Zeus & Byzantine - Chapter 7: Heart

“Looks like Byu’s smarter than we thought. Maybe now’s the time to pull back, Father?” Hermes suggested.

“That’s right. It’s already starting,” Hephaestus added. “You really want to create another legend?”

The soft hum of cooling fans filled the air, joined by the rhythmic tapping of mechanical keyboards. Inside the sprawling workshop, the central table was cluttered with sleek gadgets and glowing circuit boards. A small robotic arm moved precisely, assembling intricate electrical components.

“You’re underestimating humans again,” Zeus said with a calm, unreadable smile.

“Janice from America. Seo-yeon from Korea,” Hermes pulled up holographic profiles mid-air. “Clean, cute, not too clever. I guarantee you won’t get caught.”

“Or just go for one of the goddesses. Easy,” Hephaestus said with a shrug, clearly annoyed.

Zeus said nothing. He examined a circuit board, his attention seemingly elsewhere.

“I’m just saying—don’t make this another legend,” Hephaestus muttered.

“This time, I’m not stepping in to fix it,” Hermes added, his voice sharp.

Zeus retreated to a far corner, where a wall of monitors glowed softly, streaming real-time data. One screen in particular held his focus.

(What now?)

He paced restlessly.

At first, I was going to pretend to be Illes, the character from her novel. But she saw right through me. She knows I’m Zeus. This… this could turn into something too big. She’s smarter than I thought.

For the first time in eons, hesitation crept into his divine heart.

He didn’t know whether to trust me. Not because of anything I’d done—but because humans, to the gods, were the most unpredictable species of all.

Unreliable.

Unruly.

Unworthy of faith.

And maybe…He was afraid of being seen.

Of being known.

Of breaking the image he had carried for centuries—as ruler, as legend, as myth.

(If I cut things off now… maybe it’s not too late.)

The King of Olympus was already plotting his escape from the relationship he had only just begun.

(I’ll leave before it gets messy. Before I lose control.)