(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter Four
"Erebus" hadn't even entered yet, but his voice preceded his arrival.
"Eros, what are you yelling about?" Erebus, just woken from his sleep, was annoyed but also somewhat confused. Eros rarely came to Hell; the attribute suppression was no joke. He frowned, unable to recall anything recently that had forced Eros to come here.
"Erebus, do you want to trick your big brother this time?" A single sentence shattered Erebus's preconceived notions of what might happen, and had a sobering effect.
Erebus instantly snapped awake, looking at his brother with utter speechlessness. Of course he wanted to; was it even a question? But, "Can you beat your big brother?"
"Of course not, but if we can't beat him, we can outsmart him." Eros's tone was cheerful, but Erebus was even more speechless. He was starting to wonder if Eros had lost his mind. Hadn't they tried before? And when had they ever succeeded?
What they didn't know was that, for Tartarus, whose past life was filled with scheming and plotting, these gods, possessing only theoretical knowledge, were utterly naive. Their success was a miracle. If they actually succeeded, Tartarus might as well just hang himself with a noodle to avoid embarrassment. (Then the novel ends with the protagonist's death.)
"It's just a small trick on my brother, nothing more."
"Tell me your plan first." Erebus didn't want to end up tricking himself instead of his brother; he absolutely didn't want that kind of stupidity to happen to him.
"You know, the law I master is lust." His tone was mysterious.
"So?" Erebus didn't understand the necessary connection.
"I can use my divine power to conjure golden arrows of love. Anyone struck by one will fall in love with the first person they see. The duration depends on the strength of the person struck, but even my eldest brother can maintain the effect for a few days. Even if you can't beat him, inflicting a few wounds isn't difficult," Eros said with a sly smile.
Erebus imagined the scenario, genuinely curious. The thought of tricking his eldest brother was exhilarating. Forcibly pulling back his wandering thoughts, he immediately agreed with Eros, "Good idea! Even if we get a beating afterward, it'll be worth it." Anyway, his eldest brother wouldn't really do anything to them. Over the years, he'd known his brother's personality well; he was always tough on the outside but soft on the inside when it came to his younger siblings.
"The two of us alone aren't enough. We need Gaia's help too. Not only can we not ask Nix for help, but we also have to keep it a secret from her, otherwise she'll definitely tell my eldest brother." Eros couldn't understand why Nix listened to his eldest brother so much, but that didn't stop him from knowing that Nix couldn't know about this.
Nodding, Erebus clearly understood this as well, and after a moment's thought, added, "The Abyss is my elder brother's true form, and Hell was created within the Abyss, so he has absolute control over Hell. It won't be easy to scheme against him. If we can lure him to the Earth, and with the help of Gaia, the Earth Goddess, the chances of success will be much greater."
Both gods were action-oriented, and immediately set off for the Earth to seek Gaia's help.
In the Earth Temple, Gaia listened to her two brothers explain their intentions, and after failing to dissuade them, she finally agreed. Watching their excited figures depart, Gaia lazily leaned back in her recliner, a few glints of light flashing in her alluring eyes. Erebus and Eros were truly unstoppable when they got carried away.
She pursed her vibrant red lips, the curve of her mouth alluring and seductive. Well, actually, she had only offered a token suggestion. Whether it succeeded or not, she wouldn't be the one suffering, so why not watch a good show? A few days later, Tartarus received an invitation from Gaia. Looking at the invitation in his hand, Tartarus inexplicably thought of Eros's visit to Hell a few days ago, seemingly to seek out Erebus. He hesitated for a moment; his intuition was always accurate, and he felt something was about to happen. However, since his sister had rarely invited him, he couldn't refuse. Actually, he was quite curious about what would happen, and he didn't think anything could harm him—this was the kind of boldness that comes with skill.
Arriving on Earth, he walked along a path through the woods. The closer he got to the Earth Temple, the stronger the life force became, much stronger than before. This stark contrast made him uneasy.
Just as he rounded a corner, something unexpected happened. With a slight whooshing sound, a golden arrow shot out, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight—beautiful yet concealing deadly intent.
With an unwavering expression, he took a slight step back, just avoiding the golden arrow. His casual movement, seemingly leisurely, caused several carefully calculated golden arrows to miss their mark.
Undeterred by missing Eros, he activated the next mechanism without hesitation, unleashing a dense rain of arrows upon Tartarus once more.
In a blind spot, Erebus drew back his bowstring, subtly adjusting the arrow's trajectory to match Tartarus's movements. So focused was he that he didn't notice the beads of sweat trickling down his temples. He was waiting, waiting for the perfect moment.
Now! The golden arrow, carrying unstoppable momentum, shot towards the unintentional opening Tartarus had made, its sharpness unparalleled.
Time seemed to slow down, like a slow-motion scene in a film. The golden arrow drew closer, inch by inch. Had it succeeded?!
Huh? Erebus and Eros stared wide-eyed. Long, beautiful, slender, pale fingers held the delicate golden arrow, a sight as beautiful as a painting. But the god witnessing this scene had no heart for appreciation.
"It's over!" The two words flashed across his mind. A deathly silence enveloped him, and his heart grew heavier with each passing moment. Often, the punishment itself wasn't so terrible; what was truly terrifying was the anxious wait beforehand.
Tartarus hadn't actually meant to scare them. He'd simply been distracted by something else and hadn't paid attention to his two brothers.
He'd just accidentally witnessed a wolf wounded by a golden arrow, and this wolf was chasing… a sheep.
A wolf in love with a sheep, madly in love… He thought of a song from his past life. So, wolves falling in love with sheep really could happen. Interspecies romance, Eros's golden arrow of love was truly magical.
One last glance, and Tartarus silently averted his gaze. The scene was too beautiful to bear; too damn painful for his eyes.
Besides, he hadn't forgotten about the two culprits he hadn't dealt with yet. He gave a rare smile, a smile that sent chills down one's spine. "It seems you've been too idle lately, which is why you have time to do this. In that case, I'll find you something to do."