After bidding farewell to Hera, Hal and Bruce first traveled to the Hesperides Sacred Garden in the westernmost part of the world, where they picked an apple from the Golden Apple Tree and used the divine power of the Hesperides to cut and preserve it.
According to the Hesperides Sisters, ordinary humans did not need to eat an entire Golden Apple to gain immortality; just a bite was sufficient, and one apple could serve about a dozen people, so it was better to cut it open and store it.
Regarding the idea of making apple pie with the Golden Apple, the Hesperides explicitly opposed it, as no one had ever cooked it since its creation. It was uncertain if it would still be effective after being cooked, so Bruce and Hal had to figure out a way to trick Oliver into eating it raw.
They then visited Hephaestus, the Fire God, but Diana's brother was a sullen character, focused solely on forging and seemingly oblivious to Bruce and Hal's words, showing no concern for the situation on Mount Olympus. He only showed some emotion when Bruce mentioned ammunition.
However, Bruce ultimately did not get to see the ammunition, for the Fire God said it was extremely dangerous and, apart from those who sought to manufacture it, no one knew the correct method of use. It was intended as a last resort tool for mutual destruction and it was better not left exposed.
Curious as they were, they knew the importance of caution. Something that even the gods handled with such care was undeniably dangerous and best kept securely stored.
After making a round trip, they returned to Mercury to join the others in devising a plan to deal with Zeus. Bruce actually had a plan, but it required cooperation from others.
"The weakness of Zeus is very obvious," said Bruce, sitting at the conference table. "He loves beauties, and stops in his tracks at the sight of them. So, we just need to lure him with a beauty, then let his eldest son strike him, hopefully causing a severe injury that would take thousands of years to heal, so Hera can legitimately take over as Divine King."
Clark nodded and said, "Great plan. The only problem is, where do we find a beauty?"
Clark saw Bruce staring intensely at him and pointed to himself, "Me?"
"Don't joke, I'm a man, and with my physique, I wouldn't pass for a woman even in female clothing," chuckled Clark, seemingly finding the idea ridiculous, but then he glanced at Bruce again and said, "I think you might stand a chance."
Everyone's gaze fixed intently on Bruce.
"Do you think Zeus is stupid?" Bruce rolled his eyes. "The man has divine power; can't he tell the difference between a man and a woman?"
"But I heard angels don't have genders..."
"I'm not a born angel!"
After much discussion, they realized the toughest part of the plan was actually finding the right person to be the seductress. Although nothing real needed to happen with Zeus, being both attractive to him and safe was a tough criterion to meet, and it was uncertain if anyone would be willing.
Everyone knew of Zeus's reputation. Any woman with a brain wouldn't want to get close to that prolific sire. What did it matter if the children were demigods? Every resident of Mount Olympus was a demigod and still ended up as unacknowledged laborers.
After much thought and finding no suitable candidates, Bruce reckoned that a professional was needed, so he contacted Natasha through the Doujie System.
Upon hearing the job involved seduction, Natasha perked up immediately, but her enthusiasm waned when she learned the target was Zeus.
Her last seduction target, Iron Man Tony Stark, was impressive: despite his bedroom performance, that frame of his, especially those deeply soulful eyes — Natasha hadn't found a suitable replacement yet.
But Zeus looked like an old man, not at all Natasha's type, and the fact that the old man also liked to impregnate women made the prospect quite chilling for her, even though she was barren.
"I'll take the job," Natasha messaged Bruce, adding, "But considering the unappealing image of the target, you'll need to pay extra."
Bruce sighed, feeling a headache coming on. Natasha was undoubtedly professional, but her asking price was too high. Why did she need so many sets of Bat Equipment? Is it because that black, one-eyed figure wanted to expand? Failing to obtain standard Iron Man gear, was he turning to him for alternatives?
Checking his account balance, Bruce decided to wait a couple of days. Business on the East Coast had been tough lately, severely undercut by the Luther Group, and many talents had been poached. Although labor costs had decreased significantly, his finances were still tight, and starting up the Bat Equipment production line would cause Tim to fight him tooth and nail.
Just then, Natasha recommended an unexpected person—Loki.
While Natasha was skilled, Loki was a master of deceit. More importantly, after reviewing Zeus's love history, Bruce found Zeus preferred pure maidens, and Loki might better fit his aesthetic.
Moreover, Loki, being a Frost Giant and able to wield her brother's hammer, had her own means of self-protection should the old Zeus genuinely try something. In that regard, Natasha had a disadvantage.
Of course, Natasha wasn't going to introduce Loki for free, but her intermediary fee was much cheaper compared to her getting involved directly.
Bruce quickly connected with Loki, who was in Battleworld at that time, holding meetings with various Lokis to integrate Asgard's resources from different cosmos to jointly combat Ragnarök.
Isn't this like sleep bringing a pillow? Loki was overwhelmed with work when Batman made the call.
Upon learning what Bruce intended, Loki wasn't fazed—seduction was her forte, and she guaranteed to leave Zeus utterly enchanted, but under one condition: Bruce had to come and help her sort out Asgard's affairs.
Bruce, recognizing the potential importance of the God of Mischief's skills for future grand schemes—especially with so many Lokis—it was prudent to establish a good relationship in advance, so the deal was struck immediately.
Loki directly came to Mercury through the Teleportation Portal because it was close to the Bright Territory. All she needed to do there was to play the role of a Magic Professor.
She had previously taught at the Karmatige Magic Academy, so this was not difficult for her. To avoid raising Zeus's suspicions, she genuinely started teaching classes, and the students all liked this beautiful new teacher.
Then, during a magic demonstration class one day, Loki accidentally collided with Helios, who was in his sun chariot, and even damaged his vehicle.
Loki expressed deep apologies, offering to repair Helios's chariot. Seeing her beautiful face, Helios initially wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but, after all, he had a direct superior, Apollo, and with the chariot damaged, he couldn't explain the work delay to his boss, so he agreed.
After the chariot was repaired, Loki took the opportunity to deliver it herself and went with him to the Bright Territory, where she also met Apollo.
Loki and Apollo hit it off well. Hera pretended not to notice and invited Apollo to a picnic in her backyard, and Apollo took Loki along.
Zeus's eyes widened when he saw Loki.
This was because Thor was not present. If Thor had been there, just that look would have been enough for him to pass a death sentence on Zeus.
Seeing Zeus take the bait, Loki smiled and said nothing, continuing to chat happily with Apollo, occasionally toasting Hera, and pretending to be curious about the situation on Mount Olympus.
The picnic was a success, enjoyable for both the hosts and the guest. When leaving the Bright Territory, Loki deliberately looked back at Zeus.
Again, it was lucky that Thor was not present, for if he were, just that look would have been enough for Thor to break Loki's legs.
Zeus obviously received the signal; his legs suddenly didn't hurt and his back wasn't sore anymore; he felt he could attack Mount Olympus himself.
That very night, Mercury's surveillance cameras caught Zeus sneaking around near the Sun.
Fortunately, he still had a bit of shame and didn't dare to directly come to the Mercury Base. Instead, he lingered near the Sun while Loki pretended not to know, taking her regular walks near the orbit of Venus.
Zeus, seeing this, naturally thought it was a good opportunity. So, one day, Zeus happened upon Loki who was wandering near the orbital area.
According to most mythology, the next step was obvious, but Loki wasn't so easy to deceive. Upon seeing Zeus, she started to run.
Zeus had seen this scene before. When he approached beautiful women, he didn't just transform into an animal for no reason—it was to avoid scaring them off.
Seeing Loki run, Zeus became even more excited. He didn't care about which direction Loki flew off to, he just chased after her, completely unaware that he was getting farther away from the entrance to the Bright Territory.
When the time seemed right, Loki suddenly flashed behind Zeus. As Zeus turned around and saw Loki slyly smiling at him, she pointed with her scepter towards something behind Zeus.
Zeus had a bad feeling, and before he could turn around, a furious roar sounded, and a huge shadow engulfed him.
Shiller was tending to his vegetable garden in the backyard when he heard the doorbell. He took off his gloves and went to the front yard to open the door. As he did, children streamed in.
"Did you hear? Professor, that eldest son knocked Zeus down, and he's badly injured, they say he won't get up for a few thousand years," shouted Aisha.
"If you ask me, he got what he deserved for fancying the Magic Professor at the Mercury Base. If the eldest son hadn't beaten him up, I would have!" Raven said, swinging his fist.
"Have you already reported to the Mercury Base?" Shiller asked as he took off his hat and cleaned the mud from his boots.
"Yes, we just got back. We might have to stay on Mercury for the better half of the next year. By the way, Professor, have you started growing your own vegetables?"
Shiller nodded, leading them to the backyard, where, apart from the open vegetable garden, there was also a newly erected greenhouse, and the pavilion that had previously hosted Diana.
"It looks like we'll be able to have fresh salads soon," Dick commented, approaching the field where Aisha was also peering around.
"Yes, when the vegetables are ripe, I'll invite you. How is Atlantis doing?"
Dick's expression turned a bit complex. "We visited Arthur. He's badly injured; it doesn't look like he'll be getting out of bed anytime soon."
"Really?" asked Shiller.
"Well, I think he's actually fine, but he seems not to want to get better. As long as he's in bed, he can throw all responsibilities to his fiancée and avoid teaching any biology classes on Mercury. He's clearly being lazy."
Shiller picked up a watering can and said, "He probably thinks Mera is better suited to be Aquaman. What about the eldest son who beat up Zeus?"
"He's been revived, and the Green Lantern Corps teamed up to seal him. They've put him on Venus," sighed Jason. "Unless something unexpected happens, he's likely going to be a question on the students' final exams."