[Greek Mythology] Night
Act.03
Act.03
The gods in Greek mythology are immortal; this is a fundamental principle.
Gods are the embodiment of these principles. As long as the world is not destroyed, the gods will not perish. The earliest primordial gods were largely embodiments of natural laws. However, after the second generation of gods, many deities emerged who embodied non-natural laws, representing emotions, civilization, or other humanistic aspects.
For example, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty.
The first god to embody non-natural laws was Eros, the god of love, a primordial god rarely mentioned in mythology.
In Nyx's memories, only two gods in the entire mythological system truly "vanished."
Immortality is a characteristic bestowed upon the gods by the world. However, this characteristic is not unbreakable.
Uria, the god of mountains, and Eros, the god of love. In mythology, both of these gods vanished. As the embodiment of mountains, Uriah's divinity transformed into Mount Olympus, becoming the abode of the gods. Uriah's divinity, however, vanished into the void.
Gods are immortal, but the divinity that carries their consciousness and memories can perish. If a god's divinity is extinguished, even if a new god is later created, is it still the same god?
Is Eros, the current god of love, the same god as Eros, the future son of the goddess of beauty? Of course not.
The annihilation of divinity represents the true demise of a god.
The difference between the primordial gods and other gods is that for them, divinity and divine nature are one; the annihilation of divinity is not an option. Yet, Eros's divinity was extinguished.
This is the point that Nyx could least understand after reading all the accounts of Eros.
Why did Eros, whose divinity and godhood were one, fall to the point of disappearing? Moreover, the godhood of love and desire later transformed into a new god of love, whose power wasn't even at the level of a chief god, let alone a former primordial god.
Nix, as a primordial god, was very concerned about this issue concerning himself. In the future world, all of them, the gods, would have vanished!
Was this disappearance merely slumber, or, like Eros before him, a true annihilation…?
After his birth, Eros wandered the earth, usually resting in Gaia's temple. According to him, the abyss and darkness were too oppressive, and the night too lonely; only the earth could make him feel comfortable.
"Eros's godhood was built on the foundation of love and desire. As primordial gods, your love and desire are far less than those of the demonic beasts on the earth. Naturally, he preferred to stay on the earth," the system analyzed.
"But this is really strange. In any mythological system, a deity like Eros shouldn't exist among the primordial gods who are essentially creators. Eros should have appeared after the pantheon developed."
The system had traveled to many different worlds with its previous host and had seen gods from other worlds, but it had never seen a pantheon in Greek mythology where Eros was a primordial god, especially one that would perish.
"I've decided to go to Gaia's temple to see Eros," Nyx stood up. "I need to find out what's going on."
The system largely agreed with Nyx's decision; after all, it was extremely rare for a primordial god to perish.
The distance from the Temple of Night to the Earth was vast, but for a god of Nyx's caliber, it was merely a matter of teleportation.
At this time, the primordial gods had relatively harmonious relationships and would generally enter each other's temples directly, unlike later times when each temple was protected by a barrier, requiring prior notification at the entrance.
"Nix said he has no interest in being the God-King."
Upon arriving at the temple, Nix heard his name called and was startled, only to find Gaia and Eros conversing on their thrones. Because of Eros's resident presence, Gaia had erected a throne for him within the temple.
"His lack of interest is his problem,"
Eros said lazily.
Hidden in a corner, Nix didn't intend to venture out rashly. He used the power of the night to conceal himself; even the primordial gods couldn't detect him.
"In the foreseen future, Nix and I will play a significant role in the birth of the pantheon. The position of God-King naturally belongs to both of us, and since Nix has no interest, then of course I will be the God-King!"
Gaia's expression was very serious.
At this stage, the primordial gods could see the future to a certain extent. The future world would possess a vast pantheon, and the one who would rule it would be the God-King. When the gods first witnessed this scene, Gaia had already asked Nyx for his opinion on the God-King. Upon learning that Nyx had absolutely no interest in the position, Gaia was determined to obtain it.
Eros, however, laughed.
"My dear sister, you are so naive," Eros said, lounging lazily in his chair, looking at his sister. "The position of God-King is only for male gods, you know~"
Only male gods can become God-King?
Gaia felt as if she had been slapped in the face. If it were due to insufficient strength or failure in the competition, she could accept it. But what was this? Was it predetermined from the start?
The temple fell into a deathly silence. The gods had never known this secret before. Although they knew of the existence of the God-King, no one knew the specific conditions for becoming one.
"As for the love and desire among gods, I know some things about the future of the pantheon that none of you know. For example, the Earth Goddess Gaia can absolutely not become God-King," Eros continued. "If Nyx isn't willing, maybe Erebus? Or Tartarus? Of course, if neither of them is willing, I can reluctantly accept it~"
"Holy crap, he actually said that to Gaia!" The system exclaimed in Nyx's mind. "The pursuit of power is Gaia's nature!"
Nyx knew something about this. As the Mother Earth, Gaia currently possesses countless divine titles and offices. Gaia has been trying her best to control these divine titles, and in the process of this control, a desire for power has gradually arisen. This desire stems from the excessive number of divine titles, and is also part of Gaia's inherent divinity. The earth possesses the characteristics of inclusiveness and vastness, as well as the pride of being the origin of all things and the ambition to control all things.
"You want to be the King of Gods?"
Gaia's soft laughter echoed in the temple.
"Poor Eros, you've probably never witnessed the power released by the primordial gods when they stabilized the world at its inception."
"Does sister think the power of desire is weak?"
Eros's tone slowly changed. Looking down on the power of desire was looking down on him, the god of desire. As a member of the primordial gods, Eros also had his own pride.
"Eros, the power of nature's origin is worlds apart from your kind of power."
Gaia, who controlled the earth, had the right to look down on her brother, the symbol of desire. Desire was merely a pastime. Whether it was the earth, the abyss, darkness, or night—these four, the embodiment of the world's origin and laws, possessed immeasurable power.
"Alright." Eros stood up. "Then let your elder sister witness the true power of desire today."
As she finished speaking, an immense divine power surged forth within the Earth Temple. Eros dared to unleash his divine power directly within Gaia's temple! The earth was Gaia's domain, where her divine power could be maximized.
The overwhelming earth power quickly suppressed Eros's power. Just as Gaia smiled, preparing to properly instruct her younger brother, the situation changed.
The desire power suppressed by the earth's power did not return to Eros's body; instead, it dissolved into Gaia's power, ultimately merging with it!
"Damn it! Host! Defend! Don't let this power seep into your divine power!"
Nix, hearing this, quickly dispelled the divine power surrounding him, but it was too late. A portion of the desire power entered Nix's body.
"What...is this?!"
Nix felt his divine power and divine essence within him churning, and his body felt weak.
"This is the power of lust! I never imagined the power of fertility was also in Eros's hands! He's now using this power to incite in you the desire to give birth to new gods!"
Nyx, shocked that Eros would wield such power, immediately teleported back to the Temple of Night.
However, Gaia was not so fortunate.
Standing in the temple, her face flushed, she was in great pain, the earth's divine power flowing violently through her body.
"Ah—"
Gaia's agonizing scream, along with her divine power, swept across the entire world; the sky, the earth, and the sea trembled!