The King of the Underworld is Tired

As I watched Poseidon's retreating figure, Zeus approached me.

He gestured for me to sit down beside him, so I took the seat next to him.

A translucent barrier, created by Zeus' divine power, surrounded us, blocking any sound from escaping.

"Poseidon must be going through a lot," he said.

"Because of his children?"

"Yes. I think his way of showing affection is somewhat misguided… but it's not my place to interfere. After all, I don’t think I’ve done much better in raising mine."

He was referring to Tantalus, who had recently tried to deceive the gods.

If that fool had gained divinity, wouldn’t he have surpassed Dionysus as the true god of madness?

"I think you've done well enough with your children. Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus… they're quite remarkable."

"When Poseidon called Ares a brute earlier, do you know what crossed my mind?"

"…?"

"I couldn't deny it. Ares' temperament is indeed violent. I even wondered if I had failed to set the right example…"

Zeus' voice, uncharacteristically soft, was accompanied by a somber look in his eyes. The usually confident and imposing king of the gods was revealing a darker side of himself.

I gazed at him seriously for a moment.

No one could hear our conversation, thanks to the divine barrier. It seemed he felt a certain burden that made him confide in me.

"Because of that prophecy, I've spent a lot of time wandering the mortal realm, creating heroes, and I feel guilty toward Hera. There’s Callisto, now a constellation… and Io, who suffered in the form of a cow…"

While Zeus' desire for beautiful women couldn’t be entirely denied, in the grand scheme of things, his actions had benefited the gods.

Sometimes, great heroes like Perseus, born from Zeus' bloodline, would arise.

I knew that wooing mortal women one by one to father children would take too long, and that was why he often resorted to forceful means.

Though it could never be justified, Zeus was, in his own way, trying to fulfill the prophecy and create a hero.

"Just stop doing things you know Hera will hate. There are more than a few victims of your actions down in the underworld because of you."

"Haha… Once we take care of the Gigantes and receive Gaia’s acknowledgment of our rule, I’ll think about it."

With a bittersweet smile, the blond god stroked his beard.

As our conversation dragged on, the other gods started casting curious glances our way, but then quickly turned their heads, pretending not to notice.

I took a moment to observe each of them.

Apollo, Zeus' proud son, who oversees the sun and many other domains, appeared to be content enough with the verdict, though he seemed uneasy. Ares had a similar air of mixed feelings.

Hestia, who had been conversing with Hebe, the goddess of youth, smiled at me when our eyes met.

I could understand why Zeus felt the weight of governing all these gods.

The Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus, plotting revenge, Gaia had yet to acknowledge our rule, the Gigantes were still enemies of the gods, and the prophesied hero had yet to appear.

"Zeus, you just need to stay in that seat."

"Hm?"

"…You’ve done well enough so far. Just like always, remain confident and proud in front of your children and descendants. That role suits you."

"Ha. Ha… Are you comforting me, brother?" he asked, brightening as he looked at me.

His face now looked more fitting for a king. The king of the gods couldn’t afford to look so gloomy, after all.

Truthfully, I also had many imperfections, as I had once confided to Mente…

"If you need anything urgent, contact me in the underworld. But don’t summon Thanatos just because some human annoyed you."

"What are you talking about? I won’t trouble you, brother. Take care, until we meet again."

Flash—Boom!

The barrier of divine power around us vanished as Zeus rose to his feet, chest puffed out, and flew into the sky.

The last look I saw on his face was much brighter than before.

* * *

After the trial, as Poseidon was returning to the sea with many gods, including his wife Amphitrite, he suddenly stopped walking.

Some of the lesser sea gods following him looked at their lord in confusion.

Poseidon slowly turned his head to the right and spoke toward the empty space.

"You may come out now, Gaia."

Gaia? The name of the primordial goddess who was currently an enemy of the Olympian gods.

The gods around him were shocked by the words that came from his mouth, but it was too early to be surprised.

Because a captivating female voice echoed from the empty space.

"As expected of Poseidon. Truly the lord who rules over Oceanus' domain."

"...I could sense the power of the earth that didn't belong to Demeter for some time now. Enough with the pleasantries. Why have you come to see me?"

Poseidon, who had already summoned his trident, the Trident of Poseidon, glared at the empty space, standing on guard.

But there was no tension in the beautiful voice that echoed back.

"Of course, I've come to persuade you. I also heard about the quarrel between your son and the son of Zeus."

Gaia is the earth itself, a primordial deity who has priority over Demeter when it comes to ruling the land.

It is difficult for anything that happens on the earth to escape Gaia's notice.

"I saw it when Zeus’ son killed your son. Was it Ares? The sword of Zeus' son severed your son's neck cleanly. Then, his cold corpse scattered across me, and his blood flowed, chillingly cold. Does it not enrage you?"

"...Are you trying to sow discord between me and Zeus?"

Poseidon's expression became even more grim.

As the mood of the sea god grew more uncomfortable, the air began to tremble, carrying the salty scent of the sea breeze.

Nevertheless, Gaia continued in her gentle tone.

"Sow discord? How could this be sowing discord? Your son was unjustly killed. And wasn't the rule of the sky, sea, and underworld divided by lots between you three brothers?"

"......"

"I intend to overthrow Zeus and the Olympian gods. If you help me..."

Amphitrite quietly grasped Poseidon's hand with a worried expression.

The lesser sea gods now held their breath, frozen in place.

If one of the three great gods were to side with Gaia, would Olympus have any chance of survival?

They waited in breathless silence... for the sea god's decision.

"I could even offer you the throne of the king of the gods. And of course, the dominion over the sky as well."

Poseidon closed his eyes.

Memories of the past flooded him—the moment when they defeated the Titans and divided the world.

Hades had been indifferent, but Poseidon had always desired control of the sky.

That was why he had once led a rebellion, which often left him at odds with Zeus.

The throne of the king of the gods and dominion over the sky were certainly tempting. But...

"Kuh... Hahahahaha! You have underestimated me, Gaia."

"...?"

"Do you think... you could persuade me to join you with such absurd talk of power?"

A booming laugh erupted from Poseidon's throat.

Long ago, when Poseidon rebelled alongside Apollo and Hera...

Even if they had succeeded, he had no intention of imprisoning or banishing Zeus to Tartarus.

Zeus was his brother, the one who had freed him from Cronos' belly.

He had only wanted to strip Zeus of his heavenly domain, not to go beyond that.

But if Gaia were to wipe out Olympus, what would become of Zeus and the rest of his family?

"You intend to imprison the Olympian gods in Tartarus, just like the Titans! No matter how much I desire power, do you really think I would stoop to the level of Cronos!"

"...So you reject my offer? I thought you might be more reasonable than this..."

"Silence! Gaia!!!"

The Trident of Poseidon, the weapon the sea god was so proud of, was raised high above the earth.

When the trident was finally struck into the ground, an earthquake shook the surroundings, leaving nothing but devastation.

Fueled by anger and empowered by the trident’s divine authority, Poseidon's blow tore the earth apart, revealing its innards.

The quake grew in intensity... a deafening roar accompanied the upheaval of everything in its path...

Countless lives were lost in the sudden catastrophe.

"Did you truly think... that I, Poseidon, would fall for such nonsense?"

Amphitrite and the other gods watched in silence as he tried to suppress his growing fury.

A rage even greater than when he had lashed out at Ares for the death of his son.

Whoosh—!

"Uncle Poseidon…! What on earth happened here…? Did you fight someone?" Hermes, noticing the disturbance, descended quickly from the sky and landed behind him.

Beads of sweat formed on the messenger god’s face as he felt the overwhelming divine power that could easily destroy an entire city.

Poseidon, still not turning to face the messenger, spoke in a heavy voice.

"...Hermes. Go back to Olympus at once and report that Gaia tried to recruit me to her side."

"What…! Uncle…"

"Rhode. You explain everything to Hermes and return."

One of Poseidon and Amphitrite's daughters, Rhode, bowed to Poseidon and approached the messenger god.

Then, the lord of the sea, passing a flustered Hermes, quietly resumed his steps toward the ocean.