The Prophet Prometheus - (3)
After gathering the letter and the golden necklace from Pandora, I set off to find the goddess Styx.
As soon as she saw me, she slowly emerged from the waters of the Styx River.
The thin fabric of the goddess's wet clothes clung to her body, outlining her soft curves, but...
I forced myself to look away, as I had something important to convey.
"Hades, that necklace in your hand..."
"It is indeed Pandora's necklace, just as you think, goddess."
I conveyed to the goddess Styx the prophecy abilities of Gaia and the situation regarding Prometheus.
I also informed her that I would be leaving the Underworld for a while to persuade him.
"So, I would like you to take care of the Underworld for a short time, goddess."
"Um... I will inform the other gods as well. Persuading Prometheus... I hope it goes well."
"If Tartarus opens or something urgent happens, I will inform Thanatos..."
Convincing Prometheus is something that must succeed without fail.
This is the only way to deal with Gaia's prophecy.
"Then I will head to Mount Caucasus, where Prometheus is bound."
"... Do you have nothing to say to me?"
"Ahem. It's cold, so you should change your clothes quickly."
You've been acting more like this lately...
As I hurriedly turned my head and walked away, I heard a small grumble from behind.
Crossing the Lethe River and swiftly passing by the Acheron River, I headed towards the entrance of the Underworld.
Mount Caucasus is quite far from here.
That is why I had informed Olympus in advance and borrowed Iris.
Upon emerging into the mortal realm, the goddess of rainbows bowed her head to greet me.
"Hades, shall I take you directly to Mount Caucasus?"
"Yes, connect the space to there."
Beyond the passage created by Iris's gesture, I could see the towering mountain.
At the peak of that mountain, Prometheus would be bound.
Whoooosh—
As I moved through space to Mount Caucasus, I felt the cold air.
The chilly wind blowing from the high altitude struck my skin.
Even though I was at the foot of the mountain, I could feel all kinds of divine power.
It was clear that this was the place where Prometheus was bound...
Between the rugged rocks, an owl peeked out, likely Athena's divine beast, radiating a refreshing and subtle divine energy.
Despite being a rocky mountain, there was a divine tree of Demeter.
There were also barriers that would lead ordinary humans astray.
Swoosh—
I passed through the barriers and continued to ascend the mountain path.
Hmm.
It seems that Olympus has set up defenses quite well, and I am very satisfied.
Near the summit, I made the lion divine beast reveal itself to me and, as I rounded a large rock, I saw Prometheus.
With his arms and legs stretched out in a large "X" and bound to the rock wall, the Titan god, shackled by chains personally crafted by Hephaestus, had his head bowed low.
"Oh... Hades. The great god of mercy has come. Hehe..."
As I approached him, his middle-aged face slowly lifted to meet mine.
With a playful, twisted smile, he spoke with sharp words.
"How does it feel to be revered after showing mere scraps of mercy to humans?"
"It has been a long time since we last met, so please don't joke around, Prometheus..."
"Hehehe..."
...
This guy is at it again.
Before his falling out with Zeus, Prometheus's personality during the Titan War, when he fought alongside the gods, remains unchanged.
"Ah! If you go that way, you'll be caught by the Titans... Hehe... If you want to go, then go..."
"Ah... If it's a prophecy, then there's nothing I can do."
"It's not a prophecy, it's just a gut feeling."
"Tsk tsk... If you use your divine power like that, you'll end up facing Chronos."
"... Is that another prophecy?"
"Who knows? It depends on Poseidon's thoughts."
"Oh! You might end up in big trouble if you keep that up!"
"Hmm... If it's a prophecy..."
"No? This is just my feeling."
"......?"
At that time, we were inexperienced rookie gods, and Prometheus was a seasoned Titan god with the power of prophecy.
Everyone trusted his words, but his personality... well...
In fact, I have a reasonable suspicion that one of the reasons Zeus bound Prometheus was because of that.
"How is it that after all that time in punishment, your personality remains unchanged?"
"Is it because I became the lord of the Underworld that you won't take my words seriously? Show me some mercy."
After laughing for a while, Prometheus stopped and opened his mouth.
"You came to persuade me to oppose Gaia's prophecy, didn't you?"
"So you knew."
"I'm curious about what method the lord of the Underworld has prepared. Speak quickly."
He knew I was coming, but did he not know the specific method to persuade him?
Well, your prophecies were like that.
We joined because of the certain prophecy that we would defeat the Titans, but we could not foresee everything, which led to difficulties in the war.
"Prometheus, don't you cherish humans like your own children?"
"I?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have defied Zeus and given fire to humans."
"Oh..."
"The Gigantes created by Gaia are strong, but they are the worst for humans. They devour humans and sacrifice them without hesitation."
The Gigantes, created to drive us away after defeating Typhon, focused more on brute strength than wisdom.
While their power is comparable to the gods of Olympus, they possess a stronger monstrous nature.
"Well...? Am I being underestimated just because I'm bound here? Just look at the humans sacrificed by the gods..."
"They are better than the Gigantes."
"Are you admitting that the gods are slightly better than the lesser evil of the Gigantes?"
"... Yes. That's correct."
"Oh... Zeus would be displeased to hear that."
To be honest, how many humans have been sacrificed due to the gods' whims?
Whether by prophecy, curse, or simply for being arrogant, many have perished and filled the Underworld.
I cannot speak falsehoods against the world's greatest prophet.
What I needed to persuade him was not sweet coaxing but the truth.
I summoned the greatest weapon of the Underworld, the trident, in one hand.
And I immediately severed the chains binding Prometheus.
Clang! Thud.
Snap.
The chains that bound Prometheus were made by Hephaestus under Zeus's command.
But this trident was also crafted by the god of blacksmiths, and it was made with even more care.
As the chains that had long held him broke, Prometheus stumbled for a moment.
He looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"Ha. Will the king of the gods allow this?"
"I already finished talking with Zeus before coming here."
Shaking off his body and rising, the prophetic Titan scanned me with curious eyes.
"What do you plan to do if you gain nothing from me?"
"... Then it can't be helped. The punishment you received was too harsh from the start."
"Ha... You will release me?"
Seeing the wise Titan god flustered was not so bad.
Now, it was time to...
"What are these? And could it be that this necklace is..."
"It is Pandora's letter and necklace. I swear by the Styx River that I did not impose any oppression or threats on her."
He examined the golden necklace I handed him seriously and then looked at the letter.
For a long time, Prometheus seemed to focus on the scroll, as if he were dissecting each letter.
Whoosh—
Zeus's divine beast, the eagle, flew in to tear out Prometheus's liver.
The eagle swooped down on him while he was reading the letter.
Thud.
Flap.
Flap.
However, the divine beast was quietly caught by the prophetic Titan, who had just lost his playful demeanor and was now looking into my eyes.
"... Hoo."
A gentle breeze blew between us, and after taking a deep breath, he spoke again.
"... Hades, as you know, Gaia can also make prophecies at my level."
"And that is why I need your help."
"She knows well what she must do to win against you."
He released the eagle and continued speaking.
The divine beast, sensing that its easy prey had regained its strength, flew away.
"No matter how well you prepare... the gods will fall to Gaia's strike, even if I warn you in advance."
"Are you saying we will definitely be hit once?"
"Of course, it will be quite a painful blow to your plans."
Even with many gods like Apollo, Selene, Helios, and Demeter glaring with fiery eyes...
Are you saying we cannot withstand a single blow? Is this the final assault of the Gigantes, or something else?
"But after that..."
The intuition of the three gods indicated that Prometheus was about to open a path for us.
A strange energy seeped from the half-opened eyes of the Titan.
I could feel that a prophecy that would touch upon fate was about to come from his mouth.
"If the mortal realm and the Underworld are connected, the gods will win."
The two worlds, the mortal realm and the Underworld, which are so far apart...
This is a certain prophecy.
The words carried the weight of a curse or blessing.
"Perhaps Zeus told me to bring back an apology?"
Prometheus turned his body, as if he would reveal no more, and looked up at the sky.
He loosened his neck for a moment and shouted.
"Zeus! I apologize for the 'harsh words' I spoke to you!"
Boom—
As soon as Prometheus's shout stopped, the thunderous sound, the symbol of Zeus, echoed.
Not a prophecy, but harsh words.
The statement that Zeus would be cast out like Chronos and Uranus was thankfully not a prophecy.
It was a provocation from Prometheus towards Zeus, who had bound him to the mountain.
And by acknowledging that fact here...
We of Olympus had removed one source of anxiety.
"Oh, and Hades, you might want to keep your lower half a bit looser! Hehe!"
"What... what did you say?"
Flap—
Prometheus left behind only strange words and transformed, flying away.