King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 130

The King of the Underworld is Tired – 130 (130/140)

The Sea Monster Charybdis – (1)

Deep in the ocean, in Poseidon’s palace.

I, Hades, was enjoying a banquet at Poseidon’s invitation.

It started when a letter arrived while I was relaxing in the underworld, resting my head on Styx’s lap.

I came to the sea thinking, ‘What’s going on this time?’ and…

“Hades, I want you to educate my children in the underworld.”

“Do you think the proud gods will listen to Chiron [a wise centaur known for tutoring heroes]? And aren’t you very fond of your children?”

He wants his children, gods, not demigods, to be educated in the underworld. What a strange request.

I wonder if it’s because of the conflict with Ares last time. He seems like a different person, no, a different god.

As I stared at him, the lord of the sea stroked his beard and emptied his nectar glass in one gulp.

Poseidon’s gaze swept over the gods and divine beasts gathered in the banquet hall.

“There’s a limit to that. Didn’t I tell you last time? Except for Triton, they’re all…”

“Did anyone die or get hurt this time too?”

“Just listen to my story for a moment.”

He slowly began to tell the story of his children.

Well… there’s a giant son named Antaios who likes to wrestle, so he wrestles with passersby and then…

He kills everyone who loses to him and offers their corpses to Poseidon as sacrifices?

“His heart for me is sincere, but the citizens are complaining a lot, so it’s a problem.”

“If he’s a giant son, who is his mother?”

“Gaia [the primordial goddess of the Earth].”

What. He had a relationship with Gaia and had a child?

The story is completely different from Hephaestus’s case.

Poseidon and Gaia’s other child, the serpent Python, was born before we fought Gaia.

But if the giant I just mentioned was born recently…

Saaaah-

I glared at him and gathered my strength. The sea is Poseidon’s territory. It doesn’t seem like a trap, but…

I was wondering if I should take out my Bident [Hades’ two-pronged spear], but Poseidon put down his glass and waved his hand hastily.

“Wait. I swear on the River Styx [a sacred oath that even gods must honor] that I have not defected to Gaia. The children I had with Gaia were born a long time ago.”

“A long time ago?”

“Yes, that’s why Gaia tried to seduce me last time. Hmph… she thought I would fall for her just because we shared a body a little.”

If it was a long time ago, was it at the beginning of time? Or maybe it was a child he had with Python.

Anyway, he swore on the River Styx, so it must be true.

“Hmm. Hmm. Besides Antaios, I have many other troublesome children. Like Charybdis…”

“Your daughter who angered Zeus? Is she also Gaia’s?”

He nodded.

Charybdis.

Poseidon’s eldest daughter, but she ate nectar and ambrosia [the food and drink of the gods] like crazy because of her enormous appetite.

Zeus was angry and threw her into the sea with a thunderbolt.

When I heard this story last time, I just thought of her as a goddess with a big appetite and moved on.

She was the daughter of Gaia and Poseidon. But if she’s the eldest daughter, doesn’t that mean she was born around the same time as Triton or even before?

This is the problem with only working in the dark and gloomy underworld.

I often don’t know accurate information or hear about news that has become a hot topic among the gods late.

Of course, I didn’t have time to care about such things either…

“Hoo… Just thinking about that time makes me angry at Zeus…”

“She must have been a very precious daughter.”

“Of course, Zeus… my first daughter, who wouldn’t hurt even if I put her in my eyes. Tsk. How about paying a little attention to the news of the mortal realm?”

“So why Charybdis? You can take good care of her since she fell into the sea.”

“…The problem is that she sucks up entire ships that pass by and eats humans.”

“Then educate that child too…”

“No! I’ll take care of my daughter myself.”

Then why did you even bring up the story of Charybdis?

* * *

Anyway, this is a good opportunity.

I can educate Poseidon’s misbehaving children and get something in return since I’m being asked for a favor.

Soon, Poseidon looked at me again and opened his mouth.

“Except for my eldest daughter Charybdis, I want to give the other guys a good scolding.”

“Why don’t you give your daughter a good education too?”

“Ah! I already feel sorry as a father for letting her get struck by lightning, so what’s wrong with letting her eat some humans!”

Then why are you discriminating against your other children?

Poseidon’s affection for his eldest daughter is much deeper than I thought.

Most of the humans who die in the sea don’t have great grudges. The sea is the law of nature. It’s an unavoidable death.

I’ve rarely made judgments myself… I didn’t know that Charybdis was swallowing entire ships.

“I wish the other children could follow even half of Triton’s example. How can so many of them not even reach his toes!”

“Come to think of it, I don’t see Triton.”

“I told Triton to educate his incompetent siblings appropriately. And if they still don’t come to their senses, I’m going to send them to the underworld.”

“If you recommend suitable items to use for proposals, I’ll accept them. How did you propose to your many wives?”

As soon as I said this, Poseidon looked at me with interested eyes.

“Are you going to propose to someone?”

“…I’m just trying to know. There should be a mistress of the underworld too.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to the wedding someday. As far as I know, the gifts that goddesses like are…”

I talked with Poseidon about how to win the hearts of goddesses for a while.

Like how he chased Amphitrite to win her heart, and how a dolphin told him her location and he found her…

The story of giving goddesses golden necklaces and pearls from the depths of the sea… It was quite interesting, even if it might not be helpful to me.

While we were talking, the door of the banquet hall opened and Poseidon’s subordinate, a mix of shark and human, came in.

Judging by the way he immediately approached Poseidon and knelt down to deliver a letter, is he a messenger?

“Hmm. Triton says he’s going to use Zeus’s son to educate my son, Polyphemus.”

“Polyphemus?”

I listened to his explanation of Polyphemus for a while.

He’s a one-eyed giant Cyclops who is eating humans after being rejected by a sea nymph.

“Is it part of the task Hera gave him [referring to the labors of Heracles]?”

“But if it’s Heracles [also known as Hercules], I know he’s almost certain to be the hero of prophecy. Polyphemus won’t get seriously hurt, will he? No matter how strong my son is, if you compare him to the Hydra or the Nemean lion… Hmm. He wouldn’t lose an eye while fighting, would he? If that happens, he won’t even be able to set foot in the sea…”

Poseidon got up from his seat and rubbed his head with a worried face.

“Don’t worry too much. Heracles knows he’s your son, so he wouldn’t kill him, would he?”

“I don’t want to see him getting beaten by Zeus’s son! I can’t stand it, I have to watch for a while.”

Poseidon changed his seat and entered a room decorated with pearls, and there was a large seashell.

When Poseidon’s divine power was injected into the shimmering white shell, the scenery of the mortal realm began to appear.

But…

Crack!

“Kkeu-eo-eo-eok!!”

“Too weak for his size.”

“T-That. That. That bastard dares to hit my son!”

“Ah.”

There was Heracles, beating up a Cyclops.

Judging by Poseidon clenching his teeth, that Cyclops must be his son.

* * *

The scenery of the mortal realm, which looks like a deserted island.

But there, blood was splattered, and iron clubs and rocks were flying around.

As Heracles beat Polyphemus, he asked for help… and the other Cyclopses living on the island came out.

“Uwaaaak! Cyclops brothers! Help me! There’s a human bastard here!”

“No, Polyphemus!”

“Brothers! Polyphemus has been attacked!”

“Die!”

The one-eyed giants, who seemed to be dozens of times larger than humans, rushed out and swung their fists at Heracles.

But rather, their fists were broken. Even if they threw rocks or pulled out trees and swung them, the great hero was fine.

Heracles rushed in like a storm and began to beat the giants one by one.

The island was filled with groans and screams.

“Kuaaak! This crazy human!”

“Poseidon! Please give that guy divine punishment!”

“Who the hell are you!”

Of course, Poseidon’s expression, who was watching this, was distorted.

Is it because he can’t stand the sight of Heracles beating his children in front of his eyes, no matter what the education is?

“Ugh! I’m not just going to let that guy…”

“No, wait, Poseidon. If you intervene, Polyphemus’s behavior will never be corrected.”

“But does that make sense? He’s beating my son with an iron club, how is that education…”

“Then you shouldn’t send the other children to the underworld either. If they don’t listen to words, you have to beat them to fix them, but how can the habit of eating people disappear so easily.”

I stopped Poseidon, whose veins were popping out on his forehead.

If you can’t control your anger and kill him with divine punishment, Olympus will be ruined…

“Anyway, send your children to the underworld yourself.”

“Ahem… I’ll send the young gods first.”

“Being too protective of your children is counterproductive to their education. Tell me where Charybdis lives. I’ll go and give her a piece of my mind since I came all the way to the sea.”

It took quite a while to persuade the lord of the sea.

It’s because you’re too soft-hearted to touch your children that they’re misbehaving even more…

Polyphemus too, and the son who died to Ares last time… They’ll only come to their senses if they get hurt once…

The famous educator Chiron also educated heroes with a whip… I kept pushing him, but it was still difficult.

“Is it because you’re so lenient with your children that they’re all misbehaving? Even if I scold them instead?”

“Ugh…”

After a long persuasion, Poseidon sighed and told me the sea gorge where his eldest daughter lives.

Judging by the way he repeatedly asked me not to treat her too harshly, he must really cherish her.

“She’s a pitiful child, so I hope you can talk to her instead of hitting her.”

“…If she listens to words.”

She’s also Gaia’s daughter, so I should just give her a moderate lecture and come back.