Episode 23: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 23: Aftermath of the Rebellion

After the rebellion on Olympus was quelled, I spoke to Zeus.

"Zeus, the reason I was able to realize the rebellion and ascend to Olympus in time was thanks to Thetis."

"Thetis told you...?"

Thetis is a goddess renowned for her beauty, second only to Amphitrite, Poseidon's consort. Many gods courted her, but...

"Is she the one from the prophecy, whose son will surpass his father and become a great hero?"

"Yes, it's the Thetis you're thinking of."

Zeus himself once courted her but quickly gave up after hearing Prometheus's prophecy. He even tried to marry her off to a suitable mortal, but she persistently refused.

"Hmm, I understand why you're bringing this up. You want me to acknowledge her contribution and offer her some leniency?"

"Prophecies are absolute, but they can be interpreted in different ways. Just because her son will surpass his father doesn't necessarily mean he'll threaten your authority..."

The King of the Gods, who is more sensitive about his authority than anyone else, adopts a serious expression. After all, since Zeus overthrew his father, Cronus, he's bound to be wary, even of his own children.

So, he won't allow Thetis to marry any god. If her child were to surpass the gods, wouldn't that ultimately mean becoming the King of the Gods?

That would be a direct threat to Zeus.

"This requires some thought. As you know, the reason we're here today is because of our own rebellion against Cronus."

"But things might have been different if Cronus had seen us as his children rather than potential challengers."

"Hmm!"

It's something I've pondered from time to time.

If Cronus had viewed us as his children, not as potential threats, how might things have turned out? Would we still have overthrown him and seized control of the world?

"Think about your cherished daughter, Athena. In the end, the prophecy about her didn’t come true as expected, did it?"

"...If anyone other than you had said that, I might have taken it as a challenge to my authority."

Zeus brings a hand to his temple, slightly furrowing his brow. A faint bolt of lightning emanates from his body, proof that he's slightly irritated.

Though Athena is now his beloved daughter, when he heard the prophecy that a son born from Metis and him would overthrow him, she was nothing more than a threat.

So, Zeus swallowed Metis, who was pregnant with Athena. Eventually, Athena was born after splitting open Zeus's head.

It's fortunate that Athena turned out to be a daughter. If she had been a son... the number of gods imprisoned in Tartarus might have increased by one that day.

"Thetis deserves recognition, and since it’s you, who has no interest in the throne, making this request, I'll consider it."

"Good. Now, about Cadmus—has he been properly rewarded?"

It's best to leave the matter of Thetis at that. Though Zeus is sensitive to power, since it’s his brother who’s making the request after aiding him in the rebellion, he’s responding reasonably.

However, that's a separate matter from Cadmus, who played a significant role in overcoming Typhon's threat. He deserves an appropriate reward.

"I heard he founded the city of Thebes while searching for his missing sister, a woman named Europa."

"Oh? Well..."

Zeus suddenly avoids my gaze.

Could it be...? Let's test the waters.

"But the rumors say that this Europa is an exceptionally beautiful woman."

"Ahem. Hmm."

Oh...

"They say she’s so beautiful that even the King of the Gods, who’s constantly chasing after women, lost his mind and kidnapped her..."

"Ahem! What do you want?"

Of course. So, it was your fault again.

The sister of Cadmus, who helped us, was taken by you... Perhaps supporting Poseidon or even committing 'uranus' wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all.

"What's done is done, but at least let Cadmus meet Europa or put his mind at ease..."

"Fine, fine. You can be quite the nag at times. I said I'll take care of it."

Maybe it's this attitude of yours that led Apollo and Hera to betray you.

This rebellion seems like it's entirely your fault...

But even so, I think the mere one-year punishment for Poseidon was a reasonable compromise to protect his dignity as the second-in-command.

In moments like these, Zeus does seem somewhat rational.

After that, fortunately, Europa was able to get in touch with Cadmus. Zeus even issued an oracle to arrange a meeting between Europa and Cadmus.

Though Cadmus made a rather odd face upon hearing Europa's story, it seems the matter was resolved without tarnishing the god's authority.

Regardless of Zeus's prowess in other areas... that’s none of my concern.

* * *

After leaving Olympus and returning to the Underworld, I set out on a new journey.

This time, I plan to visit some special gods who reside in the underworld.

I instructed a servant to bring a bottle of ambrosia, a bottle of nectar, and some drinking cups, and had them follow me.

The outskirts of the Underworld.

Not the citadel where souls reside, but a dark and damp cave.

From the entrance of the cave, an ominous energy emanates, and a chilling cold can be felt.

The soul carrying the nectar trembles in fear, so I send them away and proceed inside alone.

"Hades."

"You’ve come again this time, too."

Inside the dark cave, where neither Hestia's hearth from the underworld nor artificially created lights through divine power reached, a voice echoed.

Accompanying it were three goddesses with bronze wings, snake hair, and blood flowing from their eyes.

"It's been a while, Erinyes."

"Is that nectar you’re holding?"

"It looks like there's ambrosia too."

The Erinyes.

Goddesses of vengeance born from the blood that fell to the earth when Uranus’s genitals were severed.

During the long war for dominion over the world, the war between the Titans and the gods, I met them for the first time after our victory and my assumption of dominion over the underworld.

The three Erinyes sisters sat on the cold floor of the underworld.

The snakes on their heads hissed as if constantly on alert, and blood continuously dripped from their sharp eyes.

Although their appearance was something everyone feared, the first thought that came to my mind was pity.

I felt sorry for them, endlessly bleeding from their eyes, and to be honest, I pitied them.

"Isn't that... painful?"

"What did you say...?"

"I mean, the bleeding from your eyes."

"...Do you really think that?"

They looked at me with a puzzled expression, seemingly taken aback by my question.

"If it's very painful, perhaps next time..."

"Pain always accompanies vengeance. This is nothing."

Though the Erinyes were goddesses, they bled red blood instead of ichor.

As the blood from their eyes hit the ground, it evaporated immediately.

Since that first meeting, I have visited them occasionally to build a relationship.

Partly because they were neighbors, but also because I felt sorry for them, shunned even by other gods.

At first, the goddesses were cold, but over time they grew accustomed to my visits, and eventually...

"Hades, sit and drink with us."

"Very well."

...it became natural, like a close friend visiting often.

"The underworld isn't as busy these days, is it?"

"It must be much different from the past..."

Tisiphone, who judges those who commit adultery, gently folded her bronze wings and approached me.

Alecto, who represents unceasing anger, laughed as she drank nectar.

Megaera, who punishes those driven by envy, quietly picked at the ambrosia.

The snakes that served as their hair also seemed to be in a good mood, wriggling contentedly.

Hiss...

One of the snakes on Alecto’s head hissed and licked the back of my hand as she drank her nectar.

When I stroked the snake’s head with my fingers, it seemed pleased and rubbed against me.

Thud.

"Don’t... touch the hair."

Alecto turned her head sharply and spoke softly, her ears turning bright red.

But your hair touched me first...

Tisiphone sighed as she looked at me and spoke.

"Hades, don’t come too often. When we're with you, our edge for vengeance dulls."

"Well..."

Even Megaera, who was chewing on ambrosia, nodded in agreement.

What did I do...?

"These days, there are fewer humans killing their kin compared to before the Great Flood."

"Perhaps the purge was necessary after all."

If you are marked by the Erinyes, they will relentlessly pursue you day and night, thoroughly investigating you.

They even appear in your dreams to ceaselessly criticize you, eventually driving their target mad with guilt.

With a torch in one hand and their bronze wings flapping, humans feared them so much they avoided even saying their names.

Just like how they avoided calling me Hades and used the name Pluto instead.

But their situation was even worse than mine.

"For a long time, there hasn’t been much need to visit dreams."

"Indeed, rather than suffering under us, they would prefer to be one of your subjects."

"Those people are all paying for their sins in my fortress."

Once someone takes their own life, they fall under my judgment, not the Erinyes'.

Of course, taking one's own life doesn’t lessen the punishment—there’s absolutely no such thing.

"I was bored, so thank you for bringing the nectar."

"These days, the younger gods avoid us..."

We gods are immortal beings, even without consuming ambrosia and nectar.

However, the inability to share a meal and conversation because others fear you must be quite lonely.

I had invited the Erinyes to a banquet held in the underworld before, but they refused, not wanting to spoil the joyful atmosphere.

I made the suggestion after slipping into their fortress to avoid the souls, but perhaps it was still too much for them.

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