Episode 21: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 21: The Story of Poseidon – (2)

"Obviously, we're talking about joining forces to overthrow Zeus, aren't we?"

When I didn’t react to his bold statement, Poseidon picked up his cup again.

"Do you really covet the throne of the king of the gods that much?"

"Oh... That's not it."

The sea god shook his head slowly as he began to speak.

When Poseidon raised his hand, his attendants hastily withdrew from our vicinity.

"Zeus no longer deserves to be above us. Just think about what happened with Typhon..."

"But he still won in the end, didn’t he?"

"Yet he was defeated once and had his tendons severed, and ended up shamefully trapped in a cave. This, even after fighting with the Scythe."

Poseidon was always full of ambition.

When we drew lots to divide the world, it was I who drew the underworld, which everyone avoided,

But he always regretted not having obtained dominion over the sky.

Yet, it didn’t seem like he was planning a rebellion so soon.

He must think I was disappointed in Zeus for helping him in the battle against Typhon.

"It's unthinkable that the one who rules the heavens, the king of the gods, would lose. Hades, Zeus, who even sought help from you, won't be able to win against the coming Gigantes."

He must be talking about the time Zeus sought my help through Hermes.

But to overthrow Zeus over just one loss? I’m not really interested…

"This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t decided on dominion by drawing lots. Watching Zeus struggle against Typhon despite his overwhelming power was rather disappointing."

"So, you intend to rope me in?"

"Of course, you might not care much, but if I manage to overthrow Zeus, I promise you a very satisfying reward."

Well, I don't really need any kind of reward.

There's not much I want in the first place.

"Do you think we stand a chance if I help? No, let me rephrase that..."

"Hahaha! Of course! With the underworld's support, our chances are more than sufficient."

Zeus is immensely strong.

The king of the gods, the lord of lightning, the supreme ruler of the heavens.

It’s said that even if all the gods united, they couldn’t defeat Zeus alone…

But that’s without including Poseidon and me.

If two of the three chief gods join forces, there’s a fair chance. But why should I take part in a rebellion?

Zeus is still better than you.

"No, I oppose this rebellion."

"Even if I promise to do anything you ask for, excluding control of the heavens?"

"No matter what you offer, I think I'm better off as things are now."

Poseidon frowned slightly as he pondered.

Like Zeus, he doesn't seem to understand why I’m not swayed by power.

"But... It's unfortunate that you ended up in the underworld..."

"If I hadn’t gone to the underworld, one of you two would have fought to the death to avoid going there."

"Hah... I didn't expect you to react this way, Hades..."

After pondering for a moment, Poseidon crossed his arms.

"Then, should I provide proof that Zeus is unworthy of being king? Hera!"

"What...?!"

As soon as Poseidon spoke, the door behind where we were conversing opened.

Out stepped Hera, the queen of the gods with a chilling beauty.

She spoke in a cold tone.

"Hades, I can no longer bear to watch Zeus's atrocities."

* * *

I was a bit surprised when Hera walked through the door.

No wonder Poseidon had brought up the topic of rebellion.

"Surely, Zeus must know you’re here..."

"Zeus disregards my words as his wife and goddess of the hearth, and constantly engages in affairs. Even now, he’s enjoying himself with another goddess."

But really, you don’t need to speak so formally to me. You can just talk comfortably.

Like you did before you became the queen of the gods…

"He's been involved with over dozens of goddesses so far. And that’s only the ones I’m aware of..."

Hera spoke angrily, cursing Zeus.

Well, I guess you have every right to be upset.

"How could someone be so shameless, spending the night with goddesses and mortals alike, as long as they meet his standards of beauty? It burns me up like the flames in Hephaestus’s forge!"

Okay... um, yes...

It does seem like a rebellion might be justified.

It’s not Zeus’s fault for ignoring words if they fall on deaf ears.

As I stood there bewildered, Poseidon's confident voice rang out.

"Did you see that? Despite being married to the goddess of the hearth, the king of the gods behaves this way..."

"Can't you hear your own wife raging at the bottom of the sea?"

"...But unlike Zeus, I assure you that if I become the ruler of the heavens, I will remain loyal to Amphitrite alone."

You could at least put some effort into making that lie sound convincing.

Who would believe that?

"Not only Hera, but Apollo will also join our plan. With that, even without you, we have a good chance of success, don't you think?"

"Do you really believe that?"

"Hades, even without your help, I, Poseidon, will soon be king of the gods. Why not side with the winning team?"

Now you’re trying to persuade me with that logic?

Even with Apollo, Hera, and Poseidon, it seems likely you’d still lose...

And Zeus is also the god of kingship.

Whether it’s you or Zeus, I think Zeus is still the better choice.

Apollo, who is Zeus’s son, has decided to rebel too? Perhaps he's displeased with his father for cheating on his mother, Leto?

"Zeus is strong. Even if you all unite, it won't work. I’ll say it again: I oppose this rebellion."

"Sigh... After seeing you fight Typhon, I know you're no coward, so why...?"

"If you help us overthrow Zeus, I will give you my daughter, Hebe, the goddess of youth. Is that still not enough?"

Now she’s offering her daughter...

Your daughter is my niece. My niece.

"I already have beautiful goddesses in the underworld."

"Are you referring to Styx, who rejected the persistent courtship of the Titan Pallas? Or perhaps Lethe, who always walks around with that vacant look on her face? Neither is more beautiful than my daughter..."

"That's enough. I'm leaving now."

Feeling slightly irritated, I stood up from my seat.

Although Hera’s anger at Zeus is justified, it’s not a reason for me to support their rebellion.

Even if Poseidon, Hera, and Apollo join forces, I doubt they could defeat Zeus, and I don’t think Poseidon would be a better king of the gods than Zeus.

In conclusion, I don’t want to side with a losing cause.

And Hera comparing my precious underworld companions to her daughter doesn’t sit well with me either.

Poseidon sighed deeply and nodded slowly.

"Damn it! Fine. But if you change your mind later, don’t hesitate to reach out."

"I assume we can trust you not to inform Zeus?"

"You want me not to tell Zeus...? Ha! It would be wise for you to stop worrying about such trivial matters..."

With Hera’s parting remark, I left the sea and returned to the underworld.

If they go ahead with this rebellion, they’ll just end up getting struck by lightning and utterly defeated.

Poseidon is as wary of Zeus as ever...

Even if I tell Zeus now, Poseidon wouldn’t know, but Zeus would likely trust his wife and son’s words more.

The rebellion hasn't started yet, so if I accuse them without solid evidence, it would only put me in a difficult position.

Zeus knows I have no interest in his throne, but

If I'm not careful, he might think I'm trying to sow discord between him and his wife, so I will hold off on informing him about today.

And as I recall from my previous life, Zeus has always been the king of the gods.

Not once was it ever Poseidon.

* * *

As Hades sneered at the two and walked out the door, Hera and Poseidon looked at each other.

A sigh escaped their lips.

"Hmm... If Hades had helped, victory would be assured."

"Was it a mistake to tell him? If he informs Zeus, we’re in danger."

"In that case, you and Apollo just need to make a good excuse. Olympus and the Underworld are far apart. And..."

Poseidon shook his head.

"We had no choice. Athena said if we could bring Hades into this, she would join us too..."

"If the goddess of wisdom had helped, it would have been much easier..."

They had asked Athena to join them as well, but

The only answer they received from the goddess of wisdom was that she would decline because there was no chance of victory.

"Athena, Zeus was so afraid of you that he swallowed Metis when she was pregnant. Have you already forgotten?"

"....It’s not that I don’t have any grievances, but to defeat Father, at least two of the three great gods must join forces."

"Bring Hades in?"

"But Uncle Hades has no interest in power struggles, so even if I join, the outcome is obvious."

Even so, Hera's persistent persuasion made Athena agree to join if they could involve Hades, but...

This is how it turned out.

"Zeus, that wretch, can be dealt with by me and Apollo!"

"We have no choice. We’ll have to strike when Zeus lets his guard down..."

* * *

A few days after Poseidon’s invitation, I was working in the Underworld.

As always, I was buried in work, looking tired as I shuffled through parchment...

"Lord Hades! A goddess claiming to be Thetis is at the entrance of the Underworld!"

"The goddess Thetis? Let her in."

Thetis.

A sister of Poseidon’s wife Amphitrite and a goddess of the sea. I recall the prophecy from Prometheus that said her son would surpass his father and become a hero...

Thanks to that, she was able to reject proposals from Zeus and Poseidon, but why has she come to the Underworld?

We don’t have much in common...

Creak-

The beautiful goddess, who resembled the blue waves, entered the office.

She looked very urgent, and it seemed she had something to ask of me.

"Huff... Hades! There are gods in Olympus who have rebelled against Zeus!"

"Is Poseidon involved?"

As expected.

But they will fail anyway.

"How did you know..? They took advantage of Zeus’s sleep, and Lady Hera, Apollo, and Poseidon ambushed him, stole his thunderbolt, and subdued him."

Completely unexpected.

So, she came here to ask for help.

They ambushed him while he was sleeping, stole his thunderbolt, and subdued him—

Zeus was wary of Poseidon but didn’t foresee betrayal from Hera or Apollo.

If Poseidon is the only one out of the picture, there aren't any gods who pose a significant threat to his power, so it makes sense.

Maybe I should have warned him to be wary of Hera, even if it made him suspicious of me?

No, no. Then he would’ve been wary of me instead.

He might’ve thought I was a brother trying to sow discord between him and his wife and son...

"Please, summon one of the Hecatoncheires! We need to save Zeus!"

Thetis pleaded urgently for help.

But right now, Cronus is causing trouble from time to time in Tartarus, and Typhon's head is still there.

If I bring one of the Hecatoncheires, who have a hundred hands each, they could certainly suppress the rebellion, but...

In the unstable situation of Tartarus, we must be prepared for any eventuality.

"I cannot summon the Hecatoncheires. Lately, Cronus has been causing trouble in Tartarus."

"But the rebellion in Olympus..."

"There is no need to worry."

Thetis looked disheartened, but I wasn't finished.

No matter how I think about it, Zeus is more fitting as the king of the gods than Poseidon.

Both are authoritative, boastful of their strength, and despicable gods who leave their wives to commit adultery and rape, but

"Because he is a true king, he never desired the throne of the king of gods."

"Let's take this opportunity to have a moment to commend the gods who made great contributions in the battle against Typhon."

At least Zeus has some self-awareness as a king.

I summoned the bident made by Hephaestus and grabbed the worn-out helmet next to the throne of the Underworld.

The opponent in the rebellion is Poseidon, one of the three great gods.

I must also wear the Cap of Invisibility and give it my all.

Thetis seemed to realize my intention and let out a small gasp of admiration.

"I will personally go up to Olympus."

Another bothersome task has just been added.

||Previous||TOC||Next||