The Story of Poseidon - (1)

The Underworld, thought to be extremely busy today, turned out to be quite calm in Hades' office.

This was due to the establishment of human nations and the stabilization of the living world, resulting in fewer deaths. Although many still died due to various monsters, accidents, and wild animals, this was manageable.

However, I still had one concern...

"You still haven't located the Gigantes?" "No, we haven't been able to find any trace of the monsters you mentioned."

The Gigantes were the subjects of a prophecy stating they could only be defeated with the help of a human hero. I had hoped to locate and eliminate or reduce their numbers in advance.

'Is Gaia providing them with a hiding place until their power grows strong enough?'

Neither Zeus on Olympus nor a thorough search of the Underworld revealed their location. Fortunately, it seemed unlikely that the Gigantes would challenge the gods anytime soon.

It would take considerable time for them to amass strength with Gaia's aid. Knowing the gods' power that defeated Typhon, Gaia would only send them when victory was assured.

'Until then, a human hero must emerge... Cadmus seems likely, but he's busy searching for his sister...'

As I pondered, a soul soldier entered and informed me of a visitor. Someone who looked like a half-fish, half-god at the entrance of the Underworld claimed to be Poseidon's messenger.

I realized that Poseidon must be calling in the favor he mentioned at the last underwater banquet.

I instructed the soul soldier to bring the guest, then unfurled a parchment to examine potential hiding places for the Gigantes in the living world.

No matter where they hide, once I find them, they'll become subjects of the Underworld.

As I entertained these grim thoughts while looking at the parchment, Poseidon's messenger arrived. He bowed deeply as soon as the door opened.

"Lord of the Underworld! Pleased to meet you. I am Triton, Poseidon's only legitimate son!" "Yes, I am Hades."

Triton, the self-introduced god, had a body covered in scales, gills, and a tail resembling a dolphin's. He looked like a human-shaped monster, but his underwater origin explained his appearance.

And legitimate son... that meant he was the child of Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite.

"Has Poseidon's banquet been prepared? Then lead the way." "Yes! I will escort you to my father's palace!"

Efficient. Poseidon must like him.

We arrived at a beach on the surface.

At Poseidon's and Amphitrite's wedding, a massive whale under Poseidon's command carried me to the golden palace beneath the sea.

I wondered if we'd call the whale again, but instead, Triton took out a conch shell from his waist and blew it.

A grand sound echoed from the black-and-white conch shell, and soon, two enormous seahorses emerged from the water.

"These are my seahorses. With my father's blessing, they can move swiftly underwater." "A divine beast, huh? Blessed by Poseidon."

The seahorses were equipped with saddles and reins, seemingly designed for riders. Feeling the touch of seawater on my legs for the first time in a while, I mounted one of the seahorses.

"Let's head to the palace! Go!"

With Triton's command, the seahorses dove underwater.

As they did, a bubble of air formed around me, pushing the surrounding water away. Poseidon's power ensured I stayed dry and could breathe underwater.

At the wedding, I used my power to repel the water, but now there's no need for that.

As we descended into the blue world, countless fish swam around us. Mackerels, playful dolphins, sea turtles...

Further down, dense seaweed grew on the ocean floor, with small fish darting among them. A merman, appearing to be Poseidon's subordinate, collected seaweed.

The seahorse carrying me descended deeper. It felt as if the water naturally parted to guide us somewhere.

As we reached the darker depths where sunlight barely penetrated, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness. But to a god's sight, everything was visible.

The scenery of what humans call the deep sea was quite admirable. They feared the sea, constantly offering sacrifices to Poseidon.

Intelligent-looking, clear jellyfish played with their tentacles, and more of Poseidon's merman subordinates appeared.

"Look at this, haha!" "This turtle is cute. Should we take it and raise it?" "Oh? But over there...!"

A few beautiful sea nymphs, Nereids, laughed at a sea turtle before spotting us and hastily bowed their heads, recognizing Poseidon's blessing and my presence.

Triton smirked, waving with his free hand, and the nymphs blushed and moved away. Is that what counts as handsome underwater? Hard to grasp with an Underworld perspective...

We descended even further. Deeper than what humans call the deep sea.

At this depth, even a demigod from the surface would struggle to survive. But Poseidon's offspring wouldn't have any problems.

A shark-like merman approached me. His lower body was covered, but he had webbed feet, a dorsal fin, and sharp teeth.

His harpoon looked sharp enough to pierce any enemy in the deep sea. Judging by his power, he seemed to be the captain of the palace guard.

"Greetings, Lord of the Underworld. I am Andrianos, honored to receive Poseidon's grace."

I nodded and raised a hand. He bowed to Triton as well.

"Lord Triton." "Yes, is everything ready for the banquet?" "Yes, everything is perfect."

After a brief exchange, the seahorses resumed their journey. It felt like we were being gently pulled by the underwater currents towards the bottom.

After some travel, Poseidon's palace finally came into view.

The golden palace beneath the sea shone brightly. Despite being in the deep sea where sunlight couldn't reach, the place was brightly lit.

The grand structures and white pillars of the palace were surrounded by colorful corals, and a translucent barrier covered the entire palace. The barrier seemed similar to Poseidon's blessing on the seahorses.

"Hades! Welcome to my palace!"

At the grand entrance of the palace, Poseidon, the sea god with blue hair, stood with arms wide open.

Poseidon's banquet rivaled those of Olympus.

The food, mostly seaweed dishes, suited the underwater setting. Mermen played conch shells, creating a sweet melody.

I greeted and familiarized myself with the new gods and lower gods under Poseidon's domain. Many new gods had been born in the sea. Triton was... playing with the sharks.

Enjoying seaweed dishes and ambrosia while watching underwater clowns wasn't bad. A talking octopus juggling several shells in the air was quite the spectacle...

What's that sound? A distant, angry woman's voice echoed from somewhere deep in the sea. This divine power causing the turbulent current and fierce waves...

"Hmm... Looks like Amphitrite is at it again." "Is there a problem with your wife?" "Uh, yes. She tends to react this way when she finds out I've spent the night elsewhere."

Poseidon said with a bitter smile.

So, she discovered your infidelity and got angry? What's the difference between you and Zeus, really...

Hera and Amphitrite seem to have a hard time. No wonder the sea's matron didn't show up at the banquet.

Poseidon, holding a blue goblet filled with nectar, stroked his beard and spoke.

"Sigh... I wonder how I'll calm her this time. But at least there's no worry of changing the matron of the sea..." "The worry isn't about changing the matron, it's about you cheating and making her angry."

Seems like he's just as bad as Zeus. I wonder which one of them will hold the title of the god of infidelity?

I sighed and drank the nectar.

Nectar really changes flavor depending on where you drink it. How can it taste so refreshing here?

It's like drinking soda from my previous life...

While continuing to enjoy the banquet isn't bad, it's time to get to the main topic. I put down the blue goblet and made eye contact with Poseidon.

"Well, as I already suspect, tell me why you invited me." "You know what it is, don't you? Your guess is correct, Hades."

He grinned with an ambitious smile.

"Of course, it's about joining forces to overthrow Zeus."

I knew it.