King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 95

The Trial of Ares and Poseidon – (2)

The next day, I headed to a hill near Athens.

Was this the place Ares told me about?

Since I have to pass through Athens, I should head towards the main street.

While I’m here, should I take a look around the city of Athena?

As expected of a city that worships the Goddess of Wisdom, I could see olive trees planted all along the streets.

No less prosperous than Thebes, which I rule, this place had countless free citizens and an Athena statue carved from cedar that was quite impressive.

“Selling bronze lamps from other cities!”

“Olive oil, blessed by Athena, for just…”

“I need to find some sacrifices to offer the goddess. Would buying a few of these pigs be enough?”

The public sentiment towards the goddess wasn’t bad. It was easy to see that most of the citizens were followers of Athena,
and the olives she spread had long become a necessity for all the city’s residents.

After enjoying the sights and quickening my pace, I soon discovered a barrier spread out on a hill near Athens.

Passing through the barrier, which was imbued with the power to repel the surrounding humans and distort the scenery inside…

“Hmph. Do you think Hades would take the side of a brute like you? Increasing the population of the underworld through war would only annoy him.”

“He wouldn’t side with the son of the uncle who tried to rape his daughter either!”

“Enough, both of you, stop there. Other gods will be arriving soon, so let’s settle this in the trial.”

Ares and Poseidon were already engaging in a war of nerves, with Zeus mediating between them.

Various gods were there, expressing their opinions on the matter. Amphitrite, Poseidon’s official wife, was also present.

“Sigh… Olympus never has a quiet day. This is just great.”

“Goddess Demeter and Goddess Artemis haven’t arrived yet either.”

“If we wait a little longer, they probably will… Ah, Hades!”

A goddess boasting a beautiful appearance that even a veil with floral patterns couldn’t hide.

Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and home, discovered me and called out.

“Hestia, you came too.”

“I didn’t want to get involved in something like this originally…”

The goddess of the hearth sighed and shook her head. Her gaze was fixed on Poseidon and Ares, who still seemed to be in a fierce mood.

Ah, Zeus is strongly mediating now, so they’re backing down.

“Since Hades is here, and the other gods seem to have mostly arrived… it would be good to start.”

The other gods, who hadn’t arrived until now, began to arrive one by one,
and finally, the trial to determine the right and wrong between Poseidon and Ares began.

* * *

Thus, the first trial of the gods began on a hill near Athens.

As if to give the trial some semblance of formality, stone chairs were densely arranged.

A little to the side, there was also a space where gods of high status, such as Zeus and Hestia, could sit separately…

“Then, let’s begin.”

And I, as the judge, went up to a suitable platform and looked down.

Let’s see, the order is… to defend Ares first, right?

The Goddess of Wisdom, holding parchment, stepped forward and greeted everyone.

Exchanging glances with Ares before stepping forward… it seems Athena will speak on his behalf.

“I would like to say a few words first. First of all, Hallirhotius was a notorious thug in Athens. He routinely harassed and assaulted the priestesses and priests who served me, and he would eat at restaurants without paying… He can be proven to be an inappropriate person in many ways, such as recklessly cutting down my symbol, the olive tree.”

“What do you have to say about this incident, aside from Hallirhotius’s behavior?”

At my question, Athena cleared her throat and continued.

“The crime of forcibly raping a pure woman is great. On the other hand, Ares was only responding justly to protect his daughter. If Poseidon’s niece was about to lose her purity to another man, I believe Poseidon would have inflicted divine punishment on that man as well.”

“Hmph… But to dare kill my son in one blow…”

“Poseidon, this is the time to hear Ares’s side, so restrain yourself.”

I stopped Poseidon appropriately and nodded towards Athena.

“Finally, I will submit the testimonies of the nymphs who witnessed Hallirhotius trying to rape Ares’s daughter, and the whispers of plants and animals as evidence.”

“The evidence given by the god Pan and Demeter, the god of nature.”

Looking at the parchment, there were testimonies from the nymphs testifying about what Hallirhotius had done.

A statement swearing on the River Styx [a river in the Underworld, a sacred oath] that all of this was true.

“Next, Poseidon, it’s your turn to speak.”

“Hmm. Even if the way he courted a woman he liked was quite wrong, how could you cut off his life in one blow? Hades, as the god of the underworld, you know the weight of life well, don’t you? To wield a sword just because the method was a little wrong, and to blow off my son’s head, no god would think that’s right, would they? This is a matter directly related to my honor and is also a case of patricide, so the Furies [goddesses of vengeance] should step in.”

Poseidon paused for a moment to clear his throat and continued.

“I offer my deepest condolences for Hallirhotius causing a disturbance or acting a little unruly in Athena’s temple. However, other than that, his other actions were only committed against humans anyway! It’s unfair to say that my son, a demigod of the sea, was acting inappropriately just because he played a little prank on mortals.”

Poseidon isn’t entirely wrong. It is indeed patricide.

But since I can’t dare to blame the Twelve Olympians, the three Furies didn’t come…

But in the first place, wasn’t attempted rape about to happen before patricide occurred?

In my opinion, Poseidon is obviously at fault… but I should hear the opinions of the other gods as well.

I turned my gaze to the chairs where high-ranking deities, including Zeus, were sitting.

“What do you all think? Speak freely.”

* * *

“He tried to rape a decent woman, so Poseidon’s son committed a crime worthy of death.”

This was Hera’s statement, with her arms crossed and an unpleasant expression.

“I think so too.”

“It’s not right to take someone by force without true love. I would have inflicted divine punishment too.”

In order, Artemis and Aphrodite spoke.

The goddess of purity and the goddess of love would naturally be on Ares’s side…

“Tsk… If my daughter had been about to suffer such a thing, I would have split the entire earth.”

“Life is precious, but wasn’t this a just response from a father who cherishes his daughter? I also think Ares is right.”

Demeter and Hestia are also on Ares’s side.

“Ahem… I won’t say anything. My brother will judge well.”

Zeus has a satisfied expression but seems to be sparing his words.

He’s already judged that the victory in the trial has tilted towards Ares.

Glancing at Poseidon, he was frowning deeply.

Did he think he would win the trial because of his position and Ares’s usual behavior of liking war?

“…Then I will deliver the verdict. I also think that Ares had no choice but to kill Poseidon’s son.”

“Hades! He’s also your nephew, how can you…”

“And Ares’s daughter, who was almost raped by her cousin, is my great-grandchild.”

I cut off Poseidon’s words as he protested, unable to accept the result.

“As a result of examining Hallirhotius’s memories, which came to the underworld yesterday, he was a thug as Athena said… and I confirmed that he tried to rape Ares’s daughter. Moreover, Ares killed him without knowing he was Poseidon’s son because he rushed over in a hurry. Wouldn’t anyone wield a sword when their daughter is about to suffer a terrible fate?”

“No, but…”

[Poseidon. After examining your son’s memories with the help of the goddess Mnemosyne [goddess of memory]… you were somewhat involved in the thuggish acts that Hallirhotius committed in Athens.]

[…Athena has interfered with my affairs several times.]

[Do I have to reveal even this here? I’ll save your face appropriately, so stop here.]

[……]

I looked at Poseidon and conveyed my intentions with divine power.

Zeus isn’t focusing here and is chatting with Hera next to him, so no one would have heard.

It’s true that Hallirhotius was a thug, and it’s also true that he tried to rape Ares’s daughter.

However, there was also a part where Poseidon deliberately sent his son near Athens to cause trouble.

“And although Ares’s actions were justified, it’s true that he killed Poseidon’s son. Strictly speaking, it’s patricide.”

“But uncle, this is…”

“So Ares, you will work in the underworld for two months.”

[Ares, if you don’t receive any punishment, Poseidon’s retaliation will surely follow, so understand.]

[Ah… No. Thank you for your consideration.]

Ares slightly bows his head towards me.

Zeus doesn’t care and Poseidon grumbled that the punishment was too short, but that was it.

Is this roughly settled?

The other gods fortunately nodded, as if they were convinced by my judgment.

“Ahem…”

“So Ares will be punished for two months?”

“…Well, it seems appropriate.”

“It may be a light punishment for killing the son of the god of the sea.”

“What are you talking about? Hades saved his face.”

“Ahem! According to the judgment of Hades and the other gods, Ares’s actions have been judged as justified! However, as punishment for killing Poseidon’s son, he will be in the underworld for two months…”

While Zeus, who was looking around, got up from his seat and cleared the area,

I went down from the platform and advised Poseidon.

“Take care of your children. That Triton [a sea deity, son of Poseidon] guy I saw last time seemed pretty solid though.”

“…That’s why he’s my successor. The others are actually sore fingers.”

The sea lord, turning his back and leaving, looked somehow lonely.

The fact that Hallirhotius went to the vicinity of Athens and acted like a thug was not Poseidon’s order, but his original personality.

Does he not know how to treat his children well either? Originally, not everything about children goes as parents want…

Should the aspect of unconditionally protecting his children be seen as twisted affection?

It may be the characteristic of the sea, which constantly stirs up rough and violent waves, but embraces any life beneath the surface.