Nyx,
She was the daughter of Chaos, the god of chaos, a goddess clad in black.
In Orphism, Nyx was regarded as the supreme deity of the Triple Goddess. She possessed three different transcendent identities: Ananke, goddess of inevitability; Adrasteia, goddess of retribution; and Heimarmene, goddess of causality.
Nyx's three transcendent identities formed a trinity, each representing a different manifestation of her as the supreme goddess.
She had borne numerous children with her brother Erebus, the god of darkness. Most of those children were neutral gods or Underworld gods.
So although this goddess was not among the chief gods, even Zeus, the great god himself, dared not show her disrespect.
After all, Zeus had been raised by Nyx as well.
And now,
With Hermes's help, Thaumas was about to head to the Underworld to negotiate with the goddess Nyx.
There was no helping it. Though this felt a little like robbing Peter to pay Paul, it still had to be done, didn't it?
Nyx would probably assign him some task or make some demand again, right?
The Underworld was where the dead went in Ancient Greek mythology. Together with the mortal realm and the divine realm, it formed the world of Greek mythology.
Aside from its original gods, some humans—especially certain heroes—also became special beings of the Underworld after death.
And other than the dead, one could only reach the Underworld with the assistance of a god.
The Underworld lay deep beneath the earth. Volcanic craters were believed to be among its entrances, because the poisonous gases rising from them could kill all living things.
Since this was still the Age of Gods, the Underworld was literally underground, though it was usually difficult to reach.
Hermes guided Thaumas's soul through the darkness of Erebus and arrived at the Hell Gate.
This place was planted with black poplars and barren palm trees. The Hell Gate was guarded by the three-headed hellhound Cerberus. Once anyone entered the Hell Gate, they could never return to the world of the living.
After passing through the darkness, Thaumas saw the Gate of Hell.
"Hermes, what important soul have you guided here this time?" Cerberus's left head opened its mouth and spoke.
The middle head sensed something was wrong. It lowered itself and sniffed carefully. "Hm? That doesn't smell like a dead person. You're still alive! Hermes! Are you provoking me?"
"Whatever. I don't care about you two. Hand over all the Honey Cakes, then leave the Underworld." The right head greedily clamored.
"What? Honey Cakes!" "I smell them too!" "Hand them over!" Cerberus threatened.
How should he put it? Their back-and-forth was pretty funny.
Taking advantage of the moment, Thaumas carefully observed the magical creature.
It was the gatekeeper hound of hell in Ancient Greek mythology, usually depicted as a vicious dog with three heads.
On closer inspection, each of its heads had a mouth dripping with poisonous saliva. Its lower body had a dragon's tail, while the fur on its heads and back consisted entirely of writhing venomous snakes.
In Greek mythology, Cerberus lived on the banks of the Styx and guarded the gates of the Underworld for Hades, the King of the Underworld.
Its main duty was to allow every dead soul into the Underworld, but never allow anyone out—nor allow the living to enter or leave. Thus, in Greek and Roman mythology, very few people ever returned alive from the Underworld.
The name Cerberus had no definite meaning in Ancient Greek. One interpretation was "Spotted," while another was "Demon in the Darkness."
In mythology, Cerberus's three heads often fought over a single piece of food. For example, the final task Aphrodite gave Psyche, who wished to see her husband Cupid, was to use a honey cake to distract Cerberus.
This was because in Ancient Greek culture, people customarily placed a honey cake in the coffins of the dead to please Cerberus. They hoped the deceased would offer the cake to the vicious hound and thereby find peace in the afterlife.
That was also why Thaumas had brought so many Honey Cakes.
He opened his backpack and poured out the pile of Honey Cakes inside, spreading them before Cerberus and dividing them evenly into three portions.
"Let's be friends, Cerberus! These are all for you to eat." Thaumas smiled.
Anyone familiar with him knew that he was about to start sweet-talking someone.
"Awoo~ chomp chomp Don't think I'll let you pass just because you brought so many Honey Cakes!" the left head said while eating.
"Exactly! I'm kind-hearted, so I'll let you go back. Hurry up and leave!" the right head echoed.
"Since you know what you're doing, I won't even report you to Lord Hades!
Usually, people only bring us one, and we have to fight over it. We barely ever get a taste. We've never had honey cake freedom like this before!" The middle head nodded approvingly, very satisfied with Thaumas.
"Oh? Then do you want to eat this many Honey Cakes every time?" Thaumas coaxed.
All three heads stopped and looked at Thaumas together, their eyes blazing.
"Yes!"
"Of course!"
"Whichever head dares say no, I'll bite it to pieces!"
Was this dog really that ruthless? It would even bite itself. Truly a dog.
"Think about it. Why do people bring you Honey Cakes now? Do you know?" Thaumas asked.
"Wasn't it because they were conquered by my kingly aura?"
"Of course they revere us!"
"It must be because they envy and worship my handsome, dashing figure!"
"Then why do they only give you one instead of doing what I did?" Thaumas asked again.
"Th-this—!"
"Hmm~"
"Ah—?"
"See? You aren't even sure yourselves. That proves it definitely isn't for those reasons!"
Thaumas delivered his first conclusion!
"Think about it. Why do people bring you Honey Cakes? Because they know you like them, and they want to bribe you with them.
But why do they only bring one? Because a rumor spread that you fight over a mere honey cake and forget your duties. So everyone treats that as the proper guide to getting through! That's the direct reason!" Thaumas said.
"Reasonable!"
"Supported by evidence!"
"Proven!"
"Right, right! So how do we solve this problem? Naturally, we use their own method against them!
Let the whole world know how united and loving you are! That you would never argue over a single honey cake!" Thaumas said again.
"What use is that?"
"Who wants to be loving with these two stupid heads?"
"You should just leave already!"
"Don't rush! If humans learn about your unity and affection, that means one honey cake will no longer be enough to solve the problem, because it won't make you fight.
Then, in order to achieve their goal, won't humans change their strategy and bring each of you one honey cake?" Thaumas tempted them.
"Really?"
"That sounds amazing!"
"Our wages will triple?!!!"
"And do you want to know how to do that? Do you want to know how to spread this rumor?" Thaumas asked again.
"Yes!" The three heads nodded together as though of one mind.
"Then you have to listen to me. Let me in first, then let me out afterward. That way, I can spread the tale of how much you love one another and get the world to raise your wages. Isn't that right?" Thaumas asked one final question.
"Big brother, please come in!"
"I'll open the gate for you."
"I'll help you keep it from Lord Hades!"
Thus, under Hermes's admiring gaze, Thaumas was respectfully invited through the Gate of Hell.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA~!"
"Thaumas, why don't you become the god of lies instead? You're just too suited for it!"
Hermes exclaimed sincerely. So this was wisdom? No wonder I used to get beaten so often when I tricked people—I lacked this wisdom!
Heh, Hermes still did not truly understand humans. He had no idea how many strange yet remarkably effective ideas they possessed.
Like certain absurd internet users, who always made astonishing comments. Once the numbers got large enough, there would always be a couple of astonishing idiots.
And besides, Thaumas had done pyramid schemes before! He was definitely going to become this "Grand Debater"!
P.S.:
Finally finished it.
Good night. I hope I get a raise tomorrow too.
Before you continue