Episode 13: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 13: The Story of Typhon – (2)

The traces left behind by Typhon, whose enormous body was large enough to cover a mountain, as he dragged Zeus away, were clear.

If Demeter were to see this, she would lose her mind; and then the land was completely overturned.

The scene was a massacre, with all the surrounding plants, animals, and humans perishing due to the storm that naturally emanated from Typhon's body.

And there were remnants of divine power left behind by Zeus as he resisted while being dragged away.

After traveling some distance, I discovered that the traces abruptly ended at a certain mountain.

I suspected there must be a cave on this mountain where Zeus was imprisoned, and as I began to search the area...

“And so, my tendons are currently in Typhon's grasp. If you can assist me, in the name of Zeus, King of the Gods…”

A voice emanated from a translucent image of a bull, speaking to the human who was prostrated on the ground.

Noticing that the bull was formed from Zeus's divine power, I removed my hood and approached.

“Zeus.”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s you, brother Hades... So Hermes was successful. But I lack the strength to maintain this any longer…”

Zeus's state seemed dire; as his divine power weakened, the bull image vanished.

I looked down at the prostrated human beside me.

“I... I am the lowly human Cadmus, paying respects to Hades, Lord of the Underworld!”

Oh... Most humans fear and avoid my name, but this man was different.

Usually, people call me Hades when they have lost someone dear or when their lives are on the line. Otherwise, they call me Pluto.

As I looked at Cadmus, who kept his head bowed and avoided meeting my eyes, he began to explain.

He said he was Cadmus, a prince of Phoenicia, and said that Zeus, after being defeated in battle against Typhon, was imprisoned in a cave on this mountain...

He said that Zeus, having had his tendons taken, sent the bull to him, asking for help...

Essentially, he was saying that he was under Zeus's command to retrieve the tendons from Typhon.

Though his speech was disjointed and difficult to follow, it was clear that Zeus must have lost his mind.

To ask a mere human, who could be killed by a single breath from Typhon, to retrieve his tendons…

Was the situation really that desperate, or did Zeus see something in this human?

“Are you truly planning to follow Zeus's command? It could shorten your already brief life.”

If he had said he couldn’t do it, that he was too afraid, or that he was scared...

I was prepared to offer him protection from Zeus's wrath.

But the blonde man, Cadmus... did not do that.

* * *

Cadmus, the prince of Phoenicia, was an ordinary human.

An ordinary human who feared monsters and the unknown, and revered the gods of Olympus.

To such an ordinary human...

One day, his father, King Agenor, ordered Cadmus to find his sister Europa.

The king commanded his princes to search for the princess Europa, telling them not to return if they couldn’t find her.

Naturally, Cadmus couldn’t find any trace of Europa, and with a heavy heart, he wandered until he reached the vicinity of Mount Cilicia.

But just as he was about to search the mountain for his sister, something suddenly appeared before him.

“Human, I am Zeus, King of the Gods.”

Startled, Cadmus quickly lowered his head to the translucent image of a bull that appeared before him.

With a dignified tone and an aura of mystery, it was unmistakably a god, even if Cadmus wasn’t certain it was Zeus himself.

The god commanded Cadmus to help him.

He was asked to retrieve the tendons from a powerful monster that even a god had failed to defeat.

The command of a god is absolute, and Cadmus had to obey.

Cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck.

Could he really do it?

He hardly registered the promised rewards spoken by the bull, presumably sent by Zeus.

Cadmus’s mind was filled with fear and terror at the thought of facing a monster.

That is, until a grim-looking man suddenly appeared.

“Zeus.”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s you, brother Hades…”

In that moment, Cadmus’s mind was overwhelmed by a fear greater than that of the monster.

Though the sun was shining in the sky, the surroundings grew dark, and the air became heavy.

Finding it hard to breathe, Cadmus saw the grass around the man begin to wither.

A cold energy emanated from the man, dominating the area with a tremendous presence and weight.

If this was not a god, then what could be considered a god?

‘They definitely... called each other Hades and Zeus... So that means...!’

Could this man really be the lord of the underworld, Pluto?

And that bull—could it really have been sent by Zeus?

He sneaked a glance at Hades, who was looking at Zeus’s bull, but...

Seeing the gloomy god’s eyes, Cadmus was struck with terror and had to bury his head in the ground again.

For in Hades’s eyes, there was a black abyss that no human eyes could possess.

Not some minor river god, but a high-ranking deity of Olympus.

‘...It must be Hades, the god of the underworld!’

As Cadmus kept his head bowed, he sensed that the bull sent by Zeus had vanished and that the lord of the underworld was now gazing at him.

As if asking him to explain the situation, Hades’s gaze prompted Cadmus’s mouth to start moving on its own.

“I... I am the lowly human Cadmus, paying respects to Hades, Lord of the Underworld!”

'Should I have called him Pluto?!’

Cadmus swallowed nervously as he felt the gaze of the Lord of the Underworld upon him, and began to explain.

He recounted everything about himself and all that the bull sent by Zeus had just said.

‘Damn it, I stuttered too much. What if he takes offense and drags me to the Underworld…?’

There was a moment of silence as Hades pondered.

The continued silence made Cadmus feel as if his blood were draining from him, the tension unbearable.

Finally, the god of the dead spoke.

“Are you really planning to follow Zeus’s command? It could shorten your already brief life.”

Cadmus, still bowing his head, inhaled sharply.

This was surely a considerate remark, a warning.

The great god was concerned that he, a mere mortal, might lose his life to the monster.

From the perspective of the Underworld, human death would only increase his dominion...

Hades, the god whom even in his own kingdom everyone avoided and feared so much that no one dared build a temple for him.

Could it be that Hades, or rather Pluto, was such a merciful god?

Despite the god’s kind words, Cadmus wrestled with how to respond to them.

How was he supposed to take the command of Zeus?

As Hades had just said, weak humans die easily at the hands of monsters—so why did Zeus choose him to help?

Moreover, the monster Typhon was so terrifying that even the great king of the gods, Zeus, had been defeated by him.

No matter how great Zeus might be, wasn’t Cadmus’s life more important?

Could this be a test from the gods to see if a weak human like him would rise to the challenge?

If he died facing Typhon... he would never find his sister Europa, nor return to his brothers…

With his head still bowed, Cadmus agonized over his thoughts until he finally came to a decision and spoke with a clear voice.

“Yes, of course.”

* * *

The fear that had been evident on his face due to my presence seemed to fade.

Was he using a firm belief as a pillar to support himself and withstand the pressure?

Though I had been suppressing my presence since the moment I appeared to spare him, even that would be difficult for an ordinary human to bear.

He exhibited a mix of fear, confidence, and determination.

Why was he willing to walk down a path that could lead to his death, simply because of Zeus's command?

“…Why?”

Filled with many questions, I asked him.

Humans are not slaves or servants of the gods. If he felt that Zeus's command was oppressive, I would protect him.

Cadmus, after clearing his throat, explained his reasoning.

“Uh, well... Ever since I was a child, I was taught about the grace of the gods. That the gods were the creators of all living beings, including humans.”

It was true that the gods created humans, but it was more out of necessity than anything else. Could his actions really be just repayment to his creators?

“This morning’s rising sun was the mercy of the god Helios, and the moonlight that comforted me every night was the blessing of the goddess Selene.”

Cadmus's eyes were filled with unwavering conviction.

His voice no longer trembled.

“The food I eat every day is the grain blessed by Demeter, and the water I drink is imbued with the favor of Poseidon. And in addition…”

He continued to speak of the gods' blessings.

These were not hastily made-up lies, but thoughts that truly came from his heart.

“…Lastly, even if I were to die by Typhon’s hand, I would be under the care of the god Hades, who stands before me now. Why should I fear a mere monster and flee?”

Impressive.

Did such a person really exist in this world?

Cadmus slightly raised his head to look at me.

Blood trickled from his lips as if it pained him to meet my gaze, yet he did not avert his eyes.

His eyes were filled with willpower, overcoming the fear of the monster.

In them, a courage greater than that of Ares blazed.

“Indeed, compared to the great gods, I am but a mere human,”

He bowed his head again to me.

Not out of submission to divine presence, but with gratitude and reverence.

“But I am not ungrateful for the blessings I have been given.”

In this moment, Cadmus was undoubtedly a hero.

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