Chapter 14
I witnessed an utterly ordinary human acquire the courage of Ares.
I've seen countless humans until now, but never have I been so deeply impressed as today...
However, will alone cannot accomplish the task Zeus has given.
Does this Cadmus really have such ability?
So I asked him directly.
How he planned to retrieve Zeus's sinews from Typhon.
"Although I may not be comparable to Apollo, the god of music, I pride myself on having enough skill to enchant at least one monster."
Cadmus fumbled in his bosom and pulled out a flute, slowly breathing into it.
Judging by his skillful and natural flute-playing posture, it seemed he was no novice.
Piriririri~
The animals around stopped at the sweet sound from Cadmus's flute.
Even the nymphs dwelling in nature came out to listen, and the air vibrated softly.
The entire space where the flute sound could be heard flowed to his melody.
When the soft rhythm that had been resonating all around stopped, I felt a sense of regret without realizing it.
Cadmus, removing the flute from his mouth, said to me with a confident face.
"The monster will be unable to come to its senses at the sound of my flute!"
I briefly compared it to the music I had heard from Apollo, the god of music and arts, son of Zeus.
Similar to Apollo... no, isn't it even more excellent than Apollo?
A playing skill that could dare to aim for the position of god of music.
But still... it's dangerous.
It doesn't end with the performance; he needs eloquence, courage, and luck to obtain the sinews from Typhon.
A gambling move that would never work on a more experienced monster.
However, thinking of Typhon, who seemed somewhat clumsy despite his strength, if I were to estimate the possibility...
"Lord Hades, I have already made up my mind."
Honestly, I still think Zeus has gone mad, but...
Cadmus's eloquence and courage when answering my question earlier clearly transcended the realm of ordinary humans.
I finished my thoughts and slowly nodded.
However, if Typhon ignores the flute sound and tries to kill Cadmus, or if something seems off, I will step in, hiding with Kynee.
***
Pirirri~ Piriri~
A bit away from Mount Olympus.
A man disguised as a shepherd, Cadmus, was walking while playing the flute.
And a few steps behind, I was following with the Styx sword drawn, wearing Kynee.
Although it was a path approaching a monster that could kill him instantly, he calmly played music.
As he entered Typhon's sphere of influence and fierce storms began to rage, he staggered and stumbled.
Woooosh...
But that was only for a moment; the fiercely raging storm gradually subsided.
A sign that Typhon was interested in the song and withdrawing the winds surrounding his body.
Gaining confidence as clear evidence showed that Cadmus's music was affecting Typhon, he walked forward again.
Gradually, the animals living on the mountain disappeared from view, and the number of broken trees around increased.
As they approached Typhon's location, the pressure intensified, but Cadmus pressed on steadfastly, even while sweating cold.
And finally, they encountered the monster.
"Hahaha! Truly magnificent playing! What is your name, human?"
Typhon's laughter, as he lay slightly sideways, shook the earth and sky.
Despite this, Cadmus stood firm on his two legs.
"I am just a passing shepherd, a human called Cadmus. O Great One!"
"A shepherd? Just a shepherd! You've let me hear heavenly music, yet you're merely doing such a job?"
Typhon looked down at Cadmus with eyes full of favor, as if watching an ant performing tricks.
Even Typhon's hair, made of over 100 snakes spewing lightning and venom, kept their mouths shut towards Cadmus.
"Come with me. If you let me hear that music whenever I want, I shall grant you a great reward."
"What kind of reward do you speak of?!"
Typhon pretended to ponder, bestowing favor on the ant before him.
At least, that's how it looked to me, Hades.
"If you wish, I'll give you any goddess, be it Athena, Aphrodite, Leto, or Artemis, except for Hera. How about it?!"
Crazy monster, is Hera your spoils of war?
I worried for a moment that Cadmus might fall for that temptation.
Taking a goddess is a temptation hard to refuse for a human male, especially if the danger of having to deceive the monster disappears...
"Of course, I will follow if the Great One commands! But wouldn't you like to hear even more excellent music?"
"Oh... Even better than the flute sound just now?"
Cadmus's Adam's apple bobbed once, and then he began to appeal to Typhon in a resounding voice.
"In the past, I once defeated the god Apollo in a lyre competition. But when Zeus found out, he cut my lyre with his lightning!"
"You seem capable of defeating Apollo indeed. So he cut your lyre strings with lightning..."
"If I could only make my lyre again, I would play you melodies twice as sweet as now."
Indeed, his eloquence, courage, and wisdom all befitting the first human hero.
"Very well! These are Zeus's sinews, whom I defeated. Use these to make your lyre again and come to me!"
"I am merely grateful, O Great One."
Typhon moved his enormous body and took out the sinews from under the bearskin he was lying on.
As expected of a god's body part, it pulsed intensely even separated from its owner, with no rotting or damaged areas.
"I will make the lyre and return."
"Hahaha! Yes, come back quickly!"
The hero, imbued with Ares' courage, Apollo's musical skill, and Athena's wisdom in one body, completed his task.
***
"You really retrieved my sinews, human."
"It's an honor to be of help to the chief god Zeus."
Cadmus and I returned to the mountain with the sinews and found the cave where Zeus was trapped.
I was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the once-powerful Zeus, having lost all his strength and lying face down on the ground...
But as soon as he regained his sinews and reattached them to both legs, he returned to the Zeus I knew.
"Zeus. It seems the three goddesses of fate have done something to Typhon."
"The Moirai helped me?"
When I informed him about the weakened Typhon, he clenched his fist with a confident smile.
It seems he's regained his confidence.
"I know where Typhon hid my Astrape. While I go to retrieve it, could you perhaps find the other gods, Brother Hades?"
"Alright."
Even though Zeus's power has returned, Typhon, who single-handedly destroyed Olympus, is not an entity to be underestimated.
He must be thinking of attacking together, as Zeus might be defeated again if he fights alone.
I immediately left the cave to search for other gods.
While searching the surroundings, holding Kynee slightly in my hand so that the gods could recognize me,
fortunately, one god came to me first.
"Ha... Hades!"
Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, appeared.
She ran towards me, terrified, and embraced me.
The warm and gentle divine power I usually felt from her was wavering unstably.
Like a hearth fire about to be extinguished by strong winds.
"You came to help! But Zeus couldn't escape in time..."
"I've already met with Zeus, so calm down."
For even an experienced god who has been through wars with the Titan gods and Gigantes to tremble in fear like this,
I was struck anew by how powerful a monster Typhon must be.
After explaining about Zeus's sinews to her, I set out to find other gods.
Hestia also showed great surprise at the human's achievements, whom she had only considered as an object of care.
"My goodness... Such a human hero helped us...?"
"I'll introduce him properly after we defeat Typhon."
She also agreed to find other gods and gather at Mount Olympus, which Typhon had occupied.
From now on, the speed at which gods gather will gradually accelerate.
As I thought this, a god with a goat's lower body and horns, and a human-like upper body, came running towards me.
He had an expression like humans looking at Zeus.
"Ha... Lord Hades!"
He stopped in front of me.
"Sob... You came to the world of the living to save Olympus... I'm truly ashamed!"
No, were you the creature that transformed into a mix of goat and fish that I saw before meeting Cadmus? Pan?
I thought you were just a lesser god and passed by following Zeus's traces, but it was Pan. If I had known, I should have slightly removed Kynee and spoken to you.
Pan.
As the god of nature and livestock, he is a type of satyr, half-human and half-beast, with a human upper body but a goat's lower body.
Incidentally, he's also the son of Hermes and grandson of Zeus.
You really need to improve your transformation skills.
It's fortunate that Typhon wasn't interested in the fleeing gods except for Hermes.
"Is Father safe? Ugh... I was in such a hurry..."
When I informed him that Hermes was currently being treated in the underworld, he gritted his teeth.
He seemed to be crossing between a sense of powerlessness and grief for not being able to stand against the monster as a god and fleeing.
As with Hestia, I calmed him down appropriately and told him to find other gods.
"Yes! I am the god of nature, after all. If I ask, I can quickly find the others!"
I didn't bother asking whom he would ask.
Because I saw animals like birds, squirrels, and chipmunks gathering around him.
With Pan and many gods transformed into fish, should I go to the riverside?
Conveniently, there was a suitable riverside nearby.
As I revealed my presence and widely emitted divine power, two fish in the river suddenly jumped out.
A form changing in a brief moment. Powerful divine energy. The Twelve Olympians.
"Uncle Hades!"
"What a state for the god of war to be in."
"...I'm sorry. The feeling of defeat was too strong..."
One was the muscular male god Ares, who had helped greatly with the underworld's work during the great flood.
And...
A goddess with dazzling blonde hair and chilling beauty.
An aura that enchants all who see her, regardless of age or gender.
A perfect figure without flaw and the scent of flowers emanating.
It was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
The goddess born from the sea foam when Kronos cut off his father Uranus's genitals.
"It's been a while, Hades."
Of all things, she's even wearing the Kestos Himas, the girdle that has the power to enchant men.
The enchantment of the goddess of beauty that no one can resist.
Averting my eyes from my throbbing head, I told Aphrodite.
"Save that for when you fight Typhon."
"Hmm... As expected, it doesn't work well on the Big Three."
The embodiment of perfect beauty grumbled softly as she undid her girdle.
If Eros, the god of sexual love, and Peitho, the goddess of persuasion, were here too, I might have wavered a bit.
"Ah... Aphrodite."
My nephew has already fallen, gaping at her.
Even though Aphrodite is already married to Hephaestus...
I can't tell the goddess of love not to seduce men, so there's nothing to be done. Will she someday acquire the divine status of adultery?
I informed them of the situation and asked for their help as well.
"I see. Father's sinews are back... Then we'll look for other gods too!"
"See you again soon, Hades."
She's like a female Zeus, trying to take anyone to bed if their appearance suits her taste.
As I turned to search for other gods, the wind blowing from the forest seeped into my ears.
The rustling grass whispers Pan's message to me.
Zeus's messenger eagle also flies this way.
[Lord Hades! I've found everyone!]
[Brother, please take care of Schythe while we contend with him first. Probably on Olympus...]
The time for counterattack has come.