Poseidon's Story - (1)
Today, the underworld seemed to be quite busy, but surprisingly, Hades' office was rather quiet.
This was because human nations were being established everywhere, and with the world of the living stabilizing, the number of those who died had decreased.
Although many still met their short lives due to various monsters, accidents, and wild animals, it was manageable at this level.
However, I still had one concern...
"Have you not yet located the Gigantes?"
"Yes, we have been unable to find any traces of the monsters you mentioned."
These were the Gigantes, the subjects of a prophecy that stated they could not be defeated without the help of a human hero.
I had hoped to search for their location in advance to either wipe them out or reduce their numbers, but...
'Is Gaia providing them with a hiding place until their power grows?'
Even Zeus of Olympus did not know, and despite searching the underground thoroughly, there was no way to find them.
The only fortunate thing was that the day the Gigantes would challenge the gods again was likely far in the future.
It would take a long time for them to gain strength under Gaia's influence.
Gaia knew the power of the gods who had even defeated Typhon, so she would only send them when the odds were certain.
'Before that, a human hero must emerge...
Cadmus seems to be the most likely, but he is busy searching for his sister...'
Lost in thought, a soul soldier entered and informed me that a guest had arrived.
At the entrance of the underworld, someone who looked half fish and half god claimed to be Poseidon's messenger.
I realized that the time Poseidon had mentioned before had come.
He had certainly said he had something to discuss at the underwater banquet.
I could guess what he would say, but I should go and listen.
After instructing the soul soldier to bring the guest, I spread out a parchment to examine the locations in the world of the living where the Gigantes might be hiding.
Wherever they are hiding, just get caught...
I will turn them all into citizens of the underworld.
As I imagined this grim scenario while looking at the parchment, Poseidon's messenger soon arrived at my office.
As soon as the door opened, he bowed and greeted me.
"Lord of the Underworld! It is an honor to meet you. I am Triton, the only son of Lord Poseidon!"
"Yes, I am Hades."
The young god who introduced himself as Triton had scales covering his entire body, with gills and what appeared to be a dolphin's tail.
At first glance, he looked like a monster in human form, but considering his birthplace was the sea, it made sense.
And being the only son... that meant he was the child of Poseidon's legitimate wife, Amphitrite.
"Is the banquet prepared by Poseidon ready? Then lead the way."
"Yes! I will take you to my father's palace!"
He was quite quick.
Poseidon would surely be pleased.
This place was a beach on the surface.
When I was invited to the wedding of Amphitrite and Poseidon last time, a giant whale, one of Poseidon's followers, had carried me to the golden palace beneath the sea.
I thought I would call for the whale again to go underwater, but...
Triton took out a conch from his waist and blew into it.
Buuuu—
A grand sound echoed from the black and white conch, and soon two enormous seahorses emerged from the water.
"These are the seahorses I command. They are blessed by my father and can move swiftly through the sea."
"Are they a type of divine beast? Poseidon has granted them power."
The seahorses had saddles and reins, as if made for someone to ride easily.
Feeling the touch of the seawater on my legs after a long time, I mounted one of the seahorses.
"Then I will move to the palace! Let’s go!"
With Triton's words, the seahorses sank into the sea.
Swoosh—
At the same time, a bubble-like barrier formed around me, pushing the surrounding water away.
This was Poseon's power, ensuring that I would not get wet and could breathe underwater.
When I was invited to the sea god's wedding, I had to use my own power to push the water away, but now I didn’t need to, which was convenient.
Brrrr—
As we entered the sea, countless fish swam around in the blue world.
Dark blue mackerel, playful dolphins, sea turtles...
As we descended a bit further, I saw thick seaweed growing on the ocean floor, with small fish darting around busily.
I also spotted a half-human, half-fish creature, likely one of Poseidon's subordinates, gathering seaweed.
The seahorse carrying me dove deeper.
It felt as if a waterway was naturally opening up to guide us somewhere.
As we descended into the depths of the sea where sunlight barely reached, darkness enveloped us.
However, everything was visible to the eyes of a god.
The scenery of what humans called the deep sea was quite tolerable.
They feared the depths and often offered sacrifices to Poseidon, but...
Clear and transparent jellyfish, appearing to have intelligence, were playing with their tentacles, and
I began to see more and more of Poseidon's subordinates, who were a mix of humans and fish.
"Look at this, ahahaha!"
"This turtle is cute. Should I take it home?"
"Oh? But over there...!"
Several beautiful nymphs, the sea fairies known as Nereis, were giggling at the sea turtle, then suddenly turned to look at us, startled.
Soon, they seemed to recognize the air bubble blessed by Poseidon and my appearance, hurriedly bowing and showing respect.
Triton waved his hand, not holding the reins of the seahorse, and they blushed and swam away.
Is that considered handsome in the sea? It’s hard to understand with an underground perspective...
Brrrr—
We went even deeper.
Perhaps deeper than what humans would call the deep sea.
At this depth, even demigods born and raised on land would struggle to survive.
But for Poseidon's children, it should be no problem.
As I leisurely admired the surroundings, a shark-human approached me.
He had a human form with only his lower half covered, but instead of feet, he had webbed fins, a shark fin, and sharp teeth.
The harpoon he held looked sharp enough to pierce an enemy even in the deep sea.
When I gauged his strength, he seemed to be about the level of a captain guarding the palace.
"I greet the lord of the underworld. I am Andrianos, who has been graciously blessed by Lord Poseidon."
Nodding, I raised a hand, and he bowed to Triton as well.
"Triton."
"Yes, the preparations for the banquet are complete, right?"
"Yes, everything is perfect."
After they exchanged a few words, the seahorse set off again.
As if being drawn by some force, the ocean currents naturally guided us down to the very bottom.
How long did we travel? Finally, Poseidon's palace came into view.
A magnificent golden palace shining brightly in the depths of the sea.
Even though sunlight should not reach this deep underwater, it was brightly lit.
The grand buildings of the palace and white columns stood tall.
Colorful corals surrounded the area, and a translucent veil seemed to cover the entire palace.
That veil seemed similar to the power Poseidon had bestowed upon the seahorse I was riding.
"Hades! Welcome to my palace!"
At the last moment, Poseidon, the sea god with blue hair, stood with his arms wide open in front of the palace's splendid doors.
The banquet prepared by Poseidon was no less than the feasts of Olympus.
Buuuu—
Since we were underwater, there were quite a few seaweed dishes, and
A fishman with a fish lower half created sweet melodies using a conch.
I casually greeted Poseon's sons and the lesser gods under his command, getting to know them.
Many new gods had been born in the sea.
Triton was... playing with sharks.
It wasn't bad to chew on seaweed dishes while enjoying the performances of the underwater jesters.
Watching an octopus that could talk toss several seashells into the air and spin them was quite entertaining...
Aaaah—
What was that sound?
From somewhere deep in the sea, I heard the furious voice of a woman.
What kind of divine power was stirring the currents and summoning fierce waves?
"Ahem... It seems Amphitrite is at it again."
"Is there a problem with your wife?"
"Well, she gets like that when she finds out I've spent the night somewhere else."
Poseidon said with a wry smile.
So, your wife figured out that you were cheating, and that's why she's angry?
What’s the difference between you and Zeus...
It seems both Hera and Amphitrite have a tough time.
No wonder the mistress of the sea hasn’t shown up at the banquet.
Holding a blue goblet filled with nectar, Poseidon stroked his beard and said,
"Hmm... How should I appease her this time? Still, I don’t have to worry about the mistress of the sea changing..."
"Isn't it that you’re worried about her getting angry because you’re cheating?"
He seems to be just as bad as Zeus.
Which of the two will hold the title of the god of infidelity?
With a sigh, I took a gulp of nectar.
It must be true that the taste of nectar changes depending on the place you eat it.
How can it taste so refreshing here?
It felt like I was drinking soda from my past life.
While it wouldn’t be bad to continue enjoying the banquet here, it was time to get to the main point.
I set down the blue goblet and locked eyes with Poseidon.
"Well... I already have a guess, but you should slowly tell me why you invited me."
"Why ask when you already know? The reason you think is correct, Hades."
He smiled broadly, wearing an ambitious expression.
"Of course, it’s about joining forces to drive Zeus out, right?"
I knew he would say that.