Another Journey
“So, you’re saying Olympus is currently turned completely upside down?”
“Yeah, yeah! Who would’ve thought Hephaestus could build a mechanical contraption like that?”
According to Eris, who had landed with her wings puffed up with more bravado than usual, most of the major gods were currently at odds with Zeus. The only exceptions were a few goddesses who were maintaining neutrality due to some inexplicable, sudden lockdown order issued by the King of the Gods.
The anger of Poseidon and Hera, in particular, was fierce. Poseidon was reportedly visiting Zeus every single day to throw a tantrum, while Hera had opted for a full-blown separation—not just sleeping in different rooms, but living apart entirely—to put pressure on him.
The catalyst that truly pushed the situation into a full-scale Cold War was none other than Hephaestus. To be precise, it started when the golden mechanical arms Hephaestus had equipped to his back successfully blocked one of Zeus’s thunderbolts.
However, Zeus’s thunderbolt was no mere weapon. It was the manifestation of the true, absolute divine power of the King of the Gods—a force said to lull time itself to sleep and illuminate the very depths of the abyss. Even for Hephaestus, equipped with a new divine weapon, overcoming that was impossible.
“He held out well, but in the end, Zeus lost his mind and scorched Hephaestus’s entire body black. That made Hera snap, and she started lashing out at Zeus, and then Poseidon joined in, and it was absolute chaos...”
Eris laughed brightly as if the mere thought was intoxicating, but I felt dizzy and kept rubbing my face.
“Oh, for the love of... damn it.”
Those golden mechanical arms Hephaestus had unveiled. Judging by Eris’s description and their performance, I didn’t even need to ask where the idea came from; it was obvious.
“No way, he actually built that in just one month?”
It was a hero movie series that had been quite the sensation back on Earth in my previous life. The mechanical arms were the symbol of the fallen, genius scientist villain in that series. The "Doctor Octopus" who could lift heavy steel beams like they were nothing, and who was a true monster of physical strength—a guy who would have absolutely crushed the protagonist if not for the hero's own "mouth-fu." It was only natural that the memory, fueled by alcohol, would surface while looking at Hephaestus, a transcendental engineer who had suffered permanent disability due to his father’s exile order.
But I never imagined this myth-grade tinkerer would actually realize a movie prop in reality. He blocked the attack of the strongest being in the world with that and even held his own for a while?
“Does this even make sense?”
“It actually happened~”
“...Hoo.”
The Goddess of Discord was thrilled, oblivious to my inner turmoil, simply excited that such a legendary disaster was unfolding. Perhaps because her divine domain was being pushed to its peak, her mood and spirit seemed significantly amplified. Normally, I would have just laughed it off, thinking, "That's just how she is," but a sudden surge of irritation almost made me throw a punch. That was enough to tell me just how high her divine influence had risen.
“...Are, are you angry?”
“No.”
My head was just a bit complicated. I had already climbed onto the tiger’s back long ago, but my few careless words had completely disrupted the flow of events I remembered.
‘Not that I regret it, though...’
The problem was that, unlike the cases of Apollo and Artemis, this had instantly exceeded the range I could predict and prepare for. Because of this, I couldn’t foresee how Zeus would move, or how the other factions would react.
“The whole of Greece is going to be turned upside down for a while.”
A world of true theocracy, where gods reign above kings. In the midst of that, the gods are taking their eyes off the mortal realm to fight among themselves? In a Greece where lunatics who kill their own sons to boil them into meat soup just to spite the gods run rampant, if the gods—who at least acted as a restraint—remain silent... and if Zeus finds out later that this all started because of me, I might really need to start carrying a lightning rod with me at all times.
“Eris, you have something to tell me, right?”
“Huh? Wha-what?! H-how did you know?”
How did I know? I was scowling, and she was hesitating, looking nervous while flapping those dragon wings she’d added for bravado. How could I not know?
“How could I not?”
“Whoaaaa... right? You really do, don’t you?”
“What?”
“E-ehehehe... nothing.”
Excited one moment, scared the next, then satisfied again. She really is the goddess who used Nyx’s hair as a slide. She’s a goddess whose thoughts are impossible to grasp.
“Ahem. Anyway, Hera had a lot to say. To summarize: she said thanks for the hard work with Orthrus, and that I did well. But now, she says the Hydra is dangerous?”
“Right. I’ve rested enough; it’s about time I stepped out again.”
Orthrus must be happily running through the mountains and fields of Arcadia right now, checking his territory. At first, the citizens feared him for his bizarre appearance, but the charm of a giant dog transcends time and race. Lately, he’d taken a liking to territory management, hunting down sea monsters and magical beasts all over the Peloponnese, so he was practically treated as Arcadia’s mascot or guardian deity.
“Hmm...? They’re just beasts, aren’t they? They treat them like a guardian deity for just that much?”
“To you or me, they’re just beasts, but for normal people, even a few wolves tasting human flesh is enough to ruin a village.”
And even that gentle, kind guy had shown symptoms of rabies before I intervened. The other divine beasts of Typhon’s lineage would soon be reaching their dangerous phase, too.
“What’s next?”
“It’s a request from Ares. The Amazon island is currently anxious because of Athens’s suspicious movements. He said his lover, Otrera, and her daughter, Hippolyta, are in danger, so he wants you to go to the Amazon and help them out. Didn’t he mention it last time?”
“...Athens.”
If Zeus of Olympus was a storm approaching from afar, Athens was a venomous snake slithering around the periphery. The reason was none other than Theseus—who had been exiled by Zeus after trying to assassinate me—returning to Athens to be crowned prince and starting to show his face in the Athenian court. Furthermore, the divine weapon Iason discovered while conquering Thespiae was similar to the bomb Theseus had unveiled when he tried to assassinate me.
‘The wisest hero in history is working in the shadows, plotting against me and my people...’
And in the midst of that, they’re trying to swallow the Amazon, which sits in the middle of the Aegean Sea and can launch ships anywhere in Greece? It was only natural that I couldn’t see it in a positive light, no matter how hard I tried.
“The so-called King of the Gods and his grandson are both acting like total bastards.”
Arcadia might seem to be doing well right now, but it’s still a fledgling nation with wet mortar on its foundation. Moreover, most of the core members of the Phesakaines are people who will eventually have to return to their respective countries to inherit the throne when the time comes. Heracles, of course, and even Iason, the leader, and Idas, the vice-leader, were all heirs to their own kingdoms. Before the Phesakaines disbanded, it was a priority to clean up the Peloponnese while I still had them at my disposal.
“B-but you have Orthrus, Atalanta, and now Laestrygon and Antaios who joined up! Even if Athens attacks, you can definitely defeat them, right?”
“...Good grief, I’m actually getting comforted by the Goddess of Discord.”
“What? What’s wrong with a big sister worrying about her little brother?”
When I laughed in disbelief, her venomous pink hair swayed as she pouted. But her large dragon wings nudged my back, suggesting she wasn’t truly offended.
“But you’re right. If nothing else, there’s no one in Greece right now who can beat Arcadia by force.”
Antaios had also landed in Greece after grinding his teeth for thousands of years, and I heard he was sharing drinks and fists with Heracles, turning the Olympia Pankration stadium upside down every other day. In other words, even if it’s hard to go on an expedition, as long as no god—especially not one of the Twelve Olympians—steps in, there’s no chance of my home being raided while I’m away.
“Yeah, you’re right, Eris.”
Anything happening on the human level could be solved if I stepped in. As for the snake at my feet, I could just sprinkle some alum or crush its head when it eventually showed itself. The task I needed to focus on now was clear.
“Completing my divinity as soon as possible.”
Once I made up my mind, everything became simple and clear. All problems arise because one’s power is mediocre. If I complete my cultivation so that Theseus, Zeus, or anyone else wouldn’t even dare to think of testing me or my subordinates, that would be the end of it. It was time to set out on another journey.
“Whoaaaa...”
“What is it? Do I have something on my face?”
“N-nothing.”
Eris, her face strangely flushed, flapped her wings and turned her head, but then again, it wasn’t like this troublemaking goddess acting weird was a one-time thing.
“Anyway, thanks. It’s not exactly close, so you must have flown here in a hurry to tell me.”
“Huh? Yeah! Right! You better be grateful for this big sister’s grace!”
“Yes~ thank you, Goddess~”
“There’s no heart in that! You unbeliever!”
Setting aside the incessantly whining goddess, judging by Poseidon’s situation, Neri would likely find it difficult to leave Queen Amphitrite’s palace for the time being due to the unstable circumstances. On top of that, Lerna, where the Hydra was located, was in the old Argos, far to the south of Arcadia, and I also had to stop by the Amazon for Ares’s quest and to keep Athens in check.
In short, it was going to be a quite long journey.
“I’ll need to prepare thoroughly.”
Internal affairs would be handled well by people smarter than me helping Atalanta. My job was to prepare for the trip and sprinkle enough "bait" to keep the Arcadian warriors from having any other thoughts.
Hehehe. You bastards. I’ll make sure you’re too busy with martial arts training while I’m gone to think about anything else.
The sight of newbies suffering is always a veteran’s joy. Heracles, Antaios, Atalanta, Iason, and the rest. As I envisioned the curriculum, picturing the painful yet hopeful screams of these martial arts newbies, I felt quite pleased.
“I’ll go with you!”
“...What?”
Suddenly, this goddess of trouble—no, the Goddess of Discord—spouted nonsense.
“What? You got a problem!? Even if I look like this, I’m a powerful goddess whose authority makes even Zeus nervous and who can sway Olympus!”
“I don’t need you, so go back to Olympus and keep causing trouble there. What are you supposed to do by tagging along on my journey?”
“Shut up! If I say I’m going, I’m going!”
Eris, who had been quiet for a while lately. This was the moment the goddess, who secretly prided herself on her status as an ancient deity, suddenly barged into my journey.