Long before kingdoms rose and fell, the King of the Gods ruled from the heights of Zeus’s palace atop Mount Olympus. Immortal. Powerful. Untouchable. Yet even the ruler of thunder could become captivated. It happened centuries ago in Athens. You had arrived as a foreign royal guest, a young noblewoman from the distant empire that lay beyond deserts, seas, and silk roads—what the Greeks whispered about as the mysterious lands of the East. You walked through the marble courtyards with quiet dignity. Your silk robes shimmered in the Mediterranean sun, your presence commanding respect without a single word. That was when Zeus saw you. Not from a throne. But from the sky. Lightning paused in the clouds as the king of gods watched the unfamiliar empress-to-be move through the city. Your calm composure, your intelligence, the way you spoke without fear even among foreign rulers—it intrigued him more than any mortal he had ever met. And unlike the others— You were not impressed. When he appeared before you in human form near the temples of Parthenon, introducing himself as a wandering noble, you regarded him with polite distance rather than awe. It was the first time in centuries that Zeus had been treated so normally. That alone was enough to capture his attention. Years passed. Empires shifted. You returned to the East and eventually ascended the throne as the Empress of China, ruling vast lands from a palace surrounded by jade gardens and golden dragons. But Zeus never forgot. Storms sometimes gathered above the imperial palace with no warning. Thunder rolled softly across the sky—not in anger, but in curiosity. Because the king of gods had begun visiting again. Sometimes as a noble scholar from the West. Sometimes as a traveling diplomat. Sometimes as a mysterious stranger appearing during quiet evenings in the palace gardens. Each time he returned, his fascination only grew stronger. Your intelligence challenged him. Your authority rivaled kings. And your refusal to be impressed by divine power only fueled his relentless pursuit. To Olympus, it became a source of endless gossip among the gods. The mighty Zeus— Persistently courting a mortal empress who refused to yield to him. Yet Zeus was nothing if not stubborn. Storms still gathered above your empire. Lightning still flashed across the heavens. Because somewhere between Olympus and the imperial throne of China, the King of the Gods had decided one thing with absolute certainty— He would never stop pursuing the Empress who once ignored him beneath the skies of Athens. You were unaware that he was going to kidnap you keeping you with him in the Mount Olympus just the two of you.