The Story After Typhonomachia - (3)
Above the clouds, where humans hold reverence, the banquet of the Olympian gods is not so different from theirs.
"This time, the humans prayed to me for wind, so I decided to show a bit of mercy..."
"Lady Artemis, you are beautiful as always!"
"After the banquet, I will have something to say to the nymphs."
"Was the monster Typhon really that strong?"
As they drank ambrosia and nectar, they engaged in conversation.
"Hmm... Would you like to go to a quiet place and continue our talk?"
"If you wish, I will go anytime."
When a man and woman’s eyes meet, they slip away to a quiet spot.
"I heard one of your nymphs offered quite a useful weapon..."
"Hmm? Are you talking about my sword?"
"How about we wager that? I’ll bet a water buffalo I’ve been raising lately."
"Are you going to have a match? I am here to..."
Through the fighting sport of pankration, they made amusing bets.
"Hahaha! Terpsichore! Truly impressive."
"You flatter me, Lord Poseidon."
"Your dancing is worthy of one of the Mousai, who preside over learning and the arts!"
They enjoyed the arts, listening to the music played by Apollo or dancing.
At this divine banquet, I, Hades...
"Hmm... Are you really not going to play with me?"
"Ah, and loosen that waist string, it’s giving me a headache."
"But without it, you wouldn’t even glance my way, would you?"
Everyone was resisting the temptation of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, who was the envy of all.
Of all times, she had to wear the Jecesthos Himas (the magical waist string of seduction).
That thing was making my head throb; I wish it would just fall off.
Still, I knew she was only half-serious in her allure.
"Tch... How boring. Are you going to keep doing this?"
"Go to your husband Hephaestus."
Of course, it seemed she was half-serious, which made it a bit awkward.
No, why are you acting like this when you have a husband?
"Stay away from me, as far as the distance between the Underworld and Olympus..."
"Huh? As the goddess of beauty, do I really have to go this far?"
Aphrodite crossed her arms, striking a seductive pose that emphasized her curves.
The surrounding male gods couldn’t take their eyes off her...
"At this rate, something will happen someday."
"I’d rather receive affection than worry... I’ll take my leave for now."
From her perspective, as the one who governs the intense emotion of love, seeing me...
It must feel unsettling for a being of such stature to be completely out of her element.
Feeling insulted that beauty and love had not touched me,
Aphrodite left with a frown on her face.
"Wow... What did I just see? Uncle Hades, did you just reject the goddess of beauty?"
Hermes, holding his caduceus, approached with his mouth agape in admiration.
The snakes on his staff also turned their heads in the direction Aphrodite had left.
"I don’t think I would have rejected her. Wouldn’t it be fun to spend a night with her?"
"Ha..."
Hermes whispered with a sly grin, but I had no interest at all.
Why would I enjoy a secret meeting with a goddess who has a husband and children?
Even Hephaestus hasn’t done anything wrong to me.
"So why are you here?"
"Hephaestus, who was working in the forge, wanted to see you, Lord Hades. After all, I am a messenger."
Zeus had ordered Hephaestus to make my weapon.
It seemed he needed my help with something.
"I should go see him now."
I set down the golden cup filled with nectar and walked out.
Is this where Hephaestus’s forge in Olympus is located?
Passing through the makeshift Milky Way, which Iris diligently drew water from...
I walked for quite a while, weaving through the thick white clouds...
"Ahhahaha!"
"Hahaha! Slow down a bit!"
As lower gods who seemed to be in love passed by me, I finally spotted Hephaestus’s forge.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal being hammered, the heat so intense even the gods could feel it, flames shooting high into the sky.
If these weapons fell into human hands, wars would surely break out over them.
There were swords that burst into flames with every swing, and armor that turned harder upon impact, gleaming with a blue hue.
"Welcome, Uncle."
"Mm."
As I admired the weapons touched by Hephaestus’s hands, he greeted me.
Though he was limping, he was a muscular and sturdy-looking god, holding a hammer in his hand.
"I’m embarrassed to show you these; they are all failures..."
No matter how you looked at them, they were items that would cause a commotion if they fell to the mortal realm.
But from the perspective of the god of blacksmiths who made Aphrodite’s magical waist string and Hermes’s winged sandals, it was only natural.
So I asked him why he sought me out,
Hephaestus scratched his cheek with an innocent-looking face and said,
"I was making a bident to give to you, Uncle, and I was hoping you could infuse it with some divine power..."
"Bident...?"
I had used a spear quite a bit in the war against the Titan gods.
Did Zeus ask him to make a spear after seeing that?
"Then will my weapon be made into a trident like Poseidon’s?"
"No, this is a spear with two prongs."
"But I already have the Stygian sword, so I’m fine without a weapon..."
I unsheathed the Stygian sword from my waist and handed it to him.
The god of blacksmiths examined the blade for a moment, then smiled at me.
"This sword is quite excellent, but it cannot compare to Trident or Lightning. However, the bident I will show you will dare to compare with them."
"Oh..."
Hephaestus spoke confidently and returned to the forge with the bident, wearing iron gloves.
I reached out to the spear, still glowing red with heat.
Pssss...
As my dark, shadowy divine power touched the bident, the surface of the spear began to slightly wear away.
But soon, the bident accepted the divine power and turned black.
It looked extraordinary at first glance, but that was not the end.
"Please wait a moment; there are still finishing touches left."
As Hephaestus carefully took the spear back into the forge...
The sounds of metal being hammered and the explosive clash of different energies began to fill the air.
Kakang! Tsutsutsutsu...
Clang! Kaang!
Only the Cyclopes, who made my Quinque, could match the skill of the god of blacksmiths, Hephaestus.
I waited patiently for the work to be completed.
As Helios’s sun chariot reached the end of the world, it was now the turn of the moon goddess Selene,
Hephaestus, who had been focused on his work, called out to me.
"I’ve finished! Give it a swing!"
The gleaming black surface of the spearhead.
Just looking at it emitted a chilling aura, but it felt familiar to me, like the Underworld.
As if entranced, I picked up the bident with my right hand.
The spear seemed to recognize its master, emitting a soft resonance.
As I infused a bit of power into the spear, it radiated an aura several times stronger.
The ominous black divine power enveloped the bident, and I glanced down at the spear before thrusting it fiercely into the sky.
Kwaaaah—
A massive hole opened in the clouds above Olympus as the fierce spear shot straight into the heavens.
Truly, it was the best.
I didn’t envy Poseidon’s trident at all.
"Do you like it?"
"Like it? It’s beyond just liking."
"And since divine power has just been inscribed, you should be able to summon it from afar anytime!"
Wait, it has that function too?
I would never lose this.
It truly does not fall behind Poseidon’s trident at all...
Shouldn’t I give him something in return?
I asked Hephaestus, who looked satisfied, if he had any wishes.
"I’m glad you like it. I do have one request..."
"Speak, and if it’s a wish I can grant, I will do my best to fulfill it."
"I hope you use that bident often and let the world know that I made it!"
Isn’t that only natural?
"I wish for it to be widely known that this bident, made by the greatest blacksmith Hephaestus, is comparable to the three divine artifacts made by the Cyclopes!"
I assured the blacksmith god, who spoke with sparkling eyes, that I would certainly grant that.
It seemed he desired the honor of having made an excellent weapon, so that was not a difficult task.
But to say he was the best in the world, the Cyclopes might be a bit higher up, right...?
Ah! I’ll know for sure if I compete against the Quinque made by Argus!
Clang! Kakakang!
Returning to the Underworld, I held the old, shabby helmet in one hand and clashed it against the bident.
The two weapons, nearly equal in strength, collided, sending sparks flying.
"Ahhh! Hades! Again, testing weapons with that precious helmet!"
The goddess of the Styx, passing nearby, gasped and tried to stop me.
No, if I just try a few more times...
"Even the sword I made for you, who in their right mind tests weapons like that!"
"Ah, by the way, this bident was made by the greatest blacksmith of Olympus, Hephaestus..."
The goddess of the Styx approached me, scolding me fiercely.
Flailing her arms and stomping her feet, she was making a scene that could open a hole in the bottom of the Underworld...
No, it wouldn’t.
"Bident or whatever, it’s a treasure that should be carefully stored in the treasury, why do you keep overworking it?! I told you last time..."
I wanted to change the subject naturally, but it didn’t work.