Chapter 8: Pontus and Poseidon (1)
After the Titanomachy, the world was now ruled by Zeus and his siblings.
As the newly crowned lord of the seas, Poseidon wasted no time heading to his domain.
While Zeus, as the god of the sky and king of the gods, was busy distributing rewards to the other gods, Poseidon had little interest in such matters.
"I should start building a temple. Maybe ask the Cyclopes for help? In the myths, I think it was a golden palace deep under the sea near Euboea, right?"
As Poseidon dove into the sea, the waves enveloped him. Countless sea creatures, nymphs, and lesser gods bowed before him.
"We congratulate Lord Poseidon on his victory!"
Having anticipated this, Poseidon greeted them naturally and spoke.
"As I've become the true god of the seas, we must proclaim the new king's ascension across all the straits of the world. For the next seven days and nights, hold an unending festival to announce my reign to all the seas."
Thus, Poseidon officially declared himself the lord of the seas, celebrating with a seven-day festival to spread the news.
However, a minor issue arose. The gods and nymphs of the sea, having witnessed Poseidon's power in the Titanomachy and heard of his favor from Oceanus, the primordial sea, acknowledged him as their master. But humans were a different story—they refused to accept him.
The Golden Race, the humans led by Kronos, were a perfect, immortal race who knew neither hunger, fear, nor death. Blessed with perfection, they revered Kronos for granting them such a life and continued to worship Pontus, the primordial sea god, as the ruler of the seas.
"Hmm, do I really need to deal with this? Zeus won't just sit idly by anyway."
With that thought, Poseidon dismissed it as a trivial matter and turned his attention elsewhere.
He wasn't the type of god whose power depended on human worship.
More pressing to him was the current state of the seas.
Thus, Poseidon set aside the issue of the Golden Race and busied himself organizing the seas and establishing rules.
"As expected, it's a chaotic sea of monsters. It'll take quite a while to make it like the seas of my past life."
The seas of this era were a lawless domain where monsters and nymphs roamed freely.
More accurately, under Pontus' influence, it was an age of survival of the fittest, where creatures devoured and dominated each other to grow stronger.
While Poseidon could have left it as is if he didn't care, his vision was of the peaceful seas from his past life.
Unbeknownst to him at the time, this ambition would soon spark the beginning of a great conflict.
***
Determined to recreate the seas of his past life, Poseidon first restricted the monsters' ability to control the waves at will.
He also took command of the gods and nymphs of the rivers, wells, and underground waters connected to the sea.
To prevent sea monsters from preying on humans or dominating each other for power, he designated specific territories for them.
He then issued a decree to all species of the land and sea:
- The Etrurian Sea, the deep swirling waters near the upper Nile River in the Mediterranean, and parts of eastern Crete are designated as the domains of the Ketea. Humans passing through these areas must seek the Ketea's permission, as decreed in the name of Poseidon.
This restricted the Ketea from leaving their territories freely or attacking humans out of boredom.
Additionally, Poseidon's rules made it impossible for them to devour each other.
He also curbed the mischievous antics of sea nymphs.
While the Nereids and Oceanids were exceptions, other sea nymphs and spirits had no qualms about luring humans into the sea to feed on their essence or kill them.
For example, the Sirens took pleasure in enchanting humans with their songs, dragging them into the sea to drain their life force.
Given that humans of this era were immortal, this effectively trapped them in eternal torment underwater.
Though they felt no pain, Poseidon had no intention of tolerating such behavior.
***
While Poseidon was busy working, deep in the abyss, Pontus—the primordial sea god who had long feasted on offerings from the Golden Race and sea nymphs—frowned at the rumors reaching him.
"So, this young upstart named Poseidon dares to ruin our sea?"
"Well, it's not exactly ruining… He's just controlling us and stopping us from killing or exploiting humans freely," a snake-like nymph replied.
"That's the same thing! And by undermining my rules, he's trying to diminish my influence!"
Pontus' roar echoed through the deep-sea cave.
"Hah! They think they can claim the world just because they defeated Kronos? Foolish. It's time for me, Pontus, the true master of the seas, to restore peace."
"Um… Lord Pontus, the others might not agree with you…"
Pontus sneered at the nymph's words.
"Don't worry. I've already prepared for that."
***
"Sister, isn't Poseidon just too arrogant? Who does he think he is, trying to control the Ketea and even us? We're the blood of Lord Pontus!"
"He has every right to be arrogant. He's a god favored by the primordial sea."
"Sister! Don't tell me you're okay with this?!"
"But, Thetis, he's the rightful ruler of the seas."
"Ugh! So you're saying Poseidon's right to do all this? Hmph, I'll fight for my freedom!"
In a coral-filled room deep in the sea, where the Nereids resided, Thetis—the third most powerful Nereid—was arguing heatedly with her elder sister, Amphitrite.
Frustrated by Amphitrite's calm attempts to persuade her, Thetis stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Seeing Thetis storm out, Amphitrite gazed after her with worry-filled eyes and murmured,
"Hmm… why is she acting like this all of a sudden? She never cared about worldly matters before. I hope this doesn't lead to something terrible…"
Amphitrite felt an ominous premonition watching her sister, who had never expressed such discontent before, behave so differently. But since Thetis hadn't yet taken any concrete action, there was little Amphitrite could do.
Meanwhile, far more swiftly and radically than Amphitrite had anticipated, Thetis was rallying her fellow Nereids and their aunts, the Oceanids, to plot something big.
"Even if Sister refuses, if our sisters and our Oceanid aunts cooperate, they'll have no choice but to listen to me. Hmm… our uncles are tied to their rivers, so if they all left at once, it would be too obvious. But the sea nymphs alone should be enough."
Thetis, having already made arrangements with her sisters, aunts, and other nymphs before confronting Amphitrite, climbed the highest hill and shouted to the gathered crowd:
"How long must we suffer under this tyrant's oppression? It's time we rise for our freedom and justice! Can't you hear the cries of the powerless nymphs and spirits suffering? Let's go—let's fight!"
Waaaaah!
Their thoughts and actions were warped and extreme. Poseidon was merely establishing order without demanding sacrifices or imposing harsh rules on them. If anything, it was Pontus' sea that had forced suffering and sacrifice on the weak. Yet, they cheered wildly. As Thetis' speech echoed, the eyes of most nymphs and lesser gods listening lost their spark, turning a dark, eerie green that gleamed ominously.
***
A few days later, Thetis, satisfied with having persuaded the others, wasn't done. She sought out Amphitrite, who still resisted.
"Sister, how long are you going to hold out? Our sisters and aunts have already agreed to fight."
"You foolish girl, this is absurd."
"Hah! Two-thirds of the sea is already on our side—what's the problem? If you join us, Father and Lord Pontus will act too."
Amphitrite fell silent, watching Thetis, who had become reckless and radical. She could tell that her sisters, aunts, nymphs, and even sea monsters were rapidly rallying to Thetis' cause. While they weren't the most powerful ten Nereids or Oceanids, their numbers were significant and growing—too much for Amphitrite to ignore.
"Sigh… you're dragging us all into a war."
In the end, Amphitrite had no choice but to join the conflict. As someone who opposed war to the end, she had to make a decision.
'The problem is, no matter how I look at it, there's no chance of winning. But…'
For Amphitrite, who cherished her family, this wasn't a matter of choice. Her weaker sisters could face true annihilation in this war.
***
Emboldened by convincing even Amphitrite, Thetis went to her father, Nereus, and mother, Doris, demanding their participation.
"Mother, Father, please join our war. We'll drive out Poseidon and reclaim the sea's full sovereignty."
Behind Thetis stood the Ketea and nymphs, their green eyes glinting with resentment toward Poseidon.
"Oh, by Gaia, you've truly lost your minds. You're dragging all the sea's spirits, who never even fought in the Titanomachy, into war," Nereus exclaimed.
"Father, it's Poseidon who's mad! How can he oppress and tyrannize us, the freest beings of the sea?"
"You foolish daughter! He's merely acting as the god of the sea, enforcing his will. All he's done is stop you from toying with humans. You're still the freest beings in the sea."
"Hmph, those restrictions will pile up until we're trapped like fish in a net. Father, our children have already united, and Mother's sisters have agreed to join. So, like Sister Amphitrite, join us to protect us—or will you watch your children and sisters bleed and fall?"
Nereus and Doris were speechless at Thetis' outrageous demands. She had never been this radical, and in their absence, she had changed strangely. her dark green eyes radiated an unsettling malice. In the end, they had no choice but to join the war under her pressure. The power Thetis now wielded was beyond their control, and to protect their children, they had to fight. There was no other option.
"Doris, it seems someone is manipulating Thetis," Nereus whispered.
"I feel it too. That aura is definitely…" Doris replied.
If war broke out, both victors and instigators would face punishment—likely the most terrifying penalty in the sea: being dissolved into the primordial waters or imprisoned in Tartarus' deepest depths alongside the Titans. Or worse, the weaker beings could become fodder for the sea itself.
***
Meanwhile, Olympus had caught wind of these suspicious developments.
"Huh… something like this is happening in the sea, and Poseidon's just sitting there?" Zeus remarked.
"He's probably waiting gleefully. That's Poseidon for you," Hera replied.
"True, even during the war, he loved hunting everything in one fell swoop. You'd think he's the god of war or hunting with how much he enjoys driving his prey," Demeter added.
"Zeus, why not use this chance to wipe out the Golden Race too? Poseidon's the chosen god of the sea—he'll win. This is the perfect opportunity to deal with them, which has been a lingering issue," Metis suggested.
"Metis, that's a brilliant idea. Without a proper justification, this war gives us the chance to pin everything on the other gods and clean up the mess. We should send a messenger to Poseidon to get his approval," Zeus agreed.
Zeus nodded at the suggestions from Metis, Hera, and Demeter, the central figures of Olympus.
"Then, Metis, go inform Poseidon of our plan. Since you're Oceanus' daughter, the sea gods won't suspect you."
"Good idea. I'll head there now, Zeus."
"Oh, and if possible, make sure Poseidon owes Olympus a favor."
"You're too ruthless when it comes to using people," Metis teased.