Poseidon suddenly stopped walking and looked at the triplet sisters with clear shock etched across his face. He quickly raised his hands and began examining his features, running his fingers over his face as thoughts raced through his mind:
Is my appearance really that disfigured? Have I become so ugly that they couldn't recognize me?
After a brief moment, he looked at them again, pointed at himself, and said in a hesitant, astonished voice:
"I'm Poseidon… girls, didn't you recognize me?"
The three girls looked at Poseidon, and a strong, cruel look of contempt appeared in their eyes. They stepped back slightly, raised their hands as if to ward him off, and said in a tone filled with disgust:
"Don't come near us, you filthy thing. Look at yourself! You want to talk to us while you're this dirty?"
Poseidon looked at the three girls and froze in place. It didn't even occur to him that the girls were the ones who had started talking to him in the first place, nor did he think that his body might actually be dirty from Hades beating him and throwing him to the ground several times.
What truly shocked him…
was the feeling of a strange energy that began feeding on his mind.
Poseidon didn't know what was happening, but he instinctively realized that he couldn't prevent that energy from entering his mind. The moment it entered his consciousness, he heard a strange voice… yet one that felt deeply familiar.
The voice spoke to him clearly:
"Go to Hades' armory… his daughter needs help."
The instant he heard the voice in his mind, he didn't wait a single second. He completely forgot that the triplets had just insulted him, and forgot everything around him.
He vanished from his place in an instant and appeared immediately before Hades' eldest daughter.
Seriousness was clearly etched on his face, and his eyes reflected firm determination. Yet deep within that seriousness, there was a clear feeling of joy. For the voice he had heard… was his father's voice.
He didn't know exactly what made him certain, but instinctively, he knew it was his father.
Poseidon was immensely happy to hear that voice. He was the second person, after Odin, to hear his father's voice since Asgard had become what it was.
His thoughts began racing wildly in his mind like a rampaging horse, but they came to a sudden, forceful halt when he saw the condition of Hades' eldest daughter before him.
The moment he saw her, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Everyone—come here… now!"
His voice spread like a storm across the entire mountain at terrifying speed. Even the monsters and animals at the foot of the mountain heard it, and the moment it reached them, they fled in terror, running away from the source of the dreadful sound as they felt immediate danger.
The reaction of Odin's brothers and the others who were in Odin's house was just as swift.
Moments before Poseidon's shout, the brothers in Odin's house had been discussing what Asgard had told Odin. Odin was standing at the entrance of his house and saw his brothers appear before him within moments after he had sent them that spiritual message.
Odin was surprised by Poseidon's absence, so he looked at Hades and asked in confusion:
"Where is Poseidon? Wasn't he with you?"
Hades was about to answer, but before he could, Odin shook his head and said:
"No… there's no time for this now. Let's discuss the matter first until he arrives."
In truth, Odin was able to see what had happened; he had assumed that Poseidon had stopped for a while to recover his face from the beating Hades had given him.
Odin looked at Hades and gestured for his brothers to sit, then said in a calm tone as he watched them take their seats:
"Don't be too harsh on Poseidon, Hades. You know he only likes to joke, nothing more."
Hades turned his face away, as if he didn't want to discuss this matter with Odin at all. When Odin noticed that Hades was avoiding the conversation and didn't wish to delve into it, he wanted to continue speaking to persuade him to stop being cruel to Poseidon.
But Athena's voice stopped him as she said firmly:
"Leave Hades and his issues with Poseidon aside, brother. Tell us what matters now. Why did you bring us here? Is there something dangerous?"
Odin stopped trying to talk to Hades about his bullying of Poseidon, sighed in resignation, and then said seriously:
"You're right, Athena. This matter takes priority. Listen carefully."
Both Hades and Athena looked at Odin with anticipation, waiting for what he would say. Odin looked at Hades while thinking to himself:
So you're looking at me now?
He mocked him in his mind, but showed nothing of it on his face or in his tone. Maintaining the same seriousness, he continued:
"I spoke with our father about Hades' idea… and he approved it."
Athena looked at Odin in clear surprise and said:
"You spoke to him that quickly? Doesn't communicating with him usually take a long time?"
Odin was about to reply and tell her that Asgard was the one who initiated contact this time, but Hades interrupted him with a tone full of arrogance:
"So… our father admired my plan."
Hades' voice was filled with pride. Athena glared at him angrily and said:
"You fool, don't get full of yourself! Just because a good idea crossed your mind doesn't make you a genius, you ridiculous man."
Hades looked at Athena with intense anger for interrupting him while he was showing off, and he was about to respond—but he froze in place when he heard what Odin said:
"Don't say that, Athena. Hades is neither stupid nor a fool. Our father praised him, and even asked me to praise him on his behalf because of his brilliant idea."
Odin said this in defense of Hades, but deep within, he felt a profound jealousy toward him. That jealousy flared with every word he spoke.
Athena and Hades were both stunned by what they heard, unsure whether Odin was telling the truth or exaggerating.
But before they could think any further, they heard Poseidon's voice rising from outside as he shouted:
"Everyone—come here… now!"
The moment they heard Poseidon's voice, the brothers vanished from Odin's house in a single instant. Terrifying, dangerous expressions appeared on all their faces.
The air around the mountain froze within moments; from the tone of Poseidon's voice, they sensed that the situation was extremely serious. They didn't wait, they didn't think—they immediately moved toward the source of the voice to see what was happening.