Not Because You're Cute, But Because You're Annoying
“W-What... did you say?”
“I heard you. Just now, you definitely said 'an ugly minor god,' didn't you?”
“T-That is... true, but...”
Hera's eyes suddenly flashed with a wild intensity.
Caught off guard by her sudden change, Poseidon stammered in confusion.
“Where did you meet him? When? How? Are his limbs intact...?”
“Excuse me, could you keep it down over there?”
“I don't know what you're talking about, but save the private chatter for later. We've all carved out precious time to gather here!”
“Mmh...”
Hera reluctantly shut her mouth at the scolding of her other siblings.
But her attention had completely drifted from the meeting she had barely been listening to anyway.
The words that had just spilled from Poseidon's mouth.
About a minor god with an ugly appearance.
Though they all differed in their specific features, gods were naturally born with a divine beauty.
Even if it were a low-ranking minor deity, Hera had never seen anyone who could be described as a "hideous creature."
Except for one.
...Could it be... that child?
The meeting finally paused for a brief recess.
Immediately after, Poseidon was dragged away for a forced one-on-one talk, feeling the painful reminder that his sister's grip was just as strong as it had been back when she was beating up Titans.
The conversation itself wasn't very long.
In truth, he could have explained it in more detail, but doing so would expose his own embarrassing defeat. Thus, he chose to gloss over the details.
He gave just enough of an answer to get Hera off his back.
“...With Nereus's children?”
“Yeah. I only saw him in passing, but he seemed to be hanging out with them. I don't know anything more detailed than that.”
“...Nereus... So he's with the sea gods...”
“Right... Well... I'll be off then.”
“...”
Poseidon quickly took his leave, leaving his sister lost in thought.
He didn't care in the slightest why his sister was acting like this.
Since it wasn't a topic he wanted to dwell on anyway, he vanished from the spot as fast as he could.
Left alone, Hera sank deep into contemplation.
Based on Poseidon's words, a rough picture of the situation and the whereabouts of the son she had discarded began to form in her mind.
Her son, who had survived with all his limbs intact despite throwing himself off the peak of Olympus.
It seemed he had been taken in by one of the sea deities and raised alongside them.
She couldn't know exactly which deity it was.
Nereus's children alone numbered over fifty.
And if she included Oceanus's offspring, they numbered in the thousands.
Searching for him one by one would take an eternity. Moreover, with the war against the Titans looming, leaving Olympus was a heavy burden.
However, Hera happened to have a perfect opportunity.
On that day... at that place... most of the sea gods will gather in one spot. Perhaps that child will be there too...
The unstable political climate was actually a help in this regard.
It gave her a perfect excuse to strengthen their ties.
Furthermore, if she had to choose someone from Olympus to attend "that gathering," Hera herself was far more suitable than Poseidon, who was in a rivalry with the sea gods.
Having found a way,
Hera clenched her fists, steeling her resolve.
Feeling a genuine surge of motivation for the first time since that day three years ago, she thought:
I will find him... And I will... I must... apologize to him...
“Doubt.”
“...Sigh...”
Nerites let out a heavy sigh at Aphrodite's declaration.
When he flipped over the card he had just laid down, the letter beta (β)—representing the number two—was revealed to their eyes.
With his defeat sealed by that final card, an awkward smile played on Nerites's lips.
“H-How about one more round?”
“Brother, I say this every time, but aren't you way too bad at this?”
“You have lost three times in a row. It seems you are simply not suited for this game, Nerites.”
“Haha... Well, it's still fun.”
Nerites had followed them all the way from his domain around Cyprus to Lemnos Island.
His official excuse was to protect them in case Poseidon tried anything foolish again,
but in reality, he had basically come here to play.
This was painfully obvious, considering he had been staying here for days, enthusiastically playing the games and toys Hephaestus had invented.
Shuffling the cards once more,
Nerites spoke with a smile on his handsome face—the kind of smile that would make any woman's heart flutter.
“I say this every time, but there really is no place as fun as this. That Jenga game we played before was great, but these 'playing cards' are truly amazing. To think you can play so many different games with just this one deck.”
“Well, that's the perk of having a talented little brother. Honestly, even though I watch him do it all the time, he still manages to surprise me.”
“Right, right. So make sure you're always grateful to your brother and our aunt. And next time, don't just piggyback on his gifts like you did before.”
“Ahem...”
Even in his absence, their brother Hephaestus naturally became the center of the conversation, as he always did.
Listening quietly to their banter, Aphrodite spoke up, a hint of caution in her voice.
“By the way, what is he... what is Hephaestus doing? Ever since we arrived, he seems to lock himself in there for hours every day.”
Although he did spend some time with them since they had guests—or rather, visiting relatives—and carved out time to "educate" Aphrodite,
Hephaestus still spent more than half of his day inside the forge.
Aphrodite felt a sense of curiosity...
and perhaps what one might call "concern."
Even though gods were immortal and didn't strictly need sleep, mental fatigue was still a very real thing.
In response to Aphrodite's worried inquiry,
Thetis answered in a slightly blunt tone.
“He's making a gift.”
“A... gift?”
“For Hephaestus's mother—our aunt, Eurynome. Her birthday is coming up soon.”
“A gift... Birthday...?”
“Ah, I guess you haven't learned about that yet.”
“The day you are born is called a birthday. It's a common custom for close friends or family to give gifts on that day. This time it's Aunt Eurynome's, and soon after, it'll be Lord Oceanus's... Huh?”
Before Thetis could even finish her sentence, Aphrodite suddenly stood up.
Startled by the sudden movement, Thetis asked in confusion,
“...What? What's wrong?”
“Thank you. You have taught me something valuable.”
With those words, Aphrodite scurried off toward the depths of the forge.
Unable to process this sudden turn of events, their brains short-circuited.
Thetis and Nerites could only stare after her with dazed expressions.
*
-Hiss!
Thick white steam billowed out with a sharp, hissing sound.
As the dancing flames died down
and the scorching heat began to dissipate,
the object of my labor finally revealed itself before my eyes.
“It's done!”
The moment my long efforts finally bore fruit.
No matter how stoic and manly I usually was,
it was hard to suppress the rush of dopamine flooding my brain at this moment.
The object in my hand radiated a brilliant luster.
The necklace made from the jewel I had crafted earlier,
the Europearl.
Although my trip to the underwater volcano had ended abruptly with me picking up a wild Aphrodite,
I had been able to make up for the missing materials using the ores Thetis and Nerites had gathered for me on our way here.
As a result, the finishing touches were complete, and a masterpiece of the century now rested in my hands.
With this, I could finally repay at least a fraction of the love my mother had showered on me over the past three years.
Relieved that I had finished it just in time,
my gaze drifted to the other gift I had made while I was at it.
Just like in my past life, when family events overlapped, it was actually quite convenient.
You could prepare everything all at once.
Feeling lighthearted now that all my homework was done,
I went to place the necklace inside its box.
But then...
“...?”
“Mmm...”
As my tension fully dissolved, I finally noticed another presence in the room.
Standing there, watching me with an intense gaze, was our household's problem child...
Aphrodite.
After I introduced her to my mother, Eurynome, she had officially taken up residence here on Lemnos Island.
Knowing my mother's gentle nature, I had expected her to agree readily,
but regardless, I didn't think this arrangement would last long.
Sooner or later, Aphrodite would ascend to Olympus and take her place among the Twelve Olympians.
Even putting that aside, the mythological Aphrodite was notorious for never staying home, constantly seeking out handsome men to have affairs with. There was no way she would stay long on Lemnos, where the only male god her age was me.
Well, for now, she was still a newborn deity with much to learn,
and since our handsome brother Nerites seemed poised to stay here for a while, she was behaving herself.
Why did she come in here instead of playing quietly outside with my beautiful brother and sister? I wondered.
I looked down at Aphrodite, who was staring up at me like a curious kitten, and asked quietly,
“What is it?”
“Ah... Well... you see.”
She hesitated, as if her brain had temporarily lagged.
Just as I was beginning to wonder what on earth she wanted,
“...Give it to me.”
“?”
She suddenly thrust her palm out toward me.
Her baffling gesture left a giant question mark hanging over my head.
I asked briefly,
“Give you what?”
“You know... a gift.”
“What gift?”
“A birthday... gift.”
“...This is for my mother.”
“No... that's... that's not what I meant! Ahem! I-I heard that people receive gifts on the day they are born. If so, shouldn't I, who was born just recently, also have the right to receive a gift?”
“Hmm...”
I wondered what this creature, who wasn't even a week old, was talking about.
But on second thought, her behavior wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Well... technically, her day of emergence was indeed a birthday.
And mentally, she was still a child with a "Wah! I want a present too!" mindset.
Though the situations weren't exactly the same, judging by her expectant look, she would probably keep pestering me until she got something.
As an alpha male, the best course of action was to deal with annoying things quickly.
It was absolutely not because her kitten-like face, with its sparkling eyes, was cute.
Absolutely not.
As I rummaged through my workshop to see if I had anything suitable,
something caught my eye.
...It has been a long time since I was last here.
The grand, majestic palace of the deep sea.
Arriving at the domain of the Titan Oceanus, Hera looked around, a sense of familiarity washing over her.
Though it lay deep beneath the vast ocean, far from Olympus,
this place held precious memories for Hera.
Immediately after being freed from Cronus, when she was still mentally immature, she had been raised as the adoptive daughter of Oceanus, receiving her education and training her divine powers here.
In other words, this deep-sea palace was Hera's true home and sanctuary.
Yet, despite the comforting sense of nostalgia,
Hera steeled her resolve once more, her eyes sharp.
It must go well... Please...
Although she had returned to her home,
Hera was currently here as an envoy of Olympus, sent by Zeus to secure Oceanus's cooperation for the impending war.
Depending on how things went, she might end up straining her relationship with Oceanus—whom she truly regarded as a father, unlike Cronus. The burden on her shoulders was heavy.
But in truth, this mission was only a secondary concern in her mind.
I will find him... right? My son... I must find that child who is somewhere in this place...
Her lost son, rumored to be raised by one of the sea gods.
If given the chance, she wanted to talk to him and apologize...
And if even that was impossible, she just wanted to see his face and know he was alive and well.
Swallowing her nervousness, Hera stepped inside the palace.
About five minutes later.
“We're finally here!”
“Has it been half a year since we last came?”
“So this is the place... It is indeed as grand as I have heard.”
A group of young deities stepped out of a carriage drawn by hippocampi.
A young male god who perfectly embodied the word "beautiful,"
and two goddesses of striking beauty.
And following them was
a male god whose appearance was noticeably ugly, in stark contrast to the other three.
Before stepping fully out of the carriage,
he reached back inside to carefully escort the goddess remaining within.
“Watch your step, Mother.”
“Fufu, thank you, my son.”
A goddess of elegant and breathtaking beauty, clad in a flowing blue dress.
The ruler of the orderly sea,
Eurynome.
She was always stunning,
but today, her beauty shone even more brilliantly.
Escorted by her beloved son, Eurynome walked toward the palace,
gently touching the brilliantly shining "gift" around her neck.