably the right thing to do.” Zeus looked at Asterios like a loving grandfather, the smile on his face clear and joyful.
Asterios also nodded, saying he would do his best.
To protect this mortal world, he would undoubtedly offer up his strength.
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”