The Underworld, the Realm of the Dead.
A massive door leading to Hades' fortress.
“Pant... Pant...” “Creak...”
I stood there, watching the dog in front of perform all kinds of tricks.
It was a beast with three heads, its saliva dripping with deadly poison, wagging its tongues as if showing affection.
Looking at the now slightly grown guardian of the underworld, Cerberus, I pulled out the Cornucopia.
Thinking of thick at, I reached into the broken horn, and soon a large chunk of at filled my hand.
Crunch. Sizzle.
I tossed the at in front of Cerberus, and all three heads lunged at it, devouring it in a frenzy.
In no ti, the fresh at disappeared into the belly of the beast.
“Pant, pant, pant.”
Seeing Cerberus wagging its tail, as if asking for more food, I...
The god of dreams, Morpheus, approached.
“Hades, my lord. You’re personally feeding Cerberus today. Is there sothing on your mind?”
“No, it’s nothing...”
“That expression... Isn’t that the face you make when you’re deep in thought? Are you perhaps worried about Gaia again?”
Lately, Gaia had been quiet.
At first, she used the Gigantes to lay all kinds of traps, trying to weaken our forces...
But when the gods managed to repel the attacks, she turned to human heroes like Oedipus to reduce our influence in the mortal world.
The next move she might make...
“I think it’s about ti she tries sothing.”
“Could she be planning to use human heroes again, or perhaps rally the Gigantes for one last stand?”
“That’s the problem... We can’t be sure.”
As Morpheus ntioned, it’s clear she’s preparing sothing, but it’s impossible to predict what thod she will use.
Gaia, a first-generation god of the Protogenoi, is the master of the Earth, capable of influencing all things.
Even Deter’s dominion over the land is secondary to hers, and, moreover...
“Gaia also possesses the power of prophecy.”
“Indeed, her prophetic ability surpasses even that of Apollo, which is a concern.”
Gaia, the Earth Mother Goddess, is the personification of the Earth, the seasons, and the ecosystem.
She’s also a god with powerful foresight.
When her relationship with Cronos, the god of ti and agriculture, soured,
She famously prophesied that he, too, would be dethroned by his own children.
The only being with prophetic powers comparable to hers is Protheus.
That level of prophetic ability, beyond Apollo’s reach, presents a significant threat to us...
“Wait, if we could sohow persuade Protheus, couldn’t we gain his assistance?”
“But wouldn’t he hold a deep grudge against Zeus? Would he really be willing to help Olympus?”
Protheus, for giving fire to humanity, earned Zeus’s wrath and was bound to a mountain.
Moreover, every day, an eagle feasts on his liver, so his resentnt must be imnse.
“But I’ve never seen a Titan as compassionate toward humans as him. The Gigantes devour humans, so if we exploit that fact and persuade him...”
“Shouldn’t we first free him from the mountain?”
“I’ll head to Olympus and try to convince Zeus.”
Sohow, I’ll persuade Zeus to lift the punishnt from the mountain, and then,
With Protheus’s prophetic power, we can seek his help.
What worries , though... Will Zeus forgive the one who stole fire?
* * *
“No matter how much you plead, brother, it’s an impossible request.”
Damn, he’s as stubborn as ever.
As soon as I arrived in Olympus, I t with Zeus, but he rejected the idea with a stern face.
“Originally, I intended to simply bind him to the mountain, but it was Protheus himself who chose that punishnt.”
“You an the remark that provoked you?”
When Protheus was bound to the mountain,
Hephaestus was told to deliver the ssage: ‘Zeus will one day share the sa fate as Cronos and Uranus.’
That high-stakes provocation directed at the king of the gods enraged Zeus, leading him to order an eagle to feast on Protheus’s liver every day.
The thing is, with Protheus being capable of perfect prophecy, no one knows if that statent was re provocation or a true prediction.
It was a taunt from Protheus, using Zeus’s awareness of his prophetic powers.
That statent is probably still lodged in Zeus’s mind like a thorn.
“If that’s truly a prophecy, perhaps showing rcy would lead him to reveal a way out of it.”
“That nonsense he spewed might be...”
Zeus hesitated for a mont.
Even though releasing Protheus, who had provoked the king of the gods, would be a bold move,
It seems that statent Protheus passed on has indeed weighed heavily on his mind.
Zeus tapped the armrest of his golden throne before speaking again.
“If Protheus is not persuaded by you, what then? When I sent Hers to offer a reprieve in exchange for revealing the full prophecy, all I got in return was scornful laughter.”
“That’s because you sent Hers. It’ll be different if I go myself. And if he’s not persuaded by ...”
Protheus is a god of perfect prophecy, surpassing Apollo and rivaling Gaia.
He knew the consequences of stealing fire from the gods, yet he still gave it to humanity...
He also knew what punishnt would follow when he provoked Zeus, yet he still mocked him.
Isn’t he, in truth, a god of madness even greater than Dionysus?
If Protheus refuses to be persuaded by and Zeus intends to retaliate by re-binding him to the mountain,
Then, as the god of prophecy, he will surely mock with a laugh.
“He has already suffered enough punishnt... I intend to do nothing.”
“...So, you’re just going to release him?”
“Yes, and that’s the only way.”
To persuade soone like him, we must approach him sincerely, not with a whip.
"Even though he only stole fire and gave it to humans, it's ti to stop his daily tornt..."
"Thanks to him giving fire to humans, they can offer sacrifices to us."
"But I cannot forgive him for defying my orders as the king of the gods and acting on his own."
"That's why I didn't interfere with the punishnt you imposed. However, I believe this should be enough."
Protheus has already endured suffering for a very long ti.
The king of the gods must maintain so authority, but this should be sufficient punishnt in the eyes of the other gods.
"Soone, go and summon Athena!"
"Yes, Lord Zeus."
Zeus ordered a servant to call Athena.
It seems he wants to hear the opinion of the goddess of wisdom, whom he trusts.
* * *
Soon, as always, the fully ard goddess of war and wisdom, Athena, arrived.
When we told her what Zeus and I had discussed, her expression beca thoughtful.
"Pardon , but hasn't father already cald down?"
"What did you say?"
"The very fact that you've called to ask my opinion suggests that you believe Protheus has already been punished enough."
"Hmm... Go and fetch your mother, tis."
Shortly after, tis arrived, riding on clouds.
After giving birth to the goddess of wisdom from Zeus's head, tis accompanied Athena when she erged.
Although Zeus swallowed tis out of fear of a prophecy,
once a goddess, not a god, was born from their union, he no longer held her captive.
Before Athena was born, tis was considered the wisest among the Olympians.
It seed she had already heard what Athena had said, for she smiled softly as soon as she arrived.
"Zeus, in order to counter Gaia's prophetic abilities, we need Protheus's strength."
"But I still don't know if I can forgive him so easily."
"As the king of the gods, wouldn't it be wise to show a little leniency? Even if soone defies you, if they can be of help, why not bring them into your fold...?"
When the opinions of the wisest gods in Olympus aligned,
Zeus frowned and waved his hand.
"Ah, ah. Fine... I understand. tis, you may leave."
"Hehe. I trust you'll make a wise decision, as you always have."
Zeus, touching his forehead, seed a bit troubled.
It was clear he was conflicted about whether he should release Protheus and seek his help, despite his defiance.
I didn't push him and waited quietly.
I believed that my brother, who had led Olympus so well until now, would make the right decision.
"Hmm..."
After quite so ti, Zeus, having made up his mind, spoke.
"I had no intention of seeking Protheus's help... My rciful brother, you're quite kind to consider releasing him. Perhaps it's because you've been praised as the god of rcy lately?"
Is he indirectly saying I'm being too soft?
But seeing as he wasn't criticizing harshly, but rather complaining lightly, I could tell he was already persuaded.
With a smile, I replied to Zeus.
"The god of rcy cannot condone excessive punishnt. Especially if the sinner holds the key to fighting against Gaia..."
"Well, I suppose having at least one rciful god around isn't a bad thing..."
The king of the gods rose from his throne and t my gaze.
"As for Protheus... You may handle it as you see fit, brother. But I must receive an apology from him."
"If that's all, I'll try my best to persuade him."
Having gained Zeus's approval, it's now ti to head to the mountain where Protheus is bound.
But I can't just rush there... I should make so more preparations.
If I can persuade 'her' in the underworld...
I might be able to secure Protheus's help.
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