Chapter 55
After gathering the letter and golden necklace I received from Pandora, I made my way to find Goddess Styx.
She was immersing herself in the River Styx, but as soon as she saw me, she slowly came out of the water.
The goddess's thin clothes clung to her wet body, tracing soft curves...
But I had something to tell her now, so I forcibly averted my eyes.
"Hades, that necklace in your hand..."
"You're right, it is Pandora's necklace as you think."
I explained to the puzzled Goddess Styx about Gaia's prophetic abilities and the matter with Prometheus.
Including that I would be briefly leaving the underworld to persuade him.
"So I'd like you to take charge of the underworld for a while."
"Hmm... I'll inform the other gods. Persuading Prometheus... I hope it goes well."
"If Tartarus opens or something urgent happens, please tell Thanatos..."
Persuading Prometheus is something that must be successful.
It's the only way to deal with Gaia's prophecies.
"Then I'll be going to Mount Caucasus where Prometheus is bound."
"...Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Ahem. It's cold, you should change your clothes quickly."
She's been doing this more and more lately...
As I quickly turned my head and passed by, I heard her grumbling softly behind me.
I crossed the River Lethe and quickly passed the River Acheron, heading towards the entrance of the underworld.
Mount Caucasus is quite far from here.
That's why I borrowed Iris in advance by telling Olympus.
As I came out to the mortal world, the goddess of the rainbow bowed her head to greet me.
"Lord Hades. Shall I take you directly to Mount Caucasus?"
"Yes, connect the space there."
Beyond the passage created by Iris's gesture, a towering rocky mountain was visible.
Prometheus would be bound at the peak of that mountain.
***
Whoosh-
As I moved through space to Mount Caucasus, I felt the cold air.
The chilly wind from the high altitude struck my skin.
All sorts of divine power could be felt even at the foot of the rocky mountain.
Well, since this is where Prometheus is bound...
Precautions to prevent Gigantes, Gaia, or ignorant humans are visible everywhere.
An owl peeking out between the rugged rocks seems to be Athena's divine beast,
I can feel a cool and subtle divine power.
Despite it being a rocky mountain, there's even Demeter's sacred tree.
There was also a barrier that would make ordinary humans, not heroes, get lost.
Whoosh-
I passed through the barriers appropriately and continued climbing the mountain path.
Hmm. It seems Olympus has certainly set up proper defenses, which is very satisfying.
Near the summit, I made a lion divine beast that bared its teeth at me retreat,
And as I turned around a large rock, Prometheus came into view.
With his arms and legs spread in an X shape, bound to the rock wall,
The male Titan god, chained with iron shackles made by Hephaestus himself, had his head bowed low.
"Oh... Hades. The great God of Mercy comes. Heh heh..."
As I approached him, the face that looked middle-aged slowly lifted towards me.
Along with a mischievously twisted smile, his words were caustic.
"How does it feel to be revered after bestowing a bit of paltry mercy on humans?"
"It's been a long time since we met, don't joke around, Prometheus..."
"Heh heh heh..."
...This guy is at it again.
It's just like Prometheus's personality before he fell out with Zeus, when he fought alongside the gods in the Titan War.
"Hey! If you go that way, you'll be caught by the Titans... Heh heh.. Go if you want.."
"Ah... if it's a prophecy, there's nothing we can do."
"It's not a prophecy, just a hunch."
"Tsk tsk.. If you use divine power like that, you'll be defeated by Cronos."
"...Another prophecy?"
"Who knows? It depends on your thinking, Poseidon."
"Oh my! You're going to get into big trouble one day!"
"Hmm... if it's a prophecy..."
"No? This is just my feeling."
"......?"
Back then, we were inexperienced young gods,
And Prometheus was a seasoned Titan god as well as our best asset with his power of prophecy.
Everyone trusted his words, but his personality was... well...
Actually, I have a reasonable suspicion that this might be one of the reasons Zeus bound Prometheus.
"No, how is your personality still the same after enduring punishment for such a long time?"
"What, just because you've become the Lord of the Underworld, you won't take my jokes? Show me some mercy."
Prometheus, who had been giggling for a while, stopped laughing and opened his mouth.
"You've come to persuade me to counter Gaia's prophecy, right?"
***
"As expected, you knew."
"I'm curious what method the Lord of the Underworld has prepared. Tell me quickly."
He knew the future of my coming, but doesn't he know the specific method to persuade him?
Well, your prophecies were like that.
You joined us because of the certain prophecy that we would defeat the Titans,
But since you couldn't foresee everything, there were times when we struggled in the war.
"Prometheus, don't you cherish humans like your own children?"
"Me?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have given fire to humans, even going against Zeus."
"Oh..."
"The Gigantes created by Gaia are strong, but they're the worst for humans. They eat humans and sacrifice them without hesitation."
The Gigantes, created with a focus on strength rather than wisdom to drive us out after we defeated Typhon.
Their strength is comparable to the Olympian gods, but they have stronger monstrous attributes.
"Well...? Aren't you underestimating me too much because I'm bound here? Just look at the humans sacrificed by gods..."
"It's better than the Gigantes."
"Are you admitting that the gods are a slightly better evil than the Gigantes?"
"...Yes. That's right."
"Oh... Zeus would be displeased if he heard that."
Honestly, how many humans have been sacrificed due to the gods' whims?
The underworld is full of those who died due to prophecies, curses, or simply for being impudent.
I can't lie to the world's greatest prophet.
What's needed to persuade him is not sweet coaxing, but the truth.
I summoned the Bident, the underworld's greatest weapon, in one hand.
And immediately cut the iron chains binding Prometheus.
Clang! Thud. Clatter.
The iron chains binding Prometheus were made by Hephaestus on Zeus's orders.
But this Bident was also made by the god of smiths, and even more meticulously.
Prometheus stumbled for a moment as the chains that had bound him for so long were cut.
He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"Ha. Will the King of Gods condone this too?"
"I already finished talking with Zeus before coming here."
The Titan of prophecy, brushing off his body and standing up, looked at me with curious eyes.
"What if you don't get any results from me?"
"...Then there's nothing we can do. The punishment imposed on you was too harsh to begin with."
"Oh... You'll release me?"
It's not bad to see the wise Titan god looking flustered.
Now, let's slowly...
"What are these? And surely this necklace isn't..."
"It's a letter and necklace from Pandora. I swear by the River Styx that I didn't use any oppression or threats on her."
He seriously examined the golden necklace I held out, then looked at the letter.
Prometheus seemed to concentrate on the scroll for a long time, as if scrutinizing each letter.
Whoosh-
Zeus's divine beast, the eagle, comes flying to peck at Prometheus's liver.
The eagle rushes towards him as he's reading the letter.
Thud. Flutter. Flap flap.
However, the divine beast was caught by the Titan of prophecy, who quietly took his eyes off the letter.
Prometheus, whose playful demeanor from earlier had suddenly disappeared, looked into my eyes.
"...Phew."
A gentle wind blew between him and me,
He took a deep breath in and out, then opened his mouth again.
"...Hades, as you know, Gaia is capable of prophecy at the same level as me."
"That's why we need your help."
"She knows well what to do to win in the war against you."
He releases the eagle and continues speaking.
Zeus's divine beast, realizing that its easy prey had regained its strength, flew away.
"No matter how well you prepare... the gods will be defeated by Gaia's strike, even if I tell you in advance."
"Are you saying we'll definitely be hit once?"
"Of course, it will be quite a painful blow to your plans."
Despite numerous gods like Apollo, Selene, Helios, and Demeter being on high alert...
We can't prevent a single strike? Will it be the Gigantes' final attack, or something else?
"However, after that..."
The intuition of the three main gods was telling that Prometheus would open a way out for us.
A strange energy leaked from the Titan's half-open eyes.
I felt that a prophecy that would touch fate was about to come from his mouth.
"If the mortal world and the underworld are connected, the gods will win."
The mortal world and the underworld, two separate worlds, connected... This is a definite prophecy.
Power was imbued in the words, like a curse or blessing.
"Zeus probably told you to get an apology from me, right?"
As if he wouldn't tell me any more, Prometheus turned his body to look at the sky.
He stretched his neck for a moment and then shouted.
"Zeus! I apologize for spewing 'harsh words' at you!"
Rumble...
As soon as Prometheus's shout stopped,
The sound of thunder, Zeus's symbol, echoed.
Not a prophecy, but harsh words.
Fortunately, the statement that Zeus would be driven out like Cronos and Uranus was not a prophecy.
It was Prometheus's provocation against Zeus, who had bound him to the rocky mountain.
And by acknowledging this fact here...
We Olympians have removed one source of anxiety.
"Oh, and Hades, you'd better keep your lower body loose! Heh heh heh!"
"What... what?"
Flutter-
Prometheus left only these strange words and flew away, transformed into a bird.