The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 133: The Goddess of Prophecy, Thetis

Time flowed like a river.

Whether in the underworld or the mortal world, the flow of time is unavoidable.

And the patience of Zeus, king of the gods, is no different.

“Hades, the goddess Thetis says she wishes to meet you.”

“Did you say the goddess Thetis?”

The subject of a prophecy that her son would surpass his father.

A very long time ago, she came to the underworld to meet me, back when Poseidon’s rebellion happened on Olympus.

I wonder what this is about this time… I’ve already taken care of the issue with Charybdis and Poseidon’s children.

I was resting my head on Lady Styx’s lap...

But I rose from my bed and headed to the throne.

A goddess who should be in the sea or on Olympus has come all the way to the underworld—

Surely it’s not another rebellion. Did she come to ask for a favor?

“Please help me! Lately, Zeus keeps trying to marry me off!”

“Ah.”

“He was quiet for a while, but now recently he’s at it again…”

I put my hand on my head as I looked at the goddess with her ocean-blue hair, her face a picture of distress.

I’d already asked Zeus to make things easier on her before, but—

It seems he’s running out of patience and trying to eliminate a potential threat.

“How much is he pressuring you?”

“He keeps saying I’ll never become the wife of a god and that I should marry a mortal, but why should a goddess like me marry some mortal… sob…”

“Haaa…”

The goddess Thetis tearfully complains to me.

From Zeus’s perspective, there’s no way he could allow her to marry a god. A child more powerful than the gods… could they even become one of the three rulers?

He’d only be at ease if she married a human and bore a child.

I understand the position of this goddess, forced into a marriage she doesn’t want.

However…

“Goddess Thetis.”

Sniff -!

“Yes?”

“If you were to marry a god, wouldn’t Zeus harm your child?”

If I were to act on emotion and help her marry a god as she wishes,

Zeus wouldn’t stand by. Even if I or Poseidon intervened, Zeus would not yield.

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Then a war among the gods would break out.

Unless one side backs down from Zeus’s pressure, it would lead to ruin.

Power is Zeus’s most sensitive area, and even though I am his brother and the ruler of the underworld, I have no intention of crossing that line.

“…Then, what am I to do… I came all the way to the underworld because no one would help me…”

But to force her to marry a mortal? That would be unjust.

The goddess Thetis is so adamantly opposed to it, this resembles nothing less than an arranged marriage.

There aren’t many ways that come to mind, but I’ll do what I can.

“Lady Thetis, I’ll try to persuade Zeus.”

“…!”

“But if you marry a god, it could split Olympus in half. So… what about those with divine lineage, but not full gods?”

If she marries one of the three ruling gods, her child could surpass Zeus.

If she marries a god, the three might become four.

If she marries a demigod, the child might still become a god.

However, her pride as a goddess would never allow her to marry a human.

“I would like to help you, but the prophecy gets in the way.”

* * *

The goddess Thetis looks at me, disappointed and with a hint of desperation in her gaze.

“Still, what if it were a human who meets your standards?”

“There’s no way a mortal could meet my standards.”

“Then… how about organizing a contest or competition for humans to participate in? The goddess Thetis, you could watch the competition yourself and choose anyone who appeals to you.”

There are very few mortals who would refuse to marry a goddess.

Unless they have the unwavering mental strength of great heroes like Cadmus or Heracles, no one can resist an immortal’s beauty.

So, we could announce that the winner may marry the goddess, and gather participants from all over Greece.

Only humans who possess courage, bravery, and wisdom will earn the chance to court the goddess.

I shared this rough idea with the goddess Thetis.

“If no one pleases you, you could just use the excuse to award the winner a fitting treasure. Only those who meet your standards would get a chance.”

“But if I keep refusing everyone…”

“Still, Zeus won’t give up until you have a child. After all, the prophecy explicitly states that your son will surpass his father.”

It doesn’t say, “If she has a child,” but rather, “The son Thetis bears will surpass his father.”

So it’s certain that the goddess Thetis will have a son.

From Zeus’s perspective, he’ll only feel secure once her son is born.

“Haa. There’s no way to refuse marriage, no matter what I do.”

“Is there anything else you desire? You could demand something more from Zeus.”

“…I’ll think about that later.”

“For now, I’ll convey your intentions to Zeus.”

Is this the best we can do? There’s hardly a chance Zeus would reject this offer.

If this resolves the conflict, that would be best… Should I head to Olympus and discuss it?

* * *

So, I came to Olympus with Goddess Thetis.

Zeus’s expression briefly hardened when he saw me with Goddess Thetis, but then it softened.

“Hades, my brother, you’re not the type to covet Thetis… Is this about her circumstances?”

“Goddess Thetis has decided to marry a mortal.”

“…You’ve finally made up your mind, Thetis?”

Zeus looked half-doubtful, and Thetis nodded reluctantly.

“But you can’t just marry her off to any mortal, right? Even with the prophecy about surpassing his father… At the very least, he should be a king or a hero with significant accomplishments.”

“Hmmm.”

“Why don’t we hold a hunting contest among mortals? Only the one who wins and gains the goddess’s favor can marry her.”

“It could foster heroes… It’s not a bad idea.”

Zeus thought for a moment and then called together several gods.

Thus, a hunting contest for a chance to marry Goddess Thetis was discussed, and a tournament open to all Greeks was planned to be held every two years.

This was, of course, relayed to humans as an oracle…

“Have you heard about the hunting contest where you could marry Goddess Thetis?”

“I’m honestly skeptical. It’s a chance to wed a goddess, but even the winner must win her favor, right?”

“The prize is treasure and honor, but Goddess Thetis herself will watch the competition…”

“I heard she hasn’t married yet. So, she’s looking for a husband among mortals!”

“If one of your parents is a god, you can’t participate, so you’re out of luck.”

Thus, the competition began as humans vied to win the favor of the beautiful sea goddess, Thetis.

Of course, catching her eye wouldn’t be easy… but heroes, enticed by honor, experience, and treasure, all eagerly joined the competition.

* * *

While the mortal world buzzed with the hunt contest overseen by Thetis, the great hero Heracles continued fulfilling his tasks.

The fifth task was cleaning the Augean stables of King Augeas.

The task of clearing out a stable piled with the waste of hundreds of animals over decades even daunted the great hero.

So, he redirected the course of an entire river, washing away all the filth.

Although the river god protested…

“You! Who allowed you to alter the river’s course?”

“…I’m Heracles, completing tasks (labors) for Lady Hera. My apologies, but…”

“The prophesied hero, is it? Hmph… I’ll let it slide this once.”

Thanks to his well-known name, he was able to escape unscathed.

The sixth task was the slaying of the Stymphalian Birds.

These man-eating birds shot feathers like arrows or pecked humans to death.

Their beaks and claws were bronze, and they belonged to Ares, but…

“Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw!”

“Enough of this noise… QUIET DOWN!!!!”

Even Heracles’s vocal cords were impressive.

With his thunderous shout, the birds’ eardrums burst, and shocked, they bled from their ears and dropped to the ground.

As the remaining birds fled, he shot them down with arrows.

He also completed the seventh task of capturing the Cretan Bull, the father of the Minotaur…

And the eighth task of capturing the man-eating mares of King Diomedes.

The next task he received was…

“The ninth task (labor) is to bring back the cattle of Geryon.”

“The monstrous king with three heads and three bodies, right?”

Geryon resided on an island at the western edge of the world.

Heracles, without interference, smoothly reached the island by boat.

Thud. Thud!

“Argh!”

Upon setting foot on the island, he heard screams.

As he moved, wielding his club, he recognized a familiar face.

“…Lord Triton?”

“Oh, Heracles, is that you?”

“What are you doing here…?”

“Nothing much. I was impressed by your way of ‘educating’ Polyphemus. I thought I’d give it a try myself.”

Triton, resting a club on his shoulder, was disciplining a giant.

The giant, bruised and battered, kneeled before Triton, his face full of fear.

“This is my half-brother, Antaeus. He’s been challenging travelers to contests of strength and killing them afterward.”

“Oh… I see.”

“My father told me to rein in his children, so I’m doing it this way.”

Crack! Thud!

“Guh… Ugh…”

“Hahaha! Antaeus! Isn’t your mother Goddess Gaia? Show some more grit.”

“N-No. I won’t harm travelers ever again…”

Triton laughed heartily. Despite being Gaia and Poseidon’s son, Antaeus was emitting painful groans.

Heracles stared blankly for a moment, then voiced his curiosity to Triton.

“Lord Triton.”

“What is it?”

“Antaeus is the son of Goddess Gaia and Lord Poseidon… So why isn’t he a god? And…my ultimate goal is to become a god, but I don’t understand anything about it. Despite the many tasks I’ve completed, the realm of godhood still feels so distant. Could you offer any advice?”

Would Triton be able to answer his question?