As time passed, one day...
The sea began to heave with a colossal wave.
Shaaah—
And at its center, a single being revealed herself.
Hair that shimmered like silver, and a figure that flowed like the tide.
The sea goddess Thetis.
As she emerged as though walking upon the waves, the gazes of the gods in Olympus were drawn to her in an instant.
"...That is...!"
"Impossible..."
"How can such a being exist...!!"
The eyes of the male gods trembled in unison.
Her very existence was enough to seize every gaze.
"....Beautiful."
Someone murmured without thinking.
And the same was true of the other male gods.
"I saw her first!!"
"No, I was the first to lay eyes on her!"
They began to watch one another warily, their looks sharpening into blades.
Then, among the gods who had fallen for Thetis, there were two whose divine presence burned especially fiercely.
"All of you, stand aside. She is mine!"
"What nonsense, Zeus. If she is a sea goddess, then she belongs with me, Poseidon, god of the sea."
Their identities were Zeus and Poseidon, the three chief gods of Olympus, and even those two mighty gods had been ensnared by her beauty.
As the competition over Thetis grew heated, Prometheus, bound hand and foot upon Mount Caucasus and punished by having his liver devoured by an eagle, shouted toward the gods of Olympus who desired Thetis.
"If the beautiful sea goddess Thetis marries a god, or one who bears divine blood, the child she bears will become greater than the father!!"
"What did you say?"
"If that is true...!!"
At those words, the expressions of the male gods gazing at Thetis from Olympus changed drastically.
"How unfortunate..."
"Tsk. What a pity."
Poseidon and Zeus, too, expressed regret after hearing the prophecy concerning Thetis.
"Even the king of the gods fears that prophecy?"
"He is the king, so of course he would."
"I see..."
Having abandoned the thought of taking Thetis after Prometheus's prophecy, Zeus then considered that if he simply left her alone, the other male gods would not remain quiet.
"But if we leave her be, there will be gods who cannot restrain themselves..."
"Yet if we think of royal authority, she must not be joined to gods or to those who bear divine blood."
"....Then."
As Zeus pondered Thetis's fate, he looked to Poseidon and spoke.
"Choose one who is not a god, and who does not carry divine blood."
"...A human, then."
"Yes."
"But if he lacks divine blood, that is rather lacking... Most heroes are also descended from gods."
At Zeus's words, Poseidon fell into thought before speaking again.
"One who does not have divine blood, yet is close to the gods. Where would such a man be found?"
"...There is only one."
At Poseidon's words, Zeus considered it for a moment, then looked toward a certain ruler on the earth and spoke.
"The king of Eirene, Astellon."
"Hm? Astellon, you say..."
"Yes. The renowned king of Eirene, and the one foretold by the three Fates."
When Poseidon asked after Zeus's words, Zeus recalled the prophecy once spoken by the three Fates and spoke of Astellon.
"It is the prophecy that says, 'After marrying three women, the child born to the goddess who marries him will cry out the names of the gods and exalt their authority.' Conveniently, he has already married three women... Does that not fit the prophecy and the situation?"
"I hear he recently brought another woman with him..."
"But he has not married her. And that woman is human, not a god. It does not conflict with the prophecy."
Remembering the prophecy concerning Astellon, Zeus decided to make use of him and connect Thetis with Astellon.
"Among those without divine blood, he is the best choice. So let us arrange a marriage between Astellon and Thetis."
Once that decision was made, Zeus moved at once.
Descending from Olympus, Zeus went straight to the sea where Thetis dwelled.
Thetis, seeing Zeus come to her, asked in confusion, "...King of the gods, what brings you here?"
As Thetis bowed her head respectfully and asked, Zeus answered calmly.
"There is a prophecy concerning you."
"...A prophecy?"
"Words left by Prometheus. If you wed a god, or one who bears divine blood, the child you bear will surpass the father."
"Ah..."
"Therefore, you cannot marry a god. Nor can you marry one who bears divine blood."
"...Then I..."
"A human. You will marry a human."
"...A human, you say. But I..."
"I have not chosen an ordinary human. I command you to marry Astellon, king of Eirene."
"..."
At Zeus's words, Thetis lowered her eyes as though lost in thought, then soon bowed her head.
"...If that is the will of the gods, I shall obey."
Meanwhile, Hermes, acting under Zeus's command, descended to the mortal world, to Eirene.
"..."
As I was attending to my duties, I raised my head at the sudden presence of a god.
"...Who are you?"
"A messenger."
At the same moment, a god appeared before me.
"...No way."
"My name is Hermes. I have come to deliver the will of Zeus, king of the gods."
"...Speak."
At the shocking declaration that he had come to convey Zeus's words, I grew more tense than ever and waited for what would follow.
"It is a marriage."
"...Pardon? I must have heard wrong?"
But at the next words, I lost my composure before the god and stared at him in bewilderment.
Yet even at my reaction, Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, continued speaking without pause.
"Your partner is Thetis. The sea goddess."
At that, I was momentarily unable to speak.
"As you know, this is the decision of the king of the gods, so there is no refusal. Well... if you are as clever as they say, you already understand that."
"...Why me, of all people?"
"It is fate."
At my words, Hermes gave a light shrug.
"...Ah, and one more thing."
"...?"
"Develop commerce a little more."
"...Pardon?"
"One of my domains is merchants, after all."
With that, Hermes smiled and turned away.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Faaat—
And with that, he vanished.
"...Now even my marriage is being decided by the gods."
I muttered, pressing a hand to my forehead.
"...If they learn of this, I'll be killed again..."
And I pictured in my mind the faces of my wives and Hippolyta when they learned of it.
Then I seriously began to wonder.
"...Could it be the gods wish for my death? After all the offerings I made, all the rites I performed?"