Chapter 113: Gaia’s Compromise
Looking at the children whose tears flowed like a galaxy of stars, her heart was filled with heartache. She could only temporarily set aside her thoughts of settling scores with Zeus, quickly hugging each child one by one, and softly comforted them: “There, there, it’s all in the past. Freedom is what matters, freedom is what matters.”
The giants continued, “Mother Goddess, you have no idea how terrifying Tartarus is. Even now, just hearing that name makes us tremble uncontrollably.”
“Thanks to Zeus! Fortunately, there is the great and merciful Zeus. It was He, it was He who saved us!”
“Mother Goddess, the merciful Zeus did nothing wrong. Everything He did was out of necessity.”
After defending Zeus, they continued to plead: “The God King was such a cruel god, a terrifying existence utterly devoid of emotion. He was brutally ruthless to all kin and friends alike.”
“If He is released, we will surely be thrown back into Tartarus. The torment of chaos and void—we never want to endure it again!”
“Mother Goddess, please take pity on us poor children. We don’t want to suffer anymore.”
Gaia touched the giants’ heads one by one. Her mother’s loving-kindness softened her heart, filling her with pity for these children who had endured endless torment. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
After all, Cronus’s divine quality was indeed utterly vile. Let’s set aside Cronus for now.
She gritted her teeth inwardly. Though her anger had not fully subsided, her tone softened considerably. Still with a cold face, she said, “Zeus, you have a point, but isn’t punishing just Cronus one god enough? Why throw Coeus and the others into Tartarus as well?!”
“You are already incomparably powerful now. What threat could Coeus and the others possibly pose to you?”
“Without Cronus as their leader, they have no reason to oppose you. Release them.”
“I guarantee you, I will keep an eye on them. They will never oppose you again. I will use my power to restrain them.”
Zeus did not reply directly but turned and pointed at Atlas and his two brothers, who were still resisting stubbornly. “Great Mother Goddess of All Things, do you see?”
“If I release the other three Titans, they will be like those two gods, endlessly resisting for the sake of so-called ‘dignity’ and ‘past’ until the world is destroyed.”
Zeus spoke slowly and firmly: “The new order cannot withstand such violent upheaval. The power of the Primal Titans is too great—great enough that even one alone could turn the universe upside down.”
“Not to mention three, and they all have their own families and followers. Their influence is deeply rooted.”
“If their spirituality returns to the laws themselves, I will be unable to deal with them completely. For the stability of cosmic order, I cannot take that risk.”
“The achievements of today came from the element of surprise. In the face of the Primal Titans, I will not have a second chance at this outcome.”
He looked at Gaia again, his tone carrying a promise: “Honored Mother Goddess, I guarantee you, this is only temporary. I will release them in the future, when they can truly integrate into the new order.”
“The most important thing now is to quickly establish the new cosmic order, maintain it well, and bring true tranquility to the world.”
“Dear Mother Goddess, letting Tartarus wear down their violent hearts, erode their ambition and hatred—this is also a good deed. All of this is only temporary.”
Hearing Zeus’s evasive words, Gaia grew furious again in her heart. With her rage, the entire world began to tremble under her anger.
Zeus yielded not an inch. High in the sky, dark clouds quietly gathered once more, silently appearing.
All the gods watched their exchange from afar. Even as the atmosphere grew increasingly solemn, oppressive, murderous, and tense, without Zeus’s orders, they dared not approach.
Only the six giants nearby, seeing things turning sour, hurriedly stepped forward and pleaded in a babel of voices: “Mother Goddess, the Son of Cronus is a merciful Great God, the most trustworthy Great God. His magnanimity is as vast as the universe. Since He said He will release them later, He will surely do it!”
“The most important thing now is to stabilize the world’s tranquility and avoid needless war.”
“Mother Goddess, we stayed in Tartarus for endless time, yet we were still saved by the compassionate Zeus, while Cronus and the others are only there temporarily.”
“The unreasonable punishment we once endured—they should experience it too. It is the price they should pay for what they did.”
Under the six giants’ impassioned and sincere persuasion and pleas, Gaia looked left and right at these six newly freed children. The trust in their eyes for Zeus and their loathing for Cronus were so genuine.
Thinking of the consequences of turning hostile and going to war with Zeus, she was utterly speechless, forcing herself to swallow this bitter resentment.
As so many times before, the mother chose compromise once again.
But the more she thought, the angrier she got.
Gritting her icy mountain teeth, she shifted to another topic and coldly demanded: “Zeus! What is the deal with your authority over thunder and lightning?! This is clearly the Cyclopses’ authority—how did it end up in your hands?”
Without needing Zeus to explain, the three Cyclopses hurriedly said, “Mother Goddess, please do not misunderstand!”
They willingly defended Zeus: “This was not taken by force by Zeus! It is a testament to our eternal friendship with the noble Zeus, our most sincere gratitude and loyalty to Him!”
“Beloved Mother Goddess, we gave it to Him willingly! Moreover, Zeus was unwilling to accept it—He regards us as dear true friends.”
“It was we who, to bear witness to our eternal friendship with Zeus, insisted strongly, and only then did Zeus reluctantly accept the gift you gave us.”
They continued explaining: “Moreover, Zeus is the true master of thunder and lightning. When has it ever displayed such supreme might in our hands? Power can only truly shine in the hands of its true master!”
Zeus’s expression was solemn, golden eyes flashing with dignified radiance, gazing intently at Gaia. In a firm tone, he said, “Honored Mother Goddess, in the presence of the Lady of Night, I ask her to bear witness. In the name of Mother Goddess Rhea, in my name as Zeus, I swear.”
“Hecatoncheires, Cyclopses—they will be my eternal true friends. They will forever happily enjoy the world under my order. We will advance together forever. This friendship is eternal, indestructible!”
Faced with this outcome, looking at those giants whose faces clearly read “Zeus is great, we are all willing,” Mother Goddess Gaia felt both unwilling and speechless.
Helplessness and reality brought fatigue to her heart, leaving her temporarily without any ideas.
However, deep in her heart, there was still a bit of relief: With Zeus’s words, she couldn’t say about the others, but at least these six poor children, who had suffered endlessly since birth, could finally enjoy this world in peace under Zeus’s order, free from suffering.
It was just that such a powerful authority over thunder and lightning in Zeus’s hands displayed might that even made her heart skip with fear—perhaps even terror. Who could restrain Him henceforth?
But the deed was done, things had come to this. Zeus had not coerced them by force—everything was willingly offered by the giants.
No matter how unwilling, the Mother Goddess of All Things had nothing more to say and could only accept this fact.
For the children to have a good homecoming was also a good deed—the rare good news amid so much bad news today.
It was the only consolation today.
The Mother Goddess of All Things, Gaia, with deep dissatisfaction and warning, coldly uttered her final words of the day: “Zeus, remember what you said today! I will be watching you. Do not ever become like your Father God or Uranus!”
Zeus smiled faintly and said softly, “Honored Mother Goddess, your supervision is welcome. I will govern the universe well.”
Gaia snorted coldly, full of displeasure and helplessness, her divine body quietly vanishing, leaving only a trace of resentment lingering in the air.
Zeus looked at the three Hundred-armed Giants and three Cyclopses beside him and laughed heartily: “My dear true friends, thank you for your explanations on my behalf just now, and for your trust and support!”
“Now the overall situation is settled, the old order has ended. Allow me to first deal with the last ‘little tails,’ then let us together enjoy this beautiful new world full of hope!”
With that, Zeus’s golden eyes sharply turned toward the remaining battlefield.
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed thunder across the sky. The shining radiance was like billions of stars falling, the pervasive electric light carrying an aura of utter destruction, surging forth rapidly.
Terrifying thunderbolts exploded on Atlas and his two brothers, who still refused to yield and roared in resistance, completely enveloping them.
In an instant, their massive Titan divine bodies were shattered. The thunder, with irresistible force, instantly destroyed their nearly indestructible Titan divine bodies, turning them into charred rag dolls.
The power and toughness they prided themselves on were nothing more than trivial matters easily resolved in the face of absolute thunder.
Hades stepped forward and merely waved his hand. Endless darkness transformed into black serpent-like chains, carrying merciless coldness, swiftly binding their battered divine bodies and completely stripping them of all ability to resist.
With this, the war came to a complete end.
Cronus’s decayed and rigid order was also utterly terminated by thunder along with his total defeat.
The first-generation God King Uranus—his rule ended due to absolute dictatorial self-indulgence and doing as he pleased.
The second-generation God King Cronus—his rule entered its end due to stagnant, decayed monopoly and solidified flow.
Now, it would be the era of the third-generation God King Zeus.
A brand-new era was about to begin, opened and mastered by Him.
