Chapter 33 - The Story of Otos and Ephialtes - (1)
Chapter 33 The Story of Otos and Ephialtes – (1)
Not long after sending the messenger, Iris soon arrived.
“Why have you summoned me, Lord Hades?”
“Open the passage to Olympus.”
“…Understood.”
From the tips of Iris’s fingers, seven rings of light began to emanate.
Soon, a beautiful rainbow appeared, opening a passage that connected space to space.
Indeed, it was convenient to call Iris when traveling long distances.
*Shhh—*
As I crossed the passage, the space twisted, revealing Olympus, filled with clouds.
Now, let’s see… where is Zeus…
“Ah, Uncle Hades?”
“Apollon.”
Nearby was my nephew, Apollon, with his luxurious blond hair and eyes that shone like sunlight.
As usual, he was holding a lyre, 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, huh.
I sent Thanatos as it was claimed there was a grave sinner, but it turned out to be false.
Ignoring the fact that the whole situation was caused by his own act of rape, he’s hosting a banquet?
As I entered the banquet hall, I saw all sorts of gods.
They were drinking nectar and ambrosia, playing around—just like any other banquet.
“Oh…? Lord Hades?”
“You don’t seem to be in a particularly good mood today…”
“What brings you to Olympus after such a long time..?”
And there, sitting comfortably on a golden throne, was the king of the gods.
“Thanatos was found asleep? He’s not the type of god to do that. You must have been mistaken…”
“I swear, Father! He was lying there so comfortably…”
Zeus, who had just heard Ares’ report about the Underworld, wore an expression of disbelief.
His face was filled with doubt.
*Step, step.*
As I walked straight toward Zeus, he looked startled to see me.
“Huh? Brother Hades, what brings you to Olympus…”
“Everything Ares said is true.”
“What? So, Thanatos really disobeyed my orders…!”
A vein popped on Zeus’s forehead, but I wasn’t done speaking.
“But about that mortal you ordered Thanatos to bring to the Underworld.”
“You mean Sisyphus?”
“What kind of crime did he commit that made the king of the gods personally call for Thanatos to send him to the Underworld?”
“Ah… haha…”
Zeus let out an awkward laugh as if he had just realized something.
Well, as you know, Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, resides in our Underworld.
“Just as Hades said, what crime did Sisyphus commit that warranted such action?”
Hera, who had been eating ambrosia from a distance, approached.
The queen of the gods, her face filled only with curiosity, clearly didn’t know the exact details of the situation.
Since you also have the right to know, I should enlighten you.
“Well. Zeus raped…”
“Aah! Ahem! Brother, hold on. Just a moment!”
“Silence! You be quiet! So, Zeus did what now?!”
Zeus tried to deflect the conversation in a panic, but it was too late.
Hera had sensed something was amiss and had silenced Zeus.
You understand why I’m bringing this up here, right?
It’s time for you to face your karma, Zeus.
“Hera, you know the river god Asopus, don’t you?”
“I’ve heard of him.”
“Zeus raped his daughter, and the mortal who informed Asopus about it was Sisyphus.”
“…?!”
Zeus tried to quietly sneak away from his seat, only to be caught by Hera.
“So… in the end, Zeus tried to kill the mortal who exposed his rape…?”
“That’s right.”
Hera glared at Zeus before turning her gaze back to me.
“This isn’t a lie, is it?”
“I confirmed everything with the goddess Mnemosyne. I swear on the River Styx that it’s all true.”
“Z… Zeus!!!”
Hera’s face twisted into that of a demon.
As the queen of the gods, she was the goddess of marriage and family.
Naturally, acts like rape or infidelity were absolute evils in her eyes.
“Ahem!”
“You thought I would stay silent after you forced yourself on yet another goddess this time?”
“Should the god of death, Thanatos, now be punishing the mortals who expose your rapes?”
Zeus couldn’t utter a word, only breaking out in a cold sweat.
Oh ho… Look at him avoiding my gaze.
“Brother, I… Thanatos was only upholding the dignity of the king of gods…”
“Dignity? Does even a god of rape possess dignity simply because he forces himself on anyone he fancies?!”
Zeus’s complexion grew even paler.
No wonder, considering that Hera was glaring at him with eyes like daggers, constantly chattering beside him.
“You’re always like this. Leto, Europa, human women—if they have a pretty face, you lose your mind and rush at them. How can anyone tell if you’re the king of the gods or the king of infidelity? Should I tell you how many times you’ve made passes at Iris just today? And now you’ve raped the daughter of a river god? And then you sent the poor human who revealed it to the Underworld? If a single word I’ve said is false, go ahead, try to refute it…”
“Ugh… I… I was wrong.”
So, you’ve admitted your wrongdoing with your own mouth.
“Then give me compensation.”
“Co… Compensation?”
“Because of you, the Underworld’s work has been so overloaded that it almost burst. I’ll need to borrow some gods from Olympus for a while.”
Zeus darted his eyes around, trying to gauge the situation.
Then, cautiously, he spoke up…
“Hmm. Ahem. Of course. You can take whoever you like, Brother…”
“And don’t you dare order around busy gods for trivial matters like this again, especially not for something so pointless…”
I had considered cutting off a certain part of him with my scythe if he had refused…
But since he is still the king of the gods and is already suffering enough under Hera’s wrath, I’ll let it slide this time.
“Zeus! I’m not finished talking!”
“That is… This matter…”
After all, one of the reasons I came up here was to take a few gods back to the Underworld.
Instead of arguing with Zeus further, I should return to the Underworld and get back to work as soon as possible.
Now, who should I take to help with the tasks?
Athena, who has experience in the Underworld? Or Ares, who’s good at commanding souls?
My eyes drifted to the side.
Ares, who had been listening blankly to the conversation, met my gaze and frantically waved his hands.
“Gasp…! Uncle Hades, it would be much better if you took Athena instead!”
“…Since you were the one who reported Thanatos’s misdeed to the Underworld, I’ll spare you.”
Leaving Zeus, who was listening to Hera’s endless nagging to the point where ichor was likely flowing from his ears, I glanced around the banquet hall.
Let’s see… Isn’t there a perfect candidate for the Underworld among these gods?
—
Gods have senses far superior to those of humans.
If a conversation is happening at a certain distance, they can hear it clearly unless divine power blocks it.
Therefore…
“Zeus has raped someone again?”
“No… Father…”
“This time, it’s Asopus’s daughter who has fallen victim…”
Zeus’s notoriety was bound to rise even higher.
Virgin goddesses sighed, and even those already married shuddered.
“Should I just swear on the River Styx to remain a virgin too?”
“Maybe it would be better to be like Goddess Athena…”
“Is the rumor that Zeus has taken on the aspect of the god of rape and infidelity actually true?”
In the midst of this, there was one goddess who reacted differently.
“My, Zeus still hasn’t visited me…”
A goddess as beautiful as if the essence of all the world’s beauty had taken form.
The goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite.
When she lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile, Ares’s expression softened, and his eyes became dazed.
He was going to get into serious trouble with Hephaestus later… Tsk tsk.
Aphrodite lightly walked over the clouds and approached me as I looked around at the gods.
Oh no, she’s wearing that headache-inducing girdle again.
“Hades, it seems you came to Olympus today because you missed me, didn’t you?”
“Go to your husband.”
The goddess of love frowned slightly at my words.
But even that expression was transformed into beauty, and she smiled at me.
“Hehe… How long do you plan to play hard to get…”
“Aphrodite, don’t trouble Hades too much.”
“Oh? Hestia?”
From a corner of the banquet hall, Hestia, who had been tending to the hearth, quietly approached and spoke.
“Weren’t you the one who swore to keep your virginity by the River Styx, Hestia?”
“…? What does that have to do with this?”
“There’s only one reason I can think of for wanting to interfere in the love between a man and a woman, you know?”
Aphrodite moved behind the relatively shorter Hestia and whispered.
Is that sly look a characteristic of the goddess of love?
“Hah! Hades and I are not like that!”
“Oh, you can tell me secretly. I’m happy to give love advice as the goddess of love~”
Hmm, could Aphrodite’s charm be useful in managing the souls in the Underworld?
—
“Aphrodite.”
“Yes~? What is it, Hades?”
“Would you consider coming to the Underworld for a while?”
Aphrodite beamed at me with a bright smile.
“Oh~ So that’s your taste. You should have told me sooner. Spending time in a quiet, secluded place isn’t so bad.”
“So, are you willing to come?”
“Of course!”
Her smile radiated such an enchanting divine power that it gave me a headache.
But I smiled as well. If even I feel this way, the souls in the Underworld will surely be completely disarmed.
“As the goddess of beauty and love, you don’t have much to do in Olympus, do you?”
“Exactly! And we could spend a hot night together… or maybe several nights and days.”
Watching us, Hestia shuddered and made a resolute expression.
It’s not what you’re thinking…
“H… Hades! You can’t do that! You already have Lethe and Styx…”
“They aren’t even married to Hades yet, are they? So it wouldn’t hurt if I had some fun first…”
“Hmm. Fun, what a wonderful word.”
If you come to the Underworld, everyone will be able to work with a little more joy.
Especially Charon and the lower-ranking gods will be thrilled.
Just as Aphrodite and I were exchanging smiles full of anticipation, a loud noise was heard from the outskirts of Olympus.
*Boom! Boom!*