King of Underworld

Chapter 28: The Story of Phaethon – (2)

“…I will show you a small measure of mercy.”

Mercy for someone like him, who had killed thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of lives?

What was Hades saying?

“Those who come to the Underworld after death can never leave the realm, especially not a criminal like you. However…”

Phaethon focused all his attention on the next words that would follow.

“If you wish, I can invite the god Helios to the Underworld so you can meet him one last time.”

The mortal world and the Underworld were strictly separated.

Although gods could freely come and go, it was impossible for a criminal like Phaethon, who had caused great harm to the mortal world, to meet anyone.

He hadn’t even hoped for a reduction in his punishment.

“A messenger was sent to Olympus, and it turns out that Helios is in seclusion, grieving your loss. However, if given the chance to see you, he would surely come running to the Underworld.”

“Thank… you.”

Tears welled up in Phaethon’s eyes and fell.

If he could see his father one last time… to apologize…

“This is not merely an act of compassion for your situation. If Helios remains in mourning and fails to move the sun, the world will fall into chaos.”

Even as Hades said this, Phaethon understood.

If the sun ceased to move and night continued unendingly, leading to more deaths, Hades’s power would only grow stronger.

The more mortal lives were lost, the greater the benefit to the lord of the Underworld.

This was indeed an act of mercy.

* * *

In Helios’s Sun Palace.

Helios, the sun god, was in despair after his son’s death and had not left the palace.

With the palace’s master no longer driving the sun chariot, the mortal world was left in continuous darkness.

“Why has the sun not risen again today…”

“Lord Helios! Please, have mercy and give us light!”

“Lord Zeus…”

“Sigh… At this rate, all the crops will die…”

The mortal world was filled with the desperate pleas of countless beings.

Eventually, Zeus came to visit him personally.

Zeus, standing outside the palace, cleared his throat and called for Helios.

“Helios! Are you inside?”

But the grieving father remained silent.

“I am sorry for striking your son with lightning, but I had no choice.”

Zeus continued to speak, not knowing if Helios was even listening.

“The world is in chaos because you’re not driving the sun chariot. I understand your sorrow, but could you not fulfill your duties once more?”

But still, the master of the palace maintained his silence.

Even if Zeus, who had thrown the lightning, said such things, it would not change Helios’s mind.

“Sigh…”

Zeus briefly considered forcing his way into the palace but shook his head.

He feared that such a rash action might worsen Helios’s seclusion.

“Father! You were here after all!”

“Hermes, what is it?”

The god who approached Zeus, who was troubled by the sun god’s strike, was Hermes, the messenger god.

Hermes spoke with a confident expression.

“Uncle Hades is willing to let Phaethon meet Helios one last time. If you convey this to him…”

“What? My brother is allowing a meeting with a soul that has already died…?”

Before Zeus could even finish his sentence, the doors of the Sun Palace swung open.

And from within emerged a god.

A god with dazzling golden hair and golden garments that seemed to embody the light itself, with eyes burning with the heat of the sun.

The great sun god, Helios, had come out after hearing Hermes’s words.

He looked very urgent as he rushed forward and shouted at the messenger god.

“Hermes! Is that true?! Hades will let me meet my dead son!”

* * *

A bright light shone in the Underworld.

But it was different from the rampage of the sun chariot that Phaethon had driven.

This light was emanating from a single person—no, a single god.

“Hades! Let me see my… my son!”

It hadn’t been long since I sent the messenger to Olympus, and now the god Helios had arrived in the Underworld.

As his emotions intensified, the energy of the sun radiated from his body.

The heat was so strong that even I could feel it, and the souls had already retreated far away.

“Phaethon is over there…”

“Phaethon…!”

The god Helios rushed urgently to the corner where Phaethon was.

Thus, father and son were reunited.

“Hic… Father… Sob… I… I am truly sorry…”

“No, it’s all my fault. I should have brought you to Olympus as soon as you were born…”

“Because of my reckless actions, the earth… And your sun chariot as well…”

“It’s alright. Don’t say any more. I’m just glad to see you one last time…”

The two of them embraced each other tightly.

Tears flowed endlessly from the eyes of the estranged father and son as they held each other.

“I was wrong. Please forgive me… and your mother as well…”

“No, Father…”

But the time they had to meet was limited.

The mortal world and the Underworld, the living and the dead, were to remain strictly separated.

If they were to show pity and revive Phaethon, the god Helios would begin to feed his son nectar and ambrosia…

And all the other gods would beg me to save their cherished mortals, just as Helios did.

“It is time to say your final goodbyes. The guilty must face their punishment.”

“Ah…”

I stepped aside to give them the chance to exchange their last words.

* * *

*Sniff…*

As I moved away, I heard a faint sobbing sound from somewhere.

The sound came from the outskirts of the fortress, so I walked toward it.

*Sniff…*

Tears flowed from the eyes of a beautiful goddess leaning against the fortress wall.

Lady Styx…?

The goddess Styx, who was quietly crying with her mouth covered, had a face wet with tears, and her hands were busy wiping away the flowing liquid.

Sensing my presence, she quickly turned to face me.

“Ah… Hades..! P… Please, don’t look this way right now…!”

“Is this because of the oath on the River Styx?”

The goddess Styx fell silent.

The oath of the River Styx was an absolute promise, one that not even the gods could break.

It was a reward for the goddess who had been the first to rush to aid in the war against the Titans.

However, each time a tragedy occurred due to an oath sworn on the River Styx, her heart…

“Sometimes… I can’t help but think. If only there was no oath on the River Styx…”

I could guess what she was about to say.

The incident involving Semele, the mother of Dionysus, and Zeus…

And the current incident with Phaethon…

All of these were the results of gods who could not break the absolute oath sworn on the River Styx.

“These tragedies are not your fault, my lady.”

“But still… If only I had refused Zeus’s proposal to use my river as proof of their oaths…”

We gods are immortal and possess immense power, far beyond that of mortals.

Even the goddess Styx, who was crying in front of me, could easily destroy an entire city with a simple curse.

However, because we are powerful, we become arrogant and prideful.

The River Styx, which binds us to our oaths, is a shackle given to us.

Even Zeus, the king of the gods, must absolutely abide by it.

But an oath made in the name of the goddess does not always lead to negative outcomes.

I intended to tell the goddess Styx about this.

“Oaths sworn on the River Styx do not always lead to tragedy. What happened today is an exceptional case.”

“Yes…?”

“You’ve been so busy lately that you probably haven’t had time to observe the mortal realm. But how about listening to the prayers of your followers once more?”

In the mortal world, where men and women, young and old, walked about,

A large crowd had gathered today before the statue of the goddess Styx in my temple.

“Why did you call me here?”

“Well… I swear by the River Styx that I love you. Please, marry me.”

“Ah…!”

A man confessed his love to his beloved before the statue of the goddess Styx.

“I swear by the River Styx! I did not steal the sheep! Now, it’s his turn!”

“I… I…”

“If you have nothing to hide, swear as I did!”

“Actually… I’ve been struggling financially lately…”

People used the oath on the River Styx to expose a thief.

“I swear before the statue of the goddess Styx. Even if Thanatos calls you to him…”

“Oh, come now! What sort of oath is that… Hmm… Then I swear too. If you go before me…”

An elderly couple swore to keep each other in their hearts even if one of them passed away first.

“These humans swear to the truth, pledge their love, and exchange vows.”

“Ah…”

“If your name didn’t carry the weight it does, we wouldn’t see such scenes.”

When humans break an oath sworn on the River Styx, they are sucked into Tartarus after death.

Out of fear, they are always cautious, but sometimes they use the oath to affirm each other’s hearts.

“Humans… swear more often than I expected…”

“It surprised me too. Perhaps it’s because your statue has been erected.”

The goddess Styx

, who had believed that oaths made in her name only brought misfortune, looked up at me.

Her face seemed more at ease than before, as if a burden had been lifted from her heart.

An awkward silence lingered for a moment… Then the goddess with black hair, who had wiped away all traces of tears, smiled slightly.

Had her guilt-ridden heart found some peace?

“Thank you, Hades… I always thought you were just playing around with your Kynee…”

“Pardon…? Testing the strength of my weapon is an essential task.”

“Pfft… Hehe…”

I swear by the River Styx that I have never once played around with my Kynee.

Still, I kept silent because I wanted to keep seeing the beautiful smile on the goddess who was laughing now.

The goddess Styx, who had been smiling happily for a while, covered her mouth as she approached me.

A soft smile played on her lips, and her eyes curved seductively.

“Please… don’t tell anyone about what happened today… okay?”

The goddess moved closer to me, placing one hand on my chest and pressing her index finger from her other hand against my lips.

Both my chest and lips felt soft, causing a ticklish sensation.

I answered as if I were under a spell.

“….I swear by the River Styx.”