19: Her Quest
Poseidon's blue hairs were being gently caressed by the ethereal fingers of the wind coming from the ajar-opened window. Yet for some reason, light seemed unable to pass through the window as if this room existed beyond the light.
His gaze fell onto a small table crafted from ancient wood and adorned by the resplendent pelt of a mythical beast. Beneath it, the shadows danced. They exhibited an uncanny resemblance to living beings, which for some reason Poseidon did not find far-fetched.
After all, the dead were once the living.
Amidst the towering walls, torches stood tall, their flickering azure flame casting an eerie luminance, failing to pierce the pervasive darkness of the antechamber. Surrounding those torches was an exhibition of weapons. They were exquisite, fashioned from a myriad of jewels, all priceless masterpieces.
The room was filled with opulence which brought a sense of aristocracy to it. Unfortunately, its maker seemed to have been a sardonic being, putting those glistening masterpieces beneath a veil of darkness.
In stark contrast with this somber atmosphere, a large white sofa clung to the wall, seemingly floating. Poseidon passed by it, his gaze calmly shifting toward it before fixing a door.
The door was of weathered wood as seen by the obvious crackling marks. An aureate, round door knob crowned it. Poseidon knocked twice, waiting in a profound silence for an answer.
From beneath the door's threshold, Darkness oozed with welcoming tendrils as if prompting Poseidon to push it open. Barely opening the door, Poseidon faced his brother's pale blue eyes. "Let's go, grandmother summoned us."
Those orbs slightly widened, "Grandmother did?" he repeated in surprise.
Affirming with a nod, Poseidon guided his brother toward Gaea. Together, they made their way through one of the back doors of their residence. The once "simple" cave had now been transformed into a glistening mansion.
Upon stepping outside, they were greeted by a wooden archway leading toward a garden. Alongside it, colossal burning red flowers swayed, their petals gliding in the air. Beyond it, a cobblestone path was dug into the verdant grass.
As they walked, trees blossomed around them, casting sinuous shadows with their wave-shaped vines going in and out of the ground with ease. Creating a welcomed contrast with the otherwise immaculate landscape.
Beside the path lay a serene pond, its sapphire waters stirred by a docile deer quenching its thirst. Perched atop the deer, a melodious bird sang, while a feline with dappled fur slumbered in the grass.
It was a peaceful moment, only disturbed by the sight of a golden necklace adorned with a deep blue jewel around every animal.
As they ventured deeper, the serenity morphed into something primeval. The once-vibrant leaves took on an abyssal hue as if rejecting luminance itself. And then, their eyes met hers.
Her irises gleamed with an eerie, poisonous green, akin to a shimmering chartreuse pool. She possessed thin, dark purple lips forming into a smile; her upper lip being darker than the lower one. One of her hands lay on her hips showing off her voluptuous curves the sizes of mountains. The color of her dark green nails created a magnificent contrast with her dark robe which bloomed with venomous bolts and greenish bubbles. On her neck and around her fingers, she adorned a multitude of golden bijoux. Yet even with all those peculiar details, her most prominent feature was her cascading tendrils of hair, reminiscent of tentacles which framed her visage. They sank down from bright to aphotic.
Gaea looked down on them with a dominant look which seemed so temptatious.
Seated beside her were Hades' four other siblings, along with their mother and Metis. 'Seem like we are last. Why is it always so?' he thought, noticing how by almost every meeting he was the last one being convened.
"Welcome, children."—she said with a disturbing smile on her poisonous face. She spoke in a low tempo as if each syllable bore a hidden weight—"It was a long time ago that I welcomed my first children not born as Primordials but divine beings. They were the elder siblings of the Titans, called the Cyclops and the Hecatoncheires. My precious children were born with a unique appearance for divine beings. Not liking it and finding them too weak to be his children, 'he' cast them into the pit, Tartarus."
A hushed silence enveloped the surroundings as Gaea's words hung in the air with a heavy clock of sadness and betrayal. Yet, then came joy—or so it seemed.
"When my youngest child—at that time—ascended to the throne of our pantheon by defeating with my help his father, he granted them their freedom."—she took a deep breath as if reliving those memories—"and that day was one of my happiest. For the first time in a very long time, I felt free from the shackles of worry. And then, I fell into a weightless sleep."
"But,"—her breath was cut short—"when I awoke, my children were nowhere to be seen. Kronos had banished them back to the Underworld. I wanted to free them, but unlike previously when I missed the power to do so against Ouranos, now I was born with too much to interfere. The laws that had been placed upon us, Primordials, after that horrible war were literal shackles."
Gaea's gaze bore into her descendants, her eyes shimmering with a faint silver light, as though tears threatened to spill. "So, now I want you to bring them back to the world of the living. Free them from their infernal torment in the depths of the Underworld. If you do so, their power will be of great help."
The way her hands slightly moved as if trying to influence them—even though they had no choice but to please her—told Hades of her despair.
'Pathetic for someone of her power' he thought, repulsed by seeing emotions in a being so much beyond his power.
'Everyone has weaknesses, no matter how strong they seem' Haethan's words rang in his head. Hades smiled innerly, it had been a long time since he had "heard" Heathan's voice, he who had been mostly responsible for the being he now was.
Then, Gaea resumed counting the arguments as to why they should free her children, forgetting the most important one—they need her power to defeat Kronos.
"Brontes, Steropes, and Arges are gifted forgers beyond anything you will ever find. They shall craft you weapons capable of challenging Kronos. Cottus, Briareus, and Gyges are the best builders, and they are even capable of powerful displays of strength."
A smile graced Zeus' face. He looked at his two brothers with stars shining in his eyes' azure backdrop. And seeing no disagreeing looks from them, he exclaimed. "We'll do it!"
"Good," she then looked at the three sisters and said "While your brothers are going to the Underworld, you will be following Rhea and Metis in trying to make allies. There are many who would want to follow us, you just have to find them."
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