"Brother Hermes."
She strove to speak calmly, using her newfound dominion over emotions to sense Hermes's inner state in that moment.
"You... something is wrong with you. Normally, whoever you need to deal with, you weigh the pros and cons and find the cleverest way. Not like this... So resolved to directly take the life of an ancient Titan, especially a wise one who just 'helped' us. This isn't like you."
Hermes's form hesitated slightly. He shot a sidelong glance at Thalia, a flicker of complexity in his eyes, which then shifted into a deeper, graver resolve.
He was silent for a moment, as if weighing whether to speak a deeper truth.
Finally, he sighed.
"You're right, Thalia. I admit, I was hasty. But it's because I saw something far more terrifying than a mere 'plot'."
He drew a deep breath and posed a question that struck at Thalia's heart:
"Have you ever considered... Prometheus, our dear brother from our own world, why did he 'favour' humanity so much? Why did he take such enormous risks, repeatedly clashing with the Father of Gods for their sake?"
Thalia frowned. This seemed unrelated to the current topic. "Because he believes humanity has unlimited potential? Because he pities their vulnerability? That's just... him."
"No, no, no, you don't understand!" Hermes interrupted, his tone urgent.
"It's not that simple! Prometheus didn't just value human potential; he believed—no, he was almost convinced—that humanity's future would surpass the gods! What he's doing isn't just sheltering or guiding them; he's integrating!"
"Integrating?" Thalia murmured the unfamiliar word.
"Exactly! Merging!" Hermes's eyes blazed with the insight of truth.
"He's trying to merge with human civilisation itself! He no longer wishes to be a supreme god; he wants to be the god of human civilisation, or rather, he wants to be a 'human-god'! To let his divinity become part of humanity's collective unconscious in some form, evolving alongside civilisation itself!"
He suddenly pointed back in the direction they had come from—towards the Caucasus Mountains.
"But that 'Prometheus' back there, when I first approached him, I clearly sensed that eerie, almost homogeneous atmosphere! Did you notice? He barely feels like a purely divine being anymore! His essence is blurred, his divinity dimmed—far from what an ancient Titan should be!"
"And that divine eagle! Pecking at his liver every day—do you think that's just torture? No! It's constantly draining and stripping away his ancient divinity! Over time, he becomes more and more like a human! A 'being' with the wisdom and power of a Titan, but whose essence is infinitely close to a mortal!"
Hermes's tone held unprecedented fear. "The last time I investigated secretly, he wasn't this 'human-like'. And just now, standing before him, I almost felt as if I were standing before a human elder blessed with boundless knowledge! If... if he succeeds, when his last vestiges of divinity completely vanish, or when the transformation is somehow completed..."
His voice was barely a whisper, yet carried the weight of thunder:
"He will no longer be 'Prometheus'. He will become the embodiment of the will of the human race itself—the fire of civilisation merged with the collective unconscious! At that point, unless you kill every last human, there will be no existence capable of truly killing, or even truly confronting, 'Prometheus'!"
"He will be immortal as long as humanity survives!"
"He will become invisible, woven into every human dream and creation!"
"He will become incomprehensible and unmanageable to all us gods, and even to the laws of the entire world... the ultimate variable!"
Hermes stared at Thalia and asked, word by word:
"Do you still think my 'determination to kill' is an overreaction?"
Thalia stood frozen. The perception granted by her new dominion over emotions did not allow her to deny the logic or the very real fear in Hermes's words.
Yet, she almost blurted out:
"The Father of Gods... Doesn't our Father Zeus know what Prometheus is doing? With his wisdom and power, why would he be indifferent? And Hades? Hades just sits idly by, watching his son attempt something so dangerous, and does nothing?"
When Hermes heard this question, an extremely complex expression crossed his face. He shook his head, and in his voice was a sigh that seemed to resonate through the entire world:
"The Father of Gods? Of course he knows. I'm afraid he knows it better than Prometheus himself does."
He paused, as if organising his thoughts.
"But he doesn't care."
Hermes's tone was very certain.
"Well... ahem, ever since I was careless and got tricked by Athena into stealing some 'chain' or other, and then had a whole heap of trouble afterwards, I realised that for parents, true love is for each other, and children are just accidents..."
He instinctively started to complain, then suddenly stopped himself, cleared his throat a little awkwardly, and forcibly changed the subject:
"Ahem! Forget what I was about to say! In short, the Father of Gods is more concerned with the world itself. As long as it doesn't touch the fundamental elements and cause a world-level collapse, he usually prefers to wait and see. In fact, he's even happy to see some 'variables' emerge."
He looked into Thalia's still-puzzled eyes and lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard by some unseen will:
"Prometheus's actions, though dangerous, might not be entirely bad in the Father's eyes. As long as it doesn't threaten the foundations, he definitely won't interfere. He might even, at some critical moments, make way or even offer some minor 'assistance'..."
Hermes's voice grew lower and lower.
"Like with Atlas?" Hermes quickly added in a raspy whisper, then immediately straightened up, as if he had said nothing.
"Like what?" Thalia pressed, sensing Hermes had touched upon a deeper secret.
"Nothing!" Hermes denied it immediately and forcibly steered the topic back.
"Back to the matter at hand! The Father's attitude is something we can't speculate about or rely on right now. We must deal with Prometheus before he completes his dangerous merger, while his divinity is still not fully transformed and can still be completely slain by the Spear of Retribution! This is for our own safety and to avoid a terrible monster in the future!"
His eyes were once again sharp and resolute. "Once the 'Prometheus' problem is resolved, we will immediately prepare for the final confrontation with 'Zeus'. Time waits for no one."
"The final confrontation with Zeus?" Thalia was stunned again. "We... haven't we been hiding well all along? Alexander and the others have been keeping a low profile. How could we suddenly be facing a final battle?"
Hermes pointed contemptuously towards the Caucasus Mountains:
"Hiding? Do you think our actions have truly been seamless? Don't forget, who sent the eagle that pecks at 'Prometheus's' liver every day?"
Thalia's pupils contracted. "It was Zeus!"
"Exactly!" Hermes's tone was heavy.
"That eagle is not just a tool of torture; it's also 'Zeus's' eyes and ears! I'd bet my flying sandals that there's definitely some unknown secret deal or silent understanding between 'Prometheus' and 'Zeus'! 'Prometheus' endures this eternal torment not just to atone for sins or protect humanity, but to accelerate the process of being stripped of his divinity and becoming 'humanised'!"
"And 'Zeus', he agrees with it and might even be secretly promoting the whole thing! There must be some connection between them. The moment we make a move against 'Prometheus', whether we succeed or not, 'Zeus' will likely know immediately! At that point, it won't be a question of whether we want to hide anymore; we'll have to face a full-scale war between you and me!"