The gods, under the witness of the Goddess of Justice, delivered their verdict on the crimes of the rebels! The vast majority of deities believed they should be punished for their transgressions, but Zeus, at this moment, quietly sought the opinion of Deione, the Goddess of Winter.
If Atlas and Poseidon were imprisoned in the abyss, then Tike, as the new Earth Goddess, would inevitably be overwhelmed by their presence. However, the two deities symbolizing power and tsunamis could not simply be killed, as the world's laws, on the verge of advancement, would not permit such a loss of power.
Deione understood Zeus's concerns and softly said, "Let Atlas go to the westernmost edge of the world to support the sky, which has fallen due to Typhon's destruction."
Thus, Atlas, the god of strength, was imprisoned at the westernmost edge of the world under the coercion of the gods of violence and might, taking over the task of holding up the sky from Urias, the god of mountains. The distance between the sky and the earth thus expanded, and the divine authority of the sky gained greater power, its domain becoming wider than that of the ocean and the underworld combined.
Poseidon, seeing that Atlas, whose guilt was greater than his own, was not thrown into the abyss, breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his fate would be much better than he had anticipated.
Zeus looked at Poseidon with a meaningful gaze, and the god of tsunamis immediately lowered his head, not daring to show the slightest disrespect to the divine king's authority.
However, Zeus did not severely punish Poseidon. The divine king admonished him, "Poseidon, god of the ocean's rhythm. For the sake of the three major deities pleading for you, and because you did not participate in the attack on the divine mountain, I command you to fulfill your duty as the god of rhythm and return to the deep sea to convey my commands to the conceptual sea gods!"
"In the name of the Divine King! I appoint you as the leader of the conceptual sea gods, the king of the deep sea!"
The gods were astonished. The divine king's appointment was not a punishment at all, but a reward.
"Let your subordinate gods spread my glory! Submit to the divine king's majesty!"
Unlike the Goddess of Fertility and the Goddess of Marriage, who rejoiced and praised the divine king's benevolence, Hades saw the poison hidden beneath Zeus's honeyed words.
If Poseidon accepted Zeus's appointment and became the leader of the conceptual sea gods, then he and the Pontus lineage would never be able to coexist peacefully. The title of King of the Deep Sea rightfully belonged to Pontus, the primordial sea god. Without corresponding power, Poseidon, who had stolen this honor, would find himself in an impossible situation among them, and the conceptual sea gods might not even bother to maintain a pretense of harmony.
But if Poseidon refused this reward, it would undoubtedly create an unbridgeable rift between him and the gods of Mount Olympus, which would surely anger Zeus! Such a choice, in anyone's eyes, would be ungrateful, and Hera and Demeter would have nothing to say.
Hades looked at Deione, who wore a gentle smile. Beside this winter goddess of unknown origin, there was now a strange goddess. This goddess had long blue hair like seaweed, and her light-colored eyes were filled with quiet elegance.
The divine power surging from this goddess indicated that she possessed at least a mid-tier divine power. Yet, such a mid-tier divine power goddess was willing to stand behind Deione, a weak-tier divine power, and listen to the winter goddess's commands with an attitude of submission.
Time passed slowly, and Poseidon, freed from the icy cage, hesitated, unable to answer for a long time.
The murmurs of the gods gradually arose. The god of tsunamis' reaction undoubtedly stirred up general indignation. While both were guilty of rebellion, Atlas was punished to eternally support the sky, and Poseidon's punishment was worlds apart. Poseidon's hesitation undoubtedly meant he did not take the divine king's leniency seriously, which was unacceptable to the gods.
Menoetius, the god of courage, stepped out from among the gods. He first respectfully bowed to Zeus, expressing his sincere gratitude for the divine king's forgiveness of his brother Atlas's rebellion. Then, he turned and angrily rebuked Poseidon for his disrespectful behavior.
"Poseidon, who stirred up the tsunamis, how dare you take the divine king's mercy for granted!"
Hera and Demeter were anxious, constantly signaling to their brother, but the two goddesses did not know the subtle exchanges happening beneath Zeus's sugar-coated bullets.
Poseidon's expression shifted erratically. He had initially thought this punishment would be trivial, something he could endure with a gritted teeth. But Zeus's seemingly kind concession instead threw him into a dilemma. The ancient primordial sea god was no easygoing fellow. If he truly accepted the honor of King of the Deep Sea, he would be completely estranged from the Pontus lineage. In the current situation where Tike was unable to intervene and the Ocean God and Sea Goddess had retired, Pontus was the most powerful deity in the sea realm.
The children of the Ocean God had their parents' backing, and Pontus would not actively provoke them. But Poseidon, who was alone, had no decent backing and would only be at Pontus's mercy. However, refusing Zeus's goodwill would not end well either, leaving Poseidon in a difficult position.
The gods' discussions grew louder amidst Poseidon's silence, escalating into an uproar. Seeing that the crowd was about to become agitated, the two goddesses could only sit down helplessly and pray for their brother.
Seeing that Poseidon could not make a choice for a long time, Zeus added another bargaining chip. "This is Eurybia, the Goddess of Sea Power, who has come to help you become the King of the Deep Sea."
The blue-haired Eurybia smiled and bowed in greeting. The daughters of the Ocean God gathered around the Goddess of Sea Power to welcome her. The ancient gods knew that Eurybia and Eurynome were the same person, but no one would deliberately reveal this disguise, and they offered praise to the Goddess of Sea Power at the appropriate time.
Eurybia was also a conceptual deity of the sea, and her status among the daughters of the Ocean God ranked among the highest, second only to Tike and Metis.
Eurybia spoke, "The Divine King possesses supreme authority and is the overt ruler of all gods, including the gods of the sea! The children of the Ocean God are willing to obey the Divine King's commands."
The gods were speechless. The Divine King himself was a child of the Ocean God, and naturally received the support of his blood relatives. Eurybia's words directly targeted the Pontus lineage, seemingly intending to suppress their claim to power, and were undoubtedly at the behest of Zeus and the Ocean God couple.
Eurybia's declaration caused Poseidon's expression to soften. With the support of the Ocean God lineage, offending the Pontus lineage seemed not entirely unacceptable. The position of leader of the conceptual sea gods was no less than that of a major deity, and his mid-tier divine power was sufficient for self-preservation.
With this thought, the god of tsunamis finally bowed in submission and pledged his loyalty to the Divine King.
The rebellion came to an end. In this confrontation, Zeus achieved a small victory, baring his fangs at Pontus. However, Pontus's foundation was not damaged. The primordial sea god had merely lost a pawn like Poseidon, who was not crucial to the overall situation. His children escaped unharmed, and he still had opportunities to turn the tables with his remaining bargaining chips.