The Gates of the Underworld

How should the son of a concubine react when meeting the chief wife of his father?

Phaethon certainly wasn't about to imitate the goddess Artemis, who had once provoked Hera, the queen of the gods, by challenging Perseis, the goddess before him.

After all, Perseis didn't harbor the same hostility toward Phaethon's mother, Rhode, as Hera had toward Leto, the mother of Artemis.

As he hesitated, Phaethon suddenly felt a chill.

He remembered that when he had driven the Sun Chariot, his robes had been burned to ashes by the fire of the sun. Looking down, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The goddess Perseis had tied her veil around his waist, fashioning it into a pair of shorts.

"Mother goddess! Thank you for taking care of me! Now that I'm awake, could you send me to the nearest shore?" Perseis didn't respond to Phaethon.

She lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the eastern horizon.

Following her line of sight, Phaethon turned his head and immediately widened his eyes in surprise. His sister, Circe, was flying toward him at great speed, her silver wings fluttering.

"Phaethon, brother—!"

The moment their eyes met, Circe spread her arms wide and threw herself into Phaethon's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

"You're alive! Brother, you really made it! It feels like a dream…"

"Circe…"

Feeling her overwhelming emotion, Phaethon couldn't help but ask, "Did you foresee my death?"

In the world of Greek mythology, mortals who inherited divine blood were often blessed with the gods' favor, including the ability to foresee the future.

As for the immortal gods themselves, countless could see the threads of fate and predict what was to come.

Even Balius and Xanthus, the two immortal horses of the Sun God's family, had foreseen Achilles' death on the battlefield of Troy.

Circe, being the daughter of the Sun God and the goddess of magic and potions, naturally had the ability to see the threads of fate.

"I dreamt that you lost control of the Sun Chariot and were destroyed by Zeus's thunderbolt!" Circe said, wiping away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, a joyful smile spreading across her face.

"When I saw you last night, I said those things hoping you'd give up on driving the Sun Chariot. Brother, are you mad at me?"

"Of course not!" Phaethon immediately shook his head.

"Our family values each other deeply. There's no way I'd be upset by my sister's little act."

Circe's eyes widened in surprise at his response. "Brother, you seem… so much more mature all of a sudden! Before, whenever the three of us tried to get close to you, you'd always avoid us on purpose."

"That's because I used to feel inferior around you all! After all, I didn't inherit the same golden eyes as you and the others." Phaethon gave an awkward smile as he spoke.

"Circe! Don't you think it's time to let go of me? We may be siblings, but we're still a young man and woman!"

"Brother, are you embarrassed?"

Circe teased, but a faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks as well.

"It's all because of you… Now I'm feeling a little shy too."

She released her arms from around Phaethon's waist and took two steps back. Then, turning to the goddess Perseis, she said, "Mother goddess! Thank you for taking care of my brother Phaethon. I'll handle things from here."

The goddess Perseis nodded at Circe, and then her massive form slowly sank into the boiling, magma-like sea.

Seeing Phaethon's curious gaze as he looked down at the sea below, Circe quickly explained, "This is where Father lands the Sun Chariot! Because Mother greets him here, not only has her nature as a sea goddess changed—she's now the goddess of the burning sea—but even this part of the ocean has become as hot as molten lava."

"No wonder I woke up in Mother's arms!" Phaethon said, suddenly understanding. Then, with a frown, he asked, "Circe! What happened to the Sun Chariot after I passed out?"

"Father has already taken it back to Colchis to prepare for the next day's journey."

"That's good… Wait! If Father took the Sun Chariot, how are we supposed to get back to Colchis? If we fly through the sky, we'll definitely pass through areas controlled by the Olympians and the Titans."

The second Titanomachy had already broken out, with the Olympians, led by Zeus, clashing against the Titans, led by Typhon.

Although the Sun God's family had remained neutral, meaning neither the Olympians nor the Titans should attack Phaethon and Circe, there was still a risk. Phaethon had defied his fate by surviving, which meant Apollo, the "rat in the dark," might try to kill him to claim the divine power of light for himself.

After all, not long ago, Apollo had used the excuse of participating in the Titan War to kill the serpent goddess Python at Delphi, seizing her temple and followers.

And after Python's death, her name had been slandered and humiliated. Apollo's followers not only claimed that Python was a man-eating monster but also that she had persecuted Leto, the mother of Apollo, under Hera's orders.

With Python's power being that of an intermediate god, it was as absurd as an ant persecuting an elephant to suggest she could have harmed Leto, a greater goddess.

Even as naive as Phaethon could be, he wasn't about to trust his life to Apollo's mercy.

Noticing Phaethon's concern, Circe flashed a sly smile and said, "Don't worry, brother! I'll take you through the Underworld, and from there, we'll return to Colchis."

Using the Underworld as a shortcut to Colchis—now that was the safest option.

The gods of the Underworld, led by Hades, had never been involved in any conflicts or wars with the other gods.

Even in the distant future, when Poseidon and Helios would join forces to challenge Zeus, threatening his throne, Hades would still remain in the Underworld, uninvolved.

"Circe! How are we supposed to enter the Underworld? I remember there's a branch of the River Styx and an entrance to the Underworld near the Sea of Sunset, but I don't know the exact location."

Hearing Phaethon's question, Circe shook her head. "Brother! The entrance you're talking about is only for mortals to summon the dead and communicate with them.

For us gods to enter the Underworld, we need to summon the Gates of the Underworld.

But brother, your divine power of light is one of the powers the gods of the Underworld despise the most.

If you want to enter with me, you'll not only have to close your eyes but also hide your light powers."

"Uh—hiding my light powers, I get that, but why do I have to close my eyes?"

"The method to summon the Gates of the Underworld cannot be known by gods who possess the power of the sun or light—that's one of the conditions for me being allowed to summon the gates!"

After explaining, Circe turned around and backed into Phaethon's arms. "Brother, close your eyes now and hold onto me."

With his chin brushing against Circe's silver hair, Phaethon awkwardly tilted his head back. Then, wrapping his arms around Circe's slender waist, he closed his eyes.

"Circe! I'm ready."

Phaethon's words seemed to be the signal.

Circe began to release her divine power, summoning the Gates of the Underworld in the space around them.

Moments later, Circe's voice came again, "Brother! I'm going to fly us through the gates now. Hold on tight."

In the next instant, Circe's body moved.