Meanwhile, on the other side.
What Promise didn't know was that after saying goodbye to that gentle goddess, Thetis did not return to her temple.
With the eyes of Zeus, the king of the gods, unable to focus on the mortal realm and the other gods all staying in Olympus due to the recent commotion,
Thetis seized the opportunity to visit a certain special god in the mortal world.
She arrived before the god bound on Mount Caucasus, the foresighted deity, Prometheus.
"It's been a long time, gentle and beautiful sage of the sea."
Due to his years of imprisonment, being exposed to the sun and moon and having his liver pecked at daily, Prometheus no longer resembled the witty and handsome figure that Thetis remembered.
So, as her deep ocean-colored eyes gazed at the frail, and skinny Prometheus before her, even though she had mentally prepared herself, Thetis was still too shocked to speak for a moment.
"Don't feel sorrow for me, goddess of the sea."
Prometheus slowly raised his head.
Though his body had been tortured beyond measure, those special eyes of his remained unchanged, untouched by the dust of time.
He managed to squeeze out a weak smile and said, "This was all my choice. I willingly bear these hardships for the sake of my children. Besides... that lovely child has already told me that my release will come soon."
"...I see." Hearing this, Thetis's expression finally softened.
Just as she was about to say something,
"I already know why you've come, and I also understand what you want to ask."
Prometheus nodded slightly and continued, "As you suspected, the mighty god king has already learned your secret—the destiny that awaits you."
"And so, the future you've been dreading will soon come to pass."
Hearing this, Thetis remained silent for a while.
After a long pause, she sighed softly, placed her hand over her heart, and looked up at Prometheus before speaking in a quiet voice, "Thank you for telling me all this, foresighted god. I've already prepared myself for that fate.
Since this is my destined path, I do not intend to run from it. It's just... I am very worried."
"What are you worried about?"
"You already know, so why ask?"
Thetis looked at Prometheus who was trying to smile, and replied calmly: "That child made a vow to the goddess of fate that he would always let her see the most beautiful future, so I am worried... worried that he would be involved in my unnecessary trouble."
"Are you afraid that he will disrupt your fate?"
Without waiting for Thetis to answer, Prometheus continued, "Or are you afraid that he will be harmed because of you?"
Thetis did not respond immediately.
"It seems it's the latter," Prometheus said with a smile. "Goddess Thetis, I'm glad. Even after all these years without seeing each other, you remain the same as before.
Just as wise, beautiful, and gentle."
"...The god king will never let me go."
After a moment of silence, Thetis continued, "That child is too fragile. He cannot afford to anger the mighty god king. Even if it's just for a fleeting moment, in that instant when the god king's reason is overtaken, the boy will fall into an endless abyss."
"Foresighted god, since you've met him, you understand how difficult it has been for him to make it this far."
"But you should also understand," Prometheus said, looking at Thetis before him, "that a destined fate cannot be changed... except by that boy."
"He is a being who shouldn't exist in this era, and that's why he's both favored and abandoned by fate. Yet, because he's loved by wisdom, judgment, fate, and the queen of the gods, his existence is already a miracle, and so he possesses the power to change his destined fate."
"In other words, Goddess Thetis, only he can change your fate."
"I know." Thetis remained calm upon hearing this.
She even smiled softly and said to Prometheus, "But what I know even more is that he's soon approaching the end he has long awaited, and I... I don't want to become an obstacle on his path."
Her voice was gentle, but firm.
"After all, I've already sought his answer. Back then, when my friend Scylla, the water nymph, was transformed, I asked Promise the same question."
When you see that the beautiful water nymph Scylla has become a monster, Promise, what will you choose to do?
And Promise's choice was simple, and singular—he would go to the transformed nymph and stay by her side, rewriting her originally doomed fate!
So Thetis already knew the choice that Promise would make.
"...But Goddess Thetis, his help to you isn't without its reward."
Prometheus tried once more to persuade her, "He will get the most difficult painting from you, and thus complete the final part of his great work before his end arrives."
"And only then will he have the strength to defeat the father of all monsters, Typhon!"
When Prometheus finished speaking, Thetis still smiled, her expression soft and kind.
"But how many times will we witness his death in the process...? How many times will the goddess of fate, who watches the future, see him die before she can finally witness him reach that miraculous end?"
Prometheus remained silent in response to Thetis' words.
"And even without my involvement, when facing the terrifying Typhon, the mighty god king will still give his painting to that boy," Thetis said softly. "So, I am not necessary. Without me, he will endure fewer hardships, and the goddess of fate won't need to watch such a painful future... Wouldn't that be better for everyone?"
Prometheus lifted his head, his deep eyes gazing at the ocean goddess standing before him, gently smiling.
She was like the most gentle and beautiful aspect of the sea itself.
"Therefore, tell me, foresighted god," Thetis said, calmly watching him. "I know that only you can tell me how to avoid all of this."
"...She is the oldest of the Olympian gods, and her name is Hestia."
Prometheus hesitated for a long time, but after meeting Thetis's deep ocean-colored eyes, he finally gave her the answer.
"Back in the day, when the first goddess of wisdom, the mother of Athena, helped Zeus free his siblings from the belly of his father, a stone that had been swallowed in Zeus's place was also regurgitated. Hestia was the one who picked it up."
In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus's father, the second god king, Cronus, bore the same curse that now hangs over Zeus—that his throne would be overthrown by one of his children.
Thus, the mother of Zeus and his siblings, after giving birth to each child, had to watch as Cronus swallowed them, one by one.
This continued until the birth of Zeus.
When Zeus was born, seeing how small and innocent he was, their mother finally broke down, unable to bear the thought of her husband devouring her child.
So, she secretly sought the help of the primordial goddess of night, Nyx.
Goddess Nyx used her divine blood and a part of Zeus's own blood to create a stone resembling Zeus, thereby deceiving the second god king.
"That stone, created from the blood of the primordial goddess of night and the blood of the current god king, Zeus, became an artifact.
As long as you can obtain it, the boy will forget about you."
Prometheus continued, "Even that wise goddess would be affected by it, and without reminders, she would find it difficult to recall anything."
"I see," Thetis said softly as she nodded and gave Prometheus a slight bow to express her gratitude before turning to leave.
Prometheus watched her retreating figure.
"Goddess Thetis, do you still remember the arrow that boy shot at the goddess of wisdom?"
At this sudden remark, Thetis's figure paused.
Of course she remembered.
After all, anyone who had witnessed that arrow, whether god or human, could never forget it.
Especially since it had happened not too long ago.
"Even the flawless goddess of wisdom couldn't escape it.
So, as a sage of the sea, will you follow the same path?"
Prometheus burst into loud laughter, this time with a booming voice.
Thetis didn't respond, nor did she turn around.
She stood there in silence for a moment and then began to laugh softly.
"I am not the goddess of wisdom whom he loves, so I don't think he will be that angry.
And if he really does get angry... well,
I'll just apologize to him."
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