Chapter 117: Perseus (9)
It took quite a long time for the chaos that erupted after the mage’s arrival to settle down.
From Perseus’s perspective, the mage and the three women in front of him seemed quite close.
The way they gathered and talked felt exactly like old friends reuniting after a long separation.
‘They must know each other pretty well. The gazes watching this place are burning, yet there’s no real issue.’
While Perseus waited in the back with various thoughts running through his mind, Clotho—the eldest of the Moirai sisters—smiled at the mage and spoke.
“This works out perfectly. If Mage Njord helps, the boy’s path should become a bit smoother.”
At Clotho’s words, Atropos—horrified—immediately voiced her opposition.
If he got tangled up with Njord, there was no telling how the thread of Perseus’s fate that they had spun would change.
“Absolutely not! Sister, think about it. That boy is the first hero to be born in this world. You’re saying we should hand his destiny over to the idiot right in front of us!!”
“Huh? I’m not that bad.”
“Be quiet!”
Atropos shut the mouth of Njord, who was slyly interjecting from the side, and looked back at her sister Clotho once more.
Her eyes pleaded for her sister to please say something sensible, but…
“Fufufu, who knows. Perhaps that is the boy’s fate. Like it was with Dionysus.”
“……”
—Atropos’s heart shattered into pieces.
—Ah, is she being betrayed once again…
—By that wicked Clotho.
“Shut up! Posei— No, Njord!!! What nonsense are you spouting from behind me!!!”
Somehow, Njord had started reciting absurd inner monologue behind her. Thoroughly fed up, Atropos grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him up.
With the over-two-meter-tall Atropos lifting Njord, he looked exactly like an apple dangling from a tree.
“Haha, sometimes it’s necessary to express your true feelings.”
Grind.
At Njord’s calm words while still held by the neck, Atropos ground her teeth.
This god had always been like this—possessing the uncanny ability to make her, who had never once lost her temper since birth, boil with rage.
Ever since he teased her name, meaning “The Inevitable One”…
Atropos gradually tightened her grip on his neck. Then, slowly raising her remaining hand—
“Gurk! Kwak! A god strangling a mage… Kuek…”
***
Watching all this unfold were the gods of Olympus.
Among them, Hera—who had heard about the human mage Njord from Demeter—shook her head in exasperation.
“Incorrigible. Truly incorrigible. He’s exactly like Poseidon.”
At Hera’s words, all the gods who had been looking down at Perseus in the Temple of Delphi nodded in agreement.
The supposedly cold and merciless goddess Atropos was genuinely trying to choke the mage to death, shaking him vigorously.
‘Kueeeek! Save me!!’
Even among the gods, the first person since Poseidon capable of driving that icy, emotionless goddess to such a state was unheard of.
“Still, it might be a good thing if that mage Njord assists Perseus. Considering what humans currently know about the Gorgon sisters.”
Some gods, who had been watching the mage being strangled with great interest, finally snapped back to attention at Athena’s words and nodded with an “Ah!”
They had been distracted by the mage, but the Gorgon sisters known on the surface world were monsters beyond imagination.
Moreover, considering that even the fragments separated from the sea goddesses were protected and overseen by the goddess Ceto…
“Yes. Even if Perseus receives our help, he might still face further trials from Lady Ceto.”
At Zeus’s words, some gods nodded, while others glanced at Hera.
‘Lord Zeus seems inclined to help Perseus… but what about Lady Hera?’
Athena, aware of the atmosphere among the gods, supported the mage’s involvement for that very reason.
Setting aside the strength of the Gorgon sisters—who could be called avatars or children of the Gorgones—the Moirai had decreed that Perseus must walk the path of a hero.
For him to overcome any potential interference from Hera and the trials of Lady Ceto with his own strength alone would be far too harsh.
‘If the mage who once helped Lady Demeter is by his side, even a little assistance from us should allow him to prevail. Though I don’t know what Lady Hera is thinking…’
Whether aware of the gods’ thoughts or not, Hera merely frowned as she watched Perseus and the mage—who resembled Poseidon—being strangled.
***
A long while later,
When Atropos finally grew tired and set Poseidon down,
The commotion inside the Temple of Delphi subsided.
Led by Atropos—who had barely managed to calm herself from her heightened excitement—the Moirai sisters approached Perseus.
To deliver the prophecy they had been unable to give due to Njord’s sudden appearance.
—If you must go to the Gorgon sisters, you should seek the Graeae.
—They are the ones who know where the Gorgon sisters live.
—Go to the Temple of Athena in Athens and find her. She will surely tell you how to sever the heads of the Gorgon sisters.
The prophecy from the Moirai sisters was remarkably specific.
Considering that oracles and visions were usually abstract, this was exceptional.
But this guiding prophecy was also meant for the gods of Olympus, so it carried such concreteness.
Perseus tried hard not to glance at the mage sprawled on the floor, maintaining a serious expression.
‘Phew… Hold it in. I can’t laugh here. Heup… But still, twitching like that is too much. Huh… heup.’
With extreme self-control, Perseus kept a solemn face to the end and listened to the entire prophecy from the Moirai sisters.
He then bowed as politely as possible and quickly left the room.
If he didn’t escape now, the twitching mage on the floor would make him burst out laughing.
“Thank you. If you ever visit the Temple of Poseidon on Seriphos, I will certainly treat you well. Thank you!”
As Perseus hurried out, he covered his mouth to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape and made a vow to himself.
‘As much as possible, let’s not get involved.’
Behind the swiftly departing Perseus was the mage—face swollen and red—wriggling on the floor like a worm in imitation.
***
After descending Mount Parnassus in a hurry while holding back laughter, the first thing Perseus encountered were the assassins.
Sensing the presence of those still guarding the entrance to Mount Parnassus, Perseus let out a sigh.
Their persistence was like steel tendons—how much money had they been paid?
“You guys are really something. Thanks to you, though, I’ve calmed down, so should I thank you?”
Feeling the thick tension in the open plain, Perseus reached for the sword he had received from Dictys.
Whoosh.
With the sound of water gathering in the air, tiny droplets began spinning fiercely and spreading outward.
In the midst of this sudden situation, while both Perseus and the assassins were caught off guard,
The spinning droplets scattered widely like buckshot.
Yelp.
Ugh.
Guh.
Ack.
With faint groans—one per droplet—the assassins collapsed one by one, revealing themselves as they fell.
Perseus swallowed hard at the abrupt scene and drew his sword.
“This… is this the worst-case scenario?”
Unlike the assassins, a powerhouse had appeared without any presence whatsoever.
This was the situation Perseus had heard about with the highest chance of death.
An opponent who could turn bandit at any moment—and stronger than him—meant the safest option was to hand over everything and beg for mercy.
“I don’t know who you are, but I can give you everything. I won’t resist!”
Raising both hands above his head and placing his drawn sword on the ground, Perseus stepped back two paces.
In a completely defenseless state, he tensed and extended his senses as widely as possible.
He had to increase his chances of surviving an overwhelmingly strong foe whose presence he couldn’t even detect.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
With his hands raised high and body rigid with tension, Perseus heard the sound of someone approaching.
Still no presence could be felt—only the footsteps.
‘Don’t let your guard down. This one is stronger than I imagined.’
Perseus heightened his tension even more at the sound of those steps.
Thump thump thump
In the silence at the mountain entrance—now filled only with the clear sound of his pounding heartbeat—the footsteps stopped.
“Hmm…”
Then a voice came from behind him.
Perseus swallowed hard, tension at its absolute peak.
“I don’t want to di—”
—Njord!!! Behave yourself. This isn’t the time for you to be playing around!!!
Strangle!
Kueeeek.
The familiar sound of choking that Perseus had heard back in the Temple of Delphi rang out.
“Huh? This sound… no way…”
***
Perseus and Njord traveled together toward Athens in an awkward atmosphere.
While Perseus felt awkward looking at Njord’s still-swollen face,
Njord—no, Poseidon—was grumbling as he thought about Atropos, who was monitoring his journey to Athens through the necklace he wore.
‘Damn it. It should’ve been Clotho or Lachesis, not Atropos.’
When he thought about it, wasn’t he the one stuck doing their job?
It wasn’t his fault that Perseus had become his follower instead of following his original fate.
“Seriously… just because she’s a goddess of fate and daughter of Nyx, she thinks she can do whatever she wants. One day she’ll get what’s coming to her. Just because they know a bit about my true identity doesn’t mean they can threaten me like this…”
Perseus flinched at Njord’s muttering beside him.
Watching a stranger mutter with such a gloomy expression was… unsettling.
Though Perseus had only just become an adult, he knew well when to pretend not to notice.
He had once gotten a painful spanking for blatantly prying into the relationship between Danaë and Dictys. Sometimes it was best to act oblivious.
So he desperately pretended not to hear.
If it was something awkward to ask about, ignoring it was the best policy.
After walking for a long while, Perseus and Njord finally stopped as night fell.
Thanks to the mage Njord, they could light a fire and travel, but moving at night was still dangerous.
Bandits, the restless dead, gods of the underworld, and fantastic creatures that hunted humans were mostly active after dark.
“Um… Mage, how about we set up camp here? With the two of us, even in the middle of a plain we should be fine.”
“Hmm. Call me Njord. And you seem right. I know some warding and trap spells.”
At Njord’s reply, Perseus quickly unpacked his bag—pulling out blankets, simple rations, and other supplies—to prepare their resting spot.
Normally, given their respective statuses, each would have handled their own bedding, but…
‘That guy seems strong and suspicious.’
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Ah, no. I just meant you can cast the spells centered around this lantern.”
Njord nodded at Perseus’s words and cast his magic around the lantern.
Once all defenses were set, the two sat facing the brightly glowing lantern, enveloped in awkward silence.
Mage Njord seemed unbothered, but Perseus was the one feeling unilaterally awkward, his mind replaying the events at the temple.
After a long silence, Perseus mustered his courage and cautiously asked Njord,
“Are you perhaps acquainted with those goddess-like ladies who gave the prophecy?”
“I know them. Two of them well, but one is so strict and always lecturing that I’d rather avoid her.”
Just when Njord answered Perseus’s light question—meant to ease the mood—
The necklace he wore suddenly glowed, and a voice Perseus had heard in the Temple of Delphi burst out.
—Talking about others behind their backs, are we? Do you have any idea how many threads I’ve had to untangle because of you?!
“Ha! That’s because you should’ve done your job properly. Look at me—see how well I handle things.”
—You!@#$$%^& Only good at getting marri—!!#@#%$#^^.
‘Ah! I’ve stepped on a landmine again…’
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