In today's world, after Zeus's repeated personal expansions, and together with the cosmic evolutions triggered by his recent unions with several great goddesses, even not counting the boundless starry void beyond the world, the distance from the sky's highest point to the ground is now such that if an ordinary deity were to hurl a bronze anvil with divine power, it would take a full twelve days and nights to hear the thud of its landing.
The underworld's depth and breadth now match those of sky and earth exactly.
The world has grown unimaginably vast, so vast it exceeds most gods' imaginations.
And it continues to expand rapidly as the laws are perfected and the God-King's authority that governs all grows ever stronger.
It is destined to expand without end—unless the God-King should will it to stop.
Olympus, the sacred domain that represents the center of cosmic order, is rooted deep in the earth, its peak level with the zenith of heaven.
To climb to its summit—even with the generous blessings Zeus has granted—is by no means something to be done in short order.
Only after more than a year did all deities, nymphs, spirits, elemental gods, and the like finally arrive at the sacred supreme temple.
Within the hall, all the Olympian great gods had unfurled their towering divine bodies that symbolize the primal laws.
Their boundless divine might—were it not deliberately restrained—would, by its mere presence in such numbers, be enough to cause many visiting deities and nymphs to have their divine bodies shatter and their souls perish entirely.
Most of the deities and nymphs come to pay homage—together with many spirits and elemental gods—were creations of the gods, "material gods," with very few among them who wield any law.
If their divine bodies are destroyed, they truly die.
Now, facing dozens of supreme great gods whose auras are as deep and fathomless as the abyssal sea, these deities fell silent as cicadas in winter, standing below in utmost care and reverence, not daring the slightest impropriety.
There were, however, some exceptions.
The Gigantes—the giants.
They were special deities born of the divine blood of Uranus, Lord of Spirit, dropped into the embrace of Gaia, Mother of All Things.
They are the symbols of "violence" and "fury" among the endless negative emotions of Uranus.
Though they possessed no law authority, their birth was far too illustrious, and their strength extremely formidable.
When Kronos split heaven and earth, Uranus was separated from "love" and "desire," and in his divine blood a vast quantity of the most primordial seeds of spirit were mingled, stained deeply with the qualities of "love" and "desire."
This caused the Gigantes' divinity and divine power to far exceed that of ordinary deities.
Apart from lacking law, the vastness of their divinity and the intensity of their power are in no way inferior to common great gods.
Especially as they number fully one hundred and fifty—power in numbers indeed!
The least among them are on the level of secondary seats of lesser gods, while their leaders—Alcyoneus and Porphyrion—and the outstanding Enceladus are first-seat lord-god level, not far weaker than certain Olympian lords who are not adept at force of arms.
Moreover, after the three Cyclopes and the three Hecatoncheires were imprisoned by Kronos in Tartarus, it was these children who accompanied Mother Gaia, served at her knee, and listened to her instruction.
Thus Gaia bestowed her boundless maternal love upon them and granted them the deepest blessing of earth—so long as their feet stood upon the ground, they would have inexhaustible, never-failing strength!
And to Alcyoneus, her most obedient and most powerful child, Gaia specially granted a land of his own and blessed him personally: so long as Alcyoneus stood upon his own land, he would be "undying and unperishing"!
These giants did climb Olympus according to the rules, and by sheer might they were among the first to reach the top.
Yet upon arriving at this supreme, noble, sacred temple that symbolizes the universe's order, they were not at all well-behaved.
One by one, with frank impudence, they fixed the great gods upon their thrones with primitive, feral gazes, their eyes showing no notion of ritual or reverence.
They even committed the gravest presumption in the order of homage.
They first prostrated themselves as a group to Mother Gaia, who sat at Zeus's right hand, and only then lazily turned toward Zeus to give a perfunctory single-knee bow.
As for the other great gods—aside from the sacred Mother Rhea, to whom they did properly bow—all the rest, regardless of rank or seniority, received only a cursory nod.
In deference to Mother Gaia, the gods in the hall did not bother with these coarse, worldly giants, but many gazes already showed clear displeasure.
Gaia, Mother of All, an overly indulgent mother, has never been good at raising children.
"Loving mothers ruin sons" fits her all too well.
Yet these giants are indeed hard to discipline.
A surfeit of "love" and "desire" has infected them, making their emotions and cravings excessively intense and their temper extremely violent.
Added to which they are themselves the symbols of "violence" among Uranus's negative emotions, endowed with unparalleled strength and noble birth, hence always arrogant, wanton, and lawless.
Even here, in this most sacred seat of cosmic order, they dared to be so rude.
One can only imagine how unbridled they are upon the earth.
At this moment, even Gaia felt waves of embarrassment.
She, the Mother of All Things, a supreme primordial goddess, seated in the first place at the God-King's right hand—the most exalted Great Mother—must also keep face!
Her children's rudeness, even if the gods held their tongues out of regard for her, made her clearly feel she had lost standing.
She regretted not having taught them well and resolved that after this ceremony she must educate them properly.
Under Gaia's eyes grown sharp and severe, the unruly giants at last stood quietly behind her, not daring to fidget.
Only their gazes still swept, from time to time and without disguise, toward the great gods—especially toward several dazzling beauties among the goddesses.
The great gods had no choice but to shine their holy radiance more brilliantly, to screen out those insolent stares.
Zeus's face did not change, but in truth he was quite displeased.
At last, after the long wait, the gods were all assembled.
The Nine Muses, their hair bound with golden crowns and clad in nine-colored gauze, rose gracefully from their seats and stepped like lotuses to the center of the boundless hall.
Bowing to their beloved father, they began a sacred ceremonial dance so beautiful it could make the world rejoice.
At the same time, the cherry lips that can sing the cosmos's most wondrous music opened, and they began chanting a hymn composed especially for their great father—the King of the Gods, Zeus.
As their dance began, the four winds strove to raise a storm that swept the universe, sounding the grandest overture.
The four gods of Victory, Glory, Courage, and Power struck blade, sword, spear, and shield, and the clash of gold and iron shone forth the God-King's supreme glory!
All at once, many Olympian great gods also fully displayed their mighty authorities. The entire universe, the three realms and three domains, was filled with a thousand wonders. Endless sacred omens rose and fell without cease, pouring immeasurable blessings upon all beings and all things!
"Hymn to the Supreme Sovereign Zeus"
(Chanted in unison in a sacred tone by the Nine Muses)
Oh, listen!
Whether upon holy Mount Olympus, where the deathless gods quaff nectar and mead,
Or upon the broad and bountiful earth, where mortals multiply in dust,
All at this moment, to your eternal, only, supreme sovereign,
Offer the most devout worship!
—
We sing the King of the Gods, the eternal almighty sovereign!
Ah, Zeus, center of the universe, supreme judge of all beings!
You are the Lord of all things, the King of the highest firmament!
You are the generous, merciful Father, the great Prince of eternal glory!
Ah, great Zeus, we make you our deathless verse, we compose a sacred movement for you,
Here, we offer you our highest praise!—
When endless darkness shrouded the old world,
When the cruel God-King Kronos ruled all with boundless fear,
You, upon holy Crete, like the first light of dawn—
Your birth was the hope of the universe, the opening of a new age!—
You took unmatched courage as armor, keen wisdom as scepter,
Led the Olympian gods and kindled the sacred revolt!
The Cyclopes offered you weapons that nothing can withstand,
The Hecatoncheires presented you with strength that shook heaven and earth.
You hurled the spear of thunder against chaos's rotten bulwark,
Golden lightning in your hand became the clarion of order.
The pitiless ancient throne crumbled beneath your blazing thunder,
And the twisted, decayed rules were buried utterly in the abyss.
—
You are the defender of victory, the founder of order,
With thunder's light you shine equally on every corner of the world.
With sacred speech you established the law of eternal justice,
You are the master of fate, weaving all beings' future among the stars.
You are the founder of civilization, the only sovereign of sacred justice,
Your holy will is the undying flame of law throughout the cosmos!—
You give the world warmth and send the nourishing rains and winds,
You are the giver of civilization, the source of the fountain of life.
You are the Lord of the sky and the great Shepherd of the stars,
Your gifts make the three realms abound; your wrath makes the three domains roar.
Supreme Zeus, with sacred love,
You bring the world luxuriance and grant the beings hope.
—
Ah, great Zeus, your love and glory reach beyond all bounds,
Your union with Mother Mnemosyne gave birth to us.
We, the Nine Muses, find wisdom and inspiration in you,
You sowed the seed of civilization upon the sacred earth.
We make your supreme majesty our hymn, your eternal light our music,
Here we sing for you, beneath your supreme throne!
—
Glory shall be yours forever, O Supreme Father!
Radiance shall belong to you forever, O Eternal Almighty King!
Your enthronement is no end, but the rebirth of all things!
Your rule transcends time and space and shall be eternal and undying!
May your thunder's light forever illumine Olympus!
May your glorious scepter forever govern the cosmic order!
—
We praise you, great Zeus, King of All Gods!
Your will is the only pivot upon which all things turn!
We write this poem to admonish all beings and all life,
Let all know: Zeus alone is the eternal, undying King of gods and of all!
—
As the Muses' peerless dance slowly came to a close, the majestic hymn too ended.
The auspicious omens that filled the cosmos gradually faded.
With a supremely graceful gesture symbolizing "submission," the Muses ended their dance.
Then, most naturally, they knelt on one knee to their great father and, in clear, resonant divine voices, worshiped in unison: "Pay homage to His Majesty the Eternal Supreme God-King—Zeus!"
The four winds and the four gods of glory who had danced with them also bowed together and lauded loudly.
Next, the many great gods upon their thrones rose at once.
In an instant the stars swirled and constellations shook, and divine light surged within the hall!
Except for Gaia, Mother of All, and the sacred Mother Rhea, who rose and bowed to the God-King, all the other gods—regardless of identity or rank—knelt on one knee!
The gods' voices rang through the universe like the roar of creation itself:
"Pay homage to His Majesty the Eternal Supreme God-King—Zeus!"
At this moment the whole universe seemed to halt; sun and moon stood still, stars ceased their turning—even the formless air and radiance paused their flow—to bow in worship as the great God-King took his throne.
In this moment, whether ancient primordial Titans or mighty second-generation Titan great gods; whether noble third-generation illustrious deities, or gods of the Inner Sea, gods of Night, and many other lineages;
And countless worldly deities, nymphs of all beings, elemental spirits, divine bloodlines, creations of the gods, spirits and wonders of all kinds… regardless of how exalted their birth or how defiant their natures—
All beings in this universe now bent to this eternal sovereign of all existence, the Lord of the cosmos, the King of all gods, the God above gods—Zeus!
They offered their highest submission and praise!
The majestic undying Lord of the Gods, grasping the thunder-scepter that symbolizes the universe's highest authority, sat at ease upon the world's apex—the supreme, most exalted throne of the God-King.
With eyes as deep as the universe itself, he gazed quietly upon all who bowed and paid homage. In a calm yet majestic voice without a ripple of emotion, he said lightly, "Gods, rise."
The gods cried out in unison once more: "We thank Your Majesty the God-King!"
After the gods stood, ten-colored auspicious clouds surged across the sky, and golden divine rain brimming with immeasurable power and blessings fell in sheets upon those who had come to worship.
All deities' divinity and power swiftly increased under that golden shower.
Any hidden injuries from cultivation or battle, or latent flaws born of having taken a wrong path of growth, were utterly dissolved and vanished under this mercy-filled rain that benefited all life.
This sacred golden rain did not bless the gods within the hall alone; it fell upon the entire world without limit, a golden drizzle that covered every corner of the three realms and three domains.
The whole world was filled with the purest vitality as never before; every miasma, malign force, and stain was completely dissolved and purified within that holy rain.
All living things, whether endowed with higher intelligence or not, received inexhaustible favor under this downpour.
These generous gifts of the God-King will become a sacred seed planted deep within their spirits, bringing them endless life and astonishing opportunities in the long ages to come.
As of now, intelligent life in the universe is still extremely rare.
Next, the gods will obey the God-King's will and greatly create life.
Those firstborn beings fortunate to enjoy the God-King's enthronement blessings are destined, in the magnificent new era about to dawn, to stand early upon the finish line of all who come after.
Even if one is now a humble blade of grass or a mote of dust, after receiving the God-King's creation-like favor, in the future flourishing age, if one can seize but a single chance and press bravely forward, one may leap up to become a deity revered in some small world!
When the gods rose and returned to their thrones, Themis—the immaculate great goddess who symbolizes sacred just order, stands at the God-King's right hand, and has been granted the rank of Viceregent of Heaven—rose slowly and came to Zeus's right side.
Clad in a pure white divine robe woven of law, the Sword of Justice hung quietly at her waist, and in her left hand she held the scales of order that symbolize absolute fairness.
Upon her flawless, fresh features rested solemn gravity, and her all-seeing eyes surveyed the gods with majesty.
Only after bowing deeply to the God-King did she turn to the gods, and her august words rang clear:
"The gods gather in the sacred hall to join in an undying enterprise, to congratulate the eternal, undying, sacred, and great Supreme God-King—His Majesty Zeus—upon ascending the seat of Sovereign of the Universe!
"His Majesty is most benevolent and most good, most fair and most just, most strong and most brave, most merciful and most wise! It is His Majesty who personally ended the decayed and lawless old order; and it is His Majesty who, in supreme compassion for all life, has established for the beings of the cosmos this brand-new, sacred, just, and beneficent order!
"Now, in the name granted by the Supreme Eternal God-King, the Most High Sovereign, the God of gods and King of all gods—Zeus—to me, Themis, Sacred Order of Justice, who sit at the God's right hand, I hereby proclaim to the entire universe His Majesty's sacred just order—the Sacred Twelve Laws—and the eternal, imperishable Sacred Divine Order!
"All beings in the universe shall take these Sacred Twelve Laws as the highest program and the Sacred Divine Order as the highest rule! You shall all obey His Majesty the God-King's supreme divine law. Any who violate it shall in no wise be spared!"
Having spoken, the goddess of just order then, in the most sacred and most majestic tone, began to set forth in detail the contents of this sacred code and the gods' new duties within the Divine Order.
The entire universe fell into absolute silence, and only these sacred words echoed clearly in every corner of the three realms and three domains.
Endless multicolored runes woven of law, sacred and vast, emerged from the void with her proclamation and drifted like silent snow throughout the universe,
At last being deeply and indelibly engraved in the essence and spirit of all beings and all existence.
After a long while, when the goddess of justice had finished, she again bowed deeply to Zeus and then returned to her throne, sitting with faultless composure.
Only then did Zeus turn his gaze upon the gods and speak slowly in gentle yet supremely majestic words:
"Gods, the former order was cruel and decayed. That false order has now been ended, and the new order has been established.
"From this day forth, let mercy and benevolence be your rule of conduct, and strictly obey the sacred just order I have decreed. Any who violate it shall meet the punishment of my Great Thunder!"
As his voice fell, a heavy rumble that shook the universe rang out in an instant!
Endless golden lightning bright enough to blind the eyes of gods flashed one after another among the celebrating clouds, and its brilliance once more shone over the entire cosmos.
No matter what thoughts they held in their hearts, all the gods in the hall cried out in unison at that moment: "We will heed Your Majesty's decree!"
Zeus then continued slowly: "But any being who obeys my sacred just order and brings blessings to the universe, regardless of the size of their contribution, shall receive my favor."
"This vast universe, this endless radiance, this boundless flourishing and beauty—I shall share them with all beings."
"From this day forth, the highest sky and the aether above shall be the sacred abode of the gods, and its name shall be 'Heaven'!"
"The peaks of Olympus shall be the abode of the great gods of cosmic law, and also the sacred domain of me, the God-King; its name shall be 'Paradise'!"
"From this day forth, my sacred sky-realm shall be called the 'God-Realm'; and upon the earth and among the stars of the cosmos, the places where mortals dwell shall be called the 'Mortal Realm'!"
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