The Little Golden Mouth

"Although we have successfully resolved the issue with Helios, do you think Zeus will really agree to the terms he proposed?"

As they left the Sun Temple and Apollo gazed at the sphere of searing sunlight in his hands, he didn't look particularly happy.

This was the Sun God's position, the prize they had just won from Helios.

And as he had said earlier, they were all male gods, so they should have been straightforward about it.

Helios had presented his terms clearly and had generously advanced a payment. But Apollo wasn't celebrating just yet. The sphere of sunlight he held wasn't the complete Sun God's power. It was hot and genuine, but it was only one-third of the whole.

This was Helios' "deposit," and if Apollo wanted the rest of the Sun God's essence, he would have to deal with Phaethon's problem.

"Reviving someone who has already descended into the Underworld—how easy is that?"

With a glance, the Goddess of Wisdom spoke in a calm tone. "The Underworld is Hades' domain. Given his relationship with Zeus, do you think he would release anyone easily?"

They had agreed hastily, but now the difficulty of carrying out the task was setting in. This was the nature of male gods.

"Now's not the time to discuss that. Ultimately, we need to figure out a way to solve this, since Zeus assigned this task to the three of us."

Holding his caduceus, Hermes observed his siblings arguing once more and sighed. Why were they bickering now?

But his words were well-chosen. He emphasized that the task needed to be completed and reminded them that this wasn't Apollo's task alone—it was a shared responsibility from Zeus.

In other words, even though they hadn't reaped the rewards yet, if they failed, there would be no benefits for anyone.

Sitting on the sidelines, Apollo wasn't too worried. After all, he wasn't living off Zeus' favor like the others.

But Athena and Hermes? They were both Zeus' most beloved children!

"Then may I ask, clever Messenger of the Gods, do you have a way to convince our wise uncle to release a soul from the Underworld and allow it to return to the land of the living?" Athena's sarcastic question cut through the air.

Hermes smirked, unfazed by Athena's question. After all, she was known for being sharp and often challenging him.

Years ago, due to the bias of the Titan goddess Rhea, there had been a rift after the lottery among the Three Kings. Now, aside from Poseidon, who frequently visited Olympus due to his control over the seas, Hades ruled over the Underworld and had become more independent.

Unlike Earth, the Underworld was populated mostly by children of the night goddess Nyx. These gods were a separate faction from the Earth gods led by Gaia, and even Zeus couldn't easily command them.

Could Zeus really just order Hades to release a soul? Not likely. Though Zeus was the King of the Gods, Hades and Poseidon were his older brothers, his equals.

"How can we know unless we try?" Hermes retorted confidently, knowing that Athena's jab was meant to provoke him.

"Fine, let's leave it to the little brother," Athena said, nodding with an unexpected lack of resistance. She passed the task onto Hermes.

"Don't be ridiculous! How can we send Hermes to handle this?" Apollo frowned and interrupted. "If it comes to that, I'll go myself."

"Do you think you'll do better than I would?" Hermes shot back, clearly not pleased.

Apollo was just as frustrated. While both he and Hermes were sons of Zeus, they had different maternal backgrounds. Apollo had the support of several Titan gods and was stronger in terms of power, but that didn't mean Hades would just let him off easy.

Hades' connections with the Titan gods, especially the strong women of his line, made him a formidable force, one even Zeus was wary of.

"So, are we going to do what Helios suggested?" Apollo's voice grew agitated as he realized they were stuck.

Helios had added a clause to his terms: if Apollo couldn't fulfill the request, he too would have to share the Sun God's position with Helios, dividing the duties and powers.

On the surface, it seemed like Apollo would gain more, as he would hold the essence of the sun, but in reality, it would leave him with only partial authority. Helios would effectively share control of the Sun God's duties, making Apollo's title essentially a symbolic one.

"Anyway, we've made some progress. Let's go back to Olympus and report to Zeus. Let's see what he thinks." Hermes sighed, intervening as the siblings continued to argue.

"After all, talking about it here doesn't help. I think neither Apollo nor Athena can fulfill Helios' request on their own," Hermes said, emphasizing that the final decision rested with Zeus.

Apollo and Athena might not have noticed, but Hermes was aware that their rivalry had been going on for some time. While Athena and Apollo didn't get along, this was the first time he had seen their tension so clearly.

In the meantime, back in Olympus, the palace was still lively, with music and dance. Zeus, sitting on his throne, enjoyed his wine while watching the nymphs' dance.

When Hermes and the others entered, Zeus put down his cup and gestured for the nymphs to leave, signaling for the meeting to begin.

"Ah, my children, you've returned. I see that the sunlight has dimmed, so it seems you've made some real progress," Zeus said, his tone casual yet attentive.

As the nymphs quietly withdrew from the hall, Hermes was pushed forward by his siblings.

"Well, Father, we've completed the task you assigned, but..." Before Zeus could react with joy, Hermes' carefully chosen "but" caught him off guard.