Spanning the earth, sweeping over vast oceans. Shortly after setting off, the Goddess of the White Oak felt the terrifying presence emanating from the Mount of the Gods behind her.
With the perfection of laws, the thriving of life, and the expansion of the world's surface area, the ceiling of the Divine Authority also continued to rise. Perhaps in tens of thousands of years, the full power of the Divine King would be equivalent to the Great Divine Power in terms of divine energy.
But the Oak Goddess did not look back. Having accepted the command of the Queen of Gods, she would persist, for the presence of the Divine King was strong but not enough to instill fear in her.
Finally, after several more days of flying over the outer sea, the Oak Goddess came close to the edge of the world. Upon the turbulent Circumterrestrial River, the Meliae, holding Zeus, saw the God of the Ocean and his wife.
It seemed they had been waiting for a long time; after all, the Oak Goddess had no intention of concealing her tracks over the ocean. Oceanus stood there, his towering stature exuding an intangible oppression that combined with the environment to appear especially majestic.
The Circumterrestrial River, looping with neither beginning nor end, encircles the Chaos World—an endless long river. Its interior connects to the outer sea, while on the outside lies void and chaos; it is like a ring of light, coiling around the outer edge of the Chaos World.
As the true first of the Titans, Oceanus was different from his younger brothers and sisters. To a certain extent, he possessed the characteristics of the primordial deities, which were reflected in the Circumterrestrial River.
However, under his gaze, the Goddess of the White Oak was not afraid.
"Your Highnesses, I bring him to you by command of the Heavenly Empress. He is the infant son of the Divine King, Zeus, who commands The Thousand Thunders."
"I am not skilled with words, so I can only relay the exact words of the Heavenly Empress,"
"The Divine King's greed for power is boundless. If you wish to preserve your dominion over the seas, if you wish to draw greater benefits from the new king, then this is your best opportunity."
Placing the infant on the ground, the Goddess of the White Oak felt the oppressive aura of the two deities without a trace of fear.
As deities born from the divine blood left by Uranus in battle, the Meliae sisters naturally were warlike and fearless, never bowing down even in the face of an overwhelmingly invincible enemy.
This was also the reason why the Queen of Gods, Rhea, trusted them. Their nature ensured that they would not retreat halfway or betray them to the Divine King.
"...The new god, yes, is he the son of the Divine King that was born not long ago?"
Although Oceanus had no idea how Rhea managed to whisk Zeus away from Cronus' sight, the fact was laid out before him.
The progeny of the God-King, a potential threat to his throne, undoubtedly stirred Oceanus' heart. Cronus' previous suppression had infuriated him, but being weaker left him no choice. However, the infant before him undeniably represented another option.
But at the moment of decision, he hesitated. Because the God of the Ocean did not know whether this deity before him was truly the one from the prophecy. After all, in the distant past, Oceanus himself was once suspected of being the one to overthrow Uranus.
If it were so, then the Ocean Deity Sovereign was willing to wager on it. Or rather, to follow the guidance of fate, joining the side destined for victory. But if not, all his actions would merely hand Cronus further excuse to act against him.
After all, while the current Divine King still lacked the power to suppress him, it did not mean he would be unable in the future.
"I think, perhaps we need not decide just now."
To the side, seemingly perceiving her husband's indecision, the Ocean Goddess Tethys reached out her hand, pointing towards the boundless outer sea.
She knew that her husband, like herself, preferred to deal with problems through indirect means. Thus, they spread water systems across the land with the multitude of Oceanides and drew many deities to their side through marital alliances.
The matter of Zeus before them could be approached in the same way. They did not need to go all out; just providing the initial, most crucial investment was enough.
"Raised amongst us does not mean we are complicit. We can give him an environment to grow up in, an excellent assistant, but unless he can prove his prowess, we needn't do more."
Ultimately, Thaesis still left the decision to her husband, as she had always done in the past.
To some extent, the original Titans, both male and female, seemed to possess 'excellent qualities' that far surpassed those of the later Olympian Gods, at least in the eyes of humans.
"You're right, Thaesis,"
Nodding slightly, the Ocean Deity Sovereign accepted this point of view. He looked toward the Goddess of the White Oak before him, his resonant voice echoing above the Circumterrestrial River.
"Meliae, my sister in name, servant to the Queen of Gods, I will leave the child here, but whether he can become the new king foretold by the prophecy is now his own affair."
"Convey this to your mistress: Zeus will grow up safely over the sea. But to prevent my brother from overthinking, I won't let you stay here any longer than necessary."
Meliae nodded, she placed Zeus on the ground, then turned and left. Watching her departing figure, the two principal deities of the ocean exchanged glances and once again turned their attention to the infant on the ground.
His wound on the chest had not fully healed, and a silver light flashed there. The two deities pondered for a moment, and finally, Thaesis put forth another suggestion.
"Let's send him to Crete Island, a small island near the inland sea. Golden Humanity once lived there and, although they are now gone, the place is well suited for young deities to grow up."
"Do we need to send someone to take care of him?"
With some hesitation, the Ocean Deity Sovereign inquired.
"Without adequate nourishment, his growth will surely be slowed. And without life to teach him wisdom, he might well become arrogant and ignorant."
"We need not worry about that, Oceanus, for there is an excellent choice there."
Shaking her head, Thaesis extended her hand. Water floated up at her gesture, turning into a mirror before the two Titan sovereigns, within which the image of a small island appeared.
"This is Crete. When Golden Humanity was still there, our daughter of wisdom, Metis, often visited. Her divine power affected some living beings, awakening wisdom within them; to this day, one still resides there who will rear Zeus."
"As for what comes after, let the child decide for himself. If he truly is the one destined, I believe he will meet us again by his own strength."
Thaesis was reasonable, so the Ocean Deity Sovereign agreed without hesitation. He waved his hand gently, and divine power enveloped the infant, sending him directly plummeting toward Crete Island.
The legacy of Golden Humanity still existed there, and due to shifts in the world situation, no Sea God had planned to bring the newly created Silver Humanity there. On this island, only a goat named Amalthea was still active, a life influenced by the divine power of Metis.
Thus, Zeus was wrapped in divine power and traveled through the sky for three days and nights. Finally, at dawn, he precisely landed on the branch in front of this wise being.
"Take care of him as you would yourself, mortal Amalthea. This is the responsibility given to you by the master of the sea. Help him grow, and teach him wisdom; on the day he comes of age, whether alive or dead, you will share in the utmost glory with him."
The voice of the Sea God reverberated over the island, and an invisible force enveloped this remote island in the outer sea. Everything was thus settled.
The wheel of fate slowly turned on its track, and just as the Titans had once returned to the earth, so too did Zeus welcome his new beginning.
No one knew what his future would hold, nor did later records provide a precise description of the fate of this third-generation Divine King. Everything abruptly stopped there—perhaps it would be better, perhaps worse, but that was all a matter of the future.
In any case, on the island of Crete, the young Zeus grew up day by day.