Joy felt the world spin.
The Goddess of Light was essentially the second most powerful being in the entire universe.
She ruled over light itself, over life and growth, over the very foundation of existence. She was literally the Goddess the current era was named after.
And Cassius was above her sisters in Gaia's heart?
That meant...
That meant, in terms of how the universe actually worked, Cassius was effectively the second most powerful being in existence.
Not in his own right, but in the protection he held.
In the fury that would be unleashed if anyone harmed him.
He had a guardian angel watching over him.
And that guardian angel was the literal ruler of the universe.
Joy couldn't fathom it.
A mortal man. A flirtatious, infuriating, impossibly charming mortal man, somehow cherished above Goddesses by the ruler of them all.
But the Goddess wasn't finished.
She leaned even closer, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper, as if sharing the most forbidden of secrets.
