The Story of Typhon - (1)

Morpheus said that while he was on the surface, delivering dreams to the living, he saw an ibis lying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the blood-covered ibis was transforming into the god Hermes.

"Morpheus... I must see Lord Hades immediately..." "What is this...?! Hermes?"

Morpheus hurriedly brought him to the underworld, and Hermes is now being treated...

"Something urgent must have happened in Olympus!"

Hermes is the messenger of the gods and the herald of Zeus. He is the son of Maia, daughter of Atlas, and Zeus, making him one of the twelve Olympian gods.

Like all heralds, Hermes is incredibly fast. While Iris, who travels by rainbow, can cover long distances like between the underworld and Olympus swiftly, few gods can match Hermes in pure speed.

Yet, the god who boasts such speed was found at the entrance of the underworld, covered in blood? Moreover, being one of the twelve Olympians, few would dare harm him.

I steadied my confused thoughts and entered the room where Hermes lay.

"Lord Hades..." "...What happened to you, Hermes?"

The young god, who always brought life to Olympus with his lively smile and witty actions, was in a pitiful state. His face, which resembled that of a handsome rascal, was covered in blood, and there wasn't a single intact part of his body.

Servants diligently changed his bandages, and lower gods infused him with divine power to bolster his strength, yet blood continued to flow. With one eye not covered by bandages, Hermes glanced at me, tears welling up.

"A monster... there was a monster..." "Tell me in detail. Does Zeus know about this?"

A mere human, or even a lower god or nymph, wouldn't be able to utter a single word in such a condition. It was only because Hermes was one of the twelve Olympians, allowed to sit on the golden throne, that he could speak.

"...At a typical banquet in Olympus... a monster calling itself Typhon... struck Zeus with a single blow..."

Piecing together his stammered words, it went like this:

During a usual banquet held by the gods of Olympus, a giant hand suddenly struck the banquet hall... Zeus, caught off guard, was severely injured and threw lightning bolts, but the monster only flinched slightly.

The monster, introducing itself as Typhon, had a human upper body and a snake lower body, like a Gigante. Its eyes emitted a heat comparable to Hephaestus's fire, and its body was surrounded by a raging storm.

Other gods were quickly defeated or fled, and Zeus, the last to remain, resisted with his Scythe but ultimately...

"He had to use the Scythe?" "Yes... Poseidon's Trident and my father's Astrape couldn't even scratch it..."

The Scythe. The adamantine sickle used by Cronus to castrate Uranus, made by Gaia herself. The fact that such a weapon was needed to even scratch its skin...

But Typhon... Typhon, that name rang a bell. I knew it from somewhere in my faint memories of a past life...

"Father... Zeus was captured by its hand... He told me to go to the underworld and seek help..." "Keep talking." "The monster laughed and crushed my leg... Please, help Olympus, uncle!"

Hermes, known for his speed, tried to escape quickly but was caught in the monster's storm surrounding Olympus. Typhon, who allowed other gods to flee, laughed as he crushed Hermes's leg.

With that single attack, Hermes's legs were grotesquely twisted. He transformed into a small ibis to escape the monster's sight...

After conveying this, Hermes fainted. He had been forcing himself to stay conscious to relay Olympus's situation to me.

"Hades, are you going to help Olympus?"

The goddess Styx looked at me with a worried face. Unlike the Gigantes invasion of the underworld, this time, the battle would be in Olympus.

In the sea, Poseidon and I are invincible. So, what about Zeus in the sky?

"There is a monster capable of defeating Olympus alone. This is truly dangerous..."

The answer lies in the absolute 'god' who rules the world. In the sky, even if all twelve Olympians, except me, gathered, they couldn't defeat Zeus.

Yet, the king of gods and the chief deity of Olympus fought in his domain, the sky, wielding the most powerful weapon, the Scythe, and still lost. If I don't realize the strength of this Typhon after hearing this, I'd be the god of dullness.

"Once we rescue Zeus, we'll have a chance to win." "But still..." "Even if it gets dangerous, I can escape, so don't worry too much."

Since Zeus is an immortal god, the monster must have restrained him somewhere.

My task is clear. Rescue Zeus and fight the monster named Typhon.

Though Astrape couldn't inflict any damage, distracting the monster until Zeus can strike with the Scythe should be possible.

"But... you should take the army of the underworld..." "It would be meaningless sacrifice."

If Hermes was caught in Typhon's storm, sheer numbers won't help. Even if I bring the army of the underworld, Typhon won't even notice them.

I turned away from the tearful goddess Styx and left.

I returned to the fortress of the underworld. Specifically, I went to the audience chamber where my throne was and took a seat.

Why do such troublesome events keep happening? I'm always busy with work, and whenever the underworld seems a bit peaceful, problems arise elsewhere.

I sighed and reached for the side of the throne. My fingers grasped an old-looking, ordinary helmet.

Kynee. No living being has ever detected me while wearing Kynee, but will it work against that monster? I have no choice but to trust the helmet made by Arges, one of the three Cyclopes.

Clutching Kynee tightly, I armed myself. I belted the Styx sword at my waist, and the black armor forged from the rivers of the underworld encased my body.

As I finished arming myself, Thanatos entered the audience chamber, his black wings fluttering. He spoke in a solemn tone.

"Hades, I heard Olympus is in danger." "Thanatos." "That monster Typhon is immortal. My powers don't work on it, just like us gods."

Had Thanatos seen Typhon? He roams the mortal world day and night, so he might have.

"I only observed the gigantic creature from a distance. When I tried to use my powers to extract its soul, it turned its head towards me. Luckily, it was focused on something else and didn't pursue me..."

If Typhon has immortality, it likely means he's of divine blood. Maybe a Titan's bloodline... or Gaia sent him, given his Gigantes-like form.

Was he sent to finish us off after we repelled the first Gigantes attack?

"Tsk. You're set on going. Be careful." I passed Thanatos and exited the fortress. For the first time in a while, I crossed the rivers of the underworld fully armed and set foot on the mortal world.

Thud.

Instead of the dull air of the underworld, I was greeted by the clear, fresh atmosphere of the surface. The touch of Demeter's blessed earth was pleasant, but I wasn't here to admire the mortal world.

The current time of the world was night. With my transcendent divine vision, I saw the moon goddess Selene riding her silver chariot across the sky. The black and white horses pulling the moon were busy galloping.

Normally, they wouldn't fly so high, as if fearing something on the ground, without trembling. It must be because of Typhon. I donned Kynee and headed towards Mount Olympus.

The towering Mount Olympus was... half-destroyed. The divine palace in the clouds atop the mountain was in ruins, trampled by some giant being.

I sensed no gods' presence, but I saw a monster resembling a Gigante. The giant creature, large enough to cover Mount Olympus, emitted a fierce gale from its body.

Whooosh...

Its shoulders touched the sky, and its head brushed the stars as it roared. Whenever it raged, the snakes on its hair spewed lightning and venom.

Boom! Crack...

As it struck Mount Olympus with its fist, a prominent peak crumbled.

"Raaagh! Moirai! How dare you deceive me?!"

The Moirai are the three goddesses of fate, but what did they do?

"Lord Typhon! What did they do?" "Delphyne! Those old Moirai tricked me on a minor mountain!"

A monster with a human upper body and a dragon lower body spoke to Typhon. Probably one of his monstrous underlings.

"They gave me a fruit, claiming it would grant me great power, but it's weakening me!" "Did they really...?"

The Moirai of Mount Nysa helped us. But if this is Typhon weakened, there's no way to win a direct fight, so I must find Zeus first.

"Still, it doesn't matter! The only threat to me is Zeus, who's already trapped in a cave!"

He must be newly born to foolishly reveal such information, thinking no one else is around. No seasoned gods or Titans would do that.

It strengthens my suspicion that Typhon is a monster recently created by grandmother Gaia.

Doesn't he know about Kynee? Or does he think I won't help Olympus?

As I was about to search for the cave where Zeus was imprisoned, I saw a strange creature.

A being with the upper body of a goat and the lower body of a fish was trembling in fear, hiding in the bushes. I sighed as I passed the creature, certain it was a transformed god.