Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"Well then, whatever it is."

Nodding her head, Hecate said to Leto:

"You have something related to the moon, although I do not yet know what it is, I need it; I also want to know everything about Persephone, all that you know you must tell me; finally, this is the first and also the last thing I will do for you, after this, we are even."

"Even? What do you mean by even?"

Leto could understand the first two conditions. The godhood of deities could sometimes produce some unexpected senses, perhaps she indeed possessed some moon-related item that she was not aware of, and since the other party wanted it, she may as well give it to her.

As for the whereabouts of Persephone, that was Hecate's 'Father God', and although it appeared that neither side recognized this connection much, Leto had no intention of concealing the other's whereabouts for her. Moreover, she herself was not very clear on Persephone's exact whereabouts.

But the last condition, had Hecate ever owed her anything?

"...You do not need to know, you just have to be clear that after this, we are even."

After a moment of silence, Hecate said with a smile.

"Alright, I agree."

Nodding her head, Leto did not dwell on these other matters.

"By the Styx River as my witness, as long as you can rid me of Hera's power, I will agree to your three demands."

Nodding in agreement, as Leto's words fell, the power of the Styx flashed and was gone. Across from her, watching the goddess make her decision without hesitation, beneath Hecate's smile was a slight coldness.

Indeed, just as she had thought, the swaddling that had once wrapped the infant girl as she fell from Mount of the Gods, although it was transformed by the Goddess of Nursery's divine power, it was never truly an act of familial love, but rather an instinctive reaction after delivering her sister's child.

But this was just as well, for in the future in this world, whether it be the stars or the land, the ocean or the abyss, there were no longer any 'family' worth her concern. She came to this world alone and she would walk it alone.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly feeling her hand being held, Hecate looked at Selene beside her, but in her companion's worried eyes, she simply shook her head with a smile.

"I am fine, Selene, just remembering some past memories."

"Let's go, breaking Hera's power is not difficult, power from the Divine Court can naturally be solved by the Divine Court itself."

Waving her hand, Hecate looked towards the human settlement not far away.

"However, this does not mean you are safe. Unless you can make Zeus stand up for you, the past few years may have been just the beginning."

······

Delphic Great Plains.

The impending birth of Leto's children affected the fates of more than one deity, in fact, those who perceived them were not limited to the Moon Goddess and the Spirit Realm.

The secluded Mother of Light was one of them, but Theia had already seen the simple logic of reality's laws. It would not allow divine authority too powerful to accumulate on any unchecked existence, so faced with the destined division of godhood, the goddess was quite open to it.

Another one touched was the Golden Apple Tree, which had instincts but no thoughts.

Just as the true sun had nothing to do with Leto's son at first, the divine authority of the goddess's other child never included the moon originally.

She was the Master of the Wilderness, protector of forests, a symbol of the hunt, the goddess who wielded the golden bow, and one of the symbols of pure maidenhood, so at this moment, the true progenitor of [plants] was also touched by unknown forces.

Perhaps stimulated, following it, under Moanda's gaze, the fruit that had been nearly complete matured at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The two successive changes had brought the fruit, which the Nymphs had estimated to need three hundred years to mature originally, close to perfection. It could be today, or maybe tomorrow, that this divine fruit would mature, becoming the supreme creation of this world, allowing a postnatal life to share the immortal divine authority.

"Too fast..."

Some excitement, mixed with hesitation. The enticing voice of the Ancient Serpent seemed still to echo in her ears, and now, Moanda could no longer evade. She needed to confront an upcoming reality, that if she truly took this step, Mother Earth would inevitably see her as a deadly foe.

Moanda understood Gaia; she wasn't the kind to weigh pros and cons. When she awakened, when she realized her own maids had betrayed her, when she discovered the Golden Apples had been taken from her, and even the Life Vase had completely fallen into the hands of others, what the enraged Mother Earth might do was unpredictable to anyone.

If the laws of the present world couldn't protect her, hiding in the Mortal Realm wouldn't help. Moanda believed that, even if it meant falling into slumber for another thousand years, Gaia would never let her go because of these costs, unless she could make her old master realize that she couldn't do anything to this traitorous elf.

So for Moanda at this moment, she had to find a backer for herself.

"That day just happened to be when the new Divine King arrived... Whether it's him or not, I can go and see at that time. The last two Divine Kings weren't afraid of Mother Earth; he should be the same, right?"

"If that's the case, then since he dared to have me do such a thing, he must be prepared to confront Mother Earth. If not, then I'll just have to pay a visit to the other Primordial Gods."

Having made her decision quietly, Moanda knew that, no matter what, there was no turning back for her now.

This special fruit was hanging there; whether she ate it or not, the outcome would be the same. Besides, if she was honest with herself, Moanda was clear that even if given another chance, she would still make the same choice without hesitation.

A once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it meant becoming a pawn against Gaia, she had to take her place at the table first, to earn the right to see what the board looked like.

"Soon..."

"What's coming soon?"

On the other side of the Golden Apple Orchard, Veda looked at her friend nearby with curiosity. For the past few decades, her friend always seemed to be muttering to herself.

"I mean the fruit of the Golden Apple Tree."

Moanda replied directly, her lips pressed together. She knew that to others, that fruit looked no different from a normal Golden Apple.

As expected, upon hearing the explanation, Veda simply nodded in agreement. Indeed, this divine fruit, which had started to develop from the turnover of the epoch, indeed grew faster than usual.

"That is strange indeed. Usually, it takes hundreds of years for one to mature, but this one is growing so quickly."

Raising her head, listening to the rustling sound of the wind brushing through the golden leaves, the Nymph remained as carefree as ever.

"Yes, Veda, perhaps it's just meant to be."

Smiling, Moanda turned around. At the end of her gaze, shadows covered everything below the tall, continuous mountain range, and there stood the Temple of Delphi.

The Panasus Mountains, where the Deity had descended not long ago. If it were the past, any deity approaching Delphi, regardless of their purpose, would definitely come to pay respects to Mother Earth, to show their reverence for the Mother Goddess. But with the slumber of Mother Earth, this place was as if forgotten, no longer able to attract any deity's attention.

This was normal, for even Mother Earth's maids were valuable only because of the god. Just like those humans who had died in the great flood not long ago, although Moanda had never seen them, she could guess the reason for their deaths.

It was simply because they were no longer of value, so the deities wanted to replace them with a new batch, that's all.

"Veda."

"Hmm?"

Turning slightly, Veda looked at her friend beside her with confusion.

"Soon, when they look at me again, it will not be because of someone else."

With a calm facial expression, at that moment, the Nymph recalled the day that was the most memorable in her memory. The Queen of Gods greeted, the Divine King gave thanks, even though it wasn't for her, but after that day ended, a trace of wild ambition was born in Moanda's heart.

One day, she too would stir the winds of the entire world with a messenger, a Golden Apple, just like Mother Earth.

'Soon.'

Leaving the Golden Apple Orchard, Moanda headed towards the Oracle.

'There should be a place for me in the heavens.'