Ares's training ground, the god of war.
Ares wielded a battle spear, roaring and driving his men through their drills.
Hades's appearance caused a sharp drop in temperature across the entire training ground, and the shouts abruptly ceased.
"Father God?" Ares put away his battle spear, a little wary.
He hadn't provoked Hades lately, had he?
"What have you done to Metis with the power of war and chaos?" Hades's voice was colder than the north wind.
Ares nearly jumped: "Me? To the Mother Goddess? Father God, you think too highly of me! One look from the Mother Goddess can turn all my war plans into a joke! It's too late to hide from her; how could I provoke her? My power only makes the blood of living beings boil; it can't affect the Mother Goddess's level of wisdom!"
He rushed to defend himself and even took the initiative to release some of his divine power for Hades to see, proving his 'innocence'.
Prometheus's observatory, the god of foresight and prophecy.
Prometheus was watching the tributaries of the long river of fate, his brow furrowed.
Hades's appearance roused him from his contemplation.
"Father." He saluted respectfully.
"Have you foreseen anything, or through your 'foresight', any 'guidance' in Metis's consciousness?"
Hades asked. Prometheus's wisdom and abilities aroused such suspicion in him.
Prometheus shook his head with a solemn expression: "I swear by my divinity, never such a thing."
Hermes's path, the god of trickery and messengers.
Hermes was racing through the clouds at tremendous speed, nearly colliding with Hades, who suddenly appeared before him.
"Whoa! Father God! You scared me to death!" Hermes patted his chest, looking frightened.
"Have your tricks been used on the Queen of Hades?" Hades cut straight to the point.
The smile froze on Hermes's face: "Your Majesty! That's not fair! I wouldn't dare use tricks on the Mother Goddess! Her wisdom, my little cunning—it's child's play before her! I swear by the River Styx!"
He pointed to the sky and earth, swearing so quickly he nearly created an afterimage.
Athena's workshop, the goddess of strategy and art.
Athena was carving a new statue, and Hades's silent appearance slightly tilted the knife in her hand.
"Father." She put down her tools and saluted calmly.
"Is there any 'shaping' of Metis's consciousness within your strategies?" Hades knew that Athena also had a desire for wisdom and power.
Athena calmly met his gaze: "Father, I pursue wisdom, but I respect stronger wisdom. The Mother Goddess's wisdom is like an abyss, a sea; I can only learn from it, and I have never had a heart for sin and calculation. My strategies are for external enemies and construction, not for internal conflict and blasphemy."
Her eyes were clear, her divine light pure, without flaw.
Even the Titan Iapetus, who had been cautious lately and dared not take the initiative, was dragged out of his hidden corner by Hades.
The old Titan was so frightened he swore he only wanted to live in peace and had never thought of provoking the royal couple of Hades.
Hades's search expanded further.
The Tartarean abyss.
He descended into the cage where the old God-King Cronus was imprisoned.
The ancient Titan only let out a low, mocking laugh in response to Hades's question: "Your troubles? Haha... Hades, how... delightful!"
Clearly, he was not the source.
He visited the sanctuary of the sleeping Nyx.
The will of the primordial night god flowed slowly in deep slumber, like a starless night sky—boundless and silent.
Her power influences consciousness and dreams, but now she was in a stable state, with no signs of activity against Metis.
He delved into the earth's core to investigate Gaia's will.
The Earth Goddess's aura was thick and broad, with a life force that nourished all things, and also a slight hint of fatigue and discontent from being repeatedly disturbed.
Her power was more related to material and life creation than to the subtle distortion of consciousness.
Gaia did not respond.
Even Hera's temple, Hades visited personally.
The goddess of marriage was shocked and angered by his sudden visit and direct questions, and after swearing she had nothing to do with Metis's abnormal consciousness, she watched Hades's retreating back thoughtfully.
Finally, Hades targeted Poseidon's ocean.
He found his brother in an underwater canyon covered in coral, where Poseidon was immersed in carving a huge artwork depicting a symphony of seahorses and waves.
He lazily looked up at Hades's appearance.
"Dear brother, if you want to ask me about that little 'little interest' of Metis's,"
Poseidon waved the trident in his hand, dispersing a chain of colorful bubbles.
"All I can say is I'm not interested and have no idea. Art is the eternal pursuit. These entanglements of love and consciousness are too vulgar, too 'un-oceanic'."
His behavior showed he was completely out of the game.
The entire world—from sky to earth, from ocean to Underworld, from primordial ancient gods to the new generation of gods, and even those possible demigods, nymphs, monsters... Almost every being with the ability, motive, or faint possibility had been 'visited' by Hades in a forceful or subtle manner.
For a time, the world of Chaos was in turmoil, and the gods whispered among themselves, not understanding what had happened to Metis, the always calm and composed Queen of the Underworld, to mobilize the masses in such a way, almost like a blunder.
But the result was the same—nothing.
No gods, no powers were found to be directly connected to the anomaly in Metis's consciousness.
It seemed that the strange way of thinking, with its symbols of love, had been created out of nowhere by Metis herself.
Hades returned to his throne in Hades, his breath colder and more silent than ever.
He had turned the whole world upside down, using the authority of Hades, hidden connections, and even the twin inductions linked to Metis's soul, but had caught not a single clue.
The mastermind behind the scenes was still missing.
This threat, spiraling out of control and from an unknown source, caused Hades to feel a long-lost... irritability.
He sat upright on the throne, his deep gaze as if trying to break through the walls of the Underworld, looking directly at the bottom of the world's rules.
There must be a problem, but he had not yet found the right direction for the investigation.
Perhaps it was time to change his thinking.