Chapter 153: The Birth of the Mycenaean Empire (11)
“Am I dreaming right now?”
“Well… if you think it’s a dream, then maybe it is.”
While Poseidon was packing his things to investigate what had happened on Olympus—still reeling from the shock of the information Alexis had given him—
A beautiful woman with pale green hair and soft pink lips appeared silently in the room and sat down in a chair.
“Didn’t you originally dislike appearing in human form?”
“That’s true. But when my husband goes around freely in human form, what can a powerless wife like me do? I have to match him.”
The woman gave the blue-haired mage a breathtaking smile that would have instantly captivated any human who saw it.
“Sigh… How on earth did you find out about this appearance?”
He let out a deep sigh, but he couldn’t drive this woman away. And when it came to obtaining information he didn’t know, no one was better than the woman before him—his own wife.
“So… what exactly happened?”
***
Contrary to the gods’ shock at Zeus’s decision, the situation in Athens—which would affect the entire region of Attica—unfolded very differently from what the gods had imagined.
Everything had simply been swept away by Athena’s overwhelming power.
“You dare drive out all my followers?!”
“I was planning to take my time, but it can’t be helped. If you want to resent someone, resent Dike. Ares.”
At Athena’s command, her high priestess Teleiotes led the purge. Ares’s faction, along with the followers and priests of other gods still present inside Athens, were cleanly eradicated.
What the gods had perceived until now was merely the tip of the iceberg. The influence Athena wielded over the city was no less than what the late Diogenes had once held.
Above all, Athena had personally revealed herself.
Even Ares and his faction, who had put up some resistance, were swept away before they could properly confront her…
—Huh? That’s it? Then why did Dike make such a request to Zeus?
—That’s… all because of you.
—…Me? Why?
Unlike Poseidon’s dumbfounded voice…
Athena had swept through the entire region of Attica, including the city of Athens. Yet even so, there were still those throughout Attica who did not welcome her.
Aside from Artemis’s Brauron, which supported Athena, few people liked her oppressive actions.
Moreover, mana-awakened knights, mercenaries, and mages were troublesome opponents—even after Athena’s followers had driven out the opposition.
If those groups formed an anti-Athena coalition among themselves, even if Athena revealed all her hidden power, it would have been impossible to quickly raise public support across Athens in the short term.
Already, under the name of Perseus—who had driven out Diogenes, the very symbol of oppression and violence in Athens—people were quietly gathering in opposition to Athena.
Some citizens, too, did not look favorably on Athena’s brutal methods.
Having experienced Diogenes, they had personally learned that a mountain built on violence, oppression, and raw power was nothing more than a house of cards.
Dike had anticipated this. She planned to rally an anti-Athena coalition under Perseus’s name and confront her properly…
—And all of that collapsed the moment your symbol appeared.
—…I never lent my name.
Every expectation was shattered when the trident emblem was engraved upon the goddess’s banner.
The moment Poseidon’s divine power—embodied in his symbol—was placed on Athena’s flag, it was equivalent to declaring his support for her.
And as everyone knew, Perseus—Poseidon’s priest—was not merely a hero. He was one who followed the will of the chief god.
No matter how unreasonable that command might be. That was the nature of a priest.
Thus, the forces Dike had been gathering under Perseus’s name disintegrated at the sight of that emblem and mark.
Even those who had cried out for freedom fell silent.
They could no longer use the name of Perseus—the figure who most perfectly embodied the values they claimed to uphold.
Some people understood.
They knew just how fanatical and ruthless the followers who gathered under Poseidon’s name could be.
Only those who had experienced it firsthand truly understood that ruthlessness.
“In short, because Perseus is also Poseidon’s priest, the moment your symbol appeared, there was nothing they could do. As long as Perseus does not abandon his role as your priest, those groups have lost their rallying point. A group without a center can never win.”
“…This is going to be a headache.”
After hearing everything from Eurynome, Poseidon pressed his forehead, feeling the migraine coming on.
He finally understood how the situation had unfolded.
He never imagined the token he had casually given out in the past would be used like this!
“Yes. You handed those out so freely because you were swayed by Athena’s and Cybele’s sweet words and charms.”
Poseidon thought back to his past self and regretted it.
Why had he let himself be swayed back then…?
But he had his own excuse. What father in the world could resist his daughters’ charms!
***
Eurynome shook her head as she looked at the silent Poseidon.
He was probably coming up with some bizarre self-justification again.
“In any case, Athena’s matter is Athena’s matter. The reason I came here is simple. To praise you for fulfilling the wishes of myself, Amphitrite, and Gaia. And also to see with my own eyes the priest of our king—who now rules the greatest empire on the surface. While I’m at it, I wanted to scout the bridgehead through which we sea gods can finally extend our influence onto land.”
“……”
“Hehe… As expected, that furrowed brow of yours is delicious. I knew you’d make that face. Anyway, it’s been a while since I came to the surface, so I’ll enjoy the sightseeing for a bit.”
With those final words, Eurynome’s form turned transparent and vanished from the room.
Left behind was only one mage, dazed and despairing after being dragged into yet another troublesome affair.
“Ah! From now on, even Gaia won’t complain about you wandering around for so long. It seems she was quite satisfied with what Perseus accomplished this time. Well then, your lovely wife will take her leave.”
The thrilling conversation echoed through the room until the very end.
***
Leaving behind a despairing Poseidon who now faced an uncertain future…
Perseus formally introduced Andromeda to Danaë and Dictys, and held their wedding.
It was a grand ceremony attended by countless gods.
Rumors circulated that Dike and Poseidon—glaring with wide eyes and seemingly furious—were conspicuously absent, but no one paid much attention.
Perseus’s wedding concluded amid the blessings and cheers of all present.
Now, just as the gods had foreseen, a great empire was on the verge of being established.
For the time being, Perseus refused the throne.
But in the end—whether Aethopia, Seriphos, or even Argos, where he inherited blood—there was no successor.
Above all, in the distant future, a coalition opposing Perseus would rise under the leadership of King Acrisius of Argos, ultimately forcing Perseus to ascend the throne as well.
But that was still far in the future.
“So… you’ve all decided to fully serve under Perseus now?”
“Yes. We judged that attaching ourselves to His Majesty Perseus is the only way to fulfill our long-cherished dream.”
“Hm. Fair enough. But you’re splitting off from the witches?”
“Yeah. We want to follow Lord Njord. We’ve never seen a monster like him before. He’s fascinating.”
“…I never said I wanted you following me.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re coming anyway.”
“This is insane.”
After Philomela and the three witches declared they would follow Njord of their own accord, a brief commotion ensued.
But in the face of their stubbornness, even Njord had no choice but to relent.
Besides… having these witches around was honestly kind of entertaining.
The time had finally come to put an end to the adventures of Perseus and Njord.
As Njord finished preparing to depart, Perseus arrived with Andromeda and Goddess Dike to bid him a final farewell.
“Lord Njord…”
“Good grief. A grown man making such a pitiful face. And when have I ever said I wouldn’t come back to visit?”
“But… I still haven’t repaid even a fraction of the kindness you’ve shown me…”
“Enough, enough. More importantly—Andromeda, live happily with that girl. And keep that sour-faced woman standing way back there as far away as possible.”
“Hahahaha!”
“…He really hasn’t changed at all.”
“…That damn bastard.”
Perseus couldn’t help but laugh at Njord’s unchanging attitude right up to the end.
Andromeda and Dike still couldn’t quite adapt to his carefree, live-for-the-moment demeanor.
“Here—this is my final gift. Take care, kid. Oh! And you still have no intention of giving up being Poseidon’s priest?”
“Yes. It’s my beginning and my end. Besides, Dictys—Father—is still a priest too. And the one who saved our family seems to have been connected to Lord Poseidon as well.”
With those words, Perseus glanced briefly at the cute little otter emblem engraved on Andromeda’s wrist.
His mother had firmly declared that this adorable mark was identical to the one who had once saved them.
(‘Maybe that otter really was Lord Poseidon. But in any case… I can never forget the beginning that allowed our whole family to find happiness.’)
Poseidon couldn’t know what thoughts were running through Perseus’s mind right now.
But at this point, he had to acknowledge it: Perseus would never give up.
No matter how many times he had been urged to abandon Poseidon’s name, he had refused…
(‘Look at Dike’s face, you idiot. Pure jealousy and rage… Sigh. What can I do? I absolutely cannot let my identity be exposed.’)
With that thought, Poseidon hurriedly tossed the items he had prepared for departure to Andromeda and Perseus.
“…Yeah. Talking any more is pointless—and ridiculous. This is my last gift. Go on and build a great empire—one whose name will echo throughout the ages.”
(—Then! See you again someday.)
Njord’s final words rang through the air as his body melted into space and vanished.
Only then did the silent Dike finally speak.
She had remained quiet out of consideration for Perseus—she had no desire to see Njord off.
“That damned bastard. If it weren’t for Lady Demeter, I would have torn his limbs apart.”
“Hahaha, Lady Dike, please don’t be too harsh. Despite how he acts, he really did take good care of you.”
“…That’s true. But doesn’t it feel suspicious somehow? A human taking care of a goddess?”
“Hehe… what can we do? This one trusts Lord Njord even more than he trusts me or Lady Dike.”
“Sigh… fine, fine. Do whatever you want. More importantly—what exactly did he leave as a gift?”
They were an ice crown and a deep blue cloak.
Each bore the symbols of Dike—scales and sword—and Poseidon’s trident.
The moment she saw them, Dike understood.
These treasures were destined to become symbols of the Mycenaean Empire and the authority of its emperor—relics of eternal significance.
They had been crafted using materials even the gods could rarely obtain.
“…Damn him to the end…”
With Dike’s muttered evaluation, Perseus’s laughter echoed across all of Aethopia.
And so, the Mycenaean Empire—planned by Poseidon and completed by the gods—would later triumph in a great war against the coalition led by Acrisius, cementing its name as a true empire.
Of course, contrary to Dike’s hopes, Athens and the entire region of Attica fell completely under Athena’s dominion.
That became the reason why Mycenae would later have no choice but to worship two goddesses.
But that was a matter for the gods alone.
Only Dike—the sole goddess Mycenae had hoped would become its national deity (aside from Poseidon)—ground her teeth in frustration.