Aftermath of the Rebellion
The rebellion was over. With Olympus once again at peace, I turned to Zeus and spoke.
“Zeus. The reason I was able to notice the rebellion and rush up to Olympus was thanks to Thetis.”
“Thetis told you…?”
Thetis was a goddess said to be second only to Amphitrite, Poseidon’s lawful wife, in beauty. Countless male gods had courted her, but—
“The one from the prophecy that says the son she bears will become a hero greater than his father?”
“The very same Thetis you’re thinking of.”
Zeus had once courted her as well, but after hearing Prometheus’ prophecy, he had given her up without hesitation. He had even tried to marry her off to a suitable mortal, yet she stubbornly refused.
“Hmm. I see what you’re getting at, brother. You want me to acknowledge her contribution and grant her some consideration?”
“Prophecies are absolute, but they can be interpreted in more than one way. Just because a son surpasses his father doesn’t necessarily mean he threatens his authority…”
The King of the Gods—who was more sensitive about his own authority than anyone—wore a serious expression. It made sense. After all, Zeus himself had overthrown his father Cronus. Even if it was his own child, he would naturally be wary. Therefore, he could never allow Thetis to marry a god. If her son surpassed the gods, that would ultimately mean he surpassed the King of the Gods. A direct threat to Zeus.
“That’s something I’ll need to think about. As you know, brother, the reason we stand here today is also because of our rebellion against Cronus.”
“But if Cronus had truly seen us as his children, things might have turned out differently.”
“Ugh…!”
It was a thought I had entertained from time to time. What if Cronus had regarded us not as potential challengers, but as his actual children? Would we still have overthrown him and seized dominion over the world?
“Think of your beloved daughter Athena. In the end, the prophecy went in a completely different direction, didn’t it?”
“…If anyone other than you had said that, I would have taken it as a challenge to my rule.”
Zeus pressed a hand to his temple and frowned slightly. As if to prove his mood had soured, faint sparks of lightning crackled across his body.
The Athena of today was his cherished daughter, but when he first heard the prophecy that a son born between him and Metis would overthrow him, she had been nothing more than a threat. That was why Zeus had swallowed Metis while she was pregnant with Athena, and in the end, Athena had burst forth from his skull. It was fortunate she had been born a daughter. Had she been a son… there might have been one more god imprisoned in Tartarus that day.
“There is Thetis’ contribution to consider, and since it’s you—an older brother who has no interest in this seat—saying it, I’ll give the matter some thought.”
“Good. Then, moving on… Has Cadmus been properly rewarded?”
It was best to leave the Thetis discussion here. Zeus was extremely sensitive about power, but since it was his older brother who had helped him during the rebellion, this was as much of a concession as I could expect. Still, that was one thing; the reward for Cadmus, who had rendered such great service against the threat of Typhon, had to be given without fail.
“From what I hear, he went searching for his missing sister Europa and ended up founding a country called Thebes.”
“Huh? Ah… that’s…”
The bastard suddenly avoided my gaze. Don’t tell me this guy…?
Time to test the waters.
“And rumor has it that this Europa woman is exceptionally beautiful.”
“Ahem. Hm.”
Oh ho…
“So beautiful, in fact, that the King of the Gods—who can’t keep it in his pants for a single day—lost his mind and kidnapped her…?”
“Ugh! What do you want?”
Just as I thought. So it was your fault again. To think you laid a hand on Cadmus’ sister, the very benefactor who helped us… Maybe I should have just castrated you like I did Uranus, or sided with Poseidon.
“What’s done is done, but at least let them meet or ease his worries somehow…”
“Fine, I get it. You really do nag sometimes, brother. I’ll take care of it.”
Maybe the reason Apollo and Hera betrayed you was because of that attitude. No matter how you look at it, the rebellion was entirely self-inflicted… Still, the fact that you only punished Poseidon with a single year of labor seems like a reasonable compromise to preserve the pride of your second-in-command. Looking at things like this, Zeus could be surprisingly rational.
After that, fortunately, Europa was able to reconnect with Cadmus. Zeus had issued an oracle that allowed the two to meet. Cadmus listened to Europa’s story with a rather strange expression, but somehow managed to move past it without damaging the dignity of the gods.
Setting aside the fact that the kidnapped Europa had actually taken a liking to Zeus, who had carried her off…
“Umm… So His Majesty Zeus took you…”
“At first I was shocked to learn the bull was actually Lord Zeus… but he was incredibly virile…”
“…..?!”
Whatever his stamina was like, it was none of my business.
After descending from Olympus and returning to the Underworld, I set off once more. This time, I intended to visit some rather special gods who lived underground. I had a servant follow me carrying a bottle of Ambrosia, a bottle of Nectar, and some drinking cups.
The outskirts of the Underworld. Not the citadel where souls resided, but a dark, damp cave. From the entrance, an ominous aura radiated outward, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold. The soul carrying the Nectar was trembling in fear, so I dismissed him and entered alone.
“Hades.”
“You’ve come again.”
Inside the pitch-black cave—devoid of Hestia’s hearth that existed elsewhere in the Underworld or any artificial light created by divine power—a voice echoed. Along with it appeared three goddesses with bronze wings, snake hair, and blood streaming from their eyes.
“It’s been a while, ladies of the Erinyes.”
“Is that Nectar in your hand?”
“Looks like there’s Ambrosia too.”
The Erinyes. The goddesses of vengeance born from the blood that spilled onto the earth when Uranus’ genitals were severed. During the long war between the Titans and the gods for control of the world, after emerging victorious and gaining dominion over the Underworld, I had finally been able to meet them.
The three Erinyes sisters were sitting on the cold floor of the underworld. Snakes hissed warily from their heads, and blood flowed endlessly from their sharp eyes. To most, their horrifying appearance was something to be avoided, but the first thought that came to my mind was pity. I felt sorry for them, endlessly shedding blood from their eyes. Honestly, I sympathized.
“Um… Doesn’t that hurt?”
“What…?”
“The blood flowing from your eyes, I mean.”
“…Are you asking that seriously?”
They looked at me with puzzled eyes, as if my question had caught them off guard.
“If it’s very painful, next time I could…”
“Pain always accompanies vengeance. This much is nothing.”
Although they were goddesses, the Erinyes sisters shed red blood rather than ichor. The blood that fell from their eyes evaporated the moment it touched the ground.
Since our first meeting, I had visited them from time to time to build a relationship. They were neighbors living nearby, and I felt sorry for them since even other gods avoided them. At first, the goddesses had been cold, but they gradually grew accustomed to my visits. And now, it had reached the point where…
“Hades, sit down and drink with us.”
“I will.”
It had become as natural as a close friend dropping by often.
“The Underworld seems a bit less busy these days, doesn’t it?”
“It must have changed a lot from before…”
Among the three sisters, Tisiphone—who judged adultery—gently folded her bronze wings and approached. Alecto, representing endless fury, smiled as she drank the Nectar. Megaera, the jealous one, quietly nibbled on Ambrosia. The snakes that served as their hair also wriggled as if in a good mood.
Shhh…
One of the snakes on Alecto’s head, while she drank the Nectar, hissed and licked the back of my hand. When I stroked its head with my finger, it rubbed against me affectionately.
Tap.
“…Don’t touch my hair.”
Alecto whipped her head around and muttered quietly. The goddess’s ears had turned bright red.
But that snake hair licked me first…
Tisiphone looked at me, sighed, and spoke.
“Hades, don’t come too often. When you’re around, the blade of vengeance grows dull.”
“Umm…”
Megaera, who had been chewing Ambrosia, nodded in agreement. What did I even do…?
“These days, unlike before the great flood, fewer humans are killing their own kin.”
“So wiping them out once really was the right call.”
If the goddesses of vengeance, the Erinyes, marked someone, they would relentlessly pursue and interrogate them day and night. They would even appear in dreams, endlessly criticizing until the target was driven mad with guilt. Humans feared these beings who carried torches and flapped bronze wings, and even avoided speaking their name. Just as they called me Pluto instead of Hades.
But for the sisters, it was far worse.
“We don’t have many chances to visit dreams these days.”
“That’s right. They say they’d rather become your citizens than suffer under us.”
“Those people are all paying for their sins in my citadel.”
Once someone took their own life, they fell under my jurisdiction as Hades, not the Erinyes. Of course, suicide didn’t reduce their punishment in any way.
“We were getting bored anyway. Thanks for bringing Nectar.”
“The young gods these days all avoid us…”
We gods were immortal even without consuming Ambrosia and Nectar. Still, it must be quite lonely to have no one willing to share a meal and conversation because they feared you.
Last time I had invited the Erinyes to a banquet in the Underworld, but they had declined, saying they didn’t want to ruin the cheerful atmosphere. I had made the offer because they sometimes sneaked into my citadel to avoid the souls, but it seemed it was still too much for them.