King of Underworld

Chapter 7: The Story of Life – (2)

“Hades, my subordinates are complaining of fatigue.”

“Even if it is Lord Zeus, he does not listen to the opinions of the underworld…”

“Do the gods above the clouds not care about the underground world?”

The banquet hall of the underworld quickly transformed into a venue for denouncing Olympus’s decisions. The face of the beautiful goddess who governed the rainbow turned pale and rigid.

I looked around at the gods present.

The lower gods who guided the souls crossing the River Styx and managed the underworld, the god of death who worked tirelessly day and night to collect numerous souls, Thanatos.

Thanatos’s twin brother and the god of sleep, Hypnos, who helped with soul harvesting by inducing deep sleep upon request from Thanatos.

“Isn’t death caused by the great flood an inevitable, fateful death, Moros?”

“What are you saying? It’s your responsibility because there’s a high possibility that most humans will perish. Keres.”

Moros and Keres, who, like Thanatos, were children of Nyx and also gods of death.

“What should we do if too many souls flood in suddenly, drying up the river?”

Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness and granddaughter of Nyx.

The name of the Lethe River was derived from her.

“To think that we are being treated like this after being the first to charge into the war against the Titans… Lord Zeus is too much.”

And even Styx, who couldn’t bear the overwhelming workload of the underworld and volunteered to help.

She looked at me with tearful eyes, having taken on unfamiliar paperwork tasks.

Though I was the king of the underworld, I couldn’t ignore their efforts and grievances.

When I closed my eyes and quietly raised one hand, everyone fell silent.

In the suffocating silence, I organized the words I was going to convey to the frozen Iris in my mind.

“Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris.”

“Please command me, Lord Hades.”

I looked down at Iris, who had knelt on one knee, intimidated by my low, resonant voice.

“Why didn’t Olympus inform us about the great flood in advance?”

“That… Human depravity worsened so rapidly that there was no time to give notice…”

No, Zeus sent Pandora’s box in the first place to create an excuse to wipe out humanity.

Since Pandora’s box was opened, malevolent things spread across the land, causing the number of souls coming to the underworld to increase rapidly.

Knowing the petty Zeus, he would have premeditated the punishment of humans as retribution for Prometheus stealing fire and distributing it…

And he deliberately created Pandora to incite humans into committing depravity as an excuse.

* * *

It was naturally our responsibility to manage the souls coming to the underworld, so there was no complaint about the increased workload due to the great flood.

However, I was displeased that Olympus decided to wipe out humans without consulting me.

Even if Zeus was the king of the gods, did the underworld have to be notified of such an important matter through a mere notice?

Return to Zeus and convey that the underworld deeply regrets Olympus’s decision.

As I finished speaking, Iris’s face stiffened.

“…..!”

“Do you have anything else to convey, Goddess of the Rainbow?”

“No, nothing else. I will deliver your message exactly as the lord of the underworld has spoken..”

I felt slightly irritated without realizing it, and a release of power caused the ground to crack and an eerie divine energy to emanate from my body.

I might have ended up taking out my anger on the messenger, so I managed my expression and moderately issued a dismissal order.

Zeus, being sensitive to his authority, would surely understand my intention.

The goddess Iris bowed deeply and left the banquet hall.

Only then did the other gods, who had paused the banquet, start moving to prepare for the saturation of the underworld due to the great flood.

“Let’s add more places to stay until life begins again after the great flood…”

“Thanatos, take it easy until the great flood comes. I’ll help more with bringing in souls.”

“As expected, only my brother understands. Then, I’ll leave it to you, Hypnos.”

“Keres, let’s get moving.”

“Moros, why don’t you put down the nectar in your hand and speak?”

What irritated me the most was that Iris conveyed the great flood without discussing it with me, the king of the underworld.

If a disaster like the great flood happened suddenly without time to prepare, the officials of the underworld would feel like they were struck by lightning on a clear day.

Had there been any prior discussion with the underworld, we could have alternated the souls into the work or at least informed them in advance to give them time to prepare mentally.

The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became.

The last time we fought against the Gigantes, I even went to Olympus myself to help.

* * *

This was the divine palace of Olympus.

Zeus, who looked down on the earth from the golden throne above the clouds, was listening to Iris’s report.

When Iris, a rather high-ranking goddess, returned to Olympus pale with fright, he felt puzzled but understood after hearing her report.

“And thus, Lord Hades expressed deep regret and great anger at Olympus’s decision..”

“Ah, I forgot about my brother…!”

Why had he not considered Hades, who managed the dead souls?

Seeing Iris, who was even breaking out in cold sweat, Zeus was contemplating how to handle this situation.

It was natural for Hades to feel ignored since the decision to cause the great flood was made without consulting the underworld.

If it had been another powerless and insignificant god expressing discontent or defiance against his decision, he could have suppressed it with his authority, but…

As one of the three main gods ruling the underworld, and one who lived near Tartarus where the Titans were imprisoned, it required more careful consideration.

Though Zeus ruled the sky and was called the king of the gods, there were still those who could check his power.

“Zeus! Have you run off chasing another goddess again?!”

Just now, Hera, his sister and wife, flew in, crossed her arms, and glared at him.

“No, it is a misunderstanding. While I may briefly glance at other women, the only one worthy to be by this Zeus’s side is you…”

“You may glance at others?! Grr… Just now, you were trying to seduce Iris, weren’t you?”

Hera, Zeus’s queen, governed marriage and family.

No matter how much Zeus was the king of the gods, he had to yield to her in matters of infidelity or extramarital affairs.

“No! This time it is truly a misunderstanding. Regarding the great flood and my brother Hades in the underworld…”

Sweating, the king of the gods tried to explain.

But Hera’s frown deepened as she listened.

“A so-called king of the gods, who is always thinking about seducing goddesses, forgets the simple principle of consulting other gods?”

“Indeed.. hmm. I admit my mistake. How should I appease the underworld..”

“Hmph. If you find it difficult to make decisions, consult Metis’s daughter.”

“Metis’s daughter… Ah, Iris, bring Athena.”

Metis, Zeus’s first wife and cousin, had given a vomit-inducing potion to Cronus, causing him to regurgitate the gods.

Their marriage brought forth Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

The prophecy that a son born of Metis would threaten Zeus’s throne was nullified by Athena’s birth.

Athena, true to her wisdom, reassured Zeus, who feared the prophecy would extend to her own son, by vowing to maintain her virginity forever under the oath of the River Styx.

Only then did Zeus stop all suspicion and love her dearly.

“Father, you called for me.”

Soon, a rainbow appeared in front of Zeus, and Iris and Athena stepped out from it.

As always, Athena was armed with a golden, sturdy helmet, armor, a spear, and a shield.

Yet, despite this, the beautiful goddess’s glowing silver hair could not be hidden.

Zeus posed a question to the noble and wise goddess.

“…Thus, I need your wisdom. If you have any good suggestions, let me hear them.”

Having heard Zeus’s story, Athena pondered for a moment before speaking.

“To calm my uncle’s anger, how far are you willing to go, Father?”

“Isn’t it difficult to decide that, which is why I called you? Speak your mind freely.”

At Zeus’s words, the armored goddess of wisdom carefully expressed her opinion.

Hera and Iris also quietly watched her speak.

“This time, it would be best if you personally went down to the underworld to apologize, Father.”

“What?! This Zeus, personally?!”

Not Hermes or Iris as messengers?

The king of the gods was astonished but decided to continue listening to his cherished daughter’s words.

But the goddess of wisdom spoke no more.

“Why don’t you say more? My beloved daughter.”

“Forgive me. I was momentarily pondering over this situation where the humans’ petty depravity has escalated, necessitating their destruction by the great flood..”

The human depravity was something Zeus himself had deliberately induced through Pandora’s box.

Their overstepping provided Zeus with the justification for the great flood.

But there was no need to mention that here.

Athena, the goddess of wisdom, wasn’t foolish enough to be lost in other thoughts before the chief god… So then…

“Is your point that it would be better to take an excessively preventive measure to resolve the issue before a larger problem arises?”

Athena silently bowed her head.

The upcoming great flood certainly matched Zeus

‘s intentions and provided the justification for it due to humans overstepping boundaries.

However, what if Hades bore a grudge against him for this matter and eventually rebelled?

From what Zeus had observed, his eldest brother was not one to pick a fight over trivial matters.

Thus, hearing Iris’s words about his rage, it was clear that Hades was protesting as the king of the underworld against Olympus.

Losing favor with not just Hades but the other gods of the underworld could endanger his throne.

Especially considering the importance of Tartarus near the underworld.

“Are you still hesitating, Zeus? You have time to philander, but not to soothe the underworld?”

Hera’s words put the final nail in Zeus’s deep contemplation.

“Very well. I shall personally visit my brother Hades and have an honest conversation with him.”

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he last met his brother in the underworld. This would be a good opportunity to catch up.