Chapter 79: Persephone (4)
“Most gods don’t know this, but Hestia—along with her divine name—carries deeper mysteries than anyone else. So her natural state is that formless, burning one we saw earlier.”
Hecate was stunned.
If she, who participated in the Titanomachy, had never known this… then the number of gods aware of it must be almost zero.
“Then… is that why the goddess doesn’t have children?”
“Yes. Exactly. Because I’m like this, I cannot bear children. That’s why everyone simply assumes I’m a virgin goddess.”
“Oh… so that’s the reason.”
“Yes. I do have a husband, but I cannot have children.”
“Ah, you do have a husb— wait, what?!”
“I said I have a husband. That’s why there are two thrones here.”
Hecate’s mind froze.
If the second throne existed for that reason…
Then the one who sat there—Poseidon—was…?!
***
Hecate stood speechless under the avalanche of new information.
Poseidon clicked his tongue and scolded Hestia.
“What kind of joke is that? Husband and wife—please.”
“Oh my. You’re telling me you’ve never intended to play along with me, little brother…?”
“Cut it out. Rumors spread fast, and it gets annoying.”
Poseidon turned to Hecate and clarified.
“It’s not marriage. That wording is misleading. To explain more accurately: I help regulate the seals and prevent Hestia’s power from overflowing.”
“And in the process, our powers mix a bit. Right~?”
“Enough. Quiet. Hecate, look again. You should be able to see some unstable areas now.”
Trying her best to remain calm, Hecate invoked her divine name.
Two black ravens materialized upon her shoulders.
With the aid of the ravens, she began analyzing everything within the bronze castle.
***
“Hecate’s magic is always impressive, no matter how many times I see it.”
“Indeed. Thanks to that magic, we maintained intel superiority during the Titanomachy. If I recall, it’s called Huginn and Muninn’s Eyes, yes?”
As Poseidon and Hestia praised it, the magic known as [Eyes of Huginn and Muninn] awakened.
It was a spell Hecate could only use when all four of her divine names—
Crossroads, Boundaries, Sorcery, and Magic—were simultaneously active.
It was her unique power, the very foundation of her role as goddess of magic.
Even the Protogenoi could not hide information from this spell.
Of course, it had a drawback:
The stronger the truth someone tried to hide, the greater the price Hecate had to bear.
But here, where nothing was being concealed—it had no cost.
Perfect conditions for using it.
If this weren’t a zero-cost situation, I wouldn’t dare use it.
Alright… let’s take a deep look.
Her ravens peered through the world itself.
The first thing they captured was the hearth-linked throne, and the three seals bound to it.
I see. That throne is the axis maintaining the seals.
And the power sustaining both the throne and the hearth comes from elsewhere…
Next came the Vestal Priestesses—
And the reason behind their mandated virginity became clear.
Their bodies contain Hestia’s flame. If they ever engaged in intercourse, their bodies would instantly burn to ash.
And finally—Hestia herself.
The moment Hecate looked at her, her eyes stung.
Hestia was not a “goddess” in front of her.
She was pure flame.
No trace of the gentle divine names humanity associated with hearth, family, or home.
Only destruction.
Catastrophe.
Extinction.
Nothing but apocalyptic, annihilating divinity.
What is this…?
Anyone who saw this would have said:
Forget Typhon—Hestia should be the one sealed or imprisoned first.
But Hestia is supposed to be associated with the hearth from birth… from when she emerged from Cronus’s belly. How could her essence be like this?
Hecate, a goddess—and the ultimate sorceress—could not suppress her curiosity.
She pushed deeper, pouring all her power into piercing Hestia’s essence.
Then she saw it—
A colossal Titan.
A world engulfed in flame,
A sky and earth boiling with fire—
That was Hestia’s true form.
But the real question was:
How could someone harboring such hellish destruction be the kind, beloved goddess everyone adores?
The answer revealed itself moments later.
There was a path—a channel—connecting Hestia’s world of pure destruction and flame to somewhere else.
That channel was absorbing everything.
Devouring every ounce of destructive power like a starving beast.
Poseidon! It’s Poseidon!!
Hestia was receiving Poseidon’s divine powers of life, protection, and regeneration!
That was why her destructive essence flowed into Poseidon’s world,
And why Poseidon’s divine waters nourished Hestia’s realm—
Allowing Hestia to exist in the mortal world as the goddess of the hearth flame.
Hecate saw everything… and stared blankly at Poseidon.
“You… how do you withstand this?”
She couldn’t stop herself from asking.
What god—what being—could handle such a thing?
It was like endlessly filling a bottomless jar.
Hard, impossible, and irrational.
Poseidon shrugged lightly.
“Well, it’s not that difficult. They say the way to fill a bottomless jar… is simply to submerge it entirely in deep water.”
“Wh—what?!”
Hecate stared at him like he had just spoken madness.
What kind of nonsense—
But Poseidon continued, completely calm.
“I’m being serious. As long as my world is larger and deeper than Hestia’s, it’s fine.”
“That’s impossible. Even Hestia is a chief-god level being. For you to—huh…?”
A realization hit her like lightning.
She turned from Hestia to Poseidon—
And saw it.
A boundless ocean stretching endlessly.
A world filled with countless forms of life and power intertwined.
“…This… is the same kind of god…?”
Hecate could only stare, utterly stunned—like a scholar who had just uncovered an impossible truth.
***
“This is… impossible… Completely impossible… I only ever saw something similar from my teacher… no, this is even greater… How…”
While Hecate muttered in disbelief, having a minor existential crisis, Poseidon introduced the two automatons to Hestia.
“Well, mages are always like that. Just leave her. Hestia, this is Galatea, and this is Katherine. Say hello.”
The three exchanged greetings, though Galatea and Katherine looked puzzled.
Why had Poseidon introduced them so formally?
“Oh, the reason I introduced you is because I thought… maybe Galatea and Katherine could serve under Hestia.”
Everyone around them froze.
Hestia NEVER had subordinate gods, aside from her six Vestal Priestesses.
“Hmm… can these children even endure my power?”
Hestia herself was the most shocked.
She had never taken subordinates precisely because her power was too dangerous.
“Oh, I think they can. Pygmalion was insane, yes… but in terms of automaton creation, he surpassed Hephaestus. If he hadn’t caused trouble, he might have become a god.”
Hestia nodded.
Even with her modest craftsmanship knowledge, she could tell:
Galatea was something no ordinary god could ever create.
Not all gods can create life.
Only those born with divine names like Gaia or Demeter…
Or gods like Prometheus, who possessed craftsmanship, prophecy, knowledge, and wisdom…
Could create life from nothing.
But Pygmalion’s automatons were special.
Skin, bones, eyes, hair, internal organs—
Every part hand-crafted, built from countless materials and studies.
The crown jewel among them was the Soft Heart—
An artificial life core equivalent to what dragons and monsters possessed.
Hestia glanced at Galatea again and then at her own inner world.
“Yes… the girl’s inner world is blank. Pure white. She might be able to handle it.”
Finally regaining her composure, Hecate spoke up.
“Ahem… my apologies. What I saw was simply too shocking. And if I may add to Hestia’s opinion — yes, I believe it is possible. Most of all, Galatea once engraved her master’s world into her own inner realm.”
From what Hecate could see, Katherine had already become half-divine thanks to Poseidon, so she would be fine.
And Galatea was the masterpiece of Pygmalion — arguably beyond divine craftsmanship.
If someone asked Hecate to create something on Pygmalion’s level,
Let alone surpass it using the same method…
She could say with absolute certainty — even she could never do it.
“That’s why I brought these two here. Especially Galatea — she possesses ‘Pavane, the Lonely Craftsman Who Winds the Clockwork.’”
Once three gods agreed, even the Vestal Priestesses, who had been watching Galatea and Katherine with uncertainty, burst into cheers.
“WAAAAAH!”
If this truly worked…
Hestia’s suffering could finally be eased.
“Hestia, let’s try it!”
“With two people saying it’s possible, it will definitely work this time!”
“Exactly. I was a little uneasy when it was just Poseidon who suddenly showed up, But since Hecate confirmed it, we can trust it!”
“Hey now… my reputation with you girls is a little…”
“Well, you do cause accidents all the time, Lord Poseidon.”
“That’s right. Like when you said you wanted to visit the Sea of Monsters and asked us to loosen the seals!”
“And isn’t this also for something like that?”
“No—! That’s not—!”
Watching her priestesses scold Poseidon nonstop, Hestia fell into deep thought.
Poseidon wasn’t the type of god who would joke about something like this.
And even Hecate had confirmed it was possible.
The chances of success were high.
If these girls are in danger… then Poseidon and I can simply take the damage instead.
She reached a conclusion that would have made Poseidon scream in rejection if he heard it.
Hestia looked at her priestesses and nodded.
“Very well. We shall do as you desire.”
***
While Poseidon and Hestia began the ritual to transform Galatea and Katherine into Vestal Priestesses—
—another conversation was happening elsewhere.
―Hades, you haven’t forgotten our arrangement, have you?
“Hmph… Make sure you don’t forget. When this deal ends, we go back to being enemies.”
―Naturally. After all, we are rivals pursuing the same throne.
Tch.
Hades glared at the screen floating before him — Typhon’s image displeased him greatly.
But he had no choice but to accept the monster’s proposal.
Especially because he still couldn’t forget the sight of Zeus’s son:
The catalyst of his obsession and resentment.
Besides, when Typhon moved…
It would be the perfect moment for Hades to pursue his own goal.
―We do our part, and you do yours. It’s simple.
“…Fine. I don’t want to see your face again today. Also—Poseidon will not be moving for a while.”
―Oh? May I ask why?
“Did you forget? We are not allies.”
Hades unleashed a surge of underworld energy toward the screen.
The distance was too great for it to have any effect—
But it expressed how close he was to ending the deal right there.
―Understood, understood. No need to be so touchy.
Then we proceed in one week.
The screen disappeared abruptly.
“Damn monster… If it weren’t for this opportunity…”
With a crack like splitting stone, Hades slammed his fist down and shattered his throne.
***
Deep within a volcano, Typhon pondered Hades’s last words.
―It seems Poseidon is… unexpectedly restricted.
At that remark, a nearby being — a wolf-beastman with rotting patches of flesh — nodded.
“Yes. It does not appear to be simple wandering. It feels like… something is preventing him from acting.”
Typhon felt the same thing.
But he didn’t have the time to investigate.
Their plan would begin soon.
―Leave Poseidon for later.
Once our plan begins, Olympus is all we need to focus on.
“Yes. Then we shall devote everything to this operation.”