"Ah?"
Hecate looked up, gazing blankly at Prometheus, then replied, "Talk? What is there for us to talk about?"
"Moon Goddess, you should have been able to foresee this."
Prometheus sat down beside Hecate, holding his cup, and said,
"Zeus has already ordered Epimetheus and me to create new beings from clay on the earth. Their arrival signifies a new order, a new era, and… new primates for this world."
He looked at the starry sky, higher than Olympus, and continued,
"I have made up my mind to help the new primates. Although they are much weaker than us, they have more potential and more hope. In the distant future, when the planet perishes, if anyone can find a way to survive, it will undoubtedly be them. But I am a little afraid of your disciple, Ares. What does he really think about these new primates?"
"Do you have to ask me all these irrelevant things?" Hecate pulled a long face and said, "The reason I stayed away from Olympus was that I didn't want to get involved in these whirlpools. What happens to the old gods, or the new primates, what does any of that have to do with me, Hecate?"
"I apologize, I misspoke." Seeing that the Moon Goddess seemed a bit angry, Prometheus quickly apologized to her. Then, he thought for a moment and changed his approach, asking, "Then, are you satisfied with your disciple Ares or not? You can at least tell me that, right?"
"He's alright." Hecate looked at Prometheus, then nonchalantly prevaricated, "At least he doesn't bother me when he has nothing to do, interrupting my research."
"Is that so?" Prometheus lowered his head in thought, then stood up and said to Hecate, "I understand. Thank you, Hecate."
"Hmm?"
Just as Prometheus was getting up to leave, on the other side, Ares, standing in the center of the banquet within the circle of the twelve gods, happened to see the former God of Wisdom departing. He wondered,
"Prometheus? What is he doing looking for Hecate?"
It wasn't that Ares was overly concerned about Hecate, but rather because the one seeking her out was Prometheus. According to his estimation, Prometheus and Athena were probably the only two gods on Olympus who vaguely guessed his true intentions.
Athena, for now, is out of the question. That goddess is currently in a difficult position, and any opposition, trouble-making, or cooperation with him would definitely have to be done in secret. This is an unspoken understanding between people like them who play both sides. Moreover, Athena is currently most constrained by Zeus, so she probably can't afford to pay much attention to him.
As for Prometheus, that fellow has already gone to the mortal realm. Although he lost the benefits that came with the God of Wisdom divine position after shedding his divine duties, he also gained more freedom and ample time to plan his own affairs.
If he were to extract anything from Hecate, Ares was very afraid that this person would secretly scheme against him.
Hearing Ares's words, Hephaestus also glanced over there, then replied, "He might be asking the Moon Goddess for some concepts of divine duties. Recently, Zeus seems to have tasked him and his brother with creating a new batch of creatures."
"Oh?" Ares's heart stirred at the news. Indeed, Leto had mentioned it when she sent him to Hecate. It seemed that the "humans" of mythology were about to appear on Earth.
So he pressed, "When are they planning to create them?"
"I don't know." The God of Fire shook his head. "Zeus has put Athena fully in charge of this matter."
"Why Athena again?!" Ares raged at the opportune moment, "Why her?!"
"Don't be so quick to get angry." Hephaestus shook his head and advised, "It is indeed most suitable for Athena, the wisest of the Fourth Generation Gods, to handle the creation."
"No way!" Ares calculated in his mind, "I must also have a hand in the creation of all things!"
Just as he was speaking, the doors of the God King's Hall suddenly opened. A fragrant breeze carrying flower petals flew out, the Muses began to sing, and Apollo played a melodious tune on his lyre. A beautiful goddess, dressed in a magnificent long gown and adorned with a flower wreath, walked out of the God King's Hall with light steps, accompanied by several maidservants.
The protagonist of this banquet, Aphrodite, finally appeared before the Heroes.
She had golden hair, and her cerulean eyes were as blue as the sea where she was born. Her skin, exposed from beneath her pink long dress, shimmered like white porcelain. Her figure, appearance, facial proportions, and inherent temperament were all perfect, all captivating.
The moment they saw Aphrodite, all the male gods present felt as if they had fallen in love, while all the goddesses, with the exception of a few who possessed extreme self-confidence, involuntarily showed expressions of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Ares leaned forward to glance at the goddess, and his heart couldn't help but stir.
It must be said that the current Aphrodite truly was a flower unsullied by mud, a lotus pure and unblemished. As the Goddess of Love and Beauty, she seemed to naturally possess an ability to attract others to fall in love with her. This ability was extremely potent, so much so that even a chief god like Ares found it difficult to resist.
Feeling the flutter in his heart, Ares quickly lowered his head .
When he looked up again, having prepared himself, Aphrodite was merely passable in his eyes. Compared to his previous two-dimensional wives, she simply couldn't compare, couldn't compare.
However, among the male gods present, it seemed only he and Prometheus were truly aware. He was prepared and had psychological expectations, while Prometheus was too intelligent. From the moment he saw Aphrodite and felt his heart stir, the former God of Wisdom knew that no matter what, such a woman could never fall into his hands. Even if there was a one in ten million chance Zeus betrothed her to him, he wouldn't be able to keep her.
So Prometheus very timely reined in his thoughts and completely discarded any superfluous ideas.
Apart from these two, Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, and others all showed adoration for her. Aphrodite instantly became the focal point of the entire banquet.
"Come, come, let me introduce her to everyone."
Zeus beckoned to Aphrodite, who walked over innocently. Zeus then casually put his arm around her fair, fragrant shoulder, taking advantage of the moment while introducing her to all the gods present:
"Due to the need for divine duty adjustments, the Moon Goddess Selene has voluntarily withdrawn from the ranks of the twelve gods. Therefore, Selene's position as Moon Goddess will temporarily be taken over by my daughter Artemis. And this is our new chief god of Olympus. Her name is Aphrodite, and she will become our Goddess of Love and Beauty on Olympus."