Phoebe, however unwilling in her heart, still bowed deeply to Zeus and said softly, "Thank you for your forgiveness, merciful Zeus."
Zeus only smiled lightly and then said, "My purpose in seeing you this time is very simple."
"So long as you are willing to plead guilty, acknowledge the decay and error of the old order, and hand over your law-authorities, I am willing to forgive you, release you from Tartarus, and permit you to live in the beautiful world."
At these words, Coeus and his wife's faces changed at once! They became exceedingly unsightly!
Their brows furrowed into tight knots, and they could not say a word.
Forcing down the anger in their hearts, they swiftly weighed Zeus's terms.
But before they could think further, a roar full of boundless fury sounded from the side: "Shut your mouth, you shameless thief!"
"You are deluding yourself! Absolutely impossible!"
"You want our authority?! Never, ever, not in this lifetime!"
Kronos had also recovered.
In fact, he was not much slower than Coeus and his wife.
This most cunning of former God-Kings, even with his heart full of a fire to destroy all, did not immediately turn on Zeus upon waking, but secretly tried to break the seals.
He tried every effort to see whether he could break the thunder-seal set by this unfilial son and let his divinity return to the law.
But the outcome was foregone.
As with countless failures before, this time it ended in failure again.
Even so, he did not grow anxious. He wanted to know what this rebel son intended, and so he had feigned not to have recovered.
But when he heard Zeus aimed to take their law-authorities, he could no longer endure!
For all deities of law are incarnations of law itself!
To demand their law-authorities is no different whatsoever from demanding their lives.
They had entered Tartarus already; what could be more dreadful than that?
Having smashed the jar already, as it were, Kronos bellowed at once!
"Zeus! You despicable, shameless thief! Greedy without end, shameless beyond measure!"
"Ha ha ha! Even if by base ambush you became God-King, so what? Without our authorities, even if you sit the God-King's seat, can you properly rule this world?"
"Without my 'Creation,' 'Growth,' and 'Harvest,' without Iapetus's 'Weaving of Death' and 'Ever-Revolving Cycle,' how could your rule endure!"
"I am waiting for you! I am waiting! Waiting for you to be overthrown by a new God-King!"
"Then who is left in Tartarus will be anyone's guess! Ha ha ha—"
At this Zeus merely sighed lightly and said nothing more.
Shut up in the endless void of chaos, the former God-King knew nothing of what the universe's order now was.
Still less did he know how invincible Zeus now was.
He viewed Zeus with the narrow eyes of the past, entirely unaware of how many version updates had come and gone.
Zeus only turned his gaze upon the silent Iapetus, who had already recovered.
He said softly, "Honored Weaver of Death, your child Prometheus is now by my side, serving as my counselor."
"I have entrusted him and Epimetheus with the task of creating life for the universe and making the universe more flourishing."
"Atlas, meanwhile, is with the god of the Ocean, under his instruction. And their children—I have granted them the honors they deserve."
"Only your incorrigible second son, Menoetius. In seeking to save you, he attempted to seize my beloved goddess to force me to release you. Now he has been cast into Tartarus."
Iapetus let out a deep sigh, and even his undying divine body took on a chill of twilight sorrow.
He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and tired: "Son of Kronos, I thank you for your mercy and generosity."
"As for Menoetius, if he did wrong he should be punished. That is only natural; there is nothing to be said. Whoever it is, one must bear the cost of one's actions—whether one can bear it in the end or not."
Zeus nodded slightly, his calm gaze sweeping over the four ancient Titans. "My purpose is very simple; you may take it as a bargain. If you will publicly admit the errors of the old order and voluntarily hand over your respective law-authorities, I can pardon your crimes."
Zeus looked to Iapetus and continued, "This includes your foolish son Menoetius. After one million years, I can release him as well."
At this, Coeus and his wife's faces grew ever more uncertain. Clearly, before a choice touching the very source of law, even they could not decide lightly.
Iapetus remained silent, his deep eyes quietly turning to Kronos.
Kronos did not hesitate in the least and burst out at once: "Absolutely impossible! You need say no more!"
He gave a snort of disdain and sneered, "As things stand, what more can you do? At most send us back again into endless Tartarus! But your ultimate aim I will never let you achieve!"
Zeus seemed not to hear his roar. He only turned to Coeus and his wife and asked gently, in a calm tone, "Honored Coeus, and Phoebe—what of you? What are your thoughts?"
Coeus and Phoebe's faces grew darker still. However wise they had once been, it was truly hard to make up their minds now.
Anything else might be negotiable, but to surrender the source of their law…
How is that any different from surrendering their lives?
Just then Kronos barked from the side: "Coeus, my brother! Do not believe a word from this rebel!"
"How credible is the 'pardon' in his mouth?"
"Even if it were true, once we lose everything, will we not have no strength to resist at all? If at that point this rebel brazenly breaks his word, will we not meet a miserable end at his whim?"
"Rather than pin our hopes on his mercy only to be butchered at last, it is better not to bend to his will now! At worst we'll simply remain in Tartarus and wait him out!"
"One day he too will certainly be overthrown by a new God-King! So long as we hold on, there will always be a day when we win true freedom!"
Kronos's words at once struck Coeus and his wife as very reasonable.
Yes—if they held out now, Zeus seemed to have no better recourse against them, and perhaps in the long ages to come a turn might indeed arise.
But if they handed everything over now, then they would truly be placing all their life and death and honor in another's hands, to be slaughtered at will.
If this new God-King did not keep his promise, then—
Even if he did keep his promise, without any authority, any random deity might freely humiliate them in the universe—or easily annihilate them.
To drag out a miserable existence under such terms—better to die!
Only, those days in Tartarus…
Even for Coeus, the very thought of Tartarus brought a pain and terror from the depth of his divinity, and his divine body trembled beyond his control.
In truth, there was no choice to be made.
Either continue to endure the world's most dreadful torture and wait for that sliver of hope that might appear after an unfathomable length of time; or gamble on a vanishingly uncertain end that might see them utterly obliterated.
Coeus and Phoebe met each other's eyes once more. The two gods clenched their teeth hard, and at last resolved—they could not hand them over!
Yet just as they were about to speak, the long-silent Iapetus suddenly opened his mouth.
In a level, even tone he said, "Dear Coeus, and Phoebe, when facing the most important choice, perhaps we should be even more cautious. Please think again. It is best not to make the same wrong decision a second time."
Coeus started inwardly. He and his wife exchanged looks again. Though they said nothing, each understood the other clearly.
They did not understand why Iapetus would speak such equivocal words.
But Iapetus's words had always carried weight.
So they fell to pondering yet again.
Zeus turned his gaze to Iapetus and said slowly, "Honored Ever-Revolving One, if your children all possessed wisdom like yours, I believe their lives would be happier than they are now."
"The children you and Clymene bore were never meant to end up like this."
"Then—what is your choice?"
Iapetus smiled faintly. Upon his bold and steadfast features—even now with twilight heavy upon them and his divinity withered—there yet lay a certain air of unruffled ease.
He said softly, "Son of Kronos, I thank you for your praise; I am unworthy. I am only a god too stubborn by half."
"And a stubborn god—right or wrong—does not easily change the choices he makes. I once swore to be forever loyal to His Majesty God-King Kronos. So it is now. His Majesty Kronos's decision is my decision."
At this Zeus nodded and said no more.
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