(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter Seven
Since the birth of the gods of the sky, sea, and mountains, it was as if a switch had been flipped. Gaia and Uranus married, and Nyx and Erebus also married. Unfortunately, after so many years, they still had no children.
Nyx, desperately wanting a child, was quite frustrated, and Erebus became the unfortunate victim of Nyx's depression.
"But you can't ask me why we can't have children!" Tartarus, who was passing the time by painting, was speechless at Erebus's question.
Looking at the expectant Erebus, Tartarus tightened his grip on his paintbrush. "What are you doing? Childbearing isn't his business. How would he know why you can't have children?" He closed his eyes, composed himself, and finally managed to resist the urge to throw his paintbrush at him.
"Brother, you have to help me! Nix said if I can't solve this problem, I can't go back." Erebus, kicked out by his irritated wife, had no choice but to seek help from his seemingly omnipotent brother, Tartarus.
Forced to suppress his anger, Tartarus stared at Erebus with icy eyes and said, word by word, "Eros is the god of love and fertility. You can go to him." Couldn't you be any more stupid? Don't go to him for every problem! He's not Baidu, and even if he knew the answer, he'd be too embarrassed to say it.
"Oh, right, Eros must have a way." Erebus suddenly realized, then noticed Tartarus's murderous gaze.
"Uh… well… brother, I'm going to find Eros. Goodbye." He hurriedly left, leaving Tartarus alone. He tried to suppress his anger, but finally couldn't resist breaking the pen in his hand. No one knows how they resolved this issue, but in the end, Nyx became pregnant as she wished, and a few months later gave birth to her first son—Ether, the goddess of the sky.
Ether, the goddess of the sky, is the soul of the world; all life originates from him, and he is also the purest heavenly air that the gods breathe.
Looking at the silver-haired infant in swaddling clothes with a hint of curiosity, this was the first time he had seen such a small child. The round, pale blue eyes were wide open, still moist, with a clear, pure depth. The way the baby stared intently at the god was incredibly cute, instantly touching his hidden soft spot.
He refused Nyx's suggestion to hold the child. His attributes were completely opposite to Ether's, and being too close would make the child uncomfortable. Even though Ether, as the child of Nyx and Erebus, was born with immense power, he was still too young; even if he restrained his power, he would still be affected.
Nyx, of course, understood this, and didn't seem bothered by Tartarus's refusal, simply recounting amusing anecdotes. Erebus, meanwhile, had been ordered by his wife to care for their son, but judging from his goofy fatherly demeanor, he was clearly quite happy to oblige.
Of course, Tartarus didn't forget to present Aether with a gift: a defensive necklace, also imbued with Tartarus's protection to allow Aether to move freely in the Abyss.
He had actually considered giving her a longevity lock, a beautiful symbol of happiness and good fortune, and also a blessing for the child. But then he thought better of it; there was no such custom here, and a lock would just look odd, making the whole scene inappropriate.
Upon hearing the news of Aether's birth, Uranus couldn't sit still. His position as king of the gods was rather stifling. The existing deities were either the five primordial gods beyond his control, or his own siblings born at the same time, whom he felt awkward about interfering with. The only beings he could truly control were the other living beings. But this meant his title of King of the Gods was merely nominal. His innate thirst for power made him unwilling to accept this, yet he was powerless to change it. Now he finally found a solution: to create a host of gods to govern them, and more children meant more fighting power.
Uranus was a king, and kings generally possess a suspicious nature, and Uranus was no exception. Although Tartarus hadn't even managed the land he created, spending all his time in the temple and rarely venturing out, and Erebus and Nyx only wreaked havoc in the underworld, seemingly posing no threat, it didn't stop three of the five creator gods from residing there. Eros, the god of love, and his brother Pentheus were also objects of his vigilance and suspicion; of course, you could say he was wary of all the male gods and the goddesses who weren't on his side.
Hmm, with another evolution, he could become the first god in history to suffer from paranoia—a truly historic breakthrough.
Therefore, in conclusion, it's not surprising that Uranus wanted children. He couldn't have children before, but now he saw hope.
However, Gaia was different from Nyx. As a free-spirited and independent queen (a tomboy), she didn't have any of the typical female desire for children. She didn't hate them either; she simply didn't care about having children.
Okay, actually, Gaia just didn't want to raise children. For some reason, the gods of the sky, sea, and mountains were born as adults, but Aether had a long growth period of a hundred years. Gaia didn't have Nyx's patience to spend a hundred years raising a child.
Yes, predictable family conflicts ensued. Fortunately, it wasn't a major issue; after a few arguments, the two gods reconciled. Under Uranus's persuasion, Gaia began to look forward to having her own child and eventually voluntarily sought Eros's help.
Kudos to Uranus! As expected of the god-king appointed by the laws of the gods, his eloquence alone is remarkable.
Eros, of course, agreed when his sister asked for help. After seeing the adorable Aether, he was also looking forward to having more nieces and nephews; children are just so cute!
Seeing how much Eros loved children, Gaia jokingly suggested that he help take care of the kids in the future. Unsurprisingly, Eros happily agreed, easily passing the burden to his younger brother.
Truly, they are a perfect match; Gaia, your persuasive skills with the gods are equally impressive!