King of Underworld-Chapter 130: Sea Monster Charybdis - (1)

Sea Monster Charybdis - (1)

Deep beneath the ocean, within Poseidon’s palace.

I, Hades, had been invited by Poseidon to attend a feast at his grand underwater palace. I had been comfortably resting my head on Lady Styx's lap in the underworld when a message arrived, summoning me here.

I wondered what this was all about as I made my way into the depths of the sea...

"Hades. I would like to send some of my children to the underworld."

"Do you really think the proud gods would listen to Chiron's teachings? And aren’t you very protective of your children?"

He wanted to send his children—actual gods, not demigods—for education in the underworld. What kind of whim was this? Perhaps it had something to do with the conflict he had with Ares the last time we spoke. It seemed like this was a different Poseidon from the one I used to know.

As I stared at him, the lord of the sea stroked his beard and gulped down a cup of nectar. His eyes scanned the gods and sea creatures gathered at the feast before turning back to me.

"I’ve already mentioned this before, haven’t I? Aside from Triton, the rest of my children are all... well..."

"Has someone died or gotten injured again?"

"Would you just listen to my story for a moment?"

He began to tell me about his children.

So, there’s this giant son of his named Antaeus, who loves to challenge passersby to wrestling matches. After defeating them, he kills them and offers their corpses as sacrifices to Poseidon.

"His devotion to me is admirable, but the citizens’ complaints are starting to become a real problem."

"A giant son? Who's his mother?"

"Gaia."

What? He had a child with Gaia? This was a different story from Hephaestus’s case.

Poseidon's other child with Gaia, the serpent Python, had been born before we fought Gaia. But this giant son, Antaeus... if he was born recently...

Swish

I gathered my power, narrowing my gaze at him. The sea may be Poseidon's domain, but could this be a trap? Should I summon my bident?

But Poseidon quickly waved his hand, setting his cup down urgently.

"Hold on. I swear on the River Styx that I haven't joined Gaia's side. Those children were born a long time ago."

"A long time ago?"

"Yes, that’s why Gaia tried to seduce me recently. Hmph... Just because we shared a moment, she thought I’d bend to her will."

If it was a long time ago, then perhaps these children were from the beginning, maybe born around the same time as Python. Since he swore on the River Styx, it must be true.

"Hmph. Anyway, besides Antaeus, there’s another child I’m troubled by. Charybdis..."

"Charybdis? Zeus's anger fell upon your daughter, didn’t it? Is she Gaia’s too?"

He nodded.

Charybdis.

She was Poseidon's eldest daughter but had developed an insatiable appetite for nectar and ambrosia, devouring them without restraint. Enraged, Zeus had struck her with a bolt of lightning and cast her into the sea.

When I’d heard this story before, I just thought of her as a goddess with a large appetite. But now it turned out she was Gaia and Poseidon's daughter. And being his eldest, she must have been born around the same time as Triton or even before.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

This is the problem with spending all my time working in the underworld. Sometimes, I don’t receive accurate information or catch wind of the latest gossip among the gods.

Of course, I hadn’t been paying much attention to such things anyway...

"Ahh... Just thinking about it makes me so angry with that bastard Zeus..."

"She must have been a very precious daughter to you."

"Of course, she was. My firstborn daughter, whom I adored, and then Zeus... Tch. You should pay more attention to what's happening on the surface."

"So why bring up Charybdis now? She's in the sea. Can't you take care of her yourself?"

"...The problem is that she swallows entire ships and eats humans."

"Then why not send her for education..."

"Forget it! I’ll handle my daughter myself."

Then why bring up Charybdis at all?

In any case, this is a good opportunity.

If I educate Poseidon's unruly children, I can ask for something in return. Soon enough, Poseidon turned to me and spoke again.

"I want to send all my troublesome children for proper discipline, except for my eldest daughter, Charybdis."

"Why not give your daughter a proper lesson too?"

"Aah! I already feel guilty as her father for letting Zeus strike her down with lightning. Let her eat a few humans!"

Why show such favoritism toward her while disciplining the others? Poseidon's affection for his eldest daughter runs deeper than I thought.

Most humans who die at sea don’t hold much resentment. Death in the sea is often seen as a force of nature, an unavoidable fate. I hadn’t personally judged many cases involving the sea, so I wasn’t aware that Charybdis was devouring entire ships.

"I wish the others could be half as competent as Triton. But so many of them can’t even measure up to him."

"Speaking of Triton, I don’t see him here."

"I’ve tasked Triton with training his less capable siblings. Any who don’t improve will be sent to the underworld."

"I’ll accept that if you recommend appropriate gifts for marriage proposals. How did you even manage to woo all those wives?"

The moment I said that, Poseidon looked at me with a curious expression.

"Are you planning to propose to someone?"

"...I’m just preparing. The underworld needs a queen eventually."

"Hah, I look forward to this future wedding. From what I know, goddesses love gifts like..."

We spent some time talking about how to win over the hearts of goddesses. He shared stories about how he had relentlessly pursued Amphitrite and how a dolphin had led him to her location. He also told me how golden necklaces and pearls from the depths of the sea had won her over. It was a fascinating conversation, even if I wasn’t sure how useful it would be to me.

As we talked, the door to the feast hall opened, and one of Poseidon's servants, part-shark and part-human, entered. The servant knelt before Poseidon and handed him a message, presumably from Triton.

"Hmm. Triton says he’s using Zeus's son to discipline my child, Polyphemus."

"Polyphemus?"

Poseidon explained Polyphemus to me briefly.

A one-eyed Cyclops, he had once pursued a sea nymph, Galatea, but after being rejected, he had turned to eating humans and throwing rocks at passing ships.

"Maybe this is part of one of Hera’s labors."

"But Heracles... isn’t he the prophesied hero? If Polyphemus gets seriously hurt... No matter how strong my son is, compared to the Hydra or the Nemean Lion... I hope he doesn’t end up blinded or worse. If that happens, I’ll forbid anyone from setting foot in the sea again..."

Poseidon stood up, pressing his fingers to his temples with a worried expression.

"Don’t worry so much. Heracles knows he’s your son. He won’t kill him, will he?"

"I just can’t stand the idea of him getting beaten up by Zeus’s son! No, I must go and see for myself."

Poseidon and I moved to another room decorated with pearls. There, a giant seashell stood, gleaming with a radiant glow. When Poseidon infused it with his divine power, a view of the mortal world came into focus.

And then...

Crash!

"Arrgghhh!!"

"You’re far too weak for your size."

"That... that scoundrel is beating up my son!"

"Ah."

There, we saw Heracles mercilessly pummeling a Cyclops. Poseidon’s clenched teeth made it clear that this Cyclops was none other than Polyphemus.

The view was of a remote island in the mortal realm.

But there, blood was splattered everywhere, and boulders and iron clubs flew through the air. As Heracles beat Polyphemus, the Cyclops cried out for help, and other Cyclopes who lived on the island came running.

"Argh! Brothers of the Cyclopes! Help me! A human is attacking me!"

"Polyphemus!"

"Our brother’s in trouble!"

"Die, human!"

The massive one-eyed giants, many times the size of a man, rushed at Heracles, swinging their fists. But their fists broke upon impact with the hero. Even when they threw boulders or uprooted trees to strike him, the great hero remained unscathed.

Heracles stormed through the giants like a hurricane, beating them one by one, and soon the island was filled with groans and cries of pain.

"Ugh! This mad human!"

"Poseidon, please! Punish this man with your divine wrath!"

"Who are you, anyway?!"

Unsurprisingly, Poseidon’s expression darkened as he watched. Regardless of his plans for educating his children, seeing Heracles beat his son before his eyes clearly unsettled him.

"Ughh! I’ll just..."

"Wait a minute, Poseidon. If you intervene now, Polyphemus will never learn his lesson."

"But does this make any sense? Beating my son with an iron club—how is this education..."

"If you can’t discipline them with words, sometimes they need a good thrashing. How else will you stop Polyphemus from eating people?"

I managed to calm Poseidon, reminding him that if he lost control and punished Heracles, it could cause chaos on Olympus.

"Anyway, send your other children to the underworld when you’re ready."

"Hmm... I’ll send the younger gods first."

"You need to be tougher with your children. You’ve coddled them too much. Now, tell me where Charybdis is living. I’ll pay her a visit while I’m here."

It took quite some time to convince the lord of the sea.

I kept pushing the idea that his children were running wild because he had been too lenient. Polyphemus needed to be taught a harsh lesson, and even Ares’s son had died for his recklessness. Even the renowned teacher Chiron had disciplined heroes with a cane...

"Your children are so unruly because you’ve been too soft on them. Shall I scold them on your behalf?"

"Ugh..."

After much persuasion, Poseidon finally sighed and revealed the location of the undersea trench where his eldest daughter, Charybdis, resided. He pleaded with me several times not to harm her too severely, a sign of how deeply he cared for her.

"She’s a poor child... please don’t hit her. Just speak to her gently."

"...If she listens to words."

Since she was Gaia’s daughter, I would have to be careful not to push her too far.