He and It Chapter 150: The Serpent of Pharisee (16)

Chapter 150: The Serpent of Pharisee (16)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

With the permission of the King of Gods, Athena, acting as overseer, first dispatched the Messenger God, Hermes, to the domain of the God of Fire and of the Forge, Hephaestus.

Hermes received the decree and transformed into a swift wind that exceeded the speed of a racehorse, arrived at the divine palace of the Forge God, and knocked on the golden doors of the palace.

The Forge God toiled tirelessly day and night, immersed in his beloved craft. This deity, though lame and unattractive in appearance, possessed a generous heart among the Gods. ¹ Seeing his younger brother come to visit, he was delighted and hastily had his servants bring a silver stool for Hermes to sit upon. He also closed the bellows of the volcano, left his celestial anvil, and hobbled into the reception hall.

Hermes observed that his attendants were not living beings, neither human nor nymphs of the forests and waters, but beings crafted of gold by the Forge God, each handsome and robust, shining in the magnificent palace. This coincided with his purpose for coming, and Hermes couldn’t help but praise the unparalleled craftsmanship.

“Enough with the formalities, brother.” The Forge God commanded his attendants to leave, and he beckoned Hermes to sit beside him. “There must be something urgent happening in Olympus for you to come here so quickly. Just tell me, did our father send you to find me?”

Following the etiquette of guests, Hermes placed down his staff of twin serpents, drank a full cup of wine, then began to express his request.

“You are correct. Our father sent me,” the Messenger God said. “I’ve come to ask you to create a beautiful woman, one who shines as brightly as Pandora. She must have delicate features, splendid hair, and skin as fair as the moon, as if Cronos once again castrated his father, Uranus, and from the foaming sea birthed another Aphrodite. ² The gods have decided to gift this woman to Echidna, who resides in the dark underground palace. If she is not the most beautiful among beauties, she cannot catch his attention.”

When he heard that, the Forge God felt uneasy, for he recalled Pandora, whom he had created – and how the Father of the Gods, in revenge against Prometheus who stole fire for humans, wrapped many malicious diseases and calamities beneath her beautiful exterior, unleashing them upon humanity!

In the heart of the Forge God, he still held deep respect for Prometheus. It was with great reluctance that he obeyed Zeus’s command to bind Prometheus to the Caucasus Mountains, and he was even insolently berated by two servants named “Strength” and “Force” for sympathizing with the old God of Fire; for sympathizing with the disrespectful humans. ³

He sighed. “I’ll do my best to fulfill all your requests, my brother, but please answer a question to ease my mind. Is the ultimate purpose of this woman to punish humanity on earth? You must know, although I created Pandora, Prometheus’s fate has made me profoundly resent my cruelty, and causing his creation to suffer again is something I find hard to accept willingly!”

After some thought, Hermes spoke truthfully, “If punishment is needed, it’s only for one young man. Because this young man possesses extraordinary determination, and dares to love the terrifying Echidna. He does not worship the new Gods, and that demon obeys him without question. The Father of the Gods fears that one day, he will use the bonds of love to control Echidna and seek eternal glory for himself.”

Hephaestus sighed and stood up. “If that’s the case, then please wait here!”

Limping, the Forge God walked into the inner chamber of the palace. According to his instructions, pure and sturdy marble was brought out, with which he molded the woman’s slender bones as if shaping soft clay. Then, he commanded his servants to fetch foam ⁴ as radiant as pearls from Poseidon’s domain, to form the woman’s supple muscles. He carved sapphire eyes, wove hair as golden as dawn, and painted lips with the hue of roses. To tempt the ancient demon, he sculpted the woman’s figure tall and strong, as elegant and dignified as a goddess.

Finally, he took the woman’s hand, and led her out of the inner chamber. Even the knowledgeable Hermes was captivated by the woman’s beauty, and rendered speechless.

“I name her Xanthippe, meaning golden mare,” the Forge God said. “May she be like the Trojan horse, fulfilling the desires of the Gods. Take her away, brother. I’d rather not see her.”

Hermes deeply thanked him for his extraordinary craftsmanship and then veiled Xanthippe’s face, before he took her before the Assembly of Gods.

Upon hearing about Xanthippe, many gods ascended to Mount Olympus, eager to behold the true form of the beautiful woman created by the Forge God. There, Athena bestowed upon her adaptable wisdom, the Wine God endowed her with courage beyond measure, and, to combat “Dorus,” Apollo specifically granted her exceptional artistic talent.

However, when Hermes led her to seek the Goddess of Love and Beauty, requesting them to grant Xanthippe alluring charm, the most beautiful goddess hesitated.

“I am not happy with my supposed husband.” Standing amidst a rose garden, Aphrodite’s ethereal beauty veiled with a light gauze, her frowning demeanor only added to her enchantment. “But in this matter, I must agree with Hephaestus. Though I govern love, I cannot decide the fulfillment of my own love, which is always subject to the whims and mockery of fate. In my heart, this situation is different from Pandora’s. I am unwilling to separate such companions! Uncontrolled by the golden arrows, a human was able to spontaneously fall in love with the terrifying demon Echidna, and Echidna willingly lowered his head and body for a human. Does that not prove the boundless power of love? As for your concerns, if you ask for my opinion, they are groundless and have no relevance to a pair of sincerely loving companions.”

Hermes was unwilling to oppress Aphrodite, for opposing a goddess loved by all the gods would be extremely unwise, yet he couldn’t disobey the combined force of Zeus and Athena.

The Goddess of Love perceived his dilemma and sighed in annoyance, then reluctantly wrapped her infinitely charming golden belt around Xanthippe’s waist. ⁵ However, as soon as she did, Xanthippe quickly removed it.

“That’s enough!” she exclaimed in frustration. “I’ve done my part. Hurry up and take her away. I do not want this little girl to remain here, and steal the attention of my suitors with her unnatural beauty!”

Only after Hermes spoke many kind words did he finally leave with Xanthippe. He transformed into a traveler and arrived at the palace of Cilicia, then led the extraordinarily beautiful creation into the palace.

“Kostas,” he whispered in the king’s dream. “Look, the gods have brought you a great gift! To alleviate your plight, you must send the beautiful Xanthippe into the underground palace of Arima, to be handed over to its master. But remember most clearly, you must not remove her veil without cause. This is a gift carefully designed by the gods for Echidna. If you gaze upon her with your eyes, you will inevitably fall into love, which will defy the will of the Gods.”

With these words, Kostas awakened, and indeed, he saw a veiled woman, tall and graceful, standing by his bedside.

“This is the will of the Gods!” the king exclaimed in shock, sitting up. He dared not look directly at Xanthippe, as he hastily called for the priests of the temple to arrange all the sacrificial matters, and pick a suitable time to quickly send Xanthippe down to the underground palace.

.

In the deep darkness of the night, in the depths of the underground palace, Xie Ning lay amidst Echidna’s discarded skins, sleeping soundly, as he clutching the tail of the snake demon, unaware that his comfortable life was about to change.

Early the next morning, Xie Ning woke up groggily, massaging his shoulders and neck, as he groaned in discomfort.

As days went by, Echidna clung to him more and more. While in the beginning, they would sleep separately, in recent weeks, Echidna always lay beside him. When he woke up, he would find himself hanging off the bed with his lower body, while his upper body was embraced by Echidna.

This caused him to wake up with aches and pains in his back, shoulders, and neck every morning.

Echidna hurriedly brought a divine ointment and gently applied it to Xie Ning’s shoulders.

His touch was as light as a breeze blowing through dandelions without disturbing them. It should be noted that demons were immensely powerful. Atlas could carry the Heavens on his shoulders. ⁶ After a period of adjustment, Echidna had become quite accustomed to living with a fragile human. In the first few weeks, Xie Ning always had purple bruises on his body, which caused the snake demon to panic, hiss, and dart around in distress.

“Why do you always end up like this?” Xie Ning asked weakly, as he waited for the ointment to take effect. “No wonder I dream of being crushed by a group of strong men…”

Echidna’s movements stopped immediately, and his eyes emitted a terrifying light of jealousy and anger as he interrogated, “Who? Who is crushing you in your dreams and not letting me know? Tell me their names or appearances, and I have words for them!”

Xie Ning remained silent.

After several months of being together, he found that Echidna was indeed very…

Well, how to put it, very insecure, very jealous, and very double standard.

Sometimes, due to significant differences in their beliefs, Echidna would inevitably quarrel with him. However, after the quarrel, within an hour, the demon would regretfully come back, hold him again, and lament, “Dorus, look how foolish I am. I wasted so much time when I could be with you over a small argument.”

Still, most of the time, when Xie Ning talked to him, he could always extract a few vicious words of gossip about the Gods from his mouth. When asked why he was angry, Echidna could clearly and frankly state that many years ago, at a certain occasion, a certain god said something mocking to him, or did something hateful. Although he had already retaliated fiercely, he would always remember and hate them forever.

But undoubtedly, when he was with him, Xie Ning always felt genuinely loved.

“Oh, just a dream…No, an exaggerated expression!” Xie Ning said helplessly. “Don’t mind it. Even if I dream, I’ll definitely dream of you, so relax.”

When he heard him say that, the snake demon couldn’t help but wag his tail tip happily, as it swayed it in the air.

So cute, Dorus is so cute!

He immediately threw away the anger in his heart, happily picked up the person, and let him lie flat against his chest.

Forced to be a pancake once again, Xie Ning could only cling to Echidna like a little koala, as he pressed his nose against his robust chest.

Xie Ning’s cheeks flushed, and he let out a choked breath as he struggled to lift his head while preventing his lips from touching skin.

Stop, stop! My brain, stop it now! he cried out silently, but the current situation was of no help to him. His shoulders were covered in slippery ointment, and he was lying on Echidna, so he could feel how strongly the snake demon’s heart was beating. He could also clearly see the golden tattoos on his dark-skinned body, shifting slightly with his movements.

…So vivid. Xie Ning had to swallow hard to control himself from biting.

The ancients said that when one is well-fed and warm, they entertain thoughts of that. Indeed, it was not an empty saying. Here, he ate and drank well, and Echidna caused him to glow with health. Even if he spent his life drawing on parchment, there was still surplus energy, which was then combined with Echidna’s insatiable thirst for skin contact. Xie Ning always blushed and stammered – like now.

Echidna curiously lowered his head, looked at the small human in his arms, and extended his dark tongue to gently lick Dorus’s soft, reddened cheeks.

The change in human body temperature was as obvious to him as the rising tide. As the temperature rose, Dorus’s breath mixed with the fragrant ointment, and formed an exceptionally intoxicating mist that teased the tip of the snake demon’s nose. Immediately, the scales on his tail tip trembled, as if they had been lightly tickled; hot and itchy.

So hungry, he thought, the hunger of the body was as unbearable as the hunger of the soul.

“Dorus,” Echidna asked hoarsely. “Your skin is so hot. What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m fine!” Xie Ning raised his voice. “I’m fine, really. I’m just…” 

Before he could finish his sentence, Echidna had already flipped him over. His palm traced down along his robes, and headed towards the source of warmth.

Xie Ning exclaimed, “Wow?!”

He panicked like a fish flopping on a cutting board. He struggled desperately, but the long and powerful snake tail coiled around his lower body and wrapped around his legs, making it impossible for him to separate them. With the clothes here convenient for dressing and undressing, Echidna hissed again, and licked the tip of his nose, which caused Xie Ning’s vision to blur.

“So that’s how it is…,” the snake demon murmured softly by his ear, his voice trembling with delight. “I understand now. Poor Dorus, let me take care of you, alright?”

In his mind, Xie Ning screamed “No!” but his lips could only release trembling breaths. He couldn’t speak anymore, and felt like a deer entwined and swallowed by a python. The dark snake scales swirling around him; each tightly locked scale swayed and emitted a happy golden light.

After a long while, Xie Ning lay limp on the giant snake’s tail, his expression vacant, his eyes lifeless.

He actually…he actually!

At that moment, sobbing while clutching his shoulders seemed unnecessary; getting up and loudly proclaiming “I’m very satisfied, I’ll come again next time” was even more unnecessary and also shameless…but how did things develop to this point? How did it suddenly accelerate from a golden prime-time drama to a late-night show?

Echidna was very pleased. He hissed and rolled out his tongue. His black tongue lingered over his moist fingertips. He had a few faint teeth marks on his chest – caused by Xie Ning trying to silence himself, and not let his cries be too loud – and happily flicked his tail tip.

“Why are you shy like a new bride, Dorus?” the snake demon asked. “Seeing you blush and squirm. This is an instinct that all living creatures possess since the beginning of the world.”

Unfortunately, you still can’t withstand my power, the snake demon thought regretfully, as he wrapped his snake body around the youth like an ocean surrounding an island, as he placed the youth in the center. Well, perhaps I should seek some ways to free Dorus from his mortal flesh. By then, we’ll surely be the happiest couple in the Heavens and the Earth!

As he fantasized, Echidna’s mood, having tasted the desires of his beloved priest, soared like a pigeon flying in the sky. He resolved in his heart that even if any deity came seeking his forgiveness for ancient grudges, he would gladly grant it.

Yes, Xie Ning thought dully, as that statement passed through his mind. This is the world of Greek mythology, where men and women are uninhibited and free, with a more direct understanding of sexuality, closer to the natural essence…

“…Next time, please let me do it myself,” Xie Ning said weakly. “I’m really not used to…someone helping me manually.”

Echidna, puzzled, said, “But you’re mine.”

The snake demon slithered in front of him again, licked his nose once more, looked at him indulgently and said, “Yes. You’re mine, Dorus. I am so isolated, a god excluded from the Pantheon! You are my precious priest. Therefore, I must endlessly cherish you, so that you understand my intentions and never leave me.”

At the end of his words, Echidna even smiled smugly, as if proud of his strategy.

…Fine, you’re the boss. I’ll just go along with it. I’ll go along with it…

Xie Ning was speechless and choked. He attempted to maintain a strong stance but failed. Echidna had always liked him, and Xie Ning knew deep down that he was touched by that, however he never forgot the more important things, like returning home and reuniting with his family.

If he had no worries, Xie Ning would be willing to let go of everything and engage in a cross-species love affair with Echidna. He didn’t think the other was very evil. On the contrary. After spending so many days together, Xie Ning was certain that Echidna was like a big piece of soft cotton candy, that appeared fierce and vicious on the outside but actually silly inside, as he believed everything he said without a doubt.

However the problem lay in him. He couldn’t abandon his family. No matter how difficult it was, Xie Ning would find a way to return to his hometown.

As he pondered, Echidna suddenly straightened up. The self-satisfied, somewhat silly smile disappeared instantly, and he became the demon Echidna again, with the stern appearance Xie Ning had first seen.

“The priest of Cilicia has come,” Echidna hissed coldly. “And he has the audacity to bring along a veiled woman and boast that it’s a gift from Kostas!”

Since he had retreated to the dark and lonely realm of Arima, to live his life of exile, Echidna particularly despised anyone who ignored his orders – except Dorus, of course. Sometimes, when Dorus was too focused on his art and needed some distance, Echidna would obediently step aside, then proceed to sulk. He knew that when Dorus put down his brush and saw him quietly waiting on the sidelines, lonely and silent for a long time, he would surely call out in distress, then quickly comforting him with the words, “being too silly. Why didn’t you speak?”

However, Dorus was Dorus. How could a Cilician dare to defy his instructions? Since he had said no more human sacrifices were needed, on what assurance did Kostas ignore his demands?

“Perhaps it’s a trap sent by the Olympian gods, just like Pandora in the past, aiming to lead me to destruction!” Echidna sneered, sniffing the scent of conspiracy. “If they truly want to destroy me, why not send Herakles down from the heavens to see if that so-called godly hero can still kill my body and soul?” ⁷

As he spoke, Xie Ning suddenly raised his head. At the moment when the priest and the veiled woman entered the underground palace, Apollo stirred his divine power, and ignited an unparalleled curiosity in him. A curiosity that was closely linked to an artist’s thirst for knowledge.

Echidna didn’t notice, and Xie Ning was unaware of it. He only knew that Echidna had mentioned the name “Pandora.” He really wanted to find out what a woman like Pandora looked like, exactly.

“I want to see what she looks like!” Xie Ning blurted out, as he looked pleadingly at Echidna. His eyes inadvertently showed the innocence of a puppy. “Please, please? Let me take a look. Just as you said, what if she really looks as beautiful as Pandora? What would she look like?”

When he saw him like that, Echidna stiffened all over. He suddenly realized that refusing Dorus’s request before was already very difficult, and now with such an expression in his eyes…It was almost harder than killing him to say “no.”

“…Fine,” the snake demon relented. “We’ll stay in the shadows and take a distant look at this woman. Still, she must be a trap sent by the Gods, a malicious entity!” 

As he carried Xie Ning, Echidna traversed the winding corridors of the underground palace, and arrived at a secluded dark chamber, where the walls of black rock resembled a honeycomb, marked with many small holes that emitted a faint light.

The demon set down the human, and watched as he ran to one of the holes, then tiptoed to peer inside. Unable to resist, Echidna followed quietly, and stealthily observed his profile.

The halo that spread out from the hole illuminated Dorus’s dark eyes and cast shadows on his pristine cheeks; truly adorable.

In that moment, the snake demon greedily watched his human, while Xie Ning curiously watched for the appearance of “Pandora,” while Xantippe confidently anticipated the outcome.

With affection in his voice, Echidna said, “Dorus…”

Xie Ning’s eyes widened, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground. “Wow! She’s so beautiful!”

Echidna remained silent. Echidna was both shocked and furious. He suddenly turned his head and saw Xantippe was standing provocatively in the chamber, playing with the veil with her fingers. In an instant, the snake demon’s eyes turned black with hatred.