When all was said and done, the so-called prophecy about Thetis, was made by Thetis herself.
The only supporting witness was Prometheus. And Thetis herself wasn't some high-tier goddess like Gaia who could turn her words into reality.
If this were the Theogony version of events, Eros might've believed that Zeus acted out of caution, regardless of whether he believed it or not.
But in the Almighty Zeus version of the world? Eros was pretty sure Thetis had just played a clever little trick, and Zeus went along with it for convenience.
Not that it mattered. Eros didn't care about that prophecy.
If she wanted to have his child, so be it, even if the kid was born overpowered and heaven-defying, Eros wouldn't be worried.
Ask him why?
All his stat points go into Charisma.
There's no such thing as "tiger dad, rebellious daughter" in this household.
His gaze flickered over Thetis.
She didn't have the gentle, flowing grace typical of sea goddesses. In fact, she reminded him a bit of Athena.
Her entire presence radiated the air of a warrior.
Even seated on a plush throne, her back remained straight as a blade.
Her face wore a smile, but not a gentle one.
"Pleasure to meet you, legendary Eros. I'm Thetis, sister to Amphitrite."
She extended her hand with poised grace.
Eros, naturally, didn't refuse, and took her hand in his own.
"And I'm equally pleased to meet you, beautiful Goddess Thetis."
Then, with a slight smile, he turned toward Eurynome.
"So, what was that about me arriving just in time?"
"Why don't you let her explain?" Eurynome said, shaking her head.
Clearly, this was Thetis's matter to bring up.
Eros turned his curious gaze toward Thetis, wondering what exactly they'd been discussing about him.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she poured him a glass of sweet honeyed nectar, then slowly began to speak.
"Eros, you've probably noticed the atmosphere in the Abyssal Capital hasn't been quite right lately, haven't you?"
"It's lost its usual peace and harmony. Everyone's become… tense."
Eros nodded. He had noticed.
"But aren't you the one managing things here? Wasn't that your order?"
His tone carried a faint note of suspicion.
Thetis replied calmly, "Eurynome was exaggerating a bit. I'm no ruler. It's only because my sisters trust and support me."
Since Oceanus had withdrawn from matters, his daughters naturally became the ones managing the city.
And among those who remained, Thetis had the highest prestige.
So it was only natural that she took on much of the power Oceanus had relinquished.
"Semantics. The real question is, are you the one who issued the lockdowns and high-alert protocols or not?" Eros waved it off.
"Yes, I did issue those orders," Thetis admitted.
"Then what's the point of this conversation? You want to debate whether you did the right thing or not?"
Eros rolled his eyes. He wasn't here to discuss civil policy.
"No. I brought it up because it's tied to what I'd like to ask of you."
Thetis kept her composure, still smiling.
"I'd like your help, "
"No, to be precise… I'd like your help in making Amphitrite the Ruler of the Seven Seas."
At those words, Eros, who had been sitting lazily, subconsciously straightened up.
Now it made sense.
So the one who encouraged Amphitrite to train with Oceanus and learn divine authority… was Thetis?
So it was she who had ambitions of challenging Poseidon?
Eros was intrigued now. He gave Thetis a much more serious look.
"Ruler of the Seven Seas? You mean to have Amphitrite defeat Poseidon and seize full dominion over all the ocean's divine authority?"
"No," Thetis replied instantly. "That's impossible. The King of the Gods would never allow that."
The sea was a cornerstone of the world, Zeus wouldn't permit someone he didn't trust to wield full control over it.
That's part of why Poseidon was so confident.
She was Zeus's sister. Who would dare touch her?
Other than a few equally ancient elder goddesses or primordial beings like Gaia, who could do anything?
Even if she were to get herself killed in some accident, Zeus would just revise the pantheon and bring her back.
Oceanus would have to fight through bureaucratic hell. Zeus just needed a pen.
Thetis clearly understood this.
So she never considered taking everything from Poseidon.
"We just want to challenge her dominance," she clarified.
"We're all goddesses. Why should a Sea Queen necessarily be beneath a Sea King? The ocean is shared, shouldn't Amphitrite rule half?"
She wasn't wrong.
And Eros understood the logic.
But he sighed and waved a hand dismissively.
"You're not wrong, but have you considered that Poseidon is incapable of yielding?"
"Getting her to accept being beneath someone else, especially a woman she doesn't control, is nearly impossible."
He'd already spent five whole minutes thinking about this.
Anything beyond that was just overtime.
"It's difficult. But does that mean we shouldn't try?"
Thetis countered smoothly.
"We know it'll cause turmoil across the seas. That it might drag on for a long time."
"But we don't have a choice."
Her smile faded slightly. A trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes.
"We're not doing this out of personal ambition. We're doing it… because we have to protect ourselves."
She glanced at Eurynome.
"Poseidon becoming Sea King is dangerous for us sisters."
"She's tried to abduct our sisters multiple times. You met Amphitrite because she was being hunted, remember?"
"And now, even Eurynome, the Queen of the Gods, isn't safe. Poseidon tried to kidnap her too."
"Amphitrite becoming Sea Queen… gives us a chance to change all of that."
"Should we just give it up? Let Poseidon rise unopposed, and be free to abuse us at will?"
Her words struck a chord with Eros.
Damn right!
Screw her. Beat that fish up.
Stirring chaos across the sea, sleeping around indiscriminately, unacceptable.
Thetis saw his expression and pressed on gently.
"So… I hope you can understand our position."
"If it were up to me, I'd want this resolved peacefully too."
Eros reflected on it all, nodded slowly, and reached a conclusion:
It's all Poseidon's fault!
She did this to herself!
Her reputation was in the mud, always off doing god-knows-what, how could anyone respect her as Sea King?
Look at Hades. Even if people didn't like having two rulers in the Underworld, they weren't exactly rising up in rebellion either.
But Poseidon?
Give the people a sliver of hope, and they're ready to revolt.
That's the difference between reputation… and infamy.
So if Poseidon ended up in this mess, she had no one to blame but herself.
Eros took no responsibility. If she'd just reined in her perverted impulses, none of this would've happened.
This fragmented ocean, filled with defiance and dissent, was her own doing.
Granted, this was from a modern moral perspective.
If judged by ancient Greek standards, Poseidon hadn't actually done anything "wrong."
…Other than being a bit of a deviant.
The strong were free to do as they pleased.
But just as Poseidon had the freedom to abduct wives, Thetis and her sisters had the freedom to resist.
These weren't mutually exclusive.
But what good did all this talk do?
Eros's brain had already been overclocked, he still had no clear solution.
"That's why I want Amphitrite to hold the dominant position," Thetis said, summarizing.
"So our sisters can feel safe again."
"This wasn't my idea alone. All of us discussed it. This is our collective will."
She looked toward Eurynome, who silently nodded her agreement.
Better to support a Sea Queen from your own side… than let Poseidon do as she pleased.
Suddenly, Eros lit up.
His eyes gleamed with new energy.
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess I don't have a choice."
"You tell me your plan."
What a joke. One Poseidon versus three thousand ocean goddesses?
Who wouldn't know where to invest their favorability points?
That's a whole forest of potential lovers!
No way was Eros going to pass that up.
He immediately tossed aside the verbal agreement he made with Poseidon earlier.
Thetis nodded, pleased.
"Our current plan is to help Amphitrite grow strong enough to stand on equal footing with Poseidon."
"Then, gradually, we'll shift the power balance until we hold the dominant voice."
Even though she now shared the same authority, Amphitrite lacked experience, and her gentle nature held her back.
That's why Thetis had asked Oceanus to help train her, to become someone capable of truly opposing Poseidon.
"You're her lover, and you've fought Poseidon before. You've hurt her badly."
"So we sincerely hope you'll help us now."
Eros had fought Poseidon once back in Acheron's domain, and left her seriously injured.
To Thetis, he was the key to understanding Poseidon's limits and weaknesses.
"No problem," Eros grinned. "Whatever I know, I'm happy to share."
His mind was racing now, three times faster than his normal post-nut clarity.
Let's call it: Smut Brain, Triple Turbo Mode.
Turns out, peak male cognitive function doesn't happen in clarity, it happens in horny strategy sessions.
"But trying to solve this by brute force won't work," he added.
"We'll need a new strategy."