Hiraeth | pjo & greek mythology & hp (Hiatus)

Chapter 8

The Pit of Tartarus was a desolate landscape filled with monsters and demons. It was a place of misery and despair. Every inch of it was designed to cause harm, and even the air itself was poisonous.

Tartarus gazes at the two primordials in front of him: Abaddon and Ambrose, the two sons of Aether and Genesis. They both bear some resemblance to their parents, other than a few noticeable differences.

He was surprised that Genesis had even allowed her sons to be trained by him. Usually, she or Aether would have trained their children, but these two had domains that were more connected to his than their own.

When Tartarus was aware of their domains, he offered to train them just like Genesis had done for him. She had refused at first, not trusting him with her sons, but after some time, she relented for the sake of her sons.

Typically, Tartarus was never this kind or generous; he wouldn't have cared. The other primordials knew that so many were suspicious of the reasons why he had offered to train them; they weren't even his sons. So why would he care?

Nyx and Erebus suspected he had done this simply because they were the sons of Genesis. It was obvious because Tartarus never cared for the Titans, who were the children of Gaea, but he cared for and protected the children of Genesis. He treated them better than he treated his own children.

Even Gaea noticed the difference in how Tartarus treated her children compared to Genesis's. She had been furious, which resulted in many arguments between the couple. Tartarus ignored her complaints on the matter, to Nyx's amusement. He didn't intervene when Genesis punished Hyperion, even when Gaea had pleaded and begged him to help her son.

When he learned why Hyperion was punished, he didn't save him or listen to Gaea because it went against his domain; after all, he was the God of Punishment. The reason why Hyperion's action angered him so much, a reason he wouldn't admit even to himself, was that Pyra was Genesis's daughter.

Tartarus had offered to train her younger sons because he felt he owed it to her. Her cold and guarded eyes never left his head. It upset him; he missed her presence more than he would have liked to admit.

"My Lord," Abaddon and Ambrose bowed before the primordial.

"Your training is over for today," Tartarus announced, inspecting the training arena. Before he felt a familiar presence enter the pit. It left him with a sense of anticipation as he awaited her arrival.

"Boys," Genesis called out as she appeared before them. Her arrival immediately drew all eyes towards her. "Tartarus."

"Mother," Abaddon and Ambrose greeted joyfully; they loved their mother dearly; she was the being they respected and loved the most. Genesis smiled lovingly at her sons, her adoration and love for shining in her eyes.

"Genesis," Tartarus murmured, his eyes looking over her face, trying to memorize every detail. It was obvious to Abaddon and Ambrose that he had missed their mother, and there was too much longing in his voice to ignore. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to know my son's progress," Genesis answered as she stood beside her sons. Their similarity was all the more obvious.

"Their training is progressing well," Tartarus informed her. As they maintained eye contact, the air became tense, while Genesis's side was more guarded. She made her displeasure of being in his presence known. It hurt because, admittedly, he had offered to train her son to regain some of her favor. "It is almost complete."

"That's good," Genesis smiled as she turned her attention back to her sons.

"May we speak privately for a moment?" Tartarus requested, causing Abaddon and Ambrose to tense. They didn't like the sound of that. They were aware of the history between their mother and mentor. Of course, they respected him; after all, he was training them, but they loved their mother more. Even though they were aware that their mother could protect herself, they didn't want her to get hurt in any way.

Genesis's brow furrowed in confusion but agreed. "Return home, boys."

"But mother..." Ambrose protested, but he stopped at his mother's gaze. Her eyes demanded that they obey her commands without question.

"Yes, mother," Abaddon said dutifully, grabbing his brother and teleporting them home.

"What is it?" She asked the moment they were alone. Genesis did not want to deal with him, not now, not for the rest of eternity. Her positive feelings for him were buried so deep that she doubted they would ever see the surface again.

"I wanted to apologize," Tartarus started. He had never had to do this before because he never felt it was necessary, but he didn't want to be hated by her anymore. He yearned for simpler times when it was just him and her. "For all the things I said before I—."

"Save your apologies," Genesis didn't want to hear any of this. "Your apologies won't make up for anything."

Tartarus grabbed a hold of her hands afraid that she would leave. "I know my apologies wouldn't reverse my actions but I want you to know that I didn't mean what I said."

"You expect me to believe you," Genesis asked, baffled. "I never took you for a fool. You once said you loved me, only to throw me aside and disregard me when you grew bored. Do you expect me to believe that you are sincere now?"

Tartarus flinched at her words because none of what she had just said was a lie. "I'll do anything to prove to you my sincerity."

"You could plead for an eternity, and I still wouldn't believe you," Genesis snorted, amused. "Actions speak louder than words, and your actions have told me more than enough."

With that said, Genesis left feeling more at peace with herself than she had been before. Although, despite her words, she did miss him. He meant a lot to her, but she had more self-respect than that. He needed to prove himself to her first if he wanted her forgiveness.