(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter 31
Eros originally intended to go to the abyss, but Hemera, when questioned, told him the entrance was, of course, the one she used most often—the one carved into the cliff face.
So…
Destination: The Abyss (√)
Entrance Location: An unnamed cliff in Hell (√)
Item: One-time use key (not equipped)
It wasn't that Hemera hadn't reminded Eros that a key was needed to open the entrance; rather, Eros was being reckless again.
He just threw the key away! Throw it away! Throw it away!
Then, relying on his superior strength and near-immortality, he jumped off, ostensibly to explore the bottom of the cliff to satisfy his curiosity.
And then…
Swallowing hard, sweating profusely, Eros took a step back, staring at the bizarre, strangely shaped creatures of varying sizes and colors, their nature unknown. A chill ran down his spine.
Although it does look like a snake, but…
Looking to the left, having many heads and many tails is understandable, but those coils that look like heads and tails growing together are a challenge to even a god's tolerance.
Looking to the right, well, he takes back what he said earlier. A snake with only tails and no heads is even more unbearable for a god. So how did this snake, which can't eat, survive? He's completely baffled.
Glancing at his feet, Eros wanted to cry. Sister Nix, I'll never mind the strange colors of your culinary disasters again; this is truly bizarre!
He finally understood how the goddess had felt when he scared her with a snake. He wanted to cry too. Eros swore he would apologize to her next time he saw her.
Uh… what was that girl's name again, Aphrodite?
Okay, now's not the time to think about that. He should be thinking about how to get out of this hellhole, but… this place is really terrifying!!!
"So that's why you forgot you're actually a god?" Tartarus asked Eros afterward. Tartarus genuinely didn't understand why Eros, who usually teleported everywhere, couldn't think of this method at a crucial moment—he was practically on par with Hemera.
"Finally found a god even dumber than me." Hemera, always the negative example due to her past embarrassing history, felt a sense of relief.
"So you finally admit you're really stupid, right?" This was Charon, who always found an opportunity to mock Hemera.
"Denise, let me tell you..."
The best way to deal with Charon was to ignore him. After countless arguments with her brother, Hemera had come up with this conclusion.
Ignored, Charon felt utterly lonely. He was just bored and wanted to argue with a god, but even this hobby was stifled. How was he supposed to live like this? (What a bizarre hobby!)
Silently watching the two chatting animatedly, oblivious to everyone else, and the one cosplaying a melancholic artsy youth gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle, Tartarus thought, "So, do you guys even remember today's topic is the three-way trial of Eros? Can you please not ruin the atmosphere, okay? And, going off-topic is wrong, you know?"
Tartarus casually pulled a book from the nearby bookshelf and opened it. Who cares about this? He didn't want to get involved anymore.
Eros didn't know whether to be thankful he'd escaped or indignant that the main character had been overshadowed by a supporting character. So he turned to Erebus and asked, "Second brother, am I really that stupid?"
Erebus silently turned his head, everything understood without a word.
Eros 〒_〒
"Being a little stupid isn't a big deal, look at me, I'm the same."
This method of comforting is excellent and powerful.
Hemera, it's truly remarkable that you could still pay attention to someone else's conversation while chatting with Denise. But is your method of comforting someone really effective? Self-deprecation is one thing, but please don't drag others down with you!
While Hemera's comforting words were unreliable, it proves that to be a truly worthy goofy kid, one must possess nerves as thick as a telephone pole, the ability to quickly recover from even the biggest setbacks, and a heart as resilient as clay. So, Hemera's comforting words… were actually effective??
Seeing Eros instantly become energetic and full of life, this was almost too effective!
Looking at Eros, then at Hemera and Charon, Tartarus seems to have discovered something.
Hemera and Charon, perfectly inheriting Eros's goofy and childish traits respectively, could you please not put the saying "like uncle, like nephew" into practice so well? While watching the three of you act foolishly together is entertaining, the trouble you've caused isn't just a simple matter of one plus one plus one equals three; it's completely not worth it. (Tartarus, who admits to being unaware of the cleanup, is someone else entirely.)
"Why are there such strange...uh...snakes?" Nyx voiced everyone's unspoken question.
Tartarus, under the gaze of the gods, leisurely turned a page of his book, and after whetting their appetites, uttered three words: "I don't know."
-_-# Are you kidding us? You're the Lord of the Abyss, and you don't know?
Tartarus genuinely didn't know. His activities were mostly confined to the vicinity of his temple. He probably knew less about Hell than his younger siblings did. Being the Lord of the Abyss didn't mean he had to know everything that happened there. How could he know what new creatures had appeared in Hell?
Therefore, Tartarus felt utterly innocent about the gods' suspicions. His aesthetic sense wasn't that bad, was it?
"I threw the failed experiments His Majesty told me to dispose of off the cliff," Denise said weakly. Yes, that's right, she used that place as a dumping ground.
"What are you doing here?" Charon remembered Denise, the flower spirit who always stopped him from doing this and that.
Denise looked back at Charon expressionlessly, without speaking. She also wanted to know why everyone present was from the temple while she, a flower spirit, was stuck here.
"None of you play with me," Hermera complained resentfully, also explaining why Denise was there.
In the early days, the number of gods was truly small. Although it had begun to rise rapidly in recent years due to the increasing number of married couples, it hadn't made much difference; the number of gods in Hell remained a pitifully small single digit. Tartarus, used to being a dazed god, didn't find it strange. Erebus and Nyx had been inseparable for hundreds of thousands of years, and the brothers Aether and Charon didn't seem lonely either. Only Hemera remained. Although Aether was willing to keep her company, the difference between a husband and a best friend was quite significant.
Hermere's resentment was so deep that Nyx had begun to consider having a few more children.
"Now that you mention it, Denise, I remember. I threw a few snakes down the cliff... normal snakes, the ones you used to scare me last time." Hemera finished speaking and glared fiercely at Charon.
The truth was revealed: the snakes Hemera threw had swallowed experimental failures of unknown effect, and perhaps with some environmental factors added, they mutated into those strange creatures that terrified Eros.
Truly, she was a good friend; she managed to trick Eros without any prior consultation.
The victim, Eros, said he just wanted some peace and quiet. Don't ask who "Quiet" was.
However, Eros was destined to be restless. Looking at Nyx's signature elegant smile, Eros realized he was indeed too saccharine. There were three gods here who could control him; if one didn't, there were still two others, right?
"Eros, we need to talk about why you haven't returned yet," Nyx said with a bright, dazzling smile.
"Sister Nyx, I've recovered," Eros said with a bitter face.
"It's wrong to avoid treatment... Uncle, you absolutely can't give up!"
Hermera paused before finally calling him "Uncle." She found the whole "address" thing unbearable. Damn it, how could an elder look almost her age? That's why she always called Tartarus "Your Majesty." Calling someone younger than herself "Uncle" was absolutely unacceptable.
As for Eros… well, being the youngest of five siblings, he was only slightly better off than Tartarus. His so-called maturity was only in comparison; his uncle was simply more of a headache.
Hermes was upset, but Eros was even more upset. He desperately wanted to say that he hadn't been avoiding treatment, nor had he given up on it… no, he wasn't sick at all! How could he explain to them that he had truly recovered, and that his forced rest was only to prevent any undiscovered hidden dangers? So please, stop making him sound like a seriously ill patient; he really wasn't sick.
Eros's protest was ultimately violently suppressed. Confined to his temple, Eros felt utterly miserable. He truly hated being locked up.
Chapter 31