Chapter 56: Helios—Phaethon (4)
So, Zeus was involved in this after all.
‘This could get complicated…’
According to the intelligence Hera had received, the despairing Clymene had gone to seek out her father and mother — Oceanus and Tethys.
And Hera knew all too well what a woman filled with vengeance could do.
‘If this goes wrong, Helios might turn completely against Olympus.’
Worse yet, if even a shred of evidence surfaced linking Zeus to this incident, Olympus would find itself in a dire position indeed.
Demeter, already furious beyond reason, would no longer stand on solid ground —
And that anger might soon be directed toward them.
“As if the reappearance of those Typhon-like monstrosities weren’t enough… what a headache.” Hera muttered.
It had been a month since the world fell into darkness,
And since the mortals below had barely survived through divine aid.
Just as Hera feared, an envoy from the sea finally arrived at Olympus.
Fortunately for the Olympians, the emissaries bore the crests of Oceanus and Tethys —
Not that of Poseidon.
At least that much was a relief.
“Great King and Queen of the Gods,” said the envoy’s leader, “we bring a letter from Lord Oceanus and Lady Tethys.”
The one who spoke was Perseis —
Sister to Clymene, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys,
And one of Poseidon’s highest commanders — a sea nymph of terrifying power.
“Gasp—!”
“Oh no…”
A few gods nearly lost control of themselves at the sight of her.
Even among the oceanic deities, Perseis was known to be one of the most fearsome.
Her rank and authority didn’t quite match Zeus and Hera’s —
But neither was she someone who needed to bow before them.
Indeed, she didn’t bow at all.
She merely extended the letter toward the thrones.
“This embassy does not come in the name of Lord Poseidon,” she declared.
“It comes by the will of Amphitrite, Oceanus, and Tethys, rulers of the primordial sea.”
Zeus nodded.
“Very well. You are welcome here. The delegation may rest in the chambers we have prepared. We will read the letter and send you our reply.”
“Understood.”
The sea envoy was then escorted away without further commotion, And silence fell over Olympus.
The first to break that silence was Athena.
“Something about this is strange,” she said.
“They must know what Helios and his son Phaethon have done —
And yet they send this?”
Indeed, the letter from the sea contained shocking claims:
That Helios and Phaethon were victims, not culprits —
That Olympus’s punishment was excessive —
And that unless the curse upon the Heliades was lifted
And sincere efforts were made to save Phaethon,
There would be consequences.
The tone bordered on a threat.
“We must consider the possibility that something we don’t know is at play,” Athena continued.
Hermes nodded in agreement.
“She’s right. From what I’ve heard from the winds and from Phaethon’s mortal kin,
The boy was nothing like the reckless fool people make him out to be.
They said he knew his limits — that he was humble, diligent, and always striving to improve himself.”
Artemis added her own thoughts.
“In my experience, those with Phaethon’s temperament rarely act impulsively.
Not unless they’ve been provoked by something extraordinary —
Or consumed some accursed herb like Amaranth, the kind that twists one’s nature.”
The gods murmured among themselves, nodding.
Among both mortals and immortals, one’s innate disposition was nearly immutable —
Especially for divine bloodlines.
Only those who had suffered catastrophic injury to their very essence — like Ares — ever truly changed.
“I agree,” said Ares, scowling.
“Something’s off. And that monster Perseis doesn’t move without cause.”
“Father,” said Harmonia, “I know her well.
She never strikes unless she’s already sunk her teeth into her prey.”
Even the god of war himself could sense it:
Something about Perseis’s appearance meant that something was terribly wrong.
And though Zeus kept a calm, expressionless face as he listened to the discussion,
Inside he was restless and uneasy.
How much had they found out?
If they had even discovered that Moros was involved…
At his side, Hera, who had easily read his anxious thoughts, cast him a withering look — one of pure contempt.
‘Tsk, tsk, tsk… You’ve made things worse than if you’d done nothing at all.’
Still, even she could not openly humiliate or insult the so-called King of the Gods before everyone.
So instead, Hera calmly handed out a bundle of documents she had prepared in advance.
“This,” she said, “is a report compiled by Iris. Everyone, read it.”
Moments later—
After reading through the papers, the assembled gods erupted in outrage.
—“I don’t know who this Typhon creature is, but he’s utterly vile!”
—“To think he would use Helios’s own son to sow discord among the gods!”
—“Wait a moment. Isn’t this the same fiend who once tried to pit Lady Hera and Lord Poseidon against each other?”
—“Yes! I remember—the aura described here is said to be extremely powerful!”
The report Hera had distributed clearly stated that Phaethon had been manipulated by someone else—
And that traces of Typhon’s energy had been detected in the land where Phaethon had lived.
Zeus’s eyes went wide as he skimmed the pages.
“Wait—when did you prepare all this…?”
“Right after you did your stupid stunt,” Hera replied coldly.
“Fortunately, Iris discovered this before the Sun Chariot destroyed everything. And it helps that Typhon’s been active across the world—it makes the explanation believable.”
“Ha… truly, I’m grateful, Hera.”
Zeus looked at her with genuine relief, even admiration.
But Hera turned her face away, clearly disgusted by the sight of him.
“I share some blame myself for not stopping you sooner, So I’ll accept your gratitude. But if you ever pull something like this again…”
Zeus pretended not to hear the rest of her threat.
Instead, he silently congratulated himself for having chosen such a clever, strategic bride.
Then, relaxing a little, he stood and proclaimed before the gods:
“Thanks to our queen, the truth behind this disaster has been revealed! We now know who our true enemy is. Summon the envoys!”
“So,” asked Perseis, when the envoys returned, “you’re saying this Typhon creature orchestrated the entire affair?”
“Exactly,” Zeus replied.
“According to Iris’s investigation, Typhon’s aura—and even his followers—were found in Phaethon’s homeland.”
“Hmm…”
Perseis frowned slightly.
There were small inconsistencies between this account and the reports she had received from Psamathe regarding Phaethon’s deeds,
But she chose not to press the issue.
Her mission was only to save Phaethon and the Heliades—nothing more.
Whether Phaethon had been manipulated, or poisoned by some maddening herb, mattered little.
As long as he posed no threat to Poseidon, she had no further concern.
‘Best to stop here, she thought. Olympus clearly feels guilty about something anyway.’
“Then, will the Heliades and Phaethon be spared?” she asked.
“Of course,” Zeus said. “That much has been agreed upon.”
“However…”
According to Zeus’s ruling, the matter would be resolved as follows:
The Heliades—Phaethon’s sisters—had committed no true crime,
And would therefore be released immediately.
Phaethon, however, had caused destruction,
So punishment was still necessary.
Yet, in light of Helios’s long devotion and his close ties with the sea gods,
Zeus decreed that Phaethon’s penance would be to serve the gods for a time—
Rather than to suffer eternal damnation.
Perseis nodded in acceptance.
“That is acceptable. Our side only asks that Phaethon and the Heliades be forgiven and allowed to live again.”
Then she produced a small object from her side pouch—a black colt,
Its six legs ending in razor-sharp talons.
“This,” she said, “is a gift from Lord Poseidon to Lady Demeter.
He hopes this offering will ease her anger over the recent events.”
Both Zeus and Hera brightened immediately at the sight of the gift.
Demeter had been furious, so much so that she had stormed out of Olympus and returned to her palace on earth.
“Please thank Poseidon for us,” said Zeus.
“We were just wondering how to calm Demeter down.”
Perseis gave a brief nod, dipped her head politely,
And turned to leave—her mission complete.
***
Meanwhile…
In his solar palace, Helios greeted Clymene as she arrived.
Despite his effort to smile, grief weighed heavily upon him.
Once, his hair had shone with brilliant golden light;
Now it was dull and darkened, a faded gold.
And where he once stood tall and radiant with confidence,
He now appeared small, weary, and broken.
“Welcome, Clymene,” he said softly.
“I didn’t realize you’d fallen apart this much.”
“Ah…”
Clymene didn’t say anything more to the weakened Helios.
Instead, she silently handed him the document from Olympus and gave a faint smile.
“I came only to deliver this. I have to go tend to Phaethon.”
“Ah… right… Phaethon—is he still alive?”
“Yes. Thankfully, he’s still breathing. And if you read that document, you’ll see—he’ll soon recover completely.”
“What?”
“We can talk in detail after you’ve read it. Wash up and get dressed first. You wouldn’t want to see your son and daughters looking like that, would you?”
“……”
After Clymene left, Helios hurriedly opened and read the document from Olympus.
Its contents stated that both Phaethon and the Heliades would be restored to their original forms.
“Oh, by the heavens…”
As he read, Helios broke down in tears.
For a long while, the only sound within his palace was the echo of his weeping.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
“So, Olympus used my name to cover this up?”
“Yes, Lord Typhon. Word has spread that you controlled Phaethon and caused the disaster on Earth.”
“How amusing. And Helios’s reputation has fallen with it.”
“Indeed. It seems Olympus caught two birds with one stone this time. Everything we had planted there was destroyed as well.”
“That’s true,” another added, “but we’ve gained something too.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
“The realization that the sea and the sky aren’t as close as they appear.”
A low rumble shook the ground.
“So… the time is drawing near.”
Typhon, who knew the truth behind everything, found Zeus and Olympus despicable—but not entirely displeasing.
Each deceit, each act of arrogance like this, would pile up over time—
Until Zeus and the gods of Olympus were isolated and ripe for destruction.
***
Through the tireless efforts of his mother Clymene and grandmother Tethys,
Phaethon was miraculously brought back to life.
“Oh… Phaethon, my son…”
“Mother… I’m so sorry…”
The boy who had nearly died, and the mother who had almost lost everything, embraced each other in deep reunion.
But their reunion was short-lived.
The messenger of Zeus, Hermes, appeared before them.
“Forgive me for interrupting so soon after your reunion,” he said,
“but Phaethon—you have committed a great sin.
It’s time for you to pay for it.”
“……”
“Hermes, please,” Clymene pleaded, “give him just a little more time. He’s only just recovered from his wounds.”
Hermes hesitated for a moment, his face troubled,
But then he answered firmly:
“I’m sorry, Lady Clymene. But that won’t be possible.
He must leave at once.”
When Clymene tried to argue further, Phaethon gently stopped her.
“Mother… this is the punishment I deserve. If you were to be punished because of me, that would hurt me even more.”
“……”
Seeing how much her once-reckless son had matured,
Clymene was overcome with emotion and couldn’t speak.
Even Hermes was slightly surprised.
So he’s grown through his trials…
I can see the true blood of Helios in him now.
“Alright then,” Hermes said. “Let’s go.”
***
Thus, Phaethon’s punishment was to till and cultivate the vast lands
That would one day be known as Europa—the European continent.
In later ages, a woman named Europa would be carried off to Crete,
And from there the Minoan civilization would spread across the continent,
Uniting many lands into one great alliance.
But that—was a story for another time.