Chapter 5: The Story of the Gigantes – (2)

 

As I hurried towards Mount Olympus, I saw countless Gigas swarming the divine palace above the clouds.

 

Just as I tried to join Zeus, a bright light and a deafening roar exploded, sending some of the Gigas, who were swarming like ants, flying.

 

Crash! Boom!

 

“Roar!”

 

“Is this the lightning Mother mentioned?!”

 

The attack that had just blown away dozens of Gigas was Zeus’s lightning, Astraphe.

 

And the giant brazier shape above, spewing out intense heat, must be Hestia’s power…

 

The ability that made grass and trees grow abundantly, binding the Gigas like a technique from a ninja manga I saw in my past life, was Demeter’s power.

 

“Haha! Your struggle is quite something!”

 

“Come on, try harder!”

 

Individually, our power was overwhelming, but the overall situation seemed evenly matched. The sheer number of Gigas and the fact that each one was of the divine race were reasons, but there was something else.

 

A ‘flow’ that acted on the collective entity called Gigantes, not on individual Gigas.

 

Because of this, despite having overwhelming power, the gods couldn’t easily settle the battle.

 

I conveyed my thoughts to the golden-haired god, Zeus, who was scowling and preparing another lightning bolt from above the clouds.

 

[Zeus, can you hear me?]

 

[Hades, brother, why have you come here, leaving the Underworld?]

 

[All the Gigas that came to the Underworld have been dealt with. I’ll take care of the west side of Olympus, so don’t throw Astraphe in this direction.]

 

[Thank you. Be cautious, their regenerative and recovery abilities are tremendous. Olympus appreciates your help.]

 

Zeus… When did you start addressing your big brother informally after all those times you used to say yes, yes?

 

Alright, you rule the sky, do you?

 

I stopped thinking about my impertinent youngest brother and swiftly moved across the battlefield.

 

Concentrating on slowing the Gigas’ recovery with the power of death and disrupting their formation, their ranks soon began to crumble.

 

“There’s something there! Gah!”

 

“An assassin whose presence cannot be felt, the god of the Underworld, Hades, as Mother said!”

 

“Are all our brothers who went to the Underworld dead?!”

 

As more Gigas were attacked and wounded by an invisible force, they recognized me.

 

To demoralize them, I deliberately took off my helmet and gave a cold smile, causing them to react with fervor like fanatic fans meeting a celebrity.

 

“Hades! I’ll kill you!”

 

“You rat-like bastard!”

 

In response to the enthusiastic support from the Gigas for my handsome self, I raised a hand in reply and then put my Kynee back on.

 

Disappearing and leaping again, a burning oak tree soon crashed into the spot where I had been.

 

“He’s vanished again!”

 

“Come out, you bastard! Roar!”

 

They were impatient and simple-minded, with strong regenerative abilities and power, but the reason we hadn’t won yet was likely because of fate.

 

In Greek mythology, if something strange happened, it was mostly due to fate. I should tell Zeus after the battle.

 

And these creatures didn’t die easily, unlike when we fought in the Underworld.

 

I thought about using my power to sweep them away in large numbers, but since this wasn’t the Underworld, the expected power wouldn’t come forth.

 

“Ugh!”

 

In the end, I had to cut them down one by one.

 

Leaving behind the bleeding Gigas, I set my next target.

 

Turning around, I pierced through its chest.

 

For a long time, I swung my sword frantically. The Gigas wielded burning oak trees or threw huge rocks, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t avoid.

 

I slashed snake legs, pierced arms holding rocks, and dodged Gigas who aimed at my position and attacked.

 

Just as it was getting boring, another change occurred in the stagnant battlefield.

 

“What the…? The ground is shaking!”

 

“Is Mother Gaia angry?”

 

Rumble… Crack.

 

The small crack that started on the outskirts of the battlefield gradually grew larger.

 

The Gigas, absorbed in the heat of battle, finally noticed something was wrong.

 

From slight tremors that moved rocks on their own.

 

From grass shaking to giant oak trees being uprooted.

 

The ground began to shake more and more, and now it was uprooting everything on its surface as if going berserk.

 

“Haha! I am here, Zeus!”

 

“Poseidon! You’ve come at the perfect time!”

 

Such an earthquake could only be caused by Poseidon’s Trident.

 

The god of the sea had driven away the Gigas who invaded his realm and came to aid Olympus.

 

Poseidon’s hearty laughter echoed across Mount Olympus as he slammed his Trident into the ground, and the Gigas began to panic.

 

“Ahhhh!”

 

“My body is sinking into the ground! We must retreat for now!”

 

“Damn it, Zeus. We’ll see you again!”

 

The numerous Gigas who showed remarkable regeneration and combat endurance on the ground temporarily retreated as the massive earthquake made it difficult to fight.

 

* * *

 

After the fierce battle with the Gigas ended, I approached Zeus, who was wiping the sweat from his forehead and catching his breath.

 

I wanted to know what Mother Gaia created to drive us out and if there was anything he knew about this situation.

 

I asked the question alongside Poseidon, standing before Zeus.

 

“In fact, there was a prophecy, elder brother.”

 

A prophecy… from the Fates?

 

The three Fates, the daughters of the goddess of the night, Nyx.

 

Clotho, who governs the past, Lachesis, who governs the present, and Atropos, who creates the future.

 

The fate decided by these three goddesses, who appeared as old women, was absolute, and no god could defy them.

 

Clotho spun the thread of fate, Lachesis measured the length of life and wove the thread, and Atropos cut the thread to end life.

 

“There was a prophecy that unless we gods borrowed the power of a great human hero, we would not win the war.”

 

“Humans…? Did such a race exist?”

 

“If there are no humans, we can create them. We’ll have Prometheus, who has surrendered to us, create humans in our image.”

 

“No wonder the ones who came to the sea were so confident; it might have been because of the prophecy…”

 

“And those Gigas were born from the blood that flowed when Uranus’s genitals were cut off by Cronus.”

 

“They aren’t immortal, but they wield divine power. We must be wary of them.”

 

“Hmph… Still, they can’t surpass us Olympian gods.”

 

We all decided to sit in the divine palace of Olympus to discuss detailed countermeasures.

 

There were suggestions to visit the three Fates to slightly alter the prophecy or to persuade Grandmother Gaia.

 

“First, let’s create this thing called ‘human’ and then think about it.”

 

“Also consider creating other life forms…”

 

“There are too few gods. At this rate, we will only face defeat.”

 

“We don’t know when they’ll invade next, but they’ll surely come in numbers incomparable to now.”

 

Was this around the time Zeus, who still seemed rational, began turning into a crazed rapist?

 

The prophecy of the human hero and the need for more divine reinforcements because of the ongoing war… Still, please avoid incestuous rapes.

 

As the meeting dragged on, I chatted with the other gods and was about to leave for the Underworld when someone stopped me.

 

“Hades, just a moment over here.”

 

Turning my head at the small hand tugging at my clothes, I saw a small goddess.

 

Hestia, the goddess of hearth and home, with her short auburn hair, stood there.

 

She stirred the firewood in the hearth with a poker while watching me.

 

What was she, who didn’t express much opinion in the gods’ meeting, up to?

 

I looked around and then cautiously sat beside her.

 

“Could we possibly create a hearth in the Underworld?”

 

A hearth in the Underworld, such an odd combination.

 

Personal likes or dislikes aside, this was an act of encroaching on another god’s domain.

 

The Hestia I observed was neither thoughtless nor rude.

 

Why was she thinking of placing her symbol of home protection in the Underworld?

 

As I looked at her in puzzlement, she shyly spoke.

 

“It’s just… You mentioned creating other life forms besides us gods, right?”

 

That’s true. They said a human hero was needed to win the war.

 

To maintain the survival of humans, many other life forms would be created too.

 

“Zeus hates having his authority challenged, so the newly created beings wouldn’t be immortal, right?”

 

Of course. Zeus, who claims to rule the sky and leads us gods, wouldn’t want his authority threatened.

 

I might not care much about power, but Poseidon seemed to have a lot of complaints.

 

The new beings would likely be created as mortals without immortality, unable to challenge Zeus’s authority.

 

That’s how it was originally in mythology, and this place wouldn’t be much different.

 

“Then your subjects will increase, and I want to offer some comfort to the poor souls trembling in fear in the Underworld.”

 

We do not experience death.

 

Greek gods are not perfect absolutes, but at least they are eternal.

 

However, she was a kind and gentle goddess. She leaned more towards reward than punishment, compassion than neglect.

 

Hestia, who showed sympathy for the trees swept away by Poseidon’s earthquake, seemed to have pondered over the concept of death for living beings.

 

“Can’t we do something, at least for the entrance? Though the River Lethe erases all memories, the fear of the Underworld would still be imprinted on the souls.”

 

Seeing my hesitation, the kind goddess clasped her hands and earnestly requested.

 

Well, if it’s just the entrance outside the fortress of the Underworld, it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

When I slowly nodded, her face lit up with a blush, and she smiled brightly.

 

“Thank you for granting my request. I’ll personally visit the Underworld next time to set up the hearth.”

 

The Underworld might not be as gloomy as I thought.