When he returned to the banquet, Apollo was still filled with wonder.
What did Athena mean by that just now?
Hecate suddenly came up to him and said, "Why do you have a fragrance on you? Did you go on a rendezvous with one of the goddesses?"
"The goddess is there…That place is indeed very dark…" Apollo thought to himself.
He said with a bright smile: "I just went for a trip; nothing else happened here, right?"
Hecate shook her head and said, "It's still the same; the atmosphere has been strange since His Majesty Poseidon spoke of Antaeus."
Apollo asked again, "Where is Astraea?"
Hecate said, "She was called by the goddess Amphitrite for a chat and also called us along with her, but I didn't agree since you weren't there."
Apollo turned his attention to where Amphitrite was, and many gods surrounded her.
"Eh, Athena also went there." Apollo's expression changed.
...
The banquet went very smoothly, and it slowly came to an end while many gods were eating and drinking carnivally.
Apollo paid attention to the movements of Amphitrite and Poseidon and found that both were in normal state.
With the passage of time, the gods near Amphitrite first increased and then dispersed.
Poseidon, on the other hand, sat on the throne from beginning to end, holding the son of the Earth Mother without any movement.
Just when Apollo thought everything was over, Astraea, who came back, said to him, "Goddess Amphitrite invited you and Hecate to go to her bedroom."
Apollo and Hecate looked at each other and followed Astraea to an elegantly furnished palace.
Amphitrite changed from the long, dignified dress she had worn at the party and put on a short, close-fitting dress to sit with her son, Triton.
Seeing Apollo and Hecate coming, she smiled and said, "Come on, sit down."
After the two sat down, Amphitrite asked kindly, "How did you feel at the banquet today?"
Apollo replied: "It is very lively."
"Just lively?" Amphitrite's tone suddenly turned a little colder, and she said quietly, "Indeed, there is nothing else but lively."
Noticing the change in his mother's voice, Prince Triton lowered his head somewhat timidly.
Seeing his reaction, Amphitrite let out a long sigh, and her eyes focused on Apollo and Hecate.
"Do you know why I want to see you at the end? You are all excellent gods and will be the pillars of the future divine court."
Amphitrite said in a solemn tone.
"As a person, I am very mediocre in other aspects, but I am very good at reading people, even superior to my sister, who is famous for her wisdom."
"When she and I respectively fell in love with Zeus and Poseidon, later Zeus's achievements were really above Poseidon, but that sister of mine did not have the opportunity to enjoy the return on investment while I have been sitting firmly in the position of the queen of the sea."
Amphitrite smiled complacently.
Of course, Apollo knew who she was talking about her sister, Metis, Athena's mother.
This former goddess of wisdom was the first goddess who took a fancy to Zeus.
First, she helped Zeus rescue several brothers and single-handedly assisted Zeus in winning the Titan's War and becoming the Gods' King.
Initially, she would be the queen of the gods for granted, but because of a prophecy, she was swallowed by her beloved husband.
She could only claim that the end was grim, the wise man had a short life, and beauty was fleeting.
In contrast, the less prominent sister Amphitrite reaped the better rewards.
"But now my position is very awkward." Amphitrite suddenly stood up, and her beautiful cheeks were like a deep well.
While Apollo and Hecate were focused, she said quietly, "After today, you should all know that His Majesty has received the support of the Earth Mother. He will start a war against my father and Pontos to complete the unification of the ocean."
Although there were speculations, after really hearing the news, Apollo and Hecate were still a little shocked.
The primordial god of the sea, Pontos, and the ocean lord, Oceanus, were the lords of the ocean in previous generations, with great strength and power.
Poseidon had always relied on the support of Olympus, plus some marriages, to barely occupy a third of the ocean.
And now, if he wanted to complete the unification of the ocean, he would have to bring Pontos and Oceanus under his command.
Even Zeus, who sat high in Olympus, will probably tremble in front of this brother.
"This is, of course, a crucial step for the Sea Emperor, but for me, it is a step that shakes the foundation."
"Although my relationship with my father and brother is not good, I can sit firmly in the current position because I was born in the ocean gods. Once the war starts, my situation is going to be the most awkward."
Amphitrite's face was calm, and she stared at the two young gods in front of her.
"So I need to deal with it early. That day is actually a little far away. It will probably be after Antaeus grows up, so I found you."
She smiled: "Hecate, you have been promoted to the Main God, plus Goddess Nyx values you, appointed as the deputy king of the underworld, and soon you will become the goddess who dominates the situation in the underworld."
"And you, Apollo, I believe that in less than a hundred years, you will be able to ascend to Olympus, exalt the position of the Main God, become a great god no less than Athena, and influence the situation of Olympus."
"So I hope to unite with you to form a powerful alliance that can influence Olympus, the underworld, and the ocean!"
The straight forward and unabashed words surprised both Apollo and Hecate.
Especially Apollo.
Although he was also confident in himself that it would not take long to become one of the most powerful gods.
But no matter how you look at it, right now, he was an insignificant figure.
Seeing the silence of the two, Amphitrite still smiled:
"I am the only beneficiary of the cooperation between us. At least I can help you, Apollo, and your sister return to Olympus."
Hearing this condition, Apollo smiled faintly.
Looking at Hecate next to him, he found that the latter was looking at him with questioning eyes.
It seemed that she would agree as long as he made up his mind.
Amphitrite also noticed this and looked at Apollo quietly.
The atmosphere in the palace suddenly calmed down.
Under Amphitrite's gaze, Apollo raised his head: "Can I ask you a question?"
"What kind of question?"
"Have you also invited the goddess Athena?"
Hearing the name, Amphitrite suddenly smiled and nodded gently, "That's for sure, she's my sister's daughter…"
"Then I hope we can have great cooperation in the future." Apollo stood up with a faint smile.