The Story of Life - (2)
"Hades, my souls under your command are crying out for relief."
"No matter how much of a god Zeus may be, he does not listen to the opinions of the underworld..."
"Do the gods in the clouds not care about the world below?"
In an instant, the banquet hall of the underworld transformed into a place where the decisions of Olympus were condemned, causing the beautiful goddess who presides over rainbows to turn pale.
I looked around at the gods present in this place.
The lower gods who guide the souls crossing the River Styx and manage the underworld, the god of death, Thanatos, who tirelessly collects countless souls day and night.
His twin brother, Hypnos, the god of sleep, who helps harvest souls by inducing deep slumber at the request of Thanatos.
"Isn't death from the great flood an unavoidable fate, Moros?"
"What are you saying? It is your responsibility since the majority of humans are likely to perish until the punishment is complete, Ceres."
Moros and Keres, other gods of death, are also children of Nyx, just like Thanatos.
"What if suddenly too many souls come rushing in and the river runs dry?"
Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness, granddaughter of Nyx, spoke up.
The name of the Lethe River is derived from her.
"To think that the first to rush to the war against the Titan gods would be treated so poorly... Zeus is too much."
And even the goddess of the Styx, who volunteered to help due to the overwhelming workload of the underworld, looked at me with tearful eyes, having been assigned unfamiliar paperwork.
Though I am the king of the underworld, I cannot ignore their hard work and suffering.
As I closed my eyes and quietly raised one hand, everyone fell silent.
In the suffocating silence, I organized the words I wanted to convey to Iris, who was frozen in place.
"Lady Iris of the rainbow."
"Command me, Lord Hades."
I looked down at Iris, who knelt on one knee, clearly intimidated by my low, rumbling voice.
"Why did Olympus not inform us in advance about the great flood?"
"That is... because the wickedness of humans escalated too rapidly, leaving no time to give a warning..."
No, Zeus sent Pandora's box to create a pretext for wiping out humanity in the first place.
After Pandora's box was opened, evil spread across the earth, causing a rapid increase in the souls coming to the underworld.
That petty Zeus must have certainly thought of punishing humans as a consequence for Prometheus stealing and sharing fire...
And he likely created Pandora on purpose to allow humans to run amok under that pretext.
Managing the souls coming to the underworld is naturally our responsibility, so I have no complaints about the increased workload due to the great flood.
However, it is unpleasant that Olympus decided to sweep aside my authority and inform me of their decision to wipe out humanity.
No matter how much Zeus is the king of the gods, should we not be consulted on such an important matter, rather than simply informed?
Go back to Zeus and convey that the underworld expresses deep regret over Olympus's decision.
As I finished speaking, Iris's face froze.
".....!"
"Do you have anything else to convey, goddess of the rainbow?"
"Nothing at all. I will deliver your words as you have instructed, my lord of the underworld..."
As I spoke, I unknowingly grew a bit irritated, causing the ground to crack under the release of my power, and a chilling divine energy to emanate from my body.
It felt as if I had taken out my frustration on the messenger.
Zeus, sensitive to his own power, would surely understand my intent.
The goddess Iris bowed her head and left the banquet hall.
Only then did the other gods, who had paused the banquet, begin to move and prepare for the impending crisis of the underworld due to the great flood.
"Let us add more places to stay until life can flourish again after the great flood..."
"Thanatos, take it easy until the flood arrives. Let’s help with the work of bringing souls a bit more."
"Indeed, only my brother would say that. Then I shall ask you, Hypnos."
"Ceres, let’s get moving too."
"Moros, why don’t you put down that nectar and speak?"
The most displeasing fact was that Iris conveyed the news of the flood without consulting me, the king of the underworld.
If a disaster like the great flood were to strike suddenly without any preparation, the officials of the underworld would feel as if they had been struck by lightning out of a clear sky.
Had they consulted with the underworld in advance, we could have rotated our souls into work or at least given them prior notice to prepare themselves mentally.
Thinking back on it, it only irritated me more.
The last time I fought with Prometheus, I went directly to Olympus to help.
This place is the Olympus temple.
Zeus, sitting on his golden throne above the clouds, was listening to Iris's report.
When the highly esteemed goddess Iris returned to Olympus pale and shaken, he felt puzzled, but upon hearing her report, he understood.
"And so, Lord Hades expressed great anger and conveyed his deep regret over Olympus's decision..."
"Oh dear, I had forgotten about my brother...!"
Why had he not thought of Hades, who manages the souls of the dead?
Seeing Iris break out in a cold sweat, Zeus pondered how to resolve this matter.
Having made the decision to unleash a great flood without hearing the opinion of the underworld, it was understandable that Hades might feel disregarded.
If a lesser god without power or influence dared to voice discontent or dissent against his decision, he could simply suppress them with authority...
But as one of the three ruling gods of the underworld, especially one residing near Tartarus, where the Titan gods were imprisoned, he needed to think more carefully.
Though Zeus is called the king of the gods and rules the heavens, there were those who could check his power.
"Zeus! Has another goddess run off in a huff?!"
Flying over with her arms crossed and fuming was Hera, his sister and wife.
"No, that is a misunderstanding. I may glance at other women for a moment, but truly, there is no one who deserves to sit beside me like you..."
"You can glance?! Ugh... Were you just trying to charm Iris again?"
Hera, the queen of the gods, presides over marriage and family.
No matter how much Zeus is the king of the gods, he must yield to her regarding infidelity or affairs.
"No! This time it is truly a misunderstanding. I was discussing the great flood with my brother Hades in the underworld..."
The king of the gods, sweating profusely, tried to explain.
However, Hera's frown only deepened as she listened.
"The king of the gods thinks only of how to deal with goddesses every day, forgetting the simple logic of listening to the opinions of other gods?"
"That is... umm. I admit my mistake. How should I appease the underworld..."
"Hmph. If it is so difficult to make a decision, why not ask the daughter of Metis?"
"The daughter of Metis... Ah, yes, bring Iris to Athena."
Metis, Zeus's cousin and first wife, who made Cronos vomit up the gods.
Her marriage to Zeus resulted in the birth of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
The prophecy that the son born of Metis would threaten Zeus's throne was averted with the birth of his daughter Athena, who, being the wise goddess she was, reassured Zeus, fearing that the prophecy would continue with her son.
She swore by the River Styx to remain a virgin forever.
Only then did Zeus cease all doubts and love her dearly.
"Father, did you call for me?"
Not long after, a rainbow appeared before Zeus, and from it, Iris and Athena walked out together.
As always, Athena was clad in her golden, sturdy helmet and armor, armed with a spear and shield.
Yet, the beauty of the silver-haired goddess shone through and could not be concealed.
To the noble and wise goddess, Zeus posed his question.
"... And so, I need your wisdom. If you have a good suggestion, please share it."
After listening to Zeus's story, Athena pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Father, how far are you willing to go to calm Uncle's wrath?"
"Isn't that why I called you? Speak freely."
At Zeus's words, the armored goddess of wisdom cautiously expressed her opinion.
Hera and Iris also quietly awaited her words.
"This time, it would be best for you to go down to the underworld and apologize in person."
"What?! Me, Zeus, in person?!"
Not sending a messenger like Hermes or Iris?
The king of the gods was taken aback, but he decided to continue listening to the words of his beloved eldest daughter.
However, the goddess of wisdom did not speak further after that.
"Why do you not speak anymore, my beloved daughter?"
"I apologize. I was momentarily lost in thought, considering how the minor wickedness of humans has escalated to the point where it must lead to a great flood and their destruction..."
The wickedness of humans was something Zeus himself had deliberately incited through Pandora's box.
Their transgressions had given Zeus a justification to unleash the great flood.
However, there was no need to mention that here and now.
Athena, being the goddess of wisdom, was not foolish enough to fall into other thoughts in front of the king of the gods...
So then...
"Are you suggesting that it would be better to take measures that may seem excessive to prevent a major problem before it occurs? Is that what you mean?"
Athena did not respond and lowered her head.
The impending great flood was certainly a result of Zeus's intent, as humans had crossed the line, providing him with justification.
However, if Hades were to harbor resentment from this incident and raise a rebellion someday?
From what Zeus had seen, his elder brother was not the type to become enraged over trivial matters and fight against him.
So, if Iris spoke of his anger, it was likely that he had protested to Olympus as the king of the underworld.
If Hades lost the support of the other gods of the underworld, his throne would be in danger.
Especially considering the importance of Tartarus, which is near the underworld.
"Are you still pondering, Zeus? Are you saying you have time to fool around but not to soothe the underworld?"
Hera's words struck a chord with Zeus, who was deep in thought.
"Very well. I shall go directly to my brother Hades and have an open conversation with him."
Now that I think about it, it has been a long time since I met my brother living in the underworld, so it would be a good opportunity to catch up.