(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter Seventeen
"Don't you have any questions?" Tartarus spoke after the younger generation had left, instantly turning the relaxed atmosphere serious. Their last gathering had only been a short while ago; they wouldn't have come back so soon if something hadn't come up.
"Brother, what exactly happened between Gaia and Uranus?" Nyx asked hesitantly.
She and Gaia were the only two sisters, naturally closest. After learning about the events in the divine realm, she worried about her sister and immediately went to Earth to visit Gaia, only to be greatly angered by Gaia's words, leading to a bitter parting. After calming down upon returning, she noticed many suspicious points, but since Gaia had deliberately provoked her, she clearly didn't want her involved. Even if she asked, she wouldn't get any answers, and this matter was more than just marital discord as she had initially thought.
"Nyx, I told you long ago, don't meddle in the affairs of the gods."
"But Uranus…" Gaia and Uranus were both wrong, but human nature is biased. She naturally didn't think Gaia was wrong, but was only dissatisfied with Uranus's actions, seeing it as a provocation against all the Gatan gods.
Looking at his unwilling sister, Tartarus felt helpless. He felt that if he didn't stop Nyx, she would definitely drag Erebus along to cause trouble for Uranus. Could he possibly interfere in such matters? The Gatan gods were already under the watchful eyes of the laws; now, to interfere in the succession of the god-kings, even unknowingly, would absolutely lead to being schemed against and killed by the laws.
Tartarus felt he should say more, lest they bring trouble upon themselves. "The laws can no longer tolerate Uranus. He won't have an easy time even without your intervention." So you two shouldn't do anything that harms others without benefiting yourself. Let the laws deal with Uranus; the laws will be much more ruthless than you two.
"The Laws…" Nix and Erebus exchanged a surprised glance, clearly having never considered this possibility. The Laws' usual favoritism towards the gods had subconsciously led them to overlook it. But they weren't fools; having overcome their cognitive biases, what else was there to misunderstand?
The Laws' duty is to maintain the balance of the world, which means they won't allow overly powerful beings to disrupt that balance. The best way to prevent this is to eliminate them.
Tartaros lowered his eyes, a hint of irony flashing within them. It was laughable, wasn't it? Just for the sake of balance, even without doing anything, one could be eliminated simply for being too powerful. It was utterly absurd.
"Isn't this exactly how it was in the Greek mythology I read in my previous life? The first and second generation of god-kings were overthrown one after another. Of the five primordial gods, Eros perished, the three retreated to the underworld and were practically invisible, and Gaia, the only active one, gradually faded into obscurity after Zeus ascended to the throne. Even Zeus, the god-king, failed to grasp all the power that a god-king should have in the world, being checked and balanced by Poseidon and Hades. That's why he was able to remain the god-king for so long."
"Then what happened to Eros back then…" The two gods seemed to realize something, their expressions turning grim.
"He was lucky; he only lost his body. Last time was a warning. As long as he stays in seclusion and doesn't cause trouble, the laws of the world won't bother him anymore."
"Eros wouldn't be foolish enough to actually destroy his body, no matter how reckless he was. And since that actually happened, it can only be that the laws of the world intervened. First, because the propagation of the pantheon needs his power; second, to prevent him from vying for the throne."
After Chaos fell into slumber, the highest-ranking beings were the five primordial gods. Goddesses were not qualified to become god-kings, so Gaia and Nyx were excluded. He himself possessed the "Chaos" divine office inherited from Chaos, making it impossible for him to assume the throne. Erebus, with his pure dark attributes, was unsuitable for god-king and lived in seclusion in Hell. Considering their contributions to Chaos's creation of the world, the laws of nature spared them, as long as they didn't interfere in matters of life and death like the succession of god-kings. The laws turned a blind eye.
Eros, however, was different. His attributes were perfectly suited, and he had always lived on Earth. Furthermore, he was a free spirit who loved excitement. Even if he truly had no desire for the throne, the laws still targeted him. Losing his physical body, however, was undeniably a stroke of luck.
Tartarus's answer left the two gods feeling uneasy. Anyone would feel aggrieved to be schemed against simply because they were too powerful, having done nothing wrong, let alone proud gods.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Tartarus found the two gods' rare expressions of grievance somewhat amusing. "Why put on this act? It's just a retreat from the world. You weren't the type to be obsessed with power anyway, so this doesn't really affect you much."
"But are voluntary and forced the same?" Nyx complained, looking dejected. Erebus nodded in agreement.
"It's better than Uranus, isn't it?" Tartarus comforted them.
"Uh...that's true." Thinking of the impending tragedy of Uranus, the two gods' expressions finally improved a little. It's true that when you're down on your luck, seeing others suffer more makes you feel more balanced; we could call it schadenfreude.
"How about trying my tea?" Tartarus changed the subject, having said what needed to be said, resolved his younger siblings' questions, and made sure they wouldn't do anything reckless. He had no interest in playing deep with them; comforting people was truly his forte.
"Okay." No longer dwelling on those worries, Nix replied with a smile, starting to talk about everyday things to ease the atmosphere. However, the lingering tension from earlier still remained, until Hemera and Ether returned, soaking wet.
"Hemera, you've been naughty again." Nix frowned at his daughter. It wasn't that she favored her son, but Hemera had too many past offenses.
"I was just fishing."
"Fishing? You think you're fishing yourself?" Looking at her soaking wet, Erebus didn't believe fishing could produce such a state.
"I really was fishing." Hemera looked aggrieved.
"What about the fish?"
"We didn't catch any, so my brother and I went to have a water fight, otherwise it would have been too boring."
"You're the only one who's bored." Nix rolled her eyes at her daughter. She finally understood how they'd gotten themselves into this mess. She didn't need to ask; it was definitely Hemera's idea again.
After eavesdropping for a while, Tartarus finally couldn't help but speak up, "Hemera, there are no fish in the Abyss." To be precise, there are no animals in the Abyss at all.
"Huh? Really?" Hemera was a little stunned. Had she accidentally played dumb again, and even tricked her brother in the process?
Aether silently lowered his head. He'd wondered why something felt off; there were no fish at all. No wonder they'd been fishing for so long without catching anything.
"It's all because it's too dark here." Hemera resolutely refused to admit it was her fault.
"Don't make me remind you, you grew up in hell, and you're the goddess of daylight."
Hemera, you idiot, don't tell me you grew up in this dark environment and aren't used to it. Besides, as the goddess of daylight, is it difficult to illuminate a small area with your divine power? Even if you're being stupid, there's a limit.