章節 39: Civilisation
The Immortals responded with zeal, cheers, and shouts, filling the hall until Zeus silently raised his hand. "This is our victory, but it would not be possible without someone, someone who has been with us throughout the final stage of our journey. Even when times were tough, he never gave up on us, guiding and assisting us. We won't be here without him, and I think everyone can agree with me on that."
"For everything he had done for us, I, Zeus, King of Gods, decree that a share of sky, sea, underworld, and even the heavens themselves shall be immolated in his honour," The God of Lightning declared, turning towards the Lord of Dream, along with everyone else, coming together in homage.
"Lord Hypnos!"
Hypnos rose from his seat gracefully, raising his glass and nodding lightly to everyone. Hera smirked proudly and pushed him to the centre of the crowds, where he accepted his student's penance, and the world shimmered for a fleeting moment in acknowledgement, and then he cleared his throat.
"To be honest, Zeus, that was unexpected but totally not unwelcome. After all, one can never say no to more domains, can they?" The Immortals laughed heartily. "Anyway, jokes aside, I am proud of all of you for having been able to reach this step despite all the odds, but let me remind you that this is just the beginning of your path. This is a new era, and there will be new challenges for you to confront, some of which you may already have noticed..." he drawled, and a heavy and bemused silence followed his comments.
Zeus, the King of Gods, shifted in his seat, already feeling a terrible headache as he considered the future. He obviously understood the challenges his teacher was referring to: his grandmother. He held out hope that there was something he could do to mend their burned bridges, but all of that was dashed when she flatly refused his invitation to the victory banquet and even made it clear to him of her anger at how he banished Titans to Taratus; honestly, what else did she expect him to do? Forgive them? Accept them? Ridiculous! His punishment for them was already merciful; he could have easily scattered them all with the cursed scythe.
"But fret not," The Lord of Dream continued, yanking Zeus out of his thoughts, "as long as you don't give up hope, all will be well. Finally, you have my blessings; I wish you success," he ended.
Zeus rose from his seat, followed by everyone else, and thunderous cheers filled Olympus. In response, Hypnos raised his glass to all of them before turning to face his student, who sat next to Metis. "May the Fates be in your favour, Zeus," he whispered.
"Leave the Fates," Zeus replied, attempting to control his overwhelming expectation; he felt that if his teacher were by his side, he could face anything and emerge victorious in the end. "What about you, teacher?"
Hypnos merely patted his shoulder with a slight smile and then nodded to Metis, who gratefully reciprocated. He walked away from their table and back to his without responding to his student's question.
Zeus was disappointed but not surprised, since he had half expected his teacher to ignore his question.
The Lord of Dream wasn't the one to ever make his intentions clear; all Zeus could do now was hope.
Hypnos returned to his table as the banquet continued, with more immortals rising up and giving their speeches on the war.
"It's grandmother, isn't it?" Hera inquired, her gaze fixed on him. "The mood-ruining secret you didn't want to tell in the morning,"
Hypnos hummed.
"How bad is it?" Hera pressed after a brief pause.
"Pretty bad," Hypnos said simply.
"Bad like war?" Hera asked, furrowing her brows.
"You have a lot of time," Hypnos reassured, taking her hand in his. "So, for now, just enjoy your victory."
Hera nodded, taking a glass of nectar.
"Nun-huh," Hypnos said, taking her glass, "no wallowing drinks for you today."
"Hypnos—" Hera grumbled.
"Go," Hypnos pointed to the centre, where Poseidon finished his proud declaration about his ascension to the God of the Sea, "and give a speech. It will at least help you take your mind off everything."
They had a staring contest then and there, but Hera eventually relented, saying, "Fine." She stood up from her seat and walked towards the centre of all.
Hypnos sat contentedly in his seat, watching his beloved give a wonderful speech to the immortals, gradually regaining her brightness away from the cloud of worries.
"How did you find it?" Hera inquired after her speech.
"Perfect as you, my love," Hypnos boasted.
Hera smiled sublimely, lightly kissing his pale lips.
And so the banquet continued—gods and titans each shared their experiences, feelings, hopes, and dreams in their speeches, earning cheers from all—Hypnos and Hera listened to them all, some of which were truly marvellous, especially Hestia's speech about home and family, which moved many to literal tears. Hera and Demeter rushed up to their sister and hugged her tightly.
The event was already becoming indelible in the memories of all, but it was just beginning. The next event soon began, right after the last emotional speech by Rhea.
And under the instructions of the Mother of Gods, everybody stood up and crowed around the edge of the main hall, where six mighty thrones were erected, bathed in a divine aura.
"Don't connect your essence to the throne," Hypnos cautioned Hera, whispering into her ears.
"Of course I won't." Hera looked at him unbelievably.
"Who would, after what happened to the Titans?"
"Oh," Hypnos shrugged, "I am not so sure about that."
Hera simply gave him a strange look.
"Anyway," Hypnos urged, "Go."
Hera heeded and strode forward to the divine thrones along with her siblings, under the attention of all. They finally came to a halt at the steps and looked at each other, as if deciding on something, and then Zeus ascended towards the central throne first—this was a defining moment, as it truly cemented his regal authority over Olympus—and his siblings followed suit, ascending to the thrones as well, with neutral expressions.
Following their ascension, the thrones began to morph, taking on a new form that reflected their divinities, and with that, terrifying divine auras erupted from their divine thrones, sweeping the Olympus, Europa, and the entirety of earth and declaring the change of rule for all to witness.
The Immortals in the hall immediately bowed in acknowledgment. Even though everybody proclaimed it was their era, deep down, they all knew whose era it truly was.
It was the Era of Gods.
Zeus, the King of Gods, reclined in his stormy throne and took it all in—the first step of his dream had been accomplished—and then he nodded to Hestia, signifying the beginning of the most important part of their banquet.
Hestia arose from the fiery throne and walked towards the centre of the hall, where a hearth was erected. She raised her hand in front of it, summoning a faint yet brilliant flame—it was the fire of Hope.
The Goddess of Home abruptly turned her gaze to the Primordial of Sleep, who nodded encouragingly—an exchange witnessed by many curious eyes in the banquet—and then, without hesitation, she placed the fire into the hearth, brilliantly lighting it up.
At the same time, in a distant dimension, the Fates—the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone—sat on simple chairs, their primal figures illuminated by the starlight of the cosmos.
The Maiden drew a blinding thread from the spindle, which emitted whips of light that shimmered all around her and her sisters, depicting a magnificent story of a civilization.
The light whips then fused together to form a pale woman with long silver hair like an argent waterfall and scarlet eyes like the crimson moon. She was none other than Ananke, the Silver One.
"The fire of hope shall give birth to the civilization that will define and shape the world for all of time." The Primordial of Destiny declared, her voice low, almost a whisper, but powerful enough to rewrite all of reality: "And as long as it burns, mankind will never fall."
After that decree, Ananke looked down at her daughters and nodded warmly before fading away into shimmering whips of light that drifted back to the blinding thread in the hands of the Maiden, whose languid countenance was gone, replaced by sombre as she began her duties alongside her sisters.
Meanwhile, on Mount Olympus, following the completion of the pivotal event, the banquet devolved into festivities filled with music and dance.
In the midst of it all, Hypnos and Hera danced to an ethereal tune, surrounded by immortals who also danced in pairs.
"What is that fire?" Hera whispered, her curiosity matching his.
"A story," Hypnos whispered back, tightening his hold on her, "began with me and was woven by the Fates."
Hera remained silent for a long time, music filling the space between them, before asking, "Ended by?"
"End?" Hypnos chuckled, "There shall be no end."
Hera gave him a quizzical look, and Hypnos continued, a slight smile on his pale lips, "There shall be no end to this story, Hera, as I will it." His words only added to her confusion, but he didn't elaborate further, instead speaking in riddles. "All will be revealed in due time."
"I understand," Hera nodded with mock respect, relenting her curiosity. "Lord Riddler,"
"Hey, that's a nice title," Hypnos raised his brows, "did you come up with it?"
"My sister," Hera chuckled, shaking her head.
"Ah, Demeter, isn't it?" Hypnos asked.
Hera hummed. "Dare I say, that title suits you perfectly?"
Hypnos merely chuckled, kissing her lips. As the curtain for the new era opened, they cavorted and capered, their feet swaying to their music amidst the sparkling lights of Olympus, their perpetual smiles lighten up by the last ray of the sun.
——————
Hypnos and Hera walked hand in hand through the rising columns and winding paths of the Mansion of Night.
"It will be fine," Hypnos soothed his nervous beloved yet again.
"What if they don't like me?" Hera jumped to the worst-case scenario; it appears his pessimism had begun to infect her as well.
"They will," Hypnos said.
Hera was silent for a moment before grumbling. "You know, I would have really liked another drink."
"Don't worry too much; I am here," Hypnos reassured her, though Hera could clearly tell he was also nervous about the coming meeting.
But Hera merely nodded and then began to look around at the murals engraved in the walls of the mansion of the night in order to distract her mind and give them both a moment of peace.
Their path eventually ended, opening up to a black door illuminated by the starlight emitting from the sealing. Hypnos and Hera stood before it, holding hands. They gazed at each other, firmness filling their eyes, and with a push, they opened the door, walking in together.
A vast hall greeted them, supported by the colossal pillars, dark as the darkest night, and in the middle of it all was a silver table with seven chairs—except two; all others were taken—graced by arguably some of the strongest beings in creation.
Hera immediately felt scrutinising gazes on her, but she kept her composure and walked calmly with her beloved towards his family. Though inwardly, she was very nervous; how could she not be? Her journey into dreaming truly opened her eyes to the existence and nature of Primordials, and now she was about to face a family of Primordials, who would, for all intents and purposes, become her family as well in the future.
Hypnos gripped her hand tighter, as if sensing her inner emotions. And they came to a halt in front of the table, which was piled high with various dishes, many of which she was totally unfamiliar with. They were all warm and untouched; the dark family of existence was waiting for their arrival.
"I am back," Hypnos said joyously, "with triumph, stories, and, last but not least, gifts for all." He waved, and an array of packed boxes materialised, soaring towards everyone. His siblings grabbed them, ready to open it right away, but Father stopped them.
Erebus placed his gift aside, titling his head at Hera. "Hypnos, aren't you going to introduce her?" he urged with a slight smile.
"I was going to, Father." Hypnos stared at Erebus, then turned towards Hera, holding her hands tightly, saying, "This is Hera, my beloved. She is the Cosmic Goddess of Stars, Marriage, and Family."
On cue, Hera greeted with a nod, her eyes mainly focused on Nyx and Erebus. "Your excellencies,"
"Hera," Nyx said, her ethereal voice softening, "you are going to be part of the family, so no need for honorifics."
Hera let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "Yes..." she trailed off, looking to her beloved for assistance.
Nyx beat her son to it. "You can just call me Aunt."
"Yes, Aunt," Hera said, relief and happiness coursing through her veins.
"Take your seats then," Nyx continued, pointing to empty chairs on her left side.
And so they took their seats, and Hemera immediately spoke up, excited. "Can we now open little brother's gifts? I really want to see what he got us all,"
"After the dinner, Hemera," Erebus said. "We have much to celebrate tonight, don't we?"
"That we do," Hemera nodded, turning towards her brother.
"What is the occasion?" Hypnos asked obliviously, but his hands were pointing at him repeatedly.
"As childish as always, Hypnos," Aether chided gently, a smile marring his lips, "Here I thought, love would have brought some sense to you."
"Never!" Hypnos said, "You are never going to get rid of me, brother."
Hera sat in silence. observing Hypnos and his family through their smiles and sighs emotionally.
Nyx raised her hand in a motion of silence: "Your brother has been through much this year, from opening his realm to winning a war to finding love. He has grown a lot"—Aether rolled his eyes but didn't dare to interpret his mother's words—"and I am ever proud of him," she said as she rose from her seat, raising her glass.
Hypnos immediately stilled, his smile freezing. "Mother, you are pregnant!"
"Oh, yes," Nyx said, rubbing her swollen belly, "you'll be a big brother in a month."
"Why didn't anybody inform me of this?" Hypnos took a look around his family.
"We didn't want to distract you from your quest,"
Erebus said.
"Oh, really—" Hypnos said.
"Anyway, I dedicate this night for my son," Nyx cut him off, raising his glass to all. "For Hypnos!"
"For Hypnos!"
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