King of Underworld

Chapter 175: A Strange Trojan War – (9)

Poseidon’s divine beast, the giant turtle, slowly entered the audience chamber of the Underworld.

As I momentarily set aside the documents and greeted the divine beast standing before me, I felt a piercing gaze from the side.

Zap.

The pile of documents that the Goddess Styx had just set down was quietly retrieved by the Goddess Lethe, who sent me a resentful glance.

Hmm. Hmm. I’m sorry, but I hope you can bear with it a little longer. I can’t just sit here reviewing paperwork when a messenger of another god has arrived.

The turtle divine beast opened its mouth in a slow and deliberate tone.

“Greetings, Lord Hades.”

“Ah, you’re the one I saw when I met Poseidon last time.”

“I’m honored beyond words that you remember me. I bring a message that Poseidon wished to deliver directly to you through me…”

Swish!

As soon as his words ended.

A clear and refreshing aura, unfitting for the Underworld, emanated from his body.

It seemed Poseidon was trying to possess the divine beast to speak with me directly.

When the aura subsided, Poseidon, now possessing the turtle’s body, looked at me with bright blue eyes.

“Hades.”

“What is it this time, Poseidon?”

“It’s nothing major. It’s about the war between the Trojans and the Greek coalition lately.”

Was he here to admonish me about descending to the mortal world yesterday?

But if that were the case, wouldn’t Zeus, the king of the gods, have sent a messenger instead?

“I just think it doesn’t look good for you, who rules the Underworld, to meddle in a war among mortals. Mortals already harbor great fear of death…”

To suggest I refrain from intervening in mortal conflicts? Poseidon, you’re being rather hypocritical, considering your involvement.

I’m already too busy with the affairs of the Underworld to intervene further in mortal wars, but I decided to probe a little.

“You’ve also sided with the Greeks, so what are you talking about? If Zeus were to make such a request, I’d consider it, but it doesn’t seem fitting coming from you.”

“Well… I have my reasons. The mortals have offered me tributes, you see. Can’t you think about my honor a bit?”

“Did the mortals offer you sacrifices?”

So that was it.

Polydoros and Nestor must have reported my descent to the mortal world to the Greeks before returning to their homeland.

A war like this, which I can hardly afford to get involved in further, might be something I could step back from if Poseidon was making such a plea.

Ah, I see a way forward.

“Fine. Let’s do that. But there’s one condition.”

“What condition?”

“You also withdraw from the war. Neither Apollo nor Aphrodite, who side with Troy, will dare defy your dignity.”

“Well… but Troy… Those insolent ones had the audacity to insult me…”

“Wasn’t that the previous king? The current king of Troy is blameless.”

The blue eyes of the turtle possessed by Poseidon rolled in contemplation.

After a moment of silence, he slowly nodded.

“Fine. Let’s agree to that. Neither of us will involve ourselves further in this war.”

“Good decision, Poseidon.”

Even without my intervention, Troy should be able to hold its own.

The Greek coalition, emboldened by their offerings to Poseidon, once again set out to capture the city of Troy.

Agamemnon, Achilles, Diomedes, and Aias led their troops with determination.

As long as the god Pluto did not intervene, they were confident they could bring down Troy.

Thus, they launched their assault to conquer Troy once and for all…

“…Agamemnon. Let’s retreat for now.”

“The gods seem to indicate that it is not yet time for Troy to fall.”

“Could one of us have incurred the wrath of the gods?”

Another failure.

Troy’s supreme commander, Hector, fortified the city gates and mounted a fierce defense, while the walls built by the gods remained unbroken.

The Trojans, focused solely on defense, maintained high morale, while the Greek coalition, losing justification, saw their morale decline.

Troy’s commanders, including Aeneas, Pandarus, and Hector, steadfastly guarded the city…

And the Greek soldiers scaling the ladders to the walls were repelled one after another.

Even Achilles’ valor managed only a slight push forward, but nothing more.

“Achilles is on the wall! Achilles has climbed the wall!”

“Archers! Fire a volley there! Lord Hector, to this location…”

“Achilles! Face me!”

“Damn it! These bastards!”

Achilles was no ordinary warrior like Nestor or Polydoros.

Even among heroes who appeared superhuman to mortals, clear distinctions in ability existed.

Despite being bombarded by arrows, boiling water, stones, and the combined attacks of Trojan commanders, he ultimately had to retreat with an arrow lodged in his shoulder.

If his close friend, Patroklos, had not supported him, he might have perished.

“Damn it! What’s this? My mother said I was destined for fame greater than my father’s…”

“Are you talking about Goddess Thetis, Achilles?”

“Yes, Patroclus. Don’t you think so, too? Considering my feats, I still have remarkable prowess…”

Their conversation was unrelated to the fact that the Greek allied forces had been retreating after attacking Troy for several days.

Agamemnon and the command were burning with frustration… The gods who wished for Troy’s destruction were equally displeased.

‘…Fewer heroes have fallen than I expected. This completely derails my plan.’

Zeus, observing from above, was no exception.

Though many heroes had become Hades’ subjects, it was far from Zeus’ goal.

From his vantage point above the clouds, Zeus saw the Greek forces withdrawing.

Soldiers hurriedly preparing to return home after making peace agreements with Troy… Athena and Hera looking exasperated.

“Are the gods really… Haa…”

“This is ridiculous. The Trojan expedition ended in failure.”

“Let’s hurry back home and rest. Coming all the way here was pointless…”

As Zeus silently watched, he stroked his beard and shouted.

“Hermes!”

“Yes, Father!”

“Summon Zephyrus, Notus, and all the wind gods. Deliver my orders to Poseidon as well…”

Zeus began whispering something to the messenger god.

Hermes nodded quietly and moved swiftly.

On their way back home after making a modest agreement with Troy,

Achilles and his close friend Patroclus were talking aboard a ship crossing the sea.

“Listen, Patroclus. I’m telling you, my mother said so.”

“Goddess Thetis wouldn’t lie, but the fame you’ve earned in this war is still…”

“I know. I know! Compared to Father, I haven’t accomplished much. Maybe the prophecy about my future fame means later, not now…”

Achilles was regarded as the most talented hero in Greece at the time.

Though he wasn’t yet on par with the monster-slaying heroes of the previous generation, rumors abounded that he would grow to rival them.

And the prophecy about him was that he would surpass his father, Peleus.

The one who told him of the prophecy was none other than Goddess Thetis herself.

His father, Peleus, was a legendary hero who defeated numerous monsters and married a goddess.

So why couldn’t Achilles achieve overwhelming feats in this war?

Even he was full of questions.

“If I had truly participated in the war, then! This would be the moment to prove I’m greater than Father…”

“Haha. Calm down for a second, Achilles. Haven’t I seen your feats with my own eyes? When we return home, I’ll write a book about them.”

“A book? Haa… What book, Patroclus? Stop talking nonsense.”

“What’s wrong with that? Gather some skilled writers and tell them the story of the Trojan War…”

Unaware of their impending fate, the mortals chattered aboard the ship as a presence watched them from the clouds above.

It was Boreas, the god of the north wind, acting under Zeus’ command.

Whoosh—

“Whoa! What’s going on? The wind is…”

“No matter how hard we row, the ship keeps drifting off course! Even the ocean currents seem strange…”

“We’re far from our set route, aren’t we?”

The ship carrying Achilles veered far from its destination and began drifting elsewhere.

Boreas, the north wind god, then headed toward the other Greek heroes’ ships.

How much time had passed on the sea?

Caught in a storm, their ship was wrecked. Achilles, Patroclus, and the surviving soldiers barely made it to an unfamiliar island.

A lush forest and cliffs surrounded them. Though the uninhabited island was one thing…

Screeeech—

A massive bird flew through the sky in the distance.

But that bird unmistakably had the face of a woman.

“A harpy?”

“Achilles, did you know about those creatures?”

“My father once mentioned them. He said they fled to places untouched by man.”

“Where have we drifted to, exactly?”

For a moment, they looked around, bewildered.

Hadn’t most of the monsters been wiped out? Nearby, a wolf larger than a human was napping, and a nymph giggled before disappearing.

The island was teeming with non-human beings untouched by mortal heroes.

“Have we been cursed by the gods to drift to an island of monsters?”

“Repairing the ship will take time. We’ll need plenty of wood, too.”

“Will those monsters leave us alone while we fix the ship?”

Could they survive and return home?

Based on Patroclus’ account, this tale became an epic of ancient Greece.

A novel vividly depicting the Trojan War and mythical creatures,

the story of Achilles’ drift to the monster island would one day gain him recognition equal to Heracles’.

An adventure hailed as one of the top 100 works of world literature in the 21st century.

Achilleia, begins.