(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 109
In this war wagered on countless lives, there were no victors. Whether it was the defeated and destroyed Troy, or the countless Greeks who perished on the battlefield and at sea, they lost far more than they gained.
In the end, only the gods high above were the ultimate winners. All the glory, all the sacrifices, all the pain—the lives buried far from home, the heroes bestowed with honor, the refugees who lost their homes and loved ones… those fortunate or unfortunate people were ultimately nothing more than pawns on the chessboard of the gods, easily discarded, their struggles ultimately futile in the threads woven by the goddess of fate.
Even if rivers of blood flowed and corpses littered the fields, what did it matter? The gods, standing atop the river of time, would they care about those fleeting and insignificant lives? Even Hemera, once the most compassionate, learned to observe coldly with the passage of time.
"I have changed after all." What should have been a sigh tinged with complex melancholy, Hemera uttered with a lighthearted laugh.
"Sad?" His folding fan concealed most of his face, leaving only his blood-red eyes staring directly at Hemera. There was no oppressive pressure, yet his gaze seemed to penetrate directly to her heart.
"There's nothing to be sad about. I knew this day would come many years ago. I don't deny that I've often been less than clever, but I'm not stupid either." Hemera smiled, as radiant and bright as ever, but even more radiant were her clear, bright eyes.
"Good job, keep it up." Tartarus casually complimented, then dismissed her, "Now you can leave."
"Your Majesty Tartarus, are you looking down on me? Absolutely! I've only just arrived in the Abyss and you're already sending me away!" Hemera puffed out her cheeks, complaining indignantly.
"I just wanted to say, if you don't go back soon, your invited guests will arrive. As the host, being late or even absent is incredibly rude." Tartarus closed his fan, indicating he genuinely meant well in reminding Hemera.
Hermera: ...!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
Oh no, she'd accidentally forgotten about the god.
"Although I do find you rather annoying." He paused, noticing the hint of urgency in Hemera's expression, and added leisurely.
"...Your Majesty Tartarus, I'm leaving. Bye-bye! I didn't hear anything or know anything about the last sentence~~" She finished the long sentence quickly without taking a breath, then turned and ran without hesitation, the last syllable fading into the distance.
As expected...silly child.
Tartarus watched Hemera depart with amusement. Did she really think he, the God of the Abyss, was just a figurehead?
"I was going to see her off, but it seems that's unnecessary now, right, Law?"
"Yes." The Law, theoretically very busy, immediately answered Tartarus's question.
In this respect, Tartarus found the Law quite endearing. It was always available for a chat when bored, and teasing it occasionally was quite amusing. Moreover, because it lacked emotions, it never got angry no matter what he did to it—a rather unique personality, perhaps.
"Law, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead." The single-word answer exuded a cool and aloof air, perfectly in line with the Law's usual style.
The Law, which Tartarus had previously considered abnormal: ... [Indifferent.jpg]
Yes, after so many years, the Law, once driven to a chatterbox by the troublesome Chaos, had finally returned to normal. At least most of the time, it maintained the standard, aloof demeanor befitting a Law.
The only drawback is that he's sometimes too concise, but Tartarus doesn't mind. After all, a cool and aloof law is more normal than a talkative one. Tartarus doesn't mind the law being talkative, but he does mind being labeled as "irresponsible, trouble-mongering, and annoying like Chaos."
Compared to Chaos, he claims he couldn't be more well-behaved and responsible; the law can attest to that.
"Have you chosen your next god-king?" Years ago, Tartarus had tried to persuade the law to replace the current god-king, and now he's focusing his attention on the successor, completely ignoring the current one.
Zeus: I haven't stepped down yet, please don't ignore me, thank you for your cooperation. -_-||
"Who do you want as god-king?" the law counters, without a direct answer.
"How about Athena?" Tartarus suggests enthusiastically.
"Reason."
"I just feel that the first God-King was castrated by his son, the second by his wife, and if the third were castrated by his daughter, then it would truly be perfect." Tartarus's lips curled into a malicious smile, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes.
"Your twisted sense of humor," the Law commented precisely.
"Thank you for the compliment." Tartarus accepted the assessment without hesitation, then asked, "So, do you agree?"
"It doesn't matter who the God-King is." The Law's words were almost tacit approval.
Compared to the world, an individual is utterly insignificant. Even if that individual is a god, the Law needs a new God-King; who that God-King is is completely unimportant.
"A truly surprising answer." While expressing surprise, Tartarus's expression remained as calm as ever, without the slightest change.
"Why are you surprised?" the Law asked cooperatively.
"I thought you wouldn't agree, after all, Athena is a goddess, isn't she?" A half-smile played on his lips, coupled with a nonchalant tone; Tartarus didn't even bother to feign it.
"That's a rule Chaos set himself." The Law declared, "I'm not taking the blame for this."
"Law, you're undermining me like this; Father God will be heartbroken."
"If you truly believed gender was an obstacle to becoming a God-King, then you wouldn't have made this suggestion in the first place."
"So I was just saying it casually. Law, you're so unlovable," Tartarus complained, half-jokingly. "Some things are better left unsaid."
"..." Faced with Tartarus's unreasonable complaints, the Law decided that silence was best in such situations.
It truly is a tolerant and magnanimous Law, mwah! (′‵)
Floating Life: Law, have you gone mad? What happened to your aloofness?