Nyx, the Goddess of the Night - (2)

"Oh my, isn't it uncomfortable to bow your head like that?"

At the soft voice, I slowly lifted my head to meet the gaze of the goddess before me. She, like me, had pitch-black hair, dark eyes, and black wings reminiscent of the god Thanatos.

The goddess, clad in flawlessly beautiful black robes, exuded a beauty that seemed almost artificial, as if asserting, "This is what beauty looks like." It was as though something not truly alive was claiming the essence of living beauty.

Swish-

"Yes, you may raise your head. After all, aren’t you also, technically, my descendant?" "Understood, Lady Nyx."

The Goddess of the Night gazed at me with eyes full of curiosity. Beside me, the Hecatoncheires brothers stood with bowed heads, not making a sound.

"Hmph... My children all begged me to help you—no, to help us against Gaia's threat." "......" "Was Gaia so terrifying to you? Haha... how cute. How pitiful."

Her hand slightly covered her mouth as she spoke. Was that mockery, or just a genuine observation? The sentiments of the primordial Goddess of the Night, who stood equal to Uranus himself...

"Yes. To be honest, I am afraid of Lady Gaia." "Oh my! You could have at least joked a little..."

"Lady Gaia has birthed monstrous Gigantes and the fearsome Typhon, all because we imprisoned the Titan gods in Tartarus. We want to prove ourselves to her by defeating these monsters, but we must also consider the possibility that she might turn against us completely."

The Goddess of the Night, Lady Nyx, can be less merciful than Gaia when angered. Primordial Night is synonymous with annihilation and death. Her other name is the Mother of Death—naturally, since her son Thanatos is the god of death...

I cautiously glanced into the black eyes of the dark goddess. She had been jesting just now, but her expression remained impassive.

"...Is that all?" "......" "If relying solely on my children's requests and personal goodwill is all you have, then I cannot assist you."

Of course, she would say that. To involve a Protogenoi, my conditions are insufficient. But there is one thing… one potential offer I can make.

"If you help us, I will ensure that among the Protogenoi, you, Lady Nyx, will have the most followers singing your praises." "Hmm?" "My temple is a place that venerates nearly all the gods of the Underworld. I will create a prominent statue of you, and those who understand the grace of the Goddess of the Night will worship you daily."

Ordinarily, the worship of mortals would hardly move a Protogenoi. However, Lady Gaia and Lady Nyx are different from other primordial gods—they often interact with mortals.

Nyx and Gaia, unlike Tartarus or Erebus, who exists solely in the Underworld or as darkness itself, might take a keen interest in mortals.

The dark goddess, contemplating my words, finally spoke.

"Ah, mortals, you say. The noisy ones that disrupt the quiet night." "What...?!" "How about this instead? If you sweep away all the noisy humans from the mortal realm… then perhaps I might aid you. But I shall not exclude even those who worship you."

Is she serious?

I glanced at Lady Nyx, but her expression betrayed no hint of change. There was no discernible emotion or disturbance. The intent of this primordial deity, who personified a natural phenomenon, was impossible to read.

Why would she say such things? Was it a test? But there’s no reason to test me using mortals.

Does she truly wish for a quiet night so much that she’d want to sweep away the noisy mortals?

"Why are you silent? It would be a simple task for you." "......" "They are mere creatures; couldn't you create them again? After all, your kin already wiped them out with a great flood once."

It is indeed an easy task. Any of the Twelve Olympians could annihilate mortals if they wanted to. Compared to the threat Gaia poses, the extermination of humans is a cheap price.

And she’s right about being able to recreate them. Any god could create a human simply by hurling a stone over their shoulder. Humans were created to give rise to heroes to counter the threat of the Gigantes, after all.

Though I may seem the most merciful toward humans among the gods, I am also immortal. My family, my siblings, are far more precious to me than humans.

But...

"Great Pluto! I seek your mercy!" "May our son, who fell on the battlefield, find peace in the Underworld…" "By your mercy, Pluto, you sent us mint…" "Pluto, protect me…"

I could not bear to betray those who pray to me, singing of mercy and justice. Priests who clung to my temple even amidst Oedipus’ madness, believers who desire my mercy, judges who pray to adjudicate with fairness in my name, and the terminally ill who seek peace in the afterlife...

It's not that I desire to maintain the title of the god of mercy given by mortals. It's not that I want to keep the respect they give me by showing favoritism to humans over my Olympian kin.

"I am sorry. I cannot bring myself to eradicate humans once again." "...?"

It was simply that I didn't wish to display the same fickleness toward mortals as other gods. I could only say these words to a Protogenoi because of this belief.

At least, that's what I’d like to think...

Just as I assumed that I had failed to persuade the Goddess of the Night to join our cause, a sudden burst of laughter broke out.

"Pfft... Pffft...! I was only joking. Why are you reacting so seriously?" "What…?"

The oppressive aura had vanished, and there she was, the Protogenoi, smiling at me. Her beautiful smile brightened the atmosphere, but I couldn't bring myself to smile along.

Was it truly a joke? The Olympians are whimsical, but more so than Gaia and the other primordial gods?

Maybe what she told me just now was merely a momentary whim...

"My children all tell me that the King of the Underworld, Hades, is the most just and merciful of the Olympian gods... and one worth aiding." "That is too generous an assessment." "They say you cherish mortals dearly. I was merely curious, so don't take it to heart."

Poof

The dark goddess plucked a feather from her black wings and held it out to me. The feather was imbued with powerful divine energy, befitting the body of a Protogenoi.

As I received it with both hands, Lady Nyx, brushing her hair, continued speaking.

"Take that feather to the god of the sky. He—or rather, she—will recognize it at once." "Surely not…"

The god of the sky is Zeus. However, if she says "she," there's only one who comes to mind—the one who was castrated by his own child and considered to have lost his masculinity, now regarded as a goddess: Uranus.

A fellow Protogenoi like Lady Nyx and my grandfather. Once the ruler of the heavens, before Kronos took over.

"Yes, the goddess Uranus. Go and explain everything to her… and bring back proof. Then, I shall help you."

She gave me her feather to help me communicate with the exiled god, Uranus. Who knows what he'll think when he sees us after being castrated by Kronos?

This is a test. It’s about whether we, the Olympians, can gain the favor of Uranus. Knowing that we’ve overthrown Kronos, maybe it’ll go well...

"Understood. I will surely persuade Lord Uranus." "Huhu... I look forward to it."

One hurdle after another. To obtain a sign from the god of the sky, Uranus, another Protogenoi...

And so, as Hades, now the King of the Underworld and grandson of Gaia, departed, Nyx closed her eyes and sank into the darkness of her dwelling at the deepest point of Tartarus.

The power struggles, the conflict with Gaia, the extinction of species… none of it concerned her.

Just as the water upstream pushes against the current, changing eras is simply the natural flow of the world.

Yet she felt no need to meddle in Gaia’s affairs. Until recently, that is.

"Mother." "Eris? You've come again. Last time it was Thanatos, begging me..." "Please, just once, heed my son-in-law’s plea..."

"Um… are you here?" "Ceres. Why have you come here, after all the work you do harvesting souls?" "I'm here for the same reason Eris came yesterday. Please, just once..."

Nyx’s children regularly attempted to persuade her. She hadn't thought much of Hades, but seeing how highly everyone regarded him sparked her curiosity.

None of her children are younger gods compared to Hades. Has he managed to win all their hearts? This young, even child-like, grandson of Gaia?

Curious, she exchanged places with her daughter, the goddess of day, Hemera, and ventured to the heavens.

High above in the dark night sky, the primordial goddess looked down below. Selene was moving her moon chariot amidst the clouds… and below, she saw mortals.

The lives Zeus and the other Olympian gods had created. Small beings who prayed and pleaded beneath the night sky.

Nyx focused solely on stories related to the ruler of the Underworld, Hades...

"Great Pluto. Today, as always, we praise you for the blessing of mint leaves you have given us..." "Lord Pluto. You, who preside over justice and mercy..." "Do not cry, my dear. Even if I go to the Underworld and rest in Pluto’s embrace, have no fear. He will..."

She saw countless humans praying to him. Faithful devotion. The fairness of judgments passed upon the dead. The god of mercy and justice.

None of the mortals spoke ill of Hades. Even though he ruled the fearsome Underworld… the praise leaned in his favor.

One of Nyx's unspoken hobbies was observing the beings beneath the night sky.

All who spoke of Pluto… or rather, Hades, agreed with what her children had said: he was indeed a child who cherished mortals, and he was worth testing.

If he brings back the sign from Uranus, she will gladly aid Olympus. Naturally...

"Mom, which god makes the night sky?" "Hmm… That would be Lady Nyx’s grace." "Lady Nyx? Is she stronger than Lord Zeus?" "Ah… perhaps not. Lord Zeus is the king of the gods, after all."

"I shall create a prominent statue of Lady Nyx in my temple, so those who understand the grace of the Goddess of the Night may worship her daily."

But it wasn’t because there were humans who viewed her as inferior to Gaia’s grandson.