(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 111
Hera was crippled?! Σ( ° △°|||)︴
Hermera's expression went blank upon hearing the news. After regaining her senses, her first reaction was to turn to Eris beside her.
If she remembered correctly, Eris seemed to have considered crippling Hera 233333333333333
Hermera: (⊙o⊙) I choose death [dead-eyed look.jpg]
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't cripple Hera." Eris smiled gently at her sister, who was staring at her in terror, and denied it.
"...Oh." After a moment of silence, Hermera nodded reluctantly, trying to convince herself to believe Eris.
"Eris didn't do this. She has absolutely nothing to do with it. Eris is a kind and gentle girl…" What a load of rubbish!
"It really wasn't me. I swear in the name of His Majesty Tartarus." Eris denied being a suspect again.
Eris spoke with unwavering conviction because she truly wasn't responsible for Hera's downfall.
Although she had indeed helped a certain ambitious goddess a little. ╮(╯▽╰)╭
"I believe you." Hermera's tone was sincere this time.
Eris was a die-hard Tartarus fan, a textbook example of a devoted admirer. Since she swore an oath to Tartarus, there was no need to worry about the veracity of her words, even if such casual remarks had no binding force on her.
Hermera and Eris's daily debate about "trust" came to an end. Athena and Artemis, who had come to the Underworld for similar reasons, took their leave.
"Are we going back so soon?" Hermes was a little reluctant; she still loved Athena and Artemis very much.
"Such a terrible thing happened to Olympus, how could we not go back?" Athena spoke with a smile, but her expression was somewhat grave.
Hera had been the queen of the gods for so many years, wielding considerable power. Her children weren't exactly innocent either, and who knew what trouble they might cause? With the queen's position currently vacant, ambitious goddesses would definitely make their moves, and the divine realm was bound to be in turmoil for a while.
Artemis didn't speak, but nodded in agreement.
"Alright then," Hermes understood their concerns, "Talisa, Narcissus, you see the two princesses off."
Giving them the opportunity to bid them a hearty farewell, Hermes felt like a truly enlightened and kind elder.
Thinking about it, could she start preparing her dowry or betrothal gifts now? The thought was making her a little excited. [Thinking.jpg]
"Yes, Mother Goddess." Tarasa smiled, accepting her mother's kindness.
"Yes, Your Highness." The water nymph, forced to change her name to "Little Narcissus" to match Ganymede's nickname "Little Aquarius," responded in unison.
"Your Highness Hermera, although I am a water nymph, I am really not called Little Narcissus. I have a name, so could you please not call me by that name that reminds people of Narcissus, that narcissistic woman?" [Indifferent.jpg]
It seems the Goddess of Daylight is still happily strolling along the path of amusing children today~~~*^_^*
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Not only the two gods visiting the Underworld, but all the other Olympian gods who received the news, whether they were having a blast in the mortal realm or indulging in some other way, hurriedly returned. Meanwhile, the gods currently on the Holy Mountain quietly found a place to stay, to avoid getting into trouble.
Hera's deposition, besides the gods involved, was most heartbreaking and infuriating to her mother, Rhea, the goddess of time.
#What to do when your own son deposed your daughter from her position as queen of the gods? Need help online, urgent!#
The sounds of a heated argument faintly drifted from the temple, finally ending with a single sentence from Zeus:
"Mother Goddess, I am the true king of the gods."
Silence followed.
Zeus undoubtedly respected Rhea, but that didn't mean he would change his decision because of her.
Rhea's face paled, staring incredulously at her young son, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
The words had been spoken; staying any longer wouldn't change anything. In the silence, Rhea remained silent for a moment, then turned and left.
"Mother Goddess, I'll take you back." Seeing Rhea's reaction, Zeus regretted his harsh words and quickly followed, speaking with a hint of remorse.
"No need, I can go back myself. No need for Your Majesty the King of Gods to trouble yourself." Rhea coldly rejected Zeus's offer to escort her, her face icy as she strode out of the King's Palace.
Left behind, Zeus stood at the temple entrance, a bitter smile on his face. After watching his mother leave, he reluctantly returned to the palace.
He didn't actually want to anger his mother, but he had truly reached his limit. He was, after all, the King of Gods. Being constantly teased and contradicted by Hera—where did that leave his dignity as the King of Gods? And although he had deposed Hera from her position as Queen of Gods, Hera was still one of the twelve Olympian gods, a position of great prestige. Even if her status wasn't as transcendent as before, she wouldn't be looked down upon by anyone. Zeus felt he had already done more than enough.
The onlookers: More than enough?
We just smiled and remained silent. ╭(￣▽￣)╮
Passing by the Temple of the Queen of the Gods, Rhea was slightly lost in thought before remembering that Hera had moved away. She resumed her steps, the ever-bright sunshine of the sacred mountain bathing her, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the goddess's heart.
Admittedly, Zeus was Rhea's favorite child, but that didn't mean she didn't love her other children. How could Rhea not be heartbroken by what had happened?
And…
"Mother Goddess, I am the King of the Gods."
"Rhea, I will always be the King of the Gods."
Two similar yet different sentences echoed repeatedly in her ears, their shared coldness chilling Rhea to the bone.
It seemed it had always been this way; she could do nothing, no god could save her. She was powerless when Cronus swallowed her children, and now, with Hera deposed, she was still helpless.
If she had never become Queen of the Gods, so be it. A queen of the gods, rejected and deposed, even if still a chief god, what good could her fate be? How much could she truly protect Hera?
Besides, what wound in this world can hurt more than a wound in the heart?
"Mother Gaia, I think I understand your feelings a little better," Rhea murmured to herself, her voice so low it was almost indistinct even to herself.
Whether it was Gaia or Rhea, the gods who held the highest power in the divine realm changed one after another, but in truth, their status never changed.
Born noble, one of the five primordial gods, one of the twelve Titan chief gods, and possessing the glory bestowed upon them by the God-King himself—Gaia forced the God-King to be powerless against his wife's infidelity, and Rhea's status remained unchanged through two generations of God-Kings. No one was more deserving of the title "Heaven's Chosen Daughters."
But…
No matter how noble their status, how revered by the gods, there are always things they are powerless to change. They can influence many things, but they have no direct say in intervening.
The God-King?…The God-King's wife?…The God-King?…The God-King's mother?…
Slight differences draw the line between influence and decision.
She remembered a question she had once asked the Mother Goddess.
"Mother Goddess, are you well now?"
"Very well," the Earth Mother, seated on her throne, replied gently yet majestically, "and also not well."
Of course she was well; how could the Earth Goddess, revered by both gods and men, not be well?
Of course she wasn't well; how could a mother whose countless children were either imprisoned in the abyss or embroiled in constant intrigue and conflict be well?