King of Underworld

Chapter 30 Sisyphus… The Story of Thanatos – (1)

A peaceful world.

Sisyphus, a demigod born between the god of winds, Aeolus, and a mortal woman named Enarete.

King Sisyphus, the founder of Corinth, was known for his cunning and deceit.

Many stories illustrate Sisyphus’s wisdom, one of which involves a demigod named Autolycus, the son of Hermes, the god of messengers and thieves.

Autolycus, who frequently stole without getting caught using the abilities bestowed upon him by Hermes, once stole cattle from Sisyphus…

“Look here, my name is engraved under the hoof of this cow, isn’t it? This is clearly my cow, and you are a thief.”

“Y-you insolent! Didn’t your servant secretly carve it?”

By engraving his name in advance under the hooves of the cattle, Sisyphus successfully caught Autolycus in the act of theft.

Even though Autolycus had used his power to change the gender and color of the stolen cattle, he couldn’t deny the clear evidence.

Trusting in his own cleverness and wisdom, King Sisyphus made one fatal mistake…

“Are you Asopus, the river god?”

“What business do you have with me, King of Corinth?”

“I know where your daughter, Aegina, went when she disappeared.”

“What?! You know where my daughter has gone?”

“If you grant Corinth fresh spring water, I’ll tell you.”

Convinced by the confident Sisyphus, the river god Asopus.

In order to find his missing daughter, he lightly gestured, making clear spring water flow into the city.

“Your daughter was kidnapped by Zeus.”

“Th-this wretched! Is that really true?”

“It’s true. If you follow this mountain path, you’ll find Zeus and your daughter.”

The river god quickly moved along the path that Sisyphus pointed out.

And soon…

“F-Father… Hic…”

“Lord Zeus! How could you do this? Aaaah!!!”

“Ahem, I think it’s time I take my leave.”

There, he saw his daughter Aegina weeping bitterly, having been forcibly violated by Zeus.

Asopus furiously discovered the fleeing Zeus, but it was already too late.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Zeus found out about Sisyphus’s actions.

As expected, Zeus, enraged by this insolence, exploded with fury.

“How dare a mere human interfere in the matters of the gods! Tell Hades to send Thanatos, for there is a serious criminal in the underworld!”

With the king of the gods behaving like this, the future of Olympus looked bleak as always…

* * *

This was the dark underworld.

Thanatos, the god of death, always busy managing countless incarnations sent to the world above.

A god with black wings and the appearance of an old man, he was thrilled at the unexpected task.

“Thanatos. Zeus has sent a message, requesting that you bring a serious criminal to the underworld.”

“Is there a human who has committed such a grave sin? Hades.”

“I’m not sure…? Anyway, they’ve asked me to send you to Olympus for a while… So please go.”

“To Olympus? It’s been so long since I last visited Olympus, I’m truly grateful.”

“But please return quickly. Whether or not this human really committed a crime…”

Thanatos rarely had any reason to visit Olympus.

He was always so busy that he wasn’t even invited to the feasts of the gods living in Olympus.

And since the gods living there were immortal, he had no reason to visit to harvest their souls.

This brief trip to Olympus, permitted by Hades who pitied Thanatos’s exhausting labor, was a short vacation.

Perhaps he could rest a bit while capturing the criminal.

Thanatos, feeling grateful in his heart towards the lord of the underworld, moved not just one of his incarnations but his true self to Olympus.

“Thanatos! You’re finally here. That’s him right there! A mere human dares to interfere in the matters of the gods!”

And soon, he saw Zeus raging and pointing furiously at the world below.

A human interfered in the matters of the gods…

Maybe he stole an offering or meddled in the gods’ decisions.

For now, Thanatos decided to inspect the human as Zeus had ordered.

There, in his palace, leisurely drinking wine, was Sisyphus, the founder of Corinth.

“But a serious crime, what exactly…”

“Oh, I know that human a bit too well, Thanatos.”

Thanatos’s question to Zeus was interrupted by another god’s voice.

It was Hermes, the messenger of the gods, holding his caduceus.

Usually cheerful, Hermes seemed unusually irritable as he spoke to Thanatos.

“He overestimated his abilities and defeated my son. Using the powers I granted for stealing… Tsk. This time too, he must have done something to annoy my father.”

Thanatos found Hermes’s irritated attitude toward a human somewhat convincing.

Well, whatever he did, it must have been serious. And if Zeus was saying so, then it was enough to drag one troublesome human to the underworld.

After all, once in the underworld, Hades or the three judges, Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus, would determine the human’s fate.

With that, Thanatos spread his black wings and calmly flew towards the Corinthian palace.

* * *

This was the Corinthian palace.

Sisyphus secretly spoke to his wife, Queen Merope.

“I’m certain that the god Zeus will hold a grudge against me and send Thanatos.”

“What…? Then, what should we do?”

“Listen carefully, my dear. Even if I die, do not hold my funeral. Do you understand?”

He was already preparing, predicting that Thanatos would come.

After informing his wife to prepare for any unforeseen events…

Sisyphus grabbed a large wooden club and hid behind the curtains in the bedroom, waiting for Thanatos.

Soon, the god of death, Thanatos, entered the bedroom to take Sisyphus to the underworld.

Sisyphus tightened his grip on the club, ready to strike as soon as Thanatos got close.

However…

‘Does he really think he can escape my senses? And with a mere club, at that? Has this fool lost his mind?’

There was no way Thanatos wouldn’t notice.

Sisyphus might be a demigod, but aside from his wisdom and cunning, he was just an ordinary man.

On the other hand, Thanatos was not just some lowly god; he was the direct son of Nyx, the goddess of night.

A deity older than the three major gods, including Hades, and respected by the lord of the underworld.

Thanatos, the personification of death itself, with a powerful grip, sneered at the foolish human.

Step, step.

Thanatos casually entered the bedroom of the foolish human, and Sisyphus, thinking it was the right moment, jumped out and swung the club.

“Thanatos! You’ve finally come! Take this—”

Whoosh—

The club moved so slowly in the divine perception of the high god who harvests souls.

As Thanatos watched the foolish human gritting his teeth and swinging the club at him, a slight sneer formed on his lips…

‘Wait, if I just let this guy hit me and pretend to be knocked out, wouldn’t I be able to rest a bit longer?’

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

Thanatos, the god of death, born as the son of Nyx, had never once been able to rest since his birth.

Death always occurred in the world above, so he had to bring souls to the underworld every single day.

The one present here now was his true form, not just an incarnation.

If he let this fool hit him and pretended to be knocked out, he could rest.

But then again, he pondered whether it would be okay to neglect his duty for a while.

If he shirked his responsibility of collecting souls, the burden would fall on the other hardworking gods of the underworld.

‘Sigh… Yes, if I don’t do it, who will? As an elder god of the underworld, I must set an example…’

Images of the many fellow gods who struggled alongside him at work flashed through his mind.

No matter how hard his work was, the other gods…

“Tsk tsk, Thanatos. Struggling to collect souls as usual, huh? Snicker snicker…”

First of all… Hypnos, who had helped him a bit before the great flood that wiped out humanity, But once the flood started, he pretended to comfort Thanatos while actually sneering at him.

“We’re lucky we’re not Thanatos, aren’t we, Moros?”

“Of course, Keres.”

Keres and Moros, who were also death gods but had lighter duties, making their lives relatively easier.

“Lord Thanatos. I’m always grateful to you. If I had been born with the divine authority of death…”

And finally, there was Morpheus, who approached him with a smirk, always trying to befriend him!

Come to think of it, these damn gods never really helped me but just mocked me for their own comfort, didn’t they?

Thanatos’s face twisted with anger, resembling a grim and fearsome god.

And then, self-justification followed quickly.

I can just say that this guy, being a demigod, caught me off guard.

If I rest for just a little while and then get back to work, no one will blame me.

Yes, just one day… just one day off! One day!

“Urgh. Ack!”

“W-what…?”

Before the club even touched Thanatos’s head…

He fell to the ground, executing an extremely unnatural act.

Suddenly, the poor human, Sisyphus, who had unwittingly gained a notorious reputation for knocking out a god,

stood frozen in place, still holding the club.

“…What just happened?”

Sisyphus stared in confusion at the club and the fallen Thanatos, then finally tied him up and locked him in the basement with a bewildered expression.

But King Sisyphus had no idea what the consequences of this act would be.

To “imprison” the “true form” of Thanatos, the personification of death itself, was an action that would affect the very laws of the world.

And from the very next day, the underworld’s management of the dead souls began to fall into chaos.