Chapter 114: Perseus (6)
As the attendant quickly vanished to send the signal, and Benthesikyme leisurely disappeared to pursue the bumper car,
The once-noisy depths of the sea fell silent again.
In that quiet, a rock suddenly twitched.
Like a starfish, the rock crept forward so slowly and subtly that one wouldn’t notice unless staring closely.
Then—
Tsk. As expected. Spread the nets even wider. He couldn’t have fully escaped yet!
From afar came the sound of Benthesikyme clicking her tongue and issuing loud orders once more.
Though her frustrated shout echoed, one of the countless rocks on the seafloor paid it no mind and continued its gradual movement, inching its way out of the area.
At that moment…
With a flash of light, Azur and Eurynome—who had parted ways earlier—appeared.
“Azur. Didn’t you say the mage Njord was definitely heading this way?”
“Yes, Lady Eurynome. We certainly parted here. I clearly saw him heading in this direction from the mermaid café.”
“…Then he noticed.”
At their sudden arrival, Poseidon—who had been creeping along—froze completely, even holding his breath.
‘If I’m caught now, it’s over!’
Just like Poseidon’s thoughts, Azur was also going out of her mind.
To think that Njord had stolen Lady Eurynome’s treasure.
‘Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have even acknowledged him…’
Whether she knew Azur’s feelings or not, Eurynome clicked her tongue and sighed.
“Tsk. With each passing day, his skill at escaping only improves. Even using Benthesikyme as bait…”
“……”
‘……’
At Eurynome’s reaction, both Azur and Poseidon—who had transformed into a rock—felt cold sweat trickle down their backs despite being underwater.
Poseidon was horrified that his identity as the mage might be exposed, while Azur was terrified that the fallout might land on her.
‘When and how the hell did she find out!!!’
“…I’m truly sorry. If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn’t have associated with him.”
Eurynome, momentarily irritated, looked at Azur, let out a small laugh, and said,
“Never mind. When you see… him—no, that mage again, keep associating with him. He’s someone I quite like. Anyway, think of this incident as just a little game between him and me. Keep spending time with him often in the future.”
“……”
“Ah! And if you run into him again, tell him this: If he’s going to meddle in the affairs of the Gorgon sisters, he should do it properly. Gaia is looking forward to the birth of a new god who will screw over Zeus. In my opinion, it’s best to just watch. I tried to catch him… but oh well, it can’t be helped.”
With those final words, Eurynome vanished. Azur, who had kept her head bowed the entire time, now felt cold sweat for an entirely different reason.
‘What on earth is going on here…?’
***
Perseus’s voyage was extraordinarily smooth. The ship he was on encountered neither waves nor storms, arriving safely at the port of Piraeus near Athens.
“This must be because we have Lord Poseidon’s priest candidate on board. The voyage was far too smooth.”
“Haha, Captain. That’s why you should always carry priests of Poseidon when sailing.”
The captain and crew could not hide their joy at the unusually comfortable journey—something they rarely experienced.
Normally, seafaring involved battling rolling waves, unpredictable storms, and even skirmishes with sea spirits or creatures.
Yet strangely, on this voyage, nothing had approached their ship.
In fact, it felt as though everything was actively avoiding them. They had even witnessed storms and strong winds heading toward their ship only to veer off course and strike other vessels far away.
“In any case, Perseus, future priest, you were our lucky charm. If you ever need to return to the island, let us know. I’ll secretly smuggle you back in.”
Perseus gave an awkward smile at the captain’s subtle hint and merely nodded.
The captain—and probably most others—likely assumed he would try to flee.
“That damned king too.”
However, Perseus had no intention of running away. Whether he died or the king did, he was determined to see this through to the end, one way or another.
“Well… first, I need to learn more about the Gorgon sisters.”
Perseus took out the token his mother had given him—a mark from a certain being—glanced at it once, then set off toward the Temple of Delphi.
At the very least, he had to bring down the king justly, without a shred of shame, and with the full recognition of his homeland’s people.
For that, he needed the heads of the Gorgon sisters.
***
Meanwhile, at the lofty temple on the southwestern edge of Mount Parnassus, chaos had erupted.
For the first time since the temple’s founding and the gods began granting oracles, a visitor who had never once come before had arrived.
“W-We greet the Ladies of Fate!”
The three Goddesses of Fate had visited the Omphalos, the center of the world and the sanctuary of all prophets, for the very first time.
“Please, do not be so nervous. We have merely come to observe something.”
“Yes! We wanted to see the future of a human born with a hero’s destiny.”
“Phew… If only it weren’t for Poseidon, we wouldn’t have had to come in person.”
The arrival of the Moirai stunned not only the people of Delphi but also sent a jolt through Olympus, where the gods watched in alarm.
The threads of fate they wove had always caused upheaval, and just last time—if they hadn’t given Typhon a chance…
“It should have ended as it was meant to.”
At Hera’s words while watching Delphi, the great gods of Olympus nodded.
The only one with an awkward expression was Zeus.
After all, he had been defeated by Typhon once.
“Ahem… Rather than that, why have the Moirai sisters stirred?”
Hera sighed at Zeus’s needless throat-clearing and replied,
“Who knows. No one can tell. Or perhaps Poseidon might know.”
“If it’s big brother… that could be possible.”
At Hera’s words, all the Olympian gods, including Zeus, nodded.
Among the gods, Poseidon was the one closest to prophecy—yet the one who showed the least interest in it.
Around him were Gaia and Eurynome, and Tiamat, with whom he had recently allied, was also a being who, like the Protogenoi, could glimpse parts of prophecy.
Zeus pretended not to know, but he was aware that Poseidon occasionally slipped food to Prometheus as well.
“Besides, Lord Poseidon is close with the Moirai sisters, isn’t he?”
At Athena’s remark, everyone nodded.
It was well-known even among the gods that Poseidon sometimes fled to the island where the Moirai lived to escape Gaia or Eurynome.
“That’s certainly true, but…”
“Still, he probably doesn’t know. I’ve never seen him take an interest in prophecies. In fact, he’d probably say something like this:”
—Worrying about prophecies is just a sign of weakness. Before sufficient power, prophecies are nothing.
The gods nodded at Artemis’s imitation of Poseidon.
That sounded just like him.
“Well. Let us watch. To see exactly why the Moirai sisters have revealed themselves at the Temple of Delphi. Why goddesses who never interfered in any human fate have now appeared.”
With Zeus’s final words, the gods turned their serious gazes back to the Temple of Delphi.
For a massive event that might entangle even the gods could very well begin there…
***
While all attention poured onto the Temple of Delphi,
Perseus was making his way toward the temple, helping those he encountered along the road.
“Oh, thank you so much, Priest. This fellow twisted his ankle, and we were worried about how we’d manage this year’s harvest.”
“Hey now, I could’ve handled something like this somehow. No need to detain a busy priest.”
“You be quiet… unless you want to die.”
“……”
Hearing the harmonious banter of the couple he had helped, Perseus smiled and said,
“It’s fine. I didn’t lose that much time. Still, just to be safe, you should see a proper healer. My use of Lord Poseidon’s authority isn’t yet perfect.”
“Oh, we will. I’ll make sure to drag this fellow to one.”
Perseus waved with a smile as the farming couple bowed repeatedly even as he walked away.
“Islands or here—it’s all the same.”
Some offered gratitude, while others gave in to greed.
“I didn’t expect to be recognized as a priest this quickly, though.”
Perseus reflected on his journey toward Mount Parnassus, where the Temple of Delphi stood.
“Priest Dictys told me not to openly proclaim that I’m a priest of Poseidon… but I couldn’t just pass them by.”
On his home island, thanks to Dictys’s help, Perseus had never known true hardship. But what he witnessed upon reaching the mainland was far different.
In this age of the gods—when philosophy, ethics, justice, and similar values had yet to take root among humans—the lives of the powerless were far harsher than anything Perseus had experienced or imagined on the island.
When the goddess Dike was still merely one of the seasonal Horae, the weak suffered greatly.
Cities governed in the name of the gods were somewhat better, but places without such oversight were little more than lawless lands.
“In those places, even Polydectes would have seemed like a benevolent ruler.”
Perseus had felt this most acutely when he first visited Athens.
***
“Wow! A three-story building—I’ve never seen one before! Wow!! They just casually lay out jewels that expensive on street stalls!!!”
To find the way to the Temple of Delphi, Perseus had entered the city of Athens for the first time, and what met his eyes was a completely different world.
The city-state, far more developed than his home island of Seriphos, could not help but inspire awe.
Three- and four-story buildings lined the streets, along with mages and magics he had rarely encountered on the island—and even five- and six-story buildings under construction.
It was a sight unimaginable on the island. For the still-young Perseus, it was impossible not to be captivated.
“Phew… calm down. First, I need to find the place Dictys recommended. Was it called Mermaid’s Tear?”
Asking around as he went, he finally arrived at Mermaid’s Tear—a gorgeous three-story building.
To anyone looking, it screamed overwhelming wealth. For an islander like Perseus, the structure had an almost intimidating presence.
From the various protective magics woven around the building to the elite mercenaries guarding the entrance, everything spoke of power and riches.
“Uh… is this really the right place?”
Naturally, upon first seeing Mermaid’s Tear, Perseus couldn’t help but shrink back and hesitate.
He had lived his whole life frugally, earning just enough to get by.
Above all, Priest Dictys—the man who had lived as a simple fisherman with him, never going hungry but never indulging either…
“To think he had a friend like this.”
Perhaps Priest Dictys had far more hidden wealth than he let on?
With such thoughts running through his mind, Perseus approached the main entrance of Mermaid’s Tear.
The guards who had been watching him from the moment he arrived immediately stepped forward to block him.
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