Hermes was sitting cross-legged in the clouds, counting the treasures he had just 'exchanged' with a bewildered elf, and was still a little impatient when he received the urgent summons from Athena.
"My dear sister, what's the... Huh?" His smile instantly froze on his face when he saw the 'live broadcast' and the cold request Athena conveyed about the Underworld temple.
"What?! Steal the [Chain of Resolve] from the Mother Goddess?!
Hermes nearly fell from the clouds, his voice changing.
"Second Sister! Are you my sister? You might as well just let Thanatos reap my soul! What's the difference between this and jumping straight into the Tartarean abyss?!"
Let him face the wrath of the Mother Goddess, who was obviously about to attack?
Just imagining that scene made Hermes feel his divine core tremble.
"You have to go." Athena's voice sounded in his consciousness, almost cruelly calm.
"Only your speed and knowledge of the paths of Hades can succeed. Moreover, you are the god of trickery; you're good at this, without attracting the target's attention."
"It's not about attracting attention or not! It's about whether I'll get caught!" Hermes wailed.
"If you don't go," Athena's voice was level, but she threw out a deadly threat.
"I'll find a way to make sure the next of Eros's golden arrows hits you and Apollo. I think the Father God and Mother Goddess would be 'happy' to see their talented sons putting on a shocking... love scene. What do you think?"
Hermes was instantly dumbfounded, his face turning green.
He recalled Apollo's handsome but irritable face; if he were hit by a golden arrow... the image was too beautiful for him to bear!
Rather than being settled by the Mother Goddess later, he was more afraid of being tied into such a relationship with that music fanatic!
"You're ruthless! You're such a good sister!" Hermes gritted his teeth, and in the end, his fear of Athena's threat outweighed his fear of the Mother Goddess.
"I'm going! I'm going! But I'm telling you, after I succeed, you have to help me distract the Mother Goddess! And next time I 'borrow' something from Apollo, you have to help me cover for it!"
"Deal," Athena simply agreed; as long as the goal was achieved, she didn't care about these details.
Hermes put away his treasure with a bitter face, his figure transforming into an almost invisible streamer, and at the fastest speed of his life, he silently dived into the depths of Hades, targeting the ominous chain in Metis's temple.
He understood that this might be the most dangerous and thrilling 'theft' operation of his life.
Athena, on the other hand, stood still, her eyes deep.
She took a risk to help the Father God, not only to avoid a family tragedy but also for herself.
She craved power.
True power, powerful enough to directly confront Ares's brutal force, not just strategy and deception.
And perhaps the only one who could give her this power, or guide her to find this path, was the Father God, Hades.
This 'coal in the snow' was a letter of surrender she was sending.
At this time, Metis, unaware of the impending 'domestic theft', was still watching the water curtain, the cold emanating from her body almost solidifying the temple.
Hermes felt he had never been so nervous in his life.
He moved like an invisible wind, clinging to the cold shadows of the temple.
Each step was precisely placed in the gaps between the flickering flames, and each breath almost disappeared.
He could even hear the roar of his divine blood flowing through his veins—of course, it was just an illusion, but it was enough to illustrate the pressure he was under at this moment.
In the center of the temple, Metis was still reclining on the soft divan, the dark water curtain suspended before her, reflecting the scene where Hades was talking to Aphrodite (Thetis) on a distant island.
The low air pressure emanating from her body almost froze the air, and the [Chain of Resolve] on her wrist flickered faintly.
Hermes held his breath, his eyes fixed on the chain.
He didn't dare look at the Mother Goddess's face, afraid that her cold gaze would instantly freeze him in place.
He recalled Athena's analysis of the Mother Goddess's habitual little movements, waiting for the opportunity—one in ten thousand.
Time passed bit by bit, each second like dancing on a knife's edge.
Finally, in the water curtain, it seemed Hades had finished his investigation and released the moment he had taken Aphrodite's wrist—Metis's pupils constricted almost imperceptibly, and the breath around her stirred.
Now!
Hermes moved!
His speed was extreme, as if he were directly integrated into the cracks of space.
A flicker, almost imperceptible, swept by, causing a faint, almost negligible breeze.
The next moment, he felt his hand sink, and the cold, heavy [Chain of Resolve] had already fallen into his hands!
Success?!
Hermes was ecstatic, but the fear was more boundless than the joy. He could almost imagine the Mother Goddess's vivid reaction in the next moment.
He didn't dare stop, or even look back to check. He increased his speed to its peak, transformed into a true running streamer, and panickedly ran towards the main hall of the King of Hades!
The moment his figure disappeared—
On the soft divan, Metis, who had originally been radiating cold anger, slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
The arc was fleeting, so fast it seemed an illusion.
She didn't even look in the direction Hermes had fled; her gaze was still fixed on the water curtain.
Her fingertips gently tapped the edge of the soft divan.
"He runs so fast... the little one."
On the other side, Hades had just finished communicating with Aphrodite (Thetis), preliminarily confirmed her condition, and was preparing to wander the earth a little.
A panicked streamer crashed onto the shore and stumbled to a stop before him.
"Father, Father, Father God! Here, take it!" Hermes's face was pale, and his hands trembled as he held out the [Chain of Resolve], which was still emitting a faint glow, as if he were holding a hot potato.
"The Mother Goddess... it seems she misunderstood! Think of something!"
Hades lowered his eyes and looked at the familiar chain in his son's hand. A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes, but then he recovered, his expression becoming calm and unfathomable.
He didn't take the chain immediately, but raised his eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce through the layers of space in the Underworld, stopping on the Queen of the Underworld, who was 'still angry' in the distant temple.
The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, an expression that could hardly be called a smile, more like helplessness and... indulgence.
"Misunderstanding?" Hades's voice was calm and unwavering, no emotion discernible.
"Where is the misunderstanding?"
Hermes was so agitated he nearly jumped: "You holding that beautiful god's hand! The Mother Goddess saw it! This chain... this chain was meant to be used for..."
"How is it used?" Hades interrupted him, his voice remaining level, and he reached out and took the cold chain.
The chain quieted in his hand, its light restrained, as if it were an ordinary thing.
He rubbed the cold clasp of the chain, his gaze distant.
"Hermes," he said lightly.
"Your mother is the goddess of wisdom."
Hermes was stunned for a moment, not understanding what the Father God meant.
Hades continued, his voice low and affirming, with unconditional trust:
"If she were truly angry, you wouldn't even be able to enter the gates of Hades."
"If she truly wanted to bind something, the one standing before me now would not be you, but herself."
"This chain..." He glanced at the object in his hand and casually set it aside, as if it were an insignificant ornament.
"...Perhaps it's just a way to remind me that it's time to go back."
He raised his eyes and looked again towards Metis's temple. This time, in those deep violet eyes, a clear, faint, almost elusive tenderness flickered.
"I will always trust my queen."
His voice was not loud, but like the laws of Hades themselves, with unchangeable firmness.
"Her wisdom, her choices, and... her heart for me."
Having said this, Hades ignored Hermes, who was stunned as if his worldview had been updated, and his figure slowly faded, heading straight for the Underworld temple.
He was going to 'calm down' his Queen of Hades, who was in a bit of a mood.
Leaving Hermes alone in the empty hall, he muttered to himself for a long time:
"...So my risking my life to upset the Mother Goddess was just... being used as a tool by the Mother Goddess?"
He scratched his head... and suddenly felt that the 'game' between the Father God and the Mother Goddess was too high-level, and that this little trick of his was really not worth interfering with.
He slipped away.
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