Chapter 51: Planning for a Child

Under the starry sky illuminated by the Milky Way, golden strands of hair shimmered like pure sunlight.

The girl standing beside Eros spoke in a voice and wore a face he knew all too well, leaning in close as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

So natural, in fact, it was as if nothing had ever happened between them, or maybe, everything had.

"Dione?" Eros blurted the name instinctively, only to catch himself the very next moment.

"No, wait… Zeus!"

It had been a long time since Zeus last showed herself. And now, here she was, suddenly standing before him again.

Eros quickly reviewed his recent actions in his head. He hadn't done anything that should've provoked her, right? Unless… Zeus had been spying on him the whole time?

"You can keep calling me Dione," Zeus said gently, a smile playing on her lips. "That name isn't false. It's mine, too."

Dione was the name she'd used while being raised by Oceanus, a name that concealed her true identity. A name that symbolized her former life as one of the Oceanid nymphs, before she took on the mantle of Zeus, King of the Gods.

When she used different names, or rather, different personas, there were subtle shifts in her behavior as well.

And when she was with Eros, she didn't particularly want to show up as Zeus.

Eros steadied himself. It's just Zeus, he reminded himself.

At least it wasn't Hera suddenly appearing out of nowhere. If it had to be one of the two, Zeus was the easier option.

"So then, O Great King of the Gods… what business brings you to a mere mortal like me?" he asked, tone deliberately distant.

Zeus's expression grew a little complicated. Her delicate brows knit together slightly, and the glimmer in her eyes dimmed.

He used to be different. Back when they watched the stars together, he'd sneakily wrap an arm around her waist instead of saying such cold things.

That faint shift in her expression, the shadow of disappointment, it stirred something in Eros's chest.

What the hell? What's wrong with me?

He'd always thought of himself as just a hopeless flirt, easily falling for every pretty face he saw.

But maybe it was the long time apart… or maybe it was just this version of Zeus, her face, her voice, that struck right at the center of his type.

Even knowing full well who stood before him, Eros couldn't stop his heart from fluttering. He couldn't summon the same snark he gave to Poseidon. Instead, he felt himself reacting to her as if she were… a real girl.

Was this the power of an almighty deity? Could she influence his heart as easily as the winds?

Seeing her downcast, he almost reached out to comfort her but held himself back with sheer force of will.

"My lady King," he said with a touch of sarcasm, "if you're here, I imagine the Queen won't be too thrilled about it?"

"Queen?" Zeus's lips curled into a faint smirk.

"Don't worry. She won't know."

"If you want to treat me as Zeus, then I'll speak to you as Zeus."

As she said this, her golden hair shimmered and transformed, turning into strands of silver crackling with divine lightning. The youthful sweetness in her demeanor cooled, replaced by an air of graceful distance.

She walked over to Eros's desk and casually picked up a few pages of his writing.

"You're still the same as always. Head full of strange and brilliant ideas," she said, flipping through the notes.

She barely skimmed them, yet seemed to understand everything.

"They're just empty theories," Eros said. "Not worth your attention."

Realizing Zeus hadn't come to abduct him or demand anything obscene, Eros relaxed a little.

They'd talked about so much in the past. Compared to that, this was nothing.

"How can you say that?" Zeus replied. "Each one is fascinating. And you already have a full system in mind, technical details and all."

She pulled out a page outlining his ideas for developing sustainable fishing and agriculture based on the terrain, alongside calculations linking population size to productivity levels.

Every time she spoke with Eros, she discovered some exciting new idea from him.

For example, this wild notion about controlling birth rates based on production capacity. If that got out, the other gods would definitely riot.

"None of it's been tested. It's all just speculation," Eros replied, sitting back down.

This was still a mythological world. Things didn't always work the same way they did in his memories. He couldn't just transplant modern ideas wholesale.

"It's fine," Zeus said nonchalantly. "You've already got the perfect sandbox to run experiments in, don't you?"

"Go ahead. Test as much as you like. It'll help you gain experience."

"Experience for what?" Eros narrowed his eyes.

He already knew she was referring to Acheron's demi-human city-state, but…

What did she mean by "experience"?

"Because," Zeus said lightly, "I've decided, I want to have a child with you."

The words hit like a thunderclap, and Eros's pupils widened in shock.

Zeus continued calmly, as if she hadn't just shaken the heavens:

"Our child will one day found a great nation. His people will stretch from the land where the sun rises, all the way to the ocean where it sets."

"I promise you, though he will not be a god, his kingship will be eternal. His descendants will rule forevermore."

"That's why I want you to gain some experience now. So when the time comes, you'll know how to help him build a true kingdom."

She looked at Eros with genuine hope. There was no deceit in her voice, no manipulation in her gaze.

She meant it.

Eros's brain nearly short-circuited.

He blurted out, "Wait… are you giving birth, or am I giving birth?"

"Pfft!"

Zeus couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. The icy poise she'd worn just moments before cracked, replaced by her old, girlish charm.

"Don't worry," she said. "That's still a long way off. At the very least, we'll wait until Athena finishes crafting the new humans."

She carefully dodged the question, changing the topic instead.

"No but seriously, why would you just-"

"Shhh~" Zeus pressed a finger to his lips, smiling gently.

"Don't question a King's decision. Just wait for that day to come."

"Feel free to play around with your little toy project. Just don't invest too much heart into it," she added, glancing toward the demi-human city.

"It's going to break eventually."

Something's wrong. This version of Zeus… she's dangerous.

She's way too good at this!

Eros watched as she waved at him with a light smile, then disappeared into the night.

Even long after she was gone, he stood frozen in place.

...He was wavering.

He'd always thought of Zeus as just a poetic exaggeration, "the eternally radiant young maiden," yeah right.

But now… he wasn't so sure.

The scariest part?

With Poseidon, even when she looked like a beautiful girl, Eros could still feel her inner saltiness.

But Zeus didn't give off that vibe at all. Every gesture, every smile, radiated that pure moe charm he couldn't resist.

It was like she wasn't pretending to be a girl, she was one.

Terrifying!

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