Chapter 83: Persephone (8)
“KYAAAAAA!”
Persephone screamed as she was being dragged away,
And she tried to retaliate using the same black serpent as before—
But it was useless.
Because the one kidnapping her now…
Was the ruler of an entire world.
“‘Pallas,’ was it? Triton’s daughter.”
“…….”
Pallas couldn’t move.
Even with Persephone suspended helplessly in midair before her,
Pallas herself was pinned down—
Immobilized by countless spirits that had risen from the underworld with the intruder.
Among them were even golden-age souls,
Far too powerful for Pallas to shake off in her current state.
“Younglings… you never answer properly, do you? Enough. You will deliver a message to Zeus.”
Pallas clenched her teeth as the man continued, voice cold and unhurried.
“Tell him this:
The war has begun.
And tell him this:
If he hands over this child—Persephone—
Then at the very least, I will not openly oppose him.”
With those final words—
Hades vanished underground in an instant.
The disparity in power was overwhelming.
Pallas tore through the fading spirits still clinging to her.
KIEEEEK!!
The ghosts shrieked as they lost strength and scattered,
Their borrowed power dissipating the moment Hades left.
“…A lifelong regret indeed. Complacency has always been the greatest enemy.”
She was furious— And ashamed.
But she knew full well there was nothing more she could do.
Everything had already happened.
Garm, the giants, and finally Hades—
All were variables beyond her ability to handle.
“My mission… has failed. But I still have something I must do.”
Pallas sent a signal—
To every place she knew,
And then started moving toward a specific destination.
Piiiiiii—
***
Pallas’ signal spread widely.
It reached the gods of the sea, the Olympian gods,
And even certain underworld deities who were friendly with Poseidon.
Among those who received it were Poseidon and Hestia,
Who had just exited the world-gate.
“Phew… Galatea and Catherine are holding up well, aren’t they?”
“Yes. They truly are strong girls.”
Poseidon and Hestia looked fondly at Galatea and Catherine,
Both collapsed from exhaustion after channeling the primordial flame—
But alive, resilient, and successful.
Then—
Piiiiiiiiii—!
Pallas’ signal echoed through Hestia’s brass palace.
“Hm? Persephone has been kidnapped? How?”
Hearing Poseidon decode the message, Hestia also blinked in surprise.
From what they knew, The idea of Persephone being kidnapped was as absurd as—
A sheep eating a lion.
“Is that even possible? Even the monsters in that child’s garden are more than what most gods can handle.”
Poseidon nodded grimly and continued interpreting the signal.
“Ah.”
“What is it, Poseidon?”
“It seems the one who abducted her… was Hades. And apparently—He has joined hands with Typhon.”
Hestia’s face changed to an expression that said,
Ah, yes. He would do that.
“It seems he really did take that incident to heart.”
“Yes. It appears he never let go of what Hephaestus did—the lightning incident.”
Listening to the two of them speak so casually,
Hecate felt something was… off.
Wasn’t the bigger problem the fact that Hades had allied with Typhon??
As if noticing her confusion, Poseidon added:
“Ah, Hecate. You might misunderstand. We’re calm because we’re certain— Hades would never truly ally with Typhon.”
“Hmm? Why wouldn’t he ally with Typhon?”
Poseidon answered Hecate’s confusion with a sigh.
“Well… think about it. Nearly everyone who serves the Underworld in some way—yourself included—are Nyx’s children or related to her. Typhon’s ally? Even Hades wouldn’t be stupid enough to turn every powerful underworld god against himself.”
“…….”
Hecate fell silent.
It was a simple explanation—almost too simple—
But she couldn’t deny the logic.
True… we do hate anything related to Gaia’s monstrous children.
That was why, during the Titanomachy, almost all of Nyx’s lineage had sided with Zeus and his siblings.
***
And just like Poseidon said—
When Olympus received the news of Persephone’s kidnapping,
The gods did worry…
But they worried about Demeter and Persephone—
Not about Hades joining Typhon.
To be exact, only the younger fourth-generation gods—Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis— Were panicking.
“Father, the situation is far worse than we expected. Lord Hades has joined hands with Typhon!”
“Exactly. Now we have to watch out for the entire underworld army! We need to send word to Lady Eurynome and Lady Amphitrite—now!”
“Huh? Shouldn’t we send word to Lord Poseidon instead?”
“They handle Poseidon’s armies, remember.”
“Ah… true.”
Had Poseidon overheard this, he would have had choice words for them.
In any case, most of the younger Olympians assumed:
“Hades is now the enemy as well.”
But the older gods—especially Zeus and Hera—
Were worried about something else entirely.
“If this goes wrong, the mortal world will be devastated.”
“This may be the real spark of the war…”
***
“So, Lord Poseidon… what will you do now? Will you confront Hades?”
Poseidon hesitated.
Even if he knew Persephone had been taken,
Rushing into the underworld to fight would be foolish.
Until Olympus agreed on an official plan,
Running wild on his own would only worsen everything.
“…It seems my place, for now, is at Demeter’s side, Until Olympus reaches a conclusion.”
“I agree. Demeter may not be frantic about the child’s safety, But she loves her dearly. And… you’re involved as well, aren’t you?”
“…….”
Poseidon silently nodded to Hestia’s gentle reminder.
After all, he had given Persephone something…
Dangerous…
At her insistence.
***
Long ago, Poseidon helped raise the young Persephone—
A child born from one of Zeus’ most unbelievable mistakes.
Poseidon was well-known for being surprisingly good at teaching children.
Friends and family often asked him for help.
So when his sister Demeter needed assistance,
Poseidon went to the surface and helped raise Persephone.
“Uncle, look! Aren’t these kids pretty?”
“First of all, I’m not your uncle.”
“Eh? Mom said all old men are uncles. And you’re super old, right?”
“Well, yes, because I’m a god. But by that logic your mother would be an—”
“Poseidon.”
“—an absolutely beautiful goddess who could rival Aphrodite! Hahaha!”
Persephone looked at Poseidon with pity.
From her perspective,
Poseidon always shrank in front of her mother.
Like a husband caught cheating.
And sometimes…
She wondered if Poseidon was secretly her father.
After all, whenever she overheard the whispers of wood nymphs, dwarves, or goblins—
They always said:
A father protects his child quietly from the shadows.
How many times did he cheat to get treated like that…?
Persephone thought with serious concern.
Whether she called him “uncle” or “dad” didn’t matter much to her.
He was a big, dependable presence.
And in a strange way,
“uncle” sounded more special.
—How many times did I tell you to watch your mouth?!
—“I-I wasn’t insulting you! She suddenly brought up age—”
—So you badmouth the mother in front of her child?!
—“It wasn’t really—”
—Silence.
To young Persephone, watching them bicker like dwarven or goblin couples meant one thing:
Poseidon and her mother were basically married.
One day—
Persephone suddenly realized something.
Whenever she raised plants or animals,
They became stronger, tougher, and strangely extraordinary.
Ecstatic, young Persephone rushed to Demeter to brag about it,
Adding confidently that it was probably because she had “Uncle Poseidon’s blood.”
In her childish mind, She believed this would finally make her mother and “uncle” get along better.
If she was living proof of their connection,
Wouldn’t her mother decide they must live together?
“What?”
“Hm? I mean, Uncle is my dad, right?”
“What nonsense are you saying? Your father is someone else. Poseidon is just helping me.”
“Nope! Durin said so. He said a father is someone who protects their child quietly and watches over them from afar.”
“…….”
Demeter was speechless.
That… was indeed the definition of a father.
Looking at how Poseidon treated Persephone,
She couldn’t deny that a child might interpret it that way.
“…Ugh. Fine. Call him your father if you want.”
Seeing her mother’s “I can’t deal with this anymore” expression, Persephone proudly declared:
“See? It is because Uncle cheated too much, right? Mom, you should forgive him. Pretty women are supposed to forgive men’s flaws.”
“What?! And where did you hear that?”
“Oh? Uncle Hermes said so. And also he said there’s a god up in the sky named Zeus who cheated so much no one can even count anymore.”
“…….”
That day, somewhere high in the sky, Hermes’ wailing echoed throughout Olympus.
Meanwhile, Persephone slept better than ever.
***
When Persephone had grown older And it was time for Poseidon to return to his rightful domain, Something unexpected happened.
Persephone accepted his departure… calmly.
With no heartbreak, no crying—just acceptance.
The most shocked person was Demeter.
This child who talked about Poseidon every evening…
And she’s completely fine?
“Well then, say your farewells. You won’t be seeing him every day anymore.”
Persephone nodded, stretched out her hand, And held it out.
Poseidon assumed she wanted a handshake And took her hand.
“Alright. Take care of yourself.”
“Eek! No! Not a handshake! I mean your divine authority!”
“…What?”
Both Poseidon and Demeter froze.
Was she… asking for a fragment of a god’s divine power?
Demeter gently tried to reason with her daughter. She explained how precious, sacred, and dangerous divine authority was—
And how even family rarely shared it.
But Persephone only grew bolder.
“Oh, I see!
But I’m Uncle’s daughter.
So I can have it.”
“…….”
“Demeter. What is she talking about?”
“Well, you see…”
***
Demeter explained every misunderstanding Persephone had accumulated.
As Poseidon listened, He could only laugh helplessly.
How did he keep ending up with “children” he never asked for in this ridiculous world?
Meanwhile, Persephone watched them with sparkling, expectant eyes, Waiting eagerly…
For her “father” to give her a piece of his divine power.