In the world of the gods, Phaethon, who wasn't even twenty yet, was still considered a child.
But among humans, Phaethon was already of marriageable age.
In fact, some humans his age were already parents.
So, after Phaethon's great achievement of driving the Sun Chariot, the Moon Goddess Selene thought that marriage might be the way to help Phaethon be seen as a mature god, no longer treated like a child by the other deities.
"Marriage…"
Phaethon turned his head and saw the three goddesses of the seasons, standing there like beautiful dolls. Their faces showed neither joy nor displeasure, which made Phaethon smile awkwardly.
"Aunt Selene! Even if I were to get married, it couldn't be to Thallo and her sisters! I mean, even though they aren't technically my father's daughters, I still see them as family."
Circe, puffing out her cheeks in frustration, added, "Phaethon is the heir to the Sun God's legacy! How could Thallo and her sisters be his wives?"
"Hm…"
Hearing Circe's words, Selene put on a thoughtful expression. "Thallo and her sisters are, after all, just creations of me and your father Helios. They're not really a match for the future third-generation Sun God. The only goddesses who could be suitable for Phaethon now would be Zeus's daughters, or maybe Hecate or Calypso. But given our relationship with the Olympians, there's no way Zeus would marry off one of his daughters to the Sun God's family. As for Hecate, she'd never marry someone weaker than herself, and Calypso is on Typhon's side."
At this point, Selene's gaze shifted to Circe, and with a teasing smile, she joked, "If we really can't find a goddess to marry Phaethon, maybe we should just have Circe or Pasiphaë marry him!"
"Aunt Selene…"
Circe's eyes widened, her face turning bright red as she pretended to be angry. "Please don't joke about something like that!"
Just as Circe finished speaking, a sweet, playful voice came from the entrance of the temple.
"Was Aunt Selene calling for me just now?"
Phaethon turned to see a beautiful young girl in a white dress, her golden eyes gleaming like sunlight, walking into the temple.
It was Pasiphaë, the youngest daughter of the Sun God Helios and Phaethon's little sister.
Pasiphaë was two years younger than Circe.
Unlike Circe, who had inherited the full power of the Sun God's bloodline, Pasiphaë, though she had the golden eyes of the Sun God's descendants, had long, flowing blue hair, more like a sea goddess than a sun deity.
"Brother Phaethon!"
As Phaethon looked at Pasiphaë, she also noticed him. Her face lit up with joy as she called out and ran over, throwing herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"You're amazing, brother! You drove the Sun Chariot just like Father! Can you take me out to play now? And tell me all about how you drove the chariot? I'll make you the most beautiful flower crown!"
Faced with his little sister's innocent request, Phaethon hesitated only for a moment before replying, "If it makes my adorable little sister happy, I'll play with you as long as you want."
"Yay! I knew you were different from Aeëtes!"
Pasiphaë happily grabbed Phaethon's right hand, ready to pull him out of the temple.
But Circe, looking displeased, stepped in front of Pasiphaë and said coldly, "Pasiphaë! Don't cling to your brother like a child! Aunt Selene and Aunt Eos are discussing something important with him right now."
"What important thing? It's not like we kids have any say in the really important stuff, right?"
Seeing Pasiphaë's fearless retort, Selene teased, "Pasiphaë! The important thing we're discussing isn't just about Phaethon—it involves you and Circe too. Now that Phaethon has grown into a greater god capable of driving the Sun Chariot, it's time for him to become a god with his own domain and temple. And to help him mature, marriage might be the next step. But there aren't many goddesses who would be a good match for him, so I think you and Circe should be considered as potential brides for him."
Upon hearing Selene's words, Pasiphaë's eyes widened in disbelief. "Me and Sister Circe… as candidates to marry Brother Phaethon?"
"Are you against the idea, Pasiphaë?" The Dawn Goddess, Eos, asked with a hint of displeasure.
Pasiphaë quickly shook her head. "Of course not! I'd much rather marry Brother Phaethon than some stranger I've never met. And since I'm going to be his bride, he should definitely spend more time playing with me!"
With that, Pasiphaë grabbed Phaethon's hand and started pulling him toward the temple's exit.
As Phaethon and Pasiphaë left the temple, Circe watched them go and quietly asked, "Aunt Eos, when do you plan to tell Brother the truth?"
Eos, her gaze still following Phaethon's retreating figure, blinked back tears. "If Zeus ever finds out that Phaethon is my son with Astraeus, he won't let him live. As long as Phaethon stays safe, I'm willing to let him live his whole life thinking he's Helios's son."
Astraeus—he was the husband of Eos, the Dawn Goddess. One of the three sons of the first-generation Titan Crius and the sea goddess Eurybia.
Though his power didn't quite match that of his brothers—Perses, the god of destruction, and Pallas, the god of war—Astraeus, who ruled over the stars, was still a mighty second-generation Titan. His strength was on par with the supreme gods, and he had been one of Zeus's enemies during the second Titanomachy.
If Phaethon's true parentage were revealed, even though he hadn't participated in the war, Zeus would still punish him because of his connection to Astraeus.
"Even though the second Titanomachy is over, we'll have to keep Phaethon's true lineage a secret for a long time," Selene said, her tone lightening as she teased, "Circe, you don't need to worry. Even if Phaethon never learns the truth, it won't stop you from marrying him."
"Aunt Selene…" Circe shot the Moon Goddess an embarrassed, annoyed glare before turning and storming out of the temple.
In the flower field outside the Sun God's palace, Phaethon and Pasiphaë sat back-to-back, with Phaethon recounting the dangerous experience of driving the Sun Chariot the day before. Pasiphaë listened intently, her hands busy weaving a flower crown.
When Phaethon got to the part where he woke up in the arms of the goddess Perseis—
Pasiphaë, having finished weaving the crown, knelt in front of Phaethon. As she reached up to place the crown of white flowers on his head, she said, "So it was Mother who caught you! She's always treated you like you were truly Father's son. So, you know, you can be just as affectionate with her as we are!"
"Mother treats me like I'm truly Father's son? You're saying that like I'm not actually his son," Phaethon grumbled, a little annoyed.
Pasiphaë immediately realized her slip-up, and her body tensed in response.
In the next moment, she lost her balance and fell forward, landing in Phaethon's arms. Their foreheads bumped together.
As Phaethon came to his senses, he found himself staring into Pasiphaë's golden eyes. He realized that if he just tilted his head slightly, their lips would touch. Both of them froze, unsure of what to do.
Just then—
"What do you think you're doing?"
Circe's angry voice rang out from a distance.
Phaethon immediately jumped back from Pasiphaë as if he'd been shocked, falling flat on his back.
Pasiphaë, her face flushed with embarrassment, turned to look at Circe, who was standing a little way off. Then, without a word, she stood up and ran off.
A few moments later…
Circe walked over to Phaethon, her expression full of displeasure. "Brother! Are you seriously thinking of making a move on Pasiphaë just because Aunt Selene said some weird things?"
"You've got it all wrong!" Phaethon protested, holding up the white flower crown Pasiphaë had made. With a wry smile, he explained, "Pasiphaë was just trying to put this on my head, and things got a little out of hand. Even if I were thinking about marriage, I wouldn't consider you or Pasiphaë as potential brides!"
After he finished explaining, Phaethon was surprised to see Circe's expression darken even further, her beautiful face now filled with anger.
"Brother, you really… deserve to be punished!"
With those cold words, Circe didn't hesitate to lift her bare foot and press it firmly against Phaethon's face.