Chương 10: Mother's Message
"Finally admitting your emotions, big brother?" she murmured, her voice laced with playful amusement. She knew me too well. But that was alright. With both my sisters by my side, I was no longer alone in this darkness. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was a chance not just to escape, but to rebuild, to rediscover who we were, not just as gods, but as a family.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Demeter POV]
The cavern, at first a suffocating prison, held a strange beauty revealed by Hestia's guidance. Patches of obsidian glistened in the faint, artificial light, reminiscent of a night sky studded with fallen stars. My initial fear had melted away, replaced by a cautious curiosity. Hestia, radiating warmth and kindness, was a constant comfort.
"This is our hearth," she announced proudly, gesturing towards a rough-hewn stone structure in the center of the cavern. Flames danced merrily within, casting flickering shadows on the walls. "I created it," she explained, a touch of pride coloring her voice. "It helps warm the place a bit."
A weak heat indeed, but it was the closest thing to comfort I'd felt in what seemed like an eternity. "It's lovely, Hestia," I said sincerely. "You have a gift for making even this desolate place feel… homey."
A playful glint appeared in her eyes. "Well, we do what we can. Speaking of gifts," she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "Have I told you about our little experiments?"
Hestia proceeded to show me the areas she'd been using her newfound powers to manipulate the environment. A small patch of earth, rough yet strangely fertile, held a few tentative green shoots. My heart swelled with pride and a flicker of longing. This was the power I wielded in the world beyond, the power to nurture life. To see it, however tentative, even here, sparked a flicker of hope.
As we continued our tour, a wave of guilt washed over me. I'd forgotten to tell Hestia about the message I carried from Mother. An uncomfortable silence settled between us as the weight of my omission pressed down on me. How could I have been so careless? Here we were, trying to find solace in this bleak prison, while vital information remained unshared.
"Hestia," I began, forcing the words out. "There's something you should know. A message from Mother."
Hestia stopped in her tracks, her warm smile fading. "From Mother?" she echoed, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
I took a deep breath. "Yes. She said…" Suddenly, my voice faltered. Sharing the prophecy felt akin to unleashing a curse upon us. Yet, how could we even begin to plan for escape if we didn't know what we were up against?
"She said that our father, Cronus, is the current god-king," I began, pushing on despite my trepidation. "He usurped the throne from his father, Uranus, in a violent coup." Hestia's eyes widened at this revelation, a flicker of dawning understanding crossing her face. We hadn't spoken much of our past, the pain of separation too raw.
"But there's more," I continued. "Apparently, Cronus is cursed. His own father, Uranus, prophesied that he would be overthrown by his children, just as he had overthrown his own father."
Hestia's face paled. "Overthrown?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yes," I said, my voice heavy. "And that's precisely why we're here. Cronus, out of fear of this prophecy, swallowed all of his children whole. But Mother assured us… she said she wouldn't let this be our end. She vowed to find a way to free us."
The silence that followed my confession stretched on, heavy and oppressive. Hestia stared at me, a storm of emotions brewing in her eyes. Shame washed over me again. I'd focused so on the message of hope that I'd forgotten something crucial – Hades wasn't with us.
"I… I'll tell Hades as well," I stammered, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Hestia's lips twitched at the corners, a hint of amusement battling with the shock in her eyes. "Right," she said finally, and despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't help but sense a playful glint in her voice. "Of course. I just… forgot… he wasn't here."
With a weak smile, Hestia turned away, her shoulders slumping slightly. As she left to find Hades, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for my sister. The weight of this knowledge must have been immense.
(Scene Change)
[Hades POV]
The familiar rhythm of my meditation was disrupted by a shift in the cavern's energy. Not a tremor or a rumble, but a presence. Hestia's presence, to be exact, and it crackled with an unfamiliar tension. Her usual warmth was replaced by a cold, sharp edge, a storm brewing behind her amber eyes. I opened them slowly, the silence pressing down on us as I waited for her to speak.
I rose, brushing the nonexistent dust off my dark robes and walked towards her. Her face, pale and drawn, held a vulnerability I hadn't seen since our arrival. "Hestia," I rumbled, a question hanging in the air. What could have gone so wrong in her tour for her to look so utterly distraught?
She hesitated, then reached out, her hand unexpectedly cold in mine. I led her towards a secluded alcove, a small oasis of smoother rock sheltered from the harshness of the cavern. We sat, a tense silence stretching between us. Finally, Hestia spoke, her voice thick with emotion. "Demeter," she began, "She had a message… from Mother."
My chest tightened, a jolt of something akin to anticipation coursing through me. Finally, some news from the outside world. But Hestia's next words brought a chilling realization. She recounted Demeter's tale, the story of Cronus and Uranus, the prophecy of our overthrow. The air grew heavy as she spoke of our father, the reason for our imprisonment.
As a story, it wasn't new to me. Mother had hinted at it before our separation. But hearing it spelled out, confirmed by Demeter, sent a fresh wave of anger surging through me. Yet, I kept my expression stoic, allowing Hestia to vent.
Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over and tracing glistening paths down her cheeks. Seeing her, the very embodiment of warmth and comfort, reduced to such despair, twisted something within me. It was a sensation unfamiliar, a pang of… empathy? Care? No, it couldn't be. We were gods, above such fleeting things.
But my hand, almost of its own accord, reached out and settled on her arm. The touch surprised even me, startled by this new, unwanted vulnerability. Thankfully, Hestia seemed too overwhelmed to notice. She continued, her voice choked with sobs, recounting Rhea's promise, a promise that sounded increasingly hollow in the face of their current situation.
I tightened my grip, not knowing how else to offer comfort. "Even if Mother fails," I found myself saying, the words rumbling from my chest, "We will be free. I promise you, Hestia. We will find a way. I won't let you, I won't let us, stay here forever."
It was a vow fuelled by a fire I didn't understand, a fire that burned brighter with the sight of her raw grief. "Don't cry," I added, my own voice gruff with an emotion I couldn't name. "I hate seeing you like this."
My words seemed to have the opposite effect. Hestia, instead of calming down, burst into a fit of laughter, a bright, joyous sound that echoed strangely in the cavern. It was a laugh that held years of suppressed emotions, a release from the tension of their situation.
Suddenly, she was in my arms, her tears now tears of relief, tears that soaked into the rough fabric of my robes. Years of happiness? Perhaps. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the shared burden, the knowledge that we weren't alone in this fight, that had finally ignited a spark of hope, of defiance, not just within her, but within me as well.
We stayed like that for a long moment, a brother and sister clinging to each other in the darkness. The gesture, once unthinkable, felt strangely… comforting. My vow hung heavy in the air, a promise not just to her, but to myself. We would find a way out of this prison. We would see the sun again. For the first time in millennia, the future held not just endless darkness, but a flicker of light. And for that, I was grateful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Length- 1,407 Words
Author's Question: Hello readers, I wanted to hear your thoughts on how the story is progressing and also on the character development the mc is going through (which i sincerely hope is seen in the story)...
Anyways have a great day!
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực