The Villain of Ancient Greece

Olympus, meaning ”from the place of light,” is the dwelling of the gods in the age of Greek mythology.

The Olympian gods, who wield the authority of the world, along with their affiliated demigods, a vast number of nymphs, and titanic monsters, all reside here.

However, the once sunny and bustling sacred mountain was now shrouded in a chilling, oppressive storm of thunder and lightning, exuding a bone-deep sense of dread.

The nymphs from the mountain streams and the divine creatures from the valleys and forests, sensing the soul-crushing fear, cowered in dark corners and caves, trembling.

Boom—!

Several crimson bolts of lightning exploded within the lead-gray clouds, illuminating the vast temple for a brief moment and revealing twelve towering figures.

”So, what earth-shattering matter compelled you to light the sacred fire and summon me so urgently?”

Seated on the central throne, the King of Olympus, Zeus, opened his purple eyes, a flash of gloom passing through them as he gazed at the gods standing on either side of the grand hall.

Under Zeus’s stern scrutiny, a robust young man clad in bronze armor, wearing an eagle-crested helmet, and surrounded by an aura of bloodlust stepped forward eagerly, loudly reporting.

”Father, during your... pleasurable time in the mortal realm, remnants from Mount Othrys have come to cause trouble!”

His booming voice echoed through the temple, clearly reaching the ears of every major god present and Zeus, sensing the subtle glances from the others, couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye, wishing he could strangle his own son.

Ares, the God of War, was the legitimate son of Zeus and the queen of heaven, Hera.

Known for his hot temper and reckless behavior, he was infamous throughout Olympus.

Otherwise, why would he bring up such an inappropriate topic in front of everyone?

While Zeus gritted his teeth inwardly, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at his lawful wife—Hera, the Queen of the Gods.

Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, sat on her golden throne, her beautiful curls cascading from beneath her crown, exuding an air of majesty and serenity.

Her lily-white, slender arms rested on the armrests, her lowered eyelids hiding a flicker of emotion, her expression as calm as still water, as if she had heard nothing.

Seeing that his wife showed no unusual reaction, Zeus steadied himself and turned his gaze back to his legitimate son, Ares, speaking in a cold voice.

”How many Titans could possibly remain on Mount Othrys? Just deal with the troublemakers. Do I really need to handle such trivial matters myself?”

Mount Othrys, much like Mount Olympus, was once the shared residence of the twelve Titan gods.

However, ever since Zeus, along with a group of his siblings and uncles, overthrew their father Cronus a thousand years ago and imprisoned him and his followers in the depths of Tartarus, Mount Othrys had long since lost its former glory.

In the face of the now-dominant Olympian gods, even if there were still rebellious Titans on Mount Othrys, they were nothing more than small fish, incapable of causing any real trouble.

For such a trivial matter, you really need me, the King of the Gods to intervene personally?

’Are you, the god of war who is responsible for guarding Olympus, just a decoration?’

Zeus scrutinized his legitimate son, who held dominion over war, rebellion, battlefields, bloodshed, and destruction, his gaze growing increasingly displeased.

Sensing his father’s gaze, Ares instinctively puffed out his chest, a look of pride spreading across his handsome face.

”Those Titans gathered at our gates have already been dealt with. There’s no need to trouble yourself, Father.”

Hearing this, Zeus’s expression softened slightly, and the irritation in his heart also lessened a little.

At least this useless son had done something right for once.

But if the matter had already been resolved, why summon him?

Still puzzled, the King of the Gods frowned and gestured for Ares to get to the point.

The later coughed and quickly stopped boasting, moving on to the main issue.

”The leader of this Titan rebellion is named ’Atlas.’ Although we’ve captured him, there’s been quite a bit of disagreement on how to handle him. We thought it best to leave the decision to you.”

Atlas?

Zeus pondered for a moment, digging through the complex and chaotic family tree of the divine era to recall the identity of this ”ringleader.”

—Atlas, the son of Iapetus, the Titan of the soul and intellect, and known for his immense strength as the ”Titan who holds up the sky.”

Moreover, he had two even more famous brothers.

—Prometheus, the ”Forethinker,” and Epimetheus, the ”Afterthinker.”

One of them was imprisoned on Mount Caucasus, enduring eternal punishment for stealing the sacred fire; the other, for defying the gods, perished alongside the old humanity in the great flood.

Was this rebellion for their father’s revenge? For their brothers’ defiance? Or simply out of sheer stubbornness?

A cold smile crept onto Zeus’s lips, his eyes darkening with malice.

”Truly a troublesome family.”

”Father, exactly! For such stubborn rebels, we should execute them all! Make an example of them! That way, those half-blooded bastards outside will know the might of Olympus!”

Ares, hearing the displeasure in his father’s tone, immediately became animated, eagerly voicing his opinion as a strong aura of bloodshed and cruel brutality emanated from his words and actions.

The major gods in the hall frowned, their expressions turning unfriendly.

Even Zeus himself couldn’t help but twitch a few time, his face showing a hint of pale anger as he gazed at the gesticulating Ares.

If even the legitimate son of Iapetus, the Titan of soul and intellect, and their own cousin, was being called a ”half-blooded bastard,” then what did that make them? The same?

And what about Olympus? A den of half-bloods?

Sure enough, there was a reason this fool was disliked by all the gods of Olympus.

”Father, the prosperity of Olympus is already assured. There’s no need to add unnecessary slaughter over the provocations of these brutes. Why not follow the usual practice and throw Atlas into Tartarus, showcasing your magnanimity?”

At this, Apollo, the god of light and prophecy, stood up with a smile, offering a different perspective.

He was a dignified and handsome god, exuding a poet-like charm.

The crown woven from myrtle and lotus leaves rested on his head, his fragrant, slightly flowing hair cascading over his shoulders, giving him an air of grace that naturally endeared him to others.

No wonder he was admired by the Muses.

”Showing mercy to our enemies is cruelty to ourselves! Such a lenient punishment will only make those half-blooded bastards outside think Olympus is weak and easy to bully!”

Feeling his pride wounded, Ares snorted angrily, his repeated use of ”half-blooded bastards” causing the gods in the hall to frown even more.

Among the twelve Olympian gods, the one who reacted most strongly was Hermes, the god of messengers, who was usually known for his tact and amiability.

His mother was Maia, the daughter of Atlas, the Titan who held up the sky.

Although in the complex and tangled Greek family tree, blood ties didn’t necessarily mean close relationships, Ares’s words were undoubtedly a direct insult to Hermes.

And not just once...

Hermes adjusted the felt hat on his head slightly, his lips curving into a faint, mocking smile.

”I heard that on the battlefield, only the victor has the right to decide the fate of the defeated. Did I remember wrong, or has the world changed?”

Instantly, Ares froze, and his face turned crimson.

The veins beneath his skin bulged like thick worms twisting and writhing, his expression a mix of humiliation and fury.

”Hermes, shut your mouth!”

Seeing his legitimate son in such a state of furious desperation, Zeus, seated on his divine throne, narrowed his eyes.

Only now did he notice that Ares’s bronze armor was pristine, without a single scratch, clearly not the result of a recent fierce battle.

Yet, even with this shiny new armor, it couldn’t hide the bruise on one side of his face.

Combined with Hermes’s sarcastic remark, it seemed that in the confrontation with Atlas, his legitimate son had been the one to come out looking less than dignified.

After all, Atlas, the mighty Titan who held up the sky, was one of the most formidable figures of his generation and was hardly someone a hothead like Ares could easily handle.

An unexpected start, but a predictable outcome.

Zeus glanced at his enraged son, who was practically foaming at the mouth and seemed ready to strangle Hermes with his bare hands and shook his head slightly, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes.

As the God of War, not only had he lost to his opponent, but he also lacked the courage to admit it.

What a waste.

However, Ares, completely oblivious to his father’s disdain, was too busy arguing with his two brothers.

Seeing Ares’s temper flare to the point where he even drew his short sword, ready to fight, Hermes, who wasn’t particularly skilled in combat—instinctively took a step back, avoiding the confrontation.

But Apollo, holding a golden arrow in one hand and a silver bow in the other, showed no fear in the face of his brother’s wrath.

Their sister, Artemis, the goddess of the moon and hunting, subtly rested her slender fingers on her quiver.

They were the twin children of Leto, the goddess of motherhood.

When Leto was pregnant, Hera, consumed by jealousy, forbade the earth from providing her a place to give birth.

Leto wandered far and wide, finding no refuge, until her sister Asteria, the ”Star Maiden,” transformed herself into an island and offered her sanctuary.

It was there that the twins were safely born.

Because of this, Artemis and Apollo had always been at odds with Ares, their half-brother and Hera’s legitimate son.

”Enough! All of you, get back to your seats! I’m not dead yet!”

The sky roared with thunder, the oppressive sound reverberating through the hall.

The gods, who had been forming factions and hurling insults at each other, immediately fell silent at the sight of Zeus’s pale, furious face and obediently returned to their seats.

But as the gods quieted down and the atmosphere grew deathly still, Zeus, as the arbiter, found himself still torn between the two options.

A thousand years had passed since the divine war between Mount Olympus and Mount Othrys, and those old Titans had long been thrown into Tartarus.

Yet, the rebellious nature of the Titans meant that the occasional straggler would still show up to challenge Olympus, causing endless trouble.

Zeus was growing weary of dealing with these ungrateful relatives.

But executing them outright seemed too harsh, and he wasn’t sure how the other factions would react.

However, throwing them into Tartarus felt too lenient, and it left him feeling unsatisfied.

Just as Zeus was frowning over the two options, caught in a dilemma, a calm and melodious voice echoed through the hall.

”Father, why not banish him to the far west?”

The gods turned their heads toward the source of the voice.

The one who had spoken was a valiant goddess with silver hair cascading over her shoulders, wearing a helmeted crown and a white chiton adorned with bronze serpent armor.

Zeus pondered for a moment, his eyes lighting up.

”Athena, what do you mean...”

”Since Atlas prides himself as the ’Titan who holds up the sky,’ let him bear a corner of the heavens. In the chaos of the far west, he can expand and stabilize the divine authority of the sky, serving Olympus for the rest of his life.”

Athena placed a hand over her chest and smiled as she answered.

Hearing this, Zeus looked approvingly at his daughter and nodded with satisfaction.

As the god who ruled the sky, expanding the domain of the heavens meant strengthening his own authority and power.

The other gods in the hall also had a moment of realization, their expressions showing signs of interest.

As gods united under Olympus, the expansion of the sky’s domain would bring them varying degrees of benefit.

Zeus swept his gaze across the hall, taking in the expressions of the gods, and then made his decision.

”Very well, we shall proceed as you suggest, Athena.”

Naturally, the gods had no objections to such a solution that brought only benefits and no harm.

Hearing that his grandfather wouldn’t be made an example of, Hermes secretly breathed a sigh of relief and spoke up with a playful tone.

”I thought your heroic deeds on the battlefield were already worthy of praise, but compared to your wisdom, your martial prowess seems to pale in comparison. So, is it too late to ask the Muses to rewrite their songs?”

Seeing Hermes’s exaggerated expressions, the gods couldn’t help but chuckle.

Even the gloom on Zeus’ face was reduced a lot, looking at his son who was livening up the atmosphere on the field and he scolded his son with a smile.

”Hermes, stop with the nonsense. You’re the fastest—go and escort Atlas to his punishment.”

Hermes, who was ordered around, looked aggrieved on the surface, but he was secretly happy in his heart.

After all, this was his grandfather. By personally escorting him, he could ensure that Atlas suffered less, and he could also give his mother, Maia, a proper explanation.

As Hermes cheerfully exited the hall, Zeus’s gaze returned to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and the more he looked at her, the more satisfied he felt.

In terms of martial prowess, she had defeated Atlas and restored Olympus’s honor.

In terms of wisdom, she had balanced the dispute and proposed the best solution.

She was truly the perfect daughter.

However...

As Zeus sat on his throne, a shadow seemed to pass over his eyes, and he waved his hand dismissively.

”Enough. Since the matter is resolved, all of you may leave.”

The gods obeyed and began to disperse, leaving the hall one by one.

Moments later, the sacred flame representing their gathering flickered, and in the vast, dimly lit hall, only Zeus remained, seated on his throne.

He ran his hand over the cold backrest of the chair, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Was it really just a coincidence?

A sudden sense of unease made Zeus frown as he stood up, stepped out of the hall, and disappeared into the thick night.