King of Underworld

Chapter 110: Heracles of Thebes – (1)

Do you know how the prophesied hero, Heracles, was born?

As time passed without the emergence of the long-awaited great hero, an anxious Zeus devised a new plan.

‘What if, instead of waiting for a hero like Perseus or Cadmus, I intentionally raise one from childhood?’

If the would-be hero received divine powers and blessings from the gods, their journey would be far different from those simply observed by the gods.

A hero born from divine blood, a demigod, would inherently possess power far beyond that of ordinary mortals.

Thus, it had to be a demigod—born of one divine parent—that would be nurtured.

The higher the godly parentage, the stronger the demigod’s power.

And, of course, the strongest demigod would be one born of Zeus himself.

Mother Earth, Gaia, likely had some inkling that this hero would be connected to the Gigantes.

The hero would need to be raised in a domain hidden from Gaia’s watchful eyes, perhaps in divine territories like Zeus’ sanctuary at Olympia, Apollo’s domain at Delphi, or the city of Athena, Athens.

The demigod also needed to be born into a family with resources to ensure they wouldn’t die prematurely. It had to be a place not too far from Thebes, as traveling to Thebes was critical for the hero’s growth.

‘That woman seems suitable. She’s the queen of Thebes, who serves my brother, Hades…’

Thus, Zeus chose a candidate, a choice driven by both practicality and, of course, a bit of his own personal preference.

The chosen woman was Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, king of Thebes.

“Ah? You’re home early today, husband?”

“Ahem. Yes, that’s right.”

Zeus transformed into Amphitryon, the king of Thebes, and visited Alcmene to lay with her.

Of course, Alcmene was unaware of this until much later.

“Which god has visited you? It couldn’t have been Pluto, the god of Thebes…”

“Ugh… It must have been Lord Zeus.”

“Well, then, if it’s the will of a god, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll raise this child.”

Thus, the child born from this union was named Heracles, who nursed at Hera’s breast.

To escape the wrath of the queen of the gods, the child wandered various places, including the Underworld.

“…The child keeps disappearing and reappearing. This time, he was gone for a whole month.”

“Could it be that the gods have plans for him?”

“In my dream last night, a goddess appeared and said the child’s name would be Heracles.”

Fortunately, Heracles grew up safely, and Amphitryon hired the finest tutors to educate him.

Heracles learned everything from archery, horsemanship, swordsmanship, and spear fighting to more refined arts like playing the lyre.

But there was one problem…

“Your Majesty, I cannot teach this child any further.”

“What? Even after studying in Mycenae, you say it’s impossible?”

“He mastered everything I had to teach him within a month. I have nothing left to offer.”

“How can a boy his age break stones with his bare hands?”

“You’re telling me he’s never been injured, not even once?”

“I saw a wooden training sword break when it struck his body during a sparring session…”

The issue was that Heracles was simply too exceptional.

Born of Zeus’ bloodline, strengthened by Hera’s milk and the waters of the River Styx, Heracles was on a different level from ordinary mortals.

Amphitryon, having witnessed Heracles shatter a steel sword with his bare hands, realized that no ordinary human education could contain his power.

“Being the son of Zeus, he’s clearly not suited for standard human training.”

“Do you think Heracles overheard the maids calling him a monster behind his back?”

“We should take the child to the temple. Many children are trained from a young age at the temple, after all…”

After much deliberation, Amphitryon and Alcmene decided to take Heracles to the Temple of Pluto.

If they entrusted Heracles to Pluto’s temple, known for training aspiring heroes, they could rest assured he would be properly nurtured.

* * *

Whoosh!

“As soon as Heracles approached…”

“All the statues began to glow with light.”

“If the gods welcome him like this, he must indeed have the qualities of a great hero.”

When Heracles entered Pluto’s temple, everything moved swiftly, and soon, he crossed into the Underworld.

The atmosphere felt different from the world of the living—the air was strange, the sky appeared unusual, and the surroundings exuded a chilling aura.

Whoosh!

“Hey! Watch out!”

Heracles spotted an arrow flying straight toward his chest. He felt no sense of danger as he watched the arrow approach.

Thud! Ting!

The arrow bounced harmlessly off his skin. Heracles, strengthened by the River Styx, was immune to ordinary harm.

He turned toward the voice that had called out. A young man with blond hair, panting as he ran, appeared.

The boy, around Heracles’ age—perhaps in his mid-to-late teens—stared at him in stunned disbelief.

Like so many others, he had just witnessed Heracles’ overwhelming strength and indestructible skin.

“Huff… Huff… No way… The arrow bounced off? Are you under some divine protection?”

“Did you shoot that arrow?”

“Ah, yes! Sorry about that. I was practicing my archery and misfired.”

“Practicing archery?”

“Yeah. This is a training ground for heroes, after all. But where’s Chiron? He should’ve been here by now. Anyway, follow me.”

Though briefly startled, the young man quickly composed himself and casually began speaking to Heracles, as though they were already acquainted.

Heracles smiled. He liked how the boy didn’t seem overly afraid after seeing his invulnerability.

“Are there many people here who are unharmed by arrows?”

“Not exactly, but there are some who deflect arrows with swords, others who can heal their wounds, and even archers who can shoot down incoming arrows…”

“Is your teacher Chiron, by any chance the wise Chiron?”

“Yep, that’s him! Just like in the history books—the great wise centaur Chiron! His lower body is a horse, you know?”

As they walked to meet Chiron, Heracles learned several things.

First, the boy’s name was Jason, a member of the royal family of Iolcos.

Second, he learned about the Underworld’s training grounds and the intensity of the heroes’ training there…

“…Yesterday, we fought a huge monster…”

“Jason, is that the new hero?”

“Oh, Chiron!”

Soon, a centaur with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse appeared before them.

“I am Chiron. What is your name, child?”

“…Heracles.”

“Ah. You address your elder with such short words, Heracles.”

Chiron’s mouth smiled, but there was a vein of mild annoyance on his forehead as he gently patted Heracles’ head.

Would this centaur teacher be different from the many tutors Heracles had before?

* * *

Years ago, in the Underworld…

Ever since Heracles arrived in the Underworld, I had been receiving regular reports from Chiron about him.

At first, Chiron was curious why Heracles received special treatment, but when he learned that Heracles had nursed from Hera and bathed in the River Styx, he understood.

The updates I received on the hero’s progress were impressive.

– Heracles fought the hero Bellerophon and lost after about ten bouts. The duel’s condition was that he could lose if his body was struck by a weapon, so in real combat, he would have fared even better…

– His body didn’t seem to feel the effects of regular training, so I had him lift boulders larger than most houses. They might be a bit heavy…

– Only a few of my students, like Theseus and Atalanta, can hold out against him in combat for even a moment now…

– Lord Hades, Heracles has defeated every hero he has faced, except for the great hero Cadmus. I am certain Heracles will become the greatest hero I’ve ever trained!

The last report mentioned that Heracles had bested all other heroes except Cadmus.

He truly is the prophesied hero. Has he already surpassed Bellerophon and Perseus?

If only he could defeat Cadmus… at this point, he might have strength akin to that of a lesser god.

I’m glad I had the idea to dip my nephew in the River Styx.

Ah, speaking of the River Styx, here comes Goddess Styx.

In her hand, she held a scroll bearing the seal of Hermes. A message from my nephew, perhaps?

“Hades. It seems Eros and Psyche are expecting a child.”

“A new god? Congratulations to them. Is there any other news from Olympus?”

“Not much. Apollo has returned after his punishment at Poseidon’s hands, and there are rumors that Gaia is planning something, though her power seems to be waning. Oh, and Dike is being too strict lately…”

So, aside from Apollo’s return and the need to watch out for Gaia’s schemes, there’s nothing new.

Dike being overly strict? I’m sure she’s just lecturing the Olympian gods about justice again. Even if Zeus himself came, I wouldn’t ask Dike to hold back.

“But… how’s the progress with Zeus’s son, the one who bathed in my river?”

“Heracles, you mean? Now that you mention it…”

I was just thinking it was about time for a new report on Heracles.

At that moment, a messenger entered and handed me a scroll.

“Lord Hades, it’s a regular report from Chiron at the hero training grounds.”

“Hmm.”

I unrolled the scroll, but its contents were strange.

“Lord Hades, I am saddened to report that I have failed. I am troubled, but there is an important matter I must inform you of.”

Failed? The greatest tutor of heroes claims failure?

What could possibly have gone so wrong?

“Heracles has completely lost his motivation. No matter what I try, I cannot reignite his spirit. I humbly ask for your help…”