Ares

'Your Highness Hebe, you are the most beautiful goddess I have ever seen!"

Anfran flapped her wings, frolicking in the forest, continuously chanting praises for the generous goddess who had granted her eternal youth.

'How many goddesses have you seen to say that?"

Mili shook her head, pulling Anfran down from her playful antics in the air.

'Anfran, your behavior today has been quite reckless. You should be grateful that you visited the most gentle and kind goddess on all of Olympus. Not only did she overlook your rudeness, but she also bestowed upon you the glory of youth."

Mili's usually gentle eyes now held an unprecedented seriousness and sternness.

'But you must understand that not all gods are like that. Even the widely praised god of light has a dark side. Remember what happened to the city of Rosa when he became angry?"

At the mention of Rosa, a terrifying memory seemed to flash through Anfran's mind, and her face turned pale.

She certainly remembered that Rosa was a city protected by Apollo, the god of light and medicine. However, due to someone's disrespectful words in the temple, the furious god unleashed a plague, and within just a few days, the once-glorious city was filled with corpses, with no survivors left.

'I… I understand now, Sister Mili. I will be more cautious in the future."

Anfran felt a mix of fear and relief in her heart—fear of the ruthlessness and power of the gods, and relief that her reckless self had encountered a tolerant and magnanimous goddess.

'Ah… as long as you understand." Seeing that Anfran had truly been frightened, Mili decided not to say more and pulled her along to report back to the queen.

After the two Nymphs left, the garden behind the Temple of Youth was once again left with only the goddess of youth.

Hebe sighed as she ate the grapes sent by her mother, Hera.

'Why did I have to become the weak and powerless goddess of youth Hebe?"

Hebe felt quite troubled. She was not originally from this realm but a person from a future world in China. One rainy day, she foolishly ran under a tree to avoid the rain and ended up getting struck by lightning, thinking her life was over. To her surprise, for some unknown reason, her soul entered another world, landing her in the Greek mythological realm as the daughter of the goddess Hera, a third-tier goddess in charge of youth—Hebe.

Even though she had been in this world for some time, Hebe still felt deeply frustrated about her lack of combat power.

What could the goddess of youth do on the battlefield?

Smash someone's head with her golden cup?

Or drown them with the spring water of youth?

Especially in this Greek mythological world known for its shamelessness and marriage snatching, being such a weak and easily toppled goddess made her feel like she was walking on thin ice.

Sometimes Hebe even thought that if she could have arrived earlier and been reborn as her brother, Ares, the god of war, how wonderful that would be! Gender wouldn't have to be such a rigid constraint.

After all, in this world without limits, having a powerful male god was the safest option!

Fortunately…

Hebe closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into her divine body. At the heart of this divine form, a light green crystal floated quietly. This was her divine essence, representing the principle of youth. The essence radiated a brilliant light, and divine power surged endlessly.

Beside the essence of youth, there were two other essences that hovered between the realms of illusion and reality—these were the results of Hebe's efforts to understand her identity after her birth.

In this world, the divine essences and ranks of the gods seem to be innate. Unless a god has some extraordinary encounter to condense a new divine essence, or an old god falls and a new god inherits their essence and divine office, the hierarchy remains largely unchanged.

Except for the king of the gods, any god slayer will face backlash.

Another way to obtain a divine essence and office is for a high-ranking god to bestow it upon someone, but Hebe was not favored by Zeus. Even though Hera loved her daughter, she could not secure powerful divine essences for her; all she could do was continuously show her affection, elevating Hebe's status on Mount Olympus.

Fortunately, inspired by the cultivation novels she had read in her previous life, Hebe recalled mentions of comprehending the laws of heaven and mastering the power of those laws to enhance one's cultivation.

She began to experiment with this idea, and as for how to comprehend the laws, she had a ready-made cheat: the Holy Grail of Youth, the divine artifact that came with her status as the goddess of youth.

While the divine office of youth might seem trivial, Hebe was the first deity to master the essence of youth, so the laws granted her the accompanying artifact that allowed her to produce the spring water of youth.

This artifact was inscribed with the great power of the laws; the spring water could keep one eternally youthful, eliminate negative physical effects, and maintain a peak, vibrant state.

From it, Hebe sensed the power of purification and healing. Although purification and healing were not particularly powerful divine essences, their effects were far more versatile than those of youth. If she could comprehend these two laws and successfully condense their essences, it would not only elevate her divine power but also enhance her status.

Thus, Hebe rejected all forms of entertainment and socializing, even proposing to her mother, Hera, to relinquish her position as cupbearer.

Hebe secluded herself in the temple, day and night, holding her golden cup, beginning to comprehend the power of the laws within. The hardships and monotony of this endeavor were unimaginable; the laws were elusive and ethereal, requiring immense patience and meticulousness to capture and comprehend. Hebe diligently pursued this understanding for nearly a hundred years, only managing to condense a shadow of the divine essence. To truly solidify it, she needed to continue her efforts.

If any of the gods on Mount Olympus were to attempt this, they would undoubtedly think the proposing god was insane. The gods already possessed endless lifespans and youth; indulgence was the main theme of their divine lives. They would struggle to endure even half a month of such asceticism, let alone a hundred years like Hebe.

However, Hebe persevered. Upon realizing she had become the goddess of youth, and recalling the glorious deeds of various Greek gods she had seen online in her previous life, she made her decision.

She absolutely could not sit idly by; if anyone wanted to be the cupbearer, they could do so, but she would not!

After all…

A hint of sarcasm flickered in Hebe's eyes.

Before she gained the strength to stand toe-to-toe with her 'good father," she could not afford to relax.

'My sister, Hebe of Youth, what are you so engrossed in?"

A deep, somewhat arrogant voice sounded behind Hebe, accompanied by the steady sound of armor clinking as heavy footsteps moved through the flowers and grass, creating a rustling noise.

Hearing this voice, Hebe snapped back to reality in an instant. She smiled and turned to look.

It was a remarkably robust male god, clad in silver armor stained with blood, with a battle axe slung over his shoulder. His strong, bronze skin and chiseled features exuded determination, and his dark red eyes occasionally revealed a fierce aura, filled with the beauty of blood and masculinity.

'Ares, have you been hunting monsters again?"

The newcomer was none other than Ares, the third child of Zeus and Hera, and Hebe's elder brother, the god of war.

According to legend, during the Titan War, which marked the last change of divine authority, Hera inadvertently touched a flower born from the bloodlust and slaughter of war on a battlefield, leading to her conception of this god who represents fire and bloodshed—Ares.

'You're hurt?" Hebe frowned, noticing the scent of divine blood on his armor; magical beasts certainly did not possess divine blood.

'Yeah, this time the beast was a descendant of Typhon, which was a bit tricky. I got a little injured during the battle."

As Ares spoke, he casually removed his armor, revealing his muscular back to his sister.

Typhon was the offspring of Gaia, the Earth Mother, and Tartarus, the god of the abyss. Together with his wife, the snake-haired monster Echidna, they had given birth to many fearsome beasts, making him the father of numerous monsters on Earth.

After the new generation of Olympian gods took power, Zeus had overthrown his son and lover, Cronus, casting him into the dark depths of Tartarus. Gaia, who had originally supported Zeus, was not very friendly towards this grandson of hers. She would occasionally instruct Typhon to wreak havoc in the realms of the gods.

As the god of war, it naturally fell upon Ares to slay the beasts that stirred trouble on the land.

'Ugh! This is just a minor injury? Ares! There's a limit to putting on a brave face!" Hebe gasped as she looked at the wound that extended from his shoulder to his waist, emanating dark energy.

'The Father God is really something else; he never thinks to send someone to help you. His other illegitimate children are enjoying themselves on Mount Olympus."

Hebe raised her hand to summon her golden cup, and the spring water of youth gushed forth. She channeled her divine power to enhance its healing and purifying effects.

The milky-white divine spring continuously flowed, pouring over Ares's strong divine body. The large, gaping wound began to dissipate the dark energy as the spring water washed over it, transforming the black mist into vapor.

Under the soothing effect of the spring water, Ares's back wound quickly healed and scabbed over. Before long, the scab fell away, revealing fresh, tender skin beneath.

'Those weaklings would only be a hindrance if they came. I don't think much of those illegitimate children Zeus has brought to the mountain," Ares said with a hint of disdain in his eyes. He looked down on Zeus's other offspring entirely.

If there was anyone among them who had some strength, it would be that guy Apollo; the others Ares could easily knock down with a single punch.