Hera's Intrigue, Divine Ascension

'…"

'Hahaha, alright, alright. Since there's a solution to this matter, I should return to the sea realm. There are still many sea monsters waiting for me to deal with. Everyone else, you can disperse now."

With Zeus absent and Hera trapped, Poseidon laughed as he stepped forward to ease the situation, sending off the gods who were still eager to watch the drama unfold.

'Hebe, Ares, you stay here to accompany your mother."

The gods were quite perceptive; as soon as Poseidon finished speaking, they all took their leave. After all, the spectacle of the queen of the gods was not something to be trifled with. If they truly offended Hera, they would have plenty of trouble waiting for them in the future.

Artemis shot a disdainful glance at Hebe with her silver-gray eyes. Proud as she was, she wanted to mock her further, but under the persuasion of Apollo and Athena, she could only leave in silent resentment, vowing to humiliate her rival thoroughly in the upcoming duel a month later to vent her frustrations from today!

'Mother."

Once the gods had departed, silence returned to the temple.

Hebe knelt beside the golden throne that imprisoned Hera, her eyes filled with complex thoughts.

Everything was just too unusual. Her brother Hephaestus had suddenly set a trap for their mother, and the look their father had cast at their mother before leaving made her, being as clever as she was, feel that something was off.

'It's been a while since we last met; you've grown a lot, my dear daughter."

With only the three of them left in the temple, the proud Hera relaxed her body. At this moment, she showed no trace of the shame and anger from being set up; her beautiful and noble face wore an expression of leisure.

The noble goddess with purple eyes looked at her little daughter, who was willing to resort to violence to defend her dignity, with eyes full of love and tenderness.

'Mother, what's going on with that guy Hephaestus?"

Ares was still filled with rage. He had always known that Hephaestus was a schemer, pretending to be honest to gain their mother's and sister's attention, and now he dared to target their mother! He had embarrassed her in front of the gods!

'No way, I have to teach him a lesson!"

The hot-tempered god of war grabbed his battle axe, ready to go to Lemnos Island to settle accounts with Hephaestus.

'Ares, brother!"

'Stop!"

The goddess with white arms spoke, her voice carrying an undeniable authority that even Ares had to halt his steps.

'You've been a chief god for quite some time, yet you still can't see things as clearly as your sister! Athena has been intent on shaping the role of the goddess of war. If you keep being so reckless, I foresee that she will eventually overpower you!"

Hera's tone was laced with a sense of disappointment. Ares was the child born from her union with the god of war, created from the battle energy he encountered during the Titanomachy. He was the god of war under the will of the world, inherently a chief god, and could be said to have won at the starting line.

In terms of martial prowess, Ares had few rivals in all of Olympus, but when it came to calmness and wisdom, he was lacking.

Athena, the wise goddess and daughter of Metis.

Once, a prophecy had foretold that Metis would give birth to a child who would overthrow Zeus's reign.

This suspicious and ruthless king of the gods, fearing the prophecy would come true, swallowed Metis, allowing her to continue providing him with wisdom from within his own body.

However, shortly after that, Zeus began to suffer from unbearable headaches. Unable to endure the pain any longer, he commanded that his head be opened.

From the opened head of Zeus emerged a strong and armored goddess with bright eyes—Athena, the goddess who now presides over wisdom, warfare, and weaving.

Although Athena's role as a goddess of war was far inferior to that of Ares, her wisdom greatly aided her in the realm of warfare. Nowadays, some mortals began to believe that Athena, with her exceptional tactical skills, was more deserving of the title of god of war than Ares, who only knew how to fight.

If this continued, even Ares, favored by the world, might find himself overshadowed by Athena in terms of divine roles due to the influence of mortal belief. A god of war who couldn't win battles—could he still call himself a god of war?

'…"

Ares, at a loss for words, could only hang his head and listen to Hera's reprimand, casting glances at Hebe for help.

'Quick, save your brother!"

'…Mother, everything you're doing is to bring brother Hephaestus back to the divine mountain, right?"

Hebe picked up on Ares's plea for help and quickly changed the subject.

'That's right." Hera sat majestically on her golden throne, her gaze distant. 'Prometheus has long told me of the inevitability of the return of the god of fire and forging, but how your brother returns to the divine mountain is quite a complex matter."

Hebe's thoughts stirred; Prometheus had actually informed their mother of the prophecy in advance?

'I don't understand, Mother."

Ares still felt confused. If they wanted Hephaestus back, couldn't they just ask their father for a favor? Why go through all this trouble?

'The gods of Olympus are too proud. A lame god raised among mortals, cast down by the father god, will not earn their respect."

'But if it's…" The beautiful and noble queen's eyes lit up, 'If there were a god who could trap the queen of gods and force the king of gods to bow down, the treatment would naturally be different."

'…Father must have known your plans as well."

Hebe looked up at Hera, her worries evident. A proud god like Zeus, knowing he had been plotted against, would likely not take it well, even from someone he loved like Hera.

'…And what if he knows?"

Hera understood Hebe's concerns. This was not some deeply hidden scheme. Zeus, who had once possessed the wisdom of Metis, could certainly see through this plot.

But so what? Hera knew Zeus well; in his heart, nothing was more important than his position as the king of gods.

A chief god who could solidify his status was worth far more than the pride he held, which was more precious than gold.

Yet her daughter's concern was still very much appreciated. Hera wanted to gently caress Hebe's pure and delicate face, as white and soft as a lily, but her hands were bound by the golden throne, leaving her to regretfully refrain.

'I owe so much to your brother."

Hera's gaze seemed to pierce through the river of time.

It was hundreds of years ago, shortly after the birth of her eldest son, Hephaestus. Though he was not particularly handsome, he was strong and full of divine power, a natural god of fire and forging.

That day, she discovered Zeus's betrayal once again. As the guardian of marriage and family, the backlash of her divine status caused her immense pain, and her lover's betrayal left her heart-wrenchingly distressed. In her pride, she cried out in anguish.

Hephaestus witnessed this; he saw his mother in such pain.

In his youthful arrogance, he felt indignant and confronted Zeus, only to find that even a divine son could not challenge the authority of the supreme king of gods.

He was cast down from the divine mountain, thrown down by his cold and heartless father, who decreed that he could never return.

It was from that day onward that Hera truly realized how cruel and heartless the husband she loved was.

After countless instances of infidelity and persecution of his illegitimate children, Hera was unsure whether her actions stemmed from love for Zeus, a duty to uphold marriage, or a desire to avenge the harm he had inflicted on her son.

She could no longer distinguish between them…

'Alright, I have my own plans for this matter; you don't need to worry," Hera snapped back to reality, shaking her head and not wanting to elaborate further. 'On the other hand, you've just been promoted to a second-tier god, and you dare to provoke Artemis? Her brother is not someone to be trifled with."

'She insulted our mother; she must be taught a lesson."

Hebe, who had little connection with her parents in her past life, had fully accepted Hera as her mother due to the affection Hera had shown her since her birth.

Offending Hera undoubtedly crossed Hebe's bottom line.

'I understand your intentions. You don't need to worry about this matter. In fact, I have a gift for you that will make winning the wager against Artemis a piece of cake," Hera said, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. It just so happened that she had recently acquired a nice little item to gift her daughter.

One must admit that sometimes luck is a part of strength. Artemis, due to her experiences and divine role, might be stronger in combat than Hebe.

But Hebe had the advantage of being reborn with a goddess mother. Apollo and Leto might have the intention to help, but their foundation could never compare to Hera, who had presided over Olympus for many years.

'Nike!"

'The great queen of gods, at your command."

The goddess with wings and a fit physique appeared before Hera, kneeling on one knee and respectfully awaiting Hera's decree.

'Bring out that item."

'Understood."

Nike flapped her wings and hurried away, returning shortly to the main temple with a delicate treasure box in hand.

'I had planned to give this to you later, but now that you've been promoted to second-tier godhood, you should be able to integrate this divine essence."

Hera gestured, and Nike respectfully approached Hebe, opening the treasure box in her hands.

The moment the box was opened, an icy blue light shone brightly.