Sea Monster Charybdis - (1)
Deep beneath the ocean, within Poseidon’s palace.
I, Hades, had been invited by Poseidon to attend a feast at his grand underwater palace. I had been comfortably resting my head on Lady Styx's lap in the underworld when a ssage arrived, summoning here.
I wondered what this was all about as I made my way into the depths of the sea...
"Hades. I would like to send so of my children to the underworld."
"Do you really think the proud gods would listen to Chiron's teachings? And aren’t you very protective of your children?"
He wanted to send his children—actual gods, not demigods—for education in the underworld. What kind of whim was this? Perhaps it had sothing to do with the conflict he had with Ares the last ti we spoke. It seed like this was a different Poseidon from the one I used to know.
As I stared at him, the lord of the sea stroked his beard and gulped down a cup of nectar. His eyes scanned the gods and sea creatures gathered at the feast before turning back to .
"I’ve already ntioned this before, haven’t I? Aside from Triton, the rest of my children are all... well..."
"Has soone died or gotten injured again?"
"Would you just listen to my story for a mont?"
He began to tell about his children.
So, there’s this giant son of his nad Antaeus, who loves to challenge passersby to wrestling matches. After defeating them, he kills them and offers their corpses as sacrifices to Poseidon.
"His devotion to is admirable, but the citizens’ complaints are starting to beco a real problem."
"A giant son? Who's his mother?"
"Gaia."
What? He had a child with Gaia? This was a different story from Hephaestus’s case.
Poseidon's other child with Gaia, the serpent Python, had been born before we fought Gaia. But this giant son, Antaeus... if he was born recently...
Swish
I gathered my power, narrowing my gaze at him. The sea may be Poseidon's domain, but could this be a trap? Should I summon my bident?
But Poseidon quickly waved his hand, setting his cup down urgently.
"Hold on. I swear on the River Styx that I haven't joined Gaia's side. Those children were born a long ti ago."
"A long ti ago?"
"Yes, that’s why Gaia tried to seduce recently. Hmph... Just because we shared a mont, she thought I’d bend to her will."
If it was a long ti ago, then perhaps these children were from the beginning, maybe born around the sa ti as Python. Since he swore on the River Styx, it must be true.
"Hmph. Anyway, besides Antaeus, there’s another child I’m troubled by. Charybdis..."
"Charybdis? Zeus's anger fell upon your daughter, didn’t it? Is she Gaia’s too?"
He nodded.
Charybdis.
She was Poseidon's eldest daughter but had developed an insatiable appetite for nectar and ambrosia, devouring them without restraint. Enraged, Zeus had struck her with a bolt of lightning and cast her into the sea.
When I’d heard this story before, I just thought of her as a goddess with a large appetite. But now it turned out she was Gaia and Poseidon's daughter. And being his eldest, she must have been born around the sa ti as Triton or even before.
This is the problem with spending all my ti working in the underworld. Sotis, I don’t receive accurate information or catch wind of the latest gossip among the gods.
Of course, I hadn’t been paying much attention to such things anyway...
"Ahh... Just thinking about it makes so angry with that bastard Zeus..."
"She must have been a very precious daughter to you."
"Of course, she was. My firstborn daughter, whom I adored, and then Zeus... Tch. You should pay more attention to what's happening on the surface."
"So why bring up Charybdis now? She's in the sea. Can't you take care of her yourself?"
"...The problem is that she swallows entire ships and eats humans."
"Then why not send her for education..."
"Forget it! I’ll handle my daughter myself."
Then why bring up Charybdis at all?
In any case, this is a good opportunity.
If I educate Poseidon's unruly children, I can ask for sothing in return. Soon enough, Poseidon turned to and spoke again.
"I want to send all my troubleso children for proper discipline, except for my eldest daughter, Charybdis."
"Why not give your daughter a proper lesson too?"
"Aah! I already feel guilty as her father for letting Zeus strike her down with lightning. Let her eat a few humans!"
Why show such favoritism toward her while disciplining the others? Poseidon's affection for his eldest daughter runs deeper than I thought.
Most humans who die at sea don’t hold much resentnt. Death in the sea is often seen as a force of nature, an unavoidable fate. I hadn’t personally judged many cases involving the sea, so I wasn’t aware that Charybdis was devouring entire ships.
"I wish the others could be half as competent as Triton. But so many of them can’t even asure up to him."
"Speaking of Triton, I don’t see him here."
"I’ve tasked Triton with training his less capable siblings. Any who don’t improve will be sent to the underworld."
"I’ll accept that if you recomnd appropriate gifts for marriage proposals. How did you even manage to woo all those wives?"
The mont I said that, Poseidon looked at with a curious expression.
"Are you planning to propose to soone?"
"...I’m just preparing. The underworld needs a queen eventually."
"Hah, I look forward to this future wedding. From what I know, goddesses love gifts like..."
We spent so ti talking about how to win over the hearts of goddesses. He shared stories about how he had relentlessly pursued Amphitrite and how a dolphin had led him to her location. He also told how golden necklaces and pearls from the depths of the sea had won her over. It was a fascinating conversation, even if I wasn’t sure how useful it would be to .
As we talked, the door to the feast hall opened, and one of Poseidon's servants, part-shark and part-human, entered. The servant knelt before Poseidon and handed him a ssage, presumably from Triton.
"Hmm. Triton says he’s using Zeus's son to discipline my child, Polyphemus."
"Polyphemus?"
Poseidon explained Polyphemus to briefly.
A one-eyed Cyclops, he had once pursued a sea nymph, Galatea, but after being rejected, he had turned to eating humans and throwing rocks at passing ships.
"Maybe this is part of one of Hera’s labors."
"But Heracles... isn’t he the prophesied hero? If Polyphemus gets seriously hurt... No matter how strong my son is, compared to the Hydra or the Nean Lion... I hope he doesn’t end up blinded or worse. If that happens, I’ll forbid anyone from setting foot in the sea again..."
Poseidon stood up, pressing his fingers to his temples with a worried expression.
"Don’t worry so much. Heracles knows he’s your son. He won’t kill him, will he?"
"I just can’t stand the idea of him getting beaten up by Zeus’s son! No, I must go and see for myself."
Poseidon and I moved to another room decorated with pearls. There, a giant seashell stood, gleaming with a radiant glow. When Poseidon infused it with his divine power, a view of the mortal world ca into focus.
And then...
Crash!
"Arrgghhh!!"
"You’re far too weak for your size."
"That... that scoundrel is beating up my son!"
"Ah."
There, we saw Heracles rcilessly pumling a Cyclops. Poseidon’s clenched teeth made it clear that this Cyclops was none other than Polyphemus.
The view was of a remote island in the mortal realm.
But there, blood was splattered everywhere, and boulders and iron clubs flew through the air. As Heracles beat Polyphemus, the Cyclops cried out for help, and other Cyclopes who lived on the island ca running.
"Argh! Brothers of the Cyclopes! Help ! A human is attacking !"
"Polyphemus!"
"Our brother’s in trouble!"
"Die, human!"
The massive one-eyed giants, many tis the size of a man, rushed at Heracles, swinging their fists. But their fists broke upon impact with the hero. Even when they threw boulders or uprooted trees to strike him, the great hero remained unscathed.
Heracles stord through the giants like a hurricane, beating them one by one, and soon the island was filled with groans and cries of pain.
"Ugh! This mad human!"
"Poseidon, please! Punish this man with your divine wrath!"
"Who are you, anyway?!"
Unsurprisingly, Poseidon’s expression darkened as he watched. Regardless of his plans for educating his children, seeing Heracles beat his son before his eyes clearly unsettled him.
"Ughh! I’ll just..."
"Wait a minute, Poseidon. If you intervene now, Polyphemus will never learn his lesson."
"But does this make any sense? Beating my son with an iron club—how is this education..."
"If you can’t discipline them with words, sotis they need a good thrashing. How else will you stop Polyphemus from eating people?"
I managed to calm Poseidon, reminding him that if he lost control and punished Heracles, it could cause chaos on Olympus.
"Anyway, send your other children to the underworld when you’re ready."
"Hmm... I’ll send the younger gods first."
"You need to be tougher with your children. You’ve coddled them too much. Now, tell where Charybdis is living. I’ll pay her a visit while I’m here."
It took quite so ti to convince the lord of the sea.
I kept pushing the idea that his children were running wild because he had been too lenient. Polyphemus needed to be taught a harsh lesson, and even Ares’s son had died for his recklessness. Even the renowned teacher Chiron had disciplined heroes with a cane...
"Your children are so unruly because you’ve been too soft on them. Shall I scold them on your behalf?"
"Ugh..."
After much persuasion, Poseidon finally sighed and revealed the location of the undersea trench where his eldest daughter, Charybdis, resided. He pleaded with several tis not to harm her too severely, a sign of how deeply he cared for her.
"She’s a poor child... please don’t hit her. Just speak to her gently."
"...If she listens to words."
Since she was Gaia’s daughter, I would have to be careful not to push her too far.
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