Chapter 136: Perseus (28)
Unlike Poseidon’s calm demeanor, the matter of the Gorgon sisters was far more serious than expected.
Ordinarily, gods were complete beings—they did not undergo changes like shedding or shedding for the sake of growth or adaptation.
Because of that, until now, all the gods had assumed the Gorgon sisters were merely offshoots, shadows, or perhaps inverted reflections of a true form.
That was also why rumors had spread among the sea races that they were the result of a curse laid upon them after being abducted by Aroadai.
But now…
A story far more absurd than all those speculations had surfaced.
—What do you mean by that…? As far as I know, Poseidon, haven’t you been saying all this time that they were offshoots?
—Yes. From our perspective as the Fates, that interpretation was correct as well.
Hecate and Atropos were communicating for the first time, but there was no time for greetings.
What they had just heard was far too shocking.
“Uh… well, that was just Gaia and me working together to deceive everyone at Ceto’s request… hehe!”
—…….
—…….
At Poseidon’s utterly shameless confession, the two goddesses fell into silence.
To be precise, Hecate—accustomed to Poseidon’s antics—let out a sigh-filled silence, while Atropos’s silence was one of pure rage.
From Atropos’s perspective, this single revelation might force her to discard all the threads of fate she had woven together with her sisters.
—Y-you damn bastard!!!
Fwoosh!
Atropos’s furious shout echoed across the entire island.
***
Startled by the sudden outburst, Perseus turned around.
What he saw was Lord Njord kneeling and being scolded.
“Whew. That wasn’t such a big deal. I thought something serious had happened.”
Having seen scenes like this countless times while traveling with Njord, Perseus quickly lost interest.
Well, it looked like there was another unfamiliar person communicating as well—but given how versatile Njord was, Perseus didn’t think much of it.
“So, what should I do with you?”
The reason Perseus’s expression darkened—the Cockatrice—had stopped crying and stared at him in disbelief.
Was he really not curious about what was happening behind him?
It looked like a huge deal.
A Cockatrice was intelligent enough to think like a human.
From its perspective, being caught in a trap was bad enough, but what unsettled it more was the chaos caused by those terrifyingly powerful beings behind it.
“Huh? Ah, those people are always like that. Just leave them be. They’ll reach a conclusion on their own and tell us later.”
—…….
The Cockatrice couldn’t decide whether it should admire the human’s boldness—or his foolishness.
—Kiiiiiik….
“Sigh… more importantly, the real issue is the trap you’re caught in. That means intruders have entered this place. Do you know what their purpose here is?”
—Kiiiiiik!
At Perseus’s question, the Cockatrice obediently shook its head, signaling that it had seen no such individuals.
Whatever the situation, the human in front of it seemed like someone who might save it.
Normally, a noble species like itself would never bother answering a human—but regrettably, the only one who could free it now was the man standing before it.
More than that, the mage behind him was terrifying.
Unlike the friendly human, the gaze directed at it from behind was chillingly cold.
***
—So what exactly does this “shedding” mean?
Atropos asked while glancing at Perseus, who was communicating with the Cockatrice nearby.
If the shedding process was more dangerous than expected, she was prepared to step in personally and force Perseus to flee.
It was something a Fate goddess should never do—but at this point, all destinies were already tangled beyond repair. She had decided to stop holding back.
—Yes, I’m curious about that as well. Weren’t the Gorgon sisters gods? How could they undergo something like shedding, like serpents?
“Well… I only heard this from Callirhoe, but she said the Gorgon sisters were born closer to phantasmal beasts than true gods. That’s why, like the dragonkin today, their shedding is a process to grow stronger. Of course, since there’s no precedent for this, it’s all just speculation.”
—Then what about them attacking humans right now?
“That’s either to protect their true bodies while they’re vulnerable—like dragonkin during shedding—or a means to obtain higher-quality nourishment.”
—And the petrifying eye? That’s Medusa’s unique authority. Can a discarded shell really possess that power?
“That’s precisely why people turn to stone just by meeting its gaze. If it were Medusa herself, you’d turn to stone just by brushing against her body, not merely by looking into her eyes.”
At Poseidon’s explanation, the goddesses nodded in agreement.
There were still many unknowns, but any further conclusions would have to wait until the day the Medusa sisters awakened.
Above all else, it was hard to deny that Callirhoe’s hypothesis was currently the most realistic.
Still… there was an unsettling concern.
However… there was concern that Perseus’s fate—to become a hero by defeating the Gorgon sisters’ differentiated forms or shadows—might have been twisted.
—If what was created was meant to protect the Gorgon sisters while their shedding is in progress, wouldn’t it be incomparably powerful?
Atropos was right.
Even the mere remnants left behind by a god were enough to make humans unable to even look upon them.
If it was a shield meant to protect a god, that was an entirely different matter.
“That’s why I’m here. Do you think I’d have agreed to your request for no reason?”
Atropos was, just a little—very little—impressed by Poseidon’s response.
So he did think things through. He even showed consideration.
But then—
“Of course, the fact that it looked fun was a bigger reason.”
—…….
***
As Atropos trembled with renewed anger,
Hecate asked Poseidon the question that troubled her the most.
—Then why is Lady Ceto reacting so sensitively? From what we just heard, she’s already destroyed nearly half of Olympus in battle, including Athena’s palace.
“…….”
Poseidon clicked his tongue at the absurd news that had suddenly reached him.
So she really did storm Olympus.
“Probably as a warning. Ceto’s children are all closer to Titans or phantasmal beasts than to gods.”
—That… is true. She’s one of the gods who inherited Gaia’s blood most strongly.
In fact, Ceto—daughter of Gaia—had given birth to monsters more often than not.
Aside from the well-known Graeae sisters, the Gorgon sisters, and Echidna, Ceto was also the one who birthed Ladon, the primordial dragon and the strongest of all dragons.
“Or perhaps, with the Gorgon sisters undergoing an unprecedented shedding, she wanted to draw all attention onto herself.”
Indeed, as Poseidon suggested, no one could predict how events would unfold once all the gods of the Three Realms became aware of what was happening to the Gorgon sisters.
Generally speaking, for any living being, the moment of shedding was when it was at its weakest.
Of course, whether that rule applied to gods as well… was another matter.
***
Perseus and Njord rescued the juvenile Cockatrice.
Given that a grand mage was involved, leaving it behind might have been the wiser choice.
But after listening to Njord’s advice, Perseus decided to save it.
“Well, it’s not a bad decision. In fact, a Cockatrice is one of the fastest ways to escape the Gorgon sisters’ garden.”
Njord’s advice ultimately amounted to the same conclusion: they needed the Cockatrice.
From Perseus’s perspective, they had to resolve things quickly within a labyrinthine garden that transformed in real time.
He simply didn’t have the luxury of time.
“Still, this is a relief. It seems to understand that we saved it. It’s even calmly guiding us.”
—Kieeeeeek!
Perseus watched the Cockatrice as it moved ahead of them, leading the way.
According to the books, it was supposed to be a cursed creature that could never be tamed—yet it followed them far better than he had expected.
At Perseus’s remark, Njord wore a ‘Who knows?’ expression, but said nothing.
After all, the place that cunning creature was guiding them toward was not different from their intended destination.
It’s probably leading us straight to the ones who set that trap, he thought.
Well, whatever. That’s experience too, isn’t it?
Njord closed his mouth, imagining the resentful look Perseus would give him if he ever found out.
***
After traveling for quite some time, the Cockatrice finally stopped, and Perseus’s group halted with it.
They had arrived at a plain.
The plain was clearly separated from the jungle—and strangely enough, none of the creatures they had seen in the jungle crossed over its boundary.
Another unusual feature was the numerous stone statues scattered all across the plain.
“The air here is completely different from over there. This field feels nothing but fresh.”
“That’s only natural. This is the territory of the Gorgon sisters.”
“Whew… that’s incredible.”
At the mention of the Gorgons’ territory, Perseus couldn’t help but marvel.
The plain was so vast it was impossible to fully grasp its size at a glance.
And to create and maintain such a space in the middle of that jungle—he couldn’t even begin to imagine how much magical power it would require.
“More importantly, the real problem is that we have far too many competitors right now. I’ve no idea what kind of rumors these people heard—or how they even managed to get this far.”
“Huh?”
No sooner had Njord finished speaking than Perseus felt it too.
Dozens of people were approaching them.
“…Do you think they’re all here for the same reason I am?”
“Who knows? Could be. Or maybe they’ve come to retrieve their companions. Some of those statues over there might still be alive, after all.”
“……”
Perseus gave a bitter smile at Njord’s words.
If only that were the case.
But among those approaching them, there were quite a few whose presence carried the stench of stagnant, rotten water.
After leaving his home island and gaining so much experience, Perseus’s senses had grown sharp enough to distinguish even subtle differences in scent—and from experience, groups that reeked like that were rarely friendly toward him.
I can’t say for certain yet, but…
“Sigh… I only came here to take the heads of the Gorgon sisters, but it feels like far too much is happening.”
“Hahaha, there’s a reason the gods themselves issued a prophecy. If you want to blame someone, blame the Fates.”
“How could a human like me do that? You should do it for me, Lord Njord. You’re good at that sort of thing.”
“Huh? Should I? Then I’ll give Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos a piece of my mind.”
“…Well then, please leave my name out of it. I have nothing to do with that.”
“Hehehe, I’ll try—but they might already be listening.”
“Hey, why would you say something so scary?”
While Perseus and Njord bantered back and forth, the approaching figures drew close enough that they were no longer just a sensation—but visible to the naked eye.
“Hoo….”
As if all his earlier composure had been a lie, Perseus let out a deep sigh.
Matching Njord’s rhythm had helped ease his tension somewhat—but there was no way it could completely dispel it.
He had never fought a group of this size before.
And judging from the Cockatrice incident, there was at least one polis-class mage among them.
In the worst-case scenario, there might even be an ethnos-class mage.
At that point, even Diogenes—the man Perseus had defeated with great difficulty—would be insignificant by comparison.
Still, thanks to Lord Njord playing along, I’ve calmed down a bit. I’ll just do what I always do. You’ve got this.
As Perseus steeled his resolve and stared at the distant cloud of dust approaching them…
Elsewhere, Poseidon was thoroughly enjoying himself teasing Atropos.
“See that? This is your current reality. Rookie.”
—…That was a setup! That wasn’t Perseus’s true intent!
“Ohhh~ ‘It wasn’t Perseus’s true intent~’ Call it a mental victory all you want. It won’t change a thing. In the end, that’s just how the Fates are.”
—Tch! If my sisters find out, lightning will strike you down.
“Yeah, yeah. I can’t hear the words of a loser. What kind of god listens to humans cursing them anyway? Beats me.”
—Poseidon…! You bastard. Just wait right there!!
“Ehehehe. Since when could the Fates move as lightly as feathers?”
—…….
—!@#!$@#%$#^%&
Perhaps Njord hadn’t just been playing along after all.
Perhaps he’d meant every word.
_____________________________________________
TL Note: Want to read ahead? Join My Patreon for early access:
- Plus Tier: 7 chapters per week (~54 chapters ahead)
- Premium tier: 9 chapters per week (~111+ chapters ahead) + access to all my other ongoing series
[For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Poseidon's Chronicle”]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
_____________________________________________