(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 115
"A Holy War?" Hermes was stunned. She seemed to have heard something incredible.
Don't tell her she wasn't actually in the original mythology, but an anime; that joke wasn't funny at all.
Hermes was in pain right now, a stomachache. Love and justice to protect the earth… just thinking about it made even the entire goddess feel terrible.
"How about… calling it a Gods' War?" Athena suggested hesitantly.
It was a war mainly fought by the warriors under the gods; calling it a Gods' War seemed a bit inadequate. It was just a name, it didn't matter what it was called.
"No, let's call it a Holy War, that's fine." Hermes appeared calm, but inwardly she was screaming.
She wasn't bothered by the name at all, you know? Our thinking is completely different, Athena, you know? [Sad.jpg]
Athena glanced strangely at Hemera, who seemed particularly unusual today. She said nothing; although they'd known each other for many years, they weren't exactly close enough to share everything.
"Athena, are you really going to wage a holy war?" Artemis asked, her brow furrowed, holding her teacup, her expression worried as she looked at her friend.
"This isn't something I can decide," Athena replied helplessly. If she could, she wouldn't want to fight a holy war. Who would want to create an enemy of the caliber of the three realm lords? She wasn't some crazy person who could only find satisfaction in courting death.
But she never had a choice.
Pallas's death worsened her relationship with the sea realm. Even with her grandparents' efforts to mediate, things remained lukewarm over the years. The underworld, traditionally aloof and exclusive, lacked the natural kinship with the sea realm to justify keeping her. The underworld would never risk offending Zeus to protect her, as the cost was simply not worth the potential gain.
The gods were always indifferent. The sea gods, romantic and tender even more so than the sea itself, were passionate yet ruthless. The underworld gods, forever displaying a cold exterior, reserved their tenderness only for themselves. The gods obeyed their king's commands, never acting without a sufficiently high reward. She had no choice.
To obey Zeus's commands, to be a submissive daughter, to do what he couldn't do as king, to eliminate threats and consolidate his rule—even though the mother goddess had merged with the father god, even though she was merely a goddess, Zeus would never truly trust her, never genuinely consider her a daughter, but only use her while remaining wary.
Zeus wasn't entirely without affection for his daughter; after all, her mother was his most beloved goddess, always had been. Before learning of the prophecy, she was also the child Zeus eagerly awaited. But the more guilt he felt, the less he wanted to face it. Residual feelings were repeatedly denied, leaving only a superficial, exploitative display of fatherly affection, as if only such cold treatment could prove anything.
Therefore, when Zeus sought to seize the underworld and the sea, he used her as his target, as usual, allowing her no refusal, no matter how unwilling he was.
"Father, you're quite the schemer," Artemis said coldly, her eyes filled with sarcasm.
Athena instigated the Holy War, Athena's Saints fought the battles, and if anything went wrong, Zeus could easily push Athena out as a scapegoat, getting away with nothing. That's no clever scheme.
While addressing Athena as "Father," Artemis's tone lacked any respect. Zeus's ruthlessness in allowing Hera to persecute her and her two children was unparalleled. Even before she was born, Artemis was already conscious. Having experienced such a fate, she had long since severed any ties to her father.
Over the years, she had used every means at her disposal, living a comfortable life—even enviable in the eyes of many outsiders. Only she knew the hardships she had endured. Having witnessed Athena's experiences, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Therefore, she granted Athena's request, specifically inviting Hemera and her daughter to her temple in the lower forest today. This allowed Athena to avoid Zeus's notice and, through Tarasa, inform the Underworld that she had no intention of antagonizing them, but was merely acting under Zeus's orders, hoping the gods of the underworld would not misunderstand.
Thalassa's eyes flickered slightly, accepting the hint. "Zeus has always been like this; all the gods know it. Try to think positively."
The gods of the underworld know the truth. Don't worry, the underworld won't hold a grudge against Athena.
Thalassa's words were a guarantee. She had no right to represent the underworld, but she knew the place where she grew up very well.
"Exactly, what's there to care about a father like that? It's not worth it at all." Hermera, who hadn't grasped the truth after hearing the whole thing, comforted the two goddesses she thought were "heartbroken by their father."
Having such a scumbag father is truly unfortunate. Their feigned indifference is heartbreaking. I must take better care of them. —by the overflowing maternal instincts of Hermera
Athena and Artemis, who weren't actually that sad: =_=… …Really… thank you for your concern.
"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me," Athena tried to explain.
"Look at you now, you've gotten so thin." Hermes held Athena's hand with a look of pity. Heaven knows how she could tell that the fierce goddess had lost weight from Athena, who had just given Ares a beating a few days ago.
"I've just been busy preparing for the Holy War," Athena said. So she really wasn't sad about her father's increasingly haggard appearance; you have to believe me, Princess Hermes.
"Hmm, I understand," Hermes said with a knowing look.
"..." Athena, no, you don't understand at all.
Artemis silently sipped her tea. She knew this would happen, which was why she said nothing—because it would be pointless.
"To minimize losses, I asked Hephaestus to forge 88 Saint Cloths. Each Saint Cloth corresponds to a constellation in the sky and can self-repair; it's also a test. Only those who obtain the Saint Cloth corresponding to their constellation can become true Saints..." Bathed in the loving and compassionate gaze of Hemera, the kind elder of Greece, Athena paused for a moment, then decisively changed the subject, launching into a long explanation of her pre-battle preparations and initial plans.
"Her Majesty's love is too heavy for me to bear," the war goddess, who had never backed down in battle against the enemy, said.
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to tell us this? After all, we are gods of the underworld; it's strange for us to be talking to you when war is about to break out." Unconsciously, Hemera tightened her grip on Athena's hand, which she was trying to subtly withdraw, her expression a mixture of gratitude and slight hesitation.
"Girl, you've really gone all out to the enemy! I feel unworthy of your trust, you know that?" What to do? She was so worried about Athena. Such a good girl, clearly heartbroken because of Father's heartlessness [lol], yet forcing a smile so Athena wouldn't worry [big lol], and now trusting her so much, even telling her this news [big lol]. If something happened, she would be devastated…
Thinking this, Hemera gripped Athena's hand even tighter.
Athena: …(ー_ー)!!
Your Highness Hemera, please don't do this, I won't take my hand back, okay?
"No, Mother Goddess, strictly speaking, you and Athena should be from the same realm." Just as the scene was about to veer into a melodramatic soap opera because of Hemera, Tarasa corrected her.
"…"
The atmosphere became awkward.
Forgive her lack of tact, but Tarasa, seeing Hemera's expression, knew her mother was again imagining some strange, incomprehensible thing. If her mother continued, Athena would definitely break down; Hemera was already unlucky enough, they shouldn't add to her burden.
Besides, Hemera truly deserved to be classified as a celestial being; she wasn't wrong.
The three realms of heaven, sea, and the underworld needed a standard for categorizing them, and that standard was attribute. By attribute, where could Hemera and Aether, with their light attribute, be placed? The underworld? Nobody believed it.
However, Nyx completely rejected this idea. What a joke! These were her eldest son and daughter; how could they work for Uranus? Cronus and Zeus were even less likely to be allowed.
No god dared to argue with Nyx on this point, so for many years, the affiliation of Hemera and Aether remained ambiguous. The King of the Gods dared not interfere, the King of the Underworld could not interfere, and even their only daughter, the sea goddess Tarasa, remained in the Underworld after reaching adulthood, not reporting to the Sea Realm.
The whole family was an entity left to the loop, which was quite something.
"No, I am the God of the Underworld, my whole family are the Gods of the Underworld, His Majesty has recognized me, how could I not be?" Hemera declared, refusing to listen. "I am the God of the Underworld, so what? Come and fight me if you dare!"
"His Majesty Tartarus only recognizes you as a god of the Underworld, not the God of the Underworld itself," Tarasa stated firmly, showing no respect for her mother.
Even within the same faction, there's a difference between family members and regular employees, okay? Mother Goddess, don't try to change the subject! "I don't care, I don't care," Hemera continued her unreasonable tantrum. "Artemis, tell me, am I the god of the underworld?"
Artemis, suddenly called upon, paused for a moment, then replied with an ambiguous "Oh."
Whether the god understood what she meant was a matter of interpretation.
"See, even Artemis agrees with me." Hemera's interpretation was exactly as the god expected, posing no challenge whatsoever.
"Oh," Tarasa replied expressionlessly.
Whatever makes you happy. [Indifferent.jpg]