Episode 10: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 10: The Story of Tartarus – (1)

Tartarus.

The deepest layer of the underworld, the abyssal realm.

It's the most hidden and profound place beneath the earth, where even the goddess of the night, Nyx, resides.

It's also where the Titans, defeated by us Olympian gods, are imprisoned.

And now, I am about to head there.

If you're asking why I would willingly go to a prison shrouded in fog that even the gods avoid...

For one, Tartarus is close to the underworld, my domain, and it's a place where extremely dangerous criminals are confined.

Although the three Hecatoncheires brothers guard it as gatekeepers, I also have a duty to inspect it periodically.

If the Titans were to escape from that hell, the primary responsibility would fall on the three brothers, but the secondary responsibility would be mine for not responding quickly.

With the Styx Sword at my waist and light leather sandals on my feet, I left my bedroom.

In the fortress of the underworld, the administrators and minor gods were bustling around, always diligently working for the souls.

"Let's delay the assignment of the newly arrived souls for now, there's still..."

"Lord Moros has temporarily handed over his duties... Oh, Lord Hades!"

"I'm glad to see more souls choosing to stay here instead of reincarnating."

"I'll go ahead and wait. Let's have a meal together in the living world sometime."

"If you can avoid the blessing of Lady Lethe, that is. Haha!"

One hand held a scroll, while the other directed souls—these were the administrators.

Senior soul soldiers were explaining the shift regulations to the new recruits.

Children's souls, transparent, playing pranks as they passed through walls.

The spirit of an old human conversing with a neighbor as they waited for reincarnation.

This is the typical scene of the underworld, the realm I govern.

As I walked, slowly observing my subjects, more souls began to gather around me.

The administrators and minor gods tried to follow me, offering to assist, but I waved them away, intending to go alone—until I saw a familiar face.

"Hades, where are you going?"

With tired, unfocused eyes and a weak voice, this goddess with long silver hair cascading down to her waist and a form-fitting outfit was Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness.

Usually, she would be at the river of forgetfulness, blankly staring at the riverbank. What brought her here today?

Especially since the great flood has long ended, and there isn’t much work to be done.

"Are you thinking about why I came here...?" 

Her voice, which could lull anyone to sleep, lingered in my ears.

Soft and drawn out, her very tone seemed to encroach on the domain of Hypnos, the god of sleep.

She walked up to me, her sleepy eyes looking up at me as if wondering why I hadn't started moving yet.

"Yawn... It looks like you're headed to Tartarus. I'll come with you."

No matter how I look at it, she seems more like a goddess of sleep than of forgetfulness.

Since the thought of walking to Tartarus alone felt a bit lonely, I nodded in agreement.

Tartarus is the lowest part of the underworld, the most feared by mortals.

The path leading there is guarded by numerous soul soldiers I’ve stationed.

"Greetings, Lord Hades."

"Glory to the lord of the underworld."

The souls in translucent armor, holding spears, bowed to me and to the goddess Lethe.

I gave some words of encouragement to the guards who were faithfully protecting the path to Tartarus.

"May glory also be with the goddess Lethe."

"Mm. Mm... good work..."

We passed by the braziers that Hestia herself had come down to the underworld to make, and headed into the increasingly dark depths.

The path descending downward grew narrower, and a chilly air began to envelop us.

* * *

After traversing a suffocatingly narrow space for a long time, we finally came upon a wide path that led to an open area where a bronze fortress shrouded in mist appeared before us.

As we approached, we were greeted by the massive bronze doors and thick bronze walls that seemed to stretch on endlessly, crafted by Poseidon himself.

The three Hecatoncheires brothers, who guard this place... There they are.

Gigantic beings, each with fifty heads and one hundred hands, gazed in our direction.

The 300 eyes of the three brothers collectively focused on us, giving me an indescribable feeling.

"Hey, Hades. It's been a long time."

"Hmm? Hades is here. You must be busy with underworld matters..."

"Have you finally married Lethe, who is by your side?"

The many heads attached to the giant bodies greeted me and the goddess Lethe.

It had been a while since I'd seen them, so I returned their greeting with warmth.

But marriage? Lethe and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.

"Judging by how you're holding hands, it seems you are."

"Wasn't Styx supposed to be Hades' partner?"

"Haha! You two look so sweet together."

Holding hands...? What are they talking about?

I should have come down here keeping some distance from Lethe.

But after hearing what they said, I noticed warmth in my left hand.

The soft, small hand of a goddess.

As I turned to the side, the goddess Lethe quietly let go of my hand, her face still bearing the same absentminded expression as always.

Or perhaps, there was a faint blush on her cheeks...

"Could you please suppress your powers of forgetfulness a bit?"

"Tsk... Can't I hold your hand?"

Lethe, the goddess who controls the power of forgetfulness, causes nearby living beings to gradually lose their memories even without doing anything.

Of course, there are clear limits. The more someone is aware of her and the stronger they are, the less her power affects them.

Still, it's within her ability to play small pranks that make me momentarily forget something if I let my guard down.

If I put some distance between us, everything would come back to me.

But to think she had crept up and held my hand while making me forget about it—she truly is the granddaughter of Nyx, one of the primordial deities.

I’ll have to stay alert from now on. Who knows what kind of trick she'll try next?

As I circulated a bit of divine power, my mind cleared, and Lethe's influence was quickly swept away.

"You're too mean, keeping Styx by your side all the time..."

"I've never done such a thing."

She spoke in a dejected tone, but Lethe's face remained as blank as ever, so I shook my head.

And besides, I’ve never kept only the goddess Styx by my side.

The Styx sword is a different matter, though.

"Guffaw! So, it hasn't happened yet?"

"Hades, Zeus and Poseidon have both found their partners. Why are you still...?"

"Why not ask Hera, the goddess of marriage and family, to arrange a match for you?"

Zeus's wife is, of course, Hera, the queen of the gods.

And Poseidon married Amphitrite, a sea goddess.

Naturally, I was invited to their wedding, which was held underwater, where I got to see thousands of marine creatures speaking like humans.

There was even a seahorse that had been crying because its father had recently passed on to my underworld.

Later, I found him in the underworld and offered him a bit of comfort—could this be the weight of being the lord of the dead?

As the king of the underworld, it might be seen as my responsibility or a burden placed upon me.

The increase in my subjects inevitably means more grief for the living in the mortal world.

As war, famine, and great floods occur, the power of the underworld grows stronger, but I cannot simply be pleased by this.

"But enough about that. Tell me what's happening outside."

"Weren’t they talking about creating new life?"

"I wonder how Zeus, who saved us, is doing."

I shared with them the significant events that had occurred in the outside world.

Some might say I could just send a messenger to inform them regularly, but this is a sign of respect.

Respect for the three brothers who played a great role in the war against the Titans.

If the lord of the underworld himself comes down here to talk, they won't feel they’re being treated poorly.

"What?! To wipe out the human race?"

"Whoa... A great flood, huh? Poseidon must’ve had a hard time."

"Prometheus finally fell out of favor with Zeus, huh? Tsk tsk..."

"Indeed. His gift of prophecy was a big help during the war..."

The three brothers—Cottos, Briareos, and Gyges—showed great interest in the news I brought from the outside.

As their combined 150 heads began chattering, the surrounding area quickly filled with noise.

Then, suddenly, a loud sound came from the gate separating Tartarus from the underworld.

Boom! Boom!

It was the sound of a prisoner inside Tartarus pounding on the bronze door!

The three brothers, Lethe, and I immediately stopped talking and became vigilant.

Inside Tartarus, fierce, scorching winds blow relentlessly, terrifying even the gods.

Moreover, the place is filled with a power that suppresses the divine strength of the Titans, making it difficult to exert any significant force.

And while entering from the outside is easy, trying to exit is another matter entirely, as the winds grow increasingly violent the closer you get to the door.

Therefore, there aren’t many who can push through the intensifying storm to pound on the bronze door.

Only the strongest among the Titans could do such a thing.

For example...

"The voice I just heard—there's no doubt it’s my eldest son, Hades! Please... please get me out of here!"

...like my father, Cronos, the god of agriculture and time.

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