The King of the Underworld is Tired - Chapter 7 (7/82)
The Story of Life - (2)
"Lord Hades, the souls under my command are complaining of fatigue."
"Even if it is Lord Zeus, he does not listen to the opinions of the Underworld..."
"Is the underworld of no concern to the gods above the clouds?"
As the Underworld's banquet hall transformed into a place to denounce the decisions of Olympus, the face of the beautiful goddess of the rainbow turned pale and stiff.
I looked around at the gods present.
The lesser gods who guide the souls across the River Styx and manage the Underworld, the god of death, Thanatos, who works tirelessly day and night to collect countless souls.
Hypnos, the god of sleep, who, at Thanatos' request, induces deep sleep to assist in the harvest of souls.
"Is death by the great flood not an inevitable, fated death, Moros?"
"What do you mean? Since most humans are likely to be punished until their destruction, it falls under your jurisdiction, Keres."
Moros (Moros) and Keres (Keres), other gods of death and children of Nyx, like Thanatos.
"What if too many souls suddenly flood in, causing the river to dry up?"
Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness, the granddaughter of the goddess of night, Nyx.
The River Lethe is named after her.
"To be treated so poorly after being the first to rush to the war against the Titans... Lord Zeus is really too much."
And the goddess Styx, who, unable to bear the excessive workload of the Underworld, volunteered to help.
She, who had been assigned unfamiliar paperwork, looked at me with a pained expression.
I am indeed the king of the Underworld, but I cannot ignore their hard work and grievances.
Closing my eyes, I quietly raised one hand, and everyone fell silent.
In the suffocating silence, I organized my thoughts to convey to the frozen Iris.
"Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris."
"Speak your command, Lord Hades."
I looked down at Iris, who had knelt on one knee, trembling at the low, resonant voice.
"Why did you not inform us of the great flood in advance from Olympus?"
"That was... because the wickedness of humans escalated so rapidly that there was no time to give a warning..."
No, Zeus sent Pandora's box to create a pretext to wipe out humans.
Since Pandora's box was opened, evil has spread on earth, and the number of souls coming to the Underworld has increased rapidly.
If it were the petty Zeus, he would have certainly planned to punish humans in advance as a retribution for Prometheus stealing and distributing fire...
And he would have deliberately created Pandora to encourage humans to commit wicked acts as a pretext.
* * *
Managing the souls coming to the Underworld is our natural responsibility, so I have no complaints about the increased workload due to the great flood.
However, it is unpleasant that Olympus made the decision to wipe out humans without consulting me.
Even if Zeus is the king of the gods, should we, the Underworld, receive such important matters as notifications rather than consultations?
Go back to Zeus and tell him that the Underworld expresses deep regret over Olympus' decision.
As I finished speaking, Iris' face froze.
"......!"
"Do you have anything else to convey, Goddess of the Rainbow?"
"I have nothing else. I will convey the message as the lord of the Underworld has said..."
As I spoke, I realized I was getting a bit irritated, and the floor cracked from the release of power, and a chilling divine force emanated from my body.
It seemed I had taken out my frustration on the messenger, so I managed my expression and gave a polite dismissal.
If Zeus, who is sensitive to his authority, understands my message, it will be sufficient.
The goddess Iris bowed and left the banquet hall.
Only then did the other gods, who had paused the banquet, begin to move to prepare for the flood of souls due to the great flood.
"Additional places to stay until life returns after the great flood ends..."
"Thanatos, take a bit of a break until the great flood arrives. Try to help more with the task of bringing in souls."
"Indeed, only my brother can do it. I will help, Hypnos."
"Keres, let's get moving too."
"Moros, put down the nectar in your hand and speak."
The most unpleasant fact was that the great flood, which Iris conveyed, was not discussed with me, the king of the Underworld, beforehand.
If such a disaster as the great flood had occurred suddenly without any preparation, the officials of the Underworld would have felt like they were struck by a bolt from the blue.
If it had been discussed with the Underworld beforehand, we could have alternated the work of the subordinate souls or at least given them time to prepare mentally.
Thinking about it, it makes me even more irritated.
The last time I fought the Gigantes, I went to Olympus to help.
* * *
This is the palace of Olympus.
On the golden throne above the clouds, Zeus was listening to Iris' report.
When the high-ranking goddess Iris returned to Olympus pale and shaken, he felt puzzled, but after hearing her report, he understood.
"Thus, Lord Hades expressed deep regret over Olympus' decision and was extremely angry..."
"Oh, I forgot about my brother...!"
Why had he not thought of Hades, who manages the souls of the dead?
Seeing Iris, who was sweating cold sweat, Zeus was pondering how to resolve this situation.
Since he made the decision to cause the great flood without consulting the Underworld, it was understandable that Hades felt ignored.
If it were a powerless and insignificant god who dared to defy or complain about his decision, he could have suppressed them with his authority...
But as one of the three major deities ruling the underworld, and a god residing near Tartarus where the Titans are imprisoned, Hades required more careful consideration.
Even Zeus, who rules the sky and is called the king of the gods, has those who can check his power.
"Zeus! Did you run off to another goddess again?!"
Hera, his sister and wife, who had just flown over and was crossing her arms, was also such a one.
"No, that's a misunderstanding. I may occasionally look at other women, but only you are truly worthy to sit beside this Zeus..."
"Occasionally look at other women?! Grind... Were you just trying to seduce Iris again?"
Hera's domain, as the wife of Zeus, is marriage and family.
Even if Zeus is the king of the gods, he must yield to her in matters of infidelity.
"No! This time it's really a misunderstanding. I was trying to inform Lord Hades in the Underworld about the great flood..."
The king of the gods, sweating cold sweat, was trying to explain.
However, Hera's frown deepened as she listened.
"Is it not that the king of the gods, who only thinks about how to seduce goddesses every day, has forgotten the simple principle of listening to the opinions of other gods?"
"That... Hmm. It was my mistake. How to appease the Underworld..."
"Hmph. If it's so difficult to make a decision, ask the daughter of Metis."
Metis, Zeus' cousin and first wife, who made the gods vomit by giving Cronos an emetic.
Her marriage to Zeus brought forth the goddess of wisdom, Athena.
The prophecy that a son born to Metis would threaten Zeus' throne was averted by the birth of Athena,
who, as a wise goddess, reassured Zeus, who feared that the prophecy would continue through her son,
by swearing to remain a virgin forever by the River Styx.
Only then did Zeus stop all his suspicions and love her very much.
"Father, did you call me?"
Not long after, a rainbow appeared before Zeus, and Iris and Athena walked out of it.
Athena, as always, was armed with a golden helmet, armor, spear, and shield.
Nevertheless, her beauty as a goddess with shining silver hair was not hidden.
Zeus, the noble and wise goddess of wisdom, asked a question.
"...Thus, I need your wisdom. If you have a good suggestion, please share it."
After listening to Zeus' story, Athena pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Father, how far have you thought about calming your brother's anger?"
"I called you because I find it difficult to judge. Speak freely."
In response to Zeus' words, the goddess of wisdom, clad in armor, cautiously expressed her opinion.
Hera and Iris also quietly watched her.
"This time, it would be best for Father to go to the Underworld and apologize in person."
"What?! This Zeus in person?!"
Not sending a messenger god like Hermes or Iris?
The king of the gods was taken aback but decided to continue listening to his cherished eldest daughter.
However, the goddess of wisdom did not speak further after that.
"Why don't you say more? My beloved daughter."
"I apologize. I was contemplating the situation where the minor wickedness of humans has escalated to the point where a great flood is necessary to bring about their destruction..."
The wickedness of humans was deliberately induced by Zeus through Pandora's box.
Their excessive wickedness provided Zeus with a pretext to cause the great flood.
However, there was no need to say that here and now.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is not so dull as to be lost in other thoughts in front of a god...
Then...
"Is it better to take preemptive measures, even if they seem excessive, to prevent a major problem from occurring? Is this what you want to say?"
Athena said nothing and bowed her head.
The great flood that is about to occur is indeed a result of humans crossing the line, giving Zeus a justifiable reason.
However, if Hades harbors resentment over this matter and raises a banner of rebellion in the future?
From what Zeus has seen, his older brother is not the type to fly into a rage over trivial matters and fight with him.
So, from Iris' report of his anger, it is clear that he protested to Olympus as the king of the Underworld.
Not only Hades but also the other gods of the Underworld could lose the support of the people, endangering his throne.
Especially considering the importance of Tartarus near the Underworld.
"Are you still pondering, Zeus? You have time to wander around for infidelity, but no time to soothe the Underworld?"
Hera's words drove the point home for the deeply pondering Zeus.
"Very well. I will go to my brother Hades and have a heartfelt talk with him."
Now that I think about it, it has been a long time since I met my brother in the Underworld. I can take this opportunity to catch up.