(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter Twenty-Four
Uranus was dethroned, and Cronus ascended to the throne. A new dynasty brought new atmosphere, and extravagance began to prevail. This wasn't to say Uranus was frugal, but rather to illustrate just how wasteful Cronus was.
Gold ornaments, gold tableware, gold... even the patterns on his clothes were embroidered with gold thread, a dazzling expanse of gold so bright it was almost unbearable to look at.
The taste of this second-generation god-king was truly worrying.
Tartarus actually had a lot of complaints about Cronus, or rather, the gods of the underworld all had a lot of complaints about Cronus.
The reason was simple: firstly, Cronus imprisoned him in the abyss without Tartarus's consent, without even sending anyone to inform him.
In contrast, the gods of the underworld were stunned. Even Gaia, the goddess of the earth, had sought Tartarus's permission before imprisoning Uranus. Could Cronus compare to Gaia?
This directly led to all the gods treating Tartarus with extreme caution for a period of time, leaving Tartarus somewhat amused and exasperated.
He was indeed somewhat displeased with Cronus's actions, but not particularly angry. He wasn't worth bothering with such a trivial matter; it was simply that everyone was overthinking things.
Of course, that wasn't the key point. The key point was that Cronus had wiped out the original human race and created a new one.
This might seem unrelated to the underworld, but don't forget, the underworld is where humans are reincarnated. Now, the problem becomes serious.
The original humans were golden humans, created by Chaos during creation. They had long lifespans, were few in number, and hardly any died each year. Their reincarnation could be easily managed in their spare time. But now, these silver humans...
Heh... shorter lifespans, more people... well, you know how it is.
Tartarus was incredibly grateful he'd handed over the management of Hell to his younger siblings early on. Otherwise, he'd be the one constantly busy. After so many years of being bored to death, suddenly being busy was a nightmare. Just look at Erebus and Nyx to see how miserable they were.
And the consequence of being too busy was that they hadn't noticed Hemera's strange behavior.
Speechless, Tartarus looked at Hemera, who had gone out for a stroll and returned terrified by the scene of Cronus destroying humanity. He truly didn't know what to say.
"Haven't you seen human sacrifices before?" In this era where humanity's faith in the gods was at its most devout, human sacrifices were commonplace. Therefore, Tartarus couldn't understand why Hemera was still so terrified after witnessing such cruel and bloody acts.
"It's impossible to compare! Only a few people died in the sacrifices, and many of them were volunteers. But to destroy all of humanity—that's going too far!" Hemera's pale face, already pale with shock, flushed slightly with anger. Her tone was indignant, completely unaware of how abnormal it was for a god to say such things.
"Hemera, you are a god. What do humans have to do with you? And from what stand do you speak these words?" Tartarus's usually indifferent tone was unusually stern.
Hemera looked up in astonishment, meeting Tartarus's eyes. His beautiful, blood-red eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow, carrying a cold indifference honed over millions of years, sending a chill down one's spine. "But I used to be…" Hemera's voice was hurried, trembling slightly without her even realizing it.
"But you're not now, Hemera. A thousand years have passed. What are you still hoping for?" Tartarus coldly interrupted Hemera.
The lives of gods are too long, while those of humans are too short. Time is the cruelest thing, changing everything beyond recognition. If she weren't unwilling to face reality, how could she still cling to the mindset of someone who is still human?
Don't talk about upholding one's true self no matter what. Enduring the endless time of a god with a human mindset can only lead to destruction.
Going back? Even if she could go back, it would require an ability. A thousand years have changed too much. Even if Hemera herself didn't want to admit it, she couldn't deny this fact. Now, even if she could truly travel back in time, she couldn't find her former state of mind.
Clinging to the past, unwilling to let go, unwilling to face the present, is almost tantamount to destroying the future with her own hands.
As if all pretense had been ripped away, and she could no longer deceive herself, Hermera's lips moved a few times but no sound came out. Finally, she could only kneel helplessly on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. The icy chill seeped into her skin, but it couldn't compare to the coldness that came from the depths of her heart.
She was indeed human before, but that was all. Never before had she been so acutely aware that she could never go back.
No matter how carefree, no matter how heartless, suddenly arriving in a strange world, no matter how normal she appeared on the outside, how could she not feel panicked inside?
The things she knew first were always the hardest to let go of. She missed her ordinary family and friends, she missed her small but warm home… but every time she woke up, she was still greeted by the exquisitely decorated temple.
Here, nothing familiar existed, no moral code she subscribed to. She had once played with the gods of Tethys as they executed a human who had simply stumbled upon the land. Even Themis, the goddess of justice, saw nothing wrong with it; that detached indifference chilled her to the bone. Or perhaps it shouldn't be called indifference; after all, who would care about the death of an ant? In the eyes of these gods, humans were probably no better than ants.
Many similar small incidents occurred. From initial disbelief to a touch of pity, she had unknowingly changed so much, so much that it terrified her, fearing that one day she would become someone she no longer recognized.
Occasionally, she would gaze absently at her reflection in the mirror: radiant golden hair, snow-white skin, and exquisitely beautiful features—a divine beauty she had never dared to dream of in her previous life.
But… this appearance wasn't hers, and this world wasn't hers. That deep sense of alienation never truly disappeared.
From quiet sobs at first to a heart-wrenching, unrestrained weeping, Tartarus watched calmly from the sidelines. Only he knew that he was seeing his past self reflected in Hemera.
To rise from human to god—what an incredible opportunity! But would you trade everything from your past for it?
Unlike Hemera, who unknowingly entered Nyx's womb and became the goddess of daylight without any hardship, allowing her to deceive herself and escape reality, he could not.
Either achieve godhood through endless loneliness and pain, or fail and vanish into the world. Only after countless transformations, completely abandoning his past, did he finally meet the requirements of being the god of the abyss. Whether forced or voluntary, it was meaningless. The feeling of having everything severed from him was indescribable—was it pain or relief? Tears streamed down his face, his soul trembled violently, yet his heart was strangely calm. From the moment he awoke from the chaos, he was simply Tartarus, the god of the abyss. There's nothing unfair about it; you get what you pay for, and equivalent exchange is an unchanging truth. As the god of the abyss, closest to chaos, how could he not possess a corresponding state of mind?
Gazing at the weeping Hemera, Tartarus's expression was inscrutable.
"Cry, cry your fill. Then you'll have no more illusions. Even the most unwilling reality must eventually be faced. Isn't it better to face it sooner rather than later, when it's too late to regret?"
Chapter 24