Choose me!

Thetis froze, her beautiful ocean-deep eyes staring blankly at the young man, who turned around and turned to face Hera.

Promise now directed his gaze toward the queen of the gods herself, Hera, who was biting her lips, with a jealous expression written all over her face without any concealment.

"My esteemed Queen Hera," he began, "I have bestowed this Golden Apple 'to the Fairest' and found the goddess I believe to be the most beautiful. So now, let us honor our vow together."

"Vow?" Hera subconsciously asked Promise in confusion:. "What vow?"

"The vow we made together, Goddess Hera, have you forgotten?" 

Promise chuckled and spoke words that left everyone stunned: "You promised me, Goddess Hera, that when I found the one I deemed most beautiful, regardless of who she was, you would satisfy me and grant me the grandest wedding of all, with all the gods present to give their blessings.

Well, today, I have offered the golden apple 'to the fairest' to Goddess Thetis."

The gods were stunned.

The gods fell into thinking.

And then the gods realized.

Was this... a marriage challenge?

Even Hermes, who had suspected from the very beginning that Promise had come with ill intentions today, looked at the young, who spoke these words, with wide eyes and great shock, finding himself utterly speechless at his audacity. 

While Hera, though momentarily stunned, recalled her vow to Promise and realized... it was, indeed, exactly as he'd said.

"Promise, are you saying... you wish to marry Thetis?"

Hera stammered as she stood up. 

In her mind, a question bubbled up: 

Yes, why hadn't she thought of pairing Thetis with Promise herself? 

Compared to that guy named Peleus, Promise was clearly a better match!

"Whether I like her or not, she is, by the gods' unanimous recognition, the'most beautiful goddess' in my eyes. 

Although I may no longer be your follower, Goddess Hera, you will always be my goddess in my heart, and so I cannot ignore my oath to you," Promise answered steadily. "So, noble Lady Hera, I implore you—grant this marriage to me."

As soon as Promise finished speaking, Hermes nearly stood up to applaud. 

After he said this, Zeus, who had originally noticed what Promise was going to do and had frowned and even looked a little angry, now regained his composure.

The gods attending this grand wedding did not view Promise's claim as a problem.

Instead, they all looked at Hera with incomparable envy because, by granting this marriage, she might even reclaim Promise.

"I think it sounds wonderful." Queen of the Underworld Persephone was the first to respond, breaking the silence.

Although she was slightly disappointed that she did not receive the golden apple, she had a fond respect for the gentle, kind-hearted Thetis.

Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, also chuckled, adding, "Indeed, they do make a handsome pair, don't they?"

Meanwhile, Apollo, the god of light, took action and immediately restrained Artemis, who was trying to leap forward. 

'Calm down, calm down, remember—you're a virgin goddess; you really can't jump out at this time!

On the side of the goddess of fates, the second sister, Lachesis, looked helplessly at her older sister and then looked at the goddess of fate, Clotho, who was silent beside her.

Ah, my sister is angry, so scary!

"This, that…"

Just when Hera thought that this was a good idea, as it would allow her to fulfill her promise to the child Promise, and perhaps through this, she would be one step closer to regaining his faith...

"But noble Lady Hera, the mighty King of the gods, Zeus, you've already blessed me with the hand of the sea goddess Thetis!" 

At this moment, Peleus stood up in an unusually 'untactful' manner.

"Could it be that, great gods, you are going to take back the gifts you have bestowed upon me and break your word in front of all present?"

Peleus's words triggered immediate tension, as some gods scowled at him in disapproval, and Hera felt an instant surge of irritation, about to say something.. when...

"Watch your tongue!" Promise turned to him and spoke in a sharp tone. "How could the noble goddess Hera and the great king of gods Zeus go back on their word?"

"If they say they will honor a promise, then they will!"

When Promise made his declaration, most of the gods were left thoroughly baffled, unable to understand what he wanted to do. 

However, Athena covered her mouth, laughing softly, and a playful expression spread across Hermes's face. 

Zeus, too, seemed to catch onto something, sitting quietly as he looked at Promise and then at Peleus.

At that moment, a cool, clear voice rose above the murmurs.

"The marriage promised by the noble King and Queen of the gods will, of course, be upheld."

Themis, the goddess of justice, stood up, holding the shaking scales of judgment in her hands, and said in a cold and gentle voice. "But the oath of Hera, the queen of heaven, with Promise is equally valid, witnessed by all the gods. Therefore...

"Goddess Thetis," she asked, turning to the sea goddess, "do you wish to choose them both?"

Thetis was stunned for a moment. 

She glanced first at Promise, then at Peleus, before gently shaking her head.

"That would be unfair to them both," Thetis responded softly. "I cannot make such a choice."

The gods nodded in understanding at her words; after all, they knew that Thetis, the goddess of the sea, had always had this kind of character.

"In that case," Themis continued, "Promise, Peleus, would either of you be willing to forgo your claim to the goddess Thetis?"

Promise straightened and spoke with a look of deep respect, "I would never go back on my vow to Goddess Hera!"

Peleus echoed him with equal resolve, saying, "Nor would I bring dishonor to the god King Zeus by letting him be seen as unfaithful to his word."

Well, the scene fell into silence.

Even Artemis, who had been struggling, now stood quiet. 

Because, at this moment, her mind was confused by the seemingly sound reasoning on both sides.

"Well," Hermes interjected with a smirk, continuing to add the fuel to the fire. "Under these circumstances, we may just have to split Goddess Thetis in two halves and give each one to both to satisfy both of you."

"What are you talking about? How can you cut the goddess Thetis in half?" Hestia smiled and said, "After all, she has done a kindness to the gods of Olympus; has she not?"

"Then," Athena also added her suggestion thoughtfully, "Then make it like Persephone's case: each one gets her for six months." 

"No, we don't want to make things difficult for the goddess Thetis."

Peleus and Promise spoke in unison, as if they'd rehearsed it before.

Then, the two of them looked at each other.

"I have a vow with Goddess Hera, the Queen of Olympus."

"And I have been granted marriage by the mighty King of the Gods."

So, neither one could convince the other.

Zeus chuckled.

At that moment, he couldn't help but laugh heartily, his laughter full of joy and amusement.

"Go on, child, how will you judge this matter?"

Zeus then looked at Promise and said, "I have heard that your judgments even earn praise from Themis, and you have never disappointed everyone. Today, let me witness one myself."

As he finished speaking, the scales of justice in the hand of Themis, the goddess of justice, fell into Promise's hands.

The latter held them up, looking first at Thetis and then at the gods.

"This wedding is the vow of Queen Hera, and it is a marriage bestowed by the king of gods, Zeus. Therefore, it is naturally witnessed by all the gods present."

All of you are witnesses, so you cannot be participants.

"I do not wish to break my vow with Goddess Hera, nor does Peleus wish to defy the grace given by God King Zeus, and at the same time, neither of us wants to put the gentle Thetis in a difficult position. So... Goddess Thetis, you are the only one who can make this decision."

"So, may I ask, are you able to make a decision now?"

Thetis looked at Promise, remained silent for a time, then finally shook her head.

"In that case, there is only one conclusion to this judgment: until Thetis makes a true decision, this wedding, witnessed by the gods... shall continue indefinitely."

"And until this wedding ends, remember, Goddess Thetis, you will not be able to accept love from anyone."

Hearing this, Thetis quietly looked at Promise, gazing into his beautiful emerald eyes. 

Holding the golden apple in her hand, she smiled and nodded.

Hmm... is this really alright?

Faced with this judgment, the gods looked at each other in confusion.

"Well, why worry so much? Look, Queen of heaven, Hera, the god king Zeus, and even they themselves have accepted it."

But most of them didn't care about it.

They simply found today's spectacle amusing and thought it would provide gossip for a long time.

So, what was supposed to be a wedding turned into a casual feast after this little spectacle, though no one minded; after all, they were all having fun.

Then...

"Noble King of the Gods, please allow me to offer my sincerest apology."

Promise came over to the king of the gods, Zeus, saying this while presenting a golden apple to him.

Zeus, feeling a bit intrigued, accepted the apple and saw that it bore two words: destiny.

In that instant, Zeus immediately understood what Promise meant to say.

He looked at the young man in front of him in silence, thinking of the originally destined destinies that had been rewritten by this young man.

They gazed at each other for a moment, and then Zeus accepted the golden apple.

"Child, I hear you have yet to choose a god to follow."

Promise nodded instinctively, then suddenly sensed something was not right.

"Then choose me."

Zeus laughed loudly. 

The more he looked at the young man in front of him, the happier he became, as he said. "I assure you, my affection for you will be no less than Hera's or anyone else's!"

Promise's body froze instantly.

Staring at Zeus, the King of the Gods, sizing him up...

No way!