Echidna -4- Morning Guilt and Godly Secrets
Morning broke. It was a very refreshing morning. My body brimmed with yang energy, a delightful mix of pleasant fatigue and recovery washing over me in the best mood imaginable. I'd been worried if I could really sleep on a pile of straw, but surprisingly, I'd rested refreshingly well. What a fantastic morning. A great morning.
Yesterday... well, let's just say it was the day I nearly awakened to some very peculiar tastes. It was that intense. Who would've thought getting wrapped around the waist and legs by a snake could feel like a massage, or that I'd brush off a split tongue straight out of a comic as... anyway, it was wild.
As I reminisced about last night's fierce lovemaking, what hit me next was a wave of self-loathing. She was supposed to be my sister-in-law!Am I really this lacking in self-control?Answer me, Heracles. What the hell do I do now?Hey, Heracles, you can do this.Do what, you useless bastard?}
Yeah, I'd crossed the line with the woman who was supposed to become my sister-in-law. Even saying it out loud, it sounds insane. What the hell had I done? I couldn't even fathom what I'd been thinking. One thing was clear: it wasn't the booze, and Echidna hadn't forced me. I'd crossed that line of my own volition. No—one day after meeting the woman who'd be my sister-in-law? Was I already tainted by Greece without realizing it? The shock hit harder than I'd expected.
What should I do now? What do I even say to Lady Adamantia? Could I really propose to her? Could I bare this burning heart to her? But surprisingly, it was Echidna who snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.
"Worrying about nonsense again, dear... Ugh, my back hurts."
"You okay, Echidna? But what do you mean, 'nonsense'?"
"I told you—widows or captured virgins are fair game for bo ssam. Unless you fail the capture, once you've decided to take her, she's yours, dear."
"Uh... we haven't even had a ceremony. Is that really okay?"
"What? You were planning a ceremony too? My sister and I are so lucky—married to a guy who thinks of everything."
"And 'dear' just slips out so naturally now?"
"Well, you've seen it all and done it all. More shocking to me is that I lost."
Indeed, in the sacred duel of the night, I, Heracles, had won perfectly. The endless vitality inherited from Zeus overwhelmed even Echidna, the serpent who could mate all day. I'd united with her completely, loved her completely. It felt brazen after just one day, but the water was spilled—what good would denial do? It'd look bad, and it'd hurt Echidna's feelings.
"Felt just like Zeus's son. Typhon was hopeless even when we were married."
"Guess it runs in the family."
"No god's lust surpasses Zeus's—once it reaches that level, it's in the realm of divine authority. You'll be a fine god, dear."
"Me, a god?"
What was this now? Echidna looked at me like you don't even know that? I was increasingly feeling like an alien in this world. Things hadn't been this way on Sicily.
"What, dear? You didn't know you'd become a god?"
"Not that I didn't know... how do I put it? Gods aren't something you just become easily."
"What?"
"Why?"
There was some uncrossable gap between Echidna and me. This wasn't just a simple misunderstanding—where had the wires gotten crossed?
"Dear, you really didn't know? One of the most famous ways to ascend to godhood is getting Mom's approval."
"Mom... you mean Lady Gaia?"
"Yeah. I thought you knew since Mom sent you to Sicily. I figured you were in on it."
"Is this another one of those 'common sense' things like bo ssam or sister marriages you mentioned?"
"Huh? No?"
Good, I hadn't strayed from sanity yet.
"It's way bigger than that. I never imagined someone wouldn't know."
Damn, I felt like a total idiot. But it was surprising too. I'd assumed I needed Father's—Zeus's—approval to become a god.
"Dear, you ignoring our mom? You think she'd pair you with my sister but not make you a god? Mom's not that petty."
"No, not badmouthing Lady Gaia—I just thought I'd need Father Zeus's recognition."
"Well, that's one way. But dear, think about it: is our mom a lesser god than Zeus?"
"Put like that, I got nothing."
Apparently, getting recognized by Zeus was a path too—Echidna nodded. But her follow-up left me speechless. How could I argue when she sighed like you've heard every crazy thing, asking if Gaia, mother of all earth and countless gods and monsters, was lesser than our father Zeus? Comparing the eldest Protogenoi born of Chaos to the current king of gods was no simple matter.
"Makes sense—Lady Gaia is someone even Father Zeus fears. Making me a god should be doable, right? Sorry, I know zilch about ascending, Echidna."
"Weird—you've done all those labors without knowing how to become a god?"
"The labors were because of Lady Hera's wrath, so honestly, godhood never crossed my mind."
"Can't be helped then. Your doting wife will explain."
"Please do, Echidna."
I murmured it like a plea, and her mood brightened even more. Gotta ask her for favors often.
"There are two main ways to become a god: getting help from our mother Gaia, or recognition from Zeus, king of the gods. Know why?"
"No clue—starting from there."
"Simple reason: Gaia's the mother of earth, and Zeus, king of gods, is from the lineage succeeding his brother Uranus who ruled the skies. Zeus being king is secondary. Kings decide god ranks by authority, but only earth and sky gods can create gods."
"So Lady Demeter can make gods too?"
"Nah. She's an earth goddess, but not like Mom who embodies the whole world. Mom's flesh is all earth; Demeter only governs Achaea—Greece."
"So only gods representing... this world can turn mortals into gods. Something like that?"
"Yeah, close enough."
Becoming a god had conditions tied to the creator gods' complexities. What a world where this was common sense—I'd definitely reincarnated into mythology.
But Echidna's explanation didn't end there.
"Truth is, it's more complicated. Not just earth vs. sky—there's deeper reasons. I don't know the details myself."
"Yeah? What's the reason?"
"Mom let it slip once, so I only know bits. Point is, only earth and sky gods can make gods, and it's not just opposition—there's a profound real reason. Mom hates talking about it. Even Adamantia, closest to her, doesn't know."
"Some forbidden secret?"
"Nah, not a fated taboo—if so, even hinting would be impossible. Probably something about the nature of earth and sky divinity."
"How'd you guess that?"
"Can't you tell? I'm a snake—a goddess of earth too, almost a monstrous one."
"..."
I didn't get snakes and earth, but Echidna, mother of monsters, was an earth goddess. Surprisingly, she had tame powers like blessing vineyards, goats, and orchard bounties. Mild for someone who'd birthed Typhon and horrors—I was a bit shocked.
With that, silence fell over the cave. Only wind whistled at the entrance now and then. This quiet felt awkward.
"Guess that's all the talk. Time for the finale!"
"Huh?"
"What else? A wholesome morning romp."
"We haven't even eaten."
"Fine—there's still leftovers from last night's booze and snacks. Nibble between rounds."
"..."
What happened to your sore back? Why the endless energy? I ended up back on the straw pile not long after waking.