"Kronos actually left Olympus?"
The goddess of time, Rhea, felt her husband's presence fading. The direction? Crete—the very island where she had hidden Zeus. Her heart pounded with unease.
"Kronos's movements must be reported to the Mother Goddess. She has her ships stationed under Crete… even he wouldn't dare act recklessly there."
Returning to her chamber, Rhea dismissed her maids, layered the room with protective barriers, and sat before a mystical mirror, her expression solemn.
"Mother Goddess, your daughter Rhea seeks an audience."
The mirror shimmered, distorting like ripples on a pond, before revealing a petite girl with white hair and crimson eyes.
Who would have thought that this delicate-looking girl, barely 1.4 meters tall, had given birth to twelve Titans—and possibly even more gods?
No wonder the first-generation God King Ouranos perished so quickly. Twelve kids with Gaia? A woman that decisive? Yeah, he never stood a chance.
"Umm~ Rhea, what do you need? Are you asking about Zeus?"
Despite referring to herself formally, Gaia had a habit of acting like an inexperienced maiden. Even Rhea, her own daughter, had to admit—her mother was ridiculously adorable.
"Mother Goddess, Kronos has left Olympus and is heading towards Crete. Please ensure Zeus's safety."
"Umm~ That's easy enough—"
Gaia's confidence was short-lived. As she activated her divine sight, she realized something alarming—Zeus was nowhere to be found on Crete. Not just Crete—he wasn't on land at all.
He was… at sea?
"Mother Goddess? Is something wrong with Zeus?"
Rhea immediately caught Gaia's unease. Her worry only grew.
"Rhea… Rhea, don't you trust me? Zeus already took the emetic wine and went to confront Kronos. He'll rescue your children soon!"
Gaia's forehead glistened with cold sweat. She averted her gaze—looking less like the Mother Goddess and more like a kid caught red-handed.
"He went to fight Kronos? But Zeus is only eighteen! How can he possibly match Kronos?"
Rhea was shaken. Sure, Kronos had once successfully usurped Ouranos while "applauding for love" with Gaia (a truly unique assassination tactic), but that didn't change the fact that he was terrifyingly strong.
How was Zeus supposed to defeat him?
"Ahem~ Rhea, don't worry! Zeus is a genius! He even crafted a magic weapon recently—I'm sure it was meant for this exact moment!"
Gaia's words sounded reassuring… to anyone who wasn't her. Because she knew Zeus's "magic weapon" was nothing but a goat's horn connected to her treasure vault.
Also, the missing emetic wine? Yeah, she knew exactly where that went.
"Child, have I ever lied to anyone?"
Oh, absolutely.
Rhea knew exactly how deceptive Gaia could be. Kronos had only succeeded in his coup because Gaia had stationed all twelve Titans outside Ouranos's tent, waiting for the right moment.
But now? Rhea was trapped on Olympus with no choice but to believe in her mother's words.
"Ah! My food is about to burn! Gotta go, Rhea! Bye-bye!"
Gaia abruptly cut the connection, then immediately started pacing in a panic.
"Zeus, where the hell are you?! If I catch you, I'm tying you up and smacking you with a hemp rope!"
Gaia's worry was real. She had three children left who ruled the sky, the ocean, and the mountains. The one in charge of the sky was Ouranos.
After taking the throne, he became a rebellious little brat. She had twelve kids with him, and he still wasn't satisfied.
Gaia had no choice but to overthrow him—he lost his crown, his dignity, and his crime-committing tool.
Then Kronos came along, and guess what? He was worse. To hold onto power, he even ate his own kids.
If she didn't get rid of him, the cycle would just repeat. And Zeus, the prophesied child meant to stop it, was the only solution.
"Zeus, please come back soon… or Kronos is gonna come for me next…"
Gaia shuddered at the thought. If this cycle continued, she might end up as a family heirloom, passed down forever.
—
"Mother Goddess… I hope she does something," Rhea murmured.
She wasted no time contacting her children. The Greek gods weren't exactly "earthly beings"—their human forms were just manifestations. Their true bodies? Gigantic divine constructs.
Rhea had hidden those bodies away. Without them, Kronos could only imprison their human forms, preventing them from escaping.
"Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon…"
She had linked with them at birth, though Zeus—being raised in hiding—never received the same connection.
But it was a one-way link. Her children could hear her, but they couldn't respond.
"Don't worry. The darkness trapping you will soon vanish. Your sixth brother, Zeus, is coming to save you with the divine wine!"
Of course, to keep their spirits high, Rhea might have slightly exaggerated Zeus's capabilities.
The prophecy stated that Zeus would overthrow Kronos and take the throne.
That meant he needed to be a legend.
"Children, trust your sixth brother! He possesses the greatest knowledge, unwavering determination, and unparalleled courage! His lightning will pierce Kronos's stagnant time, and his strength can hold up the heavens themselves!"
Rhea showered Zeus with every possible compliment, not just to reassure her children, but herself.
She had loved Kronos once. But no mother could watch six of her children get eaten without some emotional trauma.
If she hadn't taken precautions the sixth time, she would've watched it happen again.
The deeper her love for Kronos once was, the more hatred she harbored now.
"He will be your leader. So for your own sake—and for your mother's—when you regain your freedom, stand by Zeus, my children."
And just as she finished speaking—
A blinding light burst through the darkness imprisoning them.
Before them stood a young man, standing on a raft. And there, collapsed on the floor, violently vomiting—
Their so-called father.
Zeus.
The five of them had the same thought at once.
"Wait, this guy saved us?"