Chapter 47 Thetis
Because the goddess Thetis is truly terrifying.
Hermes' feelings were mixed when she returned to the seabed.
Hermes felt a heavy burden on her shoulders, for she not only wanted to persuade Poseidon, the sea god, to let the sirens spare the poor humans, but also wanted him and Amphitrite, the sea queen, to show more care for the equally pitiful Triton.
She keenly sensed that a large part of Triton's melancholy stemmed from family conflicts, and since she considered herself his friend, she wanted to help this mermaid prince, who had once been of great help to her, in any way she could.
"Excuse my frankness, but I think your holy city of Delphi is quite beautiful. You are also a benevolent and virtuous god. Why not allow me to build a temple for my mother there?"
“A good idea, but my Delphians have already built a magnificent temple for Hermes.”
“You have misunderstood me. I mean, build more temples to my mother, preferably at the very top of your Mount Parnassus, where my mother’s temple would be fitting to stand.”
How many more times do you want to repeat your mother's name?
"Getting impatient?"
“I am a benevolent and virtuous deity, and I will not hold a grudge against a child like you.”
"...I'm all grown up now, I'm not a little kid anymore!"
"I'm getting anxious."
"%#@#＃%＃＃＃……!!!"
As the colorful fish swam past the group of gods in schools, Hermes glanced back at Pan and Apollo, who were arguing behind her and Triton for some reason.
Seeing the two childish brats glaring at each other with eyes that were practically shooting sparks, looking like they were about to fight, her feelings became even more complicated.
Although she was pleased that Pan had inherited her personality and disliked Apollo so much, Hermes still felt inexplicably guilty, after all, it was she who had taught him to be disrespectful to Apollo—regarding the title 'Apollo the Unlucky One'.
Actually, it's not really fair to say this guy was unlucky; he actually benefited quite a bit from following her!
As the goddess of deception and theft, Hermes comforted herself with this thought.
Triton noticed that Hermes' expression was a little strange and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Hermes, what are you thinking about?"
He actually asked her directly, with obvious concern, if she was thinking about something! Was she being that obvious?
"Nothing much, I'm just looking forward to this new adventure."
—It is indeed an adventure, and a double one at that.
Hermes felt a little embarrassed. She tried to wave her hand awkwardly, but found herself still holding hands with Triton, their fingers intertwined.
She awkwardly loosened her fingers, pretended to cough a few times, and shifted her gaze from his beautiful face to the crystal walls of the palace.
Seeing this, Triton's eyes dimmed a little. He withdrew his hand with the fins, so disappointed that even the swaying of his tail was no longer energetic.
“Alright,” the mermaid prince said softly, “I hope you will truly fall in love with my homeland, Hermes.”
Hermes immediately smiled, her eyes shining, and said, "What a pity! I fell in love with it the first time I came here!"
She looked at Triton again, and when her gaze met his dark amber eyes, she paused for a moment, and finally added a sentence with a sense of helplessness.
"Including you, my dearest friend!"
Because Hermes didn't want to disappoint her friends.
So she got to see Triton and was happy again upon hearing this.
His head and the fins on both sides of his hands swayed merrily, their arcs joyful, and even his eyes, which had been filled with gloom, regained their dazzling light.
This ocean, always a deep blue and devoid of light, seems to shine because of its prince, as alluring as he is.
Most importantly, that stunningly beautiful fishtail with its colorful scales...
Hermes stared intently at Triton's enormous fishtail, a burning emotion surfacing in her eyes.
But she was a clever hunter, and she did not choose to continue her attack driven by overwhelming desire at this moment.
Under Triton's innocent yet shy gaze, Hermes simply said in a cheerful tone, "Perhaps you could take me to other places? Not just the Sea Emperor's land, but I want to learn more about your homeland, my dear friend!"
Hermes was surprisingly gentle and considerate towards Triton, and extremely patient and tolerant.
Unlike her attitude towards the aloof and arrogant Apollo.
Triton led the three Olympian gods straight into the magnificent and fantastical Ocean Palace.
For some reason, this place is very lively today. There are cute creatures such as fish, shrimp, sea lions, and dolphins everywhere. Even the mermaid servants have become huge. Every now and then, mermaid ladies dressed in exquisite gauze dresses pass by the corridor carrying gold plates and silver water jugs. The plates are filled with all kinds of marine specialties, which look extremely expensive.
“We have distinguished guests visiting today; they also come to see my Father God,” Triton whispered to Hermes. “I apologize for not informing you sooner…”
He glanced at Apollo and Pan following behind him; the two gods seemed to have just finished arguing, but now they had briefly restored their peace.
"Oh, and you guys too."
Hermes shook her head and smiled, saying, "It's nothing, there's nothing to apologize for. But who are those VIPs? Can you tell me?"
Just as Triton was about to reply, the God of Light strode forward and squeezed between him and Hermes, separating them.
"Yes, Prince of the Sea," Apollo said with a forced smile, "Such an important matter, you should tell us the truth, right?"
This guy is being sarcastic and it's very obvious.
Hermes and Triton frowned simultaneously, with Hermes being the most indignant—because that bastard Apollo was up to his old tricks again!
Why do I always cause her trouble? Am I deliberately trying to upset her?!
That annoying Apollo!
She clearly had a crush on him a few times!
“Even if Triton doesn’t want to talk, that’s fine; it’s his own choice.” This time, Hermes’ attention was entirely focused on Apollo, and she imitated him, speaking with a forced smile. “Besides, we’re on our way to meet His Majesty the Sea King, Apollo.”
“Oh, that’s true.” Apollo stared intently at the adorable yet infuriating little fellow. “Speaking of which, my name is Apollo, not 'Bad Guy'.”
His tone was icy, and even his light blue eyes seemed to darken.
Hermes: "..."
He was definitely trying to upset her on purpose! That bastard Apollo!
Damn it!
Why does this guy always have to go against her?!
Just as Hermes was momentarily speechless, the goat boy, who had keenly sensed something unusual, hopped forward and squeezed between his mother and the unfortunate Apollo—clearly, he wanted to learn a thing or two from the latter.
Great, now Hermes and Triton are getting further and further apart.
The reason is both simple and intriguing: two petty and narrow-minded male gods were interfering.
“If you ask me, Mother Goddess,” Pan said affectionately, taking Hermes’ arm and nuzzling her soft skin with his cheek, “you must be very troubled right now, right? Why don’t you take me directly to our destination? Not only will we be closer to our goal, but we’ll also avoid seeing it and getting annoyed!”
Compared to the troublesome Apollo, even the mischievous Pan seems much more pleasing to the eye and well-behaved.
Hermes did not reject her adopted son's advances; in fact, she harbored a sinister intention, glancing meaningfully at the God of Light, whose face darkened upon seeing this.
“You’re right, my most—most, most, most adorable child, out of sight, out of mind, right?” Hermes smiled again, her agitation relieved. “Triton, what do you think? I have a pair of winged sandals, how about the three of us teleport directly to your father’s palace?”
Upon hearing this, Triton actually thought about it seriously for a moment, and then nodded to the mother and son.
"sure."
Triton glanced sideways at Apollo, whose face had instantly turned sour, a hint of mockery flashing in his amber eyes.
Apollo: "..."
Apollo was depressed and wanted to click his tongue to express his dissatisfaction, but then he saw that the three guys who had been trying to annoy him were no longer around.
But a sudden burst of bubbles around him revealed the truth: unsurprisingly, it was the brat Hermes who had swiftly carried Pan and Triton away.
He was left all alone in the vast crystal outer palace.
A mermaid attendant approached and asked with concern, "Are you alright? I saw our prince and your companions leave first. Perhaps you were abandoned... Anyway, would you like us to lead the way?"
"Are you really alright, Your Highness the God of Light?"
Apollo, all alone: "..."
Just you wait, you wicked Hermes.
Let's see if he disciplines her after this trip!
*****
Hebe was very nervous.
Today she followed her mother to the sea to find her uncle Poseidon, but her uncle Poseidon was unwilling to let her stay with her mother to listen to their conversation.
It seemed to be a secret that no third party should know, and it was extremely important, so her mother agreed to her uncle Poseidon's request to temporarily entrust her to the care of a goddess in the sea.
The goddess's name was Thetis. She was her mother's adopted daughter and also the adoptive mother of Hephaestus's brother.
Even though her relationship with this goddess was quite close, Hebe was still very nervous. She was somewhat afraid of Thetis, perhaps because the other party always had a cold expression and never took the initiative to speak to her.
They sat quietly on the large purple seashell outside the reception room. There was no one else there. The seaweed wind chimes on the ceiling tinkled, making Hebe even more timid.
Hebe kept her head tilted to the side, gazing at another palace outside the window. Even though her neck was aching terribly, she didn't want to look directly at the sea goddess beside her.
"Thetis is terrifying," thought the naturally reserved and shy goddess of youth. "Honestly, I much prefer the gentle and passionate Hermes."
Although her older siblings Ares, Eletia, Enior, and Hephaestus were all quite nice, Hermes, who had brought her immense joy and warmth, was special to Hebe, who was only just beginning to grow up.
However, Hebe hadn't seen Hermes for quite some time.
Even though Hermes had her own palace on Mount Olympus, this seemingly extremely busy sister always preferred to stay in Arcadia on earth, living among nature spirits and human animals.
Thinking of this, Hebe felt particularly regretful and distressed. If Hermes could stay in Olympus for a long time, she would definitely go to see her every day. How she wanted to be with her all the time!
But now that she can't see her sister Hermes, she naturally can't tell her these true feelings.
Hebe's face fell unknowingly, and a soft whimper escaped from her pouting pink lips.
How much longer will the Mother Goddess talk with her Uncle Poseidon? What are they talking about?
This kind of unbearable feeling is really awful...
What are you sad about?
The sudden female voice beside her startled Herb. She shrugged, clutching the yellow hem of her skirt at her knees, still too afraid to turn around.
Because the goddess Thetis is truly terrifying.
"...I...I..." Hebe lowered her head nervously, no longer even bothering to look at the palace outside the window. "I'm not...sad..."
“You’re lying.” Thetis persisted in her pursuit of the poor young goddess of youth, even though she was her foster mother’s most beloved daughter. “This isn’t a difficult riddle to solve. You’re thinking of Hermes, the daughter of Maia in Arcadia, aren’t you?”
Why was the goddess Thetis so aggressive?
And, moreover... she actually guessed what I was thinking!
Hebe stammered, "...Yes, Sister Thetis."
Thetis was silent for a moment, then continued, "You are afraid of me, why? Don't you want to talk to me face to face?"
This time, Hebe didn't say a word. She even lowered her head further, almost burying her cute little face in her tightly pressed legs.
However, this wasn't the first time we'd seen such a timid and cowardly goddess.
Thetis remained silent for a while.
“Maia and I are close friends. We were sisters who were companions, and your mother was with us back then.”
Thetis suddenly brought up this old topic.
Finally, Hebe raised her little head in shock, willing to truly face her.
“There are many things you don’t know, though they are ancient and not worth remembering, but you can ask me anytime.” Thetis’s tone remained indifferent, her blue skin noble and mysterious, yet she was born with the ability to easily control the minds of others. “However, you should have something more to do today. Here comes Hermes.”
Thetis was the daughter of the ancient sea god Nereus and Doris. She was the wisest and most hopeful among her sisters.
She inherited her parents' prophetic abilities, but she was also quite intelligent and pragmatic, which is why she was favored by the noble Hera.
She did not marry one of the powerful and influential men her parents had envisioned, and to this day, she remains a free and unrestrained individual.
However, the fate of her childhood companion, Maia, the daughter of Atlas and Pleone, the forest goddess she loved, was completely different.
Thetis clearly remembered how much her heart ached when Hera said that Maia and Zeus had fathered a bastard.
At that moment, Thetis looked at the girl who appeared from outside the corridor. Her flaxen hair and emerald green eyes, inherited from Maia, were so beautiful that even her childlike face, which resembled Maia's, softened her heart.
No matter how special the child's background was, no matter how bizarre the child's fate was, no matter how sacred the expectations that the superiors placed on the child were, Thetis was unwilling to be an obedient puppet as before.
Just then, Hebe excitedly jumped off the seashell and ran towards the goddess, pulling her back from her heavy thoughts.
"Sister! Sister Hermes! You're finally back!"
As the sweet, soft voice of the goddess of youth rang in her ears, Thetis stared straight at Hermes, bent down slightly, and embraced her.
Other important deities also accompanied Hermes.
Triton, and...
She glanced at him briefly before quickly averting her gaze.
“Ah,” Thetis sighed softly, “O sublime and great Mother Earth, your thoughts are the most unfathomable.”
The reason is quite simple: Pan, the goat boy with the blood and power of a forest fairy and Hermes, is simply his destiny—
Hermes' laughter rang out: "Hey! My dear little treasure, adorable little Hebe, what are you doing here? Are you one of the distinguished guests visiting the seas today?"
oh……
Thetis pursed her lips slightly and withdrew her gaze, still feeling lingering fear.
At least, she absolutely did not want to meet the gaze of that monster named Pan until Hermes came to her.
That monster, born of its mother, yet feeding on her power and life force.
[Author's Note]
Sorry, my darlings, I haven't updated for a long time recently because I had some writer's block qwqqqqq I promise I won't be gone for such a long time again!
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