Even a Mother Is a Woman
“…I never thought he would actually bring Tartarus down…”
She had been watching the entire scene from the shadows. What had begun as little more than idle curiosity had led her here, and the result was nothing short of staggering.
The Abyss had fallen.
It was far from death—he would rise again soon enough—yet the fact remained that he had tasted defeat. And the one who had struck him down was the very man who had drawn her all the way to this place, the man she had been carefully weighing for so long.
Hephaestus.
That settles it. The master of the prophecy is not Zeus. A man who can fell even the Abyss… with him, a child worthy of the prophecy is certain…
With that clear conviction, Leto rested a hand lightly against her lower belly—the place where, according to the prophecy, she would receive the seed of the strongest man and bring forth a great god who would shine forever in the heavens.
“We’re almost there—just past that!”
At last the River Styx came into view. Once they crossed it they would be back in the underworld, and the party’s steps quickened of their own accord. The wardens’ pursuit had thinned as well; they were truly about to leave this wretched place behind.
Then—
Boom!
“!”
“Hah!”
Something heavy crashed down in front of them. For a heartbeat they feared an enemy, but the face that soon became clear filled them with joy instead of dread.
“He… Hephaestus!”
“Little brother!”
“Honestly… I was worried, I was.”
“This time I made it.”
Their comrade had joined them by the narrowest of margins. Relief and gladness washed over them as they immediately began crossing the Styx.
“Careful getting on.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Cargo’s all loaded. We’re casting off.”
They boarded the boat the goddess Styx had sent ahead and started across the river. The knowledge that everything was finally over brought a deep sense of ease, and their eyes turned toward the underworld waiting on the far bank.
But then—
“Where do you think you’re running!!!”
“!”
“Tch…”
A chilling voice rang out from far behind. An instant later a vast black shape came hurtling toward them at terrifying speed.
Tartarus.
He had grasped the situation too late and was now flying toward them with every ounce of strength he possessed.
“Nux!!! Cyclopes!!! You belong to me! You will never escape this place!”
He was still far from recovered; flames and molten rock continued to melt away whole sections of his body. Yet even in that ruined state, the black-smoke form racing toward them, still gripped by venomous rage, radiated a dreadful terror.
“Stubborn bastard…”
“Th-this is bad! If we stay like this he’ll catch us!”
The god of the Abyss was closing the distance at a monstrous pace, ready to smash their boat to splinters. The sight alone was enough to breed despair.
Yet—
“No need to worry.”
“Huh?”
Hephaestus spoke in a calm voice. Nerites looked at him in confusion—then followed his gaze to Tartarus, who had just reached the edge of the Styx.
“I will not let you go! No one ever escapes the Abyss!!”
Tartarus stretched a hand toward the boat.
In that instant—
Bang!!!
“!?”
“Ugh!”
A brilliant explosion of golden light erupted without warning, obliterating Tartarus’s outstretched hand in a single flash.
“Just as I thought… she’s here.”
The quiet words left Hephaestus’s lips. At the same moment, Tartarus’s face—twisted with fury and hatred—flooded with pure shock.
“N-no… y-you…!”
“It has been a long time, little brother.”
At the boundary of the River Styx stood a radiant figure. Brown hair, green eyes, roughly four meters tall, wreathed in a golden halo and pouring out divine power vast enough to blanket the world—a woman of lofty, noble presence.
The moment Tartarus recognized her, the moment he knew that face, he felt his entire body burning away and screamed with raw despair.
“Gaiiiiiiaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!”
“Abyss, return to the place where you belong!”
With a cold voice Gaia unleashed her divine power once more. The golden wave that followed shattered Tartarus’s form—still standing on the riverbank—into countless fragments. Reduced to black smoke in a single stroke, he was sucked back down into the depths of the Abyss.
Awed by even a fragment of that absolute being, and flooded with profound relief that the final threat had vanished, the party crossed the Styx and set foot in the underworld.
And then…
“…M-Mother…”
The Cyclopes stepped forward slowly, faces overflowing with emotion. Watching them, the first of the Primordial Gods, the true mother who had borne the Cyclopes, the goddess of the Earth—Gaia—felt tears well in her eyes as she beheld her sons who had at last escaped the Abyss.
“Come here… let me hold you…”
“Mother!”
The Cyclopes wept like children, utterly at odds with their massive frames. Thick tears rolled down Gaia’s cheeks as she gathered them into her arms.
“I hardly know how to thank you. When I first received Styx’s letter I was half in doubt, yet you have brought my children home. I am truly grateful.”
She looked at me with sincere gratitude—the goddess Gaia. I had heard the name countless times, but this was the first I had ever seen her. Looking up at her, I answered with proper courtesy.
“I am the one who should thank you for granting my request.”
“Not at all. I merely did what any mother would. Still…”
She gazed down at me, green eyes blinking once. Then a small smile curved her lips as she spoke in a quieter voice.
“How curious. Your soul… is a little different from ours. You clearly possess the nature of a god, yet your origin lies elsewhere.”
“…”
True to her title as Mother of All, Gaia had pierced straight to my essence. I tensed slightly, but she only offered a gentle, reassuring smile.
“Do not worry. Though the place you began may differ, you are still my descendant. Above all, you saved my children. A trifling matter like this I shall keep forever sealed.”
“Thank you.”
In effect, my existence had been acknowledged by this world. I had never fretted over it all that much, yet hearing the Mother of All herself accept me filled my chest with a deep, quiet relief.
Then—
“Ah… by the way. About that promise—you really will give it to me, won’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
“You said it yourself, did you not? That if I came to help, you would craft me something similar to what Styx possesses, as a gift.”
“You just said you only did what any mother would…”
“That is that… and a mother is a woman too.”
The goddess Gaia had a surprisingly cute side in unexpected places. I had planned to make it for her anyway, and she had even granted me a kind of citizenship in the bargain, so I decided to be generous.
“Heh-heh. Thank you. I shall look forward to it.”
With those words Gaia exchanged a final farewell with the Cyclopes and departed. Once the great guest had gone, I turned to my companions standing behind me.
“Let’s go home. Back to our place.”
“Uuuugh… it’s finally over.”
“Home, home—gotta get back and play a round of poker.”
“I am utterly exhausted. This time I truly wish to rest for a good long while.”
Each of them muttered something as they started walking. Still feeling the aftereffects of the escape, we pushed the Cyclopes’ cart—now something we hauled without a second thought—and climbed back to the surface world.
At last we returned to Lemnos Island. Only then, after remaining tense to the very end lest some final mishap strike, could I truly let my guard down.
“Haa…”
“Good work. Somehow we dragged it all the way here.”
The Cyclopes set down the cart they had carried this far. Aphrodite’s eyes lit up as she eyed the white cloth covering it, the whole load lashed tight with rope, and she drifted closer.
“Well then, let us unpack at once. Things like this ought to be opened quickly, ought they not?”
“Ah… shall we?”
“Yeah… better now than later.”
Aphrodite was making no secret of her interest. I knew exactly why. As master blacksmiths the Cyclopes had worked not only weapons but every kind of precious metal. That cart held not merely arms and armor but a mountain of treasures and jewels they had crafted and collected over the years.
I myself needed gems for the necklace I would make for Gaia. Hoping to find a few usable raw stones, I joined Aphrodite in untying the ropes and pulling away the cloth.
And then—
“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”
“!”
Aphrodite’s scream tore the air. My fist clenched at once, ready for battle.
“Kihi! Nice work.”
“…Ah, greetings.”
“Mmm… so we were fated to be found after all…”
“…”
Three black figures lay sprawled atop the jewels, waving casually at us. The moment I saw them I seriously considered hurling the lot into the volcano.
“Advance!”
“Wipe out those dogs of Olympus!”
Titans and spirits charged forward, spears and swords in hand. Watching them, a young boy in a red cloak poured divine power into the sword he gripped. Even at his tender age the force that gathered was pure and razor-sharp, anything but ordinary.
He raised the blade high before the spirits and lesser gods behind him and shouted.
“Follow me!”
The boy took the very front, swinging his sword without hesitation. Displaying overwhelming martial might, he cut down every foe in his path. The Titans who had charged so boldly found their steps faltering.
“Damn it, how can a brat—!”
“Target him first! If we just take him down—gah!”
“Out of my way! I’ll handle him myself!”
One particularly massive Titan broke from the pack and charged the boy. The scene looked for all the world like an elephant about to crush an ant—the outcome seemed decided.
Yet—
Crack!!
“Guhhhhk!!!”
In that clash it was the ant that took the elephant’s head.
“Damn it! Retreat! Fall back!”
“We can’t win like this! Withdraw for now!”
The remaining Titans and lesser gods lost their will to fight and fled. The boy-god who stood watching them, bloodied sword in hand—Ares—lifted the severed Titan head from the ground with proud composure.
“Waaaaaah!!!”
“Ares! Ares!”
The lesser gods and spirits roared their cheers. But on Ares’s face, as he looked at them, a thread of unease wound through the expectation.
This time… will Mother finally praise me?