The Blacksmith God -3-
While Thalassa had been relentlessly teasing our mother and imparting some much-needed wisdom to her hopelessly clueless son-in-law, Tyrrhenus was still hanging around with Gaia.
Gaia seemed lost in thought, her gaze on her youngest son intensely serious, and Tyrrhenus found this rare expression from his mother deeply unsettling.
"Mom, if you've got something to say, just spit it out. That look on your face is making me uncomfortable."
"You've been teasing me all this time, and now this bothers you?"
"Your eyes look like you're about to devour something."
"The kid's got sharp instincts. That's exactly what I had in mind."
"……"
Hearing that, Tyrrhenus felt his legs twitch involuntarily. Gaia gave a faint smile at the sight.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to devour my adorable youngest."
"……When did I say you were going to devour me?"
"You didn't. But you seem scared of me now, don't you?"
"Anyone would be with that face on you."
It was the truth. Gaia was the mighty goddess of the earth, mother of all lands and the first Protogenoi born from Chaos. Only the goddess of night, Nyx, and the god of darkness, Erebus, stood in her lineage. For even a Protogenoi like Tyrrhenus—the baby of the family—no wonder he was trembling under her scheming stare.
Gaia found her quaking youngest son utterly endearing. But the conversation she was about to start was anything but cute.
"A son who knows enough to fear his mother—how'd you manage to tease me so mercilessly?"
"Fear and this are two different things. Who could've guessed you'd marry that kid who's still wet behind the ears? I needed some fun with my own kids."
"Hmph, fine words. Was it that amusing?"
"Amusing? It was a blast. When else do I get to mess with you like this? So what's this about? You're beating around the bush and driving me crazy."
"Alright, I'll tell you. I need your cooperation anyway."
Gaia wasn't one for dragging things out, and this wasn't the sort of matter that called for it.
"It seems the Gigantes are marching on Olympus."
"Mm, about time. They must know about the marriage by now. So what's your plan, Mother?"
"With Heracles's fate in play, I'm sitting this war out."
"Then the Gigantes are all doomed. You okay with that?"
"……"
For the first time, genuine discomfort crossed Gaia's face.
Heracles's destiny demanded Olympus's victory in this war. Knowing her husband's fate, Gaia couldn't aid the Gigantes. But if she didn't help, Zeus's cruelty would ensure every last one was slaughtered. Gaia, who cherished all her children fiercely, couldn't stomach that. Yet with war declared, Zeus wouldn't sit idle either. That's where her youngest came in.
"That's why I need your help, Tyrrhenus."
"What? Why me all of a sudden?"
"Protect my children a little."
"……You want me siding with the Gigantes and fighting Zeus?"
Now Tyrrhenus looked uncomfortable. Youngest or not, he was a powerful Protogenoi. Even if Gaia was his mother, he wouldn't blindly obey. If she was commanding him now, she'd miscalculated badly.
But Gaia's expression didn't change.
"Hear your mother out. It's not some massive demand."
"…Not an order, but a request?"
"Of course. You think I'd order around my grown son?"
"Fine, I'll hear it."
Thankfully, it was a request, not an order. Tyrrhenus was willing to listen. Even he recoiled at the thought of every Gigante dying by Zeus's hand. If Mother had a plan, he'd help—though if it'd been an order, he'd have refused outright. This framing made action possible.
"…I'll send Heracles and Adamantia to the war."
"You really plan to wipe them out, Mom? You're not telling me to ferry them to the underworld, are you?"
"Oh, such grim thoughts."
The moment Adamantia was mentioned, Tyrrhenus's mind flooded with nightmarish visions of the Gigantes' fate. To them, she was a terrifying force, a goddess of unmatched power. With fate-blessed Heracles at her side, the Gigantes would be massacred before they could react.
But Adamantia wasn't the monster her little siblings feared; she doted on them fiercely as the eldest daughter. Only Gaia knew her true heart. She continued calmly.
"…I'm not sending Adamantia to kill them. I'm sending her to save them."
"How's that saving them? The Gigantes would bolt at the sight of her."
"I'll have her take the adamant sickle too."
"That sounds even more like a death sentence, Mom."
Tyrrhenus was dead serious. Even bare-handed, Adamantia's presence would shatter the Gigantes' morale. Arming her with her most infamous creation, the vicious adamant sickle? It screamed total annihilation. Was Gaia, smitten with Heracles, siding with Zeus? Her youngest couldn't fathom her intentions.
"I know they fear the adamant sickle that much."
"…And you're still sending her out with it? What's the angle, Mom? I can't wrap my head around it."
"So they'll run for their lives—straight to me."
"……Ah, I see."
"Victory in war isn't always about slaughtering every foe. If the enemy flees in terror, you've still won."
"……True enough."
Mother was right. War's triumph didn't require total extermination. If the enemy fled in fear, it counted as victory. Some blood would spill, but many Gigantes would survive. They'd avoid Sicily at all costs, but facing true death, plenty would flee to Gaia. It sounded like herding them here.
And that's where her loving youngest came in.
"That's where you fit in."
"Me?"
"Yes. Take in the survivors yourself—turn them into your sea folk."
"You've thought this through, Mom. If they all become sea serpents, even Zeus can't touch them. Not Poseidon, but if I claim them, he's got no say."
"Right?"
Gaia smiled faintly, and Tyrrhenus grinned back.
Tyrrhenus wasn't just any sea god. He was the Tyrrhenian Sea encircling Sicily—his very body. And Sicily wasn't mere land; this island, a neoi, was tied to his domain too. Sure, it was his sister Adamantia's flesh and blood, so not truly his—but islands were part of the sea. With two Protogenoi involved, Zeus couldn't act until every Gigante transformed, if then.
"But Zeus is king of the gods. If he flips out, he might pressure even me."
"My son, do you fear Zeus's threats?"
"Hah! Not a chance. A little intimidation and lightning won't faze me, Mother."
"That's why I'm entrusting this to you. Even if he hurls bolts, the sea remains untouched."
Of course, a berserk Zeus wouldn't idly watch Gigantes become sea serpents. He might invade Sicily or bully Tyrrhenus and Adamantia. But neither was the type to cower.
"If that lunatic tries pressuring me, well… I've got plans of my own."
"Oh? Now you've piqued my curiosity. What plans?"
"I was mulling it over, but if Zeus goes mad, no choice—I might just settle here myself."
"……"
Gaia was genuinely surprised. She'd always seen him as her cute baby boy, but Tyrrhenus's mind had long ripened. The Sea Tyrant had seen through his mother and sister's motives for wedding the young god and teased accordingly. He flashed a sly grin, claiming it was just a thought, but his eyes were deadly serious.
Even with the Gigantomachia looming, Zeus was unlikely to antagonize him. But if he underestimated Tyrrhenus, the price would be steep. Gaia felt a fresh surge of pride in her youngest.