Chapter 118: Perseus (10)
Perseus’s question—meant to lighten the awkward atmosphere—only made the air even more uncomfortable.
Who would have thought that the person speaking through the necklace would be listening just because he was Perseus?
It was supposed to be light small talk…
“That’s your problem.”
—Ha! Says the one who rivals anyone in laziness?
“Ebebebe, yeah, who told you to take on that job anyway?”
—You miserable !@@$@#%#$^&%!!!
“Uh… um… everyone…”
Perseus’s voice trailed off into the empty air amid the sounds of the mage arguing with someone inside the necklace.
***
After bickering for a long while, the two finally reached a truce when Atropos remembered that Perseus was sitting right next to Njord.
They couldn’t afford to show any more shameful behavior as gods in front of a human.
—Tsk, enough. Let’s have a constructive conversation now. At this rate, the sun will rise.
The problem was that arguments don’t end just because one side stops.
“Fufufu. Looks like you’ve finally realized it’s your fault.”
— ……
—That damn bastard…
Perseus involuntarily looked up at the sky as the situation seemed ready to ignite again.
Though under the same sky, he suddenly missed Dictys and Danaë back on his home island more than ever tonight.
‘Mother, Priest Dictys… The outside world is too overwhelming for me…’
***
While Perseus gazed at the sky, reminiscing about those on his home island,
Atropos abruptly cut off the communication.
If she kept talking to Poseidon any longer, she felt like she might develop an illness from sheer anger—or simply go mad.
Above all, she didn’t want to expose any more of the gods’ embarrassing antics in front of Perseus, the seed of a hero.
— …Go die.
Click.
With the connection severed, the camp’s atmosphere became even more awkward than before.
Njord looked at Perseus and asked,
“Hmm… Aren’t gods supposed to be more mature? Though to be fair, Nyx’s children are all a bit gloomy. Just look at Goddess Eris.”
At the mage’s gaze—seemingly seeking agreement—Perseus once again looked up at the sky, this time searching for the god he served.
‘Lord Poseidon…’
***
Their night was long.
Because the night dragged on, Perseus ended up learning many things he hadn’t particularly wanted to know.
Among them, the one he came to understand most deeply was the existence known as Mage Njord.
“So… Mage, you’re helping me hunt Medusa?”
“That’s right. Unfortunately, I caught the eye of those goddesses who happened to be there.”
“Uh… You must be quite close with those goddesses too, Njord.”
“Ahh. More like I got dragged into it. They’re such nags. The moment anything happens, it’s all ‘prophecy this’ and ‘fate that.’ My ears ached from hearing it so much—I had no choice but to get familiar.”
“…I see.”
And so Perseus realized that the mage Njord—whom he had first met at the temple and who had helped dispatch the assassins—was eccentric but not a bad person.
Of course, not being a bad person didn’t necessarily mean he was good for Perseus himself—that remained to be seen.
‘For now, I should keep some distance. From what the mage says, they seem like very high-ranking gods… If I’m not careful, I might get caught up in trouble too.’
In any case, whatever the circumstances, Njord’s help was something Perseus could not refuse.
Perseus knew he was stronger than most because he was Poseidon’s priest candidate, but he wasn’t reckless enough to be certain he could handle the Gorgon sisters alone.
“Besides, he’s someone they sent.”
In truth, that was the biggest reason…
And since this mage seemed far more capable than the ones he had seen back on the island, accepting him as a companion was the right choice.
“Then… Mage, are you close with many gods? I serve Lord Poseidon as a priest.”
“Gods? I’d say I’m pretty close with quite a few. Especially Lady Demeter. If we can stop by on the way to the Gorgon sisters, it’d be good to visit Eleusis.”
“Eleusis?”
“Yes. There’s a huge palace right next to Lady Demeter’s temple that’s registered in my name.”
“Wow!”
Perseus let out an exclamation at Njord’s boastful bragging.
Above all, he was envious of a palace next to Demeter’s temple.
He and Dictys were using a log cabin as their temple, after all.
Perseus didn’t doubt Njord. No human in the world would dare commit fraud by directly invoking a god’s name. Moreover, the story of Demeter’s temple was famous even on his home island of Seriphos.
Along with that, Perseus became completely engrossed in Njord’s tales. He had originally planned to keep a bit of distance and observe carefully, but…
What human could resist the stories of a mage who had walked alongside gods?
“Fufufu. It’d also be good to stop by the island of Cyprus. I, Njord, was quite active there.”
“Gasp! You don’t mean—you were one of the two mages who held back Pygmalion’s automatons until the gods recognized them as a proper race?!”
“Fufufufufu.”
Mage Njord—no, Poseidon—felt a rare warmth of satisfaction.
Perseus’s reaction was the same pure admiration and reverence his own children had shown him long, long ago.
‘Once upon a time, I received looks like that often.’
As Poseidon, through his avatars Neptune and Njord, continued sharing stories, the night grew deeper amid Perseus’s innocent responses.
***
Around the time Helios’s chariot began its journey,
Perseus and Njord packed up and set off.
“Phew. Will you be all right, Njord? There’s that pig who’s after me.”
“Don’t worry. If that pig has any sense, he won’t cause trouble at the Temple of Athena. And once we’re there, we’ll be meeting a god in person—what’s there to fear?”
“You’re right. I’ll just trust you, Njord.”
“Haha, no need to worry. I’ll guide you all the way to the Gorgon sisters without fail.”
By now, Perseus and Njord had grown close enough to speak comfortably.
Perseus still used honorifics, but that was out of respect—an awe and reverence for being able to meet in person a great mage from the myths.
Yes. Just like Dionysus once had, Perseus was now thoroughly soaked in Poseidon’s influence.
If Atropos had seen this scene, she would have done anything to peel away the rose-colored glasses from Perseus’s eyes…
But exhausted from her exchange with Poseidon, she wasn’t monitoring the situation here.
And naturally, the thread of fate spun by the Moirai began to tangle once more.
Thus, the priest and the mage reached the gates of Athens at noon, when the sun hung directly overhead.
“We’re almost there.”
“Yes. The first time I came, I was too overwhelmed to notice, but looking again—it really is incredible. It feels like something humans could never surpass.”
“Well, that makes sense. It was originally just an ordinary state in Attica—Athena’s the one who built it up like this.”
Perseus nodded at Njord’s explanation and exclaimed in admiration once more.
‘Wow! So a god was directly involved after all. No wonder the city is called Athens.’
“Huh? Wait—you’re close with Lady Athena too? You call her name so casually.”
“Uh…? Ah, well, we’re… somewhat acquainted. Yeah, something like that…”
At Perseus’s question, Poseidon realized his slip and hurriedly brushed it off.
He was supposed to be the human Njord right now—casually calling a god by name was impossible.
‘Luckily, Perseus doesn’t seem suspicious.’
“Well, someone of your caliber, Njord, could certainly be close with gods. So it seems Lady Athena governs the city of Athens. Even the city’s name comes from her.”
Poseidon let out a sigh of relief at Perseus’s innocent follow-up question and continued.
“Hahaha. That’s what most people think, but Athens doesn’t truly belong to anyone yet. The geography here is a bit ambiguous, and I’ve heard that whether this land falls within the territory Poseidon received from Lady Hera is still a matter of debate among the gods.”
As Poseidon explained, Athens was contested ground—a prime trade route.
It had excellent access to both sea and land, possessed vast territory for a city-state, and its influence extended to fertile lands beyond. Humans, other races, and even gods considered it the finest territory.
Because of this, even though part of Athens overlapped with the domain Poseidon had received from Hera, the gods could not easily let it go.
Some even argued that Poseidon should return it to them.
“In short, it’s like having a different attitude going in and coming out of the bathroom.”
“Hmm…”
Perseus now clearly understood Athens from Njord’s explanation, but one thing he still couldn’t get used to was…
Njord’s sharp criticism. How many humans could speak of the gods like that and still be alive and well?
‘As expected, Njord must be the lover of one of the great gods…’
Whether aware of Perseus’s thoughts or not, Njord was already far ahead at the entrance.
“Really, once your explanation is done, that’s it for you? Wait for me, Njord!!”
***
The guards at Athens’s main gate were startled upon seeing Perseus but opened the gate kindly.
They had been courteous when he first entered because he was a priest of Poseidon, but this time they were twice as welcoming.
“Hmm… They’re even kinder than the first time.”
“Of course. You survived that pig and made it back to the city safely.”
Experiencing the unexpected “pig effect,” Perseus and Njord headed straight for the Temple of Athena.
Normally, they would have gone to <Mermaid’s Tear> first, but with the pig Diogenes still alive and well,
Making a god wait was a grave sin.
Since receiving the oracle, Lady Athena might be waiting for them.
“Still, it feels like proper etiquette to wash up first…”
“Don’t worry. Lady Athena is also a goddess of war—she won’t mind such things. Besides, there are bathing facilities inside the temple. If needed, the priests there will guide you to the baths.”
“Hmm… Alright. I’ll trust only you, Njord.”
“Good. Trust only me.”
The Temple of Athena they arrived at was enormous—perhaps even larger than the mansions of the kings and nobles who ruled Athens.
Moreover, the sheer number of people coming and going made it uncertain whether they could even enter the temple interior today.
“…Will we be able to get in today?”
“Don’t worry. Follow me this way. Your face is probably a free pass in itself.”
At Njord’s words, the hesitant Perseus approached the priest who was managing the crowd.
“Excuse me. You need to line up at the back. Even if you’re a mage, you can’t—”
The priest paused as he saw the young man being pulled forward by Njord.
The handsome youth with golden hair seemed to match the one mentioned in the recent oracle.
—Soon, a blond priest candidate of Poseidon and a mage with blue hair tied in a ponytail, carrying a spear-like staff, will come. Send them to me.
Recalling the oracle, the priest cautiously asked,
“Are you perhaps the priest candidate of Lord Poseidon and the mage?”
At the priest’s question, Perseus nodded carefully, while Njord answered boldly.
“That’s right. So guide us.”
“Yes. We’ve been waiting. This way…”
At the Athena priest’s reaction, Njord slapped Perseus on the back and said,
“Hahaha, see? You need to be a bit more brazen and confident.”
“…You’re really right.”
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