The Story of Perseus - (5)
After slaying Medusa, Perseus was passing near Ethiopia when he discovered a woman offered as a sacrifice to a sea monster. Her name was Andromeda. Perseus turned the sea monster to stone, rescued the princess, and became the son-in-law of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia.
Yet as he and Princess Andromeda prepared to celebrate their wedding, someone burst in leading soldiers.
“Who is this wretch trying to steal my place? Andromeda’s original fiancé is me!”
“Father-in-law…? What are you saying? Fiancé?”
“Ha! Pay him no mind, Perseus. That man agreed to offering my daughter as a sacrifice.”
“I see. He fled from the sea monster’s threat, then showed up late to covet power. A coward through and through.”
Perseus gripped the head of Medusa inside his pouch, ready to draw it at any moment, and shouted.
“All who stand with me, close your eyes!!!”
“Uahaha! What kind of cheap tri—”
“Eh…?!”
The moment the head of Medusa—capable of petrifying any mortal who had not reached divinity—was revealed, everyone who failed to shut their eyes turned to stone. However…
“Ah… Father! Mother…”
“Father-in-law, mother-in-law… I’m sorry…”
The Ethiopian king and queen, who had closed their eyes a fraction too late, were petrified and met their deaths. Deeply grieved, Perseus returned to the island of Seriphos and found King Polydectes threatening his mother, Danaë.
Polydectes, who had believed Perseus dead at Medusa’s hands, recoiled in terror at his return.
“What…! You came back alive from Medusa? Don’t lie to me!”
“See for yourself whether I’m lying or not!”
When the lecherous king turned to stone and died, Perseus brought his mother away.
“Perseus… Though your grandfather abandoned you because of the oracle, he must still miss you dearly.”
“Yes, Mother. I will send a letter to Argos and meet him.”
But his grandfather Acrisius fled Argos under cover of night, abandoning the throne. Perseus took Andromeda as his queen and became king of both Ethiopia and Argos.
After returning the divine arms he had borrowed from the gods, the first thing the newly crowned king did was…
“I shall sponsor the temples of the Olympian gods who aided me, in the name of the royal house. To Lady Athena, Lord Hermes, and…”
“Your Majesty. However, there is no temple of Pluto in Argos.”
“Then we shall build one, shall we not?”
It was his way of repaying the gods who had lent him their weapons.
This is the Underworld that I, Hades, rule. Since Medusa had become a new goddess of the Underworld, I ordered the faithful to create a new statue in her honor. A few days later, I turned my ear toward the world of the living…
It seemed Medusa had slightly adapted her story before spreading it among the living. Perhaps she thought openly cursing Athena and Poseidon would cause me trouble? In any case, my followers were half-doubting yet had begun to offer occasional prayers to Medusa’s statue as well. The status of one of the Three Gods proved quite useful at times like these.
Olympus sent word asking whether turning Medusa into a goddess was somewhat excessive… but I conveyed my opinion clearly through the messenger god Hermes. Probably.
“Tell Zeus not to concern himself with the affairs of the Underworld and to stop committing rape.”
“Uh… Uncle Hades… Must I deliver it exactly like that?”
“…Handle it as you see fit.”
With Medusa’s matter largely settled, a voice calling my name rose from the mortal world—not from Thebes.
“…Lord Pluto…”
There are not many ways to reach me when I am not paying attention to the living realm. Argos? It was Perseus.
The now-king Perseus had built a massive altar and was offering sacrifices while speaking to me. As ruler of two kingdoms, the volume of burning offerings was staggering.
“Lord Pluto! In gratitude for lending me Kynee, I have constructed a temple. Therefore I beg you—please send your priest!”
On the high wooden platform, Perseus himself presided over the burnt offering. Despite having countless servants at his command, the hero performed the ritual with his own hands.
While watching his humble bearing even after ascending the throne, I recalled the prophecy concerning Perseus. The dreadful oracle that he would kill his own grandfather. Yet vague prophecies have many loopholes; if I could ease the tragedy that had been prepared for him, I could at least offer a small piece of advice.
“Tell Hypnos and Morpheus I am looking for them.”
“Yep! Understood!”
While Perseus offered burnt sacrifice to Pluto in the Underworld, he felt a strange sensation. His mind grew hazy for a moment, and then a winged youth stood before him.
“I am Morpheus, god of dreams. I have come to deliver Lord Hades’s message.”
“…!! It is an honor!”
To the kneeling Perseus, the god before him spoke with an air of mystery.
"Prophecies cannot be changed."
"Yet the path that leads to their outcome can still be chosen by you."
⟨ Message of the Underworld Lord ⟩
Leaving those cryptic words, Morpheus vanished. The prophecy cannot be changed, yet one may choose the path leading to it… What could that mean? Wasn’t prophecy supposed to be an absolute fate that even the gods could not alter? What exactly had Lord Pluto wished to convey? Could it be… because of the oracle that said I would kill my grandfather?
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Are you all right?”
“Mm?! What is it?”
“What? Your Majesty fell asleep while standing!”
When Perseus looked around, the citizens and servants who had been watching the offering were murmuring among themselves. They appeared bewildered by what had just happened to their king. He quickly collected his thoughts. The hero’s keen mind accelerated his reasoning, and Zeus, observing from Olympus, summoned the goddess of fortune Tyche to bestow a small blessing. The goddess of wisdom Athena also grasped the situation and lent a portion of her wisdom.
“…People of Argos!”
And then… the hero who had stood motionless in thought finally opened his mouth. He would do everything possible to soften the tragic fate that had been thrust upon him.
“You all must know why the previous king Acrisius relinquished the throne!”
The countless citizens gathered here whispered among themselves. The oracle linking Perseus and Acrisius was widely known.
“As you know, an oracle exists that says I will kill my grandfather. Yet just now I received another oracle from Pluto, lord of the Underworld!”
“Then the reason Your Majesty fell asleep just now…”
“Was it Hades—Pluto—granting a reward for building the temple?”
“About that terrible prophecy…?”
The assembly grew noisy, but the king continued undeterred.
“The god declared that while the prophecy cannot be avoided, the process leading to it can change!”
Everyone listened intently to the king’s words.
“I… shall treat my grandfather Acrisius with utmost respect until he meets his end according to his allotted lifespan. And right before he passes, I swear upon the River Styx that I will help him meet a peaceful rest by my own hand!”
!!!!
As though divine punishment had descended, the people erupted in uproar. An oath from King Perseus, newly crowned! The absolute Styx Oath that not even the high gods of Olympus could break. To violate it meant being dragged to Tartarus after death. Could this have altered the prophecy even a little?
Wait… but if the king fails to keep the oath…?!
“W-wait! Th-that’s not good!”
From the noisy crowd, an old man stepped forward. He looked shabby, yet his face seemed strangely familiar.
“How could you swear so carelessly upon the River Styx…! What if you cannot keep it…”
“Huh? Perseus! That man is your grandfather…!”
“Mother, is that true?”
“Wait… that person is!”
“The former king… Lord Acrisius?!”
Acrisius had secretly returned out of curiosity about his grandson’s face. The moment he heard his grandson swearing upon the Styx, he had stepped forward.
“A-are you truly my grandfather?”
“…You resemble my foolish daughter Danaë so much… The prophecy… No, why would you swear so recklessly upon the Styx in the first place…”
“Mother spoke of you, and seeing how you worry for me like this… Please come this way, Grandfather.”
“I am sorry… Perseus…”
They embraced each other tightly, savoring the joy of reunion. Danaë, watching them, burst into tears. The citizens offered prayers at the sight.
“Nothing happened even when the two met… This must mean!”
“Has the absolute prophecy… changed slightly through the power of the River Styx?”
“Ahh… The gods are merciful indeed. To witness such a scene…”
Acrisius was still fated to die by Perseus’s hand, yet now he would live out his natural life in comfort before entering the embrace of Hades.