Chapter 165: The Tale of the Golden Apple – (3)
The Tale of the Golden Apple – (3)
Troy.
One of the city-states on the Anatolian Peninsula.
Once, Poseidon, Apollo, and Hera rose in rebellion against Zeus.
At that time, the rebellion failed due to Hades’ intervention, and Hera was bound in chains with an anvil for a year.
Apollo and Poseidon were sentenced to serve as slaves under a mortal king for a year.
The one who enslaved them was none other than Laomedon, the king of Troy at the time.
This King Laomedon, brazen as he was…
Forced the two gods to build Troy’s walls and then refused to pay them.
“After all, didn’t you work under me because of Zeus’ decree? Why would gods need wages?”
“You… insolent wretch!”
“Ha…! Very well. You dare to mock us, mere mortals? Prepare yourself.”
Thus, Troy faced divine punishment from two of the Olympian Twelve.
Apollo brought plagues, and Poseidon unleashed a mighty sea monster to torment the citizens of Troy.
Though the sea monster was eventually defeated by heroes seeking glory,
The plague sent by Apollo proved impossible to contain, leaving even doctors summoned from around the world helpless.
“Ah… Is there truly no way to undo this punishment from the gods?”
“Your Majesty, one cannot oppose the Sun God. Please, you must make a decision…”
“Very well. Summon all the princes and princesses! We must beg Apollo for forgiveness.”
In the end, Troy prepared countless offerings and went to Apollo’s temple to plead for mercy.
King Laomedon and all his princes and princesses bowed their heads in submission.
Fwoosh—
“Oh, great Apollo!”
“Miserable humans, do you finally realize your sins?”
“I have committed a grave sin! I will do whatever you command, so please lift this plague!”
The radiant one, Phoebus Apollo, descended to the mortal realm.
Apollo was indifferent to the numerous offerings, but thought they were sufficient to grant mercy—until he foresaw the future.
Apollo, the god of prophecy.
Though not as powerful as Prometheus or Gaia, his predictions were exceedingly accurate.
From Daphne to Coronis, all his true loves ended in tragedy, leaving him searching for a woman to console his melancholy.
The god of prophecy pointed to one of the princes.
“You there, mortal prince. What is your name?”
“M-me? I am Podarces, oh great Sun God!”
“Hmm. If you one day have a daughter, send the most beautiful among them to my temple. Then I will forgive Troy.”
“Huh? Y-yes! As you command!”
What Apollo saw was the distant future, where a girl of extraordinary beauty, Cassandra, would be born.
Though it was improper to use prophecy to mark someone for personal desire, Apollo acted accordingly.
Smiling as he envisioned Cassandra’s beauty, Apollo vanished.
The plague also disappeared from Troy.
“Ah… Podarces! I will appoint you as my successor!”
“Father! But I have so many older brothers and sisters…”
“If the one offered to Apollo is a princess, wouldn’t it uphold the honor of the gods? And just in case the god unexpectedly retracts his promise…”
With political intent and for the benefit of Troy,
Podarces, the youngest prince and the one to offer his future daughter to Apollo, inherited the throne.
Naturally, many princes protested losing their chance at the throne, but it was futile.
None dared defy the Sun God’s will, and Podarces’s future daughter was destined to stand by Apollo’s side.
The king’s decree, fear of Apollo,
And the belief that offering a princess might gain favor for their kingdom…
All led to Podarces ascending the throne and declaring Apollo’s worship as the state religion, later sending his daughter Cassandra to serve as a priestess.
In his old age, Podarces had many sons as well…
“Wait… Hermes, you say?”
“Yes. I am Hermes, the messenger of the gods.”
Among them was Paris, the prince of Troy destined to receive the golden apple.
“…So, your task is to present the golden apple to the most beautiful of these three goddesses.”
“Gulp. Lady Hera… Lady Aphrodite… Lady Athena…”
I watched as the young man carefully took the golden apple from Hermes.
He was supposedly the most handsome man on earth, according to Hermes, and indeed, his appearance was strikingly divine.
Even the three goddesses, upon seeing his looks, seemed to find him a suitable judge.
After gazing at him briefly, the goddesses began to persuade him.
“Mortal, was it Paris? If you offer it to me, the Queen of the Gods, I will grant you unparalleled wealth and power.”
Hera promised him the greatest riches and authority.
“Prince of Troy, if you give me the golden apple, you will never lose a battle in war.”
Athena spoke of victory in war.
“I can grant you a beautiful woman. The kind of woman every man dreams of,” Aphrodite said, offering him the promise of a beautiful woman.
Wait a minute. If someone’s trying to persuade you by offering something, isn’t it only natural to choose the highest reward?
In this case, it doesn’t matter if she’s the most beautiful goddess or anything else… Should I add a word to this?
I paused for a moment, looking at him, and opened my mouth.
“Remember that you are the prince of Troy.”
“…Who are you?”
“You don’t need to know that. What I mean is, don’t be swayed by the rewards and make a wise decision.”
The prince of Troy, who had been looking into my eyes, turned his gaze back to the goddesses.
They were all confident he would offer the golden apple to them without a second thought.
In my opinion, the options Paris had right now were quite limited.
Splitting the apple into three pieces to appease everyone would be the worst choice. Choosing just one of the goddesses would be the second worst.
“Make your decision. Isn’t it an easy choice?”
“Are you going to pass up the chance to claim a beauty perfect for you?”
“Many pray to me for victory on the battlefield. I’m offering you that blessing…”
The best choice would be to grovel, refusing to pick anyone, and I could protect him from divine punishment from the other goddesses.
And Paris’s choice was…
“I dedicate this to the goddess of beauty and love!”
“Haha. Very well.”
He decided to dedicate the golden apple to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.
“…You’d better prepare yourself.”
“The consequences of this choice are yours to bear, mortal.”
In the end, the owner of the apple was decided, and Hera and Athena left with Hermes after issuing warnings.
Aphrodite, delighted, held the golden apple with joy. However, Paris’s expression was a bit ambiguous.
“I shall grant you the charm to seduce any woman you desire. No mortal can resist it.”
“……”
“Call my name when you need it, and the woman you desire will be yours.”
“T-then… would this apply to married women as well?”
What? Is this guy out of his mind? Targeting a married woman?
My brow furrowed naturally, and Aphrodite glanced at me before speaking.
“Well, technically, yes, but do you really need to aim for a married woman?”
“You promised me, didn’t you? Please, goddess of beauty and love, I beg you!”
“…Oh, fine.”
Before punishment is dealt, no god can interfere with the rewards or punishments of another.
This is an implicit agreement among the gods and a law upheld for millennia.
But targeting a married woman? This guy is Paris of Troy, right?
Let’s see him when he dies and arrives in the underworld.
* * *
Returning to the underworld, I immediately began observing the mortal realm.
I wanted to see where Paris, who had just received Aphrodite’s blessing, was headed.
He was heading straight for Sparta.
His path was direct, his steps purposeful.
And he had already asked about married women, didn’t he? That leaves only one possibility.
Helen, daughter of Zeus, a demigoddess, and queen of Sparta.
Her beauty was exceptional, and her brothers, Castor and Pollux, had achieved great deeds, giving up their inheritance rights to ensure Sparta’s succession.
That’s why countless suitors had flocked to claim her hand in marriage.
If I recall correctly, the outcome of that was something like this:
Whoever won Helen’s hand would be accepted by all, and anyone who disrupted the marriage would face the united wrath of all the suitors present.
And eventually, some hero married her. His name was Mel… something, if I remember correctly.
I clearly remember Zeus boasting about his daughter’s beauty in one of his endless stories.
Her beauty was rumored to rival that of the old princess Psyche, even catching Aphrodite’s interest.
Could that deranged man actually be planning to claim Helen?
Does he have any awareness that he’s the prince of Troy? I can’t figure him out.
Wait a second. Zeus said that war was destined to happen anyway.
Right now, Greece is full of a new generation of heroes who grew up hearing tales of Heracles and the Theban training grounds.
And Helen’s suitors were kings and heirs of various city-states.
I believe the king of Thebes, where my temple is located, did not participate.
The repercussions of touching Zeus’s daughter are predictable to anyone.
Even though gaining Helen is Aphrodite’s reward and thus beyond my interference, what wrong have the people of Troy done?
If a war breaks out, Athena, Hera, and even Poseidon will turn against Troy.
Most of the Greek heroes who defeated the Gigantes are older and restrained now, but if you think of their children… Troy will be crushed in an instant.
A city entangled in the gods’ plans to deal with the heroes.
I don’t particularly like Paris, but as he hasn’t yet touched Zeus’s daughter, setting him aside for now, it seems justice slightly tilts toward Troy.
Of course, there’s the certainty that Poseidon will intervene. Someone has to balance things out, don’t they?
…Zeus’s words to Hermes crossed my mind.
“Whoever the mortal chooses, chaos will ensue.”
After some thought, I called Morpheus, the god of dreams.
“Morpheus, I need you to deliver an oracle in a dream to the king of Troy.”
“What message should I convey?”
While I cannot assist without a proper reason or justification…
“Tell him that if Troy erects a temple dedicated solely to me, Hades, I will help them navigate the impending crisis.”
This should shift things a little.