Arrogant Act

The eldest of the Three Time Goddesses, Eunomia, spoke up. She was very clever, first distancing herself and her sisters from the fallen golden chariot of the sun, and then subtly invoking the name of her mother, Themis, the goddess of justice, hoping to persuade Zeus to restore her lost powers.

"…You have lost a part of your power?" Zeus's azure eyes flashed with lightning. Under the gaze of the king of gods, the divine power levels of the three goddesses were unmistakably revealed. The Three Time Goddesses each controlled the seasons of spring, summer, and autumn, and they inherited the divine attributes of order, justice, and peace derived from their mother, the goddess of justice, Themis. These divine attributes were undoubtedly very powerful, granting them the strength of high-tier deities.

However, now the divine power levels of the three goddesses had dropped to low-tier high deities, with even signs of falling below the second-tier deities.

Divine attributes were a symbol of a deity's strength and status, so it was no wonder they were so anxious, rushing to find their convenient father god, even neglecting Helios, who had fallen into a coma.

"Uh… Great King of the Gods, I might know why the power of the three goddesses has decreased," Hermes said, looking at the Three Time Goddesses with some difficulty.

"Who is it? Prince Hermes! Please tell us," the Three Time Goddesses immediately asked anxiously upon hearing that Hermes knew the culprit behind their power decrease.

"Uh…"

Faced with the Three Time Goddesses' questioning, Hermes glanced at Zeus, who remained silent. Deities were all proud; he was Zeus's messenger, and although his rank wasn't as high as that of his half-siblings, he still held a transcendent status, not everyone had the right to question him.

Zeus was quite pleased with Hermes's discretion. After leaving the rebellious daughters in suspense for a while, Zeus spoke up: "Hermes, explain what's going on."

"Yes, Great King of the Gods." Hermes's expression was respectful. "It is actually because of the goddess of life, Hebe."

"Hebe?"

"Again, it's Princess Hebe?"

"I'm quite interested to know what Hebe has done this time," the gods murmured.

Hebe had become well-known among the gods over the past century. Since recorded history, no deity had ever ascended at such an almost abnormal speed. Hearing that the decline in the Three Time Goddesses' power was related to her, the gods were surprised but somewhat accustomed to it.

But how exactly did she deprive these three goddesses of their divine power? Was her rapid ascension due to her mastering some method of stealing divine power? The gods couldn't help but ponder.

"Hebe?" Zeus glanced at Hera beside him. "What incredible achievement has my lovely daughter accomplished this time?"

His words were filled with affection. Not to mention that Hebe was the child of him and his beloved wife, Hera, but now that his daughter had ascended to high-tier deity status and had fought alongside Apollo against the serpent monster, her combat power was astonishing. Naturally, Zeus's attitude towards her had shifted from indifference to doting.

"Your Majesty, the King of Gods, please look." Hermes waved his caduceus, revealing the current state of the mortal world before the gods.

The vibrant flowers and green grass were gone; the world now appeared as a vast expanse of white. Heavy snow covered the ground, and all living things had fallen into a deep slumber, creating a scene of tranquility.

"What is this…?"

"The flames of heaven are raging. Princess Hebe originally intended to cool the earth by summoning snow through her ice and snow divine attributes, but the process was far too slow. To extinguish the heavenly fire, Princess Hebe sacrificed her ice and snow divine attributes and created an additional season for the earth, known as winter."

"Winter?" The gods widened their eyes in astonishment. Such a thing was unheard of!

The former holder of the ice and snow divine attributes, Dione, had only used her powers for battle, suppressing the headless snow monsters in the far north. No deity had ever thought that this divine attribute could be used to create an entirely new season.

"Yes, winter. Under the snow, all things lie dormant, allowing the earth to rest and recover its primal energy. The laws of the world recognized her words, so one month was taken from each of spring, summer, and autumn and added to winter," Hermes observed the shocked expressions of the Three Time Goddesses, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes. "This is also the reason for your decline in divine power."

"This… Great Father God, we…" The three sisters, Eunomia and her siblings, were still unwilling to remain silent.

"Hmm?" Hera, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. The beautiful and noble goddess, with her magnificent purple eyes radiating endless pressure, spoke in a cold and commanding tone. "As vice goddesses of the Sun Temple, you actually allowed the sun god to lend the golden chariot of the sun to others, resulting in the raging heavenly fire. If it weren't for Hebe cleaning up your mess, do you think you could still stand here lamenting? You've merely lost a month's worth of time and had your divine power reduced a bit. If it were up to me, I would strip you of your seasonal divine attributes to punish your incompetence!"

The queen's authority and ruthlessness made the other gods shudder, and they quickly tucked their tails between their legs.

These three goddesses were truly audacious; Princess Hebe was the queen's most beloved child, yet they dared to engage in wordplay here, clearly living too long for their own good.

Nearby, Ares glared fiercely at the three Time Goddesses, his bloodlust radiating around him, as if he would personally descend to strip them of their divine attributes at Hera's command.

The three Time Goddesses had never encountered such a situation and were left pale and nearly fainting from fear.

"Who dares to offend the noble goddess with cow-like eyes?" A voice as clear as a nightingale yet carrying a hint of ethereal coldness echoed through the temple. A goddess dressed in a pure white gown appeared at the entrance.

She walked gracefully, her beautiful and otherworldly face emanating a faint glow. Her eyes, resembling Hera's purple hue, conveyed both coldness and authority. Most striking was the crown made of ice and snow adorning her hair, which shimmered like crushed gold. At a glance, the gods could sense the immense power contained within this goddess.

A peak high-tier deity!

She was just a step away from reaching the rank of a main god!

Hebe's ascension to the peak of high-tier deity status undoubtedly caused a stir among the gods.

Not long ago, what was her divine power level?

Was she not a low-tier third-tier deity?

How long did it take her to ascend to high-tier? Just over a hundred years.

Now, not long after, she had directly reached the peak of high-tier, just a step away from becoming a main god.

This level of competition was overwhelming; it was as if the gods could hardly survive!

The overwhelming majority of the gods present couldn't help but feel a deep sense of powerlessness rising from within, and some even began to reflect—had they truly been too complacent?

No, absolutely not!

Princess Hebe must have cheated!

Yes, she definitely cheated…

"My child, the noble and kind Hebe, you have worked hard in the mortal realm."

Hera, who had been glaring coldly at the Three Time Goddesses, immediately transformed her expression into one of warmth and affection upon seeing her most beloved daughter, who had brought her pride for hundreds of years. The speed of her change was so remarkable that the gods couldn't help but marvel.

"It is my duty to guard the glory of the gods, great Mother Goddess." Hebe performed a bow to Zeus and Hera on their thrones, glancing at the Three Time Goddesses, her lips, more vibrant than rose petals, curling into a cold smile. "Do you ladies have any opinions about the newly born winter?"

"…"

The pressure of her peak high-tier divine power made it difficult for the three weak goddesses, who had been sheltered in a greenhouse since their birth, to catch their breath.

Among the three Time Goddesses, the one in charge of summer, Dike, was the most impulsive. She stepped forward and boldly stated, "Noble daughter of Hera, Princess Hebe, we three are the Time Goddesses who assist the sun god. Under the recognition of the laws, the authority over the seasons has been in our sisters' hands since ancient times. You have unilaterally altered the timeline by adding this so-called winter, causing our divine powers to decline. Shouldn't you provide us with an explanation?"

"An explanation?" Hebe's purple eyes were filled with a cold light. "Ladies, as daughters of the Father God and vice goddesses of the Sun Temple, you have allowed the sun god to make a grave mistake. If the gods had not reacted in time, the newly established faith of humanity on the earth would have been destroyed in no time! The fact that humanity was spared was thanks to winter. The great King of Gods, Zeus, has not yet sought retribution from you, and yet you have come here first?"

"If you ladies are dissatisfied and believe that the emergence of winter is an unjust conspiracy, then in the name of the goddess of life, I call upon Themis, who symbolizes justice and law, to raise her golden sword representing justice. Is the emergence of winter a mistake that needs to be corrected?"