Episode 31: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 31: Sisyphus… The Story of Thanatos – (2)

Lately, Lady Styx has been avoiding me.

It's probably because of the embarrassing scene I caused the other day.

While she helps with the underworld's affairs without issue, whenever our conversation drags on…

"Th-then, I'll just go check on the river!"

"Oh…"

She gradually turns red, starting from her ears, moving down to her neck, and then her face, before quietly slipping away.

Have I tried to stop her? Of course, I have.

"Lady Styx, could we talk for a moment…"

"Kyahhhh!"

"Oh…"

She dashed off as if she were a maiden fleeing from Zeus, so there was nothing I could do.

But that's not the end of it…

If I turn around, I'll spot Goddess Lethe with her dead eyes, staring at me from a distance.

"Hades…"

Lately, those vacant eyes have never felt so terrifying.

It's as if she's silently blaming me, and I can't help but feel a stinging sensation on my skin.

As I was blankly staring at a piece of parchment, feeling that something was off in our relationship, a soul urgently approached me.

"Hades, sir!"

"…?"

"Souls haven't been arriving in the underworld for several days!"

Of course, this damned underworld couldn't stay peaceful.

I hurriedly called for a meeting in the underworld.

The other gods, having been informed of the situation, arrived quickly.

"Suddenly, a few days ago, souls stopped arriving in the underworld!"

"Lord Thanatos is nowhere to be seen!"

Thanatos, the personification of death itself.

His job is to bring souls to the underworld.

But I sent him to Olympus because Zeus asked me to.

Something about capturing some serious criminal, so I sent him to bring the soul to the underworld for judgment.

But he hasn't returned to the underworld yet?

The gods of the underworld were clearly aware of the oddity and shared their concerns with serious expressions.

Even Goddess Lethe and Goddess Styx had serious looks on their faces for once.

"Could he have encountered a Gigantes while capturing that criminal?"

"Indeed, capturing Lord Thanatos would be the quickest way to disrupt the cycle of life and death."

"Could it be the work of a monster like Typhon?"

Considering the Gigantes that Cadmus saw near Thebes,

Or that Gaia could have created a new monster after Typhon to attack Thanatos.

Though Lord Thanatos is a powerful deity, he's not invincible.

There's a possibility he could have been overpowered or captured by monsters.

"For now… let's contact Olympus and sort out the situation on Earth."

Without Thanatos overseeing death, the other gods had no choice but to work harder.

The situation on Earth was utter chaos.

"Argh! A dead chicken is moving!"

"I cut off a cow's head, but the body is still alive!"

"Damn it! Why won't this thing die?!"

"And you, how are you still alive with a sword stuck in your head?!"

For now, the gods Moros and Keres, who oversee death, would have to work as hard as they could to harvest souls.

For the living who should have died, the god Hypnos would have to plunge them into a deep sleep to buy some time.

The only option was to contact Olympus and inquire about Thanatos' whereabouts.

"Damn it! What's with all this trouble because of Thanatos!"

"Could he be resting somewhere, tired from all his work?"

"No way! Have you ever seen Thanatos take a break for even a few days?"

"Come to think of it, not even once!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on Olympus.

Olympus was no less in a state of emergency than the underworld.

As the beings on Earth were no longer dying, many gods expressed their grievances to Zeus, the king of the gods.

"Father! People aren't dying on the battlefield!"

"If this goes on… it will disrupt the natural cycle of life…"

"Lord Hades of the underworld has strongly protested. He’s asking about Lord Thanatos' whereabouts…"

"Wait, Thanatos went to capture some demigod, didn't he…?"

But even the mighty Zeus couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

Athena, whom he often consulted, had left for some errands and wasn't present at the meeting.

"How could a mere mortal possibly defeat Thanatos?!"

To Zeus, Sisyphus seemed nothing more than a clever trickster, with no special powers to speak of.

The god Pan, who was known for his instincts, made a suggestion that filled Zeus with certainty.

"Lord Zeus… could it be that Thanatos was ambushed by a monster, perhaps a creature like Typhon or a Gigantes…?"

"There's some truth to that… He must have encountered something while trying to capture Sisyphus!"

Convinced of the reasoning, Zeus immediately summoned Ares.

The god of war would surely have no trouble against a creature capable of defeating Thanatos.

"Ares! The time has come to show the same valor you displayed when you swung your sword to save me last time!"

"Oh! You've heard of my exploits, Father!"

"Indeed. Thanatos must have been ambushed by a monster while pursuing that contemptible human. Go rescue Thanatos and deliver death to that mortal!"

"Understood! You can count on me!"

Ares grinned viciously, his fighting spirit rekindled.

If something could defeat Thanatos, it had to be a descendant of Typhon or a Gigantes.

He remembered the thrilling war against Typhon as he donned his armor.

He drew the fine sword that Hephaestus had crafted for him after the last rebellion.

The monster (?) that attacked Thanatos would surely meet its end at the hands of the god of war.

Ares arrived in Corinth, driving his chariot with great confidence.

He intended to investigate since this was where the trail of Thanatos had gone cold.

However, no matter how hard he searched, he found no trace of Thanatos being dragged away by a monster.

Sensing something was off, Ares decided to enter the palace of Sisyphus, the human Zeus had mentioned.

His plan was to interrogate the human who was originally Thanatos' target and demand to know if he had seen the god with the black wings. Since the man was a king, perhaps he might also have some clues about any monster that might have appeared nearby.

"Intruder! Spear him!"

"Who are you?! This is the royal palace!"

Ares casually glanced at the soldiers of Corinth who surrounded him.

None were equipped with special weapons.

There were no gods or heroes present.

And certainly no monsters that could pose a threat to him.

Hmm, nothing to worry about at all.

The god of war simply ignored everything and continued deeper into the palace.

The poor soldiers tried to jab at him with their spears and swords, but they couldn’t harm a god—especially not one of the twelve Olympians.

"Aargh! Stop him!"

"N-no! My spear broke!"

"Swords don't work either! Run away!"

The humans screamed and shouted, but he paid no attention as he searched for Sisyphus.

Deeper into the palace, as he descended further…

There, wearing lavish clothing and a crown, was a man swinging a club, trying to ambush him.

The man, who appeared to be a demigod, swung his wooden club and shouted something.

"So, Zeus sent you to kill me! But this club made of oak will—"

At that moment, Ares, who had reached deep into the palace, sensed something strange.

Ignoring the club swinging at his head, he extended his divine power to sharpen his senses.

From below, deep underground, he could feel a certain power—one that unmistakably belonged to death.

Crack. Thud.

"W-what! I hit him on the head, but the club broke?!"

This human, guilty of his crimes, no longer mattered.

If Thanatos, who was likely somewhere underground, started moving, Sisyphus would soon be captured and taken to the underworld.

Ares rushed forward and flung open the door leading to the basement.

Why could he feel Thanatos' power from underground? Had he been injured by a monster?

Snore—Snort—

As Ares descended into the basement, what he saw was…

The old god with black wings was lying spread-eagle, sound asleep, casually breaking free from his bindings.

Clearly in a deep and peaceful sleep, Thanatos snored softly, scratching his belly with one hand. As he woke up, he met eyes with Ares, who had an expression of utter disbelief.

* * *

Ares might have been violent and simple-minded, but that was because his divine aspect represented brutal war. He wasn't actually stupid.

Sure, Athena fooled him often, but that was only because she was the goddess of wisdom.

As Ares' memory jogged, he began recalling the time during the great flood when he was tricked by Athena and forced to work in the underworld…

"Damn it! Why are there so many cursed souls…"

"Huff… Is that you, Ares?! Help me get these souls in line!"

"My poor feathers… they keep falling out. Is this what they call baldness, or rather, ‘balding of wings’?"

Thanatos had dispatched countless incarnations of himself to the mortal world, working tirelessly day and night.

He was so busy that it seemed like there wasn't a busier god in the entire world, let alone the underworld.

And he worked without rest, struggling with the heavy burden of his duties.

If Ares had been in Thanatos' shoes, he would have desperately needed a break.

As Ares' suspicions grew, the evidence began to pile up.

1. Thanatos had broken free from his bindings and was sleeping, snoring.

2. He wasn't under the influence of an external force like Hypnos’ power, but was simply resting.

3. There were no signs of a monster capable of defeating Thanatos nearby.

4. The power emanating from Thanatos' body was unchanged—he didn't appear weakened in the slightest.

As Thanatos noticed Ares' face gradually contorting with anger, he spoke with a voice thick with sleep.

"Ares?! You’ve come to rescue me after I got caught off guard by that human!"

"Sigh…"

Please wipe the drool from your mouth and stop lying, Thanatos.

Ares quietly pressed his hand against his forehead.

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