Hera stood at the edge of Mount Olympus, overlooking the sparkling, boundless ocean, her beautiful brows tightly furrowed.
She felt that the growth of her marriage divinity had reached a bottleneck.
Relying solely on scattered marriages in the mortal world did little to improve it.
She needed a union grand enough to shake the entire divine realm and infuse her with new power.
Zeus's side was currently monolithic, and the risk of tying herself to this God-King was too great.
Her gaze naturally fell upon another son of the gods with great power—the Sea King, Poseidon.
The marriage of the King of Hades could bring unprecedented growth, so the marriage of the Sea King, who ruled all the seas, was not to be underestimated.
However, the difficulties of reality far exceeded Hera's imagination.
Today's Poseidon seemed to have poured all his desires into his 'tedious' artistic creations.
Hera carefully selected several sea goddesses, river nymphs, and even a few Olympian goddesses known for their beauty, kindness, and wisdom, arranging 'accidental' encounters or formal introductions.
The result was, without exception, a complete failure.
Poseidon treated the well-dressed goddesses like a reef with an imperfect form; after a mere moment's glance, he lost all interest and continued to fiddle with the 'artworks' made of seawater and sediment in his hands.
He didn't even bother to be formal and directly expressed his attitude to Hera, who was already a little angry:
"Hera, my dear sister, thank you for your kindness. But they... I cannot perceive the beauty I see in them; I cannot feel the rhythm in my hands."
Poseidon waved his hand, covered in wet mud, and pointed to a crystal castle he had just built with the waves, which was slowly melting in the sun.
"My partner must be someone who can resonate with me, someone who understands my art and is willing to create with me!"
Hera looked at the crumbling, useless ruins, and then at Poseidon's sea-blue eyes, which were extremely serious, even carrying a kind of pure expectation. A deep sense of powerlessness washed over her.
She suppressed the urge to press her hand to her forehead and nearly ground the words out through her teeth:
"Poseidon! You are looking for a partner to rule the seas, a queen to share power with you and bear powerful heirs! Are you looking for a wife or like-minded art collaborators?"
Poseidon replied confidently, "Are they in conflict? How can a goddess who doesn't understand my inner world truly share the vastness and magnificence of the ocean with me? A meeting of personalities is far more important than an empty match!"
Hera was utterly speechless.
Using conventional methods, she would never be able to find a 'soulmate' for this 'artist-emperor of the sea'.
And her power was growing, but she could wait no longer.
Since the right path didn't work, unconventional means would have to be used.
A bold and risky deception began to form in Hera's mind.
She needed to find a suitable 'actor', a well-prepared 'stage', and an 'artistic encounter' that would convince Poseidon.
Her gaze fell upon a group of sea nymphs known for their beauty and kindness.
Among them was a nymph named Amphitrite, known for her calm temperament and unassuming character.
She was not as lively and sociable as her other sisters; she often sat alone on a reef, away from the bustle, quietly observing the shapes of the waves and listening to the sound of the tides.
She was the one!
Amphitrite's naturally calm temperament, with a little 'embellishment', could easily be molded into the image of 'artistic insight'.
Hera found the nymph sitting alone on a distant reef, staring at the waves—Amphitrite.
When Hera's voice, with undeniable majesty and temptation, sounded directly in her mind, Amphitrite was so shocked she nearly slipped off the reef.
"Amphitrite, I am Hera, the goddess of marriage of Olympus."
Hera's voice echoed directly in the nymph's heart-lake, with a sense of oppression.
"I grant you a blessing... one that will give you unparalleled access to power."
Amphitrite's heart pounded wildly.
A blessing? From Hera? She instinctively felt uneasy.
She was just a weak nymph, and too many of her sisters had become toys for the whims of powerful gods or victims of power struggles.
"Honored and revered goddess Hera..." Amphitrite replied timidly in her heart, not daring to show the slightest neglect.
"Poseidon, the Sea King, my brother, is seeking a partner who understands his 'art' and resonates with him in spirit." Hera's words were like a carefully woven net.
"I believe you have such potential."
Amphitrite was stunned.
Poseidon? That powerful and elusive sea emperor? Understand his art? She enjoyed observing the beauty of the ocean, but was that the same as His Majesty Poseidon's recent... 'shocking' creations?
"I... I don't understand, goddess. I'm just an ordinary nymph, how could I..."
"You don't need to understand everything." Hera interrupted her, a note of undeniable resolve in her voice.
"You just need to follow my instructions. I will tell you when to appear, where to stand, what to say, and even... how to 'appreciate' his work."
"Imagine, Amphitrite." Hera's voice became low and seductive.
"What would it mean to be queen of the sea? You would no longer be that weak nymph that any minor god could pursue. You would have power on par with Poseidon's, and your name would echo throughout all the seas! No one would dare to despise you again."
Amphitrite's breathing quickened.
The scene painted by Hera held a fatal allure for such a weak goddess, yearning for peace and dignity.
Shelter... Honor... Safety... These were things she had dreamed of but had been unattainable.
However, to deceive a major god? The risks were equally immense.
"But... if His Majesty Poseidon finds out..." Amphitrite's voice trembled with fear.
"He won't find out." Hera's tone was resolute.
"The main thing is that you follow my instructions completely. I will use my divine power to briefly 'enhance' your perception and words, so that you appear 'insightful' before him. It's just... a harmless performance. For the sake of your future stability, and for me... to witness a magnificent marriage."
Hera released a little divine coercion, allowing Amphitrite to clearly feel the gap between them.
"Or would you rather stay here and pray that the next time a powerful being passes by, they will 'graciously' give you the opportunity to choose, like I am, instead of just seizing you?"
Both soft and hard.
Amphitrite's face paled.
She looked around: the boundless sea seemed free, but in reality, it was full of dangers.
Without strong shelter, her fate was like floating duckweed. Hera was giving her a chance, a chance that seemed to seize fate by the throat, albeit with adventure and deception...
Internal struggle surged like waves.
The desire for security, the faint craving for power, and the fear of deception intertwined. In the end, the fear of unknown dangers outweighed the anxiety of the deception before her.
She... had no better option. Refusing Hera might immediately incur unimaginable vengeance. And accepting, at least, offered a glimmer of hope.
"...I... What should I do, Goddess Hera?" Amphitrite's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, with the compromise of submission.
The corner of Hera's mouth, atop Olympus, curved into a satisfied arc.
"Very well. A wise choice. Now listen carefully..."
Under Hera's meticulous planning, the scam of an 'artistic encounter' with Poseidon quietly began.
Hera chose a magnificent bay where Poseidon often 'created' scenes. She precisely calculated the angles of the tides, light, and even the sea breeze.
While Poseidon was immersed in contemplating the ever-changing 'rainbow bridge' he had just built with waves and rainbow mist, Hera guided Amphitrite with an extremely subtle divine power, making her 'just happen' to appear in the brightest halo refracted by the rainbow bridge.
Amphitrite followed Hera's instructions, wearing an elegant long dress, barefoot, with the expression Hera had deliberately requested—a mixture of admiration and awe.
Her eyes were particularly clear and deep, as if she could see through the essence of water.
Poseidon noticed her. At first, it was just a casual glance, but Amphitrite's calm temperament, perfectly blended with the surrounding environment, and the coincidence of her 'accidentally' being in the best viewing position, caught his attention.
Especially when his 'Rainbow Bridge' was on the verge of collapsing due to instability, Amphitrite, following what Hera had taught her, sighed softly in an ethereal and appropriately regretful tone:
"Alas... The perfect arc light is defeated by the dissonance of the internal structure. If you could go against the current by three points, perhaps you could preserve the beauty of the moment."
This sentence itself was a 'panacea'—a comment formulated by Hera based on her observations of Poseidon's recent works, which seemed profound but was actually vague.
But for Poseidon, it was precisely the bottleneck in his current creation!
He sharply turned his head, and for the first time, his sea-blue eyes truly focused on the strange nymph.
What he saw was a 'kindred spirit' who seemed born to understand the rhythm of water and grasp the essence of his creation!
"You... Do you see the flaws in this structure?" Poseidon's voice was rarely excited, and he took a few steps towards Amphitrite, ignoring the splashing waves under his feet.
Amphitrite's heart nearly leaped out of her chest, but she remembered Hera's teachings and forced herself to calm down.
She slightly lowered her eyes and shyly and wisely answered Hera's scripted lines: "Water has no fixed form. Your Highness's Rainbow Bridge, though beautiful, lacks unity. Like a rope that cannot be twisted into a thread, it naturally struggles to hold together."
These words were the key to Poseidon's recent difficult ponderings!
He felt that he had finally found someone with whom he could have a high-level artistic discussion!
The subsequent 'communication' was entirely written into Hera's script.
With Hera's divine support and secret prompting, Amphitrite was always able to express 'opinions' with which Poseidon deeply agreed, and even had insights at critical moments.
And her calm temperament and occasionally unique perception of the ocean's beauty convinced Poseidon—this was what he was looking for, the resonance of his soul!
Hera hid in the shadows, calmly observing all this.
She watched the light in Poseidon's eyes grow brighter and brighter, watching his attitude towards Amphitrite rapidly shift from curiosity to admiration, and then to almost fanatical affection.
"Yes... that's how it feels..." Poseidon took Amphitrite's hand and said excitedly.
"You understand me! Amphitrite! Only you truly understand the beauty I seek!"
Amphitrite looked at the powerful Sea King before her, so excited about some 'artistic insights' she herself could not comprehend. Her heart was full of absurdity and a hidden sense of guilt.
But now, she could only continue to play along.
"Well then, Amphitrite," Poseidon looked into her eyes, his voice full of sincerity and enthusiasm, unlike ever before.
"Are you willing? Would you like to become my partner, to rule this vast ocean together, and with our hands, to create more and greater works of art? Let the sea witness our union!"
Amphitrite followed Hera's final instructions, raised her eyes, met Poseidon's gaze, and nodded slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I do."
Her voice was soft, but it was thunder, declaring the success of the scam and completing another sacred marriage with profound consequences.
Hera smiled with satisfaction in the darkness.
She felt the power of the marriage god beginning to stir, pointing towards the immense benefits this Sea Emperor's wedding would bring.
As for where this union, built on deception, would lead in the future? What would happen to Poseidon when he learned the truth? Could Amphitrite continue to play her role?
That was not something to think about now. Power was the eternal truth.
Poseidon, meanwhile, was immersed in the great joy of finally finding his 'soulmate', eagerly planning the wedding with Amphitrite, as well as the 'unprecedented' masterpieces of sea art they would create together in the future.
And the 'kindred spirit' who seemed perfect to him harbored, deep within, endless fear and traces of inexpressible sorrow.
╔══════════════════════╗
📘 Want more?
Join me on Patreon for bonus chapters
and early access!
🔗 https://www.patreon.com/cw/OverlordD
╚══════════════════════╝