King of Underworld

Chapter 95: The Trial of Ares and Poseidon – (2)

The next day, I was heading toward a hill near Athens.

Was this the place Ares had told me about?

Since I had to pass through Athens, it seemed like I should enter through the main road.

While I’m at it, should I take a quick look around Athena’s city?

As expected of a city that worships the goddess of wisdom as its patron deity, the roadsides were filled with olive trees, standing out conspicuously.

This place was as prosperous as Thebes, which I ruled, and countless free citizens had prominently displayed statues of Athena carved from cedar.

“Bronze lamps imported from other cities for sale!”

“Olive oil, richly blessed by the goddess Athena, for just…”

“I need to find some offerings for the goddess. How about buying a few of these pigs?”

The public sentiment towards the goddess wasn’t bad. It was easy to tell that most of the citizens were followers of Athena, and the olives she had spread had long become essential to all city residents.

After casually sightseeing while quickening my pace, I soon discovered the barrier stretched out over the hill near Athens.

I passed through a barrier that repelled humans in the vicinity and distorted the scenery within…

“Hmph. Do you really think Hades would side with a reckless brat like you? If anything, he’d be annoyed by the increased population in the Underworld due to your wars.”

“He certainly wouldn’t side with the son of the uncle who tried to assault his daughter!”

“Enough, both of you. Leave it at that. The other gods will arrive soon, and we’ll settle this in court.”

Ares and Poseidon were already at each other’s throats, with Zeus mediating between them.

Gods of all kinds were present, each voicing their views on the matter. Poseidon’s official wife, Amphitrite, was also here.

“Phew… There’s never a quiet day in Olympus, not even once.”

“Goddess Demeter and Goddess Artemis haven’t arrived yet.”

“If we wait a little longer, maybe… Ah, Hades!”

The goddess, whose beautiful appearance could not be hidden even behind a veil adorned with floral patterns, called out to me.

It was Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and home.

“Hestia. You’re here too.”

“I didn’t intend to get involved in such matters…”

The goddess of the hearth sighed and shook her head. Her gaze was fixed on Poseidon and Ares, whose expressions remained fierce.

Ah, now that Zeus is strongly intervening, they’re backing down.

“Now that Brother Hades is here and the other gods have… mostly arrived, we should start.”

The gods who had not yet arrived began to gather one by one, and at last, the trial to determine the right and wrong between Poseidon and Ares began.

* * *

Thus, the first trial among gods commenced on the hill near Athens.

For something called a trial, they had set things up quite properly, with rows of stone chairs placed tightly together.

To the side, there was a separate seating area for high-ranking gods like Zeus and Hestia…

“Let’s get started, then.”

As the judge, I climbed an appropriate platform and looked down at those gathered below.

Let’s see, the order first… Was it Ares’ side that was presenting their argument?

The goddess of wisdom, holding a parchment, stepped forward and greeted everyone.

Before she stepped up, she exchanged a look with Ares… It seems Athena decided to speak on his behalf.

“I would like to speak first. Halirrhothius was notorious as a troublemaker in Athens. He constantly harassed and assaulted my priestesses and priests, often dined at restaurants without paying, and recklessly cut down olive trees—my sacred symbol. I can easily prove that his behavior was inappropriate.”

“What do you have to say about the incident at hand, aside from Halirrhothius’ conduct?”

At my question, Athena cleared her throat and continued speaking.

“The crime of attempting to forcibly violate a pure maiden is severe. On the other hand, Ares merely acted to protect his daughter in a rightful manner. If Uncle Poseidon’s daughter were on the verge of losing her purity to another man, I believe Uncle Poseidon would also have exacted divine punishment upon that man.”

“Hmph… but to cut down my son in one blow is…”

“Poseidon, now is the time to hear Ares’ side, so restrain yourself.”

I motioned for Poseidon to stop and nodded toward Athena.

“Lastly, I present the testimony of the nymphs who witnessed Halirrhothius’ attempt to violate Ares’ daughter, along with the whispers of the flora and fauna as evidence.”

“Evidence provided by Pan, the god of nature, and Demeter.”

As I briefly reviewed the parchment, it contained the testimonies of the nymphs regarding Halirrhothius’ actions.

Sworn on the River Styx, all of these statements were declared as truth.

“Next, Poseidon, it’s your turn to speak.”

“Hmm. Even if my son’s courtship of an unwilling woman was rather misguided, how could his life be taken so swiftly with a single stroke? Hades, as the god of the Underworld, you too understand the gravity of life, do you not? No god would deem it right to wield a blade merely because the manner was somewhat wrong, especially to sever my son’s head. This is not just an affront to me, but it is also a case of kin-slaying, and the Furies should rightfully take action.”

Poseidon cleared his throat briefly before continuing.

“As for Halirrhothius causing a disturbance or acting violently at Athena’s temple, I extend my deepest apologies. However, aside from those incidents, the rest of his deeds were mere pranks against mortals! My son, a demigod of the sea, merely played some tricks on mere mortals, and it’s unjust to label his behavior as wholly improper.”

To be fair, Poseidon wasn’t entirely wrong. It was indeed a case of kin-slaying.

However, since we cannot accuse one of the Twelve Olympians, the three goddesses of vengeance had not intervened…

But then again, wasn’t this on the verge of familial violation before the kin-slaying even occurred?

In my opinion, Poseidon was clearly at fault… but I needed to hear the other gods’ opinions as well.

I turned my gaze toward the high seats where Zeus and the other prominent deities were seated.

“What does everyone think? Speak freely.”

* * *

“He tried to assault an innocent woman, so Poseidon’s son committed a crime worthy of death.”

These words came from Hera, who crossed her arms with a displeased expression.

“I feel the same way.”

“Taking someone by force without true love is wrong. I would have exacted divine punishment too.”

Following in turn were Artemis and Aphrodite’s remarks.

It was only natural that the goddess of purity and the goddess of love would side with Ares…

“Tsk… If my daughter were about to suffer something like this, I would’ve torn the earth apart.”

“Life is precious, but in this case, wasn’t it just the rightful reaction of a father protecting his daughter? I believe Ares was in the right, too.”

Demeter and Hestia also sided with Ares.

“Ahem… I won’t say much. My brother will judge wisely.”

Zeus seemed satisfied, but he held back his words.

He had already determined that the trial’s outcome was leaning towards Ares.

Glancing at Poseidon, he was scowling deeply.

Perhaps he believed he would win the trial due to his status and Ares’ notorious affinity for war.

“…Then let’s render the verdict. I, too, believe that Ares had no choice but to kill Poseidon’s son.”

“Hades! He’s your nephew, too. How could you…”

“And the daughter who was nearly violated by your nephew is my great-grandchild.”

I cut off Poseidon, who was protesting the verdict.

“After examining the memories of Halirrhothius, who arrived in the Underworld yesterday, it was clear that he was a scoundrel as Athena described… and he indeed attempted to assault Ares’ daughter. Moreover, Ares, in his haste, did not realize he was Poseidon’s son when he struck him down. Wouldn’t anyone swing their sword if their daughter were in danger of such a dreadful act?”

“No, but…”

[Poseidon. Upon examining your son’s memories with the help of Goddess Mnemosyne… it was evident that you had some involvement in the ruffian acts Halirrhothius committed in Athens.]

[…Athena has interfered in my affairs many times.]

[Must I reveal everything here? I’ve done enough to save your dignity, so let’s end this now.]

[…]

I conveyed my thoughts to Poseidon through divine power.

Zeus, meanwhile, was chatting with Hera beside him, not paying attention to the exchange, so no one else overheard.

It was true that Halirrhothius was a scoundrel and that he had tried to assault Ares’ daughter.

However, Poseidon had partially influenced his son’s behavior by deliberately sending him to the vicinity of Athens to cause trouble.

“And although Ares’ actions were justified, he did still kill Poseidon’s son. Technically, it’s kin-slaying.”

“But, Uncle, this is—”

“So, Ares, you are to serve in the Underworld for two months.”

[Ares, understand that if you receive no punishment, Poseidon will surely retaliate.]

[Ah… I understand. Thank you for your consideration.]

Ares gave me a slight bow of his head.

Zeus, indifferent, and Poseidon grumbled that the punishment was too lenient, but that was as far as it went.

It seemed this was a satisfactory conclusion.

Fortunately, the other gods nodded in agreement with my judgment.

“Ahem…”

“So Ares will serve his punishment for two months?”

“…Well, it seems fair enough.”

“It might be a light punishment for killing the son of the sea god.”

“What nonsense, Lord Hades has shown due regard.”

“Ahem! Following the judgment of Lord Hades and the other gods, Ares’ actions have been deemed just! However, as punishment for killing Poseidon’s son, he will serve two months in the Underworld…”

While Zeus stood up to restore order in the hall, I stepped down from the platform and gave Poseidon some advice.

“Keep a closer watch on your children. That Triton I saw last time at least seemed decent.”

“…That’s why he’s my successor. The others… well, many of them are troubled.”

The lord of the sea turned his back and departed, appearing somewhat forlorn.

Though Halirrhothius’ actions near Athens were not directly ordered by Poseidon, they were largely influenced by his inherent nature.

Perhaps Poseidon also didn’t know how to deal with his own offspring. It’s not like everything about a child is within a parent’s control…

Should his blind protection of his children be seen as a twisted form of affection?

Endlessly stirring rough and violent waves, yet nurturing life beneath the surface—it might just be the very nature of the sea.