Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Taming

The vast blue sea stretched endlessly, with a faint streak of fiery red darting through it.

Among the gods of Olympus, aside from those like Venus, who had an inherent affinity to the sea, or those so powerful that they could ignore the discomfort, none could truly adapt to the underwater realm. Hephaestus was the least suited of all. Fire and water were enemies, and the sea was his nemesis. Walking through it was like a mermaid walking on land, each step akin to treading on sharp blades.

Hephaestus trudged towards the palace, each step heavy yet resolute.

He was the only one from Olympus who ventured so deep, determined to bring Venus back.

It had been ten years since Poseidon had taken Venus. Hephaestus had grown restless in Olympus. According to rumors, the God of Sea’s temper was unpredictable, and his moods shifted like the weather. He had countless lovers, and Venus was so delicate. What if he suffered grievances at the King of the Sea’s hands?

He had resolved to let go, but when Venus disappeared without a trace, his heart remained unsettled.

For the past decade, Hephaestus had been consumed with worry, unable to find peace even in his forge. Even Cupid had grown concerned.

“Father God, if you can’t bear to let Father go, why did you want to divorce him in the first place?” Cupid asked. “I remember how unhappy you were every time Father went to visit Uncle Dionysus or Hermes. I offered to shoot him with my golden arrow so that he’d love only you, but you refused. I don’t understand it. If you love him, shouldn’t you fight for him?”

Hephaestus shook his head. “Cupid, that isn’t love. And even if your father loved me, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

For Venus, love and lust were distinctly separate. Even if he loved someone deeply, he knew Venus would still seek other bedmates. As a god whose views were closer to modern sensibilities, Hephaestus could not suppress the jealousy. However, there was nothing he could do about Venus’ divine nature.

Falling in love with the God of Pleasure was exhausting, no matter how much one prepared for it. The eternal despair that came with it was something to fear.

Dionysus and Hermes could see this clearly, which was why neither of them ever truly gave their heart to Venus.

They knew about Hephaestus’ plan to journey into the sea realm, and they both admired his courage.

“Are you insane? The King of the Sea’s power surpasses even that of Zeus. When he took Venus from the divine mountain, even the King of the Gods couldn’t stop him. What makes you think you can bring him back from his domain? You’re walking straight into death,” Hermes exclaimed in shock.

Dionysus frowned in disagreement. “Venus is so beautiful. The King of the Sea definitely dotes on him. You might as well not go, and if you do, don’t you fear that you won’t come back?”

Hephaestus was silent for a moment before replying, “If I don’t return, then I don’t return.”

Venus had his divine nature, and Hephaestus had his own. His divinity burned like fierce fire, his love like a moth drawn to the flame.

Seeking his own destruction.

He was almost there.

Hephaestus reached the towering, majestic palace, where the guards at the entrance stopped him.

“Who goes there?”

“I am Hephaestus, the God of Fire. I request an audience with the King of the Sea.”

Hephaestus was one of the twelve major Olympian Gods. No matter his reputation, his status was undeniable. The guards did not dare to be negligent and went inside to inform the King of the Sea.

Soon, the guard returned and motioned for Hephaestus to enter.

In the vast hall, Hephaestus finally met the King of the Sea.

The hall was empty, save for the two gods. The young man with red hair stood below, gazing upward. His clenched fists betrayed his nervousness. The young man on the throne, with blue hair, rested his head on his hand, his posture languid. He only opened his ice-blue eyes when he heard the sound of Hephaestus’s footsteps, his gaze calm and unwavering.

Although gods always appeared youthful, their ages and seniority were worlds apart.

Hephaestus lowered his head, placing his left hand on his right shoulder in a gesture of respect. “Hephaestus pays respects to Your Majesty.”

Poseidon did not respond immediately, waiting for Hephaestus to express his intentions.

Hephaestus straightened and spoke, “Your Majesty, I have come to bring back my wife.”

Poseidon lazily lifted his gaze and finally spoke, “There is no wife of the God of Fire in the sea realm.”

Hephaestus’ voice remained steady. “It is Venus——”

“Venus is my queen, and he belongs to the sea realm. What does he have to do with you?” Poseidon interrupted.

Hephaestus looked him in the eye, unwavering. “Please, allow me to take a look at him.”

“A look?” Poseidon laughed. “Very well.”

He raised his hand, and a mirror of water materialized before them.

In the water mirror, a beauty with snow-white skin and golden hair was leaning against a golden cage entwined with flowering vines. His body was bound by tendrils, even his lips were gagged with a vine. Below his waist, a mist of water obscured the view, but judging from the youth’s trembling, flushed body…… it was clear that he too had been filled with something.

The water mirror lasted only a moment before it shattered, truly giving Hephaestus just that single look.

Hephaestus’ eyes turn a fiery red with fury. “How dare you dishonor him like this!”

A burst of flame erupted uncontrollably toward Poseidon. Poseidon barely raised a hand, and in an instant, he extinguished the flames, returning them with several times the force. Hephaestus collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.

Here, at the bottom of the sea, he could not unleash his full fiery power. Even on land, he would never be a match for the King of the Sea.

He…… was too weak.

“Dishonor?” Poseidon sneered. “You’ve been married to him for two hundred years, and you still don’t know what he likes in bed? It’s truly pitiful. Poor Venus, having to endure such clueless gods on Mount Olympus. No wonder his lust is always unsatisfied.”

Poseidon rose from his throne and slowly descended the steps, walking toward Hephaestus. He knelt in front of him, leaning down to look him in the eye.

“Caring for a rose requires gentleness and respect. But roses have thorns. If you wish to tame a rose, you must remove its thorns. That requires pliers and scissors. You can’t even bring yourself to use them, how can you blame the thorns for pricking you?”

Hephaestus’ fingers tightened into a fist, but he had no strength left to resist. “How could I bear to hurt him if I love him!”

“How do you know Venus wouldn’t enjoy this kind of ‘hurt’?” Poseidon’s blue eyes lowered. “I think he likes it quite a bit. After all this time, he hasn’t grown tired of me.”

Hephaestus gritted his teeth, unable to speak. He believed Venus was helpless, unable to escape.

Poseidon stood up, looking down on him from his higher position. “You are far too weak now. When you are worthy of standing at my level, then we can discuss Venus’ future. Of course, he will always, forever, belong to the sea.”

Hephaestus left the palace, his body still trembling slightly.

Venus…… the Venus he cherished so dearly, the one he couldn’t even bear to touch with a finger, was being treated like that by Poseidon.

And he was so weak that he couldn’t even save him.

“What kind of King of the Sea is he? He’s just a petty man!” Hephaestus couldn’t bear to imagine how much suffering Venus had endured.

He wanted to become stronger, to have the power to protect Venus.

But…… what could he do?

“Your words are a bit biased.” A soft female voice suddenly interrupted.

Hephaestus looked up and saw the sea nymph Thetis standing before him.

“The God of Love and Beauty was chosen as our queen as soon as he was born,” Thetis began. “Poseidon originally planned to let him stay in Olympus until he was two hundred, then bring him back to the sea. Do you know why the King of the Sea has delayed his return?”

Hephaestus didn’t know.

“It seems Zeus never told you.” Thetis sighed. “When the Norse pantheon fell, Poseidon led us in resisting for nearly three hundred years to prevent a catastrophe in Greece. Sadly, we still paid the price. Atlantis sank. As the protector of Atlantis, the King of the Sea used his divine power to transform the people of the entire city into merfolk, so they could survive underwater. I will not allow others to slander such a leader.”

Hephaestus was stunned. Even after Thetis had left, he remained frozen, lost in thought.

A catastrophe large enough to destroy an entire pantheon had occurred without his knowledge?

While Olympus was still filled with laughter and song, the King of the Sea had been leading the entire sea realm in fighting against a crisis from a foreign pantheon.

From Thetis’ words, it was clear that Zeus had known about this, yet he had never mentioned it.

Hephaestus knew that Zeus had been blinded by beauty in recent years, growing unreliable, but he never imagined he could be this irresponsible.

The safety of the entire Mount Olympus, and even all of Greece, seemed not to matter at all to Zeus.

The third King of the Gods…… perhaps it was time for him to be overthrown.

In an instant, a new ambition stirred deep within Hephaestus’ heart.

He did not rise to the surface to return to Mount Olympus. Instead, he turned and walked farther into the depths of the sea.

The impact of an entire pantheon’s destruction was enormous. When gods fell, the divine power of the battlefield scattered without a master. If one could absorb that power, their strength would grow exponentially.

Yet, it was rare for gods from other pantheons to cross boundaries and scavenge.

The ruins of a battlefield were filled with peril. The risks were so high that many would not only fail to gain anything but could end up perishing themselves.

Hephaestus did not hesitate at all.

If he could not grow stronger, then it would be better to perish here.

The vines and the golden cage’s flowers seemed to merge as one, blooming into a beautiful rose named Venus.

He no longer remembered how long he had been imprisoned. Time was indistinguishable at the bottom of the sea. In the midst of torment, even a moment felt like an eternity.

In a daze, he thought he heard Poseidon’s voice.

“Mmm……” The poor rose, his lips and teeth clenched on the vine, could only produce a soft, pitiful whimper.

Poseidon walked through the cage without any obstacles — he could freely enter and exit the cage he created himself, but Venus was unable to escape.

The blue-haired god leaned down, tenderly kissing the tear on Venus’ face.

Venus opened his emerald eyes and silently pleaded with him to release the vine that bound him.

He had been tied up for so long that his body was very sore!

And the vines were far from enough. They were only inflaming his desire without giving him complete satisfaction…… If he could be freed, he would immediately leap into Poseidon’s arms, taking the lead.

It wasn’t until Poseidon’s touch had become colder and ruthless that Venus realized the gentle God of Sea had only been a facade. The King of the Sea’s preferences were truly strange and bizarre. Keen on playing all sorts of tricks, he never gave him a quick and easy time. He insisted on driving him crazy before giving it to him, and that release was sweeter than any he had ever experienced before.

Such methods were unheard of on Mount Olympus, but he had to admit that his lust could be thoroughly released in the hands of Poseidon, each time leaving him craving more.

This was something that Hephaestus, Hermes, or Dionysus could not do.

Unknowingly, Venus found himself both fearful and dependent of Poseidon’s methods, his former disgust and boredom fading away.

Poseidon removed the vine from Venus’ mouth and gently kissed him.

The moment Venus could speak, he immediately pleaded, “Please, release me.”

Poseidon ran his thumb over his chin, and with his other hand, he pulled out a vine soaked in flower nectar. “I’ll only release this one.”

Venus let out a soft hum, his back pressed against the golden railing.

“Let me replace it.”

“……Do you take me for some lowly succubus, Your Majesty?”

This was too passive!

As the God of Love and Pleasure, Venus’ passion was always enough to let him easily control the rhythm, even when he was the one being taken. But against Poseidon, he was always utterly subdued, completely controlled. He had tried to resist, but it was always in vain. Eventually, he gave up struggling.

As long as it felt good, that was all that mattered.

“A god came to see you earlier.” Poseidon didn’t respond to his words but took charge of the rhythm, changing the subject. “Guess who it was?”

“Hephaestus? Mmm—” He barely finished the sentence before he was harshly reprimanded.

“Hearing Venus mention the names of other men, I am indeed still very unhappy.”

“Didn’t you bring him up first? What’s your problem?” Venus wanted to bite him, but he didn’t have the strength.

How could there be such an unreasonable god!

“Correct guess, but I’m not happy.”

“……You’re hard to please. Hephaestus is my friend. He must be worried about me.”

Poseidon hid the dangerous glint in his eyes, gently asking his lover, “Oh, so you want to go back with him?”

Venus fell silent.

Although he wanted to escape when this man became truly twisted, returning to Mount Olympus meant no one else would be able to satisfy his lust as thoroughly as Poseidon did.

It was such a hard decision.

Venus’ hesitation was the best answer Poseidon could have hoped for.

With a softening expression, Poseidon’s mood became even gentler as he shifted the topic. “I heard you once traded a night with Hades to retrieve Adonis’ soul?”

After spending centuries with the God of Death, even Thanatos, despite his social anxiety, had given Poseidon enough information.

“……So what?”

Poseidon leaned in, tilting Venus’ chin up with a soft, gentle touch, his voice quiet.

“My dear, I can give you everything in the world, as long as you want it, as long as I have it, and if I don’t have it, I will find a way to get it. But if you ever dare to use that face to seduce others in exchange for anything…… Of course, I wouldn’t dare to scratch your face, but I will gouge out their eyes.”

Venus was a kind god. If you told him that loving someone meant he couldn’t sleep with anyone else, he absolutely could not understand it, nor would he follow that rule. But if you told him that you’d kill anyone he dared to sleep with, he’d immediately stop messing with others.

Was it a vile threat? As long as it worked, it didn’t matter.

“……Don’t push people too far!” Venus suddenly realized. “It was you who became Ares back then?”

The sea-exclusive version of Ares carried a scent that blended both tenderness and violence, while Poseidon’s scent began gentle but turned cold. Venus had not made the connection right away. But with the mention of Adonis, even he, usually slow to catch on, understood now.

“You finally figured it out, Venus.” Poseidon smiled. “But I didn’t wrongfully accuse the real Ares. He did kill Adonis. I just took his form to expose his crime, and the celibacy spell was his punishment for killing Adonis.”

Venus urgently asked, “What is your relationship with Adonis? Why are you defending him?”

Poseidon, however, interrupted. “Enough, don’t bring up other men’s names anymore.”

“But—” Venus’s lips were sealed once again by Poseidon.

Poseidon had no intention of revealing to Venus that he was actually Adonis, at least not yet. What would be the point? Winning Venus’ love didn’t mean obtaining Venus’ lust. Venus had long stated that Adonis was his one and only love, but love and lust had nothing to do with each other.

Venus loved him, but he still wanted to sleep with others, and Poseidon couldn’t tolerate that.

In the past, he had no choice, but in the future, he would never allow it. Not only would he make sure Venus could never act on those desires, but he would make sure Venus never even thought of them again.

The only way to achieve this was by breaking them down one by one — first, Poseidon would make Adonis his one true love. Second, Poseidon himself would become Venus’ one and only lust. Finally, he would merge the two.

He wanted to completely control Venus’ desires, offering him infinite pleasure, until Venus could no longer experience the same intense sensations from anyone else, and would willingly live his whole life satisfied with only one dish. Of course, this process of taming would evoke some resistance, especially from a rose so delicate. Adonis, the white moonlight, didn’t suit that role.

He would bestow upon the God of Pleasure the highest form of pleasure, while also reaping the undying love of the God of Love.

He wanted to possess the God of Beauty who could make the world fall into chaos with his beauty.

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