After the Titanomachy - (2)
As I crossed Iris's rainbow, my body was transported to Olympus.
How long has it been since I felt the sensation of stepping on soft yet heavy clouds?
In a world filled with white clouds, I could see the distant Olympus Sanctuary.
It looked like it was made of white marble, but in reality, it was a building constructed from metals refined by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes.
A grand temple, no, a sanctuary so large that it seemed to touch the Milky Way in the sky...
"Why does it look so intact?"
It should have been in a terrible state, with more than half destroyed by Typhon, right?
I muttered to myself, and Iris sighed as she replied.
"Lord Zeus commanded Hephaestus to focus all efforts on the swift reconstruction of the sanctuary."
Hephaestus, the bravest warrior who calls forth flames to fight against Typhon, is likely seen tirelessly working on its reconstruction.
Iris's complexion didn't look too good either...
Ah, you must have had a hard time too.
I threw a sympathetic glance at the goddess of the rainbow and walked towards the entrance of the Olympus Sanctuary.
It was clearly more splendid than the gates of the underworld where I reside.
The pillars were covered in gold, engraved with dragon and lightning patterns, and the handles were made of strange glowing metal.
From a distance, a gentle stream of starlight flowed, the Milky Way.
"Ah, that decoration was designed through the collaboration of God Apollo and God Hephaestus..."
As I gazed at the aesthetic creation of the gods, Iris began to explain.
However, I was starting to feel like entering, so I listened just enough before opening the door.
Swoosh—
The floor of the Olympus Sanctuary was made of clouds.
Thus, the door opened smoothly without any unpleasant creaking sounds.
The grand banquet of Olympus was bustling with numerous gods and attendants.
Lavish tables and chairs were set up, and ambrosia, the food of the gods, was neatly served on plates.
"That dark hair and eyes, that chilling aura..."
"The lord of the underworld really came to Olympus..."
"I heard that Lord Zeus invited him..."
Ignoring the whispers of the lesser gods and attendants, I looked around.
Ding ding ding~ Ding~
"Wow..."
"Shh..! We can't hear the music."
The god of music, Apollo, was seated, having placed a golden cup filled with nectar beside him, playing the lyre.
The surrounding goddesses and female attendants were captivated by his music.
"Here, refill my nectar."
"Yes! Understood!"
As the gods extended their cups, those wearing comfortable chitons hurriedly dashed across the clouds to pour nectar from the bottles.
They were the attendants of Hebe, the goddess of youth, who managed the nectar and ambrosia.
She, the daughter of Zeus and Hera, was busy directing her attendants during the gods' banquet.
"Hebe."
"Ah! Lord Hades, you have arrived!"
She bowed her head with a refreshing smile.
After exchanging pleasantries with my niece, I picked up a nearby golden cup.
Or rather, I was about to pick it up, but the sea god with blue hair reached out first.
"Hey, Hades. I honestly didn't think you'd come to Olympus."
"Poseidon."
The sea god chuckled as he gulped down the nectar in one go.
In his other hand, he held his prized trident.
"Hmm... What do you think of the Olympus banquet?"
"It's just an ordinary banquet, what's the problem?"
Poseidon picked up some ambrosia from the plate and spoke to me.
[Next time, could you come to the banquet at my palace? There are things that are hard to discuss here...]
The second-in-command of Olympus glanced around, his expression slightly stiffening as he quietly conveyed his message.
I nodded slightly.
[Send my subordinates to the entrance of the underworld later.]
[No problem.]
Indeed, that was one of the reasons I decided to attend the banquet.
Just being in a place where the gods gather, I could hear all sorts of news, secrets I didn't know, and shady stories.
As the king of the underworld, I must not close my eyes and ears.
After making arrangements with Poseidon, we engaged in casual conversation before naturally moving in another direction.
As the two great gods who rule the sea and the underworld gathered, I felt the surrounding gazes momentarily focus on us before scattering.
It seemed that Zeus, the host of this banquet, was expected to appear shortly.
When many gods gathered, he would show up in the middle, raise his cup, and set the mood.
"Hades. I didn't expect you to come."
"What's wrong with me coming to Olympus?"
Her hair was a mix of light brown and yellow, reminiscent of well-ripened grains.
With her splendid appearance and an expression that didn't match, she was Demeter, the goddess of the earth and one of the twelve Olympian gods.
She paused her drinking of nectar and looked down at the earth visible through the clouds.
"You are always busy ruling the underworld, so I thought it was natural for you not to come."
"I don't spend every day buried in work."
Even with her skeptical expression, it was true.
In fact, one could say I was taking a break from my duties right now.
She turned her head back to gaze at the lower realm.
The view of the lower realm from the Olympus Sanctuary was the same as usual... or rather, it wasn't.
"Are those workers on Olympus Mountain, which is half-destroyed, your subordinates?"
"I just had the lesser gods and nymphs do a small task."
Well, restoring Olympus Mountain, which Typhon destroyed, doesn't seem like a small task.
In fact, aren't those nymphs over there wearing faces full of complaints?
I listened for a moment to what the workers in the lower realm were saying.
"Ugh... How long do we have to do this..."
"This is the task given by Lady Demeter, if we do it carelessly, our true forms will wither away!"
"I... I’m a dryad too, so I can't make Lady Demeter angry!"
Dryads are nymphs that dwell in trees.
They have long lifespans but are not immortal like the gods, and they cannot stray far from their trees.
So, they have no choice but to endure that hard labor, unable to move an inch from Demeter's orders.
If they don't want to wither away overnight, they have no choice...
"Hey... don't push them too hard."
"The earth is my child, and they depend on me to live. What's wrong with this much work?"
Demeter made a face as if she couldn't understand, but I hoped she would show some mercy.
If she had worked in the underworld once, she would know the struggles of those below her...
"The king of the gods, Lord Zeus, is entering!"
A lesser god who can control the winds raised his voice to announce.
At the same time, I saw the muscular god with golden hair, Zeus, appear.
"It seems everyone is enjoying themselves."
The sweet melody that had been softly resonating from Apollo's lyre came to a halt.
The gods, who had been eating nectar and ambrosia, paused their meals and bowed their heads in respect.
As everyone looked at the king of the gods, he opened his mouth again.
"I, Zeus, as the host of this banquet, will say a few words."
Clearing his throat, Zeus spoke with a grand voice filled with divine power.
"Recently, we faced a powerful enemy, Typhon, but all the gods present here united their strength and succeeded in repelling that monster!"
Everyone knew that this banquet was a victory celebration for defeating Typhon.
"Taking this opportunity, let us take a moment to honor the gods who made significant contributions in the battle against Typhon. First... Hermes!"
The cheerful young man holding a caduceus, Hermes, stepped forward and bowed his head before Zeus.
Zeus patted his shoulder, said something, and then raised his voice again.
"Hermes suffered serious injuries from that scoundrel Typhon, yet he successfully went to the underworld to request support. If it weren't for Hermes, Olympus might have faced defeat! As a reward, he shall receive the greaves crafted by Hephaestus..."
"Ooh..."
"Truly, the messenger god..."
"... Hermes did well."
"If Lord Hades hadn't retrieved Skytos, it would have been dangerous..."
I quietly watched as Zeus praised his son Hermes.
Hermes wore an awkward smile, as if he felt it was undeserved.
"Next, the goddess of wisdom and my daughter, Athena, step forward!"
As expected, Athena, fully armed, confidently walked forward and knelt before Zeus.
Her strategy during the fight against Typhon had indeed been effective.
"The clever plan to deceive Typhon came from your mind, truly worthy of the name goddess of wisdom..."
Earlier, Zeus had mentioned holding a moment of praise.
To praise means that a superior acknowledges the achievements of an inferior.
Thus, neither Poseidon, who dealt a significant blow to Typhon, nor my name was mentioned by Zeus.
Even though Zeus is recognized as the strongest and the king of the gods, we are nearly equal as the three main gods.
".... Ares! You, as the god of war, are brave..."
And well... there was no need to interrupt when Zeus was praising his own children.
I took a sip of nectar while watching Zeus go around praising the gods.
Hmm...
Is Olympus nectar different? Why does it seem sweeter than when I drink it in the underworld?
".... The praises for the brave warriors who faced Typhon end here! I, Zeus, shall take my leave, so please enjoy the banquet!"
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, Zeus vanished from the banquet hall.
It seemed he was considerate, not wanting the lesser gods to feel uncomfortable with his presence.
But did he really have to leave with thunder?
To me, it was just noisy.
"Lord Hermes! I want to hear in detail about your escape from Typhon's grasp..."
"I wasn't in Olympus at that time, so I didn't know, but was that monster really that strong?"
"Indeed, the goddess of wisdom, Athena!"
"Ares, let's drive a chariot together later..."
The protagonists of today, those who had excelled in the battle against Typhon, were surrounded by many gods.
They were eager to hear tales of valor or to build connections with the twelve main gods.
"Lord Poseidon! Although Zeus didn't mention it..."
"Yes, which god's son was it?"
For reference, no one approached me, who was sipping nectar in a corner with Demeter.
Even that rough Poseidon was engaging with other gods, so why...
Demeter, who had been looking at me, chuckled and spoke.
"Of course. If you offend your mood, you might fall into Tartarus, and if you please him, you might be dragged into the underworld. Who would dare approach recklessly?"
"Did I say something out loud?"
"... It shows on your face. Hades."
Of course, it wasn't hard to understand.
Aside from the twelve gods who could sit on the golden thrones of Olympus, many feared and revered me.
The underworld, the realm of the dead, is a deep, dark, frightening, eerie, and gloomy place... but still...
It's a banquet, yet the gods I can converse with are limited, so it feels a bit dull, with nothing interesting happening...
At least I had made some acquaintances with a few newly born gods.
To be precise, they were trembling as they greeted me, so I just sent them off appropriately.
"Relax your expression; you look even gloomier. You have a face that seems like someone is about to drag you to Tartarus..."
"No."
Demeter pointed out my appearance with a frown.
Isn't this a sign of disdain for the underworld?