**Nicko's POV:**
Nicko: "And that's quite it, Your Majesty."
After concluding my lengthy prologue, I noticed the king’s expression of confusion. It didn't bother me, as I had been expecting him not to understand. I often embed double meanings in my stories, a mystery that remains unraveled by everyone except one person: my lady.
The king attempted to mask his confusion with a smile before entering the princess's room. I stayed in my place, allowing him to go first, but then he looked back at me, nodded, and gestured toward my lady. Understanding his intent, I followed him inside.
Gema: "Nicko? What a beautiful view, isn’t it?"
Nicko: "Indeed, one of the finest, Your Highness..." I replied, captivated by her beauty.
Gema: "I wonder... From where does the sun rise? From the sea, while the moon chases after it?"
Nicko: "It is the sun god Apollo who now carries 'The Chariot of the Sun,' previously driven by the former sun god Helios. He rides a ship back to the east by night, Your Royal Highness."
Gema: "Nicko?"
Nicko: "Yes, Your Highness?"
Gema: "Please tell me more."
Nicko: "Of course, Your Highness..."
Once, there was a young boy named Phaethon, known as *The Shining One*, who, out of a desire to confirm his parentage, traveled to Helios' palace in the east. Helios recognized Phaethon as his son immediately. Swear an oath by the "River of Styx," he promised to grant Phaethon whatever he wished.
Unfortunately for him, Phaethon asked to drive the "Golden Chariot of the Sun" through the heavens for a single day. Helios, bound by his oath and despite warnings of the dangers, allowed him to take the reins for a day.
However, Phaethon struggled to control the chariot, driving it too close to the Earth and causing it to burn, and then too far away, freezing it. Complaints arose from the stars and the Earth itself, the cries from Demeter the Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture was heard in Mount Olympus.
Eventually, Zeus struck Phaethon, the one causing the cries with his lightning bolt, killing him.
His body fell into the river Eridanus, and his sisters, the Heliades, wept for him, transforming them into the black poplar trees.
King Zircon: "So tell me, Nicko, what happened to the previous sun god Helios? Why is the responsibility of pulling 'The Golden Chariot of the Sun' now assigned to Apollo?"
I was taken aback that the king was engaged with my story, but I answered him thoughtfully.
Nicko: "Distributing the sun’s rays is one of the most important contributions of the 'Golden Age.' Helios continued to pull 'The Chariot of the Sun' until the tragedy of Phaethon occurred.
Devastated by his son’s death, Helios grew angry with Zeus. Blaming him for Phaethon’s demise, he refused to drive 'The Golden Chariot of the Sun' for many days. As punishment, Helios was dethroned and imprisoned in Tartarus. In their grief for their brother, Selene (the Moon) and Eos (the Dawn) also refused to fulfill their duties, which were then redistributed among the twelve Olympians, with Apollo and Artemis assuming their roles.
King Zircon: "The tragedy of Phaethon?"
Nicko: "Yes, Your Majesty."
Gema: "Such a sorrowful tale of a god trying to make his son happy..."
King Zircon: "Indeed, Gema, indeed..."
The king soon left the room, a look of disturbance etched on his face, likely reflecting on the tragic story of Phaethon.
