The Messenger of Zeus

During the day, the Sun God is at work, and at night, he rests.

As day turns to night, the Moon Goddess Selene races across the sky in her chariot, and...

Phaethon, draped in a golden robe and crowned with flowers, walks into the Sun God's palace, just in time to run into a goddess stepping out of the temple.

This goddess has long, iridescent hair, and as soon as Phaethon sees the colorful wings unfurling behind her, he immediately recognizes her—it's Iris, the Rainbow Goddess.

Iris is a third-generation deity, born to the sea god Thaumas and the ocean goddess Electra.

Though she was born from the sea, Iris possesses the attributes of a sky deity, known for her lightning-fast speed as the messenger of the gods.

During the first Titanomachy, Iris delivered messages for Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, playing a crucial role in their victory over the first generation of Titans.

Because of this, even though Iris only has the power of an intermediate god, after the three great kings—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—established their rule, only a select few powerful deities, aside from the three kings and Queen Hera, could summon Iris to deliver divine messages.

Iris also has a twin sister—Arke, the Goddess of the Fading Rainbow.

During the first Titanomachy, Arke served as the messenger for the Titans.

After the war ended and the Titans were defeated and imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus, Arke was also punished—Zeus tore off her wings and cast her into the abyss.

Seeing Iris, who was practically Zeus's personal messenger, Phaethon immediately stopped in his tracks and watched as she left.

It wasn't until Iris spread her wings and flew into the night sky outside the temple that Phaethon continued deeper into the palace.

Helios, the Sun God, sat on his throne. When he saw Phaethon enter, he smiled warmly and said, "My child! You've managed to drive the Sun Chariot and complete the Sun God's duties—something I didn't expect. I can no longer see you as a child. To make you a true god, I plan to give you part of my domain so you can build your own temple and develop your own following."

Phaethon immediately shook his head and replied, "Father, I don't want to build a temple or gather followers right now. Besides, the world is vast. Even if I did want to establish a temple, I wouldn't need to take any of your land."

Hearing this, Helios widened his eyes and said, "My child! The world may be vast, but every region is already claimed by a deity. Do you plan to start a war with the gods to seize their territory?"

Helios had inherited his domain from his father, Hyperion, and had never waged war with other gods over land.

Seeing the concern on Helios's face, Phaethon quickly changed the subject. "Father, let's talk about the temple later. Was Iris here to deliver a message from Zeus?"

Helios nodded. "Typhon has gathered enough strength and will soon lead the second generation of Titans in an attack on Mount Olympus. Zeus sent Iris to invite me to help defend Olympus."

"And you turned him down?"

"The second Titanomachy is not like the first. Poseidon and Hades won't be participating this time, and Typhon doesn't have the power to defeat Zeus. If I go to defend Olympus, it would be like the Sun God family submitting to Zeus. I intend to remain neutral, just like Poseidon and Hades."

Phaethon couldn't help but roll his eyes at this.

Poseidon and Hades could afford to stay neutral because they had the strength to stand up to Zeus if necessary.

Helios, on the other hand, was choosing neutrality to avoid bowing to Zeus, but once Zeus solidified his rule, it was obvious that the Sun God family would be thoroughly suppressed.

"Father, as the head of the Sun God family, it's true that it wouldn't be appropriate for you to defend Mount Olympus. After all, you're not one of Zeus's subjects. But if we refuse Zeus's invitation, it's bound to stir resentment and hostility from him toward our family, so..."

Phaethon paused for a moment, then continued with a firm tone, "Father, to show our goodwill to Zeus, please allow me to participate in the Second Titanomachy and help the Olympians defend Mount Olympus."

"No way!"

Helios rejected the idea without hesitation.

"My child, even though you now possess the power of a greater god, you're still not even twenty years old. You've never experienced a battle between gods. I can't let you get involved in such a dangerous war."

"Father, the shadow of death still looms over me! If I want to survive and gain the strength to protect the interests of the Sun God family, I must take part in the Second Titanomachy."

"Phaethon, are you saying..."

Seeing that Helios had guessed his true intentions, Phaethon admitted it openly.

"Yes, Father, you're right. My goal in joining the Second Titanomachy is to seize the divine essence and power of the second-generation Titans, to unlock my potential to ascend to the rank of a supreme god."

In the world of Greek mythology, a god's strength is largely determined at birth. If a god wants to increase their power level through effort, the only way is to take the divine essence and power of another god.

As an intermediate god by birth, no amount of training would allow Phaethon to ascend to the ranks of the greater or supreme gods.

Phaethon's current status as a greater god wasn't just due to his awakening of the Sun God bloodline while driving the Sun Chariot, but also because he inherited the divine essence of light from Theia, the first-generation Titaness of Light.

But being a greater god was the limit of Phaethon's growth.

To ascend to the rank of a supreme god, Phaethon would need to seize powerful divine essences—such as those of war or destruction—essences so strong that even Zeus would feel threatened by them.

After hearing Phaethon's explanation, Helios looked at him with a complex expression and said, "My child, in just a few days, you've grown into someone completely different. I almost want to crack open your head and see what's changed in your soul."

"Father..."

"Relax! I'm not actually going to do that."

Phaethon let out a sigh of relief, and Helios continued, "My child, since I've already decided I can't treat you as a child anymore, I must respect your decision. But you have to promise me this: if you encounter an enemy you can't defeat, you must immediately call for my help, and I'll pull you out of the Second Titanomachy."

"I accept your condition, Father! Don't worry, I'll come back home safe and sound."

Hearing Phaethon's response, Helios nodded in satisfaction, though his expression remained complicated. He then added, "Phaethon, when you fight Typhon and the others, you can challenge any of the Titans, but you must not challenge Astraeus, the God of the Stars. After all, he's your aunt Eos's husband!"

In Greek mythology, the only rule was that a son couldn't challenge his father.

Though Phaethon didn't fully understand why Helios was forbidding him from challenging Astraeus, he nodded and said, "I'll remember your words, Father. Besides, the divine essence of the Lord of the Stars was never my target to begin with."