"...When my children saw Helios's chariot passing through the sky every day, they found a way. My children broke off a branch of a woody fennel plant, held it high, and climbed the Caucasus Mountains. As Helios's chariot passed by, the flames from his wheels ignited the branches in my children's hands. Thus, they obtained fire through their own ingenuity."
Inside the God King's Hall on Olympus, Prometheus spread his hands and spun a glib lie:
"Zeus, I did not go against your will. The gods did not actively bestow fire upon them, nor did I help them. They obtained it all through their own efforts and intelligence. Even you cannot take it back."
Zeus, seated at the head of the God King's Hall, listened to Prometheus's lie and let out a cold snort: "Prometheus, do you think we gods would believe your nonsense? How could mere mortals possibly break through my blockade and obtain heavenly fire?"
He raised his palm, and thunder and lightning flashed in the sky. Unimaginable power of lightning gathered in his hand:
"It seems you prefer a toast to a penalty!"
"Wait a moment!"
Seeing that Zeus seemed intent on striking Prometheus dead on the spot, Apollo, standing nearby, suddenly raised his hand.
"Zeus, please calm your anger." He said to his father: "We don't have evidence yet to prove that Prometheus did all of this. What if humanity truly obtained the fire themselves?"
"So what?" Zeus said angrily: "Anyone who dares to defy the King of Gods, humanity will die all the same!"
"Please don't be so impatient." Apollo gently advised: "Actually, when humanity obtained fire, I foresaw some things. This race will grow to be the spirits of all things. They will be our most loyal, most intelligent, and most powerful believers. They will invent all sorts of new things and develop dazzling civilizations. More importantly…"
He lowered his voice, glanced at Hera, then coughed twice:
"Within this race, there will also be many… beautiful people."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Apollo's words, Zeus paused, then his anger slightly subsided. He and his drinking buddy Poseidon exchanged knowing glances, then quietly asked his most handsome son: "Is that true?"
Currently, all humans were male, and because Ares had bestowed upon them the concept of struggle, most of them were muscular and powerful, with bulging muscles, not at all fitting Zeus and Poseidon's aesthetic.
"Of course it's true." Apollo nodded: "Don't forget, I am the main god who took over Prometheus's prophetic divine duties."
"Precisely so, Zeus." Prometheus also quickly chimed in, striking while the iron was hot: "Give me ten more years… no, five years, and I will definitely make humanity the most perfect creation of the gods! They will offer sacrifices every year, and they will build statues for the gods on earth, singing praises of the gods' great deeds!"
Zeus pondered with a long face for a long time, and finally said: "Alright, then I'll give you one more chance, Prometheus, you must behave yourself."
Hearing Zeus forgive humanity, Prometheus finally breathed a sigh of relief. He busily thanked the King of Gods profusely, then left the God King's Hall under Zeus's impatient wave.
"Those from the Titan God Court are simply untrustworthy." After Prometheus left, Zeus said to the remaining gods: "This Prometheus will sooner or later ruin my plans. Do any of you have a way to get rid of him?"
The gods looked at each other, then Ares stepped forward. Seeing this, Zeus's eyes lit up and he asked:
"Oh, Ares, do you have a good plan?"
"No." Ares asked gruffly: "I just wanted to ask, Zeus, the theft of heavenly fire last night was ultimately due to Aphrodite and Notus attracting the attention of us gods, allowing Prometheus to succeed. So, isn't Notus's punishment too light?"
Zeus thought for a moment, then angrily said: "You're right! Then change Notus's hundred-year sentence to a thousand years—no, ten thousand years!"
After speaking, he angrily looked at Aphrodite to the side, scaring the Goddess of Beauty until her face lost its color.
"You'd better be careful too, Aphrodite."
Clearly, the King of Gods had no concept of "a night as husband and wife, a hundred nights of grace" in his heart. He heartlessly warned the goddess, who had been affectionately entwined with him the night before:
"If you cause trouble again, hmph, there won't be a next time!"
Aphrodite quickly nodded, obediently admitting her mistake and apologizing, without a trace of temper.
Seeing this, Ares chuckled inwardly. Compared to Athena, Hera, and the like, this goddess had only this much ambition. She usually acted as if the heavens were first, the earth second, and she third, but as soon as Zeus lightly reprimanded her, she was like a startled ostrich.
One must know that the main gods who established their factions on Olympus all treated Zeus's reprimands as idle talk, openly daring to "do it again next time."
However, it was just right. With Zeus's reprimand, this troublesome goddess should not cause any more trouble recently, saving him a lot of bother.
After Ares finished his question and returned to the ranks of the gods, Zeus asked the other gods in a circle, but their answers were uninspired. Apollo and Athena suggested Zeus wait for the opportune moment, while Poseidon and Artemis suggested using tsunamis and wild beasts to harass humanity, which Zeus also rejected. After much deliberation, no good solution could be found for a while, so they could only drop the matter.
The matter of Prometheus stealing fire thus came to an end. Under Zeus's command, the twelve great gods successively left the God King's Hall. Ares, having comforted his honest brother Hephaestus a few words, was the last to leave the God King's Hall with the God of Fire. The two gods walked side by side along the aerial corridor of Olympus, filled with huge colonnades. As they walked, they suddenly discovered Athena ahead.
This goddess stood at the edge of a colonnade, looking down through the boundless sea of clouds at the fires gradually igniting on the earth, seemingly lost in thought. A gentle breeze brushed through her golden hair, and the goddess slightly narrowed her eyes, breathtakingly beautiful.
The moment they saw her, Ares and Hephaestus simultaneously had different thoughts.
Ares thought, "Damn, is this woman plotting something again? I need to guard against her," while Hephaestus thought, "Ah, come to think of it, Athena is quite beautiful and talented too. Perhaps I would be more suitable with her."
However, the arrival of Ares and Hephaestus also startled Athena awake. She turned around and greeted Hephaestus with a smile: "Hello, Hephaestus."
Then she turned her face to Ares, and her expression instantly dropped: "Hmph, Ares."
"What kind of face is that, Virgin Sister?" Ares said loudly: "Is this your attitude towards your Virgin Brother? Huh?"
"I have nothing to say to you." Athena turned her head with a dark expression. When facing Hephaestus, her expression softened again: "That's all. I'll take my leave now. Good night, Hephaestus."
With that, the golden-haired, bright-eyed goddess turned and disappeared down the corridor, leaving behind only a fragrant breeze. After seeing Athena's back disappear, Hephaestus stroked his chin and suddenly asked Ares:
"Ares, do you think Athena likes me?"
"Huh?" Ares exclaimed in surprise: "My brother, how did you come to that conclusion? She's a virgin goddess!"
"Look, she only smiled at me just now, but she gave you an impatient look." Hephaestus said: "Isn't that a sign that she likes me?"
"Ah, I think when you say she only smiles at you, it's more like she only gives me a dirty look." Ares muttered: "That's probably because I'm too mischievous, not because you're too handsome."