Chapter 3056: The Mercury Record (53)

To summarize the old affairs in one sentence: this world is a giant "love-brain."

Hecate, instead of being the good Goddess of All Gods, developed real feelings for Hades. She sincerely and passionately fell in love with him and wanted to have a grand and spectacular romance with Hades.

Actually, back then, if Hecate had just revealed her true form after giving them power and demanded that the gods of Mount Olympus worship her and serve her as a god, or simply laid it out—"I am the Inspiration King in the Tongtian River; if you sacrifice Hades to me, I will give you power"—Zeus would have tied Hades to her bed even if he had to bind him.

But Hecate didn't. She chose to join the Greek pantheon and focus on dating Hades.

There is a good saying: if you use lies to verify lies, all you get is lies.

When the two were deeply in love, Hecate was plotted against and trapped. Hades cheated. Hecate felt Hades was an ungrateful, two-timing scumbag, but because she hadn't been able to grasp the initiative from the beginning, she couldn't do anything except rage helplessly, driving herself crazy.

In the final analysis, being a "love-brain" kills people.

To say the gods of Mount Olympus were completely innocent is, of course, impossible. After Hecate bestowed power upon the gods, she had been wandering on Earth, naturally attracting the attention of many pantheons. They didn't know she was the goddess who bestowed power upon them, but they felt this goddess might be very powerful, so they sent quite a few gods to pursue her.

Zeus and the Greek pantheon he led weren't that powerful at the time. In order to advance further, he pushed Hades out, and Hades did indeed harvest Hecate's heart.

As a result, Hecate was plotted against and trapped in a magic array. When Zeus, that old fogey, saw that the cost of rescue was too high, he advised Hades to forget it and abandon Hecate to marry another. It could be said to be a typical case of turning his face and not recognizing anyone.

Hecate was also strange enough. The first thing she did after being trapped was to pray to the Greek pantheon and her fiancé Hades, and she spilled all about her difficult situation without leaving herself any bargaining chips. After being abandoned, she was so angry she went crazy, causing the situation to further deteriorate.

In short, one was bad and one was stupid. This old debt wasn't clear, and the two chefs could be considered to have done their best to cook.

But as things stand, there is indeed no possibility of reconciliation. Hecate hates Hades to death. If they want Hecate to revive and keep the barrier, they must sacrifice Hades.

Dick understood this point and then asked, "What about Ares? What happened to Ares?"

"He was killed by an accident." Zeus seemed to be hiding something, but Dick understood that what Zeus was unwilling to mention was likely that mysterious eldest son. Ares's death made him realize the eldest son had escaped.

"I mean, why did Poseidon and Ares want to go to the human realm?" Dick continued to ask.

But Zeus changed his previous straightforward language style and began to talk about other things.

This made Dick and Jason realize that Zeus likely had already caught a glimpse of the mastermind's tracks. He knew why the mastermind wanted to manipulate Ares and Poseidon. This might be an important part of the plan, related to success, failure, life, and death, so he didn't dare to reveal it easily.

Knowing Zeus wouldn't say anything more, Dick and Jason didn't pursue it. They understood that Zeus had acquiesced to the sacrifice of Poseidon and Ares. His cold and ruthless attitude would definitely not be approved by everyone. At least if Apollo knew the truth, he wouldn't approve of his father.

And having the gods investigate would be much faster than the few humans they had.

After coming out of Zeus's temple, they rushed back to Apollo's temple without stopping. Dick told Apollo about the things that had happened during this period in the most concise language and stated his speculation.

Zeus might have sensed that the barrier had a problem. For the sake of self-preservation, he had to acquiesce to Hecate's revival and even helped her behind the scenes. To fulfill her plan, he sacrificed the God of the Underworld, the Goddess of the Underworld, the God of War, and the Sea God one after another...

Apollo's face became gloomier and gloomier, but he didn't speak to refute. Clearly, he knew Zeus better than Dick and the others. He knew what kind of things this King of Gods could do.

After Dick finished speaking, Apollo pursed his lips and said, "I haven't returned to Mount Olympus for many years, so I don't know much about the abnormalities in the Pantheon before the incident. I will help you call Hermes. He should know something."

Hermes was a strong young man with bronze skin. He wasn't as handsome as Apollo, but he looked robust and full of vitality.

Hearing Dick and the others' purpose, Hermes recalled and said, "I am the messenger of the gods, traveling between Mount Olympus and various dimensions all year round, and occasionally serving as a guide god. As long as the gods who are out call my name, I will go and pick them up back to Mount Olympus."

Dick immediately grasped the point. He said, "Then were there any suspicious people who returned to Mount Olympus recently?"

"How could I pick up suspicious people?"

"I mean, were there any people who hadn't returned for many years who suddenly returned, or those who had been on Mount Olympus for many years but suddenly wanted to go out?" Jason looked at Hermes and asked.

Hermes thought carefully and said, "The movements of everyone on Mount Olympus are very normal. I didn't see any suspicious people. If I have to say who suddenly returned, Wonder Woman Diana should count as one, right?"

Dick immediately widened his eyes. He looked at Hermes and said, "What did you say? Diana returned to Mount Olympus recently???"

"Yes, about a few weeks or a month ago," Hermes scratched his head and said, "But it wasn't me who guided her. She came back through a portal. I was a bit strange at the time, because she loves to call me to pick her up the most..."

Dick and Jason looked at each other, feeling something was wrong.

"Where did she go after coming back?"

"I don't know about that," Hermes shook his head and said, "But except for Hera, Diana has a good relationship with other major gods. It wouldn't be strange wherever she went."

Dick muttered to himself, "It's bad..."

Aisha naturally realized what Hermes's words meant. Precisely because Diana had a good relationship with several other major gods, she wouldn't be rejected wherever she went. It was entirely possible for her to contact the God of War and the Sea God.

Dick stood up with a "swoosh" and said, "Let's go find Hera."

The Pegasus took them to Hera's palace again. This noble and majestic Queen of Heaven was contrary to her usual self, appearing worried, and some kind of huge sad emotion seemed to be hidden under her calm appearance.

Dick naturally knew why this was. Ares was her child, but the person who chose to sacrifice Ares was her husband.

In Greek mythology, Hera is always portrayed as a jealous woman, spending her days either beating up mistresses or on the way to beat up mistresses. But in fact, she is the protector of marriage and family. Beating up mistresses is her job.

Moreover, if she could truly be that ruthless, then there wouldn't be one child after another finding their way to Mount Olympus. It's one thing for children Zeus had with other goddesses, but for demigod children he had with ordinary people, it would be easy for Hera to kill them.

For example, when Apollo was born, Hera opposed it again and again, only issuing one decree: not allowing the Earth Goddess to provide a place for Apollo's mother to give birth. But actually, the way to break this decree was just to find a floating island to give birth. If both feet were off the ground, the virus would be closed. It was like playing a game.

Dick and the others had no ill will toward Hera. They found her more pleasing to the eye than Zeus. Dick didn't waste time and immediately stated his suspicion. As the Queen of Gods, Hera's control over the gods was clearly stronger than others.

"After Diana came back, I didn't pay special attention to her movements." Hera's voice was lower than imagined. This majestic and solemn goddess almost met everyone's fantasy of a good wife and mother. And when mentioning Diana, she had no negative emotions, just objectively evaluating everything.

"However, I know she did meet Ares and Poseidon. Ares had taught her for a period of time. That day, I saw them go to the training ground together from the window. Later, Diana also went to the Sea God's palace."

Everyone's hearts sank lower and lower. They never expected that the answer to the mystery was written on the surface, and the problem appeared at the very beginning.

"Do you think Hecate controlled Diana?" Hera asked.

Dick nodded, but Hera said, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Diana is a strong goddess, and her willpower is admirable. She wouldn't be easily manipulated."

Hera began to pace in front of her throne. Her low voice echoed in the palace.

"New-generation gods have never dealt with Hecate, so they don't know much about her. But I know that although Hecate presides over witchcraft and the night, the ability that makes her most feared is that she has three faces."

"What do you mean?" Jason stepped forward and asked.

"Maiden, Mother, and Crone. These are her three forms, each incomparably powerful. The Maiden presides over the night, can dominate death, and summon ghosts. The Crone possesses powerful witchcraft power, presiding over all magic and spells in the world; all magic is ineffective against her."

"What about the Mother?"

"This is exactly what I want to say." Hera's tone became heavier. She said, "The Mother nurtures all things. Everything in the world is her child, and she can reshape them as she pleases."

Although Hera used the perspective of a god and what she said was ambiguous, carrying strong occult hints, Jason still understood.

"The Mother can manipulate others, right?"

"Not manipulate, but reshape." Hera emphasized. She walked down from the steps of the throne, stood in front of Dick and the others, and looked into their eyes. "Turn you into another you, or someone who is not you at all."

"Reshape a person's personality? How is this possible?!" Jason couldn't help but exclaim. He said, "She can swap the souls between two bodies, but she cannot reshape a soul. This is a power only God possesses!"

"She can." Hera sighed lightly and said, "And it's not a simple reshaping, but a re-nurturing. She places your soul in her womb, reshapes your spirit, and gives birth again, until she gets a brand-new you."

"At that time, you won't feel that you have been shaped or manipulated. You will only feel that this is you, and you will sincerely thank the mother who nurtured you and do anything for her."

Hera closed her eyes in pain.

"... Including offering your life." ===== CHAPTER 3057 =====