Chapter 216: Chapter 60
The garden of Demeter was in full bloom, an eternal spring untouched by the sorrow and shadows of the Underworld.
Bright flowers danced in the breeze, the air filled with the sweet perfume of nectar and honey, while a table of fine marble sat beneath a canopy of grapevines, laid with tea and cakes.
Persephone was seated there, her cheeks puffed up in indignation, arms crossed tightly as she complained to her mother.
"It’s unfair! Absolutely unfair!" Persephone huffed, stamping her foot against the grass. "Aphrodite must have cheated somehow! There is no way Uncle Hades, of all people, would choose her. He is dignified, serious, responsible... and she is nothing but a lovesick fool who chases any skirt that walks by! How could he possibly..."
Demeter raised her cup, sipping her tea with practiced calm, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
She had long since grown used to her daughter’s melodrama, but today’s outburst carried a sharper edge.
Still, she chose not to interrupt, only allowing a small smile to play on her lips as she watched Persephone fume.
Beside her, little Nekyria, Hades’ daughter, sat with her cheeks bulging from the cakes she had "stolen" from some poor mortal grandmother, her small hands clutching another slice as if she feared someone might snatch it away.
Her hair framed her round face, and her eyes shone like twin stars as she tilted her head curiously toward Persephone.
Seeing Persephone sulking so hard, Nekyria swallowed her cake and spoke in her innocent voice. "Don’t be sad, Auntie Persephone. Daddy still likes you. You’re very pretty and very kind. Maybe he just wanted to be nice to Miss Aphrodite because she would cry if no one liked her."
Persephone blinked at the child, her heart clenching painfully at those words. Nekyria meant well, her attempt at consolation pure and innocent, but it only made Persephone feel even more pitiful.
She covered her face with her hands, groaning. "Oh, sweet child... your kindness only makes my suffering worse!"
After a moment, she peeked between her fingers, her voice trembling slightly. "Nekyria... are you truly alright with this? With having another mother? Doesn’t it hurt you that he chose her instead?"
Nekyria tilted her head, chewing thoughtfully on her cake.
She blinked twice, then smiled brightly, crumbs still on her lips. "Having more moms sounds cool! More hugs, more cookies, more bedtime stories! If one mom is busy, another one can play with me! It sounds fun!"
Persephone froze, stunned, before slowly breaking into a weak smile. Her heart, heavy a moment ago, lightened just a little at the girl’s cheerfulness.
"You... you sweet angel. You’re too pure for this cruel world." She bent down, taking Nekyria’s hands gently in her own, her eyes glimmering with a sudden hope. "Then... would you like me to be your mommy as well? I would take care of you, love you, and..."
But before she could finish, Nekyria shook her head quickly, puffing out her cheeks.
"No! You can’t be my mommy. You are my big sister! That’s way cooler. A big sister can spoil their little siblings around, protect them, and look cool when they fight monsters. But..." She turned her bright eyes toward Demeter, smiling sweetly. "...I think Aunt Demeter should be my other mommy! She’s really nice and makes yummy food!"
Demeter, who had been quietly sipping her tea, suddenly let out a soft laugh, placing her cup down on the table.
"Oh my, how flattering. You truly are the sweetest child, Nekyria." She reached out and patted the girl’s head gently, her touch warm and affectionate. "I would be honored to be your mommy."
Persephone shot up from her chair, her face red as steam practically puffed from her ears.
"Mother!" she shouted, slamming her palms against the table, making the teacups rattle. "You can’t just accept that! I called dibs on Uncle Hades ages ago! You can’t swoop in like this!"
Demeter’s laughter only grew richer, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she raised a brow. "My, my, Persephone. Isn’t a mother-daughter combo much stronger than just one? We could rule the household together, don’t you think? Twice the love, twice the power, twice the meals on the table."
"Mom!" Persephone squeaked, her voice cracking in frustration. "You’re supposed to support me, not compete with me! What happened to family loyalty?!"
Nekyria, delighted by the sudden chaos, clapped her hands. "Yes! Mommy combo! That way I get a mom and a sister! It’s perfect!"
Persephone whirled around, her eyes wide. "Don’t encourage her, Nekyria! This is betrayal!"
Demeter hid a smile behind her hand, her laughter muffled but still clear. "Oh, Persephone, you’re far too easy to tease. Look at you, turning red like a pomegranate."
Persephone groaned, throwing herself back into her chair, covering her face with both hands again. "I can’t win... I can’t win against any of you."
Meanwhile, Nekyria happily grabbed another cake, humming as though nothing in the world could ever bother her.
To her, more family only meant more love, more fun, and more sweets.
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Nyx’s domain was as quiet as the deepest void, a silence that not even the restless whispers of the dead could pierce.
She sat upon her throne of shadow, her fingers lightly drumming against the armrest, and her eyes half-lidded as the reports came rushing in from every corner of the Underworld.
They spoke of Hades, of course, of how he had spent the night in Aphrodite’s temple, of how the gods and spirits were already treating the goddess of love as if she were queen.
Nyx, however, did not so much as flinch. Instead, a soft, velvety laugh slipped past her lips, the kind that carried the weight of eternity.
"How adorable,"she murmured, her voice echoing through the darkness as if the night itself leaned closer to hear her words. "They truly think Aphrodite, that flighty, impulsive child, could ever be the queen of the Underworld? They see a single night, a single dance, and already their imaginations run wild. How fragile, how naive their hopes are."
Her smile deepened, her eyes glowing faintly as memories washed over her.
The first time she and Hades had intertwined their existences, it had not been with passion born of impulse, but with inevitability, with the recognition that night and death were two halves of the same truth.
There had been no need for declarations, and no need for binding vows.
They had existed together in silence, in understanding, in the embrace of primordial certainty.
That was something no goddess of love, no matter how radiant, could ever replicate.
At that thought, she gave a light chuckle and dismissed the gossip from her mind entirely.
Whether Hades chose to entertain Aphrodite or not meant nothing to her.
He could take as many lovers as he pleased, but the Underworld itself knew whose presence lingered in his very essence, whose shadows curled around his throne, whose eternal night flowed through the deepest roots of his dominion.
"Let them believe what they want," Nyx whispered to herself, leaning back in languid amusement. "At the end of the day, only one truth exists. He and I are inevitable."
Her words sent faint ripples through the domain, a shiver that reached even the unseen corners of her abyss.
It was then that she raised her voice slightly, calling into the void. "Erebus."
The shadows stirred, coiling together until a tall figure emerged, cloaked in darkness.
He dropped to one knee before her, his head bowed low in reverence. "You called, sister?"
Nyx’s gaze sharpened. "What of Odin and his Asgardians? Do they still resist?"
Erebus, steady though uneasy, replied, "They remain firm, sister. They refuse all entreaties and deny you access to their Yggdrasil. Even when offered trade, knowledge, and treasures, their answer has not wavered."
The corners of Nyx’s lips lifted again, but this time there was no softness in her expression.
Cruelty glimmered in her eyes, vast and endless, as if entire galaxies could be swallowed whole within her pupils.
"Stubborn fools," she said lightly, though her tone dripped with malice. "They think themselves guardians of order, but in their arrogance, they forget how fragile their little cosmos is. Tell me, Erebus, what would they do if the eyes of the Outer Ones turned toward them? If whispers from the void beyond creation coiled around their precious tree?"
Erebus shivered, his body trembling despite himself. He dared not raise his eyes to her, for he could feel the weight of her night pressing down upon him, heavy and merciless.
"Shall I... prepare something, sister?" he asked cautiously.
Nyx leaned forward, her voice like a caress and a knife all at once. "Continue your negotiations. Offer them more compensation, more knowledge, more resources. Make it appear as though we are desperate. Let them believe they hold power over us. And if, even then, they persist in their arrogance... then yes."
Her gaze grew darker, her voice lowering to a whisper that filled the entire domain with cold. "It would not be strange if their realm was discovered, if the cracks in their world widened and something hungry slipped through. Accidents happen, after all."
Erebus bowed his head even lower, unable to stop the chill running down his spine. "Yes, sister. I understand. I will see it done."
As he vanished back into the shadows, Nyx remained seated, her smile returning to that earlier softness.
Her thoughts drifted back, away from Odin, away from Yggdrasil, back to Hades.
The world could spin with rumors, Aphrodite could bask in fleeting illusions, Hera could writhe in agony, Hecate could weep in silence, but in the end, none of them mattered.
Because when the night fell, when all things came to rest, only one truth endured.
He belonged to her night, and her night belonged to him.