Chapter 20 The Seat of the Main God

"Welcome back, Hermes."

Inside the magnificent, golden hall, ten powerful deities sat around a central round table, from which stood a giant cauldron with a gap in the center, from which sacred flames of red and blue rose fiercely.

Hermes and Hephaestus remained inside the flames, as if confined in a small cell, quietly awaiting the discussion of the surrounding gods with their varied expressions.

Yes, Hera brought them here with the intention of elevating them to the position of chief god of Olympus.

Just as Hermes had imagined under Apollo.

Although she couldn't understand Hera's reasons for doing so, it suited her perfectly.

As is well known, Zeus, the king of the gods, continued the tradition of his predecessors and established the Twelve Olympian Gods. This small group represented the pinnacle of power and status, enjoying the highest level of respect among the Olympian gods, the Titans, the Elves, and the Humans.

Two of the twelve Olympian gods' seats were currently vacant, so Hera recommended Hermes and Hephaestus.

It's ridiculous that Her Majesty the Queen chose her own son, the God of Forging, but what's with that illegitimate daughter of Zeus? Is she serious? How could she possibly think of letting her rival's daughter become the chief god?

Even Zeus was a little confused. Sitting on his throne, he rarely found it so difficult to guess how hard his wife's thoughts were to read.

The atmosphere inside the hall was quite eerie.

Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, whispered to each other; Ares, the god of war, crossed his arms and remained expressionless; Hestia, the goddess of fire and family, closed her eyes to rest; Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, exchanged information; and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, smiled radiantly at the two figures in the sacred fire, her hands supporting her cheeks.

Sitting next to his sister, Apollo glanced at Hermes, who remained silent in the sacred flame, then at the empty seat on his other side, a dark glint flashing in his light blue eyes.

"So—" Hera deliberately dragged out the last syllable, raised an eyebrow, and revealed a smile on her noble and beautiful face that was hard to tell was genuine, "What are your opinions on this matter?"

Apollo, Artemis, and Athena all expressed their no objections in quick succession, readily and first supporting the Queen of the Gods' suggestion.

Things took an even stranger turn.

Poseidon and Demeter gave them strange looks, while Zeus remained silent.

The other gods' children and goddesses' children agreed with the goddess queen? Why is Olympus so strange today? Could it be that monsters have escaped from the underworld?

In contrast to the reactions of the others, Hermes was deeply moved; her older brothers and sisters were all on her side, which was wonderful.

Praise be to Artemis, praise be to Athena.

Of course, praising Apollo is indispensable.

His help allowed her to save herself some trouble.

At this moment, Ares also spoke up: "I have no objection, Mother Goddess."

Hera nodded and said with a smile, "So now it's five votes." She glanced at her husband sitting next to her, "Zeus."

Hearing her father's name, Hermes in the sacred flame felt a tremor in her heart and couldn't help but look at the tall, strong male god sitting in the main seat. He held a crackling thunder scepter, wore a long robe of gold and red, and was adorned with glittering gold ornaments from his neck to his chest. The crown of the god king on his head was even more magnificent and majestic.

So... what will that old man say? No matter what, he is her father, so will the Father God allow her to take a seat among the twelve Olympian gods?

Before being brought to the main temple, Hermes could hardly imagine that she would face such a situation. She had originally planned to return to Olympus, but unexpectedly, Hera gave her such a shortcut to a higher level - to become the chief god directly.

It's unbelievable, but why would Hera do that? What was that noblewoman, who couldn't tolerate extramarital affairs, thinking?

“I agree with your opinion, my noble wife.” Zeus finally spoke, a normal smile on his handsome face that resembled Hera’s, his sharp, hawk-like blue eyes holding a profound meaning. “But, this is the seat of the chief gods. What can they bring us, Hera?”

The king of the gods did not mention that Hephaestus was his and his queen's eldest son, that he had thrown the child off Mount Olympus, and that it was his idea to send Iris to Lemnos to find him.

But when Zeus saw Hephaestus again and saw that healthy leg, he vaguely felt that things were getting a little out of his control.

And his daughter with Maya, Hermes... is just as intriguing.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hephaestus suddenly declared, "I am the god of forging, and I will build you more stable and magnificent palaces, including weapons suited to your needs. I am in charge of fire and forging, and I can create all sorts of incredible things."

The god of forging did not use honorifics, and he stated directly that he was in charge of fire.

Hestia, who also controls fire, opened her eyes and gazed at the child who had been adopted by the sea goddess Thetis. A glimmer of light appeared in the depths of her reddish-brown eyes.

“He is a god of fire, just like you, my dear sister.” Demeter frowned.

Hestia did not speak.

When Hephaestus blurted out what benefits he could bring to everyone, Hermes panicked a little. Her initial divine duties were only fraud and theft. Even though she had created many things, they were almost only applicable to the mortal world. What benefits could she bring to the people of Olympus?

It's impossible for her to actually reveal that Gaia, the Earth Mother, protected her, or just tell them directly that the source of her power is natural consciousness.

Thinking of this, Hermes hesitated.

At this moment, Apollo took out a deep golden scepter, which was surrounded by two blue snakes with scarlet tongues, and at the very top were symbolic white wings.

"This belongs to Hermes, the Scepter of the God of Commerce." The God of Light handed the item to Hermes in the sacred fire, watching her stunnedly retract the personal item he had taken with him earlier for safety. "This clever child invented the ruler, numbers, and the alphabet, and taught humanity to replace fighting and killing with competition and exchange, thus maintaining peace and order. Before that, she also invented the beautiful seven-stringed lyre and the flute."

The god of light did not mention that Hermes also wanted the Arcadians to build ships to sail the seas and establish contact with people in other regions, which might anger Poseidon, the sea god. He also did not mention that she taught people how to make fire by friction, and since Hestia's attitude was still unclear, there was no need to make untimely plans.

But these pieces of information alone are enough to shock everyone present.

The god of commerce? Besides fraud and theft, does Hermes also govern commerce?

According to Apollo, she herself created this realm and divine office!

The gods discussed this amongst themselves, and Hephaestus turned his head to look at Hermes in surprise, while Athena and Artemis, who had already witnessed her wisdom in the mortal realm, raised their eyebrows in silent agreement.

Artemis had long heard her brother's prophecy that this girl would eventually become one of the twelve Olympian gods, so she naturally supported Hermes' return in the same way he did; but she didn't expect that even Hera would be involved... which was rather strange.

However, Hermes probably owes me a favor! Artemis thought to herself.

The goddess of the hunt loves to have fun.

At the same moment, a goddess's words stood out particularly abruptly among the gods.

"God of Commerce? Commerce? What are those things?"

Hermes heard the voice of the goddess of love and beauty, the beautiful sister who had given her shoes when she arrived barefoot at the banquet on Olympus!

“It’s trade, exchange, and buying and selling!” Hermes excitedly explained her newly conceived concept to the beautiful woman. “It can distinguish goods of different values ​​for exchange and sale. Perhaps it would be better to use something to represent the value, like bronze, silver, and gold! I call this thing ‘coins’!”

Everyone listened intently to the girl's thoughts, especially Athena, the goddess of wisdom, whose gaze was filled with almost overflowing approval and admiration.

"Oh, that's amazing!" Aphrodite leaned back in her chair, clapping her slender hands. Her beautiful, emerald-green eyes, as clear as autumn water, were full of laughter as she watched the girl in the sacred flame. "Then I'll vote in favor too, for our lovely little Hermes!"

Upon hearing this, Ares couldn't help but say to his beloved goddess, "Don't jump to conclusions so easily, Aphrodite."

"Honestly, you have the nerve to say that about me? Aren't you the same?" Aphrodite glared at him, but her stunning beauty only made her more alluring.

“These two are completely different,” Ares said irritably, then turned his gaze to Apollo, who he believed was definitely faking seriousness, and said in a cool tone, “Besides, I think everyone knows that the girl gave you her lyre and flute in the end, right?”

As everyone knows, Hermes created the lyre and flute, instruments that had never existed before, and Apollo was undoubtedly the god of music.

Inventing new things to benefit mankind is one thing, but how could a god use something he created to benefit another god?

How innocent and kind this child must be?

For some reason, Hermes shuddered, feeling that the gazes some of the gods were casting at her were particularly strange—could these guys be trying to get her to do good for them too?

She recalled a strange dream she once had, in which she was forced to help an old man philander, running errands for all sorts of troublesome matters, not only exhausting herself but also offending the goddess Hera… No, she couldn't think about it anymore! It was too terrifying!

“That’s why we need Hermes.” Apollo noticed the girl’s nervousness in the sacred flame and calmly responded to Ares’s question, “Just like you voted for her before.”

Ares was immediately rendered speechless, even though Apollo had used his words to retort to him.

How infuriating! These two are just like old friends, they both annoy him just the same!

Enraged, the God of War turned cold and stopped questioning him.

Upon seeing this scene, Aphrodite covered her mouth and chuckled a few times. Just like Artemis, she loved to have fun and really enjoyed watching the show, even though Ares had an affair with her.

"Oh," the goddess of love and beauty thought happily to herself. "I hope Her Majesty the Queen of Gods won't mind these things."

Hermes was deeply moved, after all, Apollo had helped her time and time again, and he was truly worthy of all the gifts she had given him.

She hereby declares that her alliance with her brother Apollo is now stronger than ever!

"I am deeply sorry for interrupting your discussion, but this matter is very important, so please allow me to explain it in detail." Hermes couldn't help but raise her hand to speak, still tightly gripping the caduceus that had returned to her side. Her gaze shifted from Apollo to the silent Zeus. "Your Majesty, the Almighty and Great King of the Gods, didn't you punish Apollo by making him herd sheep in Arcadia? I think there is another punishment that can replace it."

She recalled Apollo's words before she went to Delphi: "I think my punishment should end now."

Upon hearing this, Zeus waved his arm with great interest, granting his daughter's suggestion: "Then continue, my clever and lovely child."

Apollo, on the other hand, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and sensed that something was wrong.

“How about we hold a competition every four years in Delphi? It can include both arts and sports. Gods and humans can participate, with both competitors and spectators. Humans must hold sacrificial ceremonies at the start and end of the competition to pay homage to the gods.” Hermes smiled, meeting the gazes of the gods, especially Apollo’s. She felt quite pleased with herself for being such a clever little devil. “Let Apollo preside over this competition! What do you think?”

Apollo: "..."

Here we go again, isn't it? The brat's trouble-making journey.

However, upon closer examination, if they were to do as Hermes suggested, then everyone, including Apollo and the other gods, would actually benefit, and it would expand their influence in the long run.

Although it's a bit troublesome, it is indeed a suggestion that appears to be a punishment but is actually a reward.

Zeus had clearly considered this as well, and laughed heartily, saying, "Hahaha! You are indeed a good child, so let's do it this way!"

“We were both right about this child, Zeus,” Hera said to her husband cryptically, drawing his attention away from the situation.

Hearing these words, Hermes' smile became even more joyful and genuine. Apollo stared at her for a long time and actually thought that she might really be smiling from the heart.

A voice from Zeus interrupted his inexplicable thoughts: "So, who else would like to offer their opinion? Gentlemen."

This time it was Hestia who spoke up: "I approve of Hermes and Hephaestus taking their seats."

Hearing her sister speak, Demeter still frowned, but she followed her sister's lead: "I agree too."

Poseidon, the sea god, shrugged: "Same as above."

“There are nine votes now,” Hera said to Zeus.

Finally, Zeus waved his thunderbolt towards the sacred fire, releasing the two children who had been agreed by everyone to fill the vacancies among the twelve Olympian gods.

"You know I've always been on your side, my dear wife," the God-King replied to the God-Queen.

Hera gave a soft snort, avoiding her glib husband's gaze and concealing the coldness deep within her eyes.

At the same moment, Hephaestus moved to the empty seat next to Athena, while Hermes naturally chose the empty seat next to Apollo.

Before taking her seat, she happily flew to Apollo's side, who was expressionless.

"Hehehe~ Brother Apollo~" The god of deception and theft seemed to be extremely happy. "Didn't expect that, did you? I've always wanted to help you get rid of the punishment of herding! Although I may not see you in Arcadia again, I will definitely miss you very, very, very much, Brother Apollo!"

"..."

Faced with Hermes's ever-sweet words, Apollo chose to remain silent, even though his heart was filled with complex emotions.

In fact, his punishment had already ended when he brought her to Olympus.

However, Apollo sighed and still sincerely congratulated the simple and naive fellow: "Welcome back, Hermes."

Thus, Hermes successfully fulfilled her wish, returning to Olympus with a silver lining, and even ascending to become one of the twelve Olympian gods.

Before Hephaestus began building her private palace, she returned to Mount Cyrene in Arcadia, excitedly told her mother the good news, and expressed her wish to take her with her to live in Olympus.

Unexpectedly, Maya declined her daughter's invitation.

The mountain goddess said gently, "I belong to the earth, and I will stay in Arcadia forever. Hermes, this is where you and I were born, and it is the home where we grew up."

"You must come home to visit often, my proud daughter."

[Author's Note]

①Originally, I wanted to write that Hermes made great contributions in the Battle of Typhon and was therefore chosen as the chief god, but I changed the idea to have Hermes lean towards Hera's camp... which might be quite interesting?

②The four major sporting events in ancient Greece: the Olympic Games (Festival of Zeus), the Pythagorean Games (Festival of Apollo), the Nemean Games (Festival of Hercules), and the Isthmus of Corinth/Istrom Games (Festival of Poseidon).