I thought about how lucky I was, despite everything that had happened since my last day on Mount Orthys.

At one point after being exiled, I’d been drifting in the Aegean for days only to become a castaway without even a weapon or gear. Yet here I was now, the king of a guildhall and perhaps one of the greatest places of power in all of the Greek realms, on top of what was probably the highest mountain of all of Greece.

I had thousands of believers and the numbers were only growing, despite Cronus’s efforts to steal them from me. For every one he converted away from my faith in the lands he controlled, two more started believing in me in Dion and the areas around it. And that number was about to explode as people found out about how I’d killed Typhon.

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Lastly, and most importantly, I now had two amazing companions who both had my back. One of which I had grown closer to than I could have ever imagined. I couldn’t begin to express my luck to have found my way onto Aphrodite’s Island. Sure, it wasn’t the first time I’d been in a relationship, but mortals are fragile and shallow beings. They couldn’t comprehend the intricacies and long-term planning of a god. And how could they, with such short life spans?

Aphrodite, however, was the living embodiments of eternal beauty and power. The goddess understood the importance of trust and I knew then that she would stick with me through thick and thin, especially since the most difficult days were over and we’d now be climbing up in the pantheon ranks.

There was of course still a lot to do, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that. Not after what we’d achieved today. Not after this amazing feast.

I kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes. It took only three breaths before sleep took me while I embraced my goddess.