Chapter 43 News

Disobedient children should be severely punished.

Through the power of winter, Hermes sealed Periope's body in the temple, and also froze the room where the baby was born, preventing anyone from opening the door or entering. Unable to accept the death of this nymph, she sealed her soul within the riddled corpse, vowing to find a way to bring Periope back to life.

Nature spirits are supposed to be immortal. If they die unexpectedly due to unforeseen circumstances, they truly vanish into thin air—their souls and bodies will merge with the earth, becoming nourishment for this land, and they will never have self-awareness again.

Hermes is the goddess of nature, and this power is even greater than that of Artemis, who also governs nature. It originates from Gaia, the Earth Mother, so she will never allow what she values ​​to be destroyed.

With this in mind, Hermes instructed the human priests not to tell anyone else about this, and then carried Pan back to the cave in the Kulenne Mountains.

The little monster is still sleeping. He is so selfish and shameless. After killing the mother who gave birth to him, he can still do such a thing—even though he is just a little baby who doesn't understand anything.

Hermes really wanted to kill Pan on the spot, but her reason told her she couldn't.

“My child, this is…?” Maya looked in surprise as her daughter carried a baby who was half-human and half-goat into the house. As if sensing something, her expression turned serious. “This is Perius’s child, isn’t it?”

Hermes placed Pan on the bed and nodded. "Yes, Mother Goddess." She paused, then added with a sorrowful look in her eyes, "But my sister Perius died because of this."

Upon hearing this, Maya's expression became even more solemn. She was shocked, heartbroken, and filled with regret.

"Oh, why? How could this be? Ming, Ming..." the mountain goddess murmured, as if she were hiding some secret. Then, she returned to normal and said to her daughter, "So what are you going to do next?"

Maya did not inquire about Periope's funeral arrangements; her gaze was fixed on the baby on the stone bed, her eyes holding a profound meaning that no one else could understand.

Seeing this, Hermes recalled Hera's visit to the Mother Goddess in the dead of night not long ago. She touched the snakes wrapped around her neck and shoulders and thought for a moment.

“I froze Pereopa’s body in my temple because I firmly believed she could not truly die,” Hermes said. “And this child… I will raise him, as I promised to Pereopa.”

"He is the child I share with Periuse."

This answer is very ambiguous.

Hermes did not tell her mother about how she almost killed Pan, and how Apollo stopped her because he foresaw the future.

Maya paused for a moment, then sighed, "Very well, my noble daughter, I hope you can live without worries."

Hermes could tell that her mother had many worries, but she had always been an obedient child. Her mother had said it was a dangerous secret, so she wouldn't embarrass her.

She simply buried that suspicion deep in her heart.

She will find the truth herself and resolve it completely.

As the days went by, Hermes had gotten used to taking care of Pan while herding sheep in Arcadia. In truth, she loathed the little monster who had killed Peluop, but he behaved quite well, drinking water, eating, and sleeping properly, and never crying or making a fuss. Even though she harbored resentment, she never easily showed it to him.

Hermes would also go to the temple to grant wishes to humans. The priests elected a new high priest, a nymph named Parsisoya. Because of the Periope incident, the nymphs of Arcadia were in a state of panic, and only she was willing to inherit her companion's will and continue to serve the goddess.

The nymphs understood Hermes' decision to keep Pan, and they would often come to her side to help take care of the young child.

When Pan finally grew hair and was able to open his eyes, everyone was both heartbroken and relieved to discover that the little monster looked very much like Periope and Hermes.

Because he had both Hermes-like flaxen hair and Peyop's purple eyes. Even though he had goat horns, legs, and ears, and his skin was as red as fire.

Pan was a gentle and obedient child from birth. He was dependent on Hermes and would not cause her any trouble. His favorite thing to do was to suck on her fingers and his own fingers, and then quietly look at her or giggle at her.

This oddball is adorable; his baby teeth are small and soft, just like him, but they are sharp in shape.

Whenever he sucked on Hermes's fingers, she could feel the strange sensation of being surrounded by his moist, warm mouth and tongue, while the baby's sharp teeth would gently rub against her fingertips, as if they were about to bite down on them and break them in two.

This idea was too bizarre, but Pan did indeed kill Pereuper, so Hermes was wary of him.

It's worth mentioning that during this period, both Artemis and Apollo came looking for Hermes. The former was looking for information about Periope and Pan, while the latter... well, too troublesome.

Hermes was herding sheep when she frowned, recalling something—Apollo had come to her ostensibly to discuss the games at Delphi and the Isthmus of Corinth, but he actually had ulterior motives.

For example, he solemnly apologized to her, sincerely admitted his mistake, and promised not to deceive her again next time.

The God of Light promised to help her find a way to revive Perius, thereby eliminating the anger and hatred in her heart.

Although Hermes was still angry inside, at least on the surface she softened her expression and stopped treating him coldly.

Apollo said that when she visited Delphi again, she could put Pan into the cauldron to unravel the mystery of the child; he also promised that he would tell her the truth about the future he had foreseen.

It seems he still has a conscience; he knows how to value and care about her. Hermes thought to herself.

After Apollo took his leave, Hermes was greeted by his sister, Artemis, the goddess of nature and the hunt.

The goddess with shimmering silver-white hair was wearing a white, fitted dress and no hunting boots on her white feet. The nymph maidens following behind her were not carrying bows and arrows, so it seemed that the goddess of the hunt had no intention of going hunting in the forest today.

Artemis controls all the valleys, forests, and wild beasts of the world, and she also has authority over the nature spirits. Therefore, she naturally sensed the death of Peluope and the birth of Pan.

“You should not have sealed away Periope’s body and soul in your temple, Hermes,” Artemis said to her half-sister as soon as she arrived. “She was destined to die this way and should not live any longer.”

Hermes replied with unusual firmness: "If every mother is to die for her child, what is the point of their lives? Their lives belong to themselves. Besides, such a destiny is too cruel and may not be of Peripera's own volition."

Artemis remained remarkably indifferent to this topic: "So what? That's fate. If, according to you, every mother who dies in childbirth should be resurrected, then what is the meaning of birth, death, and life? Not all life is immortal."

"Including us gods?" Hermes looked directly at Artemis, who was even more indifferent than Apollo at this moment. "But the spirits of nature are supposed to be immortal."

Artemis said, “The gods are the creators, above all living beings, and cannot be confused with other life forms. Besides, Perioppa’s life has indeed come to an end.”

"Forgive my bluntness, but since her soul and body are still sealed away by me, she should continue to live." Hermes used her specialty—sophistry, no, perhaps this was the truth for the eloquent god of deception. "If, according to you, gods are above all beings, then I, as a god, can also decide Perioper's right to live."

After a moment, Artemis frowned and stopped discussing Periope with Hermes. She seemed to have accepted her idea.

"I delivered my mother's baby and I am a guardian angel for newborns."

Artemis's gaze fell upon the child Hermes had placed by the tree, where Apistoni and Tokei, transformed from serpent spirits into human form, were singing, playing the flute, and teasing him.

“If you need anything, Hermes, please come to me.” A glint flashed in Artemis’s amber cat eyes. She paused, a faint smile curving her lips, as if she had finally let go of her worries. “By the way, your delivery method was wrong.”

Hermes simply smiled in response: "I'm sorry, after all, you are the one who truly oversees childbirth, my dear sister."

Artemis chuckled with pleasure, quite pleased with her sister's self-deprecation and flattery.

“Alright, now let me take a closer look at this lovely child.” Artemis walked over, bent down and picked up the obedient Pan. “He is both an elf and a god, isn’t he, Hermes?”

“Yes, he belongs to nature just like us,” Hermes said.

Artemis pinched the baby's face in her arms. He was round and soft, and she couldn't bear to let him go. His big purple eyes, which were looking at her shyly and curiously, were also quite beautiful.

“What a beautiful little fellow!” Artemis planted a light kiss on Pan’s forehead. “You will grow up healthy and strong, and become an upright and powerful being.”

Then, Artemis turned to Hermes and asked, "What is his name?"

Hermes smiled and said, "Pan, my 'everything'."

Her smile was pure and sincere, without a trace of cunning.

After that, Hermes accepted Hades' invitation and became the messenger leading the human dead to the underworld.

Her power is so great that she can create many clones to travel around the world to complete this mission.

Whenever Thanatos, the god of death, uses his scythe to hook a soul from a human's body, Hermes will give him a task: to find the passage to the underworld with the bewildered and helpless soul, and to lead it through Erebus and the Gates of Hell until it reaches the banks of the Acheron River.

By this time, humans had established connections with each other in various places through seafaring ships. They also remembered the deal Hermes made with Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx, for their sake—to place a silver coin in their mouths, ensuring that they could bribe Charon in the underworld after death, successfully cross the Acheron River, and settle in the Land of the Dead.

At the same time, Hermes also fulfilled the promise she had made to Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, that she would escort her to the underworld after the spring, summer and autumn seasons of the year, and bring her back to the surface the following year.

Hermes is currently the goddess of winter. After Persephone goes to the underworld to become Hades' wife and queen, she will bring frost and snow to the earth, causing all things to enter a period of decay and slumber.

She handled this new divine status very well, and therefore she never made a mistake in this position.

Throughout the human realm, temples dedicated to her gradually appeared, and she became known and worshipped by humans for her divine roles related to deception, theft, animal husbandry, commerce, nature, competition, travel, and winter. This was not limited to Arcadia.

There is a temple to Hermes on Mount Parnassus in Delphi, which was completed even before the temples of Gaia and Themis were built.

As a god, Hermes was incredibly powerful; and as a chief god, she would only receive more.

As time went by, Pan grew bigger and bigger. He was now about eight or nine years old, like a human child. Although he was both human and goat-like, his face combined the best features of both his mothers, making him very healthy and strong. His personality was as gentle as ever, and the nymphs and animals all loved him.

Pan's most frequent activity is still snuggling up to his mother, as if he lives only for her.

But the only mother he believed in was the goddess Hermes, even though she repeatedly mentioned the existence of his birth mother, Periope.

Young Pan was very ignorant about the world. Sometimes he would chase after cows, sheep, horses and birds, but he still loved to lean against Hermes's arms or lie on her lap and listen to her tell all kinds of knowledge and stories.

She would teach him everything, just as she had raised him.

Pan's feelings for Hermes surpassed those for Periuse, and were overwhelmingly stronger. Even though Periuse was his birth mother, and he came into this world from the womb of this nymph, Periuse only had the grace of giving birth to him, while Hermes had raised him with far greater difficulty.

Moreover, Periopel was an ordinary, weak nymph, while Hermes was an omnipotent and widely respected powerful goddess.

The difference between the two is so great.

Whenever Hermes told Pan countless times that Pereope died for him, Pan felt only annoyance and weariness. This made him even more eager to be referred to as "the son of Hermes" rather than "the son of Pereope." Of course, "the son of both Hermes and Pereope" would be easier for him to accept.

One day, Hermes overheard Pan correcting the nymphs who came to visit him, telling them to call him 'Son of Hermes,' and she felt absurd, angry, and sad.

“You are an ill-mannered child.” She stood at a distance, meeting Pan’s large, bright purple eyes with obvious annoyance. “I do not acknowledge you as my child because you have completely ignored my teachings. It seems that my education of you has been in vain.”

Upon hearing these words, Pan's eyes widened, and he ran over in astonishment and panic, wanting to hug his mother and explain everything to her.

She was visibly very angry.

"I'm sorry, Mother Goddess, please listen to me..."

But Hermes waved her scepter and swatted away Pan's outstretched hands, her expression stern, cold, and filled with hatred.

The nymphs watching from the sidelines were astonished by this scene.

“I chose to raise you because of your birth mother, yet you despise her for it. How dare you disrespect or even despise Periuse—the mother who endured the pain of pregnancy to bring you into this world?” Hermes felt incredulous and suffocated. She never imagined she would raise such an ungrateful child. “You heartless wretch! You were born from your mother’s life force. While she was pregnant, you relentlessly drained her nutrients, causing her to die tragically before you were even born. And now, you disregard her efforts and existence!”

"You are so cold and heartless even to your own mother. This makes me think, Pan, perhaps you will treat me the same way in the future, just because of your foolish and selfish misconception!"

"No, Mother Goddess, it's not like that!" Pan Heshi's hands, red and swollen from the beating, looked pleadingly at the goddess before him, who was trembling with rage. His flushed face was filled with trepidation and fear. "I have always obeyed you. I respect Mother Periuse, but I also respect you! I am not despising her, nor will I betray you. Please believe me—"

"Enough!"

Hermes turned away immediately, unwilling to face Pan any longer, because she didn't want to meet those purple eyes again.

She recalled how Pereope had died tragically in her temple while giving birth to Pan, and she feared that if she continued to face the child, she would truly lose control and go mad, erasing him from the world.

If Apollo hadn't stopped her, she would have done it long ago.

She had always intended to crush that little monster.

Hermes flew away from the plain with a cold expression, her speed and agility like a tornado. She wanted to go to a secluded and quiet place, preferably where no one would disturb her. She needed to calm down and think carefully about how to face Pan next.

If Pan still cannot learn to respect his mother who gave him life, then she will choose to abandon him and leave him to fend for himself in the wild.

Hermes came to this conclusion because she ultimately could not bring herself to kill the child.

Instead of going to a secluded and quiet place, she returned to the cave in the Courne Mountains, where her mother had been waiting for her.

“My dearest daughter, you’re back.” Maya gently embraced Hermes, who rushed towards him, kissing her forehead and cheeks. “Why are you so sad? Did something unpleasant happen?”

"This is terrible, my darling. Tell me everything, pour it all out to me, and Mother Goddess will solve everything for you."

But Hermes merely sniffed, holding back her tears and resentment.

Because a mother's comfort and embrace are so warm.

“No, dear Mother Goddess,” she murmured softly. “I just suddenly remembered the hardships you endured when you were pregnant with me, the pain and suffering you experienced when you gave birth to me, and the immense greatness you showed in raising me.”

"I love you, Mother."

Hermes held Maya tightly and kissed his thin chin amidst his surprised expression.

Soon after, Hermes heard news from Athena, who was visiting her, while she was in a cave—from Mount Olympus. Her sister told her that Zeus and Hera would be holding a grand banquet.

The theme of this banquet was the wedding of Aphrodite and Hephaestus.

"A wedding? Or is it the wedding of Aphrodite and Hephaestus?" Hermes asked in surprise. "How are they connected?"

Most importantly, did Aphrodite really love Hephaestus?

Does she love him?

Hermes thought about it carefully, and indeed there was no clue as to why Aphrodite would fall in love with Hephaestus. Besides, she couldn't recall the former and the latter ever being that close!

Will the goddess of desire and love be bound by marriage?

This was the wedding banquet hosted by Zeus and Hera!

Wait, wait a minute, that's right!

Hermes suddenly realized the real point and began to reasonably suspect that this might be another of the old man's schemes, especially since Hera was the goddess of marriage and family.

What should I do if I feel like the truth has suddenly appeared out of nowhere...?

Just then, Athena took a sip of the spring water in her cup and explained, "I'm not quite sure about that. But I think the reason might not be so simple."

"Of course! What exactly happened? I want to fly straight to the Holy Mountain to find out!" Hermes exclaimed, her eyes wide. She was quite gossipy, but even more so, she was shocked by the news. "Perhaps, Sister Athena, you know any other clues? For example, have they been visiting each other recently? Or have they arranged to go somewhere together?"

Even Maya was drawn in, and slowly slowed down her sewing, wanting to listen more attentively to this wonderful story.

After all, in Maia's memory, Aphrodite was a very flirtatious goddess, while Hephaestus was adopted and raised by the loyal and stubborn Thetis. How did these two gods fall in love and get married?

The snakes also coiled around Hermes's shoulders and arms, gazing at the goddess of wisdom who brought the news with the curiosity of curious children, eager to know more about it.

“Those are all private matters, how would I know, Hermes?” Athena put down her cup and chuckled. “However, all the gods will be attending that banquet, and then you will know everything.”

Athena looked around at Hermes with disappointment, but did not find the child born of Periope.

"Where is Pan? Where did that child go?" Athena asked in confusion.

Upon hearing this, Hermes's passionate expression instantly turned cold.

She took a sip of water and replied calmly, "I punished him by sending him to the forest to reflect on his actions."

Disobedient children should be severely punished.