Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

So now, Phoenix, Kilkis, and Cadmos, the three wise and valiant princes, had just returned to the palace together, awaiting their father’s command.

"I believe you all know what has happened."

After a long silence, King Agenor looked at his three children.

"A bull took away your sister, whom you all had sworn to protect. But now, her whereabouts are unknown."

"It was certainly no accident."

Phoenix said, looking at his father, but Agenor’s expression remained unchanged.

"Of course, I know it was no accident. No bull knows how to use its appearance to attract humans, nor can any bull run across the surface of the sea."

"There must be some entity’s directive behind this—perhaps some sea monster that can beguile the mind, or some vile demonic monster. There’s no need for you to remind me!"

His voice growing louder, Agenor was still in the prime of his life. An invisible pressure rose up around him; he was not only a King but also a mighty warrior capable of battling sea monsters.

Looking at his three sons, whom he felt proud of, an idea arose in the King’s mind. He had once been proud of the excellence of his offspring, but that pride had turned to worry. Since he had three sons instead of one, he would eventually have to choose one to inherit his throne.

Europa had been taken away a day ago, and the King no longer believed she could be brought back unharmed. But perhaps, on this pretext, he might select an excellent new King for Phoenicia...thus, standing at the center of the palace, Agenor stated clearly and slowly:

"You should go and find your sister, the one you swore to protect. Neither the sea nor the earth should serve as an excuse for you to back down."

"Bring Europa back, all of you must go. Ten years from now, whether you have found her or not, you must return here. Does anyone wish to defy my command?"

"No, Father."

Kneeling on one knee, Cadmos spoke solemnly, and his brothers followed suit.

There were no complaints; they all recognized this as a responsibility they should fulfill as elder brothers.

"Very well, then prepare to depart. I have had the necessary supplies for crossing the sea prepared for you. With your fighting skills, you should be safe along the way." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

With a slight nod, Agenor waved his hand. The kingdom of Phoenicia had more than one city, and previously he had thought to measure their abilities by their governance. Hence, he had sent all three sons away. But as they all had performed well, he was forced to change his mind.

However, this also meant that he had already arranged for the supplies on their return journey... The King turned away, no longer looking at his three sons. And after exchanging glances, the princes also left the palace one by one.

Soon, only he was left in the palace. The King stood silently for a while, then slowly sat back down on his throne.

Agenor’s gaze lingered next to a sculpture on the wooden table, a gift from Europa to her father, depicting his youthful feat of slaying sea monsters.

"... Although I sent them to look for you, you probably won’t be able to come back."

After a silent moment, the King seemed to be talking to himself.

"A bull?"

"..."

"Ha, deities..."

...

In the deep ocean far away, on Crete Island, a golden-haired deity was contently admiring the seascape.

He was unaware of the events unfolding in the Phoenician palace; in fact, he paid no attention to what that human nation was called. Had he heard Agenor’s sighs, he would probably have laughed at the mortals’ shallow insights.

All gods knew that, although many liked to turn into animals, he was the only one who used this method to let a woman lower her guard. Once upon a time, it was Hera who was beguiled in such a way when the Divine King transformed into an injured cuckoo bird to gain sympathy. Now, his actions bore a similar kind of craftiness.

Given the choice, Zeus didn’t prefer to enjoy these beauties through crude and brute force, especially when he had just ended a long slumber and was eager to find some amusement.

Turning into a bull, he took the kind and beautiful human princess to an unfamiliar island, lured monsters with tricks, and then, assuming another identity, made a benevolent entrance to play the hero’s rescue. Zeus didn’t think his rough performance could deceive the human princess for long, but it would suffice for a day or two.

By now, he had already achieved his desire and still had time to come here to watch the sea.

As for whether the clever princess would realize something was amiss in a few days... the Divine King thought that playing the hero was fun, but the look of anger and despair on her face when she realized he was the mastermind, yet was powerless against him, was an even greater joy. This effectively relieved the dullness of a long slumber and energized the great King of All Gods.

Whether the human princess and her family were willing to make this sacrifice was of no concern to Zeus. Just as a butcher doesn’t seek an animal’s consent before slaughtering it, a deity doesn’t need the approval of mortals to do as they please.

"Zephyrus, it seems Hera is still staying comfortably in her own palace?"

The sea breeze blew, lifting the hem of the Divine King’s garment; everything seemed so natural, but Zeus keenly sensed the unusual nature of this breeze.

However, Zeus was not surprised, for it was he who had instructed the God of West Wind to keep a close watch on the Heavenly Empress—it was for this reason he wasn’t on the mainland chasing beauties.

"Yes, Your Majesty, as per your prescient vision, the Heavenly Empress doesn’t fancy prying into the domains over the sea." Find more chapters on empire

Bowing slightly, the God of West Wind appeared beside him.

"Good, it appears this trick can still serve a few more times."

Pleased, Zeus did not expect to keep deceiving Hera indefinitely, but any trouble he could avoid was preferable.

With this thought, the Divine King tilted his head slightly. He appraised Zephyrus, who, at the brink of his slumber, had married his daughter Euphrosyne. Therefore, they were now family.

"Your power has grown significantly over the years."

Zeus spoke dispassionately, and Zephyrus was, as always, obliging.

"I have Your Majesty’s generosity to thank for this."

"Ha, it’s a shame that the first to breakthrough with the Power of Faith to achieve formidable Divine Power was Helios and not you, and the Sun indeed proves a bit too challenging to handle..."

Shaking his head, the Divine King said no more. Helios’s foundation was indeed not something that a minor God of West Wind could compare to; even today, Zephyrus’s inherent Godhood was still only enough to maintain Weak Divine Power.

He had indeed considered replacing Helios, but there was no rush, particularly as Apollo not only had no interest but even admitted his inadequacy for the task.

"The power in the Divine Court is rising too slowly. Now that my injuries have healed, it’s time to quicken the pace."

Zeus, lacking any semblance of grace, stretched and felt it was time to make up for the time wasted during his slumber. But upon reflection, he suddenly amended his declaration.

"Hmm, I might speed up tomorrow instead."

"One or two days don’t matter much; at least, not until I lose interest in this princess."

As if convincing himself, Zeus turned and walked back towards the center of the island.