Perhaps due to the emotional wounds inflicted by Aphrodite, Hephaestus's thought processes seemed to be in disarray, as he had now set his sights on Athena.
Ares wondered if his elder brother had been cursed by someone, as he always seemed to fancy women who were extremely troublesome, or even terrifying.
Weren't the Three Goddesses good enough for him?
However, for a male god, if the Three Goddesses and Athena were placed side by side for them to choose, most would indeed choose the latter, rather than the Three Goddesses who would surely become virtuous wives and loving mothers.
Athena's status was far higher than that of the Three Goddesses to begin with, and combined with her temperament, beauty, and inviolable vow of virginity, she became an unattainable high-mountain flower in the eyes of the male gods, one that even Zeus could not obtain.
Such a goddess naturally most stimulated the male gods' desire for conquest.
Ares wanted to remind his brother to weigh his own capabilities before thinking or doing anything, but Hephaestus always felt that he and Athena had a common language, and that this time it might actually work, so Ares had no choice but to let him be.
Anyway, that woman wouldn't really do anything to the God of Fire; it would be good for Hephaestus to suffer a setback and see the reality of these goddesses on Olympus.
However, on the other hand, Athena's recent trance while looking at the humans on the earth had indeed startled Ares; he had personally witnessed Athena extracting something from the corpse of a Youxing Vanguard from that "wilpa 03," which made him even more uncertain about this goddess's plans.
Since he couldn't figure it out, Ares decided to go back and make thorough preparations himself; at least for his own purpose, no matter what, he had to ensure that humanity in this divine era could continue to exist.
Sitting back on his divine throne as the God of War, Ares overlooked the earth through his divine authority, narrowing his eyes as he watched humans using torches to drive away other wild beasts.
"Since Prometheus, you asked me to preserve the spark of humanity's continuation, then I will fulfill this promise in my own way."
He raised his spear, pointing it at the ground:
"I am the God of War; therefore, only the strongest individuals are qualified to become my 'spark.'"
…
On the earth, humans who had obtained the spark slowly began to expand; they no longer feared darkness, no longer feared wild beasts. At night, they raised torches, driving away the cold and ferocious beasts that would have otherwise consumed their lives.
But even with fire, it was not foolproof; humans' pushing their luck sometimes angered the fierce beasts who feared the light of the fire. A cornered dog will jump over a wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite; these ferocious beasts, when desperate, would also launch their counterattacks against humans, and such actions often resulted in several deaths.
After several days and nights of mutual driving back and forth, a subtle understanding finally formed between humans and ferocious beasts; they demarcated their territories as "predators," refraining from interfering with each other, and humans finally began to live stable lives at night.
Tonight, by the tribal bonfire, Agiad and Eurypontid sat on two large stones. Agiad skewered good quality beast meat onto sharpened wooden sticks, while Eurypontid placed the skewers prepared by Agiad over the bonfire to cook the raw food.
They were brothers, and among the first humans created by Prometheus. Because they were created by Prometheus one after another, they referred to each other as brothers. As Prometheus gradually created more humans and the human race slowly proliferated, Agiad and Eurypontid, due to their strong physiques and combative personalities, became leaders of one of the tribes.
As the flames licked the meat, the fat gradually rendered out, bubbling on the surface with a sizzling sound, and an appetizing aroma wafted out, invigorating the humans gathered around Agiad and Eurypontid.
Seeing that the meat was almost cooked, Eurypontid handed a skewer to Agiad and then shouted to the surrounding humans:
"The meat is ready, everyone come and eat."
He distributed the meat, keeping one skewer for himself, and then took a big bite of the roasted skewer. Even without any seasoning, this cooked food was a supreme delicacy for Eurypontid, who had previously only been able to eat raw meat and drink blood.
"Thanks to Father God for giving us fire." He said indistinctly, chewing the cooked meat in his mouth, "I can't eat anything raw anymore."
"Shh." Hearing Eurypontid's words, Agiad quickly slapped him on the head and then raised his index finger: "Don't blabber, have you forgotten what Father God told us? This fire was smart of your brother, me, to snatch from the Sun God's chariot on Mount Caucasus!"
"Oh, right, right, right."
Eurypontid nodded repeatedly.
He said, then picked up a wooden bowl nearby, took a big gulp of boiled plain water, and sighed: "But I don't think we've fully developed the use of fire yet. Today, that lion in the adjacent forest bit and killed two more of our tribal brothers. Seeing us with torches, that beast isn't afraid at all anymore."
"Don't think so much, just focus on what's in front of us." Agiad said while eating roasted meat: "Let that lion be; our manpower is still insufficient right now. Anyway, as long as we don't approach its territory, it won't dare to charge directly into ours. I think we should first focus on tomorrow's hunt, then talk about other things."
"You're right." Eurypontid nodded: "I heard someone saw a herd of mountain goats on the northern slope today. Tomorrow, I'll take the brothers to check it out."
"Mm."
The group of humans ate and drank, quickly filling their bellies. After being full and warm, drowsiness set in, so Agiad and Eurypontid arranged for people to stand guard and tend to the bonfire tonight, then each lay down and slept on the piles of dry grass they had collected.
However, just as they lay down, still with their eyes open, gazing at the star-filled sky, they suddenly saw a dazzling red light streak across the sky.
That red light quickly zipped across the sky like a shooting star, then fell behind the distant horizon.
The red light reflected in Agiad and Eurypontid's eyes, and also in the eyes of many humans who were looking up at the sky at that moment. After witnessing this red comet, for some reason, all humans felt a surge of anger and a desire to fight ignited within their hearts.
"Eurypontid."
Agiad, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly spoke to his brother:
"I think you have a point. If we can make better use of fire, turning it into a weapon, we can directly kill that lion. That way, our brothers won't have to die suddenly during hunts anymore."
He paused, then continued:
"Tomorrow morning, let's go kill that lion."