(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter Thirteen
The girl, with her delicate features, now appeared extremely disheveled. She had narrowly avoided flying fragments of rock, her movements no longer as agile as before, clearly exhausted. Although it was merely an illusion, it possessed a near-realistic sensory quality. The raging flames spread wildly, bringing unbearable heat. Sweat dripped from her pale face, quickly evaporating into a wisp of white mist. The girl had exerted all her strength, yet she still couldn't completely escape the lurking dangers, and could only let her clothes be stained crimson with blood.
Emerging from the illusion, the fear still lingered in her heart. Fortunately, Hermella had adapted to the feeling over time and soon recovered.
The most regrettable thing is not failing completely, but almost succeeding. It's like someone who scores 20 or 30 on a test feels nothing, while someone who scores 59 feels extremely frustrated.
Hemera, who was so close to completing the illusion, was now filled with frustration. It meant she would have to enter the illusion again at least once more. The word "immersive" sounded nice, but in this situation, it wasn't so pleasant. "Your Majesty, did you have to make the illusion so perfect?!" she thought.
"Continue once you've recovered," Tartarus said.
"I just came out of the illusion." "So please don't make me go back in so soon, Your Majesty! You're so cruel! Don't you know what a balance of work and rest is?"
"Go in yourself, or should I throw you in?" Tartarus remained unmoved by Hemera's accusing gaze, demonstrating with his actions that he truly was ruthless, and showing his unwavering resolve to use force to suppress her.
"Which of Tethys and the others are as miserable as me?" This referred to Gaia's daughters, six of the twelve Titan goddesses.
"So you can take on all three of them by yourself." No pain, no gain. Those Titan goddesses who only know how to play and frolic all day are utterly defeated by Hemera, who has been tempered in the illusion. One against three is no exaggeration.
"Besides, this is your own choice. You can choose not to go."
Hemera, unable to resist the temptation of delicious food, was momentarily speechless, then declared righteously, "Giving up halfway is wrong. I won't do that."
"Oh."
-_-///Your Majesty, could your expression of regret be any more obvious? You just want me to give up so you don't have to cook, right? Could you be any lazier? Hemera silently complained in her heart.
"Huh? Where did these flowers come from?" Hemera hadn't noticed them before, but now she discovered these flowers that weren't there before. The rich life force definitely wasn't something flowers growing in hell would possess.
"Gaia brought it. She just came by." He also took a scythe he had cursed, but he didn't plan to tell Hemera about it.
"What happened?" Hemera was curious. For the Earth Goddess to come to Hell, it couldn't be a small matter.
"Uranus's temper is getting increasingly volatile. Recently, he even imprisoned his six newborn children—three Cyclopes and three Hecatoncheires—back inside Gaia's womb."
"Imprisoned them?! They're born and can be imprisoned again!"
"What's so surprising? The Earth is Gaia's true form; of course she can imprison them."
These original gods were actually incarnations of the fundamental elements that make up the universe. Their bodies were merely condensed from the laws of nature. That's why they weren't worried when Eros destroyed his body. If Eros hadn't accidentally injured his soul, he wouldn't even have needed to stay in the Mirror of Life; he could have simply condensed a body directly, although it would have taken longer. But time is the one thing gods don't lack. "…Wait, I remember the Abyss is your true form, Your Majesty."
Tartarus froze for a moment, then regained his composure. It was clear he wasn't entirely willing to face this fact. He looked at Hemera with a half-smile. "Yes, how does it feel?"
"…" Not so much.
Hell was created from the Abyss, and she was currently in Hell. The thought of standing on top of someone else's true form was a truly unsettling feeling.
"…Your Majesty, please continue."
"Uranus's actions went too far, and Gaia is very dissatisfied."
"So Princess Gaia came to ask for your help." Hemera felt she had grasped the truth.
"No."
"?…Then why?"
"She simply wanted to confirm one thing. She will handle those matters herself; no one needs to interfere."
Even in the face of immense pain, Gaia would choose to end it all herself, never running away. This was her pride as the Earth Goddess, one of the five primordial gods. "I don't understand." Hemera was bewildered. She heard each word clearly, but the combination was incomprehensible. "Your Majesty, could you please explain it in simpler terms?"
"Never mind if you don't understand. It's none of your business anyway." Without giving Hemera a chance to argue, he added casually, "You've stalled long enough. It's time for training. Are you going in yourself, or should I throw you in? Don't make me say it a third time."
Her purpose had been discovered. Hemera reluctantly entered the illusion. She didn't want to be thrown in; Tartarus was absolutely capable of such a thing. She'd better just go in on her own.
He easily diverted Hemera's attention. Knowing too much isn't always a good thing. Actually, he shouldn't have said those things in the first place; he had indeed lost his composure.
The Gaia he remembered was always proud and radiant, her smile flamboyant and alluring. This worried and hesitant look was something he had never seen before.
Gaia came to Hell to find him only because she still harbored a sliver of hope. Now, with all illusions shattered, the resolute look in Gaia's eyes as she left spoke volumes about her choice.
Therefore, she ultimately took the scythe he had cursed. Weapons capable of harming a god-king were rare, but Gaia could forge them herself. She did this to further solidify her decision.
Chapter 13