Tens of thousands of colossal meteorites, wreathed in roaring celestial flames, plummeted from the firmament. They slammed into the earth, incinerating mountain forests and shattering city-states. The world below was transformed into a boundless sea of fire, through which countless beasts fled in blind terror.
Under the searing heat of the heavenly fire, creatures lost the homes they relied on for survival. Many who were too slow to escape were instantly consumed by the inferno, their flesh scorched away until only blackened skeletons remained.
"Save us!!"
"Ah! Run... No!!"
"Is this the wrath of the gods!?"
The city-states, which had only recently begun to flourish through human toil and divine protection, were now suffering catastrophic casualties under the rampaging celestial fire. Humans flocked to their temples, desperately praying for the gods to provide sanctuary and help them survive this merciless cataclysm.
"Lord Voultsos! Thousands of flaming meteorites are falling outside! Many houses are ablaze, and no amount of water can extinguish the flames! Even the rivers are nearly parched!"
Adonis, now the city-lord's secretary, arrived in a rush. Clad in a snow-white chiton, his handsome, ageless face was drenched in sweat. The heat was becoming unbearable, and the temperature continued to skyrocket. If this continued, the citizens would soon be scorched to death!
"...Adonis, gather all the residents and head to the Temple of Life. We must pray for the Goddess's protection!"
After years of leadership, Voultsos now commanded an air of profound majesty. His gray-blue eyes held the deep wisdom granted by time. He had changed much, but one thing remained constant: his devout faith in the Goddess of Life. He firmly believed that she would lead them through this disaster!
"As you command!" Adonis rushed off to deliver the order.
The citizens scrambled toward the Great Temple of Life. In this moment, they could only marvel at Voultsos's foresight in constructing such a grand sanctuary; otherwise, it would never have been able to accommodate so many people.
Voultsos stood at the head of the crowd, gazing at the sacred and exquisite statue of the Goddess of Life. Though decades had passed, the Oak Branch in the statue's hand remained lush and green, emitting soft pulses of holy light.
Great Goddess, your devout believer Voultsos prays here... your people are suffering... Voultsos closed his eyes in silent, fervent prayer. Behind him, the citizens knelt as one, sincerely begging for the Goddess's grace.
High above, Hebe was driving her divine chariot through the sky when her heart suddenly stirred. The collective voices of countless believers reached her ears, crying out for protection.
So be it. Hebe recalled the promise she had made to Prometheus.
She channeled her divine power. Instantly, the statue within the temple erupted with brilliant radiance. A screen of light rippled outward, forming a pale golden barrier that enveloped the sanctuary, shielding the people within from the celestial fire.
"It is the Goddess! The Lady has granted us her protection!"
"Praise the Great Goddess!"
Those within the barrier embraced and wept, singing hymns to her benevolence. Finally, amidst this ruthless disaster, they had found a place of safety.
However, the barrier was only a temporary reprieve. The key lay in addressing the root cause of the celestial fire.
"Lady Hebe."
Apollo caught up in his chariot, his brow furrowed as he witnessed the tragic devastation of the earth.
"Lord Apollo, do you know where Phaethon and the Golden Sun Chariot have fallen? If that chariot remains on the earth, the temperature will continue to rise until the very oceans evaporate," Hebe said, her eyes scouring the landscape.
Apollo's eyes flashed with golden light. Relying on the all-seeing eye of the God of Light, he immediately pinpointed the location. "At the Eridanus River."
"My Lord, you are the destined Sun God. It is only fitting that you drive the Golden Sun Chariot back to the mountain. Seize this opportunity," Hebe said with deep subtext.
"I understand." Apollo, being sharp-witted, wasted no more words and sped his chariot toward the Eridanus.
Hebe then turned her focus to the Ice Godhood within her. She swept her hands out, and the power of frost condensed into crystalline snowflakes that drifted toward the earth. The hexagonal flakes fell in increasing numbers, and the reach of the ice began to expand. Hebe relentlessly channeled her power, commanding the cold frost to cover the land. As the ice spread, the extreme heat caused by the Sun Chariot began to subside.
"It's not enough. The speed is too slow."
Sweat beaded on Hebe's brow as she pushed both her spirit and her Godhood to their limits, absorbing the world's essence and converting it into frost power. Wherever her chariot passed, snow fell and celestial fire was extinguished.
The three Horae master Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Through their offices, they can cover the earth in flowers, greenery, or harvests in an instant... but there is no deity of Winter... As she watched the earth being blanketed in white, a spark of inspiration flashed in Hebe's mind.
She seized that inspiration, and her divine words shook the heavens.
"In the name of Hebe, I call upon the omnipresent laws! I offer my Ice Godhood as a sacrifice to grant the world a season of frost and snow—a time for all things to slumber and for the earth to recuperate. I name it: Winter."
The exquisite goddess's eyes flashed with resolve. The agony of stripping away a Godhood left her drenched in sweat. The Ice Godhood, shimmering with pale blue light, separated from her body. Hebe crushed it with a forceful squeeze, and the Godhood shattered, returning to the world as primordial frost essence.
The world's elemental forces vibrated. Massive dark clouds gathered in the sky. Snow began to fall, and the area of coverage expanded with incredible speed. The heat brought by the celestial fire vanished instantly.
In the Sun Temple, the three Horae felt a sudden jolt. They sensed a nameless force stripping away a portion of the authority within their own Godhoods. The goddesses were filled with shock and rage, yet they were powerless to resist, for the force taking their power was the supreme law of the world itself.
Hebe watched as the snow consumed the rampaging celestial fire and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She slumped onto her chariot, her divine power plummeting from the loss of the Godhood, leaving her in a state of extreme weakness.
Suddenly, the laws of the world vibrated again. A brand-new, pure white Godhood radiating an endless chill appeared before her. It merged into her body without resistance, filling the void in her power. Blessed by the world's primordial essence, Hebe's strength skyrocketed.
First-tier Middle rank... First-tier Peak...
"Winter Goddess."
A crown forged of ice and snow manifested upon Hebe's head. By sacrificing her Ice Godhood to create Winter, she had not only saved countless lives but also filled a void in the world's laws. The Merit gained from this pushed her to the peak of the first tier, and the laws of the world manifested a birthright artifact for her: the Crown of Winter.
She was the first deity in history to govern the cold months—the Winter Queen, representing both the end and the beginning of the four seasons.
On Mount Olympus, the crash of the Sun Chariot and the resulting fires had left Zeus incandescent with rage; he had personally struck Phaethon down with a bolt of lightning.
Zeus and Hera had immediately summoned the gods for an emergency council to save the humans. These new humans had only just begun to provide faith, and the gods, having tasted its benefits, were loath to see them go extinct. When they saw Hebe projecting a divine barrier through her statue, the other gods followed suit, projecting their power into their own mortal temples to provide sanctuary.
"Hermes, what is the situation in the mortal realm?" Zeus asked from his throne.
"Great King, the situation has improved. Lord Apollo has retrieved the Golden Sun Chariot from the Eridanus River and tamed the divine steeds. The celestial fire has ceased its rampage," Hermes reported, leaning on his Caduceus.
The assembly let out a collective sigh of relief. With the source extinguished, the situation would stabilize, and they could stop the exhausting task of maintaining divine barriers.
"There is one more thing..." A look of strange envy crossed Hermes's youthful face. "Lady Hebe, in the mortal realm..."
"Great Father! You must bring us justice!"
Before Hermes could finish, Eunomia, Dike, and Eirene—the three Horae—burst into the hall. Their beautiful faces were stained with tears as they begged Zeus to intervene.
"Hmm? Eunomia, why have you come here?" Zeus looked at the three daughters he had sired with his second wife, Themis. Though they carried his blood, they spent their time at Helios's side and had often ignored his subtle commands. He did not consider them part of his inner circle.
"Great Father, the accursed Phaethon committed a grave sin, and Lord Helios has suffered a backlash, falling into a coma. Furthermore, for reasons unknown, our Horae Godhoods were partially stripped of their authority by a mysterious force, causing our divine ranks to fall! Please, Father, find the culprit and restore justice!"
Eunomia, the eldest, spoke craftily. She first distanced her sisters from the chariot disaster and then invoked the name of their mother, Themis, to pressure Zeus into recovering their lost power.
Zeus's eyes flashed with lightning. Under the gaze of the King's Godhood, the truth was laid bare. The three sisters, who governed Spring, Summer, and Autumn and had inherited traits of Order, Justice, and Peace from Themis, usually held the strength of First-tier Middle rank. Now, however, they had fallen to First-tier Lower rank, teetering on the edge of the second tier.
"Hermes," Zeus said, "do you know what happened?"
"Ahem... Great King, I believe I know the cause of the ladies' decline," Hermes said, looking at the sisters with a mix of pity and amusement.
"Who is it? Lord Hermes! Tell us!" the sisters demanded.
Hermes glanced at the silent Zeus. Gods were proud, and as the Herald of Zeus, he only answered when the King permitted. Satisfied with Hermes's conduct, Zeus finally nodded. "Speak, Hermes."
"It is because of Hebe, the Goddess of Life," Hermes announced.
"Hebe?" "Lady Hebe again?"
The gods whispered. Over the last century, Hebe had become famous for her nearly "monstrous" speed of ascension. Hearing she was involved in the decline of the Horae was shocking, yet somehow expected. Some gods wondered if she had discovered a way to steal the power of others.
"Hebe?" Zeus glanced at Hera. "What astonishing feat has my lovely daughter performed this time?" His voice was full of doting pride. Between her status as Hera's daughter and her recent martial successes, his attitude toward her had shifted entirely to one of favor.
"See for yourselves, Great King." Hermes waved his Caduceus, projecting a vision of the mortal realm.
The flowers and greenery were gone. The world below was a landscape of pure white. Snow blanketed the earth, and all things were locked in a peaceful, silent slumber.
"This is..."
"To extinguish the celestial fire, Lady Hebe sacrificed her Ice Godhood to create a brand-new season for the world: Winter."
"Winter?" The gods were stunned. Such a feat was unheard of. The previous owner of the Ice Godhood, Dyei, had only used it for brawling or guarding the far north; no one had ever thought to use it to forge a new season.
"Yes, Winter. Under the snow, all things sleep, allowing the earth to recuperate and replenish its essence. The laws of the world acknowledged her decree and carved one month from Spring, Summer, and Autumn each to give to Winter," Hermes said, his eyes flashing with irony as he looked at the Horae. "That is the reason for the ladies' decline."
"This... Great Father, we..." The three sisters tried to protest.
"Enough!" Hera finally spoke. The regal Queen's violet eyes radiated immense pressure, her voice cold and dominant. "As the adjutant goddesses of the Sun Temple, you allowed the Sun God to lend the Golden Sun Chariot to a mortal, resulting in a global catastrophe. If Hebe had not cleaned up your mess, do you think you would still be standing here to complain? You lost one month and a bit of power. If it were up to me, I would strip your Season Godhoods entirely to punish your incompetence!"
The Queen's ruthlessness made the assembly shiver. The Horae turned ghastly pale, nearly fainting under the weight of her rebuke. They had tried to play politics against Hebe—the Queen's most cherished child—and had paid the price.
Ares stood nearby, glaring at the sisters with bloodshot eyes, his murderous aura suggesting he would happily tear out their Godhoods himself if Hera gave the word.
"Who dares to offend the noble, ox-eyed Queen?"
A voice, as clear as a nightingale yet carrying a distant, wintry chill, echoed through the hall. A goddess in a snow-white gown appeared at the entrance. She walked forward, her exquisite face radiating a soft halo, her violet eyes cold and majestic. Most striking of all was the crown of ice and snow resting upon her golden hair.
First-tier Peak.
A single step away from the rank of a Major God.