Gigantomachia - The Omen
Today was no different from any other busy day. Life in the Underworld followed its monotonous cycle. Amidst this peace, a visitor came to see me.
It was Hypnos, the god of sleep, who brings slumber to all beings in the world.
"Hades, have you heard the news?"
"And what news would that be?"
"There's talk that the goddess Thetis has been meeting a mortal."
Hypnos chuckled, clearly entertained by the gossip, and I glanced at him for a moment before responding.
“She’s held contests in the mortal world to find a husband, but none have met her standards thus far, correct?”
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Indeed, Thetis desired marriage, but for a goddess as beautiful as she, no mere mortal or even demigod could hope to meet her expectations. And with Zeus’s forceful demands, it was all the more unlikely.
"Naturally! After all, they’re only mortals and demigods. But who would’ve thought? Apparently, there’s finally someone who fits her demanding standards!”
“...?”
"During a recent hunting contest, a human hero managed to capture more than half of the released prey, securing the victory."
"That alone wouldn’t have been enough to capture the goddess’s interest."
Thetis, considered the most beautiful among the Nereids, was rumored to surpass even Poseidon's queen, Amphitrite, in beauty. With such a high standard of beauty among the gods, it’s hard to imagine any mortal meeting her gaze.
"True, winning granted him an audience with the goddess, but do you know what he did when he met her? He asked her to bestow even greater challenges upon him! Ha! Can you believe it?"
“...?!”
"Instead of being swayed by her beauty, he asked for more feats to prove his valor. Thetis, naturally intrigued, set him a task to hunt sea monsters. And he accomplished it all, only to return and ask for even greater challenges! Hah!”
Wait a moment. This reminds me of the heroes who recently hunted the Calydonian boar. Could he be one of the heroes trained here in the Underworld, madly driven by quests and feats?
“After several such feats, Thetis, with no more challenges to assign, said something rather interesting to him. Care to guess?”
"And how do you know all this? Have you been neglecting your duties and wandering the mortal realm?”
“Ahem! I’m not Thanatos—I’d never! I heard this from another god, of course. Anyway, they reportedly had this exchange.”
I listened closely to Hypnos’s ramblings, curious as to how exactly he had won the goddess’s heart.
"I have slain a monster descended from Ceto, as you instructed. Please, assign me another task!"
“There are no more challenges left for you.”
“What?”
“There is but one great feat—one even the mightiest heroes rarely achieve.”
“Anything! Name it! Could it involve slaying a dragon, perhaps?”
“To marry me, the goddess Thetis, and make me your wife. Only the greatest heroes have ever accomplished such a feat, so take pride in it.”
“...!!!”
So that’s how it happened... Thetis fell for this mortal hero, one undeterred by her beauty and steadfast in his courage. It seems he may have learned a few things from the Underworld that he probably shouldn’t have, but... it’s a happy outcome nonetheless.
"And what’s the hero’s name?”
“I hear it’s Peleus. The wedding is set to take place after he finishes sweeping through the Gigantes.”
That name rings a bell.
Some time ago, Zeus sent a message to the Underworld, instructing us to prepare for the upcoming war with the Gigantes and to ensure that neither they nor Gaia would become suspicious.
He likely planned to launch a surprise attack on the plains of Phlegra. However, given Gaia’s prophetic abilities, he’d been careful to consider the possibility of an all-out war.
“Unfortunate for Hercules, but it seems his honeymoon will be brief.”
“With the god of strength on their side, they’ll be unstoppable. Still, he and the goddess of youth will make a good pair.”
“Indeed. In the meantime, continue keeping watch over the plains of Phlegra as before. If the Gigantes move first, we’ll need to respond.”
As Hypnos left, nodding, I suddenly sensed something. It was a wave of faith from the mortal world—my name being praised and countless offerings dedicated in my honor.
Could it be the Mint Festival in Thebes? Closing my eyes, I peered into the mortal realm, listening to the voices of my followers. It was indeed Thebes. But what occasion brought the citizens out in such numbers today?
It appeared festive, though it didn’t have the familiar signs of the usual Mint Festival.
“Is today the wedding of Arcadia’s princess and Calydon’s prince?”
"Then why is the wedding being held here in Thebes instead of their own lands?"
"Can’t you tell? They probably wanted an excuse to form an alliance with Thebes. His Majesty supports this alliance between the three nations, though I personally..."
“No, that’s not it. There are rumors they trained together at the temple of Pluto here in Thebes. Could that be why?”
“But isn’t Princess Atalanta of Arcadia a follower of Artemis?”
“Haha! Either way, it’s good for us! Tourists are pouring in from other cities!”
“A merchant who doesn’t seize this chance to profit isn’t worth his title.”
"I’ve heard those names before. Aren’t they famous heroes? They’re even close to the kings of Athens and Iolcus...”
“Hey, I’m from Arcadia. Could you tell me about this mint tea?”
“I’m from Calydon, myself. The view here in Thebes isn’t bad at all.”
Perhaps they chose Thebes as the site of the wedding because the two heroes had grown close while training at my temple here in the Underworld. An alliance between Arcadia, Calydon, and Thebes, with a wedding as the opening ceremony, perhaps.
To journey all this way to Thebes... Or could it be that they’d relish the opportunity to slay a monster along the way as part of their wedding gifts?
"Oh, look! There’s Meleager, Prince of Calydon, coming this way with Calydonian soldiers!”
“Wow, that giant man in formal attire is the prince? And what’s that on the soldiers’ shoulders?”
“They’re carrying a monster’s carcass! Is that a harpy? It’s hard to see from here.”
...Seems they really did slay a monster on the way here.
This wedding in Thebes was no ordinary marriage of convenience. It symbolized an alliance between the three nations, drawing the attention of certain gods and many neighboring countries.
The King of the Underworld, feared enough to be addressed by his title alone. The heroes trained at the temple of Pluto in Thebes were already famed throughout Greece for their extraordinary prowess.
Even the mightiest of heroes, Hercules, whose whereabouts had recently become a mystery, was once rumored to have trained in Thebes, wasn’t he?
"Oh, there’s Princess Atalanta! They say she’s fierce, but she’s stunning!”
“Even if she’s not Aphrodite, she rivals the divine beauties...”
Princess Atalanta of Arcadia, celebrated as a master archer, was now marrying Prince Meleager of Calydon, a javelin expert. This union made many of the royalty and heroes think the era was shifting.
Rumor had it that the King of Thebes himself suggested the couple wed in Thebes. Perhaps it was an excuse to solidify an alliance between the two nations?
Thebes was already a major trading power, reaping great benefits from its mint production. With a three-nation alliance, it would gain a secure ally.
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“Prince Meleager of Calydon enters!”
“The master of the javelin! Prince of Calydon!”
“Woooaaaa!!!”
After the ceremony, the blind prophet Tiresias, stroking his long beard, approached the newlywed couple. For siding with Zeus in an argument with Hera, he had lost his sight but gained prophetic vision and long life, arriving in Thebes as if foreseeing this wedding of heroes.
Recognizing him immediately, Meleager and Atalanta eagerly asked him for guidance.
“Prophet Tiresias, what do you think of my marriage to Atalanta?”
“Hmm...”
Everyone watched Greece’s most famous mortal prophet, waiting for his words. What would he say?
After a moment, Tiresias cleared his throat and spoke calmly.
“I foresee you having children and raising them well. Your future looks very bright.”
“Oh... Thank you, Prophet Tiresias!”
“We’re truly grateful!”
Receiving their thanks, Tiresias once again set off on his wandering path. But perhaps due to his prophetic intuition, he felt that their future wouldn’t be as smooth as it seemed.
In a fleeting memory of a vision, he recalled Meleager, who had once died at his mother’s hand after slaying his uncles, and Atalanta, who had been transformed into a lioness by an angered goddess after marriage...
Yet, as he now glimpsed them holding their child happily in their arms, he dismissed it as nothing more than a long-forgotten dream.
But if not, perhaps it was the intervention of a god?
‘Ah... Could some merciful deity be looking out for these heroes?’
The world turns by the deeds of heroes.
This is, indeed, the age of heroes.