(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter 65
After the crisis passed, Zeus resumed his life of hunting for women, and Hera began her relentless pursuit of her rivals.
Then recently, Zeus forcibly assaulted the elven Callisto, impregnating her.
So, one would think such a lecherous criminal should be imprisoned a hundred times over.
However, this didn't happen. What could he do? Zeus was the king of the gods, and thus, the unfortunate one was the innocent Callisto.
Afterwards, Callisto suffered further misfortune. After her pregnancy was discovered, although she was Artemis's favorite elven attendant, she was still banished by the enraged Artemis.
It wasn't that Artemis lacked compassion, but rather that she was completely unaware of the truth.
Artemis, being a virgin goddess, naturally valued chastity. Therefore, upon discovering Callisto's pregnancy, Artemis was furious and, without a second thought, banished Callisto, thus missing the opportunity to learn the truth.
Callisto, after being banished, soon gave birth to a boy named Arcas. Hera discovered this and, in a fit of anger, transformed Callisto into a mother bear. When Arcas grew up, Hera tricked him into killing Callisto, now a bear.
Presumably, Zeus finally had a change of heart. To prevent the tragedy of his son killing his own mother, he used his divine magic to turn Arcas… into a bear cub.
This way, Arcas could recognize his mother.
Now the question arises: with so many ways to prevent this tragedy, why did you have to turn a perfectly healthy person into a bear? What did she do to you?
Didn't you see Hera punish her rival by turning him into a bear? Seriously, Your Majesty the King of the Gods, could you be any more unreliable?
Finally, to prevent the mother and child from suffering any further harm, Zeus elevated them to the heavens, bestowing upon them two glorious positions among the stars—the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, shining brightly in the northern sky.
Because of the recent Typhon incident, Hera had become more restrained, hesitant to go too far, but resentful of her rival's honor. Therefore, she went to the sea realm to seek judgment from her elders: Oceanus, the river god who had raised Hera, and Tethys, the sea goddess.
During the Battle of the Titans, Hera was young and, being a goddess of marriage with limited fighting strength, was rescued from Cnoro's womb. Rhea, the second queen of the gods, entrusted Hera to the care of her elder brothers and sisters, preventing her from participating in the battle like her other siblings.
Hera, sobbing uncontrollably, poured out her grievances, begging them to teach Callisto a lesson and forbid him from entering the sea. The two sea gods, who loved Hera dearly, naturally granted her request, confining the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor to orbit the heavens, never to fall into the sea like other stars.
Of course, this didn't escape Zeus's notice, and his reaction was…no reaction.
Yes, you read that right, no reaction. He showed absolutely no intention of intervening.
So, you turned Callistos and Arcas into Ursa Major and Ursa Minor to protect them, right? But now you're just ignoring them? Are you harming them, harming them, or harming them?
This after-sales service? Definitely a bad review.
"I don't understand, why do they all have this hobby of turning people into constellations?" Hemera, looking bewildered in the mirror, asked.
Is turning people into constellations a local custom?
"Probably to demonstrate their authority," Eris replied after a moment's thought.
After all, those Olympian gods were all utterly useless; they could only display their majesty in this way.
"I see," Hemera said, indicating she understood, then asked, "Any more cookies? Give me some."
Hmm, she'd been so engrossed in watching the show that she hadn't been careful and had accidentally finished all the cookies.
Hearing this, Tarasa silently produced a box and handed it to Hemera.
"Can I ask for a different box? As a god with high standards and aspirations, how can I eat cookies like this?" Hemera pouted, looking dissatisfied.
You see, while Tarasa was fortunate enough not to have inherited her grandmother and mother's amazing talent for terrible cooking, her culinary skills were truly mediocre; what she made was merely edible.
"Oh, then you don't want any," Ai Miye said coolly, glancing at Hemera.
"Then I'll eat it," Hemera said, indicating her continued hard-working (?) spirit.
"What happened to your high standards and high aspirations?"
"I accidentally ate it just now," Hemera replied matter-of-factly, unsurprisingly receiving scornful looks from all the gods present.
After watching Hemera's usual antics, Tartarus finally spoke up, "Why did you all decide to go together today?"
"Haven't you noticed, brother, that we've been spending a lot of time together lately?" Ai Miye countered. They were close friends and had indeed been inseparable lately.
However, the real reason: with so many goddesses gathered together, Hades would definitely not come. Excellent, the isolation plan was a success.
Tartarus had a gut feeling that something was amiss, but trusting his sister, he didn't delve into it.
"Do you want it?" Finally, after untying all the ropes binding the box, Hemera breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, daughter, why did you have to tie so many ropes, and even make a knot? Isn't that just making things difficult for your mother?"
"No." Amy refused without hesitation. She thought the gems tasted much better than the cookies, and they were much higher in energy.
Eris didn't speak, but looked out the window.
"Eris, what are you looking at?" Hermella asked curiously.
"Nothing, just wondering which way the sun rises today."
"What can you see in the Abyss? But doesn't the sun always rise due east? If the direction is a little off, Hesiod's OCD will definitely be uncomfortable for years."
"Yeah, that's why I'm wondering why the sun doesn't rise from the west, and why you would willingly give up your food." Eris slowly turned her head to explain.
"Can't you guys stop criticizing me?" Hermella looked at Eris with a bewildered expression.
#Who can understand the pain of being collectively criticized by all the gods around me?#
#Let's expose those heartless, scheming people!# Chapter 65