Chapter 39 Disguise
Knowing that Zeus had only granted the marriage to exact his revenge, Hephaestus saw it as nothing more than a sham. He and Venus held the title of husband and wife but had no real marital bond. In their everyday lives, they still interacted like close friends.
The plan to host a grand wedding had also been put aside. If it wasn’t born of genuine love, there was no need to go through the elaborate rituals.
However, Hephaestus still crafted a large, comfortable marriage bed, ensuring that Venus would sleep in peace. He even personally designed a set of furniture to give the home a new look.
At least in terms of living conditions, he would not allow the most precious god of the divine mountain to endure any hardship. Hephaestus did his best to provide Venus with the best of everything.
Although it was called a marriage bed, Venus had always slept alone. Hephaestus had always chosen to sleep in the next room. This was the first time they were sharing a bed together.
Venus was shameless — literally shameless, expressing his desires straightforwardly. In bed, he always gave the most genuine and passionate responses.
In contrast, Hephaestus, whose divine nature was supposed to burn with fiery intensity, seemed to have become overly gentle and reserved. The slightest hint of Venus’ slightly wanton words could easily make him blush and turn his head away.
Despite his shyness, he never pulled away.
He was even more tender than Adonis, handling him with such care, as if afraid he might break.
It wasn’t the most satisfying experience, but it did provide some relief.
The smell was wonderful, and the taste was good as well, but it just wasn’t his cup of tea, Venus thought with some regret.
It wasn’t that it didn’t suit his taste. It was just…… he wanted something wilder, to let his desires be released to the fullest, but the one or two he had slept with were so gentle. Adonis was the white moonlight in his heart, his flavor covered with a layer of filter in his memory, a standard that no one could surpass. Still, that didn’t stop him from indulging in new experiences.
He wondered what the next course would taste like.
After becoming physically involved, Hephaestus grew even more shy around Venus, his attitude softer and more tender.
Venus, on the other hand, was as composed as ever. Even when waking up in Hephaestus’ arms the next morning, he casually said, “Good morning.”
The tone of his voice was no different than when he greeted Hephaestus casually on the street, as if they hadn’t shared an intimate night together.
To Venus, the roles of friends and lovers could coexist. He and Hephaestus had slept together, but his relationship with him was still one of pure friendship.
Hephaestus was both frustrated and amused, and eventually, it all turned into helplessness.
What could he do? Having fallen for the God of Pleasure, he knew all too well that Venus’ mindset was not like others — no, on Olympus, most gods were drawn to fleeting novelty. Hephaestus, with his longing for eternal love, was the true oddity.
But one was willing to give, and the other was willing to take it.
Hephaestus might not have been the dish that perfectly matched Venus’ taste, but he could fill the hunger for a time.
Their way of interacting was deeply fragmented.
During the day, they were the truest of friends. Hephaestus taught Venus to recognize Chinese characters and speak the language. Outside of their lessons, Hephaestus would craft various delicate and interesting trinkets, always coming up with new creations to keep Venus from feeling bored. He set up a teleportation circle to connect the forge directly with the Temple of Beauty, so that Venus could teleport home whenever he wished, avoiding the long journey. He even built a swing in Venus’ rose garden, carving a seat from the finest wood, with rose vines twisted into ropes. The craftsmanship was exquisite and beautiful. Venus thought that there could be no better friend than Hephaestus.
At night, they were the most intimate bed partners. Venus, when driven by desire, cared little for the time of day. Sometimes, he would be in the middle of copying new words, only to suddenly drop his pen and cling to Hephaestus, complaining that his hand was too sore to write, begging for it. Hephaestus would always blush and gently chide him for not focusing on his studies. But in the end, he could never resist the pleading look in Venus’ eyes, and would take him back to the soft, comfortable marriage bed in their chambers, where they would indulge in their passion in broad daylight.
In truth, there was nothing wrong with it. As Hephaestus kissed Venus on the bed, he would occasionally have the thought.
He had already received enough. This life with Venus, living like an ordinary couple, was more than enough. There was no need to yearn for a true love.
Living like this for a lifetime seemed more than fine.
Unfortunately, even maintaining the current state of things felt like a luxury.
The God of Pleasure could never be content with just one lover.
Hephaestus had known this for a long time.
He just hadn’t expected that day to come so soon.
Mediterranean Sea.
Thanatos had been sent by the King of the Underworld to provide support in the sea realm.
The weaker inhabitants of the sea had already been ordered to retreat to the shallow waters by the King of the Sea, while the elite forces remained stationed at the borders, guarding the area. The deep sea was now almost like a ghost town.
The deeper one descended, the greater the water pressure.
When Thanatos reached the seabed and his feet touched the ground, the pressure was already at a terrifying level. The force exerted by the water was enough to instantly kill an average lesser god, leaving no remains. Even a slightly weaker god would suffer severe internal damage, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Thanatos was the son of Nyx, the Goddess of Night. Nyx was one of the five innate gods born from chaos, so Thanatos had a high seniority and belonged to the second generation of gods. As for why he was assisting Hades, a third-generation god…… well, with each new reign comes a new set of loyal followers. The third-generation gods had overthrown the second-generation ones, and most of the Titans from the previous era were imprisoned by Zeus in Tartarus, guarded by the Hecatoncheires. The underworld’s reclusive nature had been passed down through the generations, and the previous rulers of the underworld had stayed out of the conflicts between the two generations of gods, allowing them to remain untouched. Too lazy to resist, Thanatos and his brother Hypnos had no objections to Hades becoming the ruler of the underworld.
Strictly speaking, the Gods of Death and Sleep were not serving the King of the Underworld. They were simply doing their duties. Whether Hades gave orders or not, they would still carry out their divine responsibilities, for those roles were innate to them, not something granted by the King of the Underworld. Hades had no ambitions and rarely gave commands. When he did, it was only for matters involving the safety of the underworld, and both Thanatos and Hypnos would follow without hesitation.
There were no strict hierarchies in the underworld. It had more of a lethargic, salted fish atmosphere, unlike Zeus’ domineering rule of life and death. Only recently, with the impending catastrophe, had the underworld begun to shed its apathy and start to prepare for battle.
All of this explanation simply pointed to one thing — Thanatos was incredibly powerful, and the harsh environment of the deep sea had no effect on him for the time being.
At most, he was walking a bit slower than usual, but it hadn’t reached the point where he could hardly move. As a god not associated with the waters, it was only natural that he would be somewhat uncomfortable in such an environment.
Thanatos made his way to the boundary of the deep sea without any hindrance, only then feeling an overwhelming and terrifying force. His bones creaked under the pressure, and a slight discomfort began to settle in.
This was the true front line.
The water gods were all here, desperately holding up the barrier. When their divine power ran out, they would retreat to the shallows to rest, only to return after regaining some strength. This was how they rotate in several waves. Despite their rest, each of them looked pale, their full attention devoted to sustaining the barrier, not daring to let their guard down. They hadn’t even noticed the arrival of the God of Death.
Poseidon had been guarding this spot from start to finish, without a single moment of rest. Only he had the strength to withstand such an unrelenting drain of divine power. As he poured his own energy into the barrier, he also had enough leftover strength to convert the Nordic divine energy that leaked through into his own, preventing overexertion.
After losing his identity as Adonis, he had never once left the barrier. Even when he heard Venus calling with the conch shell, he restrained himself from moving.
He did, however, notice Thanatos’ arrival. Although the visitor’s face was concealed, the tightly sealed black robe was a dead giveaway. The only one who dressed like that was the God of Death from the underworld.
Thanatos said nothing. He silently manifested a massive curved blade and began infusing divine power into the barrier.
It was the scythe of the God of Death.
The arrival of Thanatos immediately eased the tension among the gods. Upon noticing the figure in the black robe, their faces lit up with relief.
Support from the underworld had arrived.
Although there was only one reinforcement, considering that the King of the Underworld had just two subordinates, it was already a considerable sacrifice. Not to mention, the God of Death’s combat strength was immense, worth more than a thousand of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
In contrast, Olympus had so many gods, yet not a single one could be seen at this moment.
However, this couldn’t be blamed on the gods of Olympus for lacking loyalty. Zeus hadn’t taken the situation seriously, thinking that even if things got dangerous, both the sea realm and the underworld would hold the line. Once they were sufficiently weakened, he could take advantage of the situation to conquer both realms. He hadn’t even bothered to inform the gods of Olympus, so they had no way of knowing or offering help.
“Hades is smarter than I thought to send you here.” Poseidon hummed and laughed with unclear meaning.
Zeus, that idiot, was still not moving at all.
Thanatos didn’t respond.
Poseidon was well aware that the gods of the underworld were not ones to speak much, so he hadn’t expected a reply. After that, he said no more and didn’t engage in further conversation with Thanatos for several days.
A few days later, Poseidon suddenly remembered something. “How’s the situation on Mount Olympus?”
He had been tied up here and hadn’t been able to leave, so he had no idea what was happening outside. His subordinates who still had spare time lacked the skill to infiltrate Mount Olympus, so he could only gather intel from the God of Death.
He knew that Hades possessed the Helmet of Invisibility, an artifact whose invisibility effect was so powerful that even Zeus couldn’t detect it. Given Hades’ personality, he wouldn’t have missed the chance to confirm the situation within Mount Olympus, and Poseidon wondered if he might learn something from Thanatos.
Thanatos shook his head.
Poseidon glanced at him. “Is it that you don’t know, or that it’s just not worth mentioning?”
Thanatos shook his head twice, indicating that it wasn’t much to speak of.
“It seems Hades must have sent you to Olympus.” Poseidon, with a sharp understanding, asked not at all deliberately, “How is Venus doing lately?”
That was the question Poseidon had truly wanted to ask. He had no hope for Zeus, and only asked about Venus’ recent situation by asking indirectly.
Thanatos hadn’t expected Poseidon to shift the topic from Mount Olympus one moment to the God of Beauty the next.
Thinking of the grand scene where the entire Mount Olympus had proposed to Venus, Thanatos nodded.
Poseidon was eager to hear more about Venus’ life. “How is he doing?”
Was he still grieving over Adonis’ death? Was he unable to eat? Did he spend his days crying?
The image of Venus crying over Adonis’ lifeless body had stayed with Poseidon, tormenting him, making his mind restless.
Thanatos fell silent for a long time. It seemed this was a question that couldn’t be answered with just a nod or a shake of the head.
Poseidon reminded him, “You can speak.”
Thanatos finally spoke, “He’s married.”
Poseidon: “…………”
That seemed a bit too good.
The gods felt an immense pressure once again, and when they turned to look, they saw that the King of the Sea had withdrawn his divine power.
Fortunately, Thanatos was there to hold the line, so they didn’t immediately find themselves bleeding out.
Poseidon’s expression remained calm, even managing a brief laugh.
No one could tell that a storm was brewing in his blue eyes.
But the pressure felt almost tangible. The gods realized that part of the strain they felt was coming from the Norse pantheon, and part from the King of the Sea himself.
Thanatos pressed his lips together slightly. With Poseidon withdrawing his divine power, the amount he needed to supply had to increase.
Poseidon poured a large amount of divine power into his trident all at once, leaving it behind to continue supporting the barrier in his place.
“I need to temporarily step away to handle some personal matters. Thank you, God of Death, for taking over,” Poseidon said in a tone more gentle than anyone would have expected. After speaking, he hurriedly left.
He didn’t even ask who Venus had married.
After all, Venus would ultimately belong to him.
Thanatos: “……”
He had only come to assist, so how did he end up becoming the main force?
Mount Olympus.
Despite his disdain for Zeus’ intelligence, Poseidon had to admit that his brother did possess some strength.
Mount Olympus was not his domain. If he confronted Zeus, his chances of victory were slim. It wasn’t the right moment to barge in, especially since Poseidon’s divine power had been drained over time. The trident was left behind in the depths to protect the barrier, making it unwise to rush to the mountain and attempt to take Venus back.
The current sea was also no place for Venus to live.
Poseidon couldn’t even find a place to lock Venus away. He would be unable to leave the barrier frequently for centuries, meaning he couldn’t satisfy Venus’ lust. Locking the God of Pleasure away without addressing his needs would be an act of cruelty.
So, his trip to the mountain ultimately achieved nothing.
It was just to take a look.
Poseidon didn’t want to alert the gods of Olympus, so he transformed into the form of Ares, the God of War, and boldly walked into the divine mountain.
He had once greatly despised Ares’ crude method of transforming into a wild boar, but now he found himself resorting to the same underhanded trick.
In Poseidon’s eyes, Ares wasn’t even as good as a wild boar.
But Ares had been subjected to a celibacy spell by him. No matter what he did with Venus under the guise of Ares, Venus could never truly have anything with the real Ares.
This identity was the perfect disguise.
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