Chapter 152: The Birth of the Mycenaean Empire (10)
Having received Eurynome’s recognition, Perseus was blessed by all of Aethiopia and granted permission to marry Andromeda.
However, they did not hold the ceremony immediately.
He intended to receive the formal blessing of his mother Danaë and Dictys before conducting a proper wedding.
Of course, there was one incident where Phineus—Cepheus’s cousin and Andromeda’s former betrothed—tried to cause a commotion.
But he and those who followed him were quietly made to disappear without a trace, courtesy of Njord and the Dawn Mercenary Band.
“Is it really okay to handle the king’s cousin like that?”
“Hm? What does it matter? A kingdom whose elite forces have already been completely wiped out—shouldn’t they be the ones begging Perseus and us for mercy?”
“Lord Njord is right about that.”
During the process, Captain Alexis hesitated for a moment, but with Njord leading and every other executive agreeing, he had no choice but to watch it happen.
(‘Sigh… I’ll have to report this to the Priest later.’)
Thus, in Perseus’s hands now rested immense authority—encompassing not only the island of Seriphos but also the vast power of Aethiopia.
“By the way, Alexis. What’s the current situation in Athens?”
The only remaining unfinished business was the situation in Athens, which had not been properly resolved before Perseus left for Aethiopia.
Even if Perseus himself paid it no mind, his name now carried such weight across all of Attica that his influence alone would exert tremendous power.
“Ah! That’s being directly governed by Lord Poseidon and Lady Athena, apparently. It actually worked out well. Lady Athena is famously kind to humans, and since Lord Poseidon has no interest, people are saying it’s actually better this way.”
“…Huh?!”
Poseidon, who had been nodding along to Alexis’s explanation, suddenly dug at his ear as if he had misheard.
He was clearly right here—yet what was this nonsense?
And Atropos, who had been watching Perseus, felt exactly the same shock.
In the original flow of fate, Poseidon and Athena should have been competing over Athens.
But with Poseidon currently present here—and given his usual disinterest in surface affairs—he would surely just dump the responsibility on someone else. Atropos had assumed Athena would end up clashing with someone like Ares…
(—What the hell did you do this time?!)
“Uh…? I didn’t really do anything special.”
***
The city of Athens, ever since the incident involving Hera, had come to be described most accurately as a nation on the verge of falling completely under Poseidon’s influence—along with Argos and the surrounding countries.
Well… at present, thanks to Poseidon’s utter disinterest, it had turned into a chaotic battleground among gods and illusory beings.
Athens possessed an excellent strategic location, wide-reaching influence, and powerful military strength. The moment any single entity claimed it, they could rapidly expand their dominion. It was truly a land flowing with milk and honey.
Because of this, the gods had reached an unspoken agreement: rather than seizing it through raw force and destruction, they would compete for influence over the region of Attica.
Under that tacit understanding, Athena had been at the forefront.
This recent incident had nearly allowed her to pull even further ahead.
But everything twisted because of Dike’s sudden appearance—leading to a chain of events even Poseidon himself was unaware of.
***
Meanwhile, at the Olympian council…
“Hahaha! My s— I mean, Perseus has finally overcome every trial! And on top of that, my daughter Dike has awakened her new divine name! Isn’t this a grand celebration for all of Olympus?!”
The Olympians celebrated Perseus’s triumph over every trial just as fervently as any mortal.
For the first true hero of this era to be the son of Zeus was undeniably a powerful reaffirmation of their authority—not only to the races of the surface, but also to the gods of the underworld and the seas.
“But… isn’t Perseus Lord Poseidon’s priest? He even received formal ordination and wields divine authority.”
Of course, in minor details it was difficult to claim he was fully a symbol of Olympus or Zeus’s son.
Still, it was something all of Olympus could celebrate.
“…Well. In any case, the gods all know where the blood of my s— of Perseus comes from, don’t they?”
“Tch, Zeus. Just say it outright. Hiding it so clumsily is even more unpleasant.”
“Hm? Really, Hera?! Hahahaha! Today is truly a joyful day!”
“Tch!”
Even Hera, for example, publicly declared that—considering Perseus’s heroic deeds and his lineage—she would not interfere.
Moreover, Perseus’s achievements did not end there.
Once he received Eurynome’s recognition and rose to the level of founding an empire encompassing both Seriphos and Aethiopia…
A grand festival was held across Olympus, led by Zeus himself.
—Should we call this impressive? That a mere human could wield such influence…
—Indeed. And it’s not just influence. Right now he holds Aethiopia, Seriphos… and wasn’t his grandfather Acrisius of Argos? He’s also the sole heir of that man.
—Insane! Then doesn’t that mean this one human could end up with more influence than any of us gods? Shouldn’t we stop him?!
—How?
—Well… curses, plagues, accidents?
—You lunatic. If you want to die, die alone. I still want to enjoy the world a bit longer.
—It’s embarrassing to share godhood with someone that brain-dead.
—Ah! Right. If you think you can dodge the eyes of Lord Zeus, Lord Poseidon, Lady Athena, and Lady Dike all at once, then go ahead.
—……
The fact that a being of Zeus’s bloodline had founded an unprecedentedly powerful empire—one that sparked heated debate even among the gods—was itself considered a great blessing.
And at the center of that festival…
“Father Zeus! Considering the influence Perseus has exerted over Olympus this time, I believe he should be granted a great gift.”
Dike—the newly returned goddess of justice who had aided Perseus—made her request directly to Zeus.
To bestow a reward upon Perseus from the dimension of Olympus.
Naturally, Zeus was delighted. He had secretly been hoping someone would bring up exactly this suggestion.
Zeus glanced briefly at Hera’s expression before nodding readily at Dike’s words.
“Hm. That’s a fine idea. Do you have a specific reward in mind?”
That is—until Dike actually spoke.
“Yes. How about granting Perseus control over the region of Attica, which has now reached the peak of chaos?”
“““!!!”””
***
Even for Zeus, king of the gods, Attica was not a place he could touch lightly.
It was a region tied to enormous interests and sat right beside cities already heavily under Poseidon’s influence.
“…Dike, even so, granting him Attica as well seems excessive. He’s already on the verge of founding an unprecedented empire. Adding Attica on top of that? That would be tantamount to conquering the world.”
Zeus’s words were entirely reasonable.
The territories Perseus was about to rule were all exceptional lands in their own right.
But the biggest problem was that they were scattered.
Because of that, the odds of this empire enduring after Perseus’s death were almost nonexistent.
The quick-witted gods who understood this had deliberately avoided saying anything that might offend Zeus.
Yet now… if Attica were also placed in Perseus’s hands as Dike proposed…
It would mean those scattered nations could be unified under Attica’s leadership and brought under centralized control.
In other words, an empire spanning a thousand years—one whose future even the gods could not predict—might actually come into existence.
Naturally, that would dramatically increase the likelihood of mortal influence on the surface world breaking free from divine control.
And that was something the gods would never welcome—unless perhaps it was that rock-bound fool Prometheus.
“Father. Perseus has accomplished deeds worthy of such a reward. As the goddess who protects him, I make this request.”
“……”
As Zeus fell silent, the once-noisy, festive atmosphere of Olympus vanished like a lie.
Even Hera, Demeter, and Hestia—who had shown little interest in the festivities until now—turned their full attention to Dike.
(—Hmm… Does that child even realize the weight of what she just said? Unlike her mother Themis, she still seems a bit short-sighted.)
(—Well, personally I think it would be rather entertaining if things went her way. More importantly—can she really claim that child, who is already Poseidon’s priest, as her sole follower?)
(—Hehe, exactly. This might actually be the perfect situation for Poseidon. But look at her—she’s already resolved. Her fists are clenched tight.)
(—You lot… do you even have any awareness that you’re Olympian gods?)
Demeter and Hestia didn’t take Dike’s statement too seriously. To them, it wasn’t particularly important.
Hera was the only one who seemed mildly concerned, though she clearly had no intention of intervening.
But for those who were competing over Athens or vying for seats of power in Olympus, the reaction was completely different.
(—Brother, has Dike gone a little mad? Attica includes my territory of Brauron, you know.)
(—That’s true, but you never cared much about it anyway. The real problem is Athena.)
(—…I don’t particularly mind, but if I had to say, I’d prefer to call that land mine.)
(—Kuhahaha! Looks like Athena, you greedy thing, is about to lose the land you’ve been coveting entirely. In the end, doesn’t that mean everything Perseus has claimed will fall under Dike’s control?!)
(—You still act like a brainless brute, Ares. Above all—if Goddess Dike builds her power with Perseus at the forefront, you’ll be the first one purged.)
(—Hephaestus might be right about that. What happens to Olympus’s already headache-inducing power structure now?)
(—Hehe, that will be entertaining to watch as well.)
The Seven Olympians were on high alert.
(—Wait—if this goes through, just how far will Lady Dike’s influence reach?)
(—Excluding the three elder gods and their siblings, she’d effectively become the most powerful.)
(—Argh! Then doesn’t that mean my land in Attica could be taken away too?!)
(—Most likely. Lady Dike clearly intends to claim a fully intact territory.)
(—But can Goddess Dike actually hold onto it? Even if she’s just awakened a new divine name…)
(—Tsk tsk tsk. In the first place, such an outrageous proposal will never be accepted. So don’t worry about it.)
The other Olympian gods assumed Zeus would refuse.
“…Your words are correct. But have you considered the repercussions such a demand would bring, Goddess Dike?”
“Yes, Lord Zeus. I have thought of that as well.”
Zeus looked at the resolute Dike, then swept his gaze across the gods staring at him.
“Sigh… Very well then. I grant your request. However—considering the many controversies surrounding the land of Athens, I will give Perseus—and you—an opportunity. The one who exerts the greatest influence over Athens and Attica shall claim it.”
BOOM!
To the gods’ shock, Zeus accepted the proposal—with conditions attached.
“…Then… what exactly is going to happen now?”
At someone’s murmur, the gods unconsciously turned their eyes toward Dike and Athena.
Everyone present knew that Athena had invested the most effort into Attica.
Many gods had been competing for it, but Athena had clearly held the most advantageous position.
Yet now Dike had entered the fray—backed by the overwhelming influence of the hero Perseus.
And with Zeus’s explicit permission…
(‘In that case… doesn’t this mean Lord Zeus’s true intention lies with Dike?’)
Such thoughts naturally rose in the minds of the gods.
And Zeus, who had permitted this unforeseen development…
(‘Ugh… I allowed it for Dike’s sake, but I don’t know if it will actually work out. Looking at the state of the nations my brother rules, it might succeed after all.’)
He simply felt a headache as a father trying to remain neutral between Athena and Dike.
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