Chapter 85: Persephone (10)
Poseidon was preparing himself to visit Demeter, who would undoubtedly be drowning in grief.
The most important part of his preparations was transforming fully into Njord—a complete human avatar.
A god might still sense something off,
But any mortal who saw him would be convinced he was human.
“Whew… This is the limit of what I can do. Any further suppression of your power is impossible.”
“This is more than enough. The rest… I’ll have Gaia reinforce for me.”
Poseidon thanked Hecate sincerely.
When he had disguised himself alone before, there had always been flaws—
But now the transformation was finally perfect.
A gentle face, blue ponytail, a formal suit topped with a magician’s cloak—
A slightly awkward fashion, but at a glance he genuinely looked like a suspicious noble sorcerer.
It wasn’t exactly the same as the form he used on Cyprus Island, But close enough.
“Still, you must be careful. Your power is too strong. Even using the slightest bit of it will rupture the bindings suppressing you. If that happens… the backlash could be catastrophic.”
Poseidon nodded.
He finished preparing to leave Hestia’s Brass Castle.
To truly look like a battle mage, He had even forced his trident into the shape of a staff.
On Cyprus, he had simply covered it with an illusion.
Now he was altering the weapon’s essence itself.
Vrrmmm—
The trident resisted fiercely, of course—
But since its master insisted, it eventually yielded.
Before departing, Poseidon said goodbye to the companions who had been with him until now.
“Hecate, thank you. You can receive your reward from Eurynome—consider it payment for helping me since the Pygmalion incident.”
“I don’t need a reward. I got to see my teacher after so long… I’ve never seen her so happy. And I had fun too.”
Poseidon took her hand and shook it firmly.
“Galatea, Catherine—stay here with Hestia. Train hard and help her. We’ll go adventuring together next time.”
“Yes. Our strength is still insufficient. I am not… yet ready to embrace my master.”
“Ahh… I’m worried. Master is so careless—will he even remember to eat properly?”
He laughed, said farewell to the two eccentric automata, And finally approached Hestia.
“Go on, Poseidon. Demeter must be suffering terribly. She never imagined her child would actually be taken.”
“You’re right. I’ll go.”
He waved goodbye and left the Brass Castle.
‘Still… I’m worried. Olympus won’t move to retrieve Persephone. But as long as the human Poseidon exists, it might be fine.’
***
As Hestia predicted, Olympus decided to temporarily postpone retrieving Persephone from the Underworld.
Apollo—the god with the clearest prophetic sight among them—had delivered a prophecy:
“When the earth withers and even gods gasp for breath, A storm-like serpent will rise into the sky.”
This prophecy quickly spread among the gods.
And this prophecy was precisely why Poseidon had taken on a perfect human form.
If the true Poseidon interfered directly, The sea itself might be interpreted as declaring war—
Either against Typhon or against Hades, who was believed to be behind the plot.
With war looming, even a minor movement could escalate beyond control.
Poseidon had seen this pattern too many times.
“Demeter is probably shut inside her palace.”
After Gaia completed his transformation using the power of the Omphalos, Poseidon arrived at the entrance of Demeter’s domain.
“Good thing—convincing Gaia didn’t take as long as I expected.”
As Poseidon guessed, Gaia was still somewhat angry at him over the amusement park incident—
But for Demeter’s sake, she helped him without much complaint.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Is anyone there? I am Njord of the Neptune Household.”
Poseidon shamelessly knocked on the palace gate using the alias known among the gods.
But even at that name, the gates did not open.
Not a single hint of presence stirred within.
“……”
“Hm… then I have no choice.”
BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!
This time the pounding sounded like an earthquake, and the massive gates shook as though they would break apart.
“Is anyone there! I am Njord of the Neptune Household. I have come to assist Lady Demeter!”
……
Dust billowed around the dented gates, crushed inward by Poseidon’s strength.
Then, the atmosphere around him abruptly changed.
The wrath of a goddess was beginning to spill outward.
So this… is what mortals feel when faced with a god?
Poseidon marveled at the sensation—
His skin prickling, body trembling involuntarily.
As a god, he had never lost control of his own body since childhood.
Interesting. I could train like this in my human form.
But unlike Poseidon’s relaxed amusement, Nature reacted with terror.
Around the battered gate, grass, trees, and crops shriveled and dried into husks.
Finally, with a sharp CRACK, the weakened gate buckled beyond repair—crushed under the weight of divine rage.
“WHO DARES show disrespect at a god’s dwelling?!”
A thunderous voice roared from beyond the broken gate.
Ordinarily, Demeter would have greeted any visitor with gentleness.
But after losing her daughter and being powerless to act, Her fury now rivaled Ares’ savagery.
“You—how dare the Neptune Household presume to—”
Demeter stormed forward, ready to reduce the intruding young mage to a mere insect.
But the moment she laid eyes on him, Her breath caught.
The human standing before her looked almost exactly like Poseidon in his youth— Only with a softer expression.
“You… are you Poseidon? No… you’re fully human…??”
Her shock was so great that her anger dissipated on the spot.
“Greetings. I am Njord of the Neptune Household. I heard of your misfortune, Lady Demeter, and came hoping I might offer aid.”
Demeter stared at the soft-faced mage in disbelief.
He felt fully human, yet carried the name of Neptune— A name Poseidon commonly used among mortals.
Furthermore, rumor had it that the mage Njord who resolved the Pygmalion incident was actually Poseidon in disguise…
“You’re saying you’re not Poseidon?”
Poseidon responded even more confidently.
A skilled liar always makes the truth sound like a lie, And a lie sound like truth.
“Well… I have no direct connection with Lord Poseidon. As far as I know, one of my ancestors greatly admired him. When that ancestor married a mermaid, Poseidon granted them the ‘Neptune’ family name.”
Demeter frowned, confused but unable to dismiss the explanation.
Among the merfolk who served Poseidon, There were some who married humans or other races.
And some among them had indeed been granted noble names by Poseidon.
But… was there ever a mermaid close enough to him to receive the name “Neptune”?
The trouble was—unless one was a sea god, There was no way to verify whether such an ancestor existed.
Ugh… enough. I can’t waste my mind on trivial matters right now.
Demeter stopped thinking about it altogether.
Her head was already pounding from worry over her daughter.
She had no room left to scrutinize a suspicious human visitor.
“Go back. If you truly have some connection to Poseidon, I’ll overlook your disturbance at a god’s palace. But there is nothing you can do to help me.”
Demeter cut him off firmly and turned away.
Right now, even thinking about how she might rescue her daughter with her own power was overwhelming.
Rationally, she knew Persephone would be fine—but a parent’s heart always imagined the worst.
Even though she believed Hades would not do anything reckless, she still feared the possibility that he might have joined hands with Typhon… and what they might attempt with her daughter.
That idiot Zeus likely had only a vague idea of how strong Persephone truly was, or what divine nature she inherited.
But Hades and Typhon…
They might know exactly what she was.
If they ever learned that Persephone could inherit the divine mantle of the ancient monster Tiamat… or Echidna, the Mother of Monsters…
Of course, even if it were revealed, Persephone was not in as much danger as Demeter imagined.
But consumed by worry, anger, and self-blame, Demeter could not think clearly.
Just as she began sinking deeper into fear, outrage, and anxiety—
A soft ripple of blue waves rose behind her.
“…?”
“Please don’t worry, Lady Demeter. I can help ease your concerns.”
Crackle…
“Lady Hecate told me that Lady Persephone possesses part of the Western Flower Garden. With this flower, you should be able to speak with her.”
“!!!”
What the blue waves revealed was a Soul-Bloom—
A legendary flower capable of summoning or linking the souls of the dead.
Those who possessed it could connect their spirits and communicate across worlds.
Demeter immediately ushered the man called Njord inside her palace.
No matter how agitated she was, she could not treat lightly someone offering such a precious artifact.
Soul-Blooms could not be obtained even by raiding a god’s treasury.
Even she could not acquire one at will.
***
“I’m very sorry, but I must contact Persephone at once. Under normal circumstances I would properly receive you and discuss matters… But as a mother who has lost her child, I hope you’ll understand.”
Having seated Njord in the finest chair of the palace, Demeter apologized repeatedly before rushing toward her private chambers.
She was in such a panic that she didn’t even realize—
The place she guided Njord into was her throne hall, And the chair she had seated him in was her own throne.
“Tsk, tsk… So careless and exposed. What if I were connected to Typhon? She’s left this place completely undefended…”
Her lack of awareness showed just how distraught she was.
Clicking his tongue at Demeter’s defenseless state, Poseidon (as Njord) turned his gaze toward the palace entrance.
“It seems we have an intruder.”
***
Meanwhile, around the same time Njord visited Demeter, Olympus had also decided to send Hermes to explain the current situation.
“Huh? Why is Lady Demeter’s gate like… that?”
Hermes blinked.
If Demeter’s anger was worse than expected, the situation might be even more dangerous.
And Hermes had no desire to die crushed by Demeter’s fists.
“Eek… this is why I hate coming down here…”
He swallowed hard as he approached the mangled palace gate.
He stepped inside very carefully—like a mortal trespassing where he shouldn’t.
If an enraged Demeter punched him, even a god might be bedridden for weeks.
And worse—it would hurt.
A lot.
Careful… careful… deliver the message quietly and leave instantly.
Just like when I break into Father’s treasure vault…
Sneak… sneak…
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