Persephone's Story - (3)
Hastily driving the chariot northward, I soon discovered the Gigantes slaughtering the nymphs.
Screams echoed as nymphs fell, and one blonde goddess fought desperately.
Crack!
"Ahhh!"
"Please save me! Lady Demeter!"
"Ugh... I don't want to die...!"
She was a goddess I hadn't seen at the banquet held in Olympus before, and judging by her strength, appearance, and battle experience...
She seemed to be a young goddess, born less than 200 years ago.
The divine power she exuded suggested that her parents were powerful gods, likely at the level just below the Twelve Olympians.
Thud thud thud—
Though it was a bit far, the ghostly horse galloped swiftly across the ground, and I arrived quickly.
What I saw was a Gigantes commander lifting the goddess by her neck with a sadistic smile.
"Looks like a young goddess, huh? Blame your fate."
The power I sensed from him was slightly below that of Apollo or Ares, around the level of the Twelve Olympians.
And there were three others with power not inferior to his.
The Gigantes clinging to Mount Etna were of lower god rank.
There seemed to be hundreds or even thousands of these monstrous forces.
A swarm of insects had gathered.
Boom—
I summoned my trident and struck hard.
In an instant, the Gigantes' head exploded, and blood splattered across the ground.
I urged the ghostly horse to gently lift the exhausted goddess and placed her in the back of the chariot.
This chariot of Hades was indeed the safest place on the battlefield.
"Are you alright?"
No answer came, but that was fine.
From the ichor flowing profusely from her body, it was clear she had sustained serious injuries.
"Who are you!"
"Even if you're an Olympian, you're just one more! Attack!"
"What can you do alone..."
Numerous insects noticed the death of their comrade and swarmed toward us.
Mount Etna was a bit different from an ordinary mountain.
Any god with a certain level of power could destroy a mountain.
Let alone if it was the body of Typhon.
But why was the seal that trapped him still holding?
Because of the immense size of Mount Etna, Zeus's divine power, and the sealing formations created by the gods themselves.
Various precautions had been put in place.
Glancing at the state of Mount Etna...
"Take this—"
"What do you think you can do alone!"
Boom!!!
What was I thinking? Right, it was about the state of Mount Etna.
That terrible monster, the Gigantes, seemed capable of digging into the mountain if given just a moment.
But since I was interfering, the commander would gather his forces to stop me...
And those of equal power to lower gods...
"Euiritos! Let's attack together!"
"You create an opening, Toas!"
Three beings with strength far superior to the other Gigantes surrounded my chariot.
But with just Dionysus and Ares, they would be dealt with.
Now that I had arrived, the situation was practically resolved.
There was no rush, so perhaps I could take my time to kill them.
I drove the trident into the ground and used my divine power to create a path to the underworld.
Swoosh—
It seemed I was causing too much damage to the land, which belonged to Demeter, but the Gigantes had attacked, so they would understand to some extent.
The underworld was not just an underground world.
It was a completely separate realm from the living world.
Simply digging down would never lead one there.
"Damn it! It's Hades, the god of the underworld!"
"Ahhh! Die!"
"Even if you're one of the three gods, you're alone!"
"Those already dead will return to the living world!"
If I were to connect the worlds with my power, it would be a different story.
A translucent wave of the dead crawled up from the ground and clung to the Gigantes.
These were forces that would not die even if killed.
Unless the underworld was completely destroyed, they would continue to resurrect.
Despite the plan to swiftly seize Typhon while avoiding the eyes of Olympus failing,
the three Gigantes before me still seemed to hold onto hope.
"Take—this!!!!"
A massive wooden club swung above me.
Oh.
They had some strength? I thought as I drew the Stygian sword from my waist.
Swoosh!
Even if I gritted my teeth and swung down with both hands, it would be useless.
It wasn't Zeus or Poseidon swinging it...
The gaze of another one turned toward my mouth, and they charged in a frenzy.
Gigantism, monstrous strength, rapid regeneration, and the sanctification of the earth, among other things.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate us, Hades!"
"Wait...! Euiritos!! Don't charge in excitedly..."
Oh dear, was it not polite to laugh on the battlefield?
They seemed quite angry.
But...
Swish—Boom!
"Graaaah!"
It was so ridiculous that they would hold onto the vain hope of winning.
They should be running away, yet they dared to challenge me?
Did they think I would fall to them just because I lacked a translucent helmet and Quine?
If this were a full-scale battle, I might lose.
But this was merely a skirmish; the prophecy would not activate.
As I watched the dead slay the remaining Gigantes, I sensed the approaching presence of a god.
Flying down from the sky was...
Hermes?
Hermes, holding his caduceus, quickly surveyed the area and locked eyes with me.
With a slightly relieved expression, the messenger god approached me.
"Uncle Hades! Did the Gigantes attack?"
"Yes, it seems to be the strike of Gaia mentioned in Prometheus's prophecy."
"They came to seize Typhon's body. If you hadn't been here, it would have been truly dangerous."
As Hermes scanned the surroundings, he looked surprised at the peak of Mount Etna.
I had blown it away a bit during the fight...
"Wow...! The mountain peak is completely... Did you do this, Uncle?!"
"... It was a mistake."
"... It almost freed Typhon's body."
I had tried to control it as much as possible to avoid affecting Typhon's seal, but those guys were quite strong, so it couldn't be helped.
"But I don't think Prometheus's prophecy ends here."
"I summoned the forces of the underworld earlier, and I suspect that means victory will come when the living and the dead are connected."
"Hmm... That could be one way to look at it, but I feel uneasy about something."
Hermes frowned in thought.
Could this really be the attack mentioned in the prophecy?
"For now, you should go to the underworld and report the situation at Mount Etna. Also, tell them that all the enemies have been killed, so no support is needed."
"Are you planning to check Typhon's seal?"
"I'll check it for a while, so don't worry about Olympus and prepare for other things..."
There might be additional attacks from Gaia or hidden ambushes, and there could still be remnants of the Gigantes left,
so it would be better for me to handle the sealing myself.
This place, where Typhon's seal was located, was a crucial point.
Thus, I needed to check the state of Mount Etna and infuse it with divine power to make it more solid...
"And also ask Demeter if she has found out the location of the Gigantes' stronghold."
"Yes. Understood..."
"I'll ask! She's our mother!"
The blonde goddess, who had been listening to my conversation with Hermes, suddenly interjected.
With sparkling eyes looking this way...
"Are you Demeter's daughter?"
"Yes! And my father is Lord Zeus!"
The daughter of Demeter and Zeus?
After Hermes left, I faced the blonde goddess.
Her smile seemed to say I could ask anything I was curious about, reminding me of someone...
"The messenger god Hermes will return, so there's no need for you to ask Demeter."
"Lord Hades. Still, I think it would be better if I spoke to my mom..."
"That's enough. Being the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, you can just call me uncle comfortably."
"Yes! Uncle Hades!"
The blonde goddess, reminiscent of a warm spring day, smiled brightly in response.
...? Why is she so happy?
Well, I do have a certain status...
"So how should I call you, niece?"
"Please call me Kore! Everyone calls me that if they're close to me!"
A nickname? Why are you asking me to call you by your nickname?
We just met today.
"What is your name?"
"Please call me Kore!"
"... I meant your real name, not your nickname."
She pouted for a moment, but soon smiled brightly and answered.
"My name is Persephone! Uncle Hades!"
"What... did you say?"
In that moment, it felt as if I had been struck on the head.
Memories from a very long time ago, forgotten along with mint...
Knowledge surged forth like a river overflowing its banks.
Surely, in my past life... wasn't she Hades's wife?
Eros, the god of love, son of Aphrodite and Ares.
He had accidentally shot Hades with an arrow of love while practicing archery, and upon seeing Persephone, Hades had fallen for her and kidnapped her to the underworld...
"Uncle Hades? What are you thinking? Is there something I can help with..."
If that's the case, could it be that Eros is practicing his archery nearby as well?
As this thought crossed my mind, I used my divine power to sense the presence around me...
Whoosh—
I soon detected an arrow flying toward me from a short distance.
Love, a hot and passionate emotion, can come suddenly at any time and place.
Because of this, Eros's arrows were swift and stealthy.
But if I was on guard, it wasn't at a level where I could be hit,
and I quickly twisted my body to dodge the arrow flying from behind.
Whoosh—
Wait, if I dodge the arrow, then in this direction...!
Boom.
"Huh?"