King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 35

The King of the Underworld is Tired – 35 (35/82)

The Story of Otus and Ephialtes – (3)

It wasn’t difficult to subdue the giants who introduced themselves as Otus and Ephialtes.

I simply dodged their punches and stuck a mildly stinging Bident [a two-pronged spear, often associated with Hades] into their arms to calm them down…

“Aaaagh!”

“Otus!”

Then, I appropriately unleashed a wave of divine power to intimidate them…

The giant called Otus froze, his eyes wide with terror.

He’s quite strong, but it’s obvious he has no combat experience.

“You’re going to jail first.”

I aimed the Bident at the fallen giant’s eyes.

But the real target was his ankle.

With my right hand, I feigned a stab at his eyes with the Bident,

and with my left hand, I quietly drew the Styx sword from my waist to cut Otus’s ankle, when…

“Wait! Just wait a moment, Hades, my brother!”

“Zeus?”

Zeus, who had somehow returned to the banquet hall, called out to me.

His hair was a mess, likely torn out by Hera who noticed his escapade, and ichor [the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods] was flowing from his head.

Zeus’s appearance, as he awkwardly tried to stick the fallen hairs back in, was truly comical.

However, the smile on his lips was anything but funny.

Seeing that Zeus seemed to have something in mind, I withdrew the Bident and stepped back.

I can always subdue these giants again later…

“Ugh…”

As I stepped back, the two giants rose to their feet.

However, their eyes were already filled with fear, and their trembling fingers revealed their state of mind.

Zeus glanced at the bleeding giants and said with a sharp smile.

“Hmm. Hmm. They are honored guests who came to Olympus, so we must treat them well.”

It was the sincerity Zeus often showed to those who challenged his authority.

“So, you’ve come to receive Hera and Artemis?”

I could feel a chilling murderous intent in that smile and those sunken eyes.

However, Otus and Ephialtes, the two brothers, didn’t notice.

They seemed to be young and just strong brats.

That’s why… they couldn’t understand why the other gods didn’t object to Zeus’s outrageous proposal.

“That’s right! Zeus! We swore on the Styx River to take Artemis and Hera as our wives!”

“Hand them over to us quickly!”

They both seem foolish, but Otus, the one I attacked earlier, is slightly more perceptive.

But still, how can they say such things after being stabbed so many times by my spear?

I was going to subdue the Otus and Ephialtes brothers and drag them to the Underworld prison.

As the prophecy said, I can’t kill them, and I also felt a familiar divine power.

Zeus must know that, but the reason he stopped me wasn’t to show them mercy.

It was to… utterly destroy those who dared to challenge him and Olympus.

“Ah, of course, Hera and Artemis are not too good for heroes like you!”

“Really? But Hades is…”

“Hades seems to have had a slight misunderstanding, hahaha!”

* * *

“I’d like to hand over Hera and Artemis right away, but…”

“But…?”

“They are not here.”

The giants, upon hearing that the two goddesses they had set their sights on were not present, became angry.

Perhaps Zeus had moved them somewhere or told them to hide temporarily.

“What?! Zeus! Are you deceiving us?”

The giant named Ephialtes frowned and shouted.

Nevertheless, Zeus soothed him in a gentle voice.

“Artemis is not here because she is handling important matters on the island of Naxos.”

“What important matters are you talking about?”

“She is searching for a monster called Gigas [plural: Gigantes], a powerful monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a human. It might be difficult even for you to handle.”

Artemis is indeed not visible at the banquet.

So, has a trace of Gigas really been discovered on Naxos Island?

“Judging from the fact that she hasn’t come yet, she seems to have been captured and taken prisoner by those monsters. Hmm… It would be great if brave heroes would step forward…”

“Artemis is captured?! Then, Zeus! If we kill those Gigas and rescue Artemis…”

“Oh, if you do that, I will allow you to hold a joint wedding ceremony on Olympus!”

So, this was his intention, Zeus.

Clearly, there are too many loopholes in Zeus’s words.

The tone subtly encouraging them, the condition that they must catch the monsters to be allowed to marry, and the vague answer about Hera’s location.

But the two giant brothers didn’t notice anything strange.

It’s partly because they are young and inexperienced giants,

but also because Peitho, the goddess of persuasion, is subtly exerting her power right next to Zeus.

The god’s words, full of loopholes, have a strange persuasiveness and confuse the giants’ thoughts.

“Then please depart quickly! If you delay any longer, Artemis might be harmed by the Gigas!”

“Okay… Understood! Keep your promise, Zeus!”

“Where is this place called Naxos Island?”

Thus, the two fools were deceived by Zeus and descended from Olympus.

It would have been better to be subdued earlier and imprisoned in the Underworld.

As if there was no need to hide it anymore,

Zeus, who was watching the giants descending from Olympus with a cold gaze, opened his mouth.

When the king of the gods relaxed his expression and raised a goblet filled with nectar [the drink of the gods], everyone’s attention focused on him.

“There were some ruffians who appeared for a moment, but I will take care of them myself, so all the gods should not worry and continue to enjoy the banquet!”

“Oh… I understand!”

“The end of those who challenge Olympus is obvious.”

“Naxos Island? That will be their grave.”

“Their last bit of luck was being subdued by Hades earlier. Hahaha!”

“There are so many loopholes in the prophecy… Tsk tsk.”

As soon as Zeus finished speaking, the soft sound of Apollo’s lyre was heard again.

The nine Muses displayed their artistic spirit, and Dionysus made wine and distributed it to the gods.

“Oh… This is that wine.”

“Thank you, Dionysus.”

Now, the Olympian gods began to tilt their glasses and eat ambrosia [the food of the gods] as if nothing had happened,

and Ares, who lightly broke a bronze jar, grumbled about breaking a precious jar.

I went straight to Zeus.

* * *

“Zeus. Has Gigas been discovered on Naxos Island?”

“Ah, you don’t know yet, brother. Helios recently discovered their traces while driving the solar chariot.”

The Gigas are monsters created by the earth goddess Gaia.

They become stronger when their bodies touch the ground and gain tremendous regenerative power.

So, the guys who have to stay on land happen to be found on an island in the middle of the sea?

This is clearly Gaia’s trap.

She must be waiting for the reckless Olympian gods to go down to the island and search for the Gigas.

“They infiltrated the island? Deceiving Poseidon’s subordinates in the sea?”

“I already knew that the Gigas were preparing a trap to reduce our forces.”

His head shook from side to side at my question.

He deliberately pretended to be fooled by the fact that the Gigas infiltrated the island and were up to something.

Since he can sink or destroy the entire island at any time, he was thinking of checking what kind of trap Gaia and the Gigas were preparing.

The Gigas are definitely a divine race, but they don’t have immortality, and their monster attributes are stronger.

I’ll have to see for myself if they can be killed…

“It doesn’t matter if the giants don’t die there, because my son Dionysus is there.”

“Drive them into madness and make them kill each other?”

“Hmph. I can’t let those who dared to challenge me live.”

Yeah… I thought it was strange that he stopped me from subduing them and dragging them to the Underworld.

He must have had a way to use the strong but foolish giants, so he did that.

I roughly noticed when Zeus stopped me from subduing them, but I didn’t bother to object.

Trying to take the queen of the gods, who is already married, and a goddess who swore virginity on the Styx River by force is clearly a direct challenge to Olympus.

It was a struggle of power, not justice, so if the giants die and come to the Underworld, they will not receive a good reception.

“But they seemed like children of some god.”

“What’s important is that they dared to challenge this Zeus. They will die miserably there.”

Even if Dionysus, the god of madness, fails to shake their minds, Zeus will have another way.

Sending a cloud transformed into a beast to induce them to throw spears at each other, or Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, seducing them.

“It’s a good way to check the trap prepared by Gigas and get rid of troublesome things.”

“Of course, it is, but…”

“They are slowly walking into Naxos Island. Dionysus! Prepare yourself just in case.”

Zeus makes wise decisions like the king of the gods at times like this,

but like the Sisyphus case, why does he only think with his lower body when it comes to women?