King of Underworld

Chapter 71 Persephone’s Story – (6)

Thanks to Iris arriving in the Underworld at just the right moment, the situation was brought under control.

Everyone seemed willing to let it go, for now…

“Iris, did Olympus summon me?”

“Yes, Lord Zeus has ordered me to escort you to Olympus.”

Chiron’s death… it was undoubtedly Gaia’s strike, as foretold by Prometheus’s prophecy.

Only the wise centaur could train heroes to prepare against the Gigantes.

It’s not possible for an Olympian god to directly raise heroes in the mortal world,

and if we were to find a suitable candidate among mortals, their abilities would be questionable.

“The prophecy said to connect the Underworld with the mortal realm, so I’ll need to discuss the specifics with Zeus. Understood.”

This isn’t just an issue for the Underworld, so I can’t make a decision on my own.

I’ll head up to Olympus to hear what Demeter has to say about the Gigantes’ base, and also address the matter of her daughter, Persephone.

“Take care, Uncle Hades!”

“Take… care?! This isn’t your home…”

“What does it matter? I’m going to live here now anyway. Hehe!”

“Sigh… I’ve never seen anyone adapt to the Underworld so quickly…”

* * *

Ignoring the strange noises behind me, I followed Iris to Olympus.

All the gods seemed to have gathered in the heart of the Divine Palace of Olympus, as their presence was concentrated there.

Zeus had summoned all the gods.

As I passed through the enormous golden gates and walked across the clouds, I saw many gods murmuring among themselves.

Zeus, holding a lightning bolt, sat on his golden throne with his eyes closed, while Poseidon conversed with Hera.

The immortals of Olympus were discussing the Gigantes and the prophecy.

“Did the wise Chiron really die due to the Gigantes’ torture?”

“Then what happens to the hero training? It’ll be hard to find another educator like him…”

“The prophecy mentioned connecting the mortal realm and the Underworld… Maybe Lord Hades could make an exception for Chiron…”

“But how can the dead be revived, no matter the prophecy…? Hmm, this is not for me to decide.”

“They almost succeeded in releasing Typhon’s body…”

“If that monstrous being had fallen back into Gaia’s hands…”

“Sigh… If this was the blow mentioned in the prophecy, it’s a painful loss indeed.”

Hmm. The meeting hasn’t even started yet, but the mood is already bad.

Step. Step.

“Ah… Lord Hades.”

“You’ve arrived, Uncle.”

As I pushed through the crowd—or rather, the gathering of gods—toward a suitable spot, the gods noticed me and made way.

Sensing my presence, Zeus opened his eyes and cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Ahem. Now that Hades has arrived, we shall begin the meeting. Hermes!”

“Yes, sir!”

Hermes brought forth a large parchment and unfurled it in the air.

A map of the entire world appeared before us, with red dots marking the locations that had been attacked by the Gigantes.

“Not long ago, there was a massive invasion by the Gigantes. As you can see on the map, Corinth, Athens, Chiron’s residence, and Mount Etna were their targets.”

Following Zeus’s words, the red dots glowed.

With so many simultaneous attacks, it’s no wonder Hermes was the only one who descended during the attack on Mount Etna.

If I hadn’t been there at the time… Hmm.

“Mount Etna was handled by my brother Hades, Athena took care of Athens, and Apollo descended to Corinth… But there was one place we missed.”

Zeus’s voice lowered, and lightning sparked from his body, reflecting his emotions.

A subtle yet powerful aura spread with it.

“As all of you know, the wise centaur Chiron was attacked, tortured, and ultimately relinquished his immortality.”

Crackle—

Zeus’s eyes were enveloped in blue lightning, and electricity began to gather in the clouds.

The god of the sky’s wrath surged forth, enveloping Olympus in a majestic aura.

Sweat dripped from the foreheads of the lower deities, and even those permitted to sit on golden thrones seemed uncertain.

“Ugh…”

“Hmm…”

The king of the gods was deeply enraged by the death of Chiron, whom he had always favored.

It was Poseidon who managed to calm him down.

“Zeus, Chiron’s loss is truly tragic, but try to calm yourself.”

“…My apologies, everyone.”

“Ahem! For now, let’s set that aside and focus on the fact that we’ve discovered their base using the Omphalos stone. Demeter!”

“The Gigantes are in the fields of Phlegra in the region of Thrace. The power of the earth was emanating from there, confirming it.”

“Apollo and Athena are currently monitoring those fields. They won’t be able to strike us again.”

The discussion on the Gigantes continued for some time.

Methods to completely obliterate their base were proposed, including Poseidon submerging it in water…

There was even talk of splitting the land into an island, but all such plans were dismissed due to the potential for a full-scale war.

The conversation circled back to…

“In any case, to defeat the Gigantes, we need heroes… Hades, what do you think about resurrecting Chiron?”

The discussion returned to Chiron.

* * *

When Poseidon offered his suggestion, everyone turned their attention to me, awaiting my response.

Reviving Chiron… That would break the laws of the Underworld, which have stood for countless ages.

This isn’t like the case of Sisyphus.

He was sent back because he had been unjustly taken to the Underworld before his time…

But in Chiron’s case, he chose death by giving up his immortality.

“Hmm… If we revive the dead just because they still have tasks to complete in the mortal realm, what meaning would the boundary between life and death hold? And what if Gaia intervenes and kills Chiron again after we resurrect him?”

“But with the plains now under strict surveillance, wouldn’t that be difficult?”

“If a hero driven mad by Gaia’s whispers were to attack him with a curse or poison, he would renounce his immortality again.”

Chiron isn’t a powerful being like us gods.

While his exceptional teaching ability is acknowledged, his physical strength is barely comparable to that of a human hero.

Even if we were to grant him immortality again, one poisoned arrow or curse from a god would be enough…

“That would indeed be a cruel fate for Chiron.”

“Reviving someone who has already died, only for them to potentially die again…”

“We can’t keep gods constantly guarding Chiron either… Hmm.”

“But the reality is that there’s no one else suitable for the task. Could you reconsider, brother?”

Zeus’s solemn words made me pause to think again.

Prometheus’s prophecy clearly stated that connecting the Underworld with the mortal realm would lead to victory.

But the reason the gods are focusing on Chiron rather than discussing that directly is simple.

If Gaia were to concentrate all her power on the Underworld’s connection to the mortal realm… It could open the Tartarus, where countless Titans are imprisoned.

According to Hermes, there were at least several thousand Gigantes visible in the plains.

No matter how powerful I am as one of the Three Gods, I can’t face thousands of minor deities, dozens of the Twelve Olympians, and one of the primordial Protogenoi.

If the Underworld were to fall and Tartarus were to be opened while we’re trying to train heroes, we would be defeated in an instant.

There must be another way.

A way to have Chiron train heroes while avoiding Gaia’s attention…

In that case… what if we do this?

“I will connect the Underworld with the mortal realm and have the dead Chiron train the living heroes.”

“As you might guess, brother, taking Prometheus’s words at face value carries considerable risk…”

“How about creating a small passage in Thebes, my domain, which is beyond Gaia’s reach?”

If the majority of a city’s population worships a single god, that city falls entirely under the god’s domain.

Athens, for example, is the city of Athena.

Within such a transformed city, even the earth mother Gaia cannot convey her influence to the inhabitants.

When King Oedipus went mad, Gaia exercised her influence from the mountains outside Thebes.

“Gaia can’t reach inside Thebes. We could issue an oracle for aspiring heroes to come to Thebes…”

“And after appointing a suitable representative as our proxy, promising heroes could be sent quietly to Hades’s temple to cross over to the Underworld for training?”

“Exactly. If we connect the outskirts of the Underworld to my temple within Thebes and only allow those who show promise to pass through…”

The assembly fell silent, and one by one, the gods began nodding in agreement.

“We could appoint the king of Thebes as our representative to oversee the training of aspiring heroes, and then take the standouts to Lord Hades’s temple.”

“We would need the Omphalos stone to maintain the passage between the Underworld and the mortal realm.”

“And the heroes who cross into the Underworld must swear an oath on the River Styx.”

Normally, when a mortal enters the Underworld, they cannot leave…

But in this exceptional case, if we impose numerous restrictions through an oath on the River Styx, it could be allowed.

We could prohibit them from speaking of it through actions, words, or art, and if they attempt to return to the Underworld, they would be sent to Tartarus.

By restricting their movement to specific areas of the Underworld and preventing them from interacting with souls…

“Alright! Then let’s summarize!

How does this sound as our strategy against the Gigantes?”

Zeus closed his eyes and listened to the assembly’s opinions, then silenced everyone.

Lightning arced from his hand, etching words onto the parchment.

The summary was roughly as follows:

1. An oracle will be issued to the mortals… Calling for those who wish to become heroes to come to Thebes.

2. The king of Thebes will be informed through the oracle, and a training facility will be established to raise heroes.

3. Those who excel in this training facility will quietly move to Hades’s temple and cross over to the Underworld.

4. In the outskirts of the Underworld, the heroes will be trained by the deceased Chiron, and when the time is right, they will return to the mortal realm.

4-1) The heroes and relevant mortals will swear numerous oaths on the River Styx, including a vow of secrecy.

4-2) The Omphalos stone will be temporarily entrusted to Hades to maintain the passage between the Underworld and the mortal realm.

“Would it be alright to leave the finer details to you, brother?”

“Of course. By connecting the Underworld and the mortal realm in this way… we can achieve victory as Prometheus’s prophecy foretold.”

“If you need any assistance, feel free to ask Olympus at any time. Hermes! Iris! You’ll both need to help with this.”

We will not be defeated by the likes of the Gigantes.

We will surely emerge victorious.

* * *

After the meeting ended, I approached Demeter.

I needed to inform her about her daughter, Persephone.

As I neared, the normally expressionless goddess with golden hair stopped in her tracks and looked at me.

“What business do you have with me, Hades?”

“Demeter. Your daughter Persephone is currently in the Underworld.”

“What?! This is more important than dealing with the Gigantes! If you don’t release my daughter immediately…!”

No… The moment her daughter is mentioned, she loses her composure.

This is why I came personally instead of sending a messenger…

I need to quickly get to the point and clear up any misunderstandings.

“This isn’t something I can control. She was struck by Eros’s golden arrow, saw my face, and even ate food in the Underworld…”

“W-What?! H-Ha—des!!!”

It’s not the kidnapping you think it is, so please calm down…