Hera's Golden Throne

Ares never expected that Hebe would be an even more fanatical battle enthusiast than himself. Not only did she charge to the front lines against the monsters, but after the battle, she insisted on purifying every corner of the dungeon, inside and out, with a level of service that brought tears to one's eyes.

'But… there are still several more dungeons nearby…" There were still many merits to be gained…

'My sister, I understand your determination to increase your strength, but growing too quickly without the ability to control that power may not be a good thing," Ares sighed. Despite being the god of war, he found himself in a position of avoiding battle, earnestly advising his sister, who was already showing signs of becoming a battle maniac.

'What you need now is to become well-acquainted with your newly acquired divine position and to proceed steadily."

'Alright…"

Though she was reluctant to give up the easily attainable merits, Hebe decided to heed her brother's advice. As the god of war, Ares indeed had unique insights regarding strength and combat.

At that moment, a vulture flew down from the sky. It was one of Ares' familiars, which landed on his broad shoulder, its sharp beak close to his ear, whispering something.

Ares' expression turned serious and irritable; his dark red eyes brimmed with fierce energy, making it clear to anyone that he was in a foul mood.

'Hebe, we need to return to Mount Olympus immediately. Mother has encountered trouble."

Hearing that Hera was in trouble, Hebe's heart tightened, and her violet eyes ignited with fury. She looked towards the direction of Mount Olympus, which was usually bathed in bright sunlight but was now shrouded in pitch-black clouds, exuding a suffocating atmosphere.

Flashes of blinding lightning flickered, and thunder rumbled from miles away, indicating just how terrible the mood of the mountain's mistress was at that moment.

Who could it be! How dare they offend her divine mother! The esteemed queen of the divine realm!

In the Greek world, even the most rebellious demigods held deep affection and respect for their divine mothers. Every goddess, in nurturing each of her demigod children, had to expend her own divine essence as nourishment.

On the other hand, the male gods in the Greek mythological world were mostly not good fathers. They lacked a sense of responsibility and generally disappeared after their goddesses became pregnant, indulging in debauchery elsewhere.

Most demigods were raised by their mothers after their birth, growing up alongside them. Hebe had lived for some time but had only seen her father Zeus a handful of times.

Although her brother Ares, as a major god, often encountered Zeus, their relationship resembled that of ruler and subject rather than father and son. Furthermore, due to Zeus's infidelity, Ares, who felt sympathy for Hera, found it difficult to grow close to him and even harbored feelings of disdain.

In the hearts of the siblings, the most important figure was undoubtedly their mother. Now, upon hearing that she was in trouble, they couldn't think of anything else. They hurriedly boarded their bronze war chariot, mercilessly whipping the backs of the four magical horses, urging them to gallop at full speed towards Mount Olympus.

The main temple, as the tallest temple on Mount Olympus, was where the gods usually held their meetings. By the time Hebe and Ares arrived, most of the gods from Olympus had already gathered inside the temple, all wearing worried expressions as they looked at the goddess Hera seated at the head.

The esteemed brown-haired goddess wore a face of anger, trapped in an exquisitely ornate golden throne. At the top of the throne, divine runes inscribed a line of small words: 'Dedicated to the Most Esteemed Goddess."

The golden throne of Hephaestus!

Hebe's eyes widened in disbelief. How could this have happened? She understood her brother well; despite his troubled past, he was one of the few gods with a genuinely pure and kind heart. He had always doted on her and showed no signs of harboring resentment towards their mother.

Hebe had initially thought the myth about the goddess being trapped in a golden throne was just a rumor, but now it had become a reality.

'Hephaestus? That damned guy!"

Ares immediately recognized that the throne imprisoning Hera was crafted by Hephaestus. Who else among the gods could possess such exquisite craftsmanship?

Ares gritted his teeth, his dark red eyes gleaming with fury, and he was about to grab his battle axe to go down to Earth and take care of him.

'Brother, wait! This matter may not be so simple. Right now, we should focus on how to rescue Mother," Hebe stopped the enraged Ares, glancing at their mother, who, despite being trapped in the throne, held her head high, maintaining her dignity.

Hephaestus sometimes sent powerful artifacts to their mother, and she knew his craftsmanship well; it was impossible for her to be easily trapped in this golden throne.

Among the gods in the hall, very few were genuinely trying to help Hera escape. Most of them had their own agendas.

The goddess of wisdom, Athena, the goddess of the night, Leto, and the twin gods of light, Apollo and Artemis—these gods, who had had past grievances with Hera, were all hiding their schadenfreude beneath worried expressions.

The gods whispered among themselves, and many volunteered to try various divine arts, magic, and curses, but all their efforts were futile against the golden throne forged by the god of fire.

'If my bow could be used as a lock-picking tool, I would at least do my part for the goddess!" The silver-haired goddess, with a beautiful and pure appearance, held her silver bow and teased her friend Athena softly.

'Perhaps Apollo's flames, which burn everything, could help the queen escape her predicament," Athena said with a concerned expression, wishing that the fire would burn her hair off!

Standing beside the two goddesses was a muscular male god, handsome with golden hair that carried a faint fragrance. He wore a crown woven from water lilies and was enveloped in a soft glow.

This was Apollo, the god of light, prophecy, music, and medicine, and the twin brother of Artemis.

Listening to the banter between Artemis and Athena, Apollo's sky-blue eyes, inherited from their father, revealed a hint of amusement. After all, as Zeus's illegitimate children, they had often suffered at Hera's hands.

'Whoosh!"

An arrow shimmering with holy silver light shot through the air, aimed at Artemis, who was laughing and chatting with Athena.

The Olympian gods of Zeus's lineage had only recently come to power, and many divine positions were still held by the Titan gods. Although Artemis and Apollo were the twin gods of light born of the sun and moon, the authority over the sun and moon did not belong to them but was held by the Titan siblings Helios and Selene.

Apollo was fine; with his multiple divine roles of light, medicine, and music, along with the rare prophetic gift that only a few gods possessed, he had reached the peak of divine power even without the authority of the sun.

As for Artemis, who had not yet mastered the authority of the moon, she currently represented the domains of the forest and hunting, as well as the childbirth aspect that she had taken from Hera after returning to the divine mountain, thanks to Zeus's favor. However, these were not particularly powerful divine roles, barely allowing her to maintain a peak second-tier status.

This goddess's ability to have a voice on the divine mountain was largely due to Zeus's affection and Apollo's protection.

Both Athena and Apollo were wise gods; even though they secretly enjoyed seeing Hera's misfortune, they still maintained a facade of concern. Hebe was aware that she currently lacked the strength to confront either of them, but Artemis—a second-tier goddess—dared to mock their mother so openly. It was simply outrageous!

The silver arrow shot forth swiftly and fiercely, like a meteor, aimed at the silver-haired goddess.

Artemis's expression soured; the divine power contained in that arrow would not be fatal if it struck her, but it would certainly bring trouble…

'Hmph!"

The stunningly handsome god of light stepped in front of his sister, raising his long hand. A faint golden glow emanated from it, forming a radiant shield that effortlessly deflected the shimmering silver arrow.

'…"

Hebe tightened her grip on her silver bow. Was this the difference between a first-tier god and a second-tier god?

'What does Your Highness Hebe mean by this?" Apollo looked coldly at the girl deity across from him, who held a jade bow and had golden hair and purple eyes.

The other gods finally realized that the audacious deity who had attacked Artemis was none other than Hera's youngest daughter, Hebe, who held the most trivial divine role of youth on Mount Olympus.

Understanding flickered in the eyes of the other gods. Although Artemis's words had not been loud, they were not deliberately muted either, and those around had heard her disrespectful remarks towards the queen.

In the tradition of the gods, respect for one's mother was paramount. As the most favored daughter of the queen, it was only natural for Hebe to stand up and defend her mother against insults. In fact, many goddesses admired Hebe's actions.

'Is it really Hebe? Isn't her divine role youth? That arrow just now didn't seem like something a frail goddess of youth could produce."

'Artemis's words were indeed a bit excessive…"

'But it isn't right for Princess Hebe to attack another goddess without warning…"

Ignoring the murmurs of the other gods, Hebe put away her jade bow. Her cow-like eyes, inherited from her mother, sparkled with fierce determination. At that moment, the youthful goddess bore a striking resemblance to her mother, exuding a noble and dignified presence.

'A mere second-tier goddess dares to speak ill of Her Majesty the Queen? That arrow was merely a warning. If there's a next time, I will go to the mortal realm and hunt down all your golden-horned deer."