Escape, to Tartarus (3)
Escape, to Tartarus (3)
"Gyaaah! Guh, gruhh...!"
Inside a cave where no one could see him.
Cronus writhed in agony from the arrow that had pierced one of his testicles.
"This, this damn...!"
Cronus clutched his injured ball and slid deeper into the cave.
And at the very end, standing against the wall and looking down at the wave-tossed sea, he gnashed his teeth.
"Every last one of you is a worthless little shit...!"
It was a mistake.
An accident.
The arrow's trajectory had clearly been aimed to pierce Zeus's head.
To go down while looking below, he naturally had to raise his head, and the arrow should have precisely pierced Zeus's skull.
But his two daughters, Poseidon and Hades, had forced Zeus's face down while kissing him.
Because of that, the arrow merely grazed Zeus's forehead, and in the end, the arrow crushed Cronus's testicle instead.
"Hah, haah..."
With rest, the wound would regenerate.
But this humiliation would not recover.
Whirrrr.
Outside the cave, the Scythe that had been whirling in the sky flew down and was caught in Cronus's hand.
The light emanating from the Scythe enveloped Cronus, and he quickly regained his original form, standing upright with steady breath.
"...I will have my revenge. On all of you."
Cronus gripped the Scythe tightly and aimed it toward the sea.
"Next time I catch you, I will not let it go. Yes... since you committed immorality, I too shall commit immorality once more. Heh heh."
Cronus licked his lips with his tongue and recalled the last sight of 'him' disappearing.
"In front of your little sisters, Zeus, I will rape you."
This place.
Is Greece.
* * *
An unidentified arrow aimed at me.
It embedded itself in Cronus's groin.
"Azeuaaah!"
I didn't know the details, but the important thing was that his speed had stopped instantly.
Whether his ball burst from the arrow or not, escaping this place with the two women was the priority.
"We're airborne!!"
Light slowly began to appear.
Before exiting the hole, I hugged them both tightly around the waist and flung myself out of the hole.
Swaaaeekㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Zeus, launched.
Above was nothing but the endless blue sky.
That hue was clearly a reflection of the sea's color.
Regardless of the trials that had befallen us, the sky was truly clear and bright.
And as the sky was blue, so too would be the place we were falling toward.
"Kyaaah!!"
Both of them screamed and clung to me tighter.
Having been ejected with the water, our entire bodies were soaked, and the sensation of their skin through the thin fabric was vividly clear.
Soft, yielding.
'This is heaven.'
Even though my body was falling, it was the best.
We were free-falling from a cliff dozens of meters high, but this was a leap of faith, so we would never be hurt.
I trust her.
If I had to name just two people I could trust outside of family to survive in this world, I would choose two women.
Amalthea.
And Metis.
"Here I come!!"
My back touched the sea's surface.
There should have been a massive impact, like my back bursting open, but there wasn't.
The only sensation was that of being buried in a soft bed.
Right.
It was a cozy feeling, just like Metis's bed and her chest.
Just like the sensation of burying my face in her breasts and bottom, rubbing my cheeks, the sea embraced me.
Gurgle.
And the three of us slowly sank into the sea.
Aside from Poseidon, both Hades and I had considerable trouble breathing, but soon we fell downward with a soft 'poof' sound.
Into a water droplet.
"Hooah... I'm alive."
I felt relief at the vine tendril extending from below.
"We lived, Mother. And truly, thank you, Metis."
"This much is basic."
The wisdom nymph, Metis.
Also the daughter of Tethys, the sea goddess, she had prepared an escape ship to help us in case of Cronus's invasion.
A sailboat, shaped somewhat like a caravel, was navigating through the sea inside a giant water droplet, and we landed safely with the help of the vine tendrils Rhea extended from the deck.
"Where are the other siblings?"
"They're resting inside. More importantly, Lord Jupiter? I have a lot to say... but first, please talk to these two."
Metis pointed at the two clinging to my chest.
"Tell them they can let go now that we're safe."
"..."
"..."
Both Poseidon and Hades remained silent and still.
Only after I stroked their hair and soothed them did they reluctantly detach themselves and step back.
"You must have gone through a lot making this ship, Metis."
"The humans went through a lot."
Metis tapped the deck lightly with her foot.
The ones rowing this ship's oars were probably the humans from the small village Metis had been protecting.
They were closer to primitive humans who didn't even know how to use fire, but Metis taught them how to row and the wisdom to understand the necessity of moving their life's foundation.
Of course, traveling 'inside the sea' like this was solely thanks to Metis.
"My sincere thanks to Lady Tethys."
"...Heh, I'll relay that to my mother faithfully."
And at the same time, it was because Metis's mother, Tethys, had decided to help us despite the anticipated wrath of Cronus.
The land was Gaia's domain, so we could hide from Cronus's eyes.
But the sea was not Gaia's domain.
No matter how much the deepest part of the sea is considered land geologically, my knowledge of geology is nothing more than useless future trivia before the superior Divinity of the Titan Race.
Just as knowing when Bitcoin would skyrocket doesn't guarantee my survival from now until the modern age, the only modern knowledge helping me in this life are the countless positions and techniques I mastered through porn videos.
So, claiming that the land is actually deeper than the sea here is pointless.
I can only be grateful that with the help of Tethys and Metis, we can easily reach our 'destination'!
"You two go inside for a bit. I need to talk with Metis privately."
"Privately...?"
"Brother, what exactly is your relationship with this nymph?"
Poseidon's expression hardened, and Hades fired a direct question at me with an urgent voice.
"Relationship, huh."
Poseidon and Hades are my younger siblings, my family.
In that sense, blood ties are the closest relationship, impossible to sever.
'But legally, aren't siblings second-degree relatives?'
Calculating kinship, the five younger siblings are all second-degree relatives to me through Rhea.
Currently, my only first-degree relative is Rhea.
But now, there is one woman who will 'become' a first-degree relative.
"My relationship with Metis is simple. We've promised each other the future."
"...That's vague, but I like it as a status."
I had already promised Metis the position of a Twelve Olympian, the Goddess of Wisdom.
Therefore, saying we promised each other the future isn't wrong.
"Vague? I just stated it as is."
Of course, I'm not one to deceive people or smooth things over with this kind of wordplay.
"Am I not that kind of relationship until I propose marriage?"
"...Propose?"
"Like this."
The timing was perfect.
Rhea was watching, Poseidon and Hades were there too, and Hera, Demeter, and Hestia had just come up on deck when we arrived.
'And my future mother-in-law is watching over us too.'
Technically, she's Rhea's older sister, and Metis is also my cousin, but what's the big deal among Greek Titans?
"Metis."
I knelt on one knee before Metis.
"W-Wait a moment!!"
Metis was startled and glanced around at the onlookers.
Sure enough, my sisters' expressions were far from pleasant, and even Rhea couldn't hide her discomfort.
"Why wait? Be quiet, I'm about to say something important."
"Ugh...!"
Kneeling? For one who will become a chief god?
Don't be ridiculous.
"For the woman who will be the mother of my child, who will suffer pain to bear my child, I can't even do this much?"
"...I thought you only knelt when you were sucking a woman's pussy."
"That's a different time."
Smooch.
I kissed the ring finger on Metis's left hand.
"Metis, will you marry me?"
"...You mean I have to answer now? You're serious, right? If you take it back later saying it was just for show, I... truly, I won't ever show my face..."
I simply looked up at Metis steadily.
"...You're serious, right? I...can I really answer here?"
Sometimes a sincere gaze and action convey meaning more easily than a hundred words.
"...Get up, Jupiter."
"I won't get up until you say it."
"Oh, really...! I'm telling you, I'll literally be murdered...!"
Metis gestured around nervously.
"Do you want to deal with your wife's corpse...?!"
"...Heh."
In the end, Metis acknowledged it.
It wasn't a perfectly desirable answer, but through this, I could definitely make a proclamation.
"Lady Rhea, Mother. And everyone. I probably don't need to explain what role Metis played."
Savior of our lives.
That word clearly expresses what Metis represents to us siblings.
And now, just one more relationship is added to it.
"Metis is my first wife."
"...You'll never say your only wife even if you die, will you? Goodness."
Metis scratched her cheek and bowed her head to Rhea and my sisters.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Metis, the legitimate daughter of Tethys, the sea goddess, and a nymph of the sea and wisdom. Uh, um..."
Metis looked troubled by the gazes directed at her.
"...Getting close seems like it will be very difficult."
"It's fine."
I stroked Metis's head and pointed below deck.
"If you have sex together, you'll get close. From now on, if you want to have sex, get Metis's permission."
"What...?!"
Sex control.
Where else could you find such power to establish the authority of the 'principal wife'?
"That, that kind of..."
"Just because she's our savior, everything is... mmpf...!"
"Calm down, sister. If you fall out of favor with brother, it's not just you who will suffer...!"
"Wow, then can I call you Sister Metis?!"
As expected, the first one to reach out a hand to Metis was Hestia.
"I look forward to your guidance, sister."
"R-Right."
"Oh dear, she's our brother's wife, so feel free to speak casually."
"Still... Ah, no. Alright. ...I'm in your care."
Hestia clasped Metis's hand and smiled.
Then, so quietly that no one else could hear—only loud enough for me to hear—she whispered.
"...I'm the first one."