Chapter 116
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: To the Sea!
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Thinking about it alone was enough to make his blood boil, so Poseidon chugged his beer before practically slamming the bottle down and venting to me.
"Think about it. Who was originally the one driving the chariot of the sun? Who is still guiding the sun in place of Apollo?"
Ah, this was something I learned at the Pasos temple.
So...
"Uhh... Lord Helios?"
"That's right! Then let me ask another. Who originally drove the chariot of the waxing and waning moon?"
I had a rough idea about the sun, but the moon had so many original owners—who was it again?
"Uh... Ah! Lady Selene?"
"Yes, Lady Selene, the manifestation of the full moon. And though humans don't know much about it, the goddess who originally handled the half-moon through to the new moon was Hecate. What do you think this tells us?"
"That the sun and moon weren't originally part of Apollo and Artemis's divine domains?"
"Exactly! They purely climbed to Olympus by shoving aside those who held the original domains, using my father's influence as backing.
Dragging my children down with ridiculous accusations and claiming their vacant seats!!"
Honestly, since I still didn't know much about the world of the gods, it was hard to say anything.
But it was true that even in modern times, there was plenty of controversy about how Apollo and Artemis had ascended to the Twelve Olympians.
While others had their roles neatly defined, that twin pair—including Athena—had such a mishmash of domains.
"They do seem to have a lot of domains, those two."
"Oh?! Ah, so you get it?"
"Honestly, even in the forest, opinions are divided on that story."
On this point, even Apollo's son Asclepius and Orpheus agreed.
Apollo was the god of the sun on top of healing, plague, music, and more, while Artemis was the goddess of chastity that repulsed men, yet also the goddess of the hunt, the new moon, and guide to travelers.
"It's all~ because of that damned king of the gods Zeus forcing massive domains onto his bastard offspring and stuffing in whatever else fit."
Oh.
This was getting more and more interesting.
Information on people and groups I didn't know was always better the more I had.
I couldn't confirm the truth of Poseidon's words, but it was clear that at least two among the twelve thrones of Olympus—where Zeus's bloodline held the majority—namely Poseidon and Hera, were deeply dissatisfied with how Zeus had distributed them.
'Right now, Zeus is delighted with even a glance from me... but who knows what the future holds.'
Supreme rulers, no matter how strong or wealthy, always faced threats to their power.
In my case, from my Four Heavenly Kings under me to the 108 Demon Army, I had demonic beings offering absolute loyalty scattered everywhere, and there was no one in the martial world bold enough to challenge me, so threats were minimal.
But from Pasos to the Hero's Forest of Messenia, in theology and hero studies classes, Zeus was always the star—meaning I figured there were quite a few among the Twelve Olympians nursing old grudges against him.
In fact, from his consort, Queen Hera, to a fellow Big Three like Poseidon burning with resentment like this...
'This might turn into quite useful information later.'
"The ancient gods who ran the sun and moon originally blessed Olympus to win the Titanomachy. My children were promised thrones on Olympus for their war merits too. Just because my daughter ate a bit much, did they have to cast down the beloved deep-sea goddess?!"
And then, as if bragging, they handed over the domains of storms, tempests, earthquakes, and earth power that those gods should have held—to Poseidon. His insides boiled like Tartarus, he ground his teeth.
"Ah... I heard she ate a lot of nectar and ambrosia..."
In theology class, they said the goddess Hebe, who oversaw Olympus's feasts, collapsed from exhaustion for the first time.
And since Chiron himself had told the story, it felt even more credible.
But at my words, Poseidon scoffed dismissively.
"Hah, when guests visit and eat heartily, as host it's only right to pull out all the stops to entertain them. That king of the gods, who calls himself the host and organizer of hospitality, hurls lightning at his guests' heads?"
Hmm...
Honestly, that made sense too.
Studying ancient Greek theology firsthand sometimes surprised me. Surprisingly, the god Zeus oversaw incredibly cosmic things.
From my vague knowledge, Zeus was just a strong bastard who zapped with lightning when annoyed and pounced when horny.
As Poseidon said, his domains stretched across vast, abstract realms like law, order, legislation, justice, and more—as the supreme god.
Yet seeing that supreme god portrayed as a bastard in most myths explained why Greek stories were such soap operas...
"Justice and order? Hah, as if I don't know his true intentions. Filling Olympus's top seats with yes-men to reign eternally?!
He should've just said it outright to my face. Worried his daughter's throne would be snatched, he struck that lovely child with lightning!
Couldn't stand seeing my sister writhe in pain, so even Antaeus went into hiding, and what did my children do wrong!!"
Drunk and bellowing at the sky, Poseidon looked every bit the sloppy drunken sailor, but the aura he emitted was top-tier among the powerhouses I'd seen.
Evoking rough, crude vibes completely opposite to the elegant, noble lady Hera, it reminded me of southern pirates or the Yangtze River Pirate Lord's chief.
Of course, each roar stirred distant storms and massive waves, but overall, it even evoked their simple, fiercely family-loving nature.
'They were a real headache... playing in water, flying on ships. Touch one family member, and they'd hound you endlessly, raising blood pressure.'
Back then, the agendas piling up were like two stacks of documents.
Anyway, I got that this drunken sea god harbored massive grudges against the king of the gods, but what mattered now wasn't his lengthy tales of parental love.
It was Neri's whereabouts.
"So that's why you treasure Neri so much?"
"..."
Hit right on the mark, Poseidon shut his mouth at my words. His blue eyes, blazing with passion moments ago, calmed instantly, and the stormy sea quieted.
"Neri told me this: every time she went to visit her big sister, her brother-in-law would let her ride his huge horse, saying it was so pretty and thrilling to gallop on. Her big sister—Lady Amphitrite—always scolded her for it."
Poseidon's story about his beloved steed, also a horse god, was famous.
Forged from the purest water turned to blood, the world's first white waves embodied, and the oldest stone from Gaia as bones—a beautiful divine horse.
Zeus himself coveted them for their speed and power; Poseidon cared for them personally from foaling to bathing, never entrusting to others.
And he personally put her—not even on a chariot, but bareback—for a ride?
'Honestly, first time I heard, I thought, ah, her big sister's husband runs a ranch.'
Later, learning he was a sea god made me flinch a bit.
~Wow, this really is the mythic world~ I vaguely realized.
Nesneria, Neri, treasure of the seas.
That spirit of the white waves was the first spark making me want to learn more about this world.
Our first meeting was so peculiar.
After that, on that small island, we shared countless adventures and bloody battlefields. Through those times, I was captivated by her boundless potential and the abyss within that tiny body.
Neri too showed childlike innocent puppy love and the goddess's pitch-black emotions, holding my hand.
For me, who had vaguely thought since reborn I should just live out my days idly in an orphanage, she was the sudden wave pushing me forward.
And beneath that wave, a thrilling, endlessly lovable partner that even chilled me.
So, knowing my mistake had brought tears to those eyes filled me with deep regret.
"Tch, Neri seemed sturdy enough bringing home a decent guy, but this one's got a few snakes in his belly too."
And the sea god tossing a line like that right in front of me was probably thinking similarly.
"Tch, having a guy with such a black heart sitting next to that innocent child. Doesn't sit right with me..."
Anything else, fine—but calling Neri purely innocent?
This doting uncle doesn't know his young sister-in-law well.
"I was napping in the palace yard, and that tiny thing wrapped my hair all around her head. Charybdis, Antaeus, even Triton never sat on my shoulders, on my hair!"
Just as Poseidon was about to rage at the audacity of her touching his hair.
My lovely little lover apparently said this:
"No way! Sit!"
"...My god. Was that Neri's impression?"
"That's what the kid did."
I squeezed my eyes shut at the 2.5-meter bearded brute mimicking a baby, and the doting sea uncle embarrassingly chugged his drink.
"Anyway, after that I raised that young one like my own daughter. When Galatea told me she'd found a lover, I thought if he was just a decent, honest fisherman, perfect...
"I wanted to live simply, using just enough strength, but the ones flying overhead wouldn't leave me alone."
Honestly, when I first opened my eyes in Pasos, instead of my previous life's endless busyness till death, I planned a truly leisurely retirement life.
Neri, hearing me say I'd settle in Pasos as a fisherman or hunter, even scouted our newlywed home ahead of time, dragging me around.
"But the world doesn't always go as planned..."
"Right? Heh heh heh."
Having poured it all out, he seemed a bit relieved.
His laughter sounded lighter, and his eyes clearer.
"Ugh... Time to go. If I drink more here, Amphitrite and Neri will nag..."
Grabbing his floating trident nearby as if to rise, Poseidon stood.
"Leaving already? Then about Neri..."
I grumbled inwardly that my efforts were wasted, but Poseidon looked at me like I was absurd.
"What're you on about?"
"What?"
With eyes like unpaid overtime, Poseidon stared, sighed deeply, and said,
"...Forget it. I've blabbed enough already."
And then, a massive hand grabbed my nape.
Wondering what now, as I opened my mouth—
"Don't bite your tongue."
"Pardon?"
-Thwoong!
Like hurling a discus, Poseidon tossed me into the sea with a half-hearted warning.
"Faster than trudging back!"
"You damn..."
-Splash!
As I tried to retort at the heartily laughing Poseidon.
I plunged straight into the sea, swept by currents into the depths.