In truth, whenever the golden apples appeared in the Greek Age of Gods, it was almost always tied to a momentous event.
Their first appearance was at the wedding of Zeus, the God King, and Hera, the Queen of Heaven. Bestowed upon the Olympian gods by Gaia, the Earth Mother, they symbolized the rise and recognition of the third generation of divinities.
Samael could sense the pure, vast divine power contained within the Golden Apple Tree, along with the deep, mysterious aura surging within it. He realized then that defining the Mother of Serpents, Echidna, as the third Earth Mother Goddess was not entirely accurate. Up to this point, the true identity of the third Earth Mother Goddess had yet to be decided.
Looking back, the first Earth Mother was Gaia, and the second was Rhea. Both, in terms of relationship and status, had been queens consort within the God King's lineage. Even though the Mother of Serpents was Gaia's creation, her asexual origin left her with obvious flaws, and she naturally lacked the rightful succession to the role of Earth Mother.
By all logic, the mantle of the third Earth Mother should have fallen to the third generation's Queen of the Gods on Olympus. Supporting this, the Sacred Garden on Mount Atlas is referred to in some texts as "Hera's Garden." By that reasoning, this tree—the Golden Apple Tree, symbol of the Earth's fertile power—should have belonged to Hera.
But there was a problem. Zeus had seven official wives, and the bloodline curse was tied not to Hera, but to the lineage of the Wisdom Goddess Metis. Hera had no direct connection to it at all. Thus, the inheritance of the Earth Mother's authority had deviated.
For Gaia, continuing the old tradition by letting Hera serve as the third Earth Mother Goddess became only one possibility. But future records give no indication of Hera ever exercising true control over the Golden Apple Tree, nor do accounts of the Earth Mother mention Olympus's queen. From this, one could infer the truth:
The so-called "bastard killer" and "lover's bane" had failed to meet Gaia's expectations. Hera had never truly absorbed the gift of the Golden Apple Tree, and thus had not become the third Earth Mother Goddess.
The Goddess of Beginning had grown weary of the endless cycle of rebellion and betrayal that defined the first three generations of gods. Even Hera, who became Queen of Heaven, persecuted her husband's illegitimate children and lovers with unrelenting malice, showing no respect for blood or for life.
Medusa's arrival, and the character she displayed, offered Gaia a new choice.
"You mean… she intends to make me into the true Earth Mother Goddess?"
Medusa whispered in disbelief, her fingertips brushing the lush branches of the Golden Apple Tree, its leaf veins glowing like a starry river. Gaia's generosity was almost too much to accept.
"To be precise, she is only opening the Sacred Garden for you—granting you the chance to merge with the divine authority of the earth."
Samael tapped the thick, gnarled bark with a clawed finger. A faint smile touched his lips, his eyes filled with both celebration for Medusa and a trace of regret.
"Unfortunately, the three daughters of the Night God, who represent Olympus and are tasked with taking over the Sacred Garden and the Golden Apple Tree, will arrive in seven days."
"With so little time, it's hard to say whether you'll be able to gain anything—or how much. That was what Gaia meant to remind you of before we left."
Medusa chuckled softly and shook her head, her face full of quiet contentment.
"It doesn't matter. If I can consume the golden apples, restore my fractured divinity and immortality, and sever the curse binding me to my sisters, then this journey has already given me more than I ever expected."
Even now, Gaia's unexpected generosity still felt like a dream.
"Enough talk. Time is short. First, claim your immortality. Then, resonate with the divine authority within this Golden Apple Tree!"
"For safety's sake, Ladon and I will guard you throughout."
Samael patted Medusa's shoulder firmly, his tone serious. Without delay, he began arranging defensive wards and early-warning formations around the Golden Apple Tree.
At the same time, the hundred-headed dragon Ladon lifted half his heads, spreading them across the Sacred Garden, each one keeping vigilant watch over the surroundings.
Seeing both Samael and Ladon so tense and prepared, Medusa, too, grew serious. She stepped toward the Golden Apple Tree and reached out to touch the golden fruits hanging heavily on its branches.
At that moment, the tree's leaves rustled softly, its branches lowering themselves until they hung level with Medusa's gaze.
Only when the violet-haired goddess, whose essence resonated with the tree, tentatively plucked a golden apple did the branches shiver in response, rustling like a whisper of acknowledgment before curling back to their original place.
So it did possess a will of its own. No wonder Hera had never tamed it.
Watching this, Samael stroked his chin, deep in thought.
As Medusa finished crunching down the golden apple under the ancient serpent's watchful gaze, a dark golden stream of light—imbued with the law of earth's immortality—flowed through her skin and veins. Pure Ether surged and boiled within her.
The tearing, swelling pain radiating through her body made the purple-haired goddess's expression tighten. She quickly closed her eyes, guiding and absorbing the immortality and vitality granted by the golden apple.
Wisps of blood-mist seeped from her pores, swirling around her body and condensing into a purplish-red cocoon.
From the edge, Samael observed in silence, giving a small approving nod and letting out a faint sigh of relief. His eyes then shifted to the golden apples hanging in abundance on the branches, his expression growing dark and contemplative.
Aside from the wedding of Zeus and Hera, the golden apple had also played a dramatic role in another wedding—the marriage of the mortal hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis.
On that day, all the gods were invited to attend, except for the goddess of discord.
Bitter at being excluded, she threw a golden apple into the gathering, inscribed with the words: "To the fairest goddess."
The three leading goddesses—Hera, the highest in rank; Athena, the strongest in wisdom and war; and Aphrodite, the most beautiful—immediately quarreled over the prize. None of the other gods dared speak, fearful of offending any of them. In the end, Zeus passed the judgment to Paris, the handsome prince of Troy tending sheep on the mountainside.
To win the apple, each goddess offered him a tempting bargain. Hera promised him supreme power and the throne of Troy. Athena vowed to grant him wisdom and strength, shaping him into a great hero. Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world—Helen, Queen of Sparta.
Paris, swayed by the promise of love, awarded the apple to Aphrodite. With her aid, he abducted Helen, sparking the Trojan War.
That single golden apple became the fuse to a war that drew in nearly all twelve Olympians and countless heroes, many of whom perished on the battlefield.
Even Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, became one of its sacrifices.
The scale and carnage of that war rivaled a small divine conflict.
But still—was a mere inscribed golden apple truly worth such a battle?
Hera and Aphrodite perhaps. But Athena? She was not the type to be manipulated by something so trivial.
After a moment's thought, Samael glanced at Medusa—now sealed within her crimson cocoon of light—and at the rustling golden apple tree behind her. A faint, meaningful chuckle escaped him.
Unless, of course, what they fought over wasn't the golden apple itself, but the divine authority of the earth—the very foundation of Greece's enduring prosperity.
The ancient serpent murmured, his expression shifting subtly.
So, the true legacy of Greece lies with Rome?
Things are becoming more and more interesting.
...
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