Episode 33: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 33: The Story of Otus and Ephialtes – (1)

Not long after the messenger was sent, Iris soon arrived.

"What brings you to call for me, Lord Hades?"

"Open the path to Olympus."

"...Understood."

Seven bands of light began to stream from Iris's fingertips.

Soon, a beautiful rainbow appeared, opening a passage connecting space to space.

Calling for Iris is definitely convenient when it comes to long-distance travel.

Shhh—

As I crossed the passage, the space twisted, and the cloud-covered Olympus emerged.

Let’s see... where is Zeus...

"Oh, Uncle Hades?"

"Apollo."

My nephew, Apollo, with his dazzling golden hair and eyes that shone like sunlight, was nearby.

Today, too, he was holding his lyre and heading somewhere.

"What brings you to Olympus today?"

"That’s none of your concern. Where is Zeus?"

"Oh, Father is probably over there in the banquet hall."

Oh, a banquet.

After all the fuss about serious crimes and whatnot, I dispatched Thanatos only to find out it was a false charge.

And now, after causing all that trouble with his act of 'rape', he doesn't even consider the consequences and is having a banquet?

As I entered the banquet hall, I saw all sorts of gods.

They were drinking nectar and ambrosia, playing just like they always do at banquets.

"Huh...? Lord Hades?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood today..."

"What brings you to Olympus after such a long time..?"

And there he was, the king of the gods, comfortably seated on a golden throne.

"Thanatos was sleeping? That's not like him. You must have seen it wrong..."

"It's true, Father! He was lying there so comfortably..."

Zeus looked bewildered, listening to Ares, who had just returned from the underworld.

His face was full of disbelief.

Step, step.

As I walked straight towards Zeus, he looked surprised to see me.

"Oh? Brother Hades, what brings you to Olympus..."

"Everything Ares said is true."

"What?! Then Thanatos really disobeyed my order...!"

A vein popped on Zeus's forehead, but I wasn’t done speaking yet.

"And that human you ordered Thanatos to take to the underworld..."

"You mean Sisyphus?"

"What exactly did he do wrong for the king of the gods to personally summon Thanatos to send him to the underworld?"

"Ah... hahaha..."

Zeus seemed to catch on to something and let out an awkward laugh.

Yes, as you know, in our underworld, there is Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.

"As Hades says, what exactly did Sisyphus do wrong for Zeus to do such a thing?"

Hera, who had been eating ambrosia nearby, approached.

Her face was full of curiosity, knowing nothing about the situation.

You have the right to know too, so I should inform you clearly.

"Well. Zeus 'raped'..."

"Aah! Ahem! Brother, wait. Just a moment!"

"Shh! You stay quiet! So, Zeus did what?!"

Zeus tried to divert the conversation in a panic, but it was no use.

Hera had sensed something odd and quieted Zeus.

You understand why I’m bringing this up now, don’t you?

It’s time you paid for your misdeeds, Zeus.

"Hera, you know Asopus, the river god, right?"

"I've heard of him."

"Zeus raped his daughter, and the human who told Asopus about it was Sisyphus."

"...?!"

Zeus tried to sneak away from his seat but was caught by Hera.

"So... in conclusion, Zeus tried to kill the human who exposed his 'rape'...?"

"That's right."

Hera gave Zeus a sharp glare before turning her gaze back to me.

"You're not lying, are you?"

"I confirmed it with the help of Mnemosyne. I swear by the River Styx that all of this is true."

"Ze... Zeus!!!"

Hera's face instantly turned demonic.

She, the queen of the gods, is the goddess of marriage and family.

Naturally, 'rape' or infidelity is absolute evil in her eyes.

"Ahem!"

"And yet again, you assault another goddess and expect me to stand by?!"

"Should the god of death, Thanatos, now be punished for exposing your 'rape'?"

Zeus couldn’t say a word, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Oh... look at him avoiding eye contact.

"No, brother, that... Thanatos should respect the authority of the king of the gods..."

"Authority? Does even a 'god of rape' have authority just because he forces himself on anyone who catches his eye?!"

Zeus's complexion grew even paler.

Well, of course, since Hera was glaring at him with a menacing look, talking non-stop.

"You're always like this. Whether it's Leto, Europa, or any human woman, the moment you see a pretty face, you lose your mind and charge at them. It's hard to tell if you're the king of the gods or the king of infidelity. Should I start counting how many times you flirted with Iris today?! And now you 'rape' the daughter of a river god? And then try to send the human who exposed your crime to the underworld? If there's even one false word in what I said, go ahead and refute it..."

“Ugh… I… I was wrong.”

So, you admit your fault with your own mouth.

“Then pay me compensation.”

“Co… compensation?”

“Because of you, the underworld’s workload has been overwhelming for several days. I’m going to borrow some of the gods from Olympus for a while.”

Zeus darted his eyes around, clearly calculating something.

Then, he slowly opened his mouth...

“Hm. Hm. Of course. Take whoever you want, brother...”

“And stop recklessly bossing around busy gods, especially for pointless tasks like this…”

I was tempted to cut off a certain part of his body with my 'xiphos' if he had refused, but...

[T/N: 'xiphos' is a short sword used by ancient Greek soldiers]

Still, he is the king of the gods, and since he’s being harassed by Hera, I’ll let it go this time.

“Zeus! I’m not done talking!”

“Well… this matter…”

The other reason I came up here was to take some of the gods to the underworld.

Rather than arguing more with Zeus, I need to hurry back to the underworld and get back to work.

Now, let’s see, who should I take with me to work?

Athena, who’s experienced with underworld duties? Or Ares, who’s good at leading souls?

My gaze shifted to the side.

Ares, who had been absentmindedly listening to the conversation, met my eyes and quickly waved his hands.

“Gasp…! Uncle Hades, I think it would be better if you took Athena instead!”

“…You’re excused, since you were the one who promptly reported Thanatos’ actions to the underworld.”

Leaving Zeus, who was listening to Hera’s endless nagging to the point where 'ichor' was practically flowing from his ears, I glanced around the banquet hall.

Now, is there anyone... no, any god who would be a perfect fit for the underworld?

* * *

Gods possess senses far superior to those of humans.

Unless blocked by divine power, conversations held at a distance are clearly audible to them.

So…

“Has Lord Zeus assaulted someone again?”

“No… Father…”

“And this time, Asopus’s daughter was the victim…”

Naturally, Zeus’s infamy grew even greater.

The virgin goddesses sighed, and the married goddesses shuddered.

“Should I just swear my virginity to the River Styx?”

“Or maybe like the goddess Athena…”

“So, it’s true that Lord Zeus has taken on the roles of both the god of rape and adultery?”

Among them, there was one goddess who had a different reaction.

“Oh my, Lord Zeus hasn’t visited me…”

She was the embodiment of beauty itself.

Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.

As she slightly raised the corners of her mouth in a smile, Ares’ expression softened, and his eyes became dazed.

He’ll probably end up getting seriously injured by Hephaestus later... tsk tsk.

Aphrodite lightly walked on the clouds and approached me as I was scanning the gods.

Oh no, not that headache-inducing girdle again.

“Hades, seeing you here on Olympus must mean you wanted to see me again?”

“Go to your husband.”

The goddess of love slightly furrowed her beautiful brow.

But even that transformed into an expression of beauty, and she smiled at me.

“Haha… How long do you plan to keep playing hard to get…”

“Aphrodite, don’t trouble Hades too much.”

“Oh? Lady Hestia?”

Hestia, who had been quietly tending the hearth in a corner of the banquet hall, approached and spoke.

“Lady Hestia, didn’t you swear an oath to the River Styx to keep your virginity?”

“…? And what does that have to do with this?”

“When someone tries to stifle free love between men and women, there’s only one reason I can think of.”

Aphrodite circled around behind Hestia, who was relatively short, and whispered.

Is that sly look a characteristic of the goddess of love?

“Hah! Hades and I are not like that!”

“Come on, you can tell me. You can trust the goddess of love with your secrets~”

Wait a minute, could Aphrodite’s charm be useful for managing the souls in the underworld?

* * *

“Aphrodite.”

“Yes~ Speak, Hades.”

“Would you be interested in coming to the underworld for a bit?”

Aphrodite smiled brightly and said to me,

“Ah~ So that’s your preference. You should have told me sooner. Spending time in a quiet and private place isn’t so bad.”

“So, are you interested?”

“Of course!”

Her smile carried such enchanting divine power that it gave me a headache, but I smiled too. If I’m this affected, the souls in the underworld won’t stand a chance.

“Anyway, as the goddess of beauty and love, you don’t have much else to do on Olympus, right?”

“Of course! I could spend a hot night… no, several hot days and nights with you.”

Hestia, who had been watching us, began to tremble and made a resolute expression.

It’s not what you think...

“H-Hades! You can’t! You have Lethe and Styx…”

“They’re goddesses who haven’t even married Hades yet. What’s wrong if I have some fun first…”

“Hmm. Fun… that’s a good word.”

If you come to the underworld, everyone’s work will be a bit more enjoyable.

Charon, the ferryman, and the minor gods will especially love it.

As Aphrodite and I exchanged expectant smiles, a loud noise was heard from the outskirts of Olympus.

Boom! Boom!

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