Ominous Signs - (1)
Today, the underworld was not peaceful once again.
The goddess Aphrodite, who had decided to help with the affairs of the underworld for the time being, was struggling today as well.
Before reaching the River Lethe of oblivion, humans retained their memories of the living world,
thus, there were those who could not accept the fact that they had died and caused a ruckus.
"Ahhh! I'm not dead yet!"
"Please, let me see my mother just once. I will walk back on my own after just a moment!"
"Damn it, let me go!"
Those who denied reality, those who clung to the living world, those who vented their anger on the enemies who killed them...
and even the souls drifting in the Acheron River without a single coin.
The goddess was slowly growing tired of maintaining her dignity, and for a moment, she could only enchant the souls with her gaze.
Karon, who had taken the souls across the river and returned, delivered Hades' message.
"Hades is going to hold a feast in the underworld for a whole day."
"A day... a whole day?!"
"Hmm. I was quite surprised too. Perhaps he was still bothered by the last incident with Thanatos..."
Though it was the same news, the reactions were different.
The ferryman of the Acheron River was delighted that he could take a break for a whole day,
while the goddess of beauty and love was astonished that it was only that little time off.
It was understandable, as what kind of work could the goddess of beauty and love have done in Olympus?
Love is a feeling that arises naturally, and beauty is something she had no part in influencing.
And in Olympus, there were many gods who lived leisurely like her.
Feasts were held often, and they could enjoy a carefree life.
"Come to think of it, you’ve been living comfortably in Olympus, so this work must be a bit unfamiliar to you."
"... I think I understand why Athena avoids the underworld discussions since the Great Flood."
Such a sheltered flower had suddenly fallen into a hell of work...
This reaction was only natural.
"I... I am wronged... Lord Zeus forced me... sniff... why is it only Lady Hera who..."
"... Alright. Just rest a bit and we will talk again."
A human soul who was raped by Zeus and killed by Hera had come to the underworld.
As she wept sorrowfully, the goddess of Lethe quietly approached to make her forget the memories of the living world.
While judging in the underworld, it was not uncommon for those who came with memories of the living world to appear.
It was natural that if one died with deep resentment, the River Lethe would have no effect...
"Why are there so many victims of rape in the living world..."
The gods were self-willed.
Not just Zeus, who thought with his lower half, but most of them were like that.
The higher the status of the god, the more pronounced this tendency, but even lower gods often committed such acts against humans.
Just today, three victims of rape had arrived in the underworld.
All of them came to me, pleading while retaining their memories of the living world.
As I held my head, the goddess of Lethe, who had just erased the memories of a soul, approached quietly.
"Still, Hades doesn’t do that. He is quite popular..."
Of course, I am one of the Three Great Gods.
If one marries me, they become the mistress of the underworld and gain tremendous power and strength.
Honestly, I might look a bit gloomy, but I think I am quite handsome.
Not to mention Poseidon, who makes his main wife Amphitrite angry every day due to his numerous affairs, or Zeus, who has relationships with most women he sees, there are quite a few goddesses who subtly express their feelings for me.
But...
"Sigh... It’s just that I see such souls every time."
In the underworld, all sorts of victims of rape, infidelity, and murder due to love affairs come.
Seeing those who died due to the goddess's curse or jealousy makes one’s desire for marriage fade away...
And the mistress of the underworld must be chosen carefully.
Like Hera, the queen of the gods, who kills rape victims,
or Amphitrite, Poseidon’s main wife, who flips the seas in anger, that is a bit...
Just then, a servant approached to inform me that the feast was being prepared.
"It seems the feast is slowly getting ready, so let’s head to the banquet hall."
"Cheh... Alright."
It had been a long time since I had a day off, so everyone would surely be happy.
I left the office with the goddess of Lethe quietly following behind me and headed to the banquet hall.
Since we were holding a feast today, I instructed to share the wine made by Dionysus with the people of the underworld.
Even though the souls didn’t need to eat or drink, perhaps it would still create a festive mood.
"Have the Muses arrived?"
"Yes! The goddesses have already come and are in the banquet hall."
The nine Muses, who preside over the arts, were the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus.
Upon hearing that I was holding a feast, the goddess Mnemosyne contacted Olympus directly to summon her daughters.
Beep beep~
As I entered the banquet hall, the sound of music filled the air.
Euterpe played the flute, and Terpsichore danced in tune with it.
The other Muses were also enhancing the festive atmosphere according to their respective fields.
As I sat down for a moment and looked around the banquet hall, everyone appeared to be enjoying the long-awaited rest.
But something felt off.
"My goodness..."
"How hard must it have been for them..."
In one corner of the banquet hall, something was amiss... the gods were whispering.
As I moved closer, I saw an old god lying down, trying to sleep.
"Ugh... Zzz..."
Why was Hypnos sleeping on the banquet hall floor? Was he that tired?
Still, since I held the feast for them to rest, I shouldn’t disturb him.
I had a servant quietly move the sleeping Hypnos to a quiet room and returned.
"Did he die again from some illness? Those weak mortals, tsk tsk tsk... mumbling..."
In another corner, Thanatos was sipping nectar, and the power of death swirled around him.
Even at this moment of the feast, he could not rest as he had to control his clones to harvest souls.
"Hades!"
Someone called me.
It was a familiar voice, ah!
"Oh my~! Lord Hades! How long has it been!"
"Erato. It’s been a while."
The goddess with long, flowing hair and a tunic that suited her well approached me with a smile.
She was one of the nine Muses, responsible for love poetry and solo singing.
"You always work so hard in the underworld, and I’ve been too busy to visit..."
Erato came closer and linked her arm with mine.
Don’t get too close, dear...
While her playful demeanor was cute, isn’t the distance a bit too close?
"Hades~! Seeing you after such a long time brings me so much inspiration~"
"...?!"
For some reason, I felt the eyes of others on me, so it was time to step back...
Contrary to my inner thoughts, Erato cleared her throat and began to recite poetry.
The sweet voice of the goddess of arts, responsible for love poetry and solo singing, echoed through the banquet hall.
Humans say~
With a smile like the sun, Phoebus, and a chest like the sea, Poseidon.
The enchanting figure of Dionysus, and the cheerful eloquence of Hermes.
Pausing her poem for a moment, Erato took a sip of nectar and placed her hand on my chest as she continued.
But we know~
That Pluto, whom everyone fears in the underworld...
"Ah... I-I’m sorry! Then I will take my leave...!"
"Eh...?!"
Erato suddenly turned to look behind her and stopped speaking.
She seemed very flustered as she bowed her head and took a step back.
When I turned around, there stood the goddess Styx, looking at me with a smile.
But she didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
"Hades... what strange goddess are you with again..."
"Excuse me?"
"Huh... it’s nothing. By the way, why are you holding a feast? How much damage would it cause if you skip work for just one day..."
Yes, yes...
I know that too.
"It seems everyone needs a break..."
"But what if work piles up again like last time?"
"You don’t need to worry about that. If you look over there..."
We turned our heads to see Thanatos muttering something with a sinister look in his eyes while controlling his clones.
It seemed that the busiest god in the underworld was still preoccupied with harvesting souls.
"Was the next one over here? Oh dear... the whole family has starved to death..."
It was secondary that the black wings brushed against the nectar cup,
but the terrifying sight of him harvesting souls in real-time meant that no god existed beside death.
"Thanatos is still working hard, and the three judges Minos are taking turns resting."
"So I can go back now, right? Hades?!"
The goddess Aphrodite, with an extremely angry face, interrupted our conversation.
Compared to before, the goddess of beauty had transformed into a more decadent appearance.
At this point, I had certainly made her work hard enough.
For a while, I could feel the workload in the underworld decreasing significantly.
"Thank you for your hard work. If you ever want to come back to the underworld..."
"Really?! Can I really go?!"
Aphrodite jumped up from her seat as soon as I agreed.
The goddess Styx looked at her with a disbelieving expression, shaking her head.
"No, just a little work at the Acheron River and she’s already trying to escape."
Perhaps because she had only been playing comfortably in Olympus, she was quickly trying to flee the underworld...
...?! Someone was praying to me.
A believer in Thebes, or perhaps a priest?
But this plea filled with desperation, begging, and fear...!
"Lord Hades! Please help me! A monster that is a mix of a snake and a human...!"