Episode 34: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 34: The Story of Otus and Ephialtes – (2)

Boom! Boom!

The sound coming from the outskirts of Olympus grew louder and louder.

If the noise could be heard even in the divine palace above the clouds, it must be something more than just what’s happening on the ground...

Could it be Hephaestus hammering at full force that’s making this noise?

The other gods were beginning to show signs of unease.

“Is someone approaching Olympus?”

“But this kind of noise…”

“Ah! Everyone, look over there!”

An unnamed minor god pointed to somewhere on the ground.

There, two gigantic giants were piling up mountains and filling the sea to create a path towards Olympus.

The booming noise was the result of these giants throwing massive rocks and heaps of earth.

“Who dares approach Olympus…”

“Those giants don’t seem to be gods, so Lord Zeus will handle them, right?”

“There’s no need for Lord Zeus to step in. I can just…”

“Wait, a prophecy! There was a prophecy!”

As the gods were muttering ominous things about the impudent giants who dared ascend to Olympus, someone mentioned the prophecy.

Hermes flew over in a hurry, his winged sandals flapping.

“There’s a prophecy that says no god or human can kill those two brothers!”

“What?!”

“Then are we just supposed to stand by and watch?”

“Who exactly are those two?”

They can’t be killed… huh?

I suppose we should at least hear what they have to say now that they’ve come all the way up here.

Though it doesn’t seem like they have any good intentions, there’s something strangely familiar about their power.

“Olympus never has a day of peace…”

“Maybe the quiet underworld isn’t so bad after all, compared to all the chaos here~”

Those were the words of Hestia and Aphrodite, in that order.

Aphrodite merely gave me a coy smile, showing she wasn’t really interested.

Well, being one of the Twelve Olympians...

Before I knew it, the source of all the noise had revealed themselves in Olympus.

Two gigantic giants.

Their faces looked no older than early teens, but their bodies were enormous, like a bizarre fusion of dozens of humans.

“Oh, so this is Olympus? Where’s Hera, my future wife?”

“Artemis! Your husband is here!”

Are they insane?

* * *

“You, you’re really pretty. Are you Hera?”

“Hm... I’m not Lady Hera, and you’re not really my type either.”

One of the giants pointed at Aphrodite and spoke.

The goddess of beauty responded with practiced ease.

“Then where’s Artemis? Her husband has arrived, and she’s not even showing herself.”

“Maybe if we break some things in Olympus, she’ll come out.”

Are they really insane?

Judging by the looks on their faces, many of the Olympian gods shared my thoughts, and someone took action immediately.

“You crazy bastards! You think Olympus is your playground just because you look like brats?”

“Hm? What’s this little guy yapping about?”

“Who are you?”

The one clad in armor and pointing a sword at the giants was the god of war.

“I am Ares! Since I can’t kill you, I’ll beat you until you wish you were dead!”

“What do you think you can do with that toothpick?”

“Silence! I’ll show you the terror of war!”

Ares charged at them, but… these giants look quite strong.

They seem to be at the top tier among the Twelve Olympians.

Thud—Clang!

“Gah!”

Ares, who had charged with great momentum, had his sword shattered and was sent flying.

In war, death is inevitable, but with the prophecy that gods cannot kill them, Ares' defeat was to be expected.

“Ow, that stung a little.”

“But it’s still just a toothpick.”

Of course, it’s also true that they possess great power.

Giants who cannot be killed by gods or humans… and whose basic strength is on par with the top tier of the Twelve Olympians…

“Whose lineage are you from? What are your names?”

At my question, their eyes turned towards me.

“I am Otus, the one who will become Artemis' husband!”

“I am Ephialtes. We are from Thessaly!”

Thessaly? Giants this strong came from a human kingdom?

They definitely seem to have some divine blood in them...

“Thessaly…?”

“What are these creatures?”

“Claiming Hera as their wife... What madness is this…”

The gods murmured among themselves.

Perhaps they thought these two might actually succeed in taking Hera and Artemis, backed by their prophecy of invincibility and immense strength.

“Aaagh! Let go of me, you brute!”

“You stay there, you're too noisy.”

“…? You’re going to trap me here?”

When Otus and Ephialtes teamed up to grab Ares and toss him into a giant bronze jar, the gods’ agitation grew even more intense.

They're not Typhon, so there's no need to panic this much...

“What on earth is going on with Olympus… Hades, did you cast some kind of curse?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now…”

Demeter displayed her disdain for the underworld with a bored expression.

It seemed like just a joke, but it was true that recently, all sorts of strange things had been happening in Olympus.

“Prophecies often have loopholes… Hades, this should be an easy task for you, right?”

Aphrodite approached me, purring flirtatiously.

Though it was a bit annoying… she's a valuable asset for labor in the underworld, so I'll tolerate it for now.

Many of the gods were flustered, but the Twelve Olympians remained mostly calm.

Even Ares, just before being thrown into the bronze jar, merely glanced my way with a look of disbelief.

He'll probably break out of that jar soon enough.

Trapping the god of war in a mere giant bronze jar—it’s clear they're full of a need to flaunt their power.

They’re among the most powerful by Olympus’ standards.

Yet even with their immense strength, they still suffered a wound from Ares’ sword.

These young giants have no battle experience, and while they can't be killed, the prophecy says nothing about subduing them.

On the other hand, the gods here are veterans of wars against the Titans, the Gigantes, and Typhon.

Not to mention, both Zeus and I were present.

“Haha! Hurry and bring Hera and Artemis!”

“If you don’t want to end up like the guy we just tossed in a jar, move it!”

Their loud voices are giving me a headache. I might as well step in and subdue them myself.

Maybe I’ll toss them into a cell in the underworld where they can’t grow any stronger.

* * *

Among the two giant brothers, Otus had ambitions.

He wanted to ascend to Olympus, defeat all the gods, and make the beautiful goddess of the hunt his wife.

“Otus, then I’ll take Hera as my wife!”

“With our combined strength, the gods are no match for us!”

And with the support of his twin brother, Ephialtes, who possessed equal strength, it seemed easily possible.

So they stacked Mount Ossa on top of Mount Pelion to create a path to Olympus...

And finally, they succeeded in setting foot above the clouds.

“Let go of me, you brute!”

“You stay there, you're too noisy.”

Otus trapped the impudent young god who had attacked him in a jar and, imagining the beautiful Artemis who would soon be his wife, shouted:

“Haha! Hurry and bring Hera and Artemis!”

At that moment, one of the male gods who had questioned them earlier quietly stood up.

The gloomy-looking god let out a deep sigh.

“The lord of the underworld himself stepping in… Are those brats headed for Tartarus?”

“What sort of fools are causing havoc in Olympus…”

“Hey, you giants, it would be wise to start apologizing now!”

As he slowly rose from his seat, the panicked gods began to regain their composure.

Who is this guy?

Even Ephialtes, Otus’ twin, seemed curious as he asked for the man’s identity.

“Who are you?”

The black-haired god rose, looking rather annoyed, and made a casual gesture into the air.

With that, a weapon with two prongs at the end, a bident, appeared.

But do they really think they can take us on with something as puny as that?

Otus sneered and raised his massive fist.

As he approached, the black-haired god merely stared at them with an indifferent expression, making no move to respond.

“Hmph. No matter who you are, you won't survive a punch from me!”

As Otus' iron-like fist cut through the air, a terrifying shockwave reverberated.

Whoooooom!

But it was just the shockwave.

His punch, aimed with precision, hit nothing.

And then came the burning pain from his wrist.

“Aaaagh!”

“Otus!”

When did he dodge my punch? I didn’t even see him move—how did he drive this into my wrist?

Dark energy began to slowly emanate from his body, his face still full of boredom.

Though it was broad daylight and we were in Olympus, closer to the sun than the mortal world, the surroundings began to darken.

Otus, who had prided himself on his immense strength, felt fear for the first time.

This was nothing like the guy who charged at us earlier, Ares… could this be Zeus?

“You appear to have divine blood… Does your father not care at all for his children?”

“No! Oto—Aagh!”

Ephialtes, who noticed his brother’s wrist had been pierced, rushed over in a frenzy…

But in an instant, he was stabbed by the bident, collapsing as blood poured from his ankle.

“First, you’re headed to prison.”

The sharp, two-pronged bident moved closer to Otus’ eye.

Too fast—I can’t react. My body… it won’t move.

“Wait! Please wait, Brother Hades!”

“Zeus?”

A voice called out, and the bident stopped just short of Otus’ eye.

“Ahem. Ahem. We have esteemed guests here in Olympus; we must treat them well.”

Thanks to the stern-looking blond god intervening, Otus was spared from losing his sight.

Zeus and Hades… are these two part of the Big Three?

The king of the gods, who had just stopped Hades from wielding his bident, looked over at Otus and Ephialtes with a faint smile.

“So, you’re here to claim Hera and Artemis?”

Yet, for some reason, Otus found that smile chilling.

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