The Tale of Otus and Epialtes - (3)
It was not difficult to deal with the giants who introduced themselves as Otus and Epialtes for a moment.
I dodged their punches with ease and pricked their arms with a sharp bite to calm them down...
"Ahhh!"
"Otus!"
At this point, I drew forth a bit of my power to intimidate them...
The body of the giant named Otus stiffened, and fear filled his eyes.
He was quite strong, but it was clear he had no combat experience at all.
"First, you are going to prison."
I aimed the bite at the fallen giant's eyes.
But the real target was his ankle.
With my right hand, I pretended to poke his eyes with the bite,
While with my left hand, I quietly drew the Stygian sword from my waist, ready to slice Otus's ankle.
Just then,
"Wait! Please hold on for a moment, Brother Hades!"
"Zeus?"
It was Zeus's voice calling me, having returned to the banquet hall.
He seemed to have had his hair pulled by Hera, as ichor was flowing from his head.
The sight of Zeus picking up his fallen hair was truly comical.
Yet the smile on his face was anything but funny.
Since Zeus appeared to have something in mind, I sheathed the bite and stepped back.
Giants like these could be subdued again anytime...
"Ugh..."
As I took a step back, the two giants rose to their feet.
However, the fear in their eyes and their trembling fingers revealed their true feelings.
Zeus glanced at the bleeding giants and spoke with a sharp smile.
"Hmm. Hmm. We must treat our esteemed guests who have come to Olympus well."
It was a rare sincerity that Zeus sometimes showed to those who challenged his power.
"So, you came to take Hera and Artemis as wives?"
From that smile and his calm eyes, a chilling aura could be felt.
However, Otus and Epialtes, the two brothers, did not notice.
They seemed to be young and strong but foolish.
Because of that... they could not understand why other gods did not oppose Zeus's outrageous proposal.
"That's right! Lord Zeus, we swore by the River Styx to take Artemis and Hera as our wives!"
"Quickly, hand them over to us!"
Though both looked foolish, the one I had just attacked, Otus, seemed to have a slight bit more awareness.
But even so, how could he say such things after being stabbed by my spear?
Just moments ago, I had intended to subdue the brothers Otus and Epialtes and drag them to the underworld's prison.
As the prophecy stated, I could not kill them, and I felt a familiar aura of divine power.
Zeus must have known that, but the reason he stopped me was not to show them mercy.
Those who dared to challenge him and Olympus...
"Ah, of course, for heroes like you, Hera and Artemis are not too precious!"
"Really? Ha... But Lord Hades here..."
"It seems there was a slight misunderstanding with Brother Hades, ha ha ha!"
He intended to kill them outright.
"I would love to hand over Hera and Artemis right now..."
"But...?"
"They are not here."
The giants grew angry upon hearing that the two goddesses they had marked as wives were not present.
Perhaps Zeus had hidden them away somewhere or told them to stay out of sight.
"What?! Lord Zeus! Have you deceived us?"
The giant named Epialtes shouted with a crumpled face.
Yet, Zeus soothed him with a gentle voice.
"Artemis is currently handling an important matter on the island of Naxos."
"What important matter are you talking about?"
"She is searching for a monster known as a Gigantes, a powerful creature with a serpent's lower body and a human's upper body. You would probably find it difficult to face them as well."
Indeed, Artemis was nowhere to be seen at the banquet.
So, had traces of the Gigantes truly been found on the island of Naxos?
"However, seeing that she has not returned yet, it seems she has been captured by those monsters. Hmm... It would be great if some brave warriors would step up..."
"Artemis has been captured?! Then, Lord Zeus! If we kill those Gigantes and rescue Artemis..."
"Oh, if you do that, I will allow you to hold a joint wedding in Olympus!"
Was this his plan all along, Zeus?
There were clearly too many flaws in Zeus's words.
His subtly encouraging tone, the condition that they must slay the monsters to gain permission for marriage, and his vague response regarding Hera's whereabouts.
Yet, the two giant brothers did not notice anything strange at all.
Perhaps it was because they were young and inexperienced,
Or perhaps because the goddess of persuasion, Peitho, was subtly exerting her influence right next to Zeus.
The words filled with flaws from the king of the gods had a strange persuasive power that muddled the giants' thoughts.
"Then hurry and set off! If you delay, Artemis might fall victim to the Gigantes!"
"Ah... understood! You must keep your promise, Lord Zeus!"
"Where is this island of Naxos?"
Thus, the two fools fell for Zeus's words and descended from Olympus.
It would have been better if they had been subdued and locked away in the underworld.
Now, as if there was no need to hide,
Zeus looked coldly at the giants descending from Olympus and opened his mouth.
As the king of the gods relaxed his expression and raised a cup filled with nectar high, all eyes turned to him.
"Though some ruffians have appeared, I will handle them personally, so all gods should not worry and continue to enjoy the banquet!"
"Oh... understood!"
"The fate of those who challenge Olympus is clear."
"Naxos Island, huh? That will be their grave."
"Their last stroke of luck was being subdued by Lord Hades earlier. Ha ha ha!"
As Zeus's words ended, the soft sound of Apollo's lyre filled the air once more.
The nine Muses displayed their artistic spirit, and Dionysus made wine to share with the gods.
"Oh... so this is the wine they speak of."
"Thank you, Lord Dionysus."
Now the Olympian gods began to tilt their cups and eat ambrosia as if nothing had happened,
And Ares, who had broken out of a bronze jar, grumbled about having smashed a precious jar.
I headed straight for Zeus.
"Zeus. Has a Gigantes been discovered on Naxos Island?"
"Ah, brother, you still do not know. Not long ago, Helios discovered their traces while driving the sun chariot."
The Gigantes were monsters created by Gaia, the earth goddess.
They grow stronger when in contact with the ground and possess incredible regenerative abilities.
So how could these beings, who must remain on land, be found on an island in the middle of the sea?
This was surely a trap set by Gaia.
The careless Olympian gods would be waiting for the Gigantes to search the island.
"They infiltrated the island? Deceiving Poseidon's followers in the sea?"
"I already knew that the Gigantes were preparing a trap to weaken our forces."
At my question, he shook his head side to side.
The Gigantes had infiltrated the island and were up to something... they had deliberately allowed themselves to be deceived.
Since they could sink or destroy the entire island at any time, he must have wanted to see what trap Gaia and the Gigantes were preparing.
The Gigantes were indeed divine beings, but they were not immortal and had more monstrous traits.
Whether I could kill them would have to be seen firsthand...
"It doesn't matter if the giants don't die there; my son Dionysus is there."
"Will he drive them into madness and make them kill each other?"
"Heh. I cannot leave those who dare to challenge me alive."
Yes... it made sense why he stopped me from dragging them to the underworld.
He must have had a way to use the strong but foolish giants.
I had sensed something when Zeus stopped me, but I did not oppose him.
Attempting to take the queen of the gods, who was already married, and the goddess who had sworn by the River Styx was undoubtedly a direct challenge to Olympus.
Since it was a contest of power, not justice, if the giants died and came to the underworld, they would not receive a good reception.
"However, they seemed like the offspring of some god."
"The important thing is that they dared to challenge me, Zeus. They will die there in a miserable manner."
Even if the god of madness, Dionysus, failed to shake their minds, Zeus must have another method in mind.
Perhaps he would send beasts transformed from clouds to make them throw spears at each other, or the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, would enchant them.
"Checking the trap prepared by the Gigantes and getting rid of a nuisance is a good plan."
"Of course, that is true..."
"Looks like they are walking into Naxos Island now. Dionysus! Just in case, you should prepare as well."
At times like this, Zeus made wise judgments like the king of the gods...
But why, when it comes to matters involving women, does he always think with his lower half?