Zeus laughed heartily and said in a ringing voice: "My dear friends, how do your new divine bodies feel in the world?"
Among the Hecatoncheires, the mightiest, Briareus, grinned with his fifty great mouths at once and said, "We thank Your Majesty for your supreme favor!"
"You separated out a portion of our divinity and consciousness and had the Mother fashion us brand-new divine bodies. Everything is wonderful! Only now do we truly enjoy the world's beauty for ourselves! Your Majesty's grace, we brothers will never forget as long as we live!"
In former times they were far too colossal, and truly could not savor the world's delights.
And back then the universe was rather desolate.
Having suffered endless torment, they cherished the present life even more than most deities, loved this flourishing, beautiful world all the more, and were truly immeasurably grateful for Zeus's gift.
The giants, full of excitement, shared with Zeus all they had felt in life within the world, and Zeus nodded again and again, from time to time adding a few words, talking with them in high spirits.
With these comparatively simple-hearted and absolutely loyal die-hard allies, Zeus need not think too much. It was relatively easy.
After chatting for quite a while, Brontes the Thunderer rumbled, "My most revered Majesty, you attend to affairs day and night, and the universe's business is extremely demanding."
"Is there anything we brothers can do to add our small strength and save you a little effort? To be fortunate enough to do even a little for you is our shared wish!"
Zeus laughed broadly. "It's no great matter. I simply wish to see the former God-King and the rest."
Since these six giants came to the Underworld, the duty of watching over the anchor-points of the gods cast into Tartarus had been entrusted to them.
With them keeping guard here, Zeus felt absolutely at ease—in both loyalty and strength.
On hearing this, the giants nodded and cried in unison: "We obey your will!"
The anchor-points where those deities—Kronos and the rest—were bound were at that moment fastened upon the Hecatoncheires' arms. They took them down and very respectfully handed them to Zeus.
Zeus received the four unimaginably heavy anchors, and with a mere light shake of his arm, the chains of law binding the four primordial Titans and leading straight into the abyss of Tartarus were yanked out.
The space around them, under what seemed a casual motion but in truth contained infinite might, shattered outright, revealing the boundless sea of chaotic nothingness.
Zeus tugged the chains and, dragging them at will through the sea of nothingness, wrenched the four primordial Titans back by brute force!
The four primordial Titans again appearing in this world were now in the same state as the six giants when they first left prison.
Each of them was dazed and dull.
Their perception of and response to everything were so sluggish as to be inferior even to a mortal being.
The six giants had been waiting for this moment!
On seeing Kronos's miserable condition, the one hundred and fifty-three great mouths upon the six giants' heads nearly grinned to their ears!
Serves you right! Kronos! You too have your day!
In incomparably good spirits, the six giants bowed deeply to Zeus, then withdrew noiselessly.
The God-King had come alone; whatever he was going to discuss, it was best other gods did not hear.
They had only delayed to see with their own eyes Kronos's wretched state!
Their purpose achieved, they could go.
How satisfying!
The wretched sight of the four primordial Titans once more proved, in the most forceful way, how dreadful the endless void of Tartarus truly was.
This dread was enough to torment even a lofty God-King until his divinity collapsed and his will perished.
This was the ultimate punishment—most cruel, most venomous—for all life that possesses "spirit."
There is none worse!
In fact, at present it was not only the former God-King Kronos who was wretched.
Even the Weaver-Reaper of Death—this great Ever-Revolving One—now had his divinity utterly withered, his vitality not one in a hundred.
As for Coeus, the primordial Titan who symbolizes intellect, inquiry, insight, and thought—when he had just left the void, his vaunted mind that could see all things had all but lost the ability to think.
His wife Phoebe—so beautiful, bright, radiant, pure—was now dull and lightless. From head to toe she no longer showed a hint of the peerless splendor of former days; she was like a dead star.
Zeus was in no hurry. He stepped up and gave each god two thunderbolts—heavy and forceful enough to speed their recovery—then stood with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly waiting for their senses to return.
Under Zeus's extremely effective "treatment," the four primordial Titans began to recover one after another, and swiftly.
Yet the first to recover was not Kronos, the strongest in might, but Coeus, the Titan of Intellect.
Next was his wife, Phoebe.
Zeus was briefly surprised, but on second thought felt it natural. These two indeed should be the first to regain reason and thought.
Kronos, though stronger, was overly violent and manic, and in the endless void more readily and more quickly lost his reason.
Moreover, within his divinity and his divine body there remained the thunder-chains Zeus himself had set, constantly restricting his power to prevent his escape from Tartarus.
Thus, for Coeus and his wife to recover first was only normal.
And Coeus was indeed worthy of being the great god who presides over intellect and insight.
Upon once more beholding "existence," he did not, even for an instant, give way to collapse or loss of composure under the great joy of renewed life.
Within the space of a few breaths he had forced down his extreme excitement and already fixed his gaze firmly upon Zeus.
Phoebe, bright and pure, was not as strong as her husband after all.
When she recognized that she had truly left the endless void, she collapsed limply to the ground.
Her beautiful jade hands covered her serene, delicate face, and she could no longer restrain herself, letting fall cold, soundless tears.
In that endless chaotic void, beautiful Phoebe had truly been on the brink of collapse.
Or rather, she had long since collapsed.
Only even after she collapsed, she could not flee.
In that eternal torment, even once collapsed, she was forced, by sheer brutality, back to her senses.
In that infinite cycle of collapse and recovery, she endured that eternal, ultimate, most painful torment.
The instant Coeus cleared his head, he quickly surveyed his surroundings. His first act was to test whether his divinity could return to the universe's laws.
But in a single instant he discovered that his divinity was firmly seized by an invisible force.
This force bound his divinity fast within this divine body, so that he could not leave the body and return to the law.
He sighed inwardly, but felt little disappointment.
Even tormented near to madness by the endless void, he could still think clearly: if Zeus did not have a way to control them absolutely, he would never have let them out.
Seeing Kronos beside him also about to recover, and knowing time was pressing, he had no time even to spare for his weeping wife.
He hastened to ask Zeus: "Illustrious Zeus, what is the world like now? For what matter have you summoned us this time?"
Coeus still maintained the bearing of a primordial Titan of Intellect. Though he spoke quickly, his tone was courteous, and nothing in his words showed disrespect or rudeness.
Coeus's words also roused Phoebe from her soundless weeping. In an instant she forced herself to gather her strength.
She slowly stood and came to her husband's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
Upon her snow-white delicate face settled a cool solemnity; the tears in her eyes vanished in a heartbeat.
She barely gathered her former poise, and her beautiful eyes stared straight at Zeus, likewise awaiting his answer.
Zeus smiled slightly and said softly, in a calm tone, "The entire universe is well. I have established a brand-new Sacred Just Order, and now the universe grows ever more vast and prosperous."
"As for your daughters, I have already pardoned them. They are now on Olympus, following at the side of my beloved Hera. My compassionate Hera treats them well; you may set your minds at ease."
Hearing this, Coeus and Phoebe ached at heart. Their bright and gentle daughters were now under Hera—the very one they had once wronged—and they knew well why that was.
For their daughters' sacrifice and the grievances they must bear, their parental pain defied words.
Yet they secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and did not think Zeus was deceiving them.
This was already the best possible outcome.
Though their children would no longer hold honor as before, nor live carefree lives, for a defeated house this was exceedingly merciful.
Coeus forced a smile and said sincerely, "Illustrious Zeus, thank you for your clemency. We believe that under a tolerant ruler like you, the universe will surely grow ever better."
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