Prophet Protheus - (1)
In the underworld, the great gates to Hades’ citadel lood large.
Huff, huff. Creak...
I stood watching the creature before , a monstrous hound with three heads, each dripping with venomous saliva as it panted and wagged its tail, trying to please . This was Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld, who had grown a bit larger since the last ti I saw him.
As I watched Cerberus, I pulled out the Cornucopia, the horn of plenty. Thinking of a juicy piece of at, I reached into the broken horn and grabbed a large chunk of flesh.
Crunch. Rip.
I threw the at to Cerberus, and all three heads dived in, devouring it eagerly. The fresh at disappeared quickly into the beast’s belly.
Pant, pant, pant.
Cerberus looked back at , wagging its tail, as if asking for more. Just then, the god of dreams, Morpheus, approached .
“Hades, it seems you’re personally feeding Cerberus today. Is sothing troubling you?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Your expression says otherwise. Is it Gaia that’s on your mind again?”
Lately, Gaia had been unusually quiet.
At first, she had used the Gigantes to set traps, weakening our forces. When the gods successfully defended against her attacks, she attempted to reduce her influence on the mortal world by using human heroes like Oedipus.
Her next move could be...
“I feel like she’s about to start sothing again.”
“Perhaps she’s preparing to use human heroes again, or maybe she’s gearing up to use her last chance to unleash the Gigantes?”
“The problem is, I can’t be sure.”
As Morpheus suggested, Gaia was undoubtedly planning sothing, but the exact nature of her strategy remained uncertain.
Gaia, the primordial deity of the Earth, wields imnse power, influencing all things. She holds dominion over the earth, even above Deter, and she also possesses...
“Gaia also has the power of prophecy.”
“Yes, her prophetic abilities surpass even those of Apollo. That is indeed a problem.”
Gaia, the Earth Mother, is the embodint of the earth, seasons, and ecosystems. She is also a powerful seer.
When her relationship with Chronos, the god of ti and agriculture, soured, she famously predicted that he would one day be overthrown by his children. That prophecy was well-known.
Only one other being’s prophetic power rivals hers: Protheus. Even Apollo can’t match his foresight, making him a significant threat to us.
“Wait, what if we could sohow persuade Protheus? His help could be invaluable.”
“But he bears a deep grudge against Zeus. Would he really help Olympus?”
Protheus was punished by Zeus for giving fire to humans, bound to a rock, and tornted daily by an eagle that devoured his liver. The resentnt he must harbor against Zeus would be substantial.
“However, I’ve never seen a Titan as devoted to humanity as he is. If we appeal to his concern for mankind—who are preyed upon by the Gigantes—we might be able to convince him...”
“But first, we would need to release him from his chains.”
“I’ll go to Olympus and try to persuade Zeus.”
If I can convince Zeus to lift the punishnt from the rock, perhaps we could gain Protheus’s help through his prophetic abilities.
One thing that concerns ... Will Zeus really forgive him for stealing fire?
“No matter how much you ask, it’s impossible.”
Damn it, I knew this would be his response. As soon as I arrived at Olympus and t with Zeus, he flatly refused, his expression rigid.
“Initially, I intended to leave him bound to the rock, but it was Protheus himself who chose this punishnt.”
“You an that statent he made to provoke you?”
When Protheus was bound to the rock, he told Hephaestus to convey a ssage to Zeus: "Zeus will et the sa fate as Cronus and Uranus."
This provocative statent infuriated Zeus, leading him to decree that an eagle would eat Protheus’s liver every day. Given that it was spoken by Protheus, who possessed perfect foresight, no one knew whether it was rely a taunt or an actual prophecy.
Protheus used his knowledge of Zeus’s awareness of his prophetic abilities to taunt him. That statent likely continues to plague Zeus’s mind like a thorn.
“That comnt has been on your mind, but if you show rcy, perhaps he’ll offer a way out.”
“You think that nonsense might actually be a prophecy?”
Zeus’s expression turned pensive. Even though releasing Protheus would an forgiving soone who had angered the king of the gods, it was clear that Zeus had never forgotten the ssage Hephaestus had conveyed.
Zeus, tapping the armrest of his golden throne, finally spoke.
“What will you do if Protheus refuses to be persuaded? When I sent Hers to try and negotiate, offering to stop his punishnt if he revealed his prophecy, Protheus only responded with scornful laughter.”
“That’s because you sent Hers. It might be different if I go in person. And if he refuses to be persuaded...”
Protheus is a seer whose powers surpass Apollo’s and rival those of Gaia.
He knew the consequences of stealing fire from the gods yet still chose to give it to humanity. He knew the punishnt he would face for taunting Zeus, yet he did it anyway.
Isn’t he truly the god of madness, surpassing even Dionysus?
If Protheus refuses to be persuaded and Zeus considers retribution—such as re-binding him to the rock—the seer would undoubtedly scoff at the idea, fully aware of the consequences.
“He’s already suffered enough punishnt... I have no intention of doing anything further.”
“...So, you’re just going to let him go?”
“Yes, and that’s the only way forward.”
To persuade soone like him, we need to approach with genuine intent, not threats. It’s ti to end the punishnt for the cri of simply giving fire to humans.
“Humans are able to offer sacrifices to us because he gave them fire.”
“But I can’t forgive him for defying the command of the king of the gods and acting on his own.”
“Which is why I didn’t intervene when you first punished him. But I think this has gone on long enough.”
Protheus has already endured great suffering for a very long ti. While the king of the gods must maintain a certain level of authority, this punishnt has lasted long enough for the other gods to accept it as just.
“Summon Athena imdiately!”
“Yes, Zeus.”
Zeus sent a servant to fetch Athena. It seems he wants to hear the opinion of the goddess of wisdom whom he trusts.
Shortly after, Athena arrived, fully ard as always. After hearing the conversation between and Zeus, her expression grew thoughtful.
“I an no disrespect, but haven’t you already let go of your anger, Father?”
“What did you say?”
“The very fact that you called to ask for my opinion suggests that you believe Protheus has already been punished enough.”
“Hmm... Fetch your mother, tis.”
Monts later, tis arrived, descending on a cloud. She, who was once deed the wisest in Olympus before giving birth to Athena, approached with a gentle smile.
Although Zeus devoured tis to prevent the prophecy from coming true, she was released when Athena was born, as no male child was born between them, thus she was no longer a threat in his eyes.
tis, once considered the wisest being before Athena’s birth, seed to already know what was discussed and spoke softly as soon as she arrived.
“Zeus, to counter Gaia’s prophetic abilities, we need Protheus’s power.”
“But can we really forgive him so easily?”
“As the king of the gods, perhaps it’s ti to show so magnanimity. Even if soone defies you, if they can be of help, why not bring them into the fold...”
With the most intelligent deities in Olympus in agreent, Zeus frowned but waved his hand in acknowledgnt.
“Ah. Ah. Fine... I get it. tis, you may go now.”
“Just as you have done in the past, I trust you will make a wise decision.”
Zeus, rubbing his temples, seed slightly troubled. It was evident he was struggling with the decision to forgive Protheus, who had challenged his authority, even if he might need his help.
I waited patiently, not pressing him. I knew my brother, who had led Olympus well thus far, would make the right decision.
“Hmm...”
After a long silence, Zeus finally spoke, seemingly having made up his mind.
“I had no intention of seeking Protheus’s help, but... You’re very rciful to even consider releasing him, Hades. Have you been called the god of rcy lately?”
Is he implying that I’ve gone soft? But I could tell that he had been persuaded; his tone was more of a grumble than a stern rebuke.
Understanding this as his way of accepting my request, I smiled at Zeus.
“A god of rcy cannot condone excessive punishnt, especially when the one being punished holds the key to defeating Gaia...”
“Perhaps it’s not so bad to have a god as lenient as you around...”
Zeus rose from his throne and looked in the eye.
“You may deal with Protheus as you see fit. But I expect an apology from him.”
“I’ll do my best to secure that.”
With Zeus’s permission, it was ti to visit Protheus at the rock. However, I couldn’t just rush over there—I needed to prepare a bit more.
If I could persuade her in the underworld...
We might just gain the help we need from Protheus.
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