Episode 9: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 9: The Story of Life – (4)

After finishing his story, Zeus vanished in a flash of lightning.

Only then did I call in the gods who had been waiting outside the office.

[Zeus has left, so you may all come in.]

Both Zeus and I knew that there were many curious about our conversation, but we didn’t pay it any mind.

Using divine power, we had blocked the sound from reaching outside.

"Hades, could it be that even after the flood, our work will increase..."

"Did Lord Zeus give you any additional orders...?"

I calmly explained to their anxious faces.

Zeus had sworn by the River Styx that he would never again sweep the earth without consulting the Underworld.

And during the Great Flood, he promised to send the goddess of wisdom, Athena, along with her attendants to assist the Underworld.

"Phew... It's a relief amidst the misfortune."

"We were already worried about the workload, but if it's the goddess Athena..."

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The atmosphere in the Underworld became warm and friendly again.

Sighs of relief were heard all around, and the gods dispersed with slightly brighter faces.

It was three days before the Great Flood began.

* * *

'The Day of the Great Flood'

With a solemn voice, Zeus, the king of the gods, called upon Boreas, the god of the north wind who had enormous wings.

"Boreas, from now on, do not stir the wind and stay in the cave of Aeolus for nine days. I will hear no objections."

"...I will follow your will."

Boreas entered the cave of Aeolus, the wind god who traps the winds, and ceased his duties.

As a result, the rain clouds filling the sky would never dissipate.

Next, Notus, the god of the south wind, stood before Zeus.

Being the god who symbolized the summer south wind and rain, he was always soaked.

"Notus! Until I tell you to stop, pour down rain as much as you desire. It is fine if all the lands are submerged."

Notus, whose body and wings were dripping wet, received Zeus' command and touched the clouds in the sky.

Soon, accompanied by thunderous roars, a torrential downpour began on the earth.

'Shwaa—'

The goddess of the rainbow, Iris, who had already received instructions from Hera, fetched water from the Milky Way to add moisture to the clouds.

The day when the rain clouds dry up would be when the command of the goddess Hera is withdrawn.

"Hermes! Inform Poseidon that the time has come. Athena! Descend to the Underworld with the selected attendants and assist Hades."

Hermes, the messenger god, carrying the Caduceus—a staff entwined with two snakes—and dressed as a light traveler, swiftly flew to the sea.

He was the son of Zeus and also the god of thieves and travelers.

"For the next nine days, if any god aids the beings of the earth out of personal feelings, they should be prepared to face the consequences!"

Flash, boom!!

Zeus' final shout, imbued with his power, resounded through the divine palace of Olympus along with the sound of thunder.

Hearing the cry, many gods were too afraid to act rashly.

Who would dare to stop the king of gods when he has decided to punish humans?

* * *

Upon receiving a visit from Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, Poseidon raised a massive wave that overturned the earth.

The human villages along the coast were submerged to the bottom of the sea in an instant.

Next, he summoned all the river gods.

The great sea god's command to the river gods was simple.

"Open all the floodgates and let the waters flow as they please."

Among them, some river gods cherished humans, but they could not defy Poseidon's order and opened the floodgates.

The life forms near the rivers were swept into the deep waters in an instant.

Then, when Poseidon's trident struck the earth, the immense power opened up all the water channels.

A terrifying flood engulfed the entire world.

In this sudden calamity, human villages, temples, orchards, and fields were reduced to unrecognizable ruins.

Humans desperately crawled up to the mountaintops, trying to survive the wrath of the gods.

"Zeus, oh Zeus! Why are you doing this?"

"I don't want to meet Hades yet! What have we done wrong?"

"I have offered so many sacrifices to Poseidon until now..."

"Gurgle, I... I'm not ready..."

Those who escaped drowning felt relieved for a moment, only to soon lament in a world turned into a sea.

Weak as they are, humans die within days if they miss a few meals and don't drink water.

The only ones smiling amidst the flood were the sea nymphs, the Nereids.

No human could endure the great flood that lasted for nine days.

* * *

Around the time when there was no more land left in the world, the Underworld was busier than ever.

An uncountable number of souls flowed across the five rivers that marked the boundary between the Underworld and the living world, surging into Hades' stronghold.

"Hades, sir! The area where souls are gathered can no longer..."

"Let's see... Beside Elysium, isn't it? I'll take care of it right away, so have them receive the souls elsewhere for now."

"Charon's ferry has sunk, and souls have fallen into the Acheron River!"

"Send a messenger to the goddess Lethe to rescue the souls and have her assist us..."

I, Hades, in my office, was in a state where even three bodies would not suffice.

With one hand, I was reviewing reports from various parts of the Underworld on parchment.

The other hand was busy wielding authority throughout the Underworld, judging, assigning, and passing verdicts on souls.

My eyes were darting around, surveying the entire Underworld.

My mouth was drying up as I responded to the reports from the messengers, and then I heard the news I had been waiting for.

"The goddess Athena has arrived with her attendants from Olympus..."

"Send the attendants to the goddess Styx outside, and have Athena come here immediately, quickly!"

Soon, Athena, clad in full armor and holding a spear, opened the office door and saluted.

"Greeting my great uncle, Hades, lord of the Underworld..."

"If you're here, sit down and get to work quickly."

I glanced at Athena before turning my attention back to the mountain of scrolls piling up in front of me.

Of course, it was only natural to move half of the work stacked to the ceiling over to Athena.

"Uh... what's this...?"

"We don't need the god of war for paperwork, so take off that armor already."

Athena, as the goddess of war, wisdom, and civilization, seemed to realize what was about to happen to her.

With a resigned smile, she began to take off her armor and sat down in front of me.

Outside the office, the sounds of gods shouting, the busy movement of souls, and the murmurs of the underworld could be heard.

Fortunately, with the goddess of wisdom joining the battle against paperwork, we were sure to win.

After being buried in a pile of scrolls for a long time, Athena finally spoke up cautiously.

"Uncle, if you lend me your name, I have a way to get us out of this mess."

"If the goddess of wisdom says so, there's no harm in it. Go ahead."

I saw Athena doing something after her suspicious remark, but I ignored it since there was too much work to do.

And after about four or five of Charon's boats had been destroyed...

"Lord Hades! The god of war, Ares, has arrived at the Acheron River!"

Athena met my gaze and flashed me a wise smile from between the stacks of scrolls.

Moments later, a handsome, muscular male god with a cheerful smile entered the office.

It was Ares, the god of war, the son of Zeus and Hera.

"Uncle Hades! Where is the war I should be fighting?"

"Good, as the god of war, you'll be good at leading, right? From now on, your job is to guide the souls crossing the Styx River and send them here."

"Uh...? What do you mean? Athena over there told me..."

Listening to Ares' bewildered words, I couldn't help but find it amusing.

Athena had sent a message to him, saying, [If you come to the underworld now, you can join a massive war], and that's why he rushed over.

She even vouched for the truth of her words in my name.

So, even if he had doubts, he believed her and came here...

But in this situation, where every god is needed, I had no reason to show him mercy.

"....Athenaaa! You've tricked me again!"

"I only said you could participate in the war against paperwork in the underworld, so what's the problem?"

Ares, who was crying out in anguish, suddenly vanished as he was seized by a lower god who appeared behind him.

He didn't resist, mainly because I was watching with my eyes wide open.

* * *

Finally, after a long nine days, the great flood came to an end.

The gods of the underworld could finally rest a little, and just as they were about to drink nectar, another message came from Olympus.

"Deucalion, the son of Prometheus, has survived the flood and intends to revive humanity. Lord Hades, please reincarnate the souls."

So, Prometheus, with his gift of prophecy, had warned his son about the flood.

That’s how he could build an ark and save his life.

But now... do they want me to reincarnate the souls to recreate humanity?

When I focused my eyes and ears on the earth for a moment, I could hear Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha talking.

"Hmm... Darling, the oracle of Lord Zeus... says if we wish to revive humanity, we must throw the bones of the great mother over our shoulders."

"Oh gods! We cannot commit the sin of desecrating our ancestors! Please, take back the oracle..."

"Wait a moment. Could it be that 'great mother' means the earth, and 'bones' refer to stones?"

"Oh...! That could be it!"

When I saw them start picking up stones from the ground, I immediately shouted to the gods.

Quickly select the souls to be reincarnated and send them to the earth.

"Damn it! Does this mean the work still isn’t over?"

"Hypnos! The goddess Lethe has collapsed, and you’re putting her to sleep?"

"I didn’t put her to sleep, she just collapsed from exhaustion!"

"Hurry up and sort out the souls!"

The underworld, which had just started to calm down, quickly descended into chaos again.

Meanwhile, on earth, Deucalion and his wife started throwing stones, creating human shapes.

"Uh...? We threw the stones, and they formed into human shapes, but why aren’t they moving?"

"Hmm, let’s wait a bit. It seems the gods are busy."

"Hurry up, souls! It's time to reincarnate!"

"Did you properly sort out the souls of the guilty?"

"Send them to the world of the living in order!"

The souls emerging from the underworld entered the human forms under the guidance of the gods.

Only then did Deucalion and Pyrrha feel relieved and started throwing stones with all their might.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The stones fell to the ground nonstop, successfully turning into humans...

But the gods of the underworld were instead filled with frustration.

"Damn it! Couldn’t they throw them a little slower?"

"What are they in such a hurry for, scattering stones like that?!"

The underworld remains busy today.

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