Episode 30: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 30: Sisyphus… The Story of Thanatos – (1)

The peaceful mortal world.

Sisyphus, a demigod born of the wind god Aeolus and a mortal woman named Enarete.

King Sisyphus, the founder of Corinth, was known for his cunning and trickery.

There are many anecdotes that showcase Sisyphus' wisdom, one of which involves a demigod named Autolycus, the son of Hermes, the god of messengers and thieves.

Autolycus, who was always stealing without getting caught thanks to the abilities granted by Hermes, once stole cattle from Sisyphus.

“Look here, my name is carved on the underside of the hooves. These are indeed my cattle, and you are a thief.”

“Sh-shut up! Isn’t it possible that one of your servants secretly carved that in?”

By preemptively carving his name on the hooves of his cattle, Sisyphus successfully caught Autolycus in the act.

Although Autolycus had changed the gender and color of the stolen cattle using his abilities, the undeniable evidence left him with no choice but to surrender.

Trusting in his own cunning and wisdom, King Sisyphus made a grave mistake...

“Are you Asopus, the river god?”

“Yes, I am. What brings the king of Corinth to me?”

“I know where your daughter, Aegina, who went missing, is.”

“What? You know where my daughter is?”

“If you provide Corinth with clear spring water, I’ll tell you.”

Convinced by the confident Sisyphus, the river god Asopus lightly waved his hand, causing clear spring water to flow into the city.

“Your daughter was abducted by Zeus.”

“W-what…? Is that true?!”

“It’s true. If you follow this mountain path, you’ll see Zeus with your daughter.”

The river god hurriedly followed the path Sisyphus pointed out.

And soon...

“Father... sniff…”

“Lord Zeus! How could you do this?! Aaah!!!”

“Ahem. Well, I’ll be off now.”

He found Zeus, who had forcibly violated his daughter Aegina, with Aegina crying bitterly.

Although he discovered the fleeing Zeus and shouted in anger, it was already too late.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Zeus realized what Sisyphus had done.

Naturally, Zeus, in his usual arrogant manner, was furious.

“How dare a mere mortal interfere in the affairs of the gods! Inform my brother Hades that there is a grave sinner, and request he send Thanatos!”

With the king of the gods behaving this way, the future of Olympus looks grim as ever...

* * *

This is the dark underworld.

The god of death, Thanatos, who is always busy sending countless avatars to the mortal world, is here.

The god, with black wings and the appearance of an old man, was pleased with the unusual task.

“Thanatos. Zeus has contacted us, asking you to escort a grave sinner to the underworld.”

“A human who committed a crime serious enough to warrant my attention? Hades.”

“Who knows...? He requested your presence in Olympus, so... please go quickly.”

“To Olympus? How long has it been since I’ve been to Olympus? I’m truly grateful.”

“But you must return quickly. We need to verify whether the human really committed a crime...”

Thanatos rarely had the opportunity to visit Olympus.

He was always too busy to be invited to the gods’ banquets on Olympus, and since the gods who live there are immortal, there was no need for him to visit to collect souls.

This was a short break, a brief respite granted by Hades, the lord of the underworld, who pitied his hard labor. For the duration of capturing the grave sinner in Olympus, he could rest a little.

With gratitude in his heart for the master of the underworld, who occasionally looked at him with pity, Thanatos moved his true form, not just an avatar, to Olympus.

“Thanatos! You’re finally here. That’s the one! That impudent human dared to meddle in the affairs of the gods!”

Thanatos soon discovered Zeus raging, pointing angrily towards the mortal realm.

If a human had interfered in the affairs of the gods...

Maybe they stole a sacrifice or incited the gods with lies.

For now, Thanatos decided to investigate the human as per the supreme god Zeus’ command.

He found King Sisyphus of Corinth, the founder of the city, leisurely drinking wine in his palace.

“But what crime did he commit…”

“Oh, I know that human too, Thanatos.”

Thanatos’ question to Zeus was interrupted by another god’s voice from beside him.

It was Hermes, the messenger of the gods, holding his caduceus.

Usually cheerful, he seemed uncharacteristically sullen as he spoke to Thanatos.

“He overestimated his abilities and managed to outsmart my son. The power to steal, which I granted... Tsk. He probably did something to anger my father again this time.”

Thanatos found the messenger god's disgruntled attitude towards a human somewhat convincing.

Well, whatever he did, it must have been something serious. And with Zeus speaking out, what’s one more wretched human?

Anyway, once he brings the soul to the underworld, Hades or the three judges, including Minos, will take care of the judgment.

With that thought, Thanatos leisurely spread his black wings and flew to the royal palace of Corinth.

* * *

This is the Corinthian Royal Palace.

Sisyphus revealed a secret to his wife, Queen Merope.

“Surely, the god Zeus holds a grudge against me and will send Thanatos.”

“Wh-what? Then… what should we do?”

“Listen carefully, my dear. Even if I die, do not hold a funeral for me. Understand?”

He was already preparing, anticipating the arrival of Thanatos.

First, he warned his wife to prepare for the worst-case scenario...

Sisyphus, holding a large club made of oak, hid behind the curtains in his bedroom, waiting for Thanatos.

And soon, the god of death, Thanatos, entered the bedroom to take Sisyphus to the underworld.

Sisyphus gripped the club tightly, ready to strike as soon as Thanatos approached.

However…

‘Does he think he can escape my senses? And with a mere club, no less? This man has lost his mind.’

Thanatos was well aware of Sisyphus’ plan.

Though Sisyphus was a demigod, aside from his wisdom and cunning, he was an ordinary man without any special strength.

In contrast, Thanatos was not just another lower deity, but the trueborn son of Nyx, the goddess of the night.

An ancient god, even older than the three great gods, Hades, and a respected elder deity of the underworld.

Thanatos, the personification of death with his mighty grip, sneered at the foolish human.

Step by step, Thanatos calmly entered the foolish human's bedroom.

Thinking the moment was now, Sisyphus leaped out and swung his oak club.

“Thanatos! You’ve finally shown yourself! Take this—!”

Whoosh—

To the high senses of this divine being, the club was moving too slowly.

Thanatos, who was about to sneer at the foolish human swinging a club at him, suddenly thought...

‘Wait a minute, if I let this fool hit me and pretend to be knocked out, I could take a break, couldn’t I?’

He suddenly began to think in a different direction.

Since his birth as the trueborn son of Nyx, the god of death, Thanatos had never had a moment's rest.

Death was always occurring in the mortal world, so he had to bring in souls every day.

Right now, he was here in his true form, not an avatar.

If he let this fool hit him and pretended to be knocked out, he could rest.

But then he hesitated, wondering if it would really be possible to take a break from his duties.

If he were negligent in his duty to collect souls, the burden would fall on the gods of the underworld who suffered alongside him.

‘Sigh… If I rest, who will do the work? As an elder god of the underworld, I must set an example...’

In his mind, images of the many fellow gods who endured their duties with him flashed by.

No matter how hard his work was, other gods also...

“Tut tut, Thanatos. Working hard to collect souls again today, huh? Hehehe...”

First, there was Hypnos, who pretended to help him a little before the great flood that wiped out humanity, but then mocked him when the flood began.

“We’re lucky we’re not Thanatos, aren’t we, Moros?”

“Of course, Keres.”

Then there were Keres and Moros, who were also gods of death but had lighter responsibilities compared to him and thus led relatively easier lives.

“Lord Thanatos. We are always grateful to you. If I had been given the divine aspect of death…”

And finally, there was that wretch Morpheus, who would approach with a slick smile!

Come to think of it, those damnable gods laughed at me, glad they didn’t have my burdensome job!

Thanatos' face twisted into a grimace of anger.

Then, self-justification quickly followed.

Since that man is a demigod, I can just say I let my guard down.

If I take a little rest and then resume my duties, no one will blame me.

Yes, just one day… Just one day off! Only one day!

“Oof! Ugh!”

“—ake th... huh…?”

Before the club could even reach Thanatos' head...

He collapsed to the ground, performing a highly unnatural act.

Thus, the poor human Sisyphus, who suddenly gained infamy for supposedly defeating a god, stood frozen in place, still holding the club mid-swing.

“…What just happened?”

Sisyphus, momentarily stunned, looked back and forth between his club and the fallen Thanatos.

Finally, with a bewildered expression, he tied up Thanatos and locked him in the basement.

However, King Sisyphus did not realize the consequences of this act.

Imprisoning the “true form” of Thanatos, the personification of death itself, would affect the very laws of the world.

And starting the very next day,

the underworld, responsible for managing the souls of the dead, plunged into a crisis.

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