Chapter 14: Earth Mother
Hypnos arched his brow, his gaze drawn to Hera.
The Goddess of Marriage immediately withdrew her gaze as her mother drew her back, silently chastising her for her lackadaisical actions.
Hypnos had already returned his gaze to the crowd and frowned—he was here as his mother's representative, accepting Gaea's request, but the Earth Mother had yet to appear personally to greet him.
A wave of awkwardness spread through the crowd of immortals, who noticed the situation as well. Hades was immediately trying to gain information from Hestia through sibling telepathy.
Just as Hypnos was about to speak up, all of nature around him swayed in the splendour of life, unleashing a flurry of kaleidoscope flowers, and a woman descended from inside it. He felt the axis of the world shift towards her the moment her feet touched the ground, as if she were the centre of it all, which she indeed was, as she was none other than....
Gaea, Earth Mother.
Earth Mother was breathtakingly beautiful, not Hera-esque, but regally so, exuding absolute power. Her hair was light and emerald, and it hung gracefully over her shoulders. She was dressed in a long blue gown woven with gold beading. Her head was adorned with an auric headpiece that glistened in the sunlight. Her eyes were so green that it appeared as if all of nature had been condensed in them.
(Image here)
Her aura, though, was the most noticeable to him, for it literally felt limitless to him, like an ancient well with no end.
The First Protogenos: He began to slowly understand the true meaning behind her title. And it also seemed surreal to him that such a boundless being had been completely outmatched and defeated by a bunch of demigods in the original series.
"Hypnos." Gaea embraced him tenderly. "It's nice to finally meet you, my dear nephew."
Hypnos was inwardly taken aback by her caring actions, but he still reciprocated out of politeness. "It's also nice to meet you, Aunt Gaea."
"I can't say," Gaea said as she stepped out of his embrace, lightly patting his shoulders. "I am not surprised Nyx decided to send you."
"Well, mother thought it was about time for me to visit the world above rather than being cooped up in her realm. And your call happened to come at the right time," Hypnos smiled. "So here I am."
"Nyx is a strict mother, isn't she?" Gaea let out a sigh.
"She is a great mother." Hypnos corrected.
"I don't doubt that." Gaea said, her gaze fixed on him. "Come on. Let's go inside," she said emphatically, squinting at her descendants. "We have a lot to talk about."
And they entered Olympus, followed by immortals who kept a safe distance between them. Meanwhile, Hades was dragged away by his siblings, who bombarded him with questions as everyone strode into the marble gate of Olympus under the brilliant night.
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A long silver table stood with 14 chairs, two at the head and foot, and six on each side, inside a massive hall with a dome of constellations supported by colossal pillars.
Gaea and Hypnos sat at the head and foot of the table, respectively, followed by gods—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia—and titans—Rhea, Metis, Prometheus, Helios, Selene, and Themis—on the right and left sides of the table.
The strongest beings on the side of the gods assembled in the hall in the centre of Olympus that would go on to become the very core of western civilization—the throne room of Olympus.
As the Gods and Titans took their places on his sides, Hypnos reclined in his seat. He was flanked by Hestia and Themis, who both nodded warmly and respectfully at him. After everyone took their seats, he stood up, drawing the attention of all. "For those of you who don't know, I am Hypnos, the Primordial of Sleep and the son of Night and Darkness," he paused. "And now I am on your side. Together with me and Aunt Gaea, the victory of the war is all but assured." The hall erupted in hopeful and yet restrained cheers, only to be cut short by a sharp voice.
Ignoring the warning stares from Hades, Hera faced him with her head held high. "Not to be critical," she stated sharply. "However, immortals are unaffected by the need for sleep. So I don't see how you can assist—"
"Hera!" Rhea bore her glare at her daughter. "Mind your words. You are addressing a Primordial—"
Hypnos raised his hand for silence. He looked around at the Gods and Titans, sensing the volatile tension in the air, but he also sensed, through his powers of mind, the curious rebelliousness hidden beneath it all, as if they were secretly questioning his domain in their hearts as well.
He didn't feel absolute fury at this revelation, as most primordials would; instead, cruel amusement flooded his heart.
"I beg to differ." Hypnos said to Hera. "I am the Lord of Sleep and Dream, and the Immortals rely on me more than any other race in existence."
"You are born in dreams, and when all of them end..." The Lord of Dream drawled in the gentlest voice, sending cold shivers down everyone's spine. "You will fade back into the embrace of Chaos."
Hypnos locked his gaze on Hera, who was trying her best not to cower in the face of his strong aura but failing utterly. "Daughter of Kronos, do not question my power. I will not be merciful next time."
A deafening silence filled the hall. The Gods and Titans sat back in their seats, some clutching their armrests so tightly that they cracked.
It was the truth. They immediately understood, because when Hypnos said those words, they all felt a feeling they hadn't felt since their first battle with Kronos.
Mortality, it was. The terrifying concept that all immortals were terrified of, regardless.
Hypnos leaned back in his chair. They didn't fully comprehend his words, and it would be a long time before they could, at which point they would understand what true dread was.
He looked ahead at Gaea, who returned his gaze with a gentle smile, though her evergreen eyes hid the scrutinising gleam. He could tell she was assessing him from the beginning. And she made no attempt to be subtle about it.
The Earth Mother waved her hand, releasing a serene aura that finally subdued the tense atmosphere. "Don't scare them like that, nephew," she joked, calming the hearts of everyone, and they followed her, albeit with a forceful edge in their laughter.
"Anyway, now that the introduction is off the table," Gaea continued, smoothly letting the heavy moment pass, much to the relief of everyone. She turned to look at her children and grandchildren. "Shall we give our alley the much-needed briefing?"
The Gods and Titans looked at each other for a brief moment before Zeus and Metis launched into their feats, turning to face Hypnos. He nodded, and they began the briefing on the war with a coordination worthy of lovers.
Hypnos rested his chin on his palm, listening to Zeus and Metis, who occasionally glanced between him and Gaea. He simply nodded to them each time.
The briefing lasted an hour, and other Gods and Titans chimed in carefully at important moments, especially Demeter, who began expounding her absolute hatred for her father when Metis brought up the fact that the Crooked One was also the Titan of Harvest. Hera, on the other hand, remained deafeningly silent throughout, her gaze fixed on her feet.
All in all, Hypnos gained a thorough understanding of the Titan-God war. Though the war situation was indeed dire, a relative sense of calm pervaded throughout Europa, with battles reduced to few or none, finally providing a much-needed breath of relief, but anyone knowledgeable could tell that it was simply calm before a cataclysmic storm.
After the briefing, Rhea stood up from her seat in front of everyone and asked hesitantly. "Lord Hypnos, we're planning a banquet in your honour..."
Hypnos clearly saw through the attempt at appeasement hidden in her words. "I will attend," he finally said, giving her the opportunity.
Rhea nodded gratefully, exchanged glances with her children, and then sat back in her chair, sighing discreetly.
"That concludes today's meeting." Gaea finalised, peering at her decedents. "You are free to leave."
The Gods and Titans stood up and began to leave the central hall. Rhea yanked Hera to the front door. Demeter and Hestia ran after them to appease their enraged mother. Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, and Metis walked shoulder to shoulder as the Titaness of Wisdom lectured them on the mind realm. They were flanked by other Titans who were also paying attention to her lesson.
Boom!
The door was finally shut, leaving Hypnos and Gaea alone in the hall. For a brief moment, there was silence as the Primordials exchanged gazes.
Hypnos decided to break it. "So, aunt," he finally asked the true boss behind the scenes. "What do you need me to do in your war?"
"Your presence itself is helping much, my nephew." Gaea tapped her fingers against the armrest. "The scales of Destiny have already begun to tilt back to our side..."
Gaea was the very embodiment of nature, so Hypnos wasn't really surprised she could pry into Destiny.
The Earth Mother went on. "But I still want you to help Zeus defeat my…." she paused. "defiant son."
Hypnos tried his best to hide his frown.
Gaea narrowed her earthly eyes at him. "You hate Zeus," she stated outrightly.
Hypnos sighed and removed his mask. "Hate is a big word, Aunt," he said. "I just feel like it's redundant. You know, replacing one tyrant with another. It brings no change at all."
"You speak as if you know him?" Gaea pressed, a gleaming glint passing her eyes.
Hypnos didn't really bother with her prying attempts since he had nothing to hide on this subject. "I do know him." He peered directly at her, crossing his arms. "I know his dreams," he said lightly. "He fantasises about overthrowing his father and usurping his position as King of Cosmos. But, unlike his father, who hides his weakness behind a mask of vanity, Zeus truly believes he will become King of the Cosmos above all. Can you believe it?"
Gaea was unsurprised that her grandson was a deluded dullard. "I know his nature very well, Hypnos." She leaned back in her seat, her chin resting on her palm, her eyes glistening with intrigue. "The real question is what you intend to do about it."
Hypnos couldn't comprehend what game this terrifying primordial was playing. "Zeus is the fated one." he still said the obvious. "And I am here to help, not to criticise your decisions. So, personal feelings aside, I will assist him in defeating your rebellious son."
"That's great." Gaea smiled brightly. "I expected nothing less from you, nephew."
Hypnos was nearly positive that he heard disappointment in her tone. Was she expecting him to get involved? Is she suspicious that he was behind the changes in Destiny? Is this her true intention behind her prying? If that was indeed the case, her suspicion of him should have somewhat waned now, but he still decided to be cautious.
"Can I ask something, Aunt?" Hypnos inquired, attempting to take control of the conversation and change the subject.
Gaea was silent for a moment before nodding airily. "Ask away."
Hypnos probably shouldn't ask this of Gaea, but she was a complete mystery to him. He didn't really understand anything about her. "What is your ultimate goal?" he inquired, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"What do you mean?" Gaea arched her brow.
"This entire war." Hypnos waved his arms around to emphasise his point. "You should know how this is going to end, but you're still pushing it." he paused, elaborating.
"Most of your beloved children will most likely be banished by the Gods, and your defiant son may even suffer the worst fate known to immortals," he continued, his gaze fixed on her. "They would no longer listen to your wishes at that time, and they might even rebel against you, so why are you still so determined...?"
Hypnos abruptly stopped. The entire hall began to tremble, as did the rest of the planet beneath his feet.
"Hypnos." Gaea uttered, her evergreen eyes glowing with infinite power. "Remember who you are talking to; you need not question any of my intentions."
Hypnos backed off calmly.
"Curb your curiosity, son of Nyx." Gaea warned sharply as the quivering of the world seized. "Or you won't survive in this wretched world."
"Now, you may leave." The Earth Mother dismissed.
Hypnos stared at her for a fleeting second before rising from his seat and walking towards the door.
As he opened the door, Gaea suddenly revealed, surprising him. "I am the Mother of All, Hypnos,"
"That title is both a blessing and a curse."
Hypnos stopped in the foyer briefly and then continued on his path, closing the door and leaving the room all to Gaea.
Gaea gazed at the closed door silently. 'He really isn't the one…' she thought in disappointment. 'He can't free me from the coming wretched cycle…' she reclined in her seat, looking up at the ceiling, her gaze narrowing into the very facets of reality, reaching the boundless chaos that lay beneath it all.
The Earth Mother looked at the chaos; her heart was filled with conflict, but in the end, all the feelings gave way to one pure emotion. "I hate you, mother," she uttered, her words dripping with resentment.
The Chaos stirred, as indifferent as ever.
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