The Trial of Ares and Poseidon - (2)
The next day, I was heading towards the hills near Athens.
Was this the place Ares had mentioned?
Since I had to pass through Athens, I should enter from the main road.
Since I was going anyway, should I take a little time to explore the city of Athena?
As expected of a city dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, olive trees were abundantly planted along the roads.
This place, as prosperous as the Thebes I govern, was filled with many free citizens, and statues of Athena carved from cedar were not uncommon.
"Bronze lamps from other cities for sale!"
"Olive oil blessed by the goddess Athena for just..."
"I need to procure some offerings for the goddess; would it be enough to buy a few pigs?"
The people's sentiment towards the goddess was not bad.
It was easy to see that most citizens were followers of Athena, and the olives she spread had long become a necessity for all the townsfolk.
As I hurried along while taking in the sights, I soon discovered a barrier spread across the hills near Athens.
Passing through the barrier, which had the power to confuse the surrounding humans and alter the scenery within...
"Hmph. Do you think Hades would side with a scoundrel like you? If the population of the underworld increases due to war, he would only find it bothersome."
"That doesn't mean he would side with the son of my uncle who tried to rape his daughter!"
"Enough, both of you. Let’s not go that far. Other gods will arrive soon, so let the trial determine the outcome."
Ares and Poseidon were already engaged in a war of words, with Zeus mediating between them.
All sorts of gods were present, each expressing their views on the matter.
Poseidon’s consort, Amphitrite, was also there.
"Sigh... There hasn’t been a quiet day in Olympus lately."
"Demeter and Artemis haven’t arrived yet."
"If we wait a little longer, perhaps... Ah, Hades!"
The goddess, whose beauty could not be concealed even by a flower-patterned veil, called out to me.
"Hestia. You’ve come too."
"I originally intended to stay out of such matters..."
The goddess of the hearth sighed and shook her head.
Her gaze was still on the tense Poseidon and Ares.
Ah, Zeus was firmly mediating, so they were backing down.
"Now that Hades has arrived, and it seems the other gods are here as well, we should begin."
Other gods who had not yet arrived started to show up one by one, and finally, the trial to determine the dispute between Poseidon and Ares began.
Thus, the first trial of the gods began on the hills near Athens.
It seemed they had set up a proper arrangement for the trial, with stone chairs placed closely together.
A little to the side, there was a space for high-ranking gods like Zeus and Hestia to sit separately...
"Then let’s begin."
I stepped onto a suitable platform as the judge and looked down at everyone.
Let’s see, first up... was Ares’ side presenting their argument?
The goddess of wisdom, holding a sheepskin parchment, stepped forward to greet everyone.
Before stepping forward, she exchanged glances with Ares...
It seemed Athena had decided to speak on his behalf.
"I would like to say a few words first. First of all, Halirhotius was notorious as a scoundrel in Athens. He often harassed and assaulted my priestesses and priests, dined in restaurants without paying... and recklessly cut down my sacred olive trees. I can prove that his conduct was indeed inappropriate."
"What do you have to say regarding this incident, aside from Halirhotius’ behavior?"
At my question, Athena cleared her throat and continued.
"The crime of attempting to forcibly rape a pure woman is grave. On the other hand, Ares merely acted in rightful defense to protect his daughter. If Poseidon’s daughter were about to lose her purity to another man, I believe Poseidon would have punished that man as well."
"Hmph... That doesn’t justify killing my son outright..."
"Poseidon, this is the time to listen to Ares’ side, so hold your tongue."
I nodded to Athena after momentarily stopping Poseidon.
"Lastly, I will submit the testimonies of the nymphs who witnessed Halirhotius attempting to rape Ares’ daughter, along with whispers from nature as evidence."
"Is this evidence provided by the gods of nature, Pan and Demeter?"
Looking over the parchment, I saw testimonies from nymphs regarding Halirhotius’ actions.
Swearing by the River Styx, all these facts are true.
"Next, Poseidon, it’s your turn to speak."
"Well. Even if the method of pursuing a woman he disliked was quite wrong, how could it justify taking his life? Hades, as the god of the underworld, you know well the weight of life, don’t you? No one would think it right to wield a sword just because the method was slightly wrong, especially to take my son’s life. This is a matter that concerns my dignity and is also kin-slaying, so the goddesses of vengeance should step in."
Poseidon cleared his throat for a moment and continued.
"I extend my sincere condolences for Halirhotius causing a ruckus in Athena’s temple or acting out a bit. However, aside from that, those actions were merely things done to mortals! My son, a demigod of the sea, merely played a prank on mortals, so to say his conduct was inappropriate is unjust."
For the most part, Poseidon was not entirely wrong.
It was indeed kin-slaying.
However, the three goddesses of vengeance did not come, as they could not dare to accuse one of the twelve gods...
But wasn’t it the case that kin-rape nearly occurred before kin-slaying?
In my view, Poseidon was clearly at fault... but I needed to hear the opinions of other gods.
I turned my gaze to the high-ranking gods seated, including Zeus.
"What does everyone think? Speak freely."
"He committed a grave sin by attempting to rape a decent woman, and Poseidon’s son deserves to die."
This was Hera’s remark, arms crossed and wearing an unpleasant expression.
"I think so too."
"To forcefully take someone without true love is wrong. I would have punished him myself."
One after another, Artemis and Aphrodite spoke.
The goddess of purity and the goddess of love would naturally side with Ares...
"Tsk... If my daughter had nearly faced such a fate, I would have split the earth apart."
"Life is precious, but isn’t this a rightful response from a father who cherishes his daughter? I too believe Ares is in the right."
Demeter and Hestia also sided with Ares.
"Ahem... I won’t say much. My brother will judge wisely."
Zeus appeared satisfied but chose to remain silent.
He must have judged that the tide of the trial was leaning towards Ares.
Glancing at Poseidon, he looked quite displeased.
Did he think he would win the trial due to his position and Ares’ usual conduct of enjoying war?
"... Then I will render my judgment. I too believe Ares had no choice but to kill Poseidon’s son."
"Hades! He is your nephew; how could you..."
"And Ares’ daughter, who was nearly raped by my nephew, is my grandchild."
I interrupted Poseidon, who was protesting and unable to accept the result.
"After examining the memories of Halirhotius, who arrived in the underworld yesterday, it was confirmed that he was indeed the scoundrel Athena described... and he was attempting to rape Ares’ daughter. In fact, Ares did not know he was Poseidon’s son when he rushed over and killed him. Wouldn’t anyone wield a sword if their daughter were to suffer such a terrible fate?"
"No, but..."
[Poseidon.
With the help of the goddess Mnemosyne, I examined your son’s memories...
Halirhotius was indeed involved in the mischief he committed in Athena.]
[...
Athena has interfered with my affairs several times.]
[Do I have to reveal all this here? I will give you some face, so let’s leave it at that.]
[......]
I conveyed my thoughts to Poseidon through divine power.
Zeus was busy chatting with Hera beside him, so no one would have heard.
It was true that Halirhotius was a scoundrel, and he did attempt to rape Ares’ daughter.
However, Poseidon had also somewhat led his son to cause trouble near Athens on purpose.
"And while Ares’ actions were justified, it is true that he killed Poseidon’s son. By definition, it is kin-slaying."
"But uncle, this is..."
"So Ares, you will work in the underworld for two months."
[Ares, if you receive no punishment, Poseidon’s revenge will surely follow, so understand this.]
[Ah...
No, thank you for your consideration.]
Ares slightly bowed his head towards me.
Zeus appeared indifferent, while Poseidon grumbled that the punishment was too light, but that was all.
It seemed this matter was roughly settled.
Fortunately, the other gods nodded in agreement with my judgment.
"Ahem..."
"Then Ares will be punished for two months?"
"... Well, that seems appropriate."
"It might be light considering he killed the son of the god of the sea."
"What are you saying? Hades is merely saving face for you."
"Ahem! Based on the judgment of Hades and the other gods, Ares’ actions are deemed justified! However, for killing Poseidon’s son, he will serve two months in the underworld..."
As Zeus stood up to wrap up the proceedings while looking around,
I stepped down from the platform and advised Poseidon.
"Take better care of your children. That Triton I saw last time seemed to be quite solid."
"... That’s why he is my successor. The others are actually quite troublesome."
The lord of the sea turned away and left, looking somewhat lonely.
Halirhotius’ mischief near Athens was not Poseidon’s command, but rather his inherent nature.
Could it be that he too did not know how to manage his children? After all, not everything about a child can be controlled by their parents...
Should his blind protection of his children be seen as a twisted affection?
Though he stirred up rough and violent waves without rest, perhaps it was a characteristic of the sea to embrace any life beneath the surface.