Chapter 95: Typhon (7)
Even as the Gigantes revealed themselves, even as a brutal war erupted with thunder crashing and tsunamis roaring as if the world were ending—
Dionysus waited calmly at the entrance to the Underworld.
Helping others on the battlefield was not his assigned task.
A long time passed.
Finally, the small pebble Athena had given him began to glow.
“It’s time!”
The moment it shone, Dionysus leapt boldly into the Underworld.
***
Meanwhile, back at the Olympian encampment after the retreat, Demeter and Athena were discussing Dionysus.
Right after Zeus had been taken by Typhon, Athena immediately sent the signal to Dionysus—but whether the plan would succeed was unclear.
“According to the plan, Persephone must guide him through the Underworld all the way to where Typhon is keeping Zeus. Do you think that’s even possible?”
“To be honest, the chance of Dionysus finding where Zeus is being held, retrieving his sinews, and rescuing him… is less than 1%. But still—there is a chance. And Hermes is preparing as well.”
At that, Demeter realized something she had overlooked: Hermes was nowhere to be seen.
Given his mischief-loving nature, he should have been popping up everywhere by now.
Especially when Poseidon was being dragged off by Hera—Hermes would never miss watching that.
“So that’s why he isn’t around.”
“Yes. If necessary, Dionysus is merely the bait.”
Athena’s owl-like eyes gleamed—cold, calculating.
This was another side of her: A strategist who would sacrifice anyone if it meant securing victory.
‘Honestly… for someone who seems warm, that child can be terrifyingly cruel.’
***
While Olympus struggled with confusion after Zeus’s defeat, the sea had its own form of chaos.
Because Tiamat’s seal had half-broken, an endless swarm of monsters was pouring through.
“Tch! These pathetic beasts—there are far too many.”
Eurynome sighed as grotesque creatures kept emerging.
She had no desire to ever see such hideous things again.
They weren’t strong, but they were a nuisance.
Their endlessly regenerating bodies and acidic blood made them perfect suicide attackers.
—Aaaagh!!
—Quick! Take him to Callirhoe!
—Calypso’s neutralizing potion! Drink it, quickly!!
Surveying the battlefield, the goddess Eurynome sighed again.
“Such troublesome pests… The ancient monsters and primordial gods aren’t appearing, but… what are they planning?”
Even with Tiamat’s seal half undone, there was nothing these monsters could really accomplish.
The power gap was simply enormous.
Even now, the sea still had:
The Oceanids and Nereids (sea nymphs)
Pontus’s children: Nereus, Keto, and Eurybia
Their offspring: the Gorgons, Echidna, and others
“With all that, where is Lord Poseidon?”
“…That man is probably on land. Or on Olympus.”
Eurynome massaged her temples as countless sea gods asked about Poseidon’s whereabouts.
The sea god who was supposed to rule the oceans rarely stayed put anymore, ever since his political marriages to Eurynome, Amphitrite, and Gaia.
In truth, the sea gods didn’t really feel like they needed him.
He was their king, yes, but mostly in a symbolic sense.
More importantly, the sealed sea monsters Pontus had locked away were nothing that merfolk armies couldn’t handle.
And even with her seal weakened, Tiamat’s aura did not seem strong enough to surpass Eurynome’s power.
***
For days on end, the sea gods and monsters merely glared at each other, neither side advancing.
Then—Olympus’ news finally reached even the oceans.
—“Zeus defeated! Olympus in retreat!”
“Psamathe! What happened?!”
“Yes, it seems Typhon is far stronger than expected. He split off a fragment of his power and sent a Avatar to fight Lord Poseidon—and matched Zeus evenly. Then that Avatar blindsided Zeus and…”
Eurynome froze at one part of that report—not the defeat of Zeus—
But that the Avatar Poseidon fought was strong enough to injure Zeus.
An Avatar? That strong?!
“And—well, to be precise,” Psamathe continued,
“Lord Poseidon was in a completely human body, so the Avatar couldn’t defeat him. It ran away instead.”
“…….”
Eurynome’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. She couldn’t form words.
Why was he in a human body?
He chased off a god’s Avatar while human?!
And then helped Olympus retreat?!
Psamathe gently patted Eurynome’s shoulder, as if to say “I understand.”
“I reacted the same way when I first heard it. But what choice do we have? We just need to accept it.”
“…This is absurd.”
***
Meanwhile, as Athena planned, Dionysus passed easily through the cave leading to the Underworld.
Just as Tiamat’s sea seal had partially broken, so too had the deepest gate of Tartarus—the one that imprisoned the Titans—swung open.
Because of that, even though Dionysus had passed the Underworld’s entrance…
There were no spirits or gods in sight.
“Haa… no one’s here. I even brought gold coins in case I met Charon the ferryman.”
Wearing the winged sandals Talaria (borrowed from Athena, originally Hermes’), Dionysus crossed the Underworld’s Five Rivers with surprising ease.
He had read records—they all claimed this was a place one never walked through unchallenged.
Yet the Underworld before him was not terrifying at all.
In fact, it was so peaceful it felt less like the realm of the dead…
And more like a heavenly meadow.
“Huh…? Those little spirits splashing over there… they look like children. They’re having a great time.”
Kyahahahaha—
The spirits laughed joyfully, waving at him with small hands.
Dionysus smiled brightly and waved back.
Seeing such peaceful souls made him reflect on his own misconceptions.
“All the records said the Underworld was a place of agony and endless screams… I guess you really need to experience things yourself.”
Part of him wanted to explore all five rivers—Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, Styx, Lethe.
But saving his father came first, so he urged the Talaria to fly faster.
He passed quickly.
The spirits continued to wave after him.
Their arms flailing in the water, as if trying desperately to grab him.
From above, the splashing had looked like play…
But their actual voices—
Kkiyaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!
—were screams dripping with greed, jealousy, and hunger.
***
The moment Dionysus crossed the rivers of the Underworld, he found himself before a massive three-headed hound.
One of the children of the sea-goddess Echidna—
A creature rivaling dragons—
The famed gatekeeper of Hell itself:
Cerberus.
Pffhh… phh… pffhh…
Its colossal body looked capable of flattening a mountain. The three heads and the human-torso-sized fangs were far larger and more intimidating than any record from the mortal world.
And above all, this gatekeeper was a true phantasmic beast—
A monster capable of battling gods.
What do I do? Is there no way?
This thing is easily among the top five strongest beings I’ve ever seen…
Cerberus guarded the only door that led to the Hall of Souls—where Dionysus was supposed to meet Persephone.
Seeing how overwhelmingly powerful the hound looked, Dionysus swallowed hard in panic.
Fighting was impossible.
Even as a demigod half on the threshold of true divinity, facing Cerberus would not only ruin his mission—
He’d be lucky to escape with his life.
If I could awaken my divine nature… then maybe…
But even after entering the Underworld, his divinity remained silent.
Then—
Sniff— sniff sniff!
The sleeping Cerberus’s noses twitched.
Just like a dog sniffing out a scent.
Oh no! I need to hide—now!!
***
Dionysus moved instantly, ducking behind a rock—but he wasn’t fast enough.
One of Cerberus’s eyes snapped open.
—Hmm. Are my eyes mistaken? I see a living mortal.
As the first head awoke, the remaining two opened as well, their gazes fixing on him as crimson flames rippled over Cerberus’s enormous body.
—There is definitely a living being before us!
—Ugh, annoying. Let’s pretend we didn’t notice.
Facing the three sets of eyes, Dionysus’ mind was spinning.
He couldn’t think—at all—of how to avoid them.
Calm… calm down. Just recall what you know about Cerberus.
Massive body. Breathes fire. Its saliva is used to create deadly poisons. Its hide rivals adamantine. Its fangs pierce dragon scales.
Its gaze is a type of petrifying curse like the Gorgons…
“Argh!! How am I supposed to beat THAT?!”
His panicked shouting startled Cerberus far more than Dionysus expected.
—“……”
—Is… is he insane?
—Why is he yelling at himself? What a bother.
They had no intention of eating him or chasing him away.
After all, Persephone had asked them to allow someone through today,
And the mortal carried the emblem of their master, Poseidon.
Why would they harm him?
—He must be some kind of crazy human…
—Mother only made me take this job, but there’s always something troublesome.
—But this is kind of fun!
They had only wanted to tease him a little—
And yet he suddenly started clutching his head and screaming.
To Cerberus, who didn’t understand humans well, he appeared completely deranged.
—Honestly, we should just let him through quickly.
—But then Hades will complain. I don’t want that.
—Hades is busy with the Titans right now—he won’t even notice!
Unaware of any of this, Dionysus was still strategizing desperately.
If he had calmed down even a little,
He would have noticed something strange.
He braced himself, waiting for an attack.
…
…
Time passed.
“Um… are you… not going to attack me?”
—Yep. He’s definitely Zeus’s kid. Completely crazy.
***
The tense standoff ended anticlimactically.
—This lunatic just wasted our time.
—Annoying demigod. I don’t want to deal with him.
—But it was a little fun!
Dionysus’ face flushed bright red at the Cerberus trio’s blunt comments.
He was still a young demigod, not yet accustomed to hiding his emotions—
And certainly not shameless like his father Zeus.
They… they heard everything… how embarrassing…
Ignoring his mortification, Cerberus decided to send him in quickly.
Experience had taught them:
Nothing good ever comes from dealing with Zeus’s spawn.
—Alright, enough. Show us the emblem you brought.
—I want to go back to sleep.
—Ooh, it’s been a while! The mark of the Sea King!
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