Otus and Epialtes' Story - (1)
Not long after sending the messenger, Iris soon arrived.
"Why has Hades summoned me..."
"Open the passage to Olympus."
"... Understood."
From the tips of Iris's fingers, seven colors of light flowed out.
Soon, a beautiful rainbow appeared, opening a passage connecting one space to another.
Indeed, it is convenient to call Iris when traveling long distances.
Shuaaa—
Crossing the passage, the space twisted, revealing Olympus filled with clouds.
Now, let’s see... where is Zeus...
"Ah, Uncle Hades?"
"Apollo."
My nephew, Apollo, with his splendid golden hair and eyes shining like sunlight, was nearby.
He was holding a lyre and heading somewhere.
"What brings you to Olympus today?"
"That is not something you need to know. Where is Zeus?"
"Oh, if it’s Father, he’s probably in the banquet hall over there."
Oh, a banquet.
I sent Thanatos thinking he was a serious criminal, only to find it was a false accusation, and now there’s a banquet, despite the chaos caused by his own actions?
Upon entering the banquet hall, I saw all kinds of gods.
They were drinking nectar and ambrosia, enjoying themselves just like any usual banquet.
"Uh...? Lord Hades?"
"You don’t seem to be in a good mood today..."
"The reason you’ve come to Olympus after such a long time..."
And there, comfortably seated on the golden throne, was the king of the gods.
"Thanatos was sleeping? He is not the type to do that. You must have seen wrong..."
"It’s true, Father! He was lying down so comfortably..."
Zeus wore a bewildered expression as he listened to Ares' report, who had just returned from the underworld.
His face was filled with disbelief.
Thud thud.
As I walked straight towards Zeus, he looked surprised to see me.
"Ah? Why is Hades here in Olympus..."
"What Ares said is all true."
"What? So Thanatos really disobeyed my orders...!"
Veins bulged on Zeus's forehead, but my words were not finished yet.
"By the way, that human you ordered Thanatos to take to the underworld..."
"Are you talking about Sisyphus?"
"What exactly did he do wrong that the king of the gods personally called for Thanatos to send him to the underworld?"
"Ah... haha..."
Zeus seemed to catch on to something and forced a smile.
Yes, as you know, we have the goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, in the underworld.
"As Hades said, what exactly did this human Sisyphus do wrong?"
From a little distance away, Hera, who had been eating ambrosia, approached.
The queen of the gods had only curiosity on her face, clearly not knowing the details of the situation.
You have the right to know, so I should tell you clearly.
"Well. That is because Zeus raped..."
"Ah! Ahem! Brother, wait. Just a moment!"
"Shh! You be quiet! So what did Zeus say?!"
He tried to change the subject, looking flustered, but it was no use.
Hera sensed something strange and silenced Zeus.
Do you understand why I’m bringing this up here?
Receive your karma, Zeus.
"Hera, do you know the river god Asopus?"
"I’ve heard of that god."
"Zeus raped his daughter, and the human who informed Asopus of this rape is Sisyphus."
"...?!"
Zeus, sensing the situation, slowly began to rise from his seat, only to be caught by Hera.
"So... in conclusion, when Zeus was caught for his rape, he tried to kill the human who informed him...?"
"That’s right."
Hera shot a glare at Zeus before turning her gaze back to me.
"You’re not lying, are you?"
"I confirmed it with the help of the goddess Mnemosyne. I swear by the river Styx that all of this is true."
"Zeus!!!"
Hera's face transformed into that of a vengeful spirit in an instant.
As the queen of the gods, she is the goddess of home and marriage.
Naturally, acts like rape or infidelity are absolute evils in her eyes.
"Cough cough!"
"Did you think I would remain silent after you forcibly touched another goddess again?!"
"Should Thanatos, the god of death, punish the human who informed you of your rape?"
He could only sweat coldly, unable to say a word.
Oh, look at him avoiding my gaze.
"No, brother, that... Thanatos is my dignity as the king of the gods..."
"Dignity? Did the god of rape, who forces himself on others if he feels like it, have dignity?!"
Zeus's complexion grew even paler.
It was no wonder, as Hera was glaring at him and incessantly chattering away.
"You always act like this. You chase after beautiful women, whether they are Leto, Europa, or human women. I can't tell if you are the king of the gods or the king of infidelity. Should I recount how many times you flirted with Iris today? And yet, this time you raped the river god's daughter? And you send the human who informed you to the underworld? If any of what I said is wrong, feel free to refute..."
"Ugh... I... I was wrong."
You admitted your mistake with your own mouth.
"Then give me compensation."
"Compensation?"
"Because of you, the work in the underworld has been so busy for days that I will need to borrow the gods of Olympus for a while."
Zeus glanced around, his eyes darting back and forth.
Then he slowly opened his mouth...
"Hmm. Of course. You can take whoever you want..."
"And don’t ever misuse the busy gods again, especially not for something as pointless as this..."
If he had said no, I would have thought about cutting off his... well, I’ll let it slide for now since he is the king of the gods and is also being tormented by Hera.
"Zeus! I’m not done talking yet!"
"This matter... is..."
The other reason I came up here was to take a few gods back to the underworld.
Rather than pressing Zeus further, I needed to return to the underworld quickly to resume my duties.
Now, who should I take to work? Athena, who has experience with underworld tasks? Or Ares, who was good at managing souls?
My gaze shifted sideways.
Ares, who had been listening to the conversation blankly, met my eyes and waved his hands in refusal.
"Ah! Uncle Hades, it would be better for you to take Athena!"
"... Since you reported Thanatos's misdeeds directly to the underworld, I will let you off this time."
I looked around the banquet hall, leaving behind Zeus, who was sweating from Hera's continuous scolding.
Now... is there a suitable talent, or rather, a divine material that fits the underworld?
The gods have senses that surpass those of humans.
Conversations held at a slight distance can be heard quite well unless blocked by divine power.
Thus...
"Has Lord Zeus assaulted someone again?"
"No... Father..."
"This time, the daughter of Asopus has become a victim..."
It is only natural that Zeus's infamous reputation rises even higher.
The virgin goddesses sighed, and even the married goddesses shuddered.
"Should I just swear my virginity to the river Styx as well?"
"Rather like the goddess Athena..."
"Is it true that Lord Zeus has the divine status of rape and infidelity?"
Amidst this, one goddess showed a different reaction.
"Oh my, Lord Zeus hasn’t come to see me..."
She was the embodiment of beauty, the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite.
As she slightly raised the corners of her mouth and smiled, Ares's expression softened, and his eyes went blank.
But then, he would likely end up in trouble with Hephaestus... tsk tsk.
Aphrodite lightly walked across the clouds and approached me, who was observing the gods.
Oh no, she’s wearing that headache-inducing waist ribbon again.
"Hades, seeing you here in Olympus today means you wanted to meet me again?"
"Go to your husband."
The beautiful goddess of love slightly frowned.
However, even that was transformed into beauty as she smiled at me.
"Hehe... I wonder how long you will keep rejecting me..."
"Aphrodite, don’t make it too difficult for Hades."
"Oh? Hestia?"
Hestia, who had been tending to the hearth in a corner of the banquet hall, approached quietly.
"Weren't you the one who swore to keep your virginity to the river Styx?"
"...? What does that have to do with this?"
"There’s only one thing I can guess that would prevent free love between men and women, you know?"
Aphrodite whispered behind the relatively shorter Hestia.
Is that a characteristic of the goddess of love, to have such a sly gaze?
"Ha! Hades and I are not like that!"
"Hey, you can just tell me in secret. Love counseling is my specialty~"
Wait, could Aphrodite's charm be useful in managing the souls of the underworld?
"Aphrodite."
"Yes~ What is it, Hades?"
"Would you consider coming to the underworld for a bit?"
Aphrodite smiled brightly and replied.
"Oh~ So that’s your taste. You should have said so earlier. Spending time in a quiet and secret place isn’t bad at all."
"So, do you plan to come?"
"Of course I do!"
Her smile carried an enchanting divine power that made my head ache, but I smiled back.
If I feel this way, the souls coming to the underworld will surely be completely bewildered.
"Since you are the goddess of beauty and love, you wouldn’t have anything else to do in Olympus, right?"
"Of course! I could spend a hot night... no, several hot days and nights with you."
As we exchanged expectant smiles, Hestia trembled and wore a determined expression.
It’s not what you think...
"H... Hades! You can’t do that! You have Lethe and Styx..."
"But there are goddesses who haven’t married Hades yet, right? It’s fine if I enjoy myself first..."
"Well. Enjoying oneself is a very good thing."
If you come to the underworld, everyone will be able to work a little more joyfully.
Especially Charon, the ferryman, and the lower gods would surely appreciate it.
Just as Aphrodite and I were exchanging hopeful smiles, a loud noise echoed from the outskirts of Olympus.
Boom! Kwoong!