Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Having received the promise of Apollo, Hephaestus no longer played coy. He gave a detailed account of the terrain in different parts of the earth, the location of Olympus, and the Oracle of Delphi beneath the Panasus Mountain range.

These were all things his foster mother had told him, and in fact, Hephaestus had never been there himself, but this was enough for Apollo. Explore stories on m,v l'-NovelBin.net

Now that he knew where his destination lay, the young deity solemnly thanked him and once again assured him:

"Prince Hephaestus, I will remember your assistance today, no matter what. On the day you need me in the future, I will fulfill my promise and do my part."

"Let's hope so, Apollo, but you may leave now. The earth is vast, and finding Delphi based only on my description is no simple task."

Nodding, Hephaestus's demeanor was still rather unenthusiastic. Though they had a common goal for the time being, he still didn't care to linger any longer with this handsome, radiant deity.

To such an obliquely dismissive gesture, Apollo paid no mind, thanking Hephaestus and choosing to leave immediately.

"Perhaps he will succeed?"

"Who knows."

Watching the direction in which Apollo had departed, Hephaestus shook his head. He wasn't optimistic about the other's chances, yet he didn't believe Apollo would come to any harm, for after all, he was an immortal True God.

Picking up his hammer, Hephaestus began another bout of forging. His skills were not yet finely honed. In comparison to the Cyclops, while he possessed the same natural talent, he still needed ample time to practice. At least for now, he could not treat Godhood as a material to craft a true Divine Artifact.

Of course, what Hephaestus wanted was never a Divine Artifact. He merely hoped that one day, he might create imposing substitutes to cover for his unsightly and diminutive appearance.

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Elsewhere, having left The Island of Lemnos, Apollo began his journey to find the Delphi Temple. Much like the heroes of future human generations, he encountered many different people along the way and did many deeds.

There were injured humans, hospitable River Gods, malevolent Demonic Monsters, and Nymphs being chased by wild beasts. He used his warm Light to heal human wounds, solved a problem for a River God by killing a hydra that had been lurking upstream, slew demons coveting his bloodline, and helped the Nymphs drive away strange beasts.

To repay Apollo's help, an Elf that had sprung from a Birch Tree gifted him a silver bow.

Said to be the creation of Titans, it possessed extraordinary power, becoming a treasure Apollo treasured greatly. With its aid, the journey for the young deity became much smoother. With the bow's support, more strange beasts perished under his arrows, and many mortals were saved thanks to him.

As he progressed, the name "Apollo with the Silver Bow" began to spread among the territorial gods and mortals who had survived the flood. Gradually, they became aware of a deity bringing Light, healing wounds, and willing to help others, searching for the Oracle of Delphi, intending to slay a wicked serpent there.

Though no one knew the origin of this god, nor had he ever spoken of his lineage, both humans and gods alike blessed him, hoping he would achieve his goal.

All this was observed by Helios, who steered the Sun Chariot across The Sky, and he reported everything to the Divine King who was closely watching it all.

He didn't like Apollo—because unlike others, the God of Sun immediately recognized the other's Divine Authority, the power of Light. Just as his father, Titan God Hyperion, had his dominion diminished, Apollo had split the Light of his mother, Theia.

But dislike as he might, with the Mother of Light having withdrawn from the world and himself about to ascend to great Divine Power, Helios suppressed such subjective feelings, dutifully reporting Apollo's deeds to Zeus each day without doing anything unnecessary.

After all, there was no direct conflict between the two at the moment, and Apollo remained the son of the Divine King. Helios couldn't conceive any reason they would be adversaries.

"So along the way, he has helped numerous human migrants who haven't yet settled down, restored health to the injured and ill, and thus they regard him as a protector of their travels and a deity of healing?" Zeus asked Helios, who had just finished his day's duties, while standing before the palace of the Divine King in the evening.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Nodding, perhaps emboldened by his impending ascension, Helios appeared quite confident. He looked at Zeus and offered a suggestion:

"Do I need to prevent his interactions with humans?"

"His current location... is not far from Olympus. If he is allowed to continue, it might lead to a repeat of Prometheus's old tale."

Speaking of the foresighted Prometheus, Helios initially mentioned him casually, but his tone suddenly paused. In that moment, the God of Sun suddenly remembered the warning the other had given him below the great maelstrom of the East Sea.'You need not worry now, but if another deity capable of driving the Sun Chariot is born in the future, you must be careful.'... Could that being be Apollo?

But Helios wasn't the only one who had heard that warning; it had also been heard by Kratos and Bia, who were escorting Prometheus. Helios didn't know if they had told the Divine King about this. If they had, then why would Zeus have him report about Apollo?