Bellerophon’s Tale - (3)
After a brief but intense stroll in the heavens, I had already handed over Pegasus to Hermes and turned to glance back.
"... Ugh."
The goddess of the Styx still kept her head down, unable to meet my gaze.
She had approached me many times before, but now that I was the one moving closer, she seemed at a loss.
I wanted to smile at her adorable demeanor, but the timid voice that escaped her lips froze my expression.
"Um... Hades. About the incident up there today..."
"... It was not an incident."
"What?! Then..."
I decided to take another step forward.
I moved quietly towards the beautiful goddess, and though she flinched, she did not shy away.
Gently, I placed my right hand on her waist and wrapped my left hand around the back of her head.
In this moment, I revealed my true feelings to the goddess of oaths, who was more beautiful than anyone else.
Embarrassment, courage, hesitation...
All sorts of emotions filled my mind, but the smooth flow of my actions washed away all those feelings.
Kiss.
This time, it was not the gentle push of the wind from Euros, but my own will.
Bellerophon.
Born with great courage, he originally sought to become a hero and head to Thebes, but...
He had committed the sin of accidentally killing his brother and was now living under the protection of Proetus, the king of Tiryns.
However... the queen, Anteia, tempted him.
"Bellerophon, won't you spend just one night with me?"
"... I’m sorry, my queen."
He could not betray his benefactor, Proetus, and rejected her coldly.
But who could have known that the queen would become enraged and tell lies to the king?
"My dear, Bellerophon tried to seduce me. He called me into his room and subtly made advances..."
"What?! That scoundrel...!"
The king believed her words completely, but according to the customs of hospitality, he could not kill a guest who had come to his home.
"Bellerophon, take this letter to my father-in-law, King Iobates."
"Yes, understood."
Thus, King Proetus devised a plan to write a letter to his father-in-law, King Iobates of Lycia, saying, "Please kill the one who brings this letter."
His father-in-law would take care of the dirty work for him.
"Ah, so you’ve brought my son-in-law’s letter?"
"Yes, here it is."
However, as King Iobates read the letter Bellerophon had brought, he too was reluctant to kill him directly.
So, King Iobates asked...
"Bellerophon, can you defeat the monstrous Chimera?"
"Chimera...?"
"It is a troublesome beast that devours humans. I mention this because this letter states that you are a person of great courage and strength. If you succeed, I will give you my daughter, Philonoe, and pass on the throne of Lycia to you."
"Is that truly the case? Then I shall take on the challenge!"
He intended to use the monster, the Chimera, which had been terrorizing people in Lycia, to kill him.
Bellerophon, who boldly left the royal palace of Lycia, found everything, including the monster's location, to be a mystery.
Thinking that he might struggle to face the beast alone, he headed to the nearby temple of Athena.
Being skilled in martial arts and strength, he hunted a few deer nearby and offered them to the goddess of wisdom, seeking her oracle.
"O wise goddess Athena, I must slay the beast, the Chimera, by my own strength. I seek your divine wisdom..."
The news that a human intended to kill the powerful beast, the Chimera, born of Typhon, reached the Olympian gods through Athena, and the gods rejoiced at the signs of a new hero's birth.
"It will be difficult for an ordinary human to kill the offspring of Typhon."
"Only someone of Cadmus's caliber might have a chance against the Chimera."
"It is a powerful monster that can kill even most heroes, so why not lend a little assistance? If we send Pegasus..."
"Send Pegasus to a mere human? And Pegasus is a creature born of the goddess Medusa, belonging to the underworld, is he not?"
"Perhaps we could ask Lord Hades and seek his permission to allow a human to tame Pegasus..."
"Ah, so you wish to test whether he is worthy of handling the celestial steed. I agree."
The conclusion from the gods' meeting soon reached the underworld and entered Hades' ears.
Thus, Hermes, having received the celestial steed from Hades, released Pegasus onto the plains, and the goddess Athena appeared in Bellerophon’s dream.
"Take this bridle and go to the nearby plains. When the winged horse, Pegasus, is asleep, if you manage to bridle him, the divine steed will become your strength."
"A winged horse... Pegasus...?"
"And the location of the Chimera..."
When Bellerophon awoke, he found himself holding a beautifully adorned golden bridle.
Realizing that the dream he had the previous night was an oracle, he rushed to the nearby plains and soon discovered Pegasus.
The horse, with its pure white wings, was grazing peacefully in the meadow, following Hermes' command.
Bellerophon cautiously approached the divine beast from behind.
The sleeping horse did not notice the hero's approach, and soon he succeeded in bridling it.
Thud—
Flap! Hee-haw!
"Ugh, quite a fierce resistance!"
Having bridled Pegasus, Bellerophon quickly climbed onto its back, attempting to tame it.
He needed to completely exhaust the strength of the divine steed, which was fiercely flapping its wings in resistance, to be recognized as its master.
Hee-haw!
Flap— Whoosh!
As the divine steed twisted its body in the air, Bellerophon put all his strength into his thighs and grip.
Thinking it would be hard to throw him off easily, Pegasus flapped its wings and soared high into the sky.
"No... the clouds are beneath my feet...! But do you think I will give up on you like this?!"
The fierce wind struck the human hero's body.
The heavenly scenery he was experiencing for the first time overwhelmed him.
His only reliance was the golden bridle given by the goddess Athena and his own strength.
As they ascended to a certain height, Pegasus suddenly stopped flapping its wings and turned its head towards the ground.
Was it planning to dive down with the hero on its back?
Swoosh—
"Ugh!"
But Bellerophon did not let go of the bridle until the very end.
Despite the fierce gusts, the rapid descent from a height overlooking the clouds, and the imminent threat of death closing in, he gritted his teeth and held on.
Flap—
Just before touching the ground...
Pegasus, as if conceding, spread its wings and glided down.
The hero, holding onto the bridle from the back of the divine steed, let out a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
In the end, Pegasus, unable to throw off Bellerophon, gently descended to the ground and acknowledged him as its master.
"Well, now you won’t run away even if I come down. Thank you."
Thus, Bellerophon rode on the back of the celestial steed and flew towards the location where Athena had told him the Chimera resided.
Upon arriving at the place Athena had indicated, he found a massive beast with the head of a lion and the bodies of three animals combined.
Seeing the terrifying monster, the hero drew his bow from his back while riding Pegasus.
Swoosh—
With all his might, a fierce arrow flew towards the beast, but...
Thud.
"No...!"
As soon as it touched the Chimera's body, it bounced off lightly.
The skin and muscles of the Chimera, born of Typhon's bloodline, were too thick to be pierced by human strength.
Bellerophon continued to shoot dozens of arrows, but he could not even leave a scratch on its hide.
The Chimera roared mockingly, spewing forth intense flames...
The flames reached even the position where Pegasus was hovering in the sky.
Whoosh—
"Tsk. We must retreat for now, Pegasus!"
Bellerophon had no choice but to turn back and return to the village, leaving the furious Chimera alone.
Grrr—
Oh dear...
If it is the child of Typhon, it is like a child to me, but sadly, it is destined to die at the hands of a hero.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the earth.
The intelligent beast, the Chimera, was bewildered.
What was this familiar feeling...?
Grrr?!
Even as the Chimera questioned, the voice continued to resonate.
From all directions? No... a strange voice pierced the monster's mind...
You are fated to die at the hands of a human hero, but the prophecy allows for the choice of the path.
Among the three heads, the goat head, possessing terrible wisdom, whispered to the others.
This voice certainly felt similar to that of its parents, Typhon!
I shall guide you.
With the last words heard, the red-eyed Chimera began to run towards somewhere.
Returning to the nearby village, Bellerophon pondered how to defeat the Chimera and suddenly came up with a clever idea, heading to the blacksmith.
He approached the blacksmith, who was hammering steel, and asked him to create a strange spear.
"Please make me a spear with a lump of lead at the end."
"Lead...? What do you need such a thing for? If I make it, can you carry it?"
"Of course, I will use it to kill the monster."
Thus, Bellerophon left with the heavy lead spear, a triumphant smile on his face.
When it spews flames, if I throw the spear into its mouth, the lead will melt and enter its belly, killing the beast.
But...
When he returned, he could not find the Chimera anywhere.
Could it be that the monster was hiding in fear of a human? Had he miscalculated its location?
Bellerophon, flustered, searched the surroundings but could not find the Chimera.
Then, a voice reached him.
A voice from above...!
"Bellerophon, the Chimera has run in this direction. Hurry!"
From a distance above the clouds, a goddess fully armed stood there.
She pointed with her spear in one direction, indicating where the Chimera had moved.
"Thank you! Unknown goddess!"
"I am the goddess of wisdom, Athena."
After bowing to her, Bellerophon, riding Pegasus, quickly chased after the Chimera.
Wait, but isn’t this direction... towards Lycia?