I was a priest in the city-state era

The policies of the Athenian Empire would reduce the royal families and nobles in the conquered areas to civilians, losing all their privileges and the wealth brought by power.

If the local royal family and nobles felt that there was hope of fighting against the Athenian Empire, they would definitely choose to resist to the end.

But the royal family and nobles of the Kingdom of Arzava already knew that the Athenian Empire was a behemoth that they could never defeat - fighting against the Athenian Empire was not worth the gain.

After all, after being conquered by the Athenian Empire, even if they lost their privileges and most of their wealth, they could still rely on the retained wealth to live a luxurious life that ordinary people could not imagine.

If they choose to fight against the Athenian Empire, they will not only lose everything in a losing war, but they will also suffer the punishment of becoming lifelong slaves along with their families.

Facing Roy's threat, Iobates said helplessly.

"Let my daughter Philonoe become the queen of Arzava like Princess Hatepuna of the Hittite Kingdom? It seems that I should accept your proposal wisely, but my daughter Philonoe has already followed Bellerophon, the leader of the Mycenaeans, is engaged, so I cannot marry Philonoe to you.”

"Bellerophon——"

The name was no stranger to Roy.

Because in the myth of another world, Bellerophon is like the father of Zeus.

Daughter of Bellerophon, one of the human wives of Zeus.

In other words, Bellerophon was the father-in-law of Zeus.

The horse god Pegasus is the clone and son of Poseidon, and is also Bellerophon's exclusive mount.

Zeus is Bellerophon's son-in-law, and Poseidon is Bellerophon's mount. This is a treatment that many demigod heroes in Greek mythology cannot enjoy.

"King Iobates! I heard that Bellerophon has been your son-in-law a long time ago. Why hasn't Princess Philonoe married Bellerophon yet?"

"Bellerophon has indeed long since become my son-in-law."

Iobates explained with a sad expression.

"When Bellerophon took the Mycenaeans, or Hyksos, who followed him, he brought them to the region of Lydia, he gave me a great deal of wealth. , I asked to marry my eldest daughter Anthea. At that time, in order to use Bellerophon and his followers to fight against the Hittites, Cilicia and Paleko, I married my eldest daughter Anthea. Bellerophon. Unexpectedly, within a few years, my eldest daughter Anthea died in childbirth while giving birth to her second child. Bellerophon hoped that I would marry my youngest daughter Philonoe to him. Only by maintaining our marriage relationship and Philonoe becoming his new wife will we truly love and care for the two children born to Anthea.”

"King Iobates, you are really an old fool. Can't you see that Bellerophon wants to inherit your throne as his son-in-law?"

Roy couldn't help but tease.

"Bellerophon and the Mycenaeans regard the male god Zeus as the patron saint of their tribe. After Bellerophon inherits your throne, he will definitely regard Zeus as the patron saint of the Kingdom of Arzava. You start from the beginning , in order to take advantage of Bellerophon, you should not choose to accept Bellerophon and the Mycenaeans, or even make Bellerophon your son-in-law.”

"The Mycenaeans worshiped the male god Zeus?"

Iobates said with a confused look on his face.

"Bellerophon and the Mycenaeans who followed him worshiped a goddess named Dione!"

"The name Dione is the feminine form of Zeus, so the goddess Dione is actually Zeus."

In order to make the Arzavas who worshiped the earth goddess accept him, Bellerophon even disguised Zeus as a goddess. Of course, this was something that the Arzavas could not believe.

Because in the eyes of the Arzavas who devoutly believe in the goddess of the earth, this is a serious blasphemy against the gods.

They didn't know that in order to survive, Zeus was willing to be the son of the Earth Goddess, let alone disguise himself as a goddess in women's clothing.

In fact, in the myth of another world, Zeus really gave birth to a son to the goddess of the earth.

In Greek mythology, Cronus, the king of the gods who rules the heavens, seas, and underworlds, is the trinity of Zeus, the king of the heavens, Poseidon, the king of the sea, and Hades, the king of the underworld.

Cronus' identity is the youngest son of the earth goddess Gaia.

Zeus came to the Lydia region of the Kingdom of Arzava and became a goddess, which is also recorded in Greek mythology.

In the myth of Hercules, there is the story of Hercules coming to the Lydia region and selling himself to Omphale, the queen of Lydia.

In the palace of Omphale, Heracles, dressed in women's clothes and ornaments, sat at Omphale's feet and weaved with his spinning wheel.

Hercules, the Mycenaean hero, is a completely fictitious character in the myth, and there is no real historical figure as a prototype.

The twelve tasks completed by Hercules are more like the process of the expansion of the territory of the Mycenaeans in Greece.

So the prototype of Heracles is either the Mycenaeans themselves, or the Mycenaean patron god Zeus who can symbolize the Mycenaeans.

In Greek mythology, Metis and Athena, who are regarded as mother and daughter, are actually the same goddess.

Poseidon's son, the horse-god Pegasus, is also a clone of the horse-god Poseidon. In fact, Poseidon and Pegasus are the same god.

According to this mythological logic of mother and daughter, father and son, Hercules, the son of Zeus, is Zeus.

In the myth, Hercules fell into a weakened state and was forced to sell himself as a slave to Omphale, queen of Lydia—

The corresponding real prototype is that the Mycenaeans were forced to migrate from Egypt to Lydia and had to kneel down and flatter the local Arzavas.

Hercules disguised himself as a woman to please the Lydian Queen Omphale.

The corresponding reality is that the Mycenaeans claimed that their patron saint was a goddess named Dione in order to please the Arzavas.

Zeus had to disguise himself as a goddess in front of Hecate, the earth goddess worshipped by the Arzavas.

Bellerophon hid Zeus' true identity, perhaps because he was worried that the Arzavas would not accept them from the beginning.

After all, the tribe that worshipped the earth goddess and the ancient Aryans who worshipped the god of thunder had a deep hatred as early as 1,500 years ago.

It was precisely because of the invasion of the ancient Aryans that the tribe that worshipped the earth goddess was forced to migrate westward.

No matter what the reason was--

Zeus became the goddess Dione in Lydia, this is indisputable.

"King Iobates! Although the Mycenaeans have lost their ancestors' blond hair and blue eyes through intermarriage with local ethnic groups in West Asia, the god of thunder they worship has never changed. This god of thunder is Marduk, the god of thunder of the Amorites, Teshub of the Assyrians, and Hadad of the Akkadians. Perhaps after 1,500 years, you have forgotten that 1,500 years ago, it was the Aryans who worshipped the god of thunder who invaded the Anatolian Peninsula and forced your ancestors to migrate westward."

"The Mycenaeans worship Zeus, the god of thunder - are they descendants of those barbarians from the north?"

After listening to Roy's words, Iobates' eyes were full of anger and hatred.

He finally understood why Bellerophon lied and claimed that they worshiped a goddess.