(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 113
"The kings of the gods are getting worse with each generation." Leaning against her husband Erebus, Nyx's slender, jade-like fingers idly twirled a long strand of hair, a picture of languid ease on her face.
Erebus remained silent as always, subtly adjusting his position to make Nyx more comfortable.
"And each generation is more shameless than the last." Aether frowned slightly; naturally, she disapproved of Zeus's behavior.
Even the most shameless Greek gods wouldn't harm their own children. Over the years, there have been only two exceptions: Gaia initially acted out of necessity, and later, after being provoked, she either completely gave up or had developed a sense of indifference. Zeus and Persephone, on the other hand, were simply a case of Zeus having no moral compass whatsoever.
"Brother, don't frown~" Hemera complained, clinging to Aether's arm, though her tone was clearly pouting.
"Okay." The moment Hemera spoke, Aether, usually a doting brother and henpecked husband, immediately relaxed, his expression softening with tenderness and affection.
Naturally shifting his gaze away from the two couples displaying their affection, Tartarus, a god who adhered to the principle of singlehood, wasn't bothered by the spectacle, but amidst this sea of pink bubbles, he still felt a bit superfluous.
Actually, he really didn't enjoy being a giant third wheel. [Expressionless.jpg]
Eris maintained a gentle smile on her face, but inwardly she was seething with resentment. It was just too much of an eyesore!
So, having His Majesty Tartarus was enough. Father, Mother, and older siblings could all just disappear; she didn't need any of those things. [Gloomy face.jpg]
Eris looked at Tartarus, her feelings a mix of joy and resentment. She was happy to see His Majesty Tartarus, but she would be even happier if he looked at her.
"Your Majesty Tartarus, look at me! I'm prettier than all those flowers and grasses!" [Resentful.jpg]
That was true. Among Nyx's daughters, Eris was indeed among the most beautiful.
"With a new queen, isn't Zeus worried about the prophecies?" Hermes tilted her head, somewhat puzzled.
Don't tell her Persephone was Zeus's true love; that joke isn't funny at all.
"They probably thought that marrying Thetis off would break the prophecy, especially since Metis had already been swallowed, and Athena was just a goddess." Tartarus's words carried a hint of sarcasm. Every god-king was like this; he'd seen it all before, and he was tired of it.
"So Persephone was just lured away by Zeus like that? She's so naive and easily fooled," Hemera sighed with a touch of regret.
"There's nothing to regret. You might think Zeus is bad, but he might not think so. After all, Zeus is still the king of the gods," Nyx said casually. Persephone wasn't her daughter; whether she was good or bad was none of her concern.
Hearing her mother's words, Hermella felt somewhat helpless. Well, she always overlooked the fact that in this unrestrained world, being fickle wasn't a sin; not being fickle was the odd one out. Only the underworld was relatively clean, but even her brothers and nephews weren't all chaste, and some of her sisters frequently changed boyfriends, though generally their morals were acceptable.
As long as there was no marriage, and it wasn't forced, things were consensual, and the gods wouldn't interfere. Besides, those who were clearly in serious relationships but kept failing to find love were a different story.
So, the position of Queen of the Gods—of course, given Persephone's almost never-before-her-mother's innocent experience, it could also be love. Perhaps it could actually make Persephone overlook Zeus's scoundrel tendencies, and according to Hermella, quite a few goddesses vying for the position thought the same way.
"But Zeus is clearly trying to use Persephone," Hermella still felt somewhat resentful. How could he deceive a girl like that? Nyx smiled without speaking, lightly tapping his daughter's forehead with his fingertip. Of Zeus's many wives, which one didn't have a purpose? Hemera only saw Persephone; her naivety left Nyx speechless.
"Didn't you dislike the goddess of spring? Why are you now defending her?" Tartarus didn't think Hemera would have much affection for the seemingly delicate Persephone.
"I'm indifferent to Persephone, but I hate Zeus," Hemera said matter-of-factly.
"That reason gets full marks, don't be proud of it."
"You want to help her." Hemera's thoughts were written all over her face; Tartarus could tell at a glance.
"Of course, who knows if Zeus will ruin Persephone like he ruined Hera?" Hemera looked worried; heaven knows what she'd imagined that had caused her to overflow with sympathy.
"But Spring Goddess doesn't need your help at all," Tartarus said, as bluntly as ever.
"She has Demeter as her mother goddess, she doesn't need your concern," Nyx scoffed, completely unconcerned about whether he had shattered his daughter's fragile heart.
Of course, everyone knew that Hemera's heart was far from fragile.
In the past, Zeus needed a dignified queen goddess to maintain his authority, but now, with his rule consolidated, he only needed a noble, beautiful, and submissive figurehead.
Of course, while the new queen goddess didn't need to be particularly powerful or cunning, she at least needed to be able to handle the other jealous and restless goddesses. Persephone was rumored to be gentle but lacking in decisiveness, but she had a good mother goddess. Demeter used to be able to beat back any male gods who coveted her daughter, and even the king of the gods dared only act furtively. Now, she could eliminate any goddess who dared to harm her daughter.
Demeter was known for her fierceness and was favored by Gaia. Even if Zeus later disliked Persephone, he wouldn't mind keeping her as his queen, as it wouldn't prevent him from finding new lovers—it was a favor to Demeter.
"Alright, I was overthinking it," Hermes said listlessly, her head bowed.
She had been thinking of rescuing the beauty, but it turned out she didn't want her help at all, nor did she need it. Her unrequited love was utterly shameful.
He had intended to explain himself, but Nyx beat him to it, so Tartarus kept quiet to save himself the trouble.
Although his explanation was completely different from Nyx's, if he were to explain, the goddess of spring could handle everything herself, needing no help, and it had nothing to do with Demeter.
Chapter 113