Hemera had been thinking about this moment all this time, every minute and every second, day and night, waiting for it.
And now, just because her mother goddess had been too obsessed with the God-King… she'd completely forgotten…
This…
"Embarrassing" hardly begins to cover it.
There's not enough "nowhere to hide from shame" to go around.
The Goddess of Night's cheeks, still flushed from before, now burned red like a flower weeping blood.
Her jade-like hands trembled as she covered her mortified face; she truly felt it would be better to faint straight away.
Only, for a supreme great goddess like her, fainting was utterly impossible.
Even to make her divinity hazy was hard indeed.
Aside from going briefly dazed under the God-King's fierce trouncing, she had never, in any other circumstance, lost clarity.
She forced herself to calm down, her mind spinning fast, desperate to come up with a good explanation.
Tell the truth? Not a chance!
How could she say that out loud?!
Where would that leave her dignity as a mother goddess?!
Dignity, in front of her beloved Zeus, could be dispensed with. She could coo and cling as she pleased, and whatever the God-King wished to do, she would let him.
But before her own child…
She must keep it!
Meanwhile, in Aitron—the cold silver moon of the Underworld—Hemera, who had waited so long, was already burning with impatience.
She also found it strange. After all this time, why had nothing come from Mother's side? Not a single word.
By her side, the radiant Hecate watched her good elder sister in silence, thoughts surging in her heart.
From the moment they reached Aitron, this "Lady of Daylight" had seemed ill at ease.
That stood in sharp contrast to their other brothers and sisters.
You must know that, having temporarily fled Mother's suffocating "low-pressure" presence, the others all seemed far more relaxed.
Truly, Mother's mood had been so changeable of late, too frightening by far; no one dared stay too close.
Yet good sister Hemera had kept thinking of going back to Mother's side.
That was, to say the least, peculiar.
Gentle and delicate as she was, good sister couldn't be so worried about Mother, could she?
A supreme eternal goddess like Mother, merely in a bad mood because of the great Father, hardly needed anyone to worry over her.
Even when she played with her siblings, Hemera looked absent-minded.
She kept subconsciously glancing toward Mother's temple.
More precisely, she wanted to look but didn't dare—only snatching quick peeks and drawing back at once.
Her eyes were full of complex emotions, with clear expectancy and anxiety besides.
The more Hecate thought, the more curious she became.
A real yet vague spark of insight kept drifting through her mind.
She felt that if she could only grasp it, everything would make sense.
But that crucial point kept slipping out of reach.
Still, she could be sure the matter involved Mother!
And certainly had to do with what they'd been quietly plotting of late.
Ever since her good sister had entered her domain, she had kept wondering what exactly Mother and this sister were secretly planning.
She had vaguely heard something about a "surprise,"
a "surprise" for the great Father.
Explain to me: what's a surprise?
What kind of surprise was it supposed to be?
Until she noticed the once-dead, oppressive night curtain covering the Underworld begin to billow as if alive, like a deep sea stirred by the lunar tide, ring upon ring, rising higher.
Unable to resist her curiosity, she cast her gaze down in secret toward the place where Mother's aura was strongest.
Mm…
She could see nothing…
As the only source of light in the Underworld, she was a powerful goddess indeed, and possessed the supreme authority to lead souls into the Underworld.
One could say there was almost nowhere in the Underworld she could not see.
But even so, to see through a night curtain laid down by the Goddess of Night herself was absolutely impossible.
All she could see was night like water, coiling layer upon layer, and boiling more and more violently.
Soon, however, she saw golden lightning flicker and leap within the black night in waves, violently dancing.
She understood at once.
Oh—
Father has come—
Hecate started, her little mouth forming a perfect O.
She clapped a hand over her lips and hurriedly steadied herself.
A furtive glance around—thank goodness no one had seen her lose composure.
A faint blush rose on her snow-pale face, cool as the underworld moon.
She was no naive little goddess who understood nothing.
Don't forget, by her side was another good sister named Philotes,
the goddess who presided over "affection" and "pleasure."
With Philotes's constant influence, it was hard not to understand at least a little.
Knowing Father had arrived, she was naturally both startled and delighted.
Yes, staying with Mother was a happy thing.
But if Father was there as well, it was even happier—twice as happy!
It was a pity that the burdens on Father's shoulders were the Three Realms and domains, the six harmonies and eight quarters.
The God-King's affairs were all too busy; he rarely had time to come to the Underworld.
So she could only think of it in her heart.
Still, since Father had come, after he and Mother shared their love, surely she could at least see him once.
How delightful!
But after her delight, Hecate grew more puzzled.
Father's arrival wasn't strange.
But why was good sister Hemera still keeping such a close watch on Mother's side?
Hm?!!!
Could it be!
Good sister wasn't watching Mother at all, but… Father?!
A flash like lightning from the Temple of Wisdom split Hecate's muddled thoughts wide open, and in an instant the clouds parted!
That flash linked all the clues together, and she formed an exceedingly bold suspicion!
No wonder—no wonder!
Sister Hemera ought to dwell on Olympus by rights.
As one of the indispensable great deities of the cosmos, she should already have returned to Olympus, not lingered in the Underworld.
So… she had stayed here waiting for Father to come…
After all, with Mother always in the Underworld, Father would come sooner or later.
Mother must have known of it!
No—more than known!
Sister Hemera must have had Mother's support to do this!
Without Mother's backing, Hemera would never have dared harbor such thoughts.
Only… with Mother's powerful possessiveness, how could she support such a thing?
Wouldn't she wish to have Father all to herself?
Unless… the pressure lately had been too great?
Or perhaps the goddesses on Olympus were too many, and the competition growing fiercer?
That… would make sense.
Having basically figured it out, Hecate now and then sneaked a glance at Hemera.
She pretended to be casual, but was paying the keenest attention.
Now she could fully understand Hemera's agitation.
No wonder, just after they'd begun to play, Hemera had said, "Mother may summon me shortly," and stopped.
It was obvious now she was waiting for Mother to call her…
Wait!!!
If Mother could support Sister Hemera…
Then doesn't that mean…
!!!
Hecate felt her little heart start to pound, thud-thud, and it simply wouldn't slow down.
A bold idea she had never dared think rose like a prairie fire in her heart and burned fast.
No water could douse it, no weight could press it down.
Hecate picked up a cup of divine wine and drained it in one gulp.
But the cool, sweet wine had barely gone down before it only fanned the flames higher.
Now she, like Hemera, was burdened with thoughts.
She, too, kept sneaking looks toward that heaving curtain of underworld night.
Until she felt two new auras in the Underworld—strange yet kindred, powerful.
Hecate understood she certainly had two more little siblings now.
Hemera, of course, felt it too, her heart both excited and overjoyed.
She figured Mother would be sending word now, right?
It should be…
My turn, right?
And so she waited… and waited…
Until the night curtain covering the Underworld began to fade away.
Hecate, who could take the entire Underworld into her gaze, clearly saw a golden flash of lightning flicker and vanish in the depths of the night.
'Honestly! Father—after being with Mother, he just left! Never thought to come see me… see us sisters!'
After a small, private huff, Hecate cast a seemingly casual glance toward the corner.
Hemera sat upright, staring blankly, like a still image formed of daylight itself.
Hecate's heart was full of questions.
Had she guessed wrong?
Her heart sank.
But that didn't add up, either.
Given Hemera's "abnormality" of late, there was no way she was mistaken.
So where had things gone awry?
Could it be… Mother had changed her mind at the last moment?
Or… had she simply forgotten?
Hecate's bright eyes flicked, and she decided to play it safe for now!
She rose with composure, her skirts trailing soundlessly, slipped away from her playful siblings, and drifted to Hemera's side. She reached out and gently took her sister's slightly cool hand.
In a soft voice she said, "Dear sister, have you been too tired lately? Would you like to go rest for a while?"
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