The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

Chapter 115 – To The Sea

Poseidon, who seemed to get angrier just thinking about it, gulped down his beer and almost threw the bottle down as he complained to me.

“Think about it. Who was originally the one to drive the chariot of the sun? Who still drives the sun instead of Apollo?”

Ah, I learned this at the Passos Temple.
So…

“Uh… Lord Helios?”

“That’s right! Then let me ask you again. Who originally drove the chariot of the waxing and waning moon?”

I roughly knew about the sun, but the moon had many original owners. Who was it again?

“Uh… Ah! Lady Selene?”

“Yes, the incarnation of the full moon, Lady Selene. And though humans may not know it, originally, it was Hecate who was responsible for the half and waning moon. What do you think this implies?”

“Is it true that the sun and moon were not originally part of Apollo and Artemis’s divine duties?”

“Exactly! They pushed out those who originally held those duties and ascended to Olympus purely through their father’s backing. They falsely accused my children, causing their downfall and taking those vacant positions!!”

Honestly, I still didn’t know much about the gods’ world, so I was unsure how to respond.
But it was clear that the way Apollo and Artemis rose to the twelve Olympian thrones was still a controversial topic in modern times.
While other gods had clear and defined roles, Athena and the twins seemed to have much more varied responsibilities.

“Indeed, those two seem to have a lot of divine duties, right?”

“Oh?! Ah, you recognize it?”

“Honestly, it’s a topic of much debate even in the forest.”

Even Apollo’s sons Asclepius and Orpheus agreed on this matter.
Apollo, in addition to being the God of the Sun, was also the God of Healing, plagues, music, and more, while Artemis, abhorrent of men, was the Goddess of Purity, hunting, the crescent moon, and a guide for travelers.

“That’s all because that damn Supreme God Zeus forcibly handed hefty divine roles to his illegitimate children and shoved them in all sorts of things.”

Oh.
I was getting more and more intrigued by this.
The more information I had about people and groups I didn’t know, the better.
Though the truth of what Poseidon was saying was uncertain, there were certainly more than a few related to the twelve thrones of Olympus, the majority of which were Zeus’s kin, who had grievances about the distribution. At least two, Poseidon and Hera, were dissatisfied with Zeus.

“Even now, Zeus is fond of my poetry, but… who knows what will happen in the future?”

No matter how strong or wealthy, the highest authority always faces threats to their power.
In my case, I had absolute loyalty from my subordinates, starting with the Four Heavenly Kings and extending to the 108 Demonic Army, and there was no challenger in the martial world daring to confront me, so the threats were fewer.
From Passos Island to the Forest of Heroes in Messenia, Zeus, the protagonist of theology and heroism classes, was never absent, leading me to suspect that there were quite a few holding long-standing grudges among the 12 Divine Gods.
In fact, from his consort, Queen Hera, to the fellow trinity god Poseidon, they all harbored such intense grudges…

‘Perhaps this might become quite useful information later on.’

“The ancient gods who originally moved the sun and the moon favored Olympus and won the Titanomachy. My children were also promised the thrones of Olympus for their war contributions. But just because my daughter ate a little too much, to bring down the beloved goddess of the deep sea?!”

Then, as if doing him a favor, they handed over the divinities of storms, earthquakes, and the earth’s power, which they were originally supposed to oversee, to Poseidon. Feeling as if his insides were boiling like Tartarus, Poseidon ground his teeth.

“Ah… I heard she had quite a bit of Nectar and ambrosia…”

In theology class, it was said that the Goddess Hebe, who managed the feasts of Olympus, collapsed from exhaustion for the first time.
It was even more credible because it was Chiron himself who told that story.
However, Poseidon snorted disdainfully at those words.

“Heh, when a guest visits and eats heartily, as the host, one should do everything possible to offer the best hospitality. But to call yourself the host and the supreme god of Xenia and then strike the guest with lightning?”

Hmm…
Honestly, that’s true, too.

When I studied theology in ancient Greece, I was sometimes surprised by how universal the things governed by the God Zeus were.
In my earlier, more naive understanding, Zeus was just a powerful god who would strike with lightning if angered or seduce someone if he wanted to.
But, as Poseidon said, Zeus’s rule extended over order, law, justice, and many abstract concepts—much broader than I had ever imagined.

But seeing how this Supreme God was mostly regarded as a bastard in myths, I think I could understand why tragic dramas were everyday occurrences here in Greece…

“Justice and order? Ha, do you think you know what’s really going on? He filled the top ranks of Olympus with those who obeyed his every word, plotting to reign forever! If he had just been upfront with me about it… why bother striking my beautiful daughter down with lightning out of fear that the seat might be stolen? Watching his sister suffer in pain, he even made Antaeus retreat into seclusion. And what did my children do wrong?!”

Poseidon, drunk and shouting at the sky, looked every bit like a drunken sailor, but the aura he emitted was among the strongest I had ever encountered.
In stark contrast to Hera, who was elegant and noble like a lady, his rough and rugged presence reminded me of the southern pirates or the river lords of the Yangtze.
Every time he shouted, a storm raged in the distance, and waves as large as houses surged. Nevertheless, his simple nature and the way he cherished his family reminded one of those pirate bastards.

‘Dealing with these sea folk… They’re a handful. Anyone who dared to touch their family would be followed relentlessly and provoke their fury.’

I was reminded of the large pile of documents I had to handle every time a dispute arose.

Anyway, it was clear that this drunken God of the Sea was full of resentment towards the Supreme God, but the important thing now wasn’t his long-winded love for his children.
It was the whereabouts of Neri.

“So that’s why you cherished Neri so much?”

“…….”

Poseidon, seemingly struck by my words, fell silent. His blue eyes, once blazing with passion, calmed instantly, and the sea, which had been raging with fierce waves, became tranquil.

“Neri mentioned it. Every time she goes to see her big sister, her brother-in-law lets her ride a big horse, and she says the horse is so beautiful and riding it is so exciting. Although she always gets scolded by her big sister, Amphitrite.”

The story about Poseidon’s beloved horse, who was also the God of Horses, was famous.
Beautiful divine horses crafted with the purest water as blood, the first white wave in the world as their body, and the oldest stone from Gaia as their bones.
Even Zeus coveted these fast and powerful horses, which Poseidon cherished so much that he personally managed everything from their feed to their bathing.
But to think of personally riding such a horse, not even on a carriage?

‘Honestly, when I first heard it, I just thought, oh, her big sister’s husband runs a ranch.’

Later, I was a bit startled to hear that her brother-in-law was the God of the Sea.
“Wow, so this is really a world of mythology,” I thought, vaguely starting to realize the reality of it all.

Nesneria, Neri, treasure of the sea.
The spirit of the white waves was the first reason that made me want to know more about this world.
From our first meeting, we were truly peculiar.
After that, we spent time together on that small island, overcoming countless adventures and bloody chaos. As time passed, I became captivated by her boundless potential and the profound abyss contained in that small body.
Neri, too, showed both the innocent, pure love of a child and the deep, dark emotions of a goddess as she held my hand.
At the time, I had been living aimlessly at an orphanage, thinking that I should just live now that I was reborn, but a sudden wave pushed me to do more.
At the same time, that wave, filled with thrilling excitement that even made me shiver, was my lovely lover.
That’s why, when her eyes filled with tears because of my mistake, I felt utterly devastated.

“Tsk, I thought Neri had brought back a decent guy, but this one has a few snakes in his belly too.”

And Poseidon, the God of the Sea, casually threw a remark my way.

“Tsk, a guy with such a dark heart sitting next to that innocent child. I don’t like it, but…”

I’m not sure about anything else, but calling Neri purely innocent?
This fool doesn’t know his young sister-in-law at all.

“I was taking a nap in the palace courtyard, and that little rascal tangled my hair completely. Not even Charybdis, Antaeus, or even Triton have ever sat on my shoulder, playing with my hair!”

Just as Poseidon was about to erupt in fury at the audacity of someone touching his hair.
My dear and tiny lover said this.

“No more! Sit down!”

“…My goodness. Are you imitating Neri right now?”

“That’s what that child said.”

At the sight of a 2.5-meter-tall bearded man mimicking a baby, I squeezed my eyes shut, and even the sea’s fool awkwardly took a drink.

“Anyway, since then, I raised that young one like my daughter. When Galatea told me that she seemed to have found a lover, I thought there couldn’t be anything better than a normal, diligent fisherman…”

“I wanted to live simply, using just enough strength, but those flying over my head wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Honestly, when I woke up in Passos, I decided to live a truly leisurely retired life, instead of the busy past life until death.
When I told Neri about settling in Passos as a fisherman or hunter, she even searched the place, dragging me along, saying she’d find our newlywed house first.

“But things in the world…”

“Don’t go as you wish? Hehehe.”

After spilling everything out, perhaps he felt a bit relieved.
Poseidon’s eyes, laughing with a noticeably lighter voice, seemed quite clear.

“Ugh… shall we slowly get going now? If I drink more here, both Ampi and Neri will nag…”

Poseidon, who was slowly trying to get up, grabbed the trident floating beside him and stood from his seat.

“Are you leaving? Then could you tell Neri…”

Grumbling internally that my efforts seemed in vain, Poseidon looked at me incredulously.

“What are you talking about?”

“What?”

Poseidon stared at me as if I were an unpaid overtime worker, then sighed deeply and said,

“…Enough. I’ve already said everything I need to.”

And then, a massive hand grabbed the back of my neck.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, wondering what this was about.

“Be careful not to bite your tongue.”

“Pardon?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

-Thud!

Like a discus thrower, Poseidon hurled me into the sea with careless caution.

“It’ll be faster than walking sluggishly!”

“You son of a—”

-Splash!

Just as I was about to say something to the boisterously laughing Poseidon.
I was suddenly plunged into the sea, engulfed by the current, and sank deeply.