Poseidon's Story - (1)
The Underworld was bound to be insanely busy today as usual... or so I thought. Yet my office was surprisingly quiet. Human nations had sprung up everywhere, the mortal realm had stabilized, and the number of deaths had dropped sharply as a result. Of course, plenty of people still met early ends at the hands of monsters, accidents, or savage beasts, but that much I could handle.
Even so, I still had one lingering concern.
"You still haven't located the Gigantes?"
"Yes, my lord. We found no trace of the monsters you described."
The very creatures from the prophecy—the ones that supposedly could not be defeated without the help of human heroes. I'd planned to hunt them down in advance, wipe them out, or at least thin their numbers... but it seemed Lady Gaia was sheltering them until their forces grew strong enough.
Zeus on Olympus knew nothing of their whereabouts, and even after turning the entire Underworld upside down, we had found nothing. There was simply no way to proceed. The one silver lining was that the day those beasts would challenge the gods again was likely still far off. It would take them a long time to absorb Gaia's power and swell their ranks. Since Gaia knew full well the strength of the gods who had even defeated Typhon, she would only deploy them when victory was all but guaranteed.
Until then, we need a human hero to emerge... Cadmus is the most promising candidate, but he's too busy searching for his sister.
While I was lost in thought, a soul soldier entered the office and reported that a visitor had arrived. At the gates of the Underworld, someone who appeared half fish and half god had announced himself as a messenger from Poseidon.
I immediately understood that the time Poseidon had spoken of had come. He had indeed mentioned having something to discuss at an underwater banquet. I could guess what it was, but I would have to hear it from him directly.
I ordered the soul soldier to escort the guest inside, then unrolled a parchment scroll and studied possible locations in the mortal world where the Gigantes might be hiding. No matter where you are, the moment I find you... I'll make every last one of you a citizen of the Underworld.
As I stared at the parchment, indulging in rather dark fantasies, Poseidon's messenger soon arrived at my office. The moment the door opened, he bowed deeply.
"Lord of the Underworld! It is an honor to meet you for the first time. I am Triton, the only legitimate son of Lord Poseidon!"
"I see. I am Hades."
The god who had introduced himself as Triton had a body covered entirely in scales, complete with gills and what looked like a dolphin's tail. To the eye he resembled a monster in human shape, but I had to take into account that he had been born in the sea. And "legitimate son" meant he was the child of Poseidon's lawful wife, Amphitrite.
"Is the banquet ready? Then lead the way."
"Yes, sir! I shall escort you to my father's palace at once!"
Sharp and efficient. Poseidon would be pleased.
This was a beach on the surface world. The last time I had been invited to the wedding of Amphitrite and Poseidon, one of his colossal whales had carried me down to the golden palace beneath the waves. I assumed the same method would be used today, but Triton pulled a conch shell from his belt and blew into it.
Bwooooooo—
A majestic sound rolled out from the shell, which was patterned in both black and white. Before long, two enormous seahorses broke the surface of the sea.
"These are seahorses under my command. They carry Father's blessing and can move swiftly through the water."
"A type of divine beast, then. Poseidon has granted them power."
Saddles and reins had been fitted to the creatures for easy riding. Feeling the cool touch of seawater against my legs for the first time in ages, I mounted one.
"Then we shall depart for the palace! Onward!"
At Triton's command the seahorses plunged beneath the waves.
Shhhluuuurp—
At the same moment, bubble-like membranes formed around me, pushing back the water. It was Poseidon's authority, ensuring I remained dry and could breathe freely underwater. During the sea god's wedding I had simply used my own power to repel the sea, but there was no need for that now. It was rather convenient.
Glub glub glub—
Once we were underwater, countless fish darted through the blue expanse. Deep-blue mackerel, playful dolphins, sea turtles... As we descended farther, thick seaweed blanketed the ocean floor, and tiny fish darted busily among the fronds. I even spotted one of Poseidon's half-human, half-fish subordinates harvesting the seaweed as he swam past.
The seahorse carrying me continued deeper. It felt as though the currents themselves were parting naturally, guiding us toward a specific destination. As we sank into the lightless depths, the world turned completely dark. Yet a god's eyes could see everything clearly.
The scenery of what mortals called the abyss was actually quite beautiful. They feared the ocean and offered constant sacrifices to Poseidon, yet here translucent jellyfish that seemed almost intelligent played with their tentacles, and more and more of Poseidon's fish-tailed subjects came into view.
"Look at this one! Ahaha!"
"This turtle is adorable. Should I take it home and raise it?"
"Wait... isn't that...?"
Several beautiful nymphs—Nereids, the fairies of the sea—were giggling at a sea turtle when they noticed us and flinched in surprise. Once they recognized the air bubble of Poseidon's blessing and my features, they quickly bowed their heads in respect.
Triton grinned and waved with the hand not holding the reins. The Nereids blushed and swam away shyly.
So that's what passes for handsome down here? It was difficult to understand with my Underworld sensibilities.
Brrrrrrrr—
We descended even farther, well beyond what humans would call the deep sea. At this pressure, even most demigods born on land would struggle to survive. But Poseidon's children would have no such problem.
While I calmly observed my surroundings, a shark-like being approached. He had the upper body of a man and the lower half hidden by simple coverings, but his feet were webbed, shark fins protruded from his back, and his teeth were razor sharp. The harpoon in his hand looked sharp enough to pierce any foe even at these depths.
Judging by his power, he seemed to be a captain of the palace guard.
"I greet the Lord of the Underworld. I am Andrianos, who has been blessed far beyond his worth by Lord Poseidon."
I nodded and raised a hand in acknowledgment. He bowed to Triton as well.
"Lord Triton."
"Yes. Is everything prepared for the banquet?"
"Yes, preparations are perfect."
After a brief exchange, the seahorses moved forward once more. As if drawn by an invisible force, the underwater currents gently carried us toward the ocean floor.
After some time, Poseidon's palace finally came into view.
A golden palace shining brilliantly beneath the sea. Even in depths where sunlight should never reach, the entire structure glowed with radiant light. Majestic buildings and white pillars rose proudly, surrounded by corals of every color. A translucent membrane enveloped the entire palace. It appeared to be the same type of authority Poseidon had granted my seahorse.
"Hades! Welcome to my palace!"
Standing before the splendid gates with both arms spread wide was the blue-haired sea god himself—Poseidon.
The banquet Poseidon had prepared was every bit as grand as those held on Olympus. Bwooooo— Because we were underwater, many of the dishes featured seaweed, and fishmen with lower bodies like tails played sweet melodies on conch shells.
I accepted the greetings of Poseidon's sons and the lesser gods serving under him, committing their faces to memory. It seemed many new gods had been born in the ocean as well.
Triton, meanwhile, was off playing with the sharks.
Chewing on seaweed dishes alongside ambrosia while watching the antics of the underwater performers wasn't half bad. A talking octopus juggling several shells and spinning them in midair was particularly entertaining.
Aaaaaaaaah—!
What was that? From somewhere far away, deep in the ocean, came the furious cry of a woman. The divine power swirling the currents and summoning violent waves—was that...?
"Ahem... It seems Amphitrite is at it again," Poseidon muttered.
"Is there some issue with your wife?"
"Well... she tends to react this way whenever she learns I've spent the night elsewhere."
Poseidon gave a bitter smile.
So your wife finds out you've been cheating and this is the result? What exactly is the difference between you and Zeus? Both Hera and Amphitrite must have their hands full. No wonder the mistress of the sea hadn't shown herself at the banquet.
Poseidon stroked his beard, blue wine glass filled with nectar still in hand.
"Tsk... I'll have to figure out how to calm her down this time. Still, at least I don't have to worry about the position of sea queen changing..."
"Isn't she angry precisely because you keep cheating, not because she's worried about being replaced?"
He really was no different from Zeus. I wondered which of the two would ultimately claim the divinity of adultery.
Sighing, I drained my own cup of nectar. It truly did taste different depending on the location. How could it be this refreshingly crisp here? It reminded me of the cider from my previous life.
Enjoying the banquet wasn't unpleasant, but it was time to get to the main topic. I set down my blue glass and met Poseidon's eyes.
"Well... I already have a good idea, but why don't you tell me the real reason you invited me?"
"Why ask when you already know the answer? It's exactly what you're thinking, Hades."
He grinned, an ambitious glint in his eye.
"Obviously, it's about joining forces to overthrow Zeus. What else could it be?"
I knew it.