(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter Forty-Four
There is only one King of the Gods, but three gods are qualified to be King. Prometheus proposes that the three realms be decided by drawing lots.
Tartars, however, finds the idea of drawing lots utterly ridiculous. He argues that deciding the fate of the three realms is such a serious matter that, even without decades of power struggles and political maneuvering, the gods should at least hold a meeting to discuss it properly. What kind of nonsense is this? It's utterly childish! Are you all here to be a joke?
Well, in Tartarus's view, drawing lots was meaningless. The attributes of the three gods were already quite telling. Imagine Hades as the king of the gods—a dark god-king appearing on the holy, luminous mountain—that image would be a bit too much. And if Zeus became the sea god, leaving a thunder god in the water, based on the principle of water conducting electricity, hopefully he had good control and wouldn't electrocute his people. And if Poseidon became the god of the underworld, the underworld was already dark enough; there was no need to add the attribute of dampness and cold. Besides, there were already many eye-damaging monsters in the underworld. Given Poseidon's bizarre aesthetic sense—choosing lovers with all sorts of strange appearances—plus his three thousand sea monster sons, Tartarus would definitely go berserk.
So, although the three lords of the realm weren't explicitly required to have a specific attribute, if their attributes didn't match, wouldn't it look a bit strange?
However, because there were no prescribed attributes, all three brothers were qualified, so this farcical drawing of lots still had to take place.
Then, the goddess of wisdom, Metis, presided over the drawing of lots. And her other identity… was Zeus's wife.
How utterly disgraceful! Seriously, couldn't you at least have avoided any appearance of impropriety? Couldn't you have chosen another god who supported Zeus to preside? Why did you have to do it yourself? How were the onlookers supposed to bear this? It was impossible to pretend they didn't know there was something fishy going on.
If you're going to cheat, at least do it discreetly! This method is so blatant, it's like you're trying to make sure everyone knows. With this level of intelligence, and she's called the goddess of wisdom? Is someone really not impersonating her?
With the lots tampered with, the outcome was already predetermined: Hades, the god of the underworld; Poseidon, the god of the sea; and Zeus, the king of the gods.
The only regions truly under the jurisdiction of the Olympian gods are the realm of the gods. The underworld and the sea realm already have their own rulers. Being assigned to either of these realms, the future doesn't look promising at all.
The situations in the Underworld and the Sea are quite similar, each having an ultimate boss. However, these ultimate bosses don't actually manage affairs; other gods oversee them. But in the Sea, the third-generation god Nereus is in charge, while the true ruler is the second-generation god Pontus. The Underworld is far more brutal. The twin gods Hypnos (the god of sleep) and Thanatos (the god of death), who were brought in to help, are both second-generation gods. The gods in charge are two first-generation gods, and the ultimate boss is Tartarus, who is crowned with the title of "strongest"—needless to say, also a first-generation god.
Oh, right, now there's another first-generation god—the goddess who caused quite a stir recently also resides in the Underworld.
With this formidable lineup of four first-generation gods, plus the Abyss being Tartarus's true form, it's a miracle they can even survive, let alone control the Underworld.
Therefore, Zeus banished Hades, whom he considered the most threatening and the strongest of his three brothers, to the Underworld, and Poseidon to the Sea.
However, things didn't seem to develop as beautifully as the new god-king had imagined.
First, there was the Underworld, which Zeus considered the most dangerous. While the Underworld's deities were indeed rather ruthless, they had a superior who seemed destined to be a recluse until the end of time, a superior who, despite being the strongest of the first generation of gods, had little presence. As the saying goes, like master, like servant, the Underworld's atmosphere was generally quite reclusive and lazy. Moreover, the Underworld's workload, responsible for the reincarnation of beings, was considerable.
Compared to the heavy workload that came with power, the reclusive and lazy Underworld gods preferred to stay in their temples. If they got bored, they would gather together to gossip, complain, and live a leisurely life.
Therefore, the Underworld, which appeared aloof to outsiders, was actually like this →_→
The Underworld Gods' Daily Life: Watching the Show, Complaining, Going Off-Topic, Causing Trouble
Underworld Specialties: Reclusive, Spectator, Complaint King
So, Your Majesty Tar, you really know how to cultivate talent. Therefore, Hades' arrival was met with a warm welcome.
This surprised Hades somewhat. Although he didn't expect the gods of the underworld to be so petty as to cause him trouble, he expected them to be at least indifferent to the Olympian gods who had unilaterally decided on the King of the Underworld. In fact, he had already prepared himself to be collectively ignored by the gods of the underworld.
Hades was greeted by the twin gods waiting at the entrance to the underworld and entered the abyss. Along the way, he encountered several gods who had come out of curiosity about the future King of the Underworld. Because they would soon be on their side, they all acted very genuinely, successfully changing Hades' perception of the gods of the underworld.
When they finally arrived at the temple of the abyss, the twin gods remained outside the palace; only Hades entered the temple, and only Tartarus waited inside.
Seated on his throne, Tartarus surveyed Hades. Hades' long, flowing black hair cascaded to his waist, his features were handsome, and his green eyes, though not the vibrant emerald of life, carried an inescapable, chilling darkness. Hades showed a slight surprise upon seeing Tartarus, but quickly regained his composure.
Excellent, Tartarus smiled silently to himself. Few beings could remain so composed upon seeing his true form, whether it was his youthful appearance or his stunning beauty. Even his younger siblings wouldn't have recovered their composure faster than Hades, which further increased Tartarus's favorable impression of him.
"Your Majesty Tartarus."
Hades bowed slightly, his attitude neither arrogant nor servile, which pleased Tartarus. Having already secretly tested Hades, he said nothing, simply tossing the title of Hades to him.
Hades received the title of Hades upon their first meeting, the ease with which it came made him feel a strange sense of unreality, and he unconsciously began to ponder its deeper meaning.
"Don't worry," Tartarus explained briefly. "I've never interfered in matters. The position of Hades has been vacant for a long time, and it's time for it to find its master."
"Forgive my bluntness, but your younger siblings are more suitable for this position than I am." Hades couldn't understand why the God of the Abyss would choose him instead of his powerful and closer siblings to become Hades.
"No, they are not suitable," Tartarus denied. "While great power is essential, what Hades needs most is not that, but impartiality and selflessness, and secondly, the ability to govern the entire Underworld. They cannot do either. You are the most suitable god I know to be Hades, so I chose you."
Having said this, and with the other party himself not minding having an outer god as Hades, Hades naturally did not refuse any longer. The meeting between the two gods ended uneventfully. At this moment, neither of them could foresee what the future held.
Chapter 44