The Ring of Youth
The Ring of Youth, a divine artifact I received for assisting in the trial between Poseidon and Ares. It has similar effects to the Necklace of Harmonia—a precious treasure imbued with divine powers.
But for me, it’s mostly useless.
The ring's power is to maintain youth until the wearer's death, but as an immortal god, I have no need for such a trinket. And here in the underworld, where only the dead reside, there’s no mortal left who could benefit from its magic.
Sure, it’s encrusted with beautiful and rare gems, but I’ve got plenty of treasures like this sitting in my vault. As the god of wealth, I have more than enough jewels, gold coins, and enchanted artifacts at my disposal.
The fact that it’s been carelessly rolling around on my desk speaks for itself. If it were truly important, I would have stored it safely in the underworld’s vault.
“The ring you received from the trial, then. Are you planning to use it as an engagement ring for some goddess you have in mind?”
“Well, it would make a fitting engagement ring. It’s both beautiful and powerful, after all.”
“Oh? Hoho...”
However, after Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, left, the value of this ring skyrocketed.
The value of any item depends on how much others desire it. I don’t know exactly what Mnemosyne said, but ever since then, the gods have been acting differently.
This morning alone, Hypnos asked, “Have you given her the ring yet?” When I asked him what he meant, he just clicked his tongue and muttered, “Not yet, huh...” before walking away.
“Hmm. My fingers feel rather empty these days.”
“Lady Styx?”
“Wearing something on them would be... quite nice.”
Lady Styx, whom I happened to run into, was subtly emphasizing how empty her fingers were.
“Hades! Please take this! It’s a ring I made from a rose that never wilts!”
“Ah, yes... Thank you.”
“For the record, I like rings too!”
Persephone handed me a ring made of flowers and then subtly showed me her hand as well...
The gods have no real need for a Ring of Youth, so why is everyone so obsessed with it? Even now, Lady Lethe, sitting nearby, is running her fingers longingly over her hand with a yearning look in her eyes...
“What exactly did Mnemosyne say about the Ring of Youth?”
“Hm...? Oh, nothing... Hehe. Let’s just say I know everything...”
“...?”
The goddess beside me, glancing at me with a sideways gaze, is making me feel rather uncomfortable. Sure, I could give the ring to anyone who asked, but...
“If you like the ring so much, I could ask Hephaestus to make a similar one for you.”
“That’s not the point... Hades, everyone seems to think you’ll propose with that ring when the time comes... Hmph!”
“Ah... Mnemosyne has been spreading rumors, it seems.”
No wonder so many goddesses are eyeing me.
Well, given the situation, perhaps I should use this ring for a proposal. But the question is... to whom?
There’s Lady Styx, who has been with me since the Titanomachy, and Lady Lethe, who serves the underworld faithfully. Then there’s Menthe, who, after being brought to life by my memory, followed me here out of loyalty. And of course, there’s Persephone, who still supplies power to the training grounds of the underworld.
“Hades? Why are you spacing out again?”
Each of them is beautiful, with their own unique charm. In the world of gods, it’s not unusual to have concubines. However, Zeus and Poseidon each have an official wife, so...
Marriage. Should I...?
My thoughts wandered further, eventually settling on Lady Lethe. Her porcelain skin and slightly flushed cheeks would make her the envy of any mortal princess. She must have noticed my gaze, as she slowly leaned closer.
“So... you’ve finally noticed my beauty, have you? And now that no one else is around... perhaps you’d like to give me that ring...?”
She closed her eyes and gracefully extended her hand, her silver hair falling softly around her face.
I gently held her delicate hand for a moment... and then released it.
“Ah...”
“I’m sorry, but I think it’s still too soon to consider marriage.”
It’s not that I dislike her. The goddesses have all been more than kind to me, but this is a time to be cautious.
Internal strife often arises from matters of the heart. Though I’m involved with four different goddesses, I haven’t married any of them yet. If I ever decide to marry, should I propose to all of them at once? Or...
“My heart is too conflicted to choose just one.”
“Pfft... you could probably take all of us, and no one would mind...”
Her playful sulking was tinged with sincerity. Smiling awkwardly, I decided to change the subject. She was likely trying to be considerate, giving me time to think. Perhaps I should gather everyone and have a conversation soon.
“So, I hear that Heracles’s next task involves retrieving Triton’s conch.”
“Yes, this is his fourth labor. The previous one was to capture Artemis’s golden-horned hind.”
Heracles was slowly but surely becoming recognized as the prophesied hero among the gods. His achievements were already legendary, and his strength rivaled that of most deities.
Even Hera seemed to have shifted her focus from trying to kill him to setting tasks that would push him to his limits—challenges that couldn’t be solved by brute force alone.
After all, he had already dealt with the Nemean Lion, the Hydra, Chrysaor, and Lamia...
“That conch is one of Triton’s treasured possessions. Hera has set quite a difficult task this time.”
The conch, enchanted with powerful magic, was one of the ocean’s great treasures. The last time I visited Poseidon’s palace, Triton had used it to summon seahorses, blowing through the black-and-white conch.
To retrieve the conch, Heracles would have to venture into the ocean and face Triton directly.
At this rate, Heracles might even end up in the underworld someday...
The third labor had been to capture Artemis’s hind and bring it to Hera’s temple. As soon as that was complete, Heracles received his fourth task.
“Your next labor is to retrieve the conch of Triton, son of Poseidon.”
“The ocean, huh...”
Heracles’s face tightened. Triton, the son of the sea god Poseidon, was a deity. Taking a divine object from him... seemed a bit tricky.
The previous labor, capturing Artemis’s golden-horned hind, had already been difficult enough.
Chasing down the swift beast wasn’t the problem. After two days of pursuit, the hind had finally grown tired and collapsed from exhaustion.
But right after he captured it, the goddess herself appeared under the glowing light of the moon. Her radiance, terrifying beauty, and the bow in her hand made her presence chilling. Pointing an accusing finger at him, the goddess of the moon spoke.
“You dare lay hands on my Taygete? I don’t care what Hera commanded you—do you wish to die here and now?”
“Goddess of the Moon, I apologize for seizing your sacred beast. But would it be permissible to take her to Hera’s temple and return her afterward?”
Artemis, furious, looked down at him as he bowed, then glanced at her hind, unharmed but weary.
The virgin goddess pondered for a moment before answering him.
“If you wish to take the hind, you must offer a suitable sacrifice—something that will satisfy me.”
Heracles thought quickly. Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and the moon, so perhaps an offering related to hunting would please her.
“I will offer you the pelts of the lions I slew while vanquishing the offspring of Typhon.”
“That will suffice. But the hind must remain unharmed, as it is now.”
At least Artemis’s hind had been a land creature that could run. Triton, on the other hand, was a sea god. How could he even begin to approach him?
No matter how strong Heracles’s body was, he wasn’t a god. If he stayed underwater too long, he would drown... He needed to seek help from someone with knowledge of the sea.
With that thought, Heracles went to see Teiodamas, the king of the Dryopes tribe.
“Hahaha! Heracles! At last, the great hero has accepted my invitation!”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
“Greetings.”
“I’ve sent you so many invitations, hoping to hear of your exploits, and you finally grace me with your presence. I’m a little disappointed it took so long, but nonetheless, welcome!”
Teiodamas, one of many who sought to win Heracles’s favor by recruiting him to his kingdom, warmly welcomed him.
“But, I have a question for you.”
“Ask anything you like, and I’ll gladly answer.”
“I need to meet Triton, son of Poseidon, for a task. Do you know how I might achieve that?”
Teiodamas, as a king, might know more than a wandering hero like Heracles. Plus, his concubine was a nymph, after all.
“Hmm... Perhaps Menodice would know something about that. I’ll introduce you to her after the feast.”
“Taking a nymph as a concubine, that’s quite impressive.”
“It wasn’t just a one-night thing, of course! If it had been, I’d be punished by Hera or Pluto for adultery.”
Teiodamas laughed heartily as he drank his wine. During the feast, a young man dressed in fine clothing entered the hall.
“Father. Is this the great Heracles?”
“Hylas? I didn’t invite you to the feast. What brings you here?”
“I wanted to hear the tales of this great hero myself!”
The look in the young prince’s eyes as he gazed at Heracles was unmistakable—the admiration of a boy who idolized a legendary hero.