(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 49
"I think Your Majesty, the reason you're so thin is entirely due to hunger." As she spoke, Hermera kept her eyes fixed on the grilled fish Tartarus had only taken a bite of, her meaning clear.
Gods don't need food to survive, but very few actually abstain from food like Tartarus.
"Brother, is my grilled fish not good?" Ai Miye asked, puzzled. It shouldn't be like this; she had clearly grilled it very carefully today, especially her brother's. Could it be that her skills had deteriorated because she hadn't cooked for a while? But to her, it tasted the same as before… Ai Miye was unknowingly overthinking things.
"No, it's delicious. It's my own fault; you don't need to worry about it," Tartarus comforted her.
Tartarus suffered from anorexia, a severe case of anorexia, a condition he carried over from his previous life. He didn't want to recall how he developed this ailment.
"Hmm, Aunt, you really don't need to worry about it. Actually, this is the first time I've seen His Majesty eat anything. At gatherings before, everyone else, even if they weren't very well-off, would at least have some snacks. But His Majesty doesn't eat anything; he just drinks tea on the side, and sometimes he doesn't even drink tea, just holds a cup of water and sips it slowly. Do you know how antisocial he is? And he even..."
Foodies and anorexics probably can never understand each other's thinking. After several unsuccessful attempts to sell Tartarus, Hemera had been holding back her complaints. Today, she finally got the chance to speak, and she couldn't stop for a while.
"Sister, you've been talking for so long, stop and have some water first," Eris's sweet, soft voice rang out, with a gentle smile and a concerned tone, interrupting Hemera.
"Thank you." Hemera, unsuspecting, took a large gulp of water, having the honor of experiencing her father's feelings just now—a heightened version. The specially prepared, colorless, odorless, high-concentration chili water was extremely potent.
She still wore that sweet, gentle smile, even with a touch of innocent, rabbit-like shyness, but behind her lurking black mist and blooming black lilies.
Eris, half her face shrouded in shadow, menacingly declared: Anyone who dares to complain about His Majesty Tartarus, even her own sister, will not be spared.
Yes, Eris was a fanatical, die-hard Tartarus fan, the kind made entirely of pure 24K gold.
Overwhelmed by the spiciness, Hemera grabbed a cup without thinking and gulped it down.
Tarasa, whose cup was snatched: ...
Even her daughter's cup? Mother Goddess, you've gone too far! Should I say, "Thank goodness I haven't drunk from it yet?"
Silently staring at the empty table in front of her for three seconds, Tararasa got up, grabbed another cup, and filled it herself, completely acting as if nothing had happened. "I really am a good daughter who spoils her mother." —by Tarasa
"So this has become a habitual indulgence. Which of you is the mother and which is the daughter?"
Tarasa: "Is it my fault? It's not my fault."
Hemera: "Okay, it's my fault."
With a miserable expression, Hemera looked at Eris, who seemed as innocent and adorable as a little rabbit, with teary eyes.
"Innocent and adorable my foot! This is a man-eating rabbit!"
"Eris, how could you treat me like this? What happened to the most basic trust between gods?"
"I ate it." Eris answered without any remorse.
"Eris, you've gone bad, do you know that? Give me back the obedient and adorable little girl I used to know!!" Hemera was indignant.
Sometimes, divine roles are a very serious matter. Take Eris, the goddess of discord, for example. She was originally such a sweet and adorable girl, but with a little guidance, she veered off into a cunning and ruthless direction, impossible to pull back. This news was truly terrible for Hemera.
Therefore, Hemera was extremely distressed. Most of the gods around her were outwardly wicked, but inwardly they were equally wicked. Before, she had a cute little sister to comfort her, but now even Eris had turned wicked. Life was unbearable.
Okay, actually, there weren't many cunning people in the Underworld to begin with, but because they were within the realm of cunning, to avoid being cunning themselves, they had to cunning others. Thus, the cycle continued, and the number of cunning people in the Underworld grew, and grew...
However, while everyone else was evolving, Hemera, as a native resident of the Underworld who grew up from childhood, maintained her naive and innocent style for thousands of years, remaining remarkably consistent.
So, who else should she cunningly cunningly cunn to, Hemera (the naive and innocent) comrade?
Feeling emotionally wounded, Hemera, while berating Eris, sought comfort from her brother and husband. Ether, with a helpless yet affectionate pat on the head, created a scene of pink bubbles that dazzled the onlookers.
Hermera was one thing, but Ether, you're something else entirely! It's truly shocking! Even the god-considered model couple, Erebus and Nyx, weren't this clingy. Is this a case of the student surpassing the master? (Is this sentence a bit off?)
Showing affection in public—thankfully, there aren't any FFF groups here.
A true hero dares to face the harsh realities of life, dares to confront the dripping blood, and dares to face their own unreliable parents, one overt and one covert. Kudos to the truly brave Tarasa, who remained completely calm after witnessing the whole thing.
After tricking her sister, Eris obediently poured a glass of water for each god, her sweet smile melting hearts.
"Why are we all water while Big Brother is tea?" Eris's blatant preferential treatment made Erebus's lips twitch.
"Be content, at least water is better than Hemera's," Nix replied coolly.
"So it really does come down to looks, right?" Hemera retorted.
If the gods are all seasoned members of the appearance-obsessed club, then Eris has evolved to the ultimate level—a standard face-obsessed fanatic, no explanation needed.
"It's definitely not because of my looks," Eris tried to explain, but it was useless.
"Father said I'll be prettier than my sisters when I grow up," Ai Miye declared, indicating she didn't want water at all.
"You said it yourself, that's in the future, sweetie, you'll be fine when you grow up," Nix said, ruffling Ai Miye's hair.
She managed to salvage herself from Nix's clutches before her hair was completely messed up. So, Nix, you're definitely retaliating, aren't you? You're just saying you'll be prettier than me in the future, is it really okay to be so petty?
"Your Majesty, shouldn't you say something about this preferential treatment?" Hermella's tone was accusatory.
"Say what?" Tartarus was unusually agreeable.
Hemella was momentarily speechless. Well, she really didn't know what to ask Tartarus to say.
"...Anyway, it's wrong." True to her principle of not backing down, Hermella struggled for a long time before managing to squeeze out this sentence, though she herself didn't know what she was saying.
"You'd better stop talking. Sweetie, go eat your grilled fish." Nix, not wanting to watch Hermella act foolishly any longer, handed her daughter a plate of grilled fish, signaling her to shut up.
"Yeah, quickly stuff her mouth with some grilled fish. Every time she talks, it feels like her IQ is being dragged down," Erebus chimed in.
"That's not even enough to fill a gap between her teeth," Hemera retorted, indicating she wasn't someone who could be bought off with just one grilled fish. To shut her up, at least three would be needed.
"Then how big must your gap between your teeth be?" Erebus exclaimed in surprise.
"That's an exaggeration, an exaggeration, you know?"
"Yeah, I just didn't expect you to use rhetoric." Nix seriously mocked Hemera's intelligence.
Hemera, having been mocked for her intelligence by her parents for the nth time, burst into tears. All she did was occasionally (?) cause a little trouble, and they said this to her? Are they really her parents?