Chapter 45.1 Divorce
Venus, with Cupid in tow, swam back to the divine mountain, never once looking back. The moment he emerged from the river and transformed back into his human form, he felt as though he had narrowly escaped death.
It was too terrifying. They were lucky that Typhon hadn’t caught up with them. Otherwise, both he and Cupid would have lost their lives that day.
Still shaken, Venus returned to Hephaestus’ forge. When Hephaestus saw the pale faces of his son and wife, he paused from his work. “What happened?”
Cupid burst into tears. “We encountered Typhon when we went down the mountain to play!”
Hephaestus’ face darkened. Typhon was a monster that even Zeus couldn’t defeat. For Venus to have come across it and returned unscathed was nothing short of a miracle.
“Are you injured?” Hephaestus asked, rising to his feet.
“No,” Venus replied, his voice faint. “We were just frightened. I need to sleep and calm down.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you both,” Hephaestus said, guilt flashing in his eyes.
Venus: “You weren’t there, so it has nothing to do with you.”
Hephaestus still felt regret. He had crafted so many beautiful ornaments and toys for Venus and Cupid, but had never thought to equip them with defensive weapons. The peace of the divine mountain had made him subconsciously believe they wouldn’t face any danger.
Thus, he immediately prioritized creating defensive weapons for both Venus and Cupid.
As soon as Venus reached his bedroom, he collapsed into a deep sleep.
But he had a nightmare.
In his dream, he and Cupid were once again being chased by Typhon. Typhon effortlessly fished them out of the river, and one of the serpent heads opened its massive, gaping mouth, about to swallow them whole—
Then, a flash of blue light appeared. A powerful, familiar sea force blocked their path and fiercely drove Typhon back.
Venus jolted awake, his eyes snapping open.
In the chaos of his escape, he hadn’t had time to think, but now, reflecting on it, he realized he had indeed felt that protective blue force sheltering them.
Could it have been his divine seafaring ability that was passively triggered?
No, that couldn’t be it. His power over the sea couldn’t possibly be that strong. Venus’ primary domains were love and beauty. He hadn’t grown up by the sea, and his seafaring ability had never been actively used.
So, who had protected them?
Time passed. For gods, years were nothing but fleeting moments. Two hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Before Cupid was born, life on the divine mountain had been monotonous and quiet. But after Cupid’s arrival, every day on the mountain was filled with chaos. The mischievous little God of Love was so fond of firing his arrows of love everywhere that the other gods had to avoid him. Cupid, it seemed, was even more feared than the plague itself.
Shooting arrows of love was second nature to Cupid. No matter how much the gods complained or how much the parents tried to educate him, he couldn’t change. For a god to go against their divine nature was an act of defiance against fate itself, and even the King of the Gods could not punish Cupid for it.
Cupid was already over two hundred years old, but his body showed no sign of growing up. It seemed as though he would forever remain in the form of a child.
Venus spent his days either playing with Cupid or sampling various dishes. He didn’t try many dishes, mostly Hephaestus. Whenever he wanted a change of taste, he would go to Dionysus or Hermes. The three flavors rotated endlessly. Venus felt he was starting to grow tired of them, but he was unwilling to lower his standards.
After tasting fine delicacies, simple fare just didn’t satisfy him. Venus was particular when it came to food. As one of the twelve major Olympian Gods, he was far more discerning than ordinary gods. His refined tastes made it difficult for him to appreciate food from other gods.
Venus preferred the flavors of male gods to those of the female gods. Of the Twelve Gods of Olympus, aside from the goddesses and himself, there were only Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hephaestus, Ares, Dionysus, and Hermes.
Poseidon, the God of Sea, rarely left the ocean and didn’t often visit Olympus, so Venus had never met him. Venus had a strained relationship with Artemis and didn’t want to be involved with her twin brother, Apollo. As for Zeus, he was simply out of the question. Venus didn’t want to deal with Hera’s jealousy. That left four male gods, all of whom Venus had sampled. After discarding Ares, whose flavor had soured, only Hephaestus, Hermes, and Dionysus remained.
Hephaestus turned a blind eye to Venus’ affairs outside their relationship. He understood that Venus could not change his nature. As long as Venus spent most of his time with him, that was enough.
The quality of the male gods in this generation of Olympus really wasn’t up to par, Venus lamented. Eating only three dishes for two hundred years was so boring. But other options were even harder to swallow, and he couldn’t starve.
It was truly a torment.
After two hundred years of impotence, the celibacy spell that had bound Ares finally lifted. The moment he realized it could rise again, he was overjoyed. His first thought was to seek out his former lover, the Goddess of Dawn, Eos, and rekindle their passion in bed.
The days of celibacy had nearly driven him mad!
Eos, too, was delighted. After being neglected by Ares for over two centuries, it seemed he had finally remembered her.
“Finally willing to leave Venus and come to me?” Eos teased, a hint of reproach in her voice.
“You just reminded me,” Ares replied excitedly. “Hephaestus won’t be home tonight, so I’ll go find Venus! I’ll sleep with his wife in his bed.”
It was something he had longed to do, but had been unable to, until now, when the opportunity finally presented itself.
Eos: “……”
She was furious. Was he really this in love with Venus? Couldn’t he spend even one day away from him? After two hundred years of being neglected, when Ares finally came to her again, all he could talk about was Venus.
It completely ruined Eos’ good mood for the day. As she walked home, her face was clouded with anger.
On her way, she ran into Apollo. Seeing her upset, he couldn’t help but ask, “Eos, who has made you angry?”
The Goddess of Dawn and the God of Sun were quite familiar with each other, as they often appeared together at the break of day.
Eos: “Ares is so despicable! He had the nerve to tell me, right in front of my face, that he plans to sneak off and have an affair with Venus tonight! Isn’t it enough that they have a son? I may not be as beautiful as Venus, but doesn’t he see the sincerity of my feelings for him?”
Apollo picked up on one key detail. “You also think Cupid is the son of Venus and Ares?”
This was the most widely circulated version of the story on the divine mountain, but Apollo, as the God of Truth, would never speak on anything unless he was 100% certain.
“Venus himself admitted that Cupid is Ares’ son!” Eos replied, her mood darkening.
Apollo was taken aback. “Are you sure he told you that himself?”
“How could I lie to you?” Eos said angrily.
Apollo fell silent, deep in thought. As the God of Light and Truth, he could tell that Eos was not lying.
Could it really be true that Cupid was Ares’ child?
After Eos left, Apollo immediately began to calculate.
When struck by Cupid’s arrow, he had fallen madly in love with Daphne. To escape him, Daphne had transformed into a laurel tree, becoming a Laurel tree goddess.
When Apollo came to his senses, he was horrified by his embarrassing actions. How could a god like him, pursued by so many goddesses, be reduced to such a state?
Since then, Apollo had harbored a grudge against Cupid. Unfortunately, he had always feared the power of Cupid’s arrows, so he had been unable to take revenge. Now, it seemed, the opportunity had finally come.
Hephaestus had always been very fond of Cupid. But if he were to learn that Cupid was not his biological son, would he still show him the same affection?
Hephaestus had always dismissed the rumors circulating outside, but Apollo was the God of Light and Truth, and he never spoke falsely. If Apollo said something, it had to be the truth. Hephaestus found it hard to dismiss that.
And indeed, Apollo hadn’t lied, had he?
With his mind made up, Apollo immediately made his way to Hephaestus’ forge.
Venus and Cupid had gone off to play somewhere else, leaving the forge empty except for Hephaestus, who was busy organizing the tools he needed for the day. He was preparing to leave the divine mountain and journey to a distant island to gather materials for his craft.
Apollo entered the forge and sighed. “Hephaestus, my brother, there is something I must tell you. Cupid is not your biological son. He is the child of Venus and your brother Ares.”
Hephaestus looked up briefly, then lowered his gaze again, calmly continuing his work. “So, even the God of Sun believes the rumors?”
“Hephaestus, you must understand my nature,” Apollo replied. “I am the God of Truth, and I despise deceit. Venus himself admitted that Cupid is his child with Ares.”
Hephaestus’ fingers trembled slightly.
……The God of Sun never lied. That was his nature.
If Apollo said so, it must be true.
“Over two hundred years ago, I saw Venus and Ares together in the Temple of Beauty, just before he became pregnant!” Apollo spoke with a note of regret in his voice. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you back then. I didn’t want to get involved in other people’s affairs. But now I can’t stay silent any longer. Ares is coming to see Venus again tonight. They’ve planned it for when you’re away. They’re going to sneak into your bedroom and…… I can’t bear to watch this any longer. I had to come and tell you.”
Hephaestus remained silent for a long time, his stillness as unmoving as a statue.
Apollo had delivered his message. Seeing Hephaestus in a daze, he left quietly.
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