The Story of Phaethon - (2)
"... I shall bestow a bit of mercy."
Mercy from one who has taken thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of lives?
What kind of nonsense is this?
"Those who die and arrive in the underworld can never escape the realm of the dead, especially not a sinner like you. However..."
Phaethon focused all his senses, trying to catch the next words.
"If you wish, I can invite the god Helios to the underworld for one last meeting."
The world of the living and the world of the dead are strictly separated.
Though the gods come and go freely, it is impossible for a great sinner like Phaethon to meet them.
He did not even expect mercy to lessen his punishment.
"I sent a messenger to Olympus, and it seems that the god Helios is in seclusion, mourning your loss. But if he can meet you, he will rush to the underworld."
"Thank you..."
Thick tears welled up in Phaethon's eyes and fell.
If he could see his father one last time... to say he was sorry...
"This is not merely a concession to your circumstances. If the god Helios remains in sorrow for too long and does not move the sun, the world will fall into chaos."
Though Hades spoke these words, Phaethon understood.
If the sun does not rise and night continues, more lives will be lost, strengthening Hades' power.
The more lives that perish in the world of the living, the more benefit it brings to the lord of the underworld.
This was indeed mercy.
The Sun Palace of Helios.
The sun god, Helios, who was engulfed in despair over the death of his son, had not stepped outside the palace.
With the master of the palace not driving the sun chariot, darkness continued to envelop the world of the living.
"Why does the sun not rise again today..."
"Helios! Please, show mercy and grant us light!"
"Lord Zeus..."
"Sigh... at this rate, all the crops will perish..."
The world of the living was filled with the pleas of all living beings.
Finally, Zeus himself came to find him.
Clearing his throat outside the palace, Zeus called for Helios.
"Helios! Are you inside?"
But the father who had lost his child remained silent.
"I apologize for striking your son with lightning, but there was no other way."
Whether Helios heard him or not, Zeus continued to speak.
"The world is in chaos because you do not drive the sun chariot. I understand your sorrow over your lost child, but can you not fulfill your duty once more?"
Yet still, the master of the palace kept his silence.
Even if Zeus, the one who had cast the lightning, spoke, it would not change Helios' heart.
"Sigh..."
Zeus briefly considered bursting through the palace doors but shook his head.
He thought that such a rash action might worsen Helios' seclusion.
"Father! So you were here!"
"Hermes, what brings you here?"
The messenger god approached Zeus, who was troubled by Helios' strike.
With a confident expression, Hermes spoke.
"Hades has said he will allow you to meet Phaethon one last time. If you convey this well to Helios..."
"What? My brother is allowing a dead soul to meet...?"
Before Zeus could finish his words, the doors of the Sun Palace swung open.
A male god rushed out from within.
With splendid golden hair reminiscent of light, golden robes, and eyes that burned with the heat of the sun.
The great sun god, Helios, had come out after hearing Hermes' words.
He looked extremely urgent as he approached the messenger god and shouted.
"Hermes! Is that true?! Hades is allowing me to meet my son!"
A bright light entered the underworld.
But it was different from the rampage of the sun chariot that Phaethon had driven.
This light was emanating from one person, or rather, one god.
"Hades! Let me meet my son!"
Not long after sending a messenger to Olympus, the god Helios arrived in the underworld.
As his emotions intensified, the energy of the sun radiated from his body.
The spirits, feeling the heat, had already retreated far away.
"Phaethon is over there..."
"Phaethon...!"
Helios rushed toward Phaethon, who was in a corner.
Thus, father and son met once more.
"Ugh... Father... I... I am truly sorry..."
"No, it is all my fault. I should have brought you to Olympus the moment you were born..."
"My reckless actions have caused the earth... and your sun chariot as well..."
"Enough. Do not speak of it. I am just glad to see you one last time..."
They embraced each other tightly.
Tears flowed endlessly from the eyes of the father and son, who had been estranged.
"I was wrong. To your mother as well... forgive me..."
"No, Father..."
But the time they could spend together was limited.
The realms of the living and the dead must remain strictly separated.
If they were to show pity and save Phaethon, the god Helios would begin to feed his child nectar and ambrosia...
And all the other gods would plead with me to save their cherished mortals, just like Helios.
"It is time for you to say your final goodbyes. A sinner must be punished."
"Ah..."
I stepped aside for them to share their last words.
"Ugh..."
As I stepped aside, I heard a faint sobbing from somewhere.
The sound came from the outskirts of the palace, and I moved toward it.
"Sniff..."
Tears flowed from the beautiful goddess leaning against the castle wall.
Goddess Styx?
Covering her mouth, the weeping goddess Styx had a face full of moisture, and her hands were busy wiping away the flowing liquid.
As if she sensed my presence, she hurriedly turned to me.
"Ah... Hades..! P-Please, do not look at me like this..."
"Is it because of Helios' oath?"
The goddess Styx fell silent.
The oath of the River Styx is an absolute promise that even the gods cannot break.
A reward for the goddess who was the first to rush to aid in the war against the Titans.
But every time she witnessed the tragedies caused by the oath of the River Styx, her heart...
"I sometimes think... if only the oath of the River Styx did not exist..."
I could guess her unspoken words.
The incident with Semele, the mother of Dionysus, and Zeus...
And the recent incident with Phaethon...
All were acts committed by the gods who could not break the absolute oath of the River Styx.
"These tragedies are not your fault, goddess."
"Still... if I had only rejected Zeus' offer to use my river as proof of the oath..."
We gods are immortal and possess immense power that cannot be compared to mortals.
Even the goddess Styx, who is crying before me, could easily destroy a city with a curse.
But because we possess such great power, we become arrogant and prideful.
The River Styx, which must grant any request made in its name, is a shackle placed upon us.
Even Zeus, the king of the gods, must adhere to this oath.
Yet, an oath made in the name of a goddess does not only bring negative outcomes.
I intended to tell Styx this fact from now on.
"The oath of the River Styx does not always bring tragedy. Events like today are exceptional."
"Y-Yes?"
"It seems you have been too busy to pay attention to the world of the living lately, but... would you care to listen to the prayers of the mortals once more?"
In the world of the living, countless people of all ages were bustling about.
Today, many people gathered around the statue of the goddess Styx in my temple.
"Why have you called me here?"
"Well... I will swear by the River Styx that I love you, so please marry me."
"Ah...!"
A man confessing his love to his beloved in front of the statue of the goddess Styx.
"I swear by the River Styx! I did not steal the sheep! Now it is that fellow's turn!"
"I... I..."
"If you have nothing to hide, swear like me!"
"Well, the truth is... times have been tough lately..."
People uncovering thieves through the oath of the River Styx.
"I swear before the statue of the goddess Styx. Even if I am called by Lord Thanatos..."
"Oh! What kind of oath is that... Hmm... then I swear too. If my wife dies first..."
An elderly couple swearing to cherish each other even if one of them dies first.
"These are humans who reveal the truth, swear love, and share vows."
"Ah..."
"If the name of the goddess did not hold weight, we would not be able to witness such scenes."
Humans who break the oath of the River Styx face death and are dragged into Tartarus.
Though they are always cautious due to this fear, they sometimes use it to confirm each other's feelings.
"Humans... surprisingly swear quite often..."
"I was surprised too. Perhaps it is because the statue of the goddess has been erected?"
The goddess Styx, who had freed herself from the thought that her name only brought misfortune, looked up at me.
Her face, which appeared clearer than before, fell into thought for a moment.
After a somewhat awkward silence, the goddess with black hair, having wiped away her tear stains, smiled gently.
Could it be that her guilt had eased a little?
"Thank you, Hades... I always thought you were just playing tricks with Quineiro..."
"Yes...? Testing the strength of weapons is a necessary task."
"Hehe... hehehe..."
I had never once played tricks with Quineiro while swearing by the River Styx.
Yet, I remained silent, wanting to keep seeing the beautiful smile of the goddess who was now smiling.
As the goddess Styx, who had been happily smiling while covering her mouth, approached me.
Her lips curled up softly, and her eyes sparkled alluringly.
"Please... do not tell anyone that I was like this today, okay?"
One of her hands rested on my chest, and her right index finger touched her lips.
Both her chest and lips were soft, sending a ticklish feeling through me.
I answered as if entranced by her.
"... I swear by the River Styx."