For the first time, Order showed neither distaste nor indifference toward the newly born god.

  

  "You have passed the trial. You are no longer bound by the fate of others. You are a god of your own making." With that, he handed the pearls back to Dolus and vanished into the darkness. Alone, Dolus realized he had to find his way back home himself.

  Dolus examined the pearls and found they had transformed into artifacts, symbolizing his newfound divinity. He named them "The Siblings: Gemini."

  He was now a god, but not like his parents or sister. His godhood was more mortal-based, and thus more Olympian than Titan-like. While he was still immortal, his divinity needed to be actively performed. He held dominion over pearls but was not the personification of pearls.

  The purpose of gods evolved over time. During the age of Uranus, gods personified major elements of the world, such as the sky, water, mountains, and darkness. In the era of Kronos, gods became more specialized, representing specific aspects like time, oceans, rivers, and lakes. These gods had no divine duties to perform; their existence alone maintained the world. They were immortal as long as their concept existed. This is also why the rule of Kronos was looser compared to the era of Zeus — there was no need for a true ruler to monitor and order the gods to keep the world running.

  In the era of the Olympians, the concept of godhood changed drastically. Gods did not personify parts of the world but became sovereigns over their domains, with more human-like duties and powers. While they gained their primary divinity at birth, their additional powers were tied to vital aspects of human life, such as craftsmanship, wealth, and wine.

  Each god had specific duties to keep the world running, especially after Zeus imprisoned Kronos and the other primordial gods. The Olympians took over their responsibilities physically maintaining the world, and artifacts became common to help them manage their realms more efficiently, such as Zeus’s thunderbolt, Poseidon’s trident, and Hermes’s shoes and helmet.

  For example, Helios, the sun god, was replaced by Apollo, who drove the sun chariot. The underworld, now housing mortal souls, had gods with specific roles, like Charon the ferryman and Hades the judge and ruler. This shift showed a clear contrast between the elder gods and the newer Olympian gods.

  Artifacts are typically linked to a god’s most vital or powerful divinity. The stronger the divinity, the more essential it is for the artifact to be carefully crafted for control. Artifacts like Zeus’s thunderbolt, Poseidon’s trident, and Hades’s cloak had to be meticulously crafted to harness their powers efficiently. Pearls, being of a lesser divine nature, had auxiliary functions related to beauty and healing, requiring no special crafting.

  These artifacts had three functions. The first function was tranquility — to emit a peaceful atmosphere, calming down any manic creatures and even gods. This allowed Dolus to walk on land and water without being attacked by dangerous creatures. For weaker gods, this function was invaluable.

  The second function, although it didn’t seem extraordinary, held unique benefits. Any creature that held the pearl, whether mortal or god, would become beautiful. This function healed Dolus from his sea monster deformities, making him fully humanoid again. While it didn’t sound critical, it had incredible value in quickly and easily healing deformities.

  The third function was the one Dolus valued most: healing. This artifact could immediately restore the injury of a god at the cost of reducing half of it into powder, without any lasting effects. Moreover, the artifact could absorb the origin of the world and slowly restore the missing half, although this process took a long time.

  Dolus knew that the pearls he created later would have similar powers, though not as strong. For instance, black pearls would bring tranquility to those who held them, like a pain reliever or tranquilizer. Pink pearls would have healing properties for slight wounds and skincare benefits. Considering this, he might become the god of healing before he could supplement his previous divinities of deceit and treason into godhoods.

  Dolus knew that to protect himself and the people around him in this world, he needed to create more divine powers under his rule, especially since they could not be bestowed upon him.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  There were multiple ways to achieve this. One way was to create something new and useful that could further the world or be widely used by many, such as the pearls and healing.

  Another way was to kill a god and devour their body to gain a stake in their godhood, as Zeus would do with Metis in the future.

  Finally, Dolus could upgrade his original dominion of deception and treachery to godhood by finding a way to deceive and betray a powerful god or ruler without dying or facing a worse fate. It had to be a major act of betrayal — one that could go down in history. That would significantly enhance his dominion over deception and treachery, granting him corresponding abilities.

  Dolus pondered his options. The world was still under the rule of Kronos, and from what he knew, Rhea was still in her second pregnancy. Rumors of the god-king’s actions of swallowing his newborn children had spread throughout the sea, and Dolus knew very well what was to come. This prophecy presented a prime opportunity for him. But there was plenty of time until the birth of Zeus — let alone the time when he would take up arms against his father.

  For now, Dolus had to grow up and gain more renown as an auxiliary god to be closer to Kronos and Rhea. In the next five years, he would aim to become the god of healing. Luckily, tranquility is a rare ability among gods and is well sought after. The only gods at the moment with similar abilities are Nyx, the goddess of night, and Leto, the goddess of motherhood, childbirth, and modesty. In the future, the god of sleep, Hypnos, and Hestia are suspected to have it, but each has a different form of tranquility. Unlike Dolus, they could not sell tranquility by the droves if they had enough clams. And while Aphrodite could placate her patients, it was a temporary measure that wore off in a day.

  Looking at the clams in front of him, Dolus took the two that birthed the pearls, as well as three others that showed promise in forming a pearl. The other twelve that showed no promise were destroyed.

  Then he began a journey of wandering, retracing his steps as best he could to find his way back. He met some sea monsters along the way, asking them for directions to the palace of his father. Sadly, many of these sea monsters were not intelligent, and those that were did not even know they had parents, leading to some embarrassment on Dolus’s part.

  Luckily, due to the twin pearls, Dolus wasn’t attacked by any of the numerous sea monsters that littered the dark parts of the sea.

  Additionally, he was now truly immortal — unkillable, unlike his state as a daemon. He could live as long as pearls existed and the knowledge of pearls remained in people’s minds. So he did not need to eat, sleep, or rest. His body was nourished by the world itself. Only then did he truly understand what it meant to be a god. No longer a mere daemon bound to the sea, but a being nourished by the world itself — fed by myth, memory, and meaning. It was a wonderful feeling unlike anything Dolus had ever felt before.

  In this strange state, Dolus finished his pilgrimage home.

  After several days of quiet travel through the shadowy seascape, he finally arrived at the vibrant coral reef that marked the threshold of Nereus’s palace. The crystal spires shimmered in the filtered sunlight above, their translucent walls veined with strands of gold and inlaid with gemstones that pulsed like living stars. It was a sanctuary of light and color in the cold, dark depths — warm, welcoming, and impossibly grand.

  

  Dolus walked to the main archway, where a familiar figure darted toward him — one of Dolus’s old attendants, a serpent-bodied sea creature with glistening fins and glassy eyes. It halted mid-swim and bowed deeply, voice rasping with surprise. “Young master Dolus! We feared the worst.”

  Dolus gave a soft nod, emotion flickering in his chest. “Thank you. I need to see my family.”

  With no delay, the attendant led him into the heart of the palace. Word of his return spread like a current, and within moments, Phorcys and Keto emerged from the inner chambers. Keto rushed to him first, gathering him into a trembling embrace, her seaweed-like hair coiling around them both. Phorcys followed, quieter but no less shaken.

  

  “Dolus,” Keto breathed, voice thick with relief. “We were so worried.”

  “I’m alright, Mother,” Dolus said gently. “I faced a trial… and I found my divinity.”

  Phorcys laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, his eyes sharp with pride. “Great job.”

  Then, from the side of the hall, Aphrodite stepped forward — her eyes rimmed with tears, radiant and fragile in her beauty. Dolus turned to her and reached into his satchel, pulling out a soft pink pearl, no larger than a seashell’s heart.

  

  “Aphrodite,” he said, placing it into her hands, “this is for you. It holds healing properties — like the clams you gave me." This wasn't one of the artifacts but a secondary pearl which was formed during Dolus's travels.

  Aphrodite looked down at it, awe spreading across her face like dawn. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Thank you, Dolus.”

  He smiled, watching her cradle it. That smile was quiet, knowing — not just of gratitude, but of resolve. He had returned not just changed, but reborn. the realm of gods was never without peril — but now he had purpose and a goal.

  As Aphrodite cradled the pearl, a shimmer of light danced across her palm — not from the artifact, but from belief. Dolus watched, knowing that healing, like deception, began with belief. And for now, belief was enough.

  Unspoken, deep within him, he also knew: one day, these pearls might deceive as easily as they healed. And when that day came, the world would witness the true birth of his dominion.

  (End of chapter)