King of Underworld

Chapter 136 The Argonauts – (3)

The heroes of the Argo felt an unsettling sense of unease amidst the monotony of their journey.

For warriors who had trained rigorously in the Underworld, the monsters encountered on this voyage were far too weak.

While occasional monsters or unexpected incidents arose, none were beyond their ability to handle.

Even without Hercules lifting a finger, the heroes managed all challenges on their own.

Yet, based on past experience, this was not a good sign.

If a quest proceeded too smoothly, it meant some other hidden threat awaited them.

“It’s too easy—it’s making me nervous.”

“Those massive clashing rocks we passed… honestly, we could’ve broken them if we really tried.”

“Maybe the goddess of luck is on our side?”

As they rowed, the heroes talked about the strangely low difficulty of the expedition.

A true task needed to be challenging enough to be worth the effort.

♪

“Tsk. No one’s even getting hurt at this rate… I’m beginning to think coming aboard the Argo was a waste,” Asclepius grumbled.

“Asclepius… Are you wishing for us to get injured?” someone replied with a sigh.

“Leave him be; it’s not the first time he’s said that.”

“Well, whether he studies medicine or not, he could at least look after us a bit.”

And so, they sailed on, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, finding joy in the camaraderie with their fellow heroes.

~♪ ♫

With pleasant sounds around them, they felt a strange calm. The music was wonderful, and they wanted to listen just a bit more.

Ah, there were beautiful women singing on the rocks up ahead.

They were beckoning, and the song was enchanting, their beauty captivating. If only they could get a little closer to hear it better…

~♬ ♩ ♬ ♫

Look at them, enticing and luring with their melodies. Surely, nothing bad would happen if they got a little closer…

…

……

………

The first to sense something amiss was Orpheus, ever vigilant with his music. His hands trembling, he raised his lyre and began to play with all his might.

*Pling* ~ ♬ ♩

The discordant notes cut through the air, scattering the enchanting music that filled the heroes’ minds.

Some of the heroes, drooling with open mouths, even resorted to cutting their own hands to resist the urge.

The fierce battle of sound soon ended in Orpheus’s victory.

The three figures on the rocks, women with the bodies of birds and human faces—the sirens—fell silent and glared at Orpheus.

Only then did the heroes gasp for breath and find their voices again.

“Damn! Those were sirens—the monsters who lure sailors to their deaths with their voices!”

“Thank the gods for Orpheus! We would have been done for without him.”

“Physically, my ears feel fine… but their voices had some kind of effect on the brain?”

“Do you ever stop talking about medicine, Asclepius?”

The only hero completely unaffected by the sirens’ song had been Hercules. He had grabbed his club and was about to stand, but sat back down casually instead.

“Hercules! For once, save us! Don’t worry about stealing Orpheus’s achievement—just save my life!” Jason shouted.

“No… I just trusted that Orpheus would snap out of it and start playing his lyre. And he did,” Hercules replied calmly.

“You’re incredible, Hercules. My father’s a god too, but even I couldn’t resist that song,” another hero said.

“Maybe Hercules really is becoming the god he always talks about! Haha!”

“If that’s the case, I’ll start praying to Hercules right now. Help us finish this quest, mighty Hercules!”

The heroes laughed, lightening the mood, and resumed rowing with wry smiles. Orpheus, though exhausted, held onto his lyre.

His face reflected both satisfaction from defeating the sirens in a musical duel and a newfound understanding.

With a sly grin, he raised his lyre toward the sirens, now far behind them, and they screeched furiously from afar.

“We’re not far from Iolcos now!”

“Just a bit further, and we’ll have the Golden Fleece!”

* * *

Fifty heroes, including the prophesied hero Hercules.

Naturally, their journey was observed by many gods.

Olympus, the Underworld, and even the disinterested primordial gods—the Protogenoi—watched this journey unfold like a grand play.

But while the gods’ attention was fixed on this drama, trouble brewed elsewhere.

“Hades, Lord Apollo has abducted a human woman and is in a standoff with her fiancé.”

“…Again?”

“The victim is Princess Marpessa, daughter of King Evenus.”

I had been watching the Argonauts’ journey from my throne in the Underworld when Dike, goddess of justice, approached to report Apollo’s misconduct.

Really, Apollo—the god of reason—why did he keep doing this?

Was the looming conflict with the Gigantes causing his sanity to fray? Another woman, again.

“Just like with Daphne and Coronis, Apollo seems to lose all reason when it comes to women.”

“He’s now fighting a mortal named Idas, and they’re both riding chariots in the sky…”

“A mortal is fighting Apollo?”

No human should be able to stand against the mighty sun god.

Even Hercules would be burnt to a crisp if he ever fought Apollo.

Was Apollo’s conscience pricking him, enough to spare Idas his life while stealing his betrothed?

Or… was there any conscience at all? He shouldn’t have taken a mortal’s fiancée to begin with.

I knew my presence in the mortal realm might cause a stir, so I cloaked myself as I ventured forth.

The Underworld wasn’t very busy lately, so this seemed like a good opportunity for a brief outing to address my nephew’s behavior.

While I was at it, I could check on Typhon’s body beneath Mount Etna.

* * *

Idas.

He was a demigod, the son of Poseidon—a man known for his courage and daring.

King Evenus, son of Ares, had a habit of executing suitors who lost a chariot race for his daughter Marpessa’s hand, but the goddess of justice, Dike, had appeared in his dreams, forcing him to stop.

Idas, having bested King Evenus in the race using a winged chariot gifted by his father Poseidon, became betrothed to Princess Marpessa.

But…

“Aaaah! The sky is burning…! A chariot is descending from above!”

“What… what is this?!”

“Your beauty is captivating. From now on, you are mine.”

Smitten by Marpessa’s beauty, Apollo descended in his chariot and kidnapped her.

In Greece, it was not unusual for beautiful women to be abducted by gods.

“No matter that you’re a god! Are you really going to steal another man’s wife?”

Despite knowing that Apollo was a god, Idas chased after him in his chariot.

Though he was a demigod, he didn’t even consider that one look from the sun god could reduce him to ashes.

Apollo noticed Idas’s pursuit and clenched his teeth in annoyance, initially planning to kill him.

‘Damn it. That man is Poseidon’s son. I was punished last time I killed Orion, so… tch.’

Remembering the punishment he received for killing Orion, another of Poseidon’s children, Apollo hesitated to strike.

If he escalated this, his punishment might be a solar eclipse once again.

Instead, Apollo attempted to shake him off through skillful maneuvers, but Poseidon’s gift to Idas—a winged chariot—was a divine object, and the chase dragged on.

“Give up! This woman is mine!” Apollo shouted.

“She is my rightful bride! Return her to me!” Idas countered.

They raced across the sky, causing chaos below…

Irritated by the constant noise, Zeus finally looked down at the commotion.

And that was precisely when I, Hades, appeared and reprimanded Apollo.

I glanced up briefly at Zeus, who was watching, and then turned back to Apollo.

“A god abducting a human woman, especially one with a fiancé…”

“…;;”

“Fine. Then I guess we’ll expect you in the Underworld this season.”

Apollo’s chariot split in half, and the sun god lowered his head in shame.

Idas and Marpessa knelt, bowing low to the ground.

As Apollo descended, slowing to a stop, humans nearby realized another god had intervened.

“That man isn’t immortal like you. And as the sun god, you cannot remain by her side forever.”

“…I apologize.”

As it happened, Hermes arrived, sent by Zeus to assess the situation, allowing me to explain and send Apollo back.

These incidents seemed to occur more frequently each day… could it be that someone had cursed Olympus?

* * *

While Hades was reprimanding Apollo, the Argonauts had finally reached their destination.

After a long journey, they had arrived in Colchis, the land of the Golden Fleece.

The crew disembarked, surveying the surroundings.

It was late at night, just before dawn, when the goddess Eos drapes her veil over the world.

“So this is Colchis? It’s so dark, I don’t see anyone around.”

“Still, a ship as large as the Argo would be hard to miss. Surely, the king has been informed of our arrival…”

“Something’s off… there’s a smell…”

“Wait… shh! I hear something over there!”

“I heard it too. It sounded like a scream.”

The faint cries and the sounds of something fleeing, fires burning, structures breaking…

Rushing past the shore and through dense forest in the direction of the sounds, they found…

“Aaaah! Please, save us!”

“Quickly, this way! The city is burning!”

“Mommy! Waaah!”

They saw people fleeing from a city engulfed in flames.