(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter Sixty
If Hephaestus has it, how far away can Athena be?
The prophecy says that the goddess of wisdom, Metis, is destined to give birth to several exceptionally intelligent children. The first is the bright-eyed maiden Athena, who is equal to her father in both strength and wisdom. But after her, Metis will give birth to a proud son who will become the king of gods and men.
Zeus, fearing the prophecy would come true, tricked Metis with sweet words and swallowed her whole. Soon after, Zeus suffered from severe headaches. The father of the gods, Zeus, had no choice but to ask Hephaestus, the god of fire, to open his head. He did so, and to the astonishment of the Olympian gods, a beautiful goddess, graceful and clad in armor, sprang from the split skull, radiant and magnificent.
On the banks of the Triton River, the father of men and gods conceived his daughter from his own mind. Metis, the mother of Athena, the planner of justice, and whose wisdom surpassed that of gods and mortals, remained in Zeus's womb. There, the goddess Athena received her divine shield; with it, her power surpassed that of all the gods dwelling on Olympus. When Zeus gave birth to Athena, she held the shield, fully armed.
Athena was Zeus's daughter, but she did not grow up on the sacred mountain. Since Athena was merely a goddess, Zeus was not necessarily afraid of her, but because of the time he had swallowed Metis, he still felt somewhat uneasy about this daughter.
Perceptively aware of this, Athena, upon birth, cleverly refused Zeus's offer to take her back to the sacred mountain and went to her maternal grandparents' home in the sea.
Athena's maternal grandparents were Oceanus, the god of the ocean rivers, and Tethys, the goddess of the sea. At their request, Athena was entrusted to the river god Triton to be raised.
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Having witnessed the entire process from the abyss using the Mirror of Life, Tartarus couldn't help but sigh. Cronus and Zeus were truly father and son; both had a penchant for devouring gods. The only difference was that one only devoured his child, while the other swallowed his wife as well. Unfortunately, neither god managed to trap their own child.
But anyway, both gods were pretty scumbags ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Thinking of this, Tartarus unconsciously glanced at Hades beside him—a figure completely out of place in the divine realm, yet undeniably the son of the second-generation god-king Cronus, and even his eldest son.
So, Your Majesty, what exactly happened to you? (Grim face)
"What is it?" Hades asked.
"I just want to know what it feels like to be swallowed." Tartarus's tone was calm, tinged with curiosity. He'd wanted to know this for a long time, and now that the god involved in Cronus's swallowing of his offspring was right beside him, how could he not ask?
Hades, not missing a hint of interest in Tartarus's eyes, felt a slight sigh of exasperation. Was this another display of his mischievousness?
"Very dark, very quiet, and also oppressive and dangerous… If it were them, they probably would have found it hard to endure." Hades carefully chose a few words to summarize his feelings, his voice calm. As Cronus's eldest son, he was much older than his younger siblings. He was already alive when his eldest sister, Hestia, was swallowed, so they weren't gods, yet he had been alone in a place of only darkness and deathly silence, devoid of any sound or light, for hundreds of years. If he hadn't been naturally inclined towards quiet, he probably wouldn't have been able to endure it either.
That's it?
Although his face remained expressionless, Tartarus's expression unmistakably revealed those four words.
Hades pretended not to see. The situation was extremely dangerous; he had no time to pay attention to such things, nor would he bother to recall them afterward. His memory was now somewhat hazy, and he couldn't give Tartarus a satisfactory answer.
While he didn't actually care much, being swallowed by his own father was certainly not a pleasant experience. This was only possible because of Tartarus; if another god asked, Hades would likely give a different answer.
After a few seconds of expressionless staring, Tartarus reluctantly accepted this answer.
Fusheng: "Greek? Your Majesty Tartarus, don't you feel any guilt for asking such a question that could very well touch a nerve with other gods?"
Tartarus calmly replied: "No."
Fusheng: "Where is your conscience?"
Tartarus: "Didn't you write it? My values are warped, and my conscience is long gone."
Fusheng: ... (Speechless)
"Hera prayed to the Father, the Earth Mother, and me, asking for a son whose power far surpasses that of her husband. Gaia has agreed. What do you think? Should I grant her request?" Tartarus's voice carried a hint of amusement.
Few gods knew about Athena's birth. It involved prophecy and Metis, the first queen of the gods, so they dared not speak carelessly. Athena also grew up in the sea realm, so the gods who knew of her existence were actually few.
As queen of the gods, Hera should have known, but firstly, her focus was on Zeus's lovers and children, inevitably leading to some neglect of other matters.
Secondly, her elder sister, Demeter, the goddess of grain, had just given birth to Persephone, the goddess of spring, with Zeus. Hera was so enraged that she wanted to kill Demeter and her daughter, but was stopped by Hestia, the elder sister of the two goddesses. Persuaded by Hestia, Hera abandoned her pursuit, but remained sullen for a long time, unable to concentrate on anything else. Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture and grain, also known as the goddess of fertility, is one of the twelve Olympian gods. She is the second daughter of Cronus and Rhea, the second queen of the gods, the sister of Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, the elder sister of Zeus and Hera, and Zeus's fourth wife.
Now, the question arises: while Hera is ruthless towards her rivals, aside from Leto and her son, she has never harmed any deity. Sending her minions to hunt down Leto could be attributed to concerns about Leto giving birth to Zeus's first son. But Demeter only gave birth to a daughter; why would Hera target her, and even personally?
Hmm, this question deserves deeper investigation. Athena grew up in the sea, but returned to Mount Argentino upon reaching adulthood. Hera, already upset about Demeter and her daughter's situation, was further enraged by the unexpected encounter with Athena.
Mythology recounts that Zeus split his skull to give birth to Athena. Hera, harboring resentment, prayed to the Father, Mother Earth, and Tartarus, asking for a son far more powerful than her husband. She then refused to sleep with Zeus for a year, failing to conceive and giving birth to Typhon instead.
This explains Tartarus's question just now.
"No matter how I answer, you'll ultimately agree, won't you?"
Hades, having spent time with Tartarus, understood his true nature: aloof and indifferent, with a dark and mischievous streak, and undeniably willful—though he had the right to be.
Therefore, Tartarus wasn't asking for someone's opinion; he had already made a decision and was simply stating it.
Having his truth exposed, Tartarus showed no embarrassment, readily admitting, "Indeed."
"Go ahead and watch the show if you want," Hades indulged. Although such a commotion would undoubtedly kill many on Earth, the Underworld always had plenty of work to do, and he didn't mind a little more.
"It's not just about watching the show; actually, I'd rather see Zeus suffer."
"You hate him? Why?" Hades asked, somewhat puzzled. Logically, Tartarus shouldn't have even met Zeus.
"Probably because I hate him." After a moment's thought, Tartarus gave this irresponsible answer.
Because he hates him, that's why he hates him—a very good, very powerful reason. So, Your Majesty Tartarus, you've really gone too far.
Chapter 60