(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 114
Persephone, just as Zeus had wished, was a gentle and virtuous queen. She never interfered with Zeus's philandering and never argued with his other wives. Even when gods who disliked Persephone caused trouble, they were annoyed by her attentive, smiling attitude, feeling as if they were punching cotton. For a time, the atmosphere on Mount Olympus was exceptionally harmonious.
As for what happened in private, that was something the public could not know.
"For so long, Hera hasn't caused any trouble?" Athena, who had taken some time to visit Eudora with Artemis after the controversy over the deposed queen subsided, looked somewhat puzzled.
When did Hera become so amiable? Shouldn't she have been causing a huge uproar?
"Probably... too busy." Tarasa looked up at the sky, a subtle struggle in her expression.
Who knew that Demeter's true love was Hera?
Knowing the truth, Artemis silently turned her head away. Her worldview was crumbling; she didn't want to speak.
No wonder Demeter, that doting father, was ultimately persuaded by Persephone to allow her daughter to marry Zeus, whom she considered the number one scoundrel. Besides being unable to resist her daughter, Hera was also a factor.
I wonder how devastated Hera will be when she learns the truth.
"The truth is always so unexpected, isn't it?" Tartarus, deep in the depths of Hell, also spoke of this matter.
He had been bored too much these past years to care about these love affairs. A hint of helplessness showed between his icy brows as Tartarus thought somewhat absentmindedly.
"Even the most unexpected truth is still within His Majesty's expectations," Eris said in her usual fanatical style.
"I wouldn't expect such a thing." He was just listening to pass the time; he wasn't really going to care about such gossip, and he wasn't that idle.
"Persephone is quite cunning, and her disguise is excellent. Even without Hera, the divine realm will likely be quite lively." Eris had a good opinion of Persephone.
At the time, he only lent a hand intentionally or unintentionally because he found it amusing. He hadn't expected Persephone to do it so well. Her small actions, even if discovered, wouldn't be considered evidence, yet they not only made Zeus consider deposing Hera and making her the next queen, but almost no god discovered her involvement in these events, simply assuming that Zeus was once again a scumbag and driven by self-interest.
Even Eris, with his divine authority, had to praise her for her accurate grasp of the gods' minds.
In contrast, Demenel, who had spent so many years trying to erase Hera's love for Zeus and ultimately had to resort to extreme measures, was certainly persistent enough, but lacked strategic thinking.
Of course, compared to other goddesses, this mother and daughter were no pushovers.
"The goddess of spring?" Tartarus's expression was somewhat distant. So much time had passed; he hadn't really taken those events to heart, and now he couldn't recall much, only some fragmented memories. "She was indeed not simple."
Especially with the natural disguise of being a "delicate goddess unskilled in battle," she was enough to make any god who underestimated her suffer a great loss.
"However, her strength was ultimately lacking." Eris's tone was slightly regretful, but her eyes remained cold.
No god was born a fool. The reason the Greek pantheon had so many gods who seemed to have no brains was because, in the rules of this pantheon, most of the time, birth and strength determined everything.
Wisdom only has meaning when the power of both sides is roughly equal. What does intelligence matter in the face of absolute power? The two most famous wise gods, Metis, the goddess of wisdom, and Prometheus, the prophet, both met tragic ends.
"So fortunately, although her IQ may not be as high as those gods with divine authority, her emotional intelligence is indeed quite high, and most importantly, she can endure." In Tartarus's view, in terms of "planning for others while ensuring her own safety," Persephone was indeed much better than other gods.
"Now that Your Majesty has mentioned it, I'm even tempted to help her," Eris chuckled. "I really want to see how far she can go."
"Then go help her. I've been wanting to know the answer to that question too," Tartarus said, his words full of encouragement.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"How is Nicol doing lately?" After discussing current affairs (?), Tartarus casually inquired about Amyr's situation. Since his younger sister went missing once, Tartarus realized he needed to keep an eye on his siblings occasionally, especially the carefree Nicole. Otherwise, if anything happened, he'd be the one to handle it.
His irresponsible father was nowhere to be found, having wandered off to who-knows-where. ╮(╯_╰)╭
Of course, Tartarus himself didn't keep an eye on anyone. He only occasionally asked a god who happened to be in the Abyss when he remembered.
After asking a few times, the ever-thoughtful and perceptive Eris took it upon herself to keep a close watch on the gods, proactively reporting back regularly—she was incredibly considerate.
"Her Highness, Ai Miye, has indeed been frequently missing lately. Due to insufficient strength, I cannot ascertain the specifics," Eris replied respectfully, her smile fading.
As it turned out, Eris's efficiency and abilities were formidable. Before long, she noticed something amiss. On the day Hypnos returned to the Underworld, Hemera casually mentioned to him that Amy was frequently missing, a phenomenon that, judging by the timeline, began shortly after she was found.
Tartarus, oblivious to everything, was unaware of this, but the ever-observant Eris noticed Amy's unusual behavior and immediately reported it to Tartarus. She then actively investigated the matter, but lacking the necessary strength, she had yet to find anything.
"Hmm, I understand," Tartarus said calmly after a moment's thought.
He had a feeling something he didn't want to see was about to happen. [Expressionless.jpg]
"Furthermore, Princess Gaia has been detached from worldly affairs for a long time. The administration of the earth has been handed over to Demeter, but because of Persephone's marriage to Zeus, Zeus has already seized some power. Princess Gaia recently sealed off the temples and entered a deep sleep, seemingly tacitly approving of this," Eris reported another matter. "The next step for the power of the earth will be the sea and the underworld," Tartarus said, his tone ambiguous.
He wasn't angry, just rather speechless. Everyone knew the underworld and the sea had rulers, and even the gods of the three realms couldn't all be accommodated. Without godhood, vying for power was useless; they just wouldn't listen and insisted on causing trouble everywhere. He was helpless.
"Every time things are like this, I think Uranus is actually quite good; at least he knows what's good for him," Tartarus could only conclude.