Chapter 166 Somehow Strange Trojan War – Omen
Somehow Strange Trojan War – Omen
In the city-state of Troy, King Podarces was living leisurely.
The moment he woke up in the morning, he urgently summoned all of his ministers.
The princes of Troy, Deiphobos and Hector, as well as generals like Aeneas.
And even Cassandra, who had been dedicated to Apollo and became a priestess of the temple.
Gathering everyone in one place, King Podarces opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Last night, the god Morpheus appeared in my dream… and delivered me an oracle from Pluto.”
“An oracle…!”
“Hmm!”
While everyone listened intently to his words, only Cassandra had an oddly bright expression.
“The oracle stated that if we establish a temple for the god Pluto in Troy, he would help us overcome the upcoming crisis. How should we interpret this?”
“A temple for Pluto, you say?”
“But don’t we worship Apollo? If the sun god becomes angry, what would we do then…!”
“No. If we explain that Pluto himself issued the oracle, he wouldn’t be angered.”
“Still, a temple for the god of the underworld feels a bit ominous.”
The ministers offered their opinions one after another.
It was generally best to follow the oracle of a god.
But why would the god ruling the underworld want to help Troy?
Could the king of the dead be trusted?
Before the debate could intensify, King Podarces looked toward his daughter, Cassandra.
Blessed by Apollo’s love and endowed with the power of prophecy, she was King Podarces’ reliable advisor and pillar of strength.
“Cassandra.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You are favored by the sun god and can foresee the future, can’t you? Do you think we should follow Pluto’s oracle?”
At this, Cassandra replied with a bright smile.
“Of course. That is one of the clues to overcoming the crisis that will befall us.”
“Hmm…”
“If we do not follow Pluto’s oracle, Troy will face destruction.”
Renowned for being blessed with prophetic abilities by Apollo’s favor, she was unique.
Love between gods and mortals often ended in tragedy, but Cassandra, despite her prophetic powers, maintained a good relationship with Apollo.
Prophets, because they could see the future, often rejected the love of gods…
As King Podarces was lost in thought, a man stepped forward.
With a tall stature, strong build, and striking looks, he was Troy’s commander-in-chief and its foremost hero.
“Father. May I offer my thoughts?”
“Oh, Hector! Yes, go ahead and speak your mind.”
He was also a prince of Troy.
* * *
As Troy’s commander-in-chief slowly began to speak, everyone focused on his words.
“Setting aside whether Troy is in crisis or not, it seems proper to first identify what kind of god issued the oracle.”
“Didn’t I already say? It was certainly Pluto, the ruler of the underworld…”
“Then, what kind of god is this Pluto?”
Only then did everyone realize Hector’s point.
Pluto, the ruler of the underworld, was also known as the god of wealth and…
“Compassion and fairness! Hmm. I see what you’re getting at.”
“Precisely. Pluto is considered a benevolent deity, to the extent that no ill rumors or records can be found about him.
Even though the underworld is feared, stories related to him are only virtuous, such as the tale of Medusa or King Perseus.”
“Indeed. Compared to the capriciousness of other gods…”
The other ministers chimed in on the conversation between the two.
Among the many deities of Olympus, Pluto was the only one with almost no bad reputation.
“I’ve heard as much. After all, mortals inevitably head to the underworld when their time comes, so he is said to be merciful to the living.”
“The only one more trustworthy than the god of fairness and mercy would be the goddess of justice herself…”
“At the very least, he does not seem to have any intention of harming Troy…”
And so, the decision was made to build a temple for Pluto in Troy.
When the temple of the god who presides over wealth, the underworld, fairness, and mercy was built, the reactions of Troy’s citizens were mixed.
“A temple for Pluto. I hear they’re using mint quite well in rituals, but…”
“Don’t we worship Apollo? What if the sun god becomes angry again? How will we manage that?”
“Well, he is also the god of wealth, so that’s nice. Hmm. I don’t know. His Majesty will handle it well.”
“Princess Cassandra, I hear, entered Apollo’s temple as a priestess. And now a temple for Pluto, too.”
While the temple for Pluto was being built, Prince Paris returned to Troy.
He had supposedly been traveling, but at his side was an extraordinarily beautiful woman who drew everyone’s attention.
King Podarces questioned Paris, who had brought a woman no one had seen before.
“Paris. Explain yourself. Is this woman who I think she is?”
“Yes, well… Father! This is a blessing from the goddess Aphrodite… the golden apple…”
Stammering, Paris explained what had happened to him.
In short, he had seduced and brought back Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta.
Upon hearing this, King Podarces, as expected, was furious.
“What did you say! Helen? Isn’t she the wife of Menelaus, the King of Sparta?”
“…Th-that is…”
“This is the very moment of that prophecy! You should have never stepped outside of Troy!”
There was a prophecy related to Paris, the prince of Troy.
When he was born… an oracle foretold that he would plunge Troy into crisis.
King Podarces and his wife, Hecuba, heard the prophecy and deliberated for a long time but ultimately decided to ignore it.
After all, the prophecy didn’t guarantee Troy’s complete destruction, and they couldn’t bring themselves to kill their own child just because he might bring danger to the nation.
“Because of you alone, our Troy is about to be engulfed in the flames of war!”
“Y-yes, Father…”
“I can’t even stand the sight of you! Take that woman and stay confined immediately!”
King Podarces held his head in his hands as he watched Paris, who had been practically driven out of the royal audience chamber.
Could this be the very crisis for Troy foretold by Pluto’s oracle?
The method by which Paris had taken Helen, the most beautiful woman alive, was simple.
He went to King Menelaus of Sparta, revealed his identity, received a warm welcome, and when Menelaus left to attend his grandfather’s funeral, Paris seduced Helen and fled with her.
“Paris!!! You dare to break the sacred custom of hospitality and run off with my wife? I’ll turn Troy into a sea of flames!”
Unsurprisingly, King Menelaus was furious and went to inform his brother, Agamemnon, the ruler of Mycenae.
Even with Sparta’s might as a strong nation, it would be hard to conquer Troy alone.
“Alright. Let’s destroy Troy and kill Paris, who broke the sacred laws of hospitality.”
“I will immediately send word to those who once sought Helen’s hand in marriage.”
“If a united army from across Greece marches on Troy, Paris’s head will roll in no time.”
They resolved to unite and bring about Troy’s downfall, and all of this…
“…As expected.”
Even Hades in the underworld was aware of it.
* * *
Helen was the most beautiful woman in Greece, and her suitors were kings of entire nations.
Given these circumstances, Paris’s fate was obvious after taking Helen. The Greek allied forces were already forming.
It wasn’t as if suitors would truly raise armies solely for the sake of one woman.
Greece was the land of heroes, and many who had sought Helen’s hand were either kings or royalty from somewhere.
They had grown up listening to the tales of heroes from their parents’ generation.
Achieving great feats, earning fame, and making their names known… that was their dream.
There would undoubtedly be many who sought to achieve fame through war or coveted the gold and treasures that could be obtained by destroying Troy.
Except for Menelaus himself, retrieving Helen was nothing more than a convenient justification.
It was a war destined to happen, even if the gods hadn’t intervened.
However…
“Because of you alone, our Troy is about to be engulfed in the flames of war!”
“Y-yes, Father…”
“I can’t even stand the sight of you! Take that woman and stay confined immediately!”
There. The one who seduced a married woman with the blessing given by Aphrodite is particularly irritating.
A war is a war, but shouldn’t Helen at least be returned to her original husband immediately?
However, rewards or punishments given by a god cannot be canceled or interfered with by another god.
That was the implicit agreement among the Olympian gods and a fundamental divine law.
So…
“Morpheus. Appear once again in King Podarces’s dream and convey my words.”
“What should I tell him this time?”
“Tell him that the goddess of justice belongs to the underworld. Since Troy serves Apollo, he will surely understand my intention.”
Wouldn’t it be fine if the humans ‘voluntarily’ rejected the gods’ rewards?
Though I cannot directly intervene to return Helen to her husband, now that a shrine to me has been built in Troy… there are more than enough ways to circumvent fate and prophecy.
If this comes to light, I might earn Aphrodite’s resentment and hear a word or two from Zeus.
“What do you mean…? Perhaps…”
“Or just show a hint that the underworld stands on the side of justice.”
But first, I need to deal with this adultery issue.
Now that my temple has been built in Troy, this level of intervention shouldn’t upset Apollo either.