Episode 18: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 18: The Story After the Typohnomanchy – (2)

As I crossed Iris’s rainbow, my body was transported to Olympus.

It had been a while since I last felt the soft yet weighty sensation of standing on the clouds.

A world filled entirely with white clouds stretched out before me, with the Olympian palace visible in the distance.

It appeared to be made of white marble, but in reality, it was a structure forged from metals by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes.

The enormous temple—or rather, the divine palace—that seemed to reach the Milky Way in the sky...

"Why does it look so intact?"

It should’ve been half-destroyed by Typhon, left in a wretched state.

Hearing my mutter, Iris sighed and responded.

"Lord Zeus ordered Lord Hephaestus to lead the complete and rapid reconstruction of the palace."

A valiant warrior who calls forth flames in battle, and Olympus’s greatest blacksmith—just thinking about Hephaestus being worn out from rebuilding that place made me laugh a little.

Iris didn’t look too good either... Ah, I see, she must’ve had a rough time too.

I cast a sympathetic glance at the goddess of the rainbow and walked towards the entrance of the Olympian palace.

It was clearly more extravagant than the entrance to the Underworld where I reside.

The pillars were covered in gold, engraved with dragon and lightning motifs, and the handles were made of a strange, glowing metal.

A little way off from the door, the soft glow of the river of starlight, the Milky Way, flowed.

"Oh, that decoration was designed after much deliberation by Lord Apollo and Lord Hephaestus..."

As I stood admiring the work, it was clear that it had been crafted by gods with a keen aesthetic sense. Iris began explaining, but I was ready to head inside, so I listened half-heartedly and pushed the door open.

Sliiiide—

The floor of the Olympian palace was made of clouds.

So, instead of the unpleasant creaking sound, the door opened smoothly.

Olympus’s banquet was filled with numerous gods and attendants coming and going.

Many ornate tables and chairs were arranged, and ambrosia, the food of the gods, was neatly served on plates.

"Black hair and eyes, with that chilling aura..."

"The lord of the Underworld has actually come to Olympus..."

"I heard Lord Zeus invited him, but still..."

Ignoring the murmuring lower gods and attendants, I looked around.

Tingling~ Ting, ting~

"Wow..."

"Shh..! You’re making it hard to hear the music."

First, I noticed the god of music, Apollo, sitting on a chair with a golden cup of nectar by his side, playing his lyre...

Surrounding him were goddesses and female attendants, listening to the music with infatuated expressions.

"Here, pour me some nectar."

"Yes! Right away!"

Whenever the gods held out their cups, the attendants, wearing easily movable chitons, scurried across the clouds to pour nectar from a bottle.

They were the attendants of Hebe, the goddess of youth, who managed the nectar and ambrosia.

She, the daughter of Zeus and Hera, was always busy directing the attendants during the gods' banquets.

"Hebe."

"Oh! Lord Hades, you've arrived!"

She greeted me with a radiant smile and bowed her head.

After exchanging some formalities with my niece, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, I reached out to pick up a nearby golden cup.

Or rather, I was about to, had the sea god with blue hair not reached out first.

"Hey, Hades. To be honest, I didn’t think you’d actually come to Olympus."

"Poseidon."

The sea god, who ruled over the oceans, grinned and downed the nectar in one gulp.

In his other hand, he held his prized trident.

"Hmm... What do you think of Olympus’s banquet?"

"It’s just another banquet. Is there some problem?"

As Poseidon picked up some ambrosia from a plate, he said to me:

[Would you consider attending a banquet at my palace next time? There are things I can’t discuss here…]

The second-in-command of Olympus glanced around, his expression hardening slightly, and quietly conveyed his message to me.

I subtly nodded in agreement.

[I’ll send one of my servants to the entrance of the Underworld later.]

[I don’t mind.]

Yes, I had a feeling something like this would happen, which is why I went out of my way to attend this banquet.

Just by being in a gathering of gods for a short time, you can catch all sorts of news, secrets I don’t know, and shady stories.

As the king of the Underworld, I cannot live with my eyes and ears shut.

After making plans with Poseidon, we engaged in casual conversation and naturally moved in different directions.

I could feel the eyes of the crowd briefly focus on us before scattering as the two main gods who ruled over the sea and the Underworld gathered.

It seemed Zeus, who was hosting this banquet, was planning to make an appearance shortly.

He would likely show up when enough gods had gathered, raise his cup, and set the mood.

* * *

"Hades. I didn’t expect you to come."

"Why is it so surprising that I would come to Olympus?"

With hair that evoked the color of ripe grain, a mix of auburn and golden hues...

A goddess of striking beauty with an expression that didn’t quite match, this was Demeter, the goddess of the earth and one of the Twelve Olympians.

She was drinking nectar while gazing down at the earth through the clouds.

"You’re always busy ruling the Underworld, so naturally, I assumed you wouldn’t come."

"It’s not like I’m constantly buried in work."

Even if she didn’t believe me, it was true.

In fact, you could even say that I’m shirking my duties to take a break right now.

She turned her gaze back to the world below.

The earth seen from the divine palace atop Mount Olympus wasn’t the usual scenery... No, it wasn’t.

"Are those working on the half-destroyed Mount Olympus your subordinates?"

"I just assigned some minor tasks to the lesser gods and nymphs."

Well, restoring Mount Olympus after it was shattered by Typhon doesn’t seem like a minor task, though.

Aren't the nymphs over there already looking disgruntled?

I paused to listen to what those working below were saying.

“Ugh... How much longer do we have to do this...”

“This is a task from Lady Demeter. If we don’t do it properly, our true forms will wither away!”

“I... I’m a dryad, too, so I can't risk angering Lady Demeter!”

Dryads are nymphs who dwell within trees.

They have long lifespans, but unlike the gods, they are not immortal, and they cannot stray far from their trees.

So, they have no choice but to toil under Demeter's orders to avoid withering away.

If they don't want to shrivel up overnight, they have to do what they're told...

"You should go easier on them."

"The earth is my child, and they depend on me to live. What's wrong with asking them to do this much?"

Demeter looked as if she couldn’t understand, but I hope she shows a bit of mercy.

If she worked in the underworld once, she'd learn to appreciate the struggles of the underlings...

“The king of the gods, Lord Zeus of Olympus, is entering!”

A lesser god who commands the winds raised his voice and shouted.

At the same time, a muscular male god with golden hair, whom I recognized, appeared—Zeus.

"It seems everyone is enjoying themselves."

* * *

The sweet melody that had been softly playing from Apollo's lyre ceased.

The gods who had been feasting on nectar and ambrosia paused their meals and bowed their heads in respect.

As all eyes turned to the king of the gods, he spoke once more.

"I, Zeus, as the host of this Olympus feast, will keep my words brief."

Clearing his throat, he spoke in a grand voice filled with divine power.

"We recently faced a formidable foe, Typhon, but all the gods here united their strength and successfully repelled that monster!"

Everyone knew that this feast was a celebration of their victory over Typhon.

"Let us take this moment to honor the gods who made significant contributions in the battle against Typhon. First... Hermes!"

Hermes, a youthful god with a cheerful demeanor, holding a caduceus, stepped forward and bowed his head.

Zeus patted him on the shoulder, said something to him, and then raised his voice again.

"Hermes here, despite suffering severe injuries at the hands of Typhon, succeeded in seeking reinforcements from the underworld. If it weren't for Hermes, Olympus might have been defeated! As a reward, he will receive a pair of greaves crafted by Hephaestus, and..."

"Ooooh..."

"As expected of the messenger god..."

"Hermes did well indeed."

"If Lord Hades hadn’t reclaimed the Scythe, we would have been in real danger..."

I quietly watched as Zeus praised his son, Hermes, for his achievements.

Hermes wore an awkward smile, as if he thought the praise was too much.

"Next, the goddess of wisdom and my daughter, Athena, step forward!"

As expected, Athena, fully armored, confidently strode forward and knelt on one knee before Zeus.

During the battle with Typhon, Athena's strategy had indeed been effective.

"The plan that so skillfully deceived Typhon was your idea, proving once again that the title of goddess of wisdom is well deserved..."

Earlier, Zeus mentioned that he would honor those who deserved recognition.

The word "honor" implies a superior commending an inferior.

So, it's no surprise that names like Poseidon, who dealt significant damage to Typhon, or mine, weren’t mentioned by Zeus.

Although I acknowledge Zeus as the king of the gods due to his overwhelming strength, we are almost equal as the three chief gods.

"....Ares! You fought bravely, befitting the god of war..."

And well, since he’s praising the accomplishments of his sons and daughters, there's no reason to rain on his parade.

As Zeus went around praising the gods, I took a sip of nectar.

Hmm... Is Olympus’ nectar different? Why does it taste sweeter than when I drink it in the underworld?

"....That concludes the honors for those who courageously stood against Typhon! I, Zeus, shall take my leave now, so please continue to enjoy the feast!"

Rumble!

Zeus vanished from the banquet hall with a thunderous sound.

It seems he left because he was considerate enough to think the lesser gods might feel uncomfortable with the ruler of Olympus around.

But did he really have to leave with thunder? 

To me, it was just noisy.

"Hermes! Please tell us more about how you escaped from Typhon's grasp..."

"I wasn't here on Olympus at the time, but was that monster really that strong?"

"As expected of the goddess of wisdom, Lady Athena!"

"Ares, later let's ride the chariot together..."

Today's heroes, those who excelled in the battle against Typhon, were surrounded by many gods.

There were plenty eager to hear their tales of valor or to take this chance to build connections with the Twelve Olympians.

"Lord Poseidon! Even though Lord Zeus didn't mention it, I..."

"So, whose child are you?"

For the record, no one approached me, who was sipping nectar in a corner with Demeter.

Even the ferocious Poseidon had gods talking to him, so why...

Demeter, who had been watching me, chuckled softly and spoke up.

"Isn't it obvious? If you displease Hades, you get cast into Tartarus, and if you please him, you get dragged to the underworld. Who would dare approach you?"

"Did I say my thoughts out loud?"

"...It’s written all over your face, Hades."

Of course, it's not hard to understand.

Aside from the Twelve Gods who can sit on the golden thrones of Olympus, there are plenty who fear and revere me.

The underworld, the land of the dead, is deep, dark, terrifying, gloomy, and grim... but still...

It's a feast, and there are only so many gods to talk to, so it’s a bit boring with nothing interesting happening.

At least I got acquainted with a few newly born gods.

To be precise, they nervously came to greet me, and I let them off with a simple response.

"Loosen up your expression; you look even more gloomy. Like you're about to drag someone off to Tartarus..."

"I'm not."

Demeter commented on my appearance with a slightly awkward expression.

Isn’t this what they call discrimination against the underworld?

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