Chapter 78: Persephone (3)
Silenus was puzzled when the goddesses suddenly asked to see Dionysus, but he quickly guided them.
Dionysus had already fallen out of favor with Hera and Artemis.
He absolutely could not afford to offend Athena as well.
“Right this way. Dionysus is currently in an underground workshop, working on a powerful curse.”
“A powerful curse?”
“Yes. After experiencing the Mad Conqueror firsthand, he seems to have gained some inspiration.”
They soon arrived at the entrance — a massive barrier made of tangled grapevines forming a natural wall.
Strange noises could be heard from inside.
Kiiiik—! Kwonkwonk—! Kwirrrriiing—!
Silenus ignored the bizarre sounds and shouted loudly for his student.
“Dionysus!!! Dionysus!! Dionysus!”
His voice echoed deep into the cavern.
Not long after, a young man appeared — his body faintly shrouded in violet curses.
“Master, what’s going on? I left everything for Ampelos to handle.”
“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that… you have visitors.”
“Huh? Visitors? For me?”
Dionysus, confused, looked past Silenus.
Standing behind him was a goddess he recognized all too well.
“Ah—! I KNEW IT!”
With a yelp, Dionysus leapt into the air and bolted straight back into the cave like a frightened rabbit.
“…What was that?”
Silenus and the two goddesses stared, stunned.
That reaction was… excessive, even for him.
A moment later, Dionysus dashed back out of the cave—breathless and frantic.
In his hands was the water gun he had stolen from the Charybdis Amusement Park with Neptune.
Except now, Dionysus had modified it — transforming a child’s toy into something resembling a massive, modern anti-material sniper rifle.
“As I thought! You’re still angry, aren’t you, Lady Artemis? Yes, I knew this day would come, so I prepared something like this!”
“…….”
***
Thankfully, Dionysus’s sudden panic attack ended as nothing more than a silly misunderstanding.
Athena quickly explained why they had come.
“Oh dear… it seems we caused a misunderstanding. That’s not why we’re here.”
“Then why…?”
Athena looked at Dionysus sympathetically.
He actually believed they came because Artemis was still angry at him.
How much trauma had he accumulated?
“It’s because we want you to be our hidden trump card in the upcoming war against Typhon.”
“Typhon? The one who used Helios’s son to devastate the mortal world?”
“Gugh— yes… that… one…”
Athena, who knew the truth of the Helios incident, felt her throat tighten.
She couldn’t possibly criticize Zeus’s actions in front of his own son — her own brother.
“A-anyway, yes. He is a dreadful being. And so, we need your help.”
Dionysus, unaware of the complicated subtext, became serious.
What could I possibly do in a fight against a god so dangerous that Olympus declared him an evil deity?
Sensing his thoughts, Athena continued.
“We’re not asking you to fight. According to the Moirai, there is something you alone can do. So for now, simply prepare yourself mentally.”
Only then did understanding dawn on Dionysus’s face.
He nodded.
“Ah, if that’s all, then of course. I can do anything like that.”
Athena smiled warmly at Dionysus’s confidence, but just in case, she gave him a gentle warning.
“If you ever feel afraid, or think you can’t do it, don’t force yourself. If you’re a friend of Neptune, then even we cannot push you carelessly.”
“!!!”
Dionysus stiffened at the mention of Neptune again.
So Lady Rhea knew him… and now even Lady Athena knows him?
Neptune must really be a famous otter beastman…
Unconsciously, his gaze drifted toward the arrowhead hanging on Artemis’s neck.
“…….”
“Eek! I—I can’t give this back! Not even if you offered me one of your stylish, elegant, magnificent hunting tools!!”
Artemis’s flustered, overly excited outburst instantly froze the once–warm atmosphere.
“Artemis, you…”
“W-well… sister… um… it’s just that my little brother is holding such an incredible treasure, so…”
“…………”
Athena clearly didn’t want to hear another word.
She immediately grabbed Artemis by the ear, apologized to Dionysus, and dragged her away.
She wanted to talk more about Neptune…
But disciplining her troublemaking sister came first.
“OW OW OW! Sister, that hurts!”
“You deserve it.”
Once the goddesses vanished, Silenus, left standing awkwardly, finally spoke.
“So… what exactly does this Neptune fellow even do?”
***
While Olympus was accelerating preparations for war, the gods of the sea and underworld were not idle either.
They had no obligation to help Olympus…
But they still had to prepare for any possible fallout.
“So, Lady Eurynome. Are you truly saying you don’t know where Poseidon is?”
“That’s correct. I suspect he’s involved in that automaton incident, but beyond that, I know nothing.”
“How could you leave a world’s ruler unattended like this?”
“Then why don’t you try catching him? I’m curious myself — what method you think would even work on that brother of mine.”
“……”
Hades had come to find Poseidon regarding the upcoming war, but at the moment, the god of the seas was nowhere to be found.
More accurately — they couldn’t even locate him.
“Then I’ll ask you, his representative. What stance does the sea intend to take?”
Eurynome was irritated by the question.
If the lord is absent, you could simply leave.
Why did this sly god insist on interrogating her?
But she couldn’t drive him away.
With Poseidon gone, she was responsible for handling all matters in the sea.
“I don’t wish to answer, but… for now, we sea gods have decided to observe. Though, of course, I cannot speak for what Poseidon himself might do.”
Hades nodded at her words.
As expected. If Poseidon isn’t here, this was the obvious result.
“Now then, I believe it’s your turn to answer. Surely you won’t commit the rudeness of hearing my side and leaving without sharing yours.”
“Of course not. I’m not that uncivil. And you may relay this to Olympus — we received Typhon’s envoys, and we are even considering assisting him.”
“!!!”
***
Meanwhile, while everyone else was busy preparing…
Poseidon was on an unnamed island with Hecate, Galatea, and Katherine.
“Master, is there a reason you came here?”
“I’ve come to meet the Vestal Priestesses.”
“The Vestal Priestesses?”
“Yes. The six priestesses of Hestia.”
Responding to the two automatons’ questions, Poseidon focused on lighting the various hearths scattered across the island.
The Vestal Priestesses served Hestia, always existing in a group of six.
They were beings known only to a handful of gods — priestesses who assisted Hestia in guarding the entrances to each world.
“Poseidon, this is the first I’ve heard of this. Entrances to each world?”
Even Hecate was surprised.
There were people who guarded world entrances?
“You know them. The sealed places made by the Protogenoi. Lady Nyx’s Hell, Tiamat’s Sea of Monsters, the paradise of giants and beasts.”
At Poseidon’s words, Hecate nodded in realization.
Ah… yes.
She was well aware of Nyx’s Hell — her own master’s domain — a separate realm sealed away from the main world.
For example, the Sea of Monsters that young Athena once visited — only young gods could enter.
More accurately, it was sealed by a delicate balance of power between the gods and the ruler of that world.
“So, you’re planning to reinforce those places?”
“Exactly. If I were Typhon, I would never leave those places untouched.”
Hecate nodded.
Certainly, if Typhon harnessed even a fraction of the beings imprisoned there, Olympus would be in danger.
While the group was talking, every hearth on the nameless island ignited, lighting up the land with a warm glow.
A gentle heat spread across the island, new sprouts burst from the earth, and soon—
A massive palace, previously hidden, began to reveal itself.
The palace was made of bronze; from afar, it looked as though it were burning.
That appearance was unmistakably reminiscent of Hestia — goddess of the hearth and flame.
“That’s enough. Let’s go in.”
When Poseidon led the group toward the palace, the doors opened naturally.
Inside, six hooded Vestal Priestesses bowed deeply.
“It has been a while, Keeper of the Bronze Castle.”
“Yes. Have you all been well?”
“Of course. Thanks to your protection, we have lived in peace.”
“The first priestess is nearing her time of retirement.”
“Oh? Already? Congratulations, First.”
“Thank you.”
Poseidon and the Vestal Priestesses exchanged greetings like family reunited after a long separation.
While they spoke, a floating sphere of bright flame suddenly rose behind them.
—How long are you going to chat out here? Come inside already. I’ve been waiting.
Hearing the voice from the flame, Poseidon and the priestesses snapped back to reality and hurried toward the inner chamber.
Watching him from behind, Hecate, Galatea, and Katherine exchanged meaningful glances.
‘This is… strange…’
***
Led by the Vestal Priestesses, the group entered the inner sanctum, where the first thing that greeted them was—
Two massive thrones shaped like colossal hearths.
And in front of those thrones sat a huge brazier, in which a small flame flickered and crackled.
Everyone except Poseidon found themselves unable to take their eyes off it.
Especially Hecate — the goddess of magic — was speechless.
The primordial flickering of the First Flame permeated the entire space, influencing reality itself.
As they watched, the tiny flame gradually grew, expanding in size, then—
It transformed into the shape of a woman.
“It’s been a while, Poseidon.”
“Yes. Hestia. You look the same as ever.”
The group was stunned by Hestia’s appearance.
Katherine, lacking broader knowledge, was merely shocked to see a famous goddess.
But Hecate and Galatea — who knew more — were stunned for a different reason.
Hestia? The goddess of home and hearth… is supposed to look like THIS?
She was radiating terrifying, imperial power — nothing like the gentle domestic goddess people imagined.
Perhaps sensing their reaction, Hestia let out an “Oh dear,” and immediately changed her form—
Her blazing aura vanished, replaced by a warm, human body of flesh and bone.
“Oh my! Sorry. I behaved the way I usually do when I’m around Poseidon.”
Hecate, who recovered first, accepted the apology.
“N-no, it’s fine. I was simply startled… You look completely different from when I last met you. I should be the one apologizing.”
“Ah, that happens. The one you saw wasn’t exactly… my true form.”
Before Hestia could elaborate, Poseidon explained for her.
“What she means is this — the Hestia known as the goddess of the hearth and home… and another Hestia of a different aspect both exist.”