King of Underworld

Chapter 110

The Heracles of Thebes (1)

Do you know how the hero of prophecy, Heracles, was born?

After a long time had passed without the appearance of the awaited great hero, Zeus, becoming anxious, devised a plan.

"Rather than waiting for a hero like Perseus or Cadmus, why not raise a great hero from childhood?"

Instead of merely observing the journey of a hero-to-be, he would receive the powers and blessings of the gods.

A hero born with divine blood inherently possessed a power far superior to other mortals. Therefore, the hero must be raised as a demigod, with one of the parents being a god.

The stronger the divine parent, the more powerful the demigod would be. Thus, the strongest demigod would naturally be one born from Zeus himself.

Mother Earth, Gaia, must have suspected that the hero was related to the Gigantes. The hero must be raised in a domain of the gods that could evade Gaia’s watchful eyes. It should be a sacred place, like Olympia, where Zeus resided, Delphi, the domain of Apollo, or Athens, the city of Athena.

The demigod should not die immediately upon birth. He had to be born to someone with sufficient wealth and power to ensure his survival. He should also not be too far from Thebes, where heroes were trained, as he could be killed on his way there.

"That woman would be suitable. The queen of Thebes, who worships my brother Hades..."

Among the candidates, Zeus had one who, admittedly, piqued his personal interest—Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, King of Thebes.

"Oh? You're back early today, dear?"

"Ahem. Yes, it seems that way."

So Zeus, disguised as Amphitryon, the King of Thebes, approached his wife and lay with her. Naturally, Alcmene did not know of this until much later.

"Which god could have come to you? Surely it wasn’t Pluto, the chief deity of Thebes?"

"Ah... It must have been Lord Zeus."

"Well then, if it is the will of a god, we have no choice. We must raise this child as our own."

And so, their child, Heracles, was born. Zeus placed him in Hera's arms, allowing him to suckle her milk, and, evading the wrath of the Queen of the Gods, he wandered here and there, even the Underworld, for a time.

"...The child disappears frequently. This time, he was gone for an entire month..."

"Could it be that the gods have a need for this child?"

"In my dream last night, a goddess appeared and said the child’s name was to be Heracles."

Fortunately, Heracles grew up unharmed. Amphitryon invited many renowned teachers to instruct him. They taught him archery, horseback riding, sword and spear fighting, playing the lyre, and other noble skills.

However, there was one issue...

"Your Majesty, I cannot teach this boy any longer."

"What? Even you, who studied in Mycenae, find him unteachable?"

"Within a month, he has learned all I have to offer. I have nothing left to teach him..."

"Is it normal for a child his age to break rocks with his bare hands?"

"They say he's never been injured, not even once."

"I even saw a practice sword shatter upon impact with his body during sword training..."

"Oh, Mr. Chiron!"

Soon, a centaur with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse appeared before them.

"I am Chiron. What is your name, young one?"

"...Heracles."

"Tsk. You speak so curtly to your elders, Heracles."

Chiron, though smiling, seemed to have a vein bulging on his forehead as he gently patted Heracles' head. Could this centaur be different from all the other teachers who had trained him so far?

This was the Underworld, upon the throne of Hades.

A few years ago, when Heracles arrived in the Underworld, I had begun receiving regular reports on him from Chiron.

At first, Chiron had wondered why Heracles was given special treatment, but he accepted it once he learned that Heracles had suckled Hera's milk and bathed in the Styx.

Looking over the reports Chiron sent on the hero's progress...

Heracles faced off against the hero Bellerophon in over ten rounds and lost, though this was under the condition that he would lose if any weapon touched his body. In actual combat, he would surely fare much better...I had him lift a rock larger than any house when I felt he wasn’t being sufficiently challenged by ordinary training. It might have been a bit heavy...Now, among my students, only Theseus, Atalanta, and a few others can endure even a brief sparring session with him...Lord Hades, Heracles has defeated every hero in single combat except for Cadmus. He is undoubtedly the greatest hero among my disciples!

The final report stated that Heracles had defeated all the heroes except the great hero Cadmus. Indeed, he is a hero of prophecy. So, he has already surpassed Bellerophon and Perseus?

Since he hasn’t yet beaten Cadmus... Perhaps he has the strength of a minor deity?

I was starting to think it was a good decision to have submerged my nephew in the Styx. Ah, speaking of which, here comes Lady Styx herself.

She held a scroll bearing Hermes' seal. Could this be news from Olympus?

"Hades. Eros and Psyche have conceived a child."

"A new god? That is joyous news. Is there any other news from Olympus?"

"Aside from Apollo returning from his punishment with Poseidon and being reinstated, not much. The Gigantes are lying low, and Gaia seems to be conserving her strength, perhaps planning something. Oh, and there are complaints about Dike’s recent actions being excessive..."

So Apollo has returned, and we should be cautious of Gaia’s scheming.

As for Dike’s behavior? She’s probably lecturing the Olympian gods about justice. Too excessive? Zeus himself could come down and I wouldn’t stop her.

"And how goes the task of training Zeus’s son, the one who bathed in my river?"

"Heracles? Now that you mention it..."

It was about time for a new report on Heracles.

At that moment, a messenger entered and handed me a scroll.

"Lord Hades, it is a report from Mr. Chiron at the hero training ground."

"Hmm."

I unrolled the scroll and read its peculiar contents.

"Lord Hades. Though it is uncomfortable to admit my own shortcomings, I must report this matter to you."

Shortcomings? The greatest educator of heroes claiming inadequacy?

What could possibly prompt such a statement?

"Heracles has completely lost his motivation. No matter what I try, I cannot restore his will. I ask for your aid..."