(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter Seventy
Majestic mountains soared into the clouds. From their base, only layers of swirling mist could be seen halfway up the mountains, and the summits lay high above the clouds. In this place, inaccessible to mortals, a place they were not even qualified to look up at, stood temples of vastly different styles, yet all equally opulent. White marble columns, gleaming gold objects, inlaid with precious gems—everything was a level of extravagance and beauty that defied human imagination.
This was Mount Olympus, revered as a sacred mountain, from which the Olympian pantheon derives its name.
Although I found that nouveau riche's assessment a bit harsh, I still really wanted to say something like, "What should I do?" —By Hypnos, nearly blinded by the sheer glamour
Having spent so long in the underworld, where the decor was generally rustic and solemn, Hypnos found it difficult to adapt to the divine style. For humans, these were indeed symbols of wealth and status, but which god lacked such things? A touch of decoration was fine, but to have gold and jewels everywhere was unnecessary.
Recalling the gods he had just encountered, golden headdresses, golden necklaces, golden armbands, golden bracelets… coupled with the various jewels inlaid on them, they were veritable mobile jewelry displays. Luckily, the gods were all quite handsome and dignified; otherwise, the effect of the jewelry would have gone from positive to negative, from enhancing the wearer's beauty to highlighting their ugliness.
Even if you want to show off to satisfy your vanity, please find the right way, okay? Like his mother, Nyx, who has a room full of jewelry, but only wears a few of her favorite pieces on her person. They may look novel and unique in design, but each piece is actually a rare treasure.
Of course, one reason is that Nyx gets bored too quickly—we won't go into that, everyone knows it.
Lying down on a patch of grass shaded by lush trees, I complain again about the excessively bright sunlight and vibrant atmosphere of Mount Olympus. Heaven knows why those gods don't get snow blindness from the glaring sunlight and the ever-reflecting gold objects.
You know, creatures like the god of the underworld, whose habits are not much different from shade-loving plants, are truly unsuitable for living in such an environment with excessively long hours and intense sunlight. If he hadn't felt unable to face Thanatos, Hypnos wouldn't have come here to suffer.
Thinking of Thanatos, Hypnos's mood plummeted.
#What's it like to wake up and find your twin brother lying next to you?#
#What should I do if I accidentally slept with my own brother? I need help urgently!#
After the effects of the Arrow of Love wore off, Hypnos kept wondering how Thanatos would react. Perhaps anger? Perhaps disgust? Hypnos didn't know, but he knew that the two gods could never go back to their former close relationship, despite their frequent bickering.
In the end, none of Hypnos's imagined scenarios occurred. Thanatos said nothing, and his every word and action remained normal. Hypnos wanted to apologize, but ultimately said nothing. A few days later, unable to bear the psychological pressure and unsure how to face Thanatos, Hypnos chose to leave the Underworld and come here.
Hypnos kept recalling Thanatos's complex gaze from that time. Hypnos didn't understand what it meant. As twins, they always knew each other best, but this was the first time he didn't understand Thanatos's thoughts, and he felt something had gone against his expectations.
Just as Hypnos was lost in thought, a voice sounded above him.
"Hypnos." With hair and eyes as blue as the sea, and dressed in a pure white robe, Tarasa appeared before Hypnos like a ghost.
"Tarasa, what brings you here?" Hypnos asked, but his languid tone and half-closed eyes betrayed no genuine questioning.
"Grandmother asked me to bring you some things, and I also wanted to visit Artemis."
"Actually, the last sentence is the key point." Hypnos already knew about the affair between Tarasa and Artemis. He was eager to see how his older sister Hemera, who hadn't yet discovered anything and simply (foolishly) thought her daughter and Artemis were friends, would react when she found out her daughter was about to bring home a daughter-in-law.
Although, like the other gods, he felt that Hemera was more like a daughter to Tarasa, that didn't stop him from imagining that amusing scene.
"I thought you were going to the Sea Realm." Tarasa completely ignored Hypnos's teasing. Although it hadn't been explicitly stated, it was an unspoken understanding between her and Artemis, so there was nothing to be uncomfortable about.
For the gods of the underworld, the Sea Realm was indeed much easier to adapt to than the divine realm. Tarasa only realized he had come to the divine realm after failing to find Hypnos in the Sea Realm.
.
"Pasithea is in the Sea Realm," Hypnos explained calmly.
Everyone knew that the sea nymph Pasithea was in love with Hypnos. In the past, Hypnos would have simply laughed it off without a second thought. It was Pasithea who liked him — not the other way around — so why should he care? There was no need to deliberately avoid her. But now, he had no choice but to be more careful.
"What do you plan to do from now on? You can't stay on Mount Olympus forever."
If Hypnos really dared to remain outside and not return, even though Nyx usually didn't interfere in her children's private affairs, she would definitely beat Hypnos up in no time.
"I don't know. But I definitely won't stay here forever. As for the rest… we'll talk about it later." Hypnos irritably ran a hand through his long golden hair.
"Grandma said that although she doesn't like brothers, she still supports you guys, it's just a shame it's not a younger man/older woman relationship."
"..." Hypnos (~￣△￣)~
Mother Goddess, you're definitely laughing at me, right? You definitely are, right? Is this really my mother?
Chapter 70