Zeus shifted his tone, his voice turning even icier: "If any among you no longer wishes to bear this heavy responsibility—fine! I can grant that right now."
"I permit any god to become an unbound, carefree 'free god.'"
"Tell me now! Who among you does not wish it?!"
His majestic gaze swept the hall. Not a single god uttered a sound.
All the gods bowed their heads deeply; they scarcely dared even breathe. For a time, the atmosphere in the council hall congealed to the point of suffocation.
Only after a long, breathless silence did Zeus continue slowly: "It seems you still wish to keep the honor I bestowed upon you."
"Then from now on, you are never again to commit the errors of today!"
"If you remain so willful and self-indulgent, what sort of life will the myriad beings of this universe live?"
"If there is a next time, I will not forgive!"
Only then did the gods dare to draw a long breath; they had truly been frightened badly.
Who could have imagined that merely watching some excitement would kindle a conflagration of wrath like this!
But Zeus's next words yanked their half-relaxed hearts taut again: "However, those who erred today cannot go unpunished!"
"I reward merit. But where there is fault, there must be punishment. That is true justice—the most fundamental basis for maintaining the balance of the entire universe!"
The gods dared not speak. Hearts in throats, they waited quietly for His Majesty's final decision.
Zeus's voice softened slightly.
"However, given that this is your first offense and there were reasons, this time the crime will be reduced by one degree, and the punishment will be lighter."
"Mnemosyne," he named first, "you, as the goddess of civilization and memory, and my left hand—your duty is to assist me, to fill in what is missing, to offer counsel. How noble is your station? How vital your charge?"
"Yet you abused your divine authority to provoke other gods at will, and in the end set off this conflict. Do you acknowledge your fault?"
The All-Knowing Goddess behaved with perfect docility, answering meekly, "Mnemosyne acknowledges her fault. Please, Your Majesty, mete out punishment."
Zeus said coolly, "You are forbidden to leave Mount Olympus for one year. For three months, you are forbidden to drink ambrosial wine."
A year without leaving Olympus, Mnemosyne did not mind.
With Zeus here to keep her company, even the longest time would pass in an instant.
But three months without divine wine—that she truly found hard to bear.
The All-Knowing Goddess had few hobbies; wine was her one great love.
She hadn't expected that even after admitting fault so promptly, Zeus would still truly punish her; her heart filled at once with grievance.
Yet the goddess of civilization understood Zeus meant to use this to give the gods a warning, and she cooperated obediently.
She answered dutifully, "Thank you for your lenience, Your Majesty. Mnemosyne will comply."
Only her voice was very low; clearly, even if she understood, she remained very displeased.
Zeus seemed not to notice. He looked to the Lady of Night and said, "Nyx, it is true Mnemosyne erred first. But you could have come to me to ask that I uphold justice for you."
"You are a primordial great goddess—of exalted station and sacred duty—yet you acted so rashly as to strike at another great goddess directly and even damage Mount Olympus. What sort of example is that!"
"Do you acknowledge your fault?"
Seeing Mnemosyne suffer, Nyx felt much better inside; even if she had to suffer with her this time, she would accept it!
Moreover, Zeus had truly frightened her today. She feared he would bear a grudge against her for this, so she now behaved with extra submission.
In her most compliant tone she answered, "Most exalted God-King, Nyx acknowledges her fault. Please punish me. Night will accept it in full."
Zeus nodded lightly. "Very well. Since you admit fault with such good grace, and this is your first offense, you will be dealt with lightly."
"For one year, you may not leave the Underworld. Likewise, for three months you are forbidden ambrosial wine."
Nyx was not greedy for wine, but a year without stepping out of Hades—how would she see Zeus?!
Zeus wouldn't refrain from seeing her for a whole year, would he?
Heavens, how would she bear it!
Hesitantly she said, "Nyx thanks Your Majesty for your lenience and will comply."
"Only—only, if there are urgent matters in the Underworld that require reporting to Your Majesty for decision, then…"
Zeus replied lightly, "I have my arrangements. No need to say more."
Hearing his peremptory tone, Nyx felt oddly more reassured.
Still somewhat uneasy, she dared not say more.
Then Zeus looked upon all the gods present and proclaimed in a loud voice: "Today, all who abandoned their posts and violated their duties are forbidden ambrosial wine and celestial fare for one year. If there is a repeat offense, severe punishment will follow!"
With that, Zeus turned slightly to look at the holy and solemn goddess of justice at his side.
In a gentle voice he asked, "My dear Themis, does my handling accord with the order of justice? Can it be called fair?"
The goddess of justice, face grave, said with firm dignity, "The gods did indeed violate the sacred laws. As the foundation of the universe, if we are all willful and lax, we will bring only disaster upon the cosmos."
"Merit must be rewarded; fault must be punished. This is the supreme principle of cosmic balance."
"Most exalted God-King, your measures are fully just and wholly accord with the sacred order of justice. I fully approve."
Zeus nodded with a smile, then looked once more upon the gods and said with majesty, "Any objections?"
All the gods declared assent; none raised any objection.
Zeus snorted, then flicked his sleeve and became thunder, returning to his temple. He spoke to no one else and saw no one.
Only the clouds veiling Olympus began slowly to dissipate.
After Zeus departed, Themis remained at the center of the hall. Regal and severe, posture straight and exact, she parted her red lips and said coolly, "Gods, let today's lesson be a warning to all!"
"His Majesty the God-King is lenient and compassionate, benevolent and loving, but—"
"That is absolutely not a reason for the gods to squander His Majesty's grace!"
"His Majesty has established the order most beneficial to all gods and beings—the most just order!"
"The gods must hold fast to His Majesty's sacred order of justice!"
"The gods—including myself—must always remember that all our honor comes from His Majesty's favor!"
"We must uphold His Majesty's sacred order—for it is the foundation of our existence as gods!"
"If anyone disrespects His Majesty's sacred order of justice and the honor His Majesty has bestowed—"
"Then they shall have no honor at all!"
"You are the fundamental laws of the universe. Your every act concerns the operation of the cosmos. A single misstep brings calamity to myriad beings—how can you act on whim?"
"This time His Majesty showed you mercy. But in the name of the God-King's right hand, I proclaim: there will not be a next time!"
"Next time—whoever it is—I will, with the authority granted by the universe's sovereign, the supreme God-King, King of All Gods, Zeus, and in accordance with the standards of the sacred order of justice, deal with them strictly, without mercy!"
Seeing the gods cowed to silence, Themis's phoenix eyes swept them with a cold gaze. She asked with authority, "Is that understood?"
With a chorus of assent, Themis dismissed the assembly, then transformed into a stream of light and returned to her temple.
The Night Goddess and the All-Knowing Goddess glared at each other, then each gave a cold snort and left in a streak of light, sullen.
Inwardly, both felt a thread of regret. They shouldn't have let a moment's fury push matters to this irreparable point.
Only now the enmity was set in stone!
The other gods who had escaped punishment left the hall with grave faces. They warned themselves in secret never again to neglect duty or abuse divine authority; the sacred laws issued by the God-King were a red line not to be crossed.
Those who were punished slunk away with drooping heads. How had watching some excitement ended in getting caught up themselves?
They too grew more cautious, silently reminding themselves never again to commit such errors.
The God-King's majesty cannot be offended; one must never assume that His daily kindness permits willful excess.
If His Majesty truly grows angry, the consequences are more than any god can bear.
Zeus's assertion of authority this time had a striking effect.
He even dealt with his beloved goddess and staunch confidante; no one could say a word.
Every god could see clearly that even a meritorious primordial great goddess—who was also the God-King's beloved and his staunch confidante—had to be punished after violating the sacred laws.
And in truth, this had been no great matter; thus any other god daring to offend the sacred order would face a far worse end.
Zeus also had another plan: to handle the goddesses as well.
If he tried to coax them directly, it would be difficult—and to placate them one by one, too tiring.
But by doing this—turning defense into offense, seizing on a pretext, elevating the matter to principle, then erupting in wrath—the ones left flustered were the goddesses.
Those who might have quarreled quieted instead out of awe and anxiety, even trying to gauge his feelings and carefully come forward to soothe this God-King "angered" by their excessive squabbling.
A many-fold gain—almost perfect!
This—this is called turning defense into offense! Always keep the initiative!
(End of Chapter)
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