Chapter 33: The Tale of Otos and Ephialtes - (1)

Not long after sending the messenger, Iris arrived.

"Lord Hades, why have you summoned me..."

"Open a passage to Olympus."

"...Understood."

Seven streams of light flowed from Iris's fingertips.

Soon, a beautiful rainbow appeared, opening a passage between spaces.

Indeed, calling Iris is convenient for long-distance travel.

Whoosh-

As I crossed the passage, space distorted and Olympus, filled with clouds, appeared.

Now, let's see... where's Zeus...

"Ah, Uncle Hades?"

"Apollo."

My nephew Apollo, with his dazzling golden hair and eyes like shining sunlight, was nearby.

As usual, he was heading somewhere with his lyre in hand.

"What brings you to Olympus today?"

"Never mind that, where's Zeus?"

"Oh, Father? He's probably in the banquet hall over there."

Oh, a banquet.

He sent Thanatos for a supposed serious criminal, which turned out to be false,

And now he's having a feast without a thought for the situation caused by his own rape?

Entering the banquet hall, I see all sorts of gods.

Drinking nectar and eating ambrosia, it's just like a typical feast.

"Huh...? Lord Hades?"

"He doesn't look too happy today..."

"I wonder why he's come to Olympus after so long..."

And there, comfortably seated on the golden throne, was the King of Gods.

"Thanatos was sleeping? That's not like him. You must have seen wrong..."

"It's true, Father! He was lying so comfortably..."

Zeus wore an incredulous expression as he listened to Ares's report, who had just returned from the Underworld.

His face was full of disbelief.

Thump, thump.

As I walked straight towards Zeus, he looked surprised to see me.

"Huh? Brother Hades, what brings you to Olympus..."

"Everything Ares said is true."

"What? Then Thanatos really disobeyed my orders...!"

A vein popped on Zeus's forehead, but I wasn't finished.

"About that human you ordered Thanatos to bring to the Underworld."

"You mean Sisyphus?"

"What exactly did he do wrong for the King of Gods to personally summon Thanatos to send him to the Underworld?"

"Ah... haha..."

Zeus laughed awkwardly, seeming to sense something.

Yes, as you know, we have Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, in our Underworld.

"As Hades says, what wrong did this human Sisyphus commit to warrant such action?"

Hera, who had been eating ambrosia nearby, approached.

The Queen of Gods' face was full of curiosity. She didn't seem to know the exact situation.

You deserve to know, so I should tell you clearly.

"Well. It's because Zeus raped..."

"Ah! Ahem! Brother, wait. Just a moment!"

"Shh! You be quiet! So, what did Zeus do?"

He tried to change the subject in panic, but it was futile.

Hera, sensing something odd, silenced Zeus.

You know why I'm bringing this up here, right?

Reap what you sow, Zeus.

"Hera, you know Asopus, the river god?"

"I've heard of him."

"Zeus raped his daughter, and Sisyphus is the human who informed Asopus of this rape."

"...?!"

Zeus tried to slink away from his seat, but Hera caught him.

"So... in conclusion, when Zeus was exposed for his rape, he tried to kill the human who revealed it...?"

"That's right."

Hera glared at Zeus briefly before turning her gaze back to me.

"This isn't a lie, is it?"

"I confirmed it with the help of Goddess Mnemosyne. I swear by the River Styx that all of this is true."

"Ze... Zeus!!!"

Hera's face instantly transformed into that of a demon.

As the Queen of Gods, she's the goddess of family and marriage.

Naturally, acts like rape and adultery are absolute evils from her perspective.

"Ahem!"

"You thought I'd stay quiet even after you forcibly touched another goddess again!"

"Should the God of Death, Thanatos, be punishing humans who expose your rapes?"

He couldn't say a word and just broke out in a cold sweat.

Oh... look at him avoiding eye contact.

"No, Brother, that... Thanatos disrespected my dignity as King of Gods..."

"Dignity? Since when did the God of Rape, who forces relationships whenever he pleases, have any dignity?!"

Zeus's face turned even paler.

No wonder, with Hera glaring daggers and ranting non-stop beside him.

"You're always like this. Whether it's Leto, Europa, human women, or whoever, if they have a pretty face, you lose your mind and pounce on them. I can't tell if you're the King of Gods or the King of Adultery. Shall I tell you how many times you flirted with Iris today? And now you rape a river god's daughter? On top of that, you try to send the admirable human who revealed this to the Underworld? If there's even one false word in what I'm saying, try to refute it..."

"Ugh... I... I was wrong."

I can't believe you admitted your fault with your own mouth.

"Then compensate me."

"Com... compensation?"

"Because of you, the Underworld's work has been beyond busy for days, so I'll need to borrow some Olympian gods for a while."

Zeus looked around nervously, his eyes darting back and forth.

Then he cautiously opened his mouth...

"Hmm. Hmm. Of course. You can take whoever you want..."

"And please stop using busy gods as you please, especially for unnecessary things like this..."

If he had refused, I was considering cutting off his manhood with Scylla...

But he is still the King of Gods, and Hera is already giving him a hard time, so I'll let it slide for now.

"Zeus! I'm not finished talking yet!"

"That... this situation..."

The other reason I came up here was to take some gods back to the Underworld.

Rather than arguing more with Zeus, I should quickly return to the Underworld and resume my duties.

Let's see, who should I take to work?

Athena, who has experienced Underworld duties? Or Ares, who was good at commanding souls?

My gaze shifted to the side.

Ares, who had been listening blankly to the conversation, met my eyes and waved his hands in refusal.

"Gasp...! Uncle Hades, you'd be better off taking Athena instead of me!"

"...I'll spare you for your merit in promptly reporting Thanatos's misdeeds to the Underworld."

Leaving Zeus, whose ears were dripping ichor from Hera's constant nagging, I looked around the banquet hall.

Where... is there a suitable talent, or rather, god-talent, perfect for the Underworld?

***

Gods have superior senses compared to humans.

They can hear conversations from a distance quite well unless blocked by divine power.

Therefore...

"Did Lord Zeus violate someone again?"

"No... Father..."

"To think Asopus's daughter was the victim this time..."

Naturally, Zeus's notoriety grew even more.

Virgin goddesses sighed, and even married goddesses shuddered.

"Should I just swear my virginity to the River Styx too?"

"Maybe it's better to be like Goddess Athena..."

"So the rumors about Lord Zeus having the divine status of rape and adultery were true?"

Amidst all this, one goddess had a different reaction.

"My, Lord Zeus doesn't come to me..."

Beauty that seemed to embody all the world's grace.

It was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.

As she smiled slightly, raising the corners of her mouth, Ares's face relaxed and his eyes glazed over.

He might get into big trouble with Hephaestus for that... tsk tsk.

Aphrodite walked lightly across the clouds and approached me as I looked around at the gods.

Oh, she's wearing that headache-inducing girdle again.

"Hades, seeing you come to Olympus today, you must have wanted to see me again?"

"Go to your husband."

The love goddess's fair brow furrowed slightly.

But even that transformed into beauty as the goddess smiled at me.

"Hehe... I wonder how long you'll keep playing hard to get..."

"Aphrodite, don't trouble Hades too much."

"Oh? Lady Hestia?"

Hestia, who had been tending the hearth in a corner of the banquet hall, quietly approached and spoke.

"Didn't you swear to keep your virginity to the River Styx, Lady Hestia?"

"...? What does that have to do with this?"

"There's only one reason I can think of for trying to prevent free love between men and women?"

Aphrodite went behind the relatively shorter Hestia and whispered.

Is that lecherous gaze a characteristic of the goddess of love?

"Ha! Hades and I aren't like that!"

"Come on, you can tell just me. For love advice, come to the goddess of love~"

Wait, couldn't Aphrodite's charm be useful in commanding 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 said to me.

"Ah~ So that's your preference. You should have said so earlier. Spending time in a quiet, secret place isn't bad at all."

"So, will you come?"

"Of course I will!"

That smile was infused with charming divine power that gave me a headache,

But I smiled too. If I'm like this, the souls coming to the Underworld will completely lose their minds.

"As the goddess of beauty and love, you probably don't have much to do in Olympus anyway, right?"

"That's right! I can spend a passionate night... no, passionate days and nights with you."

Watching us, Hestia shuddered and then put on a determined expression.

It's not what you're thinking...

"Ha... Hades! You can't do that! You have Lethe and Styx..."

"They're goddesses who aren't even married to Hades yet, right? If I enjoy some time first..."

"Hmm. Enjoyable time, that's a very good phrase."

If you come to the Underworld, everyone will be able to work a bit more happily.

Especially Charon the ferryman and the lesser gods will be very pleased.

As Aphrodite and I looked at each other with expectant smiles,

A loud noise was heard from the outskirts of Olympus.

Boom! Boooom!