The Story of the Underworld
In the future, the war with the Titan gods, which would be called the Titanomachy, ended in our victory.
Now, the dominance of the world has passed to us.
"Hecatoncheires brothers! Just how many Titans have you three taken down?"
"This trident is thanks to the Cyclopes who crafted this amazing weapon that causes earthquakes!"
"No, this is merely a small repayment for you, Zeus, for rescuing us."
The atmosphere was very cheerful.
Now that the hard war was over, it was only natural to gather the spoils.
First, we decided to determine who would rule the sea, the underworld, and the sky.
Hera, Demeter, and Hestia quietly stepped back, sensing the mood.
"I'm not interested."
"Me neither."
"Let the men decide."
Was it because among us, my power, along with Poseidon and Zeus, was the strongest?
Or perhaps it was simply that we felt burdened or lacked ambition.
"Then... we should decide where we will govern..."
"Let's draw lots fairly. After all, who wouldn't want the sky?"
At Poseidon's words, Zeus stroked his beard and suggested leaving it to luck.
Wait a moment, what if I draw the sea or the sky?
Then all the mythological knowledge I knew would be completely twisted...
"Hahaha! Of course, I should rule the sky, right?"
"Tch. I guess I'm stuck with the sea. At least it's not the underworld..."
I quietly watched the last lot being handed to me.
When did they draw all these? This isn't rigged, is it?
Poseidon and Zeus looked at me with relieved expressions.
After all, who would want to live in the dark underworld?
The two ambitious younger brothers, wanting to be kings of the gods, would probably start a rebellion rather than live underground.
Yeah, maybe it would be better for me to go underground.
Now, when will I go...
I hummed a tune as I headed to a suitable place to descend into the underworld.
Well, since I am the king of the underworld, I do have to manage it.
A normal meadow where birds chirped and flowers bloomed.
Thud.
I stamped my foot down with determination.
Swoosh—
A black energy spread into the ground, creating a downhill path before me.
The surrounding grass and trees wilted, and the nearby life hurriedly fled.
I twirled my transparent helmet, Quine, in one hand while gazing at the passage I had just created.
It looked ominous, a bottomless pit shrouded in darkness.
Downward.
I continued to descend further and further.
How far had I gone underground?
Now, even the occasional bugs were nowhere to be seen.
After passing through several underground caves, I finally came upon an open space.
It should have been normal for there to be nothing visible in a place without sunlight, yet I saw mountains with a gloomy atmosphere, a darkened sky, and a wide river.
This was the first river surrounding the underworld, the River Acheron, known as the River of Woe.
To the humans of the distant future, it would be called the River of Woe, but it looked like a clear and ordinary river.
However, no creatures lived in the river, and the nearby mountains also showed no signs of life.
Crossing the Acheron, another river appeared.
My face reflected on the surface brought back memories of the past.
The River Cocytus, the River of Sorrow.
Even I, as a god, felt it was as cold as dipping my feet in icy water, and I saw my own figure battling during the war against the Titan gods.
Me, fighting back-to-back with Zeus, stabbing a tall Titan in the belly with my sword, Quine...
I lifted my head and continued walking forward.
The next river was Pyriphlegethon, filled with flames.
The river that should have been filled with water was instead ablaze.
It contained the power to purify souls by burning them, but it posed no harm to me.
Human souls passing through here would be cleansed.
Next was the River Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness.
If human souls drank from its waters, they would lose their memories.
To me, as a god, it was just bitter water.
In fact, I was curious and tried a sip.
Now, it was not long until I reached my new home, the underworld.
Just as I began to feel tired of walking, I finally saw the last river before entering the underworld.
As I approached the river, the water naturally formed into the shape of a beautiful goddess.
"Welcome, Hades. I have been waiting for you."
Her name was Styx.
A goddess born between the Titan god Oceanus and Tethys, who ruled the sea.
The river that winds nine times around the underworld and separates the realms of the living and the dead had taken on her form.
She received a special favor for being the first to help us in the war against the Titans.
Specifically, it was Zeus who strongly insisted, and we all agreed.
"I swear by the Styx River that you are as beautiful as ever today, Lady Styx."
"Oh... such sudden compliments..."
If one swore by the Styx River, even a god must keep that promise.
If broken, one would spend the first year in a state of coma and then be unable to participate in the meetings of the gods for nine years.
In essence, it would mean failing to fulfill one's duties as a god.
However, Lady Styx was beautiful, so I did not break my vow.
With long black hair down to her waist and a figure that was both alluring and modest, she looked slightly embarrassed.
In truth, I was just giving her a compliment since I would be seeing her often in the underworld.
"Ah... and please don't keep swearing to me. Especially not for trivial matters like just now!"
With one hand on her hip, she playfully tapped my forehead with her other finger.
She tried to look stern, as if scolding me, but it came off more like a cute student pouting.
Ah, I can't help it.
Whenever I see Lady Styx, I feel like teasing her.
Swearing by the Styx River...
"Again! Stop it! Enough!"
"I was just saying..."
"Sigh... As the god of the underworld, you should maintain some dignity..."
I had become quite close to Lady Styx during the war.
Our powers were both dark and similar, and when we attacked together, it created a synergy effect.
When they heard I had drawn the underworld in the lot, my fellow gods were pleased to have me as a neighbor.
"... Do you understand? Now, as one of the three great gods who have seized the world's dominance..."
One of her traits was her incessant nagging.
After being held up by the nagging goddess Styx for quite some time, I finally arrived at the underworld where I would reside.
With a bit of anticipation, I began to check what the land I would stay in was like...
It was desolate.
There was nothing.
To think I would have to start from scratch on this barren land...
Having defeated countless Titans and become the ruler of the underworld, Hades lost consciousness.
Why must you give me such trials, oh daughters of Nyx, the goddess of night, and the Fates?
Life... no, divine life...
Am I to become a god and cultivate this wasteland?
But there was no choice.
It was work, so I had to do it.
For now, I didn't need to touch Tartarus, which was far from the underworld.
That place was a prison for the Titans who lost the war.
Poseidon had made the bronze doors himself, and it was surrounded by bronze walls, making it impossible for anyone to escape.
It was a perfect place for housing the most dangerous criminals, and it also contained the dwelling of Nyx, the goddess of night.
At the foggy entrance of Tartarus, the three Hecatoncheires brothers stood guard.
They volunteered to prevent anyone from leaving Tartarus, perhaps due to the grudge that their father, Cronus, had not released them.
What I needed to create now were living spaces for the souls coming to the underworld and my own home.
The underworld was my domain, and since I had drawn it through the lot, my divine power responded to the changes.
Thud thud thud...
In the underworld, I, Hades, was truly an absolute being.
As my will naturally rose, the scenery around me began to change.
Since I was the king of the underworld, I needed to have some dignity, right? Minerals and gems were scattered underground, so I had plenty of materials.
Zeus was building a divine palace for himself and the other gods on Mount Olympus, so I should make something grand as well...
As the master of the largest river surrounding the underworld, Styx felt the fierce vibrations of the underworld and emerged from the river once more.
The dark world, which had been nothing but desolate plains, began to change its appearance at the will of the king of the underworld.
Thud thud thud...
The vast underworld trembled, rejoicing for its new master.
The fundamental cycle of life and death, which forms the world, became even more solid, and I could feel its principles deeply engraved in the universe.
This was a clear indication that the power of that lighthearted god, who had just been joking around with his name, had reached the divine realm.
"Indeed, the great gods who hold the world's dominance are different."
In the heavens, there was Zeus, the god of thunder and the sky; in the sea, Poseidon, the god of earthquakes and water.
And in this underworld, there was Hades, the god of the underworld and wealth.
Hades' first encounter was during the war against the Titan gods.
The gloomy god, spinning a pitch-black sword in one hand and drenched in blood on the battlefield, was now the king ruling the underworld.
Seated by the riverbank, she rested her chin on her hand, observing the ever-changing realm of the dead in real-time.
The sight of a kingdom being built in this underground world, which had always been dull, was not something one could see every day.