Well, That's How It Always Begins
The goddess Styx.
The eldest of Oceanus's thousands of daughters, and the deity who ruled the River Styx, the boundary between the living and the dead.
Though that time had not yet come, she would later become infamous for ruining countless lives with a single oath...
"Oh my, how long has it been? I haven't seen you in ages, and you look wonderful, dear."
"You're the one who looks radiant, Sister Styx. Goodness... you look a hundred years younger."
"Hehe, thank you, Neda. And Doris... you've lost some weight. You must have been going through a lot lately."
"Haha... well... yes. Actually, my son-in-law cheated on my daughter recently, so she ran away from home..."
"Good grief, I told you so. You shouldn't associate with Cronus's brats."
Aside from those future details, at this very moment, she was simply the eldest sister visiting her family home, catching up and gossiping with her younger sisters.
Naturally, when sisters meet after a long time, the chatter flows endlessly. From the state of the world to their children, and even their appearances. As they gossiped about everything under the sun, both good and bad, a familiar face caught Styx's eye.
"Oh, isn't that Eurynome?"
"It is. Our seventh sister..."
Their younger sister was approaching from a distance. Styx and the others warmly welcomed her as she walked over to greet them.
"It's been a while, sisters. Have you all been well?"
"It has been a while. We're doing as well as—?!"
"I hope my Thetis isn't causing you any trouble? Honestly, how long is that girl going to—?!?!"
"...Oh my..."
Starting with Styx, the sisters fell silent one by one. Although they were glad to see their sister after nearly a year, the goddesses' eyes were no longer on her face.
Something else had instantly captured their attention. It was the necklace shining brilliantly around their sister's neck.
A massive gemstone that glowed with a vivid blue light, its interior swirling slowly as if a piece of the living ocean had been condensed into a single jewel. Surrounding it was an exquisite frame of gleaming silver-white metal, intricately carved into the shapes of seahorses and dragons.
Even though they had lived for eons, they had never seen a piece of jewelry so breathtaking.
"U-Um... sister? What on earth is that necklace...?"
Styx stammered, completely forgetting her dignity as the eldest sister. Sensing the unmistakable envy in her voice, Eurynome spoke with casual nonchalance.
"Oh, this? It's a gift from my son. The sweet boy prepared this for his mother's birthday. I told him he didn't have to go to such trouble, but..."
"..."
Despite her words, Eurynome couldn't hide the smug grin spreading across her face. Watching her sister brag—the mythological equivalent of boasting, 'My son bought me a designer bag...'—Styx wondered for a moment if Eurynome had always been this petty. But her eyes were drawn right back to the glittering treasure.
Styx had never been particularly interested in jewelry or gems. But the necklace sparkling before her eyes... honestly, if it weren't her sister's, she would have done whatever it took to make it hers.
"He's incredibly talented to make something like this. Eurynome, you really hit the jackpot with your son."
"Wait... by son, you mean Hephaestus, right? Mmm... Thetis. Where is my daughter? I need to go see her for a second!"
"Good grief. Look at her go..."
Styx watched with a look of disbelief as Doris rushed off to find her daughter for purely selfish reasons. Yet, she couldn't blame her.
The treasure was alluring enough to stir the desires of someone as indifferent to the world as Styx. But the fact that a son had handcrafted it for his mother made Styx feel a pang of envy toward Eurynome for the first time in her life—both for the treasure itself, and for the devotion of her child.
Hmm... Maybe I should ask him for one too?
"Amazing... I have never seen so many gods gathered in one place."
We were in the grand banquet hall deep within the Deep Sea Palace. Looking around at the thousands of deities filling the space, Aphrodite couldn't hide her awe. It was a natural reaction, considering she had never been anywhere outside of Cyprus and Lemnos. As she looked around, I spoke in a calm voice.
"If you're interested, go talk to them. It's a good opportunity to make some friends."
"Mmm... I-I do not particularly wish to. What if I get lost in a place this vast? I am content to stay right here with my guardian."
Aphrodite said, clutching my hand tightly. Her behavior, holding onto my hand like a child holding onto their father in a crowded place, made babysitting her easy. But aside from that, I found the situation rather puzzling.
Unlike Nerites and Thetis, who had gone off to greet their relatives, Aphrodite had been clinging to my side ever since we arrived.
How unexpected... I thought the Aphrodite of myth would have lost her mind the moment she got here and started wandering around.
Honestly, I expected her to follow other male gods around. The men here were all handsome deities carrying the blood of Oceanus or the Titans. Just looking around, more than a dozen handsome gods had already glanced our way, captivated by Aphrodite's beauty. Their expressions soured the moment they saw my face, but still.
Since she was the Aphrodite who seduced countless handsome men in the original myths, I figured she would flirt with the men here, or at least hang out with Nerites, whom she'd grown close to. Yet, for some reason, she was stuck to me like glue, refusing to leave my side.
Just like during the incident with Poseidon... Could that event have traumatized her? Had it made her wary of strangers, unlike her mythological counterpart? I couldn't know for sure, but as the one responsible for her, I began to feel a twinge of guilt.
Just then, she spoke.
"Huh? Who is that?"
"Mmm... That is..."
A figure caught my eye. I recognized him instantly as he approached, receiving greetings from the crowd. He was a handsome, middle-aged man with silver hair and a silver beard, radiating an extraordinary divine power and a dignified, lively majesty. The moment he stood before me, I bowed politely.
"It is an honor to see you again, Lord Oceanus."
Oceanus, the Titan god of the ocean. One of the twelve Titans, the ruler of the Atlantic Ocean, and the biological father of my adoptive mother, Eurynome. In other words, though I was adopted, he was essentially my grandfather.
Honestly, when I first met him, his stern appearance made me worry he might say something like, 'I cannot accept such an ugly creature as my descendant!' But...
"Welcome, my grandson Hephaestus!"
"Yes, I have been doing well thanks to your grace, Lord Oceanus."
"Hmph! Didn't I tell you? Call me grandfather, anytime, anywhere."
"Mmm... Thank you, Grandfather."
"Haha! Yes, thank you for coming. You were so small when I first saw you, but you've grown so much. As your grandfather, nothing makes me happier."
Well, that was the kind of person he was. Despite his imposing presence and status, he was surprisingly informal and hearty. When I first arrived and some of the sea gods recoiled at my appearance, Oceanus had stepped forward without hesitation, embraced me, and immediately acknowledged me as his grandson.
Thanks to him, I was fully recognized as Eurynome's son among the sea deities. Because of his magnanimous grace and alpha-male coolness, he was an elder I personally liked and respected. There was a reason why a massive statue of him, not some punk like Poseidon, stood proudly at the center of the Trevi Fountain in modern Rome.
"Here is a gift to celebrate your birthday. I hope it proves useful to you, Grandfather."
"Oh! Did you truly forge this yourself? I heard your skills had improved, but this is a magnificent piece of armor!"
Oceanus couldn't hide his admiration as he looked at the metal shield I had brought. Honestly, since a shield is relatively simple to make, it didn't require as much effort as my mother's necklace, but the material used was far from ordinary.
It was one of the ultimate materials, completely beyond the metallurgy of this era. I had struggled quite a bit to extract it. Yet, it was the metal that suited the Titan Oceanus best. Titanium.
Infused with my divine power, it possessed near-absolute durability and was light as a feather—an end-game shield. This was the ultimate gift for one of the few true alpha males of this era. The shield, Titanias.
Considering the supposedly indestructible Aegis was made of mere goatskin and bronze, there was no need to explain the defensive power of a shield forged from a titanium alloy.
Oceanus smiled warmly, deeply satisfied with his birthday gift. Then, his gaze shifted to Aphrodite, who had been standing quietly by my side.
"And who might this beautiful child be?"
"This one's name is... Ugh! Ahem... My name is... huff... This maiden is called Aphrodite..."
After I nudged her in the ribs to correct her stubborn refusal to use polite honorifics, she managed to finish her greeting. Seeing this, Oceanus spoke with a knowing look.
"Ho... Aphrodite... Has my grandson brought home a bride already?"
"! A bri—"
"She is my sister. Mother took her in recently."
"...Sister..."
Aphrodite muttered, looking strangely displeased by my firm correction. She probably hated being associated as a sibling with someone as ugly as me, but since she had been taken in by Eurynome just like I had, it wasn't incorrect.
"I see, a sister. Haha... Well, that's how it always begins. Hang in there, both of you. This boy might look rough, but he's solid on the inside."
"...?"
"T-Thank you."
My grandfather patted my shoulder with a grin and walked away. For some reason, Aphrodite bowed her head politely, expressing her gratitude in a way that was unlike her. A brief question crossed my mind about what just happened, but I quickly brushed it aside.
Regardless, my eyes remained fixed on Oceanus for a moment as he walked off, holding the shield I had given him and greeting other guests.
The former ruler of the seas. Currently, he ruled only the Atlantic Ocean, having yielded control of the Mediterranean to Poseidon. On the surface, it looked like he had been pushed out in the power struggle against the rising Olympian gods, just like the other Titans. But Oceanus's case was different.
Unlike the other Titans, Oceanus had always firmly opposed fighting among kin. His absolute rule was that family should never shed family's blood. Thus, through the mediation of his grandson-in-law Poseidon (his daughter Doris was Poseidon's mother-in-law) and his foster daughter Hera, and with the active help of Nereus, another pillar of the sea, he negotiated and settled his relations with the Olympians early on.
As a result, Oceanus gave up the Mediterranean to Poseidon while retaining control of his home territory, the Atlantic. Thanks to his decisive attitude of 'I'd rather give them what they want than fight my family,' the transition of power in the ocean was relatively stable, unlike other realms where the Titans and Olympians were still at war.
Yet, despite Oceanus's efforts, the gods gathered here, Oceanus himself, and I could all feel that the future would not be easy. When whales fight, the shrimp's back gets broken. Of course, in this case, the shrimp was a massive king prawn, but still. All I could do now was hope that the shield I gave him would protect that vulnerable back.
"I am thirsty. There seem to be drinks over there, let us go."
"...Sure."
Putting my thoughts of Oceanus aside at Aphrodite's prompting, I walked over to the drinks and handed her a cup.
"Ah... this is delicious."
Taking the cup filled with Nectar, the drink of the gods, Aphrodite drank it down happily. But as I took a sip of mine, I couldn't help but grimace. It's too sweet.
In the myths, Nectar was described as a sweet drink like fragrant honey. True to that description, if I had to compare the taste to something... it was exactly like a high-end Pororo-brand Shine Muscat juice.
Of course, in this mythic era where culinary culture was severely lacking, this was a luxury. But to an alpha male like me, a drink that tasted like a toddler's juice box just didn't cut it. I wish I had some actual alcohol instead of this... With that thought, I smacked my lips, staring at my half-empty cup.
Just then.
"Excuse me, pretty lady. Do you have a moment?"
A sudden, unfamiliar voice spoke. Turning my head, I saw a Titan who wasn't even looking in my direction, his eyes locked entirely on Aphrodite.
Like most Titans, he was quite handsome, but he had a sleazy, arrogant air about him. I slowly set my cup down.
"...Who are you?"
Aphrodite asked in a cold voice. It was a reaction filled with clear discomfort and hostility, but the Titan simply smirked, replying in a tone dripping with arrogance.
"My, my. To think you don't even know who I am. You have a pretty face, but I suppose a country bumpkin deity can't be helped."
"..."
I was almost impressed by his ability to make himself utterly detestable in just two sentences. Glancing around to make sure there weren't too many eyes on us, I slowly clenched my fist.
Just then, he spoke.
"I am Epimetheus! Son of the great Titan Iapetus!"
"!"