The World Is About to Collapse?
Gods are immortal beings.
They have no concept of death, illness, or aging.
Yet even they consume ambrosia and nectar—not just for leisure, but to replenish depleted divine energy, relieve fatigue, and channel greater power than they wield in their usual state.
For all their immortality, gods are not perfect. That same flaw extends to the Sacred Fire itself, forged from the shards of the primordial deities.
An eternal flame that burns without end.
But even that flame can be fanned brighter with a temporary addition—kindling, as it were—briefly, of course.
Without further kindling, its strength inevitably wanes once more.
Even if the fire burns brightly with kindling, it can never match the raw heat of the past.
Still, nothing else would suffice to restore a world already ravaged by war, and to let it limberly limp forward in its incomplete state.
And that “kindling”…
“Oh! What if we just shove that bastard Cronus straight into the fire as kindling?!”
“Hestia, my dear sister…”
“Big sister… please, no more violent talk.”
“Why? It’s true! The kindling that would make him burn eternally forever! The King of Kindling! Then the world would be better off on its own, the guy would get a fitting punishment, and how is that not way better than just dumping him in Tartarus?”
“…!”
Despite his gentle image, Hestia was surprisingly fiery.
Her portrayal of the Goddess of the Hearth flattered him, yet he cleared his throat and continued.
“Unfortunately, that sort of kindling would not help much. Adding raw power risks weakening the Sacred Fire itself, depending on the situation.”
“Hmm… I see… Yes, that’s true… Tch. As expected, still useless even at the end. That father of ours…”
“…!”
From the start, flesh was never meant to serve as kindling.
The same held for humans and gods during cremation rituals.
As the Goddess of the Hearth, she must have known that, yet she had tossed out the joke anyway. From the depth of her hatred for Cronus, it was clear.
As the eldest sister, she had been the first to be born and imprisoned in their father’s belly. That rage ran deeper than the others.
Setting aside the sudden story about the chosen phoenix, he spoke again, seriously, about the “kindling” he already knew the answer to from the original text.
The origin of gods was the concepts themselves.
Heaven and earth, sea and underworld, light and darkness, sun and moon, birth and death.
The concepts that composed the world were the very essence of the gods, and the awe and fear that all things held for those phenomena strengthened the power of the gods who governed them.
Awe of the sky and thunder had made Zeus the mightiest god.
Fear of the underworld and death had forged Hades’s strength.
He himself, through the three-lift training and the passion for forging and the terror of the volcano, had been able to wield power like this even as a young god.
And just as awe and fear could be turned into the very “faith” that sustained gods, so too could the Sacred Fire.
That was why he had proposed to the gods.
“Offerings to humanity?”
“Yes. You know it yourself—human faith is the very sustenance that strengthens us. If we make them express it directly through offerings, and allow fire to be used in that process, the Sacred Fire can be stabilized once more.”
“Hmm…”
“But fire to humanity…?”
“Absolutely not! Fire is a right reserved only for the gods! How could we grant such a privilege to mere mortals?”
Even Prometheus, who had secretly given fire to humanity, had only used it in secret because the other gods watched.
Yet at this critical moment, with the speaker none other than himself, the very rumor was being shaken.
“I approve of Hephaestus’s opinion.”
“O-Oh, Oceanus-nim?”
“The world has already been devastated by war. In a situation like this, we should use even the weak power of humans.”
“Same here. I approve of my son’s opinion.”
“Same. The world was already collapsing from the war anyway. What’s the point of fire?”
His mother Eurynome and Aunt Styx spoke next, each adding a touch of strength.
“I also approve of Hephaestus’s opinion.”
“Big sister should naturally support what her brother says.”
“Same. If Hephaestus hadn’t existed in the first place, we wouldn’t even be sitting here.”
Aphrodite, Thetis, and Nerites followed with active support.
This side looked confused by the discussion, yet they simply backed him as family.
“I also approve! If humans gain fire, they’ll die even more horribly!”
“…sister.”
“Haa…”
Amidst it all, Ceres chimed in with outright dangerous words.
“I also approve of my brother’s opinion!”
“Ah, Ares!”
“I too… approve.”
“No. Hera!”
“There’s no other way, is there.”
“Hmm…”
“I agree. As the Goddess of Wisdom, I find no better opinion than this.”
“Metis… you too.”
“I, Athena, will also follow Hephaestus-nim’s will.”
Prometheus’s original proposal to give fire to humanity had been rejected by Zeus and the gods’ overwhelming opposition.
He had suffered for stealing fire, but now he stood supported by the actual power holders and countless gods.
When deciding something, situation and connections mattered.
Despite the opposition, his proposal to grant fire to humanity and receive offerings was formally passed.
The Silver Age, later called that, had begun.
“—Ah, this is fire itself. One can warm oneself, cook, and even smelt metal with it.”
“Oh! This is fire!”
“Thank you! O divine one!”
“Hmm…”
Humans rejoiced upon receiving the fire Prometheus brought.
Zeus’s face, watching it, was heavy with discontent.
He did admit there was something to Hephaestus’s opinion.
To overcome the crisis, the Sacred Fire needed to be stabilized even partially.
The problem was that the entire process had been forced through despite his objections.
“Ignoring the King of Gods’ opinion and forcing the matter… no matter how much Oceanus-nim’s support, that young upstart dares…”
Ever since hearing the tale of Cronus’s defeat, anxiety had gnawed at him.
Back then the enemy was Cronus in front of him, so he hadn’t worried much.
Now even that Cronus was gone.
That was another problem—Hephaestus’s doing.
His bloodline, the Olympian gods’ son, Eurynome’s child—his influence was growing.
Combined with the massive power of Oceanus, it raised the fear of birthing yet another Cronus.
“This cannot continue… I must break that momentum or it will become a great headache later.”
He could not act directly right away.
The wounds from the previous war still needed time to heal.
Olympus’s own power was greatly weakened, and the Titans had lost strength as well, though they still possessed dangerous might.
Acting rashly now could pull him from the King of Gods’ seat, as with Cronus.
Even as he thought that, the King of Gods pondered without a sharp solution.
Then.
“…Zeus.”
“! …Ah… Metis.”
His wife entered the room with a calm expression.
The Goddess of Wisdom, Metis.
In order, she had married the King of Gods before Hera.
Yet she had swallowed the fear of the prophecy that her son would drive him out.
Fortunately the child born was a girl, Athena.
Relieved in his heart, Zeus smiled and asked.
“W-what is it? At this late hour.”
Night had fallen.
Excited at the thought that she might have come for a private moment after a long time, he asked cautiously.
And as he looked at that Zeus, Metis spoke in a cool voice.
“Divorce.”