(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter 59
However, learning from her mistakes twice did have some effect. At least Hera knew it wasn't too late to mend her relationship with her eldest son.
Repairing a relationship requires different methods. The proud and aloof Queen of Gods, of course, couldn't bring herself to apologize to her son, even though that would be the most effective approach. A few gentle words of concern were already Hera's limit.
Not wanting to humble herself by apologizing, Hera had a new method. She decided to choose a beautiful goddess to marry her still-single son to express her maternal love.
Since she couldn't find Aphrodite, though of low power, she held a noble position (one of the twelve Olympian gods) and had a good background (Aphrodite was a part of Uranus's body and his daughter), Hera set her sights on the daughters of Zeus.
Zeus currently has no illegitimate daughters, and even if he did, Hera wouldn't be interested. Hera's target is the daughters of the six goddesses who, while not queens of the gods, are still Zeus's wives.
Artemis, the moon goddess born to Leto, Zeus's most beloved daughter, is excluded as Hera doesn't want to cause trouble for herself at the moment.
Then there are the three goddesses of the seasons born to Themis, the goddess of justice: Eonomia (corresponding to "Spring"), Dike (corresponding to "Summer"), and Erenne (corresponding to "Autumn").
And the nine Muses born to Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory: Calliobe (Museum of Epic), Urania (Museum of Astronomy), Melboman (Museum of Tragedy), Thepsiker (Museum of Dance), Crio (Museum of History), Ellathos (Museum of Love Poetry), Polyhenia (Museum of Sacred Song), Euthebe (Museum of Lyric Poetry), and Thaliel (Museum of Comedy).
Eurynome, the sea goddess, gave birth to the Three Graces: Thalia, goddess of inspiration; Euphrodite, goddess of joy; and Aglaia, goddess of light.
"Hmm, this one has the best personality, she's the one," the goddess of the gods thought, finally satisfied with her choice.
Hera had chosen Aglaia, the youngest of the Three Graces.
Eurynome: "Heh, you're satisfied, but I'm not. You want to marry off my daughter? Did you even ask my opinion?"
Zeus's seven wives were all of extraordinary birth, all of noble lineage and powerful backing. Eurynome was no exception; she was the daughter of Oceanus, the river god, and Tethys, the sea goddess, and Zeus's third wife.
Oh, and by the way, Zeus's first wife and first queen of the gods, Metis, the goddess of wisdom, was also the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Therefore, Eurynome and Metis were sisters.
Therefore, Eurynome, with his powerful connections and influence, firmly rejected Hera's unilateral decision, declaring, "No way, we're not in."
Just as a fierce infighting within the royal family was about to erupt, the gods, especially the gods of the underworld, were all eagerly awaiting the drama. Then, Aglaia stepped forward and declared her willingness to marry Hephaestus.
Hera was delighted, while Eurynome and the other two of the Three Graces were stunned.
In mythology, Hephaestus was a complete mess. Leaving aside other issues, his first wife was Aphrodite. However, Aphrodite not only openly cheated on her husband but also eloped with Hephaestus's younger brother, Ares, the second son of Hera. Hephaestus was utterly cuckolded.
After Aphrodite left, Hephaestus returned to single life. He pursued Athena, but being a virgin goddess, his pursuit unsurprisingly failed.
Then, perhaps seeing his son's misfortune, Zeus, the king of the gods, gave Hephaestus his second wife, Aglaia, the youngest of the Three Graces, as his wife, to express his paternal (and homosexual) love.
After marrying Hephaestus, Aglaia bore him four daughters, but ultimately, the goddess left him.
#A row of candles isn't enough to express my endless sympathy for Hephaestus#
#This world that judges by appearance is so unreasonable#
#No looks, no rights, no decency#
In this world where looks aren't everything, but you can't do anything without them, Hephaestus's plight is truly heartbreaking. However, it seems there's finally a glimmer of hope.
Aglaia had long since figured it out. She could dodge the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth. If things really developed like in the myths, she would eventually be married off to Hephaestus by her father, the god who had ruined her daughter's life. Sooner or later, it didn't matter; at least now she would be the original wife.
By this point, you should have guessed it—yes, Aglaia was a transmigrator.
When she first transmigrated, she thought she was special, fantasizing about being able to command the elements like a heroine in a novel.
A predictable, brainless Mary Sue scenario.
Then she discovered other transmigrators. Before she could even switch from single-player mode to multiplayer mode, she was terrified by the deaths of some of them.
After confining herself in her temple for a while, her fantasies shattered, she became completely sober. She dared not try to be special anymore, and now she decided to be obedient and marry Hephaestus.
Although other gods considered Hephaestus the last choice on their husband list, Aglaia felt it was acceptable. Having been human in her previous life, her standards weren't as high as the other gods'. In her eyes, Hephaestus wasn't ugly, and he hadn't cheated on her. Aglaia felt that if she really had to marry him, she'd rather marry Hephaestus than those handsome but fickle male gods.
As for why she only mentioned his face, didn't you see that when other gods mocked Hephaestus, they focused on his face, and his lameness was just a side issue? Can't you see their bias from that?
Besides, Hephaestus's hands were incredibly skillful. Aglaia, who was clumsy with her hands, expressed her envy and admiration for the god.
Therefore, even though her mother and sisters cried (not really), it didn't change Aglaia's decision, and the wedding proceeded as planned.
Chapter 59