King of Underworld

Chapter 80

The Story of Bellerophon - Part 3

After the brief but intense journey through the skies, and having handed Pegasus over to Hermes, I glanced back.

"...Ugh."

Styx, still unable to meet my gaze, had her head bowed. Despite the countless times she had approached me first in the past, this time, after I made the move, she seemed unsure of how to respond. Her shy demeanor was somewhat endearing, and I almost smiled, but her soft, trembling voice made my expression harden.

"Hades... about what happened up there... was it an accident?"

"...It wasn't an accident."

"Wh-what?! Then... that means..."

Once more, I decided to take a step forward. Slowly, I moved closer to the beautiful goddess, and though she flinched slightly, she didn’t pull away. Gently, I placed my right hand on her waist and my left hand cradled the back of her head. In this moment, I revealed my true feelings to the goddess of oaths.

A whirlwind of emotions filled my mind—embarrassment, courage, hesitation—but my movements were smooth, flowing as naturally as water, and the result washed away all those feelings.

Smooch.

This time, it wasn’t the wind from Euros pushing me, but my own will.

Bellerophon.@@@@

Born with great strength, Bellerophon had originally aspired to become a hero and was on his way to Thebes. However, after accidentally killing his brother, he sought refuge with Proetus, the king of Tiryns. But there, a new challenge awaited him.

Queen Anteia tried to seduce him.

"Bellerophon, just for one night... will you not be with me?"

"...I’m sorry, Your Majesty."

Out of loyalty to his benefactor, Proetus, Bellerophon firmly rejected her advances. But who could have predicted that the queen, out of fury, would falsely accuse him before the king?

"My love, Bellerophon tried to seduce me! He invited me into his chamber and..."

"What?! That scoundrel!"

Although the king believed the queen’s lies, he couldn’t bring himself to kill Bellerophon directly, as he was bound by the sacred custom of hospitality. He couldn’t harm a guest who had sought his protection.

"Bellerophon, take this letter to my father-in-law, King Iobates of Lycia."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

King Proetus devised a cunning plan: he wrote a letter to his father-in-law, King Iobates, requesting him to kill the bearer of the letter—Bellerophon. This way, Iobates would deal with the problem for him.

"So, you’ve brought a letter from my son-in-law?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Here it is."

However, after reading the letter, even King Iobates hesitated to kill Bellerophon directly. Instead, he proposed a dangerous task.

"Bellerophon, can you slay the Chimera?"

"Chimera...?"

"It’s a terrifying creature that has been devouring people. My son-in-law mentioned in his letter that you are a man of great strength. If you succeed, I shall give you my daughter Philonoe in marriage and bequeath to you the kingdom of Lycia."

"Is that true? If so, I will take on the challenge!"

Thus, King Iobates sought to use the Chimera, a man-eating monster that had been terrorizing Lycia, to get rid of Bellerophon.

When they arrived at the location Athena had described, Bellerophon saw the terrifying creature—a monstrous amalgamation of three animals, including the head of a lion. Riding Pegasus, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

Whoosh—

The arrow flew straight toward the beast, but—

Thunk.

"What?!"

The arrow bounced harmlessly off the Chimera’s thick hide. Born of Typhon’s bloodline, the Chimera’s skin was far too tough for a mortal's weapon to pierce. Despite firing several more arrows, Bellerophon couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on the beast.

The Chimera let out a low growl, as if mocking him, and then spewed fire from its lion head. The flames roared toward Pegasus, who was still hovering in the air.

Fwoosh—

"Tch. We have to retreat for now, Pegasus!"

With no other choice, Bellerophon turned and flew back to the village, leaving the enraged Chimera behind.

Grrr...

What a shame. The Chimera, being one of Typhon’s children, is like a child to me as well. But, alas, it is fated to die at the hands of a hero.

Suddenly, the Chimera heard a voice rumbling up from the earth. Confused, the beast hesitated. Where was this voice coming from? The voice seemed... familiar.

Grr?

Despite its confusion, the voice continued, reverberating within the monster's mind. It wasn’t coming from any particular direction—just a presence that seemed to speak directly to its thoughts.

You are fated to die at the hands of a mortal hero, but fate allows you to choose the manner of your demise.

The goat’s head, possessing cruel wisdom, whispered to the other heads. This voice felt unmistakably similar to that of its parents, Typhon and Echidna.

Let me guide you.

With that final message, the Chimera's eyes glowed red, and it suddenly bolted off in a new direction.

Back in the village, Bellerophon pondered over how to defeat the Chimera, eventually coming up with a plan. He headed to the local blacksmith and asked for an unusual weapon to be made.

"Can you forge me a spear with a lump of lead on its tip?"

"Lead? What are you planning to do with such a weapon? And can you even carry it?"

"Of course. I’ll use it to kill the monster."

Armed with the heavy lead-tipped spear, Bellerophon smiled, convinced that if he could thrust the spear into the Chimera’s mouth while it breathed fire, the lead would melt and kill the beast from within.

However, when he returned to the location where the Chimera had been, the monster was nowhere to be found. Had the creature fled in fear of a human? Had he come to the wrong place?

Frantically, Bellerophon searched the area, but there was no sign of the Chimera. Just as he was about to give up, a voice echoed from above. A voice from the heavens? Who could it be?

"Bellerophon, the Chimera has fled in this direction. Hurry, you must catch it."

In the distance, a fully armored goddess stood on a cloud. She pointed her spear in the direction where the Chimera had gone.

"Thank you! Who are you, gracious goddess?"

"I am Athena, goddess of wisdom."

After offering his thanks, Bellerophon mounted Pegasus and flew in pursuit of the Chimera.

But wait... wasn’t this the direction toward Lycia?