Episode 11: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode  11: The Story of Tartarus – (2)

Boom! Boom!

The sound of my father, Cronos, pounding on the thick bronze door echoed through the underworld.

True to his title as the strongest of the Titans, he endured the scorching hot winds near the bronze door as he struck it, speaking once more.

"Hades, I hear Zeus has taken control of the world!"

His voice, filled with agony from the heat, sounded like the howl of a beast.

In case of an emergency, the three Hecatoncheires brothers exchanged glances and began gathering their strength.

I placed my hand on the Styx sword at my waist and approached the bronze door.

The Hecatoncheires brothers suggested I should just ignore him, but the other side had already heard my voice.

I had to extinguish any hope of escape he might have so he wouldn't keep bothering the three brothers.

"And what does that have to do with you?"

"Of course it has something to do with me! Are you really satisfied being the ruler of this dark underworld?!"

I wondered what he was trying to say...

It seems he's trying to sow discord using the information I just shared with the three brothers about the outside world.

"If you release me, I'll overthrow that cursed Zeus and give you everything under the heavens!"

I have no interest in power.

And you, who tried to kill your own children and started a war, think you can sway me with promises of power?

"I'll give you any goddess, except for Rhea! Just imagine it, all those beautiful..."

"Abandon your false hopes and remain imprisoned forever."

The fact that he was still standing firm against the scorching winds beyond the door was impressive.

"Why?! Don’t you find my offer appealing? Those hideous creatures may be guarding the door, but for someone like you, opening it for a moment should be possible!"

The "hideous creatures" he referred to were the Hecatoncheires brothers, who had been thrown into Tartarus by their grandfather Uranus and left there by Cronos.

Hearing Kronos’s words, the brothers scowled even more, their expressions growing even fiercer.

With such a rude personality, it's no wonder he was defeated by us, despite once ruling the world.

"No matter what terms you offer, I have no intention of releasing you, so..."

As I continued to refuse, Cronos shouted in desperation.

"Grr... Hades! Does your father not deserve any pity?! You are the child of Rhea and me!"

* * *

Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, is one of the most virtuous gods among the deities.

It’s hard to believe that the god of the underworld, whom everyone fears, could be virtuous, but at least, to Lethe, he seemed that way.

Despite his high status as one of the three chief gods, he had the character to respect lower-ranking gods like her.

Even though he was also Pluto, the god of wealth, he didn’t adorn himself with common trinkets like bracelets, showing a modest side.

He always showed the aspect of a wise ruler, concerned about the lives of the souls who became his subjects.

A merciful god who thought more about the mortal beings who lived short lives rather than the power of the underworld.

He was so different from Zeus and Poseidon, his fellow chief gods.

Especially when it came to goddesses he fancied—unlike those two, who would take them by force, Hades was not a brute like his brothers.

Sometimes she could feel his gaze on her when she wore clothes that revealed her figure, so it wasn’t as if he had no interest in women.

But despite having sufficient power and authority, why did he refrain from pursuing goddesses?

Perhaps it was this very quality that made her fall for him.

Hades might not realize it, but there were many women who aimed to become the queen of the underworld.

Many goddesses on Olympus, the goddess Styx, nymphs who dwelt in certain objects or natural places...

And lastly, Lethe herself, the goddess of forgetfulness.

That’s why she had just subtly focused her powers of forgetfulness to satisfy her own feelings.

He had eventually caught her holding his hand, but she liked that he didn’t scold her harshly and let it slide.

It was clear to Lethe that this usually gentle god was now genuinely enraged.

"Did you just call yourself my father?"

As Hades glared at the bronze door with a twisted, savage smile, the entire underworld trembled.

His figure transformed into a shadowy form, enveloped in a pitch-black, icy divine aura.

With just a single word, the intensity of his emotions was palpable.

This anger was on an entirely different level than when he had warned Olympus through Iris about the great flood.

As his overwhelming divine power surged, Lethe involuntarily stepped back.

Even the Hecatoncheires brothers, who had fought valiantly in the Titanomachy, couldn't dismiss Hades lightly and watched him with stern expressions.

Unaware of his son's wrath, Cronos continued speaking from beyond the bronze door.

"Even though our relationship has been rough, we are still father and son, are we not?! Do you not remember when you were born and held in Rhea’s arms?"

"If I could, I would drain every drop of your blood from my veins."

Although intense emotions were erupting, causing the ground beneath Hades to crack, his voice remained astonishingly calm.

"You insolent wretch! The offspring born from my father’s blood will judge you!"

"The Erinyes and I get along quite well. They even visited my fortress recently."

"What?!"

The monsters born from Cronos's father's blood were none other than the three goddesses of vengeance, the Erinyes.

Born from the blood of Uranus's severed genitals, they were shunned and feared by all.

Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness, was well aware of them since they resided in the underworld.

Tisiphone, Alecto, Megaera.

'These three goddesses, with their bronze wings, bleeding eyes, and snake-like hair, are the goddesses of vengeance.'

They punish all kinds of sins, but especially avenge acts of kin-slaying, with a particular focus on punishing heinous crimes against one’s own family.

Although these terrifying goddesses of vengeance were shunned by all, the King of the Underworld approached them without hesitation and now had developed a relationship with them, to the point of occasionally exchanging friendship.

"You were the one who tried to kill us first, weren’t you? The Erinyes are not as foolish as you think."

"Hades! I—"

"As the Lord of the Underworld, I say this,"

Hades’s icy voice cut off the god of time and agriculture.

At this very moment, his words were both a proclamation and a decree.

The declaration, made with the full force of the god of the underworld's divine authority, began to weigh heavily on Cronos.

It wasn’t to the point of interfering with fate, but at least here in the underworld, it was a prophecy imbued with undeniable power.

"You will never escape from there."

"Grr... you... Do you think you’ll be any different?! In the end, when someone threatens your authority..."

The voice beyond the bronze door gradually faded.

No matter how powerful Cronos was, it seemed he could no longer withstand the raging hot winds.

As his voice slowly disappeared, Hades also calmed his emotions.

The ominously terrifying black form dissipated, and he returned to his usual gloomy yet composed appearance.

With a bitter smile, he spoke to the Hecatoncheires.

"Sigh... The underworld must have been shaken, frightening many souls. I’m sorry, but I should return now."

"Hmm... See you next time, then."

"Today wasn’t a good day to unwind."

"Don’t worry and go back. We’ll keep this place safe."

Indeed, he was a virtuous god.

 

** *

What madness. Did he really think I would be swayed by appealing to our blood ties, claiming to be my father?

What? Give me the world under the heavens and hand over goddesses if I free him?

The underworld trembled considerably because of that crazed criminal’s nonsensical babble.

Not being able to control my emotions properly—how unbecoming of a ruler...

"Um... Hades."

The goddess Lethe, who had been quietly walking alongside me on the way back to the underworld, spoke up.

She had her usual dazed expression, but for some reason, it felt like she was pitying me.

"I can make the memory a bit hazy if you’d like..."

"…It's fine."

I knew she meant it kindly, considering how enraged I had been earlier...

But it wasn't necessary. I was just a bit displeased.

For now, I needed to focus on the citizens of the underworld who were frightened by the recent earthquake, rather than my own feelings.

When I return, the goddess Styx will probably scold me again.

As I ascended further, I noticed the soldiers on duty here were gripping their weapons tightly, looking extremely tense.

They probably thought there was an invasion, given the disturbance I caused earlier.

"Lord Hades. There was a tremor deep within the underworld..."

"Did something happen with the prisoners in Tartarus..."

I brushed past them, telling them not to worry, that nothing was amiss.

I should hurry back to the fortress and get to work.

"Lord Hades!"

"Morpheus? What’s the matter?"

The god with striking green hair, Morpheus, the god of dreams.

A son of Erebus, the god of darkness, and Nyx, the goddess of night, he was one of the deities of the underworld.

Like his brother, Hypnos, the god of sleep, he always had a calm and gentle demeanor...

But for some reason, he now wore a very urgent expression.

It was nighttime, so he should be out of the underworld, delivering dreams to the living.

"Huff... I found the god Hermes, covered in blood, collapsed at the entrance to the underworld!"

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