The Tale of Otus and Ephialtes

Chapter 2

The Giants' Ascent to Olympus

Boom! Boom!

The noise from the outskirts of Olympus grew louder. It wasn't just an earthly disturbance if it was audible in the palace of the gods on the clouds.

Could it be Hephaestus hammering at full force? The other gods were also beginning to feel uneasy.

"Is someone approaching Olympus?"

"But this sound..."

"Look over there!"

A lower deity pointed towards the ground.

Two enormous giants were constructing a path to Olympus by piling up mountains and filling the sea with rocks. Each time they threw huge boulders or heaps of earth, it caused the booming noise.

"Who dares approach Olympus?"

"Those giants don't seem like gods. Surely, Zeus will handle them."

"There's no need for Zeus to intervene. I'll handle it..."

"Wait, there's a prophecy!"

As the gods discussed dealing with the audacious giants, someone mentioned a prophecy.

Hermes, flapping the wings on his sandals, flew in urgently.

"No god or human can kill those two brothers, according to the prophecy!"

"What?!"

"Do we just watch them then?"

"Who are they?"

Can't be killed, huh... We should hear what they have to say, though I doubt they come with good intentions. There's something familiar about their power.

"There's never a dull moment on Olympus..."

"Compared to all the events here, the quiet underworld doesn’t seem so bad~"

Hestia and Aphrodite spoke in turn. Aphrodite only gave me a coy smile, seemingly uninterested in the commotion.

By now, the source of the noise had appeared on Olympus.

Two enormous giants. Their faces looked like teenagers, but their bodies were colossal, as if dozens of humans had been combined into one monstrous form.

"Oh, so this is Olympus? Where is Hera, my future wife?"

"Artemis! Your husband is here!"

Are these lunatics?

* * *

"Hey, you're pretty. Are you Hera?"

"Hmm... I’m not Hera, and you’re not my type."

One of the giants pointed at Aphrodite, who responded smoothly.

"Then where is Artemis? Her husband is here."

"Maybe if we break a few things, she'll show up."

These idiots.

As if sharing my thoughts, someone took immediate action.

"You madmen! Do you think Olympus is your playground?"

"Huh? What’s this kid saying?"

"Who are you?"

Wielding a sword, the god of war faced the giants.

"I am Ares! I can't kill you, but I can beat you until you're close to death!"

"What will you do with that toothpick?"

"Shut up! I'll show you the horrors of war!"

Ares charged, but the giants appeared strong. They might be at the upper echelons of the Olympian gods.

Thunk—clang!

"Argh!"

Ares's sword shattered, and he was flung away. War inevitably involves death, but with the prophecy preventing the giants from being killed by gods or humans, Ares's defeat was expected.

"Ow. That stung a bit."

"Still just a toothpick."

They indeed possessed immense power. Unkillable by gods or humans and strong enough to rival the upper echelons of the Olympian gods.

"Whose lineage do you belong to? What are your names?"

At my question, their gaze turned to me.

"I am Otus, the future husband of Artemis!"

"I am Ephialtes. We come from Thessaly!"

Thessaly? Such powerful giants coming from a human kingdom...

"Thessaly...?"

"What are they?"

"Claiming Hera as a wife? This is..."

The gods murmured among themselves. Perhaps they feared these giants might succeed in taking Hera and Artemis.

"Let me go, you scoundrels!"

"You're too noisy. Stay there."

"....? You think you can imprison me?"

Otus and Ephialtes restrained Ares and threw him into a giant bronze jar, further unsettling the gods.

"Why is Olympus always like this... Hades, did you cast some curse?"

"What nonsense are you talking about..."

Demeter expressed her disdain for the underworld with a bored look. She seemed to be joking, but it was true that Olympus had been rife with incidents lately.

"There are always loopholes in prophecies... Hades, this should be easy for you, right?"

Aphrodite approached, flirting. Annoying, but a valuable worker for the underworld, so I'll endure.

Despite the commotion, the Olympian gods remained mostly calm. Even Ares, just before being trapped in the bronze jar, glanced at me as if expecting something. He'd probably break out soon enough.

Imprisoning the god of war in a bronze jar was a display of their inflated egos.

Their power was top-tier by Olympian standards, but they still bore the marks of Ares's sword. Inexperienced in combat, they were boastful about their invulnerability but overlooked the prophecy's ambiguity about subduing them.

Meanwhile, this assembly of gods included seasoned veterans of wars against Titans, Gigantes, and Typhon. Even Zeus and I were present.

"Hahaha! Bring Hera and Artemis here!"

"Or face the same fate as that one!"

Their loud voices were grating. I'll personally handle this and put them in a cell where they can't grow any stronger.

* * *

Otus harbored ambitions. He desired to ascend Olympus, defeat all the gods, and claim the beautiful goddess of the hunt as his wife.

"Otus, then I'll take Hera as my wife!"

"With our combined strength, the gods are nothing!"

With the support of his equally powerful twin brother, Ephialtes, it seemed feasible. They piled Mount Ossa on Mount Pelion, creating a path to Olympus, and eventually set foot on the clouds.

"Let me go, you scoundrels!"

"You're too noisy. Stay there."

Otus imprisoned the audacious god who had attacked him, anticipating the beauty of Artemis.

"Hahaha! Bring Hera and Artemis here!"

At that moment, a god who had questioned them earlier stood up. A gloomy-looking deity sighed deeply.

"The ruler of the underworld personally stepping in... Are they headed for Tartarus?"

"Causing a ruckus in Olympus..."

"Hey, giants, you should start apologizing now."

As he stood, the gods regained their composure. Who was he?

Ephialtes, curious, asked his identity.

"Who are you?"

The dark-haired god rose with a look of irritation and waved his hand. A bident, a two-pronged spear, appeared.

Did he intend to face us with a mere toothpick? Otus laughed and raised his massive fist.

The dark-haired god stood there, showing no response.

"Hmph. Whoever you are, you won't survive my punch."

Otus's iron-like fist swung through the air with a terrifying sound.

Whoosh!

The sound echoed, but his fist struck nothing. Pain shot through his wrist.

"Aaagh!"

"Otus!"

How did he avoid my punch? I didn't see anything, but how did he pierce my wrist?

With the same expression of boredom, the dark aura from the god spread, dimming the surroundings despite the bright daylight of Olympus.

Otus, usually confident in his strength, felt fear for the first time. This was nothing like facing Ares earlier. Could he be Zeus?

"You seem to have divine lineage... doesn't your father care about his offspring?"

"No! Otus... aah!"

Ephialtes, rushing over, was quickly impaled in the ankle by the bident and collapsed.

"First, you're going to the cell."

The sharp prongs of the bident approached Otus's eye. Too fast to react. His body wouldn’t move.

"Wait! Hold on, brother!"

"Zeus?"

A voice called out, and the bident stopped just before his eye.

"Ahem. These are honored guests to Olympus. We must treat them well."

The stern-looking god with golden hair who stopped the bident spoke. Zeus and Hades, so this must be one of the three supreme gods?

Zeus's slight smile at the giants' demand unnerved Otus.

"So, you came to take Hera and Artemis?"

But for some reason, Otus found that smile terrifying.