(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter 18
As mentioned before, Hemera loved to run into the abyss.
Tartarus originally didn't care; the Abyss Temple was vast, he could just toss her into a side hall and let her do whatever she wanted.
Of course, that was originally his intention.
The loud crying constantly reached his ears, accompanied by voices and the sounds of objects clattering, utterly irritating him. Rubbing his temples with a headache, Tartarus began to regret his momentary carelessness in letting those two in; they were incredibly annoying.
Not long ago, Erebus and Nyx had another son, the future ferryman of the River Styx, Charon.
Charon was a lively child. Thinking of the constantly dying decorations in the side hall since his arrival, Tartarus confirmed this: he was already excessively lively.
A foreseeable future troublemaker.
Heaven knows why Erebus and Nyx, both known for their calm and collected natures, could have such a child. Is it a case of two negatives making a positive?
Speaking of their three children, the eldest son had the opposite attributes, the eldest daughter had both opposite attributes and personality, and the second son finally had the same attributes, but his personality was even more diametrically opposed—it was utterly bizarre and outrageous.
Another sound of something shattering. How many times had this happened? Tartarus closed the book expressionlessly, feeling his head throb even more. Couldn't they just let him read in peace for a while?
He loved quiet. The fact that he was the only god living in the deepest abyss allowed him to indulge this craving to the fullest. All the gods who came here knew this, and this kind of noise was truly a long time coming for him.
So long that he began to wonder if he had been too lenient with them. After all, even the most unruly Eros hadn't dared to cause such a ruckus in his presence.
After trying countless methods to no avail, Hemera finally couldn't take it anymore. She abandoned her younger brother and went to Tartarus. She now deeply regretted her actions; why had she volunteered to care for her brother in the first place? Wasn't she just asking for trouble?
Seeing Hemera squatting on the ground, her face contorted with distress, Tartarus's gaze shifted. "You used to do this, it wasn't so bad, after all, you were a child, curled up in a little ball, it was quite cute. But hundreds of years have passed, you're an adult now, and making this 'cute' gesture now is just unbearably incongruous."
Charon's increasingly loud cries filled the air, and before her stood Hemera's resentful expression—it was a disaster.
"Your Majesty..."
"Bring Charon here." He interrupted Hemera directly, having no patience for her complaints.
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Hemera quickly got up and ran towards the side hall. Great, finally free of that troublesome ancestor!
The crying grew clearer as they approached, but abruptly stopped when Hermella entered Tartarus's study.
"Huh? Why did you stop crying?" Hermella looked down at her younger brother, puzzled.
The infant, who had been crying incessantly, was now quietly nestled in his sister's arms, no longer moving, tears still glistening in his eyes, but his mouth tightly shut.
"Come here."
"Okay." Putting aside her earlier confusion, Hermella quickly ran over and handed the infant to Tartarus.
Without reaching out to take Charon, Tartarus simply said to him, "Be quiet." Gods could remember things at birth, so he wasn't worried that Charon wouldn't understand him.
Charon immediately nodded, then blinked his big, round eyes at Tartarus expectantly. Charon's current docile demeanor was a stark contrast to his earlier behavior.
Sure enough, you can't be too lenient with brats.
"It seems Charon really likes you, Your Majesty!" Hermera exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Likes?!?" Tartarus paused in his book-flipping, his expression becoming somewhat subtle. Is this what liking someone looks like? Where did you get that idea?
"Yes!" Oblivious to the odd tone in Tartarus's voice, Hermera's voice was light and cheerful. "I've heard that children won't cry when they're near someone they like, so Charon must really like you, Your Majesty."
...That makes so much sense. I'm speechless.
"If you're bored, just pick up a book and read. Charon can just stay here." Not knowing how to answer, Tartarus could only change the subject.
Charon, who had overheard his sister's words, looked quite mournful, yet dared not cry out loud. So, sister, where did you get that idea of liking someone? It's clearly fear, isn't it? "Waaaaah, Father, Mother, and Big Brother, where are you? His Majesty Tartarus is so terrifying!"
Without trying to conceal it, the chilling and dangerous aura unique to the Abyss Gods was indeed terrifying enough for this newborn deity, enough to make him obediently ignore his sister's terribly clumsy baby-holding posture.
The infant's large eyes were brimming with tears, looking extremely pitiful. Unfortunately, one of the two gods present was completely oblivious, while the other noticed but coldly ignored it.
Let's light a candle for poor little Charon.
"Hmm... well... isn't it a bit inappropriate to just leave Charon there like this?" After a moment of silence, Hermella, whose conscience hadn't completely disappeared, felt that abandoning her younger brother seemed somewhat inhumane. She hesitated before speaking, "Should we feed him something? Uh, no, I remember babies can't eat solid food, so he can only drink milk, but Your Majesty, you don't seem to have any milk here..." As she spoke, Hermella became conflicted.
"No need, he won't starve."
"..." Hermella's voice trailed off.
O_o ...So Your Majesty's standard for caring for a child is simply ensuring he doesn't starve? What a heartless definition!