Episode 71: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 71: The Story of Persephone – (6)

Fortunately, thanks to Iris arriving in the Underworld at just the right time, the situation was brought under control.

Everyone seemed to be willing to move past it for now.

"Iris, did they seek me from Olympus?"

"Yes. Lord Zeus has requested your presence on Olympus, Lord Hades."

Chiron’s death... It must be Gaia's blow foretold in Prometheus's prophecy.

Only the wise centaur could raise heroes in preparation for the Gigantes.

An Olympian god cannot directly train heroes in the mortal world, nor can they easily find a suitable candidate among the mortals without raising doubts about their abilities.

"The prophecy said to connect the Underworld and the mortal realm, so I suppose I’ll have to discuss the details with Zeus. Very well."

This isn't just an issue for the Underworld, so I can’t make decisions on my own.

I’ll need to go up to Olympus to hear what Demeter has to say about the Gigantes’ base and to deliver news about her daughter, Persephone.

"Have a safe trip, Uncle Hades!"

"Safe trip?! This isn’t even your house..."

"Oh, what’s the big deal? I’ll be living here now. Hehe!"

"Huh... I’ve never seen a god adapt to the Underworld so quickly..."

* * *

Ignoring the odd sounds behind me, I followed Iris to Olympus.

It seemed that all the gods had gathered in the center of the Olympian palace, as I could sense their presence concentrated there.

Zeus has gathered all the gods.

Passing through the grand golden gates and walking on the clouds, I saw a large crowd of gods murmuring.

Zeus, holding a thunderbolt and seated on a golden throne, had his eyes closed. Poseidon was speaking with Hera.

The immortals of Olympus were buzzing about the Gigantes and the prophecy.

"Chiron, the wise centaur, was tortured to death by the Gigantes?"

"Then who will raise heroes now? It’s difficult to find an educator of his caliber..."

"The prophecy said to connect the mortal realm and the Underworld... Shouldn’t Lord Hades make an exception for Chiron?"

"No matter the prophecy, how could the dead be...! Hmm. This isn't for me to decide."

"They say Typhon’s body almost broke free..."

"If that monstrous thing had fallen back into Gaia’s hands..."

"Phew... So, this was the blow the prophecy spoke of, a painful loss indeed."

Hmm. It seems the meeting hasn't even begun, but the mood is already grim.

Step. Step.

"Ah... Lord Hades."

"You have arrived, Uncle."

Walking through the crowd — no, through a sea of gods — the deities recognized me and stepped aside to let me pass.

Sensing my presence, Zeus opened his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Now that my brother Hades has arrived, let us begin the meeting. Hermes!"

"Yes, sir!"

Hermes brought out a large scroll and spread it wide in the air.

A map of the entire world appeared before us, marked with red dots indicating the places hit by the Gigantes’ attacks.

"A short while ago, the Gigantes launched a massive invasion. As you can see on the map, their targets were Corinth, Athens, Chiron’s residence, and Mount Etna."

At Zeus's words, the red dots on the map glowed.

With simultaneous attacks like these, Hermes must have been the only one to descend during the assault on Mount Etna.

If I hadn’t been there... Hmm.

"Mount Etna was taken care of by my brother Hades, Athens by Athena, and Corinth by Apollo... but there is one place we overlooked."

As the king of the gods lowered his voice, lightning flickered from his body, reflecting his emotions.

A subtle but powerful aura spread out with it.

"As all the gods here are aware, the wise centaur Chiron was captured, tortured, and relinquished his immortality."

Crackle-

Zeus's eyes were covered with blue lightning, and thunderclouds began to form.

The thunder god’s majestic fury radiated, engulfing Olympus.

Sweat trickled down the foreheads of the lesser gods, and even those privileged with golden thrones were visibly uneasy.

“Grrr…”

“Hmm…”

Zeus, who had always held Chiron in high esteem, was consumed with anger over his death.

It was Poseidon who managed to calm him.

"Zeus. Chiron’s fate is truly tragic, but please, control yourself."

"...Ah, I apologize to everyone."

"Ahem! Now, setting that aside for a moment, we have located their base using the Omphalos stone. Demeter!"

"The Gigantes are in the Plestra plains of the Thrace region. I could sense power from the earth that wasn’t mine coming from that area, so it’s certain."

"Apollo and Athena are currently monitoring those plains. The Gigantes won’t be able to attack us again."

Discussions about the Gigantes continued for a while.

Ideas such as completely destroying their base, or Poseidon drowning them with water, were proposed...

Even a suggestion to split the land and turn it into an island was made, but they were all dismissed due to the possibility of an all-out war.

The conversation eventually circled back to...

"Ultimately, to defeat the Gigantes, we need a hero... Hades, what do you think about reviving Chiron?" 

Once again, the topic returned to Chiron.

* * *

When Poseidon's opinion was voiced, everyone turned their attention to what I had to say.

Reviving Chiron… this would be breaking the laws of the Underworld that have lasted for eons.

This is different from the case of Sisyphus.

He was sent to the Underworld unjustly before his time was up, which is why I sent him back…

But in Chiron's case, he voluntarily gave up his immortality and chose death.

“Hm… If we revive the dead because they have unfinished business in the living world, what meaning is there in the boundary between life and death? And what if Gaia intervenes again and kills Chiron even if we bring him back?”

“Even though we've tightly sealed off the plains, their base of operations?”

“If a hero driven mad by Gaia's whispers wields a cursed or poisoned weapon, Chiron might give up his immortality again.”

Chiron is not a being as powerful as us gods.

While his teaching skills are remarkable, his actual combat abilities are no greater than those of a human hero.

Even if we restore his immortality, one poisoned arrow or a curse from a god…

“Hah, it would indeed be cruel to Chiron.”

“If he were revived and attacked again, he could face a second death.”

“We can't keep assigning gods to guard him all the time… Hmm.”

“But the reality is that there is no one else qualified for the task. Could you reconsider, brother?”

I pondered Zeus' serious words once more.

Prometheus' prophecy clearly stated that we could win if we connected the living world with the Underworld.

But the reason the gods aren't mentioning that part and are focusing on Chiron is simple.

If Gaia focuses her power on the connection between the Underworld and the living world… it could open Tartarus, where countless Titans are imprisoned.

According to Hermes, there are at least thousands of Gigantes visible on the plains.

No matter how powerful I am as one of the three major gods, I can't face thousands of lesser gods, dozens of Olympians, and one primordial being all by myself.

If, in the effort to train heroes, the Underworld falls and Tartarus is opened, we will lose instantly.

There must be another way.

A way for Chiron to teach heroes, even though he’s dead, without drawing Gaia's attention…

What if… this?

“I will connect the Underworld and the living world, and Chiron will train living heroes from the dead.”

“As you might guess, brother, it’s too dangerous to interpret Prometheus’ words so literally…”

“What if I create a small passageway in Thebes, my territory, where Gaia's influence can't reach?”

If the majority of a city’s inhabitants worship one god, the city becomes part of that god's domain.

A prime example is Athens, which belongs entirely to Athena.

Inside such a city, not even Gaia, the Earth Mother, can communicate her will to humans.

When King Oedipus went mad, Gaia could only influence him from the mountains outside Thebes.

“Gaia can't reach into Thebes. We could send out an oracle telling those who wish to become heroes to go to Thebes…”

“And appoint a suitable representative as your proxy in the city, then bring the most promising candidates to Hades’ temple for training in the Underworld?”

“Exactly. If we connect the outer edges of the Underworld with my temple in Thebes and only allow worthy individuals through…”

The room fell silent, but one by one, the gods nodded in agreement.

“What if we appoint the king of Thebes as the representative, train the aspiring heroes there, and bring the most promising ones to Hades’ temple?”

“We’ll need Omphalos' stone to maintain a permanent connection between the Underworld and the living world.”

“And the heroes who cross into the Underworld must swear an oath on the River Styx.”

Normally, once a mortal enters the Underworld, they cannot leave.

But if they swear an oath on the River Styx, with strict limitations, it might be allowed.

The oaths would prevent them from speaking of what they’ve seen, and if they attempt to return to the Underworld, they’ll be cast into Tartarus.

We’ll restrict them from setting foot in any area of the Underworld besides the outer canyons, and they’ll be forbidden from contacting any souls…

“Alright, alright! Let’s summarize the plan! How does this sound as a strategy against the Gigantes?”

Zeus closed his eyes, listening to the gods, and silenced the room.

A small bolt of lightning extended from his hand, inscribing words onto the parchment.

The summary went something like this:

1. An oracle will be sent to the mortals, summoning those who wish to become heroes to Thebes.

2. The king of Thebes will receive the oracle and establish a training center to raise heroes.

3. Those who stand out in the training center will quietly be moved to Hades' temple and taken to the Underworld.

4. In the Underworld's outer edges, these heroes will be trained by the deceased Chiron and, when ready, return to the living world.

4 – 1) The heroes and any associated individuals must swear an oath on the River Styx, binding them with numerous restrictions, including a vow of silence.

4 – 2) To maintain the connection between the living world and the Underworld, the Omphalos stone will be temporarily loaned to Hades.

“Brother, can I leave the finer details in your hands?”

“Of course. With this, the living and the dead will be connected… and we will be able to achieve victory, just as Prometheus' prophecy foretold.”

“If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to call upon Olympus. Hermes! Iris! You two will be responsible.”

We will not lose to the Gigantes.

We will be victorious, no matter what.

* * *

After the meeting, I walked over to Demeter.

I needed to tell her about her daughter, Persephone.

The stern goddess with her yellowish hair stopped when she saw me approaching.

“What do you want with me, Hades?”

“Demeter, your daughter Persephone is currently in the Underworld.”

“What?! So, the Gigantes aren’t the real issue here! If you don’t release my daughter immediately…!”

Good grief… She completely loses her mind the moment her daughter is mentioned.

This is exactly why I didn’t send a messenger and came in person…

I need to get straight to the point and clear up this misunderstanding quickly.

“There’s nothing I can do. She was struck by Eros' golden arrow, saw me, and… she’s already eaten food in the Underworld.”

“What… wh-what?! H-Hades!!!”

It's not the kind of kidnapping you think it is, so calm down…

* * *

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