Athena stared at the sarcastic Ares for a moment, then retorted,
"Then why don't you just find a handsome man to be gay? I see you really like the Spartan way. Who knows if men being intimate with men will break a God's vow of chastity?"
"There's a high probability it will be broken," Apollo replied upon hearing this. "Because men who love men will have intimate contact."
"Hmm?"
At his words, Artemis, Ares, and Athena all looked at him with surprise.
"Uh, was there something wrong with what I said?"
Seeing the main gods looking at him with such expressions, the God of Light scratched his smooth chin, feeling a bit puzzled.
"I think handsome boys are cuter than beautiful women."
"It's nothing, nothing."
Ares looked at Apollo with a hint of awe, then secretly decided to immediately promote sex education courses in Sparta to enhance boys' self-protection awareness.
However, he outwardly pretended to be indignant, looking at Athena, and said,
"Hearing Apollo's words made me tremble all over. In this hot weather, I'm covered in cold sweat and my hands and feet are freezing. Can this world still be saved? How do we Gods have to live to satisfy you? Tears flowed uncontrollably. This world is full of oppression against Gods. When can Gods truly stand up?"
Crunch.
Athena gritted her teeth, looking at the sarcastic God of War, and clenched her fists, making them crack.
"Alright, why say so much?"
Zeus suppressed his anger, looked at Athena, and asked,
"Athena, do you want Persephone?"
"No," Athena quickly shook her head. "I have no interest in that."
"Then so be it," Zeus said. "Send Persephone to the Underworld to recuperate and let her become Queen of the Underworld. Eros is already dead, and no matter how powerful his divine artifact is, it has a time limit. Once the fire of lust in Persephone's heart extinguishes, or after she is conquered by Hades, then let her return to Olympus."
"No!"
Upon hearing Zeus's words, Demeter was the first to object:
"I will not allow Persephone to go to the Underworld! To marry Hades!"
"Demeter!" Zeus frowned. "This is for Persephone's own good!"
"Bah! If you want to marry Hades, why don't you go yourself?" Demeter angrily retorted, "Anyway, I absolutely will not agree to Persephone going to that dark and sunless Underworld! If you dare to force her, then I, her mother, will take back all the vegetation on Earth, and you can just rule over a barren land!"
After Demeter made her statement, Zeus and she immediately started arguing in the God King's Hall. The specific content of their argument is not convenient to mention, but it was basically a repeat of the previous argument between Zeus and Hera, with Rhea and Cronus once again being caught in the crossfire.
However, this time, the Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter, indeed held power that made Zeus wary. No god wished to rule a lifeless, desolate world. In the past, he could have used violence to force this goddess, who was not skilled in combat, into submission. Unfortunately, this time, Demeter, a doting mother, for the sake of Persephone, stubbornly stood her ground against Zeus, refusing to agree to Persephone being forcibly married to Hades.
In the end, it was Athena who stepped forward and spoke a fair word.
"Goddess Demeter, I stand on a neutral ground to speak a fair word."
She raised her arms, stopping the bickering God King and his wife, then said gently,
"Currently, the best treatment for Persephone is still for her to quietly stay in the Underworld."
"What kind of fair word is that, you ass!"
Demeter angrily retorted,
"Ultimately, isn't it because of what you and Zeus did together that my poor Persephone was afflicted? If you really want to take responsibility, then strip naked and use yourself to alleviate Persephone's symptoms!"
"Goddess Demeter, please calm down. I admit this is my fault, and I apologize to you."
Athena waved her hand and continued to persuade,
"But, please think carefully, is it really good for me and Persephone to be together? Are you sure that after she follows me, I won't take advantage of her?"
"This..." Demeter thought for a moment, then said coldly, "Hmph, that is indeed a problem."
"Consider this again: if she follows Hades, then she will be Queen of the Underworld. Hades, by both reason and emotion, will have to protect her. We all know what kind of person Hades is; he values family ties the most and is the most responsible."
Athena subtly glanced at Zeus, coughed, and then said,
"Following Hades is always better than following Zeus, right?"
"..."
Demeter hesitated upon hearing this, while Zeus loudly exclaimed,
"Athena, what are you saying? I am the God King!"
Upon hearing Zeus's words, Demeter gave him a rather disdainful look, then said to the gods present,
"I will discuss this matter with Hades myself. You all stay out of it. If anyone dares to act slyly, be careful, or I will make sure your territories yield nothing in the future!"
After speaking, the Goddess of Agriculture angrily left. The gods looked at each other, and Zeus, feeling dispirited, announced the dismissal of the meeting.
As the gods dispersed, Athena was the first to leave. She practically fled back to her own temple. To be honest, Persephone's state had indeed frightened the Goddess of Wisdom, and this seed goddess was now staying in Demeter's temple, making her Athena's neighbor. Now, her greatest fear was walking on Olympus and encountering the seed goddess.
She couldn't hit this little ancestor, nor could she say she was violating herself; she could almost only run away.
Afterward, several goddesses also left the God King's Hall one after another. After seeing Hera and Demeter leave, Zeus suddenly called out to Apollo and asked,
"Apollo, tell me more about what you said earlier, about the boys."
Ares, who was walking past them, couldn't help but give Zeus a speechless look, then continued walking, putting more distance between himself and the two gods.
...
In the Underworld, Hades, having finished his discussion with Demeter, found his way to Hecate's home.
He asked the Moon Goddess, who had changed her disguise again,
"Hecate, I have already discussed with Demeter. As for Persephone's matter..."
"You agreed to marry her as Queen of the Underworld?"
Following Ares's hint, Hecate asked.
"Yes, after all, she and Athena are both my nieces; I'll help if I can."
Hades nodded with some difficulty:
"But I really don't want anything to happen with my niece, and I can't let her disrupt the order of life and death. Do you have a solution?"
"Of course," Hecate said with a smile. "Great King of the Underworld, please listen carefully. You just..."