The King of the Underworld is Tired

Today, it was expected that the Underworld would be extremely busy... but Hades' office was surprisingly quiet.

This was because mortal nations had been established all over the world, bringing stability to the living realm and reducing the number of deaths.

Although many still died from various monsters, accidents, or savage animals, it was manageable.

However, I still had one concern...

"We still haven't located the Gigantes?"

"Yes, we haven't been able to find any trace of the monsters you mentioned."

These were the very Gigantes who, according to prophecy, could only be defeated with the help of a mortal hero.

I had tried to locate and eliminate them in advance, or at least reduce their numbers, but...

"Is Lady Gaia providing them a hiding place until their strength grows?"

Even Zeus of Olympus had no idea, and searching the entire Underworld had turned up nothing.

The only fortunate thing was that the day when the Gigantes would challenge the gods again was likely far in the future.

It would take a long time for them to grow their power with Gaia's help.

Gaia knows that the gods defeated even Typhon, so she would only send them when she was sure of victory.

"Before that, a mortal hero must emerge... Cadmus seems promising, but he's too busy searching for his sister..."

As I was lost in thought, a soul guard entered from outside and reported that a visitor had arrived.

Someone at the entrance of the Underworld, half fish and half god-like in appearance, claimed to be Poseidon's messenger.

I realized that the time Poseidon had mentioned had come.

He had said during a banquet in the sea that he had something to discuss.

I could guess what it might be, but I decided to go and listen.

After instructing the soul guard to bring the guest in,

I unfurled a parchment to examine possible locations in the mortal realm where the Gigantes might be hiding.

Wherever they are hiding, if I find them... I'll make them all citizens of the Underworld.

As I indulged in these grim thoughts, examining the parchment, Poseidon's messenger arrived in my office.

The moment the door opened, he bowed deeply in greeting.

"Lord of the Underworld! It's an honor to meet you. I am Triton, the only legitimate son of Lord Poseidon!"

"Yes, I am Hades."

The male god introduced himself as Triton.

His appearance was covered in scales, with gills and something that looked like a dolphin's tail.

He seemed like a monstrous humanoid, but given his birthplace in the sea, it was understandable.

And "legitimate son"... that means he's the child of Poseidon's lawful wife, Amphitrite.

"Is Poseidon's banquet ready? Then lead the way."

"Yes, I will escort you to my father's palace!"

He's pretty brisk. Poseidon would be pleased.

* * *

This place is a beach on the surface.

When I was invited to Amphitrite and Poseidon's wedding last time,

A massive whale, one of Poseidon's retinue, carried me to the golden palace under the sea.

I thought we might summon the whale again to travel beneath the waves...

But Triton pulled out a conch shell from his waist and blew it.

Puuuu—

A majestic sound echoed from the black-and-white conch shell,

And soon after, two enormous seahorses emerged from the ocean's surface.

"These are my seahorses. They are blessed by my father and can move quickly underwater."

"A type of divine beast, imbued with Poseidon's power."

The seahorses were equipped with saddles and reins, as if designed for someone to ride.

I mounted one of the seahorses, feeling the rare sensation of seawater touching my legs.

"Now, we shall proceed to the palace! Let's go!"

At Triton's command, the seahorses began to descend into the sea.

Ssss—

At the same time, a bubble-like barrier formed around me, pushing the surrounding water away.

A consideration from Poseidon, allowing me to stay dry and breathe underwater.

When I was invited to the sea god's wedding, I had to use my own power to repel the water, but now, there's no need for that. Convenient.

Bubbling—

As we entered the ocean, countless fish swam around in the blue world.

Deep blue mackerel, playful dolphins, sea turtles...

As we descended further, the seabed was covered in dense seaweed, with small fish busily moving among them.

I also saw a half-man, half-fish being, who appeared to be one of Poseidon's servants, harvesting seaweed.

The seahorse carrying me descended even deeper.

It felt as if the water was parting naturally, guiding us somewhere.

As we reached the deep ocean where sunlight barely penetrated, everything around was darkness.

However, with divine sight, everything was visible.

The landscape of what humans call the deep sea was quite worth seeing.

They fear the ocean depths and constantly offer sacrifices to Poseidon...

But here, clear, intelligent-looking jellyfish playfully waved their tentacles,

And more and more of Poseidon's half-human, half-fish servants came into view.

"Look at this, haha!"

"This turtle is so cute. Should we take it and raise it?"

"Huh? But over there...!"

Some beautiful nymphs, the sea nymphs known as Nereids, were giggling as they looked at a sea turtle, but then they noticed us and were startled.

They quickly recognized the bubble of protection granted by Poseidon and my imposing appearance, hastily bowing their heads in respect.

Triton smirked and waved his free hand, not holding the reins, causing the Nereids to blush and quickly swim away.

I guess that’s considered handsome down here in the sea. It's hard to understand from an Underworld perspective, though...

We descended even further.

Probably deeper than what mortals would call the deep sea.

At this depth, even a demigod born and raised on land would struggle to survive.

But Poseidon's children wouldn't have any issues.

As I leisurely observed my surroundings, a shark-man approached.

He had a humanoid upper body covered only by a loincloth, but with webbed feet instead of regular ones, a shark fin, and sharp teeth.

The harpoon he held in his hand looked sharp enough to pierce an enemy even in these deep waters.

Judging by his strength, he seemed to be a guard captain near the palace.

"Greetings to the Lord of the Underworld. I am Andrianos, blessed by Lord Poseidon."

I nodded and raised one hand, at which point he bowed to Triton as well.

"Lord Triton."

"Well then, is the banquet fully prepared?"

"Yes, everything is perfectly ready."

After a brief exchange, the seahorse started moving again.

It felt as though we were being naturally drawn in by some force, as if the ocean currents were guiding us to the seabed.

How long had we been traveling? Finally, Poseidon's palace came into view.

The dazzling golden palace beneath the sea.

Even though it should have been too deep for sunlight to reach, the palace was brightly lit.

The grand structure was adorned with white pillars, and colorful coral surrounded it. I also noticed a translucent barrier enveloping the entire palace.

That barrier seemed to be of a similar nature to the protection Poseidon granted the seahorses I was riding.

"Hades! Welcome to my palace!"

And there, standing with his arms wide open in front of the palace's grand entrance, was Poseidon, the sea god with blue hair.

* * *

The banquet Poseidon had prepared was no less impressive than an Olympian feast.

Puuuuu—

There were quite a few seaweed dishes, given we were underwater, and the merfolk, with their fish-like lower bodies, created sweet melodies using conch shells.

I exchanged greetings with Poseidon's sons and the lesser gods under his command, familiarizing myself with their faces.

A lot of new gods had been born under the sea too. Triton... seems to be playing with sharks.

Munching on seaweed dishes and ambrosia while watching the underwater entertainers wasn't too bad.

A talking octopus juggling multiple shells in the air was quite amusing to watch...

Aaaahhhh—!

What’s that sound now?

From a distant, deep part of the ocean, I heard the voice of an enraged woman.

This divine power is stirring the ocean currents and causing fierce waves?

"Ahem... It seems Amphitrite is at it again."

"Is there a problem with your wife?"

"Well... she tends to react like that whenever she discovers I’ve spent a night elsewhere."

Poseidon spoke with a wry smile.

So, your wife found out you cheated on her, and now she's furious?

What’s the difference between you and Zeus, anyway?

Hera and Amphitrite really have it rough.

No wonder the lady of the sea didn’t show up to the banquet.

Poseidon, holding a blue goblet filled with nectar, stroked his beard as he spoke.

"Hmm... I’ll have to figure out how to appease her again. But at least there’s no risk of the sea's mistress being replaced..."

"Isn't it less about the worry of replacing the sea’s mistress and more about the fact that you cheated and she's angry?"

It seems he's no better than Zeus.

I wonder which of the two will take on the divine role of infidelity?

Sighing, I took a swig of nectar.

It really does seem like the taste of nectar changes depending on the place.

How can nectar taste this refreshing here?

It feels like drinking... what was it? Soda in a previous life.

Staying here and enjoying the banquet wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s time to get to the main point.

I put down the blue goblet and made eye contact with Poseidon.

"Well... I already have an idea, but go ahead and tell me the reason you invited me."

"Why ask when you already know? Your guess is correct, Hades."

He grinned, flashing an ambitious smile.

"Of course, it’s about joining forces to overthrow Zeus." 

I knew it.