Asteria nodded lightly. These things sounded simple when spoken, but actually accomplishing them would probably not be so easy.
But having a method was already very good. There was already a feasible path, and the rest was just working hard to achieve it!
Her resolute gaze became even more determined as she said in a deep voice: "Dear aunt, thank you for your guidance. I know what I must do now."
Leto also finally managed to stop her tears with difficulty. She looked at Mnemosyne with tearful eyes, pleading earnestly: "Dear aunt, thank you for your help. Your kindness, we will forever remember in our hearts."
"I beg you, please bring me to the side of merciful Hera. I am willing to serve at her side, to be her most humble servant, doing everything in my power to beg for her forgiveness until she is satisfied."
"If the Goddess of Reproduction is truly so merciful and tolerant, then I will certainly use my most sincere heart and most devout attitude to move her and make her forgive my parents!"
Hearing this, Asteria's clear eyes suddenly flashed with shock as she called out softly: "Sister..."
But in just an instant, she also understood her sister's sacrifice. She said resolutely: "Dear aunt, sister is right! What could better prove our sincere intentions and determination to atone than personally serving at the Goddess of Reproduction's side?!"
"Please bring us to the side of Goddess of Reproduction Hera. We will serve her wholeheartedly and use our actual actions to beg for her forgiveness until she pardons our parents!"
Mnemosyne sighed softly and nodded gently.
She knew this was the sisters' only path to survival, and also everything they could do for their parents.
The isolated and simply-connected intellectual god couple, besides relying on these two remaining daughters, had no other hope left.
And these two poor children would have to shoulder everything.
At the same time, the beautiful, gentle, and kindly peaceful river goddess Erinye, along with her virtuous and elegant daughter Hesperis born with the rash Menoetius.
As well as her daughter's three daughters born with Atlas—the Hesperides sisters—this group of defeated wives and daughters now all threw themselves before the kind god Nereus, tearfully pleading for Nereus's help.
This group of goddesses truly made of water wept like pear blossoms in rain, tears flowing like springs. Crystal teardrops rolled down their cheeks as each sobbed uncontrollably.
If they weren't currently in an underwater temple, the outside would already be flooded.
Nereus, this god of sea depths born from the union of inner sea and earth, was Pontus's eldest son.
He differed from the outer sea master Poseidon's hot temper and rebellious nature, being instead a sea god with an excellent temperament, rich wisdom, and steadfast fairness and justice.
He was the eternal symbol of the sea's generous love and orderly mercy.
His wife was the loving and gracious ocean goddess Doris. Together they bore fifty Nereids—beautiful and gentle sea nymphs.
He and his wife represented water's gentle and kind side. They treated outsiders thus, so naturally they loved and cherished their own children even more, regarding each as precious treasure.
At this moment, seeing the children collapsed before him crying in a heap, this kindly old god was now frazzled and exhausted. Helplessness and heartache filled his originally gentle face with worry.
He was a deity of ancient and noble birth. His mother goddess was Mother of All Things Gaia, his father god was the profound sea Pontus.
He himself possessed considerable power and authority, and he also had fifty beautiful daughters, many married to famous great gods, establishing extensive marriage alliances.
Without exaggeration, with his reputation and personal connections, anyone throughout the universe would be willing to give him face.
But all this did not include Zeus.
God-King Zeus.
His birth, wisdom, power, and personal connections—before the new God-King, everything seemed so insignificant and worthless.
Facing the supreme God-King, he could only hope for gracious gifts. Besides this, everything he possessed was meaningless.
The kind old god's gentle face now showed dejection and helplessness.
He was very clear that the inner sea gods had made no contributions whatsoever in this war determining the universe's future.
The inner sea gods, cautious under the celestial divine family's rule, dared not get involved in this terrible war, which meant they had no achievements whatsoever.
For Mother Goddess Gaia's sake, plus father god Pontus's respectful treatment of the new God-King, the sea gods could still retain their former glory without being held accountable.
But undoubtedly, the sea gods had no qualification to make excessive requests of the God-King, or they would only humiliate themselves.
That the new God-King didn't pursue the defeated families was already merciful and generous enough.
Nereus sighed deeply, his brow furrowed as he said sadly: "My dear children, please stop crying. Each of your tears pierces my heart."
Nereus's words were full of apology: "For any other matter, perhaps I could help you, but for this matter, I am also powerless."
"It's not that I have a cold and heartless disposition, nor that I'm unwilling to let smiles bloom again on your lovely faces and restore your former joy."
"But this matter concerns the new God-King's majesty. Throughout the entire universe, only a very few gods can participate."
"And I am not among them."
Poor Erinye, gentle and tender Erinye, this daughter of the sea, this peaceful and tranquil winding river goddess—she was already heartbroken and weeping blood. Long periods of grieving had made her clear voice hoarse. Who could see such a scene without being moved to sadness?
She was a faithful and gentle goddess. Even though her husband was an arrogant and rash Titan, she still deeply loved and remained loyal to him.
And she also had lovely children!
In the new order, where was there a place for her children?
If the God-King didn't forgive them, these children would probably never be able to live under the sunlight again.
At this moment, before her dear father, she wept clear tears, her voice trembling as she cried: "Dear father god, my most merciful and wise father god, I don't want to put you in such a helpless predicament or make you sad for your daughter and grandchildren. This was not daughter's intention. Daughter deserves death for this guilt."
"But my beloved father god, since childhood you taught me and my sisters to uphold kindness and justice, teaching us to be faithful to our husbands and care for our children. Erinye has never dared forget your teachings and keeps them always in mind."
"Now my husband has finally reached the end of his wrong path. He is a brainless and rash Titan who doesn't know what the right path is."
"But wise father, I firmly believe that a god's loyalty to the God-King who granted him honor is absolutely not wrong."
"Now that the war has ended, I will persuade him to be loyal to the new sacred order and loyal to the great, merciful, and tolerant Your Majesty Zeus."
"He was once loyal to the former God-King, and now he will be equally loyal to the new God-King. He just needs an opportunity."
Pure and gentle Erinye's tears flowed like a babbling stream, unstoppably sliding from her eyes. Her grief-stricken appearance was heartbreaking.
She pleaded bitterly, her voice hoarse: "Father god, I request you, I beg you to petition the respected Mother of All Things Gaia and petition the vast salty sea grandfather Pontus to go to the great Your Majesty the God-King and plead for Menoetius and the others to gain a thread of hope."
"Your Majesty the God-King is a magnanimous and mighty God-King whose mercy is boundless. And Menoetius is just a brainless rough fellow, simple-minded."
"In this war, he was so insignificant, so trivial. He was just following orders. If the Mother Goddess and grandfather plead for him, the compassionate Your Majesty the God-King will surely forgive him. Please, father god!"
Her sorrowful gaze turned to her children holding their heads and weeping. Maternal pain made her heart feel like it was being cut by knives: "Father god, look at my poor children, these poor granddaughters of yours. If they cannot obtain Your Majesty the God-King's forgiveness, where in the new sacred order will there be a place for them? Where can they go?"
Erinye cried even more sadly, saying desperately: "Father god, the children are innocent. They never dared participate in this terrible war, much less show any disrespect to Your Majesty the God-King. They never showed any disrespect to Your Majesty the God-King or to the sacred Divine Queen!"
"Father god, how can I bear to watch these innocent children live forever in the cold underwater depths, never again able to live under the beautiful sunlight and enjoy the world's beauty?!"
Nereus's furrowed brow didn't relax due to his daughter's heartbreaking words, but became even more tightly knit.
His daughter and grandchildren were all gentle, refined, pure and virtuous good children. They thought about things too simply.
In this war determining the universe's fate, the Iapetus family were the former God-King's most loyal die-hard supporters. They followed the former God-King tenaciously, firmly opposing the new God-King until the very last moment.
Loyalty wasn't wrong, but being loyal to the wrong god—the more loyal, the more wrong.
If such stubborn opponents could be easily forgiven, how much of the new God-King's majesty could be preserved?
Yes, Atlas and his brother were minor characters in the God-King's eyes.
But in the eyes of other gods throughout the universe, they were still remarkable great gods, powerful Titans.
The new God-King Zeus was a generous and tolerant god—this was true, his mercy was evident to all.
But the God-King was also definitely not a soft-hearted god.
That universe-shaking terrifying thunder, when it cast his father god Kronos into that endless void abyss, showed no mercy whatsoever.
Not yet entered into Tartarus, the remaining two fish that slipped through the net—Atlas and Menoetius—were now trapped in the underground underworld darkness.
They hadn't been dealt with yet, not because the God-King had forgiven them, but because the God-King had been too busy recently, busy establishing new order, with no time to bother with such insignificant minor characters.
But this didn't mean one could go to the God-King with excessive requests.
Especially gods like them with no achievements had no qualifications at all.
Perhaps this pleading would instead remind the God-King, making him think of them and casually cast them into Tartarus, which would be even worse.
Nereus wanted to discuss this matter further, but seeing the children crying in a heap, he ultimately couldn't bear it. How could this always soft-hearted old sea god bear to watch his children suffer helplessly?
He finally took the children to find father god Pontus.
This master of the inner sea, the flowing abyss, knew immediately upon seeing Erinye and the others what they had come to him for.
He also sighed deeply, his face showing a bitter smile.
He now regretted immensely—why had he hesitated and been indecisive when Zeus was seeking allies? Why hadn't he fully supported with everything when Zeus came to him?
Now although his honor was somewhat preserved, that was all.
Moreover, there were hidden crises.
The new Your Majesty the God-King was tolerant and generous enough, but his brother Poseidon wasn't!
That Poseidon caused storms all day long!
Hot-tempered, moody, arrogant and conceited—simply a disaster star of the ocean!
Compared to the God-King, they were completely unlike!
How could they be brothers!
But neutral gods had no qualification to speak much before those gods who had shed their blood on the battlefield and given everything, much less any qualification to demand anything from the God-King.
Especially since this god was the God-King's favored brother.
The Sea King personally appointed by the God-King.
Sea and ocean—the Ocean God could ignore the Sea King, but the inner sea could not.
They simply couldn't compare!
Although Your Majesty God-King Zeus had honored his promise and preserved the Pontus family's former glory, this was only temporary.
That new, greedy and ambitious Sea King Poseidon would undoubtedly step by step erode the honor and authority enjoyed by the inner sea—this needed no thought.
Before the celestial divine family that now completely ruled the universe, he was purely an outsider god. The only one he could rely on was Mother of All Things Gaia.
But Mother Goddess Gaia was very displeased with the new God-King imprisoning her four children. Although relations had improved considerably, there were still some differences and grudges with the new God-King.
Honestly, this was really dangerous!
Of course, it wasn't Mother Goddess Gaia who was in danger—it was the salty sea family who was in danger! It was Pontus who was in danger!
If the new God-King wanted to make an example of the Mother Goddess, then who was the most suitable "chicken" for this purpose?
Looking throughout the entire universe, wasn't he the most suitable?!
In the current situation, keeping a low profile wasn't fast enough—how could he do things that might displease the God-King?
But seeing the children kneeling all over the ground, Pontus could only sigh deeply.
A god who could raise someone like Nereus—Pontus's heart couldn't be hard and cold.
In the end, he didn't say much, didn't give uncertain guarantees, and didn't speak of difficulties.
He let the children wait temporarily in his divine palace, then personally went to find Mother Goddess Gaia, requesting her help.
Faced with Pontus's request, Mother Goddess Gaia fell into conflict.
She didn't like the Atlas brothers, this pair of rash and arrogant fools. Especially since she had always wanted to ask Zeus to release her four children.
If she now went to ask Zeus to release these two fools, how could she then ask for the rescue of her children?!
Pontus earnestly persuaded and pleaded bitterly, finally convincing Gaia, as the Great Mother Goddess was also soft-hearted.
Pontus told her that perhaps she could use Atlas and the others to test the possibility of Zeus releasing Kronos and the others.
Gaia thought this made sense. This could indeed test whether Zeus had any sincerity about releasing the children.
If he couldn't even forgive such minor characters, then releasing Kronos and the others would be absolutely impossible.
Pontus earnestly and gently advised against her being confrontational with Zeus or opposing him.
Gaia silently contemplated for a long time, sighed lightly, and finally agreed.
And at Pontus's suggestion, they went together to the ocean to find Oceanus to plead together, since the Ocean God had two daughters married into the Iapetus family!
In this matter, the Ocean God couldn't stay out of it either!
In the Ocean God's new magnificent divine palace, all the ocean gods were now joyfully enjoying the sea filled with life.
After the divine assembly ended, the ocean gods immediately couldn't wait to move into the new outer sea, not wanting to delay even a moment.
Now in their new homes, they loved everything.
Serving Zeus was their most fortunate decision!
However, while the many ocean gods were each building their own divine palaces, inside Ocean God Oceanus's temple, there was also a cloud of gloom and despair.
Although it wasn't crying throughout like the other two places, there was a depressing atmosphere with some low sobbing. The occasional sobs that came were quite tragic.
Ocean God Oceanus and World-Nourishing Goddess Tethys looked at the group of children below with heavy and helpless expressions.
Clymene was their beloved daughter—strong and wise, gentle yet resilient.
Originally marrying Iapetus was a good match. At that time, Oceanus had set aside past grievances, thinking of the children and wanting to draw closer to Kronos's side.
Later, through Clymene's connections, Atlas even married another of their daughters, the dignified and elegant Pleione.
But later, under Kronos's excessive scheming that bullied gods too much, these two marriages were no longer so beautiful, but became burdens that implicated the children.
Iapetus was truly die-hard loyal to Kronos!
The Ocean God couple felt deep guilt toward these two daughters. Now seeing their daughters with their children all sad and worried, how could these always gentle and loving parents bear to watch?
Clymene's husband, eldest son, and second son were all now grievously sinful rebels, and the most stubborn rebels at that.
The beautiful and wise Clymene didn't consider rescuing her husband at all—not because she was unwilling, but because she knew it was impossible.
But her two sons still had the possibility of salvation.
As a gentle ocean daughter, as a mother, she couldn't ignore the tragic fate her children were about to face.
She would do everything possible to save her children, even if it cost her everything.
Agregar a seguimiento
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]